World Series Champions

Hooray Phillies!

I am feeling, for perhaps the first time, a twinge of homesickness for Philadelphia. Obviously there have been times I have missed my family and good times had in PA, but not really the City of Brotherly Love. Tonight, as I sat on the edge of my couch, dressed in red and gray with my purple Phillies cap, watching the end of the World Series... I felt it. A little gnawing at my heartstrings for Philly. On the other hand, I am extraordinarily glad I am not working at Methodist tonight... South Philly is not a place I would want to be right now, as I do not trust crazy Philadelphian sports fans!!

But as I sat at my computer this evening, watching WPVI streaming live coverage of the celebrations over the internet, I felt this connection. It's been a long time since I watched Cecily and Gary Papa and Jim Gardner... granted, I am happy to have broken free of the superhype extravaganza that is local news in Philly. Yet I am reminded that things really are different there, particularly compared to Seattle. The culture is SO different that it shocks me, really, to be reminded of it again! I like it in Seattle, and moving back to Philly wouldn't be my first choice. (Actually, what I would really enjoy would be someplace that is a combo of the two!)

That said, I am really craving a cheesesteak and a Yuengling tonight. :)

Halloween Cupcakes

It all started when I saw these cute cupcake paper wrappers at Target... and before I knew it, I was baking (and decorating) 4 dozen Halloween cupcakes!! Thank goodness both Rob and I work in large offices! :)

I have no idea why these pictures are turned sideways... and can't figure out how to fix it!! But you get the idea. :)

Turkey Day!

It's tough to type with a cat sitting between me and the keyboard!! Reminds of the old Mavis Beacon days when we weren't allowed to look at the keyboard in typing class. :)

Last night I finally roasted that turkey that has been in my freezer for like 10 months! It seems like just yesterday that Rob told me he was bringing over a surprise, and I opened my front door to discover him standing there holding a frozen turkey with a big grin on his face. :) Here are a selected few pictures from last night's Turkey Dinner:

This picture makes me look like a Stepford wife!

Rob carving the turkey

Smokey had too much tryptophan!

Bullet List Mania!

I haven't posted in forever. I've been busy, but lazy, too. :)

My body clock is all messed up! Yesterday I came home from work at 8 am, went to bed at 10 am, woke up at 3 pm... went back to bed at 12:30 am and then woke up this morning at 6 am. Not sure what that adds up to, but I'm pretty much wide awake so I will take it! Of course, I will probably crash this afternoon, as I am prone to do. :) Earlier this week, Rob and I rented the movie "Leatherheads", and I dozed off... woke myself up by my own snoring (how embarrassing!) and discovered that the OPENING credits hadn't even finished. Yikes.

As I like to do when I haven't posted in a while, I am going to revert to the ever-popular bullet list...

* Last night we went and saw the new Oliver Stone movie "W", which I highly recommend. It was actually Rob's idea and although I was initially reluctant, it was surprisingly good. I really enjoyed the scene where Junior chokes on a pretzel. :) Haha. Seriously, though, James Brolin was frighteningly good! The movie definitely made me think about the last 8 years. I remember standing in my college dorm room, watching Colin Powell's speech to the UN about WMDs. And the anti-war protests when we were in Vienna. Anyway, I really liked the movie!

* Yesterday was the one year anniversary of my first date with Rob. We enjoyed reminiscing last night about that... how we stayed at Starbucks talking, long after the coffee was finished, and eventually they had to ask us to leave because they were closing!! :) Fun times.

* This week I purchased plane tickets! I am headed to Philly in mid-November for my friend Lauren's wedding. It's going to be a quick weekend trip, but should be fun.

* I am definitely in need of a vacation. Work has been taking its toll... Thursday night was one of the worst nights I've had in a long time. Yuck. Really glad that I have a 4 day weekend off!!!

* This morning, I finally broke down and installed the new version of iTunes. Of course, I had to mess around with the Genius feature. I've been pretty impressed with some of the playlists it has come up with. But also completely baffled by some of the songs it picks!! I tried it with the Michael W. Smith song "A New Hallelujah", and they picked ones from artists like Newsboys, MercyMe, Switchfoot, etc. Ok, great! But right in the middle is... "I Need You (That Thing You Do)" from the movie soundtrack of TTYD. What?! Totally wacky. Made me laugh, though.

* Speaking of iTunes, I found myself dancing around the room a few minutes ago to that Steven Curtis Chapman song, "Dive". Reminded me of that awesome concert we went to a couple of weeks ago, and hearing it live with all the people dancing. :)

* I really, really want one of the new Mac laptops. But that would mean working some overtime and saving up a bit of money. Hm. Not sure yet whether I am going to try to work extra to get one faster or whether I will try to save up from my regular paychecks (which will take much longer but doesn't require more time at work!).

* I am wearing my purple Phillies hat this morning! But I am mildly concerned that doing so will serve to curse their World Series chances... since I seem to be bad luck for baseball teams.

* I'm currently contemplating roasting a turkey on Monday when I am off from work. Any thoughts?

Alright. I should probably get up from my computer now. It's a sunny morning in Seattle, but only in the 40s so far. Brr!

Rainy Day in the Rainy City

I just wasted like 45 minutes on Facebook. What a great way to spend a rainy afternoon!! I actually posted a new album of pictures on Facebook... a select group of photos from this fall. (Although a few venture back into August, but who's keeping track?) It was fun to look back over the good times I've had lately. I especially enjoyed reviewing the pictures from Jen's visit! Check out the album on Facebook... if you are not my friend on Facebook, then why are reading this?! :)

Not much new to write about. I worked a double shift Wednesday night... 16 hrs is a long time! But the extra pay will come in handy, so I can't complain too much.

Today is one of those typical fall days in Seattle. Highs in the 50s, rainy. A good day to stay inside! Maybe I will go work on one of my quilting projects... or take a nap. :) Smokey ventured outside when I was taking out some recycling this afternoon. It was hilarious! She ran out the door and got a few feet onto the deck before she realized that it was pouring rain... she then continued out into the grass and got all nice and dirty. I think she thinks she is a dog! Eventually I coaxed her back inside... and discovered she had a leaf stuck to her paw. It made me laugh so hard! What a strange cat.

October Already?!

I can't believe it's October already!! Man, where did the summer go? When I think back to a year ago this week, when I was researching to buy a new car... it seems to be practically a lifetime ago! Yet I can't believe that fall is here already. Today I went to Target and it really hit me when I saw all the Halloween stuff. Wow. Time sure flies.

I'm attempting to stay up late tonight. My sleep schedule is all messed up!! I slept for a few hours after work yesterday, then went to bed at like 1 am, only to be wide awake at 4:30 am... which meant I only lasted until 1 pm before I needed a nap! There's no real point to getting set on a schedule, because it SO hard to stay on "night shift" on my days off. If I did that, I would never be awake in the daytime and therefore would never get to see Rob or my friends or the beautiful city I call home!! :)

Even so, I am sitting front of the TV catching up on all the shows my Tivo has been recording this week while I've been at work! Right now I am watching "The Biggest Loser" while I blog. I love this show. Seriously. I haven't really been a fan of reality shows since the first season of "Survivor", but TBL is one that I watch religiously. Maybe it is because of my own struggles with weight that I feel a connection to the contestants. Or maybe I just prefer to watch someone else working out rather than me!! Haha. :) Honestly, though, I feel like the show has been pretty inspiring. At the very least, it is really tough to veg out in front of the TV and eat junk while watching a show like TBL!! So there are some benefits in my mind. :)

Speaking of weights/dieting... I haven't been very good lately. I realized last week that I've really just been staying in pretty much the same place, maintaining my current weight. And while it's been a nice break from the intense dieting, I want to lose a bit more than where I'm at now. Which means that I definitely need to get moving. And eating better! I haven't gone running in over a week, and even though I have never grown to love exercising, I do really like the way that I look and feel when I am in better shape. I've noticed the difference at work, for sure. Nursing is a really physical job sometimes, whether it's moving patients or equipment or even just walking and being on your feet for a 12 hour shift. This summer I really started to feel the difference... less exhausted, stronger, etc. And I might be a total dork for noticing this, but my resting heart rate is actually lower than it used to be!!! I often end up checking my own pulse/oxygen saturation (why, who knows!)... I used to run in the high 90s, but now I am almost always in the 70s... and sometimes even in the 60s. Wow!! That is cool. :) I just gotta keep that stuff in mind when I am tempted to eat chips and salsa for dinner!

So I'm putting it out there in my blog, because that has helped in the past. I don't know if it is the sense of accountability or what, but somehow posting it on the blog seems to really help solidify my goals. :) I would really like to run another race sometime, maybe in the spring. And it would be great to be a size 6 (or smaller, even!!) for my brother's wedding in December. Mostly, though, I want to reach the original goal that I set out to accomplish... sure, 50 lbs is a great accomplishment, but I'd love to be able to get that last 20 knocked out!!! :)

On that note, I better move off this couch! Maybe do some crunches... or at least clean up the living room. :)

Fair pictures!

Another week has passed and I have not been good about blogging.
:( I apologize to my loyal reader(s)!

I have officially made the transition to night shift. I miss normal circadian rhythms!! But so far I've had decent shifts so I guess I can't complain too much. Seattle weather has rapidly turned to fall (highs in the 50s, cloudy, occasional rain showers), so it makes for good sleeping weather, at least.

I wasn't planning on blogging at the moment... I sat down at the computer to do some bill-paying as it is pay day. But for some inexplicable reason, the Bank of America website is down. Which worries me in light of recent events in the financial world! I know, I know, it is unrelated, but still, makes one wonder. So since I can't pay my bills yet (should I trust that the website will indeed be back up "in a few minutes"?? Haha.), I thought I would do a quick blog.

There really hasn't been too much going on lately besides work. On my days off I do lots of boring things... pay bills, do laundry, clean my apt, etc. :) Last week I did do a couple fun things. Rob and I went to the Puyallup Fair on Saturday. It was a lot of fun even though it rained most of the day!

As always with a fair, I particularly enjoyed the livestock. :) I think Rob's favorite thing was the roasted corn on the cob. Sadly, there was a noticable lack of fried things on a stick... but I guess I have been spoiled in the past by the Minnesota State Fair and the North Carolina State Fair!! (As though my diet really needed fried food on a stick, anyway.)

Poor little 4-H project!!

In the evening, we went to the concert at the fair... Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith. Definitely a great concert... at some points much more like thousands of people worshiping together rather than just watching a concert. Pretty cool. :)

Well, I'm annoyed that I still can't log in to my bank accounts. Time to go put the laundry in the dryer (which works now... YAY!! No more underwear hanging on a rack in the living room to dry!). And maybe rustle up some lunch.

Costco, Part 2

Wow, it's been a while since I wrote... the post on Costco got such a huge response that it is hard to live up to!! Some of you may know that I use Google Analytics on my blog, which is pretty awesome. And I can say with certainty that my Costco post got an insane amount of traffic... 45 unique views the first day, 25 the next, 26 the day after, and 28 the next day!!! Wow. I wonder how on earth that happened? Guess I am not the only one who loves Costco. :) (Actually I know that statement is not true, based on the "anti-Costco" sentiments I have received in the last week... but since it is MY blog, I get to delete them!)

I vow to write more later. I'm busy uploading lots of pictures from the last week or so!! Last weekend, Rob and I went hiking at Mt. Rainier and took a whole bunch of great pictures that I need to post. And of course, yesterday was Rob's birthday, so there are some fun pictures from that. :)

I Love Costco

Every time I go to Costco, I feel inspired to blog about the experience, but thus far have refrained from it. The time has come, however, for me to declare my love for The Warehouse.

Let me start by saying that I have pretty much been a life-long shopper at the wholesale stores (I shouldn't even mention the names for fear that I will be struck by lightning, but as a child my family had a Sam's membership, and my parents still are BJs shoppers... haven't converted them yet!). So it's not like I have just discovered warehouse shopping or anything. But today I was thinking about how much I enjoy it, and decided it was the perfect topic for today's blog!

Now you may wonder why a single 27 year old woman is even shopping at a place like Costco. I mean, how much could I possibly use of any one item that I would need to buy it in bulk? And that is where you are wrong (or perhaps just naive)!!

Full disclosure time. I must confess that I do have a vested interest in Costco, and maybe am not totally objective. Furthermore, since my membership was a gift, I am only reaping benefits... but I've done the math and I suspect that I would easily recoup the membership fee in a year!!

Now to the reasons that shopping at Costco makes me happy. Let me take you through a typical trip, and share with you Why I Love Costco.

* The parking spaces are gigantic, at least at the Shoreline store. My hypothesis is that people buy so much at Costco that they need to have bigger vehicles, and so the spaces are built larger to accomodate the SUVs/Hummers needed to tote home all the wonderful wares. For someone like me, who drives a Nissan Sentra, this is wonderful, because the first moment of the Costco experience is pleasant.

* There is never a shortage of shopping carts. Compared to my experiences at BJs, where you have to drag one across the parking lot to the front door, only to find that it has a bum wheel, this is great! Do not underestimate the little things.

* Upon entering the store, you are immediately faced with a plethora of beautiful TVs on one side, and on the other side is what Costco insiders know as "The Fence". Now you might be tempted to get caught up in the stream of shoppers heading into the rest of the store, but I encourage you to hold up the whole group (don't be shy!) because there is some cool stuff on The Fence! Today was a selection of coats/vests... I don't need a winter coat, nor does anyone I know, but I was really tempted to buy one anyway, because the price was GREAT! Ah, the power of The Fence.

* Once I've moved past the entrance into the body of the store, I have never once been able to make a bee-line to the item(s) I came for. (Well, except for that one time I went with the Wilson family, but that was just because I was trying to make a good impression!) I must meander through the aisles. Each and every one. Because you never know what you might find. Today I was pleased to discover that Costco sells what they call a "super-ream" of paper. 800 sheets for $6.55! Bigger than just a little pack of printer paper but way less than a huge box (which they also sell but I would never be able to use).

* There are some things I know I am almost always going to buy on a routine trip. Milk, coffee, salsa. But then there are other things (like laundry detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, or chewing gum) that I buy on a less-frequent basis, so I pretty much always come away with quite the haul. :) A few of my favorite items:

• Milk in the double pack. Costco even has their own special oddly-shaped milk jugs (I assume they stack better on a pallet or something), so when people open my fridge, they are immediately aware of my loyalty to The Warehouse.
  
• Seattle Mountain Blend whole bean coffee (exclusive to Costco). $9 for 2 lbs and really good coffee!


• Kirkland Signature Tortilla Strips... while one might be intially reluctant to buy the store brand at a normal store, at Costco it is different. Many "store brand" items are actually just special packaging of "brand name" items, if you look closely. For example, these chips (3 lbs for $3.39!!) are made by Mission. And they are amazing. Particularly with my giant jug of salsa ($4.25). :)


• Tribe Hummus in the snack pack. Little containers of hummus (16 for $4.99), perfect for lunches at work. Yum. I have gotten more questions about it at work... everyone is jealous of my hummus!


• Clothes. You might be shocked to discover that Costco has some cool clothes sometimes. Granted, they usually have much better men's clothes than women's, but still. I've found some good stuff at decent prices.
  
• Did you know that Costco sells wine and beer (at least in some states)? I didn't know that until I moved to WA, where it is legal to do so. There are some great deals to be had, if one is in the market for such items. I admit, I have succumbed to the siren call of the Mike's Hard Lemonade variety pack for $21.99. Pretty competitive pricing!
  

There lots of other deals I could mention, but this post is getting long! Some other time, I suppose. But Costco also apparently has great deals on gas, tires, kitchen remodels, vacations, funeral caskets, mattresses, prescription drugs, eyeglasses... and churros. Mmmm.

I could also discuss some other things I enjoy, such as the little older ladies with free samples, or the fact that the checkers always tease me for dating an employee just to get into the Costco Wholesale Family. (Apparently my membership card makes it public knowledge!)

Have I mentioned that I love Costco? :)

Beautiful Day

It is a beautiful day in Seattle! And I feel like I had a very "Seattle day". This morning, after sleeping in and enjoying my coffee and watching "The View", I went for a walk around Green Lake. By myself. And it was wonderful! It's been a while since I exercised (sadly), so instead of pushing it and trying to run, I just powerwalked and listened to TWIT. Today was one of those cloudless days, where the sun is shining and people remember why they live in Seattle! Green Lake wasn't too crowded, surprisingly. (Actually, maybe not... school has started and it is a Wednesday!!) And it was a great power walk.

Then, after a shower and a snack, I walked up to Starbucks. Spent a bit of the afternoon there, enjoying my venti nonfat no-whip mocha and reading my book on Christian womanhood and my Bible. It was wonderful! And exactly what I needed.

Eventually, I decided I couldn't stay there all afternoon, so I headed over to QFC and picked up some groceries, put them in my reusable-foldable grocery bag, and walked home. (See what I mean about a Seattle kind of day? :) And what did I buy? Yogurt, garbanzo beans, and carrots!)

September is a good month in Seattle... here's a picture I took nearly a year ago (September 11, 2007), but it could easily have been taken today!

I have said it before, and I will say it again. Moving here has been good for me. The last year has been really tough at times, but the Lord has been faithful, and I wouldn't change my experiences if I could! I know that today's post might sound super cheerful (especially compared to recent ones), and to be honest, I don't feel like blogging in detail about the big things that have happened in my life this week.

What I will say is that this week I experienced God directly answering my prayers. Seriously... I have rarely had the kind of immediate answer that I experienced on Sunday night, when I sat in church and began to cry as I was praying so intensely and just opened up my heart to God... and then a few hours later felt like God handed me a response to those prayers (and many months of prayers). What an encouragement it was to realize that He does indeed hear our prayers!!

Things are changing, and there is a lot of uncertainty ahead as we look for a new church. But our God is an awesome God, and He will provide guidance, if only we trust Him with our lives.

Sunset on the beach at Carkeek Park last Saturday