Monday, November 26, 2007

Impromptu trip to Seattle

Some interesting landscape we passed by on the way back to the hotel.
The famous Pike Farmer's Market in Seattle.
There's a good view of Mt. Rainier--taken from my camera (and Kyle said his was better--see later picture of Rainier further down the entry).
Again, another picture of Rainier from my camera.
We decided to sit inside the Needle because out on the ledge was oh so cold and windy!
Get a load of the Christmas decor inside the Needle.
We got a nice little old lady to take our picture together.

This was before the roads got really snowy and messy. We couldn't get any pictures of the way over to Seattle because it was dark. We saw a pretty lake/body of water on the way home and the clouds are pretty ominous looking.
This was the type of weather we got on the way back home.


Our hotel was just located about 0.3 miles from the Space Needle.
Just before we went up in the Space Needle.
View from the Space Needle. Mt. Rainier is located just behind those tall buildings, although you can't really see it--we needed a professional camera in order to really get a good quality view of Rainier.
The very first Starbucks located in the Pike Market. The coffee tastes the same though.
Seattle nightscape.



So, yesterday we were trying to figure out what we wanted to do. Kyle felt like doing something or going somewhere. Finally, we decided to go traveling. We decided we'd either go to Portland or Seattle and since we thought of the Space Needle, we decided to go to Seattle. I had previously planned to go with Prithvi to the gym dance class at 4:30 and I didn't want to just cancel on her at the last minute, so we didn't leave for Seattle until about 6:40pm--and it takes about 7.5 hours to get there!! You do the math. We pulled into the hotel about 1:30am (pacific time). On our way there, we saw so much snow in the mountains in Oregon and in Washington. It was beautiful, except we couldn't see much but what we did see was pretty amazing. Neither of us are used to seeing this much snow (or any snow at all) in November! It got pretty dangerous though while we were in our last few legs of our travel. There was dense fog and it was tough to see the road in front of us! I was a little stressed while Kyle was driving because at night, it's even scarier--anything can jump out of the woods into the road! Plus, it always feels like we're going faster than we really are. We were both worn out by the time we finally reached the hotel and we checked in and pretty much went straight to bed at about 2am.

We woke up this morning about 8am (pt) and ate our free breakfast and then got ready for the day. We walked to the Space Needle, which was only about 1/3 of a mile away from where we were staying. It's really not as pretty as you would think. It was opened at the World's Fair in 1962 and it was originally painted in (get these color names): Astronaut white, Orbital olive, Galaxy gold, and Reentry red. However, a member of royalty (I forgot his name) said he didn't like the colors because it reminded him of a bridge he'd seen. So, the colors were just changed to gold and white. The elevator we rode up to the top in reminded me of that golden capsule elevator in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the old school one with Gene Wilder--I LOVE THAT MOVIE)! The elevator shot up at a whopping 10 mph and then we were at the top of the world! Unfortunately, I didn't bring the camera cords to upload the pictures with so I'll add them when I get a chance once we get home, so stay tuned. Anyway, we got up to the top and we could see Mt. Rainier!!! I had always read in school about this infamous mountain but now I could actually see it! I was excited and it was just covered in all this snow! It looked so majestic. Kyle overheard a lady say that you can only see this mountain 1/3 of the year and so it was so nice to be able to see it this time. It was so windy and cold at the top of the Needle and it was kinda hard for me to be out there--it kinda made me dizzy to be out there at the very top while it was so windy. Whenever I'm that high up in the air, I always imagine that the wind is going to get so strong that it'll make me fall over or drop something from the top---even just writing about this makes me almost dizzy! There's a rotating restaurant in the Needle and I thought about possibly going there to eat, but it's probably just really overpriced food and who knows if it's even good! Oh well. We spent probably about 30 minutes up there and then decided to go back down to earth.

We went back to the hotel and we got into the car because one of Kyle's college buddies who graduated a couple of years ago is now working at Microsoft. We wanted to go visit him for a little bit. We toured the campus of Microsoft and went into the visitor center and the company store. After that, we ate lunch in one of the many cafeterias. The food was really good! I had a nice, big salad and a cup of fruit salad. The fruit was so fresh tasting and that's pretty rare for some cafeterias. Usually the grapes are really mushy and the pineapple is kinda dried up but noooo, not this fruit salad! We ate and visited awhile and then finally Herman (Kyle's friend) said he had to get back to work but not without a little more of a tour. We went driving around the campus and lo and behold! you know those little blue and green people that MSN messenger uses? There were 2 huge cardboard cut-outs of them displayed on the corner of one of the streets. Herman took a picture of Kyle and me posing with the two figures. After the driving tour, we dropped Herman back at his building and we headed back to the hotel.

We got out of the car and walked to the Pike Place Farmer's Market. It was so cool! One big farmer's market selling so many different things but not limited to: fresh veggies, fruit, fish, crab legs, crafts, tshirts, different types of ethnic foods (you could smell all sorts of spices floating around), coffee, and your token junk that you'd only buy in the heat of the moment and then end up throwing it away a year later or less. Because it's Seattle, we were there at the market for about 30 minutes and it started to drizzle/rain. We went into the original Starbuck's and ordered a drink. Then after the coffee, I convinced Kyle that we should buy a triangle of baklava and share it. It was heavenly! I loved every nibble I took! *sigh* I'm gonna have to try and make it some day. I think I might have the recipe in my Weightwatchers cookbook. Anyway, after baklava, we decided it was time to go back to the hotel because the rain was becoming a little more steady. We high-tailed it back and warmed back up in our room. Herman said he'd take us to a good restaurant when he got off of work so now we're just waiting for him to get off of work.

We head back to Idaho tomorrow and we'll probably get back hom in the late afternoon/early evening time...just in time for me to wash what I took to Seattle and repack it for my trip to ATL on Wednesday. I have to get up really early on Wednesday morning at about 4:40am so I can catch my 7am flight. I'll get into town at about 3:22pm (et). Can't wait! Oh and like I said earlier in the post, I'll try and upload the pictures from this trip when we get home tomorrow evening. Til then, hope you have a great evening! :)

Friday, November 23, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving! (a day late)




Well, wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving--even though I'm a day late, but you're probably still eating the food, right? So, it's okay to be a little late. So, did anyone take part in "Black Friday" today? I actually had never really put in the effort to get up REALLY early but today was the day. I got up when Kyle got up and when he left at about 5:45am, I left also and headed to the mall. I thought it was gonna be a huge mistake because the lines of cars entering the mall area was backed up really far.

Actually it wasn't so bad. I found a parking space and JCPenney wasn't that badly crowded at 6:00am. I found a couple of things that I had been wanting (clotheswise) and ended up being able to buy it in a size smaller! The pants were main thing that I was able to downsize! I had been wearing a size 14-16 in pants and now I can fit in a 12 comfortably so far! That probably depends on the cut of the pant too because we all know that some things fit better than others depending on brand and apparently color sometimes. I got 2 sweaters from IZOD (pink and blue). I wanted a green, but they didn't have one in my size in that color. I left Penney's and went to Borders and bought Kyle a movie he'd been thinking about watching (it was on sale for a good low price so I figured if he ended up not liking it, it wasn't like I spent $15-20 on it). I left the mall and got back home around 7:15 and went back to sleep--HA!

But then I went back out because I needed a pair of khaki pants/trousers/slacks (however you want to call them). My good ones that I already had got ink on them and I was bummed, but I think it turned out for the best since I ended up getting an even BETTER pair at Kohl's! There wasn't much parking at Kohl's today. It was more crowded and the lines stretched all the way to the back of the store. I started to wonder if it was a mistake going there but it turned out that I got some good stuff--I even got a nice dress up sweater blouse for the wedding I'm attending! It's a blouse that I never would've thought about buying in the past because of being so self-conscious about my tummy but it really looks good on me! I bought a nice dressy black purse and my khaki pants. I also bought Kyle some more boxer shorts because the ones he has now have holes in them--it's time for new underwear, Kyle!! I would've bought him a nice sweater and nice slacks but he said he wants to be there when we get him clothes. He has to approve. :) *Sigh* I just wish I could have that extra $5,000 that Stacy and Clinton give you to buy just clothes on that show, "What not to Wear"! There's just so many things I could buy and want to buy! Especially since I have been learning some stuff from their show about what to look for in pants and jeans and blouses. I know...I have to think realistically...not everyone can be that fortunate!

Well, the last thing that Kyle said to me before I left to go shopping was, "Don't spend too much money!" In my opinion, I didn't spend too much, but we'll see. BUT I got stuff that can be worn with different things and I also bought him some stuff that I knew I could buy without him being there. I think I spent around..hmmm...around $170 today. I hope he doesn't think that's too much because I really like the stuff I bought, and he even said that he didn't require much new clothing so can I make up the difference on me? Especially since I'm gonna need more clothes in a smaller size and I'm gonna have to start bagging up stuff that I'm not gonna wear anymore!

Last night I made our Thanksgiving dinner. I made a honey-glazed ham, sweet potatoes, greenbean casserole and a pumpkin pie. The recipes for the side dishes are as follows:

Sweet Potatoes:
4 yams (or you can use the canned stuff, which is way easier)
3/4c. non-fat coconut milk (or lite)
1tbsp butter
Mix all together (after mashing the yams and heat them in the microwave)

Cornbread dressing:
1 lb. sausage (hot or mild)
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
5 cups dry, day old bread cubed
5 cups crumbled cornbead
2 tsp. rubbed sage
1 tsp. marjoram
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2-3 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp. butter or margarine

Cook sausage in a large skilled until brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Saute' onion and celery in remaining sausage drippings until tender. Combine sausage, sauteed vegetables, bread cubes, cornbread, sage, marjoram and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Blend well and moisten with chicken broth, Place in a greased 13X9 baking dish and dot with butter. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and baked for 10 more minutes or until golden brown.
(recipe compliments of Mom)

Greenbean casserole:
You can find it on the side of French's Fried Onions.

Pumpkin Pie:
Well, it's store bought. I got it for free.

I was so proud of myself for making that dinner. It really did look like a Thanksgiving dinner! We ate by candlelight for that little romantic touch just cause I wanted to. :) Anyway, I guess that's about it for now.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

The promised party pics

Here are Tanya (left) and Prithvi looking at catalogues.
Tonya (left) and Kim also looking at catalogues.
Gayle (left) and Rusti (the consultant) discussing orders.
It's night-night time for Tiger. He's pooped after the party.

Snow!

This is the first time I've posted to this blog, but Jen insisted these pictures need to be up before she gets home from work. This morning it snowed! It stuck for a little while on the grass and rooftops, but now it's turned to rain. It wasn't cold enough to stick on the streets. I've never heard of a white Thanksgiving!



















Saturday, November 17, 2007

The Party

Well, I had my party last night and guess what happened? The stupid bird came back into our house! He came in about 5:40pm or so--right before the possibility of people starting to show up. Thank goodness I had the house already set up and ready! I got the bird out finally but it took a little longer than the morning incident because Kyle wasn't there this time.

The party went well. There were several things to eat that people had brought and it was all tasty! Everyone had a good time and we got to be pampered too. I have a couple of pictures of the guests and I'll put them up in a little while. :)

Friday, November 16, 2007

Exciting morning!

This morning was crazy! I was still asleep early this morning when I heard Kyle yell at me from the living room. I jumped out of bed with sleep still in my eyes and I was wondering what the heck had happened. I thought for sure that someone was in the house or something had caught on fire...well, neither of those situations were true. What happened was: Kyle went to get the paper for the day and when he opened up the front door, there was apparently a bird sitting on the porch and at that same moment he opened the door, the bird FLEW INTO THE HOUSE! I've never really seen Kyle come unglued like he did--it's like he couldn't even think straight--just kept yelling and screaming and running around the living room...HAHAHAHA....I was the voice of reason for once and I grabbed the broom out of the front closet and started after the bird to try and shew it out. That wasn't working. I had Kyle open the back door and I opened the front door so it'd have somewhere to fly. Still wasn't working. Finally, I figured out what the bird wanted--light. It kept flying at the lights like a moth and so I had an idea.... I told Kyle to turn out the lights and I would turn on the light on the back porch. The bird sat perched on the dining room hanging lamp and I went after it and sure enough, it flew out of the house! Talk about your excitement at 5am! What an adrenaline rush! Well, more of a rush for Kyle seeing as though he was so distraught that he couldn't even make his lunch and decided to go out to lunch at work...hahahaha...gotta love him.

I wish we could've taken pictures, but I guess we were too concerned with getting the bird out of our house.

Friday, November 9, 2007

I don't want to paint anymore!!!

If I never paint another door or doorframe again--it'll be too soon! Talk about the most tedious work ever!!! I guess it's all worth it though when I'm finally finished. I'm almost done with my last door in the hallway--only thing left now is the closet door in the entry and the front door, although, I'm only gonna paint the inside part that we see from inside the house. I think that'll look okay. I saw it somewhere else, I think. As long as I do it neatly, it shouldn't be a problem, right?

Our house since we've gotten pretty much settled...

Our dining room area.
Curio cabinet that was thankfully there to store extra glassware.
Our front room/formal sitting room...we're planning on putting one or two nice leather chairs in there and a desk on the other side against the other wall--just one thing required--extra money... :)
Our front door (I still haven't mastered the whole getting pictures in order)
Guest room with wicker desk and painting on the wall from Bobbie Campbell.
Guest bathroom (it's a blue color theme--planning on painting the walls at some point).
Inside the office.
Going into the office.

A closer look at the sofa/loveseat/ coffee table.
The entryway/foyer.
Another view of the livingroom.
Livingroom again with cat in the picture.
Guest room bed--it's ready for our next guests!


Thursday, November 8, 2007

Our baby lost his tooth!

This is what I found lying on the futon tonight. Tiger lost a baby tooth! (eeewww). I guess now the tooth fairy owes him a toy! :)

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Fall in Idaho...a short walk in the foothills (continued...plus a couple of Halloween pics)

As you can guess, Kyle was a beer bottle for Halloween.
Guess what I was?
(Mew)

A view of the foothills scenery behind me.
Looking to the future, I guess.
That's the governor's mansion way back there with the flag.
I just thought this tree was cool!
A little bridge over some water.


Looking from the top on the houses and pond.

Kyle thinks this steep, bumpy incline might be used for high school cross country, but I think it would way too dangerous because of the slippery dirt.


Look how high up we are!





The Boise cityscape in the distance.





Just starting out on our walk.
A steep incline that looked scary, but it wasn't so bad.

These steps look daunting, but they actually weren't that bad either. We just kept tripping on the metal stair forms. Kyle actually kinda fell and ended up ripping the knee out of his jeans.

So this is what the area looks like in the Fall. Clearly there aren't as many colors as the Southeast had in the mountains and whatnot, but it's still got some colors and it's just as beautiful. :) Plus, the temperatures here are MUCH cooler--today's supposed to only be in the mid 50's.