MDW - Monday

Monday was a super productive day for getting some house projects done. Clint headed home that morning (he was scared of my "honey-do" list), and Mom headed over (the true "honey"). Clint was actually headed out for another bike ride to train with his friend Matt who is also doing the triathlon in July. I winced at the thought of getting back on my new bike, so they were better off without me to slow them down.

Mom showed up with Taco Time for lunch (she's the best) and ready to work. We started in the bedroom and got the new bed frame prepped and painted along with finishing the last coat on the headboard and dresser as well. I decided to go with white for my dresser (sorry Colleen and Kylee). I figure I can always repaint with a bright color down the road...but thought it would be easier to go from white to a color than the other way around. We also got the handles of the dresser spray painted gray, I'm loving how everything is turning out and coming together. I also found a nightstand (on Craigslist of course), but that is still on the to do list. It needs to be sanded first before painting, and then I'll change the knobs to some that I found at Anthropologie.

ready to paint

Craigslist find

We then moved on to the entry way, and Mom helped me assemble the piece of furniture I got from Ikea to put there. It ended up being more work than I thought since it only has two legs! You have to bolt it to the wall so it doesn't tip over, which I was unaware of. Fortunately we got that sucker into a stud so it should be sturdy. I also spray painted an old mirror I had (from gold to "hammered black") to hang above it. The bottom two drawers pull out to store shoes, so handy!

After I exhausted Mom, she headed home and I made a trip to Target. That store is such a trap. I always end up with more than I go for. I did find some good stuff though, including a set of cheap bar stools. I plan on finding fun fabric to recover them with, but for now they will work great.

I love getting things crossed off my list, and after Monday I cut the list in half. Getting closer to having the new place ready for a housewarming!

MDW - Sunday

After our bike riding adventure the day before, we had ourselves a lazy (and gluttonous) Sunday. We headed down the street to the Luna Park Cafe to try out their breakfast. Ever since I moved close by, I've been wanting to stop in to this funky little restaurant that claims to have the best milkshakes in Seattle (still need to go back and try one). The place is pretty retro and has some cool decorations. We got the corner booth by the window and ordered some drinks (it was a holiday weekend after all...). We also found a book on Luna Park, and learned some cool West Seattle history. Apparently it was an amusement park (much like Coney Island in NY) just off of Alki. It was burned down (twice actually, after being rebuilt), which is unfortunate cause it looked like it could be a fun place to still have around. Our breakfast was delicious, we'll definitely be back.

mimosa, red beer (PBR and tomato juice),
and a history lesson

We then headed back to my place and finished watching the last few episodes of Entourage season 8 (while finishing off a package of Red Vines). So sad that we're done and will never have another new episode to watch. But, I am happy to hear that the rumors of an Entourage movie seem to be true!

We continued our laziness and headed to the movies to see the Hunger Games (sorry Anne). I had a couple free passes from work, and it happened to still be playing at the Regal theater downtown. I've read all three books (the first two twice now...), so I've been pretty excited to see the movie. I really enjoyed it, and Clint seemed to be entertained as well besides it being a little slow for him in the beginning (guess he just wanted to get to the fighting to the death part). We also indulged ourselves in the largest tub of popcorn available, and even got a free refill on the way out...fat kids.

I've been holding on to a Groupon to BluWater Bistro that expires this month, so we headed to the one on Leschi for dinner after the movie. It was a little fancier than I remember, and a good thing we had a whole $60 to spend. We got a ribeye and a chicken pasta dish and shared the two. Then of course we had to finish the meal off with a chocolate chip cookie baked in a cast iron skillet smothered with vanilla ice cream, nom. We rolled ourselves out of the restaurant back to the car (where the tub of popcorn awaited us).

view from restaurant

Back home we played around with the Xbox Clint got all set up for me. We got the Kinect working too, but that would have required too much energy to play. Clint wanted to show me everything the Xbox can do, but I just wanted to customize the avatar to have a cute outfit. We did get it hooked up to my Comcast account though, so now I can watch HBO and all my other cable channels right from the Xbox. Pretty cool.

Sufficiently stuffed from gorging myself all day, it was time to hit the hay.

MDW - Saturday

Saturday morning, Clint and I excitedly woke up to head to the bicycle shop to buy ourselves some new bikes! I've been thinking about buying a new bike for quite a while now. It should be a fun way to get a workout, and going on bike rides will be something fun for Clint and I to do together. Clint is also racing in the Seafair Sprint Triathalon, so he has another reason to get into the sport.

We headed straight over to the Montlake Bicycle Shop. Clint had already done plenty of research and test rides, so he knew exactly which bike he was getting. I hadn't started the looking process yet, so I got the run down on the different bikes from the sales guy. After hearing what I wanted to use the bike for, he showed me a few that I took out around the neighborhood to test out. It was easy to pick my favorite...it was the most comfortable to ride, the cheapest, and of course the cutest. We were so excited with our new purchases that we headed straight over to the Burke Gilman trail to break them in.

pretty new bikes, the colors even match!

We parked in the UW parking lot right next to the trail, and set out for our first ride.

Make shift bike rack

We weren't quite sure how far we were gonna go (hence the jeans). We just wanted to be out in the sunshine riding our new bikes. Our first stop was at a teriyaki shop just past U Village before we got out too far. After getting ourselves fed, we were back on the trail. Before we knew it, we were in Kenmore (about 10 miles). We rode by what looked like an old nursery, but they had a live band playing and people outside drinking beer. This quickly got our attention and we pulled over for a pit stop.

192 Brewing Company

Clint locking up the bikes with
the rest of the biker gang

cute outdoor seating

bike ride fuel

What we had stumbled upon was Kenmore's first micro brewery on opening weekend. We grabbed a couple beers and found a stump outside for a table and listened to the band while we took a little break. We decided we weren't quite tired yet, and since we had come so far, why not continue all the way to Redhook brewery? Looking back, this is probably the point in the day where we should have just headed home...but alas, off we went.

8 miles later (for a total of 18), we made it to Woodinville! We locked up our bikes at the brewery, and headed to the outdoor patio. The place was swarming with people. Some bike riders like ourselves, plus everyone and their mom just out for a Memorial Day weekend brew. We found a bench to sit on and sipped on our Redhook Blondage Ales. It was the perfect day to sit in the sun and drink beer, we were in heaven. It also felt like quite the accomplishment to have ridden all the way out there...but now we had the ride back ahead of us.

Redhook Brewery!

more fuel

We headed back to the bikes and got ready for the ride home. As soon as I sat back down on that seat, I knew I was in for it. A hot sunny day + wearing jeans while riding a bike for 18 miles = unhappy lady parts. I was hating life. I tried to keep my complaining down to a minimum, but don't think I was doing so well. On the way back, Clint was up ahead of me (probably tired of listening to me) which made me want to ride even slower...I would show him. Finally, after riding for about 6 more miles, we pulled over. Clint had a proposition for me. I would wait here at Wayne's Golf Course and drink while he rode his bike back to the truck by himself and would come drive back to get me. He kept trying to sell me on it. Saying that even though it could be about an hour wait, I could play on my cell phone, see if any friends were near to come by, have a snack...but there was no convincing to do. I would wait there for 10 hours if it meant not having to finish the ride. So off he went, and I found a sunny spot to sit on the deck and ordered myself a cheeseburger and Mac and Jacs.

take your time Clint, I'll be just fine

My burger came out, and the waitress said it was the 2,000th burger sold and wanted to take a picture of me with Jimmy, the owner. I just wanted to eat, but sure, why not. He later came back and said it was just a ruse to get a picture with a pretty girl...creepster. He also used the photo to put on his Facebook page to promote the 3,000th burger (but didn't you just say 2,000?). He then proceeded to check in on me every 10 minutes, sometimes sitting at my table to chat. Clint couldn't get back soon enough.

me and my new friend Jimmy

Clint's truck pulled up and I was saved. He sat down and ordered a beer, and Jimmy wasn't as friendly after that. We enjoyed the nice evening for a bit, then headed home.

my savior, from long bike rides and creepy old men

We got home, rented a Redox, and called it a night. I definitely slept well after an exhausting, but fun, day. I'm already looking forward to recovering from the soreness to go on another ride! This time with padded biking shorts...

Memorial Day Weekend Staycation

This year for Memorial Day weekend, Clint and I's plan to head out on a backpacking camping trip never fully developed, resulting in us staying in town for a mini staycation. We are pretty much all set to go with our new backpacks and all of Clint's camping gear, but we just felt that we'd like more time to get a trip planned...so maybe in a couple weeks. I was actually happy to stay home since it gave me a chance to enjoy my new house (and furniture) and sleep in my new cozy bed instead of the hard dirt.

Friday night, Clint and I met up with his old roommate Chuck and his girlfriend Kaitlin at our favorite place, Belltown Pizza. I had already eaten, so just drinks for me...but I couldn't help myself to stealing a few bites from Clint. No matter how full I am, there's always room for pizza! It was fun to see Chuck and Kaitlin and catch up to see what's new. Kaitlin is loving her new job as the event coordinator at the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery. She held her first event this weekend (hope it went well!) appropriately named Chateau "Stay-Cation", where they had food trucks from all over come in as well as an exotic car show. Clint and I didn't happen to make it out this time, but hopefully plan to attend one of the winery concerts this Summer. After dinner, we headed home somewhat early to rest up for the weekend ahead.

Delivery Day

Last Thursday I took the morning off from work to be home for a few furniture deliveries. My new couch from Macy's was coming, as well as a guy I found through a Craigslist ad to build me a custom king size bed frame.

The Macy's truck came first, right at 10am which was the start of the delivery window they had given me. They were really quick, and had that thing up the stairs and set up in no time. As soon as they left, I tested it out, and absolutely love it. It fits so well in my living room, and I now have a place to sit and watch tv!

A short while later, Luke from Evergreen Custom Beds showed up with the materials to build my new bed frame. I had been searching Craigslist for a simple wood bed frame to attach my headboard to, and that's when I came across his ad. The ad took me to his website where he has priced out different frame styles (and headboards) and has pictures of all of them as well. He runs the business himself, and has been doing this for about 5 years now. For only $200, he delivered and set up the frame right in my room. He even offered to attach my headboard for me, and when he didn't have long enough screws, he made a run to Home Depot! The frame is unfinished wood, so I have now painted it to match my headboard. It turned out great, and was happy to support a local small business. I would definitely recommend him to anyone looking for something similar.

picture taken while he made a trip to Home Depot

The coffee table I purchased from West Elm also arrived, however that is a long and boring story. Right now I am waiting for them to resend me the hardware to assemble the thing. Hopefully that will come soon and my living room will really start to come together. New furniture is fun!

Beat the Bridge

I signed up to run the Beat the Bridge 8k (4.97 mi) a couple months ago. The race is sponsored by Nordstrom and benefits JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) which funds research to cure, treat, and prevent type 1 diabetes. I had all intentions to be in shape and train for the run, but the truth is I don't think I've put on my running shoes since I did the St. Pat's Dash back in March, whoops. Fortunately Sarah was in the same boat, so we agreed to run to the bridge (2 miles into the race) so that we could beat it, then walk the rest of the way.

We met early in the morning and made our way down to the north parking lot down by UW stadium, close to where the race would start on Montlake. Colleen had taken the bus over (smart idea, traffic was gross) and met us there as well. We also ran into Anne and Clayton, so we all got in line together in one of the waves to start the race.

The horn sounded, and we took off in the last wave. The 20 minutes started as soon as the last person crossed the start line, and the countdown to the bridge raising was on. Anne, Clayton, and Colleen went out ahead of us, as Sarah and I kept up our slower pace behind. I thought we'd be fine. We'd have to average better than a 10 minute mile to make it to the bridge in time. As we rounded the corner to the University Bridge, the bell alarm was sounding and the arms were lowering. We sprinted to it as people ducked under the arm to make it across, but we were too late...by 10 seconds. TV camera crews were out taping everyone as we waited for about 5 minutes for the bridge to raise, then come back down so we could finish the race. The bridge reopened, and Sarah and I jogged across (didn't wanna get caught walking on TV), before walking the rest of the way.

As we continued on the route, we noticed that the 4 mile walk course came right up next to ours. We decided to switch over so that we didn't look so out of place walking. We thought we were so sneaky. We then detoured to head back to the car, then realized we had to cross the finish to return our timing chips or we'd be fined the $30. So, our scheme back fired. Our "shortcut" to the parking lot put us right back on our original course. We finished the race, got our medals, and were then herded into the post race festivities. It was super crowded, so Sarah and I left right away once we realized our friends hadn't stuck around either.

We didn't beat the bridge, our plan to cheat didn't work out, and getting out of the parking lot took almost as long as it did to finish the race...but I still had a fun time. Plus, it was all for a good cause! Maybe I'll beat you next year, bridge.

French Provincial

I've never considered myself much of a girly girl, and don't think my style reflects one either. When I started thinking about decorating my new bedroom, I was envisioning a more neutral look that both a guy and a girl would be comfortable with. I thought I wanted an upholstered headboard, and part of me still does, but I didn't want to pay a bunch of money for one. My mom suggested that we make one, so I went online and found this pretty cool tutorial on how to make your own. I headed to Craigslist to see if I could find a wooden headboard to use as the base, and that's when I came across one that looked perfect. It was a French Provincial style with some gold detailing, but I liked the shape of it so it would work great for covering with batting then fabric for the look I wanted. When I went to pick it up, I started to think I might like it just the way it is. With a little paint, it could look really cool. The seller also let me know that he just opened a furniture store and that he had a matching dresser in mint condition for sale that I might be interested in.

I took the headboard home and decided that maybe I would like the delicate girly style of French Provincial furniture. This may be the last bedroom I have all to myself and don't have to share with a guy, so why not make it girly? I told my mom I was interested in buying the matching dresser, so she stopped by the furniture store on her way home from work. She took measurements and sent me a picture, and I was sold. She packed the dresser in the back of her car and brought it over to me the next night (told you she is a rockstar...and looks like I will always be indebted to her).

some missing wood buttons, will have to stop
by Michael's to see if they have some to glue on

dresser with my great-grandma's old rotary phone

white formica top which is in great condition

So now I have a fun project ahead of me...painting! I'm still debating on if I want to do a fun color (that I might just get sick of) or stick with something more simple like white or gray.

I'm also now on the hunt for some nightstands, maybe a chair, and a full length mirror. I'll be keeping my eye out on Craigslist, and maybe do some consignment store shopping over the weekend. This is definitely the fun part about moving!

My new bed

...is absolutely amazing.

This Saturday, which was a beautiful 75º, Clint and I decided to go bed shopping...indoors. It's okay though, I have been looking forward to buying a new bed since I moved. It is the one thing I knew I wanted to invest in for a few reasons. (1) my queen size taco bed is unacceptable, (2) it just might help with my bad back issues, and (3) as Clint puts it, you spend a third of your life in bed, so why not throw down a couple grand and improve your quality of life.

So, we set out on the bed hunt, hit up 3 different stores, and tried out about 30 different beds (you'd be surprised how tiring laying down on beds all day can be!). We ended up at Sleep Country USA (why buy a mattress anywhere else?) and fell in love with the Simmons Beautyrest NXG bed. It's a hybrid of a memory foam mattress and one with coils, so for me it was the best of both worlds. Memory foam is excellent for joint and pain issues, but I just couldn't get used to the quicksand sinking feeling of TempurPedic beds. The NXG bed springs you back up as you roll over, but has the same squishy feeling. Beautyrest beds are also known for their pocketed coil technology which allows one person to move all around while the other doesn't even feel it, so it passes the glass of wine and bowling ball test (we all know how often I have both of those in bed with me).

After they priced it out for me, I decided to go home and think about it, and do some research. The next day (the day I convinced Mom to go furniture shopping with me) I checked out mattresses again at Macy's. They quoted me a cheaper price for the bed, so I then took that to Sleep Country. They were able to not only match the price, but beat it by 5%! That, along with same day delivery, a 20 year warranty, and discount for multiple items (I bought some pillows and a mattress cover too), the new price was hard to walk away from.

A few hours later, my new bed arrived! They were also able to take away my queen size box spring that made it up to the main level, but the stairs were too tight to get it to the bedroom...so it had been sitting in my living room since I moved in.

The past couple of nights have been heaven. The bed is ginormous and feels like I'm sleeping on a rainbow. I look forward to bed time now even more than before!

Still need a bed frame, headboard, and bedding,
but it's here!

Happy Mother's Day

I may lovingly call her Mommie Dearest from time to time, but in no way would I actually compare my mother to Joan Crawford (although, my closet is wire hangar free). I feel very lucky to have such a great mom, and cherish the relationship that we have. We talk everyday (sometimes multiple times) and get together at least once a week. She's the first person I tell my news to, good or bad, and I love having her just a short drive or phone call away.

Mom is not only there when I need her, but she can do anything...literally. She's been such a big help as I've been moving into my new home and getting everything settled. Broken sink drain stopper? Fixed. Gouge in the wall from moving? Fixed. Clogged bathtubs? Fixed. Let's see, she's also lent me her vacuum (and then bought me my own), gave me a hose for the back yard, brought over her weed eater so I could tame the jungle growing in the back, bought plastic to cover my carpeted stairs while I moved, collected moving boxes, offered her SUV for not only moving day but picking up furniture from Ikea and Craigslist sellers, and so many other countless acts of kindness.

Mother's Day this year was quite different than years past. I'm not exactly sure how I pulled it off, but instead of subjecting me to slave labor helping her around the house and yard with an endless list of chores, I somehow got her to come to my house, buy me a gift (the brand new fancy vacuum), and take me furniture shopping. It didn't stop there though. Once we got back with the new furniture from Ikea, she even helped me assemble my new bed frame. How awesome is that? I didn't even have to follow through with my empty threat from last year - have a baby just so that we can celebrate me on Mother's Day.

It wasn't exactly all about me though. I did make her a handmade card and baked a batch of lemon bars (one of her favorites) for the very first time. I was skeptical after seeing what they looked like when they came out of the oven, but after covering them up with powdered sugar and cutting them into squares, they actually didn't look half bad. They were even edible! I know my time is coming though, and I owe my mom a lot...like maybe even two days of slave labor, yikes. But hey, for my mom? Anything.

I'd also like to acknowledge my two grandmothers who I just recently lost within a week of each other. I hadn't mentioned my grandma Dorothy (my dad's mom) who peacefully passed away in her sleep on May 5th. She was 94 years old and living in an assisted care facility down in Aberdeen. Her health was slowly deteriorating, and her memory was getting worse, but she was happy. I last visited her in September where she was laughing at her own stories, and even let me know that she wanted to live till she was 100. I'm glad to have that last memory with her. Both ladies were not only amazing mothers, but have taught me so much and have shown me the kind of person I want to be. Grandma Dorothy taught me my manners and how to be a lady (see how well she did?) while Grandma Marlene taught me it's okay to make a mess of the chocolate ice cream, just do it with class.

Mothers truly are the best! Thank you Mom, for everything.

Neon Dirty Thirty Birthday

May 11th marks the trifecta birthday of my friends Henry, Matt Swett, and Jenkins. I met them all in college, and since I can remember they have been celebrating together. This year the day not only fell on a Friday, but it was the big 3-0 for both Henry and Swett. They decided to do it up big and rent out the bar Sport and have a hundred of their closest friends take over the place. This group happens to be fond of theme parties, so we were told to break out the neon and mustaches (real or fake).

headed to the party, glow in the dark style

Henry's brother Big Shim offered up the "SkyLounge" room in his condo building for a prefunk before heading to the bar. This gave us a chance to show off our outfits, and don some neon flare that Henry generously handed out.

party favors from Henry

Me, Anne, and creepy looking Louis

Me and Becker. He's a little sleepy, or maybe
it's the double fisting

Around 10pm we all headed over to Sport to meet up with the rest of the party goers. It was a blast, and fun to see so many people all dressed up. Even Char and Ko made it out from Lynnwood. I hadn't seen them in forever, so it was nice to catch up for a bit.

Me and Char

So neon we're glowing!

take two

Gina's back from Cali!

Henry and the ladies

Happy Birthday boys, thanks for the great party!

Birthday boys - Henry, Jenkins, and Swett