Wicked!

Last week I got to see the musical Wicked at the Paramount theater in downtown Seattle. I went with some great friends and we had a great time! The music was amazing, the dialogue hilarious. The combination of incredible singing, superb acting and a very colorful set made for an enthralling show. I got sucked into it! I have to admit that Galinda, or Glinda ( with the GUH being silent) was my favorite character. I laughed over and over again at her hilarious lines and acting.

Jason was a sport and agreed to watch Claire while I abandoned him on his birthday. But apparently they had a great time. When I got home I saw the remains of their large blanket fort they had made and played in. :)

Thanks, Lauren, for getting the tickets! Thanks, Brittany, for being a super navigator! And thanks, Cheryl, for putting up with my silly comments during the show. ( "I hope their breath smells ok, they are singing right into each others mouths!") You girls are the best!

Microsoft Surface!

 Today the Microsoft Surface (with Windows RT) debuted! Jason has been waiting for this day for a long long time. And I'm not talking a few weeks. He said he's been waiting for this moment to buy a really good tablet for years.
So we took Claire to the mall at 8:30 this morning to wait outside the Microsoft store. After waiting in line for 4 and a half  hours Jason finally walked out with a Surface, giddy as a school boy at Christmas!

Was it worth it? Oh yeah! There is something exciting about waiting for something new. I'm sure I could have better spent my time doing something more productive, but we had fun! They event people kept handing out free stuff like M&Ms, gum and other little fun doodads, and Claire loved pushing the stroller around. And Jason has his new toy. Happy Birthday, my love!

 

Emma and Brett's Wedding

 

On Saturday Jason and I (along with Claire) attended his co-worker, Emma's, wedding. We attended their beautiful ceremony and then got to party at the reception afterwards. They had it in the boathouse at Golden Gardens park and it couldn't have been more picturesque. Gold and orange trees on a backdrop of mountains and ocean. It was a super fun evening!

Thanks, Emma, for inviting us!



Getting ready for the evening

 Fernanda got to play with Claire!

 







Emma and Brett! They are so awesome!

Hanging with Daddy!

I love Fernanda!

Claire especially loved dancing with her Daddy.



Baking Streak!

Chocolate zuchini bread--and who said you can't have it all?

     Maybe streak is the wrong word for it, but I have just made homemade food three days in a row! That's kind of a big deal for me. Like a BIG deal. I made sour cream pound cake ( with strawberries and whipped cream on top--yum yum!), then I made some chocolate zuchini bread and today I made spinach stromboli.
     Unfortunately I only have a picture of the zuchini bread. I gotta remember to document this kinda stuff! The first two turned out terrific. The stromboli....well....I made the dough and I think I let it rise too long...and I think it got a little fermented. Just a little. It still tastes OK, but it definitely had greater potential.
     Maybe it's because the weather has cooled significantly. Maybe because the holidays are approaching and somewhere in the back of mind I feel like I need to refresh my baking skills. Or maybe it's just because I finally stopped being lazy and opened up that awesome cookbook I got last Christmas! Either way, I am dang proud of myself!

Woodland Park Zoo

Yesterday Claire went to the zoo for the first time! We went with my friends Elena and Stacey and her little girl, Whitney. Claire saw lots of cool animals like lions, bears, penguins, elephants and monkeys.

 

Saying goodbye to the zoo.

 





General Conference Weekend

This past weekend  Jason and I got to hang out with some good friends from Utah. It was so so good to see my old roommate, Christina (aka Early) and her husband, Justin. He's brown. So naturally he and I get along. :).
In between conference sessions we went to Pike Place Market, walked around downtown, went to Idylwood Park and ate at authentic local restaurants Well, maybe that last part was a goal that we never actually accomplished, but Five Guys and Red Robin were good too!

 

 "Watching" conference. Poor guys, this makes them look bad.

We just caught them during a weak moment. :)

 

I hope another year doesn't pass before we see them again. We love Christina and Justin!

Hanging With Aunt Bina and Uncle Arty, Part 2

On Friday I met up with Aunt Bina and Uncle Arty when their cruise ship docked in Seattle.
 Aunt Bina and I did some serious jean shopping at the GAP and she made me buy some super cute, skinny skinny jeans! They will be my dressy jeans since I have none. It was a lot of fun to try on clothes and have her and Claire be the judges. :)
We walked about downtown a bit and then had some terrific salmon at the Fisherman's Wharf down by the piers. It was so nice to spend more time with them. I love those two so much!!

 

 Riding the Carousel with Claire :)