tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33773458326459999302024-03-04T22:59:59.629-08:00Beautiful Rainy Days AheadKatherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.comBlogger174125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-76262689814163569312011-09-14T20:53:00.000-07:002011-09-14T20:53:49.114-07:00Bad Blogger!Wow - what a terrible blogger I've been lately! So many adventures, so little time to write about them! I promise I'll (slowly) start catching you up on our spring and summer adventures soon. But in the meantime, know that I'm still alive and I hope you'll still be a reader even when I go on a long hiatus for no good reason.Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-51164758043485866442011-04-30T13:19:00.000-07:002011-04-30T13:19:58.752-07:00Starting the Conversation: National Infertility Awareness WeekToday is the last day of National Infertility Awareness Week. Infertility awareness is an issue that is near and dear to my heart, and I've mentioned it in this blog before. I was trying to figure out a way this week to increase awareness and I did something kind of bold, even for me. A section of my work's online newsletter is called Healthy Living and I thought it would be a great area to write about infertility awareness. I spoke to the editor and she thought it was a good idea as well, so I started writing. The whole concept was a lot more difficult than I initially thought. I needed to find the right balance of sharing personal information along with education for people who don't know much about infertility. The article finally was distributed to 2,000 people this week, and I got a great response! I've had about 20 people (mostly strangers) email, call, or stop by my cubicle to thank me for sharing my story or offer support. Most of the people contacting me have had experiences with infertility and were happy to see the silence broken on the subject. And I've had a few people who haven't experienced infertility just thank me for sharing information with them. One woman in my office is just starting the process of getting diagnosed and dealing with infertility and we're scheduled to go out to lunch soon to discuss our shared experience. I was very nervous about the article coming out and sharing such personal information with my co-workers and boss, but after the feedback I've received, I'm positive I did the right thing. The article is below for your information!<br />
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<u>Starting the Conversation: National Infertility Awareness Week</u><br />
My husband and I are among the 7.3 million people in the U.S. who have been diagnosed with infertility. It has been more than two years since we made the decision to have children, and we’re still childless. After a variety of intrusive tests and exams, we’ve been told that it is highly unlikely we will ever be able to conceive without expensive medical intervention. <br />
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So, why am I making this big announcement for strangers, co-workers and friends to read? Because National Infertility Awareness Week is April 24-30, and I think it’s a great time for people to learn more about infertility and how to support those who are experiencing it.<br />
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Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system. Reproductive endocrinologists (doctors specializing in infertility) usually diagnosis infertility if a person has not achieved a viable pregnancy after 12 months of trying, or 6 months if the couple is older than 35.<br />
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Doctors estimate that one in eight couples experience difficulty in conceiving a child and, contrary to popular belief, infertility is not just a woman’s problem. According to Resolve, The National Infertility Association, 30 percent of infertility cases can be attributed to male factors, and 30 percent can be attributed to female factors. In about 20 percent of cases, infertility is unexplained, and the remaining 10 percent is caused by a combination of problems in both partners.<br />
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There are dozens of reasons that a couple may experience infertility. A woman may have diminished ovarian reserves, ovarian cysts, clotting disorders or endometriosis, a disorder that causes tissue normally inside the uterus to grow outside the uterus. A man may have poor sperm quality because of genetic factors, cancer treatments, hormone levels, etc. <br />
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Even though infertility is a problem with the body functioning improperly, most insurance plans do not cover the costs associated with diagnosis or treatment. The out-of-pocket expenses can quickly become overwhelming. In fact, that’s the reason my husband and I still don’t have children: we have to save thousands of dollars (I’m talking more than $10,000) before we can pursue the treatments we need. <br />
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Many people who suffer from infertility do so silently; they don’t share their struggles with co-workers, friends or even family. The reasons for secrecy are personal, multiple and varied. In the past, I haven’t shared our diagnosis widely because sometimes I don’t want to deal with intrusive questions or opinions about my treatment choices. Also, if I gain a couple of pounds or complain about feeling sick, I don’t want people to look at me suspiciously, trying to figure out if I’m pregnant yet. (Trust me – I won’t be pregnant for a long time, if ever.) <br />
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Infertility is so emotionally devastating some days, it’s difficult enough to keep it together on my own without having well-intentioned people give me “support” that really doesn’t help. For example, telling me to “relax” doesn’t change the medical condition that’s preventing us from conceiving. <br />
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Another phrase that makes many infertile couples cringe is, “Why don’t you just adopt?” My husband and I are very open to the adoption route and would love to grow our family in any way we can. But the same thing that’s preventing us from infertility treatments is preventing us from adopting; adoption can cost more than infertility treatments. In addition, not every person is qualified to adopt, the process is not quick or easy, and it is unbelievably emotional. <br />
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Starting a family is an intimate and personal decision, even more so once infertility becomes a factor, so I understand why some people are not comfortable talking about their experiences with the disease. However, with one in eight couples suffering from infertility, awareness of the disease should be higher than it currently is. <br />
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I encourage people who have dealt with infertility to share their stories, dispel some of the myths and gently correct people when they make inappropriate comments. I also think that having honest discussions about infertility and treatments might eventually lead to better insurance coverage and more funding for research. This week – National Infertility Awareness Week – is a great time and reason to break the ice and ease into the conversation! <br />
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To learn more about infertility, you can visit <a href="http://www.resolve.org/">Resolve, The National Infertility Association</a> and the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002173/">infertility page on PubMed Health</a>.<br />
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Also, I especially like <a href="http://www.resolve.org/support-and-services/for-family--friends/infertility-etiquette.htmlhttp:/www.resolve.org/support-and-services/for-family--friends/infertility-etiquette.html">this article</a> about infertility etiquette.Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-43161519022217663882011-03-20T20:56:00.001-07:002011-03-20T21:05:51.812-07:00Oscar Movie MarathonSo have I mentioned before that we're huge movie fans? We have over a thousand DVDs in our house. Robb's the one who's really into it, but I think he would agree that I have good taste and can appreciate films better than most. So a couple of years ago when I was working at Panera on the weekends I noticed people coming into the bakery with movie passes hanging around their necks. I asked what the deal was and was told that they were attending an Oscar movie showcase at the AMC movie theaters. I had never heard of that before! They were attending all five movies nominated for best picture at that year's Oscar ceremonies in one day, the day before the Oscar ceremony! I thought it was such a cool concept and I knew Robb would love it. Since then the Oscars have increased the number of movies nominated for best picture - now there are 10 movies and AMC breaks the showcase into two weekends. This year Robb and I finally got our schedules organized enough to go to the movies two Saturdays in a row.<br />
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I was pretty apprehensive. I love movies, but to see five in a row in the theater sounds a little intimidating. But you know, it ended up being pretty easy. It was nice to be in a theater with other people who love movies and are a respectful audience (no talkers, texters, etc.) We got there about an hour before the start time to secure our seats. The seats you choose for the first movie are the seats you are stuck with all day - we were pretty happy with our seats (we like to get seats where you can stretch out your legs.) There were about 15-25 minutes between each movie to get up and stretch. In the early evening there was an hour long break for people to go get dinner if they wanted. The first weekend we grabbed a burger. The second weekend we packed our own picnic (including a sugar cookie sold at Metropolitan Market that was in the shape of an Oscar award)! Included with our passes were gift cards to buy food at the concession stand, so we snacked on popcorn and soda throughout the day.<br />
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I had a pretty good idea that we would be attending the Oscar Showcase this year, so as movies came out in the previous months that had Oscar buzz, I made sure that we did NOT go see them. So we went into the showcase having only seen two movies previously - Toy Story 3 and Inception, which were great movies so we didn't mind seeing them again. <br />
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I don't want to review all of the movies, because I don't want to give everything away and I don't think my words could do the films justice. But, a brief overview will do. On the first day we watched: Toy Story 3, 127 Hours, The Kids Are All Right, True Grit, and The Fighter. I thought all of the movies were really good, except for The Kids Are All Right. I was really looking forward to that movie the most and it disappointed me on several levels. I really had no desire to see 127 Hours, but I ended up loving it, which kind of shocked me. On the second day we watched: Winter's Bone, Black Swan, Inception, The Social Network, and The King's Speech. I was impressed with all of the movies this day. My favorite movie of the entire showcase was Winter's Bone. I'm not quite sure why it spoke to me so much; the depiction of poverty was powerful and the story drew me in. We had a great time at the showcase and I hope that we can do this again in the future.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvDKNWDPdOJXSy80Ki2ravUs7DGeGnEgO4leFwXutOHEymw0FvFElrTDg546QtShWhn8aaPY6FN-qc6PynRxBB0WeMxhMyn0VJwqElAXDgxHNVdK0p-FdsGlwrFxJpn6JYSKiKy5l1F0/s1600/Oscar+cookie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvDKNWDPdOJXSy80Ki2ravUs7DGeGnEgO4leFwXutOHEymw0FvFElrTDg546QtShWhn8aaPY6FN-qc6PynRxBB0WeMxhMyn0VJwqElAXDgxHNVdK0p-FdsGlwrFxJpn6JYSKiKy5l1F0/s400/Oscar+cookie.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Oscar cookie!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-234978032499600032011-03-20T19:50:00.000-07:002011-03-20T19:50:42.734-07:00Polar Dip, Opera, Wooden BoatsOn my 30 Before 30 list I had written that I wanted to see a live opera. For Christmas this year my parents were kind enough to get me opera tickets for January! And Robb's Christmas present to me was to make a whole weekend out of the event. He made hotel and dinner reservations so we could have a great night out in Seattle. <br />
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The weekend started with with us getting up early on Saturday and heading to Alki Beach in West Seattle. My running club were having their annual run and polar dip, followed by a potluck brunch. If you'll recall, I did my first polar dip last year and was the only girl to participate. This year, there were a lot more of us running into the cold water. I was a little uncomfortable doing so this year because the rumor was Puget Sound was very polluted because of all the rain in the previous weeks and the run-off/pollution from the roads. But, right before I jumped, a flock of birds decided to take off and poop all around me and on me. I must say, most of the poop was around me, but a lot of poop was on me. That sealed my fate of running into the freezing Puget Sounds. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj524FqTUoOhc2jH4DMS089gdpbhnRfNZg8mmn18vlRjVc5hu9Onh_3c0GK6v3dBc12sl9zWZSkmlEMU1-s-FlvFUjGfx8CmXnA7wfEbMHLBdqvXNAUBctqZMXZvPIvMFnoAJYqKJ1_qes/s1600/CIMG0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj524FqTUoOhc2jH4DMS089gdpbhnRfNZg8mmn18vlRjVc5hu9Onh_3c0GK6v3dBc12sl9zWZSkmlEMU1-s-FlvFUjGfx8CmXnA7wfEbMHLBdqvXNAUBctqZMXZvPIvMFnoAJYqKJ1_qes/s400/CIMG0003.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soaking wet after the plunge!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After the run, plunge, and breakfast, Robb and I headed to our hotel for an early check-in. We had a great view of the Space Needle. We took a nap and then started getting ready for our night on the town! Originally Robb had made reservations at an Italian restaurant, Il Bistro. He had made the reservations weeks in advance and had even secretly made plans for a private booth, rose petals on the table, and champagne. A week before our night out Robb got a call from the manager saying that Il Bistro was actually closed and he was so sorry that somehow reservations had been made. The manager was apologetic and offered to help us make reservations at another restaurant. We finally decided on 94 Stewart. We walked to the restaurant from our hotel, dressed in our finest, and found that the manager at Il Bistro had arranged for rose petals, champagne, and privacy at 94 Stewart (and he paid for those amenities to make up for their mistake,) It was a lovely evening and meal. We enjoyed drink and an appetizer of fried avocado with corn relish and dungeness crab. Robb had pork belly for dinner and I had a delicious salmon. We would definitely recommend a visit to 94 Stewart and hope that we can hit up Il Bistro soon.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhvPARikfBV6xFcWIMT_4F6HrjI1_7CDceZaVR3wyMf-XEzeblSlr8rg2xyqWS7tDFwLII0U6P4QaF8YCfUOn8kO-ZBiCPojzGJIttIld6O5oMyqHcp6I_MD5x62nhd1iiHymRr9tPiM/s1600/IMG_3485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhvPARikfBV6xFcWIMT_4F6HrjI1_7CDceZaVR3wyMf-XEzeblSlr8rg2xyqWS7tDFwLII0U6P4QaF8YCfUOn8kO-ZBiCPojzGJIttIld6O5oMyqHcp6I_MD5x62nhd1iiHymRr9tPiM/s400/IMG_3485.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYiZdIBmEb_5Y8ny0vBBCOjoDl-4iws7PWRUxqLxQtZId-Xh5S-jNvioz8ONKd7jhlyV6yjIzPhHvkluoU1BAdyrViOsa1_a77qUrfI1QI9RZaOl_UDxPpe4Rlzwclj47WrBme71chgY/s1600/IMG_3492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYiZdIBmEb_5Y8ny0vBBCOjoDl-4iws7PWRUxqLxQtZId-Xh5S-jNvioz8ONKd7jhlyV6yjIzPhHvkluoU1BAdyrViOsa1_a77qUrfI1QI9RZaOl_UDxPpe4Rlzwclj47WrBme71chgY/s400/IMG_3492.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTfdtkFn6HG53UPnz2mJuUGZ44Xbcp3QMq6zFc-2DyGcDaF2LE8dBWs3uoH1aIVtn3ZEMJ0DOLJNOgG_lbms0R4M96Db0OYRHlNHwrA3bJlgim9QNKn4FWTQwzCdfiCYXdxsayEsguXM/s1600/IMG_3496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTfdtkFn6HG53UPnz2mJuUGZ44Xbcp3QMq6zFc-2DyGcDaF2LE8dBWs3uoH1aIVtn3ZEMJ0DOLJNOgG_lbms0R4M96Db0OYRHlNHwrA3bJlgim9QNKn4FWTQwzCdfiCYXdxsayEsguXM/s400/IMG_3496.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyNk-SQpIPe-u9Q9YiVzUtn5qTmOYGFk1tF4DC-AQ4XibjF_fYNm2HJ0zC-Blqhobg07ZqLshUXb_bKeDSxy0nPKi7x5md63dOY_lwaL5k2qv2dWHEhO0IN_C1nDISky_8HkO65D-iLA/s1600/IMG_3498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyNk-SQpIPe-u9Q9YiVzUtn5qTmOYGFk1tF4DC-AQ4XibjF_fYNm2HJ0zC-Blqhobg07ZqLshUXb_bKeDSxy0nPKi7x5md63dOY_lwaL5k2qv2dWHEhO0IN_C1nDISky_8HkO65D-iLA/s400/IMG_3498.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After dinner we rushed to the monorail station to take the train to the theater where the opera was being performed. It was our first time on the monorail. It was kind of fun and a pretty cheap and fast way to get from downtown to the Seattle Center. We semi-ran to the theater because we were running a little late, but luckily got there in time. I had decided that I wanted to see a classic opera for my first opera experience - so I chose the Barber of Seville. We had fantastic seats and were so impressed with the opera. It was really funny and the guy who sang "Figaro" was wonderful. (I loved hearing "Figaro" and not seeing Bugs Bunny at the same time.) The opera was super long and while I loved it, I was also a little glad when it was over. Luckily we managed to catch the last monorail of the night and made it back to our hotel around midnight! Let me say that I'm really happy that I chose this opera to see for my first and I would be more than happy to see another opera in the future. Another 30 Before 30 list success! </div><br />
The next day we went to breakfast at Portage Bay Cafe. We probably waited close to an hour for a table - this place is popular and that's why we wanted to try it. Robb even went to Starbucks to get us coffee while we waited and read the paper. Our meals were pretty good and I wouldn't mind going to Portage Bay again, but there are so many other places to try for breakfast that I don't know if we'd go back on our own. Our next destination was the Center for Wooden Boats. I had read that on Sunday afternoons they provide free boat rides. We were there a little early so we took some time to walk around and look at some other boats in the docks. Then at the appropriate time we piled into a 100+ year old sail boat with a few other families and took a frigid sail around Lake Union. It was cold, but fun (and at least it didn't rain)!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXBGXab36dxItyeIkIYPClT9dtm1MZfQTOsIbEdkG56G_vrNuEh-MzkA8_S_xp1HHJPUlh4cgbwE0h7XOPqEuO8WJ4-IsD2_A3h1ueKFoU-9NmMhnZQzQeeykyqnsJPXmBx9y-JAROTY/s1600/IMG_3503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXBGXab36dxItyeIkIYPClT9dtm1MZfQTOsIbEdkG56G_vrNuEh-MzkA8_S_xp1HHJPUlh4cgbwE0h7XOPqEuO8WJ4-IsD2_A3h1ueKFoU-9NmMhnZQzQeeykyqnsJPXmBx9y-JAROTY/s400/IMG_3503.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3f6gW3AEY-O0wonMubex9W-9_OB5IY1z92e24kndRcq8K2ClJB0EanMpJ1VUVsdzFXyRFnOvGiYc8DCg6EiHNgw7d3kNnOhMD0wfvl40E1SiPsU2hpSX73G71mtr8rFwz8zs30kL1FY/s1600/IMG_3505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3f6gW3AEY-O0wonMubex9W-9_OB5IY1z92e24kndRcq8K2ClJB0EanMpJ1VUVsdzFXyRFnOvGiYc8DCg6EiHNgw7d3kNnOhMD0wfvl40E1SiPsU2hpSX73G71mtr8rFwz8zs30kL1FY/s400/IMG_3505.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Il-E9BAWSA21erSatwZpX7tNH8pcu9np1zBRloXFVuy9i5kmNUyI-DsmND4iJhZoYVK4mJuSrIsvyFyiufjqk0Q11znsIss-o_YjmxWJkhBNjaJvonpwvtWlUimqX6XGFJf48YQ_GL4/s1600/IMG_3515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Il-E9BAWSA21erSatwZpX7tNH8pcu9np1zBRloXFVuy9i5kmNUyI-DsmND4iJhZoYVK4mJuSrIsvyFyiufjqk0Q11znsIss-o_YjmxWJkhBNjaJvonpwvtWlUimqX6XGFJf48YQ_GL4/s400/IMG_3515.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-18435129408212634372011-03-20T18:49:00.000-07:002011-03-20T18:49:10.984-07:00Whidbey Island - Our Five Year AnniversaryOn December 30th we celebrated five years of wedded bliss. Every anniversary I am amazed that we've been married for so long; we're still newlyweds as far as I'm concerned! Five years is a big milestone, so we had to do something special for a long weekend (but still affordable). In our constant quest for exploring more of the fabulous Pacific Northwest, I determined that we should visit Whidbey Island. I'd heard the towns were cute and the scenery fabulous. After lots of research I came up with an itinerary and made reservations at a B&B. A few days before we were scheduled to leave, Robb started fighting a pretty serious flu and even missed work he felt so bad. Our reservations at the B&B were nonrefundable at that point and we had really been looking forward to our little vacation, so Robb brought a ton of medicine with him and toughed it out. The first day he still felt pretty bad, but he felt better every day and I think it was good that we were out of the house and doing things. And we were unbelievably lucky with the weather that weekend. It was super cold (well below freezing the entire weekend with some serious wind chill), but sunny and no rain! <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">On Thursday we headed north to Whidbey Island. There are two ways to get to the island, by ferry and by a fantastic bridge over Deception Pass. I had heard such wonderful things about the beauty of Deception Pass that I knew we should drive the extra distance in order to see the area. Deception Pass is a narrow gap of fast moving water between the mainland and Whidbey Island with long bridges to take you from one side to the other. There are places to park before the bridge so you can get out and take in the scenery. We parked at the first pull-out we saw and thought we would take a short walk to look at the bridge and Pass. We actually ended up spending quite a bit of time there because you could walk under the bridge and see different views of the water and the bridge. We were beyond impressed with the views and so happy we started our weekend with Deception Pass. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjte89Mc-nl3zo_Lm-8gnInUb3xEK6L8bMC8Bcbwkqo4BLW6p94Z9V-18xTfkS0aq6kWK1o5FKO-sJPGRw_QDJPUculjDO4Jaf9INEYgu0ZIFq7pDT3EjWQnfR4TaIBQJTTz0ckJY4Metk/s1600/IMG_8912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjte89Mc-nl3zo_Lm-8gnInUb3xEK6L8bMC8Bcbwkqo4BLW6p94Z9V-18xTfkS0aq6kWK1o5FKO-sJPGRw_QDJPUculjDO4Jaf9INEYgu0ZIFq7pDT3EjWQnfR4TaIBQJTTz0ckJY4Metk/s400/IMG_8912.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlzCE2pDv4RAhrYCYErf5lq5vB8a59EIkLsn7vzu-OucmN3i3tzhPIiYPs7tJTEit9wIUv8LKbm_MNE-MQhhHSIkguDh2moazCWRwNDRiOZ_f1K-8G2cCEvAQnezDcMimDZMjw5cjSvT4/s1600/IMG_8905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlzCE2pDv4RAhrYCYErf5lq5vB8a59EIkLsn7vzu-OucmN3i3tzhPIiYPs7tJTEit9wIUv8LKbm_MNE-MQhhHSIkguDh2moazCWRwNDRiOZ_f1K-8G2cCEvAQnezDcMimDZMjw5cjSvT4/s400/IMG_8905.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidy8R-q4ivKfF3B7LeoHmX8jplRRHLCupx_4yhAJYYGFiKHnqy9U0VBMaz_EbGz8iZzGCqss3C78nFUEEVgsoGXifUEh23vabubRYjQ9xOeqy3vd45-Qt5ui9ZDv7Jiv5ANIGlBILDcgw/s1600/IMG_8921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidy8R-q4ivKfF3B7LeoHmX8jplRRHLCupx_4yhAJYYGFiKHnqy9U0VBMaz_EbGz8iZzGCqss3C78nFUEEVgsoGXifUEh23vabubRYjQ9xOeqy3vd45-Qt5ui9ZDv7Jiv5ANIGlBILDcgw/s400/IMG_8921.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgXd6tY_N5ND7oAyir8r0i3YidP2Mowb9ZJs4UkWhfZQzIzhmIlCsxye-a_HhZmYQ_inWTikKsvS2CBP36hunARegWvsmHdQ3mSRSmS0Ko3Ys5Av9m4DHczAiD34KS2apkF58zYF6Csw/s1600/IMG_8926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgXd6tY_N5ND7oAyir8r0i3YidP2Mowb9ZJs4UkWhfZQzIzhmIlCsxye-a_HhZmYQ_inWTikKsvS2CBP36hunARegWvsmHdQ3mSRSmS0Ko3Ys5Av9m4DHczAiD34KS2apkF58zYF6Csw/s400/IMG_8926.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We got back in the car and drove a couple more minutes to Whidbey Island and stopped at a beach. We ate our picnic lunch in the car because it was too cold to eat outside. A naval air station was nearby and we were fascinated with watching fighter jets doing training maneuvers during our meal. After we ate we walked along the beach for awhile until the sun started to go down. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsfStjSEIGnsZ4cZ1cuGiiXYvUlOOr5C5-eRq25VH4q-eTrjkfCRlDndqhAmwyjDmm2b7QGXIAJSSB9g1VCXOA8F7I3lqnZNdfqDyjy3ZNwz9QZAAa-rhOPXlkv5_gGjUK21s-EGB-Qw/s1600/IMG_8948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsfStjSEIGnsZ4cZ1cuGiiXYvUlOOr5C5-eRq25VH4q-eTrjkfCRlDndqhAmwyjDmm2b7QGXIAJSSB9g1VCXOA8F7I3lqnZNdfqDyjy3ZNwz9QZAAa-rhOPXlkv5_gGjUK21s-EGB-Qw/s400/IMG_8948.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBOAw0tCwiLx6yrErWu1Ta6GXLMaGpr9wxAg-CayYL4gu-5BZNtz5iznjUs4lqySJnIzwE1qrkevnCVtYGPon6yFtG3OVPQImx-pOrvW-jg2L1WzkvsvokZ0AGd-KHLdcZ417eI5hnLS8/s1600/IMG_8947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBOAw0tCwiLx6yrErWu1Ta6GXLMaGpr9wxAg-CayYL4gu-5BZNtz5iznjUs4lqySJnIzwE1qrkevnCVtYGPon6yFtG3OVPQImx-pOrvW-jg2L1WzkvsvokZ0AGd-KHLdcZ417eI5hnLS8/s400/IMG_8947.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwYi4vAr10C56-E45YcVH4OIRx8Vjij0FQSp5LWtlAuau7CKIpKWftEIPMgwXOYR2vp_aBwR-7SQM9u-UIEwGZhZ337B9asoAWSeZUzjaR6hzUSeUnUZ190dyUCcAoEd9BEduNkpzLwQ/s1600/IMG_8977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwYi4vAr10C56-E45YcVH4OIRx8Vjij0FQSp5LWtlAuau7CKIpKWftEIPMgwXOYR2vp_aBwR-7SQM9u-UIEwGZhZ337B9asoAWSeZUzjaR6hzUSeUnUZ190dyUCcAoEd9BEduNkpzLwQ/s400/IMG_8977.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcWv23wYfRcJKpepPOOkQB4i_9KWAg-n-Mc8jUtqDC4zVnINcy_ndVTaxFyXLFKtvrZZy0pxSiL79soLNXUVYepy78gU53YaNimMck433Djxnx6C0MA_3hjssufNwqBPZKyxoXSTf4ng/s1600/IMG_8965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcWv23wYfRcJKpepPOOkQB4i_9KWAg-n-Mc8jUtqDC4zVnINcy_ndVTaxFyXLFKtvrZZy0pxSiL79soLNXUVYepy78gU53YaNimMck433Djxnx6C0MA_3hjssufNwqBPZKyxoXSTf4ng/s400/IMG_8965.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We decided it was time to drive to our next destination, the town of Coupeville. The Blue Goose Inn was amazing - our room was really lovely without being flowery/obnoxious, like many B&Bs are prone to be. We hung out for a bit and decided to finally go to dinner at Christopher's. I was so excited to try Christopher's because Coupeville is situated along the water of Penn Cove. This is where Penn Cove mussels come from - which I love. I couldn't wait to try the mussels in this restaurant. We walked to the restaurant and got there a couple minutes after 8:00 to see a closed sign in the window. There were still people inside so we popped our heads in, hoping that the sign was incorrect. Nope, a waitress came over and told us they were closed. We expressed surprise that a restaurant had closed so early and she said, "Well, this is Coupeville." We walked around the main street and saw most of the restaurants had already closed. We ended up going into Toby's Tavern for food and a drink at the bar. The food was okay and it was interesting to be in a small town tavern where everybody seemed to know everybody. But I was pretty disappointed to not get my Penn Cove mussels from Christopher's and to not have a romantic anniversary dinner. In fact, I was so bitter, I decided that Christopher's would not be getting our business at any other point that weekend. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJrXdaQd8rH9ybIZdfy3O_hZFqsNxuzXn49S62runUeUgjFafpe5qYI4M8iGLaz2wQAGwwOE8kElqHtzKuaImL4bW_CLd9jpN5y0ZyYSOjCGdlf6G5YEpxrIVD5b3ks0oXhcvHgyqLh0/s1600/IMG_9183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJrXdaQd8rH9ybIZdfy3O_hZFqsNxuzXn49S62runUeUgjFafpe5qYI4M8iGLaz2wQAGwwOE8kElqHtzKuaImL4bW_CLd9jpN5y0ZyYSOjCGdlf6G5YEpxrIVD5b3ks0oXhcvHgyqLh0/s400/IMG_9183.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4lzsG-fyq7DvojrkyEHSte0Qjwdnad2YP3h5k4mjnvnU_Gof2tyOv-4pwHtrMv1kfm5XM5ifb3zJfEBB3kdI6F7MIpYs0B3qUyAMbqowH5KNa_atPsDiKfQj2WkhCKYpdnQzsH10SimQ/s1600/IMG_8991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4lzsG-fyq7DvojrkyEHSte0Qjwdnad2YP3h5k4mjnvnU_Gof2tyOv-4pwHtrMv1kfm5XM5ifb3zJfEBB3kdI6F7MIpYs0B3qUyAMbqowH5KNa_atPsDiKfQj2WkhCKYpdnQzsH10SimQ/s400/IMG_8991.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The next morning after a delicious breakfast we went to Fort Casey. The weekend before we had been in Fort Worden with my parents, which is across the water from Fort Casey. Fort Casey was very similar to Fort Worden, but Casey had several cannons still on site. Fort Casey also had a beautiful lighthouse and great Pacific Northwest beaches. We explored Fort Casey for several hours. We saw both a sea lion and harbor seal swimming in the water, deer, and even a submarine being escorted out to sea. We headed back to Coupeville for a late lunch at Mosquito Fleet Chili, which was okay. The location was great, right on the water! The plan was to spend the rest of the day wandering around town to pop into shops. But, as it was New Year's Eve and this was small-town Coupeville, most of the shops had closed by mid-afternoon for the holiday. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZp17upISmYLxije0M-uJPR3Mqu_iHUmMabtMYjstnNVCpQzboVC70cm86oVtyRhv0sEgyfON3xtz-elO9DjXRLw3XGwb4dnBZok3R_YDK0TrVxzYk4wXmNaQzauWnmptX0UiExis9DGs/s1600/IMG_9007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZp17upISmYLxije0M-uJPR3Mqu_iHUmMabtMYjstnNVCpQzboVC70cm86oVtyRhv0sEgyfON3xtz-elO9DjXRLw3XGwb4dnBZok3R_YDK0TrVxzYk4wXmNaQzauWnmptX0UiExis9DGs/s400/IMG_9007.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9MMXnn6GH5rV2pJi7ZH_7H2hSWGu53KoAMf7i89khhS0xQfb5DHZV4_rwIdovFZ79E1Tr853Qj0XTu9q218XZAW_6GxYy7z47_MrSbxJD7Xf8i9wOCc_ujcEI2HXbRyizav_biC4fBg/s1600/IMG_9070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9MMXnn6GH5rV2pJi7ZH_7H2hSWGu53KoAMf7i89khhS0xQfb5DHZV4_rwIdovFZ79E1Tr853Qj0XTu9q218XZAW_6GxYy7z47_MrSbxJD7Xf8i9wOCc_ujcEI2HXbRyizav_biC4fBg/s400/IMG_9070.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjGv9as4oV1C6iluTromeWrtoNamHh8HKdcDT8P4gYjg4vG8jEwjwm4KIIjrjCzFLN0CIqAAAl3Z3wF-Avb0yv8DTaDB1ESAzVs6b4agdKnJJs6yMwDEkylgQGhDiiSpzzaJzon6lReU/s1600/IMG_9042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjGv9as4oV1C6iluTromeWrtoNamHh8HKdcDT8P4gYjg4vG8jEwjwm4KIIjrjCzFLN0CIqAAAl3Z3wF-Avb0yv8DTaDB1ESAzVs6b4agdKnJJs6yMwDEkylgQGhDiiSpzzaJzon6lReU/s400/IMG_9042.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea Lion</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEu1oKOQCyU6orEPxDSSwbo0Da1VvH5SKPg8Hsvl7JJ5Te9Kk80ycEyU2mz0DQe5q8ea892lCzFp9eFEzL9zzk2aGvSKWJ6YX4sTCQnSaL7yI9nH5abNGGFHpyNjXZSA6BsUK4YcjxBoI/s1600/IMG_9089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEu1oKOQCyU6orEPxDSSwbo0Da1VvH5SKPg8Hsvl7JJ5Te9Kk80ycEyU2mz0DQe5q8ea892lCzFp9eFEzL9zzk2aGvSKWJ6YX4sTCQnSaL7yI9nH5abNGGFHpyNjXZSA6BsUK4YcjxBoI/s400/IMG_9089.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Submarine</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUoaaH0OPlLVrK97M8cbA2EEbkUJsvDjxyhCbuwjAJbl-3XUXLLCfds6fRDQXifgVqzNNKMu7WxzXaWEBpVXWCj0xXBCfsACUElY1MoIm7KK9WBeeji3lHTbGcv5CuiXCz17dbesI5eg/s1600/IMG_9103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUoaaH0OPlLVrK97M8cbA2EEbkUJsvDjxyhCbuwjAJbl-3XUXLLCfds6fRDQXifgVqzNNKMu7WxzXaWEBpVXWCj0xXBCfsACUElY1MoIm7KK9WBeeji3lHTbGcv5CuiXCz17dbesI5eg/s400/IMG_9103.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLF0Xaa-2rNH96pZPH2Zxop2hCmihxwq_XYm7RL5O3QJ5YdlRXimzESpvtxM9qO1Bc5PUjN8y8G5gpE4jB7j7ovXInRn0-4nAdAnSayMPgMzCTvD2SdiBXhmRNnDuW1F4ZMpMFh1MR8s/s1600/IMG_9056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLF0Xaa-2rNH96pZPH2Zxop2hCmihxwq_XYm7RL5O3QJ5YdlRXimzESpvtxM9qO1Bc5PUjN8y8G5gpE4jB7j7ovXInRn0-4nAdAnSayMPgMzCTvD2SdiBXhmRNnDuW1F4ZMpMFh1MR8s/s400/IMG_9056.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1K5n13lTFnvQrb6l47dxcUT_3GF_Kzn6pWLR5yrZpUeyelIhjdi5Njan2_rYx1uVhivkOMi8htGu5r8iMqqrx_ShdoPPdjfTAmCGTG0ybqxohQZDdCgm1N7e_z3wN4xaZZvqbZJ1uE2U/s1600/IMG_9133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1K5n13lTFnvQrb6l47dxcUT_3GF_Kzn6pWLR5yrZpUeyelIhjdi5Njan2_rYx1uVhivkOMi8htGu5r8iMqqrx_ShdoPPdjfTAmCGTG0ybqxohQZDdCgm1N7e_z3wN4xaZZvqbZJ1uE2U/s400/IMG_9133.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you see the cannon pointing over the water on the left-side of the picture?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since experiencing small-town Coupeville was a bust, we headed over to Ebey's Bluff. There was a trail that went along the ridge of a cliff overlooking the Sound and then went down to loop back around along the beach. We had hoped to hike the entire 5+ mile trail before the sun went down, but as we walked along the bluff we realized we wouldn't be able to make it, the sun was just moving too fast. So we turned back around and got to the car as dusk started to settle in. We ended up going back to Ebey's Bluff the next morning to complete the hike, but we were so happy to see it that afternoon as well. The late afternoon sun bathed the bluff in spectacular glow and we were able to see both Mt. Rainier and Mt. Baker in the distance. That night we got a bottle of wine at a grocery store and picked up Thai food and ate in our room, watching cable (which we don't have at home). Happy New Year's! </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEqk5RZGhRcNEU0l74ExR8W45qfYjUzdOKJAk6_pp8Y1XrvZw_00kRHoy-W8MUVqYjywLy1jT9OMIEgpl2F7a-xK0HVsF1TkX5SNmTNXMSvMwqZ4ECVDEq8Po3ZHpIgaQes0f6KL3jGY/s1600/IMG_9142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEqk5RZGhRcNEU0l74ExR8W45qfYjUzdOKJAk6_pp8Y1XrvZw_00kRHoy-W8MUVqYjywLy1jT9OMIEgpl2F7a-xK0HVsF1TkX5SNmTNXMSvMwqZ4ECVDEq8Po3ZHpIgaQes0f6KL3jGY/s400/IMG_9142.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coupeville</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrRSt1urN2P9Xw50x-Dej1pv3Q-d90SsUwz_PDOwJsujqK12edhF11X-Qh2N9pKbSAboL9fs2C0_iKfJc1VWxOo_alD5WIwH_ZBW_OLAGoiFDC-EW_Bb5AP5bmZ0tiAotapH84ECXpeg/s1600/IMG_9147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrRSt1urN2P9Xw50x-Dej1pv3Q-d90SsUwz_PDOwJsujqK12edhF11X-Qh2N9pKbSAboL9fs2C0_iKfJc1VWxOo_alD5WIwH_ZBW_OLAGoiFDC-EW_Bb5AP5bmZ0tiAotapH84ECXpeg/s400/IMG_9147.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNLUIfJNgWY5g0ONV3ixcvNB7JZaQZJgbmp1t3STsUQNxxHh5KPuIgxquodzteCsDAAXlNbKGi2GDP8PfK-dReXL8jnTlHrLmNsmWVKRfKZwhYI9UJ24gpgRSde_p1KExmgZYDtdSzxo/s1600/IMG_9160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNLUIfJNgWY5g0ONV3ixcvNB7JZaQZJgbmp1t3STsUQNxxHh5KPuIgxquodzteCsDAAXlNbKGi2GDP8PfK-dReXL8jnTlHrLmNsmWVKRfKZwhYI9UJ24gpgRSde_p1KExmgZYDtdSzxo/s400/IMG_9160.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO59YG-PZHWGJfhfkzPhY0dd_7_qS-CPR0coRmaS4OWxnb78Ox8kCgW_9u537zNdgTuXaCPf-6ad2G7RjCH37BVw7IjNsJ6eKI-iTGE-eOeZNE-MzNWT6YBnKdQOO7SWF7sl0if7Jgnjo/s1600/IMG_9164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO59YG-PZHWGJfhfkzPhY0dd_7_qS-CPR0coRmaS4OWxnb78Ox8kCgW_9u537zNdgTuXaCPf-6ad2G7RjCH37BVw7IjNsJ6eKI-iTGE-eOeZNE-MzNWT6YBnKdQOO7SWF7sl0if7Jgnjo/s400/IMG_9164.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCK3U0AAvsOARjxLJs-Xc-MhBT4T6JrySBcqbvI6azjyxPnCTDescs-nEyPSTH10vsc_40KXjx67w1r8fMybO5r-9ZHDlEXmPe6LaMB4_QKKnBq7LgSPoE_ZFja__zTg7aKlRnxn43JIU/s1600/IMG_9172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCK3U0AAvsOARjxLJs-Xc-MhBT4T6JrySBcqbvI6azjyxPnCTDescs-nEyPSTH10vsc_40KXjx67w1r8fMybO5r-9ZHDlEXmPe6LaMB4_QKKnBq7LgSPoE_ZFja__zTg7aKlRnxn43JIU/s400/IMG_9172.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt. Baker</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTu_Q99tgqcUl9xr8-_mEUC7qpnKqnImVoOgYdBDuL7TOPC-oR2Sy3ZjY9OLJoFRuaxn2cBTJASs5y5yYEacgEaVe9WOv4Vh4eGjSyCxmc7t2FtuQQ7hQveNDqAk3oMQtfwL6jll-Twk/s1600/IMG_9175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTu_Q99tgqcUl9xr8-_mEUC7qpnKqnImVoOgYdBDuL7TOPC-oR2Sy3ZjY9OLJoFRuaxn2cBTJASs5y5yYEacgEaVe9WOv4Vh4eGjSyCxmc7t2FtuQQ7hQveNDqAk3oMQtfwL6jll-Twk/s400/IMG_9175.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt. Rainier</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Originally our plan for the last day was to drive down to Langley to check out another cute Whidbey Island town, visit a winery, and then take the ferry back to the mainland. However, considering it was New Year's Day and we had experienced a small town on New Year's Eve where most shops were closed, we decided Langley probably would be shuttered up as well. So after breakfast we loaded up the car, stopped at the Knead and Feed for some pastries to try later on (ohmigod were they delicious), and headed back to Ebey's Bluff. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1g7nT9_r5qnBjxmJCGkGarvgkBQQaXYNdMlGS6vIfDwi2SFs00FfuH1XHNc0jGlP2ubAcZDrY2STNEvYq3sW-Lsnj48zHmEk2Tw7M9iQkpb7_cdKwUDS0_r3D2w6ka_KvZCeOw-vzb8/s1600/IMG_9181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1g7nT9_r5qnBjxmJCGkGarvgkBQQaXYNdMlGS6vIfDwi2SFs00FfuH1XHNc0jGlP2ubAcZDrY2STNEvYq3sW-Lsnj48zHmEk2Tw7M9iQkpb7_cdKwUDS0_r3D2w6ka_KvZCeOw-vzb8/s400/IMG_9181.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftfMVldfsXpMCvcbpN3FdwQjFbhnf6jmZ5CZqbx5oIFPjrscurHZssuBQDFv1aELOoaPJiMhu1VLUH_BuFCfelloQD5Qggg73mTsnoOF0JbVLdc5E5yNkfiTooXXJKY1H2An_7nH9dsI/s1600/IMG_9195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftfMVldfsXpMCvcbpN3FdwQjFbhnf6jmZ5CZqbx5oIFPjrscurHZssuBQDFv1aELOoaPJiMhu1VLUH_BuFCfelloQD5Qggg73mTsnoOF0JbVLdc5E5yNkfiTooXXJKY1H2An_7nH9dsI/s400/IMG_9195.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPaFmrUaFJW6Mk0BChs24XNFf3C0sb1mOEYAkTWwFUHqivJcAGVOlXjZfwnOVMkcA924ofphJFVpwEoMqkDmvCcSN0dllc_IHoOa80d3i5LA0TimC8RQGI4SUVLogJa956OW6hl5EW3s/s1600/IMG_3481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPaFmrUaFJW6Mk0BChs24XNFf3C0sb1mOEYAkTWwFUHqivJcAGVOlXjZfwnOVMkcA924ofphJFVpwEoMqkDmvCcSN0dllc_IHoOa80d3i5LA0TimC8RQGI4SUVLogJa956OW6hl5EW3s/s400/IMG_3481.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After completing our hike we drove back north towards Deception Pass again. We stopped in Oak Harbor (the biggest city on Whidbey Island) for Robb to see a "roadside attraction." He's got this thing on his cell phone that helps him find weird roadside attractions. I let him indulge in this hobby every once in awhile. So we saw the Flinstone's car in Oak Harbor. We went to the BBQ Joint for lunch and were so glad that we stopped! Washington isn't exactly known for its barbecue options and my Kansas husband has been missing it. After our meals we went up and got another sandwich to share because I just couldn't get enough of the pulled pork! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIdLdjJ26fOVT1JEkRK-tdj7gKDKkeS6v-3XrbC7tA7t7Yl95yXnATh48Ip66rQEo8U5FwnhXX9L11AqvZ8Cb9b4L21MOwBDFnwyaaoviXoWoogE6xN7LFJMegqssM85svd1DcGVm9Pc/s1600/IMG_9202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIdLdjJ26fOVT1JEkRK-tdj7gKDKkeS6v-3XrbC7tA7t7Yl95yXnATh48Ip66rQEo8U5FwnhXX9L11AqvZ8Cb9b4L21MOwBDFnwyaaoviXoWoogE6xN7LFJMegqssM85svd1DcGVm9Pc/s400/IMG_9202.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The hosts at the B&B had told us about Mt. Erie and said we just had to take a visit to the top. Luckily there was a road all the way to the top and some great viewpoints. After Mt. Erie we decided to head for home. On our way we decided to stop in La Conner. We had been in this cute town once before and we thought it might be fun to check out the stores again. And of course, Robb found another roadside attraction - a statue of Biter, an homage to a stray dog in the 70s that was apparently well-loved and cared for by the town. (Later that night we made one more stop for a roadside attraction in Everett - a flying saucer.) We didn't spend too long in La Conner, but we did find a beautiful Christmas ornament that we can put on our tree next year. And on our way out of town we saw one of the most incredible sunsets I've ever seen. Several cars ended up pulling off to the side of the road so that people could take pictures. Our pictures don't even do it justice.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60PIG5XoqFzbNXBz0CYbmvQGUJJ2VQhIB31qn0wAMKWR7-yffpy9qi39sRzykwZAGGiOeYLbmkVcDzzEQ2K9hL-Q-GLNxP7EI4P9KF2vfKQlvW56z-ynYiK6Z0_RhlyHLyMCl-ORLEVc/s1600/IMG_9218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60PIG5XoqFzbNXBz0CYbmvQGUJJ2VQhIB31qn0wAMKWR7-yffpy9qi39sRzykwZAGGiOeYLbmkVcDzzEQ2K9hL-Q-GLNxP7EI4P9KF2vfKQlvW56z-ynYiK6Z0_RhlyHLyMCl-ORLEVc/s400/IMG_9218.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZ96asP-2_XsQujX8bChSD4ydX4zinY6nWR8OdfrKDRGoOCoe5zQpTHHJWF8JaIkvSKkrEz2XI87BaIL0frjy8CDbi06YuyJSL5bLHuMY5zWGfIXrKpXY6diTn2B0kTBfGSYhzEAWdVE/s1600/CIMG0105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZ96asP-2_XsQujX8bChSD4ydX4zinY6nWR8OdfrKDRGoOCoe5zQpTHHJWF8JaIkvSKkrEz2XI87BaIL0frjy8CDbi06YuyJSL5bLHuMY5zWGfIXrKpXY6diTn2B0kTBfGSYhzEAWdVE/s400/CIMG0105.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR2V9SeX8tTpbFceXPa9VfXS3Em-UXg4_GMXrIaf_cTU03vtsG993PqkUcI4WI7GONsfcWd_B6fDOzJg0YM9uwi_JXSih6w8pipU9w5UrKMWpDgZRDgYpuZGn5VVglBIGr5M8o5jXKtN4/s1600/IMG_9230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR2V9SeX8tTpbFceXPa9VfXS3Em-UXg4_GMXrIaf_cTU03vtsG993PqkUcI4WI7GONsfcWd_B6fDOzJg0YM9uwi_JXSih6w8pipU9w5UrKMWpDgZRDgYpuZGn5VVglBIGr5M8o5jXKtN4/s400/IMG_9230.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOPA2fDwULiHK7zCTAsASMrc6OnnoIIcoM_Y3gZz7GzdpKmSMpZIw029EzPpkTVfGqOGjUJknX814nuV7gUZMTUPi3g68dNgcdZkH0Zpx8au3JA1UYc5PSb6VNqmmike6qnKLPhuHclk/s1600/IMG_9240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOPA2fDwULiHK7zCTAsASMrc6OnnoIIcoM_Y3gZz7GzdpKmSMpZIw029EzPpkTVfGqOGjUJknX814nuV7gUZMTUPi3g68dNgcdZkH0Zpx8au3JA1UYc5PSb6VNqmmike6qnKLPhuHclk/s400/IMG_9240.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEiHfR0m9FzBzlAn3a-jvBI03lQBJlxo6BSS78y9ZMDPtGzIXyV0caHGQ3uGQNTqLsh6W-uV3RfqFmdqnXm7u9IpiJpLm8CgEsGYmkejmScu2V_pwZymt10Xa-Bn8Qc2yHxpoTPTjUIc/s1600/IMG_9236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEiHfR0m9FzBzlAn3a-jvBI03lQBJlxo6BSS78y9ZMDPtGzIXyV0caHGQ3uGQNTqLsh6W-uV3RfqFmdqnXm7u9IpiJpLm8CgEsGYmkejmScu2V_pwZymt10Xa-Bn8Qc2yHxpoTPTjUIc/s400/IMG_9236.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-40488917316498707482011-03-12T21:18:00.000-08:002011-03-12T21:18:35.257-08:00Christmas Weekend 2010This year Christmas was extra special because my parents decided to visit from Florida; it was the first time for them to visit us during Christmas. They arrived at 1:45 in the morning on the Thursday before Christmas (can't argue with cheaper plane tickets.) After a quick McDonald's stop so they could get some food we headed home and went straight to bed. The next day we slept in and spent time running around town to deal with chores, buying groceries and such. That night my running club had our annual Jingle Bell Run. As a club we meet up and do a short run to a neighborhood that goes all out in decorating. Then we running around the neighborhood randomly stopping to sing Christmas carols (badly.) The neighborhood is known for their decorations, so tons of people drive through it at night to look at the lights - and they are extra lucky on that night because they get to hear us caroling! It's a lot of fun and this year my Dad and Mom decided to join us. I was really glad they could meet my running friends; and I was surprised that even my Dad sang.<br />
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On Christmas Eve day, while Robb went to work for the day, the rest of us went to Seattle in the morning so we could take the Underground Tour. Robb and I went on the tour a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it; we think it's a must-see for tourists. After the Tour we came home and while we started watching Christmas movies Mom and I started prepping food for that night's and the next day's meal. Normally, our tradition is to eat Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, but this year Robb was working and we decided that with his schedule it would be better just to eat appetizers for dinner. We had pastry squares with homemade veggie cream cheese, shrimp cocktail, and baked onion-brie dip. It was delicious and we were comfortably stuffed as we watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (a long-time Christmas Eve tradition in my family.) <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFwFIAhf2cl08GMPw9wreaShUL3rJ8_wMcLKnfF2n5IR6y1Znkz73jS1K_BL18MtK7EHmkD2LpKzOpaEfacVbw2DJC2D0lgUx2_qMtninBbpgGa9PjXAcgP4GAe34NHbv7BIb5ndOJjk/s1600/Pioneer+Square.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFwFIAhf2cl08GMPw9wreaShUL3rJ8_wMcLKnfF2n5IR6y1Znkz73jS1K_BL18MtK7EHmkD2LpKzOpaEfacVbw2DJC2D0lgUx2_qMtninBbpgGa9PjXAcgP4GAe34NHbv7BIb5ndOJjk/s400/Pioneer+Square.bmp" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pioneer Square, Seattle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlU2Yu6mPwoQq7-Yu1gNBqtXovea_cpAGbzWPATv0-u8Lz_Sn8ycxj-1YmmpHBm0sNXrcV8QbAo2YE5GFzSzBlGqAcT33Zy831QjwOwjNmS_6kD_qgsG-d0XaZ5IKVn85q4JJugMpeKH4/s1600/Pioneer+Square+-+totem+pole.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlU2Yu6mPwoQq7-Yu1gNBqtXovea_cpAGbzWPATv0-u8Lz_Sn8ycxj-1YmmpHBm0sNXrcV8QbAo2YE5GFzSzBlGqAcT33Zy831QjwOwjNmS_6kD_qgsG-d0XaZ5IKVn85q4JJugMpeKH4/s400/Pioneer+Square+-+totem+pole.bmp" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pioneer Square, Seattle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvaTdC0zqRxA3SQ4HelQPd82lL7XMuJTTWW5YaZg9ckWkVDRkXnxkSev5y77Jp2kPuwH34Tn90MlqOmlqcQpHujDWJvHUmhDkELTz60QsDk2wTZcXZ54H3TLAQMKS0gZBHlNXyY6FdNw/s1600/IMG_3444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvaTdC0zqRxA3SQ4HelQPd82lL7XMuJTTWW5YaZg9ckWkVDRkXnxkSev5y77Jp2kPuwH34Tn90MlqOmlqcQpHujDWJvHUmhDkELTz60QsDk2wTZcXZ54H3TLAQMKS0gZBHlNXyY6FdNw/s400/IMG_3444.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family Togetherness - Robb, Me, Mom, Dad</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrPDaBwFQEOPSCaSsAvTs_tGO7CgZGn7nh-DSemF3AL0bU-qGGDtpo4_3tCBGStJdUZ7liGdBKGMmVw7Y0aCN6U7oxM35dH5By9ThzVufo39FnbFycfQAetJF5GfExmpAee3QDhZY38g/s1600/IMG_8753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrPDaBwFQEOPSCaSsAvTs_tGO7CgZGn7nh-DSemF3AL0bU-qGGDtpo4_3tCBGStJdUZ7liGdBKGMmVw7Y0aCN6U7oxM35dH5By9ThzVufo39FnbFycfQAetJF5GfExmpAee3QDhZY38g/s400/IMG_8753.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>Because there were two extra people here this year, Christmas morning seemed a little more impressive because there were more gifts under the tree. As always, we got great gifts and had a nice morning. We convinced my Mom to make sausage bread for breakfast, a delicious, but time-consuming to make breakfast (bread baked with sausage, onions, peppers, and cheese tucked inside.) She kept vowing that she would never make this breakfast again because it's so annoying to make, but I think we can convince her again in another couple of years. We just lazed around the house that day, calling relatives, watching movies, and taking naps on the couch. That afternoon we had cheese, bread, and butter for a snack. And that night we were able to share our Christmas meal tradition with my parents - an aged New York strip roast with a garlic-herb crust. So delicious, especially paired with the mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy, fried corn with bacon, spinach salad, fresh-baked apple pie (my great-grandma's recipe), and wine. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgkaIzZWwtR2nf9XFrRoyOLqfZDnJhU3-pDx3cikYAItjksY8bh_bABh9w6sXlTdQIVlflUukxCGgR90ShOgK3SZAHFAkKjcdDRIOUTa-g5wtloSIKZE20PE5AwvoMEjY58IBUS7Yib4/s1600/MomandMe+-+christmas+morning.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgkaIzZWwtR2nf9XFrRoyOLqfZDnJhU3-pDx3cikYAItjksY8bh_bABh9w6sXlTdQIVlflUukxCGgR90ShOgK3SZAHFAkKjcdDRIOUTa-g5wtloSIKZE20PE5AwvoMEjY58IBUS7Yib4/s400/MomandMe+-+christmas+morning.bmp" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Morning</td></tr>
</tbody></table>On Sunday we decided to venture to Port Townsend. It's a bit of drive to get there, but we thought it would be nice to check out Fort Worden, some wineries, and the cute town. Robb and I had been to Port Townsend once before when I ran the Rhody Run and had been wanting to return to explore it more. It rained the entire drive there, but it cleared up as soon as we got there, which really lucky for us (it started raining as soon as we started heading home that afternoon.) At Fort Worden we went first to see the lighthouse. The wind on the beach was most impressive and almost blew us away! We then checked out the little artillery museum (my Dad was an artillery man after all!) After the museum we walked up to see the ruined gun emplacements. It was nice to spend so much time outdoors and see such a cool, classic army fort, with so many buildings still intact. We went to downtown Port Townsend for lunch and stopped into Waterfront Pizza. It looked like a hole-in-the-wall place and the menu wasn't super-exciting. But man, we were impressed with the flavors! It was really good pizza and we had a great view of the main street. Because it was Christmas weekend, a couple of the wineries and hard apple cideries we wanted to visit were closed, but we did make it to the Fair Winds winery tasting room. The wine was decent and we even tried mead, which was a first for all of us. It was a long drive for a relatively short trip, but Fort Worden was really cool and I think a success. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOGCwD0eVBc4YpzWXMWyREAk8mqom30CucsnNo6bh1bVf5MGNlo68xH2M-DfpLo9mu7PFVuAKz2LR8LpR6M6LVHhbJh9wDBmD4Mg2Ww68SCqAMlt_K4LTgpEcEnoXxEvgIDxSk43tGhw/s1600/IMG_8759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOGCwD0eVBc4YpzWXMWyREAk8mqom30CucsnNo6bh1bVf5MGNlo68xH2M-DfpLo9mu7PFVuAKz2LR8LpR6M6LVHhbJh9wDBmD4Mg2Ww68SCqAMlt_K4LTgpEcEnoXxEvgIDxSk43tGhw/s400/IMG_8759.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiswNPiPSb360HXcPM8LXTYWAIPOrdjafBzp8T6u8qxRiDrBERgm8DyxvAPbYZj7eGXh7ezmFdRV54unjldAj6c_Z8H75c-EM8ZnMqnbC7QNv-KZ1NJqnyyE7FbyyWa2uArrDBhkKcjBPQ/s1600/IMG_8770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiswNPiPSb360HXcPM8LXTYWAIPOrdjafBzp8T6u8qxRiDrBERgm8DyxvAPbYZj7eGXh7ezmFdRV54unjldAj6c_Z8H75c-EM8ZnMqnbC7QNv-KZ1NJqnyyE7FbyyWa2uArrDBhkKcjBPQ/s400/IMG_8770.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUImXX4KE629HdAyNjvVVYXNNkW2NSqpvedE81GCrKz3l5iq5u7Lmoun0nV9NeuTdK6d8EJB9zTxd2lkWqy0eehsw-6Oc_CdCNrnOcCUKaZ1y_K0dewVQ3n3thba_zkuQWPI57IxM9-MU/s1600/MomAndDad.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUImXX4KE629HdAyNjvVVYXNNkW2NSqpvedE81GCrKz3l5iq5u7Lmoun0nV9NeuTdK6d8EJB9zTxd2lkWqy0eehsw-6Oc_CdCNrnOcCUKaZ1y_K0dewVQ3n3thba_zkuQWPI57IxM9-MU/s400/MomAndDad.bmp" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-drPcLoePiPQHqvWNSzSJMQEyRX-Tf1b8y59sJG6Eg5xd4e7z-DKvlP3WLIVCln8nXIwGuGRyOINrK3nE0Wdm4Mv4C2pptu66-xohE13qtCQc7mLHf76Z0OMRbhRNDkp3ljBm0KoTQs/s1600/RobbandMe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-drPcLoePiPQHqvWNSzSJMQEyRX-Tf1b8y59sJG6Eg5xd4e7z-DKvlP3WLIVCln8nXIwGuGRyOINrK3nE0Wdm4Mv4C2pptu66-xohE13qtCQc7mLHf76Z0OMRbhRNDkp3ljBm0KoTQs/s400/RobbandMe.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZT4IiZ5cIV5GZ_sYE28juf-Gu1ReLjrYM2aPyp-iCsPDl8DiUA3-eZP1VOm_WDgPJETMYrMK3askGcUOjYw1orrr42vsg-Xq1JhemyV898wd0DUp68Cjnep0_Wm93hGl9usl-LqgkfE/s1600/IMG_8776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZT4IiZ5cIV5GZ_sYE28juf-Gu1ReLjrYM2aPyp-iCsPDl8DiUA3-eZP1VOm_WDgPJETMYrMK3askGcUOjYw1orrr42vsg-Xq1JhemyV898wd0DUp68Cjnep0_Wm93hGl9usl-LqgkfE/s400/IMG_8776.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxlyWnUzKJapKfeMHa3nsjVgRIB6s_KZhF1HLCs6tDzK6s7_iYXisPFiac8ZkcN3dJ2Ds9luHs-3D5RnFD7MOQIGN3gHE7f_gjK2pAGOjN0sz0nf2jOQp_8crdS7zvvKoh-qo1thp0354/s1600/IMG_8779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxlyWnUzKJapKfeMHa3nsjVgRIB6s_KZhF1HLCs6tDzK6s7_iYXisPFiac8ZkcN3dJ2Ds9luHs-3D5RnFD7MOQIGN3gHE7f_gjK2pAGOjN0sz0nf2jOQp_8crdS7zvvKoh-qo1thp0354/s400/IMG_8779.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you see the rainbow in the middle of the picture?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCIcpicJxiRj7-rpZgfk-IK3V2SQXMdpzFTz5dgcyOZ0pU6mGQ_cSUXQ0aH0JFTaxTpHj6-F6XYAYdhM9Qj8PDiXTnEumkSut-JePSwJfpFUBzy53gmx8sILxbRUdyS0ZyqY2YitB7cc/s1600/IMG_8810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCIcpicJxiRj7-rpZgfk-IK3V2SQXMdpzFTz5dgcyOZ0pU6mGQ_cSUXQ0aH0JFTaxTpHj6-F6XYAYdhM9Qj8PDiXTnEumkSut-JePSwJfpFUBzy53gmx8sILxbRUdyS0ZyqY2YitB7cc/s400/IMG_8810.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQk6_dW_neslmYGAqUjyVMLvwhKmBeSyzsVR4Wrp64HrvqDQLwK5uygGXDXY91yC2WbrdJ7sciB9viUgpUmvrCFRp3MkWItwF1mv7egmasGHH8XycPLNX67jMoBbOLhYVhZKt0RUpTt4/s1600/IMG_8827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQk6_dW_neslmYGAqUjyVMLvwhKmBeSyzsVR4Wrp64HrvqDQLwK5uygGXDXY91yC2WbrdJ7sciB9viUgpUmvrCFRp3MkWItwF1mv7egmasGHH8XycPLNX67jMoBbOLhYVhZKt0RUpTt4/s400/IMG_8827.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAuPdezpComPUDr4TmPhQBOJ9bkuDko74R4SXR6WscegDueqaFgcx8jK5aMO_FqqqwaA7cQrLx0CQJkfSC2Sfd7ykl3MykUqD8umLRHdgrxHsQjkdoOpYfewf9Tji6V0H5wGeLprka28/s1600/IMG_8833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAuPdezpComPUDr4TmPhQBOJ9bkuDko74R4SXR6WscegDueqaFgcx8jK5aMO_FqqqwaA7cQrLx0CQJkfSC2Sfd7ykl3MykUqD8umLRHdgrxHsQjkdoOpYfewf9Tji6V0H5wGeLprka28/s400/IMG_8833.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>On Monday we headed to Seattle again. We stopped at REI and spent way too long in there - my Dad finally bought slippers and Robb got some pants. My Mom and I tried many clothes on, but unfortunately didn't find anything to purchase this trip. Next we headed to West Seattle and took a little hike around Lincoln Park. I like this park because it takes you through some woods and also allows you to hike down to a typical Seattle beach (lots of rocks and logs), which is really different than a Florida beach! For a late lunch we went to Cactus on Alki Beach, a restaurant that Robb and I had been wanting to try for a long time. It was risky taking my parents to a restaurant, especially a Tex-Mex style restaurant, we hadn't been to before (we're pretty snobby about our Tex-Mex food because we lived in Texas for several years.) But it ended up being pretty good, especially for Pacific Northwest Tex-Mex. We'll definitely go back at some point. That night my parents left to go home. I was so glad they were able to visit - it made the holidays extra nice this year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QPlGlTJM0cPPm92Fz7ZtQyI498PNHvccjeFI6Zv4sGvHLCQp63SKQ7rGLxpuHu376Gd2eTN0YLwNrRlKlizgZ6EW6L8_tCdUV99KKjf5rMA6dnt0eP0oN6kg7RChB3saIvbg2XkZg6Y/s1600/MomDadandMe.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QPlGlTJM0cPPm92Fz7ZtQyI498PNHvccjeFI6Zv4sGvHLCQp63SKQ7rGLxpuHu376Gd2eTN0YLwNrRlKlizgZ6EW6L8_tCdUV99KKjf5rMA6dnt0eP0oN6kg7RChB3saIvbg2XkZg6Y/s400/MomDadandMe.bmp" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lincoln Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-71804926842710273472011-01-29T19:30:00.000-08:002011-01-29T19:30:04.640-08:00Thanksgiving Week - Snow and FoodOn Sunday it started snowing. However it was light snow and was supposed to melt Monday morning. If I recall, there was snow on the ground that morning, but the roads were fine. I went to work with no problems. Throughout the morning it would spit snow, but it wasn't sticking. Robb called me later that morning to ask if I thought it would be safe for him to go to work. I said that of course he should go to work! That afternoon there was sunshine and not a drop of snow in sight. I had heard that the snow might start in the afternoon, but it looked fine outside; so I made the executive decision with my vanpool to leave at 5:00, instead of a little early like we had discussed that morning. I kid you not, at 4:45 it started snowing hard and sticking. Our commute home is normally 1.5 hours. That night it ended up being a tense 3 hours. The problem was the ice on the roads, covered by snow. There were car accidents upon car accidents. We sat on I-5 for a solid 30 minutes without moving at one point. We even saw a mini-snowman built in the median of the interstate because we had been sitting there for so long. We never went above 30 miles an hour the whole time. It was a scary, tense night. I feel bad complaining about my 3 hour commute though. Because when I got home and started watching the news I saw that commuters from Seattle were stuck in traffic that was much worse. I have friends who were stuck in buses for 8 hours. Some people got home at 3:00 in the morning. Cars were abandoned on the main roads. Buses got in accidents. It was an outrageous night, which was a combination of ice and snow showing up at rush hour, and Seattle's notorious problems for not being able to deal with snow. That night it took Robb about 3 hours to get home. The on-ramp he normally uses to get on the interstate when he leaves work had a nine-car pile up. He managed to use some side roads to avoid some of the traffic and hills. The next day we stayed home as the road in front of our house was a sheet of ice. In addition, after each of our exhausting commutes the night before, we felt we deserved a day off for relaxation. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Snow Starts</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9E6LZ99Yglc15xj8OTB2FsiUdNhI9FPaolaEOkWnpvc9cU460DLX4nMkiMHSUjX-OXyS-bd394kEPMCsuEp7X9FKdeNuOhErayoA7FVS4s7yetxlcTWTDvsZQ0IoJc-ElZCpd2AkkhxM/s1600/CIMG0010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9E6LZ99Yglc15xj8OTB2FsiUdNhI9FPaolaEOkWnpvc9cU460DLX4nMkiMHSUjX-OXyS-bd394kEPMCsuEp7X9FKdeNuOhErayoA7FVS4s7yetxlcTWTDvsZQ0IoJc-ElZCpd2AkkhxM/s400/CIMG0010.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Icy Neighborhood Road</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We both went to work on Wednesday and then had Thursday off for Thanksgiving. It was nice to have a quiet Thanksgiving, just the two of us. We cooked a couple of items from scratch (like the turkey, my fried corn, and my amazing pumpkin pie), but most of the other food was pre-made this year. We decided since it was just us two we wanted to relax and not stress about cooking all day. We watched the Macy's Day Parade and then took a walk through the neighborhood, which still had quite a bit of snow on the ground. We decided to walk to a nearby gas station to pick up cheap beer (we use it to cook shrimp in for shrimp cocktail.) It really was a lovely morning for a stroll! We spent the rest of the day eating, watching Thanksgiving episodes of <em>Friends</em> (we own the whole series), Charlie Brown, and Garfield. And we decided that night to start a new tradition of watching the original <em>Miracle on 34th Street</em>. I love this movie and I think it's a great way to start the holiday season, especially since the movie starts with the Macy's parade! Robb took quite the nap during the movie, along with one of our fat cats - Malibu! It was so cute! And what a great holiday!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've got a nice short trail through some woods in our neighborhood!</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmmPrCzkemDb4En5JXqGO3KYKijamRoL7m3Eps_NJAyEgO3kSwCW6Yqza2uAbXwDuXcCcjvuj4M4-SADreDs4yfOTm7lCask58zZhyfoEeaxU8q2z3SrI-sxIkTJfN29_X2cUacQY6Qw/s1600/IMG_8751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmmPrCzkemDb4En5JXqGO3KYKijamRoL7m3Eps_NJAyEgO3kSwCW6Yqza2uAbXwDuXcCcjvuj4M4-SADreDs4yfOTm7lCask58zZhyfoEeaxU8q2z3SrI-sxIkTJfN29_X2cUacQY6Qw/s400/IMG_8751.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-57667311097710258472011-01-29T18:44:00.000-08:002011-01-29T18:44:59.647-08:00Po Dog, Burke Museum of History, Museum of the Mysteries, and PumpkinsIn keeping with our theme of museums in October (Royal BC Museum, Museum of Flight), we decided to spend another weekend in October at the Burke Museum in the U-District and then the Museum of the Mysteries in Capital Hill. We had a quick stop at Po Dog first. I believe I've told you about this hot-dog restaurant before. I tried a hot dog with BBQ sauce, melted cheddar, and crispy onion straws. Robb's dog had cheese sauce, mustard, ketchup, and crushed potato chips. Both of those were good. The last hot dog that we shared was not! A hot dog, wrapped in bacon, deep-fried, and smothered with raw onions and chili is not good - now that I write it out, I can't imagine why I thought it would be good in the first place. But we're weird like that and like to try "new" things.<br />
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The Burke Museum of History, housed at the University of Washington, is a place we'd been wanting to visit for awhile. But maybe because we were so impressed with the last two museums we'd been to, the Burke Museum was a bit disappointing. The natural history part of the museum had lots of fossils and skeletons, but we wished that there was more information about the exhibits. The exhibit about peoples from the Pacific Rim seemed a little forced. There were little displays about culture in China, Hawaii, Japan, Philippines, etc. But it seemed like a lot of the displays were reproductions and pretty generic. The temporary exhibit on display was about weaving. Several woven fabrics from around the world were displayed, but most of them were actually woven in the past 50 years - while beautiful, not exactly historical. No photography was allowed, so you'll just have to imagine our disappointment in the whole museum. <br />
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We next went to the Museum of the Mysteries fully expecting the kitsch to overwhelm us. While we didn't have high expectations, we were still a little disappointed in the lack of information. This museum displays foot print castings of Bigfoot, pictures of crop circles, and a discussion of ghosts. And randomly there was also a display about Bruce Lee and artifacts from various World's Fairs. As weird as all this stuff is, I felt the museum could have done a better job of providing more info and pulling everything together. If you're going to have a weird museum, at least do a good job at putting it together!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifULf-SVDUIwlv1KopfDiP-KrwMvC2uPOlLjft6Fs7FWmo5TAdeL4oCAyXILVTulKF6fUxhYpqByl_6vNoxOSNaVHqR941Paharxa41MFx8orLDD-nWTfls2ba8tafo9VNAI7FIU-o2Yc/s1600/CIMG0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifULf-SVDUIwlv1KopfDiP-KrwMvC2uPOlLjft6Fs7FWmo5TAdeL4oCAyXILVTulKF6fUxhYpqByl_6vNoxOSNaVHqR941Paharxa41MFx8orLDD-nWTfls2ba8tafo9VNAI7FIU-o2Yc/s400/CIMG0004.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyGcyRt0FOH4yCqZ09mH7-ChL_YeMB6dr1aekpdvN0JaUXPsSt7qRZ2v_I924GyoJOHEg9f4g2KSFBnzwXaysq83RaROWpuBjS5IKoB-sKBcV_j7Uc-2jsnJ7Oui88VBbJcVZxF2Qroo/s1600/CIMG0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyGcyRt0FOH4yCqZ09mH7-ChL_YeMB6dr1aekpdvN0JaUXPsSt7qRZ2v_I924GyoJOHEg9f4g2KSFBnzwXaysq83RaROWpuBjS5IKoB-sKBcV_j7Uc-2jsnJ7Oui88VBbJcVZxF2Qroo/s400/CIMG0005.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>That night we went to a pumpkin carving party. Our hosts provided those patterns and tools so you could carve cool pumpkins. Although I chose a two star (our of four), it ended up being the most difficult pattern I could have ever chosen. It took me hours to complete this stupid pumpkin! But it did look pretty cool!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjc19cTtWWuYKWRubkHz8F-7t8Te9A6yvGRQyX5rLsJHIZ150FiZZ1WfiM0yoj9D06bd5I9NCGe3qr7FtOki3ZktonXi2Y4JqTZgwPv8wy3kFNNWiBEe8MlppyPAvqbKeA77MF4e_ztU/s1600/IMG_8727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjc19cTtWWuYKWRubkHz8F-7t8Te9A6yvGRQyX5rLsJHIZ150FiZZ1WfiM0yoj9D06bd5I9NCGe3qr7FtOki3ZktonXi2Y4JqTZgwPv8wy3kFNNWiBEe8MlppyPAvqbKeA77MF4e_ztU/s400/IMG_8727.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-36494933485893929752011-01-29T17:58:00.000-08:002011-01-29T17:58:49.376-08:00Marination and Museum of FlightThe day after Robb's birthday we finally made it to Marination, a food truck in Seattle that has won numerous national awards. We got there right after they opened, but realized they take cash only. So we took about 15 minutes to walk around to find a cash machine. By the time we returned, the line was probably a 20 minute wait! We basically shared one of everything: a pork slider, a Spam slider, a pork taco, a chicken taco, and a beef taco. All of the food had a Pacific Island feel to it (an Asian-inspired slaw) and was absolutely delicious. So, so, so yummy! <br />
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Our afternoon was spent at the Museum of Flight. It's a pretty famous museum around here, especially considering the importance of Boeing to this area. While I had heard it was a good museum, I wasn't expecting to be blown away. (I mean, I'm not normally the type of girl that cares about the history of transportation.) This museum was incredible though and we were so sad that we only had 4 hours to explore everything before they closed and kicked us out. We probably could have spent two days there. We learned about the history of flight, about different types of airplanes, about records set, and even rockets. There were a few simulator games and a few planes that you could sit in. While I had a good time, Robb was even more excited. He had read about a lot of the historical planes and was so excited to see them. The Museum of Flight is right next to one of the Boeing airfields, so we were also lucky enough to see a Air Force plane land that has a weird disc on top that takes some type of scientific measurements. All in all, a great museum, even if you think you don't care about planes!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjza_JN4SidhOdEFCDwRDo7aoqRK11ffWi0F7b6KbpUVuOKaX9sd_Z7WPnMzKRwb3WLr2c8KLJJK-bm-13qvliWBvmsRO0uYu3MMDsLBWhJ-xMti7gvlLo5tM2E7WXYkpK7bDEqb_gkiGM/s1600/IMG_8597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjza_JN4SidhOdEFCDwRDo7aoqRK11ffWi0F7b6KbpUVuOKaX9sd_Z7WPnMzKRwb3WLr2c8KLJJK-bm-13qvliWBvmsRO0uYu3MMDsLBWhJ-xMti7gvlLo5tM2E7WXYkpK7bDEqb_gkiGM/s400/IMG_8597.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd46xZj4IDwWYF7g1btZkjQv6k6infeaWOR5ovLtaC8TNP4jfhqoDsx3ozj6K6K4vdWY370Wi56wlf62opMG_50p5k1E9-asVQeh0Qjw6KaQv7eh-LjiZfknm2QkB-SaDiKV4Z9JM0l48/s1600/IMG_8659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd46xZj4IDwWYF7g1btZkjQv6k6infeaWOR5ovLtaC8TNP4jfhqoDsx3ozj6K6K4vdWY370Wi56wlf62opMG_50p5k1E9-asVQeh0Qjw6KaQv7eh-LjiZfknm2QkB-SaDiKV4Z9JM0l48/s400/IMG_8659.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For some reason I loved this plane - it was my favorite!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fJTsf5wl7C7aA_S6dIfrbpGF7gokezAAn6n66igNmWj741pBlG6_S7xh6OFOrLrbIWhCKPTKuX_zOO9pdfbdp2NyV2pX1ybVB84FOTA87LHM5dfBacKDmESLRwRGwyOv_vrMZeVtvtc/s1600/IMG_8686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fJTsf5wl7C7aA_S6dIfrbpGF7gokezAAn6n66igNmWj741pBlG6_S7xh6OFOrLrbIWhCKPTKuX_zOO9pdfbdp2NyV2pX1ybVB84FOTA87LHM5dfBacKDmESLRwRGwyOv_vrMZeVtvtc/s400/IMG_8686.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-43383920677884578212011-01-29T17:22:00.000-08:002011-01-29T17:22:38.930-08:00Tiger Mountain for Robb's BirthdayRobb's 31st birthday in October was low-key and even a bit disappointing. I waited too late to buy tickets for a concert my dear husband really wanted to go to, so they were sold out on the day I planned to buy them. We had planned on going out for a fancy dinner in Seattle, but couldn't get reservations in time. We ended up eating left-overs for dinner. The poor planning on my part started our weekend out on the wrong foot. But we did enjoy our hike at Tiger Mountain and got some great shots of the two of us, thanks to the GorillaPod that Robb got this birthday (it's a small tripod for the camera that can wrap around tree limbs, etc.) <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtl9e6GcFpTBMJBuAMEK2A8OdVQqS0_ULGdGp3e7_O8g75tiymom2ZyB0wQOo4-XxUXV_IG87kmbIsfr3W-WO-VReyCf83QVlwuCwAvkziDk5_Tjps_JxdrDi2wlPUljbSyP_Yh_wHzN4/s1600/IMG_3384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtl9e6GcFpTBMJBuAMEK2A8OdVQqS0_ULGdGp3e7_O8g75tiymom2ZyB0wQOo4-XxUXV_IG87kmbIsfr3W-WO-VReyCf83QVlwuCwAvkziDk5_Tjps_JxdrDi2wlPUljbSyP_Yh_wHzN4/s400/IMG_3384.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday Morning, complete with coffee from Starbucks!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We decided to hike up to Poo-Poo Point on Tiger Mountain. Tiger Mountain is a popular mountain for hikers year-round because it's close by and not high enough to be affected by snow. Poo-Poo point is the summit of the small mountain and it's actually an established launching point for paragliders and hang-gliders. The day we went hiking was beautiful, so we were able to see a few people take a leap of the mountain! <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PLhbgJbBYhoVx9kHBCqAwhrq5jI04wbExnceP2__5ZC2kSnnQpljWMXfJAScjayy4ybJPy_rgF1Lf_580G9alb0mcmMrYtSxu2nvfi40i8fMC_S-XINvU9YoqIZAAAq5zCI9eOKwqKc/s1600/IMG_8565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PLhbgJbBYhoVx9kHBCqAwhrq5jI04wbExnceP2__5ZC2kSnnQpljWMXfJAScjayy4ybJPy_rgF1Lf_580G9alb0mcmMrYtSxu2nvfi40i8fMC_S-XINvU9YoqIZAAAq5zCI9eOKwqKc/s400/IMG_8565.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYTP474TfQyXBb1PrphBLor3etZ1rscgTWzb8RZRFg3_drtATzFI-KoIrBGz0oqYqzcoNMEXz5EdJEExZ60QEN1AX8_wgTgZoUyssupGH9SPzXgDuLKIooloyBCrt9vDCQ5GouyFsPmc/s1600/IMG_8569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYTP474TfQyXBb1PrphBLor3etZ1rscgTWzb8RZRFg3_drtATzFI-KoIrBGz0oqYqzcoNMEXz5EdJEExZ60QEN1AX8_wgTgZoUyssupGH9SPzXgDuLKIooloyBCrt9vDCQ5GouyFsPmc/s400/IMG_8569.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Our last stop of the day was the Issaquah Brewery. Rogue (Robb's favorite beer) owns the bar and we were able to get some of my favorite pumpkin ale. Robb tried a new drink - a Snicker's Bar, which consists of half chocolate stout and half hazelnut brown ale. He's a fan!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0-pK6eG_dOQx8onkpBX0S36T3pIScgzhnEpYs9CCenACsGLj1FDqhLhgs6Qg73eCgEh6bRAa51FE_H3YmOlSu0t2awat_J8Ix8LBd3n8oFyda2W7iKeC7Ez5lPpOLOeZNaq4VaYwykE/s1600/IMG_8581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0-pK6eG_dOQx8onkpBX0S36T3pIScgzhnEpYs9CCenACsGLj1FDqhLhgs6Qg73eCgEh6bRAa51FE_H3YmOlSu0t2awat_J8Ix8LBd3n8oFyda2W7iKeC7Ez5lPpOLOeZNaq4VaYwykE/s400/IMG_8581.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJaKMmTLMOxnd-9WeoUt0D2th8DkrWF8AX4ZfJEpoUL5-OQcBPj2H39DkVB4kA6sv8p2kOD0bd03i19M8Mh1u7h07tq-mRmIaM5dpSw4vPj84RLJNT_yAV35jxPPiKULF_gEp6KD_Nzg/s1600/IMG_8583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJaKMmTLMOxnd-9WeoUt0D2th8DkrWF8AX4ZfJEpoUL5-OQcBPj2H39DkVB4kA6sv8p2kOD0bd03i19M8Mh1u7h07tq-mRmIaM5dpSw4vPj84RLJNT_yAV35jxPPiKULF_gEp6KD_Nzg/s400/IMG_8583.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-16811277587370436732011-01-29T16:25:00.000-08:002011-01-29T16:25:34.059-08:00Victoria, BC - Beyond the Marathon<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">When choosing where to do my first marathon, I did a little research on which marathons were good for beginners and which marathons were close to Seattle. I decided that I would either need to complete the Portland Marathon in Oregon or the Victoria Marathon in British Columbia. Portland would have been a logistically easier and cheaper trip. But I thought Canada would make for a more memorable trip (as if I needed anything to make my first marathon more special!) Over three years in Washington, and I still hadn't made it to the border. So I thought it was about time to visit Canada, eh, and I had heard nothing but wonderful things about Victoria. (By the way, we heard lots of Canadians actually say "eh" while we were there. It was all we could do to not crack up when we heard it the first time in a real situation.) </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>This trip required some logistical planning. First, I needed to worry about crossing the border. I have a passport. However, I never updated it after I got married and changed my name, so it was a little out-of-date. Instead of spending a lot of money to get that updated right now, I decided just to get an enhanced Washington driver's license. For a small $15 fee I updated my current driver's license to an enhanced version that allows me to cross the Canadian border. In addition to the driver's license, I also had to plan our travel. Victoria (the capital city of British Columbia) is on Vancouver Island. The easiest way for Washingtonians to get there is through the ferry system. I eventually decided on driving two hours to Port Angeles, parking the car there for the weekend, and then walking on to a clipper ferry. Victoria is known as a walkable city so there was no need for a car. And walking onto a clipper in Port Angeles was the cheapest option of all the ferry choices out there. I was really lucky to find a hotel room, because I waited to make reservations only a few weeks before the big race. That's really not a smart thing to do when a city has thousands of runners converging in one day. But I found a great little hotel that had lots of personality. It was obviously an old inn - it didn't have air conditioning and the heater was a radiator. But the price was right and the location was great. I would definitely stay at the James Bay Inn again. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvEdM79JZjT5ZpiOJtA0vE7fKnyw3o65zc2MX6zQv2poPqFX5RJTOvhzHDPDuKg4oPCmzoq7Et_qAaMMQzWT3ELc7mczEtIUC6WECTmOhLzIyh6yXeC4fXYffJubucDAlOZCRbTo2NPw/s1600/IMG_8479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvEdM79JZjT5ZpiOJtA0vE7fKnyw3o65zc2MX6zQv2poPqFX5RJTOvhzHDPDuKg4oPCmzoq7Et_qAaMMQzWT3ELc7mczEtIUC6WECTmOhLzIyh6yXeC4fXYffJubucDAlOZCRbTo2NPw/s400/IMG_8479.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>So on Saturday, October 9, we headed to O' Canada! Our first ferry ride was awesome. I was nervous about the race and crossing the border. But the excitement in the air was palpable - the ferry was filled with runners and their families heading over for the race. We made it through customs and wheeled our suitcases through the rain in Victoria to find our hotel. After dropping off our bags we headed back out to explore the town. We probably walked a little too much that day, considering I was going to run a marathon the next day, but we really did get to see the city. Government Street is the main drag through Victoria, and while it has a touristy vibe to it, it is also lovingly maintained and beautiful to walk along. The Parliament buildings were beyond gorgeous and rivals architecture I've seen in Europe. (By the way, people in the Pacific Northwest are told that if they want to experience Europe, but don't want to spend the money that Victoria is a great alternative. It has a very European/British feel to it.) My big disappointment from the weekend was not being able to tour the Parliament buildings. It was the one thing that I had really cared about doing. But the buildings were closed for the weekend and then closed Monday for Canadian Thanksgiving. I was so sad to miss going inside! We walked to Chinatown so we could see the second oldest Chinatown (after San Francisco) in North America. Also, we wanted to see Fan Tan Alley, which is the narrowest street in Canada. We stopped at the Bard and Banker, a Scottish pub for a snack and a beer. It was a really fun bar/restaurant and we ended up back there for dinner the next night. That night we carbo-loaded with running friends at their timeshare and then went to bed early. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our ferry!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Riding the ferry</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Victoria from the water</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmR3kGvlIEwgpYng1Tu15FZLeFV7iDJ74vD4qcAO5sZb5Ya0G1IZ9_8YEDdC9zyABqMltf303rG5ZMfWUMWSr4wY3NX7Y2Lbya4WO2Yu7WDgJSdYS83AEy9D8CR4Taz5Czzd7TsvJPbMo/s1600/IMG_8259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmR3kGvlIEwgpYng1Tu15FZLeFV7iDJ74vD4qcAO5sZb5Ya0G1IZ9_8YEDdC9zyABqMltf303rG5ZMfWUMWSr4wY3NX7Y2Lbya4WO2Yu7WDgJSdYS83AEy9D8CR4Taz5Czzd7TsvJPbMo/s400/IMG_8259.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinatown</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36tQ6-UMY7nHkA8m5I9tpLVUsj1D7GgYwkZn077_emaopN5efehmS41JvXNEfRPd_VvFb4VQZlMevXmkZiWEjrhVg9Axr2A9t8cwo_wa3xd9FPJUpVKDJPtab-pM4og1VeJaD2pze6iw/s1600/IMG_3338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36tQ6-UMY7nHkA8m5I9tpLVUsj1D7GgYwkZn077_emaopN5efehmS41JvXNEfRPd_VvFb4VQZlMevXmkZiWEjrhVg9Axr2A9t8cwo_wa3xd9FPJUpVKDJPtab-pM4og1VeJaD2pze6iw/s400/IMG_3338.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fan Tan Alley</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2L9EMM0amv4MIvcghCd80z68BYrGGNhhaHXlL4JXfntI0N7mEVFim1Ob0dUi0srbuvRjdOi2DM3rdAVC4H-ekEp6w9I8aDzQUR82NjP90iXevjAJmibk2XOBSaCN7jUKzNerSvEBDOs/s1600/IMG_8265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2L9EMM0amv4MIvcghCd80z68BYrGGNhhaHXlL4JXfntI0N7mEVFim1Ob0dUi0srbuvRjdOi2DM3rdAVC4H-ekEp6w9I8aDzQUR82NjP90iXevjAJmibk2XOBSaCN7jUKzNerSvEBDOs/s400/IMG_8265.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Government Street in Victoria</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The next morning was the marathon (which you can read about in a previous post!) While I was running, Robb walked around the city and visited the Victoria Bug Zoo, which he really loved! After the marathon we went back to the hotel, showered, and rested for an hour or so. And even though every muscle in my body was begging me to go to sleep, I knew that it was important to make the most of our long weekend and experience more of Victoria. We made sure to stop to take plenty of pictures of Parliament and also the famed Empress Hotel. We walked to Big Bad John's, a total dive bar that is pretty famous in the area. We went early in the evening so that we could experience the bar without the crowds. I don't really care about bars, but I could tell this one had good atmosphere and Robb loved it! We had dinner that night at the Bard and Banker. While the atmosphere of the Bard and Ballard was great, we decided the food was a bit overpriced. But that's what you get with a tourist joint I suppose! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3FUq_Uu8SoRpXqOEmCf-8XZ27thfiYOasf01JzutBwlQkA2OsffJLewobuK662z_pcR592cynpBQDED9RdPdLhRMBgzf1DCvNaSUElyiRiP7Ifjq9O6fPPFM-JpQGaUDFZA0WgH14ZQ/s1600/IMG_8380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3FUq_Uu8SoRpXqOEmCf-8XZ27thfiYOasf01JzutBwlQkA2OsffJLewobuK662z_pcR592cynpBQDED9RdPdLhRMBgzf1DCvNaSUElyiRiP7Ifjq9O6fPPFM-JpQGaUDFZA0WgH14ZQ/s400/IMG_8380.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parliament</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHzS9Tzp9fwZh1ZcA5VN0jc7cqvmm08x-_4jm9ZtlP9Xo4-PUWE3PTiTTRT7QbZt-JFf7XEka9U7phmfNvnu3rY767TnSrQMyJ9b2iRQMGD_tknhdwK8-Dz2XHO3k_lIoDjGXo9Td-rE/s1600/IMG_8387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHzS9Tzp9fwZh1ZcA5VN0jc7cqvmm08x-_4jm9ZtlP9Xo4-PUWE3PTiTTRT7QbZt-JFf7XEka9U7phmfNvnu3rY767TnSrQMyJ9b2iRQMGD_tknhdwK8-Dz2XHO3k_lIoDjGXo9Td-rE/s400/IMG_8387.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNeVte2hu3I0lG9W-050oAAx1aSBw-UALrr-28oA3gxRr7F8tGAPEogJC4Jpzr5vltDl3iSzhutCcSEQQRiYJE0sPEissoO_sZk_BCqQY1NW2Wgk4JLRYkb2vcS5uIlCl8bHdTfQ883OA/s1600/IMG_8359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNeVte2hu3I0lG9W-050oAAx1aSBw-UALrr-28oA3gxRr7F8tGAPEogJC4Jpzr5vltDl3iSzhutCcSEQQRiYJE0sPEissoO_sZk_BCqQY1NW2Wgk4JLRYkb2vcS5uIlCl8bHdTfQ883OA/s400/IMG_8359.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back of Parliament</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0g7NHG4gxOJLwwyf10Ul3VTnbOjJMFPRcuFm6zA8laMyiLzNoASSf0S5Cl5GA6UlJQp4ImXMDKtP_1GJr1peYCgOgoyBluOx8qGqy2hkZLb-Da75WXYSM6KYpmySE4_oFSypd3D6ytkA/s1600/IMG_8402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0g7NHG4gxOJLwwyf10Ul3VTnbOjJMFPRcuFm6zA8laMyiLzNoASSf0S5Cl5GA6UlJQp4ImXMDKtP_1GJr1peYCgOgoyBluOx8qGqy2hkZLb-Da75WXYSM6KYpmySE4_oFSypd3D6ytkA/s400/IMG_8402.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Empress Hotel</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nGCX1Hg5j1sIO1z251VRKooYLc2qxSCJd1uEQEmGS-9OMDDBrRMAgQJAhb-VFkxS2VvFfJQ1gf7i-Dz2V4kPX0ynad8qS-dppzKO8r9Rd02OJyQcq7_cpX-C-_x71g2a1xuaH6n-Fbw/s1600/IMG_3378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nGCX1Hg5j1sIO1z251VRKooYLc2qxSCJd1uEQEmGS-9OMDDBrRMAgQJAhb-VFkxS2VvFfJQ1gf7i-Dz2V4kPX0ynad8qS-dppzKO8r9Rd02OJyQcq7_cpX-C-_x71g2a1xuaH6n-Fbw/s400/IMG_3378.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclO8upTkmif5aH2U1rruWDC8xrZvoAD8BJOAYQM7VCjOqmdiu1flZg5aWizfSUjMNtz0UjjYDXaYXZdERmcVq1epT-AufgcqcwJXVzBslXGsWjyBQa9a4lQgIOmyszGuZ7kHvYyxX9y4/s1600/IMG_8433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclO8upTkmif5aH2U1rruWDC8xrZvoAD8BJOAYQM7VCjOqmdiu1flZg5aWizfSUjMNtz0UjjYDXaYXZdERmcVq1epT-AufgcqcwJXVzBslXGsWjyBQa9a4lQgIOmyszGuZ7kHvYyxX9y4/s400/IMG_8433.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parliament at Night</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> On Monday we started out with a visit to John's Place, famed for their breakfast and cream-cheese syrup. Wow! Cream-cheese syrup was awesome and since then Robb found a recipe online and modified it to make it here at home. Our next stop was the Royal British Columbia Museum. It was probably one of the best museums I have ever been to. We're really into history museums, and this one had a little bit of </div></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">everything, from natural history to the history of Victoria, BC. We loved the First People's exhibit and totem poles (the Canadians call Native Americans - First Peoples). That afternoon we wanted to eat a late lunch at Red Fish, Blue Fish - but they were closed early for Canadian Thanksgiving. So in trying to decide where to get a quick meal before catching our ferry that evening, we decided on McDonald's. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but growing up my family made it a point to try McDonald's in every country that we visited. It seems silly and we definitely spent more time at truly local restaurants, but we would sometimes just stop to get french fries and a coke so that we could say that we did. We even drove miles out of the way once to visit Lichtenstein (a very tiny country in Europe) so we could have McDonald's there. I thought it was important that Robb start joining in this tradition. Robb swears that Canadian McDonald's french fries tasted different. But, trust me, they didn't! On our ferry ride home that night Robb bought a beer using the last of our Canadian coins. I'm really glad that I chose Canada for my marathon debut. It really was a perfect race and, beyond that, a memorable weekend in a new country!</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_MgpeKh7dni8MmiNfcbQPvcD5dI9hLTaKmT8ReLJasvztt13nAh9gF4WMSVZzk5usuoYdb9CDAat9IhZgeIYUEa-Uc5M4oGQr-c6Ew68izWaJ4KFlkwwR53C0nfOPon1CPB1ABUWRuk/s1600/IMG_8434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_MgpeKh7dni8MmiNfcbQPvcD5dI9hLTaKmT8ReLJasvztt13nAh9gF4WMSVZzk5usuoYdb9CDAat9IhZgeIYUEa-Uc5M4oGQr-c6Ew68izWaJ4KFlkwwR53C0nfOPon1CPB1ABUWRuk/s400/IMG_8434.JPG" width="266" /></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLEqCh4nKkPlFVQkweu2bhV2Nlbr5_gRSE_vSbWxjlYAu_-vbO6jryDU3SyPWUukg5RIXC4JWCrj_Wk-z68K-f3FumHgreMveBDZguDyPdykV_0jNOmZgQDqsjC6M-nUev52wbvcfAU0/s1600/IMG_8469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLEqCh4nKkPlFVQkweu2bhV2Nlbr5_gRSE_vSbWxjlYAu_-vbO6jryDU3SyPWUukg5RIXC4JWCrj_Wk-z68K-f3FumHgreMveBDZguDyPdykV_0jNOmZgQDqsjC6M-nUev52wbvcfAU0/s400/IMG_8469.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkUbyTR-KFr4As6X9G6UkR4bBYNwsSFcoYGDGQMXZ9q6SzcdDkVr0akg3U0WiE9AA7ezuS2IiQxusPjyuwtVEU3cw2NKxlw-ZmFW37BsIEFZOI3qISrH4_5_BkRXHnnxdGM0eJ3NEO_9w/s1600/IMG_8453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkUbyTR-KFr4As6X9G6UkR4bBYNwsSFcoYGDGQMXZ9q6SzcdDkVr0akg3U0WiE9AA7ezuS2IiQxusPjyuwtVEU3cw2NKxlw-ZmFW37BsIEFZOI3qISrH4_5_BkRXHnnxdGM0eJ3NEO_9w/s400/IMG_8453.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCTS78IIz26RgTipRGBYgeNLRWn5yFBpjveDz64OaOkWeZ2VP4qj4usVIvkRNp2lHX59VXsmB69vcKVvZL1LfPAITa7ff9Shj7u4wVU_cvOQ5R0A0rmHSkEf2b24r87IqO_6cm5TxDdI/s1600/IMG_3379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCTS78IIz26RgTipRGBYgeNLRWn5yFBpjveDz64OaOkWeZ2VP4qj4usVIvkRNp2lHX59VXsmB69vcKVvZL1LfPAITa7ff9Shj7u4wVU_cvOQ5R0A0rmHSkEf2b24r87IqO_6cm5TxDdI/s400/IMG_3379.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canadian McDonalds!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Candian beer on the ferry!</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-64587960098340456262011-01-17T15:58:00.000-08:002011-01-17T15:58:20.016-08:00Blogger FrustrationsI'm really getting frustrated with Blogger right now. I've been trying to add pictures to a new entry since last night and am having annoying technical difficulties. I remember it used to be much easier to add pictures to my blogs, but for the past year or so it's been very time-consuming. I just wanted to let you know that I am working on it!Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-72556915634006101692011-01-14T23:56:00.000-08:002011-01-14T23:56:34.617-08:00It's Time To Get PersonalTonight’s post is to get me in the writing mood again. I also thought I might get a little more personal than I normally do. I try to stay away from sharing too much (believe it or not) beyond our fascination with this part of the country. But I've been feeling a little sorry for myself lately and sometimes it feels good to wallow. I’m overwhelmed with how behind I am on my blog. There is so much to write and so many pictures to post that I’ve found the easiest solution is to ignore it. Of course, that makes everything that much worse. I don’t want to gloss over the past couple of months; I want to record what October through December looked like for me in the Pacific Northwest because it was amazing. I had a great time this fall and want to record it for posterity and share it with you. I believe I have a fair amount of time this weekend to catch up, so my hope is to make a dent in this blog over the next few days. <br />
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I've been trying to figure out why I don't keep up with my blog. I've started to realize that I fill my weeks with binges of distractions and then binges of laziness to recover from the busy days. I keep myself too busy to blog and during my few hours between work, chores, and runs, I tend to veg out and ignore doing anything productive. I distract myself so I don't have time to think too much. But the funny thing about trying NOT to think about something in particular is that it ends up being all you can think about. I try not to think about how crappy it is that my husband and I have jobs with opposite schedules and barely see each other. I try not to think about how I am in a job that doesn't challenge me or allow me to live up to my potential. I try not to think about money and how just when we think we're getting ahead, something like medical bills or car repairs puts us back again. But most of the time I try not to think about infertility. I fail the most at this one - infertility takes up the majority of my thoughts. I can't even begin to describe the emotions involved in our journey to grow our family; infertility changes you forever. We're ridiculously in love with each other and deserve to share that love with children. Two years down, several more to go until we can afford the next step. How is that fair? <br />
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So in my efforts to move pass my bitter disappointment that life does not follow my perfect timeline that I envisioned a decade ago, I binge on distractions - on training for marathons, on planning my next local day trip, on watching new movies, on knitting scarfs, on reading The Economist, on going out to dinner with friends. And the distractions make me happy. But sometimes, when I stop and take a breath, I start thinking. And I get sad. I'm thinking a lot lately. I need to add a new distraction - perhaps updating my blog more?Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-271594950308268792010-10-30T15:25:00.003-07:002010-10-30T15:38:53.589-07:00My First Marathon - Victoria, British Columbia on 10/10/10I've been training all summer for this race, slowly building up my mileage and endurance. Three weeks before the big day I did my last long training run. The plan was to run about 20 miles, but as there were no mile markers on the course that my running buddies and I chose, we just ran for time. After that run I felt pretty sick and disheartened. I hadn’t really eaten a proper breakfast, there wasn’t enough water to drink as we ran, and the sun was pretty intense that day. It was the first time I thought that I might not be able to complete a marathon. I mean, if I felt that sick after 20 miles, how could I do 26.2? But when I looked at a map later on that day I calculated that we had, in fact, run 22.5 miles. Knowing that I had run 22.5 miles and only had a few more to go on marathon day (instead of an extra 6.2 miles) made me feel confident again. After that 22.5 mile run it was time to start tapering. For you non-runners out there, that means that you slowly take your mileage down so that on race day you have plenty of energy left. So the weekend after the 22.5 miler I did a 12 mile run, and the next weekend was an 8 mile run. Most, if not all, marathon training plans have a couple of weeks of tapering. And I followed the plan. But it made me a little uncomfortable. I mean, for weeks I had been building up my mileage every weekend and I felt like I had great momentum. Now, I had gotten all the way to 22.5 miles and I was expected to go the other way. I was scared of losing my groove. So I worried about losing my momentum, but other than that, I didn’t really think much about the race. I was more worried about our travel logistics (Which ferry to take to Victoria? What time did we need to leave the house in order to get to the ferry on time? Which maps and confirmations did I need to print before we left the house? What was the exchange rate for Canadian dollars?) So I didn’t have time to ruminate over my impending run. <br />
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On Saturday, October 9, Robb and I successfully made our way to Canada. (It was my first visit to the country and I’ll write a separate blog post detailing the tourism aspect of our trip.) That night we met up with my running friends for a carbo-loading dinner. Becky, Molly, and Laura are all seasoned half-marathoners and were running 13.1 miles the next day. Larry and I have both run half-marathons before, but it would be our first time running a full marathon. After eating we discussed logistics for the next day and then Robb and I headed back to our hotel to get some sleep. <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9L68es73SiO0BgVnJZXL4XmF7xm7cQQxd7rZtDMlJlmgtfDqVt2S6WmbbqfFfXX16Yn9Jn2SVP66pwAQnKjOMb7teUp1yWQK0VvhkJY1JXKEWmdTOfrq6Hy4xOUne3h7li8b-7Cqk_-I/s1600/IMG_3343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9L68es73SiO0BgVnJZXL4XmF7xm7cQQxd7rZtDMlJlmgtfDqVt2S6WmbbqfFfXX16Yn9Jn2SVP66pwAQnKjOMb7teUp1yWQK0VvhkJY1JXKEWmdTOfrq6Hy4xOUne3h7li8b-7Cqk_-I/s400/IMG_3343.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Carbo-Load Night: Me, Larry, Laura, Molly, Becky</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After a fitful night’s sleep I woke up on October 10, nervous and excited. The marathon start-time was late, not until 9:00, so I had plenty of time to shower, dress, and hydrate. Robb and I stopped in the restaurant downstairs so I could eat an English muffin with peanut butter and one fried egg (turned out to be an excellent breakfast for marathon fuel) and then we made our way to the start line. It was a cool morning and while a little chilly standing on the street in my shorts and t-shirt, I knew that the clothing I chose would be perfect once I started running. I was just thankful that it wasn’t raining. The forecast for that weekend included heavy downpours, but we lucked out on marathon day. (Our friends in Portland, Oregon running a marathon at the same time weren’t so lucky and were subjected to heavy and cold downpours during their entire race.) I was a little nervous in the minutes leading up to the start gun going off, and I think I even told Larry that I had changed my mind about this whole marathon thing. But mostly I was calm and just working on trying not to psyche myself out. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsURkPNZJQwg-iIcvoMlk77PjfBdn81xkhYdNzuf5NnuJZLuXg7CnA_NN_b2z_EuDOKgp1hoWWUy96eQL0_ZJIVZXV_rqR0KwS338Xaa65Nliv46uxyhTKuppHZYTZ9DPq1VSkYGFKmXo/s1600/IMG_8276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsURkPNZJQwg-iIcvoMlk77PjfBdn81xkhYdNzuf5NnuJZLuXg7CnA_NN_b2z_EuDOKgp1hoWWUy96eQL0_ZJIVZXV_rqR0KwS338Xaa65Nliv46uxyhTKuppHZYTZ9DPq1VSkYGFKmXo/s400/IMG_8276.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99I4tj2WXNLn18arL9KG7t0J8I0jnyyWQyyU2KfZrFQ33C7npfROndakezw7uJxXUZtPepbdykApwPhCQYeJVDQO41b9D6q70fFA3AR6eRxiEnT_Vs8Hmk_o5hUSiRk7MeAEMbMFEvq0/s1600/IMG_8282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99I4tj2WXNLn18arL9KG7t0J8I0jnyyWQyyU2KfZrFQ33C7npfROndakezw7uJxXUZtPepbdykApwPhCQYeJVDQO41b9D6q70fFA3AR6eRxiEnT_Vs8Hmk_o5hUSiRk7MeAEMbMFEvq0/s400/IMG_8282.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlEEHW_QBgxRmshIGWSJzrMW1IchOymydKiAGR5uedJrPbtCkjR00x4NULBjwSHx-t0hc7_zMDICC3QKkKj8kpxB3YQ_isyEVFDKEydFoJEZdbryJLKHbgw_jLwK42x0RFQYjf8wiNU0/s1600/IMG_8286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlEEHW_QBgxRmshIGWSJzrMW1IchOymydKiAGR5uedJrPbtCkjR00x4NULBjwSHx-t0hc7_zMDICC3QKkKj8kpxB3YQ_isyEVFDKEydFoJEZdbryJLKHbgw_jLwK42x0RFQYjf8wiNU0/s400/IMG_8286.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Finally the gun went off and Larry and I started running our first marathon. We spent the first mile or so finding our pace and watching the crowd thin out. We both are slow and steady runners and we had a lot of people pass us. We probably hadn’t even gone a ½ mile before I decided that a port-a-potty stop was in my near future. During all my training runs I had never had to go to the bathroom during my runs. But on race day I was worried about making sure I had enough hydration and probably drank way more than I usually do. So within two miles of starting our race, I already had to stop. I told Larry to go on without me and we would meet up later. Luckily, that early in the race there isn’t a long line of runners waiting their turn for a bathroom break, so I was in and out pretty quickly. At that point I felt much better and just settled in for the long haul. I had my iPod shuffle playing (which my husband had lovingly filled for me with my favorite work-out music) and I just ran. There were a few spots along the route where musicians had set up to entertain and encourage the runners, and at those points I would just pause my music for awhile; my favorite performer was the lone bagpiper. The course was beautiful and had a ton of variety; we ran through the streets of downtown Victoria, around the royal Parliament buildings, around a local park, through high-end neighborhoods, and along the coast. My favorite part of the course was anything that was alongside the coast, especially as the day wore on and the sun started shining through the clouds and highlighting the water and rocky shores.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Eventually I caught up with Larry and we ran together for a few miles. We pointed out some random scenery or interesting-dressed runners every once in awhile, but mostly ran silently next to each other, thinking whatever thoughts we needed to in order to keep going. When we passed the 12 kilometer marker, I reminded Larry that we had just finished the equivalent of the Rhody Run – I think that run in Port Townsend was the first race that Larry and I ran together. Those Canadians are smart and follow the metric system; it was interesting running along a course that had more kilometer markings than mile markings. The miles were only marked every 5 miles, which I actually ended up appreciating. I wasn’t thinking with every passing mile about how far left I had to go; I only had to see those 5 mile increments to know that I had just managed to achieve running 5 more miles. I loved seeing the 15 and 20 mile markers. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I did experience a couple of difficult mental blocks at times. For example, a large part of the course was an out-and-back section. When I first saw large crowds heading towards the finish line, while I was still trying to make it to the half-way point, I thought to myself “Well, good, I’m almost to the half-way point because look at all these people who have already turned around.” I kept expecting the turnaround point to be just around the next corner. I was amazed at how good I felt and that I was almost half-way done. But that feeling was a big, fat, fail. Most runners were much faster than me, and I still had several miles to go before I would reach the turnaround point. The longer it took to get to the turnaround point, the more disheartened I became realizing how naïve I was to think that I was almost half-way done. I think that emotional turmoil wore me down and once I reached 12-13ish miles, I started slowing down. Larry pulled away from me and took the lead. I continued to run, slow and steady, but felt doubt that I would be able to finish feeling strong. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I had been told by a friend who had completed a few marathons before that it was helpful to have a special saying that you could repeat to yourself to help inspire you and focus on finishing. I tried to find or think of any quotes that could help me before the marathon began, but I went into the race without finding the words that would speak to me. Luckily, a few miles into the race I saw a couple of little girls on the sidelines, obviously cheering on a parent. One of the girls had a homemade sign with the most perfect quote on it, "Keep Calm and Carry On.” Those simple five words spoke to me and became my mantra. I repeated that to myself throughout the race. After the 15 mile mark I started to feel excited again. I was over half-way done and I only had 11 miles left. At the 23 kilometer mark Larry decided it was his turn to stop at the port-a-potty, which allowed me to catch up and actually move ahead. While he almost caught up with me at one point, and we said hi to each other, I picked up the pace and continued pressing ahead. I reached the 20 mile mark and couldn’t believe that I was already done with the previous 5 miles – only 6.2 miles left to go. I kept expecting to hit “the wall,” but I don’t think I ever did. Then I started passing people who were running slow or walking at that point. While I’m not a fast runner, my strength is in running a steady pace. Other runners have variations in their speed and tend to go a lot faster in the beginning. While it’s nerve-wracking to see so many people go faster than you in the beginning of the race, I know that I will end up passing a lot of those people towards the end of the run. The closer I got to the finish line, the more I repeated “Keep Calm and Carry On,” but I knew I would finish. I hit the 25 mile marker and then shortly after that reached the “1 mile to go” marker and picked up my pace. Let me tell you, the last mile of a marathon is the longest mile you’ll ever run. It seemed to go on forever. At a little less than the “1 kilometer left to go” sign I saw my running friends cheering for me. Laura ran up to me and patted me on the back and told me that I just had a little bit left. I smiled to my supporters and continued the long ½ mile towards the finish line. I came around the last corner and the finish line came into my sight. I started scanning the crowds looking for Robb and finally heard him cheer for me. I ran past him, giving him a smile and a wave as he watched me cross the finish line. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjot1pi6L2WvhAKwuU50bni5a9yTylh0AYUakLi5vd42kSMTo5rXifrza37yCJVscunjoOs4CZkChzIaAfrDf9Afs0ZJ3y-P-oUwhsY-GPO18QJvBhyZqk-ZmHON03RE9tda_h6V_f8L48/s1600/IMG_8338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjot1pi6L2WvhAKwuU50bni5a9yTylh0AYUakLi5vd42kSMTo5rXifrza37yCJVscunjoOs4CZkChzIaAfrDf9Afs0ZJ3y-P-oUwhsY-GPO18QJvBhyZqk-ZmHON03RE9tda_h6V_f8L48/s400/IMG_8338.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9W5TuVAic4VBqiUJXMUCgHw-ExsBMpPNvaspstcDw-AR9z0b_vSaxNFgrnJOCosKfbG3VOUW-K8Oq4w57Mbd3KVvyNLyX8kTv3LDxufchEbcGck5T6ddRiJcOvFVga20AtvXyeoSWkTw/s1600/IMG_8341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9W5TuVAic4VBqiUJXMUCgHw-ExsBMpPNvaspstcDw-AR9z0b_vSaxNFgrnJOCosKfbG3VOUW-K8Oq4w57Mbd3KVvyNLyX8kTv3LDxufchEbcGck5T6ddRiJcOvFVga20AtvXyeoSWkTw/s400/IMG_8341.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFS91oM9Oy0vzpaVRzUaygPGw0wXyutdIhyW48iJ6oOl4_d2mcYtM4wT1ck1plKnguHunxiU_CGQSD2SYE-qrh2f05ExQ0XcoDXGyx07eh4klqHP9qrFsBh9sWqXdNNKNVzo1eJlICUfk/s1600/IMG_8348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFS91oM9Oy0vzpaVRzUaygPGw0wXyutdIhyW48iJ6oOl4_d2mcYtM4wT1ck1plKnguHunxiU_CGQSD2SYE-qrh2f05ExQ0XcoDXGyx07eh4klqHP9qrFsBh9sWqXdNNKNVzo1eJlICUfk/s400/IMG_8348.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A medal was placed around my neck, a plastic “blanket” was wrapped around my shoulders, and I started walking awkwardly through the finishing chute, picking up water, bagels, and cookies to give my starving body some fuel. Robb met me at the exit and was positively beaming – he was so proud of me. I, on the other hand, was somewhat numb. I couldn’t really think about what I had just accomplished, I just was thinking about how hungry, tired, and sore I was. Larry finished the race a few minutes after me and after we took a victory photo together. I later found out that my parents in Florida were able to watch me cross the finish line for my first marathon in Canada, thanks to the live streaming video showing the finish line on the marathon’s website. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5aGD86ub2KOMnfFP5XXhidW7rKVJ7KeOe26keM16xgCFGyu-eYw5Z-Wmxk6oGus5AIwRc9_Hjqb0i4kGC6vCguBVzNNE3aBGwEzxqzPwrcoNkyFe1vlMGc0NtuxiijVTg739DMEVSoY/s1600/IMG_8352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5aGD86ub2KOMnfFP5XXhidW7rKVJ7KeOe26keM16xgCFGyu-eYw5Z-Wmxk6oGus5AIwRc9_Hjqb0i4kGC6vCguBVzNNE3aBGwEzxqzPwrcoNkyFe1vlMGc0NtuxiijVTg739DMEVSoY/s400/IMG_8352.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I ended up walking a lot the night of the marathon and the next day because we were being tourists in Victoria. It was probably good though to stretch out my legs and muscles instead of sitting at home on a couch. I was sore for the next week. I walked a lot slower and had a hard time going down stairs. I had a little knee pain, but that didn’t last for too long. I was surprised to discover that my hips were really sore, and I wonder if that pain is what older people feel all the time. The pain in my Achilles’ tendons is the most concerning. While they don’t hurt all the time now, they still hurt a little bit in the mornings when I first get out of bed (my Mom has had this problem for years, so I need to work on stretching those muscles more now before the pain gets worse and/or permanent.) I took a week off of running to relax and let my body heal, but am back to running several miles every week. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">My goal for this marathon was to finish and run the entire time (except through the water stops. Have you ever tried running while drinking water from a paper cup? It’s pretty difficult.) And I’m proud to say that I achieved that goal. Other than the brief walking as I re-hydrated, I ran the entire time. My finishing time was 5 hours, 3 minutes. I would have preferred to be under 5 hours and actually expected to finish closer to 4.5 hours, but I really can’t complain because my other goals were met and this was just my first marathon. Yup, I said first; as in the first of many. I’ve decided that I will probably attempt to run that daunting 26.2 miles once a year. I promise I won’t go crazy and do multiple marathons a year (although I initially thought one marathon in a lifetime was crazy.) Training for a marathon is time intensive, so one a year is about as much commitment as I am willing to make. Plus, I want my body to have plenty of time to heal in between races. But ultimately, I think one marathon a year will be good for me because it will continue to help me with my motivation to exercise and it will allow me to work on getting faster! Plus, now instead of saying that “I ran a marathon,” I will be able to say “I’m a marathoner.”</div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-67889674736239298732010-10-30T14:27:00.001-07:002010-10-30T14:27:41.290-07:00World Championship of Sand Sculpting in Federal WayYou don't get to go to a world championship competition in your own town very often. This year Federal Way hosted the World Championship of Sand Sculpting for the first time. It was supposed to bring tourism and prestige to our strip-mall town. Federal Way has an inordinate amount of strip malls that are half-empty and that's really what our city is known for. And that's exactly where they decided to put the World Championship of Sand Sculpting - in the parking lot of an abandoned shopping center, not even off the main drag. The location left much to be desired and I think a lot of locals didn't even know it was there. I know that the city didn't break even this year, but I hear they're going to try again next year in a better location and with better publicity. With that being said, the sand sculptures were incredible. We were so glad that we saw such beautiful and fanciful works of art; it made us sad to know that they wouldn't last! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWAsa8KiuX3bUBLBRxmgFOhOKDjNKXGP27NbhsOlWLhx3X-IT7hVemne8zVzu2_mQnQr2oV4QfpFsauZ1NZnyyhUr0z6BrzNq1wvjSaIJJ4hT-E42BzxkxKPRfcCdp9QbwjevqE7v36M/s1600/IMG_8220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWAsa8KiuX3bUBLBRxmgFOhOKDjNKXGP27NbhsOlWLhx3X-IT7hVemne8zVzu2_mQnQr2oV4QfpFsauZ1NZnyyhUr0z6BrzNq1wvjSaIJJ4hT-E42BzxkxKPRfcCdp9QbwjevqE7v36M/s400/IMG_8220.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJYpC2LxylGPRFcG0lC6xqa6JSv0CRF9isbem9flAKmL-E913LTzISOx-A4sl2RZTjoKK1p5VEFRbgXQpocywkjYOTMwa74cNowVMrbosbw8FxQd99pgAaAMrABZydbUsekQuJOEkCCU/s1600/IMG_8221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJYpC2LxylGPRFcG0lC6xqa6JSv0CRF9isbem9flAKmL-E913LTzISOx-A4sl2RZTjoKK1p5VEFRbgXQpocywkjYOTMwa74cNowVMrbosbw8FxQd99pgAaAMrABZydbUsekQuJOEkCCU/s400/IMG_8221.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOfl7q4xhc7SZo6zWHyuWiaE9TvCm8YDUVGxGPVhpZGmxe8-RoJH-7qbEnP5fIawt3L5oh-F7Fx35-dg_rLIm02JyBi1_6ddiYxgXtO2G2QsyJlLbY2rhrJlUhKHLX3D_umahbBLhdzU/s1600/IMG_8232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOfl7q4xhc7SZo6zWHyuWiaE9TvCm8YDUVGxGPVhpZGmxe8-RoJH-7qbEnP5fIawt3L5oh-F7Fx35-dg_rLIm02JyBi1_6ddiYxgXtO2G2QsyJlLbY2rhrJlUhKHLX3D_umahbBLhdzU/s400/IMG_8232.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH54x9-_oy5KzkiFTZTB4Y-oEIPGL09GHuP0Yqpw_5dz1OfXIODCciIZnK8jnEpwGoPKwjt0ZBZUZUMSbtp-uSnpZV0oAoGG881bDHH1Of2kXLANJ79wsxNatqDU597GXG-q8Vby0GpWg/s1600/IMG_8239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH54x9-_oy5KzkiFTZTB4Y-oEIPGL09GHuP0Yqpw_5dz1OfXIODCciIZnK8jnEpwGoPKwjt0ZBZUZUMSbtp-uSnpZV0oAoGG881bDHH1Of2kXLANJ79wsxNatqDU597GXG-q8Vby0GpWg/s400/IMG_8239.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-_YpmGrC8PUdmuMSJ2JjYtoE2kOedYISSaFpPLLddWHW-Bfog3mkzATx-vL-ooS3ChJJZyWqV_YHpcvpKBtkPGvqWDyC7bghH5mNTpmcT5B_yufA8b7zKqFGdhg8GhKKeqVtfo76Tb8/s1600/IMG_8242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-_YpmGrC8PUdmuMSJ2JjYtoE2kOedYISSaFpPLLddWHW-Bfog3mkzATx-vL-ooS3ChJJZyWqV_YHpcvpKBtkPGvqWDyC7bghH5mNTpmcT5B_yufA8b7zKqFGdhg8GhKKeqVtfo76Tb8/s400/IMG_8242.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCjVLRii6uOKht9EAn4Z4GgREWfJsjqk8xgT_Zsma0WhkwtgSP7CstRPtE6kMnwHlGrlUd2esjtZFyJIMHgb2Ms-ilc6pRMHl5_OTDjo4BDWnMKKbdHkNwIkLSZSA8TMYcCyClmZGeXo/s1600/IMG_8247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCjVLRii6uOKht9EAn4Z4GgREWfJsjqk8xgT_Zsma0WhkwtgSP7CstRPtE6kMnwHlGrlUd2esjtZFyJIMHgb2Ms-ilc6pRMHl5_OTDjo4BDWnMKKbdHkNwIkLSZSA8TMYcCyClmZGeXo/s400/IMG_8247.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKCfEuWit2A7tgmL3FxK4enjnrCeYdMOV1x3WCywuVLYybiT-biTFo_4vu6w8s-zHrmT8JxMsRtaN4R6BC2ibujN7cHTfLP9bJ7wzAA9Qif9y6kiCsHWKX-s0ho1ZbbT8eHOj6JIlkZw/s1600/IMG_8256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKCfEuWit2A7tgmL3FxK4enjnrCeYdMOV1x3WCywuVLYybiT-biTFo_4vu6w8s-zHrmT8JxMsRtaN4R6BC2ibujN7cHTfLP9bJ7wzAA9Qif9y6kiCsHWKX-s0ho1ZbbT8eHOj6JIlkZw/s400/IMG_8256.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-28281456321604811862010-10-30T13:57:00.000-07:002010-10-30T13:57:50.107-07:00Running Party and Underwear Run<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Robb and I were able to host our first party in September. My running club has an annual membership meeting/party and this year we offered to host it. Besides the 5-10 minutes of discussing actual club business, it was a good party. The chili cook-off this year only had three entries (when last year's chili cook-off had like 10 choices), but the food was still yummy. And of course, the most important part of the fall membership meeting was our annual underwear run. While the men actually stripped to their underwear, the women changed into boxers and t-shirts to run down the street into the dark. (I made sure that our run headed away from our landlord's house.) Most people hung out on our back porch all night, snacking, drinking, and overflowing into the yard. It was a good night and a successful party.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihTP2hBwVhM1CK0a_QB8rloahyphenhyphenMrkyjwKuqj_bvYQeB0Rge9XmdXtq-zxkdtvlm32W0D3iJTEostGM7twfRZh7pNUQK7Rs5MsauTYOd0EyP0Bl3S7rXmqc8zDssUhuqz87KUWg5ubIyg/s1600/IMG_8203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihTP2hBwVhM1CK0a_QB8rloahyphenhyphenMrkyjwKuqj_bvYQeB0Rge9XmdXtq-zxkdtvlm32W0D3iJTEostGM7twfRZh7pNUQK7Rs5MsauTYOd0EyP0Bl3S7rXmqc8zDssUhuqz87KUWg5ubIyg/s400/IMG_8203.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPstBfM7XhkklIctmvNCdqG2pQxwnXGc99RLHK2PwlUPC9wqTi1pNj7z48XAqSuZm43ka55Ir_sPTsFhI-xlMdUWNMAChyiJX450vNufgCoKR0bAfG6Gvz5vNPSNMTjvDtJGRbmiNO690/s1600/IMG_8209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPstBfM7XhkklIctmvNCdqG2pQxwnXGc99RLHK2PwlUPC9wqTi1pNj7z48XAqSuZm43ka55Ir_sPTsFhI-xlMdUWNMAChyiJX450vNufgCoKR0bAfG6Gvz5vNPSNMTjvDtJGRbmiNO690/s400/IMG_8209.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhin6JSagknn9jEdSD5ILq0uvZ1IpQ5IqMU7ARQWwxDqg8rXGdh_l_AU9X3pVoJsfp7rUgwg1LT3VGv1GSrfRoTIC82f8r6mAzOqFBkAFryqboR8y-a4gW2QVyySp0tq7eSd3HWVQdCmuo/s1600/IMG_8205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhin6JSagknn9jEdSD5ILq0uvZ1IpQ5IqMU7ARQWwxDqg8rXGdh_l_AU9X3pVoJsfp7rUgwg1LT3VGv1GSrfRoTIC82f8r6mAzOqFBkAFryqboR8y-a4gW2QVyySp0tq7eSd3HWVQdCmuo/s400/IMG_8205.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTADLinTsNS4W-TdRvfFUcf4FgvH6WtGOLs2Fou7SW995Gv3yYNvzCy4pxynIR3eUtwJENtxHIthzUpYYNu-jqHmBmfU2MhXtI1FLBp2kB1G5dCp-K69gQw7GZYsEjKasAC-lisyihl7E/s1600/IMG_8194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTADLinTsNS4W-TdRvfFUcf4FgvH6WtGOLs2Fou7SW995Gv3yYNvzCy4pxynIR3eUtwJENtxHIthzUpYYNu-jqHmBmfU2MhXtI1FLBp2kB1G5dCp-K69gQw7GZYsEjKasAC-lisyihl7E/s400/IMG_8194.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-873251145219819562010-10-30T12:33:00.000-07:002010-10-30T12:33:41.716-07:00Florida Visit - Labor Day Weekend 2010I spent Labor Day weekend in Florida to spend time with my family. I can't believe it had been about 1.5 years since the last time I had been to the Sunshine State. It was time for me to make an appearance (and I left Robb at home to save money and have quality parent-daughter time). Thanks to a red-eye flight, the holiday, and our "temporary lay-offs" in Washington once a month to save money, I only took one day of vacation and managed to spend five days in Florida with the family. <br />
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We went to some of my favorite restaurants, including a great tapas restaurant, my favorite beach restaurant, a high-end fish restaurant, a modern Italian restaurant, and a pizza joint with my favorite crust. Basically, as in all of my family vacations, we planned our time based on meals and where we were going to eat. I spent time with the grandparents and some aunts and uncles. I spent a lot of time by the pool and on the beach working on getting a little color to my pale Washington skin. <br />
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The most memorable part of the trip was our kayaking adventure. Mom, Dad, my Aunt Margaret, and I decided that we needed a little tandem kayak action. Mom and I shared a kayak, while my Dad took on kayaking with Margaret who had never been on a kayak before. Mom and I are an excellent team and really do well steering and powering through the strokes. Unfortunately, Margaret doesn't seem to have an inherent sense in the kayaking realm, so my Dad struggled a little bit with controlling the kayak. We kayaked along the mangroves to look at water birds and then made our way to a spit of sand to get out and swim for a bit. We also were treated to an amazing dolphin show within a small harbor. A mama dolphin and her baby were swimming around in circles and surfaced many times. And then the baby decided to get frisky and play. That little dolphin started flapping it's tail against the water and then started leaping! It was basically doing circles around us by continually jumping out of the water. It was the cutest thing! After the natural dolphin show we started to paddle back to the kayak rental return. We were half-way across a busy channel when somehow my Dad and Margaret's kayak tipped and they tumbled out. My Mom and I rushed over and started to retrieve items that fell from the boat. Luckily they tipped in a location where their feet actually touched sand, which made hoisting themselves into the kayak a little bit easier. It was actually pretty funny, but I have a feeling it may be a long time before Margaret and Dad go kayaking together again. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I didn't take very many pictures, and somehow most of my pictures were lost. But here are a couple that I took on my phone, even though the quailty isn't great: the beach, me and Dad, me and Mom.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXEivLRStVr_-kNMNUQndzsLFphsQG2X6vdvQZp7kbhxYw0CkPCpsbfjPnnKVuxBrMMpRMvXbpm8PqKwkVBimgp_V5bP7aF4grvIl9O6iUyckH4lX0k_eE5-XN7xoNpZL62eVUs4_UB8/s1600/Florida+Beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXEivLRStVr_-kNMNUQndzsLFphsQG2X6vdvQZp7kbhxYw0CkPCpsbfjPnnKVuxBrMMpRMvXbpm8PqKwkVBimgp_V5bP7aF4grvIl9O6iUyckH4lX0k_eE5-XN7xoNpZL62eVUs4_UB8/s400/Florida+Beach.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6Bb2hBS_Xpc35cRFiD2oAJNh3l-4FzxGi7ksEHBkItO3ZVp7q1jjh8sh7goeoYx304SK3VYWXqrmg8esue5apF_pdnuywnnc-ouRGvcZGznC5kmMIs_X_T50vDoYSIOZT8kwgBDHIU8/s1600/Dad+and+Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6Bb2hBS_Xpc35cRFiD2oAJNh3l-4FzxGi7ksEHBkItO3ZVp7q1jjh8sh7goeoYx304SK3VYWXqrmg8esue5apF_pdnuywnnc-ouRGvcZGznC5kmMIs_X_T50vDoYSIOZT8kwgBDHIU8/s400/Dad+and+Me.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp12R_fwlkiCpAAJBTS7Zi3r6D1lANBgFykvnjn5VunAPXZXs54CSzqep2VDABEB2b8UxbzABELW2OXJmKg51yy_lhRZkhVFiXCBfet2BJ8d4JOwGpCR2hME7lMRs2vtQTRWNoDqYaCJ4/s1600/Mom+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp12R_fwlkiCpAAJBTS7Zi3r6D1lANBgFykvnjn5VunAPXZXs54CSzqep2VDABEB2b8UxbzABELW2OXJmKg51yy_lhRZkhVFiXCBfet2BJ8d4JOwGpCR2hME7lMRs2vtQTRWNoDqYaCJ4/s400/Mom+and+me.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-50931814946208058922010-09-11T18:55:00.001-07:002010-09-11T19:01:00.407-07:00Crater Lake National Park, Diamond Lake Camping, and Random Oregon Road Stops<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">One of the big items on my list of 30 Things to Do Before I Turn 30 was a visit to Crater Lake National Park. I'd say that three years ago I had never even heard of Crater Lake before. But in my constant hunt of Pacific Northwest activities I stumbled across a description of Crater Lake, Oregon. I discovered that this was the deepest lake in the United States. It was formed in a crater of a volcano and had some of the purest and bluest water in the world. So I decided Crater Lake should go on my 30 Before 30 list. And this summer Robb and I finally decided to create a long weekend for ourselves to drive the 7+ hours down there to camp and visit the park. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>When we moved to Washington Robb and I both were interested in spending more time outdoors and going camping together often. His work schedule doesn't allow us to have as many weekends off galavanting in nature as we would like, so it has taken us a long time to get prepared and organized enough to plan this camping trip. While eventually we plan on trying backpacking, this time we decided to camp in a designated campground that had toilets and showers. As a kid my family used to do a lot of this type of camping, but I was a little nervous about it because I hadn't been to a campground in at least 10 years and this was going to be Robb's and my first camping trip together. But we spent a lot of time preparing and making the necessary packing lists. And after a stressful couple of weeks (due to work, life, etc.) we left town Friday morning with our Honda loaded to the brim with supplies. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Close to 8 hours later we arrived at Diamond Lake. I waited too late to make reservations at the Crater Lake campground, so we were forced to find accomodations at Diamond Lake which was only a few minutes from the Crater Lake North Entrance. The Diamond Lake campground was huge and quite lovely. We actually ended up appreciating that we weren't at the Crater Lake Campgrounds because we were able to experience a couple of lakes in one weekend. We had a campsite right on the lake and our tent was somewhat isolated from other campers and the fire pit. As soon as we got to Diamond Lake the mosquitos started biting, so we applied bug spray and really didn't go without it for the next three days (even spraying ourselves directly after taking showers.) Other than the mosquitos and the spiders (stupid nature), the camping was absolutely perfect. The weather was not too hot or cold, the skies were clear, and seeing the Milky Way and shooting stars every night was so peaceful! During the entire weekend we ate hot dogs and brats grilled on a stick over the fire, we tried freeze-dried meals (which were actually very good), had oatmeal, ate sandwiches with tuna, and of course devoured s'mores and lots of wine. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDtNl3inIz-Kp3GA8FYK2zc2mEZ5edwZp_CnYYEauEGzHoJh4DbK3iUVoB0K-V6EX3ALpqUAJ3R2vDhBAJmE0fgClww3kX9LpWO1LllJCfOfuIQinwO37TJqF_O38uEBn06eDEZNV9bc/s1600/CIMG0028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDtNl3inIz-Kp3GA8FYK2zc2mEZ5edwZp_CnYYEauEGzHoJh4DbK3iUVoB0K-V6EX3ALpqUAJ3R2vDhBAJmE0fgClww3kX9LpWO1LllJCfOfuIQinwO37TJqF_O38uEBn06eDEZNV9bc/s400/CIMG0028.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcRHLjL7eaDRfPR_7wtiPhCDx4HPQr4EFyrMSMlpCbd-GppMcuN6yGDfsCLyoTSH_narmLlBqrO4ioIcY6azEi5GDvsgqTrRQKkNzQCBcUHtkySFdXeGbUTnUj4vcu74Qi7vHKenL9vY/s1600/IMG_7844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcRHLjL7eaDRfPR_7wtiPhCDx4HPQr4EFyrMSMlpCbd-GppMcuN6yGDfsCLyoTSH_narmLlBqrO4ioIcY6azEi5GDvsgqTrRQKkNzQCBcUHtkySFdXeGbUTnUj4vcu74Qi7vHKenL9vY/s400/IMG_7844.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTijNQlH-1ttkUTLU-ePhy-eW9cRU74zIC27y8psZcTaVQFHHVviA3iAgESa8ImhhZXiToNazHnQ8fzUyc3nhgogoHbd7dnvbljP0Mq4iHCKYzo2B_Nxoex9oXaNYvDxsBszLxihionbU/s1600/IMG_8076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTijNQlH-1ttkUTLU-ePhy-eW9cRU74zIC27y8psZcTaVQFHHVviA3iAgESa8ImhhZXiToNazHnQ8fzUyc3nhgogoHbd7dnvbljP0Mq4iHCKYzo2B_Nxoex9oXaNYvDxsBszLxihionbU/s400/IMG_8076.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Saturday morning we woke up, ate breakfast, and headed straight for Crater Lake. We drove through the Pumice Desert (made by the exploding Mt. Mazama thousands of years ago) and to the rim of Crater Lake. The first views of the Lake were absolutely breathtaking. I have never in my life seen water so blue and pretty. The rim of the collapsed Mt. Mazama is the border of Crater Lake. There is no water source other than snow (40+ feet a year) and rain, which means that there is no outside polluting to change the water color. We fell in love with Crater Lake from the moment we saw it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3C1ewS0OCynzz2x_pEwWUuM04sEQzH29Jaj9XcdbWjCfB3bzzRtO3WSjovuiKi_Rrl4Cu8sFSp1P4_tqv5cYL_iNMItxa5ofiYaiK9qP_pWrFQOHHeKZmid2kHG-4IRrhta3qS5P7t1I/s1600/IMG_7763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3C1ewS0OCynzz2x_pEwWUuM04sEQzH29Jaj9XcdbWjCfB3bzzRtO3WSjovuiKi_Rrl4Cu8sFSp1P4_tqv5cYL_iNMItxa5ofiYaiK9qP_pWrFQOHHeKZmid2kHG-4IRrhta3qS5P7t1I/s400/IMG_7763.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWVFod3FC3qypE2U2orBrcQP8bMfPi9n46XnLkOmEDussRwobeDQSiDwWthQ30_LFqCqQHuDh2CeJWZXmqKYotomuPX4UqstuSbNm1nlGHoeiw6OLkw8UpDklQOAZ491l4ojWp9OJNPU/s1600/IMG_7734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWVFod3FC3qypE2U2orBrcQP8bMfPi9n46XnLkOmEDussRwobeDQSiDwWthQ30_LFqCqQHuDh2CeJWZXmqKYotomuPX4UqstuSbNm1nlGHoeiw6OLkw8UpDklQOAZ491l4ojWp9OJNPU/s400/IMG_7734.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Our next stop was the Visitor's Center to listen to a mini-history lecture and talk to the rangers to help us plan the rest of our trip. We decided to hike the Cleetwood Cove trail that afternoon. This trail is the ONLY access point to get to the water. It's a mile hike down, with a 700 foot elevation drop. There were a ton of people at the water's edge. The park does provide a guided boat tour of Crater Lake, but the $30 price tag per person was a little steep for Robb and me. So we just decided to wade into the lake and hang out for a bit by the water. Robb was brave enough to take a real swim in that cold water and then we started the hike up the hill. Now a 700 foot elevation drop isn't bad. But a 700 foot elevation gain in a mile is terrible! It was a tough hike, but we were pretty impressed with our finishing time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheo1izgqOvRysZU7jOO4F1-VDKn_dG1Zo8UTk1XvUaI7jJZsAVn954fO9Q-f9FIPZzNLOhUK-Pbqvc-33yBb46YruTlWaoUZs1bO4qXQ8IeVtPgnJHq7iuRax7D3Kh6L4GbUCr8-dfnWk/s1600/IMG_7837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheo1izgqOvRysZU7jOO4F1-VDKn_dG1Zo8UTk1XvUaI7jJZsAVn954fO9Q-f9FIPZzNLOhUK-Pbqvc-33yBb46YruTlWaoUZs1bO4qXQ8IeVtPgnJHq7iuRax7D3Kh6L4GbUCr8-dfnWk/s400/IMG_7837.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTiQXxYtM86YS-9r67LnpJ6p18xRBdCVlst2IYEhATGPQS64ZMIyGd8J_KthUXlujVkW5YnPAHMaZ9KscM_rdPiVlJmQYrv8t2R4T9L-XafR3M2wUkvuPNl9ZwVRGB7iBwY6k29nwTEY/s1600/IMG_7829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTiQXxYtM86YS-9r67LnpJ6p18xRBdCVlst2IYEhATGPQS64ZMIyGd8J_KthUXlujVkW5YnPAHMaZ9KscM_rdPiVlJmQYrv8t2R4T9L-XafR3M2wUkvuPNl9ZwVRGB7iBwY6k29nwTEY/s400/IMG_7829.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXs4YW9N1tT_liUnBQg6f8fI6ccz2kvXhaI3O48kpuEi5sQBGbFiNq8OypVXZQWPT8upoxICnHtFSgN4LAZooN370NOfdnhDANlcYtJkBcPqPTxdYZtA8SHijBhegQSq2f6QUL_Wv41Oc/s1600/IMG_7801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXs4YW9N1tT_liUnBQg6f8fI6ccz2kvXhaI3O48kpuEi5sQBGbFiNq8OypVXZQWPT8upoxICnHtFSgN4LAZooN370NOfdnhDANlcYtJkBcPqPTxdYZtA8SHijBhegQSq2f6QUL_Wv41Oc/s400/IMG_7801.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2RbAFuEh7-qYLW4rdN1urOIoppYd3OxkEdMGu3mvd94CtBB3brl-EBmB9udwTPFVpbhgG3hF7IXa96Dn1hTyiemSDTRWve59Cxbulst_xpduRSR0m-268z5SguYxPMehq265JrOvwU88/s1600/IMG_7797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2RbAFuEh7-qYLW4rdN1urOIoppYd3OxkEdMGu3mvd94CtBB3brl-EBmB9udwTPFVpbhgG3hF7IXa96Dn1hTyiemSDTRWve59Cxbulst_xpduRSR0m-268z5SguYxPMehq265JrOvwU88/s400/IMG_7797.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">On Sunday we headed straight for the Mt. Scott trailhead. We were told that Mt. Scott was the highest point in the park and the hike was worth the view of Crater Lake. At the parking lot we were a little apprehensive looking up to where our final destination would be. But we decided if we didn't try the hike we would always regret it. So we did it. We hiked up 1500 feet in 2.5 miles. Wow, were those views incredible from 8,929 feet! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnNvY72VIXnKDwSJaIpaxM64TW8x-Je6cjgYIeXeQME-aw58M8H7T4N1nUZB9XuZe7l8f1S-UwYNPdkktpNSizxkRYm1wVny3Y6PXT0PsOhHEa-ZcWN0Qz4yLeZDk-ftveUDWV2naZfE/s1600/IMG_3277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnNvY72VIXnKDwSJaIpaxM64TW8x-Je6cjgYIeXeQME-aw58M8H7T4N1nUZB9XuZe7l8f1S-UwYNPdkktpNSizxkRYm1wVny3Y6PXT0PsOhHEa-ZcWN0Qz4yLeZDk-ftveUDWV2naZfE/s400/IMG_3277.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUmr3bkq4yyQAb1WhBj9vUgwttaxTvNi8kVfoym9VKAzwvppXdTOuRprf57UBcjk47q93X3MtEciluZYicXrmWnBU_1sTcFsALhYUMkRCQuuumLOqUtfNVHWv00uttunzbgW1aLWi4Nk/s1600/IMG_3289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUmr3bkq4yyQAb1WhBj9vUgwttaxTvNi8kVfoym9VKAzwvppXdTOuRprf57UBcjk47q93X3MtEciluZYicXrmWnBU_1sTcFsALhYUMkRCQuuumLOqUtfNVHWv00uttunzbgW1aLWi4Nk/s400/IMG_3289.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMKjU4AeAaeGn6oxYEcfR5TI85fu0JTpgfSPjhkpodvan6CYzqTXtqwkk-EZ750hhgg7w8JKdNXEto519XTTJFCDPScoyzpk1lNcy1Djs1r4DTS3qeXRGa_CiVoL5Qa7hglTDKDDy990/s1600/IMG_3280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMKjU4AeAaeGn6oxYEcfR5TI85fu0JTpgfSPjhkpodvan6CYzqTXtqwkk-EZ750hhgg7w8JKdNXEto519XTTJFCDPScoyzpk1lNcy1Djs1r4DTS3qeXRGa_CiVoL5Qa7hglTDKDDy990/s400/IMG_3280.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXP5kyG-aydlXToQ0cEkhJ9acH467QbuId0AEguC5r_SVcE29FQ_W7zoZUTQrGGpFbvbhBF5Lvpmb0FGEVXWxLvKbhOLyLOlhM0X4FJV9m6RJ55NSVmblTXrga92uEiMv4OXD30mU6II/s1600/IMG_3282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXP5kyG-aydlXToQ0cEkhJ9acH467QbuId0AEguC5r_SVcE29FQ_W7zoZUTQrGGpFbvbhBF5Lvpmb0FGEVXWxLvKbhOLyLOlhM0X4FJV9m6RJ55NSVmblTXrga92uEiMv4OXD30mU6II/s400/IMG_3282.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje48vUoOMTWupPA73i-apMULEeEGRRACztrNyc6eirEnvhseMLHV1Camu0Xb04NsvQ8oIQFncSgo5oIEEuMZWptsDk0707OrNI1z_VZ9BFk2Z3-vohv8JPQKsTLtQDi39GKZyhS-t9nLs/s1600/IMG_7905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje48vUoOMTWupPA73i-apMULEeEGRRACztrNyc6eirEnvhseMLHV1Camu0Xb04NsvQ8oIQFncSgo5oIEEuMZWptsDk0707OrNI1z_VZ9BFk2Z3-vohv8JPQKsTLtQDi39GKZyhS-t9nLs/s400/IMG_7905.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-tNUAvdsVZQ8mVJPWYmKoQXRchE7n2FFrbn5hiZQZwXo63Idbq8gCoXid8sscoUqjpeGaxkaQaHlYC-1cE6QWF2XSzFPITOvp_qNmcrNtPhoET8ZjXivFYfs3FfzCFMSUA1-tH57MO4/s1600/IMG_7918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-tNUAvdsVZQ8mVJPWYmKoQXRchE7n2FFrbn5hiZQZwXo63Idbq8gCoXid8sscoUqjpeGaxkaQaHlYC-1cE6QWF2XSzFPITOvp_qNmcrNtPhoET8ZjXivFYfs3FfzCFMSUA1-tH57MO4/s400/IMG_7918.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin7UNsy0IDwat3KBJtQtCpBksDGbBCOWEpx5ZucMGan2aI05VDbx8KjoaeXkt5Je5g16V6sTwLfUpJ6Tej7zhT8ZGQg8p4pduQPaUuYB_Gh1PZqVpF4oM7EWr-KS6o9mmhY5xRxdd6gkE/s1600/IMG_7923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin7UNsy0IDwat3KBJtQtCpBksDGbBCOWEpx5ZucMGan2aI05VDbx8KjoaeXkt5Je5g16V6sTwLfUpJ6Tej7zhT8ZGQg8p4pduQPaUuYB_Gh1PZqVpF4oM7EWr-KS6o9mmhY5xRxdd6gkE/s400/IMG_7923.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfC1mEDJni1Lpyj-NLNC3CXXTXdyiEgjYGx7f64H1n4sSSz7PC5W2ZJhE338A8VwDGF4Q7NSMpw6QZ_hMggFT6IZz_bGmPuqILTQ1-MzOJzGrSjG-vctGzrUwLvMq8R4F6h_8ePyMOHBU/s1600/IMG_7950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfC1mEDJni1Lpyj-NLNC3CXXTXdyiEgjYGx7f64H1n4sSSz7PC5W2ZJhE338A8VwDGF4Q7NSMpw6QZ_hMggFT6IZz_bGmPuqILTQ1-MzOJzGrSjG-vctGzrUwLvMq8R4F6h_8ePyMOHBU/s400/IMG_7950.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We spent the rest of the day driving around the rim of Crater Lake and stopping at viewpoints and scenic overlooks to take pictures and marvel at nature. We also stopped to look at the Crater Lake Lodge and learn a little history about the opening and renovations of the Lodge. Leaving Crater Lake National Park that evening, close to sunset, was really difficult because I fell in love with it so quickly. I had heard from other people about how beautiful and amazing it was, but I was scared my expectations were not going to be met. I was so wrong. It truly was as phenomenal as everyone said it is. Pictures cannot do this place justice and I cannot overemphasize enough how important it is that I think everyone try to visit Crater Lake and experience it themselves. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESs-U7rUYPix9bIAsq1m7jWyYQIHTRi0abd9k1WK6k8r-A4tzl_QtrveHex4a4OeMQEOH2VsAqAl2odYxF0w5BI-7wvLYRM5f5bvxAKaudtIsP6lTI6aW3vFcTVasBNTOvLXzRIq7o0c/s1600/IMG_7865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESs-U7rUYPix9bIAsq1m7jWyYQIHTRi0abd9k1WK6k8r-A4tzl_QtrveHex4a4OeMQEOH2VsAqAl2odYxF0w5BI-7wvLYRM5f5bvxAKaudtIsP6lTI6aW3vFcTVasBNTOvLXzRIq7o0c/s400/IMG_7865.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaucEasPvxVmwHMe19nhUEiMJ-sATJ-2qb_Wv56Uv4v1MLjoyLg7Jcp37iIu4-6HUIrpHyqIvn5JItuOn2DiiUob5_FOqquz6E6eiLnaAVKazdOfBmE_1eLkbLNyq53q1QqhpYHdCKL4/s1600/IMG_7869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Monday morning we woke up, broke down our camp, and loaded the car. We decided to randomly stop at any roadside attractions that looked interesting and take our time going home. Our first important stop was the Lowell Covered Bridge. While this bridge is no longer in use, it was recently refurbished and several informative history panels were posted inside the bridge to read. We were both fascinated by the history of covered bridges and that area in Oregon. Brownsville, Oregon was our next random stop because Robb saw a sign for Pioneer Museum. After driving four miles away from the interstate we finally found the itsy-bitsy cutie-pie town of Brownsville. The muesum turned out to be huge and had tons of local town artifacts and inforamtion about the Oregon Trail. We also discovered that the movie "Stand By Me" was filmed in Brownsville and we took a little walking tour of the town to see areas that were shot in the movie. Our final stop of the day was in Wilsonville, Oregon. We stopped for a Coke from McDonald's and saw a sign for a Korean War Memorial. We found a simple, but lovely tribute to the Korean War veterans, whether they be American soldiers, NATO forces, Korean soldiers, or civilians.</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflCU2PvQ6BHna4QUDl2DbbMgn-8rrU0pyXNiebcCjgtp9u_TBTX7P8ZSorrjpYPBBaBD-Ru2v5dKbpHpbNSBq3incX5CpYGagKiEX8wcdWS1bYEhe0HLAsr7_F0hk0YxiXTrnVGg0PbY/s1600/IMG_8113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflCU2PvQ6BHna4QUDl2DbbMgn-8rrU0pyXNiebcCjgtp9u_TBTX7P8ZSorrjpYPBBaBD-Ru2v5dKbpHpbNSBq3incX5CpYGagKiEX8wcdWS1bYEhe0HLAsr7_F0hk0YxiXTrnVGg0PbY/s400/IMG_8113.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJL1_aWfOdVC1MCg-FgIRhps2vdMDvBMeU1MW4d_nElilJfz7qFKYac8jeLFG_QM9pq0ESLotsjKP4MyVKoElhMNXODGX4Af_fHbPJKY469mxQJqxXlj3jWrKTzo6-9wDbfG9IzDOaSMs/s1600/IMG_8116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJL1_aWfOdVC1MCg-FgIRhps2vdMDvBMeU1MW4d_nElilJfz7qFKYac8jeLFG_QM9pq0ESLotsjKP4MyVKoElhMNXODGX4Af_fHbPJKY469mxQJqxXlj3jWrKTzo6-9wDbfG9IzDOaSMs/s400/IMG_8116.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW46p3IH4zrz-ZrjYY4MzAfGoCEW61eBT9Uv5c57gR1v4jJgUvV-Xd7-8REuQ44EHv3IwtZclCMRqmUwtgUJSIeMaBvTsAPg7yyjOeDwj_mD6kT8OPcwmYHQmMfyYE1wqvPqV-PkRYkBA/s1600/IMG_8130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW46p3IH4zrz-ZrjYY4MzAfGoCEW61eBT9Uv5c57gR1v4jJgUvV-Xd7-8REuQ44EHv3IwtZclCMRqmUwtgUJSIeMaBvTsAPg7yyjOeDwj_mD6kT8OPcwmYHQmMfyYE1wqvPqV-PkRYkBA/s400/IMG_8130.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VI2wRI_t5XKncwpqCWj0QUOEj5mYdZSbZdLdvCoEG3z446uE7QmpBknGQ8A6Rs1NenB8etPsUIWlh6-0CfS1kDg_5j_jT9CPLZWn8-GSEWcbuY6lEsjdSuaGqma2bUK09adp41JlL9k/s1600/IMG_8134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VI2wRI_t5XKncwpqCWj0QUOEj5mYdZSbZdLdvCoEG3z446uE7QmpBknGQ8A6Rs1NenB8etPsUIWlh6-0CfS1kDg_5j_jT9CPLZWn8-GSEWcbuY6lEsjdSuaGqma2bUK09adp41JlL9k/s400/IMG_8134.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDltYIXoM6nosAT8K_e_ia0KrzK2kkNw-_nyvFHLBSUerb1G6EAdJOJpX8JSgHfFmqV6a4spcyWxbcaTK7gOh-K-ue-sDZnPNHSrnSc-c83ExjNXGJO9sz6gMdCCa8CltldqFrxpdf61g/s1600/IMG_8136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDltYIXoM6nosAT8K_e_ia0KrzK2kkNw-_nyvFHLBSUerb1G6EAdJOJpX8JSgHfFmqV6a4spcyWxbcaTK7gOh-K-ue-sDZnPNHSrnSc-c83ExjNXGJO9sz6gMdCCa8CltldqFrxpdf61g/s400/IMG_8136.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Our long weekend was really great. The drive was a little long for a 3 night trip, but I think it was totally worth it. And because our camping trip was so succsesful, we hope to plan 2 or 3 trips for next summer!</div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-47104124093938907282010-09-10T20:43:00.000-07:002010-09-10T20:43:10.437-07:00Summer End Review - The Tidbits<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So there are a few summer events that don't necessarily deserve their own blog post or are kind of boring. But I think it's important to write down what else we did this summer. I actually feel pretty satisfied with everything we have fit in. Summer goes by so quickly that it's easy to run out of time; but we were busy and productive all season long. </div><br />
<u>Robb</u><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Robb moved to a new Metropolitan Market; he now works in the brand new Kirkland store. He's happier in this store than he was in the Seattle store and has more regular hours. He's finally managed to get a semi-regular schedule that allows for Sundays and Mondays off just about every week. It is really nice for us to have at least one day every week were neither of us are working and we can spend time together. While he is working mostly nights now, we do have that Sunday together every week.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Robb had knee surgery this summer in an attempt to fix knee pain he's had for a few years now. Scans and x-rays showed a torn meniscus and a possible cyst on his knee. However, once opened up neither concerns were actually there. So Robb has spent the summer trying to recover from a knee surgery he didn't really need to have and he's still experiencing knee pain. We're trying to figure out the next steps. Hopefully physical therapy will do the trick. Even though he had to deal with the pain of knee surgery, he enjoyed his week off for the surgery and recovery immensely. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GwQoLzut5BtpG9Jm6ouwPukQduWjkITWxOMqpYu2nbw5TTSh3dM6_cUxPc49VdX0ksYYk_NRwegQa4yTr-bLEg83IKhyphenhyphenz1LGJnKacghH-kIl_BoHBmyyqn2CwewxYNP_ZIySZZb3ctg/s1600/IMG_3251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GwQoLzut5BtpG9Jm6ouwPukQduWjkITWxOMqpYu2nbw5TTSh3dM6_cUxPc49VdX0ksYYk_NRwegQa4yTr-bLEg83IKhyphenhyphenz1LGJnKacghH-kIl_BoHBmyyqn2CwewxYNP_ZIySZZb3ctg/s400/IMG_3251.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><u>Fairs, Festivals, Farmer Markets</u></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The U-District Street Fair in Seattle was in early May and is kind of the kick-off to summer and the street fair season. We hadn't been to this fair before and were excited to attend. It was a nice festival with blocks upon blocks of good booths and large crowds. I don't want to say that I'm over festivals, but they're all starting to look the same to me. And I really don't like large crowds. </div><br />
We made it to the cheese festival in Pike Place Market again this year. However, we probably won't be attending another cheese fest in the near future. Because of Robb's job, we've actually ended up buying and eating most of the cheese that is sampled at the cheese fest - and I hate fighting the crowds for free cheese that I already know about. <br />
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We visited the Green Festival last year and had a really nice time exploring the booths and listening to the speakers. This year the Festival was a little disappointing. There were a lot less booths and the topics of discussion were not as interesting to us this year. But I did enjoy listening to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! speak; and I also learned a lot about why corporate banks are bad, and why I should move to a local bank or credit union.<br />
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We visited the Bellevue Art Festival on the hottest day of the year. This festival, like the city of Bellevue, was actually both classy and pretentious. There were hundreds upon hundreds of artists displaying and selling their art. We were impressed with quite a few of the artists, although we could never afford to buy their work. The best part of the day was our strawberry-lemonade we bought from a vendor that mixed up the strawberries and lemons right in front of us. It was a delicious cold refreshment to help with the 90+ degree heat. <br />
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Robb had been wanting to visit the Des Moines waterfront farmer's market for quite some time. So on a dreary summer morning we went on over and checked out the very tiny market. We bought some sub par cheese bread, and a decent head of lettuce and that was about it. We looked at a famous Des Moines statue (a man kissing a fish and grabbing the fish's breasts), ate at a hot dog restaurant, and browsed a used book store. I actually read an article recently about the saturation of farmer's markets in the Puget Sound area. Almost every community and neighborhood feels the need for a farmer's market now and farmer's are getting strained. It's difficult for them to bear the costs necessary to be at all these different markets, and some markets have less participation because of this. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKfAkGRKbIoijEvsAJe6FrJxTfdOdqN81RawTTbMGjLT8NkjfdoHkgmhqE5XrkT8oJNbB3lznKdof6YPDZpVCzk6JXULvolYkiOaHdeAuyJeeEEkGeH3XEpMcnnzfXCAGaH16tz8eqpg/s1600/IMG_3250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKfAkGRKbIoijEvsAJe6FrJxTfdOdqN81RawTTbMGjLT8NkjfdoHkgmhqE5XrkT8oJNbB3lznKdof6YPDZpVCzk6JXULvolYkiOaHdeAuyJeeEEkGeH3XEpMcnnzfXCAGaH16tz8eqpg/s400/IMG_3250.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>We recently visited our absolutely favorite farmer's market which is in Ballard (and I believe it was just voted the best farmer's market in Washington). While we didn't buy any produce that day, it was nice to walk around. This market is about a couple of blocks long and has a huge variety of vendors selling everything from potatoes, to tomato plants, to organic beef, and fresh fish. It is always bustling and has a great vibe to it. Afterwords we strolled around Ballard and then took in a movie at the Majestic Bay Theater. The Majestic Bay is one of those old revitalized theaters that make you feel very artsy and independent for attending. It was a very nice theater and if we lived in Ballard I am sure we would go there all the time. <br />
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<u>Running</u><br />
In addition to my other running adventures this summer, I also participated in two local races. The first was the Tacoma Sound to Narrows 12K. This challenging course requires a run through Point Defiance Park, and up some challenging city hills. This race is supposed to be very difficult, and with the heat the day, it was a bit rough, for sure. But I felt very prepared because I had run, at some point or another, all parts of this race before during my regular training runs. For example, I've run around the Point Defiance Five Mile Drive several times (sometimes two times in a row)! And every single Tuesday for the past few months I've been running about 4 miles with a friend who lives in Tacoma. Our route takes us down and back up the killer Vassault Hill that is a death trap for most people finishing the Sound to Narrows race. While the hill looks daunting for your last mile of the race, it was somewhat of a breeze for me because I knew what to expect and I run up it every week! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCP6v12irzMJFTmoER2pIhEh1_-Dk1ZRDRBFzixwxWPSF5tEdXsgCar5U7vgOFKPwis_YB0QNbWEq9Q_ApHyxTAaR4B5a8t75atlJkrOMxKYDNnuQKbVqkNexcDeyd6wO_x1Lt7XyAOI8/s1600/IMG_3239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCP6v12irzMJFTmoER2pIhEh1_-Dk1ZRDRBFzixwxWPSF5tEdXsgCar5U7vgOFKPwis_YB0QNbWEq9Q_ApHyxTAaR4B5a8t75atlJkrOMxKYDNnuQKbVqkNexcDeyd6wO_x1Lt7XyAOI8/s400/IMG_3239.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The second race I completed was a 5K that my running club hosts. Our races series is small and intimate (and super-cheap because we don't provide prizes, t-shirts, etc.) So I ran the 5K and won my age division! I got a first place ribbon. Now the fact that I was the only person in my age division might bother some people, but I'm still happy with my ribbon and my finishing time! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The third race I did was the Seafair 5K. Robb and I had signed up a long time ago to do this race together. If you recall, I did the 8K about 2 years ago and Robb did the 5K last year. This year Robb wanted to run the 5K again to beat his time from last year and I wanted to run it with him so we could run our first race together. Now, for some reason I'll never know, Robb ended up scheduling his surgery only 1.5 months before race day. He recovered enough to run/walk the 5K and we did it together. Even though we walked a few times, Robb still beat his time from last year! I'm actually pretty sure that we won't be running Seafair again next year. They changed the course this year, which led to a much more crowded area for the finishing chute. Also, even though I registered months in advance, when I picked up my packet on race day they didn't have my shirt in the size I ordered; instead of a small I could choose between a large or extra-large. <br />
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<u>A Fall Preview</u><br />
So I've got one more summer post to complete about our visit to Crater Lake, Oregon. Then it's time to move into the fall posts. We've got a lot going on in the next couple of months. On Labor Day Weekend I visited my family in Florida. I hadn't been to Florida in well over a year, since my sister's wedding in March 2009 (post is coming soon about that trip). At the end of September Robb and I will be hosting our first large party. Members of my running club are going to come over for a membership meeting, chili cook-off, and underwear run (not sure what my neighbors will think.) Then in October we'll be heading to Victoria, British Columbia for my first visit to Canada and my first marathon. We're also hoping to have a lot of vegetables in the next couple of months from our garden. We've had a pretty cool summer, so our garden is only now starting to take off. The cucumbers, summer squash, and spaghetti squash are finally starting to come in. We've got tons of green tomatoes on massive tomato plants; I hope they turn red before it gets cold again. We had a dark, chilly, rainy day recently that really made it feel like summer was over. I'm looking forward to pumpkin spiced lattes, sweaters, and boots - but I'm also mourning our all too short summer this year. </div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-39432335375104759512010-08-31T20:43:00.001-07:002010-08-31T20:48:18.006-07:00Four City or State Parks in One DayWe've done a pretty good job this summer in spending less money and spending more time outside. While we want to spend more time in the national parks in our area, we also want to minimize gas costs and daily park fees. So we've tried to find more outdoor activities that are closer to us. We took one warm and beautiful day to pack a picnic and go on a local mini-park tour.<br />
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Our first stop of the day was Brown's Point Lighthouse Park. This park is fairly small and is just a on a tiny spit of land. The tide was low while we were there so we spotted a ton of giant purple starfish. The lighthouse, as it stands now, is a functioning concrete tower. But pictures show that it used to be a white clapboard-styled lighthouse that lighted the way so people could cross between the Brown's Point area of Tacoma and downtown. The original lighthouse keeper's house still stands and Robb's research shows that you can apply to spend the weekend in the cute little house to act as an honorary keeper. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQgCxRWAqh8XEaFpK_EZ0WWwb1aWgl_cvIhJrGIafVTWqh-DGI6VjomBkbiOdowC4Cia24lum_MtNYhh4GN-_ghWuGxlCp6f2yf4tVauQbrmavs3boNzyGgv095QmCgCIWtgQosb4Eik/s1600/IMG_7643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQgCxRWAqh8XEaFpK_EZ0WWwb1aWgl_cvIhJrGIafVTWqh-DGI6VjomBkbiOdowC4Cia24lum_MtNYhh4GN-_ghWuGxlCp6f2yf4tVauQbrmavs3boNzyGgv095QmCgCIWtgQosb4Eik/s400/IMG_7643.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fzzefZxTJzQ_RvDU3WE4RK6-7yuRpggCWvYzeTBZohUNEI6HjQiu9gwLYb9kziawcptrLfF6g6m8b5aiHhSoH42MOK5eyZwd_SOjTEGu3HlwtWODPQRTL-B-u9SzpjB_PV5W0msH54c/s1600/IMG_7650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fzzefZxTJzQ_RvDU3WE4RK6-7yuRpggCWvYzeTBZohUNEI6HjQiu9gwLYb9kziawcptrLfF6g6m8b5aiHhSoH42MOK5eyZwd_SOjTEGu3HlwtWODPQRTL-B-u9SzpjB_PV5W0msH54c/s400/IMG_7650.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrxXD8dBlxBmYZPkTKvzZ76-KsAwdh8nGKNW2imBXyd_6NzixpTpXNqnFFoM2792jTyMVMLexkWPoNgk1yv6LHEaxAAy_fyuM1PxN-Uu7MoA52niibLv9HKKnGfBtUw4ttQ95cMfd4z8/s1600/IMG_7668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrxXD8dBlxBmYZPkTKvzZ76-KsAwdh8nGKNW2imBXyd_6NzixpTpXNqnFFoM2792jTyMVMLexkWPoNgk1yv6LHEaxAAy_fyuM1PxN-Uu7MoA52niibLv9HKKnGfBtUw4ttQ95cMfd4z8/s400/IMG_7668.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuYnm3GgFK27kEH9G36gPDoiv5NiWgZ2ZRX9Ink9hGC2fT5DTNBogzH8WUOmpeI03YvubW7taRciEImfm_mP8fafL9kJfD4dmxHseSCuTSaEhdcYuYahq8zUkKWEiXCH5IDisikAQ0t8/s1600/IMG_7671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuYnm3GgFK27kEH9G36gPDoiv5NiWgZ2ZRX9Ink9hGC2fT5DTNBogzH8WUOmpeI03YvubW7taRciEImfm_mP8fafL9kJfD4dmxHseSCuTSaEhdcYuYahq8zUkKWEiXCH5IDisikAQ0t8/s400/IMG_7671.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Next we headed to Saltwater State Park. This park is exactly half-way between Tacoma and Seattle. In the 1920s citizens from each town joined together here to literally bury a hatchet to end the hostilities between the two cities. But I don't know how many people know about that, as I still here quite a bit of Tacoma-bashing. This park is really one of the more popular ones in the south end of Puget Sound, so it was pretty crowded with people picnicking, hiking, and running around the playground. But we found a nice picnic table and ate our brie, proscuttio, and onion jam sandwiches and enjoyed the breeze and people watching. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBIlf6qviL1bkKzAnTnpnlod3u46TXty-8QXkqiBa8oHYJ4rn0OI9Y-m79kJNfcusaVXJcNtbTWWpb_jb58R0mqD8M2L2JndelLLnyjEghiEehK74RTs-SdAoLIfHqQILEKHX-BDxcsw/s1600/IMG_7673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBIlf6qviL1bkKzAnTnpnlod3u46TXty-8QXkqiBa8oHYJ4rn0OI9Y-m79kJNfcusaVXJcNtbTWWpb_jb58R0mqD8M2L2JndelLLnyjEghiEehK74RTs-SdAoLIfHqQILEKHX-BDxcsw/s400/IMG_7673.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq72K8DWsZGzpk16oCporS2XvcNeAyBK0a45geKh-wsbrS5yxQ6qGx-nhgYKFuZrM8OLkAI_6hxV9WCCTz6krXUmJ1K20r0WWJAsAjLuC_Ta4keovgdZc1pm2W8vZlY6ksKc9MXZn3R6A/s1600/CIMG0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq72K8DWsZGzpk16oCporS2XvcNeAyBK0a45geKh-wsbrS5yxQ6qGx-nhgYKFuZrM8OLkAI_6hxV9WCCTz6krXUmJ1K20r0WWJAsAjLuC_Ta4keovgdZc1pm2W8vZlY6ksKc9MXZn3R6A/s400/CIMG0002.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHd7XGVP-_hSbwNaKtesotO6IN75VhLDNkd8VBKKMK32luNuENdndFLm0ofzLuqSvNRlS8T9Hso4o8B1ffVy9jvtbXiGxMb2p09k50vU5I8fAffSUzgT7gU9242eiSMvF8GWFSgGCtUdc/s1600/CIMG0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHd7XGVP-_hSbwNaKtesotO6IN75VhLDNkd8VBKKMK32luNuENdndFLm0ofzLuqSvNRlS8T9Hso4o8B1ffVy9jvtbXiGxMb2p09k50vU5I8fAffSUzgT7gU9242eiSMvF8GWFSgGCtUdc/s400/CIMG0003.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqhJRf1gBbWCc5VX87FZt9fo58f_3CS9R1y2iBEw10N92Su2rW8BB4PCbptVyURYMYWFk0VHGrpOBXM93tZELbCUz7RrtECjP2VKgkVVJn6nzxG7DvEfJips0H9w0Wk_A4a1N9Cjtilo/s1600/IMG_7676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqhJRf1gBbWCc5VX87FZt9fo58f_3CS9R1y2iBEw10N92Su2rW8BB4PCbptVyURYMYWFk0VHGrpOBXM93tZELbCUz7RrtECjP2VKgkVVJn6nzxG7DvEfJips0H9w0Wk_A4a1N9Cjtilo/s400/IMG_7676.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>We randomly looked up parks in our GPS and found a park in Kent called Old Fishing Hole. I'd driven by this city park several times before, but had never stopped to actually look at the Fishing Hole. The Fishing Hole is a small pond that is actually not very old (I think it was created in the 90s) along the bank of the Green River. It is a Fishing Hole designed for the exclusive use by children, ages 14 and under. The park was well-maintained and really a cute little area. Plus, they had a giant totem pole, which is always cool. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7EeVO7eTBj6pz13vUTyRlh5Ztsv_xO0RJCKCJNETbZ6FOp0KUCbVInjtDQnvHN0ZsUZ1WMe3V9-F1REEJVoAztHwcvRBq2UxoQmQFnrPpYAE7NH5byM5PRz4vGFMWjH-pXDJLmH-Mb8/s1600/IMG_7681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7EeVO7eTBj6pz13vUTyRlh5Ztsv_xO0RJCKCJNETbZ6FOp0KUCbVInjtDQnvHN0ZsUZ1WMe3V9-F1REEJVoAztHwcvRBq2UxoQmQFnrPpYAE7NH5byM5PRz4vGFMWjH-pXDJLmH-Mb8/s400/IMG_7681.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgaD2fIQv1_7ATnuMu9YLnd4FbpVT4D1uoPC2KSXwc9rwPQp3MhvBx7ovAI3d4x6HuAIzPuCe6jGWijSthtMTfbbRh9c7qYkaVgcGAEvl8AO0Gw27iGyRLYfz5OznTYWku8jFFkHCdr4/s1600/IMG_7682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgaD2fIQv1_7ATnuMu9YLnd4FbpVT4D1uoPC2KSXwc9rwPQp3MhvBx7ovAI3d4x6HuAIzPuCe6jGWijSthtMTfbbRh9c7qYkaVgcGAEvl8AO0Gw27iGyRLYfz5OznTYWku8jFFkHCdr4/s400/IMG_7682.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Our last stop of the day was in our own town at West Hylebos State Park. The Hylebos is a designated wetlands area that has a mile-long boardwalk loop through old growth trees and ferns. Since our first visit I've now run there several times during my long runs to make a couple of loops through the quiet forest. I've seen squirrels, rabbits, and even a giant owl. The Hylebos is a definite gem in Federal Way. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3ZfUthgORgkPlFHaLY0mOb8sWRrAGg_KOEdH36gYec8bzj8CSJJno0a98EOp3btS0uVc1HdgKnDshdZQpmmf4LeUbZtsxU08Kw-EmTYvMSiBihuIsN4bvj4yN75GpJdCSrTGdmabULM/s1600/CIMG0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3ZfUthgORgkPlFHaLY0mOb8sWRrAGg_KOEdH36gYec8bzj8CSJJno0a98EOp3btS0uVc1HdgKnDshdZQpmmf4LeUbZtsxU08Kw-EmTYvMSiBihuIsN4bvj4yN75GpJdCSrTGdmabULM/s400/CIMG0006.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiomCAumWuo74oDEPilCqU-FnqTlyiWWRv2Sgs-f2RiAAKZb0z7ndh7HxWXT8rBL3OBHeBdAD3X2208CL5c9mXxFVc2jQS81d8W5YHThFsPtovFirb5KoYtIoWSgRU6kZ93zPPO2zxDLLc/s1600/IMG_7719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiomCAumWuo74oDEPilCqU-FnqTlyiWWRv2Sgs-f2RiAAKZb0z7ndh7HxWXT8rBL3OBHeBdAD3X2208CL5c9mXxFVc2jQS81d8W5YHThFsPtovFirb5KoYtIoWSgRU6kZ93zPPO2zxDLLc/s400/IMG_7719.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvazseZsIpK7ziLAonZ3sxuwyWDgj67VnU1i0VctbpCYeA3shV6jPqrj6cfcf9-cBUfB6RUs4MX2vLnsk2P7sMRt2CKIDwmMPFDacLmnE5oXbbSTQjAit4oaiX7BykaWU3vZenvPdXPz4/s1600/IMG_7706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvazseZsIpK7ziLAonZ3sxuwyWDgj67VnU1i0VctbpCYeA3shV6jPqrj6cfcf9-cBUfB6RUs4MX2vLnsk2P7sMRt2CKIDwmMPFDacLmnE5oXbbSTQjAit4oaiX7BykaWU3vZenvPdXPz4/s400/IMG_7706.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwi5wTRB5bSkhzzXBaMepxSwo16_FreIOJLBiq3h6_6MEdsxNGBgKcS8X9wGCqVltZ6oiKFtr17pkI4LabF1KBA0IK1JG3X20h67ED-Ob9S_IpqLZX50VED3en_uE4OhvLsRtyvzDbsQ/s1600/IMG_7705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwi5wTRB5bSkhzzXBaMepxSwo16_FreIOJLBiq3h6_6MEdsxNGBgKcS8X9wGCqVltZ6oiKFtr17pkI4LabF1KBA0IK1JG3X20h67ED-Ob9S_IpqLZX50VED3en_uE4OhvLsRtyvzDbsQ/s400/IMG_7705.JPG" width="267" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-86512918310168084782010-08-28T22:25:00.000-07:002010-08-28T22:25:07.938-07:00Black Diamond Cemetery & Flaming Geyser State Park<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I don't know how we managed to resist visiting a park with the name "Flaming Geyser" until now. It just sounded so cool and every time we passed a sign on the road with the name we said we needed to visit. In July we finally found the time to visit this park that is less than a 30 minute drive from us. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Before Flaming Geyser, we drove to the town of Black Diamond first. I had visited this itsy-bitsy town once before with my running group and had eaten at the Black Diamond Bakery for breakfast. As Robb and I were hungry and wanted to eat in an independent restaurant, we decided to try lunch there this time. In general I'm not a huge fan of diners - the food tends to be sub par and disappointing. Most of the time I can handle diners for breakfast; it's hard to screw up eggs and potatoes (although it has happened before). By the time we got to the Bakery, breakfast had already stopped being served so we were forced to eat sandwiches. They were not good. My French dip was bland and Robb's meatloaf sandwich bordered on disgusting. It was an unfortunate eating experience and solidified my views of eating non-breakfast items in diners. <br />
<br />
Our next stop was the Black Diamond Cemetery. Black Diamond was originally a coal-mining town and there was a huge Welsh and Italian population. So a lot of the old headstones (some dating from the mid-1800s) were in Italian or Gaelic Welsh, rather than English. It was a lovely cemetery with some incredible headstones.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYRH_jRJ_CLTXo8DiXKo2FUmDsOmvhPkIGs8wpVH9Ujn_rF7nJRm1Msa5BEBwZyAurP7DhkJ82Ug2Qlrw0n4VNEZoSOuTB0jwAyiuP9NAnkDrRmjX3_QSjytK5ZzSe7mCBzL9SFEY6jE/s1600/IMG_7530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYRH_jRJ_CLTXo8DiXKo2FUmDsOmvhPkIGs8wpVH9Ujn_rF7nJRm1Msa5BEBwZyAurP7DhkJ82Ug2Qlrw0n4VNEZoSOuTB0jwAyiuP9NAnkDrRmjX3_QSjytK5ZzSe7mCBzL9SFEY6jE/s400/IMG_7530.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7DyCyLXaTB_Gkh4116ZQjYUoGa5vhQ33-9zWw0FU3hqhMfPYGDzS8VF6-W8bE0J2jkjyRuO3NWPUqQHE1ev4W6j9zErbOGDPNRgnnziFioQo7CJ3bBd3ecSzFLOxCxT7MkyTUCo6M1E/s1600/IMG_7531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7DyCyLXaTB_Gkh4116ZQjYUoGa5vhQ33-9zWw0FU3hqhMfPYGDzS8VF6-W8bE0J2jkjyRuO3NWPUqQHE1ev4W6j9zErbOGDPNRgnnziFioQo7CJ3bBd3ecSzFLOxCxT7MkyTUCo6M1E/s400/IMG_7531.JPG" width="267" /></a></div>Finally we made it to Flaming Geyser State Park. Before our visit there, I imagined a park with a giant water spout. "Geyser" equals "water spout" to me. And for it to be flaming meant that it had to be huge. Well, that turns out to be not quite right. The Flaming Geyser is literally flaming. It is a geyser of fire. The geyser is a vent of methane gas from an abandoned coal-mining operation. It was lit on fire and used to shoot nine feet in the air. Now, as the methane slowly burns away, the flame is only a few inches high. And when it's windy the flame blows out and rumor is you have to re-light it. It was fairly underwhelming. We had wanted to hike on some of the trails, but they were wiped out in recent flooding. So we walked along the open grassy fields and the Green River. We realized that the river is actually a hot spot for fly-fisherman and tubers! We definitely plan on returning one day to go tubing down the Green River. Beside the underwhelming Flaming Geyser, the park was actually quite lovely. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBOKBVsvvmVa4d30wOAZQdMLqKJRh52_DXuNqKWxj80egtMhkt1C3I2OpidOtkyvAW1xDjxrxxQLHIHEM-_rqT88E1ADh6JNSxLBXXY7BYPBKnO28IjQazFg5-NxDDSTIukruvpBg5bg/s1600/IMG_7535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBOKBVsvvmVa4d30wOAZQdMLqKJRh52_DXuNqKWxj80egtMhkt1C3I2OpidOtkyvAW1xDjxrxxQLHIHEM-_rqT88E1ADh6JNSxLBXXY7BYPBKnO28IjQazFg5-NxDDSTIukruvpBg5bg/s400/IMG_7535.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRi5XLeFI7kjlIK8e3SilqrLl0DU2y6b2u-FAV8r-IYNGyHA0wdyJm9rJi5K2EFzxxFzmlLQaXAvH1hgsxzSppgOtIRB_OMgLLynNsQFVVa7JZQZtWhKnljY3MzdlhUmr5rHQAMBXL5g/s1600/IMG_7542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRi5XLeFI7kjlIK8e3SilqrLl0DU2y6b2u-FAV8r-IYNGyHA0wdyJm9rJi5K2EFzxxFzmlLQaXAvH1hgsxzSppgOtIRB_OMgLLynNsQFVVa7JZQZtWhKnljY3MzdlhUmr5rHQAMBXL5g/s400/IMG_7542.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8bi13NpB6Ar07Rqe-KaNfaasQLQbXei4beaA3pMFJPyN5VdiGDICrCmLTKskPpXloercp-3yfnbzAMXhh8noL1xzp3uQuIVHZl2r7KCs1MMMJQf0Yhu7Gk93On8zOIi8ZtebDjPQm2k/s1600/IMG_7578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8bi13NpB6Ar07Rqe-KaNfaasQLQbXei4beaA3pMFJPyN5VdiGDICrCmLTKskPpXloercp-3yfnbzAMXhh8noL1xzp3uQuIVHZl2r7KCs1MMMJQf0Yhu7Gk93On8zOIi8ZtebDjPQm2k/s400/IMG_7578.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfop9iJK-TJjJpjpKmjYYUidgvzacm0VFBd_4z-wdTT3_kvrEv-RKQKA-H4xjfGx6k5T1SRe9D22nd9zEOI_bS30z0Uck6IhnbHwdYmTjaUK1UgsTY6bPIv_WDlKgO_RIiA4th-T64q1I/s1600/IMG_7583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfop9iJK-TJjJpjpKmjYYUidgvzacm0VFBd_4z-wdTT3_kvrEv-RKQKA-H4xjfGx6k5T1SRe9D22nd9zEOI_bS30z0Uck6IhnbHwdYmTjaUK1UgsTY6bPIv_WDlKgO_RIiA4th-T64q1I/s400/IMG_7583.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpc6Hj89Vd_2s0ytZMKlNEyiruPFUi-DonKcgUzR0WMCy23kK5Z6LaemmQRVN1nAjn5noMS5lrE69LYNZ1hqTPfBkHhZH_u41xT85qJUG01l62n9zHpbEkMV50tW85xs8BpIM00ckKN_k/s1600/IMG_7598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpc6Hj89Vd_2s0ytZMKlNEyiruPFUi-DonKcgUzR0WMCy23kK5Z6LaemmQRVN1nAjn5noMS5lrE69LYNZ1hqTPfBkHhZH_u41xT85qJUG01l62n9zHpbEkMV50tW85xs8BpIM00ckKN_k/s400/IMG_7598.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Our last stop of the day was Weyerhaeuser. You may have heard of this famous logging company, which is headquartered in Federal Way. The grounds are amazing and have miles of trails for public use. I had visited this area a few times for running trips, but Robb had never been. So we decided to take a mini-stroll around the lake. Besides our poor meal, the day was deemed a success. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvn48cr_CXDS4njJAbqh2KwWwcKE_Jiq0q68H754uzV9X1gPm7hViBAlAzFzoT1O2cRhkQFWtTvfONROn1IQrrTGYzqcXmcB2jm8vvoOfpI2YNY37H5PDPxMYSAsClpsmU-6Bucs-eYdo/s1600/IMG_7627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvn48cr_CXDS4njJAbqh2KwWwcKE_Jiq0q68H754uzV9X1gPm7hViBAlAzFzoT1O2cRhkQFWtTvfONROn1IQrrTGYzqcXmcB2jm8vvoOfpI2YNY37H5PDPxMYSAsClpsmU-6Bucs-eYdo/s400/IMG_7627.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-9275688191604181032010-08-25T21:10:00.000-07:002010-08-25T21:10:09.550-07:00Seattle Gay Pride Parade<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">At the end of June Robb and I hit up the Seattle Gay Pride Parade and Festival. We missed the Fremont Solstice Parade earlier in the month because Robb was recovering from knee surgery. So we decided to try checking out the Seattle Pride Parade this year to get a little Seattle culture and cheer on the LGBT community. The most interesting thing about this parade (besides its 2+ hour length) was the inclusion. There were big companies represented (like Macy's and Verizon), there were on-the-fringe leather/bondage groups, there were churches, there were politicians, and there were families. It felt like everyone in the world was coming together to support the LGBT community and it was absolutely lovely. Now, the pictures really speak for themselves. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmpI-NkSWZs1myXtpzT90YPEPGzrdUF57_gZsvrITwjkqEvPF02luKtaML96JuNX4uMijMJByijUzvVVXqHpRdMv2GgOV7rT8SFAzzb40hcs3PRwqmC3Yz2LfPHhNUCUpolcoi4zKQuQ/s1600/IMG_7234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmpI-NkSWZs1myXtpzT90YPEPGzrdUF57_gZsvrITwjkqEvPF02luKtaML96JuNX4uMijMJByijUzvVVXqHpRdMv2GgOV7rT8SFAzzb40hcs3PRwqmC3Yz2LfPHhNUCUpolcoi4zKQuQ/s400/IMG_7234.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yh_EvoDtdoMUjKE-w5sEbfAOPL3Q6hOg4tZGbyhpzqCmAHJM5bJcIuc9phDdi1p2rsGJ6q7jk4gN7gWdr9lHi-PfiRYvzQELuNxGt10Ehfo1-qdhEbR__Q01QfN6BYV9YwoMXxMVxjs/s1600/IMG_7256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yh_EvoDtdoMUjKE-w5sEbfAOPL3Q6hOg4tZGbyhpzqCmAHJM5bJcIuc9phDdi1p2rsGJ6q7jk4gN7gWdr9lHi-PfiRYvzQELuNxGt10Ehfo1-qdhEbR__Q01QfN6BYV9YwoMXxMVxjs/s400/IMG_7256.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuRnO9UewW4hfKvZMd1950sW7mx2JwTFV143gzxDPPGZLs8AoC7oci34cd0uPB0sV_fFHDM1fTb4t6XUnbHr_ddSj-qNvu2Hn1iE_jqy2oDUo-zU4tqc9yoZqKoe1PvvJ2-XQWP6x3ag/s1600/IMG_7279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuRnO9UewW4hfKvZMd1950sW7mx2JwTFV143gzxDPPGZLs8AoC7oci34cd0uPB0sV_fFHDM1fTb4t6XUnbHr_ddSj-qNvu2Hn1iE_jqy2oDUo-zU4tqc9yoZqKoe1PvvJ2-XQWP6x3ag/s320/IMG_7279.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeRK9DFK9VuRaAr1OFYx274MM1qykdbN3bRP8Yo5Cqequdj-yKvpWnW5tYEgOOhQZ9fPBa4VHNvg12QRWo9MAq6FuU8SJYdrC8NaGkbW-Pj8dKaurvNIJRfeHXY5E-K6RyzT8KDCjl7c/s1600/IMG_7271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeRK9DFK9VuRaAr1OFYx274MM1qykdbN3bRP8Yo5Cqequdj-yKvpWnW5tYEgOOhQZ9fPBa4VHNvg12QRWo9MAq6FuU8SJYdrC8NaGkbW-Pj8dKaurvNIJRfeHXY5E-K6RyzT8KDCjl7c/s320/IMG_7271.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">(Rainbow cross on the left. Girl in a vagina costume on the right.)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDK_ELTwolvCv3zUPTn215Ht8wDv8f6s0FSxiTeGXZZunyzO5RYBCq-V8p0IRrCNxrl52GknWWclVvjTs7QDsAf2KS0MX_sU1RhDI5KRSRy4rL2QcAEqvjAhow01N37CXwUQBWTYu2UnY/s1600/IMG_7285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDK_ELTwolvCv3zUPTn215Ht8wDv8f6s0FSxiTeGXZZunyzO5RYBCq-V8p0IRrCNxrl52GknWWclVvjTs7QDsAf2KS0MX_sU1RhDI5KRSRy4rL2QcAEqvjAhow01N37CXwUQBWTYu2UnY/s400/IMG_7285.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6T78g_7bFa9Hl4PwKoEKiST5Syg_rszprU8FlbX3t3OimMlpDr2woDU636FnR5CGwpA5DGNhoKbytYWqUrMvxSm8OIz8u_NZYB5-L8XoeeZ-9utCG2AfS2v_cUXhaCi5Q5yCXjWu6FD4/s1600/IMG_7287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6T78g_7bFa9Hl4PwKoEKiST5Syg_rszprU8FlbX3t3OimMlpDr2woDU636FnR5CGwpA5DGNhoKbytYWqUrMvxSm8OIz8u_NZYB5-L8XoeeZ-9utCG2AfS2v_cUXhaCi5Q5yCXjWu6FD4/s400/IMG_7287.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRenRBlnQTHEMEN9HtGNIcT29Okkw4ope4kwb0TfPE16F45NH7aT2idBnZ4gvexA3Pm71gedXc__uEFe7rCB25k751dASOOJadHhlvB5zjmF8T6Enp5wcSJGqzMJQfbNgpyGYDdlinMts/s1600/IMG_7304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRenRBlnQTHEMEN9HtGNIcT29Okkw4ope4kwb0TfPE16F45NH7aT2idBnZ4gvexA3Pm71gedXc__uEFe7rCB25k751dASOOJadHhlvB5zjmF8T6Enp5wcSJGqzMJQfbNgpyGYDdlinMts/s400/IMG_7304.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">(That shirt says "Jesus Had two Daddies")</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-_M0Iqq7c4yhsTJ0naLCGQi6ujGgRkBWhZua4HFWeK7Nz8bu05IyHmEXELXXZnx0t7gUKKuz8qdy7GVTc0RAz0RzIGKe4XGfyVGLtfsZj9Vq2dQklptVxAzuYx3W0vN1Y7XK61cIGAU/s1600/IMG_7326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-_M0Iqq7c4yhsTJ0naLCGQi6ujGgRkBWhZua4HFWeK7Nz8bu05IyHmEXELXXZnx0t7gUKKuz8qdy7GVTc0RAz0RzIGKe4XGfyVGLtfsZj9Vq2dQklptVxAzuYx3W0vN1Y7XK61cIGAU/s400/IMG_7326.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">(Sign says: Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, I Love My Mommy and My Mama Too!)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Z2-tGEXjgSoTrdhhsbgOi4I8LqETz9SHvQEiK8mmirewDX3HxsHY9MHvl_Sa4Pk-0XoNCkt_94jMzjN7itY8sNZgFjVYQ0kUd6nnQY-t46AEY2R61yl3bD1JLJOuFv28zrRDJH5Mn08/s1600/IMG_7348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Z2-tGEXjgSoTrdhhsbgOi4I8LqETz9SHvQEiK8mmirewDX3HxsHY9MHvl_Sa4Pk-0XoNCkt_94jMzjN7itY8sNZgFjVYQ0kUd6nnQY-t46AEY2R61yl3bD1JLJOuFv28zrRDJH5Mn08/s400/IMG_7348.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8S-Uj8i73xhTKTg3Cr_EIAFIW4dEOtcFb_l3VuoMb01w9DwmD9eHDeLaYgwTmttxcAyzXufS_u3xudZlC2tIXWlRdBas48e4Obwr40FIIEpBPRxPxBblzLrfgwlcGK7exhoBC1kH-c4/s1600/IMG_7398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8S-Uj8i73xhTKTg3Cr_EIAFIW4dEOtcFb_l3VuoMb01w9DwmD9eHDeLaYgwTmttxcAyzXufS_u3xudZlC2tIXWlRdBas48e4Obwr40FIIEpBPRxPxBblzLrfgwlcGK7exhoBC1kH-c4/s400/IMG_7398.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">(A few naked painted bicyclists showed up!)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9H0E2c4ZoPVQCi-058rO2E6NkUT3ZHKIeK8xI6s7YYZJt-zJtIB9ORWZ2TFsALJn7uVBhJE8MTG_0Ql-5MfOi_p-h2qT2CeurtzmqTpwAK-gIkTJ4Iig_dQSqW15piFeIoR1MZi5Cds/s1600/IMG_7457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9H0E2c4ZoPVQCi-058rO2E6NkUT3ZHKIeK8xI6s7YYZJt-zJtIB9ORWZ2TFsALJn7uVBhJE8MTG_0Ql-5MfOi_p-h2qT2CeurtzmqTpwAK-gIkTJ4Iig_dQSqW15piFeIoR1MZi5Cds/s400/IMG_7457.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdC5PUAw2ZGmAlcdohEVwIDTaE_ll6eGB3YFM0a2FpzjE4C8oUoOkwYWLmr9p1qyDSKykrOPTlDTpVJA7-hMAkL4M-VDxayR1uUPncZ4d_rkoHm4-SBqHzWbZ0wsTn7_RJTxXbx4iMo8/s1600/IMG_7517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdC5PUAw2ZGmAlcdohEVwIDTaE_ll6eGB3YFM0a2FpzjE4C8oUoOkwYWLmr9p1qyDSKykrOPTlDTpVJA7-hMAkL4M-VDxayR1uUPncZ4d_rkoHm4-SBqHzWbZ0wsTn7_RJTxXbx4iMo8/s400/IMG_7517.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-8932974966129709932010-08-25T20:05:00.001-07:002010-08-25T20:12:17.754-07:00Running on the Pacific Crest TrailLarry, Laura, and I usually meet up to do a long run on Saturday mornings. In July Laura asked if I wanted to join them on a long trail run on the Pacific Crest Trail. Larry and Laura wanted to get some altitude and uphill training. I wanted to get a 12 mile run in. Even though I’m not a huge fan of trail running (yet), and I knew nothing about the trail, I decided it might be fun to do the run with them. It would be a little different and I would get to see someplace new. We got up early and started the long drive to the Snoqualmie area, picking Becky up along the way to join us for this particular run. <br />
<br />
We parked at the trailhead, applied bug spray, adjusted our hydration systems, and started running up the trail. Within the first mile I started to regret agreeing to this madness. I don’t know what I expected of this trail, but I just imagined an easy meandering trail with birds chirping, lovely forest shade, and maybe an occasional waterfall crossing. After we got back from the run I looked up the statistics and found out that this trail had a 2700 foot elevation gain in only 5 miles. And let me tell you, as if the elevation gain wasn’t hard enough to overcome, the terrain didn’t do us any favors either. Much of the trail was narrow and rocky. And as we got to the higher elevations, snow patches covered the trail at places and we had to carefully climb over the packed snow. I’d say I did much more hiking than running so that I wouldn’t trip over my feet and I could catch my breath from running uphill. But when we got to the top we were rewarded with incredible views; it was one of the prettiest trails I’d been on in a long time. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0UDkmDaxkWsVEWt7r4bL1BO9OE4AEeIavExTmBQXwIBGbjZQ8J2T6ZWpZZsO_RGpMvUpRZVsWjP76pp8XIScE8m5Tea2i6VUaySYKrmdQjp6R2x9g0FFGsgERzNgsCv4j0cR_r_O4Csg/s1600/Catwalk+at+the+top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0UDkmDaxkWsVEWt7r4bL1BO9OE4AEeIavExTmBQXwIBGbjZQ8J2T6ZWpZZsO_RGpMvUpRZVsWjP76pp8XIScE8m5Tea2i6VUaySYKrmdQjp6R2x9g0FFGsgERzNgsCv4j0cR_r_O4Csg/s400/Catwalk+at+the+top.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">If only that was the end of my story. But the day ended up being much more interesting than just a super-hard trail run. Shortly after we had turned around at the top of the trail to make our way back down, we came across one of the snow patches. The snow covered the trail, but the snow had started melting to make an extremely narrow muddy path right next to it. I carefully placed my foot in the mud, so as to not fall and also minimize getting my clean running shoes muddy, but the mud gave away and I started to slip. I lost control and started sliding off the trail and down the hill (some might say cliff). Larry tried to grab me and save me, but the momentum and gravity were too great to be conquered; Larry started sliding down the hill too. I was sliding on my right side and looking at Larry, who still had a hold of me. I couldn’t see much else, but I felt that we weren’t stopping; the hill/cliff was too steep. I was blindly grabbing the earth, hoping that I could grab a tree root or rock, but my hands only found more mud. Somehow Larry was able to turn himself around and could see down the hill. He spotted a rock and aimed for it. He hit the rock and the rock started sliding with us. But after a few seconds the rock lodged itself into the mud and we were able to stop with it. We sat there for a minute silently, processing what had just happened – we had slid off the trail and down a cliff for 20-30 feet. We decided that neither of us had serious injuries and we started the process of scrambling up the hill, with Laura and Becky guiding us and yelling out directions. We got to the trail again, covered in mud (so much for keeping my shoes clean), and assessed our injuries – just some bruising and scraped up arms and legs. We were incredibly lucky that we didn’t sprain or break anything and, come to think of it, we didn’t die either. I feel absolutely awful that I was the cause of Larry sliding down the mountain with me, but at the same time, I’m very glad he was there to help save me!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdVm37kBBQGoQb301xzv6ABe8uhH61Ew4fXeP2ZvitN0NR39wXwM2TymoZh2Me0CUChibubLUEfS67LKIOB_o7r3QfkxiNk6I-_gFqBRj0ixP4K31v9GMG4_D3yqGhIesyr4v70mtCxQ/s1600/Mud+-+Larry+and+I.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdVm37kBBQGoQb301xzv6ABe8uhH61Ew4fXeP2ZvitN0NR39wXwM2TymoZh2Me0CUChibubLUEfS67LKIOB_o7r3QfkxiNk6I-_gFqBRj0ixP4K31v9GMG4_D3yqGhIesyr4v70mtCxQ/s400/Mud+-+Larry+and+I.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">When it’s all said and done, I actually don’t regret the trail running that day. Sure it was tough, sure the fall was scary, and sure I was nursing my injuries for the next week. But you know what? The accomplishment of that day felt incredible. We ascended 2700 feet, made it above the tree line, survived a fall down a mountain, and ended up with a great story to tell about the 12 mile run that day. (I’m not ashamed to say though that the next weekend I ran a great 12 mile route in the suburban jungle that is Federal Way – paved trails and roads, no mountain cliffs!)</div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-11361043681971607572010-08-25T19:48:00.002-07:002010-08-25T20:11:32.783-07:00Rainier To Ruston Relay<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I’ve discovered a new joy in running – the relay team! Before I joined my running club I didn’t even know about relay races. When I heard “relay” and “running” in the same sentence I thought we were talking about a high school track meet and passing batons. But apparently there are grown-up relays that don’t involve the nerve-wracking baton hand-off. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The first weekend in June, on National Trails Day, I was part of a a 6-person team that ran the Rainier to Ruston Rail-Trail Relay. This race raised money for the Foothills Rails to Trails Coalition, which is attempting to create a contiguous, non-motorized, public trail from Mt. Rainier all the way to Tacoma. The relay is just over 50 miles and luckily is mostly downhill. There are 12 checkpoints/hand-offs and we all carefully calculated our 2 legs we would run weeks ahead of time. No uphills for me? Check! Reasonable mileage for each leg? Check! More solid terrain? Check! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJtUG3NPbM_cf-wDjwYUJ5hgQurZKT2SxiRsuVmiZLrGG2xRAjGsSMTUeiHH-mCYPjBGcsvb8CCNNV4PgzqiQozHpGcEVZ3IfEW3Hs559smLgVzyLF4OWKMX5QYomq0TLavgKx1P9Q3M/s1600/Rainier%2520to%2520Ruston%25202010%2520002%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJtUG3NPbM_cf-wDjwYUJ5hgQurZKT2SxiRsuVmiZLrGG2xRAjGsSMTUeiHH-mCYPjBGcsvb8CCNNV4PgzqiQozHpGcEVZ3IfEW3Hs559smLgVzyLF4OWKMX5QYomq0TLavgKx1P9Q3M/s400/Rainier%2520to%2520Ruston%25202010%2520002%5B1%5D.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The day of the race we met at 6:45am in Puyallup to carpool in two cars to the top of Mt. Rainier. The trunks of both cars were loaded with gear – extra clothes, extra shoes, lots of food and water, and all of our maps. Our team shirts were distributed (donated by a chiropracter who was friends with Ron; this means I'm a sponsored runner, right?!?) and signs were taped up on the back windshield that said “Runners on the Road.” We felt lucky that this Saturday happened to have gorgeous weather, but with the elevation gain, we were chilly by the time we arrived at the Mt. Rainier starting point. We didn’t have to wait too long for the start and Laura was our first person to run (she also ended up with the most elevation gain as well, but she seriously rocked those hills.) As we drove our cars to the next checkpoint, we stopped a couple of times along the way to cheer Laura on. As Laura arrived at the first checkpoint, Becky was ready to go. Laura ran under the checkpoint, rang a little bell that signaled she was done, and slapped Becky’s hand. Becky took off and ran the most technical part of the race on some serious unpaved, deep forest trails, which involved crossing rivers on fallen logs, running through mud pits, and even falling down a couple of times. I ran the third leg, mostly on unpaved trails and tried to avoid the copious amounts of mud and puddles. Katie ran the 4th leg, Molly the 5th leg, and then Ron ran the 6th leg. We essentially ran the next 6 legs of the race in the same order, with Molly and Katie switching it up. And Ron and Laura ran the very last leg to the finish line together. We ran a combination of unpaved trails, paved trails, neighborhood sidewalks, and even some soft sand along the Puyallup River. It took us approximately eight hours to run the entire trip. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuX61HwUkhqjtEShNYMM8bvNPkEH2LG9ElhYpC3eNyAOgqbiDBIVDj5tavWi635OXQfYFWcYdwEHqgmc9_Pf_ssEj8E-NAYDzRrYAvzqrv4NVdQ8rycB6pSEN9W-Rh1_YaiGPTnwigTFI/s1600/dscn0120%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuX61HwUkhqjtEShNYMM8bvNPkEH2LG9ElhYpC3eNyAOgqbiDBIVDj5tavWi635OXQfYFWcYdwEHqgmc9_Pf_ssEj8E-NAYDzRrYAvzqrv4NVdQ8rycB6pSEN9W-Rh1_YaiGPTnwigTFI/s400/dscn0120%5B1%5D.JPG" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt2kpwEQ3aJV68qbR66bgIk24MO69T-dQWkY2KSq7m_6llMlc-jmxhdo2-BM4aMdMlouimmDCGwLqMzAwnvRb0oIUbnh8L4inSfkWC05kGy5gaOMCJaTbsKEyDjHNHAy3hW0_gglQg5PY/s1600/IMG_7157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt2kpwEQ3aJV68qbR66bgIk24MO69T-dQWkY2KSq7m_6llMlc-jmxhdo2-BM4aMdMlouimmDCGwLqMzAwnvRb0oIUbnh8L4inSfkWC05kGy5gaOMCJaTbsKEyDjHNHAy3hW0_gglQg5PY/s400/IMG_7157.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFM6HE8Ea46Iq9gjyQ5CoRB6tnF1ZSyARv5wy9NYIXTv-zCkc-5wjYVVGq3vPuGbHfqmb0dp1xhiXmnaG6klemuCujBKvblgl1TKs5GMXHMAKdNdAnzl09EHf5adX8-OwvQIJbmpheJ-s/s1600/dscn0132%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFM6HE8Ea46Iq9gjyQ5CoRB6tnF1ZSyARv5wy9NYIXTv-zCkc-5wjYVVGq3vPuGbHfqmb0dp1xhiXmnaG6klemuCujBKvblgl1TKs5GMXHMAKdNdAnzl09EHf5adX8-OwvQIJbmpheJ-s/s400/dscn0132%5B1%5D.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfn7eIV7B6P1R9WtQlirN9hFNWh4eW92U4mDrZ2u4wQjSN2wHshGIlKwi3DX_DwBTV3TLI_t-MoDPTSFxPTlK09OHXhBPSou6eQRS9NReha3XY3hWrrDM5sTLyVAKoyodVM4i41otuNA/s1600/dscn0118%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfn7eIV7B6P1R9WtQlirN9hFNWh4eW92U4mDrZ2u4wQjSN2wHshGIlKwi3DX_DwBTV3TLI_t-MoDPTSFxPTlK09OHXhBPSou6eQRS9NReha3XY3hWrrDM5sTLyVAKoyodVM4i41otuNA/s400/dscn0118%5B1%5D.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I think the thing that surprised me the most about the relay was that I thought there would be a lot more downtime in between the running. In fact, I never once opened my magazines I had brought with me. As soon as one runner would take off and start their designated leg, the rest of us would pile into the cars, drive to the next checkpoint, and cheer on runners who were coming in. There was so much fun and excitement throughout the day! An eight-hour day of just running and driving never moved so fast! And at the end of the day, when we were waiting along the Tacoma waterfront for Ron and Laura to make it to the finish line, the clear weather allowed for perfect views of Mt. Rainier off in the distance. (In the picture look to the left above the Tacoma city buildings.) And we realized that we had actually run all the way from that beautiful mountain to Puget Sound. How cool is that? </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-XIDhGbSENOGXIVGbxMhBopK7oCbb-Z03iollcLuUve7eGV9GLTxWIehhY9IkPfVXd1lGRTx-KFO0OlX0nmn6wlH1PcxEOayIv1qS1jEIn7Yzdpm7McViUXJN0Y3iVE_3C9Hp2zJNO4/s1600/IMG_7205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-XIDhGbSENOGXIVGbxMhBopK7oCbb-Z03iollcLuUve7eGV9GLTxWIehhY9IkPfVXd1lGRTx-KFO0OlX0nmn6wlH1PcxEOayIv1qS1jEIn7Yzdpm7McViUXJN0Y3iVE_3C9Hp2zJNO4/s400/IMG_7205.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>So, relays are my new thing. I couldn't do anymore this summer because I've been trying to stick to a strict running schedule in preparation for my October marathon. But I will for sure try to run more next summer.Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377345832645999930.post-88160312949051131592010-08-19T21:35:00.001-07:002010-08-19T21:36:34.144-07:00House Repairs - Or Why I Am Glad I Am A RenterSo this year our nice little rental house is starting to show its age. For example, this winter some tiles in our shower started to separate from the wall. When we went on vacation our landlord came in to fix the tiles and found that the water damage in the wall was pretty severe. So instead of fixing a few tiles he ended up taking a few day to dry out the wall and re-tile the entire shower. Also, recently our kitchen sink was leaking pretty bad and then one day the handle just broke off, so he had to replace that too. (And before we moved in he replaced the hot-water-heater. In the first year we lived here he had to replace a window and fix the gutters.) But that's nothing compared to our little problem this May in the backyard. <br />
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We were working on our garden on one of the first nice days of the summer and discovered part of the yard/garden was extra squishy and seem water-logged. Our garden is surrounded by cinder blocks, and some of the cinder block holes had sitting water in them. Very odd. We decided to start experimenting. I went into the house and turned on the sink. Robb reported that the water started rising and then sunk back when I turned the sink off. I flushed the toilet, again the water in the cinder blocks rose and receded. I immediately went next door to report the problem to our landlord. He came over and took a look at our yard. We decided that a tree root must have burst a water pipe, which was causing the yard to flood. But it didn't make sense, water pipes would be in the front yard, going down to the street, not in the front yard. Robb and I asked the landlord if it was possible there was a septic tank in our backyard. He was adamant that the house hooked up to the sewer system in the '70s. He lived in the neighborhood as a teenager when the sewer system was put in and everyone was asked to hook up to it. He was pretty sure that the owner of our house had hooked up. Plus, we've been paying a sewer bill for the city. We asked our other neighbor who was outside at the time, and he wasn't sure. He thought that the former owner hadn't hooked up to the sewer system because it would have been too expensive for her. And, he reported, even if you don't use the sewer system, you still have to pay a sewer bill because you have the right/possibility to hook up. So, our landlord left that evening promising to call the city the next day to find out if we were sewer or septic. <br />
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The next day the landlord discovered that our house had never been hooked up to the sewer system. Yup, we have a septic tank. Not only that, but we have a septic tank that no one knew about for years and hadn't been pumped in decades. (A silver lining, even though we still have to pay a sewer bill, we actually had been overcharged. The city provided a refund for the months that we had already payed and our bill now is a lot lower.) So the landlord brought in a person who cleans septic tanks and she came and started cleaning the tank. At that time she discovered not only was the tank filled to the brim, but the overflow container and pipes had disintegrated, which caused our soggy yard problem. It had probably been broken for a long time, but our backyard soil is mostly soft sand that does a good job of draining water and waste. So the landlord now needed to bring someone in to fix the septic tank. It turns out if you live in certain areas now that have the ability to hook up to sewer, and your septic tank needs repairs, you can't actually fix the septic tank - you are required to hook up to the sewer system. Well that is quite expensive. Our landlord decided to bring in some professionals who were willing to fix the septic tank on the side (shhh!). <br />
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Unfortunately our garden was sitting right in the middle of the yard and on top of the septic tank. We had spent quite a bit of money last year buying nice topsoil, fertilizer, etc. We didn't have too many plants in the ground yet, so Robb used a shovel and wheelbarrow to move our entire garden to a tarp out of the way. (And he did it twice. The first time he put it in one part of the yard, but then was told that pipes would be put there. So he had to move it again.) The contractors came over one sunny afternoon with a small backhoe and new supplies to fix our tank. They dug up our entire backyard. There was hardly a blade of grass left and trenches were four feet deep. I tried to take pictures of the yard, but the contractors were concerned that there would be evidence of them there illegally. (Little do they know that I blog!) But, for some reason, the aforementioned contractors offered to let me drive the backhoe. And they even suggested that Robb take pictures. (Now why we couldn't take pictures of the illegal work in our backyard, but they encouraged pictures of an unlicensed operator on a serious piece of construction equipment, I will never know.) Operating that backhoe requires a fair amount of coordination. I managed to move one small pile of dirt and then let the men get back to work. They did a great job; all of the work was completed in less than 2 hours. The landlord then put out grass seed and our grass came up a few weeks later. And we had the opportunity to move our garden. Last year Robb placed our garden kind of in the middle of the yard, and I wasn't a huge fan of its location. So because our entire yard was dug up, we were able to relocate our garden to an area that made more sense and allowed for greater use of our yard. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Luckily, for Robb and me, this has turned out to be an interesting, light-hearted story. (I mean seriously, how did the landlord not know we had a septic tank!) But if we had owned this house we would be out thousands upon thousands of dollars. We don't have to pay a cent for repairs and we are so lucky for that. I know that a lot of people feel buying a house is an ultimate goal for young couples, but we feel comfortable renting right now. Not only do we not have to deal with outrageous house repairs, but we also have a lot more flexibility. We aren't tied down to this area; if we decide to apply for jobs someplace else we don't have to worry about selling a house first (which would be stressful in this economy). We are spending our money on other things right now that are more important to us than a down-payment for our own home, so I don't see home-buying in our immediate future. And if we ever do buy a home, you better believe we'll be triple-checking to see whether we're hooked up to a sewer system or have a septic tank! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONKrcZNJbtImSAtx4K93Gp-NP2RWs8f9IiqMQEWGu50cSd9sA3TMAZqo4tsW9s8v0AGXNIMT6Q9XjETHPbkDvZ0RR6xI5d2KC-lusClVoXynaDmjHsCE3KdIFrXozYWGoOKt8ccPc9Ew/s1600/IMG_3237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONKrcZNJbtImSAtx4K93Gp-NP2RWs8f9IiqMQEWGu50cSd9sA3TMAZqo4tsW9s8v0AGXNIMT6Q9XjETHPbkDvZ0RR6xI5d2KC-lusClVoXynaDmjHsCE3KdIFrXozYWGoOKt8ccPc9Ew/s400/IMG_3237.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>(I took this picture secretly from my kitchen window)</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDMhFVnDszb03a4VUmCdFCFp5PIlTjP7ei8YvZ0bhMrxGMg9Ae46qnJ_d4etO_JVmF7XetRlhFHt8rFNtYPBxK9NaxULWZnXTmF91K6pFaFDq-A8WBXc5Y-Mhovn8TFbIOvIlAi4NxZU/s1600/IMG_7114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDMhFVnDszb03a4VUmCdFCFp5PIlTjP7ei8YvZ0bhMrxGMg9Ae46qnJ_d4etO_JVmF7XetRlhFHt8rFNtYPBxK9NaxULWZnXTmF91K6pFaFDq-A8WBXc5Y-Mhovn8TFbIOvIlAi4NxZU/s400/IMG_7114.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>(Yup, that's me using heavy construction equipment. I look like a natural, don't I?)</em></div>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12470614048226206916noreply@blogger.com0