Happy Birthday to My Mom!

Mom,

Happy Birthday to you! What a great day to be born - a definite time for celebration.

I'm so lucky to have you in my life as my mother and my friend. Thank you for everything you have done and continue to do for me. I love you with all my heart!

80 Days to Mrs. Walters!

It's only 80 days until the wedding! I know that sounds like a lot but it's gone by SO fast. I've never been so excited for something in my life. We are going to have a great time. I am anxious to get the mail every day to see who has sent in their RSVP cards.

After the Holidays, we have a few things to button up as far as the plans go. Other than those few things, I feel like we are ready!

Today is a snow day and the office is closed. I've been at home working a bit and watching it snow - we have about 7". Chris has been in Atlanta all week and will fly in at midnight tonight. I hope his drive home is safe.

Tomorrow we get the girls and will have them until the afternoon on Christmas Eve. I'm very excited for Christams. It will be a nice time to see family and hang out with them.

Just wanted to post an update - not much going on. Just getting ready for the Holidays and the weekend. All is well in our world - really well, really blessed.

O Tree Event

Chris and I were invited to the charity O Tree Event for all of Providence. It was a beautiful event with silent and live auction at the Westin. I've been fortunate this year to have done some construction work for Providence. It has been amazing to see many of the properties they have and all of the services they provide to the elderly. Providence raised over a million dollars that night - WOW!

The Chrysalis Inn!

Six of us girls (Lisa, Laura, Sharon, Sara, Karin and me) headed up to Bellingham on Saturday morning to stay at the Chrysalis Inn for a "Spajama" party! Wow - this was SO much fun! We had plenty of laughs, wine, good eats, did I mention wine and many more laughs. What a great getaway for the night. Sharon - thank you for finding this and planning, etc.

The purpose of the trip was to celebrate Lisa's birthday - Happy Birthday Lisa. So glad we could all celebrate with you. It was a great time!

Thanksgiving 2008

I can't believe Thanksgiving is over and it's almost Christmas. I can't seem to keep up with everything - ha!

We all had a great Thanksgiving - lots of Turkey, family and fun. Thursday was at my parents house with Dad's famous dinner. It was great - relaxing and fun to see everyone. We missed Mary and Adam. Their tradition is to visit his family on the East Coast for Thanksgiving.

Friday we had the Walter's Thanksgiving. This was also very fun and delicious. There were about 20 of us. It's always fun to see Chris' family.

By Friday night when we got home, we we had our fill of turkey and all the trimmings. Saturday and Sunday were spent bumming around, putting up decorations and relaxing.

It was another nice Holiday with Chris, the girls, my family and his.

Trick-or-Treat

This is Natalie and Morgan before heading out trick-or-treating. It was fun to watch them dress up and then come home and be so excited about their candy. They spread all their candy out, sorting it and even started "trading" Snickers for Reeses' etc. It reminded me of when I was a kid - we did the same thing. Chris and Gene walked with the girls, while Marilyn and I stayed at their house handing out treats to the other little monsters :-)

Pumpkins!

Last weekend we ventured to the pumpkin patch to pick out some pumpkins for carving. Marilyn and Gene joined us - it was a beautiful day. As you can see from the pictures, Natalie and Morgan had a great time carving! Don't the pumpkins look great! Natalie's is on the left and Morgan's is on the right.

Canadian Thanksgiving!

This past weekend, Chris and I ventured up to Vancouver, BC to celebrate the Canadian Thanksgiving with his side of the family.

We had a three day weekend, so it was great - and much needed. We drove up Saturday and checked into the hotel. We all had a wonderful dinner at Chris' Aunt and Uncles. The "kids" headed out after that for a few cocktails. Some of us had more than others.

Sunday Chris and I walked to Stanley Park and around the island - probably about 7-8 miles. The weather was beautiful and we really weren't on a time frame - it was great.

Sunday Thanksgiving dinner was at Aunt Leanne's. It was very enjoyable - just like our Thanksgivings. The turkey put us to sleep by 9:00 - ha!

Monday we drove Grandpa Don home and he showed us all around Hallmark - where he lives. It was nice to meet him and spend some time visiting with him.

It was a great Holiday. I can't wait for our Thanksgiving!

Mary & Adam Lasky!

My little sister is married! How exciting is that! Mary and Adam had a beautiful wedding at the Lake Union Crew Club. It was very surreal watching my sister get married. There were time throughout the day I found myself not know what to do or how to act. Sounds weird I suppose.

My favorite part of the wedding was when we were all downstairs on the dock after the ceremony. It was so beautiful and everyone was enjoying being outside and by the water. Mary and Adam were already married so the stress was gone ;-) I'm so happy for Mary and Adam and look forward to spending so many more fun times with them.

My parents looked so beautiful for the wedding and the rehearsal dinner. I had to attach a photo of them at the rehearsal dinner. I'm so proud of them.

I also want to thank Chris for catering to the needs of Mary's wedding from the night of the rehearsal dinner until the wedding was over. If he wasn't helping my Mom and Dad, he was setting up, or carrying my shoes around, making sure the aisle runner was perfect, dancing with Grammy. It's amazing to me that he does all of these things without being asked. Thank you Chris - I love you!

A DIAMOND!

This is what I came home to yesterday! A breath-taking diamond ring, roses, a card and a bottle of champagne - WOW!

Once again I am overwhelmed with Chris and all of his goodness. Diamond or no diamond, I am so excited to be with him and love him forever. We have a wonderful life and so many things to be thankful for!

This and That

It's hump day - only two days to go until another wonderful weekend. Chris is gone all week in Nashville, so I've been busy doing my thing.

Mary and I are going for dinner tonight and we are going to talk about things left to complete before her big day, which is ONLY 51 DAYS AWAY! I'm so excited for her and Adam. The wedding is going to be SO much fun!

The calender seems to be filling up fast, with all this wedding planning, fall football, birthdays, kids summer break, etc. WOW - life is good and busy!

My wedding plans are going great. The save the dates have gone out, the photographer, DJ, judge, caterer, facility and pianist are all booked. I just need flowers and a cake :-) Oh - and a dress. (Minor details.) Chris and I even started a registry at Sur La Table - this is kind of a nightmare project. It's a little overwhelming, but almost complete.

For those of you tuning in, the wedding will be March 7, 2009 at Hotel Deca in Seattle (www.hoteldeca.com). If you need further infor for planning, just email me at joanjob@msn.com. I'm SO excited I can hardly wait to be married to Chris!

Other things that are going on:
- Mom and Dad are celebrating their wedding anniversary on 7/27/08.
- Chris and I hiked Lake 22 last weekend - lots of snow still.
- The girls come on Saturday for a week with us - that should be fun.
- I'm down 10 pounds since my Weight Watchers weigh in yesterday - yahoo!
- Chris's birthday is 8/1 so I'm trying to plan special things for him like he did for me.

35 and Holding!

It is only 11:00 a.m. and I don't know if my Birthday can get any better. Chris - thank you for making me feel so special. You are the best!

Chris got me the most beautiful diamond earrings and had them on the bathroom counter this morning when I got up. At about 10:00 this morning, three dozen red roses were delivered to my office complete with chocolates and a balloon! Oh my gosh! I've never seen so many roses in my life - they are so beautiful and my office smells great.

I was not looking forward to 35, but it has definitely started off on the right foot and it can only get better. This is my favorite Birthday so far :-)

Independence Day!

Another perfect weekend, and a good time was had by all! My Aunt Peggy and Uncle Mike were gracious enough to invite us down to Lake Oswego for the long weekend. Once we got through the traffic on Thursday evening, we found our weekend to be filled with laughter, wine, great food, dancing in Peg's kitchen and some more laughter - of course. Chris met my cousins Mike and Marie and their son Kyle. I can't believe how big Kyle is - what a great kid! He also met Aunt Peggy, Uncle Mike and my cousin Emily. Emily is 14 and is the most beautiful thing. She is definitely a product of her parents :-). Chris also met my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Rolen, my Aunt Carol and Uncle Eddie. My Aunt Joan was there as well, who Chris had already met. One familiar face I'm sure he was thankful for! Chris loved everyone and said he had a good weekend.

It was so great to just relax with everyone and spend time with them. This doesn't happen often enough. Friday morning, Chris, Marie, Emily and me went for a walk downtown Portland around the water. It was a great opportunity for me to catch up with Marie and Chris got to visit with Emily. Marie's mom is pretty sick so I wish her the best and will keep her family in my prayers. The afternoon was followed by a little shopping, a great lunch at McCormicks and a BBQ at Peggy and Mikes. Fireworks were put on by Emily, Chris and me, which was my favorite part of the night.

Saturday morning we all meandered around the Lake Oswego Farmer's Market. Chris and I had breakfast and strolled through looking at all of the vendor's goods. It was fun - we love markets! We decided to head home and returned to Remond around 4:00.

Peggy and Mike are such great hosts and have a beautiful home! Thank you so much for inviting us. We look forward to the next time we come down there. It's weekends like this that make me realize what a great family I have - they are SO fun!

Sunday we opted for a long walk in the morning to get some exercise before we headed to the Seattle International Beer Fest. The sun was out, the beer was plentiful and the company was my favorite. Chris and I spent the majority of the afternoon trying beers from all around the world and walking about the center listening to music. We ended our evening at the Matador in Redmond for some great Mexican food.

This and That

It has been a while since I have updated my blog. Only becuase there has been so many fun things happening. I need to take a few moments and write about them.

Three weeks ago we had a big birthday party for Natalie and Morgan. What a fabulous weekend it was. There friends from Wenatchee came and spent the weekend with them. They all had so much fun. I remember being that age, staying up late giggling and riding our bikes around. The party was on Saturday and the whole family was there, including my parents. It was great to have the families meet! As much fun as it was to have 4 girls around the house all weekend, we were tired when the weekend was over :-)

Last weekend was my sister's wedding shower! What a fun event for everyone. It was so great to see her SO excited. I had a great time and it was great to see everyone together. It was especially nice to meet Adam's mom (Janet), Grammy (Rita) and his sister (Karen). They are such gracious people and willing to lend a hand to help with anything.

This weekend will be just Chris and Joan. We are going to have a couple Birthday Beers with Melissa and Mark tonight. Tomorrow we are going to hike Annette Lake, which will be great. Jill and Tonya will join us - yippie. The rest of the weekend is up in the air. This is good as the next three weekends are pretty booked.

I also started Weight Watchers just over a week ago. God help me stick to this. So far so good. We will see how it is going a couple weeks down the road. It seems like a logical plan and I think if I stick to it I can get to my goal.

That is about it for now. The sun is out and I'm ready to start the weekend......

I hope this finds everyone laughing, loving and living!

Mary Turned 30!

My sister turned 30 this past Monday.

Chris and I were able to spend the weekend in Vancouver BC with Mary and Adam. We had the best time enjoying the beautiful city; restaurants, parks and of course the sunshine.

Happy Birthday Mary! I hope your thirties are as good as mine are. Thanks for letting us celebrate with you. We love you so much!

IT'S A GIRL!!!

Amy and Matt are having a baby girl! How absolutely fabulous will it be to have another Amy in this world!

I can see her now. She will have beautiful blonde hair with this sweet smile and will have the most pleasant nature about her, along with the patience of Job (no pun intended). She will have Matt's quick wit and logic . She will be happy, full of life and happiness like both Matt and Amy, as well as intellegent.

She will be the perfect package.

Congratulations Matt and Amy! I am SO excited for you!

Home again, home again, jiggity jig..........

Today was the first day back to work after having 8 days of total relaxation, no emails, no phones and no one asking you to do anything. I think our biggest decisions on vacation were to have a cerveza or a mai tai, lay on the beach or by the pool, do we walk down the beach to the north or to the south........................... Anyway, it is nice to be home safe and sound, be in our own bed and have the sun out in Seattle!

Our last couple days in Cancun were nothing but enjoying the sun by the pool, walking the beach collecting shells, a few more great meals and many more laughs and cervazes.

We were able to have Sunday to get things all taken care of prior to work on Monday. You know the drill - laundry, grocery shopping, checking the hundreds of emails. We finally broke away from the house at 2:30 or so and headed to Green Lake for a walk. How fun to go there - it has been a really long time and made me think of all the afternoons I have spent walking down there and around the lake. It's always very theraputic down there - whether you need it or not.

So Monday is over - the first day back. It was hard, as I was expecting the pool boy to be walking by my office around 10:00 asking if I wanted a mai tai. It never happened - ha!

Chris and I went for a bike ride tonight to enjoy the nice weather and then finished it off with dinner on the deck. It was a perfect evening.

I love my life!

After 5 Days in Cancun..............

It has been a fabulous and relaxing week thus far. We will enjoy a day by the pool today after spending a few days doing fun stuff around neighboring islands and downtown.

Monday we went for a long walk on the street side of the hotel (instead of the beach) just for some different atmosphere. The rest of the day was spent by the pool relaxing - again. We signed up for a few activities to do in the coming days as well. Monday night we went to Hacienda Sisal for a traditional Mexican dinner and show. The show featured Caribean dancers and an MC that sounded like Regis's older brother who just stepped out of Vegas. It was a very entraining evening.

Tuesday we had breakfast at the hotel - this has become a habit as it is so delicious :-) We went on a jungle tour with snorkeling at a reef that was called "Punta" something - I can´t remember, but we had a great time. There were ten of us in our group and each couple got on a Seadoo and went through lagoons, crossed the Caribean to get to this reef. The snorkeling was ok - the best I´ve seen in Mexico (but no comparison to Hawaii). Chris had never snorkelled before and either of us had ever seen a reef, so it was great. We swam around for about an hour and then headed back to Cancun. It was a fun time and something we both enjoyed and would do again. We went to Lorenzillo's for dinner - a favorite of mine and a place Adam recommended a few years ago. Dinner was excellent and so was watching the fish swim around while we ate. They also have their own lobster farm, so that was interesting to see. You can pick your own lobster out for dinner - go figure. Dinner was followed by a long stroll and a couple stops for a drink here and there and a couple games of pool.

Yesterday we went on a all day tour to Isle Maujez. We took a big boat to this island where there was a beach club. You could snorkel, sun bathe, sit in hamocks, swim, kayak or rent golf carts and take them around the island. Chris and I voted for the golf cart and drove around the island to see the way people live and just take in the views. At one end there was a lighthouse that is open and so we got to climb up to the top. It was beautiful. We got tons of pictures, so look for those in the coming days. The islands was disocvered by Spaniards in 1516 and is only about 7 miles long with a population of 15,000. We figured the livlihood was probably fishing. It also seemed that very rich Americans (and others) docked their huge boats there and just lived because of the cost. We headed back to the beach club for lunch and then a little sun. The boat left the beach club and took us to the other end of the island for some shopping. More locals trying to sell their goods. We were shopped out so we just walked around a bit and found a place to have a cerveza. So on this island we got 2 beers for $4.00 - now I know why some people live here - ha! Anyway, we boarded the boat and headed back to Cancun. They way back was a party and we continued that at the El Shrimp Bucket. Chris and I had a great dinner with too much shrimp and a couple margaritas. So far El Shrimp bucket has the best margaritas. We crashed early from a full day of touring and being in the sun.

Today will be lounging at the pool after breakfast and then we are headed out to find a place to watch the hockey game. Detroit needs to win one more in their series - yahoo!

I hope this finds you all well. We are totally enjoying ourselves and look forward to another day of relaxation.

Talk with you all soon.

Sun and Cerveza

Today is Sunday, our second day in Cancun and we have reached the point of total relaxation! The sun, cerveza and service is plentiful!

After a long day of travel on Friday, we headed straight to the bar on the beach and enjoyed a couple cervezas and the stories of the local bartender. It was early to bed so we were ready for a full day of relaxation by the pool.

Saturday started with breakfast in our room, enjoying the sun rise and then down to the beach by about 8:00 for a long walk. We spent all day down by the pool, in the ocean, and at the pool bar. We ran into a few ladies from Portland who were on our flight so we shared some stories over a Mai Tai. By 3:00 we were pretty red from the sun, so it was time for a siesta. We went to a local mexican restaurant (La Distilleria) for a great dinner. Chris had steak and I had fish. Excellent service.

Sunday we started the day with a long walk on the beach at 7:00 and then had a mexican breakfast at the hotel. We decided to stay out of the sun today and headed into town for some shopping at the local markets and take in some of the culture. Everyone wants to show you their crafts and goods they have for sale. We met some nice people while having a cerveza (imagine that) and the cutest little boy came over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. We got back to the hotel just in time for a siesta - I could get used to this :-)

We are so excited to be here and to be able to just relax together for a week. This is Chris´ first vacation in many years so he deserves this time.

I hope all is well with everyone at home. We are thinking of you and will talk to you soon.

Bear Update!

It's been a while since we've had an update on Bear. We received a letter from Ken and it is below. All is well, and it sounds like Bear may be a little skinnier than when he left us - wish I could say the same - ha!

Chris -

Hi. Nice to hear from you again.

Bear is doing great! He and Echo have become quite the dynamic duo. They often sit together for hours at one of the glass doors and watch over the yard, making sure there are no unwanted cats, deer, or squirrels.

We are walking together twice a day, every day. 2.5 to 4 miles first thing in the morning and another mile in the late afternoon. He especially enjoys getting toweled off after a rainy walk. What a character!

Bear had his first grooming here on the island. He was very well behaved and took it like a veteran. So he's looking quite handsome and we think he's even slimmed down a little with all of the walking.

Echo and Bear even touch noses occasionally. There are the usual expected tussles and growly exchanges, especially over favorite chew toys. She's still the boss though and he knows it.

We are so thrilled to have him. He is very affectionate and loves to snuggle up. We're enjoying him so much.

Have a safe trip. I'll send some photos of the little guy when I can. - Ken, Morgan, Echo & Bear

Fun in the Sun

Do you ever have a weekend where you just go WOW? I had one of those weekends, and it seems lately that I've been having a lot of them. The added bonus for this weekend was the SUNSHINE! When the sun came out on Saturday I don't think Chris and I were inside until 9:00 p.m. that night. We exercised, walked on Alki, had lunch and margaritas and went to a barbcue at Jake and Heathers and sat on the deck all evening. It was so AWESOME to see the sun all day. Sunday we encountered a few sun breaks but mostly clouds and some rain. This didn't ruin our fun though. We had breakfast on our deck and then biked to Marymoor and played tennis (or tried). That afternoon we went to an Alehouse in Seattle for an IPA fest. Chris taught me how to properly shoot pool (this is a long process for me) and we played darts and had dinner. The best part was neither of us were in any hurry to do anything but laugh and relax all weekend. Everytime I think life is so great and can't get any better.........it does!

On another note, Chris and I leave for Cancun in less than 2 weeks - we can't wait! This is Chris' first vacation in several years and my first in two years. We are ready, we got the flip flops, the swimsuits and each other. What else does one need?

I hope this finds everyone doing well and enjoying life as much as I am.

St. Paddy's Day Dash - Whoo Hoo!

Last Sunday was the annual St. Patrick's Day Dash, which I have done for a number of years with friends. It is always a fun event getting out there in the morning for some exercise with all the people in there crazy green costumes and then of course drinking beer afterwards.

This year was especially fun because Chris did his first "Dash." We had a great time and actually jogged a fair amount of the way. The race was followed with Lisa, Chris and I heading to Fado to drink too much beer and have many laughs. This will be an annual event for us and anyone else would like to join us.

Chris - thank you for being so willing to do new things with me and accepting of my friends. I love ya!

Natalie and the Violin!

Natalie has just started to play the voilin! She brought it over this weekend and played for us everyday. She has already mastered Mary Had a Little Lamn and Hot Cross Buns and is working on Jingle Bells. I can't believe how much she has learned in such a short time. I'm proud of her, and enjoyed listening to her play this weekend!

I remember when I started to learn how to play the piano - it was so much fun. I had the nicest teacher. She would always say to me, "Read your notes Honey." The guitar followed the piano and I also had a short stint with the clarinet. The greatest feeling was when you finally got that one song down you had been practicing and practicing.

I had to share this as I am very excited for Natalie and hope she sticks with it.

Weekend Excursion

This past Saturday, we ventured up to Burnaby B.C. with the girls. Chris' cousin was getting married, and we wanted to attend the Muslim ceramony. Mostly to support them in their new adventure, but to also make ourselves more aware of their religion/culture. We were glad we went, although their ceremony is much different than anything we are used to. The most important part is we were able to see relatives we only sees a couple times a year.

Sunday Uncle Fred and Aunt Marianne were cooking breakfast for us and most of the "relative clan." It was great to visit with aunts, uncles and cousins. They were very glad to see us, and happy we made the trek to the wedding.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the Peace Arch on our way home.

Bear's New Family

Saturday we planned to take Bear to a Play Day with other Norwhich Terriors, in hopes to do some networking to find a new family for Bear. A home where people were home every day, would walk him every day and had some area for him to play, not to mention someone to play with. Not thinking this would happen so soon, we met Morgan and Ken and their dog Echo - the nicest people. The couple was immediately in love with Bear, as he was of course on his best behavior. Morgan and Ken work out of their home on Vashon Island. They walk every morning, have a few acres that is fenced off and are close to the beach. Chris' many months of saying he needed to find a better place for Bear was right in front of us, with all the things Chris was looking for. Needless to say this was a very hard day for everyone. The next afternoon, we received the above picture of Bear and Echo sleeping after their morning walk. Bear is snuggled up to Morgan. Ken also included the below email, which reassured us Bear is going to be so loved, taken care of and have so many exciting times in his new home.

Chris & Joan - Bear, Echo, Morgan and I are having a ball! Bear is such a wonderful little dog. We are enjoying him so much. He's been so well behaved and very, very lovey.
We stopped at Lincoln Park near the Fauntleroy ferry dock for a much needed walk before we hopped on the ferry home yesterday. Big day for everyone yesterday. We walked through the wooded paths, then down to the beach.
When we arrived home, Bear made himself right at home immediately, checking out everything. No real problems between Bear & Echo. Echo snarled when Bear decided that Echo's newest chew toy was extremely interesting and another time on the couch when Echo thought Bear was just a little too close to her & Morgan, but that's been about it for problems between the two of them. We figure they'll work it out for themselves.
Bear and I had a very enthusiastic round of fetch and tug with one of Echo's squeaky toys. Way fun! He's very strong ... and very determined.
Bear slept in his doggy bed next to ours last night and slept through the night. I put your shirt in his bed as a pillow for him. Thanks for thinking of that. I'm sure he felt much more at home with some familiar smells.
We got up this morning at 6:00 for a brief (and fast) run down the hall to go outside. Then it was back to bed for another hour or so, this time with both dogs on the bed. We all dozed off again. Big day yesterday for everyone and I think we all needed the extra rest.
Morgan & I had our coffees and then it was off in the truck to the Burton Loop. Walked about 2 miles, stopping and sniffing just about everything possible along the way. Then it was back home for breakfast and Sunday paper. Both dogs fell asleep together on the loveseat. They're getting along great!
Now that the sun is shining, we're off for a Sunday afternoon romp on the beach.
Have a great trip! Please stay in touch. We'll do the same. More pictures...and more news...to come.
Thanks for everything! - Ken, Morgan, Echo & BEAR!

New Home and Other Fun Stuff!

It is so nice to be "officially" living with Chris (and his girls when they are there and of course Bear) and creating our home the way we want it. Chris has done a great job of making this our home - not his place that I moved into (if that makes any sense at all). I feel like I'm at home :-) We welcome family and friends anytime - no invitation required. There is always time for a chat and coffee or dinner and some wine with many laughs. Our address is below, so if you find yourself in the neighborhood, please stop by.

15662 NE 102nd Way
Redmond, WA 98052

I have found Redmond to be a great place, and I'm getting pretty acquainted with the whats and wheres. I even ran into my Aunt Joan at the grocery store last Friday - that was fun! I also just joined Redmond Athletic Club down the street and have found it to be a warm environment.

We have also started planning for the wedding. Once we decide on a venue, the rest will fall into place easily enough. I've fallen in love with having the wedding at the Mayflower Park Hotel, so Chris and I will visit it in a couple weeks and go from there. It's a great place because all you have to do is show up - everything is done for you. Definitely my kind of place - ha!

Other fun stuff:

I get to go shopping tonight with my sister and Chelsea for bridesmaid dresses for her wedding. This will be fun, as she isn't making us wear pink or died shoes or crap like that - ha!

Friday night Chris gets to meet one of my best friends from high school - Jen and her husband Skip - now a dear friend of mine also. We are meeting in Snohomish for burgers and beer at Fred's tavern - a local favorite. This will be so fun - they are great people and will love Chris.

Chris and I are going to a Muslum wedding in Canada in a couple weeks. His cousin is getting married. I am very interested in their ceremony and the tradition, so this should be a great cultural experience.

That's about it for now. I hope everyone who reads this is happy and healthy and enjoying their week.

Park City

This last weekend I was able fly to Park City for a couple days with some girlfriends. We enjoyed sleeping in, shopping, wine tasting, good food and good company. It was very relaxing. We thought maybe we would see some stars because we caught the tale end of the Sundance Film Festival, but I don't think we would have known if we would have seen them 0 ha! Friday night we were able to see Matt and Amy, which is always a great time. They also joined us on Saturday night for dinner. Danielle - it was great to catch up with you - good luck in Alaska the next couple weeks. Lisa - thanks for letting us stay for free - loved it! Matt and Amy - wished you lived closer so we could laugh like we do more often.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

This date seems like a long ways away, but not when you are planning a wedding! Chris and I decided on this yesterday, so please mark your calendars. There is going to be some serious celebrating going on that day!

On Sunday, Mary, Mom and I went to a wedding show at the Everett Events Center. It was a little overwhelming, but none the less met some very nice vendors, etc. As Chris said a while ago, anything with the word wedding in it - double the cost. He is right ;-) It was a fun day, but I was happy to get home and sit on the couch with Chris and a beer, watching the football game.

To know her is to love her.............

The past couple years I've gotten the chance to get to know Sharon better, and it has been so much fun. Sharon - thank you for letting me celebrate with you on Saturday night. I had a great time and enjoyed meeting all of your friends. Everyone loves Sharon, and as I've gotten to know her, it is apparent why. She is smart, classy, (even with 15 shots sitting in front of her) beautiful and very sweet. Sharon - you have a huge heart and deserve the best! You and Matt are great together!

On the Hardwood!

Next to getting engaged, one of the most exciting nights of my life was sitting courtside (yes on the court) at a Sonics game on Friday. I realize they are having a not-so-good year, but it was COURTSIDE - oh my gosh - it was so exciting! Jill, Lisa, Sharon and I went and we were like kids in a candy store. Squatch is my favorite mascot and he gave me high five, so that was probably the best part of the evening. It is a whole different world when you sit courtside. I don't know if I can ever go to another Sonics game. Now that I think about it, they won't be around anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem. The photo was taken by a Dallas Maverick Photographer who saw us struggling to take a picture with our cell phones and was kind enough to take one with his camera and email it to Sharon. Thank you Lisa for letting me join you - what a treat!

Wedding Bells in My Future - Yahoo!

I can't put into words how elated I am to be sharing this news with everyone. Chris proposed to me the evening of Thursday, December 27. Of course I said YES! I am very honored to be marrying such a wonderful man, who I love and respect. A wedding date is not set and probably won't be for a while. We plan to take some time to enjoy our engagement and also to enjoy Mary and Adam in their wedding plans.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,
I love you simply, without problems or pride,
I love you in this way because I don't know any other way of loving,
but this, in which there is no I or you,
So intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand,
So intimate that when I fall asleep it is your eyes that close.

-Sonnet 17 by Pablo Neruda