Happy birthday, Koko

My little furry dude had a birthday last week and if I hadn't been home sick I probably would have felt more motivated to create some homemade dog treats, but instead he had some lovely sweet potato and venison concoctions from the store. He also got a few other doggie perks: a trip to the pet store, a ride in the car, and an extra long walk. Not bad for one doggie day.

To Brian & Carlie

Corey's younger brother got married this past weekend. One of the first times I met Carlie was at my wedding. Besides celebrating their very special day, I had some great sentimental moments, as they were married in the same church that we were, in addition to the fact that Corey and I were both in the wedding and walked down the aisle together--again. The weather unfortunately didn't cooperate but the details of the wedding were lovely, as I knew they would be coming from an interior designer. The bride looked absolutely stunning and I really liked how our dresses looked (however, I was silently apologizing for any pain I ever inflicted on past bridesmaids). All in all, it was a nice reminder that I've got this whole other family that I'm a part of.

Rummaging

My neighborhood advertised for a multi-block rummage sale, so I decided that would probably be enough traffic to warrant the effort of folding and unpacking items. Luckily I had started early enough the day before, hauling in tables in the rain and marking items. I've only done one other sale, and that was pretty much a bust. I had planned to open at 8:00, and sure enough, by 7:05 the vultures were already circling. I was prepared with hot tea, two layers and a winter hat. I think my garage was located in the vortex of the morning's wind. The funniest moment of the whole day was watching a woman (in shorts and a t-shirt, mind you), equipped with a fanny pack, running down the street in order to get the hot items before other customers.

Baseball and bento boxes

This year to celebrate our anniversary, we tried to keep it low key. It probably seems like all I ever write about is going out to eat, but honestly, trying a new restaurant is probably one of my favorite things to do. I definitely live on a budget, but I think it would be really hard to cut out this indulgence! So when Corey suggested we combine some retail therapy and baseball (after I nixed his suggestion to go to Valley Fair), I thought his "planning" was perfect. Friday night we went to Midway Stadium to support an alumni and watched a pretty good game. Good memories--we hadn't been there since we were supporting the last alumni who was playing for the Saints. We were seated in the family/friends/wives/trashy girlfriend section and man, that is an entertaining sight to watch--I can only imagine what I would find sitting behind Kate Hudson at a Yankees game. Despite games being family-friendly events, some obnoxious superfan decided it was completely permissible to smoke a cigar at a sold-out game. He was approximately 30 rows in front of me and I was this close to walking down and offering him $20 to put it out. Saturday I introduced Corey to the mecca otherwise known as Ikea. At first I was sort of wandering around aimlessly, commenting on all the items I could use from the staged rooms. We had planned to buy some inexpensive lights, but most of them weren't hard-wired. We ended up with this really great, traditionally-styled wardrobe. Ding, ding! Instant closet. There's even a mirror on the front, which saved us from having to buy one and hang it. We tried this great restaurant for lunch at the MOA called Crave; the food was really good and reasonably priced. Corey had the free-range Chicken Caesar salad (where the lettuce was grilled) and I had a bento box--complete with fruit, sushi, seaweed and tempura--for $10. The Twins had a horrible game--despite a HR in the last inning, but sitting up 4 rows was ample compensation. Lots of bums during warm up...I had my mom's not-so advanced camera, but I managed to nab a few good shots (bad day to not bring the wide-angle lens). We walked back from the lightrail to the hotel in the POURING rain, but it was actually worth a few good laughs.

the Windy City

This trip was even more of a whirlwind than the last, seeing that it was mostly composed of mind-enriching visits and taste experiments with some excellent international fare.

Hotel: Westin Michigan Avenue. Very convenient and centrally-located, lobby decor very cool. (Don't laugh: I went to the American Girl Place across the street to see if I could score another set of the paper dolls. Out of print. Dang it.) Rooms OK. Apparently this MLB team was staying there at the same time; I don't know any of them, but I think I saw their agent (i.e. look for the binder, I was instructed).
Landmark Grill: hotel restaurant--great breakfasts with enormous portions; excellent fruit plate. Nice ambiance with the plethora of framed artwork.

Zapatista: crunchy and spicy corn taquitos. Amazing smoky chipotle salsa (their specialty). I loved the wrought-iron star lights that were sprinkled throughout the restaurant.
Bistrot Zinc: Inviting cafe atmosphere with warm, sunny walls. Front window opens and instantly you are on a small street in Paris. Waiter's knowledge was bar none. Flavorful hanger steak with potato gratin was extremely rich with flavor but not heavy. Split the flourless chocolate cake with 2 other people. Do not attempt this on your own.
1492 Tapas Bar: a cacophony of flavors and choices! An amazing experience in sampling. Several different, really good versions of calamari. The spicy meatballs were tangy and unexpected. The cheese plate was a nice alternative with its parmesan, blue cheese and fig compote.
Cheesecake Factory: with over 300 menu items, I knew I would find something great--the thai lettuce wraps were a nice light fare that saved me some room for the Godiva mousse cheesecake (still one of the lighter sweet items). An intimidatingly large building!

I was quite underwhelmed with the Shedd Aquarium, however, I didn't attend any of the auditorium shows, which I'm sure are one of the top reasons people visit. It's certainly geared towards a younger audience, and for them, it is most likely quite spectacular. Note: do not go to giant attraction on a Saturday. Cocktails may have to immediately follow the excursion. Being kind of an art gallery nerd, I was extremely excited to go to the Art Institute of Chicago, which hadn't been on my last trip to the city. As a self-proclaimed Modernist, several rooms lined with Gauguins, Chagalls and Cezannes quieted my mind. Another place you'll want to hit later on a weekday. Certainly Late Night Catechism was a hilarious, must-see show; beware: you must hold up to the actor's bullying as she will call you out in the audience. The second time around, Jersey Boys was even better! This musical has a lot of appeal, as I know my parents would be singing along even more than I was. Despite all of these amazing events, the crowning jewel of the trip was a behind-the-scenes tour of the Field Museum. Holy crap--I was a kid in a pre-historic candy store. The highlights: holding a 110 million-year-old (no joke) fossil (I wrote down the name somewhere but I think I lost it); seeing the private collections of the jewels that are not on display (there are LOTS); and tons of dinosaur bones--just us, a room in the basement and all of these bones--a great story to tell my kids someday.


Last but not least, on the friend side, I managed to see both Amber and Sarah (plus chubby bunny Ben). I miss you girls! Thank you for the conversation. It is greatly savored.

A few to-do items

After the incident on the freeway with my increasingly debilitated car, Ruby, it was pretty clear that the need for a new car was immediate. I was quite mad that day, seeing that the incident prevented me from going to the girl's getaway. I've been agonizing over selecting a car for the past few months--AWD, 4WD... That's just me: I chew, chew, chew on an idea, researching it online, asking for referrals, and then finally I make a decision. So I test drove one car and decided it was what I wanted. Plus, salespeople are dying for business right now, and the prices are amazing. Thursday I drove to Liz's and spent Friday with her and Owen, who, I've decided as with all other little ones I know--is not allowed to get any bigger. I don't have any pictures to share because of course I forgot my camera (much like Hansel & Gretel, I always leave something behind for people to remember me, I suppose...)Friday night and Saturday I spent at the Despins', reading books, watching kid's movies, playing outside, and, as usual when I come to visit, I helped my sister with one project: this one was hanging photos on the first floor. Yay for projects! A few to come: painting and rummage sale prep (I know, I may regret that one).

the Emerald City

I actually didn't know this until I arrived but this is Seattle's moniker. At first, I was thinking, "But Oz is the Emerald City..." OK, so I'm a little overinvested in fairy tales. I had never been to the Pacific Northwest before and despite not being able to hike, mountain climb, or take the ferry (all items for future trip with husband--one of our top 4 future destinations), my bird's eye view of the city was lovely. Our hotel was very centrally located near some important landmarks: Starbucks (duh), J Crew, Nordstrom et al. Work commitments really sucked up my time from 7:00 am until after 8 most nights, so I took an afternoon to play hooky and spent most of it traipsing through Pike Place Market. This is indeed a foodie's paradise: any type of fresh produce (and some I didn't recognize), in addition to a mile of fresh-cut cacophony of sunflowers, lilies, snapdragons, lavender...The honey tasting was one of my favorites, and I'm so glad that many booths started selling 3 oz. containers of their wares. I continued my tradition of collecting a piece of local art from my travels, and I bought a gorgeous painting of a ginko leaf from this artist. I really respected what this marketplace represents and how much the city and its businesses appreciate tourism. Great restaurants I was able to experience: RedFin Sushi--amazing crunchy tofu roll w/ spicy aioli; Anthony's at Pier 66--tender chargrilled halibut with a spectacular view; and a definite cheat-worthy pain du chocolat with almond paste at Le Panier. Next time I'll bring my hiking boots and passport, as I'm sure the views from Rainier and Olympia are well worth the trip, not to mention a night or two at Safeco Field.