The Bourne Blog

Eye of the Tiger

2011-11-20T10:21:00.000-09:00

Desperate for outdoor exercise, my friend Dan and I decided to take a 'short' hike up Tiger Mountain. Tiger Mountain is actually a mountain with six peaks -- so instead of hiking one of them like normal people -- Dan and I decided to hike three of them. Go big...or go home.

The day started out in typical Western-Washington fashion -- rainy, cool, and overcast. Dan and I weren't exactly prepared for the conditions we encountered at higher elevations.

The higher we climbed, the more snow we met. Luckily -- as two people who have lived in Alaska -- a little snow didn't shock us all that much. Actually -- it was my first snow of the 2011-2012 winter, so I was kind of excited about it. And naturally, we were sweating our butts off on the way up.

The first summit we reached was Tiger Mountain #1 (allegedly). It was covered in about 6-12" of snow -- but had an amazing view of both Rainier and Downtown Seattle. In the picture above, you can see Mt. Rainier in the distance. We stayed up there long enough to get some nice pictures and take in the views -- but when our body temperatures started to drop -- it was time to get moving again.

The picture above was the view of Downtown Seattle with the Olympic Mountains from the peak of Tiger Mountain #1.

Eventually, we ventured on our merry way to Tiger #2 -- via an access road. During the hike -- Dan and I were somewhat unprepared and didn't really know where we were going -- probably not setting the best example for hikers in the Pacific NW. But, when you're on one of the most-hiked trails in Western Washington -- we figured we probably couldn't get THAT lost.

By the time we passed Tiger #2 -- the views began to degrade a little bit and we started to see more and more people. When I saw this sign, all I could think was: "I wish this road had a normal bar."

When we reached the peak of Tiger #3 -- there were TONS of people. So many people had walked to the trail, that the snow was packed down into ice -- which was not enjoyable with tired, out-of-shape, legs. But -- after biting it a couple times -- we slowly made our way down to the base with the rest of humanity. It was a beautiful day to get out -- and needless to say, my wussy muscles were sore for days.

All Hallows Eve -- except with shorter skirts

2011-10-31T23:14:00.000-08:00

To celebrate Halloween, my friends Laura and Lindsay had a little celebration at their house. Luckily -- this year I was prepared with a costume. Okay -- it was trite and WAY overdone -- but coming as myself was just not acceptable.

My costume was Olivia Newton John from the 'Let's Get Physical' music video. Unfortunately, since the majority of party patrons were either (a) born in the late 80's or (b) not gay ...it was pretty much a flop. So in an attempt to try and muffle the failure -- I decided to mainline the party favors (i.e. vampire cupcakes, chocolate skeleton fingers, and boxed wine).

The lovely hostesses looked amazing as always...and threw one heck of a party. So as I enjoyed the party favors, I simultaneously found myself just telling people I was an "80's workout person"...to avoid awkward looks.

And whats a blog post without an embarrassing picture of yours truly? I tried to rock it -- but to no avail. Next year, I'll just have to break down and dress as something slutty -- like every American girl should.

A Quest to the Dakota of the South

2011-10-21T23:05:00.000-08:00

When the opportunity arose for me to travel to South Dakota -- I jumped on it. In addition to Badlands National Park, Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills, and a state-wide rejection of Columbus Day -- South Dakota is also home to the amazing, talented, and beautiful Jennifer Benning.

So naturally, instead of staying in a stuffy hotel -- I gave my client a break and decided to burden my good friend Jennifer by crashing in her son Owen's fire engine bunk bed for two nights. I tried to bring home a couple dudes with my best fireman pickup lines -- but they weren't going for it. Figures.

So when I wasn't out in a field measuring the wind -- I was tooling around Rapid City with Jennifer and Owen -- seeing the sights. One of the sights I saw was what I'm convinced is the nation's only drive-and-park football stadiums. I honestly cannot believe I've never seen this before -- and I think the NFL is really dropping the proverbial ball here. What could be better, then tailgating in a tiered parking lot and watching the game from your car? That's American.

Jennifer, Owen and I also scarfed down some delicious buffalo burgers. I mean....when in Rome, right?

Then afterwards, Jennifer showed me THE most phallic sign I have ever seen in my entire life. I think 'Curry Masala's' overt agenda is a little too much for a small town -- but apparently, it's not enough. (Insert joke about Indian compensation...here).

Overall -- it was an amazing trip...one of many 'firsts': My first fire engine bed, my first buffalo burger, and my first overtly phallic street sign. Thanks South Dakota -- you have certainly enriched my life. Until we meet again...

Festively Pump

2011-10-16T22:44:00.000-08:00

Christmas aside...Halloween is one of the few national holidays that brings back fond memories of child hood. To celebrate my own immaturity, I decided to carve a pumpkin -- and this year, I was determined to put the 'Debacle of 2010' behind me.

In 2010 -- I decided not to purchase a pumpkin, but instead, attend a Pumpkin Beer Festival with my friend Julie -- where they were handing them out...fo free! So, naturally, I took the pumpkin home all excited and carved it the very next day. Two days later, I arrived home from work to find my pumpkin a mushy mess. It had collapsed into itself and it is my contention that every molecule of water that was contained in the pumpkin -- was now a small pond on my hardwood floors (good thing I rent).

So this year -- I wad determined to get the cream of the crop. And by 'cream of the crop', I mean a pumpkin patch that was one step up from supermarket pumpkins (don't judge me). Luckily, my 2011 pumpkin was born of superior structural integrity....and did not collapse after three days. I was very proud.

So, I carved my pumpkin as an ode to the Nightmare before Christmas -- the perfect combination of spooky and fun.

Sameer's Big Day

2011-10-08T19:33:00.000-08:00

After a lifetime of planning, it was finally Sameer's big day...the day he'd been dreaming about since he was a little boy. His wedding day. Since Kat and I weren't blessed with the necessary genetic equipment, we weren't nominated to be groomsmen...so we hung back while all the guys got their pictures taken and flaunted their fabulousness.

Soon, it was time for the Baraat which is a traditional part of an Indian wedding ceremony where the groom's family and friends have a big procession and are greeted by the bride's family. Sameer's baraat was subtle and low-key...on a yacht that cruised around Baltimore Harbor.

Our main goal during this ceremony was to have as much fun and make as much noise as possible. I think we succeeded. There was lots of yelling, dancing....and sweating, due to the 80-degree temps. We were a stinky bunch.

When we got off the boat, the whole procession ushered Sameer over to the hotel (where the actual wedding took place). There was a lot more dancing, yelling, and perspiration. Good times.

I got to meet up with Kunkel and Signe, more JMU Alums, before the ceremony began. To be honest, from this point forward...the night was a bit of a blur. It was a mix of ceremonies, delicious appetizers, open bars, dancing, and awesomeness.

The actually ceremony was in a different language...so needless to say, I was a little lost. Luckily, the program was sort of like Cliff's Notes for all the whiteys in the crowd..including yours truly.

It was an amazing day, and I know Sameer and Pallavi were both physically and mentally exhausted from all of it...but I hope they had a blast and had some fond memories. Congratulations to both of you!!

Adventures with Kat

2011-10-07T16:25:00.000-08:00

In my jaunt out to the East Coast, I was lucky enough to hang out with my friend Kat for a couple days. By some form of divine intervention, Kat and I were randomly assigned as roommates in our freshman year at JMU. And the rest is history.

When I arrived in Dulles, Kat picked me up and we proceeded to go shopping and tool around town. It was awesome. We also had a double-date with the newly engaged couple, Lindsay and Brad. I got to hear the engagement stories and ask them annoyingly trite questions about the wedding (which I'm sure no bride or groom enjoys). But, inquiring singles wanted to know.

After a couple days of being awesome in Arlington, we decided to drive up to Baltimore...and be awesome up there, instead. Since Kat wanted to take her new camera for a test drive, and I enjoy aquatic life -- we ventured over to the Baltimore Aquarium to buy some time until the masses arrived for Sameer and Pallavi's wedding (aka: the real reason we were in Baltimore).

After everyone arrived, we went out for dinner and drinks and then all met up at the hotel bar to hang with all the wedding patrons. The groom was even nice enough to grace us with his presence.

Fair(y) Tale

2011-09-11T15:52:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I'm already saying this, but 'tis the season for the Puyallip Fair. I can't believe how quickly it went from January to September. Thanks to my blog...I can keep tabs on what the hell I've been doing the past few months.

The first thing I'd like to discuss (and really the only thing) surrounds the picture I posted above. I'm not really sure where this idea originated -- but I'm convinced that only in the United States could such a hair-brained idea actually come into fruition. My first concern is, who would want to eat a stick of butter? There are so many amazing things in this world to eat and enjoy -- why would a stick of butter be so high on the list? My second concern is, who thought frying butter was a good enough idea to actually begin producing it? No wonder our economy is in the shitter. American innovation has taken a turn for crazy town.

After being disgusted by the Fair's most upsetting new appetizer...we headed over to the Fisher stand to load up on Fair Scones...which restored our faith in humanity.

Cookie, cookie, cookie starts with C!

2011-09-01T14:53:00.000-08:00

With my coworker Heather's departure to the San Ramon office, there was suddenly a vacant position for office baker. Heather NEVER forgot a birthday, and she always made the most delicious treats. Since I'm not the best chef/baker, I decided that it was a challenge I was willing to take on! My first challenge? Cookie Monster cupcakes.

I got the idea off Pinterest.com (my new internet obsession). I baked vanilla cupcakes and got a bunch of supplies from Williams-Sonoma. They had really good food paste (i.e. food coloring) and white chocolate chips that I used for the eyes.

The cupcakes were a hit. I don't want to toot my own horn, but some of them looked so cute that I didn't want to eat them (toot!).

It was definitely a good first experience and it gave me the confidence to try and bake other delicious treats (some have succeeded better than others). But don't worry, as I alternate success with failure...I am able to stay humble.

A gift from the Sky

2011-08-27T14:08:00.000-08:00

My friend Dan from Fairbanks recently moved to Seattle to complete Med School courses at University of Washington. Since he'll be here for about a year, he had his dog Sky shipped down from Alaska. So, I ventured down to the Alaska Airlines Cargo hanger with him to pick her up.

Those of you that know Sky, know that she's a bit rambunctious. So, to calm her down on the flight...they gave her doggie-Valium. Although -- you could never tell that the first time you saw her. She was still wound pretty tight. Haha...poor Dan.

She was pretty happy to get out of that little crate. So, as a treat, we took her to Petco where Dan proceeded to get lots of compliments about how pretty she was. Little did her admirers know, that she was doped up on Valium.

Wind Turbines and Basketball

2011-08-21T13:30:00.000-08:00

In late August, I ventured out to Ellensburg in eastern Washington with Martin and Laura to help Martin pack up his old college apartment. Although I haven't spent TOO much time there, one of my favorite things about eastern Washington so far is the plethora of wind turbines that you can see.

Our mission to pack up Martin was unsuccessful since he was locked out of his apartment. So, on Saturday morning, we ventured over to Chelan to watch Evan, LaRod, Colin and Robel play in the 3-on-3 basketball tournament.

Chelan is subject to a continental climate which means that it is blocked from the rain we receive in western Washington by the Cascades Mountains. So, in the summer time, Chelan is hot and dry -- while in the winter time, it's cold and snowy. In that respect, it's seasonality is similar to Fairbanks. So, lots of people flock to Chelan in the summer time since its hot, dry. My pastey skin typically doesn't get along well with intense heat and radiation -- so naturally, I packed the SPF 45.

The boys played pretty well and I avoided 3rd degree burns...so I was a happy camper. Then, Mark's friend Gary was nice enough to invite us over to his HUGE house on the lake and play with his jetskis, boat, and swim off his dock. It was heavenly.

All-in-all it was a good weekend...and it was nice to watch the guys all play together. I enjoy the picture above because it looks like a cell phone advertisement. More bars, in more places.

Another Boston Curse

2011-08-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

In the few years that I have called Seattle home, I've stubbornly made sure that I got to see the Sox play the Mariners whenever they're in town. But for some reason, every time I go to see them play...they always seem to get dominated. Hence, the title of my post.

But despite my horrible track record, I motivated the masses to come out and watch the game with me. Since I could sense an impending domination, I was sure to have a few over-priced beverages to dull the agony of defeat.

After an adult beverage or two, I was just happy that I was able to see Jacoby's butt up close. The beer garden is an excellent vantage point from which to check out the rear ends of the outfielders. It may sound to some like I'm objectifying the players, but they make enough money to be objectified. Too bad I didn't have a telephoto lens to capture the occasion.

When I wasn't taking creepy pictures of Sox-bum, I was hanging out with Jeanette, Correy, Laura, Lindsay, Greg, Martin, Evan, Colin and LaRod (if I forgot you...I'm not sorry). I think it's safe to say that everyone had a blast...some maybe even had a little TOO much fun.

Don't be misead by their crabby faces...they had fun. I think it was just the agony of Sox-defeat that was getting to them. Until next year, my friends.

Ladies at Katy's

2011-08-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

My coworker Katy invited a bunch of fine ladies over to her house for a ladies night to celebrate Heather's new job opportunity in San Francisco! Heather, who until recently worked with me in the Seattle office, transferred to our office in San Ramon to explore different opportunities. Needless to say, we miss the crap out of her...but we know she's kicking some butt in the solar arena.

We started the evening with some food and cocktails outside. After all, when you live in Seattle -- you need to seize every possible opportunity to do things outside. Katy created some custom cocktails to celebrate the occasion -- which we willingly drank in about 15 minutes. Let's just say that we're women that appreciate delicious-tasting adult beverages.

The cocktails were delicious, and I think I ate my body-weight in bread and cheese. How anyone could survive on a no-carb diet is beyond me. Bread and cheese are far too delicious to give up.

After we drank all of Katy's booze, we wandered upstairs to let our creative juices flow. Some were crafting while Heather, Verene and I painted. Heather and I painted the Golden Gate bridge in honor of her impending departure down south to sunnier pastures. Heather's painting was exquisite...mine looked like the work of a 5-year old. Nailed it.

Hitting the Circuit

2011-07-10T21:52:00.000-08:00

Tom and Cory made the long sorted journey from Washington D.C. to Seattle to visit me, experience the Pacific NW, and possibly meet Sir Mix-a-Lot.

I met Tom and Cory during my undergrad in Virginia...and the rest is history. You might remember Tom from a post about a year ago when I went to his wedding. And if my memory serves me, Cory and I also made an inebriated pack to get hitched if we were both single by the age of 40. The clock is ticking, Cory...so you better make some moves before you end up with yours truly.

While the boys were visiting, I took them to almost every park that had a decent view of the city...whether they liked it or not. I'm pretty sure after the second or third park...they were over it...but that's what happens when people don't give me any direction....you end up going on a park-tour of Seattle.

In addition to touring around all the parks in the city, we made some delicious dinners and I introduced the boys to the deliciousness that is Rainier, the adult beverage, not the mountain. I think they were smitten.

We also explored the Experience Music Project (EMP) -- which is like a music/pop culture museum and hit up the Space Needle. I think the boys had a good time -- even though I ran them ragged through the streets of Seattle.

Like a Fine Wine

2011-07-05T20:08:00.000-08:00

...America only gets better with age. So to celebrate our country aging gracefully, I kicked off my Independence Day at Golden Gardens...a beach just north of Seattle.

I use the term "beach" loosely, as I believe the sand is artificial and shipped in from lower latitudes. There also lots of fire pits on the beach, some volleyball courts, and probably one of the slowest lines for a female restroom I've ever experienced.

I brought my trusty little Weber grill, which Martin was nice enough to maintain, so we cooked some burgers and ate lots of delicious food and drank cheap American beer. Thanks for being born, America...we couldn't have done all this without you.

That evening, I wandered over to the other side of Queen Anne hill to watch the firework show they put on at Lake Union. From the hill, we got a pretty good view of Gas Works Park -- which looked like there was a U2 concert going on.

Laura, Lindsay and Greg were nice enough to let me tag along with them to watch the show. It was a fun day and made me miss the beach. But, to be honest...I think due to my pastey skin...I'm better suited in places where the beaches are few and far between.

The Art of Mooching.

2011-07-02T19:34:00.001-08:00

To kick off weekend of America's "birth", I celebrated the only way I knew how...by attending BBQs by the dozen. One of my favorite cookouts that weekend was in West Seattle. I was lucky enough to receive an invite from Jeanette and Correy, who currently call West Seattle home.

I'm not sure if it was the company, the food (delicious fresh halibut), the puppies (yes, I'm a chick and love puppies -- get over it), or the water -- but I had a really great time.

Not to mention, I got to see awesome rain clouds...enough to make any atmospheric nerd happy. I mean, the weather gods could have turned up the thermostat a little more -- but when you're living in the Pacific Northwest, you have to pick your battles.

Cookie-Dustin' Good Times

2011-07-01T18:45:00.000-08:00

To celebrate Amie's birth, I headed down to a local establishment in lower Queen Anne called Ozzies. Some of the Seattle faithful who read this might turn their noses up at the mere mention of Ozzies, but I try to keep an open mind when it comes to local karaoke bars that have 20 beers on tap.

Laura was brave enough to accompany me down the hill to celebrate Amie's birthday...so the two of us had a drink while we waited for the birthday girl to arrive. Amie and her birthday crew showed up at the bar in costume, which is always fun. My thoughts are that when it's your birthday, you might as well wear a pizza hat...because no one can judge you on the day you were born.

In addition to being serenaded by some classy older gentlemen, we also enjoyed the local cuisine (pub food -- yum), had fun with the costumes, and shared some funny stories.

But, just as all good nights, this one also had to come to an end. And luckily, Laura and I left just in the nick of time...because Cory (that crafty bastard) signed us up for karaoke. Dodged a bullet.

Capturing the American Spirit

2011-06-27T18:10:00.000-08:00

To close out the month of June -- a month where Seattle only experienced 78 minutes (yes, total) of temps over 80 degrees Fahrenheit -- I headed over the U District with Martin and Laura to watch a bunch strangers drown their sorrows in a friendly tournament of competitive drinking. I have come to the conclusion that competitive drinking is something that only Americans could conjure up...but, if you're going to throw a couple back, you might as well make a game out of it.

Because I'm responsible, awesome (and modest)...I designated myself as the driver that evening...which gave me ample time to take photos of the festivities. I got to see Bobby (which was exciting), but what was more exciting...was watching Martin get his ass handed to him by a bunch of female freshmen in beer pong.

To be honest though, I might possibly be the worst competitive drinker I know...so I have no room to judge. I can appreciate the spirit of competitive drinking, but the Bourne-slowness wasn't cut out to do anything competitive....or fast for that matter. We're a slow breed. I think curling is more my speed (both in pace and consumption of adult beverages).

Fun with Phillie Fans

2011-06-26T21:02:00.000-08:00

After a rainy solstice celebration, a bunch of people headed to the stadiums just south of downtown Seattle to watch the Mariners take on the Phillies. The whole event was organized by my friend Angie...a life-long Phillie fan...who was determined to see her Phillies kick the home team's butt.

My friend Dan from Alaska had been staying with me the past week, but he was headed back to Alaska that night to work at the clinic in Dutch Harbor for a month. So, he brought his luggage down to the bar with us and had a drink before heading off to the airport.

After a couple drinks, it was time to head over to the field....so naturally, on the way...we stopped for street meat -- cheaper and more delicious than hot dogs found in the stadium. The sad thing about the picture above is that it was taken in June...another summer lost to the Aleutian Low.

It was a good game...nothing too crazy. The most exciting part was watching a belligerent Phillie fan get kicked out after heckling the 15 Mariner fans that were present. Gotta love Mariners fans...the few and the proud.

Solstice, minus the sun....and the clothes.

2011-06-18T12:30:00.001-08:00

Although not as anticipated as it is in Fairbanks, the solstice festival brings something special to the city of Seattle...something that is usually kept behind closed doors. Now, if you saw some of the active participants in this ritual...you would probably think it should stay behind closed doors. That's right...nudity. Nudity exhibited mostly by people that you never want to imagine in that state...ever.

The neighborhood of Fremont puts on an annual Solstice parade...that consists of a naked bike ride, followed by a parade of people...people that really having nothing special about them, except that they all agreed to put on a mediocre costume and dance down the street. Since I lack neither the self-confidence nor the wherewithal to dance naked in public, I opted to be a spectator.

Despite the abysmal weather, there was a pretty good turnout. Not even the weather can stop people from riding their bikes naked through Fremont during Solstice....so you've gotta give those people credit where credits due. Not to mention it was a bit brisk....so I can't imagine that was the best confidence booster for the male participants...if you catch my drift.

Time to Meet Your Baker

2011-06-15T15:14:00.000-08:00

Dan drove down from Anchorage with a bunch of his stuff this week. He'll be moving to Seattle in the Fall for Med School...which I'm clearly psyched about. So while he was in town for the week, he focused on looking for apartments, learning his way around, and breaking in my bread machine.

As you can tell from my glamor-loaf-shot...I was a bit more excited about the use of my bread maker, which has been sitting in my kitchen unused for about a year. I'm not sure why, but bread is that food item that scares me -- in the baking arena, not the eating arena. I continue to be intimidated by the process is takes to bake a good loaf of bread. I'm not sure if it's the kneading, the rising, or just the overall lack of experience I possess. Probably the trifeca.

Luckily, Dan possessed the cojones to toss the necessary ingredients into the bread machine and press start...which evidently, is all that it takes to make bread with a bread machine. So as you might imagine, I was a little embarrassed by my previous intimidation. The first loaf of bread came out well...but apparently, Dan accidentally added twice as much salt as was necessary...so the loaf ended up tasting like a salt-lick. But luckily, he redeemed himself with the next loaf.

The Making of a Master

2011-06-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

In addition to becoming a year older, Martin also managed to get his masters degree in Accounting this year. So to celebrate his academic prowess, I drove out to Ellensburg, Washington to watch him graduate.

Marty was graduating from Central Washington University, a small public university in...you guessed it....central Washington (it's not just a clever name). The great thing about Ellensburg is that it's in a rain shadow...so, even though it may be cold and rainy in Seattle...it's usually really warm and sunny in E'burg. So naturally, we were all pretty excited to go.

After watching a riveting graduation ceremony (note: sarcasm), we headed back to Marty's apartment complex for a celebration...of epic proportions. Lots of Marty's family came from all over to watch him graduate: so that boy can never claimed he's not loved.

There was lots of food, drinks, cake and riveting conversation. We all had a blast. After most of Marty's family left...we headed out for more drinks to celebrate Martin's academic achievements...and kill the brain cells he worked so hard to gain. On Sunday, we hung out by the pool and played volleyball. It felt nice to feel heat and sun...but eventually, we had to head back to cool, cloudy Seattle -- but not without some substantial sunburns.

Marty Party in West Seattle

2011-05-30T10:44:00.000-08:00

To celebrate the birth of Martin Frederick Phinney, I headed over to West Seattle with Laura, Lindsay, Greg, Jeanette and Correy for dinner and drinks. After all, it's not everyday that you turn 21.

Alright, alright...fine. Truth be told, Marty wasn't turning 21. But if he had, I'm sure the celebration would have involved a keg of really cheap American beer, plastic cups, and a trash barrel adjacent to his bed. Lucky for us, he's far too mature and refined for such actions.

The dinner was delicious...and the company wasn't half bad either. As a gift, a bunch of Marty's friends and family pooled together to contribute to a new set of golf clubs for him. So he made off like a bandit.

After dinner we walked outside to catch a glimpse of the sun setting over the water and mountains. It was lovely...and a great way to close out the weekend. Happy Birthday, Martin!

The Bourne-Evans Wedding: Day 3

2011-05-21T21:17:00.000-08:00

At long last...the day had arrived. It was either going to be the day the world came to an end...or the day Jenna and Jamie got hitched. Luckily for us all...I lived to tell the tale. It was out of sheer coincidence that Jenna and Jamie's wedding day coincided with the day some quack thought the world was going to end, so naturally...we had a little fun with it.

After breakfast with my family, my sister Jaime and I headed to a nearby salon to reduce the probability of us looking like the ugly stepsisters. I think we succeeded admirably. Soon after, we went back to my parents cabin to get ready for pre-ceremony pictures.

After getting all gussied up, the wedding party tooled around rural New Hampshire to get scenic and artistic shots of the happy couple. I think the operation was a success...the photographers got some amazing shots.

And as you can see above, they went to great lengths to do it. Luckily, the photographers were a married couple...otherwise, their acrobatic position might have been a little awkward.

The ceremony was really wonderful...and my sister Jenna looked absolutely gorgeous. It had been raining on and off all morning -- and by some stroke of sheer luck -- the clouds parted for Jenna and Jamie to exchange their vows outdoors. The sun even poked it's head out for 30 minutes!

After the quick ceremony, we took some more pictures while everyone headed over to the cocktail hour.

Then finally the moment came that we'd all been waiting for...it was time to get saucy and cut a rug. I even managed to drag my brother Matt onto the dance floor...who I'm convinced is allergic to dancing.

I think everyone had a blast. Between the photo booth, the dancing, the delicious cocktails, the whoopie pies, and the night-ending fight club....I think we managed to gather all the ingredients for a show-stoppin' wedding. Congratulations Jenna and Jamie! I love you!

The Bourne-Evans Wedding: Day 2

2011-05-20T20:52:00.000-08:00

I woke up early on the Eve of the betrothal in my little room at the Inn. I generally have a hard time sleeping in when I know I only have a limited amount of time with my family -- so I headed downstairs to breakfast to let the wedding festivities begin.

My other older sister Jaime (yes there are two Jaimes) and my brother-in-law Dan arrived the previous evening with the kids, so they came to the Inn for breakfast as well. I was immediately greeted by two very excited children -- perhaps a little TOO excited if you consider what time it was on my biological clock (East Cost minus 3 hours). But, they piped down once food was put in front of them...haha.

Breakfast was delicious and it was fun just to hang out and eat a meal with my family. But, we didn't have time to tip-toe around the tulips...we had a wedding to get underway, so we went over to the venue to help set up all the tables, the music, and make sure everything was good to go.

Jenna worked REALLY hard on making her wedding her own, with personal touches. She did such an amazing job and I know that everyone (including me) was really impressed with how much work she did.

The picture above is me with my three siblings at the wedding venue. The reception was in a restaurant at Whitney's Inn, where we were all staying. It was really intimate and cozy -- perfect for what Jenna wanted. After we had set all the tables, we made our way over to the Inn's fishing pond to meet up with the Evans family for a fishing derby!

Jamie (the groom, not my sister) has three brothers -- so naturally, Cooper wanted to be their best friend. So whenever someone was looking for Coop that weekend, he usually wasn't too far from one of the Evans brothers.

In addition to "fishing", we also kayaked and soon learned that the muddy bank next to the pond was in fact a patch of rare New Hampshire quick-sand. When Cooper tried to get out of the kayak, the poor kid sunk a foot into the heavy, cold mud. And when my Mum tried to rescue him...

...she, too succumbed to the mud pit. So after a couple more hours of fishing, kayaking, horse shoes, and playing in the mud...we all showered up and put our faces on for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.

I think it's safe to say the Bourne-Evans family dominated the wedding rehearsal. We rehearsed the crap out of that wedding -- and quickly moved onto the rehearsal dinner.

So as you may imagine with the Bourne family, we cracked some bottles and began the celebration of Jenna and Jamie. Our families got along really well...shockingly well...some might even argue a little TOO well. Same potty humor, same recycled jokes, same rugged good looks.

The picture above is me with my grandmother -- the woman from whom I inherited my potty mouth. Although, I think my other grandmother had an equal part in that, as well. It was such a fun day...hanging out with my family, playing outside, and celebrating our ever-expanding family.

The Bourne-Evans Wedding: Day 1

2011-05-20T19:50:00.000-08:00

I took the red-eye Wednesday night from SeaTac to Logan Airport for my sister Jenna's wedding. Immediately when I arrived at Logan, I was picked up by the head of the Bourne household, Jimbo, and we headed up to my parents condo in North Conway, New Hampshire.

When my Dad and I arrived at the condo, we met up with the rest of the Bourne clan. We didn't actually stay at the condo at all that weekend, but used it as a staging area for all the wedding shenanigans. Above, you can see my Mum and Dad sporting their "Whoopie!" stickers. In lieu of a big wedding cake, Jenna and Jamie elected to have whoopie pies...which were awesome...but we ended up with WAY more whoopie-stickers than pies...so we decided to sport the stickers all weekend.

After multiple trips to and from Jackson -- the town were Jenna and Jamie got married -- we were hungry and tired, so we headed to Delaney's in North Conway for dinner. But since we had a big weekend of picture-taking, rug cutting, and general joviality ahead of us...most of us headed to Jackson to settle into the Inn and relax.

My Dad, Mum and I hung out in the little cabin they rented for the weekend before heading to bed. It was really relaxing just hanging out with them, talking, and sitting by the fire. It was a great way to start an amazing weekend.

..."I Travel, Even as the Price of Gas Rises..."

2011-05-08T20:10:00.000-08:00

After far too many months, I made plans to head to Whidbey Island to spend time with Sue and Mike. So after a long work week, I hopped on the ferry and made my way to Coupeville. Despite my short time here in Seattle, Whidbey Island has become a very special place for me.

On Friday evening, I was greeted at Nanny's house by Sue and Mike with a delicious salmon dinner. It felt really great to relax and catch up. On Saturday morning, I cooked up some breakfast for everyone and we ventured out to the Farmer's Market to putz around and explore.

That evening, we picked up Julie and Trish and went out to dinner. The company was amazing, and the meal wasn't half-bad either.

After dinner, we all headed back to Julie and Trish's house...to enjoy some GaGa...and the nightly showing of Bison-does-the-pillow. (If you have to ask...you don't want to know).

On Sunday, before heading back to Seattle...Sue, Mike, Cordie and I took a walk through Ebey's Reserve. The weather gods smiled upon us on Sunday, and gave us some sunlight after a long weekend of rain. Although it was still a little chilly, it felt nice to feel the sun on my face.

It was an amazing weekend, and by 'that' time on Sunday when I knew I had to pack up the car -- I didn't want to go home. Being on the island is an amazing feeling -- very similar to being home.

Will Bike for Breakfast

2011-04-27T19:51:00.000-08:00

I began riding my bike to work about one year ago. As I've probably mentioned in previous posts, I don't consider myself an athletic person -- so making the decision and commitment to bike to work everyday was not something I took lightly. I mainly took it seriously since I can barely ride my bike with two hands on the handle bars -- nevermind one...so biking to work means taking my life into my own hands everyday. But...so far, so good.

I think a few of my fellow bike-to-work-colleagues took notice and therefore invited me to the annual Cascade Bicycle Club "Bike-to-Work Breakfast". My company was one of many that attended the event. The Cascade Bicycle Club is the largest bike club in the country, and is based in Seattle. Their main goal is to promote safe biking, and a better biking infrastructure....so naturally, I'm a fan.

The breakfast raised thousands of dollars that will begin transforming the streets of Seattle into the next Copenhagen (fingers crossed). So, needless to say...I was honored to be a part of this awesome event. I look forward to the day when there is a physical barrier between me and the aggressive Audi drivers of Seattle (you know who you are...ya jerks). Yay bikes.

April Showers bring May Weddings

2011-04-15T21:04:00.000-08:00

I flew to Boston for the weekend to attend my sister Jenna's wedding shower. Jenna is one of two older sisters, and the second Bourne sibling to get married. I was excited to go home to see my family...and even more excited to shower Jenna with my wedding gift (which was clearly the best).

On the shower's eve, I hung out with Jenna and made pom-poms, which was one of the creative touches that Jenna wanted to add to her ceremony and wedding day. In lieu of flowers, Jenna elected to use lots of yarn pom-poms. Yarn -- although something usually associated with old ladies -- has significant meaning for the women in my family...given that we all create things out of yarn for people we love. So naturally, incorporating it into the ceremony was a no-brainer.

On Saturday morning, we set up my Mum and Dad's house to receive lots of ladies -- who were undoubtedly ready to shower Jenna with gifts for her wedding day. There was TONS of delicious breakfast food, desserts and fruit....it was amazing.

And in the middle of it all, Jenna even found the time to have faux-tea with our niece Tristan.

Jenna (with the help of Tristan), made off like a bandit. She got TONS of beautiful stuff that will be a great foundation for Jenna and Jamie's future home and life together. Not to mention, they got an awesome brand new tent from yours truly....which was clearly the funnest gift.

..that's two thus far, Shooter.

2011-04-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

It's been a long winter here in the Pacific Northwest -- and I think it feels even longer since last summer was cold and crumby. So, when the sun decides to grace us with her presence...I like to take advantage. There's a driving range across the way from my apartment in Seattle, so I headed down to drive some balls with Marty, Laura, and Lindsay.

I consider myself a moderately athletic person. By "moderately athletic", I mean I can play most sports and get by...but I am under no illusions when it comes to my own athletic prowess. I've never been a sports superstar...and with golf, it's no different. I'd like to think that I have just enough where-with-all to get by...but never enough to ever be considered an athlete. But I've come to terms with my nerdiness. Luckily, Lindsay and Marty came along.

Both Lindsay and Martin are pretty good golfers...so they were giving us tips on how to suck less. I took their advice and tried to apply it to my "game" (or the lack thereof). But, in the end...I don't think I'll quit my day job.

More March Miscellany

2011-03-24T19:41:00.000-08:00

March brought many things to Seattle: Sunshine, Julie, an introduction to Whirlyball, and my realization that the chocolate sugar cookie is far superior to the vanilla sugar cookie -- I know, fascinating. Buckle up, because it's going to be bumpy ride.

So in an attempt to encourage group-bonding, all of my colleagues from the 9th floor decided to participate in some friendly games of Whirlyball. So, I feel an explanation is warranted -- because as I have discovered, Whirlyball is not the most well-known sport (and people have also alluded to the fact that it's for children -- but that's neither here nor there). So whirlyball consists of two teams driving around in little bumper-car-like vehicles trying to shoot whiffle balls at targets place on either end of the court. It is in fact, incredibly fun but not something I would encourage if you're prone to whiplash.

In addition to whirlyball, March also brought Julie and her friend Alexis into town. Although the two of them were traveling around a lot, hitting the slopes, I got to spend a couple nights with them and show them around the city a bit -- not to mention provide them with sustenance (as you can see, above).

The sun has also started to make it's much anticipated return to Seattle...which, as you can imagine, is making droves of people in the greater Seattle area very happy...including me. I long for the days of t-shirts and flip flops...and I hope they are not too far off in my future.

Lastly, I am thankful for March -- because it has introduced me to the awesomeness that is chocolate sugar cookies. I've never been a huge sugar cookie fan -- but after experimenting with a recipe I found online, I'm hooked. Now all I need is annoyingly tacky cookie cutters, and I'm all set up to pass a rainy Sunday afternoon. Well, I guess that's not all I need -- because if I keep producing cookies at this rate, I'll also need a treadmill (don't judge).

Greener Than Thou

2011-03-17T18:54:00.000-08:00

If you consider yourself a relatively close friend of mine -- or you know, you met me on street yesterday, then you know I'm an avid fan of St. Patrick's Day. Why you ask? Because I enjoy celebrating a holiday with friends where you aren't expected to buy anyone a gift -- a beer maybe, but not a gift. But perhaps the two are one in the same.

In the US, St. Patty's has essentially become a holiday where you get together with friends, share some green beer, and hang out (not to mention watch a little Boondocks). So clearly, this is a holiday for me -- because I'm all about hanging out with little-to-no preparation.

One of the great things about St. Patty's this year, was that Julie was in town! HOOORAY! So I met up with Julie, Alexis, Jeanette, Amie, Laura, Mike, Katie, Marty, and LaRod to celebrate the color green and all things Irish. Needless to say, we succeeded at our task.

And in addition to celebrating St. Patty's -- March Madness had just started! Ahhh, those days when my bracket wasn't screwed all to hell -- sweet memories.

Thanks to Jeanette and Amie's participation in a St. Patty's fun run -- we had lots of green gear to go around. So as you can see, I enjoyed many-a-pint of green beer, and celebrated being pastey and Northern European to the extent that I could. You're welcome Saint Patrick.

March Malarky in Our Nation's Capital

2011-03-04T18:10:00.001-09:00

March is a month of many things: the birth-month of Kathryn Wright, a month when people pretend to care about college basketball more than they actually do, and impromptu trips to our Nation's Capital. This post is intended to describe the latter.

I took a red-eye to DC and was greeted bright and early Friday morning by the birthday girl, who was kind enough to pick me up from the airport (Thanks Kat!!). Since graduating from JMU, my memories of Virginia have mainly consisted of humidity, Mexican food, and the consumption of adult beverages. So of course, I wanted to touch on all of those themes during my journey. Unfortunately, I brought the Seattle weather with me --but hitting two out of three was acceptable.

So, I gathered together with the ladies of 1032i (Kat, E.Nix, and Streeper) for some some serious hanging out. It's incredible how far I'm willing to go just to hang out. In this situation, I was willing to travel 3,000+ miles (don't judge). On Friday, the four of us hung out...played drinking games while watching Dawson's Creek (classy), and ate delicious food.

On Saturday, the four of us headed up to Great Falls (aptly named) for a quick jaunt through the woods. We packed a lunch, walked around a bit, waved at Maryland...and after we'd had our fill of nature --decided to boost the economy a bit and head to Tyson's.

For dinner on Saturday, I met up with all my college pals...which was amazing. I would say about 90% of my JMU friends live in or around DC -- so it's a one-stop-shop when I need my fix :)

After dinner, we all went out to a bar downtown to meet up with a TON of other people. I was wicked happy that everyone came out -- it was so much fun. It's hard not being a part of each others everyday-lives, but its comforting to know that they're all only a phone call away. I'm really thankful to have such amazing friends all across the country.

Snoqualmie by Day

2011-02-26T20:56:00.000-09:00

I'm what some might call a social skier. I enjoy downhill skiing probably more than any other sport...and although it's awesome standing at the edge of a huge drop with no one around and no tracks in sight...sometimes you just want to turn to your friend next to you and say, "this is heaven".

So when presented the opportunity to explore a new mountain (however small), I jumped on it. Snoqualmie is a very small mountain. Most of the terrain is moderate and beginner stuff, and the mountain is split up into different sections (not peaks...sections) that you can access via a shuttle bus (Moose Mountain, anyone?). By the end of the day, not knowing much about the mountain -- I finally found some fun terrain, but by the time we hit it, my knees had given up on me. I guess that's what I get for skiing 4 times a year.

You sound like you're from London!

2011-02-21T13:09:00.000-09:00

In the past eight months, I befriended a fellow Masshole with whom I work. Katrina formerly worked in my company's Boston office, but came to Seattle as part of her 2nd rotation in an international trainee program. We immediately hit if off due to our mutual love of food, puppies, and foreign accents.

We shared the same mega-cube -- so we worked on a lot of projects together (and by "projects" I mean "happy hours"). But unfortunately, her brief stint in Seattle came to an end, as she prepared for her 3rd rotation in the London office. Needless to say, I'm green with envy -- not only that she gets to hear fun British accents all the time, but because she gets to have fun adventures in other places.

I'm really really glad that I got to know her while she was in Seattle. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that after her international rotations are complete, that she'll return to Seattle! Good luck, Katrina!!

Wild Horse in the Winter

2011-02-02T11:21:00.000-09:00

I had the opportunity to visit the Wild Horse Wind Farm in Ellensburg, WA for work this winter. Unfortunately it wasn't windy -- but man, was it cold. I was visiting the project to get film footage and stills for my company's marketing videos. So, needless to say --I'm famous -- you can say you knew me when.

Alright, fine...I admit it. The footage and stills will only be used at wind conferences -- so I probably won't be gracing the cover of People magazine anytime soon. Maybe one day. The picture above is two of the turbines with Mt. Rainier in the background.

The picture above is me in my PPE (safety first). The Wild Horse Wind Project is a 273 MW wind farm with 149 turbines. To put that in context a bit: 1 MW of wind power is enough to feed the electricity needs of 225-300 average American homes!

One of the cool things about Wild Horse is that there are TONS of elk on the project site. They just kind of hang out in and around the turbines...it's really cool.

Look at all of them! Strangely enough -- hunting was permitted on the project site. Nothing like getting a winters-worth of elk meat at a power plant.

It was a really cool day -- and we got some great footage. By the time the sun was setting, I was chilled to the bone -- so we hopped back into the car and headed back to Seattle to the balmy 30 degree temps.

Who's Idea Was This?

2011-01-22T07:07:00.000-09:00

After a long day of skiing, and with the weather turning sour on Sunday, we decided to forgo buying lift tickets and putz around the village instead. For some reason or another Jaime, my oldest sister, decided she wanted to go bungee jumping. And since I easily fall victim to peer pressure, I signed the liability form and changed my underwear.

After all, you can make someone go bungee jumping alone -- what kind of sister would I be? Well, you can ask that question to Jenna -- who's apparently the smarter of the Bourne girls.

So, we drove out to a gorge that had a lovely little bridge erected specifically for jumping off of it. What a nice idea.

Jaime was nice and let me go first (which, believe it or not, I actually wanted to do). Jumping off a bridge is like pulling off a bandaid -- it's a lot better if you do it quickly.

Whistle While You Work

2011-01-22T06:55:00.000-09:00

After waiting far too long, we put on our gear and walked the 200 feet to the lift line (also known as "heaven"). It was overcast at the base of the mountain, but the higher we got, the sunnier it became!

Growing up on the East Coast gives you a true, passionate appreciation for West Coast snow. A crappy day by West Coast standards could win the award for "Best Snow Day of the Year" in the Northeast. So as you might imagine, the four of us were in heaven.

Now, I'll shoot you straight -- none of us are crazy heli-skiers that enjoy skiing down avalanches. The Bournes know our limits and we respect them. So, we decided to hit the hard terrain in the morning -- when we all still had our knees about us. The bowl at the peak of Whistler was amazing -- steep, great snow, and not too many people. The view from the top was also pretty kick ass.

There was a bit of flat light in the morning, so it's difficult to tell from the picture above how steep the bowl was. In the picture above, Jaime was taking a picture of Jenna -- who was a major trooper cause she was pretty sick all weekend.

The bowl run was wicked awesome -- I was sweating most of the way down, but it was totally worth it. But, since there was so much terrain, we had to move on to whiter pastures.

We took the gondola to Blackomb -- which was also amazing. There was some WICKED steep ridges and cliffs on Blackcomb that were frightening to look at. Needless to say, the gruesome foursome steered clear of those.

It was an amazing day, and if lift tickets weren't astronomical, we would've probably stayed another day. But after an awesome day of skiing, I think the ticket price was justified. Maybe I'll have to look into a season's pass next year :)

Exploring Whistler Village

2011-01-21T19:55:00.000-09:00

The four of us got to Whistler late on Friday night -- but still managed to get out and explore the Village a bit. The Village was wicked awesome -- lined with stores, bars, restaurants, and tons of fun activities to do....not to mention -- the best ski resort in the Pacific Northwest.

There's even a small (ahem - overpriced) grocery store in the village -- so we make a market-run to get the essentials: peanut butter, jelly, bread, oreos and PBR.

There was tons of Olympic-themed stuff in the Village -- thanks to the Winter Games that were held there last winter. It was pretty cool -- lots of over-priced swag.

As one might imagine, there were tons of tourist traps filled with over-priced Canadian goods. Jenna even found a candle with a reindeer droppings scent -- gross.

Seatown with the Sibs

2011-01-21T18:31:00.000-09:00

My two sisters and brother came all the way to Seattle to visit in mid-January. The mission was to take Whistler by storm -- but before hitting the hill -- I showed them around town.

We started our Friday morning in typical Bourne-fashion with breakfast, wit, and caffeine.

Afterwards, we headed downtown to check out some of the tourist attractions: the Market, the gum wall, and the REI Flagship store....Seattle essentials. We also checked out the rain -- as it fell all over us.

The gum wall in the Post Alley sufficiently grossed everyone out -- mostly Jenna who tried to keep a constant 3 foot distance from it at all times.

It was really fun just walking around with them -- even though it was raining. But after a couple hours, it was time to take the fun North to BC!

Bailer? I hardly know her...

2011-01-05T18:19:00.000-09:00

I rang in the post-holiday season by attempting to hog tie my Christmas tree and bring it to the Seattle transfer station. I have come to the conclusion that my New Years Resolution for 2011 is to only buy a Christmas tree that I can lift and hog-tie solo.

Fate dealt me a sweet hand. Due to my mini-obsession with cheap Swedish furniture manufactured by a company who shall remain nameless -- I had lots of twine in the trunk of my car. So I laid some beach towels out, pushed the tree down, and straddled the tree in an attempt to hog-tie it. I'd like to thank YouTube for providing inspiration for my endeavor.

All-in-all I was very proud of myself for finagling the tree all by myself. And I was rewarded with a beautiful sunset and some Wii bowling. JACKPOT.

Bowling Our Way into 2011

2011-01-01T11:44:00.001-09:00

After barely escaping Massachusetts with my life (stupid snow)...I returned to Seattle to celebrate a new year! The holidays are always nice, because people return home that you haven't seen in a long time. After scrambling for a few days, a bunch of friends and I landed on some kick-ass plans: bowling on New Years Eve.

We all had food and drinks at Laura and Lindsay's house in Queen Anne before heading to Capital Hill for some late night lane-domination. I soon found, however, that my many years of Wii bowling has made me over-confident in my bowling skills.

In true middle-school-fashion...we played boys vs. girls. The girls lost embarrassingly to the boys in the first game -- somehow the odd combination of light beer and dance music made Martin BETTER at bowling. There must have been a full moon or something.

But, it was a great night....we all rocked our rental bowling shoes (except for Jeanette -- who owns her own pair...haha)...danced to Top 40 Music...and then hit the clubs in Cap. Hill for some dancing. All-in-all....a great way to welcome a new year.

The great "Blizzard" of 2010 -- the storm that started it all

2010-12-27T13:34:00.000-09:00

If you don't know about the ridiculous winter the Northeast has been having, you're clearly living in a box -- or, you know, have no affinity for Doppler radar. I digress. During my trip home to Boston for the holidays I fell victim to one of the 15-20 snowstorms that they have been hammered by this winter.

Before I went to bed, I took a picture of our driveway -- I like to call this picture the calm before the storm.

When I woke up the next morning -- I did some stretches and prepared my legs and back for some serious shoveling.

Needless to say, I got quite the workout -- and earned my dinner. Living in Seattle for over a year has completely de-sensitized me to snow, which is sad, due to my avid love for skiing.

But, I got my snow fix -- and for the remainder of the winter, I've been having sympathy pains for my family, as they shovel themselves out of one of the worst winters in years. Hang in there, guys!

Ending the Year with Dragons and Princesses

2010-12-25T13:09:00.000-09:00

I woke up on Christmas morning for the first time ever, without my sister Jenna knocking on my door or jumping on my bed. To be honest, as frustrating as it might have been in the past...I missed it. But I was comforted when I went downstairs to see the tree surrounded by presents. That's certainly a memory I'll always remember -- my family's Christmas tree.

Granted, since my sisters, brother and I are all "grown up" now...we don't get too many gifts. I would estimate that 99.98% of the presents were for my nephew Cooper and niece, Tristan. But in true Bourne tradition--we must hopelessly spoil our young.

The little ones made off like bandits. Cooper was the proud recipient of 27 plastic dragons and assorted accessories. And, Tristan received more princess dresses than one would find in Buckingham Palace -- well...maybe.

It was awesome to spend time with my family -- and it was even more awesome to consume my weight in shrimp, dip, and crab bruschetta. Mmmm.

Flannel-Filled Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T06:54:00.000-09:00

In keeping with Bourne tradition, we made the long journey across our lawn to my cousin's house next door for Christmas Eve. This years' theme was "flannel".

Although we were missing Matt (...and Tristan as it turns out who decided to get sick mere moments before heading over to the Kelleys), we tried to make the best of it. Without his little sister hogging all the attention, Cooper got to bask in the glow of presents, games, and fun.

Every year, the two families do a grab gift exchange (otherwise known as: white elephant, yankee swap, etc.). The great thing about the grab is that most of the gifts are jokes...so it really doesn't matter what you get, as long as you don't go into the situation with the expectation that you're going to be getting something of value. Case and point: The Shake Weight. A popular theme to this years celebration -- and one that made for some PG-13 pictures.

It was an awesome night: delicious food, fun games, hilarious gifts, and some delicious adult beverages.....win-win-win.

Fa la la-ing...on a very strict schedule

2010-12-12T06:43:00.000-09:00

After returning to Seattle from Oz, I had two weeks to mentally and physically prepare for the looming holiday. It is my perception, after years of observation, that Christmas is the Superbowl of American holidays. You've got to go hard or go home.

So with that in mind, I wandered out to the 'burbs to finagle a Christmas tree for my two-week Christmas-celebration. The whole process was somewhat anti-climatic. In true Seattle fashion, it was raining...but since I was such a late shopper...most places wouldn't offer the U-Cut anymore...so I had to pick tree that was already dead. Bummer.

But I muscled up whatever motivation I had left and tromped through the over priced trees to make my pick.

After having my tree bailed...they shoved it in my trunk (the poor thing). Luckily, I had help from Martin, Laura and Jeanette...so the solo tree-wrangling was left to a minimum. Eventually the tree found a nice home in the corner of my living room...where it remained for the short duration of the holiday season.

A Date with the Devil

2010-12-03T17:12:00.000-09:00

After a few days in Melbourne, I headed back to Tasmania to prepare for some work stuff. But before getting down to business, I had a couple more days to enjoy Hobart. I was lucky enough to have a nice place to stay in Hobart, courtesy of my friend Brian and Liesel's parents. And the luck continued, as they took me around the city to see the sights.

I got the opportunity to go to Bonorong Wildlife Park, where I saw some native wildlife! Most importantly, the ever-famous Tasmanian Devil! The devils clearly did not look they way modern American media has portrayed them...they were small rodent-like little guys, had black fur, and were devoid of little tornadoes that circled around them as they move (which was upsetting).

I also got to see wombats (see the little baby wombat above), echidnas (which are basically porcupines with long ant-eater noses), koala bears, and kangaroos!

The kangaroos they had at the park were all rescued from car, hunting, or other accidents. And since the park has gathered so many of them...they began to procreate...like rabbits (only bigger). So, there were lots of little joeys around...mostly hanging out in their mom's pouches (see the picture above).

And last, but not least...I got to take in the view of Hobart from Mt. Wellington. Mt. Wellington is the majestic mountain that overlooks the city. In the winter time, the mountain even gets a little snow! I was lucky enough to experience the summit during a break in the clouds. It was gorgeous.

Impromptu Trip to Melbourne

2010-11-27T05:51:00.000-09:00

While we were tooling around Tasmania, Colin got the opportunity to tryout for some teams in Melbourne. Since the flights were relatively cheap, I decided to go with and hang out a little more before he went back to Darwin.

Unfortunately for me, Colin gave me kennel cough...or whatever it is they've been sharing up there in Darwin..so I had a pretty nasty sinus infection for a day or two. It was unpleasant...but it didn't stop me from wanting to explore the city.

The downtown area was really nice. There was lots of retail stores (although, fairly overpriced) and good restaurants. I guess t-shirts were so expensive there out of necessity...since it never really gets cold, stores can afford to mark up a cotton tshirt to $80. But that justification still didn't convince me that it was logical to purchase anything.

There was lots of graffiti and art everywhere, which was really cool. I would have liked to visit a museum, but time was of the essence.

And since it was late November, there were holiday decorations everywhere. To me, 70 degrees with humidity did not invoke my inner Fa La La. It's bizarre to me that Christmas to Australians is a holiday that happens right before their summer time. Santa must sweat his ass off in that red suit...maybe his sleeves and pants zip off to shorts and a tshirt like he's in the NBA.

Hobart Ho!

2010-11-25T11:49:00.000-09:00

After a long trip, I finally arrived in Hobart, Tasmania. My friend Liesel's mum was nice enough to pick me up from the airport and take me back to her house. And, after months of not seeing each other, I finally got to see Colin. Colin had arrived a day or two earlier for some basketball tryouts, so Liesel's Mum put the two of us up while we were in town.

Hobart is a little city in the southern part of Tasmania. The airport is comparable to the size of the Fairbanks airport (and that's a little generous). We stayed in Hobart a night or two, then drove up the eastern coast of the island on our way for another one of Colin's tryouts.

The coast was amazing. The weather while we were there was a little shotty, but it wasn't completely horrible. I think we got a couple sunny days out of the bunch, which was nice.

Since we were sort of driving with a mission, we didn't have TOO much time to stop and see the sights. And since Colin had tryouts the next day, we wanted to make sure he wasn't driving 6 hours before his workout...so we powered through the first day as much as possible...and that landed us in Scottsdale, Tasmania. I think we were lucky to even find accommodations (nevermind food), because everything seemed to shut down at 8pm. And the accommodations might require a whole additional blog post. We stayed at the Lords Hotel...and I'll say this: shared bathrooms and I slept on-top of the covers. Enough said.

After a dodgey night in Scottsdale, we powered through the driving the next day and landed in Ulverstone. While Colin went off to his first tryout, I explored the beaches a little bit. Ulverstone is a small town on the northern coast of Tasmania, and although it rained the first day there...it was gorgeous the second day. Lots of sunshine (which managed to burn my pastey skin in about 15 minutes flat)....stupid lack of ozone layer.

Layover on my connecting flight to Mordor

2010-11-20T11:30:00.000-09:00

After weeks and weeks of back and forth, my tickets finally got booked to Tasmania. Needless to say, it was a battle of epic proportions...but it was nothing compared to my long, disrupted journey down under.

My flight was scheduled to depart in the evening. Coincidentally, a low pressure system arrived over Seattle along with abnormally low temperatures...creating what I like to call, the Flurry of November 2010. It's really not the people of Seattle who are to blame...although their lack of driving dexterity didn't seem to help the situation. The Seattle infrastructure is not built to withstand weather...which is ironic, since there is precipitation of some sort for about nine months out of the year. The roads are narrow, not porous, and almost no money goes to the DPW for snow removal. So as you can imagine, it caused quite the predicament when it came down to getting people in and out of the airport.

Funny enough, all the passengers on my flight arrived early that evening and were waiting "patiently" at the gate. However, our flight was delayed several hours not due to icy runways or poor weather conditions....but because our pilots and flight attendants couldn't make it to the airport due to the "storm". Good times. So as you can imagine, I missed my connecting flight in Los Angeles that resulted in my waiting an additional 24 hours for the next flight to Melbourne.

Luckily, I met two fellow Australians who had encountered the same problem. The three of us used our charm and a fair amount of Jewish guilt to milk the Qantas customer service reps into letting us into the Qantas lounge...for free.

The lounge had free drinks, food, internet and fancy bathrooms...just what any traveler could want. Plus, I had good company in Sue and Chris, my new Aussie friends who made the time FLY by.

Eventually, we all caught of respective flights to Australia...and I feel blessed to have met them in a time when I needed a friend the most.

Huge....tracts of land.

2010-11-14T11:13:00.000-09:00

In an attempt to beat the November gloomies, Jeanette, Hannah and I took a walk through Discovery Park. If there's one thing I admire about people from Seattle, it's that the rain doesn't stop them from doing anything...(except driving well).

Since arriving in the Pacific NW, I've continued to be awed by how large everything is (insert joke here). Mostly, I'm referring to the trees and mountains. In New England, most of the trees are relatively small and the "mountains" are a mere few thousand feet tall. When we were walking through the park, I found several dozen leaves that were bigger than my head! I know, I know...I have a pin-head....but when you come from the land of little dwarf trees...it's impressive.

Hannah and Jeanette were great walking buddies, because 1. they posed for faux-pensive pictures and 2. they were good sports about going out in crappy weather.

And Hannah brought her dog Charlie! I guess I never realized how much I missed animals until you get to spend time with them. (Don't worry Mum, I'm not going to get a dog). But it was nice for a few hours while it lasted..haha.

Charity Auction with Wine Tasting...I guess this means we're adults now

2010-11-07T10:41:00.000-09:00

In addition to being a graduate student at the University of Washington, my friend Angie works for a non-profit called Education First that funds and grants scholarships to high school students for college educations. (She's pretty much super-woman). So, in an effort to help the charity raise money, I participated in an Auction/Wine Tasting -- a statement that solidifies that I'm an adult...sorta.

The auction was at the Canlis Glass Studio in Seattle...a place where you should never take children. Why? Because it was hard enough for me to escape without breaking anything. Every glass of wine I consumed increased my liability exponentially.

To add to the charitable fun, Marty was bartending...and by "bartending", I mean handing out wine to Cougs. All in all, it was an awesome night...and I even won the silent auction for a bike tune-up at Gregg's Cycles. All-in-all, I considered the night a success.

...when in Canada...

2010-11-05T10:47:00.001-08:00

...do as the Canadians do. So when I found out that I would be going to Montreal in November for the 2010 CanWEA (Canadian Wind Energy Association) Conference and Exhibition, I couldn't turn down the opportunity to go curling with a bunch of other wind geeks.

Now, I realize that curling is an Olympic sport, but I also realize that many people might not have a clue what the hell it is. So to assist with that, just think: shuffleboard on ice. And if you know anything about the Bourne family...you know we're big shuffleboard fans (don't judge)...so clearly, I was all about some curling.

I must admit, I was pretty abysmal at first. Gradually however, my skills improved and I even managed to score some points (I know...my level of awesomeness just rose by about 10 points).

One of the great things about curling, is that it's a sport (I use the term "sport" loosely) where you can also consume adult beverages. They even have a little shelf for your drinks! You place your beverage in the order that you shoot...pretty clever eh? Those Canadians have thought of everything!

And last but not least...I'll leave you with a faux image of me throwing the rock (that's right...I know the lingo). Yes, its staged...but very life-like if you ask me. I can't wait to play again.

The Carving of the Pumpkin (that rotted 6 days later)

2010-10-17T09:14:00.000-08:00

One of the major scores of Julie's visit (aside from the laughs, good times and visit to REI) was that I got a free pumpkin from the Pumpkin Beer Festival! And since Julie had to leave town, I enlisted Jeanette to assist me with the pumpkin carving activities.

Not, I'm not really sure what went wrong in this whole process. We gutted all the seeds and slime-ies...carved him a face...and then put a candle in him and called it a day. Somehow, 6 days later...said pumpkin was resting in a pile of self-inflicted goo. It had completely collapsed and was dripped liquids all over the place. I was astonished.

Usually, you can leave pumpkins out until mid-November...when they start getting fuzzy. I'm not sure what happened to my beloved pumpkin, but he had a quick death..which I suppose is good in the grand scheme of things.

Needless to say, I was sad. But it was fun to carve a pumpkin again...and bake the seeds (which is my favorite part).

Double Trouble: Julie and the Pumpkin Beer Fest

2010-10-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

Although I usually don't find joy in others misfortune, when Julie told me she had an 11-hour layover in Seattle...I couldn't be more excited. I had a busy itinerary planned for her, seeing that she had to experience Seattle in the amount of time it takes to cook a roast (not that I would know).

So, our first order of business was to explore the Sculpture Park downtown. There's a lot of random junk in the sculpture park that is somehow classified as art...I'm not sure how "junk" makes the leap to "art"...but apparently, all you need to do is toss it in a sculpture park...and voila!

Our next order of business was to eat and hit up REI. Unfortunately, I don't have any earth-shattering pictures of eating/REI-ing....but that's for the best, I think. Julie helped me look around for new bike commuting gear and was patient as I wondered around aimlessly. Something happens to me when I enter REI...or any retail store for that matter....I immediately become disoriented and forget what I was initially looking for...this trip was no different.

Our last order of business before dropping Julie back off at the airport, was to hit up the Elysian Pumpkin Beer Festival. Needless to say, it was the highlight of my October. Not only did I get to hang out with Julie and drink delicious pumpkin-flavored adult beverages, but I also scored a free pumpkin. Win-Win-Win.

The pumpkin beer festival was in Capitol Hill, a neighborhood just east of Seattle. As part of the festival, they tap a gigantic pumpkin and pour delicious brews to festive patrons like ourselves.

After we carefully picked out a pumpkin...we gave him a face and carried him back to the car so Julie wouldn't miss her next flight. It was an amazing day, and I can't wait for her to stop by again.

They're all Made out of Ticky-Tacky

2010-10-11T16:06:00.000-08:00

Since my apartment overlooks the water and the train-yard, I get to see some pretty interesting things rolling by...well, interesting to me, anyway...you be the judge.

Boeing has a couple manufacturing plants here in Washington, and for the past month, they've been shipping the new fuselages down to Boeing Field by rail. To most people, I'm sure is probably old news...but to me, I get all excited and took my camera out (cheap thrills).

Clearly, they're wingless...to avoid clothes lining the telephone poles as the train went by...but still cool. If there's one person I could think of that would appreciate this, it's my little nephew, Cooper. I think he would be just as excited as I was...at least for the first two minutes until Scooby-Doo came back on.

Sandy Hourglass

2010-09-30T15:52:00.000-08:00

As "summer" ends and fall rapidly approaches, I took the opportunity to hang out at the beach. If you were to lump me into a category, I wouldn't exactly say that I'm a beach girl...I've always been more into the mountains. But, when the mountains and the water are right next to each other...you don't have to compromise.

Luckily, Discovery Park is less than one mile from my apartment...so I walked down to the beach, perched myself on a piece of driftwood, and started reading....for pleasure. If you know me, you'll know this is highly unusual. I almost got halfway through The Portrait of Dorian Gray...which I haven't read since I was in Jr. High. Amazingly, it was wonderful...and I was proud of myself for reading longer than 10 minutes without falling asleep.

After I got bored with reading (don't judge me), I started eating (don't judge me). And yes, I packed food....never leave home without it.

UnFair Weather

2010-09-25T20:02:00.000-08:00

I'm not really sure what happened to the summer in Seattle, but I'm pretty sure that we were all gypped big time. So when the day came when I was scheduled to go to the Puyallip Fair...it wasn't shocking to me that the pressure dropped, the clouds rolled in, and the gods started to rain on my parade.

Fortunately in the Pacific Northwest, the rain never really ruins anyones parade. So Mark, Debbie and LaRod picked me up and we headed to the Fair...an ongoing Matteson family tradition...which I was honored to be part of ...(yes, I just ended a sentence with a preposition).

So, similar to last year...the Matteson family made a B-line for the scones. I've never seen people flock so quickly towards buttery pastries (unless you count last year). But I've got to hand it to them...those things are little balls of buttery-heaven. And of course, we took lots of pictures to make Colin and Evan jealous of all the fun/scones we were having.

So in addition to tagging along on a timeless family traditions, I'm also quite talented at annoying Matteson-family members at the drop of a hat (as seen above). I had lots of practice as a child....I mean...with three siblings, annoying people comes naturally to me.

It was a great day, and we left with more than a bakers dozen in hand. The Mattesons even loaded me up with a bag of scones for Colin...which are waiting patiently for him in the freezer upon his return stateside.

Fully Functional Babe-Lair

2010-09-20T20:17:00.000-08:00

One of the last items on my "To-Do" list while at home in Massachusetts, was to go to my cousin Sam's wedding shower. Sam has lived next door to me since we were born, so she's basically like another sister. Sam and her fiance Nate live in Glouster, Mass...which is an old fishing town north of Boston. And, can I just say...their house was pretty fancy...and definitely classified as a fully functional babe-lair (chicks are helpless against it's powers).

And needless to say, there were quite a few chicks there....including three generations of my family. In the picture above, my grandmother (Mom's Mom), my Mom, and my sisters Jaime (left) and Jenna (right).

After "Ooo-ing" and "Ahh-ing" at all the kitchen appliances she opened, I partook in the delicious cupcake tier. And can I just say...that cupcake rocked my face off. It was so huge that at one point...I'm pretty sure I looked like Wilbur from Charlotte's Web....annnnd I'm fine with it.

It was awesome to spend time with my sisters, my mom, and grammie, and my Aunt Jane. Such an amazing group of women, who I love and miss. But I don't have to miss them too much...because I think about them everyday. Congratulations Sam and Nate!

Kindergarten without the Arnold Cameo

2010-09-15T19:53:00.000-08:00

One of the great things I got to do each morning when I was in Massachusetts was walk my nephew Cooper to kindergarten. After his first day, he soon realized that all the neighborhood girls were taking the bus, so my little Rico Suave wanted to as well.

So we walked the whopping 50 yards to the bus stop and hung out with all his little girlfriends. Before I knew it, he was scheduling playdates. This kid has more game at 5 years old, than I ever will...which is in my face.

So soon after Cooper had booked us solid for the next week with playdates, the bus showed up. I'm pretty sure the driver was the bus driver from South Park...haha. She was pretty grumpy...and impatient. That, combined with Masshole driving could be a perfect storm.

Tortoises, Roos and Soccer Balls

2010-09-11T18:26:00.000-08:00

The great thing about hanging out with little kids, is that you get to do little-kid-things and not get judged. Well, I guess that's not really true...because I just blew my cover. But in normal adult situations, one does not get to finger paint or watch hours of Scooby-Doo (at least in my experience).

One of the many trips we took was to the zoo. I'll be honest: I think I was more excited about the zoo than they were. I think our individual maturity levels are on different paths.

As you can imagine, we saw all the typical zoo-wildlife...including the fastest moving tortoise I've ever seen. I think the original author of The Tortoise and The Hare should rethink the storyline...especially after seeing this guy. From my personal experience with another slow species (men)...there's only two things that could get this guys moving: a lady tortoise, or the dinner bell.

I also got to see Cooper go to one of his first soccer practices, which was clearly adorable. Now, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news....but I can already tell, the kid's heart isn't in it. But mine wouldn't be either if there weren't free orange slices involved.

Hanging out with Santa in September...gotta beat the holiday rush.

2010-09-10T21:09:00.001-08:00

When I was home for Labor Day, I was lucky enough to score a free trip to Santa's Village -- the best thing to happen to theme parks since merry-go-rounds and funnel cake. Santa's Village is located in Jefferson, NH and I've been going there since I was a little kid. So naturally, we had to take my niece and nephew there to partake in the awesomeness.

One of the things that seemed to slip my memory, is that everything in the park is literally elf-sized. Those rides are certainly not made for "healthy" men...let's just put it that way.

My nephew Cooper was my ride-buddy all day. I was literally strapped into every under-sized children's ride the park had to offer. And I'm not going to pretend like I didn't enjoy every second of it...because I clearly did.

Some of us had better jobs than others. Matt got stuck giving shoulder rides all day...but to be honest...I think he preferred it that way. It was the much better alternative to riding on a pint-sized roller coaster with a restricting metal bar across your lap.

In addition to the baby-sized rides, there was lots of food and of course...the big guy: Santa. I decided to opt out on sitting on Santa's lap...because it seemed mildly pervy.

After soaking in all the holiday joy, we headed back to North Conway to eat some dinner. And while we waited for a table, Uncle Matt taught the youngsters how to get some Charlie. Life lessons with Uncle Matt.

A Place with a View

2010-08-26T20:26:00.000-08:00

After a long string of visitors, I was relieved of my hostessing duties (much to my dismay). There's always a difficult adjustment period that occurs after I have visitors...let's call it friend-withdrawal. So, to come to terms with my vapid state of withdrawal, I usually try to keep myself busy with new movies, phone calls with friends, and my poor-abused camera.

Now, let's get one thing straight: I'm not a photographer (as evidenced by the crooked image of a sun pillar over the Olympic Mountains shown above). I think I simply enjoy taking pictures because: 1. That generally means you don't have to be IN pictures, and 2. I have a bad memory -- so it's nice to have little life-flash-cards to remember all of my adventures.

Not to mention, I see some pretty amazing, entertaining, and wonderful things from my apartment. For example, one of the charming crows that is kind enough to wake me up Saturday mornings with it's incessant squawking decided to hang out on my neighbors mini-weather station.

The picture above was taken in mid-August from my porch of a forest fire on Mount Hopper out on the Olympic Peninsula. Apparently, the fire started with a lightening strike and continued on for days before the rain came.

The Start of a New Tradition

2010-08-08T19:52:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago, my old roomate Kat and I figured out that she would be in Vancouver for work..a mere 3 hours drive from Seattle! So, we plotted and schemed and somehow convinced our other two roomates from JMU, Erin and Lindsay, to come out and join the fun. And thus begins a yearly tradition...

Kat and I were randomly paired together our freshman year of college. We instantly bonded over our mutual love for movies, popcorn, cheese pizza, sweat pants, and Ryan Reynolds. She introduced me to Erin and Lindsay...and after a year, we were all living together...in sin...and in men's sweatpants.

When they arrived, the temperature decided to drop twenty degrees and the clouds decided to rain on us. But that didn't stop us from heading out to the peninsula to take a hike on the beach on Friday.

So we drove out to Sequim to explore the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. In the refuge, there's a natural sand spit that extends 5 miles out into the ocean. It's the largest natural sand spit in the US and has been there since the 1700s. Ok, ok...we didn't walk all the way out to the end. For some reason, a 10-mile hike wasn't sounding too appealing. But we combed the beach and took lots of pictures...equally as exhausting.

On Saturday, we tooled around the city....enjoyed the lovely rain and some shopping. It was nice to go shopping with someone other than a man over 6-feet tall. ...A nice change of pace.

I had a total blast while the girls were here, and we're already throwing around the idea of an annual 1032 reunion each summer in a different location...which makes me excited. Hopefully, the next location won't require multiple layers of clothes and Gortex.

Tasting Death...via Kayak

2010-07-25T21:19:00.000-08:00

At the tale end of the weekend, Jennifer arrived on her way from Fairbanks to Virginia. Since I had her for less than 24 hours...I felt like I had to pull out all the stops and try to show her how impressive Seattle can be. My plan was to take her kayaking...little did I know that I would be risking the lives of not only Jennifer and myself...but also, Boobies and Beth.

Jennifer, Chris (aka Boobies) and Beth happened to be visiting during SeaFair...which is a big celebration in Seattle of all things aquatic. Saying that there were a lot of boats on the water would be an understatement. And my decision to paddle through the man-made cement channel where all the boats were going, was definitely not my finest decision-making hour.

Needless to say the water was choppy. And I'll go ahead and say that no one returned to the docks with dry pants -- 1. because we got soaked by the squalls and 2. because I soiled myself from fear of death. Don't judge.

Once we were back on dry land...we headed over to West Seattle to get some ice cream and enjoy the sunset. It was a great visit...and it was awesome to see Jennifer before her big move to South Dakota! Congratulations Jennifer!!!!!

The Luck of the Draw

2010-07-24T20:38:00.000-08:00

My third July-visitor installment hailed from Maryland. Boobies (no that's not his real name) and Beth were nice enough to keep me company for a weekend. You may remember this dynamic duo from their visit this past February. I was lucky enough to get them twice in one year, as they headed out west for a wedding.

Boobies (aka Chris) is an old buddy from JMU...so needless to say, he's seen me at my best and worst....and surprisingly...we're still friends. If that's not true friendship, I don't know what is.

We haven't had the nicest summer here in Seattle. It's been cool, overcast, and foggy. But the weather gods pulled out all the stops this weekend. Not a cloud in the sky. So to celebrate the cloudless skies we took a stroll through Discovery Park in Magnolia. I'd never been to Discovery Park during low tide...so I was pretty excited that you could walk out on the sand. And as a bonus...the mountain was out...which made for some nice pictures.

After exploring the beach in the morning, we drove up to Snohomish, Washington for a wedding. The bride and groom are close friends of Beth, and were kind enough to extend an invitation to me...which was an offer I couldn't refuse.

It was a beautiful outdoor ceremony. I think Zach and Jackie (the groom and bride) had a wonderful day. And as a bonus...there was even a putting green!

SOX!

2010-07-22T19:49:00.000-08:00

It's a rare occasion to be able to watch and enjoy a Red Sox game while living on the opposite side of the country...and it doesn't help that I live in a city that isn't all that enthralled with baseball to begin with. So when the Sox are in town, I'm usually chomping at the bit to go see them...

My superior photography skills even captured Papi getting a home run! Haha...ok, ok...the picture isn't that good...I was just stoked on my fabulous timing (...that's right, I'm modest).

And in true Red Sox fashion, they blew a 7 run lead and had to go into the 13th inning to end the game. Oh Red Sox...you cut me deep.

One thing that I was shocked by, was the amount of obnoxious bandwagon Sox fans. I'm not sure where all these people were before 2004...but I wanted to punch some of them in the face. They give us decent, hard-working, Sox fans a bad name....I mean, granted...we're from Massachusetts and obnoxious by nature...but you would never see a true Red Sox fan eating chocolate covered strawberries at a game. Suck on that, bandwagoners.

Nothing Cures Crabby, Like Beer

2010-07-16T19:48:00.000-08:00

As part of my July lineup of visitors, I was graced with Matze's presence as he traveled from Fairbanks, Alaska back home to Germany. I met Matthias in Fairbanks when I was a grad student...and although I can't really recall when we met, I can say with confidence that it was probably at the Pub.

After all the traveling that he had done, he was pretty exhausted...and true to form....crabby. Luckily, I knew one of the few cures for Matze's crabbiness....beer. But clearly, that's not all we did. Since he was a tourist, he desperately wanted to go up the Space Needle...so I obliged. And of course, he managed to find beer up there, too.

That evening, we headed out to meet up with some friends I have here in Seattle. It was a good time, and as you can see..we had a lot of laughs (mostly at my expense).

By the end of the weekend, he was exhausted...and so was I. It's hard trying to entertain a crabby German for 3 days! Haha...but on a more serious note...it was good to see an old friend and I hope we get to hang out again sometime soon.

...like a fine wine...

2010-07-09T15:28:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season...for Colin to turn another year older. In honor of his day of birth...I brought a timeless Bourne family tradition to Seattle. When I was a kid, my parents would decorate the house with streamers and balloons. I always remember feeling really excited to go downstairs and see all the decorations. Clearly, my mom rocks.

To celebrate his day of birth, we decided to take the classy route and order pizzas. I figured there are only a handful of ways to please a bunch of hungry men...and pizza is one of them.

After they were full, we headed out in Ballard. A bunch of Colin's pals showed up, which was really fun...and lead to the consumption of delicious adult beverages.

Mid-way through the night, I lost track of the birthday boy...haha. So, I spent the remainder of my evening enjoying adult beverages and watching Mike table dance...a solid end to any night.

A Summer Night at Safeco

2010-07-07T12:41:00.000-08:00

One of the benefits of living in a town that has never won a World Series, is the availability of day-of tickets to Mariners games. I feel like most Seattle residents don't take advantage of this huge opportunity...luckily, I don't consider myself a Seattle resident.

Growing up in Boston, it's hard NOT to be a baseball fan. I think most people are issued a Sox hat and jersey upon birth...so needless to say, I love an appreciate the game...and become incredibly angry when people call it boring. It's boring because you don't get it.

I headed to the game with Colin, Martin, Jeanette, Laura, Sam and Evan. It was quite the motley crew...and in the 85-degree weather, we enjoyed the game from 200 feet above sea level. I guess that's what happens when you only want to pay $25 for tickets.

Purrrrr-fection.

2010-07-02T19:55:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year again...yes, people. The time has arrived for another visit from the notoriously fabulous Walter Fourie. Walter and I met a few years ago in Fairbanks, Alaska....and I'll go ahead and say there's a 95% chance that we met at the pub.

Although the roots of our friendship are slightly blurred by the moderate consumption of adult beverages...we've been able to power through and not lose much footing while we live on opposite sides of the globe. Walter currently lives in South Africa, but stopped in Seattle on his way home from Fairbanks.

When Walter landed in Seattle, the clock started ticking. I had less than 24 hours to wine him, dine him, and show him all that Seattle had to offer. So, naturally, we headed back to Purr...a lovely establishment located in the Capital Hill neighborhood that provided a nice backdrop for us to dance and admire the "scenery".

After we had our fill at Purr, we started hopping around to various other places in Capital Hill when we stumbled upon a bar that was showing some very odd artwork. Walter loved it, but I was slightly disturbed. The artwork showcased paintings and wall art of very angry and disturbing rodents and bunnies. I'll never look at Thumper the same again.

A glimpse into the life of an extraordinary woman

2010-06-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

From the perception of life that I have molded over the past 20-some odd years, I've found that it's nearly impossible to feel an immediate connection with someone when you meet them. Typically, it takes years to get to know someone at a level where you can just relax and be yourself. I consider myself one of the lucky ones.

I met Barbara Jean Matteson, or as many of you have come to know her, Nanny, about two years ago. Sometimes it's hard for me to believe that I only knew her two years, because when we met I felt like I'd known her my entire life. The ease with which we shared stories with each other felt effortless. Some of my fondest memories are sitting in the her kitchen on Whidbey Island, talking about life, family, and friends over a strong English cup of tea. ...and I still remember both of us yelling at the television during the 2010 Winter Olympics as we watched her favorite Olympian, Apollo Ohno (who I believe she had quite the crush on), win a record setting amount of medals.

Nanny was born in England in 1932 and somehow managed to maintain her charming British accent throughout her travels to Japan and the United States. I'll have to admit that I'm unsure as to how she managed it...I lost my crass Boston accent mere months after leaving Massachusetts. Needless to say, Nanny's charming accent was one of the many things I loved so much about her.

Nanny was unconditionally dedicated to her family and friends. I have never met a woman so independent with so many people who loved her. Each time I visited her on the island, I met new people who's lives she had touched. I'm so grateful for the moments I had with her, but can't help but be jealous of those who had her longer.

Nanny passed away on June 27, 2010 surrounded by her family and friends. And although she has moved on, I see her everyday in each of her family members...and it makes me smile. She was an incredible woman and she will not soon be forgotten.

Bachelor Party!

2010-06-12T08:50:00.000-08:00

...not the kind of Bachelor party you're typically thinking of. On Saturday, June 5th I drove up to Edmonds (yeehaw! --note sarcasm) with Colin to celebrate LaRod's graduation from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology.

Now I think it's safe to say that none of us really know what a bachelor's in psychology will do for him...but I'm pretty sure he's able to read minds. Clearly, that didn't stop us from celebrating.

As usual, Colin's mom Debbie made TONS of delicious food. She has years of experience after cooking for 4 hungry, oversized men. I've tried to calibrate the Matteson family to normal food portions, but to no avail.

There was quite the crowd there: Colin's Nanny came all the way from Whidbey Island, his Grandpa Bob and Grandma Claire came down from Cedro-Wooley, his Aunt Suze and Uncle Mike came down from Everett, and his Aunt Darcy came as well from a couple towns over. Needless to say, the Matteson/Babbington/Sparks clan was all there and in full support and celebration.

And since it's June, we even get to see the sun a bit more often in Seattle...which is nice. The picture above is Mark & Debbie (Colin, LaRod and Evan's parents) and Colin hanging out on the porch.

It was a good day that brought a lot of LaRod's family and friends. At the end of the day, I went back home 5 pounds heavier and in much baggier clothing...and LaRod went home with a BS in Psychology.....a win-win.

I'm a scorpio and enjoy long walks on the beach...

2010-06-11T17:20:00.000-08:00

That's right people, I had so many pictures from my Shi Shi Beach adventure, it warranted two posts! ...so to bring you up to speed if you haven't read my previous ramblings: I packed up my tent, sleeping bag, and my Colin and headed out to the Peninsula to go camping on Shi Shi Beach.

After we hiked down to the beach, we set up camp and did some exploring! We took the stereotypical "long walk on the beach"...which was lovely.

We saw lots of weird stuff washed up on the beach, and even stumbled upon a shipwreck...so Colin decided to hit it with a stick. Damn kids.

After we lost interest in our romantic stroll, we headed back to the tent to start a fire and roast up some s'mores....which was the REAL reason I wanted to go camping. Colin's fire-making abilities were impressive...and I was pretty good at watching.

The next morning, while Colin slept in...I woke up for the low tide so I could see some more sea creatures! I know, I know...it sounds lame...but I was fascinated...plus, I forgot sleeping pads so the sand was getting pretty uncomfortable at around 6am.

This picture may not look like much...but it you take a closer peek...there's tons of starfish and sea anemones in between the rocks. It was crazy!

Eventually Colin awoke from his slumber and did a little skim boarding as the tide came in. He even fit into his Dad's old wet suit...which was pretty hilarious. He tried to convince me to try it out...but my fear of biting-it kept me on the sidelines.

Trekin' out to Shi Shi Beach

2010-06-11T15:53:00.000-08:00

One of the "must do" items on my summer checklist this year was to go camping on the Olympic Peninsula. Needless to say, there's a big fat CHECK next to that item, now courtesy of Shi Shi Beach!

Shi Shi Beach is located on the western-most edge of Washington on the Olympic Peninsula in the Makah Reservation. It's one of the coolest, most unique beaches I've ever experienced...and luckily, I had Colin along with me...with multiplied the fun...BOO ya!

It's pretty rare to have nice weather on the Peninsula, so I was thanking my lucky stars that we didn't get rained on.

During low tide, there are some awesome tidal pools. Walking through them was like going to the aquarium! There were starfish, and crabs, and sea anemones! It was wicked fun...and after going to the Seattle Acquarium, I knew which ones I could touch without getting stung or dying. Thanks, Aquarium.

Needless to say, my pastiness fit in well being so close to Forks and all. I think this is the point in the summer where I reached the pinnacle of my pastiness.

It was an awesome day, and we found lots of weird wreckage on the beach...including the crazy-barnacled-foam-buoy-thing pictured above. (That's the official name).

The Birth of Martin and Memorial Day

2010-06-01T20:29:00.000-08:00

For the second year in a row, I ventured out to Chelan in eastern Washington to celebrate Martin's birthday and Memorial Day weekend...two very special holidays that required equal amounts of celebration...afterall, you only turn 18 once.

I know this is a very homoerotic picture, but since they have man-crushes on each other, I thought it was only necessary. Plus, it's stinking adorable.

Since Colin and I were out in eastern WA a little earlier than the rest of the crew, I used the time to prep the 300 lbs of food we consumed that weekend. Looking back, one buffalo chicken dip per night proved to be too much....but hindsight is 20/20.

It was a fun weekend despite the chilly temps and occasional rain. Needless to say, we powered through and enjoyed the party boat to the best of our ability.

And every night we had family dinner time....which was clearly the best part of the weekend. Plus, we got birthday cake in celebration of Marty turning 18...hah.

I can definitely say that the best part of the weekend was hanging with new people and making new friends....I know, I know...it sounds trite...but I'm fine with it. Next year, I'm just crossing my fingers for slightly warmer temperatures. Something above freezing would be nice.

Ohme Oh my

2010-05-28T20:31:00.000-08:00

In celebration of Memorial Day, I ventured out to eastern Washington to enjoy some much needed R&R (i.e. Rest and Relaxation, not Rich & Rare Whiskey , which also would have been enjoyable).

Colin and I drove out a couple days before the masses to hang out together. Since the weather was crappy, which is rare for eastern Washington (for the nerds -- it's a rain shadow), we tried to get out as much as we could while the sun was shining. So, we headed to Ohme Gardens.

Ohme Gardens is essentially a park on top of a ridge that was created be a couple in the 1940s. They wanted a pimped out alpine garden, so they made on in the middle of the arid eastern Washington climate. Colin has memories there from when he was little, so for old times sake...he had some stump water.

The gardens were pretty cool, and I can see how little kids would really like to wander around there. It certainly is an impressive endeavor when you think of all the trees they planted and rocks they put in there. Unfortunately, the view was overlooking an industrial park...but I guess nature lovers these days have to pick our battles.

My new hog

2010-05-01T18:29:00.005-08:00

In late April, I finally invested in a new mode of transportation. Given that the company I work for strongly encourages their employees to bike to work (and also provides generous compensation for doing so), I thought it was about time to get some exercise and some free dough.

Since I'm about as far away from an expert cyclist as one could possibly be, I opted for a middle-of-the-road-type bike. One that wasn't too pricey, because I couldn't tell the difference anyway.

In celebration of bike-to-work month (May), I started riding into work everyday on May 1st. Luckily, Seattle is a bike-friendly city...but that doesn't keep me from being scared shitless. I think it's safe to say that I risk death everyday to and from work...not because it's dangerous (which it is), but because I suck at riding a bike. One day I'll be one of those trendy cyclists...but for now, I'm the commuter that tips over at a stop lights due to lack of balance.

Dr. Danimal

2010-04-17T12:10:00.005-08:00

I think the word is officially out, Dan got into Med School!! He has been accepted to multiple schools, and one of them is a joint-program that would have him in Anchorage AND Seattle! BOO YEA! Congratulations, Dan!! He was traveling through Seattle on his way to check out a med school, and stopped in Seattle over night to tour the University of Washington, as well.

Clearly, I took him on an intense kayaking trip. Whitewater! Ok, not really...but that's as intense as you can get in downtown Seattle.

After tasting death on our kayak trip, we decided to sit up on my roof deck and soak in some sun. I don't think I really need to reiterate how pastey I am, but it made me feel better that I was sitting next to a person that lives in Alaska and doesn't see the sunshine 9 months of the year. So, after sitting on my roof deck for 10 minutes, I started to burn...so we moved onto the next activity.

...which clearly involved donuts. Dan had a list of places he wanted to eat in Seattle, so we tried to chip away at some of them. Top Pot Donuts, was obviously on the list. After a long day, I dropped Dan off at the airport and sent him on his way back to Fairbanks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he chooses the Anchorage/Seattle Med School option. C'mon Dan, just do it!

Tandem Fun in Lake Union

2010-04-10T19:25:00.005-08:00

It's starting to get toasty in Seattle, which invariably means that it's getting sunny! Okay....that's a lie. It's been kind of sunny here, but I'm hoping for the best. So Jeanette, Martin and I decided to get outside and do a little paddling around Lake Union before the next hard core wind storm hit.

Here's Martin looking like a rugged outdoorsman....hah. Lake Union is essentially right downtown...so it feels like you're paddling through an urban jungle.

Nothing says "nature" like paddling underneath a 4-lane highway. But for some reason, even though there's a noisy highway adjacent to a quiet arboretum...it was still relaxing.

Seattle is surrounded by water on three sides, so needless to say, there's plenty of places to paddle. But my T-Rex arms couldn't really handle much more than a couple hours....which is probably something I should work on for next time. Meh.

Discovering Discovery

2010-04-05T20:19:00.006-08:00

The forecast from Friday through Sunday was rain, rain, and more rain (Oh Seattle, you saucy, minx)...so you can imagine my surprise when I woke up on Easter Sunday and saw the sun! JACKPOT! So, I rallied Jenna and we drove to Discovery Park, which is just north of downtown Seattle, for a short hike.

The park is right on Puget Sound, which is wicked awesome...because the only thing my apartment has views of...is the alley. Don't get me wrong, the dumpsters are gorgeous, and watching my Albanian neighbor dance around to MmmBop is entertaining, but call me crazy...I prefer an ocean view.

Everything in Seattle has been turning green...(and not just because of our cool camera settings). Spring is definitely here, and Jenna and I had the allergies to prove it. Yay sun!

Here's Jenna, showing off her Easter holiday pride. We had a really great day, and soon after we got home from the park, it started to rain. Our timing was impeccable! So, even though our Easter was devoid of a PBR Hunt, we still had fun.

Jenna flew back to New Hampshire today, so I'm kind of bummed. But I had a blast with her...I think we make each other laugh....mostly because we have the same corny jokes that no one else thinks are funny (haha...example: the picture above).

The Life Aquatic

2010-04-04T19:46:00.000-08:00

Lucky for me, having visitors gives me an excuse to go to the Aquarium. I think my affinity for the aquarium is due largely to two things: 1. I'm a chick and 2. I have the maturity of a 6 year old. So naturally, the aquarium was a go.

Jenna got a chance to play with her new camera, as you can see above. Her camera even had an aquarium setting....I guess the folks at Canon know what's up.

This is probably the most comfortable you'll ever see me around jellyfish...because they creep me out. Those things are silent killers. Let's just say that death by jelly is not the way I want to go.

The tidal pools are a personal favorite of mine. I'll definitely push some little kids out of the way to touch a gigantic starfish. I have no shame. Jenna, however...now that's another story. I tried to get her to touch a starfish (a creature that moves about 0.0000000001 mph), and she literally jumped a mile. Haha...Oh Jenna.

But I think Jen and I can both agree that it's a lot easier to love and appreciate slimy things, when they're behind two inches of plexiglass.

April Showers Bring My Jenna

2010-04-03T19:16:00.000-08:00

My big sis Jenna came to visit me in Seattle this past weekend, and it was marvelous. It was great to finally have someone stay more than 6 hours, so as you can imagine...I had a long list of things I wanted to show her. But in true Seattle form, the weather put the kabash on about 95% of all that (which was in my face).

But the torrential wind and rain storm didn't stop us! On Friday, we went shopping around for wedding dresses for Jenna. She got engaged to her fiance Jamie in Greece over New Years, and we had a blast store-hopping. On Saturday, we walked down to Pike Place Market. Since her body was on East Coast time, we got down there pretty early.

There's lots of local vendors, and Jenna even partook in a little honey-tasting (not as fun as beer or wine tasting -- but few things can be).

I'm glad we got there so early, because just as we finished our first pass through...the masses began to arrive.

A Wind Storm Worth Mentioning

2010-04-03T16:21:00.000-08:00

The strongest early-spring storm since the Easter storm of 1997 blew through Western Washington Friday April 3, 2010, bringing a myriad of weather including strong wind, steady rain, mountain snow, and even some low elevation snow in spots. There were wind gusts recorded at up to 62 mph!!!

There are traffic cameras on the I-90 bridge (yes, the Mass Pike extends all the way to Washington state), that captured the effect of the wind storm rather well. The water on the right side of the bridge is water coming from Lake Union, which is connected to Puget Sound. The waves from the ocean propagated all the way into Lake Union and we being deflected by the floating bridge!

I know, I know....I'm a huge dork...but I thought it was wicked cool! What wasn't as cool was the fact that the wind storm knocked down a bunch of really large trees which took out power to a lot of people in the Seattle area....bummer. Luckily, I avoided catastrophe.

Luck of the Irish

2010-03-17T15:41:00.000-08:00

When I was in college (note to self: stop starting stories off this way, it makes me look old), St. Patrick's Day was my favorite holiday...for obvious reasons. It is a holiday that celebrates all of the elements college students know and love. Example: consuming excessive amounts of adult beverages on a week nite while celebrating having the pastiest skin of all your friends.

Nowadays, being a working stiff really puts a damper on celebrating my pastiness. Alright, alright...technically I'm not Irish....but my ancestors were from every other pastey-skinned Northern European country you can think of: England, Scotland, Sweden....and the list goes on and on.

So instead of celebrating like the immature college coed I once was, I was the designated driver.

As you can see, there was plenty of fun to be had...and it was my job to document it. Nice Amstel Light, Marty.

Stevens Pass ...about time.

2010-02-21T21:10:00.006-09:00

I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't been skiing yet this winter. But finally... this weekend, I made it out to Stevens Pass in the Cascade Mountains with Chris, Beth, and Zack! BOO ya!

I know I always yammer on about how nice the weather was...but it couldn't have been more perfect. The snow was awesome, the sun was out, and my legs were burning...for me, a perfect day.

They haven't really gotten much snow lately, but you couldn't really tell. Or at least, I couldn't. But after growing up skiing on the East Coast, seeing this much snow was like heaven.

Chris was a trooper, too. He hadn't been skiing in a little while, and he totally dominated....both on the slopes, and in fashion. Note the neon goggles, classic.

It was literally a winter wonderland. The terrain was so awesome. I think growing up on the East Coast has given me a greater appreciation for skiing. I love skiing on the East Coast, but whenever I go anywhere else....it just surpasses all my expectations. Sometimes I don't understand how skiing can be so awesome....and then when you throw good local beer into the mix...I mean, c'mon.

Taking time out to be a tourist

2010-02-21T20:36:00.006-09:00

This weekend, I had some visitors in town from Annapolis, Maryland. Chris (who graduated college with me) and his girlfriend Beth were nice enough to grace me with their presence. If you've never heard of Chris, I'm not surprised, because I usually don't refer to him by that name. But, I don't think I'll delve into his nickname...it's mildly inappropriate...and this is a family blog.

They arrived Thursday night pretty late after a lot of traveling and plane changes, so we all went right to bed. On Friday, they toured around the city, but waited for me to get outta work before heading up the Space Needle!

I've never been up the Space Needle before, so I was really excited. I know, I know...it's touristy...but I haven't even lived here a year yet, so I think I still get a free pass when it comes to touristy things. Plus, I had fun, and the view was absolutely gorgeous!

They got lucky because they were here a weekend when it was sunny and cloud-less (which in case you haven't heard....is rare in Seattle during the winter).

The mountain was even out! (Mt. Rainier that is...). Rainier is an active volcano that can be seen from downtown Seattle...and it's wicked cool to see, especially because it looks gigantic with no mountains around it. I'm sure it won't be so cool when it erupts...but luckily, I'm invincible.

...a taste of the Island...England, that is...

2010-02-14T19:01:00.003-09:00

This weekend, I made the familiar journey out to Whidbey Island, WA to visit Nanny. Now, as I'm sure most of you know, Nanny was born in England and has managed to maintain her English accent.

I can't say as much for my Boston accent, which is probably for the best. If I wanted someone to ask me who parked a car in Harvard yard, I would've stayed in Boston...and for the record...I don't know, so quit asking.

I had a great weekend drinking lots of tea (presenting my tiny bladder with new, interesting challenges), watching Apollo Ohno dominate in the Vancouver Olympics, and meeting more of Nanny's loving, island-support system. This weekend, I met Don and Brenda Wilkins (see the picture above--can you tell they're proud of their heritage?). The Wilkins' are also English...so needless to say, I was outnumbered...not good for a Boston girl with ties to the Tea Party. But, I won them over with my wit and....err...okay, I just won them over by drinking lots of tea.

Toppin's a Bird

2010-02-04T17:27:00.006-09:00

Last Saturday, I ventured up to the Skagit River Estuary with Debbie for a bird spottin' float trip! When Debbie originally proposed the idea of a "rafting trip" I immediately got pumped for some white water. But she soon broke it to me gently that it was more of a lazy river float to spot eagles. Although white water would have been fun, seeing over 16 bald eagles was equally as awesome!

Washington winters aren't all that cold, but they're definitely rainy. Luckily, I came prepared (thanks to REI who had waterproof pants on sale the night before...BOO yea!).

The area was beautiful....and in true Pacific NW fashion, cloudy, rainy, and foggy. The lighting was great for picture taking...haha, the only thing I needed was a telephoto lens.

We saw TONS of eagles. Whoever put them on the endangered species list had apparently never been to Alaska or Washington. I know, I know....they're not on the list anymore...and I have proof, in digital form. The picture above was actually a baby bald eagle...haha...their feathers don't turn black and white until they're mature.

Apparently the adults don't really hang with the juveniles very often. So the mature eagle above must be a co-dependent mother....or one of those mom's who tries to hang out with her kids, and dress like she's 16.

Visitors from the South Pacific

2010-01-31T18:34:00.000-09:00

At the end of January, I had some wonderful visitors direct from Hawaii. Okay, so technically, they weren't direct. They started in Massachusetts, and then went to San Francisco, and then Hawaii, and then Seattle! Kathy, Julie, Patty, and Carol graced Seattle with their presence for one night, and one night only.

I know Kathy & Julie from waaaaaay back when I was little. I think we probably all met when I was like 6ish years old? Does that sound right? Either way, we all met in North Conway, NH at Mt. Cranmore. Bunch of ski bums. ...and they still haven't managed to escape the Bourne family...yet.

Julie and I used to pig out on Starbursts during lift rides every weekend. Mmm, Starbursts. And now we're all grown up and living on separate coasts, so as you can imagine, I was pumped to see them!

We all went out for dinner and drinks in downtown Seattle, which was nice, because I could walk to their hotel. It was a really fun night, and it definitely made me miss home (more so than I already do). Thanks for visiting ladies!!

où les montagnes rencontrent la mer

2010-01-25T20:40:00.005-09:00

There are a few isolated days in a Washington winter where the sun pokes its head out from behind the clouds...and those days are welcomed with open arms...and a fully charged camera battery.

I'm going to go ahead and say that the mountain in the picture above is Mt. Baker...but honestly, I could be wrong. Either way, there's something completely fascinating about a lone mountain covered in snow...which is why I have about 387 pictures of Denali, Mt. Washington (in New Hampshire), Mt. Rainier, and more. It makes me want to ski....REALLY badly....and you know, take lots of pictures.

In addition to the mountains...there's also the ocean. I have to admit, living by the ocean is pretty cool. I think if I had to choose, I'm a mountain girl over a beach girl....but being around the ocean and seeing seals and whales and ferry boats (yes, I included ferry boats amongst all the wild life) is pretty stinkin' awesome.

When I was little, I told my mom & dad that I wanted to be a toll booth lady. I think the Seattle-equivalent of that would be a ferry boat employee. Look out Washington State Ferries....here I come!

Certifiable

2010-01-25T18:35:00.006-09:00

Last week, I went through a turbine climbing & rescue training safety course. Initially, my company was going to ship a bunch of us down to Oregon for on-site training at an operating wind farm...but at the last minute, the developer canceled on us (the jerks). So instead, we ventured to a local facility.

(Image courtesy of Gravitec Systems, Inc.)

The training facility consisted of lattice-type towers, platforms and a turbine nacelle. I learned how to use climb & rescue....and more importantly, I learned how to do it safely. Apparently, they frown upon horseplay at 80m above the ground...not sure why.

(Image courtesy of Gravitec Systems, Inc.)

For my job, I don't do a lot of turbine/tower climbing...but being certified is useful in case we need to do it while we're on site. The rescue stuff was pretty physically exerting...but I have T-Rex arms....so anything that involves upper body strength seems physically exerting to me.

(Image courtesy of Gravitec Systems, Inc.)

We had to rescue a dummy from hanging over the side of a nacelle....which is the box at the top of a turbine (see the picture above)...and let me tell you...it was not easy. Luckily, the climbing equipment does most of the work...hah.

It was really awesome experience...and I hope I never have to rescue someone off a tower or a turbine...but if I do...I'm now certified to do so....no big deal.

Livin' the European Dream...sans moi...dammit!

2010-01-20T19:55:00.005-09:00

Colin recently departed for Germany once again to finish up his first season as a professional basketball player with the BBC Cottbus in eastern Germany. Ever since meeting the three musketeers (Franzi, Steffie & Matthias), I've wanted to move to Germany, drink beer, yodel and ski...so now, I have a pretty good excuse! Needless to say, I'm proud...let's just say a have a shrine on my fridge, and I'll be the number one trader of Colin Matteson trading cards....I know, lamest girlfriend ever. You don't need to say it, because I just did.

But I'm proud of him...just like he's proud of me for workin' a 9 to 5 and analyzing wind data....they're one in the same, really. This is the ultimate story of the nerdy chick scoring the jock....which is in Colin's little jocky face. Point, Nerds.

His team dominated this season. They've won every single game except for one! But I think I can still show Colin a thing or two when it comes to basketball....like how to dribble the ball on your foot and make it roll away.

Check out the website we made for him: www.colinmatteson.com !! Woop!

Christmas 2009: fam, food, and frivolity

2009-12-25T13:12:00.002-09:00

Like many others, I have very fond memories of Christmas and the holiday season from when I was little. And when I really think about it, I think I like the season more than the actual day. But this year, I was really looking forward to Christmas Day because I got to be home with the fam.

The picture above is my Dad before the holiday madness ensued. The calm before the storm.
The Bourne domicile was packed full of people on Christmas....as per usual. But that's how we like it...lots of people, lots of presents, and enough food to feed a small army.

Here's my older sister Jenna with my niece and nephew. The big smiles are because they hadn't opened any presents yet....they were still ripe with anticipation.

Christmas morning is my favorite part of the day. In our family, we have Christmas Eve next door at my cousins house, but we open our own presents and stockings Christmas morning. I don't care how old you are....presents are awesome....whether you're giving or receiving.

And as quickly as Christmas came this year, it went. Having a full-time job really makes time go by fast....which is scary. Maybe I should reconsider being a ski bum for the rest of my life.

Christmas sweaters, food, booze and of course, a snuggie

2009-12-24T20:27:00.000-09:00

I don't know if I can express how excited I was to go home to Easton and see my family. I was stinkin' pumped. Every Christmas Eve, we walk next door to my cousins house (yes, they live next door....and no, there are no banjos playing)...pig out, open presents, enjoy adult beverages and perhaps play a game that involves yelling or pantomiming.

My Aunt Jane dubbed the theme: Christmas sweaters....which we all pretty much wear anyway. And although the tacky Christmas sweater thing is a little played out....it still gave me quite the chuckle....I mean honestly....look at the Scottie dogs on Chris' sweater....epic.

Here's the crew looking festive and fabulous. And we've got a new member inducted into our crazy family....Nate (see the handsome drink of water in the extra special white Christmas sweater). Nate and Sam are now engaged to be married....haha...poor guy had to meet all of us in one night.....overwhelming is an understatement.

We all had a great time, and I already can't wait till next year! Hoooray! The picture above is my cousin Chris, my sister Jenna and Rudolph.

Every year, we do a yankee swap...and this year, my mom scored a snuggie. Hahaha...which I think she strategically left at the Kelley's house. Smooth Mom! Haha.

Saucy in Seatac

2009-12-22T20:17:00.000-09:00

I convinced Colin it would be a good idea to arrival at the Seattle-Tacoma (SeaTac) airport around 3am to meet up with Donald....who was sleeping there overnite. Since we were on our way to Boston...it was a win-win.

Even though I'm convinced Alaska Airlines was on a vendetta against holiday happiness by not letting us check in until 4am...we persisted, and toughed it out until we could check out bags and go through security. Woof.

After sending Colin off to Boston (yes, we were on different flights...it's a long story)...I hung out with Donald...and he surprised me with a bottle of wine....which we drank out of two Ivar's Seafood paper cups....epic class.

Clearly, I was buzzed, since I hadn't eaten in several hours....and I'm convinced that every journey I take should start with Donald and a bottle of wine.

Seattle's take on the Nutcracker

2009-12-21T20:03:00.000-09:00

Colin is home for a little over 3 weeks from Germany. Needless to say, I'm pumped. I've been pushing quality time upon him, and he'd done his best to avoid it...until now. As a Christmas gift, Colin took me to the Nutcracker ballet here in Seattle.

I have rather fond memories of the Nutcracker from my youth. When I was a girl, I wanted to be one of the sugar plum fairies....and when I was a teenager....I wanted the hot Nutcracker dude. I don't care if he dances like a fairy....or if he stuffs his tights....he looked damn good doing it. Enough said.

And of course, no public event is complete without me acting inappropriate. Luckily, we caught it on film. But don't worry, I had a glass of wine afterwards to cancel my crass out with classy. Mission accomplished.

We had fun together. I had fun watching men prance around in tights, and Colin had fun counting down the minutes until the show was over...dynamic duo. After the ballet, we went out to dinner. I had some delicious venison...which makes me want to take up hunting.

Holiday Tree sacrifice

2009-12-12T21:27:00.005-09:00

As a long-time environmentalist...it just feels wrong to cut down a tree. I honestly had second thoughts about it. I know, I know...it's just a tree...but I still had holiday-guilt (much like Jewish guilt).

Call me a tree-hugger if you will...but I needed to make nice with my tree before cutting off his life-line. I think I've seen that Lord of the Rings movie with the crazy killing trees too many times. Either way...we made nice...then I went straight for the jugular.

I attempted to do it quick...like a band-aid...but obviously, my Paul Bunyan skills are sub-par. I needed a big blue ox to pull that bad boy out of the ground.

Here's my little guy...before I dressed him up with gaudy lites, bows, and ornaments. But I think he'll be happy in his new home until I return him to the forest to be food for another tree. Fa la la.

Frosty Falls in Snoqualmie

2009-12-12T21:09:00.008-09:00

On Saturday, I ventured out to Snoqualimie, Washington with Debbie. We've been having unseasonable clear, cold weather in Washington...so we took the opportunity to enjoy the sunshine (or...the lack of rain)...and do a little hiking (emphasis on the "little").

So apparently, this doesn't happen every year...but since it's been below freezing for about a week...the falls have gotten a little frosty. Apparently, it was so impressive that it made one of the Seattle newspapers...so needless to say, we had some company.

Luckily, most of the wimpy tourists stayed up on a viewing platform...so I was able to hike down the trail to the base of the falls in peace.

Much to my chagrin, the trail ended at a power plant...which I think is every hikers worst nightmare. Haha...but at least it was a hydro-plant that was generating electricity from the huge force of all the falling water. So, for all intents and purposes...we'll go ahead and say it's renewable.

After hopping a fence or two...we got down to the base of the falls. It was amazing. Had it been slightly warmer...or had I brought a flask to make me feel warmer...I could've sat there in a lawn chair and watched it for hours.

The ice was smothering all the surrounding rocks...which made walking on all the smaller rocks quite treacherous. Think Saco on Ice.

Here I am, not trying to bite it on the rocks. I had a few close calls, but luckily, I left with all bones intact.

It's not always black and white...but on Whidbey it was.

2009-11-27T16:37:00.007-09:00

In an attempt to slow things down after a whirlwind trip to Pennsylvania, I headed over to Whidbey Island to hang out with Nanny and consume what I'm convinced was at least 3 gallons of English tea. Mmmm.

I'll shoot you straight...the weather sucked: typical western washington - cold, windy, rainy. Classic. But that didn't stop us from venturing over to Anacortes to see the sights and grab some lunch. Anacortes is a harbor town on a pennisula that juts out into Puget Sound...quaint, indeed.

We also explored the island a lot, seeing the places where baby-Colin and baby-Evan used to play. Now, if someone were to take Colin to the places I used to play when I was little...it would be the superette down the street...and my back yard. He's spoiled ;)

And I must say, that Nanny was an ace with the camera. She even made ME look non-homely...impressive!

During our ventures, we drove through Washington Park...which was a small camp area/walking path/single-land road adjacent to the water. As as you can see from the pictures above...I'm still dazzled by how tall the trees are. Imagine how many pictures I'm going to take when I eventually go see the Redwoods in Cali. Hah...I apologize in advance for that.

All-in-all, another fabulous weekend on the island....but that goes without saying. It made me excited to go home for Christmas....so get pumped, family...hope you're ready for me. (and even if you're not...tough).

The Fox-Keller Nuptials

2009-11-14T15:55:00.000-09:00

'Tis the age when all your friends are taking the plunge (also see: tying the knot, gettin' hitched, and walking the plank).

Since my budget is rather tight these days, it's hard for me to scrounge up the benjamins to attend all these shindigs. However, I have finally come to the conclusion, that if I keep dismissing all these invitations....when I eventually get to the point in my life where I'm ready to get married, I'll need guests.....so I should probably start accepting.

So with that in mind, I ventured out to rural Pennsylvania for the wedding of my very good friend Tom, and his new wife Kristin! They were very accommodating to a cross-country traveler, and cordially invited me to the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner so I wouldn't get lonely and feel left out. The rehearsal dinner was hosted by Kristin's family, and the food and company was amazing!

It's been awhile since I've seen Tom, and I was wicked happy to be able to spend as much time with him as I did...especially on such a busy weekend.

Since I was mostly in support of the groom's side, I new a lot of the groomsmen....and "a lot" also describes the quantity of them. That's right...there were 9 of them! So needless to say, the wedding party was quite large.

The ceremony was great, and the reception was clearly fabulous. Between father/daughter dances to Soulja Boy and all my 26 and 27 year old friends dancing to Miley Cyrus...I certainly was thoroughly entertained.

The nite ended back at the hotel bar with good friends, great food (mmm, nachos), and some stogies. Since the only chick I knew at the wedding was the bride...I mostly hung with the men....a place I fit in. Sad, but true. All-in-all it was a great weekend...congratulations Tom & Kristin, hooooray!