Seattle Stevie

Ten on Tuesday

2012-02-07T02:11:00.000-08:00

Link up with Chelsea if you want to play along!

1. How do you feel about Groundhog’s Day?
I didn't know I was supposed to have an opinion about it. But I do love the movie!

2. What color are your fingernails right now? (Bonus points if you include a picture.)
Super chipped, but butter LONDON "Lady Muck", which is a grayish blue color.

3. Do you like riddles?
Albatross Soup

4. When you were 10, how old did you think “old” was? At your current age, how old do you think “old” is?
I think I thought people who were in their 50s were, like, elderly. Obviously 10 year olds are clueless. Now, I think once you become an octogenarian you are officially old. But you can also call yourself an octogenarian, so, AWESOME.

5. Do you wish on stars?
Not very often, and not seriously. But usually on a magical, warm, summer night I'll wish on the first star.

6. Do you recycle?
Yep. Not just bottles, cans, and paper - I reuse everything. Plastic blags, aluminum foil, plastic containers, etc.

7. On a scale from 1-10, how good of a cook are you?
I love to cook and make a few pretty rockin' dishes, but I'm no Julia Child. I'd say I'm about a 6 or 7.

8. Do you color your hair? Professionally or at home?
About twice or three times a year. I go to our local beauty academy (Gene Juarez) and get highlights for a fraction of the salon price.

9. One a scale from 1-10, how do you rate your manners?
Oh geez. I think I'm pretty polite most of the time, but other times I think Emily Post may be rolling in her grave.

10. Who are the last 5 people you have texted?
The Scientist, Vanessa, my dear friend Michelle, and my neighbors Carrie and Nico.

First Impressions

2012-02-07T02:02:00.001-08:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Triad Retail Media for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

The first thing I notice when I walk into a room is the smell. Sometimes it's the pleasant scent of fresh flowers, other times it's the odor of wet dog. Either way, those scents usually stick with me and leave a lasting impression, which is why I'm always on the lookout for home fragrances that will fill my house with a nice aroma that's not too overpowering.

I've long been a fan of Glade^®products. I find their fragrances smell more natural than most other home fragrance brands and they offer a wide variety of fragrances that I can rotate seasonally. I recently came across the new Glade® Expressions™ fragrance mist and the new Glade® Expressions™ oil diffuser and loved the look and fragrances available.

Both products blend in beautifully with most home decor and provide a subtle, yet delicious long lasting scent that will fill your home. Both products are refillable and require no electricity, and the best part is their fragrance satisfaction guarantee. If you're not happy with your fragrance, just fill out the form and you'll get your money back. It's a win-win situation!

These products are available at many large retail chains, including Walmart (coupon available).

Alliteration

2012-02-03T12:18:00.000-08:00

Happy first Friday of February! Can you believe it's February already?! It seems like we were ringing in the new year yesterday. Craziness, I tell ya.Now that it's February, it's time to talk about my second change for 12 changes, 12 months.

Initially, this was to be my "getting up early" month, but I've decided to nix that. I have classes in the morning this quarter so I would already be getting up early anyway. I wanted to actually, you know, make a change in my habits so I'm doing FLOSSING FEBRUARY instead.

I have healthy teeth, I'm an almost obsessive tooth brusher, when I had insurance I visited the dentist twice a year as recommended, I've only had one cavity my whole life...you get the picture. But one thing I've never been good at is regular flossing. I floss maybe once a month, and if I've had corn on the cob or some other such food that gets stuck between my teeth, but that's about it. I KNOW. GROSS. So I need to get in the habit of flossing every day, or at least multiple times a week.

A few weeks ago, Sizzle talked about this very same issue and it got me thinking. Flossing isn't hard, it doesn't take very long, and I feel much better about my teeth after I've done it. So why am I not doing it?

To make this change, I bought several containers of dental floss and put them in various spots around my house in addition to the one in my medicine cabinet. One by my computer, one next to the kitchen sink, one by my bed, one in my purse, etc. This way I'll have a constant reminder to floss. I've also taped a note to my bathroom mirror that says "FLOSS!"

It seems to be working. We are only three days into February, but I'm already 3-0 on the flossing front.

I'm Lovin' It

2012-01-30T22:24:00.000-08:00

I don't often post about products that I use and/or love, but I love reading about the products that other people love! So I thought I'd share a few items that I've been using a lot lately.

DUWOP VENOM GLOSS

Like most women I know, I love lip gloss. So much so that I have cosmetic bags FILLED with half-used tubes of the stuff. I don't know what it is...I'm just totally drawn to those pretty tubes of lip goo.

I've tried several different brands of "plumping" lip gloss, in which the plumping ingredient is bee venom or some nonsense like that. First of all, doesn't that just seem wrong to you? Secondly, it feels like I've slathered Novocaine across my lips. You know what I mean, that awful tingling, numbing sensation? I actually like going to the dentist, but I don't want to be reminded of it every time I pucker my lips.

Which is why I love the DuWop Venom gloss! The name is quite misleading, since there is actually no bee venom in the gloss at all. It's actually a blend of cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and other spices. So instead of feeling like I'm experiencing a painful dental procedure, I feel like I've just eaten a delicious, spicy Indian food dish! I have "firethorn" which is mostly clear with a hint of pinky peach.

BIG SEXY hair

I've mentioned this before, but for those of you who don't know, I have the world's thinnest, finest hair and a really oily scalp. I usually keep it short in a bob, or even a pixie. But I'm growing it out for our wedding so I have some fancy hair-do options (it actually holds curl and style surprisingly well). Most days I just blowdry it (sometimes with a little volumizing product) and run out the door, but about once a week I like to actually DO my hair. Enter: Big Sexy Hair.

I don't remember where I first heard about this stuff, but when I did I thought - no way! It can't be that awesome. It's in powder form and I thought it might be similar to dry shampoo. Which, for the record, I HATE. And yet, I still had to find out for myself. I found it on Amazon for 11-ish bucks and ordered it immediately. The packaging was smaller than I expected, but there was still plenty to work with (TWSS). Here's a photo for reference:

Oh my god, you guys. This stuff is AMAZING. I just sprinkle a little bit into my roots and work it into my hair with my fingers and bam! I look like I actually have a normal amount of hair. The only complaint I have is that even though it gives my hair tons of volume and texture, it gives it a weird...well, texture. But generally I use it for more "don't touch my hair" styles, so it's not a huge issue. I've actually been using my curling iron a lot more now that my hair is longer, and it works great for that. I make loose, messy waves with the curling iron and sprinkle the powder on and it's perfect.

MOROCCAN OIL

I never thought I would voluntarily put oil in my hair, especially due to the aforementioned thinness and oiliness. But I kept hearing people rave about the wonders of Moroccan oil for their hair. Again, I had to try it out for myself to see what all the fuss was about.

I did some research online and it seemed to be really expensive. I wasn't going to invest $40 in a hair product that I wasn't sure I would like. But I found some on drugstore.com for $7.99 and decided to give it a whirl.

Boy howdy, I'm glad I did! My hair is pretty soft, but the oil made it a million times softer. I also felt that it gave my hair more body, bounce, and shine (and also turned me into a living hair commercial!). I've been using it ever 2 or 3 days now. I put a few drops in my hand and rub it through damp hair, mostly at the ends, then blowdry using my normal products.

POP EYESHADOW

I've tried a few samples of Pop makeup before and liked their products a lot, so I was thrilled to find one of their eyeshadow palettes in my stocking this past Christmas. Here's a picture (forgive my crappy phone photography):

The middle and right sections look much pinker in this photo than they do in real life. They're actually much more neutral, especially the middle shadows.

I adore this palette. It reminds me a bit of the Urban Decay Naked palettes. I can use the colors every day, with any outfit. I can create both subtle daytime and dramatic nighttime looks. There is a hint of shimmer and sparkle in each color, but it's not over the top. Every shade is pretty pigmented, so you don't need a lot of product.

I have found that these shadows work best with an eye makeup primer and a dense eyeshadow brush (I love Bare Minerals Prime Time primer and Sonja Kashuk brushes), but they go on pretty nicely if you don't have either of those items.

Seattle Subculture

2012-01-29T16:05:00.000-08:00

The Scientist and I recently attended an event that opened us up to an entirely unfamiliar world (cue Aladdin and Jasmine serenading each other on a magic carpet) of Seattle - Roller Derby.

Over the past several years, the Rat City Roller Girls have gained a huge following, elevating them to almost cult status in the roller derby world. Several of our friends have attended derby bouts; some even have season tickets to witness the excitement on a regular basis. But I still didn't know what to expect when I attended my first bout.

{Image Source}

I read the rules ahead of time, so I had a pretty good idea what was going on when the clock started ticking. I also knew the sport can be pretty violent - hence the helmets, knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards. But I wasn't prepared for how much fun it would be to just watch these women skate.

I always loved rollerskating when I was growing up. I owned several pairs of skates, had multiple birthday parties at our local skating rink, and became a master of rollerblades in the early 90s. Skating isn't easy, so watching these women speed around the track while trying to avoid getting knocked down, elbowed in the gut, kicked in the face, or even run over was pretty impressive.

{Image Source}

Another equally fun aspect to attending roller derby is the PEOPLE WATCHING. Oh my hell, it is an audience unlike any sporting event I've ever seen. The bleachers were filled with flannel, endless facial hair, and a sea of PBR tall boys. But there was also a wide age range and various other types of people in the stands.

Overall, it was a great time. A little long, perhaps (we actually left about halfway through and had been there for 2 hours), but really fun. I think it's wonderful that Seattle has a league like this which attracts such a large audience, and is a great event for those who may not be huge mainstream sports fans.

If you have a roller derby league in your area, I definitely recommend checking it out at least once in your life! You won't be disappointed.

Snowflakes That Stay on my Nose and Eyelashes

2012-01-17T18:26:00.000-08:00

This is what I woke up to this morning. The Pacific Northwest has been hit with a decent sized storm that's supposed to last through Thursday of this week. Luckily, it hasn't been cold enough to make road conditions super treacherous - mostly slush, with a bit of ice at night. But it has been enough to shut down my school both today and tomorrow!

As a gal who was born and raised in Hawaii, snow has always been quite a novelty for me. I absolutely love it. I love the way the flakes look as they fall, the beautiful evergreen trees when their branches are weighed down by the snow, the almost tangible peace and quiet that comes with a heavy snowfall, and I especially love building snow forts and finding the best sledding hills around. I haven't done much sledding or fort building this time around, but it's been fun to watch the local kiddos participate and I'm definitely enjoying the army of snowmen that have popped up all over our apartment complex.

The Scientist still has to go to work in this weather - that's what he gets for living within walking distance of his job! But he got home early today and may tomorrow as well. We might have to go in search of the perfect sledding hill...

Do you get much snow where you live? What's your favorite thing to do on a "snow day"?

12 for 12 - Progress Report

2012-01-12T13:01:00.000-08:00

Now that it's almost 2 weeks into the new year, let's check on my progress for my January 12 Changes goal, shall we?

Sober January

My goal for this month is NO DRINKING. The first several days were a breeze. I rung in 2012 with a bang, and by bang I mean several cocktails, countless glasses of champagne, and multiple shots taken from a shotski.

Yeah...needless to say, January 1st was rough! The thought of drinking anything even remotely alcoholic was enough to make my head explode, so avoiding it was easy. Classes also started back up again last week and I wanted to start the quarter off with a clear head.

I cheated a little last Friday. We had a friend over for dinner and he brought a nice bottle of wine. I had two small glasses. It was tasty, but after 5 days of no drinking it was enough to leave me feeling less than 100% the next morning.

Other than that, I've been sticking to my goal really well! I've been more productive, I've had more energy which has led to more working out, and I've just felt better. Go figure.

Are you participating in 12 Changes/12 Months? How are you doing with your January goal?

Pimp my Cube

2012-01-02T22:00:00.001-08:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Contest Factory for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I've mentioned before that I'm not a very organized person, except when it comes to my desk. Whether at work or at home, having a tidy, organized "office space" is very important to me (you wouldn't know that right now, though...it looks like the Tasmanian Devil came roaring through here). Anyway...

Since I've been in school I haven't had a regular day job with my own office or cubicle, and I'm really looking forward to getting back into the world. Call me crazy, but I always enjoyed having a cubicle that was all my own to organize and decorate. By taking pride in my work surroundings, I felt like I was taking more pride in my job as well.

The Pimp My Cube Contest would be perfect for someone like me, and hopefully someone like you! Here's how it works:

Take a video of your cube or office explaining why you think your space deserves a makeover

Upload the video to the contest site

Share the video link with friends and family encouraging them to vote for your video

Be entered to win one of many prizes, which could include a package valued at $1200 to use toward redecorating your office space!

Twenty Eleven

2011-12-31T16:44:00.000-08:00

2011 has been quite the year for me. In fact, it was one of the best years I've had in a long time. Let's take a look back, shall we?

JANUARY

I bought my own domain and www.seattlestevie.com was born

I chopped off my hair

FEBRUARY

Met two of my idols

Went to Vegas!

MARCH

Attended a fantastic food and wine festival in Seattle, Taste Washington. I also met Elizabeth for the first time, who has become one of my most favorite blogger friends.

Got the results of the genetic testing The Scientist got us for Christmas. Since then, I've learned a lot more about my DNA, including the fact that 2.4% of my genes are comprised of Neanderthal DNA. Pretty cool.

APRIL

Went to Vegas...again.

MAY

Nothing exciting happened in May. Oh wait, I GOT ENGAGED. It was one of the best nights of my life.

Hosted some dear friends from Portland and went to an epic Sounders match

JUNE

Took a mini-vacation/getaway and found our wedding venue!

Went wedding dress shopping and found my wedding dress:

JULY

Took a trip to Portland

Ruined the rest of my summer

AUGUST

Finished my first full year of school

Tried to travel back East for The Scientist's sister's wedding

SEPTEMBER

Made it to Maine for the wedding! (which I just realized I never blogged about...)

I'm allergic. I didn't get to eat any of this.

Beer Garden

Best dance party I've been to in a long while

The bride smokin' cigars. So classy!

Beautiful bride & groom

The Scientist and I celebrated our third anniversary

OCTOBER

Celebrated my 31st birthday

Revived two of the best characters to ever be on TV for Halloween

NOVEMBER

Escaped to the "Alps" for the weekend

Had a wonderful, low key Thanksgiving

DECEMBER

Finished school for the quarter with three A's and a B.

Struggled to get into the Christmas spirit

Had a pretty fantastic holiday anyway...

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

12 for 12

2011-12-29T02:36:00.000-08:00

I know I've talked about this before, but I've never been a fan of New Year Resolutions. Apparently I'm not a fan of any kind of goal setting, either, because this was a massive fail (mostly due to THIS, but I digress). I am, however, a fan of this idea of Katherine's. Instead of setting huge New Year resolutions, I'm going to focus on one small goal each month of the year that I'll work toward.

The following are my goals for the first 3 months of 2012:

January - Sober January. I think most of my calories between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve have come from alcohol. There might as well be wine flowing from our faucet. I'm feeling lethargic, bloated, and all around unhealthy from the booze I've consumed lately so I want to start the year off exactly the opposite of that. I want to get out of the almost daily habit of opening a bottle of wine or having a cocktail (or several) in the evening. I'm also thinking of putting the money I'll save on alcohol into our wedding fund.

February - Rise and shine February. I'm not a morning person. I never have been, never will be, and I'm ok with that. I'm NOT, however, ok with sleeping in 'til noon when I don't have class until 5 pm (or on days when I don't have class at all). School has really messed up my sleep schedule, so I'd like to get back into a regular pattern of waking up at a decent hour. My goal for February is to wake up by 9 every day. And for those of you who think 9 is sleeping in? You can kiss my ass, because for most of my adult life I've had jobs that have started at 7 am or earlier.

March - Meal planning March. The Scientist and I both love to cook, but we're terrible about planning ahead for our meals during the week. This leads to going to the grocery store almost every day of the week and/or eating later than we would like. I don't mind the latter, I've always preferred a late dinner, but walking to the store every night for just a few things gets old after awhile. I used to keep a well stocked fridge and pantry when I lived alone. We don't have as much space for that in our kitchen now, but I would love to keep some big staples on hand at all time, and create a menu for at least 4 days out of the week.

If you're interested in participating in 12 Changes, stop by Katherine's blog and leave her a comment!

Versatility

2011-12-22T00:26:00.000-08:00

I haven't done a meme like this in a long time, but my dear friend Sabrina posted this Versatility Award and tagged me, so I'll happily participate. Thank you, Sabrina! Go say hi to her. She's having a baby in like T-minus now (and looks amazing)!

These are the rules:

Thank the blogger who awarded me with a link back to him/her. - CHECK
Share seven things about myself. - See below
Pass the award on to fifteen other newly discovered blogs - See below

I love John Denver.
I hate mayonnaise (but I do add a small amount to tuna sandwiches).
I have no idea how to respond when people ask me "How's the wedding planning going?"
I love arts and crafts, but I'm not very good at them. At all.
I'm addicted to buying house plants. I have to restrain myself from wandering into the nursery section of home improvement stores...and the huge nursery that's two blocks from my house.
I wish Cicely, Alaska was a real place. I want to live there. And I want to be best friends with Maggie, Holling, Shelly...and of course, Dr. Fleischman (I have a massive crush on Rob Morrow).
I want a pet fox. I want to name him Fawkes.

Ok, now onto tagging...I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you want to leave some fun facts about yourselves in the comments I would love that!

Every Other

2011-12-20T13:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas is five days away, people. FIVE. But you know what? I still haven't managed to get into the Christmas spirit. I'm not feeling grinchy or bah-humbug-ish, I'm just not feeling particularly...well, Christmasy. Looking back on Christmases past, I've realized there is a pattern to my holiday ups and downs.

Last year, Christmas was wonderful. Even though I was busy with school as I was this year, I still managed to decorate our house over Thanksgiving weekend. The Scientist and I participated in all kinds of holiday festivities, and I distinctly remember an evening of Christmas shopping when I kept looking around at all the decorations, squealing "I love Christmas!"

The year before that, Christmas of 2009, was the opposite. I got in a bad car accident. I was unhappy at my job. There were weird things going on in my family. All of that left me feeling pretty darn depressed and I just couldn't get into the spirit of Christmas.

The year before that was one of the best Christmases ever. It was the first Christmas The Scientist and I spent together. We'd only been dating for 3 months at the time, but we already knew we were in it for the long haul. It was also the year of SNOWPOCALYPSE in Seattle, and while the rest of the city was shut down, we were able to get out and about with The Scientist's Pathfinder (which was sadly totaled in the accident mentioned above). It was a magical holiday season.

Going back one more year, Christmas of 2007, I was not in the holiday spirit at all. Not because I was feeling depressed or blue or anything, but because I spent Christmas in Hawaii that year! My brother and sis-in-law were stationed there and it was my niece's first Christmas. It was a wonderful vacation, but it's kind of hard to get into the holidays when it's 80 degrees and you're on the beach surrounded by palm trees :-)

As for this year, I'm enjoying my time off and trying to be as Christmasy as possible - baking cookies, creating Christmas crafts, wrapping presents, etc. And hopefully by this weekend I'll feel a bit more Griswoldian.

Are you in the Christmas spirit this year? What helps to make your holidays feel more magical?

P.S. Have you entered my giveaway yet?

Free at Last! And a Giveaway!

2011-12-15T15:23:00.001-08:00

I'm all done with school for the quarter! Having the next three weeks off is going to be glorious. I can finally get around to all those projects that have been calling to me the past couple months, finally decorate the house for Christmas, and finally get all my Christmas cards sent out (click on the link if you'd like to receive one)!

The Scientist has next week off, so we'll be spending some quality holiday time in downtown Seattle, taking in all the Christmas festivities. I also have some fun plans for Happy Hour, brunch, Karaoke, and other such shenanigans. It's going to be a good Christmas break!

I also have another giveaway for you! My friend, Callie, is a Scentsy consultant and has offered to give away one of their new solid perfume sticks.

A little info about the product:

1. Paraben-free

2. Sulphate-free

3. Phthalate-free

4. Benzene-free

5. Silicone-free

6. GMO-free

7. Propylene glycol-free

8. Dye-free (no added colorants)

9. Never tested on animals

The fragrance she has for you is "Love Story", which is a combination of sensual amber and pink jasmine (my favorite!)

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Leave a comment with your favorite perfume or scent.

2. Like Callie's Scentsy page on Facebook.

FOR EXTRA ENTRIES:

1. Be a follower of this blog and leave a comment telling me.

2. Tweet about this giveaway, including my twitter handle @SeattleStevie and leave a comment telling me.

Giveaway ends next Thursday, December 22, at midnight PST!

Home Stretch

2011-12-05T12:39:00.001-08:00

Only a week and a half left of this quarter at school, and holy moly it can't come soon enough. My classes haven't been terribly difficult, in fact they've been awesome and I've learned so much, but they have been incredibly time consuming. I have classes four evenings a week until 8 pm, several group projects that have required tons of extra outside of class time, and some challenging assignments in one of my programming classes that needed a great attention to detail. I'm ready to pass out on the couch with a huge pitcher of egg nog next to me, is what I'm sayin'.

I have, however, managed to squeeze in some holiday festivities along the way:

The Scientist and I attended downtown Seattle's annual tree lighting ceremony last week with some friends.

25,000 Imported Italian Twinkle Lights!

I briefly attended our local high school's craft fair to see if I could score some handmade gifts. It left a little to be desired, but I have made some fabulous handmade purchases from Erin (Etsy) and Moorea (Etsy). I love them so much, though, I'm going to have a hard time giving them away as gifts!

{Image Source}

We had our first holiday party on Saturday night, which is an annual get together some friends of ours host. It was a bit different this year, though. There were babies EVERYWHERE. There were only two of us without children so after the obligatory baby cheek pinching, we spent the rest of the party in the other room with the guys and our own ~~babies~~ cocktails.

I'm slowly plugging away at Christmas cards when I have some free time here and there. If you'd like to get a Christmas card from me, please fill out the form! I'd love to send one to you.

Our tree and other decorations aren't up yet, which is odd to me since I usually have mine up the day after Thanksgiving. But it's all buried deep in a storage closet and I haven't had the motivation to dig it out yet. But the Christmas music has been playing and the Christmasy candles have been lit, so it still feels somewhat festive around here.

Once school is done, I'm sure I'll be in much more of a holiday mood. I CAN'T WAIT!

How is your holiday season so far?

Snail Mail

2011-11-27T11:12:00.000-08:00

With yesterday's post about sending holiday cards and seeing so many of my favorite blog friends doing card exchanges, I think it's about time I got into holiday card sending spirit. I also have a zillion arts & craft supplies calling my name as I get closer to finals, so I need to ~~start some serious procrastination~~ put my creative juices to work!

You know what to do:

&lt;p&gt;Loading...&lt;/p&gt;

New Traditions

2011-11-26T16:59:00.001-08:00

I don't usually send out holiday cards. I love to receive them from friends and family members, but for whatever reason I've never reciprocated. Now that The Scientist and I are engaged and joining our families together, we've been talking about starting the tradition of sending a card every year.

I absolutely love the selection that Tiny Prints has. There are so many designs from which you can choose and the filters on the sidebar make it especially easy to find a card perfectly suited for you.

Here are a few that we're looking at:

{Source}

I love the simplicity of it, and it's a little different from the standard red & green cards that are out there.

{Source}

This one is more Christmasy, but it's still unique and fun. It's simple and bright, and I adore the font and slightly muted colors.

Tiny Prints has a pretty sweet deal going on right now, but hurry because it ends tomorrow!

Buy a $25 Tiny Prints gift certificate and spend $100 on your holiday cards, and we’ll take $30 off your holiday cards order—plus, ship it for free. Use code 30OFFHOLGCERT at checkout until 11/27/11 at 11:59 pm (PT).

Do you send holiday cards every year? What will yours look like this year?

*This post is sponsored by Tiny Prints. I have been given 50 free holiday cards on behalf of Tiny Prints to blog about their holiday cards.

Ten on Tuesday - Gobble Gobble

2011-11-22T07:13:00.001-08:00

{Source}

Time again for Ten on Tuesday! The questions this week are from one of my very favorite bloggers (and IRL friend). Head over to Chelsea's blog if you'd like to link up.

1. What are you doing for Thanksgiving this year?
My mum is hosting this year. It'll be a smaller, laid back gathering (just how I like it!) with The Scientist, his dad, my brother and sis-in-law, my mum, and me.

2. What are you most thankful for this year?
I'm thankful for my life in general. I am in an incredibly happy, content place right now.

3. Do you have any traditions on Thanksgiving? The parade? Football? Long naps?
Stuffing face, then transitioning directly into Christmas by turning on Christmas Vacation.

4. Is it called stuffing or dressing? Is it in the bird or a separate dish?
Both. If you cook it in the turkey (yes, it's perfectly safe, just be sure the turkey is fully cooked) it's stuffing, if it's made separately it's dressing. We do both. We like our stuffing. And dressing. Our family likes the savory kind, with celery, onions and other seasonings (as opposed to the kind with apples and cranberries).

{Source}

5. Do you cook?
Oh, yeah. I love cooking on Thanksgiving! This year, The Scientist and I are in charge of the vegetable dishes. We're going to make the classic green bean casserole, probably an asparagus dish, and a kick ass salad. The Scientist will also be making his famous mashed potaters.

6. What is your favorite dish?
The dish that's created when you put everything on your plate and drench it with gravy.

7. What is your dessert preference?
Pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream.

8. What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?
Oh geez, I have so many...one of my favorites would be from a few years ago. I used to live in a huge apartment in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle and loved to entertain. I threw a Friendsgiving with about 40 people. I cooked two ginormous turkeys (both were 25+ pounds) and a couple other dishes, and everything else was potlucked. It was SO MUCH FUN!

9. Do you plan to shop on Black Friday?
Nah. There is nothing in this world that is worth battling that craziness.

10. What are you most dreading about Thanksgiving this year?
The amount of calories I'll be consuming. Oh wait, calories don't count on Thanksgiving.

Have a fabulous Thanksgiving!

Time Travel

2011-11-21T06:55:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I had plans to meet up with classmates yesterday around 6 pm, which meant I had to catch the bus at 5:30. At 2:00 I headed out to run some quick errands. My first stop was Starbucks. It was ridiculously busy, but the line seemed to be moving fairly quickly so I waited it out. Then I headed next door to Rite Aid, but they didn't have what I needed (office/school supplies).

While I was in the store, I was trying to check in on Foursquare. I had just checked into Starbucks with no problem, but when I tried to find Rite Aid, all that showed up on my screen was a list of locations in Ontario, Canada. I thought "huh...that's weird", but then continued on my way. I perused the cosmetics aisle briefly before heading next door to Office Max, which also didn't have what I was looking for.

Next I stopped at TJ Maxx. Not because I needed anything in particular, but because it's TJ Maxx. I wandered around aimlessly for a bit, then decided to check my phone to see if Foursquare was working. I took a look at the clock on my screen and it said 5:09! How in the hell had I spent three hours running errands?! I had found a couple items to buy, so I rushed up to the checkstand to make my purchases, then booked it home so I could gather up my school stuff (luckily the shopping center where I was is only 2 blocks from our place).

On the walk home, my mind was in a state of total confusion. What had I been doing for 3 hours? Why is it still so light outside? What is going on? It just wasn't adding up. I got home, dropped my bag onto the floor, grabbed my school stuff, and was almost out the door before I looked at the clock on the microwave. 3:22.

Apparently there is a portal to a parallel Canadian universe in my local Rite Aid.

Alpine Getaway

2011-11-14T20:48:00.001-08:00

This past weekend, I jaunted off to the Bavarian Alps for a little R&R. Ok, not really, but close enough. I headed over the Cascade Mountains into the Bavarian town of Leavenworth, WA with my mum and four of her co-workers.

We jetted out of town on Friday morning and returned Sunday afternoon. It was a perfect weekend of relaxation, food, wine, laughter, sparse internet access, beautiful scenery, snow, and freshly pressed apple cider (especially after midterms last week!). Take a look:

View from the cabin where we stayed - a few miles out of town, then 5 miles up a steep canyon.

Upon arrival to the cabin, we discovered there was no wine key to be found. So we improvised. With a screwdriver.

My mum and me at Icicle Ridge Winery

BRATWURST - Enough said

And because of the aforementioned sparse internet, I didn't get a chance to announce the winner of my giveaway (except on Twitter last night). The winner is Sarah! Congratulations! I'll have it in the mail sometime this week. Enjoy!

Weekends Are For...

2011-11-06T18:06:00.000-08:00

{Photo by me}

...catching up with old friends.

...drinking wine.

...long walks in the sunshine.

...pot roast.

...sleeping in.

...being lazy.

...and that pesky homework I've been putting off.

What are your weekends for?

P.S. Have you entered my giveaway yet?

Happy Friday, Giving Thanks, and a Giveaway!

2011-11-04T08:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday, everyone! This week has felt really long, so I'm excited the weekend is upon us! The past several weekends have been completely filled with plans, but this weekend my calendar is empty. And I couldn't be happier. I'm looking forward to relaxing, reading (have you joined #twookclub yet?), cooking, possibly some running, and of course that pesky homework.

November is typically a month for giving thanks. I've seen several bloggers and friends participating in "30 Days of Thanks", and it got me thinking about all the things I'm thankful for in my life. Including you! So as a thank you to all of you, I'm having a little giveaway. Here's what you get if you win:

Nail polish - Butter London's "Henley Regatta" - It's bright, it's sparkly, and perfect for the holiday season!

{photo source}

Starbucks Gift Card - So you can treat yoself to your favorite holiday beverage. In a red cup, of course.

Surprise goodies - That's all I'm gonna say.

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me one thing you're thankful for! Please make sure you provide some way for me to contact you, if your account doesn't already link to your e-mail address.

BONUS ENTRY

For one bonus entry, you can tweet about the giveaway. Please include my twitter handle, @SeattleStevie

Good luck! You have until next Friday at midnight to enter. Winner will be announced Saturday, November 12th.

Wine and Love

2011-11-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

Just like I hadn't participated in Ten on Tuesday in awhile, I also haven't participated in Nora's weekly Wine and Love series!

For those of you who aren't aware of this series, every Thursday people post what's been driving them to crack open a bottle of wine, and what they're loving that week.

It's a great way to vent some frustrations, but also be thankful about the good things that are going on in our lives. November is a great month to be thankful!

And with that, here's my Wine and Love list this week:

The Wines

I've been in a FUNK this week. Not sure what it is, but I think part of it is that I may have partied a little too hard this weekend during all the Halloween festivities (I'll post some pictures later on). I think my body is rebelling as a result.
I'm in the middle of the quarter at school and even though I'm enjoying my classes a lot, I'm lacking some serious motivation right now. I don't even want to tell you how many movies and shows I've watched instead of doing homework...yikes
Speaking of school, I have two big projects in two of my classes. Don't worry, they're nothing like project from hell, but one of my group members is an older guy who knows absolutely nothing about current technology. It's incredibly difficult to remain patient with him while the rest of us are on the same wavelength.
I'm not a huge sweets person, but good lord has it been hard to resist all the delicious candy that's in abundance around me.

The Loves

Despite the funk I've been in, the last week has been full of love from friends and family. My birthday was last Thursday and on Friday I had my family and The Scientist's family (the local family at least) over for dinner. We have a tiny apartment and there were 9 of us altogether. It was cozy but we had a fantastic time! It was so wonderful to have both of our families there. It was an evening full of laughter and joy.
It's November! Which means Thanksgiving is THIS month! I absolutely love Thanksgiving.
The fall colors around here have been spectacular. Many of the leaves are already gone, but the ones still on the trees are so vibrant. I took this one in our neighborhood:

SEATTLE SOUNDERS! Last night was their last game of the season, but they have kicked so much butt this year. It's been an awesome season, even with some major injuries. It's great that Seattle actually has a winning team this year.

Wine Wednesday

2011-11-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple weeks since I've done a Wine Wednesday post, but I'm back! I don't have anything specific to discuss today, so let's just jump right in shall we?

This week's wine is a regular in our household. It's inexpensive, can be found in most grocery stores (as well as Trader Joe's, Target, and World Market), and all the varietals I've tried are consistently good. I'm talking about Hogue Cellars.

The chardonnay is light and crisp, the cabernet is bold but smooth, and the syrah is sweet and spicy (just how I like it!). They also make a fumé blanc, which is difficult to find at the lower price points. Fumé blanc is an ultra dry white wine. It's excellent for cooking, and very tasty if you like dry whites. For those who prefer sweeter whites, their Riesling is wonderful.

Bottles run anywhere between $5.99 and $12.99, but I typically see them for around $6.99.

Oh, and the best part about these wines is that they're perfect for the lazy wino - screw top!

Have you tried any wines from Hogue Cellars? What was your favorite?

I'd like to expand my Wine Wednesday posts a bit. If you're interested in discussing your favorite inexpensive wine, providing tips and advice for those looking to explore wine more, or have general questions about wine please e-mail me at seattlestevie@gmail.com!

*These opinions are all my own. I'm not being paid to discuss these wines, nor is anyone giving me free wine to review...but I'm certainly not against it!

Ten on Tuesday - Procrastination

2011-11-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've participated in Chelsea's Ten on Tuesday, but I like this weeks' questions and I have lots of homework that I should be doing, but don't wanna. Head over to Chelsea's blog to join in!

1. What is your favorite month?
I think it's a tie between August and October. I love August because it's the height of summer and the weather is usually awesome. I love October because of all the gorgeous fall colors, the weather is cooler but still pretty nice, my birthday is in October, and so is Halloween!

2. What is the best candy to get while trick or treating?
Almond Joy. Definitely Almond Joy.

3. What kind of pen do you use?

These

I also use Pilot Precise V5 retractable pens.

4. You go to a new Italian restaurant, what is your go-to order?
Some kind of ravioli or gnocci.

5. If you could choose to have any celebrity’s hair, who’s would you choose?
Anyone with a pixie or messy bob. I'm pretty much in love with Michelle Williams and Carey Mulligan's hair.

6. What’s your favorite board game?
Settlers of Catan, Runebound, Acquire, good ol' fashioned Clue.

7. Do you know how to play poker?
No. I've tried to learn and I just have zero interest. Blackjack, on the other hand...I KILL at Blackjack. I need to go back to Vegas.

8. What do you think about Old Navy commercials?
In one word, horrifying.

9. What hurts worse- a stubbed toe or a paper cut?
A stubbed toe because it causes serious angry pain - you know what I mean, the kind where you want to curse and scream and punch a kitten? Just me? Moving on...

10. What’s your favorite kind of pie?
I'm not a huge pie person, mostly because I don't like pie crust. I like oreo pie crust and graham cracker crust, though. But I do love pumpkin pie.

Restaurant Rave and Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-10-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

My birthday is this Thursday, the 27th, but I did a little early celebrating this past Saturday. My friend Robin's birthday is on the 25th, so we did a joint shindig with a few close friends and family. The Scientist and I have spent many wonderful nights with Robin and her boyfriend, trying out new restaurants, wine tasting, etc. and we wanted to do something like that for our birthday as well.

Several months ago, I'd heard that the McCracken Tough team were opening a new restaurant in Belltown, The Coterie Room. I love their other spots, Spur Gastropub and Tavern Law, so I knew their newest venture would be a success. Robin and I both agreed it would be a perfect spot for a celebratory dinner.

The Coterie Room is in the old Restaurant Zoe space (another Seattle favorite!). It's been redone inside and is stunning. It's clean and understated, save for the gorgeous chandelier in the middle of the restaurant. The space isn't huge, so it feels cozy and welcoming but without feeling too cramped or feeling like you're intruding on your neighbor's space.

Let's talk about the important part now. The menu. It's broken out into 3 sections: Small plates, entrees, and family style. Every single item on the menu sounds divine (except the crab, of course - I'm deathly allergic). We started by each ordering a small plate and shared them with each other.

Marinated beets with arugula, roasted pistachios, and cottage cheese - I've never met a beet I didn't like, and this dish is no exception. The flavors and textures blended perfectly.

Grilled fennel sausage with creamy polenta - Holy moly, this was so incredible we contemplated getting another plate of it instead of dessert.

Cucumber and baby lettuces with vinaigrette and pine nuts - The dressing was delightful and the greens were so fresh and crispy.

Heirloom baby carrots with coriander butter and olive vinaigrette - The carrots were perfectly cooked. The olive vinaigrette was more like a tapenade. It added a really unique complexity to the dish.

There were several other dishes on the small plates menu that I would love to try - including the sweet onion mac & cheese, and of course the poutine!

For our entrees, we each got something different and shared a few bites. I got the zucchini pasta gratin, The Scientist got the duck confit, Robin got the crab, and Shawn got the cavatelli. Everything was cooked to perfection and there were oooohs and ahhhhs coming out of our mouths constantly.

For dessert, we had their homemade ice creams and sorbet. Robin and Shawn got the coffee ice cream, The Scientist and I got pumpkin ice cream and cranberry sorbet. We shared a French Press (they serve Fonte) and I had a lovely glass of prosecco.

The service was excellent. Our waitress was knowledgeable, helpful, and attentive without being overbearing. She gave us time to enjoy our meal, but was also available to answer any questions and bring us anything we needed. We never felt rushed (we were there for about two hours) and were able to leisurely enjoy our meal and the company.

Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of the food (I know, I know!). I was too busy enjoying it IN MY MOUTH (TWSS). But I plan on going back again soon!

They do a lunch during the week as well as brunch on Saturday and Sunday. I'll definitely be checking that out.

If you're in Seattle, I highly recommend The Coterie Room.

Have you tried any new restaurants lately? What's your favorite restaurant in your city?

Wedding Update

2011-10-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

I haven't talked much about our wedding plans lately, so I thought I'd give all of you an update on how things are going! The wedding is still over 10 months away, but we've hashed out a few key details.

Venue - Check!

Dress - Check!

Guestlist - Check! We're keeping things small. Including us, our officiant (who is a very close friend of ours), and musicians (also 2 very close friends), there are 33 people on the list.

Wedding Party - Check! We're not having one. I've never been a fan of the whole bridesmaid thing.

Flowers - Check! Neither of us cares much about flowers. The venue is so beautiful anyway that we don't really need a whole lot of flowers. Yes, we'll have some. And we're growing them ourselves! We're going to plant seeds next spring and grow them until the wedding. If it doesn't end up working out, we'll just pick 'em off the side of the road or something.

Decorations - Check! We'll be keeping things simple - a few jars/bottles/vases here and there with flowers and candles. Some twinkly lights hung in the trees. Cute handmade garlands or something. It'll all be DIY.

Jewelry - Check (almost)! When my grammie was alive, she wore a jade pendant around her neck. All the time. I can't remember a time when she didn't have it on. I'll be wearing it in the wedding in memory of her. I'll try and find a picture of it. (Don't know about earrings yet, though).

Other than that, there's not a whole lot we can do right now. Our plan is to work on a few things during my Christmas break from school. Here are the things that still need to be figured out:

Invitations - We're going to design our own. We have a couple ideas swimming around and I'll let you know once we finalize the design.

Hair and Makeup - The Scientist's sister might do my makeup. She's a former cosmetics gal (worked at MAC and Origins) and has offered to do it for me. We'll do some practice looks pretty soon to see if I like her makeup style. As for hair, there are a few salons on the island where we're getting married, but good GOD the photos in their portfolios are horrendous. I do not want prom hair circa 1999, thank you very much. I'm shopping around for hairstylists in the Seattle area who will travel up to the wedding site.

Reception - Since the wedding will be small and only family, we're going to have a reception 2 weeks after the wedding that will include all of our friends and extended family who won't be at the wedding. Initially, we talked about having it in my mum's backyard but she lives about an hour south of Seattle. We're looking around for affordable options closer to Seattle. Locals, any ideas?

I'm sure I'm forgetting some details, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head...any suggestions, tips, advice, etc. are welcome! I lack the bride gene, so I may need some help.

Wine Wednesday - Just Breathe

2011-10-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

I'm sure many of you have heard someone say "this wine needs to breathe" when taking a sip or opening a bottle. But what does that mean, and does it really affect the wine enough that the person drinking it would taste a difference?

Letting wine "breathe" means exposing it to oxygen for awhile before you actually drink it, and this concept really only applies to red wine. There are many ways to do this. The easiest way is to let it breathe as you sip it by using a wider wine glass. In general, red wine glasses should be wider, allowing more surface area of the wine to be exposed to oxygen.

Red Wine Glass

White Wine Glass

Another method is to pour the wine through an aerator as you're pouring it into your glass. Aerators come in many shapes, sizes, and prices and you can buy them in pretty much any kitchen store, or kitchen section of Target, World Market, etc.

We have one that's similar to this - you actually insert it into the mouth of the bottle and pour.

My very favorite method of aerating, though, is using a decanter. With a decanter, you pour the entire contents of the bottle into the decanter and let it sit for 15 minutes to half an hour (I've known people to wait an hour, but who the hell wants to wait that long for their wine?!).

We have this one and it's perfect. It's more compact than some decanters (many have really wide bases or odd shapes in general), and it's simple and elegant. It looks beautiful on a nicely set table.

So the real question is, does letting the wine breathe make THAT much of a difference in the taste? Yes and no. I don't decant or aerate every single bottle of red that I drink. If I'm drinking a nicer bottle, then I usually decant it. If we have guests over, I'll decant it. Or even if The Scientist and I are cooking a nice meal together, we'll decant a bottle and slowly drink it over the course of cooking and eating. The Bogle I mentioned in my last Wine Wednesday is a great candidate for the decanter. But other than that, just keep the bottle open (I don't recork after each pour) and it breathes enough on its own that way. Also, I mentioned we have an aerator but I don't think it really works. At least not enough to make a significant difference. It's more just fun to use.

Now on to this week's wine selection! I like to drink Zinfandel (not white zinfandel, that's not even real wine). Zins are really fruity and bold, but also a bit sweeter than most reds. A lot of people describe Zins as "jammy" because of all the fruit flavor. Zinfandel grows really well in Napa, Sonoma, and the Russian River Valley. One of my absolute favorite wineries in that region is Cline Cellars. I started drinking Cline a few years ago when it was recommended to me by the wine gal at my local Cost Plus/World Market. It has now become a staple in our wine rotation! The bottles at World Market run anywhere between $8.99 and $15.99. We usually just stick with the $8.99.

If you're in the Napa/Sonoma area, definitely check out the winery. We went there last summer and loved it. If you want to try their wines, you can find them at World Market, many grocery store chains, and I believe Trader Joe's carries them as well. I personally think their Zinfandel is their best, but they make several other varietals as well - both red and white.

*These opinions are all my own. I'm not being paid to discuss these wines, nor is anyone giving me free wine to review...but I'm definitely not against that!

Dress to Impress

2011-10-04T11:01:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Express for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
I have a pretty eclectic taste in fashion, and as a result I tend to buy my clothes from a whole gaggle of different stores. But one store in particular is my go-to for all things professional. Express.
When I started my first professional job in my early 20s it was the most affordable option for business attire, and I haven't looked back since. Their women's suits come in a wide variety of styles and sizes, which makes it easy to mix and match separates, or find a complete outfit.
The Studio Stretch Jacket is one of my favorites. It's fashionable, yet simple and professional. This jacket would be flattering on most figures and comes in several colors so you can be as bold or as understated as you please.

With colder weather knocking on our doors, the tweed jacket and pants make an excellent addition to any fall wardrobe. These could be paired with a white blouse for a classic look, or with a bright red top to spice things up. No matter which way you wear it, this suit is sure to turn heads.

Not only are these pieces perfectly "suited" for work, they're great for play, too! With so many different styles from which to choose, you can easily transform these pieces from day to night making them incredibly versatile. Not to mention well worth your money!
Tell me, are you a fan of Express? Share your thoughts in the comments and enter the Express sweepstakes for a chance to win a $500 suit makeover from Express!

The Week Ahead

2011-09-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

It's the start of a new week, a big week, and it seems appropriate that the weather has drastically shifted to remind me of what's ahead. It's rainy and gloomy outside and really, truly feels like fall. I guess it's time for me to drastically shift gears, too.

On Saturday, one of my best friends in the entire world is getting married. It will be a very small, family only ceremony so I won't be attending, but we'll be having a girls night/bachelorette-ish party on Tuesday to send her off into married land.

On Wednesday, I start back up at school! I've had over a month off since summer quarter ended and have been downright lazy. I'm SO ready to have some structure back in my life!
Thursday is my mum's birthday. She's out of town this week, but I'm preparing for some fun celebrations next week and finishing up an art project for her that I've been working on for...far too long.

A good friend of ours is celebrating her birthday on Saturday with a Murder Mystery Party. We got invitations in the mail with descriptions of our character and suggestions on how to dress "in character" for the party. We live a block away from a costume/party store so I'm planning my costume this week!

We also have a friend coming in from Portland this weekend, so our weekend days will be packed!

My ankle is healing really well and I'm finally able to do some serious exercising. I've created a pretty vigorous work-out schedule that I started this morning. After being out of commission for 2 months, I have so much motivation! (We'll see how I feel in a few weeks from now...)

The next few weeks will be filled with school, projects, more weddings, birthdays (including my own!)...and before we know it, the holidays will be here. I've always loved this time of year because I'm usually my most productive. I'm hoping to keep that up this year, too.

What are you up to?

Wine Wednesday

2011-09-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

Thank you everyone who commented on last week's inaugural Wine Wednesday post! I also received a few e-mails from readers that I want to address this week.

One question I got was about pairing wines. What wines should be paired with what foods? Well, I'll start by saying there is a general rule that many people follow. Red wine with dark food (red meat, Italian food and anything with a red sauce, rich spicy food, etc.) and white wine with light food (white meat, fish, cream sauces, lighter pasta dishes, etc.).

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say something that I'll likely be saying a lot in these posts: It doesn't matter. DRINK WHAT YOU LIKE. Sometimes I'm really in the mood for a Chardonnay, even with my steak. I love red wine with pretty much any food. I don't like to follow the rules, and you don't have to either.

Another question I got was where to find the best inexpensive wine. You can find decent, inexpensive wine at pretty much any grocery store. But my top three favorite places for good, cheap wine are:

Trader Joe's - Trader Joe's has an incredible selection of wine at all different price points. Many wines are made exclusively for TJ's, while others can be found in a variety of stores. We all know of Two Buck Chuck, also known as Charles Shaw. This wine isn't great, but it's not bad either. And you can't beat the price. The one problem with Chuck, though, is that it's basically made from leftovers of tons of different batches of wine, so every bottle is different. Sometimes you'll get a really crappy bottle, and other times you can get a pretty decent bottle. It's a gamble (but not much of a gamble since it's so damn cheap).

Usually there will be displays on the ends of their aisles of some wine or another. Most of the time these are available in limited quantity, but are priced very reasonably. I always grab one or two of these bottles when I'm in the store. It's a great way to try different wines, and if I don't like it I usually cook with the wine instead of drink it. Same goes with the above mentioned Chuck.

Cost Plus World Market - If you have a Cost Plus in your town, go IMMEDIATELY to the store and sign up for their Explorer Rewards program. You get better prices on wine, plus other items and you get even more coupons than what they send in the mail. The prices on wine here are almost unbeatable and the selection is huge, without being too overwhelming. For 8 or 9 bucks, you can get a great bottle of wine.

QFC - This is a local grocery store chain (sorry for those not in the area) that has excellent prices on wine. They have longstanding relationships with several wine vendors, so they get much better deals when they purchase the wine - and the savings are passed along to you! How nice!

Also, if you're in the military or a dependent, the Class Six usually has the BEST prices on wine. For example, there is a winery called La Crema in Sonoma, CA. Their wines are some of my absolute favorites, but in most stores are around $15-18 per bottle. My mum sees it occasionally at the Class Six for $3.99. WHAT?! Amazing.

Ok, now onto another favorite cheap wine:

BOGLE

I'm not going to talk about a specific varietal from Bogle because they're all good. I've tried all their everyday grocery store priced wines and I love them all. The wines are available at Cost Plus, Trader Joe's and almost every grocery store chain for $8.99 to $11.99. My favorites are the Pinot Noir and the Petite Sirah (not to be confused with Syrah), but the rest are delicious, too.

I know some of you are trying to learn to like red wine. I would highly recommend the Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is generally much lighter and slightly sweeter than most reds. Even when you pour it, you'll likely notice the color isn't nearly as deep as most red wines.

Third

2011-09-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, The Scientist and I celebrated our third anniversary. We didn't make any plans ahead of time, and that's exactly how we wanted it. No pressure. Instead, we spent the day in Seattle doing this:

When we got home later on, we opened a bottle of wine that we purchased last year on our anniversary. It's a fun little tradition that we started last year (but do you know how hard it is to save a bottle of wine for ONE WHOLE YEAR?)

We had a wonderful time celebrating our last anniversary as non-married folk. It's a special day for us, so we've decided we'll continue to celebrate it even after we're married!

Wine Wednesday!

2011-09-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

{image source}

If you know me in person, on Facebook, or on Twitter, it's likely you've learned that I'm a wine lover. For many people wine is an acquired taste, but for me it's been a lifetime love.

My mum is from San Francisco and her immediate family still lives in the Bay Area, very close to the Napa Valley. I grew up in a household that appreciated wine and was allowed sips here and there, as well as my own (small) glass on holidays and special occasions.

As I've gotten older I've become quite interested in viticulture, but let's be honest. The best thing about wine is drinking it!

The other night, I was having a Twitter conversation with Erin, Kate, Mandy, Erin, and Katherine about my love for red wine (and all wine, really). Several of these ladies enjoy wine, but confessed they didn't know much about it and asked me to do a wine series here. I happily obliged!

Every Wednesday, I'm going to talk about a favorite wine or two. And don't you worry...even though I love learning about, talking about, and drinking wine, I am not the type to spend more than $10 a bottle ($12 if I'm feeling a bit crazy). My goal here is to spread the word that you don't have to spend $30 a bottle to enjoy decent wine.

To start, I just want to provide some basic information about wine. When you see names like Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet, etc., that is the "varietal", or type of grape used to make that wine. Each varietal has subtle (and some not so subtle) differences in flavor, and grow best in very specific environments.

For example, Pinot Noir is a pretty delicate grape. It doesn't grow well in hot sun and heat, which is why it grows so well in the California Central Coast region. Sure, there are hot sunny days there, but there is a constant marine layer and fog that keeps the grapes cooler. Other grapes grow much better in hot, dry environments like Napa, or Eastern Washington.

The aging/storage process also contributes greatly to the flavor of wine. Wines are stored in many different types of containers, but most often it's oak or stainless steel. Aging wine in oak gives it a much smokier, earthier flavor, and generally reds are stored in oak. White wine is about half and half. White stored in stainless steel will have a much brighter, fruitier flavor and whites stored in oak will have a richer, buttery flavor (which I personally prefer).

The best way to learn about the nuances of all the different varietals is to experiment and taste everything.

The gals I mentioned above asked me about reds. I don't discriminate when it comes to wine, but generally I gravitate more toward red so that's what I'll be talking about mostly. But I'll throw in my favorite whites for good measure!

The first wine I'll mention is one of my go-tos. My favorite varietal is Syrah (Shiraz is the same thing). It has an earthy, spiciness to it that I absolutely love, with just a hint of sweetness. The first time I tried Silver Lake's Syrah I was very pleasantly surprised. For $8.99 a bottle (sometimes $9.99), it gave me exactly what I always look for in a Syrah. If you're new to drinking reds, and haven't quite acquired a taste for them, you might not like this. I still recommend trying it, though. You might surprise yourself!

If you have any questions about any of the wines or info I discuss here, please let me know! You can e-mail me anytime at seattlestevie@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter or Facebook.

Also, no one is paying me to say these things. These opinions are all my own. No one is giving me free wine, either. I think something needs to be done about that!

Cost

2011-09-07T22:48:00.000-07:00

One cancelled flight = 3 day delay

One flight to Chicago = 4 hours

One flight to NYC = 2 1/2 hours

Cab ride from LaGuardia to Bus Terminal = $35

2 beers and a slice of pizza while waiting for bus = $15

Having no idea where to go inside bus terminal and almost missing bus = Frustrating, annoying, infuriating

Bus ride in the middle of the night from NYC to Boston, with stops in Hartford and Worcester along the way = 4 of the most uncomfortable hours of my entire life, and a drunk guy falling on me

Layover at South Boston bus station at 4 am = 1 hour, $9 for McDonalds breakfast food, frozen butt cheeks from sitting on the concrete floor for an hour

Bus ride from Boston to Portland, Maine, with a stop in Portsmouth, NH along the way = 2 hours

Arriving in Portland after 24+ hours of travel, exhausted and with glazed over eyes, and spending the next 3 days celebrating the marriage of 2 of the most wonderful people in the world = FUCKING PRICELESS

More details (and photos) to come!

Best Laid Plans

2011-08-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

At this moment, The Scientist and I are supposed to be in Brooklyn, NY. Right about now we should be sitting down to eat some amazing jerk chicken here. Our plans for tomorrow included gallivanting around Manhattan before packing up the car and making the drive up to Maine. But none of that is happening.

We're not in New York right now. We're at home. We learned yesterday morning that our scheduled flight for today was canceled. We were able to reschedule our flight for this Thursday (which is incredibly lucky, since most people aren't getting flights until the middle of next week), but we've still continued to call the airline to see if we could get something earlier. We even went to the airport this morning and hung out for a few hours to see if anything opened up. No dice.

Instead, we're enjoying some stay-cation time at home for the next couple of days before our re-scheduled flight. Are we frustrated? Sure. We were looking forward to spending an entire week with The Scientist's sister and soon-to-be husband and that's been cut short. But at least we have a flight that will arrive before their wedding on Saturday. And we'll still have a full 5 days back East. And all other guests and family members are able to attend. And everyone is safe. It could be worse, right?

Have your travel plans ever gone awry?

The Blahs

2011-08-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

I'm currently sitting at my desk, next to an open window that looks out to bright sunshine, blue skies, and green trees. The birds are chirping and the temperature is in the low 70s. All in all a perfect summer day. If this were a normal summer, I'd be floating the day away at the beach, pounding the pavement in my running shoes, or on a long bike ride. But this hasn't been a normal summer, by any means (anyone in Seattle can attest to that).

The weather has been so weird, even now. It's usually in the upper 80s this time of year, not the low 70s. I'm attending school full time this summer. I fucked up my ankle. All of which have put a major damper on summer plans and I've found myself feeling incredibly...blah.

Some of the leaves are already starting to turn and I find myself longing for the warm autumn days and crisp nights, going for long walks with a latte in hand. I'm browsing websites for sweaters and coats, instead of sandals and sundresses.

Basically what I'm saying is that I'm done with summer. I just want it to be done and I want to move on.

School ends next week and I don't go back until the 28th of September. In a week and a half The Scientist and I are leaving for a week to head back East. We're going to New York then driving up to Maine for his sister's wedding. I'm hoping to come back from that trip a bit more rejuvenated than I have been lately so I can enjoy the last few weeks of summer. But for now, I'm going to wallow in the blahs.

How are you feeling this summer?

Peer Pressure

2011-08-10T23:39:00.000-07:00

I remember the first time I started hearing about "peer pressure". I was in sixth grade and was made to believe I would fall victim of this mysterious idea everywhere I turned. Luckily for me, I've pretty much always marched to the beat of my own drum, so peer pressure didn't show up much during my adolescence.

That all changed when I hit my mid-20s. Some friends got married, others landed fantastic jobs with salaries to match. As a result, real estate began became a topic of discussion more frequently. Married friends bought houses, single friends bought condos (some did buy houses), and even though I had a HUGE apartment in the city with a rent that was practically unheard of, I began to feel the pressure.

Shortly before I turned 26, in 2006, I was promoted and earned a decent salary. It seemed like everyone around me was snatching up real estate, so I started looking around. I spoke with a mortgage broker and viewed several condos with a real estate agent. I looked at my finances and realized it would be a bit of a stretch to afford even the smallest of units, but I wanted to move forward anyway. Unfortunately, I wasn't approved for a loan.

I look back on that time now and think THANK GOD. I was laid off a year and a half later, then laid off again later that same year. If I had bought a condo, it's likely I would've had to sell. Or worse, foreclose. I've since been renting.

The rent in my apartment is less than $700 per month. Total. And since I live with The Scientist, we split that. The management in our complex is extremely responsive, efficient, and flexible. If something breaks, it's fixed. If we want to paint a wall or change the light fixtures, it's usually approved. The grounds are maintained beautifully. It's safe. We have an excellent quality of life, and we're saving so much money by renting (which is incredibly important now since we're getting married next year).

Sure, buying is still part of the plan...eventually. But for now, I'm not giving into the pressure. Buying isn't always the best option, especially nowadays. If you're looking for an apartment in your area, consider using an apartment finding service, such as UMoveFree owned by Nick Barber, which helps people find Desoto, TX Apartments.

Do you own or rent? What are the pros and cons of your living situation?

Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair...*

2011-08-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

Even though our wedding is still over a year away, I've been thinking a lot about how I want to do my hair for the wedding. My short pixie cut has grown out a bit and can almost be considered a bob. I don't know if I want to keep on growing it out, or keep it short.

A few things to consider:

I have really thin, really fine hair. No. You don't understand. Unless you have touched my hair, you have no idea how little hair I have. But I am curious to try this.

Although it's thin and fine, it holds curl like no other hair I've seen. I guess the hair gods wanted to make up for the lack of fullness by blessing me with curl-able hair.

I will not be wearing a veil, but love the idea of wearing seasonal, local flowers in my hair. Or some other kind of fun hairpiece (hairpiece? Is that right? For some reason that word makes me think of a toupee...)

If I grow it out, I can wear it up. If I keep it short, I can wear some sassy, messy waves.

I DO NOT want prom hair. I don't want anything overly styled or perfect. I don't really want to worry about my hair all day.

I've been perusing Pinterest and the rest of the internet for inspiration. Here's a small sampling (all images via Pinterest):

Love the loose, messy updo.

I'm toying with the idea of a birdcage. Very vintage.

Beautiful 1920s style. And it would go beautifully with my art deco ring!

Would be lovely with or without the head piece

Carey Mulligan can do no wrong. Love this shorter style.

More 1920s. I love finger waves.

What are some of your favorite hairstyles?

*Quote by Susan Polis Shutz

Cabin Fever

2011-08-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

If we're friends on Facebook or you follow me on Twitter, you're likely well aware that I sprained my ankle last week. And it's bad. Really bad. My foot, ankle and lower leg have turned every color of the rainbow from the bruising and the swelling got to the point where my foot looked straight out of the scene from Harry Potter when Harry turns Mrs. Dursley's sister? (I forget who exactly it was) into a giant balloon.

It was so stupid, really. The Scientist and I were at his sister's rooftop birthday party on Wednesday night. I was wearing a pair of heels that are somewhat comfy, but just a teensy bit too big for me. After the party, we had to trek almost 20 blocks from Belltown to Downtown to catch our bus home. Being on my feet all night combined with the long walk made for some sore feet, so when we got to the bus stop I leaned against the block of newspaper containers and was switching my weight back and forth between my feet to relieve some of the discomfort. Because the shoes are just slightly too big, my left shoe slipped slightly off as I was balancing back onto that foot. I rolled my ankle and FELL DOWN. I was basically standing still, but managed to fall down and sprain my damn ankle. Grace? I do not have it.

But the worst part? I have pretty much been immobile since last Wednesday night (as the Seattle weather has finally turned nice, no less) and I'm going out. of. my. mind. I've been doing a lot of sleeping, watching A LOT of Dr. Who, and finding myself completely drawn in my Mad Men. It's been in my Netflix queue for ages, but I just discovered that it's on instant now! My eyes have pretty much glazed over from all the TV watching.

My mum brought crutches over for me yesterday morning, so I was finally able to get out of the house. What a relief that was! All we did was go to Trader Joe's and then grab a quick bite to eat, but it felt so good to be out in the fresh air.

Here's some photographic evidence of the damage I caused myself (apologies for the fuzzy phone pictures):

On the bus ride home. The swelling started almost instantly.

Swelling and bruising on the inner ankle

Balloon foot!

Discoloration spanning most of my lower leg as a result of constant elevation (also, can't get U2's Elevation out of my head)

I missed class last Thursday, but am able to make up the work. I'll be back at school tomorrow. Thankfully my instructors have been very understanding and I'm hopeful that this injury won't get in the way of my academic goal for the summer.

Have you ever sprained your ankle? What do you do to cure cabin fever?

Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Premium Rum!

2011-07-26T12:45:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Diageo for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

As many of you know, the Pacific Northwest is having quite the dreary summer. The continual not-so-sunny days have me dreaming of escaping to an exotic, tropical, Caribbean destination where I can lounge on the beach and sip mojitos.
In order to make a quality mojito, you must start with quality rum. Most rum is made with sugar cane and molasses (a by-product of the sugar making process), but the rum made by Zacapa goes above and beyond typical rum making.
To start, the sugar cane used in all of Zacapa's rums, including the Zacapa premium rum premium dark rum and aged rum, is grown in the immensely fertile environment of Western Guatemala. The acidic soil and extended periods of bright sun make this landscape perfect for growing and cultivating sugar cane.
Next, instead of using molasses as the base, Zacapa uses what is called "virgin sugar cane honey". It is the highly concentrated contents from the first press of the sugar cane.
The ageing process of Zacapa rums is also unique. The rum is stored in large casks that have previously been used to age whiskey, wine and sherry. This process gives Zacapa rums a distinct flavor that is matched by no one. The casks are placed in the "House Above the Clouds", which is one of the world's highest ageing facilities. The altitude and mountain air provide an environment which slows the ageing process, bringing about a rich, smooth flavor to all the rums.
I don't know about you, but all this talk about rum has me longing for that mojito even more...
To learn more about Zacapa rums, become a member of the Zacapa Society today. Members receive the latest news about Zacapa rums as well as membership rewards!

Plus/Minus

2011-07-18T23:39:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the last day of house and dog sitting for the past week. I do this for these friends a few times a year, and it always starts out great, but ends up being a bit exhausting. House and pet sitting has its perks, and yet those perks come with quite a few negatives:

Plus - Staying in a house that's 4 times the size of our apartment
Minus - 4 times the space in which dogs can pee without me finding it

Plus - A fridge, pantry and liquor cabinet that gets fully stocked in preparation for my arrival
Minus - Sticking to my goals has been extremely difficult

Plus - Cable TV! Access to all those trashy shows I don't get to watch on a regular basis
Minus - Cable TV! Access to all those trashy shows I don't get to watch on a regular basis

Plus - Free laundry
Minus - Only one load at a time

Plus - Having a car for a week
Minus - Dealing with having a car for a week. Parking lots? Traffic? Not to mention the worry of driving someone else's car...

Plus - Caring for some cute pups
Minus - Feeling like I'm cheating on my kitties

Plus - A super comfy bed
Minus - Sleeping alone

I'm more than happy to help out my dear friends. One of the dogs has some special needs, which makes it either impossible or ridiculously expensive to board her. Their house is right up the road from us, so it's pretty convenient for me to go back and forth, but I always feel like I'm living a double life when I'm sitting. It'll be a relief when they come home tomorrow night!

Portland, Pets and Potter

2011-07-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we headed down to Portlandia for a couple days of fun in the sun. And food. Saturday morning began with beers. Day drinking, FTW!

After a couple beers, we took the Max across town to the Goose Hollow Inn, home of the "World's Best Reuben". Hoo boy, they're not kidding. This sandwich was to die for. So much so that I forgot to take a picture. We sat in the sun on the patio, scarfing down our Reubens and freaking out when Pippa Middleton sat right next to us. I swear it was her. But again, too busy stuffing my face to get a picture.

The rest of the day was spent frolicking in the sun, consuming plenty more beer, and of course, noshing.

Sunday included, surprise, surprise, more food. We ate brunch at a FABULOUS bakery/cafe, Petit Provence. The food, coffee and pastries were all incredible. Including my Eggs Benedict served on a croissant, with a side of potatoes and butternut squash.

After brunch we headed toward the lion's den, aka Jeld-Wen Field, proudly donning our Sounders gear, for the Sounders/Timbers match. We got heckled, we got yelled at, we had crazed Timbers fans screaming that we smelled like fish. It was awesome. Especially since we won.

My college roommate and her husband joined us for the match. Even though they're Timbers fans, we managed not to throw any punches.

This weekend will be much quieter, as I'm house/dog sitting for a friend. It's just as well, though, since last weekend wore me out! I'm staying at their house, which is just up the road, and indulging in cable TV and bubble baths as much as possible.

Last but not least, tonight brings the end of an era. The Scientist and I are going to see the final installment of Harry Potter. I have completely mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I can't WAIT to see it. I loved the ending of the book, the trailers I've seen are OMG AMAZING, and those who saw midnight showings last night said it was mind blowing. But on the other hand, I have an overwhelming sense of sadness that it's all coming to an end. The Scientist and I have been watching all the previous movies as we've been leading up to the finale, and each movie brings with it more tears. I'm going to be a disaster tonight. I've loved this series since the beginning. I've seen the movies multiple times and could read the books over and over. I think the story of Harry Potter will go down in history as one of the greatest ever told.

What's everyone up to this weekend? Are you a Harry Potter fan?

Portland or Bust!

2011-07-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

This weekend, The Scientist and I are headed down to Portland for a little weekend fun. We have several friends down there who we'll be visiting. It's been awhile since I've been to Portland and I'm really looking forward to it.

We'll be going here

And DEFINITELY here

There will be a lot of this

and this

On Sunday, we will be watching THIS (go Sounders!)

I'll also be meeting up with this lovely lady!

What are you up to this weekend? Have you ever been to Portland? What's your favorite thing to do/see there?

Summer Goals

2011-07-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

Confession: I'm not ~~much of~~ a goal setter. Sure, I have those big life goals like "get married" or "travel" but for whatever reason I've just never been one of those who creates a list of specific, defined goals to which I look for inspiration and motivation.

I have often thought this non-goal setting characteristic is directly related to the fact that I can't sit still, am constantly changing directions, and don't want to be "tied down" in all aspects of my life, but as I get older I've realized that it's more a result of fear - fear of failing, fear of being unsatisfied even after I've achieved said goal. But you know what? I'm almost 31 years old and if I want to live the kind of life that makes me happy, I need to tackle those fears head on and start working, actively, toward what I want.

With that in mind, I have a few summertime goals that I want to "put in writing", so I figured I'd post on them here so you all can help keep me accountable.

Get a 4.0 this quarter. I got a 4.0 my first quarter back at school, but I slacked off a bit winter and spring quarters (plus, group project from hell). This will be a challenge, especially as I look outside at the sunshine and 80 degree weather, but I know I can do it.

Lose 20 pounds before The Scientist's sister's wedding. She is getting married Labor Day weekend, which gives me 8 1/2 weeks. That means almost 2.5 pounds per week. I've been running regularly for the past two weeks and I'm already seeing results. I plan to continue with my current running schedule, plus plenty of bike rides and lots of swimming at the beach.

Cut out alcohol during the week. This one I'm going to stick to, but somewhat loosely. It is summer after all and nothing beats cold drinks on a patio when the sun is shining! But I really need to keep the weekday drinking to a minimum, especially if I want to achieve the previously mentioned goals.

Do at least 2 new (to me) hikes. There are an almost infinite number of hikes 'round these parts, but I always seem to do the same 4 or 5 every year. I want to branch out explore some new trails. Who wants to join me? (Nikki, I'm lookin' at you)

It's a short list, but I wanted to start small and slowly work on expanding it. I have some more long term goals I'd like to work toward, so I'm going to put a list together. I'm thinking a 35 before 35 list, and perhaps even a Before I Get Married list.

Are you a goal setter? What are some of your short-term or long-term goals?

Weddings and Wishes

2011-06-29T17:12:00.000-07:00

Since I got engaged, my eyes have been opened to a whole new world (cue Aladdin soundtrack) that I had no idea existed. Sure, I've been to wedding expos and bridal boutiques, and I've definitely flipped through my fair share of wedding magazines in the past, but now that I'm actually getting married, it's like I've been given a key to some secret underground society or something. I get e-mails about sample sales, trunk shows, and even meetups with other local brides.

Frankly, I have zero interest in most of that stuff. I think the wedding industry is (for the most part) a complete racket in which I don't really care to participate. But one of my favorite things about Seattle is that the community cares about great causes and does an incredible job of supporting those causes.

Get Hitched, Give Hope is one of those causes. GHGH is an organization that grants wishes to people with terminal illnesses. Money is raised by auctioning a huge array of wedding goods & services, donated by local vendors. In an industry that generally seems to be all about making money, it is incredibly refreshing to see that's not always the case. Knowing that so many local wedding vendors are giving back to our community warms my heart!

GHGH puts on a large event each year that allows local brides-to-be to bid on their favorite wedding items. The event is held at the Four Seasons in Seattle, and this year the charities that are being supported are The Dream Foundation and the Young Survival Coalition of Seattle. All proceeds from the event will go toward these organizations.

The event this year is on October 27th (which also happens to be my birthday!) and I'm thrilled about it. It looks like such a beautiful, classy, elegant evening and it's all for a good cause.

The goal this year is to raise $75,000 to grant wishes to patients, so if you're planning a wedding in the Seattle area, check out the GHGH website. Tickets went on sale this week and you can also find donor and volunteer information there. Or follow GHGH on Twitter.

All photos by La Vie Photography

Ten on Tuesday - Random Smattering

2011-06-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Time again for Ten on Tuesday! Hosted by Chelsea.

1. What’s the recipe for your favorite drink? (Smoothie, alchoholic, coffee, whatever.)
I love a dirty martini. Splash of dry vermouth, lots (that's the actual measurement) of vodka - for everyday I like Skyy or Smirnoff, for when I'm feelin' fancy, Chopin all the way, enough olive juice to cloud it up a little. Shake and pour. Add lots of olives.

2. What kind of razor do you use?
Gilette Sensor for men. I hate women's razors. They just don't cut it. Ha! I'm hilarious. Get it?

3. Who is your favorite Sesame Street character?
When I was a kid I loved Grover, and those cute little bugs living in Bert and Ernie's house. I think they were the Twiddle Bugs or something? So cute.

4. What makes the perfect salad? (Lettuce type, toppings, dressing, etc.)
Lots of different mixed greens - spinach, red leaf lettuce, arugula, radicchio, etc., walnuts or almonds, dried cranberries, cherries, or any kind of berry, goat cheese crumbles, avocado, olive oil and a splash of white balsamic. I also love any kind of beet salad.

5. What was your favorite subject in school?
The sciences, especially biology, and music...ok, yeah, BAND. I was a band nerd. What of it?

6. What’s your favorite summer tradition?
Spending endless hours at the beach, or hiking up to a mountain lake and jumping in. I guess those are more activities than traditions, but I do them every year.

7. Do you suffer from season allergies? How do you combat them?
Mostly from grasses, scotch broom and the goddamn cottonwood that's been snowing all over the place the past couple weeks. I take Benadryl at night (I'm totally non-functional on it, so I can't take it during the day), and I also use a sodium nasal spray during the day. They haven't been as bad in recent years, so I've been somewhat ok without any regular medication.

8. How often do you have to charge your cell phone?
I charge it every night. When I'm out and about and using it constantly, the battery drains pretty quickly, but I usually have my charger with me at all times so it's not a problem.

9. Do you have a bucket list?
That's not what I call it, but I definitely have those "I've always wanted to..." items. Guess I should write them all down and make it official.

10. Do you have any desire to go back to school?
Sure do! That's why I went back last fall after being away for about 10 years. My direction has drastically changed since I started in September, and I'm really excited about it. I haven't talked much about it yet...guess that should be a future post!

Wine and Love - Summer Solstice Edition

2011-06-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

It's time again for Wine and Love, hosted by Nora!

What's Driving Me to Drink This Week:

I got my grades back for this past quarter. I didn't do nearly as well as I would've liked, but it's totally my fault. I did really well in two of my classes, but the other one not so much. I really disliked the class and the instructor, and as a result I just didn't put in my best effort.

I am feeling rather lazy right now. I had all kinds of plans to do fun things before summer quarter starts up in a week and a half, but instead I've been wasting time on the internet and just generally being a bum.

Cat vomit. Enough said.

What I LOVE This Week

The first day of summer actually felt like...well, summer! It was a gorgeous day in Seattle - it got up in the 80s in some areas. The Scientist and I spent the afternoon/evening at a rooftop bar in Seattle soaking up as much vitamin D as possible. It was perfection.

This weekend we have a friend's barbecue in Greenwood and another friend's birthday party in West Seattle. They should both be a blast. Let's hope for good weather!

Despite the above mentioned laziness, it's been wonderful being on a brief summer break.

I had a great run this afternoon. I pushed myself and I felt really good.

Getaway

2011-06-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, The Scientist and I took a mini-vacation up to Whidbey Island, which is located in Puget Sound about an hour north of Seattle (it's also the longest island in the United States - just some random trivia for ya). It was a fantastic getaway. We didn't really do much, except overindulge in food, drink, and relaxation.

But before we got to Whidbey, we decided to head up to Orcas Island, which is one of the San Juan Islands. We were up there last summer with my family, including my uncle and aunt who own the ranch in California where we've thought about getting married. That idea has been nixed, however, because we've decided to have our wedding up on Orcas. Since most of our family is up this way, we figured we would stay in Washington but still have sort of a destination type wedding up on the island. The wedding will be small - family only. Our list includes 28 people.

So we decided to look at a couple venues on Friday before heading to our final destination on Whidbey. I've been e-mailing with a few places on the island, but after visiting them on Friday we're pretty sure we've made a decision.

INN AT SHIP BAY
The Inn at Ship Bay is located in Eastsound, which is the main town on the island. It sits on a bluff overlooking the water. The inn is a working farm with huge gardens, plum and pear trees. They also raise their own meat animals. The food from the restaurant is made with fresh ingredients from their gardens, along with other farms throughout the island.

Ceremony site. The arbor can be decorated any way you'd like.

Part of the grounds, just outside the reception hall. A tent can be put up on the lawn for the reception.

Another view of the grounds. You can barely see the arbor on the left side, under the giant evergreen tree.

The plan is to have everyone up on the island for a few days either before or after the wedding so we can just spend time together doing fun things like hiking, kayaking, swimming, shopping, relaxing. And eating, of course.

We got to Whidbey around 7:30 pm, so we checked in and went straight to the dining room for dinner. The inn where we stayed is right on Penn Cove, famous for its mussels and oysters (and the site of an episode of Dirty Jobs!) so we ordered piles of 'em. After dinner we retired to our room and fell asleep before 11.

The view from our room

The next morning we indulged in pastries, fruit and coffee as part of the complementary continental breakfast the inn offers then headed out to explore. It was pretty drizzly for most of the morning, so we just bummed around Langley - a darling waterfront town with cute shops, restaurants and art galleries. We did a wine tasting at a local wine shop, restocked our wine collection with all the wine we bought, ate more pastries at a local bakery, had lunch at a great little cafe, and perused a gem gallery where The Scientist bought a Mosasaur tooth fossil. Seriously.

I'm also hoping that it's not too late to return the wedding dress I bought last week, because I found these two beauties at the local thrift store:

I can't decide which one I like better. Maybe I should've bought both of them.

The rest of the day consisted of more eating (pie, cheese...), more drinking (another wine tasting, drinks at the hotel bar), more eating (oysters, salmon), more drinking (wine with dinner), more eating (chocolate mousse in bed), and more drinking (prosecco in bed).

I did manage to capture the sunset from Saturday night:

What did you do this weekend?

Ten on Tuesday - Mish Mash

2011-06-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

Great questions this week for Ten on Tuesday! Questions this week were provided by Lisa.

1. How do you pronounce the word aunt? Does your pronunciation rhyme with ‘haunt’ or ‘can’t'?
I say it like "can't". Actually, I usually say auntie, as in ant-ee

2. Do most of the people in your life know you blog? Or are you partially or totally anonymous?
Most people know I blog, but most of my readers aren't people I know (although, some of them have turned into IRL friends! Yay!). I started blogging as a way to connect with other bloggers I read on a regular basis. It's been a wonderful experience being part of such a great community.

3. When you grocery shop, do you prefer to bag your own groceries or do you like it when the store bags them for you? Paper, plastic, or reusable bags?
At Trader Joe's, I usually help them bag because they don't usually have baggers. At the regular grocery store, I usually let them do it. But if it's busy and there isn't a bagger, I'll help out. I always bring my resusable bags with me! S

4. Do you have a green thumb?
Yep! I love to garden and maintain plants. I have a jungle of indoor house plants in our apartment, and we have a small front porch with some plants. I'm growing some container zucchini this year, too. I'd love to have space someday for an actual garden, both edible and non.

5. If you watch the Food Network, which chef/show host is your favorite?
Alton Brown. I have a massive crush on both him and his cooking.

6. Do you like to take baths? Do you take them very often?
I LOVE taking baths. But we don't have a bathtub! Just a stall shower. My old apartment had a HUGE tub. It was really long and really deep, and we had endless hot water in that building. I took a bath almost every day. Oh, how I miss that. Now, any chance I get I take a bath!

7. What color are the walls in your kitchen?
Just plain old white. I don't think we're allowed to paint in our apartment, but our kitchen is so small anyway it wouldn't make much of a difference.

8. Do you prefer to dine outdoors or indoors?
Outdoors on a warm, breezy summer evening. Or if there are enough heaters to keep me warm. But in the winter, I do love holing up in a cozy pub or bistro with a fireplace and candles on the table.

9. Describe your ideal weather.
85 degrees, slightly humid, a bit of a breeze. Perfection.

10. If you could learn any foreign language, which would you choose to learn?
I love Spanish. It's incredibly useful, but also so beautiful. Norwegian or Swedish would be cool, too. A dear friend of mine speaks Norwegian quite well (she lived there for a year) and I LOVE listening to her speak it!

YES!

2011-06-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned last week, I went wedding dress shopping this weekend! The plan for the day was to have fun, try on ridiculously priced gowns, and drink champagne with some of my favorite people. I went in with zero expectations.

Our first stop was La Belle Elaine's. I was impressed by this boutique from the very beginning. The women at the front counter were friendly and cheerful, and even though it is a fairly upscale bridal salon, I never got a snobby impression from anyone.

The gal who took care of us was named Krista, and she was super cool. She listened closely to my ideas and offered helpful tips and advice as well. I tried on the most number of dresses here, probably around 15. We weren't allowed to take photos, but my sister-in-law managed to sneak a few.

This was one of my favorites that I tried on:

You can't really see the detail, but there is some beading on the top that sort of cascades down over the sash, and the bottom is chantilly lace. It was light as a feather. Generally I stay away from strapless anything, but this was actually quite flattering. The price tag, though? $3300 (I knew this going in, though, so I didn't get attached to anything I tried on).

This was very similar to the other one, but the v-neck looked much better on me. This was around $1500, I think.

After trying on dresses at Elaine's, we went to Purple for lunch and champagne. Between the four of us, we polished off a couple bottles of Prosecco and some wine (and lots of cheese, of course). Our next stop would be Marcella's.

Marcella's is pretty much known for being snobby. Their dresses START at $4000 and they're the only boutique in the city that carries Vera Wang. Luckily, the experience was quite pleasant (not as enjoyable as Elaine's, but still fun). I tried on two incredible Vera Wang gowns, one Monique Lhuillier, and a couple others. They were all stunning. I love to sew and seeing the incredible craftsmanship that goes into these gowns is mind boggling.

At one point, my sister-in-law requested that the sales gal bring out the biggest, poofiest dress they carry. We had to have a Sex and the City ugly dress moment! I'm not kidding, I could hardly even walk forward in this dress because there was so much fabric. And sitting down? I tried to sit in a chair, but was elevated above it because there was so much poof. SO not my style, but oh my god it was so fun to try it on!

Our third and final stop was the new Nordstrom Bridal Suite. This was probably my favorite part of the day. I had spoken with my consultant, Nanette, the day before to answer some questions about what I was looking for. When we met in person, she was SO sweet and absolutely adorable! She was incredibly helpful and not at all pushy.

All over the fitting area are racks and shelves with TONS of accessories and shoes, and everyone is encouraged to try things on. So of course my "entourage" decided to try on some fabulous head pieces while I was behind the curtain. The whole experience at Nordstrom felt so relaxed and fun. I tried on 6 or 7 gowns here including these:

This was a stunning Nicole Miller gown with a really cool brocade fabric. It was super sexy, but also over $1000.

This is BCBG. It is one of my favorites from the whole day. It was really flattering and incredibly soft and comfortable. The price? Only $179.

The last dress I tried on was this beautiful Calvin Klein gown.

You can't see in the picture, but the whole dress has quite a bit of texture and teeny tiny sequins, and the top has some really cool mesh layers. It is also light and breezy, super soft, and feels more like a nightgown than a wedding dress.

It is now hanging in my mum's closet.

Makeup Mayhem!

2011-06-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned a few times before on this blog, I LOVE makeup. I could spend hours perusing the cosmetics aisle at the store, browsing the millions of brands at Sephora, and the make-up counters at department stores make me almost as happy as Disneyland (which is saying a LOT, trust me).

In general, I tend to stick mostly with drug store brands because I can get decent quality makeup at a price point that fits my broke student budget. CoverGirl is no exception. They have a wide range of product lines for every age, skin color and skin type, all at incredibly reasonable prices.

On my recent trip to Fred Meyer, I picked up several different products to test out. Some I'd used before, others were new to me.

First up:

MASCARA

I can be pretty picky when it comes to mascara. I have really long and fairly thick lashes that easily clump when applying mascara. I decided to try out the LashExact line. I picked up the waterproof version in very black.

The verdict: 3 out of 5. I love the way the brush works to separate each of the lashes, but I don't feel like I get enough product on my lashes. I also don't typically use waterproof mascara, but I wanted some for the summertime since I spend an obscene amount of time in the water. Unfortunately, the stuff just doesn't come off, even with makeup remover. Since I've been using it, I have felt a bit racoon-ish. I think I'll try the non-waterproof next time.

EYE SHADOW

I love eye shadow of all kinds, especially those that last the whole day without creasing. The eye enhancers shadow is advertised to do just that. I recently ran out of a silvery color that I loved, so I went for the Platina shade. It's a shimmery blue-ish silver. In some light it looks more blue, in other light it has a more gray to silver hue.

The verdict: 4 out of 5. I love the color and the slight shimmer. It lasted most of the day without creasing, but I felt like the color faded toward the end of the day. I may just have to apply more, use an eye primer, or maybe even try it wet (this is one of my favorite makeup tricks - applying eye shadow wet gives a totally different effect!). But overall I really like it.

EYELINER

I wear black or dark brown liquid eyeliner almost every day. I love the look of it, but sometimes it can be too harsh. I wanted to find a decent non-liquid eyeliner to change things up a bit. I chose the Exact Eyelights Eye Brightening Eyeliner. I have brown eyes so I chose the vibrant pearl, which is actually, uh, just black. Black pearl, I guess? I'm actually a bit confused on this.

The verdict: 4 out of 5. Except for the aforementioned color confusion, I really like this liner. It's a self-sharpening pencil with more of a gel texture. It glides on smoothly and the color lasted most of the day. It also blends really nicely if you want to go for more of a smoky look.

LIP GLOSS

I'm absolutely obsessed with lip gloss. I think I've reached official hoarder status with the amount of lip gloss I own. I've used quite a few of CoverGirl's lip products before, but had yet to try the Wetslicks line. This line of gloss promises the shine of a gloss, but without the gooey and sticky feeling that many glosses can have. The color I chose is actually part of the Wetslicks Crystals line - it's the same as Wetslicks, but with lots of shimmer. I selected Candy Bonbon.

The verdict: 5 out of 5. I LOVE this stuff. It goes on so smoothly and the color is gorgeous! By itself, it's a little lighter than I expected, but I like it because it makes my skin look darker and more tan. I also tried it over a darker pinkish red lipstick and that combo was great, too. Plus, it has a delicious vanilla scent!

All in all, I think these products are great and would definitely recommend them. What are some of your favorite makeup products?

Thank you to Kroger and CoverGirl for sponsoring this review. While CoverGirl provided me with a $30 gift card to purchase CoverGirl products at Kroger stores, the opinions I've expressed here are solely my own, represent my honest viewpoint, and not that of CoverGirl, Kroger, or Proctor & Gamble. I am making no claims about the products, just expressing my thoughtful opinion. Clever Girls Collective supports Blog With Integrity.

Silence

2011-06-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone! I haven't been posting much lately because A) I'm in the midst of finals and B) I'm boring right now and am feeling completely uninspired to post anything worthwhile. But once I'm done with school (next Wednesday can't come soon enough!) I'm going to try to get into a more regular posting schedule.

A couple things to look forward to:

I'm going wedding dress shopping this weekend! Even though I don't plan on wearing (or spending the money on) a fancy dress, I wanted to have the experience of trying on gorgeous gowns, sipping champagne, and being waited on like a princess. I'll definitely be posting pictures.

The Scientist and I are taking a couple days next week, once finals are over, to head up to Whidbey Island. It's one of my favorite getaway spots and I can't wait to relax and do nothing. I'll post pictures from our trip up there, too.

What are all of you up to these days?

Ten on Tuesday - Summer Edition!

2011-05-31T11:50:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone! I hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend. I know I did. I spent the last 3 days eating too much food, drinking too much wine, and being generally lazy. Todays' Ten on Tuesday questions are from Akirah. If you want to play along, link up on Chelsea's blog!

1. From your childhood, what do you miss most about summer vacation?
Definitely having zero responsibility to anyone or anything and spending the entire day with my friends at the beach swimming and soaking up the sun.

2. Are you going anywhere on vacation this summer?
At the end of August through Labor Day we're going to New York then up to Maine. The Scientist's sister lives in Brooklyn, so we're flying into JFK then driving up to Maine to see her get married!

3. What foods do you like to barbecue?
What foods don't I like to barbecue? I love firing up the grill and throwing on burgers, flank steak, salmon, veggies, brats, ribs....anything really.

4. How do you celebrate the fourth of July?
For many years we've gone camping out on the coast with some of our family friends. This year, the whole crew is changing things up and we're going to Lake Wenatchee instead of the beach. It's at the base of the mountains and looks like this:

5. What’s your favorite beverage to drink in the summertime?
Non-alcoholic: Strong, iced tea with lemon. Alcoholic: Ice cold beer, white wine, gin & tonics

6. What movie are you looking forward to seeing this summer?
HARRY POTTER OH MY GOD.

7. In the car: windows down or AC?
I don't have a car, but I used to love to roll the windows down and open the sunroof. But when it's over 85 degrees, generally I like the AC.

8. Have you ever had a summer fling?
Yep! I met a guy at the beach during the summer of '08. We had fun together, but that was about it. It wouldn't have lasted very long, and besides...I met The Scientist in September of that year and never looked back :-)

9. Do you wear sunscreen?
YES. Always have, always will. I wear 30 on my face, every day, year round. At the beginning of the summer, I usually start with 30 or 45 until I get a nice base, then switch to 15. Skin cancer runs in my family so I'm extremely diligent about wearing sunscreen.

10. Do you have any favorite summertime activities?
Hiking, camping, going to the beach, swimming, boating, patio drinking, barbecuing...I love summer!

Three

2011-05-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

It's a 3 day weekend, y'all! Memorial Day Weekend is always one of my favorites of the entire year. Regardless of the weather or whether I have plans or not, to me it signifies the beginning of summer. Here's what I have planned for this year:

WINE

The Eagle Harbor Wine Company is throwing a Spring Release party, so The Scientist and I are hopping the ferry and heading over along with some friends to join the fun.

NORTHWEST FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL

The Folklife Festival is one of the biggest and best of Seattle's festivals. It's basically the beginning of what I call Eating Season. There is so much incredible food, live music, and handmade goods by local crafters. This year marks the 40th year! Anyone in Seattle going? I'll be there on Sunday stuffing my face.

BBQ

On Monday, The Scientist and I are heading down to my mum's house, along with his family and my brother and sister-in-law for some serious barbecue. Also, my mum was in California for my aunt's retirement party when the proposal happened, so she hasn't had a chance to hear the whole story in person! We'll be stuffing our faces again (a common theme in our family) and doing some wedding planning/discussing. It should be a great time bringing our families together.

What are your plans for the weekend? Do you have any Memorial Day traditions?

The Basics

2011-05-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

Now that The Scientist and I are engaged (engaged! I still surprise myself every time I look at my left hand), it's time for the fun part. Planning the wedding! We haven't really sat down yet to talk about the specifics, but we've definitely been throwing ideas out there (even before we were engaged).

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

We want a small, intimate wedding with just close friends and family. One idea we've had is to have a destination wedding at my Uncle and Aunt's ranch, which is just east of Napa/Sonoma. They've had plenty of parties at their house, and it would be ideal for a small wedding.

Taken this past Sunday at my Aunt's retirement party

THE DRESS!

I do not want a typical wedding dress. I want something comfortable and casual, but feminine. I'd like something with a vintage-y look to it, and have been drawn to shorter, shift style dresses (I even saw one at TJ Maxx for $40).

I wouldn't mind a long maxi dress, either.

HONEYMOON

We likely won't register for gifts, since we already have everything we need. Instead, we might use a travel registry site to register for portions of our honeymoon. Our top pick for a destination is Costa Rica.

Other than that, we haven't a clue! We both want to be equally involved in the planning process so our wedding day is equally special to both of us. Honestly, we both don't care all that much about the details. We just want to celebrate with each other and the people we love.

However, any advice, tips, recommendations, etc. are gladly welcomed! Is there anything we need to know right off the bat? What was your favorite part of the wedding planning process?

Ten on Tuesday - Mix it Up

2011-05-23T22:54:00.000-07:00

First of all, thank you SO much for all of your congratulations on yesterday's post! You are all so sweet and it means the world to me. This is an exciting time for The Scientist and me! And now, let's begin today's Ten on Tuesday program.

I am in love with this week's questions. They're so random and so fun! Head on over to Chelsea's blog to link up!

1. Have you ever used Craigslist?
All the damn time. I've gotten jobs, furniture and dates from Craigslist, along with lots of cold hard cash for selling my own stuff. My favorite piece of furniture in our apartment right now is a buffet/sideboard. It's in perfect condition and we got it on Craigslist for $15. AWESOME.

2. Can you sew?
Yes, but sadly I don't sew as often as I would like. We have a tiny apartment so the sewing machine stays in the closet. It's a bit of a pain to haul it out so it's not really worth it right now to start any major projects. But I used to sew constantly, and will pick it up again when we eventually move to a bigger place.

3. Do you pour syrup on your pancakes or dip your pancakes in the syrup?
When I was younger I would would dip, but now I pour. I prefer savory breakfast foods, but on the rare occasion that I want pancakes, BRING ON THE SYRUP.

4. Rain storms: Love them or hate them?
Even though it rains here pretty regularly, I still appreciate a real storm. Downpour, monsoon style rain is so cool.

5. Do you like swimming?
Pretty sure I was an aquatic creature in a past life. I love to swim. I crave time in the water all the time. In the summertime, in my free time, you will always find me frolicking in the water Ariel style.

6. What kind of drink do you order at Sonic?
I don't. We don't have them here. Apparently the Cherry Limeade is the drink to order, but I would likely order regular ol' iced tea.

7. Are you funny?
*funny response*

8. At what age will your kids get cell phones?I don't even know how to answer this question.

9. What’s your favorite vegetable?
No question about that one. Runners up include asparagus, broccoli, spinach, swiss chard and all other vegetables.

10. Were you a Girl Scout?
Technically I was, but we were basically the delinquent troop where I grew up. Our moms didn't particularly like going to official Girl Scout camps, so instead we went to a beach cabin owned by the family of our troop members. We spent our days on the tide flats and our nights by the campfire and giggling over boys in our tents. The moms spent their days on the huge deck drinking wine and their nights inside drinking wine. Those are some of the best memories from my childhood.

Surprise!

2011-05-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned the other day, Saturday was The Scientist's birthday. What I didn't mention was that I planned a huge surprise party for him! I didn't want to mention it here on the blog, because even though he doesn't read it regularly, he knows it exists and reads it here and there.

So. The surprise. I began planning in early April. I sent out an evite to all of our closest friends in family, including several out-of-towners. The Scientist hasn't celebrated his birthday in a big way since college, so everyone was super excited for the party. There were several times during these weeks when I almost let it slip, but I managed to keep everything hush hush, and felt pretty proud of myself for planning such a big surprise.

The party was held at Pintxo in Seattle, and it's owned by my friend Amanda's boyfriend. The back patio was reserved for the party, and it was the perfect atmosphere for the evening.

We arrived around 7, after sending and receiving several hundred texts from our friends that everyone had arrived and was in surprise position. We walked into the restaurant and Amanda let us know that our table was ready in the back (I brought The Scientist there under the guise that I was just taking him out to dinner).

What happened next was so incredibly mind-blowing, I'm still in shock. As we walked onto the patio, I could see the faces of all our friends and family. Everyone yelled "SURPRISE!" and I was so overwhelmed with emotion and joy of being able to put together this party. But then, The Scientist said "And I have a surprise for all of you!"

The Scientist pulled a ring out of his pocket, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. And apparently he DID know about the surprise party, but didn't let me in on that fact. So here I am, thinking I'm soooooo slick for surprising him and he turns it around and surprises me and everyone else there!

The rest of the evening was spent laughing, eating and drinking with all of our favorite people. Amanda took amazing care of all of us throughout the night. Seriously, if you're in Seattle, hit up Pintxo. You will not be disappointed.

Right after the proposal went down

My future sister-in-law!

My future mother-in-law and aunt-in-law!

The Scientist's periodic table element cake! Suzanne did an incredible job!

Something's funny...

The ring!

Fun story about the ring: we were actually together when he bought it. He bought it in early December when we were out Christmas shopping. It came from my favorite antique store in Seattle, Pike Place Antiques. I always told him I loved the estate jewelry in there, and every time we're at the market he would indulge my need to drool over the gorgeous jewelry. In December, he suggested we go in and at first I didn't really want to, but changed my mind. There was a ring in one of the cases that I'd seen before and loved and I pointed it out to The Scientist this time around. He asked the lady if we could take it out to get a closer look. I tried it on, but figured that was it. The Scientist had something else in mind, though. He took it up to the register and bought it right there. It's over 100 years old, from the Edwardian Era. The stone is a diamond and it's white gold with gorgeous filigree on the sides. It is gorgeous and fits perfectly!

After the ring was purchased, he hid it and told me the proposal itself would be a surprise and I would never know when it was going to happen. It was most definitely the best surprise of my life.

We stayed over night in the city and joined some friends for brunch this morning. Afterward we did a little shopping downtown and had coffee. We were grinning ear to ear the whole time. It has been such a fantastic weekend and we're SO excited to enter into this next phase of our lives together!

Wine and Love - A Week of Awesomeness

2011-05-19T02:00:00.000-07:00

It's Wine and Love Thursday, hosted by the lovely Nora! If you're new to the series, the name of the game is to list what's making you reach for a glass (or bottle) of wine, and then list what you're loving this week. Head on over to Nora's blog if you'd like to play along.

WINE

Yesterday was probably the nicest day we've had all year, and I spent most of it in class or studying.

I desperately need a haircut, and would like to look extra purdy on Saturday for The Scientist's birthday, but I have zero time between now and then.

I had a heated discussion/debate with some close friends on Sunday. I won't go into details, but we all took offense to things that were said. Even though we ended on a positive note, I've been stressing about it all week.

The rapture is apparently happening on Saturday. Even though The Scientist and I will not be participating, I'm worried it might ruin his birthday. /sarcasm

LOVE

The Scientist's birthday is on Saturday! I have some fun things planned, on which I'll elaborate more next week :-)

One of my dearest friends and her husband came up from Portland on Saturday for the epic Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers soccer match (they wore their Timbers gear, we wore our Sounders gear, and we talked a lot of trash). It was pouring rain and we were soaked to the bone by the end of the night, but it was a BLAST. I'm still grinning thinking about it.

Had an awesome night last night with Rachael, Cass, Jess, Cari, and Michelle. It was so much fun to finally meet all of these fabulous women.

The internet. See above.

What's on your wine/love list this week?

The Joys of Online Shopping

2011-05-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

Thank you to BING for sponsoring my writing today. To learn more about BING Shopping Rewards, click here. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

I've recently been using Bing a bit more for some of my internet searches. Living in the Seattle area, I know several people who work for Microsoft, including a a couple guys who work in the Bing sector, and I figured I should support their work somehow. So, I Bing. I like the results it gives me, and I like the format in which it presents the results.

This week, I decided to do a shopping search because I've been trying to find a pair of chunky, gladiator style heels and haven't found a pair that I'm completely in love with. But my Bing search results? Brought up a TON of different pairs that I loved, and they were mostly within my price range! I also love how each pair has an image, the price, and the store where they can be found right in front of me. No guessing involved. Plus, they offer a fantastic rewards program. You get points for searching the internet, and those points can be used toward tons of merchandise! Sounds like a win to me.

What did we do before the internet? Personally, I've never been the type to spend hours at the mall, browsing through every store, trying everything on that catches my eye. I want to get in and get out with minimal effort and avoid crowds if at all possible. Online shopping was made for people like me. I very specifically remember when I discovered how amazing it is to shop via the internet. It was before stores like Sephora and Ulta existed, but I still had a crazy obsession with makeup. I never liked being bombarded with pressure at the department store makeup counters, so I decided to search online for some of my favorite makeup brands. Needless to say, my first online purchase was a big one.

Since then, I've done most of my shopping from the comfort of my own home. I can purchase and send Christmas and birthday gifts with the click of a mouse, I can order my textbooks online and have them shipped to my front door, and I can even buy clothing and shoes and still be able to return items if they don't workout. I do like to spend some time in actual brick and mortar stores, mostly for the feel of certain fabrics or to get a better idea of the color of an item, but for the most part I would much rather get all my shopping done in one place.

What about you? Do you like to shop online, or do you prefer to shop in the store instead?

Star Struck

2011-05-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

In Tuesday's post, I mentioned that I've met Steve Martin and Michelle requested that I elaborate on that encounter. I was also having a Facebook conversation this week about how I've met Vanna White and Pat Sajack (on two completely separate occasions), so I think it's a good time to share all of my celebrity sightings with you!

For those who know me well, know that I am a sponge for celebrity gossip and am just generally fascinated by Hollywood or celebritydom in all forms. Any time I am in close proximity to a celebrity (of ANY kind, as you'll soon learn) I tend to freak out a little.

Best thing I could find when googling "star struck". Awesome, if you ask me.

Anyway...I'm going to start a series of my celebrity encounters* and the stories behind those that are most memorable. No, not *that* kind of encounter. Get your mind out of the gutter.

Jimmy Buffett

My dad is a retired Naval commander who spent most of his career at sea. He loves music, loves to play the guitar, and listened to a lot of Buffett back in the 70s before he was as well known as he is today. As a sailor, he identified with his music quite a bit and began writing letters to him while he was at sea on long deployments.

To his surprise, Jimmy Buffett wrote back to thank him and they began a regular correspondence. They would write each other and my dad would try to see him in concert when he was stateside, even getting some free tickets and chances to meet the man himself. I grew up on Jimmy Buffett's music.

While most of my friends were singing the itsy bitsy spider and learning Jesus songs in church, I attended my first Jimmy Buffett concert at 7 years old and spent my childhood belting my heart out to Margaritaville and Why Don't We Get Drunk...but I digress.

When my dad was stationed in Newport, Rhode Island as a professor at the U.S. Naval War College, Jimmy Buffett was playing at Foxborough Stadium (now Gilette Stadium). We put on our best Parrothead garb, packed the cooler, and drove to the concert. I was 11 or 12 at the time and it was the first time I distinctly recall the smell of marijuana (after my brother said "Why do they keep re-lighting their cigarettes?") and the first time I *kinda* understood what concerts are all about. After the show, we hung around a bit and waited for the crowds to disburse. Eventually, we made our way down to the stage where my dad spoke with a few of the roadies packing up the equipment. We were told to hang out for a few minutes. After what felt like FOREVER, a man walked across the stage and bent down to say hello to all of us. That man was Jimmy Buffett. It was brief, but so special. He shot the shit with my dad, then shook all of our hands and asked us if we liked the show.

To this day, the letters my dad wrote to Jimmy Buffett are under the clear glass of the bar at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville in New Orleans.

Stay tuned for more celebrity sightings!

Originally, I planned on encapsulating all of these stories into one post. This story of Jimmy Buffett, however, made me realize that each story should have their own post. I will continue adding on to this series in the weeks to come. I'd love to hear about your celebrity sightings, too!

Ten on Tuesday - Movies!

2011-05-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Great questions this week from Nora! If you want to play along, link up with Chelsea.

1. If you could watch only one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Oh geez, that's a tough one. Either Sense and Sensibility, The Sting, or any of the three original Star Wars movies.

2. Let’s say someone wrote a screenplay about you; what actor/actress would you choose to play you and why?

Sarah Jessica Parker. Because I love her. I want to BE her.

3. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in theaters?

101 Dalmatians! We were living in Hawaii at the time, so I think it was in 1986.

4. Did you ever make out at the back of a movie theater in middle school/high school?

Among other things. Ahem. Except it was after high school.

5. Are you a Netflix-er, Blockbuster-er or a Redbox-er? (Or none of the above?)

Netflix! I've been a member since the very early days. I started my membership in 2004. I recently changed my membership to only receive one DVD at a time because pretty everything I want to watch is on instant now.

6. Name one actor/actress who you would give anything to have a dinner date with.

Please see question #2. Steve Martin would be pretty sweet, too. (I met him once!)

7. What’s the worst movie you’ve ever seen?

Wow, another tough one. Probably one of the Fast/Furious movies.

8. Do you sneak snacks into the theater when you go?

Not usually. I love movie theater popcorn! But I'm definitely known to sneak a flask of wine or whiskey in my purse.

9. Movie theater popcorn: love or hate it?

LOVE. Even though it makes me feel disgusting afterward.

10. What is the all-time best Disney movie in your opinion?

Please.

Weekly Tree Spring Series - Mother's Day Edition

2011-05-08T22:46:00.000-07:00

Here is week 2 of the Weekly Tree Spring Series. I hope you all had a lovely Mother's Day!

Not much change this week, but I did like that adorable mint green scooter at the base of the tree!

Wine and Love - Wineless Version

2011-05-05T11:28:00.000-07:00

Time again for Nora's weekly Wine and Love series! Head on over if you want to play, too.

WHAT'S DRIVING ME TO DRINK THIS WEEK

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say...NOTHING! This has been an excellent week so far and I really have no complaints. BUT, with that being said, let me make it clear that I most definitely still indulged in a few glasses of wine :-)

WHAT I LOVE THIS WEEK

The weather! It's warming up, the sun is showing its face a little more, and it's finally starting to REALLY feel like spring.

I finally saw Black Swan. I know! I just never got around to seeing it in the theater, even though I absolutely love Darren Aronofsky. It was brilliant, as evidenced by my post-movie tweet.

The Scientist and I are going with my brother, sister-in-law, and some friends to Tuxes and Tails on Saturday night! Tuxes and Tails is the Seattle Humane Society's largest fundraising event of the year and I'm SO excited to go and support them. We'll be dressed to the nines, served a fabulous dinner, and bid on all sorts of exciting prizes (all proceeds benefit the Humane Society, of course).

It's Cinco de Mayo! Which loosely translates to Drink Margaritas Until You Fall Over Day!

Are you a wino this week?

Move It

2011-05-04T18:40:00.000-07:00

It's sunny today, my Wednesday evening class was cancelled, and I will be spending the rest of the evening shaking my ass to this. You should, too. You're welcome.

Ten on Tuesday - Episode 14

2011-05-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday again! Link up with Chelsea if you want to play along!

1. What is the weather like in your city today?
A bit of sunshine and lots of scattered clouds. We had lovely weather, finally, over the weekend but yesterday was miserable! The sun today is perfectly welcome.

2. Do you like the zoo?
I do enjoy the zoo, especially now since most zoos are more focused on conservation instead. I still think it's odd, though, that I can see lions outside in the dead of winter in Seattle...

3. Do you eat coconut?
Oh, yeah. I LOVE coconut. When we lived in Hawaii as a kid, we had a couple coconut trees in our yard. We lived in military housing and there were maintenance men who would come every so often to chop down the coconuts (they're incredibly dangerous - a coconut fell once on our solid wood, sturdy picnic table and instantly broke it in half) and give them to us. We'd cut them open right there, drink the milk, and eat the meat. Sooooo tasty.

4. Have you ever hammered a nail? Are you good at it?
I'm pretty handy with most tools. I can hammer a nail pretty well and have never had any mishaps.

5. Does your family have a vacation destination that you visit often?
Not really. We've gone up to the San Juans a couple times with my Uncle and Aunt, but we were never a vacation family. Our vacations consisted of driving down to the Bay Area to see my grammie and other family.

6. How many pillows do you sleep with?
Heh. I sleep with four pillows. Two under my head (one is firm, the other is soft, squishy down) and one on either side of me. These are what I call my "grabbers". They also have to be squishy. I sleep on my side and like to grab the pillows.

7. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?When I don't have class or work to I feed the cats, make coffee or tea, and sit down at the computer. Otherwise I hit the shower first thing.

8. Will you send your kids to summer camp?
It all depends on what our kids are like, but I'd like to! I had great experiences at camp!

9. What do you put in your baked potatoes?
Lots of butter, cheese, green onions or chives, tomatoes or salsa, and sour cream or ranch. Mmmm, now I want a baked potato...

10. Did you take swimming lessons as a kid?
I was pretty much a swimmer from birth. My brothers were, too. We learned to swim at a young age and were all on the swim team starting around 5. We all swam (swum?) competitively growing up. I was also a lifeguard and swimming instructor when I was in my early 20s and I LOVED it. I can't wait to teach my own kids how to swim!

Weekly Tree Spring Series - Week 1

2011-05-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

Last fall I did a weekly tree series to show the progression of the gorgeous autumn colors. I thought I'd do a spring series, too! Happy May Day! (Or Lei Day as we called it in Hawaii)

For the most part, all the trees are getting their new leaves on them. Except for these! They have teensy little buds popping out, but I think it'll still be awhile before they're fully leaved.

Sold

2011-04-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

I've been hearing about the wonders of mineral powder foundation for quite some time now. It's better for your skin, it's easier to apply than liquid, it makes your skin look fresher and younger, etc. But I've never felt any dislike toward my own liquid foundation, so I've been sticking with that. Until a couple weeks ago. I finally decided to give the powder foundation a whirl, and I am SO glad I did.

Since I wasn't sure if I would like it or not, I didn't want to spend the big bucks. Instead, I went across the street to my local Target (yes, I live across the street from Target. It is the greatest and worst thing ever) and perused the cosmetic aisles for a middle of the road brand. I went with Maybeline. For 8 bucks (including the brush!).

This stuff is fantastic! It's easy to apply and much quicker than liquid. It blends beautifully and the coverage is flawless. It also feels much lighter than liquid and seems to control the shine from my oily skin much better, too. It's SPF 18, which I also love since I have slightly fair skin. The color I bought is Natural Ivory and it's just a teensy bit too dark, but I'd rather err on the side of too dark than too light, considering how pasty white my skin is for most of the year.

It makes me wonder, though, if I love this stuff so much and it's only $8...would a more expensive product be even better? With makeup I've definitely learned that price doesn't always equal quality, but with some items it does. I'm curious, do any of you use a powder foundation? If so, what brand do you use? Have you tried this Maybeline brand? What did you think of it? Any other fabulous makeup products out there that I'm missing out on?

Wine and Love - Week 2

2011-04-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

Link up with Nora if you want to play along!

WHAT'S DRIVING ME TO DRINK THIS WEEK

The cats have been driving us crazy this week. If they sleep in the bed with us, they wake up in the middle of the night thinking it's playtime. If we lock them out of the bedroom, they whine and howl and scratch the SHIT out of the carpet under the door. Neither of us have slept very well as a result.

Just like last week, my Wednesday night class is ridiculous. The Robert Plant lookalike feels like it's necessary to interrupt the class every 2 minutes with an irrelevant comment, a completely lame joke, or both. It's incredibly distracting, not to mention rude and disrespectful to the class and the professor.

My house is a mess. A complete and total mess.

WHAT I LOVE THIS WEEK!

After feeling completely unmotivated to exercise lately, I sucked it up and went for several good runs over the past week and it has felt great.

The Scientist and I are heading up to Bellingham this weekend for a friend's birthday. Bellingham is a beautiful town on the water, just south of the Canadian border. It's alslo where The Scientist went to college. We'll be doing some hiking during the day and then heading to the April Brew's Fest (a beer festival) in the afternoon. Plus, we're taking the Greyhound up! It should be a great weekend adventure.

Two words. ROYAL. WEDDING.

What's on your Wine/Love list this week?

Ten on Tuesday - Episode 14

2011-04-25T23:21:00.000-07:00

1. How many blogs do you read every day and what are they? (I’m talking the ones you NEVER miss)
I recently did some purging of my Google Reader, so now I'm down to about 300 blogs TOTAL that I read. Not all of these blogs have new posts each day. I'd say, on average, I read about 40 each day regularly. Maybe more...

2. How many “best friends” do you have? Do you have different “besties” for different areas of your life?
I have a small, core group of best friends. They all have different qualities that I love for different reasons. But really, The Scientist is my best friend. We're together all the time (and love it), we make each other laugh, and we can say anything to each other.

3. What’s your daily make up routine?
Concealer, foundation, blush, shadow, eyeliner, mascara. On days when I don't want to do the whole thing, I'll do concealer, blush and mascara. When I go all out, I just do more of everything. I love makeup!

4. What is your ideal girl’s night?
Wine, gossip, and giggles.

5. Do you keep up with your nails/toenails or are they au natural?
I don't paint my fingernails very often because they always chip almost instantly. But my toenails are painted all the time. I've mentioned this before, but The Scientist's sister works for Butter London, so I have a pretty good hook up there :-)

6. What’s your best roommate story (assuming you had a roommate at some point in your life)?
Best or worst? For the most part my roommate situation has been alright, except for the one who was basically a drug addict and I found her passed out on the bathroom floor one night and had to call an ambulance. And her boyfriend stole my golf clubs.

7. What’s your “go to” outfit that you wear more than anything else?
Heh. Since I don't work a regular 9-5 job anymore and am a student, I pretty much live in sweats. I also like to wear jeans, boots, a sweater and some great earrings. Simple, but fun.

8. Do you have a beauty secret?
Yep. This.

9. Did you read Seventeen magazine growing up?
Oh, yes. That was a looooong time ago. I remember reading Teen and YM magazine, but switching to Seventeen because I was "too mature" for the other magazines. I thought Seventeen was SO grown up. Heehee. Oh, to be 13 again...

10. How did you learn to put on makeup?
Mostly self-taught, but got tips from Mary Kay consultants and from the few makeovers I've had over the years. I also love to watch makeup tutorials on You Tube.

Restaurant Rave - Local 360

2011-04-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

On Friday night, The Scientist and I met up with some friends at a new(ish) restaurant that we've been wanting to try. The restaurant is called Local 360, and their emphasis is on serving fresh, locally grown and sustainable food (most of the food comes from within a 360 mile radius, hence the name). Even most of their beer, wine and liquor comes from local brewers, vintners and distilleries.

They're located in the old Flying Fish space (which is one of my favorites!) and the atmosphere feels very similar to Quinn's (also a favorite!). It's elegant without being pretentious, and comfortable without being too casual. So basically it's perfect!

We were celebrating a promotion for one of our friends, so we wanted to splurge a bit for a decadent meal. Luckily, the prices at Local 360 are incredibly reasonable so we were able to indulge quite a bit!

We started with oysters on the half shell

Then we moved on to squab on a bed of sorrel (squab is a small pigeon/quail-like bird, sorrel is a leafy green) and a cheese plate. We ate it too quickly so I didn't get pictures.

For our entrees, The Scientist and Robin had halibut, Shawn had the burger (nominate them for best burger!), and I ordered the pork chop.

Poor photography, but it was, in a word, INCREDIBLE. The flavor was amazing and it was perfectly cooked - medium, with a bit of pink in the center. It was served over the creamiest, most delicious mashed potatoes, and sauteed kale. Divine.

We each had several glasses of wine and The Scientist ordered a pale ale, but the name escapes me right now. We were too stuffed to eat dessert, but the menu looked pretty darn good. The service was fantastic. We felt taken care of and all of our questions were answered, but our waitress wasn't overbearing or pushy, and we never felt rushed. It was a thoroughly enjoyable dining experience and we'll definitely be back again. I've heard great things about their brunch, so that may be next on our list! Local 360 is doing great things for the local food movement and I'm thrilled that we had such a positive experience because I'll gladly be spreading the word. If you're in the Seattle area, go immediately!

Wine and Love!

2011-04-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

The lovely (and newly engaged!) Nora started this fun Thursday series. Head on over to her blog if you'd like to play along! The basic idea is to list things that are, well, driving you to drinking this week. Then list the things you're loving this week!

WINE
-One of my classes this quarter is a hybrid course, meaning half is online and the other half is face to face. We only meet once a week but it's on Wednesday night. It's an intro to business class and so far I'm absolutely bored out of my skull. Not to mention the class is full of crazies, including a guy who looks like a Robert Plant drag queen. I don't even know. Also, we have a group project and you all know how I feel about that!

-The weather is still ridiculous! I'm so ready for sundresses and flip flops.

-I'm lacking any motivation to workout or go running (probably because of the ridiculous weather).

LOVE
-Plans are in the works for The Scientist's birthday, which is one month from today. More to come on that...

-Despite the crappy weather, there are gorgeous blossoms everywhere.

-I got a new laptop 2 weeks ago, which has dramatically changed my day to day life. No longer am I chained to my desk at home all day. I can actually do my schoolwork (and blogging, internet surfing, etc) anywhere I want. Even in bed!

-An adorable hat I got at Target for my Vegas trip last weekend. It looks like this:

What would be on your Wine/Love list this week?

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

2011-04-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

No, no one's winning a chicken dinner. But there are FOUR lucky people who have won my giveaway!

I used random number generator to pick the winners and here they are:

Val!

Sarah!

Charlotte!

Animal Crackers!

Congratulations, ladies! I'll be in touch to get your mailing info!

Ten on Tuesday - BOOKS!

2011-04-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

Today's Ten on Tuesday is all about books! Thanks to Chelsea for hosting, and Erin for the questions.

1. When someone asks you for a book recommendation, what is your go-to book?
There are a few...Middlesex, White Teeth, Little Bee. Anything by Bill Bryson. I have others, but I can't think of them right now.

2. Do you buy your books, or are you a library patron?
I love, love, LOVE the library. I could spend hours perusing the shelves. I can get books, audiobooks, DVDs, music...it's great. Plus we have two very large library systems in my area (Seattle Public Library and King County Library) so there is an endless selection of books and events!

3. E-readers, yay or nay?
I don't own one, but I would definitely love to have one, especially for traveling! I read books quickly, so it would be nice to have several books in one compact little place.

4. What was your favorite book as a child?
Anything by Roald Dahl, especially Matilda. My copy of Matilda is so worn out from all the times I've read it.

5. If you could be any character in a book, who would you be?
Ooooh, tough one. Hermione? Legolas from LOTR, maybe?

6. What book would you love to see turned into a movie?
Recently learned that Leonardo DiCaprio is taking on Devil in the White City, which I'm SO excited about. Especially since Leo plans to play H.H. Holmes. Soooooo creepy.

7. What is your all-time favorite book?
I love To Kill a Mockingbird. I also love The Right Stuff, by Tom Wolfe.

8. How many books do you read at once?
Right now I have three books on my nightstand that I'm reading.

9. What is your favorite book genre?
Historical fiction, science fiction, and biographies/autobiographies/memoirs.

10. Which Harry Potter book is the best? Or haven’t you read them at all?
I'm partial to book 5, The Order of the Phoenix. I know a lot of people didn't like this one as much, but I loved how dark it was. Especially compared to the previous books. You could really see Harry's conflicting emotions emerge, and there was so much angst in general among the characters. Loved it.

There is still time to enter my giveaway! Winners will be announced Wednesday at 9 pm PST.

Quickie

2011-04-18T22:23:00.000-07:00

I'm back from a super quick, whirlwind trip to Vegas! It was so much fun to be back again after our trip in February! This time around it was a bit different, though. It was much shorter and I was with my family, but it was also MUCH warmer and the pools were open! We stayed at the Tropicana, which has undergone a complete renovation. Some areas are still under construction, but for the most part everything is complete. It has a South Beach + Cuban vibe. Everything is bright, vibrant and airy. The service was excellent in every respect and we really enjoyed staying there.

My mum and I arrived on Saturday morning and immediately hit up Cafe Nikki for breakfast.

They have an a la carte menu as well as a small breakfast buffet. We, of course, opted for the breakfast buffet. I think I ate an entire year's worth of fresh fruit from their huge spread (not to mention potatoes, sausage, eggs and pastries!). We sat out on the patio which sort of overlooked the pool (apologies for the not-so-great phone photography).

After breakfast we met up with my brother and spent a couple hours lounging by the pool and soaking up some much needed sunshine and Vitamin D.

Saturday night, we went to UNLV to see my brother perform in the Las Vegas International Military Tattoo. It included all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, Canadian Armed Forces, and pipe and drum corps from Scotland. It was absolutely incredible. I was raised in a military family (dad is Navy, mum and bro are Army) and I have thick Scottish blood, so naturally I was blown away by all the performances.

I'm also a band nerd FOR LIFE and have always loved military marches (like, seriously, my favorite running music is Sousa). For a long time I considered joining the military so I could play in the band. Hell, I STILL consider joining the reserves for the same reason.

Seeing my brother perform was obviously a highlight of the show. Being a member of the Army Drill Team is one of the most prestigious positions in the Army and I am SO INCREDIBLY PROUD of my brother, both for his service in the military and his position on the team.

They spin their rifles, toss them up in the air as well as tossing them back and forth to each other, with precision that would boggle your mind. Oh, and did I mention that there are super sharp bayonets on the end of every rifle? YEAH. They also march on their own, without musical, visual, or vocal cues. I got some video that I'll upload for another post. You'll be blown away. I get chills just thinking about it! If you look at this picture from left to right, my brother is the second man.

Looking at the strip from UNLV. Gorgeous sunset, thanks to a brush fire earlier in the day...

After the show, we were planning on heading to see a dear friend of mine perform at The Palms, but the show got out later than expected and it took FOREVER to catch a cab from the UNLV events center. Instead, we did some drinkin' and some gamblin' at the casino then hit the hay as David Copperfield watched over us...

Creeptastic

We walked around a bit yesterday, too, but mostly took advantage of the pool again. I have the ~~sunburn~~ tan lines to prove it.

What did you do this weekend? Have you entered my giveaway yet? You have until Wednesday!

Dress!

2011-04-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

So, I bought a dress (and shoes!) for the wedding in September. I didn't actually choose ANY of these. Some were a bit out of my price range and others were no longer available. Instead, I chose this one:

It isn't normally a color I would choose, but for some reason I just love this color with this style. Plus, in early September I'll have a pretty decent tan, which I think will look quite nice with the color. I'll be pairing it with these shoes!

What do you think?

They both arrived last week and I'm in love. The dress is gorgeous and beautifully made. I got it here (several of the other dresses I looked at are from here, too). Have any of you ever visited this site? I found it while browsing Pinterest one day and was blown away by the gorgeous dresses and skirts. Their customer service is incredible and my dress is superior quality. I'll definitely be going there first for most of my future dress-up needs. I got the shoes at DSW. They come in several colors and I want all of them now. They're so pretty and super comfy!

Next order of business is finding jewelry to wear. With the bold color combination, I'm thinking of really simple jewelry but I'm not sure what would work. Any ideas?

P.S. There is still time to enter my giveaway!

Ten on Tuesday - Episode 12

2011-04-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

Fun questions this week! Head on over to Chelsea's blog if you'd like to participate!

1. If you work, do you drive to work or take public transportation?
I don't work full time, but I am in school full time. I take public transportation. Neither The Scientist or I own a car, so we bus it everywhere. We live next to a large transit hub so a car free life is pretty easy for the day-to-day.

2. How often do you get your haircut? Do you go to the same person every time?
I don't have a set schedule. I chopped my hair off in January and that was the last haircut I've had. Since then, I've just cut/trimmed it myself. I don't care that much about fancy haircuts. I can't imagine spending more than $20 on a haircut.

3. Do you read the newspaper? If so, a hardcopy or the online version?
I LOVE reading the actual newspaper. We don't subscribe, but I read our free local publications, The Stranger and Seattle Weekly, every week. I also love to sit in a coffee shop and read the Sunday paper and do the crossword puzzle(s).

4. What is the best book you have read this year?
Haven't done too much reading in 2011, but I did love Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. It's a wonderful story. It's historical fiction that takes place here in Seattle!5. What is the best movie you have seen this year?
Haven't been to too many movies, either, but I saw The Adjustment Bureau a couple weeks ago and enjoyed it. I read the short story years ago because I love Philip K Dick, and the movie was great.

6. Do you tend to crave sweet or salty foods?
Salty foods all the way. I don't have much of a sweet tooth. I like some sweet treats here and there, but give me chips or french fries and I'm a happy girl.

7. Do you eat breakfast every day? If so, what do you have?
I try to eat SOMETHING when I first get up. I have low blood sugar so I need to eat pretty frequently. In the morning I'll usually eat a banana and some toast, or yogurt.

8. If you celebrate Easter, what Easter treat/candy are you most looking forward to?
I don't celebrate Easter, but I do love Robin Eggs. Mmmm, malted milk balls.

9. How late is “sleeping in” to you?
I am one of those people who can easily sleep in until 1 or 2 in the afternoon. On weekends or days when I don't have an early class, I try to get up around 9 but a lot of times it's more like 10:30 or 11.

10. Where are you going on your next vacation?
Well, my mum and I are spending this coming weekend in Vegas! After that, The Scientist are taking a weekend getaway in June to Whidbey Island, and in August and early September we'll be back East for his sister's wedding, which is in Maine. (Speaking of which, I bought a dress! I'll blog about it later this week)

Have you entered my giveaway yet?

Your Feet Will Thank You - A Giveaway!

2011-04-11T17:27:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, I talked about a friend of mine who started his own business. He developed some incredible inserts for high heels that are absolutely amazing. I have a couple sets and I LOVE them. I can walk around all day in my most uncomfortable shoes and still feel fine at the end of the day. If you wear heels, these are a MUST have, and today could be your lucky day! Geoff has graciously donated four pairs of these inserts so that I can give them away to my readers!

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me about your favorite pair of heels (please provide a way for me to get in touch with you).

One bonus entry for tweeting about the giveaway (be sure to provide your Twitter handle), another bonus entry for liking Heeluxe on Facebook, and a third bonus entry for following my blog. So that can be a total of FOUR entries!

This contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. Winners will be announced next Wednesday, April 20th.

Now I Know my ABCs...

2011-04-07T01:13:00.000-07:00

I've been seeing this meme quite a bit lately, and while I normally don't participate I thought this one was really fun. So here you go, the ABCs of me!

A - Age: 30. It's weird to think I'm in my fourth decade because I don't feel that old...not that 30 is necessarily old, but it seems like a big milestone to hit. Luckily, I didn't approach 30 with a sense of dread because I've always been the youngest among my friends. I embraced turning 30! (31 might be a different story, though)

B - Bed size: Queen. The Scientist and I are little people so a queen is the perfect size. Although, I wouldn't complain if we had a king :-)

C - Chore you hate: Um, all of them? Nah, I actually don't mind certain chores but oh my god I hate the dishes times a million. Cleaning the cat box is up there, too.

D - Dogs: I love the doggies! We had dogs growing up and I would LOVE to have a dog again someday. We can't in our apartment, but eventually we'll adopt one. I prefer medium to big dogs (labs, huskies, springers), but I do love Scotties and Westies.

E - Essential start to your day: A shower. I will not leave the house without a shower. It doesn't take me long to get ready - even with a shower and makeup I can be ready and out the door in 20 minutes - but I MUST have a shower. Gotta love oily skin, greasy scalp and super fine and thin hair.

F - Favorite Color: PURPLE. And purple-y blues.

G - Gold or Silver: I have actually been wearing a lot more gold lately. But not super bright or brassy gold, more muted and vintage looking gold.

H - Height: 5' 2". Oddly enough, everyone else in my family is super tall.

I - Instruments you play: Flute and piano, and I can play a few chords on the guitar. I also play a mean recorder.

J - Job title: Student and freelance writer.

K - Kids: Just furbabies. Two kitties, Truman and Clementine.

L - Live: Seattle area. DYING to get back into the city, though. If The Scientist gets a job at one of the many bio-techs in Seattle, we'll move. Otherwise, we'll stay right here since he can walk to work :-)

M - My mom's name: Vicki! Full name is Victoria Elizabeth Ann. So queenly.

N - Nickname: Stevie, obviously. Also Steph. And when I was younger, my brother's friends loved to call me Stephanerd.

O - Overnight hospital stay: Luckily, no!

P - Pet Peeve: Oh god, so many. I probably should be a bit more relaxed about a lot of things, but I just can't get over poor grammar and misspellings. The worst offenders are using your instead of you're, it's instead of its, their instead of there, than instead of then, and ending sentences with the word at. UGH. It makes me cringe.

Q - Quote from a movie from a book: Wait, a quote from a movie that's based on a book? Or a quote from a movie OR a book? I'm going to go with a quote from one of my all time favorites, Empire Records. The other day, Nora, Chelsea, Lacey, Erin and I were quoting back and forth all day on Twitter and it was so fun to relive our favorite moments from the movie throughout the day.

Mitchell's the man, I'm the idiot, you're the screw up, and we're all losers.

R- Right/Lefty: I'm right handed, but I'm fully ambidextrous when it comes to putting on makeup. Fact.

S - Siblings: Two brothers, one is 32 and the other is 26. I also have three stepsiblings - a stepbrother who is 36? and two stepsisters who are 33 and 29.

T - Time you wake up: Totally depends on the day. Being back in school has totally screwed up any regular schedule I used to have.

U - Underwear: Yes, I wear it. I prefer thongs during the day, and at night I sleep in a cami and boy shorts.

V - Veggies you dislike: I never met a vegetable I didn't like.

W - What makes you run late: For the most part I'm always early, but being a full time public transit user can get in the way of that. I can plan ahead as much as I want, but sometimes I'm at the mercy of the bus system.

X - Xrays you've had: Routine dental x-rays, my collar bone when I was a youngster, and once on my foot when I was 13 or 14? It was the weirdest thing. Anytime I moved my big toe, it made a creaking noise. My friends and I called it squeaky foot disease. It turned out to be nothing, and I still have no idea what caused that noise, but it was so bizarre.

Y - Yummy food you make: I make a mean spaghetti sauce, delicious salads, chicken adobo, several types of curries, white chicken chili (for which I won an award!), and a tasty Thai chicken soup. I love to cook!

Z - Zoo animal: I love to freak myself out in the reptile house, the monkeys and apes are super fun to watch when they're active, the elephants are breathtaking, and I love the cats!