Cruisin'

Clint and I booked a cruise! His brother Blake and his wife Rebecca had it booked for a while now and mentioned that we should try and get a room on board, too. We called their travel agent and were able to book the last double room they had. Our room is towards the back of the ship on a middle floor, which will be perfect to get to the lido deck! The ship departs LA next Monday the 2nd, and then we'll sail to Catalina Island for Tuesday, Ensenada for the 4th, a day at sea on Thursday, and back to the LA port on Friday.

I am super excited. The cruise I went on with my family back for my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary was a blast. I can't wait to lay out by the pool, check out the ports, and take full advantage of the 24-hour pizzeria!

our ship! Carnival's Inspiration

More gardening

I did some more gardening yesterday while the sun was out for a bit. My mom came over after work with some goodies...more dirt, styrofoam for my potted plants, bamboo cage for my peas, a weed eater, and a beautiful purple dahlia plant. I got to work and first tamed the jungle I had growing in my back yard with the weed eater. We also got the dahlia planted, along with some petunias Mom had given me earlier, in a pot to put by the front door.

I love how it turned out! For some reason, it reminds me of my grandma...maybe it's the color. It will be a nice welcome when I drive up everyday.

I also did some weeding in the back and got my tomatoes and peas planted. Things are starting to come together and getting more chores crossed off the honey do list!

**UPDATE** I had planted my peas and tomatoes after my mom had left, and sent her a photo. Apparently I was doing it wrong, so I rearranged some things last night. Easier access to the hose, and peas on the outside of the cage, much better.

before

after

Side note - that "after" photo was taken at 8:45pm, I love longer days!

Standing in line to see the boy king

Last night Clint and I went to see the King Tut exhibit at the Pacific Science Center. Clint had gotten an email from the UW Alumni group inviting him and a guest to come listen to a lecture giving by Prof. Donald Reid, and then a chance to buy discounted tickets to the exhibit afterwards. I didn't know much about King Tut besides what I learned from Steve Martin on SNL doing his King Tut skit, so getting a chance to hear from an expert was pretty cool.

Some things I learned from the lecture...

• Tutankhamun (King Tut) was only 10 years old when he became king
• He married his sister...
• The cause of his mysterious death at the age of 19 is still being debated
• Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon discovered the tomb completely intact in 1922
• Carnarvon died from a mosquito bite just a few months later
• Had they found the tomb a year earlier, they would have had 50% ownership of all findings, but the laws changed that year and Egypt gained full ownership of what they discovered
• Egypt has been stingy on letting the artifacts tour the world for exhibits, and this will probably be the last one - they are using the money from this tour to build a Cairo museum where the artifacts will remain for good

After the lecture, we headed into the exhibit. This stuff is pretty fascinating. To think that it was all made 3,000 years ago and is still intact is amazing. Some even have traces of the original paint. The craftsmanship and detailing is so intricate, it's crazy to think how they made everything by hand.

toilet seat

kitty tomb, MOW!

Hard to tell, but this was one of my
favorites. About 10 feet tall and you
can still see traces of paint. It was one
of a pair that stood on either side of
the burial chamber entryway.

Unfortunately, King Tut's golden mask
doesn't go on tour anymore, too risky.
This is a similar mask from the mummy
of Psusennes I who was also royalty.

Where King Tut's stomach was held,
gross.

I recommend seeing the exhibit while it's here (till January), especially since it may be your only chance to see some of these things! We unfortunately felt rushed since we were racing to beat the parking meter, but still glad I got the opportunity to check it out.

Happy Father's Day

This Father's Day, I treated my dad to dinner. He came by my place that afternoon, and I showed him all the things I had been working on around the house. He hadn't been by since I had furniture delivered, so there were quite a few changes from his first visit. We made use of the new couch and watched the US Open for a bit. Watching golf is not exactly my favorite...but hey, anything for Dad, right?

the card I made...Dad has a thing for ties

After being filled in on all that is golf, we headed down to Duke's on Alki. We were able to get a booth by the window, and also a good view of the tv so Dad could then watch the NBA playoffs. Dinner was delicious. We started with the crab dip, then I got the macadamia crusted halibut, and Dad got the blueberry goat cheese salmon. Both were to die for, I definitely recommend either. Then we topped it all off by splitting an ice cream sundae, yum!

yummy dinner

I had a great time visiting with my dad and reminiscing about all the stories of him adjusting to fatherhood...like the time he let me choke on a donut hole, or the time he let the shopping cart roll away in the parking lot with me in it and hitting the curb. But I survived, and he eventually got the hang of it :) Happy Father's Day Dad!

And a special belated Happy Father's Day to both my grandFATHERs. Love you both very much!

Layne's in College Station

Look what Anne and Alicia found while they were in College Station, TX...a restaurant named Layne's! Apparantly it's a local icon and known for their chicken fingers. Check them out at layneschickenfingers.com. Sounds like reason enough to make a trip down there, who's with me?

The girls also brought back a t-shirt for me, they are so sweet!

On your left

I'm not quite sure how this happened...but I think I'm turning into a bicyclist! In the past I've fantasized about hitting a biker with my car door after parking on the street, or cursed mayor Mc"Schwinn" for turning Dexter into a street devoted to bicycles and leaving the cars to pile up behind buses that stop in the middle of the road. And now...I'm turning into one of them. So far, I'm sticking to bike trails and leaving the roads for cars, so hopefully that will redeem myself. But riding a bike is just so much fun, who knew?!

After taking my bike out for a ride down to Alki, I invited Anne over on Thursday and we made the ride down there together. She's had a bike for a while now, but hasn't had a chance to get much use out of it. So, we decided to bust it out again. We rode down to Cactus where we had a nice dinner, then headed back to my place. The weather wasn't the greatest (again), and actually a bit cold on the ride home. Regardless, we had a good time and felt nice to get outside and be active.

Checking out the Seattle skyline

typical gray Seattle day

  

Then, over the weekend, Clint and I attended a bike class at the Montlake Bicycle Shop. When we bought our bikes, they told us we could come in for a free workshop to learn some helpful tips, like how to change a tire. We scheduled it for this past Saturday at 9am, so we loaded our bikes into the truck and headed over.

There were only four of us in the class, plus our instructor, so it was nice and small. We each had our bikes with us in the shop so we could actually try out what we were learning. We first learned how to oil and clean our chains, and then flipped the bikes over to learn how to remove both tires and replace the tubes. They also taught us how to patch a tube and even gave us punctured ones to try it out on.

Clint working on his bike

Me working on mine

After the class, we headed downstairs to shop. I ended up getting a spare tube and patch kit (recommended from the class), plus a pouch for under my seat to carry things, a watter bottle, a bike lock, a rack for the back to strap things too (such as a cooler with food and beer), and a bell...they were sold out of streamers. Now I'm all set to go!

Yesterday I had some time before my dad came over for Father's Day celebrating, so I tested out my new bike accessories with another ride. The weather was warmer this time and a lot more people out and about enjoying it. I'm starting to feel more comfortable out there, and even saying "on your left" when passing people. Here's hoping I don't completely convert and start complaining about cars not giving bikers the proper respect on the road...

view from Salty's

Birchbox Round 2

I recieved my second Birchbox delivery in the mail, and so far I'm not too impressed. From the last one, I wore the headband once (it's a little slippery and doesn't stay put very well), tried the perfume (not my favorite), and cleaned my makeup brushes with the cleanser (that seemed to be okay). I never tried the nail polish since I'm not too fond of the color, or the moisturizer. So that one seemed to be kind of a bust.

My second delivery contained a Luna Bar (yum, ate that right away), Borghese bath salts, another moisturizer, Stainiac lip and cheek stain, and a Eyeko eye shadow stick. From the looks of it, this one may be a little more promising, but I guess I'll have to see how much of it I actually use and like.

I've decided to go ahead and give Birchbox another month. If I don't end up liking many of the products they send, or even get a chance to try them out, then I think I'll give it up.

Anyone else getting fun stuff in theirs?

Congratulations!

Such exciting news going around! I wanted to say congratulations to both my good friends Becca and Kylee.

Becca and her husband Cam announced on Mother's Day that they are expecting what they dubbed their little "turkey" (so cute) to arrive around Thanksgiving. She's keeping track of the pregnancy here on her blog, and things seem to be going well. Couldn't be happier for you two, you'll make great parents!

having a baby!

Kylee let us know just yesterday that Troy proposed on Tuesday! I'm anxious to hear the details, but am so happy for such an amazing couple. Troy is a great guy, Kylee was just telling us how he gets text messages from his friends telling him this...how sweet is that?! Congrats you two!

getting married!

Back in the saddle

Last night I decided it was time to get back on my bike and take it out for my first solo ride. The soreness from my first experience had finally gone away, and this time I was smart enough to wear padded bike pants!

The Alki Trail starts just down the street from me, so I figured I'd try it out. It ended up being a pretty easy ride all on a flat paved bike trail with a beautiful view. It's 4 miles down and another 4 back which took me about 45 min. I was also taking my time and enjoying scenery, so that might not be too impressive of a time. The weather wasn't the greatest...in fact I think it was trying to rain, but by time I got to Alki, the sun was trying to poke through.

caught a glimpse of a rainbow right before it disappeared 

I made it!

my favorite house along the Alki waterfront

Some things I learned for next time...avoid going down big hills (nowhere near as fun as it looks) and bring money - Salty's happy hour is very enticing on the way home.

Suite view at the M's game

On Saturday, Clint and I were invited by his friend Renee to watch the Mariner's game from a suite! I've never been in one at Safeco Field before, so it was quite the treat. I met up with everyone at the Pyramid beer garden before the game, where we all had a drink before heading in to the stadium. There were about 20 of us, so being in a suite was definitely the way to go! We all got a chance to visit and catch up while having a great view of the game. Clint and I got hot dogs and a bottomless tub of popcorn for dinner, yum.

Pyramid Beer Garden - Duane, Me, Del,
Katie, Kevin, & Clint

With birthday boy Del

Clint's goofy face in the suite

awesome view

After the game, we continued the festivities and headed over to Duane's place where he ordered the Pacquaio vs. Bradley fight. I'm not the biggest boxing fan, but apparently it was a huge upset. Clint ended up winning $100 from Duane off the bet they made...pays to root for the underdog!

How does your garden grow

This weekend I decided to get an herb garden planted on my balcony. I stopped at Home Depot to buy everything I needed...dirt, pots, plants...and now I'm all set to have fresh parsley, chives, rosemary, cilantro, green onion, and basil. Fun!

My aunt and uncle also brought me a set of tomato plants as a housewarming gift. I'll be planting those along with some snap peas down in my garden in the back yard soon as well. Hopefully they do as well here as they did back at my apartment, I love being able to grow my own food.

5 years

5 years ago yesterday, Clint and I went on our very first date. We had just met the weekend before (Memorial Day weekend) while we were both vacationing with our friends over in Chelan. It's crazy to think it's already been 5 years! Feels like we were just there at Señor Frogs, in the back by the sweaty crowded dance floor with the ground sticky from spilled drinks where we were first introduced (so romantic). I had recognized some of the friends he was with from being in the fraternity. I had never actually met Mr. Clint Skullerud (due to him being so old...he was a senior when I was a freshman), but I had heard of the legend of OMC (Old Man Clint). All I knew was that as a super senior he had been at the frat for a long time and he liked to wear button down shirts with crazy prints. But here he was, not looking that old, and not wearing any paisley...just a regular ol' t-shirt and jeans.

We hit it off right away, and I was smitten. I even blew off my friends the next day to go hang out with him and his friends on their boat. There I was, not knowing anyone, but making new friends and having a blast. We ended up having a few things in common...both went to UW, had mutual friends, lived in Belltown (at least I had been until I moved to the Dexter place a few days later)...so it was strange that we had never met or run into each other before. We had to go all the way to Chelan for that to happen.

When we got back to Seattle from our mini vacays, Clint called to ask me out on a date. He ended up taking me to Zeke's Pizza...how did he know the way to my heart was through pizza and beer?! We had a great time and was the best first date ever.

5 years later, we decided to recreate it and go back to the same place. Dinner was delicious, and we had a fun time reminiscing about all the things we've done over the years. Thanks for a great night, and for being a great best friend!

half Buffalo Soldier and half Kitchen Sink...
so many toppings!

See you next Tuesday

For years now, Kylee, Colleen, Maureen and I have been getting together for a girls dinner. In fact, if I look back at my OCD calendar*  the earliest one I have documented is July 30, 2008 when we all met at Cactus. From Cactus we moved on to having them at Colleen's house where she would make the main course, and the three of us would either bring an app, salad, or dessert. It's been a fun way to make sure we get to see each other often and catch up. We've had lots of fun times at these dinners, including the time Colleen unknowingly got hammered off of the double margaritas she was making herself (mixing pre-made margaritas thinking it was just a mixer with more tequila)...that was fun, and a good thing she wasn't driving! Weiner is always such a trooper for making the drive out all the way from Canada Snohomish. Especially since we like to have them on Tuesdays, just so that we can say "see you next Tuesday!"

Charlotte: Is it so much to ask that you not wear your dress up around your see you next Tuesday?
Samantha: My what?
Charlotte: (drawing characters in the air) C - U - Next -
Carrie: Tuesday? Oh my God! Was that a schoolhouse rock I missed?

With my new home coming together now, I decided to host the girls and invited them to come out to West Seattle and see the place. We had a blast. We laughed all through dinner, and probably drank too much wine while staying up way too late for a weeknight. We agreed next time we're doing it on a weekend so that it can turn into a slumber party.

At the end of the night we tried to get a group photo by setting the timer on Weiner's camera, which then turned into an 80s inspired photo shoot. We thought we were pretty funny, but each photo came out worse than before. Here's hoping Weiner doesn't post them...

Thanks for the fun time girls, and glad you were all able to come see my new home!

pretty flowers and a homemade card
from Weiner Boo

* My OCD calendar is something that I started about 5 years ago. It's just a calendar that I keep in a Word document where I keep track of what I've done everyday. Just a little something to remind myself. I don't even know why I started it exactly, but now I can't stop. Every few days I open it, update it, and hope it never gets deleted! For instance, this day last year I was flying home from Hawaii for Colleen's bachelorette party! The year before that? Tanning, bootcamp, and dinner at Clint's house. So pretty much just useless information...

**UPDATE**
Okay, the pictures from Weiner's camera are actually kinda fun, so I'll post them here too. She also got a shot of our dinner, Cajun Shrimp Linguine. It was the first time I made it, and it turned out to be a really easy recipe, so I'll share it with you here. I thought it turned out a little bland, so next time I plan to add either more cajun seasoning or something else to give it a little kick.

Colleen suggested a ladder,
so I got out the step stool