Earl & Danielle's Housewarming

After moving all day on Saturday, Clint and I went to our friends Earl and Danielle's housewarming party. They just bought an adorable house in Magnolia, and invited everyone over to break it in. The location is awesome with a nice huge yard and view off their back deck. The weather was perfect, so we got to sit out on their front patio and enjoy some delicious homemade cocktails from mason jars with swirly straws as the sun set...felt like Summer!

We got the grand tour when we first arrived, and the place is so cute. It's an older home with some nice updates and a lot of charm. One of the bedrooms is even covered floor to ceiling in wood paneling, so fun for a "ski getaway" themed guest room. I love how the whole place is laid out with so much room, and great for entertaining.

Earl and Danielle were both busy in the kitchen whipping up the most delicious snacks, including birthday cake popcorn (seriously check it out, such an easy recipe and so addictingly yummy). The pigs in a blanket were also a big hit and went pretty quick every time a new batch came out of the oven.

The guys ordered the UFC fight to watch, not knowing they would have to endure comments like "why would you pay to watch this?" "don't they clean up the blood between fights?" "why are his ears so weird looking?" and "this is gross" from us girls.

It was a good excuse to get everyone together, and turned out to be a great night. Thanks for hosting, Earl and Danielle! Can't wait for the next shindig.

Hostess-with-the-mostess and new puppy
Mercer Guacamole Ferguson

Kitty Update

It's been two weeks since the kitty boos have left for their new home, so I decided to send Lindsay a message to see how everything is going. Here was her response:

"Your kitties are doing great. I can tell sometimes that they miss you and their home, but they seem to be adjusting. They both love to get into everything. I've found them in cupboards and up in my closet and stuck behind the washer, lol. Sissy (I love how she calls her that) and I have definitely bonded the most. She loves to sleep on my lap for hours and they both curl up in bed with me every night. They are such sweet little lovers. She just hopped up in my lap now and curled up. She kinda reminds me of a chinchilla the way she looks and kinda like a frog the way she curls all her legs under her when she sits, unless she's doing her superman pose. I'm so glad I got both of them. Thank you so much for such a wonderful gift. I totally love them."

Doesn't she sound absolutely perfect for them? This was also all in one text message from her, I love how detailed she gets :) I'm so glad to hear they're doing well and that she is enjoying them so much.

Packing

is the worst!

I've started to pack and get some of the smaller boxes moved over to the new townhouse. Both homes are in shambles and everything's a mess. Packing, carrying boxes (up endless amounts of stairs), and unpacking is definitely not my favorite part about moving. I can't wait till after this weekend when everything is moved and I can get everything put away and organized again!

from one mess...

...to the other

Telus

TELUS is a festival that takes place in Whistler towards the end of April as a last hurrah for the ski and snowboard season. Lots of vendors, bands, crowds, big air competitions, and tons of fun. I went for the first time last year, and was lucky enough to be invited by Matt and Jenny this year to stay with them (have I mentioned I love friends with timeshares?). The weather was amazing the first two days, but then got pretty cloudy for the rest of the trip. That didn't stop us, we still had a blast. The lodging was great, too. From past experience, Matt and Jenny told us not to get our hopes up, and that we'd probably be in a run down condo. To our surprise we pulled up to the Westin and had two adjoining rooms making it a big suite. We got to use all of the amenities of the hotel, plus we were just right around the corner from Longhorns and the gondolas. So awesome!

Day 1:

Clint and I woke up early Saturday morning and headed to Kirkland to meet at Matt and Jenny's house. We loaded up the car, and the 4 of us headed out for the long drive. (**you'll notice I had fun with my Instagram app for the photos in this post**)

ski rack through the sunroof

We pulled into Whistler village and headed to the hotel to get checked in. Immediately after we bee-lined it to Longhorns for some long awaited Canadian beer. The weather was amazing, and so many people out and about. We ended up having to wait in line at Longhorns for quite a while for a table to open up. Being the first bar off the slopes, it gets pretty popular in the afternoon. We were also able to meet up with Matt and Gemma at this point as they had gotten in earlier to be able to ski that day.

anxiously waiting in line

We finally got in, ordered some pitchers and food, and soaked in the warm sun with the beautiful snowy mountain backdrop. Heaven.

thumbs up to Whistler

Gemma, me, and Jenny

Hagerman with his Mexican Bulldog

Clint and the Matts

After Longhorns we headed back to the room for some hot tubbing and relaxing. We then got ready for the night and headed out into the village. We stopped at Earl's for dinner (delicious), then tried Buffalo Bills. The line ended up being kinda long, and we didn't realize till it was our turn to head in that cover was $20! Instead of paying for access to the sweaty crowded dance floor, we decided to turn back and head to Amsterdam Pub. No line, no cover, good music, and they had Fragglerock playing on the TVs. We found a table and ordered some drinks...which later turned into quite the issue. Turns out the bartender was drunk and had stopped pouring drinks even though the waitresses were putting in orders. We even overheard the bartender telling people how drunk she was, oh boy. Empty glasses and pitchers were piling up on the bar, but drunko wasn't doing anything about it. After waiting 20 min for our next pitcher, we asked the waitress to speak to the manager. Oh, that would be the drunk bartender one and the same! The waitresses had told us they all signed waivers saying they wouldn't go behind the bar or pour drinks, so we were stuck. We tried to leave without paying our tab since we were so upset, but got stopped by the bouncer. We paid for the one pitcher we were served, but said I would put a nasty review up on Yelp. That'll show em!

After Amsterdam Pub, we called it a night. We headed to bed to rest up for skiing the next day.

Day 2:
Sunday morning, bright and early, we all got up and were ready to hit the slopes. I decided to take a lesson after my experience with trying to keep up with everyone last year (see also: petrified, scarred for life, stress induced nightmares). The lesson was awesome, and I feel so much more comfortable on the mountain now. There were only three of us who are all at the same level with one instructor. Since we had all skied before, our instructor helped us with our technique and having more control with our turns. I got some great tips, and had a good time.

waiting at the bottom to be placed into a lesson

stopping for lunch at mid station on Whistler

We all met up at the hotel room after, and once again hit the hot tub. For dinner we decided to venture out to the Brewhouse for another delicious meal. We had a fun time eating, laughing (I don't even know what sparked some of our dinner table conversations), and even taking shots of Goldschlager, yikes. After dinner it was back to the room for more shenanigans, then calling it a night.

Day 3:
Lazy. That about sums up Monday. We slept in a bit while Matt and Gemma packed up to head home. We all headed to brunch at the crepe place before they left. After eating we came back to the room and lounged around. The weather was dreary, so that definitely contributed to the laziness. Matt and Jenny decided to ski in the afternoon, so Clint and I stayed back and wandered the village for a bit. We also stopped at Avalanche Pizza for a slice, nom, before going back to the room to meet up.

necessary Olympic Rings pic

We headed back to Longhorns that night to grab something to eat and then stay for a performance by DJ Mark Farina. I'm not the biggest fan of house music, but it was cool to watch for a bit. Plus there was a group of drunk teenagers sitting next to us which gave us plenty of entertainment. One in particular, who we dubbed "Beibs" because of his looks, rocked the dance floor with his signature moves all night. Jenny and I ended up getting tired of the scene and told the boys we were headed back to the room. You know, to give the guys their guy time...or really just to go back and go to sleep. The guys had fun without us, and even headed back to Buffalo Bills where there wasn't a cover for a Monday night before heading back to join us.

Day 4:

We had tentatively planned to ski this day and head home right after, but the weather deterred our plans once again. Instead, we took our time packing up, and went to the Brasserie for brunch. We did some shopping afterwards as we made our way back to the hotel, then we hit the road to head back to America. The ride home was long and rainy. Special thanks to Matt for driving while I napped it up in the back seat. The boys made a special pit stop for Jenny and I at the Lululemon outlet on the way home, so nice of them! I found a couple pairs of yoga pants on sale that I'm pretty excited about. Then it was back home to unpack (ha, like I ever unpack right after a trip) and back to the real world.

Thanks, Matt and Jenny, for hosting a great trip!

Sold!

It's official, I'm a first time homeowner! As we were driving home from Whistler yesterday (more on that later, but first things first...) I got word that the recording numbers came through making it a done deal. How exciting?! A little later today, with keys in hand, I'll go step into my new townhouse in West Seattle, and it will all be mine.

I can't believe how quickly this went, and with no major setbacks. A special thank you to my friend Henry for being the best real estate agent ever, and to Duane for doing an awesome job as my lender (he even made a special trip to be at the signing to make sure I understood everything)...these guys are good!

I'll be sure to post pictures soon. Now time to move!

Sold...to me!

Lazy (Easter) Sunday

This year, I didn't do much to celebrate Easter. I had talked to my mom, and neither of us were really set on cooking Easter dinner or making too much out of the holiday, so Clint and I had a lazy day at home. We started off by getting donuts from Top Pot, then back to the couch to watch some of the Masters (congrats Bubba!). Clint ended up having to go to Bellevue for a business meeting, so I spent the afternoon getting my apartment packed up...okay, I only packed 3 boxes, but at least it was a start.

Once Clint got back home, we headed outside to enjoy the abnormal, but beautiful Seattle weather. We walked up to our favorite pho restaurant on Broadway and had probably the most untraditional Easter dinner there is. Surprisingly, the place was packed, so I guess I wasn't the only lousy woman not preparing a home cooked meal.

at least our bubble tea has Easter spirit

We finished the holiday by stopping at Redbox on the walk home and rented Hugo. It was a cute movie, and a perfect end to our relaxing day.

Easter Bunny visiting Capitol Hill

Skagit Valley Tulips

This Saturday, after the kitties left for their new home, Clint and I left for Mt. Vernon (holler Jenni) to check out the Tulip Festival. It had been a long time since I had been out to see it, and Clint had never been. It was something I wanted to do this year, but with April being such a busy month (Whistler this weekend, moving the next, then Rachel and Peter's wedding!) we decided that if we were gonna do it, Saturday was our only chance.

Saturday was a gorgeous day! The sun was out, but it was still freezing. It made the drive out there pleasant, but walking through the fields was a little chilly. It was funny to see how people dress when the sun comes out. I saw one girl in a sun dress and heels (not sure why you'd where heels while tromping through the dirt) covered in goose bumps. That's Seattle for ya.

As we first arrived, we started to see the yellow patches of the daffodils. We found a good spot to pull over, and headed out into the fields. The colors were so pretty, and the sunny day made it that much more beautiful. We took some photos, then decided to head over to Tulip Town.

driving up to the fields

 

We got to Tulip Town, paid the $5 admission, and soon realized that it's still a little early for tulips. There were really only a few rows in bloom. It was definitely not the endless sea of colorful fields I was expecting. That's okay though, it was still a fun day, and we got to have yummy pulled pork sandwiches for lunch from the hot food stand.

Welcome to Tulip Town!

pitiful showing

perfect windy day for kites

On our way out, Clint bought me a bouquet of tulips to take home. So sweet of him. Pretty exciting to finally be able to have flowers or plants in the house without the kitties eating them!

uneaten flowers