Blueberry

The size of the newest Lewis.

Found

After months of searching, I happened across my good peeler today! As I was finishing up emptying my dishwasher, I pushed in the racks and went to shut the door. At this point I noticed a spoon had fallen under the rack. So I pulled the rack all the way out to retrieve it and there it was...hiding under the rack with the spoon. I am surprised I had not seen it before! Hip Hip Hoorah, I didn't toss it afterall (I thought that would have been a silly thing for me to do ;0).

Coffee table books?

This weekend Doug and I finally finished our painting project...yes the one that started a year ago. We finally took on the guest bedroom and hallway and FINALLY (with the exception of the laundry room and the back of the closets) got rid of that icky pink tinged paint that covered our ENTIRE condo. But with painting comes a whole lot of mess. It requires moving and removing furniture, covering everything with plastic, filling other rooms with the stuff that had to be moved and still finding room to walk/function in our little condo. Almost everything is back in order now, and I must say the walls look amazing and NOT pink ;0)

Missing

As I was preparing to bake an apple pie, I was once again reminded that I was missing my favorite peeler. I don’t know when it went missing, but I do know that this was the third time I have searched my kitchen for it…and to no avail. I was forced to use my back up which is not as sharp, not very easy to grip, and truthfully not as attractive as my favorite. I am now thinking it must have been tossed out with a pile of peels, because three thorough searches of my kitchen should have come up with results. My kitchen is not that big (in fact it’s downright small) and I am one of those people where everything has its “place” (not to say that things are always in their “place” :0)). The problem lies in how to replace it. It was one of those “one time” items in my dad’s gift shop, and I haven’t seen anything like it in any other stores. Oh well, the backup peeler will just have to do for now.

My sister is pregnant!

Several weeks ago we received the happy news that Kristen and Johnny were expecting. Only a few days ago was it made public, so I asked if I could tell the whole world on my blog (and yes, they did give me permission ;0)). They are in Germany, so I excitedly wait for updates via email, chats with my mom (she somehow finds them on Skype more often than I do), and the occasional Skype chat with my little sister. She promised me ultra sound pictures for my blog (as what blog would be complete without pictures), so with no further adieu, here they are:



PS If you think you are seeing more than one baby in those pictures, you are not seeing double...they are having TWINS!

Honeymoon Baby

Yesterday we had a package waiting on our doorstep. I was rushing off to work and nearly tripped over it as I headed out the door. I pushed it inside and before closing the door I glanced at the from label. It was from Melissa! Hmm...what could she be sending us? My mind was quickly filled with possibilities...was it one of Doug's childhood toys found during her move or was it something she picked up in her new stomping grounds (aka Texas), could it be mail she was forwarding on to us? My mind quickly turned to other things as drove on toward work...like how much gas is left in the tank when the gas gauge reads empty?

It wasn't until I got home from work that night and saw the pint sized bundle of sweetness sitting on our kitchen counter that I thought about the package again.


This little guy is the product of a Maui Gold pineapple top that was lovingly planted by Melissa. The Maui Gold pineapple was shipped from Wenatchee to Atlanta 4 years ago after Doug and I picked it up from a little fruit shop in Lahaina Haiwii...on our honeymoon.

Finally, a picture on the wall

The title pretty much sums it up. Doug has wanted something to fill the empty walls for some time now, but I didn't just want it to be anything. So, when we found a store with lots of picture options, we stood there until we agreed on something. I like it a lot, and I think Doug likes it because it is something on the wall.


About a week later we went to a store closing sale and found curtains for our bedroom. And since September has been unusually sunny (especially compared to the rest of the summer) it will be nice to have our new curtains up to block out the early rays of light.


*hmm, just read this blog over, and thought to myself "boring!" I really do hope that I can blog about something more insightful or exciting next time. Unfortunately, I really can't guarantee that.

Need more chairs

Yesterday was Labor day, and I had the fortune of NOT having to go into work. Unlike most in the working world, I don't just get holidays off, it depends on how my schedule falls. Luckily Labor day fell on my day off, so we decided it would be great to invite some friends over for food, fun and conversation. It was kind of last minute, so we weren't at all surprised when only two of the couples could make it. I set the table for six using the computer desk chair as the final seat around the table. I had my menu set: appetizer was pita chips and spinach dip, main dish was spaghetti with side salad and garlic bread, dessert was coffee ice cream with chocolate sauce and toasted almonds on top. Guests had arrived, the evening had begun. Then, a phone call...couple number 3 were able to come, was the invitation still open? OF COURSE!!! There was food a plenty, conversation and fun to spare...but what were we lacking? a chair!! (or two in this case ;0)) We managed. Doug stood for his salad course as he was almost done eating anyway, and I remembered my kitchen step stool which worked nicely as a make shift chair.

After dinner the guys played board games while the girls chatted then picked a girlly movie to enjoy. We had a blast...hope we can do it again sometime soon!

P.S. For those of you who read my last post and had no idea what belay certified means, let me enlighten you. To get belay certified you have to take a test that shows that you can safely handle the rope that is attached to the person climbing. The belayer is the person standing at the bottom of the rock taking up slack so that if the climber falls, they won't fall far. It is an important job, so therefore requires proper technique, hence the test and certification process.

August

I have not been very diligent this month. There were several times when I thought to myself "hmm that is blog worthy" yet none of those thoughts made it to the keyboard. So I guess I will just sum it all up in one post.

We began the month with a celebration of mom and dad's birthdays. Ok, so we were just visiting on a weekend near their birthdays (probably in July) and decided to bring their gift over then. But none the less, we had fun.



A short time later (probably two weeks as that is how often I have weekends off) we headed down to Astoria to catch a glimpse of Alex, Riann and the kids. We had a blast introducing them to hematite, and ended the evening introducing them (including mom and dad) to Settlers of Catan. The traffic on the way home was a bear, but it was totally worth it!



Again, two weeks later, we enjoyed a weekend catching up with friends. We spent Saturday afternoon with the Beggs, then Sunday we joined the Beggs and the Steiners to attend the wedding of a new couple at church. The wedding was held at the top of the Smith Tower in the Chinese room. Even though it was pouring down rain, the wedding (and the view) was spectacular. And just as a side note, the elevators in the Smith Tower are extremely old (the building was built in 1914), and you can definitely feel their age as you ride up (and down I suppose ;0)) There is a metal fence type thing that closes, and as you ride, you see each of the floors go by.



And to end this month, we celebrated 4 years of marriage Doug and Erika style. Instead of a more traditional dinner out etc, we opted to go climbing at the climbing gym. And as a surprise for Doug, I got belay certified without him knowing, and presented my belay card to him before we left for the gym (he really was surprised, and for those of you who don't know me...it was a BIG deal). And just so you don't think we are completely crazy, we are going out to dinner tonight to celebrate :0).

Other news worthy tidbits: Melissa moved to Texas this month to be with Dorothy. We were able to Skype K and J a few times. And Doug's wooden moose lost a leg.

Spontaneity

We had no plans for the weekend. We had thought about it all week..."what are we going to do this weekend?" Well, after an uneventful, lazy Saturday morning, we decided to be spontaneous. We walked to downtown Redmond, then hopped on a bus to downtown Seattle. From there, we hiked down to the waterfront, and caught a ferry to Bainbridge Island. After hoofing it around Bainbridge for a while, we were ravishingly hungry, not to mention a bit overheated (it was mid 80's on this lovely cloudless day). We popped into a small cafe, and made the mistake of being seated prior to looking at a menu. It was a yummy meal, but we walked away with a weeks worth of food budget out of our pockets...Ouch! (Did I mention we have suddenly become a frugal couple?) We walked back to the ferry docks just in time to walk on the 7:10pm ferry back to Seattle. After a hike back up to the bus stop, we hopped back on the bus headed home. We made one last spontaneous stop getting off a couple stops early to grab a blizzard a DQ for the warm walk home (hey, we already blew our budget...what's a few more bucks!?!). Ah, a very nice day!


A token picture taken just for the purpose of posting on this blog (i.e. proof)

Not this time

Well, turns out that the home owners accepted the other offer (they had three, of the three, two were good (ours was one of the good ones, but I guess not good enough)). They wanted to keep us as a back up, but we didn't want to be kept on the hook, so we just said "no thanks." It is a little disappointing, but we have been praying that God's will be done, so we are content to keep our eyes and ears open so we can continue to follow His lead. I guess the only sad part is that Doug put his car up for sale so we would have extra cash for the purchase of the home, and today he has to deliver it to its new owner. Again we are praying that God's will be done, so maybe this is all part of our Creator's grand plan. Doug says "when you pray for open doors, the open doors don't always lead where you expect them to go."

Birthdays, 4th of July and more

Time sure flies when you are having fun! June flew by with our cruise, then a visit from Atlanta friend David, then a week long celebration of me getting old. Woot! I actually worked on my birthday, but I brought in cupcakes to celebrate. The real celebration took place at mom and dad's where we splashed in the kiddy pool, ate out at the Wok About Grill, then came home to homemade cheesecake with fresh picked raspberries...YUM!!


Then July snuck up on us. Johnny got older too (Happy birthday from afar!). We celebrated the 4th of July with friends at their house on the lake and enjoyed good food and lots of fireworks (so many that it was nearly 11:30pm by the time they got to the "big ones").

The Thursday before the 4th, we peeked at some houses, and to our surprise, we actually liked them. Our favorite one was an older home with tons of squarefootage (K and J...I think we would have more than enough space for you to stay on furlough). So, today, with stomach(s) churning, we put in an offer. We won't hear back until Friday as the owner is out of town at the moment, so until then just know that we will be on pins and needles.

Anyone up for a BBQ?

We splurged today. We somehow got it into our minds that chicken tastes better straight off the grill. So, we went out and bought little Weber grill. I am sure the 70 degree weather and sunshine helped with this decision. We had the chicken marinading while we went out in search of the grill. We brought it home, set it up, and fired it up. We then enjoyed yummy moist BBQ chicken, and hopefully we will have many more chances this summer to grill.


A man and his grill

Alaska Cruise - day seven - Victoria BC Canada

Victoria was a late stop. We didn't arrive at this port until 7pm, so we had most of the day at sea. We slept in a bit, then joined up with the Beggs to play Catan and cards. We had our last fancy dinner on the boat after packing our bags, then headed out to explore. This was the first port where we weren't immediately at the center of downtown as we stepped off. We picked up a map, and chose the shortest walking tour to town (30min). Once we got downtown we had a beautiful view of the Empress hotel and parliament buildings along with the setting sun. We walked back in the last rays of daylight, then headed to bed. Tomorrow morning we will be back in Seattle, and that will be the end of our cruising adventure...for now :0)

Alaska Cruise - day six - Ketchikan

Ah, another Alaskan shop 'til you drop massive tourism town. The town was a little bigger and a little busier than the previous two towns, but there wasn't a whole lot to do except for shopping. The streets were lined with jewelry stores and souvenir shops, so after an hour of wandering around we decided we would prefer relaxing on the viewing deck of the boat. From the viewing deck, we watched a bald eagle fly by and land on the roof of a house nearby. We also watched the crew on the next cruise ship over participate in emergency water raft maneuvers in their outdoor pool. We stayed at our perch while our boat left the docks in hopes of seeing whales. We saw some porpoise, but finally gave up on seeing whales. While we were in the middle of the boat, we heard people talking about the hundreds of whales swimming right by! We ran out to the deck to see, and caught a glimpse of the end of the pod swimming by...mostly just tails and fins, but still very cool.

Alaska Cruise – day five – Juneau

Today was a stop at the mining town of Juneau. We woke up, had room service deliver breakfast to our room, then headed out to the town in search of Chad and Sarah. We found them, but split up again to do our own tour of Juneau. We took a tram up the mountain side, and marveled at the views from above. We could see our cruise boat along with three others at the dock, and had a great view of town. After hiking about a bit up top, we came down and window shopped for a bit before heading back to the boat. We then relaxed in the viewing deck area and ended up seeing three sightings of whales! However none of our pictures turned out that great of the whales…they were hard to catch on film (or should I say memory card ;0)) We took a gamble, and gambled at the casino this evening. We bought in with $10, won some more, but left with nothing. Oh well, it was a fun use of ten bucks. After some games with the Beggs, we are now heading to bed.

Alaska Cruise – day four – Hubbard Glacier

On this icy cold adventure, we weren’t actually able to get off the boat. Basically, our captain slowly pushed the boat through an ice mat (chunks of ice that are floating close together) into an area with three glaciers. And yes, I think the Titanic was on everyone’s minds. Doug and I secured some chairs from the indoor viewing deck at the front of the boat, but Doug actually went to an outside deck for most of the glacier tour, only to come back a popsicle (but a popsicle with really good pictures). From our perch we were able to see Turner Glacier calving (big hunks of ice breaking off), and some wildlife (harbor seals, birds, and we did not see them, but they were within our view, bears). After viewing this amazing spectacle, we enjoyed dinner and games with friends, then watched the Newlywed, not so Newlywed game show at one of the clubs…very funny.

Alaska Cruise – day three – Sitka

We planned on having a late breakfast this morning so we wouldn’t have to eat much off the boat (i.e. the not free food ;0)) But we were hungry when we got up, so we went and had a light breakfast, then had breakfast again about two hours later. Then we headed off the boat to Sitka. At this stop, the boat had to put anchor down in the bay, so we had to take a tender boat ashore. Sitka was the site where Russia sold Alaska to the US, so needless to say, it had a lot of Russian influence. We explored the quaint town of Sitka for a few hours, including a stop at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, then stopped for fish n’ chips which ended up being more of a meal than a snack. After exploring a bit more, Doug and I headed back to the boat while Sarah and Chad explored a little more. We met up again for dinner, then played a few games before heading to bed.

This picture is of us all on Castle Hill overlooking the bay. That is our cruise ship in the background.


This is the Russian Orthodox Cathedral (We thought of you Biddie as we toured the Cathedral)

Alaska Cruise – day two – At sea

Today we were cruising at sea all day long. Doug is pleased at the amount of rocking. Chad is green. Sarah and I are fairing, but found that walking in heels on a rocking boat is more difficult than it looks. Doug and Sarah saw an Orca this morning. Chad and I were there, but missed it, and it didn’t jump again so we could take pictures. In the afternoon, we went to the game room and played Settlers of Catan. This evening was the first formal dinner. The food was excellent and beautifully presented. However we only paused long enough to take pictures just prior to dessert. It comes in courses and we get to choose each course. There are five courses in all…every night!! We even did lunch in the dining room today and again we were offered five courses of our choice. Don’t get me wrong, I am looking forward to seeing Alaska, but so far the adventure has been all in the food :0) Here are some pictures from today: