Seattle Check-in: First Time for Everything

If you start writing more about Seattle, really focus your writing, and bring more of those elements into this blog, I think it'll really become something.  And I'll send it to PittGirl.


It's a deal babe. 

I mentioned around the anniversary of this blog that things were coming, good things I think I promised, and that there would be changes to this blog.  And you just thought it was the color change and the neato header, huh? Wrong. 

I've been wanting to include some features in this blog; some weekly themed posts that would add consistency to this blog.  Sure, I love writing about what the week brings me, but sometimes, it feels like I'm just going through my vacation slide shows with you all. 

So, let me present to you:  a weekly Seattle check-in on Wednesdays.  Hopefully.  I have about three weeks of material ready, so that's what I can promise now. 

Seriously though, I'm going to commit to this because 1) I love this city so much, 2) I miss this city so much, 3) This blog was a Seattle blog and mostly features the dog, and 4) It's really not that big of a challenge.  For instance, I know several "mommy-blogs" that commit to something called Seven Quick Take Fridays. Where they take seven things from the week and expand on it.  The problem is, and yes I'm making fun of each and everyone of you who do this, they don't know what to write about.  It's mostly: Today I made bread (1). Today I also made jam (2). And my kid and I ate toast from the bread and put that jam on it (3).  Then my kid made the cutest jam face (4).  Then my kid did something disgusting that most people don't want to read about, but you think is cute (5).  Then my husband came home and I made him dinner, because that's my job (6).  And now I'm done because I don't know what to write about (7).  It's sad.  But, it's entertaining and encourages me to keep just being a nurse and a mom to a dog. 

My point is, this shouldn't be hard, and I'll be damned if I fall into the same category as some girls my age. 

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Tom Douglas has a new restaurant.  Need I say more? Post finished because what else do you need to know this week?

It is called, and I love this name, Seatown Snack Bar.  Located right next to Ettas, this place shouldn't disappoint (like Palace Kitchen did).  Really, looking at the menu, and realizing that I probably won't get to eat there for quite awhile, I'm already craving some of these dishes. 

Like: city fruit apple pie beecher's flagship cheddar crust, vanilla ice cream

And: "Julia Child's" local dungeness crab best foods mayo, lemon.   They have a whole freakin section on their lunch/ dinner menu for crab.  How do you not get in line for that?

They have a take-out menu too.  Lord help my husband, dog and I when we move back.  Look at this rotisserie menu!!

daily rotisserie specials

monday: ancho spiced goat

tuesday: lavender honey duck legs 

wednesday: house pancetta roasted rabbit

thursday: butter basted sage turkey thighs

friday: peri peri rubbed lamb sirloin

saturday & sunday: natural beef rib roast
 
 
 
Life is just not fair.  Harrisburg does not have a daily rotisserie special.
 
Anyways, it's right next to Pike Place.  Get yourself a pancetta rabbit today, a loaf of bread, some heirloom tomatoes and peaches from the market, and some clams for the hell of it.  I think we're having PB and J tonight, so there's that.   
 
 

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In this household, football reigns supreme.  It's all those Stillers fault, really.  My guy loves the black and gold like he loves, well that's about the top of the love spectrum for him.  And really, I don't mind because I kinda owe the Stillers a thing or two, since they ultimately brought us back together again.  If you don't remember, and I don't know why you would, the Stillers played the Seahawks in SuperBowl XL, and cheated, and won, thus resparking confidence and ample gloating material in K. 

 

We have come a long way in this relationship to both be cheering the Seahawks at a Harrisburg bar the other day. 

 

We've come a very long way when K picks the Seahawks for his defensive team in Fantasy Football. 

 

I can't tell you much about the Seahawks, except that next week is week 3 of the preseason, they still have Hasselbeck for their quarterback, and that I heard they have a good defense.  Still, I'd like to know about this team that holds the only chance of winning in the greater Seattle area. 

 

So, I'm making a very small declaration that this year, I'm going to pay attention more to the Seahawks.  Their fans are dedicated, and I don't see why I shouldn't wear my uniform on game days like other people in this household do.  Or, maybe I'll wear that uniform all year for good luck and not wash it like someone I know. 

 

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This week's featured location is one of my favorite locations in Seattle.

 

 

Green Lake, how I miss you so. 

 

I miss your perfect 2.8 course that made my thigh muscles tingle and cleared my head. 

 

I miss watching the puppies interact and seeing people feed the non-indigenous rabbits that now cover the lake area, despite the many signs that say "do not feed the rabbits. They do not belong here" which is very proactive for Seattle. 

 

I miss that area by the front of the lake where the kids play in the water and the parents buy ice cream.  I miss seeing that bubble lady pull up in her purple bubble covered car, and, blow bubbles for everyone. 

 

I miss this time of the year, when the air is warm and crisp at the same time, and the sun glitters on the lake.  I miss that little glimpse of the space needle that you can see on one stretch of the lake.  

 

I want to take Lilly there someday. 

 

I want to run Green Lake, once I start building a tolerance for running and learn how to push through ankle pain. 

 

Walking around the next door Vo-tech school doesn't have the same effect. 

 

 

 

 

I need to think of a nifty sign-off for this weekly feature. 

 

So Long Sweet Summer

This is a Fall sky. 

A daily occurence this time of the year.  The type of clouds that you see coming in the distance, which announce their intent with their dark linings, that make you think, "Hmm, I shouldn't run tonight because it's going to pour". 

But, it never does.  Because these are Fall clouds, not Summer clouds.  Summer clouds do what they look like they're going to do, Fall clouds just sit there.  Sometimes, like tonight, the clouds will whip aggressively by with some vicious wind, but no rain.  Just darkness. Just another reminder that the days are cooling and a new season is upon us.

WOOO HOOOO!!!!!!

I freakin love Fall.  Yes, I love the new pencil smell, which tempts me to buy a box of pencils and have them sit unused on my desk because I'm a nurse and I only use black ink.  More so, I love the other Fall stuff more.  The sweaters, the scarves, the nutmeg and cinnamon smells, the harvest that's produced right before the first frost, the abundance of pumpkins and dried corn stalks and of course, Halloween stuff. 

I have a personal rule that I will not buy or decorate anything Halloweenish until the first of October.  Otherwise, it would get out of control.  I will admit that I looked at a Halloween magazine the other day, although I'm holding off for a Martha Stewart one really.  

Anyways,  it's starting to look like Fall.

K and I started classes today.  It's the last semester for me, second to last for him.  A bummer of course, because no one really wants to go to school, but we're kinda apathetic.  For him, it means a year of complete devotion to school and nothing else (except our wedding, right?).  For me, it's 5 months until I'm a RN.  Which means I have 5 months to learn (or relearn) everything that I need to know before I put IV medications into somebody's body.  

Still, we're going to miss Summer.  It was relatively uneventful, with the exception of our trip to Seatle (crap, I still haven't written about that) and our engagement party.  However, Summer still has a sweet spot in our hearts and we like the extra daylight and the chance to do summery things.  This weekend, we had a last hoorah, in a way.  

We celebrated a birthday.

Yep, that's frosting. 

And, on the same day, we celebrated a new beginning.  K's last day at work was Friday and I almost suprised him with a Happy Hour at one of our favorite bars downtown, complete with some of our closest friends.  We laughed, we drank, we took full advantage of the half priced appetizers and 2.50 drafts. 

We gave a dog a bath in the backyard, one of the true luxuries of the summer.  It means a garden hose and some Camp Soap, and a clean, humidity free bathroom upstairs. 

She did escape however, and much of our time was spent chasing after a soapy, slippery puppy with a vendetta against baths in general, especially of the backyard variety. 

I think that is my favorite picture of the summer.

We watched deer from the backyard again. 

We celebrated a friend's accomplishment and caught up with other friends that we hadn't seen in a while.  We drove an hour for a party all the while singing old 90's rock music, harmonizing and amazing ourselves with our knowledge of the lyrics. 

We ended Saturday night at a crowded Irish bar, finding a Seahawk game on.  Cheering for touchdowns yes, but also raising our hands in the air when a shot of the city or Snoqualmie Falls came on the screen. 

Fall is coming, yes. 

We love Fall, oh yes we do. 

But, tonight, even though I have books to read and papers to write, we're going to let Summer linger a little longer. 

We'll eat cherry tomatoes from the vine. 

And chase them around the yard. 

 

We'll sit in the backyard, toes plunged into bright green grass

And think, maybe it's a Summer sky afterall. 

On Summer

Well, like I said in the last post, the leaves are starting to change, but that's because it's hot.  This happens every year here (well, at least the last two, since that's all I have to go off of), the sweltering heat sucks the moisture out of the trees and they loose their leaves.  It's pretty, but it's a whole lot prettier when you're tucked into warm sweaters and scarves.  

Really, summer is almost over.  School starts next Monday for us and suddenly I'm finding myself a little panicky because I didn't cross much off of my list. 

Let's recap:

-Create an outdoor oasis: check.

-Run out of things to burn: ooh, well, we really didn't do this.   Let's blame it on the new grass that we put in and the fact that it's still 90s most nights.  We did have an impressive fire in Seattle and during our second party when we had everyone over to celebrate the engagement.  We could always have more fire though.

-Concert it up: I talked about this last week.  We tried but the universe just didn't want us to get our groove on this summer.  We managed to see a decent band a couple weekends ago at the Hardware bar, but that might have been a fluke.

-Hike:  One hike.  Still, that's one more hike this year than the last two. 

-Party like it's 2011:  check, check, check.

-Dangly earrings and faux pearls:  I think I kicked ass on this assignment.  Frequently, when I'm not in scrubs, you'll find me in jeans and either the earrings or the necklaces.  It's been a good summer for that.

-Teach Theresea about the other great female singers: fail.

-Take advantage of Netflix: fail.

-Complete our wedding blog: CHECK!!!!! It rocks your socks off.

-Live it up in Seattle: check. Ha, I still have to write about the trip.  So, fail in that regard.

-Read 5 books: fail.  I've read 1/5 of 3 books. 

-Find the summer song:  I found two, so that's like extra credit.

-Love the puppy and fiancee like never before:  Let's see, I run with the pup now so I think that gives her extra love.  And I bought Madden 11 for K the other day, so I'm giving myself a big check for both.

-Study something nursing related: fail.

-Become a workout-aholic: check.  The last 16 days I've worked about 13 of them. 

-Catch a firefly: fail.  I couldn't even capture it on the camera!

-Rewatch a season of LOST: I started the 1st season, and have about four discs to go. 

-Rock nail polish: check.

-Grill corn: I started roasting it, which is WAY better!

-Become a morning runner: fail.  But, I became a runner, so I don't care. 

-Summer sheets: check.

-Sleep naked: fail. 

-Find signature summer cocktail:  I'm going to say this year it was redhook beer.  I don't know why, I'm scrambling to do better on this list. 

-Record all of my recipes: fail.

-Finish painting the basement: don't even ask. 

-Have one of those classic summer moments where you're listening to great music, at dusk, in a car, with your hand out the window, thinking that life doesn't get any better: check.

-Create a photo portfolio: fail.

-Go swimming: fail.

-Take Lilly back to Little Buffalo: check.
-Enjoy my summer harvest: check.
-Pick Dahlias: check. 



I'm not going to do the math, but I think I got a 40 percent. 


Still, I have a month to go because it will be hot until October.  


Today, I tried to accomplish something.  I had the day off, Lilly woke me up at 9 and I thought I had the day to conquer.  But, then I spent too much time writing and I met K for lunch and now I'm finding myself at around 4:00. 

Maybe tonight I'll lounge outside in the dusk, watch the dog roll around in the grass, and hope that the backyard produces something like this again:

I know it's fuzzy, but you can't beat that. 

Gettysburg

Big, heavy sigh.  If you're my mother or fiancee and you're a regular subscriber to wainpa.blogspot.com, or Fish out of water, otherwise known as someday I'm going to figure out a better title, then you'll notice that there is a new design to this little bloggy.  Yes, I changed the background color and added additional text to the header.  And it took me an hour and a half.  Yes, an hour and a half.  Don't ask. 

So, we now have a fresher, hipper look to this site, which will hopefully bring in loads of new readers. 

Ha.  

I have a few blogs that I just adore, and they usually have a photography FAQ on their site, explaining how they get their pictures so big and bright in their posts, and so on.  "How do you make those pictures fill the screen?"  "What camera do you use?"  and "How do you get that little gadget there to pop up on your blog?" that's what they ask, over and over again.  But, nobody asks, "How does your header look so freakin amazing, EVERY TIME?".  I can't figure it out.  All I know is, I somehow made a half decent header once (see above) and for now, that's the one I'm stickin with. 

That's probably as good as it's going to get for free anyways. 


Anywho... our weekend.  A glimpse of weekends ahead of us because........K's quitting his job this week! That's right, he gets to be a student for once in his adult life, instead of a full time worker and full time studier.  We are very proud of him and the decisions that he's made, and I'm willing to put in extra time at the nursing homes, arguing over turkey sandwich condiments and avoiding the pinch of little old men. 

This weekend, we were both off and we definitely took advantage of it.  Friday night, we shared an appetizer and a few beers on the waterfront, then went to bed early because we're old now. 

And Saturday....oh Saturday.  Guess what we did.  We went hiking!!!!!!!!!!!  Yes! Hiking!  My favorite outdoor activity which I haven't particpated in since I moved to PA.  It was glorious. 

Before I continue, let me recap our past hiking experience.  In 2007, the summer before I moved to PA, Kevin came out and I planned a huge camping trip.  Complete with day hike, blue cheese burgers for dinner, fried eggs for breakfast, the works.  I planned for weeks, he humored me, and we headed out to Larrabee State Park in Skagit County, WA. The drive was beautiful, the weather was warm, and the hamburgers were pretty good.  Then, it went down hill from there. 

You see, in Washington,  June really isn't summer.  Summer really isn't summer until after the 4th of July, when the weather starts participating and warms up to the point where you feel the need to jump in a lake (and that's a good thing all of you Seattlites who are bitching right now about 90 degree weather).  The weather becomes this golden, sunny warmth that welcomes shorts and tank tops, and shows no sign of the humid, suffocating summers that I've experienced here on the East Coast (seriously, stop complaining.  Again.)  BUT, in June, it's still as cold as hell at night, and you, especially if you're K, wonder whether or not you bypassed summer completely, and have found yourself in November.  

So, he froze at night, is what I'm saying.

And then, I found this map at the rangers station of this trail that led you to a lake and I thought, "Oh, this is perfect!".  And it wasn't.  Because this lake was on the top of a MOUNTAIN and we hiked forever, only to get to a sign that said the lake was another mile ahead of us on our 1.6 mile hike.  We continued and I could just feel my future hikes as a couple becoming fewer and fewer with every step. 

It wasn't pretty, and that's all I'm saying about that.  

So, we've had this dilemma for the last couple of years how to do something that I really want to do while doing something that he really wants to do too.  It's just the fact of our relationship and there's nothing wrong with that: I like hiking like he likes football, and he likes hiking like I like trying to figure out how to make new headers.  Well, not that bad, but you get it. 

Here's the thing though: K likes history like I like hiking and we just so happen to have State Parks devoted to history around these neck of the woods.  That's why, when I said I wanted to go hiking, K suggested we go to Gettysburg.  And I quickly said yes. 

We left the dog behind because this trip could have involved shopping and not just hiking and we weren't sure if dogs were allowed in the park anyways.  I had a little bit of that puppy mommy guilt, but got over it.  She didn't know anyways.  

I was ridiculously happy the entire time.  We drove around the battlefields for awhile, then found a trail to Big Round Top, where the Union held their own on the top of the mountain (hill) while the Confederates charged up. The use of the highgrounds by the Union is the reason for their victory in this battle.  We hiked to the top, which really took about 15 minutes, but it was just enough to give me the hike juice that I needed. 

It was a really beautiful trail.  Quiet, just a few other hikers along the way, and a couple of easy switchbacks.  We were rewarded at the top of our climb with several markers explaining who fought at the top and what took place there. 

The weather was cool enough that jackets were not needed and it felt fine to carry a backpack.  We wore shorts because it is still summer and that weather can sneak up on you.  Still, the leaves are starting to change up there, most likely because of the heat that we've had this summer, but I like to believe it's because Fall is really right around the corner. 

 

I don't care if it isn't really, because I feel like we have a few more summer adventures in us.

The best part of the hike was the lunch that we shared at the top.  We spread out on huge boulders overlooking the canyon (and Maryland, most likely) and ate our sandwiches by ourselves, the only ones at the top for the lunch hour.  It was peaceful and it was romantic, and it was something that we both agreed was worth the hike.

We checked out a few more battlefields after that, before heading in to town, browsing the visitors center, then finally packing back up for the trip home. It was a great day and it showed the both of us that compromise is good and that we can find things that we both equally enjoy. 

When the weather cools, I know that we'll be outside more, exploring and finding more activities that we can enjoy together.  And, hey, maybe Lilly can come too!!

Garden update

The gettin is good. 

Lately, I stand in the backyard, look around, and pat myself on the back.  Ninety percent of what I'm looking at in the garden was planted as a seedling, by my own hands. 

Last week, I picked the last of the baby beets that managed to grow, picked most of the cippolinni onions (which we will be dining on tonight, braised with mushrooms and placed on top of juicy, grilled steak), and tried to tackle the basil. 

We have a lot of basil, to say the least. 

Tomatoes are growing and we even have some squash as well.  I picked these today, to which I declared the color of the day as "yellow"

This little garden just amazes me everyday.  Take away the produce that we've produced and I still get a kick out of it.  The way the vines reach up to the sky and proclaim their yellowy blooms. The way a morning glory has managed to climb quickly up the bird feeder that was once occupied by Chippy before the groundhog chomped off it's green leaves.  The way dewy tomatoes hide among it's leaves and stems.  And the big, chunky green tomatoes that we will be feasting on any day now.  I love it all. 

That was all me, people.

Then, turn off the lights and take another look at the garden.  I can't decide whether or not I like it better during the day or at night. 

I can't get enough of that magical glow. 

But really, this garden has been all about the Dahlias the last couple of weeks.  All, which happen to be poppin up pink, despite the yellows, whites, and reds I also planted.  I literally swoon over these glorious flowers. 

Tonight, we're dining on the onions and including some of those golden cherry tomatoes in a salad. 

How's that for soaking up the summer? 

A Quiet House

I crave a quiet house, where televisions are off, videogames are tucked away for another day, dogs have ceased barking, and thoughts can be heard.  I love afternoons where windows are open and there is a quiet hum coming in through the screen.  Today was one of those days.

Quiet house days usually come around after a rain storm.  I have found that rain has a quieting effect on most people.  It's a distracting occurance that shifts your focus on what's going on inside, to what's happening on the outside.  People become fixated on the rain, the speed at which it falls, it's length of time, and the size of the drops.  We focus on the wind and the thunder, and find ourselves listening less to what's on the radio and the television shows, and more on the sound that it makes against the rooftop. 

I love the rain. 

I love the way it sounds.  Growing up in the Northwest, the rainshower evening performance frequently became my nightly lullabye.  An orchestra of rain drops on a rooftop is comforting to me.  I love the way it smells.  You'll find me, during the heaviest of storms, opening the windows, not caring if the window sill becomes a little damp, because I crave that rain smell.  I want it in my room.  I want it on my sheets.  It's cleansing and it's organic.  I love the way the earth smells after the rain.  That kicked up dirt smell. 

Yes, I know how cliche this all sounds from me.  I know that Seattle is known for it's rain.  But you know what?  Sometimes, I don't even care that it has that label.  Because, rain storms slow the day down for me. They center me and relax me. 

Yesterday, at work, everyone complained about how much rain we were getting.  One of the dining rooms flooded.  People couldn't take their smoke breaks because of the downpour.  We had to run to our cars without umbrellas or jackets.   And do you know what I said?

" I love the rain. It reminds me of home."

So today, we took our day off inside, and woke up to the morning showers.  That pitter patter woke me up a little bit early, but instantly put me in a good mood. 

We opened the screen door and let that air in.  I let Lilly out on her rope and revelled in the wet grass with my bare feet.  I don't care, this is how I was raised.  I popped in "When Harry Met Sally" because sometimes, rain makes you want to watch a movie. 

Once it stopped, we went about our day.  Which is a lot easier when it rains because the humidity goes away a little bit and it's okay to wear jeans and a tshirt all of a sudden.  Another reminder of Seattle weather. 

You know what Harrisburg?  I think that your summer storms are one of the greatest things about the summers here. 

Random-ish

It feels like the last couple of post have been a random-ish, but here I go anyways.  I simply have nothing else to title this post with. 


1.  Remember when I made that summer-to list and one of the main things I was going to accomplish was to have my fill of summer concerts? Because summer concerts are really what summer's all about?  That's not going so well.  First, our Seattle U2 concert was cancelled.  And so were our plans to rock it out in the cool June air that summer brings, and to sing at the top of our lungs and dance with whoever was around us.  Gone.  We did get a refund, so there's that, but it wasn't a good way to start. 

And then we were going to see Dave Matthews Band, but we were so dirt broke from our trip that we decided to do the right thing, the adult thing, and to save our money.  Screw that.  Screw that to hell.  We should have gone.  We remind each other often that we should have gone. 

At this point, and every point in the summer, we're turned off by the thought of going to hot, humid, crowded, noisy, too pricey state or county fairs and getting our music fill that way. 

So, we've limited ourselves to the Harrisburg scene.  Which, has just been sad. 

First, we stopped at a local coffee shop, got some yummy drinks, and kinda stale pastries, and waited for the chubby guy with the guitar to start playing.  Then, I saw a bunch of people with "Vegetarians United" or something like that on their shirts, and I started to think that my peanut butter, double chocolate, still kinda stale brownie might be ridiculed. Then, the guy started his set with the following words "Hi, we're vegan" and que music. Suddenly, I had serious deja vu from my Seattlite days.  All that aside, he was horrible.  Stupid songs, and I don't care if you save animals. 

Next was a band called "Enter the Haggis" at a brewery that we started to go to again.  They came on an hour late, because their main singer was in the hospital, to which Kevin then shared that his first thought was, "Aww, their name is Enter the Haggis, they're playing in Harrisburg, and that guy probably doesn't have health insurance".  Not funny, but kinda. 

Our latest experience included a band called "Infamous Stringbusters", which was pretty much a bunch of young bluegrass players, which would have been entertaining if 1) It wasn't in a bar, 2) I could hear anything they said, 3) It wasn't so blazin hot in the place, and 4) the crowd wasn't hula-hooping the whole time.  You read right.  Hula-hoop dancing....just wait, all the kids will be doing it. 



2. I have amazed myself this week.  I've always wanted to be a runner, despite the out-of-breath, aching, and exhausting feeling I usually get from it.  I've always wanted to be in that club, where you are held accountable with your mileage, you can exercise wherever you have tennis shoes, and you use words that nobody else says like "personal record" and "overpronation".

On Saturday, for some reason, I made a decision to start running.  I found a beginners guide, printed it out, made two copies, hung one up, bought a watch, found tennis shoes, and on Sunday, started.  Right now, it's running four times a week, for intervals, but at the end of the program you'll be running for 30 min straight, which is like running a marathon to me. 

The first interval included me crossing the street, twisting my ankle, falling on my right knee, and then getting up quickly to make sure that no one saw.  But, I was okay and I continued.

I haven't stopped, I haven't changed the program, I haven't even really complained.  I run, I walk, I finish, and I feel like a rockstar. 

So, I'm positive about the next 8 weeks. 

3. Last Sunday, I picked a recipe and cooked and then I picked another recipe and I baked.  I baked!  I don't bake because you can't skip things or add things. 

So here's what I made for dinner:

Chicken Spaghetti

and for dessert:

Peach Crisp with Maple Cream

Both Pioneer Woman recipes.  Excellente!

4.  Schools starting soon. I cleaned off my desk, rearranged the furniture, and stacked the books I'll need.  I just need a new chair.  The search begins.  



Thats it for now, I'm tired.