day numero uno in seattle

it came and went. the big trip. 8 days. what can i say. we hadn't been on a real vacation since our honey moon to seattle 10 years ago. we are so lame. we talked the whole time about our practicality. sigh. and how i am a homebody. i don't love being hot, so beach excursions are out. seeing how i am married to a red head, he whole heartidly agrees that beaches won't be our venue. but we haven't ever been so we can't knock it. i guess i am trying to say that seattle at 60-75 degrees was perfect for us.


day one was filled. i mean filled. driving. eating. eating.

the first sign of our vacation that indicated it was going to be good was being greeted by mt. rainier. i went on many business trips to seattle in my single days. the weather is a hot topic, also a hot topic, if you can or cannot see the ghostly volcano. guess what we saw everyday? not a cloud in sight for the first 5 days.

the above picture was taken from a little pull out in magnolia park. we weren't sure what to expect when we pulled up in this upscale neighborhood. we saw the park and didn't realize it was for parking and enjoying the view from your car. when we arrived there was only one other car there and the occupants of that car emerged from a staircase. we naturally thought that at the bottom of this staircase, there would be a dramatic view. on we plunged. 140 steps later, it was nothing but a private residential road. i was steadily contracting by the time we reached the bottom of the stairs. on the way up, i was doing the breathing of intense labor. it set the precedent for the trip. steps everywhere and contractions to match. i was up to 40-50 contractions a day, trying to keep a smile on my face and out of the hospital.

so, i turned to food for this trip as my happy place since getting anywhere seemed to be a challenge.

i did my research on the food, the scale doesn't lie either. it was a sad state of affairs after i weighed in this morning. sigh, sigh, scream. i have never gained that much weight on a trip. oh well. scotty even ran every morning along the shore and still gained almost as much as my vegetative self. so there.


the first day we sought out salumi. mario batali opened this one up. actually, we heard all kinds of locals contradict this. many say it is his parents that run it. regardless, his name is tied to this place.


the concept it meat. pig meat. on a sandwich, by the slice or by the pound. fresh mozzarella and other exotic cheeses. pasta, soup. it came highly recommended by every food critic i stumbled across. it didn't disappoint..


this was my dish of pasta with fresh basil and cherry tomatoes with a little balsamic and olive oil. it was so incredibly fresh and light. i loved it. below is scotty fully taken and smitten with his lomo sandwich. i mean smitten. it was all he could talk about the rest of the time.

the place is crazy wild. it is this hallway with a smashed in sandwich bar. after the register there is one table, family style. sit down, eat with locals and visitors alike. they have glasses for water and silverware in vintage anchovy crates. super cool. we opted to visit at 3 and 3:30 ( we went twice) and still had to wait in line 20 minutes. it is a hot spot, and i feel lucky to have eaten there. the hours are tuesday to friday 11-4. must go in seattle.

the rest of the day was spent enjoying the beautiful coast line. we were able to see incredible mountain ranges all around us. i didn't even know they existed because every time i had been there previous, they were hidden in the cloudy ocean mist.

we also partook in a greek place that isn't worthy of a review even though it came highly recommended. the roasted lamb sandwich was good, but nothing compared to salumi. also, the day of arrival, we checked into our hotel. i am a realist. truth be told. it stunk. literally and figuratively. it was right next to the housing authority of seattle. it was one with a kitchenette which is a great concept until the asian family showed up with 3 coolers full of food. every night the smell put me into tears. the bed was so hard after just a few minutes our behinds or sides would be numb. it was awful. really. my poor husband took full blame even though it was a joint decision about the hotel, we had no idea. we wanted to be close to the city without paying the price. boo. it was a good thing we had a bed and breakfast to look forward to in a couple of days.

ninety two

last week in my 3 hour mormon block of worship, a question was posed to the class as to a creation that testified of a god. you see, we were studying psalms, and so poetic and beautiful were the words, that the question was given to us as to what stirs our hearts and testifies. you can imagine the varied answers as many members of the class have grown up in different parts of the country. we heard beauty described in fireflies and swamps, mountains and red rock. one man made the comment that a newborn baby and the miraculous components of creation testify to him that certainly, for those few precious moments that heaven touches earth to bring this baby here, can reassure any human being that there is a god.





his sweet perspective stirred my thoughts to this lovely woman. as sweet as any baby coming to this earth, surely the latter years of a life well lived bring about the same emotions.

i was overcome with her beauty. the beauty of a life that leaves a wrinkle or two. the beauty of an evening spent with her, chatting in her backyard on a lawn chair, her wisdom overflowing. or perhaps a meal shared with her and her appreciation of the effort and taste as only one who has prepared her share of meals in 92 years can do. the wisdom of a life accumulated with trial and heartache and also the beauty of resilience and persistence to carry on. her face represents to me an unwavering belief that jesus is the christ, that god surrounds us, and that life is beautiful.

so, i declared that sabbath day that helen c. was my favorite creation. every day of her 92 year accumulation here on earth offers to me the beauty of a sunrise in the face of bounteous blessings and also the calm a sunset offers thru life's struggles. to her on this, her day of birth, i offer my heartfelt praise of 92 years well lived. my grateful heart for citizenship in a country that i love that wouldn't be possible if she hadn't had the strength to leave her country as a young woman to discover a new chapter and a new life. a life that proves that everything is as it should be.

i have immense hope in the face of life's ever abounding twists and turns that everything will be okay with the stalwart anchors she passes to each of us, her posterity, thru every trial prayerfully complete. how blessed i am to be able to claim her, my favorite creation. happy birthday grandma helen. to you i owe thanks to yet another precept and line added to my deep conviction of a loving father's creations.

his jobs are done

at the first trimester the house had to go on a little vacation. my attention to it became only the observation of the collecting dust and dishes. the sickness of that first few months overtook function a housewife performs. take out became a staple as touching food made me ill. scotty tried to fill in the blanks of my misery but we were falling apart. i tend to get blue and down when routine is abandoned and i can assure you that there was some blue around here. as soon as 18, 19 weeks ensued the light started to shine down. i could eat without hours of misery and the migraines were haulting. my signs that the ugh was over and the honeymooning phase was beginning. the not too big and feeling good part.

the second trimester has been met with other issues this time around. mostly, my body is worn out. the equipment is used and needs some tune ups apparently. a herniated disc, the S something or other joints (hips) are so bothered during pregnancy, and the split abdomen that was so apparent with the pumpkin belly shot.




that pumpkin apparently spilt my abs right down the middle, leaving a fist size gap. that apparently makes your back and hips hurt everyday when a new pumpkin is growing. scotty fixed me up with a brace to hold the pumpkin up, that helps but it leaves much to be desired in the fashion department. it is not something i can wear to the store, i just can't do it.

also on the list of no no's are bending and twisting, lifting of anything or even pulling. now, try to be a mother and house wife with that on your plate. i was determined i needed a housekeeper. alice sounds good to me, it worked for the brady's. but then the money phobia is brought into play. so, my nice husband stepped up and for the first time in his life took to scrubbing toilets. (insert gasp). it does help my cause that he helps repair herniated discs 4 days a week. he is well aware of the damage done from being a housewife with a pumpkin in tow. the laundry gets done and my floors get cleaned and steamed once a week. it has been incredibly hard. period. he already has a full time job.

the other day a friend called, wanting to see if we could accompany them to a local fireworks show. did we have anything going, were we busy? why no, in fact scott got all his jobs done last night and we are ready for a party. the receiving end of this conversation (a male) was quite giggly. i had to explain.

so, that is the situation at our house. my dear, sweet husband has realized the role his cleaning hands will play in the next few months until the egg has hatched and yes, i love him everyday for it....

10 years

yesterday we celebrated a 10 year milestone in the marriage department. it was very exciting. the milestone you know. big things for the ten year, right? no. not in my current state. i could've stayed home all day and enjoyed this phase of being a homebody, really. i am so laid back right now which is so unlike me. i usually dream of some culinary pleasure to go partake of on an occasion like this but with my blossoming middle my dreams usually come true on my own stomping grounds with all things familiar.

my kind husband has caught on to this and knew to take the day off and get a babysitter for the evening, not even daring to book a restaurant knowing my predicament. we ended up at our favorite japanese place and a movie. that seemed right. although my knee was bouncing thru the movie. something about vampires. i would've have much more enjoyed reading a good book for 2 hours, but it was in the name of celebration.

with all of the homebody{ness} in mind, my gift was quite crazy. number one, we are not gifters. we don't gift each other or really enjoy being gifted. it's crazy i know. now, i do love a thoughtful gift from a dear friend or family member. my last birthday was perfect and every gift given was spot on. this may make me sound ungrateful, i just have a money spending disorder. i hate spending money or money spent on me unless it is food. there, my darkest secrets revealed.

anyway, i woke early, and found the redhead showered and dressed with a note telling me to go to the computer downstairs. as i did, all kinds of thoughts cluttered my head. mostly, i was scolding him, reminding him of the gifting issue. he just smiled. i read a real fancy note from him and then read the part about going back to seattle for a week where we spent our honeymoon. the hook, line and sinker for me was how he asked me to join him at the Rhodie cafe on chuckanut drive. see, the food thing got me. this little cafe is other planet good. i can't even touch the beauty of being on the coast and eating at this place. it is heaven. and then the fact that i was trying to recall vacations we had taken in the past since our honeymoon. and i thought, yes. that one cruise, er well no. that one time we...... ugh. we did go to the wedding in milwaukee for 3 whole days and 2 nights, that was a first for us. so. the deal was sealed. i was in and i think scotty was as shocked as i was that i agreed, in my condition and all.

please don't be fooled into thinking we don't date each other or go on a yearly overnighter. we do, we do. we are great daters and are faithful to the once a year made possible by my parents christmas generosity. it is just the multiple day situation that gets me frenzied.

so in a few weeks, we will be northwest coast bound with kind grandmas picking up the slack at home. i am not taking any guilt into it either, it's pretty pathetic we haven't had a getaway since the honeymoon. i am fully aware that my growing middle will soon be a baby that will need me for a good 2 years. the no break, consume every ounce of you, two years. and, believe me, i am happy to oblige ;)