We had so much fun visiting our good friends and enjoying one of the coolest cities in the world during the holiday season.  Even packed with the bajillion people gawking at the Rockefeller tree, there was so much cheer we didn’t want to be anywhere else.  Proof is in the pictures (there really were a bajillion people!).

Huskies lose by 6 to Duke. A good second half but not enough.

Rockefeller Center during the holidays!

INSANE crowds to check out the tree at Rockefeller.

Walking along Highline Park in the Meat Packing District.

Yummy snack at the Donut Plant.

As always, it was super relaxing and loads of fun.  We stayed in Waikiki so we could easily surf every day.  Honolulu was a lot more crowded this time than it has been the last few times I’ve been.  Tourism has definitely picked up…making it harder to surf our favorite beach without worrying about getting bonked on the head with someone else’s surfboard.  Still fun, just slightly annoying.

Landin and Missy (who might me moving back to the states – bah!) were the best hosts ever.  They always take us to new places that never disappoint.  Like the evening we had a yummy and disgustingly filling dinner followed my mochi ice cream.  Or the beautifully hidden sunset lookout.  Or on what they called a Disneyland hike.  I disagreed.  Disneyland doesn’t have hills!  We managed to squeeze in a beautiful hike, a beach stop that reminded me of where LOST might be filmed and lunch all before our flight at 1pm.  The best part is, we love their company so it really doesn’t matter what we’re doing – it’s always fun.  And they’re total nerds.  At the moment, they are way into birds and plants (last time it was the underwater creatures).  We got a mini lesson along the hike about all kinds of birds and tropical plants.  I don’t remember much of it now but it was adorable watching them geek out and get excited about a bird that they couldn’t even see.  Not sure what we’re going to do if they move to Denver!

This first installment, to get you all warmed up, is a video from the Bachelorette Party.  D planned an amazingly awesome Chelan excursion with a “Reality TV” theme.  We had an Amazing Race scavenger hunt, a Top Chef cook off, a how well do you know your celebrity Bachelor and Bachelorette game and a Biggest Loser competition.  It was awesome.  And all superbly documented by KMJ who put together this cute little video.  Love my girls.  Long time.

We have gotten away from the weeds a few times in the last few weeks and each outing has brought me back to memories in college and high school and even grade school.   Please join me for a little stroll through memory lane.

New Kids on the Block.  Oh yes.  I went to their show (again), this time headlining with the BackStreet Boys.  I didn’t want to go.  Once of NKOTB was enough for me.  But growing up, my sister was obsessed with the boy band.  So obsessed, she put a giant poster size puzzle together and glued it and put it on her wall.  It’s still in the basement of our childhood home and haunts, er, greets Kevin and I every time we go home for a visit.  I will admit, I loved belting out BSB “I Want It That Way” with thousands of other adult women, just like I do on long drives with Mar and KMJ.  And the most hilariously awesome part is how much they play up the sex-appeal.  I was embarrassed FOR them with all the hip thrusting and self touching going on.  Not attractive (although thousands of other screeching adult women would surely disagree).  Anyway, the good news about this concert viewing was it got my sister and her family to Seattle – which doesn’t happen often enough.

Soundgarden.  We just got back from the Gorge late last night where Chris Cornell sang his face off.  According to Kevin, his voice was meant to be heard at the Gorge just as Eddie Vedder’s was meant to be heard at Benaroya (that was also an awesome show, by the way).  It took me back to highschool where a lot of my friends were “grunge” and wore flannel on 90 degree sweaty hot days, wore holy jeans and wrote nonsense all over their jansports with a sharpie.  I was only sort of grunge.  My Mom wouldn’t let me put holes in my jeans or write on my jansport or smoke pot or sneak booze into class AND DRINK IT.  I did listen to ”grunge” music though.  It was an awesome combination of Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, STP, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the Aladdin soundtrack in my five-disc CD player.  I was so cool.

And then in college, I actually remember Spoonman playing in Red Square on my long walks to Balmer.  I picture him everytime I hear that song.

Sonics Night at the Mariners.  We really could have cared less about the game.  The draw were the Sonic legends.  The Sonics that don’t exist anymore because Howard Schultz sucks (but his bagels are awesome!).  The championship that now belongs to OKC Thunder because Clay Bennett is a liar.  It wasn’t until this night that I realized how much I miss the Sonics.  Working there was definitely the coolest job I’ve ever had.  How many people can say they did on-court promotions during half-time, ran in circles with giant flags that spell “S”, “O”, “N”, “I”, “C”, “S” in the 4th quarter of a tight game to get the crowd pumped, told Charles Barkley he should lay off our donuts since he had a game in an hour, watched the end of games from the cat-walk to drop T-shirt parachutes on unsuspecting but grateful fans, collect sweaty seat covers after the games and watch the same fans come game after game to cheer on their beloved team?  Not many.  I am lucky.

Seeing the Sonics greats reminded me of the good friendships I developed from working game nights and their influence of a basketball stadium tour that is halfway complete.  And it reminded me of  how much I loved basketball.  I was never really good.  But I loved to play with my Dad on summer nights.  I was so much in love with basketball, in junior high, I would set up a TV outside with full on extension cords and a TV sun block, so I could watch NBA Inside Stuff and the games to follow while doing homework outside in the sun.  Those were the days of the Dream Team, Clyde the Glide, the Mailman, John Stockton in his short shorts, David Robinson and Muggsy Bogues, Grandmama (LG) and Shawn Kemp.  Basketball just isn’t the same anymore.  And it’s even less the same without the Seattle SuperSonics.

Our recent trip to Paris (please refer to previous posts) was also a walk back.  My sophomore year in college, Gramma, Krista and I went to Paris for a week with my mentor Mary Ann Sanger and a group of students from SFCC.  One of the students in the group was Marisa.  I had known Marisa because we were both awarded the same scholarship our freshman year.  But we were acquaintances.  Because of this trip, we became friends and have since been all over the world together.  Paris reminds me of some of my favorite people and my first trip to Europe….where it all began.  I credit Gramma and Mary Ann for instilling the travel bug in me.  For that I am forever grateful.

July was full of weeds.  But better, lots of good memories, new and old.

Love, me and Mr. T

I didn’t know what it was going to be like being “the bride.”  I really didn’t have any expectations.  What continues to overwhelm me is the genuine love and support from my friends.  My friends have made me feel so special.  So special that a “thank you” doesn’t seem to be enough to show my gratitude.  I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out if this is just what happens when you get married.  You get showered and you feel awesome and that’s normal?  While I don’t technically know, I kind of feel like it’s not.  The motions are all very similar.  Showers and parties and games and presents.  But what’s different to me, it feels like it’s more meaningful than just the motions.  There’s so much emotion involved.  It has made being “the bride” very surreal.

It’s not often you take the time to reflect and think about the people in your life and what they really mean to you.  I’ve been doing that – and I like it.  I like that people are genuinely excited for me and Kevin.  And have shown us that in many different forms.  It is an exciting time for us.  And we can’t wait to celebrate with our closest friends and family.  But I think what’s even more exciting is confidently knowing how many people love us, support us and want to be a part of us.  It minimizes so much and makes everything past, present and future, less scary.

Thank you, friends.  I love you!

Megs, Ree and Nins - the hostess(es) with the mostess!

Crazy gamers!

Who knows me?! Straight to my heart...and hips.

We’ve never surfed the Washington coast during the winter months but lucked out with a beautiful weekend.  It was actually warmer in February than it was when we went last July.  I was surprised I couldn’t tell a difference in water temperature between February and July.  I guess it’s just always really cold so it doesn’t get that much colder!

Every weekend at Hobuck is a good one.  I love that we have so many friends willing to make the drive to go surf in the cold.  I’m sure we’d have fun just the two of us but the game of dominos just wouldn’t be the same.

There was clamming, bueno, dancing, bueno, crockpot cook-off (way to go Matty on taking home first place!), bueno, games, bueno and lots and lots of fun with our favorite party crew.  Did I mention there was bueno?

We were determined though, snow pants and all to make the loop.  And I would have to say, between the five of us walkers that were brave enough to fight the floods, we managed to muster up some  holiday cheer.  The night was lovely and got continually better when we warmed up with split pea soup, hot butter rum, lots of cookies, more friends and an intense game of domino’s.

No matter the weather, the luminaria will always be special to us.  It’s a beautiful reminder of love, friendship and the spirit of the season.  Save the second Saturday of December and join us next year.  Kevin is already planning his redemption cookie – Haystack, take two!

Then we saw Sark and Kevin wet his pants a little.  Sark was very attentive to his boys but took a moment to let Kevin drool and take a picture with him.  They kinda look like they could be related, don’t they?

Gotta love the happy hour that turns into a late night Dick’s run on the way home!