What a fabulous weekend away with the hubby! For Nick’s birthday this year I decided that we didn’t need anymore “stuff” and that the things we did “need” were things that should never qualify as birthday presents. In that spirit, I settled on a gift of memories, corny as it may sound. Booked a bed and breakfast in the quaint little town of La Conner. My mom agreed to watch Mackenzie for the weekend, and with that, we had an excellent grown ups get away.

Because of the timing of it all, we actually ended up with an extra night to ourselves -- Friday night. We took full advantage of the opportunity and made straight to Terracotta Red, seriously one of our favorite spots here in Everett. As per usual, Nick got the Curry Red and I got the Empress Chow Mein. I am literally craving this meal as I type out the name….

After dinner we watched “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” This is the first of the movies, in a series of three, which are based on the book series I am 2/3 through. Have to say, the movie was a let down. I’m hoping that the English version (coming out Dec 2011, starring Daniel Craig) will be more true to the story/timeline. It was fun to watch a movie that didn’t have singing and didn’t require me to get up and dance at the end :)

Saturday morning we got ready and set off first thing in the morning (in Bowsher land, first thing in the morning is roughly 10am). First stop: Starbucks! Being true to my no coffee commitment however, I ordered a chai -- still cheating I’m sure-- but a valiant effort. Next stop, naturally, winery no 1. Yes, we got there at 11 am, and yes we did the full tasting. Which, by the way, was free. Actually, of all the wineries we went to over the weekend, I believe we only paid a “tasting fee” at one and that was a wine shop and not a vineyard. Skagit really knows how to please.

Next up was the actual town of La Conner, all the shops, our favorite restaurant Calico Cupboard (the real reason behind any of our trips to LC), and a couple amazing antique shops. We found an awesome wine shop in the “Lime Dock Building” and got to meet an interesting women who works in the shop on the weekends for fun -- she gets paid in wine. Where can I find a job like this?! We even found a decent replacement for Paringa (the sparkling shiraz we served at our wedding), Uncle Dick’s something or other…

We checked into our hotel sometime late afternoon and were greeted by the most amazing cookies ever! Back out to the street to complete the shopping circuit… we landed in a really cool thrift shop full of fun treasures.

Back to the B&B to change and then it was off to dinner. Nell Thorn is a hole in the wall -- literally we were sitting in a cubby hole built up one level. Awesome food, ridiculous live music, loved this place!

Once again, back to the B&B where we picked up chocolat and spent some time enjoying the hot tub and our fun new wine. The movie was great although I couldn’t help but crave some truffles after seeing it…come to think of it.. I’m still craving truffles. Perhaps a trip up to the Enchanted Florist is in order.

Sunday, was serious business. We had brought a list with us of 105 things to do/see in La Conner. We had highlighted 17 of them. Sunday was the day to get things done! I’ll have to post the actual list at some point, because we didn’t get to do everything! Just a summary: Rainbow bridge, Pioneer Park, Swinomish Tribe Totem Pole, 1869 Bell in Sacred Heart, hand carved canoe from Swinomish Tribe, log cabin from 1869…. AND, the Skagit Valley Winery Loop.

THIS my friends, was more driving that we had originally thought. BUT, we set off in good spirits complete with recently purchased “WINE JOURNAL” (literally, we bought it that morning). We hit up Tulip Valley, Eagle Haven, Challenger Ridge, and Carpenter Creek. I loved them all, and yet, Carpenter Creek is worth note. When we walked in the door, they were in the process of bottling a pinot noir. As we did our tasting of there regulars, the wine master came over to us and gave us a pour of the wine they were bottling. This is the first “pre bottled” wine I have ever had. And it was so good. The peppery bit you usually find in a pinot was a “slap in the face” as opposed to the “hint” in most wines from our area. I really loved this, and I can’t wait to pick up a bottle when its ready in 6 months -- yes, I did mark it on google cal. Don’t you worry :)

By the time we got home, we had been to six wineries, two breweries, and one wine shop. Our booty -- six bottles of wine and one growler. This wasn’t meant to be alcoholics gone wild, but that’s what it appears to have become. The fun thing: we get to enjoy the memories all over again when we actually sit down to drink our wine. Excellent. In that case, the weekend was “free” -- that’s how money works right?! I’d like it to be…

It was great to get home and see Mackenzie all wound up! I always love how much energy that kid seems to whip up!

I love you Nicholas and I hope you had an amazing birthday! I can’t wait for our next adventure together!

Mack started preschool today, but that's not something I will blog about just yet. I'm still getting used to the idea...wouldn't want to start crying over the keyboard :)

Wedding Weekend

A little over a week has passed since cutting out coffee and I have to say, it’s harder than I thought. I haven’t had any withdrawals or headaches, but I miss the routine of getting a coffee as a break at work, or getting up from my desk and refilling my coffee cup as a break from whatever has been taxing my brain. Without coffee, I find myself getting up from my desk and walking over to the coffee pot, grabbing a cup, and just before I push the button to pour, realizing what I’m doing. After putting my cup back in the cupboard I think, “Now what?” I go back to my desk and go right back to the point I was stuck at which lead me to get up from my desk in the first place. Frustrating.

I’m sticking with it though, for now. As the weather has turned, I find myself longing for the comfort of a hot latte or the coziness of a mocha. If the weather stays like this, I’m definitely not going to make it through the next four and a half weeks. Coffee is a part of fall for me, so, as the season turns, my commitment might be broken :)

As I look back at my last post to try to catch up on where I left off, I realize that so much has happened in the last ten days. One of the biggies being Kyle and Erin’s wedding. What a fun weekend in Leavenworth (really, Plain, but Leavenworth sounds better…). It was so fun staying in the cabin with so many of our friends from college. And better yet, was being in the wedding party. As Nick and I walked up the aisle together to take our places next to the bride and groom, I couldn’t help but feel like it was my own wedding day, all over again… That rush of nervousness and excitement combined into one inexplicable emotion. That feeling when the preacher finishes and you get to walk back down the aisle hand in hand with the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with…. Needless to say, I cried numerous times during the ceremony. I am so happy for Kyle and Erin, so happy for the life they have together. And so happy for the life I have with Nick. So, so many things to be happy about. And what’s better than celebrating that with all of our friends?

Ayurveda

Kennis and I have started an Ayurvedic program. You can read more about Ayerveda here. Basically, it is all about eating the right foods, for the right body type, and working to keep yourself in balance. Balance is different for different people, and changes through the seasons.

Kennis shared this blog post with me, and I thought it sounded really interesting and wanted to know more.

Since then, I have stocked up on everything ginger (ginger tea, ginger root, ginger chews….), which is good for my personal type of balance -- I have also cut out coffee (only after ordering a triple tall caramel macchiato as a farewell drink) and have started eating the ginger mixture described in the blog before every meal. I’m replacing coffee with ginger tea and I’m drinking more water than I ever have -- every glass with a squeeze of lemon. I also ordered an Ayurvedic cookbook which has not yet arrived, but promises to point the way to cooking right for my specific dosha. What is a dosha you are wondering? Well, that is your body/mind type. You can take this little quiz to find out your own dosha. We both took the quiz and found it to be shockingly, if not creepily, right on target -- on more things than just what size/body type I am, but how I view tasks, health problems I have had, etc.

I figured I better start explaining some of this since Kennis and I have decided to do the six-week course found on the same site as the quiz. Today will serve as day one, which is meant to be “learning about your dosha.” Since I have already done a little bit of this, I am going to research a bit further into the Vata dosha, which is what I am.

While today is day one, of the course, it is day TWO of not drinking coffee. Of course the day I decided to give up coffee ended up being one of the most ridiculous days of my life (rough night of sleep, waking up at 4am, making an emergency visit to the dentist, having the basement flood with sewage, just a few of the details that was yesterday..). I find myself thinking, I don’t need the coffee, I just really want the coffee….that I miss holding it in my hand. I have a feeling this is what smokers tell themselves when they are trying to quit smoking. Furthermore I find myself thinking, I could just have coffee. It’s not so bad for me, and it’s something I truly enjoy, an important part of my day and life. I have a feeling this is what overweight people tell themselves when they want a donut. So, I need to stick to the plan, and cut out coffee. I should be very upfront and say that I have absolutely no intention of never drinking coffee again. Rather, I intend to make it through the program, see how I feel and go from there. I could definitely stand to cut back on the coffee, but robbing myself of the morning coziness a cup of black coffee brings me, is something I can’t bear the thought of. Yes, I am being serious. I also find that throughout my day I go to get a cup of coffee without even thinking about it… or walking over to the coffee shop and once getting there, realizing that I can’t actually get what I came there for. The addiction, if you choose to call it that, is worse than I thought.

Enough with the coffee, I plan on getting through the six weeks and posting throughout that time as much as I can, sharing with you all the things I am liking, or not, and the things I am learning.

Feel free to join the journey :)

Another great weekend!

Weekends are my favorite! A friend of ours responded to my FB status the other day by saying that we only “sleep in Everett.” He put it perfectly! We are hardly ever home these days, always off on some adventure or another. I realized at the end of this weekend (which we spent celebrating my mom’s birthday) that a “regular” weekend for us, is a vacation for most people…something I am blessed to be able to say. We might not have everything we need or want, but gosh, it sure feels like it on weekends like this one. Who needs a house when you’re never home?

Sometimes I strongly consider selling all of our furniture and living on a house boat, or in a teensy trailer along a river somewhere. I know I would be content with that -- for a time. But I know that is not a good life for a three year old who needs space and friends to play. Someday…even if it’s just our weekend beach shack :)

Where to begin with this…

Friday night I took my mom to PF Changs for dinner/drinks before going to see Eat Pray Love. Dinner was great. Really, it was just some appetizers but so filling. I always forget how much I love their lettuce wraps. The manager even came over and asked us why we were so happy, what we were up to, etc. She ended up giving us a gift card to come back again, and wished my mom a happy birthday. Random act of kindness!

The movie was good. I don’t think the transition from book to movie was very smooth, and if I had not read the book, I think I’d be really confused about how a lot of what takes place actually transpired -- like, how she paid for the trip when she had lost/given up everything in her divorce. They also skipped over most of the “depth” of the book, which is what I had fallen in love with. It was of course fun going to the movie, but it was definitely no where near as good as the book. Nothing against Julia Roberts though! She made a great Lis.

Saturday we headed up to Bellingham, hit up some antique shops, boutiques, etc. Very cute town. It worked out that we were in town during the farmer’s market, which was packed with people and fun things to buy. We had lunch in the marina, shockingly similar to the Everett Marina.

Then it was time for ice cream. We went to Mallard’s, which is a place I had stopped in one time with some friends on the way home from Canada. It was nothing like I remembered it, but they still had the same random flavors. I got “rose” ice cream and loved it…my mom, not so impressed stuck with chocolate coconut. Mack had strawberry and ate it while spinning in one of the “modern meets retro” bar stools. Needless to say, he was in heaven.

We decided to wrap up our Bellingham trip with a stop in Fairhaven at Purple Smile, a little wine shop owned by a family friend of Nicks. What a great little place! AND, I definitely want to go back to Fairhaven and spend at least a full day there walking around. Maybe even stay at the little village inn. for a night or two.

Getting back to Everett, we dropped of Mack and my mom and headed to the Seahawks game. Not really in line with it being her birthday, but Eric had given us tickets and its pretty hard to pass up on that! The game was a lot of fun, maybe 80 degrees in the stadium, beers got warm just walking up to our seats. BUT, the sunset was to die for. I don’t think I have ever been to a football game in such nice weather! If I haven’t mentioned it already, I can’t wait for football season. AND, the season of cozy sweaters and autumn tones, chai tea lattes and good books.

Enough of that though; its still summer time. Sunday morning, Nick made us a lovely breakfast including waffles. We ate outside and it was already roasting hot at nine in the morning. We all decided that we’d go out on the boat with Gary and Criss to celebrate their first launch of their “new to them” boat. We got in at the river, just north of Langus Park and went up river to Snohomish. On the way back down the river we stopped at the sand bar and got off for a couple drinks and some swimming. Mackenzie thought this was so cool.

Pulled in at Dagmar’s for a quick lunch break. Then went back up the river, this time taking a left and heading up one of the little tributaries. Being back here, is what I picture the Bayou being like. It’s a little swamping, lots of boats tied up along one side of the river, even some sunken/abandoned ships. Turns out this little fork, takes you back out to the sound, which was perfect. We rounded the tip of Everett Marina and headed back in by going under the train bridge -- while a train was going across it. Perfect timing for that little train lover Mackenzie.

Back at Dagmar’s a forklift was waiting to take the boat out of the water and put it on its little shelf. Amazing.

I am sun burned beyond belief. Literally, I will have to go tanning all this week to cover up these lines in time for Erin’s wedding. Pretty sure this isn’t going to look good in that bridesmaid dress.

Top the night off with BBQ chicken, watermelon, fried plantain chips (courtesy of Marimba’s inspiration), and Pina Colada’s.

I fell asleep before dinner was ready, and didn’t wake up until almost eight. Oops! I guess all that sunshine just wore me out :) I love that Nick let’s me nap or read or whatever when I need that time. Great husband, great daddy.

I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend. Although, I have a feeling that the next two are going to be rivaling this one. This coming weekend is Kyle and Erin’s wedding in Leavenworth, the weekend after is our vacation alone, bed and breakfast in La Conner. Then, its labor day weekend… still don’t have plans for that (other than the Husky game at Greg’s)… The world is our oyster! And I can’t wait!

A short one...

I am so happy! I figured it was a good time to put up a post -- share the joy!

First, I am so happy to have Nick home! He was in Utah (of all places, I know…) for most of last week and it is always hard for me while he is gone. I have no clue how military wives can take the months away from their husbands. I could never do it.

Secondly, work is going fantastically well. We have lots of projects again, and things are really coming together. We really have such a great team, and I truly enjoy coming into work each and every day. Not too many people get to say that -- I definitely consider myself lucky. The 27th of this month will be my one year anniversary :)

I am also really excited about a mentorship program that I have been working to set up between SCYPN (Snohomish County Young Professionals Network) and Cocoon House. This is finally a “go.” We are having our first get together next Thursday, starting with a BBQ to get everyone introduced. Basically, the idea is that the SCYPN Advisory Committee will act as mentors (close in age) to the kids at the Monroe facility which serves 18-21 year olds. The gist of the program will be to form positive relationships and positive role models for these young adults. But also, help with getting into college/certificate programs, resume and interview skill building, and all the rest of that stuff that us young professionals may not be “experts” at but certainly have more experience (and current experience) than these kids have. I am VERY excited about this.

This weekend is my mom’s birthday and we are starting off with a fun night out just the two of us on Friday. It is the opening night of Eat Pray Love, perfect timing. I bought the tickets last week and plan on going out for appetizers and such before the movie, dessert afterwards. Saturday we are trekking up to Bellingham to explore the city and do some fun boutique-ing. I’m sure that Nick can hardly wait! Ha!

I have lots more to share but, alas…it will have to wait.

Weekend Wonders

What a weekend! We sure know how to fit way to much stuff into those two days.
Friday night we decided to do the movies in the park at Silver Lake. Of course, the movie was Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. While this was fun, they kept having problems with playing the movie. First with the screen being set up wrong, then the movie stopped playing twice. We decided to just go home and finish the movie in the comfort of our family room, complete with hot chocolate. Mackenzie was in heaven.

Saturday Nick had softball down by Greenlake, at the Woodland Park Playfields. Although softball started a while back, this is the first game we, including he, as made it to so far. It’s been a busy summer! The game was lots of fun, they blew the other team out of the water.
Mack and I ran the bases of the diamond not being played on, and practiced catching and pitching (he’s got a good arm!!) with his new Aquasox baseball.

After the game, we got tacos and drinks on the lake and enjoyed some time with the team. Then we were off!

We hit up the Fremont Troll, which Mack had never been to. He thought that was a “pretty silly guy.”

Next up was the Ballard Locks, where the salmon were going crazy! Jumping all over the place and seals chasing them around. We actually went and sat at the lower steps, which were partly covered by water, and there was a baby seal sunbathing himself on the bottom step. We were maybe 10-15 feet from a baby seal, very cool. Having randomly decided to swing by the locks, we couldn’t have gone on a more perfect day.

Finished out the night with a movie and cozy time :)

Sunday was the big hike. We had planned on getting up early but completely overslept. My fault!! We ended up leaving the house at a quarter to ten. We started the Iron Goat Trail (just outside Skykomish) at 11:30 and didn’t get back to our car until just after 4:00. We put in about 7 miles, and really wore ourselves out. If you ever do this hike, I highly recommend doing the “lower grade” which has a ton of scenery and view points. This part of the trail is only 2.5 miles and is almost level. On this part of the trail, we came across seven or eight tunnels. Because the trail is literally where the Great Northern Railway originally stood, there are lots of train artifacts along the edges. There are 6.5 miles worth of walls built up to keep the hill side from falling into the track. But the tunnels are the most notable thing. These are dynamite blasted through granite from 1900. There are “newer” tunnels which were completed in the 1920s. Check out the pictures below, but it is definitely something you will have to see (and feel) for yourself. The tunnels are somewhat filled with debris from collapsed bracing, rock slides, and water seeping in from the granite. They are ice cold and dark as night. A little creepy, because several are long enough to not “see the light at the end of the tunnel” and go around corners. I can’t imagine riding a train through that and how scary it would be.

Once we got back to the car, we drove into Leavenworth to visit my sister and get some dinner. We parked the truck and stepped out into 95 degree heat, a good 10 degrees hotter than where we had been hiking. Hit us like a semi truck. We didn’t do anything in Leavenworth other than say hi to Steph and get some yummy dinner at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants (yes, Mexican food in Leavenworth is good). The drive home was pretty brutal, we spent almost an hour driving through Gold Bar. I really hate traffic. Especially when I’m that close to home and just can’t get anywhere.

While Nick and I were completely exhausted from carrying Mack, the stroller, and ourselves across the “upper grade” 3.5 portion of the trail, Mack was as full of energy as ever. As soon as we got home, he wanted to go to “his” park and ride his bike. I just couldn’t believe it! We did end up going to the park and swinging for a bit, but came home immediately and getting Mack ready for bed. As we were tucking Mack in for bed, we asked him if he had a good day. “I had a great day. I’m so happy!”

A perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

This week is going to be madness as well. Swimming tonight with Mack and my mom, I have an all day writing seminar on Wednesday that I’m really excited for, Steph and Hannah coming over to spend the night Wednesday and Thursday, Friday is movie in the park again, Saturday is Erin’s bachelorette party, Sunday is a wedding for one of Nick’s high school friends up in Bellingham. Whew!

Warm Fuzzies

Mackenzie turned three! As trite as it sounds, I really can’t believe how old he is and how much time has gone by. He really has turned into a little man, with so much personality and spunk that sometimes I have to stop and remember he is in fact, only three. He has the willpower and particular-ness of an eighty year old man. And I love him so much for that!

Lately, he has been waking up early. Usually I am already awake, but still in bed reading. He will come bounding out of his room, yell “hello?” down the hallway and then run into our room. Nick is already gone for work by this time, which is really too bad, because this time I get to have is Mackenzie at his finest. Mack crawls into bed with me and lies on Nick’s pillow. He’ll tell me about his sleep, the things he dreamt about (he knows I’m going to ask and usually beats me to it now). Then he’ll tell me stories, Goldilocks is a standby favorite, but he makes up his own tales as well. He is so sweet, so mellow at these times, that I just hate that I have to get out of bed and get ready for work. I suppose though, that knowing the time is short and will end makes me cherish it that much more.

For his birthday, Nick and I got him a bike. He looks so cute riding around on it, I’ll have to post some pictures. We took the bike down to Langus Park and he did really well riding along the riverfront path, I think we went about a quarter mile down the path and then turned back. This is short for us, since when we go, we like to do the full circuit which is just over two miles. It was the first time with the bike though, and that’s a long ways for Mack to ride. I’m assuming we’ll get there though! I can hear my dad in my head telling me to only go half as far as my heart’s content…because I have to come back! Those are my memories of Green Lake, which I still couldn’t make the full loop of. Smith Island and Langus Park will be Mackenzie’s Green Lake :)

Nick and I have taken on the project of clearing out the front lawn garden space. It has been a wreck for awhile and we’ve finally got ourselves motivated. We started building a brick wall to act as an end cap for the hill that comes down from our front porch. It’s looking much better already, but we have a ways to go. If anybody doesn’t have a yard, and wants to spend some time working in one, feel free! We could use the extra help. Although, I have to say, that working out in the yard with Nick is some good time together.

Looking at our summer calendar, we’ve decided that it would be fun to go on a camping trip. Really looking at the calendar, we realized that we have plans for every single weekend through the rest of summer, so September will be camping month. I was looking into state parks and wanted to find somewhere new, neither of us had been. Funny, because on the state camps website there was a link to Maryhill….which I just went to a wine tasting of Maryhill Wines…. I figure a camp area that has a winery nearby has to be a good time! After researching a little bit more, the campsite is right on the Columbia, has excellent crabbing (and higher Catch Limits than up here) and there is a replica of Stonehenge. We will definitely be doing this! I can hardly wait.

We’re planning on hiking Iron Goat trail this weekend, which is nine miles long and has an incredible amount of history. We’ll be sure to take lots of pictures. The guidebook, just for this one trail, is 76 pages long, which makes me think this might be a trail we do a couple times.

Much love!