MDW Weekend

I love staycation weekends!

Memorial Day weekend snuck up on me again this year, so we never made any plans to get out of town. That's okay with me though, since no plans for a three-day weekend can lead to some impromptu fun!

Friday night started as a low-key night in. The plan was to rent a movie and be couch potatoes. But then I got a pizza craving (weird), so we headed up the street to Talaricos and split one of their deliciously ginormous slices. Then Clint got a call from his friend Kyle saying that him and his fiancé Jen had just eloped at the court house and were out celebrating...at Pesos. So, off we went. I hadn't stepped foot in Pesos in years, but not a thing has changed. Same bartenders, same bouncer, even same smell. We toasted to the newlyweds all night with shots of fireball and jager bombs (ouch!). After the bar, we stumbled across the street to Dick's for cheeseburgers, fries, and of course milkshakes. It turned out to be a great night.

Saturday morning, I was set on making some progress on getting my back patio together. Clint and I made a trip to both Lowes and Home Depot (my most frequented stores these days) and bought lots of stuff. I found bags of dirt on sale to put in the flower beds along the patio, whiskey barrels to use as planters, a water fountain, fire pit, and a flamingo (for backyard flare).

getting good use out of the truck

When we got back to my place with everything, we thought it'd be fun to have some friends over to enjoy it with us. I gave Sarah a call, and her and Taylor just happened to already be in West Seattle (so not creepy, right?). It worked out perfectly, so they came over for a backyard BBQ. They even had sweet little Finley with them, who is such a well-behaved dog that it almost convinced me I need one (or my mother, hint hint...). Sarah and I got dinner ready while the boys put together the fire pit and carried my BBQ down to the patio from my balcony (thanks for the manual labor, T!). We grilled up some burgers, and I tried out a couple new recipes for a BLT chop salad and sweet potato fries. They both were a hit, but the salad was especially delicious. I highly recommend it.

Clint and Taylor discussing man things...with Finley

picture of the salad recipe, seriously try it!

Dan happened to be at home studying for his CFA exam (Hilarie was visiting a friend in Reno), so he joined us to take a break. The five of us sat outside while it attempted to rain as we enjoyed dinner and sat by the fire pit. I can't wait to host more get togethers now, especially as the weather gets better!

looks cold, but we were determined to stay outside

roaring fire

On Sunday, Clint left to spend the day with his Dad as he was flying back to San Diego. While they were out, Mom came over and we did some shopping and lunching around West Seattle. We hit up Husky Deli for lunch (our fave) and split one of their yummy sandwiches. Then we walked around the West Seattle Farmer's Market where mom bought some flowers. We also drove down to the West Seattle nursery where I got some ideas for my yard. And then of course, we had to make one of my now daily stops at Home Depot.

pretty flowers at the market

West Seattle Nursery's chicken...or
is that a rooster?

when you move a plant, they run over
to look for worms and bugs

I then drug Mom back to my place and put her to work. She helped me put together the new fountain I had just found (and packaged up the one I purchased the day before so I could return it), and we also got my curtain rod hung and curtains hemmed and ironed that I bought at Ikea for my office. She really is the best. Once she was done with her chores, I let her go home.

That night, Clint and I were invited to Kyle and Jen's house in Bellevue for a "celebratory wedding dinner". Jen prepared a traditional Chinese hot pot meal, and it was delicious. It kind of reminded me of fondue. There was a large pot on a hot burner in the middle of the dining table filled with broth, tofu, and some veggies. Then we each made our own bowl of dipping sauce. We also had all sorts of raw meat for cooking in the pot...steak, chicken, pork, fish, dumplings, shrimp...so much food! We had fun fishing around the pot for the meat we'd drop in, and yelled at Clint every time he took something that wasn't his (he didn't exactly get the concept). Here's hoping they invite us back for next time.

The next day, Mom and I planned on having a "Mother's Day Redo" since she was traveling for work on actual mother's day and we missed it. She usually puts together a list of chores for me to do around her house and yard, but this year I think the rain put us in a lazy mood (I also probably wore my mom out the day before with my own housework). So instead, we went to Burgermaster for lunch...cause there you don't even need to get out of the car! We also went to Lowe's and Home Depot (weird).

As I headed home that evening, I topped my holiday weekend off by getting myself into a car accident. I was driving south on I-99 through the Battery St tunnel. As I started to go around the turn, my back tires started to slip away from me (even with the new tires I just had put on) and my car fishtailed as I tried to correct it. I ended up hitting the wall with my front bumper, and fortunately I was perfectly fine! Other cars behind me saw in time, so they were able to slow down and come to a stop without plowing into me. I really lucked out. I was able to back my car off the curb and drive to the first exit to pull over, park, and get out of the way. The nice couple behind me followed to make sure I was okay. The husband was a WSU grad class of '52, and said that I am now indebted to his fellow Cougs and to help them out if I ever come across one in need. He also told me to go home and enjoy a nice big glass of wine...sounds about right coming from a Coug.

The tow truck came to take my car to the shop, and my loving mommy dearest came to my rescue and drove me home. She really is just the best!

Despite its ending, it was still a really great weekend. Now I'm ready for summer!

Salty's Brunch

While Clint's parents were in town, they treated us to a Salty's brunch (they sure know the way to my heart). They drove over from their cabin on Vashon Island where they were staying, and Clint and I met them at the restaurant, ready to over eat.

It was your typical Seattle Sunday morning...gray, but we still enjoyed the beautiful view. We even got to sit at the owner's table! It's a nice booth seat situated in the middle of the restaurant with a great view. It even has a unique copper table top.

We all headed out to fill our first plate...then went on to number 2, then 3, and in some cases 4. I of course had to have a little of everything, eggs benedict, hashbrowns, fruit, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, crab legs, peel and eat shrimp, smoked salmon, lox and cream cheese, chocolate covered goodness from the fountain, prime rib, oysters, cookies, custard, mac n cheese. Wow, even writing out that list made me feel sick. It sure was a lot of good food though.

After brunch, Karen and Jerry followed us back to my place so I could show them around. They hadn't been to my new home yet, so it was nice for them to finally see it. We sat out on my patio for a bit and visited, then Clint and his parents headed back to the condo.

I then fell into a food coma and had a Mad Men marathon from the couch. Pretty productive day.

Thanks again for the great treat, Karen and Jerry! Looking forward to seeing you both again...hopefully this time down in San Diego.

Showering Char

A few weeks ago now, I attended Char's baby shower at Trophy Cupcakes in Wallingford. It was such a cute space for a shower, and the girls that threw it (Weiner) did a great job decorating to make the room cheery all decked out in yellow and gray (the colors of Sebastian's nursery).

so pretty

Char's due date is fast approaching now, and I still hadn't seen her since she's been preggers. She sure is workin that baby bump and looks so adorable.

Char and me

mommies-to-be

We had fun eating the delicious food, playing fun games (and winning in my case!), opening presents, and devouring the dessert spread...macaroons, sugar cookies, and of course Trophy cupcakes. It was also fun to see and catch up with girls I had met a couple years ago for Char's wedding festivities (bachelorette in Chelan and wedding in Hawaii).

guess how many socks in the jar!

little boat shoes from me

noms

group pic

We had a great time spoiling the mommy-to-be. Can't wait to meet little Seabass!

Pizza night with the girls

On Saturday, Sarah and Hilarie came over for a girls night. Hilarie showed up early, so her and I drove down to Alki to sit out on a patio and enjoy some cocktails in the sunshine. Once Sarah was on her way, we headed back to my place to meet up with her.

After some searching on Yelp, I found a pizza place that seemed to have some good reviews up on California Ave in West Seattle. The three of us agreed and we headed out for dinner. Pizzeria 22 is a cute little place with a long list of wood fired pizzas on their menu. We sat at the bar, each ordered our own, and they were delicious! I'll definitely be heading back there (their pizzas are only $5 at happy hour!).

It was a fun night with some fun girls. Can't wait to do it again!

Backyard revamp

Ever since I moved in last year to my new home, I knew I wanted to redo my backyard to make it more usable. The weed and moss ridden grass was just too much maintenance, and I didn't spend any time out there. I envisioned a backyard oasis with a fire pit, hot tub, movie screen, and of course a wood fired pizza oven. Once I scaled down to something more reasonable, I called a few services I found listed on Angie's List and got started.

First, I needed to remove the 3-story-tall plum tree in the corner that took up space and light as well as dropped icky over-ripened fruit everywhere. Ballard Tree Service came and had it out of there in 20 minutes flat. They even ground the stump and cleared everything out as if nothing had been there to start with. I was impressed.

before and after of tree removal

before and after view from the balcony

Next, I had Hansen's Concrete come take care of putting in a cement patio. They had given me an estimate over the phone after I had sent them pictures of my yard and driveway. The estimate was not only the cheapest, but there were tons of great photos of their work on the website, so that was comforting to see. Steve and his crew arrived on a Wednesday morning, and in no time they had removed the existing slab of concrete patio and all the sod. They then laid out rebar and put up the molds for the concrete to be poured the next day, and were done by lunch time.

The next morning they were back, and this time with a cement truck. They backed it in as far as they could down my driveway (sorry neighbors) and got straight to work by wheel barreling loads of cement to the backyard.

cement truck coming through

me "supervising" by taking pictures of shirtless men

I had to leave for work this day, so I left the concrete pouring to the professionals. I came home that evening to a beautifully poured and stamped concrete patio! The last step was to paint on a coat of sealer. Steve came back the third day once the concrete was dry to finish that as well as remove the molds. I absolutely love how it turned out, and now can't wait to get it furnished and start entertaining!

sod removed, rebar and molds in place

stamped concrete

finished product with sealer

view from the balcony - I used my hose to see how
I wanted it laid out

Summer in May

A couple weekends ago, Seattle surprised us with the most gorgeous weather I've ever seen in May. The entire city was out and about enjoying what was hopefully a glimpse of what our summer will be like.

Clint and I took advantage of the sun by starting our Saturday with an early morning hike (yes, waking up at 8am counts as early). We headed to Rattlesnake Ridge which neither of us had hiked before. The parking lot was already getting crowded, so we made our way to the trailhead and started our 2 mile hike to the top of the ledge.

It was a beautiful day for a hike, and there were quite a few people already out on the trail. I only complained a little as I huffed and puffed up the mountain stopping a few times to rest my old lady knee. Hikes are hard.

But as soon as we got to the top, it was all worth it. The view there is amazing. You're facing east, so it would be a great spot to catch the sunrise. The ledge was super crowded with everyone and their dogs stopping to rest and have lunch. Clint and I found a spot to sit to rest and have snacks.

I'm a hiker!

Clint and Mt. Si

plane flying by and "waving"

looking down at our parked car

As we made our way back down, we realized we had come just in time. There was a constant stream of people on their way up making it difficult to pass them as we continued down to the bottom. We eventually made it down and back to the car to find that Clint had a message about joining his friend Matt on his sail boat. Can't turn that down, especially on opening day for boating season!

I headed home to change and then met up at Duane's place where we all drove down to the dock together. Turns out I was the only girl, but I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to go on a sail boat for the first time just so they could have their guy time...I make everything more fun anyways, right?

We helped watched Matt get the boat ready and the sails hoisted, and we were on our way. We headed through the cut out to Lake Washington and passed by the log booms for the Windermere Cup earlier that day. Being such a nice day, every boat in Seattle seemed to be out enjoying it. Once we were out in the open, we put up the sails. Matt's boat is pretty fun, it holds up to 8 people, but it was nice only having the 5 of us. We switched from side to side as the boat tipped back and forth. It was cool to see how it all works.

After sailing, we went to Belltown Pizza and had the most delicious dinner ever. By far my favorite pizza, I could eat there everyday.

The next day was just as beautiful as the day before. Anne had invited me out on her boat to put around Lake Union. Since Clint had plans to golf with some friends, I jumped on the chance to be out on the water again.

It was just us girls...me, Alicia, Candace, Shannon, Amber, and Anne as our lady boat captain. We drove around Lake Union dodging paddle boarders, seaplanes, and Ride the Duck boats. Another great day to be out enjoying the weather, even Gas Works Parks was littered with people.

Being Cinco de Mayo, Alicia brought fixings to make the most delicious homemade guacamole. We celebrated by stuffing our faces, drinking Mexican beer, and singing along to Selena...the perfect Sunday in my book.

waving to our old stomping grounds,
crazy to think neither Alicia, Anne, or
I don't live there anymore

heading down through Ballard

Checking out the mobile food truck "rodeo"

seaplane taking off

I love my city!

It really was an awesome weekend, can't wait for summer to get here!

Dinner with the girls

Last Saturday, Colleen, Kylee, and Weiner all came to my house for dinner since it was my turn to host. It had been a while since their last visit, so it was fun showing them all the new decorating I have done. We sat around drinking wine (with the exception of pregnant Weiner, which was a surprise to Colleen...catch up on your blog reading!) and looking through my new jewelry from the Stella & Dot summer collection.

I tried out my grandma's recipe for scallop lasagna since I had it recently at Blaine's house and I remember it being delicious. Unfortunately I wasn't too impressed with mine, it was just okay. Not sure what it was, but I ended up taking all the left overs to Clint, he'll eat anything.

Weiner brought over a delicious dessert pizza (nom!).

After dinner, Kylee and I kept the night rolling by heading to the Can Can to see some of the Heavenly Spies perform in the Midnight Show (which they have every Saturday at midnight). Troy and Clint met us there, and we had a great time watching a great show!

Kylee and I

French 75, new favorite drink

Kim, Summer, and Fae