We just got back from a whirlwind tour of our friends and family back home in Southern California.  It was quick, but it was actually one of the least stressful trips back that I could imagine.  The weather, for the most part, was glorious.  GLORIOUS.  Friday and Saturday were both warm- high seventies to low eighties- and sunny.  After months of living in the arctic tundra up here in Seattle, I cannot tell you how good the warm sun felt on my skin.  And this coming from an honorary albino.  I’m not dumb- I loaded up on sunscreen- but I most certainly appreciated the warmth more than ever.

The first day back basically consisted of me being reminded of how incredibly random our lives our.  For starters, what started out as my typical morning run turned into a dog rescue.

Poor thing!  Just a few blocks from my parents house, I found this pathetic little dog running around in the middle of the street, almost getting run over by multiple cars.  He had a leash but no tags.  I didn’t know what to do really, so I grabbed his leash and rang the doorbells of some houses near me to see if they recognized him.  Sadly, nobody knew who he belonged to, so I took him home and found a no-kill shelter who would come take him.

After that little adventure, my mom took Mike and I down to city hall to take care of some paperwork on our house.  My dad got all excited when he saw Tom Daly, the Couny Recorder, in the office, so he came up with some excuse to go make smalltalk.

Yeah, my dad is a major dork.  Who knows what their county recorder looks like?  Who thinks it’s exciting to talk to them?  Who tells their daughter to post a picture of them talking to the county recorder on their blog?

After the joy that is beaurocracy we went to have lunch with Mike’s mom.  Of course, lunch with Mike’s mom is never your typical lunch.  Mike ended up getting solicitations for business advice regarding her latest idea, which somehow combines a health expo with a bikini contest (don’t ask), while she shared her newest skin cream with me.  Of course, she only told me the secret ingredient AFTER she had me rub it all over my arms and hands.  And the secret ingredient was fish sperm.  Awesome.

After chatting with my old co-workers and saying good-bye to Mike’s mom, Mike and I parted ways so that I could go get my hair done.  A little random, but my old hair girl had an opening and my roots were way out of control.

Hawt.  Too bad I forgot to take an after picture.  But it’s much redder than before.  It’s gloomy in Seattle- I need something bright to combat the grey.

That evening, my parents offered to barbeque for us.  A couple of our friends came over to feast on grilled chicken, carne asada, and lots of sides to make Mike happy.  The ability to cook and eat outside all year is definitely one of SoCal’s greatest virtues.

An recounted stories for us.  Mary was super interested.

Part of the meal included a huge platter of grilled veggies, which prompted Derek to eat zucchini for the first time ever.  After he thought about it for a while, he decided he liked the “burned vegetables.”

There was plenty of delicious food, which the boys dug into.

Mary and I dug into the wine.  (See the red hair?)

As the night wound down, my parents decided to really get the party started and tried to put their karaoke machine to use.  Yeah, my parents have a karaoke machine.  No wonder I married an Asian guy.

Thankfully, they couldn’t get the machine working, so we took the opportunity to take off before any singing started and went to the movies.  We saw I Love You Man.  It was eh.  But Friday was good.

We just got back from an attempt at attending Trivia Night at a bar down the street from us with some friends (mostly knitters and their significant others).  While Trivia Night didn’t work out so well (evidently they changed Trivia Night to another night or something), it was a good night.  Good people, good conversation, good drinks.  I felt comfortable.  That makes me happy.

Yesterday was Mike’s birthday.  We celebrated by having  dinner at Crush, where we ate one of the best meals I’ve had yet in Seattle.  I really wanted to take pictures, but ever since Scott scolded me about taking food pictures in nice restaurants I’ve held off.  To summarize, we had pork belly with pinata apples and parsnip puree and seared scallops in a carrot soup for appetizers for appetizers, which we shared, followed by Mike’s entree of grilled flank steak with cipolinni onions (aka the best onions ever) and yukon potato puree and my Ling Cod in chorizo broth and meyer lemon foam (I felt so Top Chef).  For dessert, we split the beignets (mmmm!) and spiced chocolate cake (i love spicy chocolate).  It wasn’t the best meal we’ve ever had- that award goes to our Valentine’s dinner last year at Stonehill Tavern (we’re still chasing that Michael Minna high)- but it was definitely the best in Seattle, and my wine pairings made me swoon with delight.  Plus, it was part of Dine Around Seattle‘s March promotion, so the whole shebang was under $100.  For Crush, that was a total steal.  Even though Mike was feeling a bit morose about his age, it was a really fantastic night.

To make things even better, tomorrow we’re going to SoCal for a long weekend.  It will be hectic- it always is- but I can’t wait to see friends and family back home.  The warm weather won’t hurt either.

This Sunday, I was out the door when the sky still looked like this:

Yeah, that’s early.  (It was about 6:00 am.)

Why on earth did I do this to myself?  I did it so that I, along with my friend Barrie, could walk 13 miles in the Mercer Island Half Marathon.   And we did it.  I didn’t even fall this time!

When Barrie first convinced me to do this with her, I was feeling kind of cocky.  I mean, it’s walking, right?  I can walk.  Sure, 13 miles is a long walk, but it’s not like I was going to run it.  THAT would be hard.  As it got closer, I started to panic a little.  13 miles started to seem farther and farther in my head, especially when I set out on long walks by myself on the weekend to “train.”  By the day before, I was starting to freak out and wonder why I ever agreed to do this thing.

Then we went to register the day before, and I came back loaded up with free sports drinks, chocolate milk, Clif bars, chapstick and water bottles that said “Got Polyps?” on it.  I was also pretty excited that the jersey they gave us was way nicer than the normal Men’s XL cotton T-Shirt- it was actual jersey material.  Swag always makes me feel better.  And then we started to walk.

Well, 13 miles is indeed a long walk.  Thankfully, Mercer Island is really pretty and has some pretty gorgeous houses to stare at.  The first few miles went by uneventfully.  We chatted so much that I barely listened to the audiobook I had downloaded just for the walk (The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman was my literature of choice that day).

Then it started to drag a bit.  We were still chatting, though I started to get engrossed in my book, but I was starting to feel like it was going to go on forever.  Whenever I do any kind of excercise, I am constantly doing backwards math (basically comparing how far I’ve gone to how far I have still to go), and I was kind of overwhelmed when after mile 5 I realized that we still had 8 stinking miles to go.  Ugh.

Thank god I had Barrie to keep me distracted.  At mile 7 I was stoked that we were more than halfway done, but my left hip was starting to bother me.  I figured it would go away.  I would come to regret this later.

At mile 8 the elite runners, who started 30 minutes after us, started to pass us.  My heart literally leapt with joy at the mile 11 marker.  2 more miles!  Anybody can walk 2 miles!  We kept going.  My hip was starting to KILL at this point, so we even started running a little because it hurt less than walking (who could have ever predicted that?).  Mile 12 seemed like it went on forever, but then somehow we were suddenly in sight of the finish line.  It was kind of weirdly anticlimactic to walk across a finish line, but we did it.  And Mike was there to awkwardly videotape it:

Awkward, but we still did it.  Even if it was “just walking.”  And then we got fruit:

Total time: 3:15:08.  Next up: Beat the Bridge.

Dude, today is a good day.

First, Mike comes home today.  Actually, in any minute, and I miss the stupid nerd, so I’m happy about that.  We have no obligations at all tonight and will do nothing but lay around and watch TV and eat something delicious that doesn’t involve me doing dishes afterwards.

Second, I just found out one of my knitters is preggo and she’s absolutely ecstatic about it!  Seriously, I’m not even a baby person, but I’m excited for her.  Yay for babies to knit for!

Third, I left work a bit early today and that always makes me happy.  Next week I’ll be completely slammed, so lord knows I’ll pay for it then.

Fourth, I’m walking a half marathon on Sunday, which means I have a total excuse to eat carbs on Saturday and then indulge in a kickass brunch Sunday afternoon.  Seriously, is there anything better than a mimosa after walking 13 miles?  I think not.

Fifth, we’re going to California next weekend!  We’ll be in town Friday-Sunday, so if you want to hang out, so do I.  It better be warm.  If there is a freak cold spell I WILL cry.

Finally, the Battlestar Galactica series finale is on tonight.  I know, I’m a complete nerd for loving this show, but I’m ok with that.  I’m sad to see the show end, but it has been SO good lately it’s ridiculous.

Seriously, I’ve had a major case of the Mondays:

• I woke up late this morning, incredibly grumpy and hungry because I only got 5 hours of sleep last night and only had a protein bar for dinner thanks to Mike’s work project having completely taken over both of our lives.
• I forgot to bring Truvia to work and therefore had to drink my yerba mate, which I got over the weekend and was super excited about, unsweetened.  I can drink coffee black but I like mate sweet, like caffeinated dessert.  (Since switching to Truvia, I’ve developed a complete paranoia with regards to other fake sweeteners.  I’m believing that it’s natural for now- it’s just brand name stevia.  And Liz, I looked at xylitol, but it has some calories and can contribute to rhea and bloating.  I already eat too much fiber.)
• This evening when I changed into my gym clothes, I realized that I’d forgotten a t-shirt to work out in.  I was already there and had an appointment, so I was the idiot at the gym in workout pants and a puffy sleeved sweater.  Hawt.

So far it’s been a banner day.  But on a happy note, Mike leaves for Mix tomorrow in Vegas, where he will kick all kinds of ass and his product will launch and I can actually get my husband back.  Which means somebody will vaccuum again.  Yay!

These past two weeks have been crazy.  Mike is working nonstop (to the detriment of his health) and I am trying to catch up on all the rest of the stuff around the house and at work.  In exactly one week though, Mike will be off to Vegas to launch his product and we can return to a semi-normal schedule.  I am really really looking forward to normalcy.  So in  lieu of an interesting post with pictures, I give you- thoughts in bullet point format.

• Somebody (Jeff!) pointed out to me that a lot of my posts revolve around food.  Trust me, I wish I didn’t like food so much.  It would involve a lot less guilt and excercise.  But yeah, the food posts will keep on rolling and my ass will keep on schlepping to the gym.
• Speaking of food, Mike’s birthday is coming up and since we don’t have the time right now to do a trip somewhere, he said he wants a blowout meal.  The best meal we have ever had was at Stonehill Tavern in Monarch Beach- the trio of lobster appetizer seriously made us make simultaneous o-face when we had our first bite.  He wants something like that.  Any suggestions?
• We are definitely marking off a weekend in April for a short getaway to mark the end of this March madness.  So far, I’m leaning towards this package.  But if you have any other ideas that can fit in some massage time and are within 2 or 3 hours of us, please send them my way.
• I was way grumpy Monday morning re: the time change, but today when I was able to walk home in broad daylight, I changed my mind.  It was light outside until 7 today!  Glorious, glorious daylight, oh how I love thee.
• I’m not sure if it’s the fact that I walk so much more in Seattle than I did in California or the fact that I’m getting old and sensible, but I am starting to lose my deep love for way too tall shoes.  Every morning I try to mentally calculate how much I’ll be walking that day to decide if I can justify my beloved heels.  I’ve even thought about bringing tennis shoes to change into after work, but then I would be that girl walking around in tennis shoes and tights.  And I don’t want to be her.
• We may be going back to California the last weekend in March!  I don’t want to get my hopes up, because the last few almost trips have fallen apart, but I ::think:: that this time we are planning ahead enough to actually make it happen.  It better be warm.
• I’m walking a half-marathon next Sunday with my friend Barrie, who has actually been training.  I haven’t done more than 7 miles straight and it’s going to rain all weekend.  Since I am physically incapable of walking for that long on a treadmill (seriously, my attention span would cause my brain to implode after mile 4 with that little sensory input) I am probably going to die on Sunday.  Wish me luck.

And that’s what’s on my mind tonight.

Ever since winter started, I’ve been bitching about it being too cold.  Every time it snows I act like the world is about to end.  So what did I do yesterday?

I went to the snow.

My friend Barrie, aka my official Seattle activities director, had been talking up the joys of snow-shoeing as soon as the weather got chilly.  I didn’t even know that snow-shoeing was even a real thing- I thought that it was just something people did in old cartoons.  Now I definitely know that it’s real.  See how much I’m learning here in Seattle?

We knew we’d need a hearty breakfast to make it through the day’s adventure, so Barrie, Dominic, Miles, Kevin, Shaun, Brooke, Elise, Rita and James and I began with breakfast on farm!

We feasted on pancakes, granola, eggs, potatoes and sausage inside a ridiculously cute converted farmnhouse.  The Farm Kitchen does this event once a month.  It was delicious and quaint- I highly recommend checking it out if you’re ever in the area.

There was some debate over how much onion was in the sausage, but overall, I thought it was the best sausage I’d ever had.  However, my standards are not that high yet, considering I’ve only had sausage 4 times ever.

After filling our bellies, we bid adieu to Rita and James and set off for the journey to our final destination: Hurricane Ridge.  Once we made it to the mountain’s summit, we rented our snowshoes, strapped on our gear, and set out for the winter wonderland.

Evidently. Hurricane Ridge is known for its amazing views.  Unfortunately, there was so much snow that we couldn’t see much of anything:

It was beautiful though.  Weirdly, silently, snowingly beautiful:

We finally made it to the top, where we found a slightly creepy-looking snowman waiting for us.  He needed a chin implant.

Barrie tasted some snow.

I did my best to keep warm:

And Dominic developed the best snotsicle I have ever seen in my life:

It was a good day.  But I was very happy to be warm again once I got home.

This week is exhausting me, but it’s even worse for Mike.  He has a huge product launch in two weeks at Microsoft Mix and is working around the clock trying to prepare for it- it’s 9:15 pm right now and he’s still at work.  We’ll both be really happy once everything is launched and ready to go.

But at least we have memories of a really great weekend.  We had a fabulous lazy Sunday with An and Bonnie, starting with an uber-delicious brunch at Volunteer Park Cafe.  I think this is my favorite brunch spot in Seattle so far- they have brie, apple and lavender paninis, quiches that change flavors daily depending on what’s fresh, Stumptown Coffee and the most freaking awesome ricotta-stuffed banana carmel french toast in the history of the world.

After brunch, we wandered over to the Conservatory at Volunteer Park to look at some pretty flowers and pretend it was warm and tropical.

I particularly liked this flower, which I named the Metaflower:

I also dug the gigantic pitcher plant.  The sign above it said that these plants can eat entire mice!

I used my hand for a size comparison, but now I see that that was a bad idea.  I obviously need a mani.  (Follow up: I took this picture on Sunday.  It’s now Wednesday and my nails still look like crap.)

After some wanderings in the park, we headed over to Pike Place Market, where An and Mike shared a bowl of chowder.  So romantic.

I think they liked it.

The definite highlight of the market though was when we found this:

An Pham, male nurse.  Love.

On Friday night, we welcomed yet another visitor into the merry-go-round of visitors that is our house/hotel.  This time we got a visit from Mike’s best friend An and his girlfriend Bonnie.  Thanks to ridiculously busy schedules on both of our parts, we haven’t seen An since Thanksgiving, so we were both really happy to see him again.  An is basically an adopted member of the Bach clan and was Mike’s best man at our wedding, where he gave a particularly insightful toast (my mom still cries when she talks about it) and then danced on his butt during the bridal party’s entrance.

That should give you an idea of An’s general approach to life.

The weather has been pretty rainy lately (shocking), but Saturday was nice and dry, so we decided to head out to nearby Woodinville and check out some of the wineries.  How awesome is it that we have more than 30 wineries less than 20 miles from our house?

But first we stopped by Kerry Park to take the requisite pictures against the city skyline.

We had an awesome lunch at Purple Cafe and then walked over to the Chateau St. Michelle Winery down the road.  We were all practically giddy when we found out that winery tour, which includes a tasting of 4 wines, was free.  FREE!  I love free.

Why are boys so drawn to walking sticks?

I’m sure the vines are prettier in the summer.

Since the tasting was heavy on whites and featured 2 reislings, Mike actually enjoyed himself a bit.  He likes sweet wine.  I don’t get it.

I LOVE this next picture!  (Except for my rudolph nose.)

After the winery tour, we walked down the street to Red Hook Brewery, where we partook in the $1 brewery tour.  They are VERY generous with the tastings, which An particularly enjoyed.  He even generously offered to help Mike and I finish our samples, since I was so full by the 4th sample and Mike isn’t a beer person.  What a good friend.

And we got free cups to take home!

So 4 wine tastings and 6 beer tasting came out to a total of $1.  We were all in a REALLY good mood by the end of it, and after a pit stop at home where everybody took a leisurely nap, we finished off the night with dinner at Black Bottle for another sampling of the BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER.  Yum.