Picnic

Today, Tim and Zach went canoeing...and Elphaba and I went for a picnic in the park. We ate lunch, we fed the seagulls and ducks, and we walked all over. I wanted to take pictures but there were too many distraction for the dog, so next time, I will get some pictures. We went to Manito Park...it was a beautiful day. Sunny, cool, blue skies and puffy white clouds. I did some vacuuming today and I planted some herbs on our small deck. If the birds don't take them all I should have some basil, sage, cilantro and rosemary. I am including a picture of what Tim did yesterday, that is him climbing to the top. WOW!! He was exhausted after doing that a few times. I have been watching some movies...CATCH AND RELEASE, not worth the time. I also watched THE WOODSMAN and WE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE...both are slightly depressing, but worth the watch.

Exciting News!

Well, I haven't written in awhile as I have been busy...with my new job!! I was offered a job on Tuesday and my first day was Wednesday. I was so excited! So, I was able to work three days this week. Now, I have a three day weekend to enjoy. So far, I have done laundry, saw the movie WAITRESS, which was good and I had a steak dinner. I don't have too many plans this weekend. We have a visitor for the weekend, Tim is doing a lot of outside stuff like rock climbing and fishing and boating. I am glad, because some of those things I can't do with him. I want to get a few things done this weekend, but I also want to take it easy. The weather is fabulous. It is really nice out. Sun is shining but it is cool. I wore my KENT STATE t-shirt today and it was quite the conversation starter. I had three different people ask me about it. Who knew!

I need to get out and get some more pictures of the area. Maybe a trip to Manito is in my near future. I wish I would have taken pictures last weekend. But, I wasn't sure what the hike would be like. Now I have some chores to take care of before I crash.

Monday Monday

So...the weekend was a good weekend. Tim and I went out for sushi Friday night, it was good as always. http://www.spokanesushi.com/Spokane%20Sushi%20-%20OKANE.htm Then Saturday Tim worked while I cleaned. Then, because I was going fishing on Sunday with him, he went to a movie with me. I chose Georgia Rule, which I liked, he did not. Then we ate at the Italian Kitchen, really good food!! We were unaware of the Lilac Festival http://www.lilacfestival.org/ and large parade that shut down Spokane downtown for 3 hours...so after eating we had to find a taxi to get us home and come back for my truck after 11pm. The parade was long, 3 hours, and had lots of interesting floats and bands. We just had a dog that needed out and fed!! Sunday we got up and headed to Lake Roosevelt for some fishing. http://www.nps.gov/laro/ We didn't catch anything, but we heard turkeys and I saw several birds, including a couple bald eagles. Elphaba found a family of mice and we enjoyed some time sitting, communing with nature. Tim took me to a really good Mexican restaurant, TRES FIESTAS, I had a club quesadilla, which I could barely eat. The rest of Sunday was spent watching TV and THE GOOD SHEPHERD.

Today, I feel like a blob...no energy and no will to do anything. I can only hope tomorrow is better. I am looking forward to a 3 day weekend with Tim. And, I got a call back from my job lead, I go in tomorrow for an offer.

how did my week go?

Well, I haven't written much this week. Mostly because I am concentrating on my diet. So far so good. Tonight I may indulge a little and have some sushi. But, yesterday I had enough points to have some COLD STONE CREAMERY light chocolate ice cream, it was good. Tuesday I started the diet, went okay, then Wednesday was HARD, yesterday was okay and today I am doing fine as well. I have been walking twice a day and I hope to add Jazzercise one or two times a week as well. I want to start doing Yoga too. I am really committed to this. I LOVE food, so this is really difficult.

In other news, job hunting is at a standstill...I am waiting to hear back from one lead, hopefully first thing next week.

Saturday I will try and clean the apartment again. Also, made a grocery list so I can get some things and try some new recipes. The weekend will be better because I can spend time with Tim.

Nothing else new to report.

Weight Watchers

So, I have decided that I am WAY TOO FAT for words. And, I just don't feel good. So, yesterday I joined Weight Watchers. I have heard lots of good things, AND a few years ago I did it successfully, so now I am trying again. Today is day two, and so far so good. Who knows, I want it to work...and as much as I LOVE food, I guess it is time.

By the way, my last post picture was a picture of Tim and Elphaba, not Marty, althought it may have looked that way.

I am anxiously awaiting a job...I have a background check going through and once the results come back, hopefully I will be employed. So, that is about the size of it. Maybe something more exciting will happen tomorrow.

Goodbye Marty :(

I realize that my happy face on the last post may have made it look like I was happy to see Marty go, which wasn't the case....just happy to have him around, and we tried to do things that were fun for his last day, so happy face for fun!!

I dropped him off Saturday AM about 8:45am and went back to the apartment to do some cleaning...and may I add that my loaner vacuum from Oreck WAS AWESOME!! I was really impressed. For those of you out there who like a powerful lightweight vacuum cleaner that almost steers itself. Check out http://www.oreck.com/oreck-xl-upright/index.cfm the XL 21 Titanium series. It has two speeds and for pet hair and so forth, INCREDIBLE, mind you, the regular one is good too. I love mine, I have had it 5 years and have never had any trouble with it except that I broke something on it...and repairs were not too bad on it. (It suffered a bad fall, all my fault). Anyway enough with the product plugging.

Saturday Tim and I went to see the new Spiderman movie at the IMAX. The place was PACKED. And, the movie was good. Exciting, lots of effects and some sappy parts...but it was good. Would I think it was the best one? Not really. Tim is an avid comic reader and pointed out the story lines that weren't true to the comic...but said that it was still okay. I think IMAX is great, but for movies with that much action, it is too much to see on that big screen. I think if the people have to sit in the very front row, they are missing a lot. And, sit to one side so you don't feel like you are at a tennis match...my 2 cents. Before the movie we went to Red Robin for dinner, Tim got his birthday coupon and we split the burger. YUMMY as always.

Sunday, we ate breakfast early, to beat the Mother's Day rush at Maggie's South Hill Grill, always a great place to eat, this was my second time and between my breakfast of poached eggs, proscuttio, asparagus on sourdough with cheese and chipotle sauce and Tim's stuffed french toast, wow, both really good. Then it was off to the storage unit to dig out some stuff, which was really fun and challenging. We took everything home and got the dog and headed out to the dog park right near the state line. http://www.spokanecounty.org/animal/ It was really nice and looks like it is expanding. Lots of dogs and it was fun watching them run around and play with each other. And, I am as proud of my dog as a parent with a child, she graduated Intermediate Obedience School...and she looked so cute in her graduation cap. And, she actually let Tim put it on and kept it on. She looked so intellectual! Elphaba needs to go to the next level now. We hope for her to try agility soon too!

The rest of the evening was really great, steak dinner, baked some cupcakes and made some popcorn for Tim.

Marty's Last Day :)

Well, today is Marty's last day. We left to go to Mt Spokane around 9am. We were unable to go all the way to the top as there was still snow up there. Tim said when he went he was able to go up but it was August. They say that the road finally opens in June. We saw some magnificent views and did a little hiking, but neither of us are in any kind of shape. Then we had lunch at Burger King (yep, all that nutrition). Then a drive to the Riverside State Park to look at the Bowl and Pitcher part of the park, it was gorgeous!! And then we headed downtown to the Davenport Hotel for a short walking tour of the hotel and its gorgeous ballrooms. Tonight we are going out to applebees for some drinks and dinner to celebrate and say goodbye! It was a really fun time!

MAC and the Campbell House

We did some fun things today (Thursday). Looked into some of Spokane's History and went to the MAC museum which featured an exhibit about SHOES!! http://www.northwestmuseum.org/northwestmuseum/ Check out the website for more info! And Sue, from the Chicago Field Museum has come to visit as well. We did a tour of the Campbell House which was interesting, early 1900 furniture and customs. We also looked at the older neighborhoods in Spokane. Then, it was off to a cute little stretch of town with an old theater, a milk bottle that serves ice cream and shops called the RUBY SLIPPER and TINMAN GALLERY. Then I had to show Marty the Downtown library. We started the morning with a HEARTY breakfast at Frank's Diner (in a train car). Then we topped off the day seeing a play called SEE HOW THEY RUN, a fun little case of mistaken identity. It was cool. Definately a small theater. I can't wait to see some of the plays for the next season. Then, I met my downstairs neighbor...she seems really nice.

Creatures of the Park

Today (yesterday) we visited two of the parks closest to my apartment. We went to Lincoln Park and walked Elphaba and the view of Mt Spokane was amazing. Then, we got lunch at Wendy's and took it to Manito Park where we had to battle the seagulls to eat our lunch (the people next to us thought it would be a great idea to feed them their leftovers). Then we hiked around the duck pond, still taken over by seagulls...but we saw ducks, geese and TURTLES!! Then through the Lilac Garden where the lilacs were coming out, not all the way, but close. Several varieties and in many colors, the fragrance was so sweet. Then it was on to the Japanese Garden, more things in bloom and some HUGE fish. We went to the Rose Garden, but there wasn't much to see there yet. Then, to the wall of flowers and the perennial gardens which seem to look different each time I go. The greenhouse has a display of flowers that we went in to look at. Several varieties of orchids and cacti as well as a little fountain and several other unique flowers. The Duncan Garden is ready to plant, apparently they are asking for volunteers to help plant next week. I may go and try that out. Then, on around and back to the car. Then we headed to the Flour Mill and the Sourdough Place. Both interesting, the sourdough place was a restaurant so we will have to try that soon. And, the Flour Mill has some very interesting pieces of jewelry and beads. Then it was back to the apartment to make dinner and crash. We made some more of Tim's awesome sea bass. It was good!!

Adventure in 3 states

Well, today I decided to take Marty to Idaho to Coeur D'Alene and since we weren't that far from the Montana border, we decided to drive there as well. So, we left about 9:00am and headed to Idaho. We stopped to get some snacks and drinks and then headed off to the scenic drive around the lake Coeur D'alene. It couldn't have been a more beautiful day. The drive was magnificent. Once done, we headed to Wallace, ID for some lunch and to explore. My mom and I stopped through there on our way out and thought it looked like a great place to visit sometime. Apparently this town has claimed CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE. There is a marker and they are registered with NASA and everything. Then we headed to Montana. We could still see snow on the mountain tops and at Lookout Pass, we got out and could actually walk on the snow! Once that was done, we headed back to Coeur D'Alene to explore and walk around. I have included a picture of the lake. There is a long floating boardwalk that goes along the edge of the lake near the resort. The boats, the windsurfers, etc it was all incredible. We headed back home about 6pm. What a day!

Portland Day Two

So, Sunday morning, we woke up, had breakfast in bed and then headed out to meet Marty at 10am. We met up with Marty and then headed on the Portland Streetcar towards the South Park areas and the Portlandia statue. We encountered several neat things to take pictures of, statues, sculptures, fountains, and flowers. We also decided to cross the river and walk up the East side of the river to take pictures of downtown Portland. It was a beautiful walk and lots of people were out walking, riding bikes, and strolling down the pathway. We crossed on the steel people bridge and got to see a yacht go through the drawbridge. We headed to Jake's to have brunch/lunch and then headed towards the train station. We walked through Old Town and Chinatown. There were so many beautiful buildings but everything was in a state of disrepair. There were a lot of shelters and halfway houses in the area as well. We arrived at the trainstation about an hour and a half early, and just chilled for awhile. The train started loading about 4:30pm and then headed out. It was a great ride home...we got in a little after midnight. It was a great trip and I can't wait to try it again!

Trip to Portland Day One

It started with arriving at the train station at 1:45am on Saturday May 5th. Our train left at 2:45am. I chose not to nap beforehand, so once on the train I was out like a light. I must have woke up about 7am or so. It was bright, clear, sun was shining and we are traveling along the Columbia River. Gorgeous foothills, riverviews, orchards and vineyards as well as some amazing views of Mt Hood. We moved to the viewing car and looked at the incredible views from there. The top of the viewing car had glass ceilings, so it was amazing. The train comfortable and not too expensive. We arrived in Portland about an hour ahead of schedule. We walked to the Chinese Gardens and walked through them. They were amazing. I wanted to get some tea in the teahouse, so Tim and I went in while Marty waited outside in the gardens. I had ginger peach and Tim had a stronger tea with a bittersweet chocolate taste. Tim said that tea to him tastes like beer to me. It all tastes like tea...no difference at all in flavors. I feel that way about beer! Once we were done, we left the Chinese Gardens and headed towards the Skidmore Fountain. There was a market going on with foods from all over, arts and crafts, jewelry, pottery, etc. It was something. Then we headed towards the river and walked along the main road there, and happened upon the Million Marijuana March. This was probably more like 200 to 300 people tops. Complete with a police escort. We headed towards the Pioneer Courthouse Square and encountered fountains and parks along the way. Once at Pioneer Square we headed towards the library, of course! Then, we headed to Powell's City of Books were we separated for about an hour and a half while we explored the city block wide bookstore. Then, Marty took the bus and Tim and I took the streetcar to our hotel. We arrived about 5:30pm or so, checked in and then showered and headed to Blue Moon Tavern for dinner. Food was great! Back to the hotel, we watched some TV and was asleep by 9:30pm.

A Day Out

This morning, Marty and I got up and walked to Great Harvest Bread to get some breakfast, blackberry danish for him and whole wheat cinnamon roll for me. We both tried the nearly warm lite wheat with butter FREE, it was yummy. Then we hiked back to the apartment to get things together for our day out. First, we tried to find REI, without any luck, so we went and found parking (amazing considering the amount of people downtown today) and walked in Riverside Park. We went all over. Everyone was out. Bloomsday Run is Sunday. The Falls were in full force. The day only got to about 55 degrees but the sun was warm. We looked at the sculptures and 74 Expo area, took LOTS of pictures. Then, we headed to the mall for some food. After we left the mall, we stopped in Boo Radley's (awesome little gift store) and then Auntie's Bookstore. Then, on to REI, Tim helped me find it. I needed some hiking shoes for Portland...and I guess everyone else needed something at REI today as well. Then, back home to get Tim and Elphaba...we needed to drop Elphaba off for the weekend...and then on to dinner at Northern Lights, a brewpub. YUMMY food. Now, they are napping as we are going to catch an Amtrak train at 2:45am. I can't decide if resting is a good idea or not, as when I fall asleep it is best for me to sleep for at least 5 hours before rising. It looks like I may stay up and just rest my body. I will sleep on the train, and probably have news about the Portland trip in a couple of days.

Tim's Birthday

So, Tuesday May 1st was Tim's birthday. On Monday I made him some Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate cupcakes to take to work with him....and I set up the baker's rack to hold cards and presents. He came home for lunch...and then got off a little early so we could go on a walk with Elphaba and take care of some odds and ends (plates for the truck and renew his library card). Then, he opened his presents. I didn't break the bank but I got him Casino Royale, the new Einstein biography and a toy for him to take to work. Check out www.thinkgeek.com and I think you can find the cube people. There is one named Tim that I got for him at a store downtown called Boo Radley's. We started watching THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, but after two phone call interruptions, we decided just to watch a little TV and head to bed. I finished LITTLE CHILDREN last night, so I hope to get the movie soon!

We had some of Tim's sea bass for his birthday with a honey teriyaki sauce and some grilled pineapple. It was sooo good!

Company is coming!! I have high hopes of doing some cleaning today...but don't have the motivation!