"I've never had a bridal shower before!"

I know, I know, I've been neglecting my blog.  Well, this one is for you mom and dad (the two readers of my blog).
I had a bridal shower today, hosted by two lovely friends and colleagues, Teri Hansen and Andrea Crisler.  Those ladies are golden...love them.  I was overwhelmed and touched by the show of  support from so many of my co-worker friends.  And, I was really feelin' the love after 2 margaritas! 
Here are a few pics of the event.  Thanks Andrea and Teri!

The hostestess with the mostestess

My school peeps!

Go Gougs, with Gina

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

We may be heading to points south for Christmas, but that didn't stop us from decking the halls at the Mercer Island house.  It's rather gloomy around Seattle this time of year and we wanted to have some holiday cheer to boost our mood.  Now we are ready for Santa.  Just hope he knows where to find us when we go to Sacramento and Tucson.  Merry Christmas, everyone! 

It might not be the most majestic Christmas tree, but it puts us in the spirit of the holidays!



Dave with the wall hanging my mother gave him.

The holiday version of Keith in his natural environment...in the recliner with computer, Diet Dr. Pepper just out of camera shot to his left, and the glow of the Christmas tree lights.

Longing for summer

I just heard on the radio that November is the rainiest month of the year in Seattle.  Seems accurate - I'm right in the middle of it and feeling a little water logged.  Made me long for warm days and clear skies of summer.  Here are some highlights from my summer travels.  Ahhhh....

Hiking around Smith Rock State Park

Dave just before he took a dip in the River

Crater Lake

Relaxing at the Crater Lake Lodge

Dinner at the Samoa Cookhouse (ahhh, happy childhood memories)

Goldeneye Winery

Hog Island Oyster Company

Biking in Napa Valley

Bike ride to Capitola Beach

Demonstrating my sharp shooting skills at the Santa Cruz boardwalk

Old Town, Sacramento

Keith's 42nd birthday, the answer to the universe

November 16th, Keith's birthday! We stayed with tradition and went out for steak dinner.  This year we ate at Jak's in Issaquah. Yum! Then it was home for dessert.  Earlier in the week I purchased two frozen pies for Thanksgiving from the FCCLA fundraiser at school, but there was one little problem - the pies are 10 inches and my freezer has a width of about 8-1/2 inches.  Oops!  What was Thanksgiving pie became Keith's Birthday Pie!  It all turned out wonderfully since we got to bake Keith's choice anyway, the Quad Pie (apple, cherry, blueberry and peach).  We picked up ice cream on the way home, Dave whipped cream with Cointreau, and we were in business!
Happy Birthday, Keith.  Love you!

Quad Pie in all its glory

Birthday Boy cuts the pie!

Shake Down Cruise!

Bike ride and wine tasting at Two Mountains

This week Dave and I decided to take a short road trip with a dual purpose.  First, leave the Seattle gloom in search of weather that resembles summer.  Second, figure out the ins and outs of camping in the VW Mini-Van (MV).  The first part was quite easy.  We went immediately east over the pass to the bright blue skies of Yakima.  Our first stop was Miner Burger and some wine country touring.  Unfortunately we were in an slightly off-the-beaten-path area and the wineries were not open on Wednesday, so we drove to the more popular Rattlesnake Hills area and did a little wine tasting at Silver Lake Winery.  After some Mexican food in Zillah, WA we settled into our campground in Toppenish, WA.  This is where we encountered some challenges with the MV, specifically the rock-hard "mattress".  In the morning after working out some kinks and getting some breakfast and coffee at Dad's, we headed back to Rattlesnake Hills and parked the MV at Two Mountains Winery.  This was our starting point for a 20 mile bike ride.  It was a beautiful morning and we beat the heat with a 10AM start.  After riding we did some wine tasting at Two Mountains (yummy Rose!), hit another winery, got lunch in Toppenish at the Warehouse and then drove on to Walla Walla. 
On the way to Walla Walla we stopped at a lavendar farm; a little touch of Provence in the Columbia Valley.  Then we checked into the RV park and walked to town for some dinner.  Back at the MV we made a few mattress adjustments - bridging the level changes between the segments with some strategically folded towels and flipping our heads so our feet, not shoulders, were on the extra-firm part.  That helped tremendously! 
The next day was some Walla Walla wine tasting and a road trip to Pullman, through Lewiston, ID.  In Pullman, I got to show Dave campus and I got to see all the new construction projects - building new box seats in the stadium, new buildings around campus, and the the bookie inside the CUB.  The campus looked beautiful and I felt a great sense of nostalgia walking around. 
That night, it was on to Othello for our last night on the road.  Our level of comfort was much improved on this third night after tinkering with the positioning of towels and sleeping bags.  After a Mexican breakfast in town we made the final drive back to Mercer Island.  All and all, a great trip with a great travel partner. 

Lunch at Minor Burger

The Lavendar Farm

Go Cougs!

Vineyard views from Amavi

California here I come!

Last week was my Spring Break and I had a delightful week away in southern Cali. To start the week, Keith and I stayed in the City of Angeles. We did a Warner Bros. Studio tour, went to the Getty Villa in Malibu and the Farmer's Market and Grove shopping in LA.Then we stayed in Anaheim and visited the Happiest Place on Earth (goes without saying, doesn't it?) and toured the Mission at San Juan Capistrano. By mid-week Dave had finished his meetings in Alaska and flew to Orange County. For the remainder of the week Dave and I toured Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, the Getty Center, and saw the pier at Venice Beach (Dave's very first project after college). We visited with a friend, Shawn Selton and her kids Ava and Finn, who gave us a great tip on a place to walk on the beach by Dana Point (thanks, Shawn!). We also spent 2 days at Disney. This was Dave's first trip to California Adventure. My priority was to take Dave on Soarin' over California. Dave's priority was to torment Margaret on California Screaming and Tower of Terror. Hrumph. Actually, I put my big-girl panties on and ended up having a great time on the scary rides. Here's the proof...

Having "fun" on Tower of Terror.

Great views at the Getty Center

Dave at the Venice pier

Keith and Margaret at Disney

Looking over Laguna Beach

Run Margaret, Run

Last month I ran in my second ever half-marathon.  Keith went to the Mercer Island Half Marathon festival the day before the race and sign-up. I made a spontaneous decision to join him.  I decided I might as well sign up for a race that starts/finishes just a few blocks away from my house! Remarkably I felt strong during the race and averaged 9 minute miles for the first 8 miles.  My pace slowed a bit the last 5 miles (the hilly part of the course) but overall, I stayed strong.  I ran the entire distance, expect for brief pauses for water.  It also helped that Keith slowed his pace a bit to run with me.  Thanks for the encouragement, Keith!  I ran my personal best, 2:05:09...and if I had to predict, I believe that will be my lifetime best.  We'll see...

Double date night

Dinner at Wasabi Bistro with Chris and Wenmei on Friday night.  Yummy sushi...

Just lunch

Here's the lunch Dave and I had on Sunday. One of us ate and drank wine.  One of us shucked two dozen oysters, ate and drank wine.  I'll let you guess who did what...