Congratulations Joan and Chris

Just when you thought it wouldn't happen to either of us...it happens to both of us in the same year. Chris proposed to my sister yesterday and she said yes. I am so happy for you Joan! Chris I look forward to having you a part of our family. Love you both!

Let's Get Sirius...Satelite Radio!

I got sirius satelite radio for the holidays! I really love it. It is going to help the long drives to and from work a little more enjoyable. Adam always knows what to get me.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Just like everyone at this time of year, I have been so busy. I started my new job a few weeks ago and I just love it. It is so great to be excited to go into work everyday and like what you do. My new team that I am working with is awesome, my supervisor is supportive, and the pay is also better! I am bursting!

I am almost done with classes for Fall. I finished my onsite class a week ago and I will be done with my online class this Sunday. It seems to have been a long quarter. I was very disappointed with one of my instructors and feel like I didn't get very much out of the class. I am hoping that next quarter is more productive. I will be taking managerial accounting and project management. I am going to take one online and one onsite again. It seems to work well with my life style.

Adam has been gone off and on a lot since Thanksgiving and things have finally settled down a little bit for him, PLUS he is home with me now. I am looking forward to being with him.

I managed to put up a Christmas tree this year and at one point I was decorating the tree while lighting the Hanukkah candles. I told Adam that he had to hurry home because Morgan and Maverick were confused. It is however plan to see that they were a bit scared of the tree and could really care a less about the candles.

Tomorrow night we are going on a shopping spree for our holiday gifts and I am looking forward to being in the midst of the holiday shoppers! Saturday we have four appointments at various venues for the wedding. I hope that we like one or more so that we can firm up a date and get this ball rolling. Then Saturday night it is off to Chelsea and Matt's annual Christmas Party. It will be so much fun as usual.

Forgive me if I have not been in touch in a while - I have been trying to adjust to the new job and the drive.

I wish everyone a very happy holiday season. This year let's hope for peace on earth.

Much To Be Thankful For

Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Lasky for a great vacation and holiday. Thank you Grammy for making the trip to the cold temperatures to see us. And thank you Mom and Dad for saving leftovers for us upon our return. Both meals were so fabulous!

Dress, Check - Check

I found my wedding dress! How exciting is that! Well for me it is really exciting, but perhaps not so for everyone else. It is nothing I ever thought I would wear and it is really fancy, but it looks so beautiful on.

Joan, my Mom, and I went on a search on Saturday and we were successful. Maybe I should have looked around more, but the price was right, it was unique, and it was exactly what I was looking for.

So, one thing is checked off the list, actually two - groom and dress.

Baltimore!

Greetings from the East Coast!

We are in Maryland this week visiting with Adam's parents and having a great time. It is so nice to be here after all that has happened these last few weeks...FYI, I have a new job at Microsoft! Anyway, it is time to relax and that is what we are doing. Adam's parents are such great hosts.

Today we went to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. It was so beautiful and we got to see so many cool fish and birds. This is a picture of the Aquarium.

Baltimore also has a great skyline. It is a mix of old and new.

Tomorrow Adam and I are going down to the Mall in DC to see the Air and Space Museum and the Native American Museum, then we will probably do some shopping in Georgetown.

Good Time Friends - Ben and Beth (a.k.a. Benjamin Franklin and Bethesda)

Beth and Ben are coming to Seattle for a visit! For those of you who do not know Beth and Ben, you are missing out! They are our good friends from Arizona, but originally they are from Wisconsin. We are so excited to have them and show them around the area. There will definitely be some laughs. We will take lots of pictures to document the event - as always.

Thank You All So Much

Thank you to everyone who has made our engagement so special. The cards, the parties, the emails, etc. are just out of control and make us feel so special. Now comes the hard part...the planning...date, location, people, dress, food, table arrangements, invitations, oh boy! It should be a thrill.

Some photos of the weekend

I think that this photo describes best why I love Adam so much. He makes me laugh all the time. This photo is from the night before the proposal at Kelly and Josh's wedding.So now about the proposal: I almost didn't have a camera to take pictures with because my batteries ran out. Luckily the little cafe on the island had some to sell.
Adam and I took a ferry over to Angel Island for the day to do some walking and see a different part of the bay area. We decided to go on a walk about the island. I really had no idea this was going to happen. I knew that it was coming, but I really didn't expect it at all. So we started our walk and the main goal was to find a place with a great view.

As you all know I really like taking pictures of plants and all of that. This is the great tree I was talking a picture of while Adam went off to find a look out spot. I heard him calling to me to come down to the location where he was.

As I made my way down to where he was I thought it looked so great I should take a picture. Little did I know...Once I reached where he was at we hugged each other and Adam told me how much he loved me, which is not unusual. Then he said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. I looked down and saw him holding the ring. I started crying. Then he got down on one knee and asked me if I would marry him. I said yes of course. Then we heard a noise, some rustling in the bushes and right below us we saw a baby deer. It was so close we could tell that it's nose was wet! I think it was a sign, and a good one at that.

This is the view from where we were standing when we got engaged. It was so perfect because no one else was around and it was just us and the baby deer.
Here is a picture someone took of us after the big event! As you can tell, I am pretty happy.
The greatest thing about the whole thing was that we shared this moment in San Francisco, in the outdoors. Two of our favorite places. San Fran has such a special meaning to Adam and I because we really do believe that is where we fell in love with each other.

I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with lovie. You are so great and you make me so happy all of the time.

I am getting married!

Adam proposed to me this weekend in San Francisco, on Angel Island, overlooking the city scape and the Golden Gate Bridge. I said yes of course and I am so happy. He is my love and my best friend.

I will write more about it later and include photos.

The best part is I was lucky enough to get his Grandmother's engagement diamond, handed down to Adam's Mom and then graciously given to me. Thank you Janet and Grammy!

I also want to tell my family how happy I am that Adam asked all of you for my hand and that you all said yes without hesitation.

We love you all so much.

New jeans? No, I've had these forever.

Put on a pair of jeans today that I haven't been able to wear in over a year.

Feels pretty sweet. I have almost reached my 10% goal, which is losing 10% of my initial weight.

Check this out:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/lose-weight-gain-tons-of-benefits

What I am reading, eating, and watching

I kind of liked how I did this before, so I though I would do it again!

Currently I am reading many books on management strategies and international law and economics for school. That is all kind of yuckie. In my spare reading time (how nerdy does that sound) I am reading MiddleSex. I bought it on the way to Arizona, but I just now started reading it. I really like it so far and I think I am going to learn a lot from it. The book is about a Greek American family but focuses on one of them who happens to be a 41-year-old hermaphrodite. The book was written by the same author of the Virgin Suicides. You can see the similarities.

I am still keeping up with weight watchers and as of today I have lost 12.4 pounds, which is a little over a pound a week since I started. It feels good. Last night I made Chicken Parmigiana sandwiches with roasted peppers and broccoli. The roasted peppers were really good, but a pain in the butt to make. The sandwiches were easy. I took two chicken breasts, low fat Italian salad dressing, bread crumbs, marinara sauce, bread, and mozzarella. Coat the chicken in the dressing, cover it with bread crumbs (both sides) and put in the oven at 400 for 15 minutes. Then put the marinara sauce over the top and bake for another 5-10 minutes. Once it is baked take it out and put it on two low cal slices of bread and cover with part skim mozzarella cheese. It is the bomb. Adam wanted seconds. Also, you can take the left over marinara and put it on top of the broccoli.

I am not watching anything too enthralling now. The Closer is over for the season and so is Monk. Adam and I do enjoy watching Criminal Minds on CBS at 9:00 on Wednesdays, I usually can't stay awake that late. Of course we love The Office - "that's what she said."

The Shakedown

Thanks for a fabulous weekend Adam and for experiencing our very first "Shakedown" together. This is the view from the "Shakedown" lot looking at the theater.

More photos to follow.

Our fun filled weekend downtown

We are heading for a fun weekend downtown! Adam and I are going to see Wide Spread Panic at the Paramount theater (pictured below). Check out WPS at http://www.widespreadpanic.com/
Then after the show we are going to the historic Camlin hotel (now called something else) to the Cloud Room Lounge on the top floor. The Camlin is a very distinct landmark in the Seattle skyline.
We are staying the the Alexis Hotel right by some great pubs and shops in downtown. I can't wait! It is going to be so much fun. Thank you Mom for watching the puppertons for us! We love you.

Go Dawgs

Huskie taligating - a Job Family affair. Above you see my brother Bill talking politics with Adam and posing in his typical "let me tell ya somethin' Adam" stance. My older brother, Pat, was also at the game. It is so nice to have the "old Pat" back. I am very proud of you big brother.

Joan's friend Jill and her boyfriend Garret set-up the whole tailgate party and coordinated a great "show".
Joan, Jill and I smile with our jello shots...I guess they smiled. I was under the impression it was going to be an action photo.
My nephew Jake decided to come spend some quality time with his aunties and talk some trash to the surrounding USC fans! Jake is a great kid and I love spending time with him. I am looking forward to going to some of his football games this fall.

I am so happy to be back in the Northwest, with my family, going to football games at my alma matter, and having Adam with me to share these special times!

Keep em' crossed

I need your thoughts and postive vibes as I try to get out of my current situation. I am feeling good about things.

Too busy to think

Is this week over yet?

I just can't seem to find a positive thought this week for work and it does not seem to be getting any better.

I start school next week and I wonder how I will be able to handle everything with what is on my plate already. I know it will be fine and that I like to get worked up about things, but I just feel a little overwhelmed.

Adios Suckers

Can you tell I am eager to get out of town (again) for a while?

Adam and I will be spending the next few days in blistering hot Phoenix, AZ! I can't wait. I can't believe it has almost been a year since we left. I have not been very good at keeping in touch with everyone, but they have still agreed to see me!

We are going to be spending time with many great friends, lounging by the pool, visiting our old haunts, and of course, enjoying some Sun Devil Football! We are staying at the Pointe South Mountain Resort. The resort is in a great location and very close to where Adam used to live.

I will be posting pictures from our adventure for sure. As Cadi says, "gotta document the day" and I plan on doing so.

Happy Birthday Heather

Thank you for your friendship. I hope you have a beautiful day.

Are you ready for some football?

I am!




I don't know what happened but I actually like football. I am keeping my fingers crossed for the Huskies today as they take on Boise State. Right now they are up and just sacked the quarter back! It would be a big boost for their confidence if they won today.




Today Adam and I started off with coffee and an omelet, then the gym and going our separate ways for a bit. I went shopping for some sunny gear for our upcoming trip and Adam went to REI (big surprise).


Now we are back at the house relaxing. I am just so happy to be home with Adam today watching football and enjoying each others company. This evening we will be cheering on Adam's Alma mater, Arizona State! Next week we will be there to cheer them on in person.

Sweet as a Georgia Peach!

Karin and Bill's wedding was the best. They thought of everything and everyone. I had the chance to meet a lot of people, both family and friends. I had the most wonderful time and really enjoyed spending time with Adam and his family. Here are a few pictures.

Paul, Adam, Karen, Janet, and Grammy at welcome dinner. Stone Mt. is in the background.

Adam and I at the welcome to town dinner.

Adam and Cousin Bret at the hotel lounge.

Adam walking Grammy to her seat at the wedding.

Adam and I at the wedding.

Georgia on My Mind

I have had a headache all day and I am ready to get the hell outta here. I came in today really happy after an awesome time at the Highpoint ropes course (where I jumped from a forty foot ledge off a tree), and I felt like I could take on anything. I was wrong. Almost immediately my energy was zapped and I was back to where I was on Tuesday.
LUCKILY we are leaving for Atlanta tonight and starting the four day weekend and wedding activities.
Here is where we will be staying: http://www.evergreenresort.com/
Which is right beneath this:

Stone Mountain with the resort in the forefront!

I can't wait to share my photos with you.

Has it been ten years my friend?

Ten years ago I went on THE adventure of a lifetime. My good friend Amy and I went and traveled through Europe for five weeks and learned a little bit about life and ourselves. I was hiking through the woods on Saturday and it dawned on me that it was exactly ten years ago on the 25th that we embarked on this adventure. At the time I don't think I could fathom the enormity of the event. It really is hard to put into words how much it impacted my life.



This is my Amy, friend and travel partner



Our first stop, Amsterdam, Netherlands - where we first met Amstel Light~


Our fourth stop, Sevilla, Spain - our first, and possibly only Bullfight.

Our sixth and favorite spot, Ios, Greece - a vacation within a vacation! Great food, great wine, great dancing, and great people! We spent some time at that beach, too much time, we actually almost didn't make it to our departing flight in Amsterdam. Thank you Amy, for sharing such a defining time in my life.

What I am reading, eating, and watching

A few weeks ago our neighbor was having a garage sale and Adam and I walked over to see what treasures we might find. I found a copy of the book "The Power of One". I had never read the book before, but I watched movie in 7th or 8th grade and loved it, which says a lot because I didn't like much then.

This book is awesome. Luckily I cannot remember much about the movie, so it is keeping my attention and I feel like I am learning something about South African History. Colonization and the effects of decolonization really interest me and have since I started studying Anthropology and American Indian Studies.

Now that I am counting my way to the skinny life, I have been experimenting with a lot of new recipes from weight watchers and it has been really successful. Last night I made flat bread Pizzas. All you need is whole wheat tortillas, pizza sauce (trader Joe's has a fat free type), healthy Canadian bacon (from trader Joe's), green pepper, onion, dried oregano, and part skim mozzarella. Just cook up the green pepper and onion, put the sauce on the tortillas (you could broil them briefly to keep them crisp), then put on onion, pepper, Canadian bacon, oregano, and cheese (less than 1/4 cup per tortilla will keep it low calorie). I just pop it in the oven on 375 for ten minutes and bam....easy and good!

I am now officially addicted to "The Closer" on TNT (Can I get paid for this kind of advertisement, Bill Calen). Kira Sedgewick is such a great actress and I love crime dramas. I suggest giving it a chance this summer while everything else is a rerun.

Well that is what I am up to in my not-so-spare time. In one more week we will be journeying to Atlanta to Karen and Bill's wedding. I can't wait to meet more family and celebrate this precious event.

M.C. New Bike

What a great weekend! Saturday we drove up to Vancouver, B.C. to get Adam's new bike! We decided to document the day. Here are several pictures.

Adam likes to get an early start...

Morning breakfast at Zin in Vancouver on Robson Street.

Arrive at "Different Bikes" in North Vancouver.

The inaugural ride

A Happy man and his new bike!

Then we waited four hours to get back across the border, that was not so fun.

Have You Met the Pups?

My Mavie doodle doo My pumpkin pie, morgs
Soaking up the morning sunInstead of going to the gym tonight we took Morgan and Maverick on a nice walk. They are the best. They always make me smile. I am so glad that we have them. My sister even likes them!

Birthday BBQ

Saturday we had a Birthday BBQ for my best friend Chelsea. It was so much fun. Here you see Chelsea blowing out her birthday "cupcakes". We actually sang to her twice that night.

Adam cooked some great hot dogs and hamburgers. In the picture below Adam and Chelsea's husband Matt have a little "guy time" by the grill.

Another great friend of ours, Cassie, was in town from Montana to visit her new niece. Luckily we were able to spend some quality time with her. Cassie, Chelsea, and I have been fiends since we were in the 7th grade. Cassie is the next friend of mine to be getting married next June. I can't wait to celebrate that special day with her. Cassie and I were locker partners in the 7th grade and college roommates, so we have always been close even though she has often lived far away.
I love this picture of my sister. Joan has a great "silent" laugh. It is the laugh she does when she is laughing so hard no sound comes out of her mouth. It is usually followed by tears of joy from laughing so hard. All and all it was a great time. The evening led us to a cab ride to our neighborhood pub where we engaged in some karaoke and dancing. The next morning Cassie and Adam went on a bike ride while my sister and I explored some new trails by Tiger Mountain. While we were hiking I identified a Maidenhair Fern (pictured below). I was really excited because I had never seen one before and there it was all over the place in this part of Tiger Mountain. The stems are almost black in color and it is just so delicate looking. I often bring my botany book out with me when we go hiking. I love identifying native plants and learning the names of all the beautiful things that grow around me.

Just Say No...to the Friday Donut

The Dean of the Math/Sciences Division always brings in donuts for all the office staff on Fridays. The donuts are so good. They are also filled with calories. Almost 500 for a cake donut with frosting and sprinkles...my favorite!

Well folks, I am here to tell you that today, I said no to the Friday donut. It really is the accomplishment of the week.

I am so glad that it is Friday. I am really looking forward to a great weekend. Today I am going out to lunch with my Mom and then heading home to greet Adam from his overnight trip from San Fran.

I hope you all have the power to say no to your "Friday Donut" whatever it maybe. It feels good to be in control.