Sunday, February 25, 2007

Good things from last weekend...

  • relaxing at home & annoying our cats
  • finding deals at the REI Scratch 'n Dent sale & Second Ascent in Ballard
  • a little visit with my folks
  • enjoying driving our new car around town & shouting "Subaru" everytime we spotted another Outback
  • sharing breakfast & laughs with my sister Emily, her husband Anthony, & my niece Tillie before they head off to California (we'll miss you!)

Coming soon...

I have some fun photos from the weekend to share with you, but unfortunately left my camera at a friend's this afternoon. So, I'll share our weekend with you later this week. :)

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Wonderful Day!

I headed to work with a skip in my step, not only because the sun was out, but also because I would soon be walking back out the door of my office. I scheduled both my doctors' appointments on the same afternoon & while that certainly doesn't sound very exciting, I was happy with the fact that I was leaving work at noon & my first appointment wasn't until 2:15pm. So, off I headed in the bright sunlight to Discovery Park--the lawn in front of the Daybreak Star Center. This has always been a favorite spot of mine, more so now because we were married on it! With the sun warm on my neck, & the birds & floatplanes humming overhead, I relaxed & wrote & thought. As I sat there, I could hardly think of any other place that I'd rather be right then.

I reluctantly left the park & headed to my optomotrist appointment. I was very happy to discover that not only has my genetic eye condition not gotten any worse, it is actually a little better! After making a comment to my doctor about the difficulty of always needing hard lenses to see (one of the aspects of my eye condition) he asked me the last time I had tried glasses. I stopped wearing them because contacts are the only thing that fully corrects my vision & I have always thought that glasses would not do enough. He showed me what I would see with just glasses & I was amazed! It's good enough that I can even drive, much less read & watch movies. So, I got the thrill of picking out new frames--they are so cute! I'll be sure to post a photo when I get them next week.

I left there, took a nice little tour of Ravenna Gardens on Queen Anne & had a little walk near Greenlake before my next doctor appointment (ok, so the whole day wasn't completely lovely, as this was my annual--but, good to hear my doctor say that I am in excellent health).
After that, I headed to Ballard for a little visit with Alan & the kitties.

I got home & Levi & I headed out for our second round of car shopping--our VW wagon has had lots of little problems & we need something with more ground clearance & AWD for our outdoor adventures. Look what we got!!
Not the greatest photo, but it's the best I could do, as we got home from the dealership around 10pm. I am so happy! It's a 2003 Subaru Outback--and we got such a deal!

Thanks for letting me share all my good-day-giddiness with you, friends.
So much to be thankful for!

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Blogger Girls' Valentine Brunch

The Blogger Girls consist of almost a dozen of us who are all connected through one wonderful woman, Kristen, & we enjoy reading & commenting on one another's blogs. Aleah, Amy, Bree, Casey, Jenny, Katie, Kristen, Mandy, & Rebekah are all incredible ladies full of fun & talent & it was a special treat to have them over to my house for a little gathering (we missed you Katie & Jenny!). Unfortunately, I only got one or two good photos of the gals themselves, but here is a glimpse of our Valentine brunch.
Rebekah brought a special treat--her son, Simon!
Kristen is such a great friend to all of us & we are so excited that she & Kyle will welcome their first little one this fall.
Can you find the lovely Bree through the tulips?
Happy late Valentine's Day & early spring, my friends!
Thanks to the blogging gals for visiting my home this weekend--your laughter, your chatter, your food, babies, cards, & little gifts continue to bless me.
Below is the poem I meant to include inside their Valentine's. When I came across it, it seemed to fit perfectly with our brunch & with my feelings this time of year:

Must, bid the Morn awake!
Sad Winter now declines,
Each bird doth choose a mate;
This day's Saint Valentine's.
For that good bishop's sake
Get up and let us see
What beauty it shall be
That Fortune us assigns.

-Michael Drayton

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Happy Birthday, Alan!

Today is a special day,
So sing a song,
Do a dance,
Woof Woof!

57 years ago today,
my Alan was born.
Fun memories to share:
Dancing in the kitchen
Comic & hobby shop hopping
As a little girl I often had to run to keep up with his long stride & by the time I was a teenager I lengthened my stride as much as possible when walking with him--a long stride I still have to this day & a big help when I ran track as a hurdler!
walking train tracks
Singing (Brush, brush, brush your hair...)
Throwing things (koosh balls, little apples, bean bags)
All my childhood nightmares diminished after two events: Alan telling me to fall asleep picturing myself in my grandparents big grass field throwing a colorful beach ball into the air, & my mother telling me that Alan would chase away any bad guys roaring (no one can roar like him)
Falling asleep against his broad chest on the couch
The two of us doing tai chi movements to calm ourselves down right before walking down the aisle at my wedding

Today is a special day,
So sing a song,
Do a dance,
Woof Woof!