Walking and eating and walking and eating...in Seattle

So, a couple of weeks ago, my parents, and Jeff and Amie and Xavi came to visit me for my 25th birthday! The title says the rest :)

A quick summary of the trip:

Thursday - felt like an eternity waiting for them to arrive! When they did, we relaxed and had lunch in my apartment. Then we walked through Ballard to the government locks. The weather was gorgeous, and the fish ladder was full of salmon swimming for all they were worth. Everyone was pretty wiped out when we got back to my place, so we headed to the hotel (about a 10 minute drive away) and had Dick's burgers for dinner.

Here we are on my rooftop deck, ready to conquer Ballard.

Friday - my dad generously offered to come pick me up in the morning, and then we met everyone else back at the hotel for downtown Seattle fun. We walked to Pike Place Market (or what my brother Jon refers to as 'hell'), and enjoyed the vendors and food and tourists. My mom supported some local street artists (who were admittedly, very good), and we all enjoyed some delicious fresh fruit. Because we had a lunch reservation at the Space Needle restaurant to get to, we took the monorail from the shopping district to the city center. I'd heard mixed reviews of the restaurant, but was pleasantly surprised at the quality of everything. Also, it's kind of worth it for the view alone...as long as the weather's nice...and it was another perfect day :)

After lunch, the boys went back to the hotel to rest, and the girls did some more shopping. We all headed back to my place for dinner, stopping on the way to pick up thai food from my favorite restaurant. No one really liked their dinner as much as I did, but I appreciated that they tried. We watched the sunset from my rooftop deck, then the fam went back to the hotel.

Xavi at breakfast. After only one day of hanging out with Auntie Rachel, he was already smiling upon seeing my face :) Okay, it's a hesitant smile, but it still counts!

Jeff and I waiting in line at Piroshki, Piroshki for a delicious pastry pouch full of meat and cheese. Yum.

My mom and I waiting for the monorail. Who wouldn't be excited for a ride on a monorail?

Jeff, Amie, and I on the observation deck of the Space Needle. It was cooler than I thought. I saw some moutaintops that I've never seen before (Mount Baker and Mount Hood).

Amie and Xavi on a giant slug. I've decided that if I'm ever filthy rich, my estate will be littered with life-size and/or giant animal statues like this one (and the hippo and gorilla at the STL zoo, for those who have been there).

Once Xavi awoke from his coma-like nap, he was very excited to eat some bread at the SkyCity restaurant.

Lounging on the deck. Xavi was using Jeff as his personal jungle gym...cute.

Saturday - we loaded up the minivan nice and early and headed north. Took a ferry to Whidbey Island, and spent several lovely hours exploring the town of Langley. Ate a delicious lunch, and stuck our toes in the frigid water of Puget Sound. Another day with blue skies and sunshine :)

After Whidbey Island, we headed even further north to Tulalip (the #1 place on earth!) for some shopping at the Premium Outlet mall. Fun but exhausting day.

Xavi's first ride on a ferry!

Cute little family :)

Didu and Gigi at whatever lovely winebar/cafe we had lunch at (can't remember the name...something Bistro maybe?).

Me and Amie...enjoying the sunshine and ambience.

Waiting to get on the ferry to go back to the mainland.

Captain Carlos...supported the local economy by purchasing this hat from a very grateful shop owner. Langley (like everything else) has been hit by the recession, and several places I remembered from last year have since gone out of business.

First mate Xavs.

Sunday - we headed to my church, then to the Fremont Farmer's Market afterward. More lovely weather, more walking, more delicious food. I did have to express to my dear loved ones that I am not used to being with people day-in and day-out for many days in a row, and that I was feeling a little grumpy and to please let me be grumpy until I got over it. And I did get over it. We had a relaxing evening at my apartment, and ordered pizza for dinner.

Monday - the one day of less-than-perfect weather. I met my family downtown under the drizzly gray sky. We did more shopping, and went back to Pike Place Market, and made our way to the Ipanema Grill for lunch. It's a Brazilian restaurant that I've been wanting to try for a while now, with rodizio style dining (a.k.a. all you can eat meat smorgasbord). My friends Amy, Kara, and Jon met us there for lunch...and a great time was had by all. I was spoiled (as usual) with many awesome (and unexpected) birthday presents.

After lunch we took a 2 1/2 hour cruise on the harbor, through the locks, and into Lake Union. It's the same cruise I took with my roommate earlier this year. It was fun to be out on the water and learn fun facts about Seattle, and by the end of the cruise, the sun had come out.

That night we hung out at the hotel, and my dad's childhood friend from Brazil stopped by to visit. It was so much fun to talk to him, and hear their stories.

Tuesday morning I met my family at the hotel, and we went to Pike Place Market one last time for breakfast (at a delicious French bakery). At the market, just before bidding farewell to my loved ones, I started to see flashing lights in one eye, and worried that I might be having a stroke or something...but then a half-hour later the debilitating light-sensitive headache hit and I realized that the flashing lights were an aura (some people get them right before they get a migraine). So I spent the rest of the day in bed in the dark.

It was a great visit, and I'm really thankful that they all made the trip, and that the weather was so nice. I look forward to many more visits in the future...but hopefully I will have a bigger place someday so that people can stay with me instead of in a hotel.

Guess what?

My family is coming to visit in five days! And I can't wait!

Catching Up

So, you know how when you need to do something, but you keep putting it off, and then it just grows more and more daunting as time goes by? That sort of happened to this blog. And apparently also the blogs of everyone I know. Anyway, let's catch up.

I have been thoroughly enjoying the time I've been spending here:

Great energy, fun times...I'm willing to look past the fact that in the 3 games I've watched the Sounders play in person, they have yet to score a single goal. Also trying to convince myself that I am not a bad luck fan. Only annoying Qwest Field thing: they serve Jones Soda Company products. No Pepsi, no Coke = :(

This picture was taken at the Chelsea game, that's why the top section was open. For the MLS games, only the bottom section is.

Have seen beautiful soccer (Sounders v Barcelona), desperate and sloppy soccer (Sounders v Chelsea), and dirty, cutthroat soccer (Sounders v Fire). It's been a blast. Here's an article that was in The Stranger last week that captures the whole experience pretty well: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/american-football/Content?oid=1973424

Work has been good. Obviously, it's a job, and has some challenges, but overall I'm still incredibly thankful to have it and enjoying the things I'm learning. The biggest hurdle is trying to overcome my perfectionist tendencies. I really beat myself up sometimes when I feel that my job performance wasn't good enough. Like I should really know everything and always do it well. Since this is pretty much impossible...well you can see why it's my biggest challenge. I realize that this problem is deeply rooted in my brain/psyche, and that it's not going to be resolved easily. I'm still a work in progress :)

We had a week of sweltering misery recently. It stayed above 90 degrees well into the night (maybe started cooling down around midnight) which resulted in not a lot of sleep for anyone. I kept all my blinds shut and and even put blankets over my bedroom windows (which get a lot of afternoon sun) to try and keep out the heat. It was pretty much constantly above 85 degrees in my apartment. At least my pool was open and provided a little relief. I also enjoyed taking ice-cold showers right before bed. I'm looking forward to the weather of paradise that happens in September.

The big decision I'm trying to make right now is whether or not I want to get a Wii. I can see myself getting a lot of enjoyment out of it. I can also see myself never leaving my apartment again. Thoughts? Suggestions? Personal anecdotes?

Maybe someday

I have realized that I could never be a critic or reviewer of any kind. (Okay, really, there are lots of things I could never be...). I have an almost total inability to communicate in a 'big picture' kind of way, and am constantly getting tangled up in details. Any time I try to describe what it is about a book or movie that I love to another human, I fail pretty miserably. I love details too much.

That said, I do think that someday I would like to try and write something and send it out into the world. Since finishing school and getting a little more comfortable at work, my brain has been demanding an outlet. Recently I've started carrying around a little notebook (not a moleskin, for readers of Stuff White People Like), and find myself writing sentences/paragraphs/passages as they come to me. Nothing very interesting or worth reading, but experiences and observations and stories. It's sort of becoming something that I must do when the urge strikes, much like having no choice when your bladder signals that it's full :)

Maybe in the next 10 years I will develop enough discipline to write something worthwhile.

But sometimes I forget...

I've been feeling oddly nostalgic lately. Whatever it is about a time and place that carves a spot for itself inside your heart...and then tugs at susceptible moments (Like, for instance, during 'crazy week' which you only understand if you're a woman... or happen to live with a woman...or have ever met a woman). Anyway, things I have recently found myself longing for include: St. George Island (and the people who vacation there), Jeremy and Shannon's former house in Memphis (and the people who reside there), random places in the Lou like my favorite Thai restaurant in the loop, the Barnes & Noble that I used to work at in Chesterfield, and the lake across the street from my parent's house where I took Tessa for walks. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm still glad that I'm here, and have no desire whatsoever to move back to St Louis. Just, like I said, feeling nostalgic. 

I have a print hanging on my wall that I found in an art boutique down the street. This is what it looks like:

This is what the words say: 

"The heart aches for One Great Love. Life does not seem as wonderful as we dreamed it would be. Happiness is not as complete as we thought it would be. The heart is not full. Missing something. How can we miss something that we have not yet lost, nor ever really had? Are our spirits so connected? Why do we dream of something more? Poignant, piercing feelings as we stand in that crowded room. Alone. Unbearable desires. Passion looks for an opening. An open window. But we stay in our shells, our boxes, our houses. We get up. We go to work. We eat. We sleep. We smile, but our eyes have no light, no life. Open, but we are closed. But the heart aches for One Great Love. Just open the door. Open the door, and go forward. Outward. Toward. Courage gives us the power to move the heart. Opening the windows of the soul."

Something about it resonates with me, and it's also pretty to look at :)

What are the times/places that you find yourself missing for no apparent reason?

View from the Top

Happy 5th of July, everybody! My three-day weekend has been nice and busy. Amy's friend Ray is in town visiting from Chicago, and I've joined them for a couple of adventures. 

On Friday, in spite of what happened the last time I went hiking with Amy, we (Amy, her roommate Daniel, Ray, and I) drove east into the mountains to climb up to Rattlesnake Ridge. It was a much shorter, much easier hike than Lake Serene, but it still kicked my butt (perhaps because I've been to the gym only once in the last month). There is also a certain amount of mental fortitude needed to climb up a mountain (of any size), and I'm just not sure I have it. Will work on that.

The view from the ridge was pretty nice...okay, amazing.

Lake at the trailhead in which hordes of people were frolicking. It would be the perfect place to bring a kayak. 

Amy and Daniel took a 'jumping' picture, and though they were very safe about it (and far from the edge), a concerned bystander scolded them and said, "somebody died here a few weeks ago doing that." Which is true. Cannot imagine seeing that happen.

Amy has been here three times now. It's her favorite hike for visitors to Seattle, and in her opinion, the best view from the top.

Here is a friendly chipmunk. Daniel and I offered him tasty cashews which he loved. We thought it was funny that he liked to eat them perched at close to the edge as possible. 

After returning to civilization, Amy, Ray, and I went out for some delicious Indian food. I think the closest thing I've had to Indian food before this was when I visited England at the age of 13, and our family friends (Eric & Emma) prepared a delicious (and spicy) curry. Anyway, I ordered chicken tikka masala, and was not disappointed. Keeping with the theme 'India' (and because neither Ray nor I had seen it), after dinner we all came back to my place and watched Slumdog Millionaire. 

I've put off going to the Woodland Park Zoo here in Seattle, because it costs money. Having grown up in a city with a really nice zoo that is free...I didn't see the point of paying to look at animals. But after spending a day there, I must admit it is a very nice zoo, and it supports/lead conservation efforts around the world. I learned a lot, and will gladly return. It will be especially fun to take my niece(s) and nephew(s) there when they are old enough to appreciate it.

Checking out the map at the start of our day.

Giraffe. He got excited and started running around in circles in his enclosure. It was fun to watch...you could tell he was having a blast.

Amy, Ray, and I in a replica of a primary school in a Kenyan village. Actually, the village is modeled after the one Jabes (pronounced Jah-base) grew up in. He has worked with/for the zoo.

This would be my 'bedroom' if I lived in a Kenyan village. It was interesting to see how things in a rural east African village differ from an urban west African one.

Behold, the most fearsome creature in all of Africa! 

Amy and I aren't scared of no stinkin' hippos (when they're fake).

This Macaque gave us a pursed-lips, chin-up gesture like any other cool guy would have :)

El Tigre. Heehee...it reminds me of Calvin & Hobbes: 

"Tiger sprawling in the sun!

Fast asleep, his day is done.

Lying here, 'twas warmth he sought.

The sun has make his tummy hot.

One sad fact he overlooked:

His brain is now completely cooked!"

Wolf pups. Even though they're fake, I love them. I only caught a glimpse of a real wolf. 

River otters. This was hands-down my favorite exhibit. They swam back and forth, and did flips and twirls in the water. You could tell how much they LOVED swimming.

I could have watched them frolic for hours. Also, if I had shape-shifter powers and could turn into any animal...I'm pretty sure I'd want to be an otter.

For your viewing pleasure....

After the zoo, Amy and Ray were heading down to the park for Seattle's sweaty-mass-of-humanity 4th of July celebration. I wasn't in the mood for that, and spent the afternoon relaxing in my 80 degree apartment (stupid wave of heat!). I went out for dinner with my roommate and her family, then watched the fireworks from our rooftop deck. It was great, we had an unobstructed view and didn't have to fight hordes of people afterward. Fun day...

Hakuna Matata

I woke up one day this week with that song playing in my head on repeat. I don't particularly feel 'worry-less' right now, but I'm enjoying the pace of things here as summer stretches out in the distance. Summer officially begins in Seattle (I've been told) on July 5th, because it's almost always cold and rainy on the 4th. The weather has been uncharacteristically sunny and warm recently, which is fine by me (except as it affects public transportation, which I will address below). 

Work has been...work. Things are a little more exciting, what with more people out and about and hurting themselves. Some days are great, others are terrible...such is life, right? I'm certainly starting to feel comfortable in certain areas (and with certain doctors), and have even had to be a preceptor a couple of times. While I feel kind of unqualified for teaching a new person, it has helped me realize how far I've come and how much I've really learned. I still love spines, and get to do them fairly regularly. Consequently, those are the only cases where I really feel like I know what I'm doing. 

I had to go in and 'help' with a crash a few weeks ago. I've never felt so helpless in my life. There were tons of people in the room, blood was everywhere, and I didn't do much aside from running out to try and find an instrument that they needed. When I got back to the room, they didn't need the instrument anymore...they had decided that the internal injuries were too extensive to continue. Lots of 'firsts' for me; things I didn't want to learn or have to think about or do...but things that will be necessary for me to know to be able to do my job. 

On a lighter note, my friend Amy is great at meeting great people, which resulted in the two of us going over to Jabes (a new friend from Kenya)'s apartment last weekend. He cooked us a delicious dinner (which we ate without utensils), and talked and hung out for a couple of hours (while African music played in the background). It was wonderful. Perhaps Amy and I will start saving up for a trip to Kenya, now that we know people there :)

As the weather gets nicer and the days get longer, riding the bus becomes infinitely more annoying. People flock to the city from who knows where (because it is admittedly a great place to spend a beautiful day), and clog the public transit system. It's especially bad on Thursday and Friday. A bus ride that takes 20 minutes in the morning will take an hour in the evening. And the nice weather makes all the crazies just a little bit crazier. Fun times. Come visit me and I promise you can have your very own Seattle nutjob encounter.