Birthday boots, cake, and surprises!

July was a nutty month for me and Rob. We planned a trip to Spokane and Los Angeles, in addition to working long hours. The whole month turned out to be a whirlwind of planning, packing, unpacking, cleaning, working, and not sleeping for both of us.

Our two trips were to visit family. In Spokane, my sister was celebrating her recent marriage to her long-time partner, and wanted to throw a party for the family. She and her husband put on a huge barbecue with plenty of beer, meat, veggis and snacks to have us all asking: What?? There's more food?? But, it was nice visiting with everyone and congratulating the couple...even though it was a bit of a hectic few days. By the way, these were early photos, the food kept piling up, and I became too busy putting it away to take more photos.


In LA, Robert's sister had a traditional wedding ceremony and reception. We were there for pre-wedding festivities (including the rehearsal ceremony, rehearsal dinner, and just for the girls: mani-pedis and sushi for lunch). I was nervous to get my nails fixed because I thought it would be uncomfortable and that my nails were too ugly to fix. Not so! It was fast, easy, and I feel oh so glamorous! We had a great time at the wedding, there were formal speeches, toasts, dances, and so on, but there was also some spontaneous salsa dancing, karaoke and plenty of silly songs for Robert and I to improvise ingenious choreographies.

But, with all this excitement, and my birthday right in the middle, I didn't expect that much. I had already arranged my parent's gift to me. Yes, the coveted Fiona Frye boots (which went on an awesome Amazon.com sale)

A few times I have worn them with a casual summer dress, but they'll really prove their worth in the fall. I can't wait to pair them with skirts, leggings, and under jeans for extra warmth.

But, I didn't bother planning a party or anything. Luckily Rob and our friends stepped in and arranged a fun surprise party. With cake, snacks, good friends, and balloons, how can you go wrong?

Oh, and another thing? Everyone chipped in to get me Goodwill Gift Cards, so I can splurge without depleting my fun account. Hizzah! I already got to work on those with a new pair of shoes! Only $5.99 and they really tied my comfy airport outfit together.


So, many cheers and congratulations to the newly married couple and happy birthday to me and thanks to everyone who made my birthday very special this year!

P.S. As a question to any readers out there, what do you think about the leggings? Yay or Nay?

Red, White, Blue (and yellow and purple too!)

Rob and I have been wanting to get away for a while now. Not a major trip or anything, just a night or two away from the demands of to do lists, chores, hobbies, etc. Since it was a long weekend, we decided to drive to Portland, stay over night, and then do a nice hike in the area. We definitely made the most of our little roadtrip.

We arrived in Portland in the early afternoon and relaxed in the Pearl District, not too far from our hotel. We browsed in some of the ecclectic shops, grabbed some inexpensive happy hour eats, and tested our stamina at Powell's Bookstore. In the evening we enjoyed the blues festival, watched the fireworks, and gobbled some late night food at one of the (many) street vendors.

The next morning we drove to the Columbia River Gorge in the South Cascades to hike Dog Mountain. It was a pretty difficult hike for both of us. It starts steep, takes a break from being so steep, and then at the end it's steep again. Mercy!

It was also a bit chilly that day, and the wind was whipping all around us, getting stronger the closer we got to the summit.

But the views at the top were outstanding! You could see panoramic views of the river, the cascade mountain range, and rolling meadows of wildflowers.
I thought that all that hard work hiking up the mountain was worth it for such a view, Rob said he loved me anyways.

So, we had our luscious reprieve from all those to do lists and now feel much relief! But, we're not on holiday anymore...so it's back to the same old busy shenanigans!

Although, I have to say that last month ended up being a heavy-spending month for me. There will probably be no Goodwill Hunting posts until August at the earliest! My goodness how time and money flies when you're having fun!

New Years Resolution

Rob and I welcomed 2010 with the resolution to eat less and also to buy local and organic produce and meat.

After I read Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma (1 year ago) I have wanted to buy local produce and meat. While my mom snarkily jokes that I’m turning into a busy body liberal, I retorted that buying local can be an incredibly conservative thing to do. One way to look at it is that by supporting my community, I am looking after my own interests by paying for what I think is best for my community. Anyways, conservative or liberal or somewhere in between, sustainable agriculture seems like an important challenge for our country…as much as it pains me not to pinch pennies and buy the cheapest stuff I can find. (that has been a long-running hobby of mine!)

So, to start with, we signed up for a CSA basket to come every other week from New Roots.** We also have been shopping at PCC, but I’m still on the hunt for better meat options. I am willing to pay top dollar for truly free range chicken and truly (100%) grass fed beef, and I’ve found Washington State farmers who claim to do this, but I haven’t seen these farm’s names on the meat at PCC. I guess I still need to do a bit of experimenting with where to find good meat products, and also take a few weekend trips with Rob to farm country.

To coincide with this resolution, Robert and I also want to limit our portion sizes. During the holidays and other celebration times, it’s so easy to go overboard with food. It all tastes so good and it’s so easy to indulge. Considering how expensive all this organic, local stuff is, eating less never looked so profitable!

** I made a really good soup from some of our veggis, but as is usual with my attempted cooking blogs, I took a few early photos, and promptly forgot to take any photos of the process. I get too carried away while cooking I suppose!

Eat and Be Merry, Diets are for New Year's Resolutions

After things got discombobulated during the holiday season, and after running around like a crazy person, I feel like I am finally nestling back into domestic bliss. As we speak, the house is relatively clean, we re-organized the office space, and the laundry is spinning merrily away. It is good to be home and back in the swing of things.

This year the holidays were fairly stressful for me. My family lives a drive away -- a long drive, but convenient enough that I’ve never flown during the holiday hullabaloo. I certainly wasn’t missing much. My goodness, the airport was such a crowded mess: frazzled families, screaming babies, planes crowded with packages, and exhausted people like Rob and me who always managed to get in the way. We did luck out in terms of our flights and never had a delay or any mix ups. Unfortunately, with the weather and other emergencies this last Christmas, I can’t say that everyone escaped the airport so unscathed.


Our travel time was extended as we opted to fly in and out of Washington DC and drive the rest of the way to Williamsburg. This way, I got to spend some time with my friend in DC and the Smithsonian.

Anachronism was also integral to the trip as we visited Colonial Williamsburg and Historic Jamestown. We got to see all the folks dressed up in their old-fashioned garb and talk to them about the life and times of America’s messy past. I particularly enjoyed the Jamestown museum and the faux settlement. Rob particularly liked being able to explore and touch all the replicas of old tools, buildings, clothes, etc.



This highlight of this trip really was eating though.

We got Ben’s Chili Dogs in DC


Chick Fil-A every chance we got

I even found a Nandos in DC, which was a chicken restaurant Juliana and I frequented in South
Africa
And of course Robert’s grandma took great care of us. Each morning there was grapefruit, poached eggs, toast, and fresh coffee. She also cooked dinner for everyone with some of the favored traditional recipes, and I always love a hearty home-cooked meal. Christmas dinner was buffet style at the retirement community’s dining room, and the spread was epic with salmon, halibut, shrimp, roast beef, turkey, soups, and of course salad, potatoes, stuffing, bread, and other tasty sides.

But, as with any trip, it’s always a comforting thrill to come back home. I was so happy to cuddle with my fat babies, sleep in our bed, and settle back into the business of domestic bliss.

So, I have fallen somewhat behind on blogging for the past month or so. For the next few days, I will be posting frequent blogs to catch up with some of the rough drafts that have been languishing in my documents. Then it'll be back to Sunday updates.

The Poetics of Music

Maybe it’s the liberal arts major in me, but I always feel a certain sense of exhilaration when either experiencing the artistic expression of others, or participating in my own expression. All this time re-researching the British Romantics (for grad school application essays) has really started my mind revolving around the redemptive imagination and the sublime!

I enjoy wandering around museums, galleries, and visiting fringe theaters, poetry readings, and music venues. My own expression is mainly in the form of writing, although I sometimes dabble in visual arts. However, I rarely share my creations publically. It always seems like I must gain some sort of “perfection” before I can display myself. However, this reluctance is something I am working to repair. Blogging is my first step, and I hope to continue along the path to becoming published and finding other ways to actively participate in the artistic expressions I find so interesting.

I get the most enthused when listening to music. Music can be a fusion of all artistic mediums not only blending harmonies and lyrics, but also incorporating video, animation, and other images. It is difficult for me to combine art forms, and especially difficult for me to create melodies. So music and mixed media displays are even more impressive for me, because their creation seems so mysterious. Sometimes limiting the artist to one medium for expression can be limiting, but when there is a fusion, so many different experiences can be created.

Art that is surprising and intriguing is what many artists strive for, I should think. I particularly enjoy when artists can unleash a sense of unexpectedness in their music: the lyrics don’t quite go with the narrative voice or the melody, or the subject matter is just unusual. The Decemberists have in particular caught my attention. The lead singer has a unique voice, and he blends unique subjects with unexpected diction and forms. For example, the ballad, The Mariner’s Revenge, is rich with interesting words, rhymes and images, and the rolling accordion lulls the listener into the madness of the mariner. Where do these unusual ideas spring from?

I also enjoy Don Mclearn’s music, and other traditional singer-song-writer tunes. When I find a song that I can relate to, particularly when I can personally identify with the lyrics, I am moved and deeply satisfied by the listening experience. Connecting with the lyrics of Crossroads helped me come to terms with some of the changes I was experiencing at the time I heard it. Sometimes it seems that the perfect song can find you at the perfect time, and it is a wonderful sensation. For me, finding a song to identify with helps me come to peace with whatever emotions I am struggling to understand.

It is imperative for most humans to strive to understand their world and themselves. Artistic expression can lend itself wonderfully, both creating, sharing, and experiencing creativity. It can help us connect to the world in a meaningful way, and can make it seem like a less lonely and hostile place.

Lazy Lady!

So, I haven't been up to speed on my postings. I've been very tired and very busy with wedding planning, Goodwill hunting, kitten scolding, meal prepping, and house cleaning to prepare for the future in-laws.

To tell you the truth, I am beat and not fit to write out a blog. I have stuff to clean and chicken to marinate! Hooooo-doggies, domestic bliss can sure get a girl yawning early on a Saturday night.

My fiance's mother and sister are staying with us for about a week. In order to prepare for their visit, I cleaned and organized our place to the best of my ability. I take a lot of pride in hospitality and I wanted to make sure they both felt comfortable and welcome. We've spent their vacation here by eating out, playing with kittens, walking around Kirkland, and even going to Fremont for the Solstice Parade. It has definitely been a full week. Plus, tomorrow my parents will be coming for a brief visit, and we'll host a family bbq -- hence the marinating and cleaning duties that await me tonight.