My favorite day of the week

Usually Friday is pretty fan-freaking-tastic all on its own, but this one is particularly exciting to me, because I'm going on a super fun little getaway to see...

this girl!

 

 

Brooke is one of my oldest and dearest friends, and unfortunately we live on opposite sides of the country right now so I hardly ever get to see her. But finally we decided to just pick a location and head there for a weekend of shenanigans.

 

Enter... DENVER, COLORADO!

 

I know what you're thinking... Denver? What a weird place for a weekend trip, right?  

 

But check it out...

 

 

It's right in the middle.

 

Neither one of us has ever been there before, but we quickly learned that it's pretty cheap to fly there, and Denver actually has a lot goin' on. Our hotel is right downtown in the middle of prime shopping and restaurants, and we have some super fun stuff planned like an afternoon at the spa, a day at the zoo, and even a murder mystery dinner night! And I did warn Brookie that I might end up dragging her to a sports bar on Sunday to watch the Hawks.

 

So yeah, I'm pretty excited for my weekend plans. It's going to be epic.

And for this week's #backthatazzup Friday, let's take it back to 1995 in honor of our longstanding friendship.
 

 

 

 

Woot woot!

 

Oh, and if anyone knows of anything fab to do in Denver that we definitely shouldn't miss, please let me know...

 

Have a great weekend, everyone!

No excuses.

I really have no (good) excuse for my absence here. I've been thinking about all of your constantly, fighting off overwhelming waves of guilt about my poor performance as a blogger.

 

But even these feelings of self loathing have not been enough to force me to log on and write something. And besides, I was raised Catholic, and therefore am no stranger to ignoring constant, consuming feelings of shame.

 

Plus I'm an all-star procrastinator.

 

But soon enough y'all are going to start to get bored, and stop coming back. So it's time I got my butt brain in gear.

 

Now... what should I tell you about?

 

I've had lots of ideas... but when I go to write them down I get a few sentences in and find that my mind is totally blank. And I'd hate to waste your time with rambling nonsense (current post notwithstanding).

 

Am I the only person who suffers from this blogger funk?

 

It's not as if my real life has totally stopped. Since my trifecta of a weekend I did Breakfast Club with some of my besties, saw a chiropractor for the first time, threw a huge party at my boss's house as part of a charity auction, missed an engagement party for our good friends due to the aforementioned party, and watched the Hawks spank the Jaguars. I've also been working crazy hours in preparation for a trip to Denver this weekend with one of my oldest friends. Oh, and I deep cleaned my bathroom at some point. Super exciting stuff.

 

But somehow none of this seemed important enough for a specific post, and I wasn't feeling overly inspired to photograph any of it.

 

But I promise to be better!

 

I really should have participated in Jenni's Blogtember Challenge, but it's obviously a little too late for that. However, maybe I'll still steal some of the prompts for inspiration.

 

And I'll be sure to keep you updated on fall, football, and everything else fabulous that we have going on right now.

 

Peace and love, homies!

Trifecta

Holy moly, what a weekend, friends!

 

We had a jam packed schedule with a concert Friday, a wedding Saturday, and a game Sunday.

 

First up was Zac Brown Band at the Sleep Country Amphitheater near Vancouver.

 

Ah-mazing!

I love ZBB so, so much that I wasn't even mad when they took more than an hour to arrive on stage following the absolutely terrible opener. I am still a little sad that they never played Whatever It Is (our wedding song), but since we got to belt out the lyrics of all our other favorite songs, I'm over it.

 

 

After the concert, we jammed back up north to get ready for my aunt's wedding Saturday night. It was at this fantastic venue right on American Lake at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and they even hired a pontoon boat to take guest out for a ride on the lake after dinner. Of course there was some ridiculous dancing, which even included a choreographed dance performed by me and my cousins. I would share it with you here, but thankfully my mom forgot to press the record button on her phone.

 

 

And finally, finally the night that we've been waiting for (for eight months!) arrived...

The Seattle Seahawks home opener versus the San Francisco 49ers!

 

Let the tailgating commence...

 

 

Russell must have taken my letter last week into consideration, because our freaking defense was on the MONEY last night! It took our offensive line a little longer to figure things out, and the one hour weather delay in the first quarter was a bit ridiculous (since when do we have rain delays in Seattle?), but other than that, it was everything we could have dreamed of and more.

 

Oh and obtaining a Guinness World Record? I guess I can cross that one off my list now!

 

136.6 decibels officially makes the LOUDEST fans on the face of the friggin' PLANET!

 

BOOM.

 

It made the 29-3 victory that much more glorious. The poor 49ers fans in our section were crying crocodile tears and hanging their heads in shame. Don't come into our house and talk crap, bitches! The 12th Man will smack you down every single time.

 

Oh em gee it's going to be such an amazing season!!

 

I literally cannot even see straight because I'm so tired today, but my trifecta of a weekend was totally worth it.

 

How was yours?

I'll take it, but...

Dear Russell,

We need to talk. You were not at the top of your game today. I don't know if you were too busy posing in cable-knit sweaters and doing photo shoots for Sports Illustrated to practice or what, but the Seahawks' performance was a disappointment.

Sure, we were able to hold back the Panthers (one of the worst teams in the league), and I'll take a W no matter what form it comes in. But the offensive line was horrible, defensive line play was mediocre at best, and our running game was nearly non existent. Doug Baldwin played like a super star, and Golden Tate was pretty clutch, but overall we were outplayed. And I can't deal with this type of stress for the rest of the year!

Of course I will love and support you no matter what. But we had high expectations for this season, and this morning was a disappointing start.
 
I realize you were on the road with a 10 a.m. start time, but this type of performance will not do against the 49ers, so you need to figure it out before next week.

Sincerely,

The 12th Man

GO HAWKS!



 

In order to shake off the anxiety that accompanied watching the Seahawks' lucky win, obviously a backyard barbecue, beers and bean bag toss were in order.

 

Hawk yeah!

 

I'll be linking up with fellow Seahawks fan Kristine at Living Barefoot and Crazy occasionally this season for game and tailgating recaps. Please stop by and show her some love!

 

 

First Fall Friday

Yes, I know it's not technically Fall yet.
 

But Labor Day is over, I wore a sweater yesterday, the pumpkin spice latte is back at Starbucks, and NFL football started last night.
 

So it's Fall.

 

And the Seahawks play their first regular season game this Sunday, bitches!! I love you, Russell.

 

So on that note, I'm going to do a special Seattle edition of #backthatazzup with Whitney today.

  

 

And I'm pretty sure I'm going to spend Sundays for the next few months jumping up and down, screaming my freaking head off.

Come on Hawks, this is your moment!!

In other news, I finally got my hair cut and colored last night for the first time in about five years by someone other than my BFF. She moved to Oregon permanently this summer, and I've been procrastinating for months about finding a new hair stylist. But a friend recommended L15 Salon in Issaquah, so I finally swallowed my fears and made an appointment. I mean, the super blonde highlights coupled with trashy dark roots really had to go...

PS, did you know when Stew and I met, my hair looked like this? 

Super long, and brown... crazy!

So I'm not a natural blonde... don't tell anyone!

Anyway, happy Friday guys, I hope you have a fab weekend!

Out With A Bang: Labor Day Weekend 2013

Are you sick of summer vacation posts yet?
I hope not, because I have just one more for you...

We definitely put in our fair share of labor this year, so we took full advantage of the long weekend to kick back, relax, and celebrate another successful summer of shenanigans. A few of our BFFs joined us at Priest Lake last weekend to soak in the last rays of summer sunshine before fall arrives in full force.

Let the epic-ness commence.

Peace out homies – it's been real.

I thought it would be tough to switch gears into autumn, but I'm actually looking forward to the return of crisp weather, comfy sweaters, and of course NFL football!

Plus we've still got some fun adventures planned this month... a concert, a wedding, a work event, an engagement party, a trip to Denver, and of course a few Hawks games!
In case you were worried that our social calendar was going to suffer.

What are you looking forward to this fall?

Oh Friday, where have you been?

Gawd, I love federal holidays.

 

This year, to celebrate the economic and social contributions of workers around the country, we are headed back over to the lake house in Idaho with some of our very favorite people for a long weekend of typical shenanigans. Seriously, give me some sunshine, a boat, and a beer and I'll pretty much be perma-smiling... or doing this. 

 

 

I took the day off today, and we're currently eastbound toward heaven, and as each mile passes I can literally feel a little bit more weight being lifted off my shoulders.

 

It's been a rough month, work-wise, I'll just say that.

 

But right about now I feel like dancing like no one is watching... or at least singing at the top of my lungs in the car, which I'm sure this car full of people appreciates. I may or may not be tone deaf.

 

The official dock dance party will have to wait until later (and maybe I'll bust out my one piece, gold chain, and pink visor for you at that time), but for now I'll #backthatazzup with Whitney!



I know our darling Miley didn't exactly thrill us with her recent VMA performance, but this is still one of my fave songs of the summer.

 

 

Seriously guys, I hope you're doing something amazing this weekend to send summer out with a bang... it's been pretty epic, after all.

 

Catch you on the flip side!

2013 Summer Old Man Games

Never trust a boy when it comes to blog photos.

 

This is a lesson I've learned again and again.

As I mentioned before, I wasn't able to attend the second annual Summer Old Man Games this year. But I didn't want Stew to miss out, so I wished him luck and sent him off to Sucia Island for the weekend with his buddies.

Of course I asked him to take pictures. And he made a good effort...

Those four photos represent their gorgeous boat ride out to the island.

As for what happened after that? The world may never know...

Stewart did report that the games were a great success, with brand new events like Slack Line, Head Dunk, and Running Beer Chug.

Dang, I would have rocked that shiz like Katniss Everdeen!

But it didn't matter, because like the all-around athlete and champion that he is, Stew pulled a Bruce Jenner took home the Gold Medal Homemade Trophy all on his own.

MY HERO, and two time champion!

Yes, that is the trophy for the Old Man Games. In case you can't tell, it's an old man's walker glued to a bit of wood. Don't get jealous now. With intense training and concentrated diligence, someday you, too, may have the opportunity to display this honor oh-so-proudly in your home.

May the odds be ever in your favor...

Beach walking and bars... Family Reunion 2013

My family goes to Port Townsend a lot (remember when we went for my dad's birthday a while back?) but this past weekend was our official

 

2013 Family Reunion!

 

Everyone from my dad's side of the family came up to hang out for a few days, and to make it extra special we even camped out on our property at North Beach.

 

For a variety of reasons, my stress levels have been through the roof lately, so a getaway with the fam was a much needed chill pill for me. I took Friday off, which made looking up at my office from the ferry extremely satisfying... freedom!

 

 

PS, does everyone else like traveling by ferry as much as I do? Every time I drive on, I feel like a little kid again, and even when I'm by myself I always go up to the deck to hang over the rail and watch the waves with a big smile plastered on my face by the salty wind.

 

Stew and I have realized lately that my parents' motor home has kind of spoiled us. We weren't quite sure what to do with ourselves when we had to tent camp at Mayfield Lake recently. (Snobs, I know). It's just a baby little motor home that sleeps six people, but honestly, that little bit of extra comfort makes all the difference.

 

 

Friday night was big, with the Hawks playing their third pre-game of the season in Green Bay, so we found a random bar to cheer them on. I seriously love dive bars so much. They always have a ton of character, and there's something about the dark, dingy atmosphere that I really dig. The food is always so terrible that it's actually kind of delicious, the beers are cheap, and the company never fails to be entertaining.

 

I'm so mad that this photo didn't turn out, it would have been so good if it wasn't blurry!

 

 

Please, just take a moment to stare into my brother's eyes here. Feel creeped out much?

Of course the Seahawks kicked some Packer butt, and it was a great start to the weekend.

On Saturdays in Port Townsend we always go to the Jefferson County Farmer's Market. It's a fantastic place for breakfast, lunch, people watching, and the procurement of a plethora of genuine hippie-made goods.

This time I was determined to track down the Big Bob Sandwich, because my co-worker claims it's so good that she travels up to PT just for this. It didn't take long to locate, and I forked over $9 for my lunchtime treat: freshly barbecued Wild Alaskan Salmon with pesto, tomato and a fried egg.

Food. Porn.

It was absolutely freakin' amazing!

However, boy did I pay for that rich piece of heaven later. It was like putting diesel into an unleaded tank, my friends. Not good, but it was worth it. Calories in, calories out, right?

I love hanging out at camp and bumming around town, but my most favorite thing about these trips is beach walking. Everyone got involved in a super intense beach glass finding competition, and my back still hurts from stooping over for hours on end. Totally worth it though, as I am determined to someday collect more beach glass than my mother...

 

 One of our favorite evening haunts is the Pour House (mostly because they have outdoor ping pong tables). Going there with my siblings and cousins is always a blast.

 

 

 

This time, my sister generously offered to buy me a cider, which sounded kind of yummy. However, I had just eaten a huge bag of black licorice candy (I kind of act like a fat kid when I'm on vacay), and I soon found out this was a big mistake when I took a sip of the cider and made this face...

 

 

Thanks, sis!!

 

 

You've probably noticed that Stewart's handsome face isn't in any of these photos. That's because he was otherwise occupied with the Second Annual Summer Old Man Games out on Sucia Island. Hang tight and I'll tell you about that shortly...

 

I was bummed that he missed out on our family trip, but realistically we've got so much on our calendar that sometimes the only feasible solution is to split up. It's hard being so popular...

 

I felt a little bit sad this weekend, knowing that it's our last trip to PT this year... the summer really is winding down. But I'll still have lots of opportunities to see my family, especially considering my aunt Diane's wedding in just a few weeks! So no need to panic.

 

Hopefully you all had a lovely weekend!

I've missed you, but real life has simply gotten in the way lately. I hope to be back here more frequently in the near future. Hugs!