Adventures in Yakima

Corey had various football activities planned for the weekend (first Seahawks home game and a fantasy football draft), so it was the perfect weekend for Roxy and I to pack up and head east for a few days.

I love taking Roxy to Yakima - she has a huge yard to play in and we don't have to trek down a flight of stairs and go around the block for every bathroom break. Plus, my parents have a pool, so when it's hot (like it was this weekend), it's a great way to cool off. Tried to take Roxy swimming again and she's still not a fan. Some day, she'll figure it out.

It was great to see my parents again, for the second weekend in a row. Had lots of fun visiting with them and my grandma, going out to eat (2nd Street Grill) and going to the movies with my mom and Kels' mom, Patti (Julie & Julia - super cute!). I was able to run yesterday with my dad - it was so nice to have a running buddy for my long run (18-miles!). We left nice and early, when it was a little cooler, and literally jogged from one of town to the other and back. We finished in 2:48, which I think is about a 9:25 pace.

Now, we're back home and we're all resting after our busy weekends.

Here are some photos from the weekend.

Love this toy - fits perfectly in her mouth.

Love the view from my parents' house - you can see for miles.

Their dog, Maggie. She's getting old but she's still so sweet and cute. And she's so good with Roxy.

Playing fetch in the backyard.

Yep, I throw like a girl. Roxy doesn't care, as long as you're throwing the ball for her.

Posin' for a pic.

Roxy and my dad, hanging out in my grandma's backyard.

Roxy had a busy weekend. She was so tired last night, she didn't even make it to her bed.

She was still tired today - slept almost the entire way back to Seattle.

My parents came to visit this weekend to keep Roxy and I company while Corey was out of town for Spence's bachelor party. We had a busy weekend, including a trip to the dog park, lots (seriously, lots) of fetch with Roxy, a 12-miler through Discovery Park, shopping, drives through both West Seattle and Magnolia, and happy hour at Matador.

One of the highlights of the weekend, though, was the tour of the Sea Star. The Sea Star was built in 1969 and was one of seven 94-foot vessels built for the Bering Sea crab industry and has been featured on the show Deadliest Catch. Kenny, one of the deckhands, told us about the boat and even posed for a few photos.

We got lots of great photos from the tour which I uploaded to Flickr, but my favorites are included below.

Full view of the Sea Star.

Background on the Sea Star. (Click to enlarge.)

Kenny took his turn throwing the hook out that helps bring the crab pots.

My dad and I with Kenny, in front of one of the huge crab pots (they weigh 900 lbs...empty!).

Hanging out in one of the life rafts.

My dad pretending he's Capt. Larry.

The crew's bathroom.

The crew's sleeping quarters.

My mom and I hanging out at the dining table. Note the edges on the table and green mat - both to keep plates from slipping when out at sea.

The kitchen.

My dad, pretending he's guiding the crab nets back on board.

Making sure the safety suits were nice and safe...

This is a (once living) crab. It's about 8 inches --- they only keep the crabs that are 6+ inches.

A crab pulled him right into the crab pot!

The parents in front of the Sea Star.

T-Mobile Team BBQ

Last night, my team from work and I met up at Stephanie & Billy's house for a BBQ. We hadn't gotten together as a team + significant others (or -1 in my case as Corey is in Sonoma for Spence's bachelor party) for quite some time (I think the last time was around Christmas!) so it was great to catch up with everyone and relax.

It was so much fun to spend time together outside of the office, especially after some busy / stressful weeks at work lately.

You can by the photos below that a good time was had by all. Thanks Steph and Billy for the awesome night!

Crazy picture of Doyin and our boss man, Tony.

Less crazy picture of Doyin and Tony.

Miss Siiri chilling on their deck.

Stephanie and Billy have all kinds of hats / dress up stuff, which tends to find its way to the guests during our get-togethers. Dara testing out a cowboy hat...

And Stacy trying it out as well.

But I'm not going to lie - the cowboy hat + green wig is my favorite combo.

Roxy's New BFF

Roxy and I met up with the Tintle clan (Alison, Quincy (2 1/2), Jayne & Audrey (8 months)) at Greenlake today for some time outdoors.

The twins are adorable - I hadn't seen them for a few months and they have gotten so big. They were so good the whole time. And Q Dawg was so social and outgoing - he made all kinds of new friends on the playground, including Roxy. Initially, he was excited to see Roxy but afraid to get too close, but after getting more used to her, he loved running up to her to get 'kiss-eys' (aka he would put his forehead on her nose). He even shared his popcorn with her later and wanted to give her his water bottle. She was great with him.

No pics of the twins as they were in their carriers in their stroller but here's my favorite photo of Q and Roxy.

Thanks for the fun morning guys!

True love...

Lisa's Dirty 30

In honor of our dear friend Lisa's 30th birthday, we all donned our fancy clothes and headed out for a fun night. First stop? The Met, where 8 of us managed to spend $859 (don't worry, that includes tax and tip). Final stop? The Art Lounge at the Four Seasons for after dinner drinks.

Since there were 8 of us, we got to enjoy dinner in a more private area of the restaurant, which was good since we tend to be a little loud.

Dinner was amazing and included drinks, appetizers, salads, main course and delicious desserts. The guys raved about the Maker's Mark ice cream (tasted like eggnog to me, and nothing like Maker's Mark, which tastes and smells like nail polish remover) but I'll stick to the Chocolate Lava cake or the White Chocolate Coconut cake. YUM.

The Art Lounge was fun - pretty swanky and had a great view of the water.

We had a blast last night and I hope our fun evening out made Lisa enjoy, rather than dread, the arrival of her 30s!

The guys (Corey, Nate, Chris, Jason)...

And the girls (me, Lisa, Natalie, Ashlie)...

Prom pose time for us...

And get-a-room-pose time for the Reeders...

Little Prosecco to enjoy with dessert.

Yes, she blew out all 3 candles at once. Wahoo!

The making of Bananas Foster for the Bishops & Gossetts. Do you think he's ever scorched his brows doing this?

Awww, sharing dessert really brought their relationship to a whole new level.

What good is dinner without a pic with the waiter at the end of the night?

A Beer at Two Beers

After work, I met up with Kels at Two Beers Brewery, where Mark does sales and distribution. (And mans the bar, as he was today!) Two Beers is owned by the husband of one of girls Kels goes to school with and Mark recently started working there. In fact, he was the first full-time employee! It's just starting up but they are doing really well and Mark is having a blast.

It was fun to catch up with both of them and try out their beers. I had the Crooked Belgian Wit and it was delish.

The brewery is open Thursdays and Fridays from 3-7 if you're interested in stopping by. Or you can check out their site to find out where they're on tap. Enjoy!

Kels and I at the bar.

This is Mark's ride during work hours. Love it (and as you can tell, so does Kels)!

Fun Family-Filled Weekend

My Uncle Gene flew up from Southern California and my parents and Grandma drove in for Yakima for some family fun this weekend. The weather was perfect and we had a great time catching up, both in and out of doors.

We kicked the weekend off by catching up at our place and giving my uncle a tour since he hadn't seen our condo yet. We then headed down to the Ballard Locks to check out the boats and spend some time in the sun. In the evening, we headed out to dinner together.

This morning, my parents and Corey and I enjoyed breakfast on our rooftop deck and then headed downtown to meet up with Gene and my Grandma for a trip through Pike Place Market. After taking in all Pike Place had to offer, we decided it would be fun to show the family Kerry Park, which showcases an amazing view of the Space Needle, downtown and West Seattle. Finally, we hit up 5 Spot for lunch and then returned to our place to relax before everyone headed back home.

We had a great time catching up with everyone and Roxy absolutely loved all the extra attention she was able to get throughout the weekend.

Here are some photos from the weekend. The rest can be found on my Flickr site.

Corey and I at the Locks.

My mom, dad and I posing with one of the Pigs on Parade in the lobby of the Silver Cloud (where my Uncle and Grandma were staying). How could we pass this shot up?

Mom and Dad, who recently celebrated their 31st anniversary (!!!), enjoyed the view from the roof.

Corey, Roxy and I on the roof.

Dad, Gene, Grandma and my mom at Pike Place.

Corey and I with Grandma.

The gals strolling through Pike Place.

Corey and I at Kerry Park. It was such a pretty day out!

So happy to be outside in the nice weather.