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

Kylee at the Can Can

My amazingly talented friend Kylee is a dancer for the Heavenly Spies, a cabaret/burlesque dance troupe. Their latest show, Majesty, is being performed every Friday night at the Can Can Kitchen & Cabaret until the end of June...and I highly recommend going to see it! Colleen and I had been wanting to go, and when mentioning an underground burlesque show to Clint and Will, they were sold. We decided to go last Friday, and Krista and her date Chad were able to come along, too.

Kylee's promo poster

We met in Pike Place Market before the show, and decided to hit up the Hard Rock Cafe for drinks while we waited to be let in to the Can Can. This was my first time to the Hard Rock, so it was fun to finally check it out. We found seats around the fire up on their rooftop deck, and visited for a bit before the rain came.

Colleen and Will

Krista and Chad

Clint and me

After drinks, we headed back to the Market and down the stairs to the underground Can Can. This is such a fun venue, kind of feels like a speakeasy. You can even see through the ceiling to the unsuspecting people walking on the sidewalk up above.

We grabbed seats in the bar, and then the show began. The performances were amazing! The dancing, the singing, the music, the costumes...oh the costumes...so much glitter and sequins and hair and makeup...love it! You can tell these girls have a blast up on the stage.

We actually ended up being moved to better seats after the show got started, so we definitely lucked out after buying the cheaper standing room only tickets. The show was so great, we didn't want it to end (and Clint already wants to go see it again...). My favorite parts were obviously everything with Kylee in it, like her solo with her magic crown and the dance in her hot leopard pants. There was also a mermaid on a swing, a lap dancing angel, and an aerialist. Afterwards, Kylee came out to visit with us so we could tell her how great she is :)

Hard to get a good picture, but here's
one with Kylee's adorable face

The pictures I took didn't really turn out, so here are some that I stole from online.

We had such a blast, and Kylee is such an awesome performer. Way to go girl!

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!