Thanksgiving 2008

This was my first Thanksgiving away from my family and I was able to spend it with my favorite friends! We all made part of the meal, which was nice. I made butternut squash soup- the first time I have ever made soup that didn't come out of a can. It was actually pretty tasty. Adele and Alea made the turkey and a few other side dishes and Kim and Vic made stuffing and green bean casserole. Random desserts were brought and devoured. It was a fun weekend! I leave for Michigan in a week, so it will be nice to see everyone!!!

Becks B-day Surprise Bash

I snuck into Portland again this past weekend to surprise my friend and old college roomie, Becky, for her 28th birthday. The big surprise was that her sister Amy also flew in from Michigan as a HUGE surprise! We headed out to dinner and other bars for some drinks. It all felt like old times at State! We all had fun, some maybe too much fun :)

Work party wine tasting!

I was invited to my first wine tasting extravaganza at a fellow co-workers home as a Good-bye party for Amie, one of the therapists I worked with here, and a congrats on attaining US citizenship for Raafa, one of the front office staff members at work. We all had to bring a Cabernet, cheese, crackers, and chocolate for the shin-dig. We all had a great time chatting it up, playing foosball, ping pong and Nintendo Wii golf/guitar hero. These are the folks I see everyday of the week, so they are pretty much my family!

Halloween in Portland

I spent a nice Friday evening in Queenanne with Dana and Tim. We went out for dinner then to a little hole-in-the-wall bar to play darts and pool. It was my first (and last) experience with Rainier beer. The next morning I got up early to help my boss at a ski clinic, teaching skiers, young to old, the importance of and how to recruit the lumbar multifidi and transversus abdominus for proper neuromotor control while skiing. Sounds boring, but it was fun!

I also headed down to Portland to visit with Becky, Pete and Floyd the dog and to dress up and enjoy Halloween. It was a fun and well-deserved weekend away since I've been working my tail off at work. Everyone needs a mental break and this was mine!

Oktoberfest Brew-haha

Alea and I met up in downtown Seattle today for some window shopping. We didn't buy any windows, but a good time was had nonetheless. Later, we headed to Kim and Vic's for their little Oktoberfest gathering since we couldn't make it out to Leavenworth this year. Anyone who's anyone was there to enjoy some beer, food and good times. This morning, I'm headed out for a ride out to Viewpoint Playyfield to play soccer (non-competitive).

Kitsap Color Classic

I headed out with my friends to enjoy a nice cool fall bike ride from Edmonds (across the sound by ferry) to Kingston to Hansville and back. I was surprised how steep and long some of the hills were. I felt I did really well on all but one of the climbs. There was one switchback type road that I was for sure thinking I would slide into the guardrail because the road was slippery from the rain the night before. It was a fun ride that ended with a warm coffee. Stephanie and Zach rode their tandem with lots of new components and they had a great time, as well. That tandem hauls butt downhill!!

Later that day I went for walk at a local park in Kenmore and saw this wicked cool spider chillin in a web. The leaves are really starting to change color here. I love Autumn!

Whistler and the Broken Nose

I set off to enjoy Labor Day weekend in gorgeous Whistler, British Columbia. I had a great drive up the Sea to Sky Highway, despite the major construction going on to prepare for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Every corner I turned was yet another beautiful scene. I planned on staying in a small B&B just a bit north of the main village. I went for an awesome long ride on paved and dirt trails for about 2.5 hours. I can't believe how heavenly it is there. WOW is all I can say. I went out shopping after my ride for some souvenirs and treated myself to my favorite meal, medium steak with bleu cheese topped over it with a good, healthy pint of local amber. I walked around a bit more and got to listen to a local artist in the center of the main village rock it out. I decided to head back to the B&B and I read for awhile then decided to go to sleep early so I could get up early and ride my bike forever the next day. Unfortunately, lady luck is rarely on my side and, I'm subtracting a few details, but I ended up breaking my nose and had a laceration that went down to the bone. Only a few pints of blood loss later, and I finally composed myself. Needless to say, my vacation ended more abruptly than I imagined and I drove 5 hours south across the border to get treatment. One week later, I have a re-set nose and minimal pain. Funny enough, I had a similar episode when I was about 8yrs old, where I tripped on some stairs at Niagra Falls, Ontario, and put my bottom teeth through my lip. I think Canada hates me...