"I just kept on run-ning", Forrest Gump

Yesterday my brother ran in the Seafair Half-Marathon. This year's race crossed over the 520 floating bridge; the first time foot traffic has been allowed on the bridge in decades. The other thing that distinguished this race from others was the presence of the Seafair Pirates.

Question: What do you need to be a Seafair Pirate?

Answer: Just two things, a trip to the costume store and alcohol.

It was a hot morning and the heat took it's toll on the runner. It wasn't Keith's best time, but a great run in tough conditions.

More musicals

This weekend I saw the musical Avenue Q, the 2004 Tony Award winner for Best Musical. It was terrific! I didn't really know anything about it, other than Wenmei listens to the CD... a LOT. Knowing that Wenmei and I usually like the same things, I decided while walking past the Paramount Theatre Saturday afternoon to buy tickets for that evening's show. My spontaneous purchase turned out to be a great decision. I loved the show. It was hysterically funny, had heart and great toe-tapping tunes. I've been humming the songs ever since.

For those of you who haven't seen the show, most of the characters in Avenue Q are puppets. They live in a tenement building in NYC on Avenue Q with Gary Coleman as their landlord. It's done in the style of Sesame Street, but this is not a puppet show for kids. There are adult themes and language throughout. There's even a sex scene with puppets (I naively thought this must be the only sex scene ever portrayed with puppets, but I was told that there's also a sex scene done with marionettes in the movie Team America: World Police. Should have known).

Avenue Q is at the tail end of it's national tour, but if you're lucky enough to have it play in your city, I recommend it!

The official and unoffical start of summer

At 4:59 p.m. today, summer begins! In a manner completely uncharacteristic of Seattle, this official start of summer is actually a beautiful, warm, sunny day. What a treat. Of course, the weather forecast calls for some rain over the weekend, but today we will enjoy.

My unofficial start of summer began at 2:35 p.m. on Wednesday when I finished up my last day of work for the 2007-08 school year. Two days into my summer vacation and I'm slowly adjusting to having free time. After the busiest Spring of my life on top of an already crazy and chaotic school year, it feels a bit odd to have nothing that I have to do. Now I have to think of things I want to do. First on today's list- baking biscuits for strawberry shortcake...the ultimate summer dessert.

Every summer vacation I go through this adjustment period; trying to think up ways to fill up my time. Eventually I adapt to the lazy days of summer. Then, having one project a days seems like a full plate ("I'll go to the grocery store tomorrow, I've already been to the post office today."). As of now I'm through the adjustment period. I'm going now to figure out some projects that need to be done. Maybe I'll work outside for a while. Best to work outdoors while we still have this glorious sunshine.

Happy Summer!!!

Happy Father's Day

Dad, have a safe and scenic trip north to Canada and Alaska. Enjoy yourself, eh.

You've been married longer than I've been alive!

Yesterday was my parent's 40th wedding anniversary. Instead of a romantic weekend for two, they came to our house for the weekend. And what did they want to do? House projects! Unbelievable, but true. They pressure washed the sidewalk, weeded flower beds, and pruned shrubs (Quote: "It's fun for us. We don't 'get to' do this anymore" -- now that they live in Tucson).

It wasn't all work and no play. On Saturday we visited with Wenmei and their grand-godson, Zach. They were delighted to finally meet baby Zach and they were thoroughly impressed with how Wenmei has blossomed into her new role as a mom (but then again, they are always thoroughly impressed with Wenmei).

On Sunday we had a small gathering and invited Nate, Regan and Whit over for brunch which also gave them a chance to see our new house (and newly pressure-washed sidewalk!). We had a great time and my parents were so happy to have the chance to visit with everyone.

It was a joy to celebrate with my parents on their anniversary. They are an inspiration and I'm very blessed to be their daughter!

The bluest skies I've ever seen are in Seattle

I case you haven't heard...I've moved. From the eastside to the westside; I'm now back in Seattle. It's been four years since I've lived in Seattle and it's taking some time to adjust to urban living again. One of the biggest advantages of life in the suburbs is parking...an abundance of free parking. No circling around the blocks looking for on-street parking and then reluctantly deciding to pay big bucks to park in a pay lot. Paying to park is a small sacrifice because Seattle has a lot to offer, great restaurants and great distinct neighborhoods. Plus, my daily commute has improved. My new house is smaller than my house on the eastside, but it's cozy and comfortable and only 3 blocks from Lake Washington. It should be a nice place to live this summer.