Fun in the PNW

A couple of weeks ago I went home for a visit. I was only home for a short four days, but I had a great time!
The Sunday that I arrived was father's day. After being picked up at the airport, Mr. Jay, the Queen and I met up with some family friends at a local brew fest. It was fun, despite the typical Seattle rain.

Monday morning I took the remarkable new shall my mom maid on the ferry with me. I convinced my friend Kelsey that we needed to ride the ferry because, I love ferry boats, and I haven't been in a long time! It is a great and inexpensive way to spend some time. We walked on, and on found an awesome crepe place on the other side. Had an enormous breakfast, then puddled around town looking at cute shops, and local art. The sun made it out just in time for our ride back across the Sound.
When I got home, Mr. Jay and I went out for lunch, then spent some time lounging around the house with the dogs.

Tuesday I lounged with the pups some more, then grabbed coffee with grandpa. Followed that with lunch at Red Hook Brewery with Laura, then we raced down to Seattle to go on the Ride the Duck tour. It was so much fun, I love being a tourist in your home town, it's a great way to learn more about where you are from. They do Duck tours in a host of towns near bodies of water, I want to start going any chance I get!

Wednesday I went out to breakfast with my dad and my sister. Then after running a few errands, we went home and hung out until we needed to leave for knitting group.

Thursday I spent the day with my mama, aka the Queen. We had a good day! Started with walking the houndies up for coffee (no they didn't drink any). Then we went to an appt. followed by treating our toes to a pedicure, and treating our tummies to lunch. After that we headed home, did some house work, hung around... and I re-packed all my stuff. Laura tried to fit in my Carry On Bag, but she was just a bit to big for the bag.

Friday I took the bus into Seattle with my mom, and my dad picked me up at her office. He and I tooled around in the neighborhood of the airport, and when the time came, he dropped me off.

I enjoyed my time home, and I had a lot of fun adventures in those five days, but my favorite part of the trip was definitely getting to spend some time with Dudley. It was harder than ever to leave, but I am thankful for the time that I was able to spend with him.

Back from the Block

There are some pretty strange traditions that occur in Block Island... mostly things that the Block regulars or residents are involved in... They have this rock on part of the Island that is referred to as "Painted Rock" that is painted by someone different in a different color or different words all the time I don't have any photos of it, but it is pretty cool that people run out to paint it randomly in the middle of the night.

They also use rocks on the beaches of all different shapes and sizes to build Rock Statues. This little thing I did participate in:

They are pretty fun to see all around the beaches, and some of them are huge!

Another tradition is going to this restaurant/bar called the Oar, and having mudslides there. They are located right in the new harbor area, and the views are great! People also bring in paddles (or oars) that have been painted or carved with little slogans on them. Last year (and I'm sure several years past as well) the family has discussed doing an oar for our family and bringing it in. Well, this year S carved an oar with the shapes of puzzle pieces, and then put last years group photo from BI in the center of the puzzle, then G painted the handle to read "Piecing together Great memories sense 1992" with the 3 family names following. It turned out really well, and they hung it up in the Oar the next day.. and we came back to have lunch (and more mudslides) and admire it.

The puzzles are another tradition. We always bring puzzles and that is something everyone will work on while we are there. This year we were only able to complete 6 and a half. We work from easiest to most complicated and with the final one, we ran out of time and had to take it down when it was half way finished. But I think that last year we only did 6 puzzles, so we still beat our record... if you can count half of a puzzle that is.

This year it was a lot of fun, and we had many new memories to add to the sea of old, and one new family member to bring to keep the traditions alive, and make new traditions with.
What kinds of Vacation traditions do you have in your family?
I think one thing that I will do when I get a family, is to vacation in a new place each year, but to do some of the same things with the family at each place we go... I think that would be fun!

Here are my beach feet, waving good night!

(oh man could I use a pedicure!)

Flying Fish!

Here are those photos I was trying to upload from my visit home to Seattle in August. You can see they go in order and my dad captured my expressions perfectly with his camer! lol they are awesome photos of me being on the receiving end of the flying fish! What a fun day!

What a ride!

Or 8 different rides! When Laura was here we went to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania for a day after going to DC. It was fun! On our way we stopped at the Ace of Cakes Bakery (which is only open by appointment because they are so popular) and we took some pictures, like geeky touristy girls :)


Then we preceded into PA and the Hershey Chocolate Factory. We went on the chocolate tour, and did you know that Chocolate is actually originally a fruit? Does that mean I can have 5 servings a day and tell everyone that I'm being uber healthy? :)



Anyhow, we then ventured over to Hershey Park, and all of the roller coasters. We were able to ride on 8 of them before the park closed... and they were all insane! Insanely amazing and fun that is!! What a great thing to spend your day doing! Flying round on rollercoasters that make you feel like your going to pee your pants, only to get off and say, "can we go again?!" Needless to say, it was a blast! :D
Here are some pictures:


(I was too cheap to buy the pictures that they sell, so I just snapped a few of the screens that you preview them on....is that even aloud?)

My weekends...

Lately they have been very uneventful!

I've been trying to be better about saving money, and so I have been having more and more weekends basically doing nothing. Which is ok, because a lot of my friends are in the same boat. So, my typical weekend consists of me hanging out by myself, or with just a few friends watching movies from our collections. But I think as a result of 'doing nothing' for so many weeks in a row (it's been like a month since the last adventure of any kind), we have all been getting a bit of cabin fever!
So this weekend, Dave and I went up to the outlet malls! My first thought was... oh geez! This is going to be a disaster for my budget! However, I showed remarkable restraint! I only bought two shirts and one dress... whereas Dave spent almost $300 on new clothes! I was very proud of myself, I got out of the house to do something fun, and I had a great time, we spent most of the day up there... and I only spent a grand total of $68 which is including my morning coffee, and going out for dinner! (although my starbucks was free! because the queen sent me a gift card!)

So anyway, that was my little adventure to tide me over for the next month or until my cabin fever returns.
The rest of the weekend we had movie night at Amber and Will's house with a group of us which was just the typical hang out. And then I helped my friend Justin move into his new place and get it set up a little.

...I know you are all just jealous of the adventurous life that I lead...

Go Get A Job!!!

So over the weekend In NYC I was pick-pocketed! which is very startling considering that when it happened, I was walking with my purse zipped and over my shoulder...but I guess that the zipper was facing the back, and I was in a crowd of people, and it happened so quickly, I didn't even know that it had happened until someone told me they saw someone take something from my bag...which is another frustration..if you saw it happen why not say something to stop it! Anyhow I just don't understand what the point of stealing something from someone else is...Why not just go and get your own job, instead of taking the money that I worked so hard to earn for myself! Ugh!!!! But anyhow, they only got $50 in cash, and then they made a $24 charge on each card that was in the wallet. G already had the charges reversed on hers, and mine are all pending still, but easily enough the problem can be resolved...it is just a hastle to have to deal with it.

Anyhow, When this all happened I was in NYC visiting a friend of mine who was out from Seattle visiting his sister with his family for thanksgiving. So I had a fun day with Matt. We went out to lunch with his fam, and then wandered around some department stores, before heading to China town. I bought a new dress to wear that night to dinner, and then I bought a black pashmina to wear in this oh so cold weather! [insert pick-pocket rant here] and then after that whole ordeal, we caught a cab back up to Times Square to meet back up with Matt's family and to get ready to go out to dinner. We went to this amazing steak house called Del Fresco's And I had the best meal of my entire life! It was 5 courses! Oh I could go on about it for hours!! I love food, especially the worlds most delicious steak and seafood! But anyhow I just say that it was amazing, and leave it at that..

Then since I didn't have my ID, we couldn't go out, and I didn't have my return train ticket to get home, so we went back to the family's hotel room (one of those 2 bedroom suites) and Matt and I watched a live free or die hard and crashed there. We were at the W Hotel in Times Square...Also quite amazing! With a fantastic view, and it was very modern and chic!

All in all not a bad day! It'll just be a few days to clear everything up and get things re-issued and whatever...but I still love New York! :)

OH, and P.S. I will post pics as soon as I can, my camera is currently hating me, and I need to take it to someone who knows a little bit more than me, the not so techy princess that I am...lol!

Filled with Fun!

This past Sunday, I spent the day with my newest friend, Carly, and a group of her guy friends. We went quading (quads, ATVs, whatev), and it was a blast! At first they were all going really slow with us and being careful, which was good bc neither of us had ever gone before. About halfway way through the day, we were all taking a break, and then Carly asked Al if he would teach us how to drive them, and let us go around on our own. It was soooo much fun it was ridiculous! We were just driving around in this field, but it was so fun!!! Then we were all going to go again, and so I was going with this guy Dave (the crazy one)(not really just one of those boys with their toys things) he decided that I needed some mud on me so that it would look like I had actually been out there with them....so we wound up looking like this! (this isn't us, I just didn't want to bring my camera out there bc I didn't want to lose it so I found this pic) We were doing wheelies, and driving through gigantic puddles, and going off of jumps (small ones, bc that is all I would allow), but then we were going through the trails and all the bumps and curves, bc they make actual trails for this stuff! But it was soo fun! And so we will go again and again! Woo-Hoo!

Thank goodness for showers and washing machines! :)

Oh the excitement!!

So...I haven't posted in a while! I have been busy with little Dan and little Ann, knitting, ripping out my knitting, re-knitting, and trying to finish my book!

With the kids, it has been a pretty quite week. Until this evening. Today I started late, and then Gwen, the neighbor lady, and the previous nanny (Cara), went out to dinner to have a good-bye thing for Cara, b/c it is her last week. The kids and I were having pizza and playing at the neighbor's house when little Ann started screaming!! I came running to see what was going on, and she came flying out towards me with blood spouting out of her mouth, and running down all over her. I rushed her home (leaving little dan behind), and got her to tell me what had happened. Long story short, they were playing and something slammed into her already loose tooth! Blood everywhere, and waterworks aside, she asked me to pull it out the rest of the way! I didn't really want to, but I felt it and it was hanging on by a thread, so I pushed it a little and it came out! Now it rests, eageerly awaiting the tooth-fairy! I think that was the most excitement I have had here since i aarived! Talk about adventure!!

As far as my knitting wasgoing, I was examining it and found a hole!! So I proceeded to rip it out and begin again. but with only 6 chapters left of HP I have been giving my attention mostly to the book...which explains why I haven't updated!! But I have only 10 pages to go, and then my life will go back to normal....or my version of it!

oh...P.S. I haven't been able to do the links again...I don't have a chain icon on my page, I just have a spell check option (which may need more use!) and, one to add pictures...nothing that adds links...I guess I will have to call the queen while posting my next blog and have her give me the step by step!

Thanks everyone for your efforts on miss techno challenged!

Lovely Day, Lovely Day....

Today was just that! I got to go out and explore the town! and thanks to all of you commenters! I found a decent cup'a'joe, got my pet stuff ordered online, and finished everything on my to-do list and then some!


I found the small town knitting shop here! So adorable--and with all the goods inside. I initially left my wallet in the car to try not to spend any money. But after feeling up all of the yarn they had to offer, I couldn't resist a few new faboulous options! So I got: A skein of chunky baby alpaca in white, by Misti Alpacea; 2 skeins of cashmerinoin a smokey teal color, made by Debbie Bliss; and another Debbie bliss, in a dark charcoal, this one cotton denim aran and stonewashed. All of which are sooo soft and luxurious! :D I love yarn! I also love wooden needles! So I got some new ones made of rosewood, which i've yet to use.

So needless to say, my afternoon of knitting turned into an afternoon of shopping!! And then I did some excellent sightseeing of my lovely new town! Here is the new view:





and by the way...I'm not naked in all of my pictures, it just so happens that the majority of my favorite dresses (and I love wearing dresses and skirts) are strapless! One of these days, I will manage to get the dress in the photo to, and you will see, they are quite lovely

my little adventure

Taking me across the country. I am starting out as a Nanny in Connecticut. I have lived in the Pacific Northwest my entire life (well not entire...but mostly all that I remember!). Anyhow, I recently came to the conclusion that there are some things that I need to get out and experience, some new scenery to soak in...

So I am here now in my new room, after shlepping my life across the country with me! And Sheila, my pet hedghog too! So here we lie....for a few years, to have this so stated adventure! And travel, finish school, make some new friends, and who knows what else!

This blog is a way for me to let my family and friends in on how I am doing here...it was the Queen's idea...my mother that is! And she will be thrilled that I have stepped into her little online blogging world!