Working for the Weekends

Due to the past few weeks being sunny and yes, even almost hot on some days, I have not been in much of a blogging mood.  I am a terrible blogger.  I really lose steam after a month or two.  I know this.

Anyways, life has been good and busy.  I have been hanging out with intern friends, exploring Seattle a bit more, spending time playing with the Jackie and Lauren chatting with Aunt Sheila, and watching a lot of Mad Men on Netflix (an episode every night for the last two weeks).

Weekdays are usually pretty routine with work, workouts, and occasional happy hours, but the last few weekends have been really eventful!

_________________________________________________

The second weekend of August was Sea Fair in Seattle, which is an event composed of an air show and Hydroplane boat races.  One of my intern friends at the office, Natalie, very generously invited me over to her house on Lake Washington to watch the show and experience Sea Fair.  I had so much fun!
I met Natalie's close friends from highschool and college as well as old family friends.
It was so good to be surrounded by so many great people.  Plus, we were in an amazing spot for the Blue Angels show!

After the air show, we went down to the hydroplane races.  Natalie's family had Pit passes, so we were down in the pits where the boats were being worked on.  It was a very cool experience.

_________________________________________________

The next weekend was fun for 3 reasons.
1)  I went out in a town called Fremont with a friend from work, Jay, and his girlfriend and roommate on Friday night.  It was the first time I had been out at night in a long time, and it was just really fun to be out in a bar with friends and about a hundred other people around my age!
2)  The next morning, Saturday, aunt Sheila and I decided to hike up Little Si...  a small, but challenging mountain.  It was a cool and cloudy day, but it turned out to be perfect weather for the hike.  We stayed fairly cool, and the clouds didn't disrupt the view from the summit!  :)

3) On Sunday of this particular weekend, Yihan, an intern from China, invited a few of us over for a traditional Hot Pot meal.  Hot Pot is similar to fondue, because vegetables, seafood, meat, and/or tofu is cooked in a pot of VERY spicy broth at the table.  Although it was truly painfully spicy, the Hot Pot food was delicious!  My favorite part was the lotus root, and I was so happy Yihan introduced me to it.

_________________________________________________

One weekend later was truly one of a kind...  the weekend of Seattle's annual Hemp Fest, a strange, strange place.  I visited Hemp Fest with my fantastic friend Sam, who made the experience all the more memorable.  Hemp Fest is a 3-day festival filled with hippies, rastafarians, and a lot of marajuana paraphanailia.  It was truly spectacular people-watching.

After walking through the madness of Hemp Fest, Sam and I walked to Pike Place Market and bought some over-priced and very delicious fruit which we ate at the park.

This was also the night of Jackie's birthday sleepover party!  The party was so fun.  The girls had hamburgers on the grill, ice cream sundaes, a swim in the jacuzzi, and in the morning- a pancake breakfast!  Oh, to be 10 again...

_________________________________________________

This past weekend was really one of those relaxing weekends that you need every once in a while.  The highlights of the weekend were sunbathing in West Seattle with Aunt Sheila and going to dinner with Sheila and some of her good friends, Randy and Jill.

_________________________________________________

This weekend is Labor Day weekend, and I'll tell you what I've been up to very soon!  So far, it has been an awesome weekend, and I am excited for what's to come!  :)  Spoiler Alert :  It's paddle boarding, canoeing, a neighborhood barbeque, and a Monday without work!

3 hours make a difference.

A three hour time difference does not seem like it would be a big deal, but once you factor in the hours I am at work and the hours I am sleeping... there is a very small window of time in which it makes any sense at all for me to talk to people on the East Coast.  I know this is not a good excuse, but it is a large part of the reason that I have been seriously out of touch with a lot of people lately... including my family.

For this, I apologize.  The next few weeks should be less busy.  Meaning that I will be a little more social and less of a workaholic.  :)

Anyways, here is a quick recap in pictures of the last week...

Tuesday: JACKIE's BIRTHDAY!!!  

And a Sarah Mclachlan concert...   

I got an unexpected invite to tag along with Uncle Joel and the girls.  

I was actually really impressed by Sarah and the two other band members who sang their own songs

Friday:  Late night muffin creations with Jackie  :)  

We were both in need of something to do, I think.

Saturday: Beautiful afternoon with Lauren.  

We had a few drawing lessons and then went for a long walk...

Sunday:  Solo trip to Alki Beach in West Seattle.  

I cannot explain how good it felt to be in the sun and on the beach for a few hours.

Bonus: Some strangers invited me to join their beach volleyball game.  :) 

Dear Seattle,

I love you, but- I NEED SUNLIGHT!!!!  
This is JULY.

The rest of the country is practically melting, and I haven't worn shorts in weeks.  Also, I am becoming relatively pale.  

Oy...  I am going to need a vacation after this summer.

Full House

After a week in Mexico with their Dad, the girls are coming home tonight!  :)  It has been such a quiet week, and it will be good to have everyone back in the house for the next few days.

And it gets better- Tuesday is Jackie's birthday!  Whoop Whoop!  

Other than this excitement - Life has been pretty calm (and cloudy).  

This week, I stayed busy with the internship, which has been quite fun!  Today, Aunt Sheila and I occupied ourselves by running errands, avoiding the gym, Skyping with the family, and doing yard work... aka pulling a LOT of weeds.  :)

My fingers are crossed for sunshine tomorrow!  The forecast calls for a high of 75!  OH HAPPY DAY!

I seem to blog on weekends...

This week FLEW by.  Megan left Tuesday night [sad face], and the internship was stressful due to various deadlines.

So now it is the weekend, and I think think this one will be very quiet.  The girls are heading to Mexico for a vaction with their dad and Sheila is heading to a business conference...

I guess that means I'll be working out, reading, catching some sun, and brainstorming adventures for other weekends.  In other words, I will be daydreaming of paddle boarding on Seattle's lakes, climbing mountains, riding ferries, and visiting Canadian Islands.

TO-DO LIST Highlights:

PADDLE BOARDING!!!  Check out the beautiful Mt. Rainier in the background!

(By the way- I stole this picture from another blog called "A New Journey...")

An interesting idea from Aunt Sheila- Paddle Board Yoga.

Dear Mount Si, one day, when I'm feeling especially ambitious and energetic, I will hike you.

Holiday Weekend. YES!

The past week has FLOWN by.  Ordinarily, I dislike time to pass too quickly, but it is actually pretty great.  I have been looking forward to this weekend for a few reasons.
1. Meggsie is here!!!
2. It is a holiday weekend.
3. The weather is supposed to be beautiful for a few days.
4. Without work on Monday, there is plenty of time to go exploring.

I don't have anything insightful to say right now, but I do have a few pictures to share!

A quick one from last weekend- Aunt Sheila, Lauren, and I went to "Suncadia!!!" which is basically a mountainous golf resort in the Cascades.  We had a sunny outside lunch, walked around, and enjoyed the scenery.  Apparently, I absolutely love mountains.

TODAY, after work, Sheila, the girls, Megan, and I went on a quick hike at Cougar Mountain to Coal Creek Falls...

It was a nice trail, and the woods were unlike anything at home.  I felt more like I was in a rainforest than the "woods"- but there was no humidity.  A perfect 75 degrees and sunny.

It was only a mile or so to the falls.  Highlights of the walk include:

A horse.

A giant slug.

A slip and cliffhanger stunts by Lauren... literally.

The falls were actually pretty cool, too!

Notice the GIANT green tree stumps.

After the hike, we drove just a few minutes to a public golf club that is one of the prettiest clubs/courses that I've visited.  We were there to check out the view of Seattle, but we stayed for a delightful dinner on the patio.

Sweet view of Seattle from our table on the sunny patio.

And the girls playing... 

Back at the house, we had an early Birthday Party for Megs.  :)  19 in 2 days...  

Tomorrow's agenda includes...  the Public Market and other downtown shenanigans in the morning followed by KAYAKING in the afternoon!

Sleepless in Seattle

I have created a rather clever list of reasons why one may actually be Sleepless in Seattle.
This list is based mainly on stereotypes as well as one or two of my own observations.


1)  Too much coffee.
Seattle is known for coffee. It is everywhere, and it is extremely difficult to avoid drinking.  (If we are being honest, I totally abuse the expresso machine in my office.)  All this coffee cannot be benefiting anyone's sleep habits.
2)  Too much grunge music.
Seattle is also known for grunge music.  How can you you sleep while listening to grunge music?
3)  Fear of Vampires.
The infamous Forks County is approximately 3 hours from Seattle.  141 miles by car.  A vampire could probably run that distance in an one hour.  And they probably do.
4)  Fear of Bears
Last night, I heard a newscaster say, "Coming up, It could be a record year for orphaned bear cubs."  It was not something I expected to hear at that moment.
5)  I would attempt to say something witty about Grey's Anatomy.
But I don't know anything about it- except that it takes place in Seattle.
6)  You are lonely Tim Hanks, waiting for Meg Ryan to come into your life.
As is the case in Sleepless in Seattle.


7)  Becoming preoccupied with a Blog.
I could come up with more reasons, but they would become extremely ridiculous, and besides, it is past bedtime.  Work tomorrow.

Social Butterfly 101

I like that social media is a huge part of my new job.  My internship is forcing me to be more aware of Twitter, Foursquare, and other sites.  As a result, I feel much more in the loop lately.

I'll be honest.  I used to think Twitter was ridiculous, but since I jumped on the bandwagon a few days ago, I totally get it. I see it's value now.  
On the other hand, it is totally distracting.  I curiously click around and explore it all the time.


Anyways...  
TOMORROW, I get to explore the real world.  Aunt Sheila, Lauren, and I are heading an hour east to explore the Cascade Mountains  :)  
Supposedly the sun shines there (despite the overcast in Seattle). We shall see...  
But in the words of SpongeBob, I'M READY!   ... for an awesome day.

Bi-Coastal Crazy

The long flights, changing time zones, and busy days have most definitely taken a toll on me.  I'm so tired.  I am so not ready for work in the morning.

BUT it is all so worth it.  Because this weekend was WEDDING WEEKEND!  

The wedding of my amazing friends Brandi Clark and Tory Toole.   

I flew out of Seattle 11pm Thursday, which got me into Atlanta at 6am Friday... and so began the craziness...

Friday, the Rehearsal was a fantastic reunion of some of my favorite people  :) 

The dinner was amazing... and I was so so full.

And what could be better after a rehearsal dinner than a Wii Just Dance party?

Saturday... wedding day....  

Most of our day was spent hanging out at the church,
but it was great being with the bridesmaids and doing girly things.

Brandi was looking gorgeous (as per usual) and the ceremony was a perfect of Brandi and Tory.  I cannot even describe how much I loved the ceremony or how much fun I had at the reception.

Also, I could not be happier that they are finally married.  :)

Today, I was lucky enough to finagle a few hours at home into my travel plans.  :)  

That means, I caught up on a week's worth of puppy kisses from Lucy, and I spent an hour or so catching up on my sun tan at the pool.  :)  Excellente.

Hard to tell, but that is Lucy attacking my face with love.

Sooo... I'm writing this while on a plane back to Seattle.  

A very crowded plane.  

A plane without TVs or Biscoff cookies.  

1 hour down, 4 more to go. 

I am SERIOUSLY considering the $6 wine.  

First Day

The Pros:
Kitchen with Coffee, Milk, and that wonderful Sugar in the brown packets
Espresso machine
Mountain and city views
Sunlight and open windows
Brightly colored walls
Kegerators
Totally cool people
Interesting and creative work
Fresh bagels every Monday
Fresh fruit every Tuesday


I think I will like this internship.  A lot.


Time to do homework and watch The Bachelorette. . .  Bring on the cheesiness. 

Cousin Time

I like living with these youngsters. . .

They keep me entertained.

They paint my nails.

They take me on long walks.

They are pretty much insane.

And they go to bed early, which encourages me to go to bed early, which I love.

These wonderful youngsters, their mother, and I spent some time downtown today... 

It was a beautiful day, and Pike Place Market was poppin'.

This guy was Hoola-hooping, spinning a book, and solving a rubik's cube all at once.  It took him less than 2 minutes to solve the rubik's cube.

The girls ate Peroshky's for lunch, and I had some rather glorious seafood salad from the Fresh Fish stand.

Internship starts tomorrow.  I'm excited.

Chasing the Sunset

So 24 hours ago I was on a flight from Atlanta to Seattle.  When I left Atlanta at 8-ish pm, the sun was setting.  Flying west, the sun was setting for the next 3 hours of the 5 hour flight.  I saw the sun setting over 

Georgia

Alabama

Tennessee

Missouri

Kansas

Nebraska 

Wyoming and 

Montana 

It was really quite the sunset.

Invasion of the Herb Garden!!!

One or two days ago, my mom pointed out the itty-bitty creatures living on her dill plant.  There were at least a dozen, but they seemed perfectly harmless.

Today, I went out to the deck to collect some basil and oregano, and what did I find next to my precious basil?

GIANT CATERPILLARS.  And a mostly devoured dill plant.  

The difference between the big one and small one is probably only two days.  

Good thing no one actually uses dill.

... But seriously.  What the heck do you do with dill?  

In other news, our sweet Lucy graduated from Puppy school tonight!!!  :)