June...So far...

We are at the end of the second week of June and I don't have much to report.

June (so far) has been a month of doctor's appointments (9 sicne the 1st and it's only the 12th), "hot" weather (all of 85 degrees but hot to the Seattlites) and another show opening (The Tempest runs this whole month).

I've been so busy working and making it to my doctors that I had almost forgot that I'm nearing the time of our real vacation!

In less than a month we will be in California with Mom and Lily! I'm so excited!!

First Trip of 09

It's been 6 months since I last left Seattle. A trip was long overdue. Not that I don't love Seattle but 6 months is a long time for me and I needed a change in scenery. So, we went to Portland for a visit.



Our first night there Sue BBQed half a cow for us. Owen helped, of course.
I also received a lovely birthday gift (art supplies) and we had a great dinner.



The next morning we woke up to barking and breakfast.
It was a nice, sunny weekend and we decided to enjoy it to the fullest...By hiking Beacon Rock and hanging out in The Gorge!

After our hike we headed back to town to eat at Tad's. Scott was dying to have a big bowl of chicken and dumplings.
Later in the evening we met up with Joe, Will and Zach to have desert and shoot the breeze a while.

The following morning we got up to once again start the day off right...more food. Then we went downtown to browse at Powell's and have fancy cake at Papa Haydn's with Shawn. On our way out of town we went to experience IKEA for the first time with Sue as our guide.

It was nothing fancy but it was our little vacation.

And the most important thing was...We had a good time. :)

Don't You Forget About Me

What's better than going to the prom?
Going to the 80's Prom!

We had a blast dancing to 80's hits (all covered by the great Dudley Manlove Quartet).

It was totally worth getting dressed up for. (Plus I looked goooood!) :)

Happy Birthday to meeeeeee!

So-I am another year older now. Not that it really changes much but just the same ....it's happened.

This year it was decided that we would go out to this great Hawaiian place downtown to celebrate another year of life down the drain....errr, I mean passing by in bliss.

Anyway- Rachel and I went and had our nails done and then caught the bus downtown. We met up with Scott, Justin and Sam (plus a few others).

I really like the place we went because they have great food, an outstanding Happy Hour and BLUE DRINKS! The blue drinks were the highlight of the night and MANY were drank by the time we left.

Needless to say, I had a great time!

After food and drinks we decided that it was time for....More drinks (and some karaoke)!

We spent the rest of the night singing, dancing and and being merry.

It was a the best birthday I have had in a long time.

James Thomas Aug 1914-May 2009

You've earned the time off...Rest in Peace, Papa.

A day in the life of...

Every day here is like a mini-adventure. You never know who or what you’ll see. There are the characters that are always around. There are the cameos that flit in and out of your daily episodes. Sometimes there are big surprises. Sometimes the whole day goes by with no surprises at all. Nevertheless, you don’t worry because tomorrow the adventure begins again.

Today was nothing out of the ordinary for me. I slept in, had a late breakfast and played on the internet. Later in the afternoon I got ready to start my mini-adventure for the day. This included riding the bus downtown to shop for a book, eating lunch at the mall and then catching the monorail for a ride to work. Sounds a tad boring. It wasn’t…

The following is just a sample of the weirdness I encountered on my adventure in the city today:

1. A guy walked past me at the bus stop with a roll of toilet paper in one hand and a large can of beer in the other.

2. I watched a group of young finches gathered around a dying elder. They seemed to be mourning it’s passing (either that or waiting to eat it).

3. The air smelled distinctly of BBQ. I guess it’s because today was the first day to be above 65 degrees in almost 6 months. However, I still found it a tad odd and very delightful at the same time.

4. I saw a large piece of graffiti that simply said “Carry on my wayward son”. What a strange thing to spray paint on the side of a bank.

5. There was an amazing street performer downtown. He was dressed in green from head to toe and playing the violin. His selection when I walked by was “Hey There Delilah” which I found to be strange and beautiful coming from a violin.

6. The guy working the counter at the crepe place was trying to tempt people away from the healthy smoothie place across the aisle from him. He was hanging over the counter waving samples of some sort of chocolate & strawberry concoction.

7. A guy actually smiled and held the door for me! This is highly unusual since they typically just let it snap back in my face.

So, for those of you whom have lived in the city for a long time these sort of things may seem completely normal. I, on the other hand, still find this place strange and exciting. I’m sure I will grow accustom to it eventually.

That will be a sad day.

Then there will be no more mini-adventures to be had.

Mom and Lily 04.09

My mom and Lily came for a visit. It’s been over a year since we last saw each other!

Day 1: I picked them up at Sea-Tac in the morning. After a quick trip back home we drove down to the Seattle Center. After leaving the car behind we jumped on the monorail and rode downtown. They were in awe of the city.

We walked down to Pike’s Market. Lily really liked the flying fish and all the crafts available at the market. My mom loved the flowers and seeing the first Starbucks! I took them to have the best gelato in town. Lily had never had gelato before and fell in love.

In the evening we drove to Lynnwood to visit Scott at his office. We had a great dinner at Claim Jumper’s and then made the long drive back.

It was a pretty busy first day!

Day 2: Scott had the day off to spend with us. We had doughnuts and coffee at Top Pot. Lily had a hard time picking one from all the different flavors.

After breakfast, we drove down to the pier. We spent the afternoon walking through the aquarium. We had a pretty good time despite the crowds.

That evening Scott introduced Lily to the Lord of the Rings movies. She LOVED it!

Day 3: We took them out for brunch at the Space Needle. It was delicious! After we ate we spent time up on the observation deck. It was cold and windy but worth it for the view.

Later we went to “Ride the Ducks”. This is a half land, half water tour of Seattle. It was fun and almost worth the price.

Day 4: We had planned on going to the beach for the day. Unfortunately, the weather was very uncooperative. We ended up spending the day watching the extended versions of the LOTRs part 2 and 3. Lily really wanted to see how the story turned out.

Day 5: I had breakfast with them in the morning while we talked about what they had seen. It was sad to drive them back to the airport. Only this time I know I’ll see them much sooner. Goodbye...for now.