Bainbridge and Brined Birds

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to everyone!

I love the holiday season. LOVE it. I love fall with the pumpkins and changing leaves and autumnal smells that pervade the air. Plus two major holidays occur at the end of November:

1. Thanksgiving and

2. Our Anniversary!

And both went rather well this year, thanks! Now we're onto Christmas and all the pinery and sugar cookie goodness that comes with it! We already have our tree up and decorations strewn about the place!

Let me give you a recap, though, staring with our Anniversary trip to Bainbridge Island.

Saturday morning Matt picked up his mom and dad, Beth and Dave, and brought them home for a waffle breakfast and visit before we headed out to the island. They were gracious enough to stay with Roy while Matt and I went back to OC this summer one more time, so they know the ropes around the house and with Roy.

This time sitting in our car waiting for the ferry we did NOT listen to the radio (see Morning Cup 3-30) and drain our batteries. We loaded onto the ferry and set out to explore the upper decks. Wowzers was it windy! Out on the bow it was all we could do to keep standing. You can kind of see in the pic I could lean into the breeze. I have a video of Matt trying to talk but all you could hear was the pounding wind!

We got to the island and shopped around leisurely for an hour or so. It was so relaxing not having to be anywhere at a certain time, just window shopping in high priced boutiques and enjoying being together. Finally we decided to mosey on over to the bed and breakfast we were staying at--Ashton Woods Retreat. Its a gay couple and their four golden retrievers who run this little cottage and a room in their loft and the reviews were stellar...so we figured why not?

Pulling up we were greeted by Steve who took our bags and showed us the way. The cottage is up a winding path in the woods and completely surrounded by trees. Walking in there was a fire going, candles lit and music playing. A bottle of wine and a dozen roses was on the dining nook table and we were informed rather mischievously that "dinner had been taken care of." It turns out my mom had called and worked in collaboration with Steve to arrange dinner for us at Agate Place Cafe that was just off the island on the north end. Handing us the directions Steve took his leave and we opened the wine, sunk onto the memory foam-down topped mattress and melted into relaxed bliss.

When we were finally able to pull ourselves out of our Nirvana-state minds and decided we were hungry, we got ready to head out. I say get ready not in the sense that I just did my hair and spritzed on some perfume...no. See, since were were up a path and it was raining pretty hard, I had to wrap my head in a scarf, pulled on my waterproof boots, tucked my "cute shoes" in my jacket, then we grabbed the flashlight and headed out.

Dinner was divine. Awesome. Delicious. The owners (a lesbian couple...go figure) made us feel so warm and welcomed and took good care of us. We started with an appetizer of sausage and figs poached in Syrah...sounds interesting, right? Oh Lord. It was amazing. I would have had that for dinner if there had been any more! Then I saw duck on the menu. I've had duck at one place--Thai Kitchen where its fried and coconut-y and covered in curry and it's amazing. Life changing, almost. But this was grilled duck...and the owner said it was served "medium-rare." Just the words made me shudder but then I thought "Hey, when ELSE can I order duck at a place like this?" So I placed the order and hoped for the best.

Nom nom nom nom nom.

For those of you unfamiliar with the online jargon that means lots of good eating. It melted in my mouth! And with garlic Swiss chard on top and a cherry balsamic reduction it was sheer heaven. I wanted to lick the plate clean of that sauce! Its dinners like those that make you realize why most big kitchens have a chef devoted entirely to sauces. Matt got a steak with blue cheese topping or dressing or butter or...something. Whatever it was it made you want to bathe in it.

Ok, moving on from the food because I'm making myself hungry and this Trident fruity gum isn't cutting it.

Back at the cottage we found it had been "turned down" for the night. The covers were pulled back, bath robes laid out, candles all re-lit, fireplace going again and soothing music playing. We took a bath in the ginormous bathtub (I did a few laps) and I should have notched on the cork how many times we both said "I'm so relaxed..." before we went to sleep by the sound of the rain on the roof.

The next morning Steve brought up breakfast and we wished we weren't so full from stuffing ourselves the night before! Spinach and goat cheese scramble, homemade scones, fruit parfait and freshly squeezed orange juice. I ate all I could and wrapped a scone up in a napkin for later. They were so friendly and said we could stay as long as we like (we had gotten there earlier than the normal check in time too) so we lounged around and played scrabble and played most of the CDs they had. As we headed out Steve told us of a nice walk so after playing with a couple of the golden retrievers we took a stroll before heading back to the town. That room may have been expensive for a one night say but we both felt we got our full money's worth and are already thinking of going back next year!

Back in town we shopped a bite more, stopped in for some seafood and a beer at the Harbor House Pub, and then headed back home on the ferry well refreshed and ready for the holiday week.

Tuesday on our actual anniversary Dave and Beth took us out to dinner at Thai Kitchen (Matt got the duck, nom nom) and then Dave and Matt headed to the airport to get Katie. We were finally all together and ready for the big day!

Last week in preparation for Thanksgiving I devoted a whole night to the baking of Nana's rolls. These have been a tradition in our family since...well as far back as I remember! Some of you have even had the privilege of joining us for a roll baking day and learning all the little secrets (that Nana will tell) to making the perfect roll. This year I made them all by myself (cue sad music) but they turned out pretty good! I rolled up the balls and froze them so they were ready for the big day...of course we ate a few that night, too!

Roy was very interested!

Wednesday night before the big day I cooked for 5 hours making the cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes pies and making the brine for the turkey. I didn't hear the end of it from my side of the family--the turkey in the bucket, the salty turkey, the briny bird, etc. I had never cooked a turkey in my life but I jumped in there with a 14 pound-er. I lowered it in the 5 gallon bucket, covered it with saran wrap, placed it on the balcony and crossed my fingers.

Thanksgiving morning I set out the rolls on the heating pad and began working on the pumpkin pie. Time flew by and before I knew it it was time to put the turkey in! I was lifting it out of the bucket and up towards the sink when PLOP! That slippery bird squeezed through my hands and landed back in the full bucket--effectively coating me with turk-ied brine! Eeeew! Can you blame me for not letting Beth take a "before" picture?

I loaded the cavity with cooked apples and onions and a stick of cinnamon, coated that sucker with oil and popped it in the oven before I hopped in the shower. When the turkey was done Beth made the gravy and Katie made the green bean casserole while I set the table. Finally it all came together and after some family pics and the prayer we dug in.

The rest of the night we spent bemoaning the amount we had eaten...except me, oddly. I guess having cooked most of it I didn't feel like I had to stuff myself because I had been smelling it all day! Oh, and the "briny bird" turned out rather well, thank you very much Ammah! Lol

Saturday night Matt and I broke out the Christmas decorations, and Sunday morning we proceeded to rearrange our living room to accommodate more people and a tree...all in anticipation for Christmas. Last night we headed out with Stephanie and Peter and found our tree at Fred Meyer.

Matt doing the tree dance

Roy took great interest in this new thing in the house...

In closing there is some sad news from yesterday. Four police officers were shot while they drank coffee and worked on their laptops before their shift began. He is still on the loose, they believe he's rearmed himself and they think he's wounded. Last night they had an 11 hour standoff at a house in Leschi (about 5 miles from us, as the crow flies) to find that he wasn't there but probably had been before. just go to www.king5.com www.komonews.com or www.seattletimes.com for the full story. Please pray for the families of the four officers--between them there are 9 kids without parents now. And pray that they find the killer before he hurts anyone else.

Sorry to end on a sad note, but the story has pervaded Seattle, especially since last Halloween another officer was killed by a man who had a personal war against police officers. The city was still reeling from that when we woke up Sunday morning to this new news.

That's all for now, hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are recovering from the annual glutton fest!

love,

Matt and Kaitlynn and Roy Boy

The Two-Year Quilt

And two years later I finish the quilt from my bridal shower! Hallelujah! I really wanted to finish this in time for the holidays so all my family can sleep under it! I didn't have enough fabric to make the back one solid panel so I decided to take inspiration from filminthefridge.com and patch a back together...

For a little trip down memory lane, while I was in Africa my mom had pre-cut and sent out squares of this quilt called Mandarin Maze(unknown to me). During my bridal shower, I received all of them as a gift...which led to many tears...

So I would not forget who all had contributed to this quilt, I took a picture with the name of the quilter with the block...

http://docs.google.com/File?id=dfhvcx2b_432dp6kbcfz_b

That's not all of them, but just a sample...so those were the building blocks for this...

Which then after adding a border, a back and...a dog?

Well, I'm sure there are a few Roy Boy hairs in there even though it's been washed....anyway this is now what it looks like...

sorry it's blurry....had trouble with the flash being overpowering....

and the back...

and there you have it! Only took me two years to complete! Thanks again to all the lovely ladies who lent a hand!!!

In other news, a few weeks ago I received a letter from my best friend Charissa. Well, maybe not a letter in the way you'd expect. See, all she had was post-its, and as I read through the stack I lined them up on my mirror...

Such a thrifty gal...she's in Peru and loving it, by the way.

On to other things...what other things? Oh last weekend it was storming, I took Roy out to do his business around midnight (Matt was sick, he usually takes him out at night for all those dads who worry about me), and as we stood there everything went WHITE. I froze, not knowing what happened but a second later a thunder CRACKED and shook the ground so hard car alarms went off! Somewhere VERY close lighting had struck near Roy and I! I felt--pardon the pun--electrified...all the hair on my body felt on in and everything felt charged. I just froze there, Roy and I staring at each other with BIG eyes until at the same moment...we RAN towards the garage! Not a second after we took cover it began to pour! The lights in the garage flickered and my heart was pounding wildly. Then was a difficult choice. I had gotten overly ambitious the previous week running with Roy and had hurt my knee...should I climb 6 flights of stairs in case of a blackout or should I risk the elevator? The lights flickered and I could hear the wind howling in the elevator shaft...my cell didn't even work in there. Oh well, what's life without a little adventure, right? I held my breath the entire way up and though the lights kept flickering, the power stayed on. When I got in the apartment it was louder than I'd ever heard it and then I realized why...it was hailing!

Pea-sized hail covered my patio! It was crazy! Anyways, now we've got another storm upon us and tonight we're supposed to see gusts 60-65 mph! Wowzers!

Roy's found it a bit chilly at nights, now, too...

he likes to use the curtain as a blanket...

That's all my exciting news for now! This weekend Matt and I are headed off to Bainbridge Island for our anniversary weekend!

Love to you all!
Kaitlynn, Matt and the Roy Boy

More About Roy...because you HAVEN'T heard enough!

This Morning Cup is Long Overdue.

Really? October 4th was the last time I wrote to you lovely people? WOW this month flew past! Can you believe that this Halloween will mark our first year anniversary of pulling into Seattle and nearly having a heart attack from the stress of driving that truck around the narrow streets of Queen Anne? You've been getting these Cups for nearly a year now...on my blog I have 40 posts. Who'da thunk?

Pulling myself out of my reverie, this past month has been crazy busy at work for both Matt and I. The weather is significantly cooler, leaves are glorious colors and last Saturday morning when I walked outside the smell of woodsmoke from fireplaces filled the air. Loverly!

In all honesty I'm having a hard time remembering anything beyond last week! But it was a fun week--I will give you that!

Let me start off by saying that on Friday Matt took Roy on a hike with his frien John and his dog Cooper. Roy and Coop have played together a few times before and get along splendidly, but Coop's always been an off leash dog and Roy...we'll frankly he doesn't know the difference between a car speeding at 50 mph and one that's parked. When he got hit last December I'm pretty sure he got smacked so hard he has no memory of it--although I kinda wish he did. Anyways, we usually don't let him off leash unless a place is enclosed because 1) we don't know if he'll stay close by and 2) we're not sure how he'll do with meeting another dog on or off leash on the trail. Sometimes he can get a little crazy on-leash.

Which reminds me of a funny story.

Well, not funny when it happened but funny now.

A few Fridays ago it was raining hard, and not really in the mood for a jog in the rain that day I dropped him off at doggie daycare for an hour while I went to a cafe...great setup. Anyways, after picking him up and heading home, we were in the garage waiting for the elevator when it opened and off stepped the elderly couple down the hall and their Pomeranian, Coco.

Everytime we see Coco the husband says, "This is Coco. She's a senior citizen!" Coco is about 15 years old or some ridiculously old dog age like that. Anyways, as the elevator door opens and when they see us the wife, who is about 4 and a half feet tall, says, "Oh now THAT's a good dog!" (pretty much everyone who meets Roy inside and not around the prescence of other dogs says that, and I always respond "well, usually"). Then she scoops Coco up saying, "But he's too big for you to play with, Coco."

She then proceeds to walk toward me to say hi to us. I'm literally backed into a corner holding onto Roy's collar. Roy is crazy excited to see another dog and since he just got back from daycare is in a VERY playful mood. He's pulling and sniffing at Coco, tail thumping against the corner walls.

As the lady is saying something about how old Coco is, Roy hops up, GRABS COCO'S TAIL AND PULLS HER OUT OF THE LADY'S ARMS AND ONTO THE TILE!!!

I'm MORTIFIED as I watch Coco's eyes bulging and her little paws waving frantically in the air as she tries to get herself back up. Meanwhile I'm still in the corner unable to get any further away and trying to keep Roy from playfully grabbing Coco's throat! Of course, Coco's too old to get herself back up and the wife has to scoop her up again, saying in her sweet innocent voice, "What happened?"

The husband, who is tall and lean and I'm pretty sure was chuckling, said, "She got away from you, THAT's what happened." I'm not sure if that's what he thought or if he was redirecting his wife's thoughts to protect me from her wrath at possibly breaking the fragile Coco, but I was thankful. I apologized over and over and I swear the lady stood there still holding Coco listening to me...in the SAME spot that Roy had grabbed Coco in the first place! This time I began edging my way along the wall towards the elevator, saying as the door closes "Let me know if Coco's OK!"

I think she was. I hope she was. Come to think of it, I haven't seen her in a couple weeks.

Oh dear.

But that's normal, if I can remember right...anyways, its sort of funny now.

Sort of.

BACK to Matt's hike. He had Roy off leash the entire hike! Roy and Cooper romped and played and probably trekked 5 times as far as Matt and John as they ran up and down the trail. When Roy got home that night BOY was he happy! And tired. Which was good because another dog was about to come into town...

Charissa, my best friend from college who has been in Iraq with a private contractor for 6 months was on her way up from Portland with her dog/person Roxi. I haven't seen Charissa since we happened to be in Orange County on the same day last...March? Anyways, that's too long to go without seeing your best friend.

She arrived and the dogs got along famously--romped and played until Roy decided he had had enough and went to sleep. Funny thing was everytime one of them was taken outside or in the morning when they came out of the bedrooms it was like meeting all over for the first time.

Saturday Charissa and I literally sat on the couch from 9 in the morning until about 3 in the afternoon. We didn't watch a movie or play a game--we just talked. Oh, and went on our laptops and compared iTunes and editied our categories, and watched Roy and Roxi run around and around the couch and coffee table.

OH! COFFEE TABLE!

We left our coffee table in San Diego and for the first few months in Seattle a large moving box covered with a tablecloth was our coffee table. Roy liked it because his tail could move the entire thing aside for him to get to us on the couch. Finally i broke down and bought two cheap black side tables that we pushed together and called our "coffee table." We usually eat dinner on the couch so it was nice to have moveable tables for each of us...but they were a bit small and Roy still could move them as he wished.

Two weekends ago Matt and I went to a thrift store and I said let's look at the furniture for the heck of it. We found a black drop leaf (well, they don't drop down but the top slides open to reveal storage and a leag to make the coffee table longer) for $20! AND we're pretty sure it was from Ikea so it has the same espresso finish that our bookshelf has. SWEET! Only problem now is Roy is not used to a coffee table that stays put so he keeps raming himself into the corners. We already have a childproof handle on our bedroom door...are we going to have to get baby bumpers for the corner? Oh dear.

At about 3 in the afternoon we decided it was time to take a walk and get outside and maybe, just maybe, brush our teeth.

Lots more pictures and more story to come later tonight or tomorrow, but I don't have access to my pics and they're worth waiting for!

Love to you all

A True Account of a Memory Board.

My mother has a tendency to think that I possess something of a Midas touch when it comes to quilts and crafts and things of that nature. Lest she--and you all--be deceived, here is a close (perhaps too close) look at my latest project.

Project Memory Board.
(inspired by a coworker who's actually selling a form of these and I thought heck, I can do that)

Supplies:
1 old bulletin board from the used store Value Village: $4
A few pieces of fabric I already had: free
Ribbon: $2.50
Black spray paint I already had
Do-it yourself button thingies: $2.50

A day of pain and frustration: not so priceless. And maybe not worth $9.




Step One: I figure out how to take off one side of the bulletin board frame to remove the cork part. Not wanting to damage the wood it took me 20 minutes.

Step Two: attaching the fabric to the board. The fabric I chose may look familiar to some of you. Remember this?

I have about 5 rectangles of this and have just had it lying around. Why not use it now for a fall inspired memo board? Great idea? Sure, except it BARELY fits around the board. Hot glue gun you were my friend.

Step Three: The buttons.

These little button thingies are supposed to allow you to take a circle of fabric, hook it on the teeth in the back and pop the back part on to secure it. Sounds easy right?
Not so right.

This is what the little devils look like:

Note the sharp pointy teeth.

Yeah.

Well, being the crafty Midas I am I decide to use needle nose pliers to take that button loophole thing in the back off since I wanted them flat.

I grabbed them with the pliers and gently began to pull.

Nothing.

I pulled a little harder.

Nothing.

I gave it a frustrated yank and...tore a nasty gash in my thumb from the extruding wire. I stomped to the bathroom, wrapped a band aid on it and marched to the kitchen where I pulled out a carton of ice cream, grabbed a spoon and gobbled a few bites to help ward off the pain.

Try this next time you get hurt. It works.

I sat back down to try it again. Yes I'm that stupid. This time I realized Ooooh...if you pinch it together it comes out easily! Dur!

So I did that.

Then I went to work on getting the fabric into the teeth. Um owie? The instructions say to use a pencil eraser to help. Well, this isn't really regular fabric. It's some sort of polyester vinyl thing with velvet curlies on it. So it doesn't really stay that well...and the button back doesn't exactly snap into place.

So I turned to an old faithful--the hot glue gun. I have memories of my mom's big heavy duty, blue glue gun with bits of sparkles, thread, wood, whatever glued to the outside of it. I think part of it was even melted. This thing was large and in charge. Mine is not. Mine was in a sale bin for $2 and its a mini version, but it does the job.

I put a dollop inside the button and use the eraser to push the first edge in. Success! Then i do the other side...this looks like its going to work!

Then I squeeze out too big a dollop, and it gets on my left hand pointer and middle fingers. In searing pain I drop it on the table only to think "Dang it! I want to paint this table I can't burn it!" So what do I do automatically and (obviously) without thinking?

Pick it back up with my right hand...and burn my thumb and pointer and middle fingers on that hand.

Six fingers down, four to go. (and you can thank me later for not including the photo of my burned finger in macro focus).

Eventually and with a few more burns along the way, i get all the buttons covered. Aren't' they cute?

Now that I'd wasted a few hours of my life and a lot of skin cells, I headed to my parking spot to spray paint the frame.

At least there were no hiccups with that one, unless someone reported me to the HOA for spray painting in the garage. I don't know if that's allowed...I'll keep you posted.

Now I could see the finish line. just had to put the pieces all together.

I used a ruler to mark out where to put the ribbons, and began gluing them in place. Not so bad...except when I turned it around and two of the ribbons twisted in the middle.

Dang it.

So I redid those.

And glued the buttons on.

And stood back to admire my work.

(oh, not all the buttons were not on in this pic...)

Then I stood it up and tested a piece of paper in the ribbon.

Schwoop. It fell to the floor. Then I realized why memo boards have batting behind them...to create tension between the ribbons and the memos...oooh. Didn't do that part. Too late now!

Today I retrieved the frame and slid the whole thing into place, and actually managed to put it back together without a glue gun and with the original tack-things that held it together!

SO, after this long and loquacious explanation, here at last are the final pictures of the memory board in its resting place above the desk in our bedroom. Yes its a bit fall-ish and won't be a year round institute, but next year when the leaves begin to change and I unpack it I'll have the bittersweet memory of its creation, and the very long story I made it to tell you.

Oh, and note the oddly shaped red candle in the top left hand corner? That happened during our heat wave. Yes, it was so hot in our bedroom it was melting candles.

Thus endeth the creation of the memory board and I'm giving my fingers time to heal.

Bees, Trees and Lakes

He was a good husband (of course, when has he not been?) and let me sleep in until 7. Roy knew something was up and was totally a hyperactive puppy the entire hour drive out there. With the window rolled down, he would stick his head out happily and then abruptly blow his nose...covering me in a spray of dog snot. Great way to start the day.

We were on the trail by 9 (it was about an hour drive away), Roy loaded up with his pack and our fleeces zipped up against the cold morning air.

Matt had told me that this hike, though 7 miles round trip, was only uphill for a small part of the way there. I should have known better. We gained 1,400 feet spread out over the entire way to our destination--Annette Lake. Thankfully it was a beautiful trip, although I was sure I saw something tan colored duck behind a boulder near a rock slide and Roy kept looking uphill. No cougar ever showed if in fact it was one.

We saw fantastic looking mushrooms, crossed bridges over tumbling waterfalls and even walked along a walkway cut into a log--it was awesome! Roy was frantically excited and the heavy pack didn't seem to deter him one bit.

As we trudged along Matt pointed out something gross on the trail. At first we thought it was a slimy turd, being brown and about four inches long. Then, four-year-old that I am, I tossed a pebble on it and we watched in disgust as it writhed! It was a HUGE slug!!!

At one point while climbing switchbacks, Roy decided to do his business in a most messy and stinky way. Sorry to be disgusting, but its the truth. I held Roy's leash while Matt took a stick and tried to bury it and cover it up.

All the sudden I see him shake his hand, then jump a bit and say, "What the--"

Then he bellowed RUN!!! GO GO GO GO GO!!!

I heard a buzzing sound growing and spun around and as best as I could in hiking boots heading uphill and bolted up the switchback. Roy wasted no time and took this opportunity to sprint--effectively pulling me uphill. I felt one or two small pelts on my fleece and everytime I turned my head back Matt was running behind me still yelling GO!!!!!

He had hit a beehive and they were MAD!

We made it far enough away, but Matt had been stung three times--once on the hand and one in each leg. I whipped out the credit card and got those suckers out while we caught our breath. Thank God Matt's not allergic to bees!

Finally, after a couple of uphill hours, we made it to the lake. What a beauty! Azure waters that turned turquoise around the shore, a stiff breeze whipping up whitecaps and the glorious mountains surrounding it all. I can't remember the last time I saw anything so BRIGHT! Even in manual mode the glare was blowing everything out in out pictures! Roy proved he really is a lab at heart and headed straight for the water. Its like he know's he's supposed to be in it and like it..but he's just not sure exactly what he's supposed to do in it.

And no, we didn't let him off the leash. There were a lot of other dogs around and he was flipping out every time we got near one. I mean, crazy dog. We're going to have to keep working on that...

We have found Roy has a superhero hidden inside him...I mean, don't we all?

he's.........

BAT DOG! Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo BAT DOG!

Ok enough about my dog. We just like him, that's all.

The hike down was much easier than the hike up, though this time there were a lot more people and dogs on the trail which seemed a tad traumatic for Roy. He'll live.

To end, we went back to Issaquah and loaded up on a Target hot dog and a Chipotle burrito--great post hike food. Fall is definitely on its way. As I type this I can hear the wind blowing and rain spattering against the window with every gust. Tomorrow it's not supposed to get above the high 50s--yay! And here's a few leaves turning for those of you who don't get seasons:

That's all for tonight! I posted the rest of the pics, and a few videos of the lake on our Picasa album if anyone cares to take a gander. Love to you all!

Picasa album: http://picasaweb.google.com/kaitpalmer/AnnetteLake?authkey=Gv1sRgCLXcpNLFjc7nowE&feat=directlink

And don't forget to read up on hubs and click on those Google Ads! Here's a link to some of the top ones in case you've forgotten:
http://hubpages.com/profile/Solorya

You're going to be pop-u-lar

What a weekend!

Let's start with Friday night which began with me throwing Roy in the car and heading to Fred Meyer to get toilet paper. I got everything else I needed and returned to an ecstatic Roy waiting in the car. As I was driving away I saw a man carrying out a large pack of toilet paper--whoops! That was the one thing I forgot! I had to park and leave Roy again...and let me tell you he was NOT happy about it! That dog has a way of speaking his mind through his barks and he was definitely telling me off as I headed into the store again. I thought it humorous but maybe that's just me...

That night I got a call from my friend Stephanie Larsen and she told me that she and her husband's family were going to see Wicked the next night and someone had dropped out of their party...would I like to go?

WOULD I LIKE TO GO!?!?!?! Is she crazy for even having to ask that? I tried to act cool and hide my uber-excitement as I informed her, sure, why not? (as my insides were setting off fireworks and performing cartwheels with ribbon dancers)

The next night I sung along to the soundtrack loudly as I got myself ready for the evening. So loudly was I singing, in fact, that when I left to take Roy outside one more time I noticed a note taped to my door from the apartment manager informing us that a plumber was coming Monday to check for leaks. Apparently I had been singing so heartily I drowned out the sound of his knocking...whoops! At least it wasn't a complaint about my voice and an admonition to never flex my vocal pipes again...

Peter and Stephanie picked me up and we were off to the theatre! For convenience sake, we parked in the convention center parking and walked a couple short blocks to the Paramount theatre.

Peter's parents and sister met up with us there and I have to say what lovely people! Stephanie and I were able to convince them we had time to grab a coffee before heading into the theatre, and can I be allowed to say that Cafe Ladro's macchiatto blows the socks off Starbucks?

That is all.

We went into the theatre and sat down in our A-M-A-Z-I-N-G seats. As the show started and the opening scene came to a close, I knew I was sitting with the right people because they began their hooting and woo hooing along with the applause that early! Yes!

The show was incredible. I was lucky enough to see it in LA, but I'm sorry, this Elphaba ran circles around the one I saw down there. Astounding. I'd kill for sustainment like that. And the Glinda (with a Ga...for those of you who have seen it) was hilarious and at the right times proved deep and raw as well. Great blend of the main actresses, I must say, and I haven't stopped singing the soundtrack since. Matt is sick to death of "Popular" and wishes I would return to my semi-normal way of speaking.

After the show we headed to Gordon Biersch for some yumminess. Usually a beer and wine girl I followed Stephanie's lead and tried a pomegranate mojito...oh yum yum. And breaded and fried artichoke hearts? Helloooooo. Now COMPLETELY satisfied we headed back to the car...to find the garage closed.

Uh oh.

Then Stephanie remembers seeing something about closing after midnight.

Double uh oh.

We traipse blocks around the convention center which is, by the by, gargantuan and I thank my lucky stars I wore decent pumps rather than the strappy stilettoes I was originally planning on. Eventually we find our way into the parking garage...and we estimate ourselves two miles from our parking spot. Ok, maybe it wasn' two miles but this garage is like the labyrinth of Minos. We did find our car and made it home, listening to the original soundtrack the whole way.

Thanks again Stephanie and Peter--it was FANTASTIC!!! (And for those of you who have yet to see it, GO!)

I was so high on theatre (I get that way) that I didn't get to bed until 2 am...with an early morning looming in front of me.

We had a hike planned for Sunday, and Matt wanted to get an early start and beat the crowds.

Oh boy.

...to be continued when I get home and have access to my photos...let me just say that yesterday involved dog snot, bees, and lots of wind.

Gotta brand new bag...

I did it. I made a whole bag all by my little selfsies.

First I found the pattern on http://www.burdastyle.com/patterns

A lot of nifty looking patterns for either a couple bucks or completely free!

this was the bag I wanted to make, called a traveler's bag:

So I printed out the pattern pages and arranged it in order

then i taped it together and cut the pieces out

Then I assembled the whole thing, threw the zipper in (its not perfect but it works) and voila! My own bag!

Nifty spiffy, eh?

So there you have it, My first bag!

And this was Roy watching me the whole time wondering why I wasn't paying more attention to him

And that's all I've got for you today! Anyone got any exciting weekend plans coming up? Matt and I are going to venture out Sunday for a hike--yippee! But he's working late tonight and tomorrow...maybe I'll tackle the dining table and chairs, then...stay tuned!