Friday Fotobooth Fun

Life has been extremely busy for us lately, so we were excited to spend Friday night catching up with some of our very good friends. After a delicious dinner at Bahama Breeze, we went over to ACME for bowling. I LOVE bowling. Stewart and I were so sad when Sunset Bowl in Ballard was torn down almost immediately after we moved to the neighborhood, and we always jump at the chance to bowl. It's just such a fun nerdy activity!

As we were leaving the bowling alley, I noticed a photo booth -- another one of my favorite things. We immediately decided to see if we could fit all six of us into the booth. It sort of worked out...



This is what happens whey you try to fit
six people into a photo booth at once...
Matt didn't quite make it!

After that excitement we got really inspired, and developed a well thought out plan to rotate through the next round of photos. We wanted a photo of each couple, a photo of the girls, a photo of the guys, and a final photo with all six of us. This involved a LOT of switching in and out the booth's two doors, laughing, tripping and shouting. Tons of ridiculous fun, and we actually made it work!

We kind of lost Haley on the bottom right,
but she's in there somewhere, I promise!

We highly recommend group photo booth-ing for your next outing.


Real Men Wear Pink

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and of course Stewart's department shows their support. This picture was just too cute not to share. And I think Stew's huge moustache really adds a little something extra, don't you?

Wedding Colors

Last weekend I went down to Olympia to work on checking some things off the wedding to-do list with my mom. We went shopping for her dress (success!), selected and scanned in family photos for a "memory table" I'm working on, and hit the fabric store to finalize the wedding colors.

Because our wedding is on St. Patrick's Day, of course I long ago chose Kelly green as our main color, and the bridesmaids have already ordered their dresses in that shade. However, I knew I needed an accent color, so I chose purple, simply because I like that color and the two seem to go well together. But I was never completely sold and I couldn't quite envision how it would all come together.

However, early on in the process I purchased from Etsy this set of absolutely gorgeous garters. So I began to think to myself... should I change my mind about the purple? Green, blue and peacock feathers was really starting to grow on me. So I ran it by some of my trusted advisers, and they absolutely agreed that the color change would be beautiful. I think it will also give our wedding a little bit more of a classy feel, avoiding that "a leprechaun threw up in here" look.

So our wedding colors are going to be Kelly green and two shades of blue, with peacock feather accents! I'm very excited, and I immediately went back to Etsy and bought this bird cage card holder, which is hands down my favorite wedding item thus far. Things are getting exciting!  

No Girls Allowed

Last week Stew got invited to a co-worker's birthday celebration at Kells, so I rushed home from work to get ready for a rare Friday night on the town. As I was putting on the finishing touches, Stew was texting with a few of the guys. "Huh, it seems like only guys are going," he mentioned. Even though I had spent quite a while on my hair and makeup, I offered to stay home. But it seemed extremely unlikely that only boys would be attending a birthday party, and Stew and I rarely go out anymore, so we headed out together.

It didn't take long before we realized our mistake. It was boys’ night out, and Stewart had tackily brought his fiancé! In his defense, no one told him that it was "no girls allowed" so I didn't particularly care and ordered myself an Irish car bomb to defuse the awkwardness. I kind of felt like a traitor to my gender by not immediately texting every single girlfriend I know to tell them that a group of about 15 firefighters was hanging out at Kells without female supervision, but I really don't have that many single friends anymore, and frankly I didn't want to make the situation worse!

In any case, we had a really good night that ended on the dance floor at the Frontier Room in Belltown (I haven't been there in years!) so all's well that ends well I suppose. But next time I'll have to check out the invite details myself!

Sunday Funday

I had to work most of the day on Sunday since I have a big proposal due this week, but Stewart was off shift and had the opportunity to go to the Seahawks game, so I dropped him off in SoDo on my way to work. I was very jealous. He spent a couple hours at 88 Keys before heading down to the CLink for the game, and had a great time even though the Hawks ended up losing.

Stew saw some more friends at the game!

Stew and his moustache having a great time.

When I picked him up after the game Stew wasn't quite ready to go home yet, so we met some friends at The Noble Fir in Ballard for a drink. We hadn't been to that bar before and the atmosphere was really cool, although I was disappointed to learn that they only serve beer and wine, because I was really craving a mojito. Instead I got Snowdrift Dry Cider which was actually really good. Then on the way home we stopped to grab dinner at our favorite local pizzeria, Snoose Junction.  

So even though I had to work most of the day I still think it was a successful Sunday Funday for both of us!

Nepali Cooking Lesson

At my company's United Way Auction last year one of my co-workers, Nima, auctioned off a traditional Nepali dinner (she moved here from Nepal a few years ago). My office manager thought it would be a fun team building experience to have the whole administrative team spend an afternoon with Nima so we could all learn how to cook (and eat!) Nepalese food. We finally got together this past weekend and it was such a blast!


Nima trying to teach me to make Momo... mine were a mess!

 

Momo is a type of dumpling native to the Nepali part of the Himalayas.



Even though mine weren't beautiful, they were DELICIOUS!

Masala Chicken and Masoor Daal (lentils) - two staple Nepali foods.

Trying not to burn anything...

Mustard Greens sauteed with onions and spices.

Masala Chicken.

Masoor Daal (lentils).

My plate right before I dug in... YUM.

Our finished product - I think we did quite well!

Our team about to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

It's one thing to sample different types of foods in a restaurant, but this was a whole different experience! It was amazing to watch how quickly and effortlessly Nima made Momo... I think I finished only one to each of her ten. And she doesn't measure anything, just throws in ingredients and spices like it's second nature, which is something I've always really struggled with in cooking. I really enjoyed helping make the different recipes, and I learned a lot about Nepali culture, so it made for a really awesome Saturday afternoon!

Good Wives Cook, Right?

Sometimes I joke that I'm going to be a terrible wife because I dislike cooking so much, and when I do attempt it, the results aren't very pretty. I generally just make the same healthy, boring things over and over again. But ironically, the Food Network is my favorite channel and I watch it all the time, and every once in a while I get inspired to try some new recipes. Or at least bring a little more variety and general yumminess into our lives. Because that's what good wives do, right?

Although I didn't go crazy and try any new recipes, I did make two fairly decent meals at home this week. Not a big deal for most people, but I was pretty proud of myself and Stew said everything was delicious so that means I accomplished my goal.

Chicken Pad Thai. It turned out a little bland because I think I
used too much chicken and not enough sauce, but I'm sure I
can perfect this recipe next time.

Chicken Soft Tacos. These were super delicious mainly because
of the avocado and cilantro. However, I didn't have any of our
favorite mango salsa from Trader Joe's so we just used the regular
stuff, but I think mango salsa would have cranked them up a notch.

Chocolate Chip Cookies. OK fine, I admit it, these came from one
of those pre-made packages where you just break them apart and
bake them, but they looked so yummy I had to include a pic.
Besides, why would anyone go to the trouble of baking cookies from
scratch when these are just as delicious and take a fraction of the time?!

I know I will never love cooking or look forward to any aspect of it, but I do want to be able to feed my family healthy and yummy meals someday. This means I really need to make an effort to find and cook new healthy recipes from time to time. I wonder if there's any chance it will get any easier or more enjoyable over time? I doubt it...

PS - Did anyone notice that our plates are a rainbow of different colors? I can't wait to register for dishes!

Rehearsal Dinner Planning

Earlier this week we went down to Collins Pub, where we plan on having our wedding rehearsal dinner. Stewart had never been there before so I wanted him to check it out and try the food. My co-worker and her husband own the pub and have generously offered to host our rehearsal dinner there, which is very exciting because the atmosphere fits perfectly with our wedding style. We tried out a couple delicious appetizers while we discussed the menu and plans for the rehearsal dinner.

Because our wedding party is so large, we are going to end up with between 50 and 60 guests at the rehearsal dinner. We are going to use the entire back dining area of the pub, which means guests will be split between three long tables and in the surrounding booths. I think this will actually work out quite nicely because if all the guests were at one long table they wouldn't be able to chat with everyone, anyway. And this gives us the opportunity to get up and mingle with the different tables throughout dinner.

Our plan for the rehearsal dinner is for guests to arrive and be greeted with a beverage (probably prosecco or a microbrew), while they snack on some appetizers (salumi and cheese plates). Then we'll start with a wild greens salad followed by the entree choice (choices will be salmon, pork, or vegetarian) finished with desert which will be hand-made ice cream with brownies. We're still trying to decide what to do about alcohol, but we talked about having beer/wine pairings with each course and then guests could also buy whatever they wanted from the bar.

My co-worker is going to decorate all the tables for us in our wedding colors and we can play anything we want as far as music. Most importantly, after dinner those who want to can hang out and take over the bar for as long as we'd like. This will be lots of fun since our rehearsal dinner is on a Thursday so the next day is a free day before the wedding, and we will have lots of out-of-town guests visiting who will want to enjoy the city night life.

My dinner was Steak Salad - Angus flat iron with butter lettuce,
fried onions, grape tomatoes, Pt. Reyes blue cheese and roasted
shallot vinaigrette. 

Stew had the signature Collins Burger - a hand formed patty,
special sauce, lettuce, tomato, red onion, Tillamook extra sharp
cheddar on a grand Central burger bun, served with house fries.

Stew thought the style of the pub is just right and he thought the food was delicious, so we feel great about getting things all planned out. One more thing checked off the list!

Flying Trapeze Lessons

About a year ago some girlfriends and I bought a Groupon for two hours of trapeze lessons at Emerald City Trapeze Arts, and we nervously headed down to SoDo this past Sunday for our class. As first time students, we had to go through "Ground School" which included an introduction to the rig, take-off techniques, flight, first trick, and dismount. Our instructor was a legit carnie, a very creepy man with long hair, long black painted toe nails, and extremely tight skinny jeans. After we completed reviewing the basic techniques with him, we got to practice on the actual trapeze, and it was a lot harder than it looked! However, all four of us managed to complete the trick perfectly after a few tries.

Toward the end of the class, we also got the opportunity to be caught a world-class catcher (our carnie instructor). Unfortunately, I didn't manage to complete that part, which I believe is due to the fact that I suffer from Calxophobia, or the fear of chalk. I do not believe there is anything worse or more disgusting in life than the feeling of dry, nasty chalk. I have never been able to touch it and I would seriously rather have spiders crawl all over my body than pick up a piece of chalk. Let alone rub it all over my wrists, which is what they made us to for the catching portion of the class.

Good friend that she is, Crystal had me turn away and shut my eyes while she rubbed the chalk on my wrists so I wouldn't have to touch it myself. But I still started to cry because I could feel the chalk sucking away at my skin, and I could see it in front of my face while I was climbing up the ladder and feel the dust eating at my lungs. I was so upset by the time I jumped off the platform that I couldn't concentrate on anything other than getting that chalk off my body as soon as possible, so I missed the catch and botched the trick. At that point I could care less and I took off as fast as I could toward the bathroom to get that vile stuff off of my skin. I think I'm scarred for life. 

Other than that, the class was ridiculously fun and I'd definitely recommend it. I'd love to do it again sometime. Oh and after I had calmed down the instructor told me that they can, in fact, tape your wrists instead of forcing you to endure the torture of chalk. Thanks for the heads up.  

Fremont Oktoberfest

I think I have made it to Fremont Oktoberfest every single year since I first moved to Seattle. It's one of my absolute favorite local festivals. Socializing in the tasting garden and using tokens to buy mini mugs of over 80 microbrews and German beers is a fantastic way to spend an evening. This year we got a really good group together and headed down on Saturday night. It went a little something like this...

I was definitely reminded that one of these days I really do need to plan on celebrating Oktoberfest in Leavenworth, something I've always wanted to do. Who's with me?!

Stand Up Paddleboarding

This weekend we had big plans to get together with our friends Matt & Alissa to use a Groupon we had purchased from Wave Hounds Surf Shop for renting stand up paddleboards. SUP-ing seems to be the latest and greatest outdoor sport, so we definitely wanted to give it a whirl.

We arrived at the surf shop and piled the four HUGE boards onto Alissa's car and headed to Gas Works Park to launch. The boards were extremely heavy and awkward to carry along with the paddles and life jackets, but we finally made it to the water. Even though it was the second day of fall the weather was gorgeous in the mid-70s with sunshine and some fluffy clouds.

At first, standing on the board felt kind of awkward and I felt like I might lose my balance and slip off at any moment, but it didn't take long to get the hang of it and we headed off around the lake. Everyone on shore at the park was fascinated by the paddleboards and many took pictures and asked about what we were doing so they could try it themselves. 

We paddled around looking at house boats and yachts along the west side of the lake for a while and our only regret was that we hadn't brought along some beverages. Tons of float planes were coming in to land and while watching one of them I ceased to pay attention, lost my balance, and fell into the lake. I was kind of sweaty by that point anyway though, so I didn't mind and Stew jumped off himself for a quick dip. 

We stayed out for a couple hours before we headed in for the most delicious lunch of my life... more on that later. Overall I'd say I am a huge fan of SUP-ing and I'd definitely do it again. However, the regularly priced rentals can be kind of pricey, so if you're interested and you see a deal pop up online, snag it!

Doin' the Puyallup

It's rare that a year passes when I do not visit The Puyallup Fair at least once. So I was very sad when I realized our calendar was really too full to make a day at the fair happen this time. However, our friends Brett & Haley decided to get tickets to the Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson concert for Monday night, and we jumped at the chance to join them!

It was the perfect opportunity to walk around the fair a little bit, eat some delicious greasy burgers and fries, and indulge in my fair food favorite: the elephant ear. In addition, we got to attend the concert, which was tons of fun. (Ever since seeing Dierks Bentley and Brad Paisley play a year or so ago, I've decided that country music concerts are hands down one of the most fun events I have ever attended). 

Big & Rich were super fun to watch perform, and Gretchen Wilson's voice was absolutely amazing to listen to live. I heard all of my favorites like "Redneck Woman" and of course, "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" and had a great time singing along. I'm so glad we had the opportunity to go to the fair this year!

Summer Deck Party 2011

Ready to Serve!

As part of my company's annual auction to raise money for United Way of King County, my department offers for bid tickets to a summer deck party at my boss's beautiful home on Bainbridge Island. For $50 employees can buy tickets to the event, which includes appetizers, a multi-course dinner, drinks and entertainment for the evening. To make all of this happen for our 30 guests, my team and I awoke bright and early on Saturday morning to catch the 7:55 ferry to the island.

Very excited that I was allowed
to cook some things this year...

Each year's party has a theme, and this year we did an Italian pizza party so we could utilize my boss's brand new wood fire pizza oven and outdoor kitchen. Guests are waited on hand and foot while they enjoy the gorgeous outdoor venue which overlooks stunning Hidden Cove. All of the food and beverages are hand made from scratch by our team. Unfortunately, by the time guests began arriving at 3 p.m. we were pretty exhausted because we had been cleaning, decorating, chopping and cooking for six hours straight. Then came six more hours of serving the guests. Each home made course was prepared with delicious fresh ingredients and served to the guests while they sat on the deck enjoying drinks including Italian beers, wines and one of my personal favorites, Bellinis.


View of the gorgeous deck before the guests arrived.

 

Guests are always greeted with jell-o shots at our parties.



Antipasto - the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal.

Appetizers included caprese skewers and fried mozzarella balls...

Roasted asparagus wrapped in prosciutto...

And bruschetta.

Bread Salad.

Pasta Salad.

All the fixin's, ready to hit the dough and head for the oven!

Italian meats and cheeses pizza ready for the oven.

Ready to serve - YUM!

Although it can be an extremely long, hard day, it was really fun to spend the time with my team outside of the office, and the guests really enjoyed the party. Stewart volunteered to give up ANOTHER one of his days off to help, so he's really put in his time for my work events so far this year.

I've been fairly stressed out for a few weeks now trying to coordinate and plan this event, so I'm super relieved that it's finally over and that everyone enjoyed themselves.