Mi Hermana

Translation: My Sister

I'm not just randomly saying sister to say sister. Although I could write about my sister. For instance, this blog post could be about how much my sister loves Spanish soap operas. She really does. But I really just plan on sharing my lovely weekend with my sister. The Spanish part was just to make it fun (everything is better in Spanish, or so my sister says).

Lindsay arrived late, late Thursday night - the lateness deserves a double late. Her flight was cancelled and she caught the later flight that was then delayed. Cancelled = Late #1, and Delayed = late #2. She finally arrived at 12:30am - that’s 30 minutes into Friday, so I take back the first sentence of this paragraph. Lindsay arrived early, early Friday morning.

I still had to work Friday, and Lindsay had to go a conference - the real reason she came to Seattle. Her conference was at the University of Washington and something to do with history and stuff. (See her coming out of the conference below). But the real fun started Friday evening with a Bella blast. A Bella Bridesmaid blast that is. Yes, the bridesmaid quest begins. We headed to downtown Seattle for some try-on time...my sister was thrilled.



Trying on dresses is hard work, so we grabbed some grub afterwards at a placed called Local 360. Josh was at the office that day, so he just meet up with us for dinner. The meal started with some peanut butter and jelly bon boons. Then some more tasty foods to round off the evening.



Saturday Josh and I introduced Lindsay to our favorite bakery, and the one my mom always raves about having the best fruit coffee cake, Macrina. We also introduced Lindsay to Seattle rain. Lots of it - slow, steady, constant rain. No, not that bad, but it sounded good.



After coffee and muffins, we headed to Pike Place Market to give Lindsay a taste of Seattle. We showed her the market and some of our favorite shops including the World Spice store. Josh and I stocked up on our favorite chai tea too. We also tried some blueberries from the blueberry guy at the market.



In the afternoon, Lindsay had to participate in a lecture so Josh and I roamed around Wallingford. Once the lecture was over, we continued on to Ballard to walk around. The day was finished with Senor Moose (more Spanish). This was the first Mexican restaurant I really enjoyed. Jaws dropping from Lindsay and Josh as I actually enjoyed the Mexican food. Josh was practically giddy about it.

Sunday Josh had to say goodbye in the morning to head out on work travels. Boo. But that left us for sister bonding time. Sister time started with more bridesmaid dresses. This time at J. Crew. Again we found some more dress options.

We enjoyed some lunch at my favorite lunch spot, Citizen. Then it was off on adventures at Discovery Park. We went on a quest to discover the lighthouse. The map was misleading and we though we might never discover the lighthouse and be left drenched in the rain. On our quest, we did discover Hidden Valley. You may be picturing cauliflower and carrot sticks and fountains of ranch dressing, but no. It was just grass. See Lindsay walking into the hidden valley...



Finally, we came to some beach. Where there is a beach, there is bound to be a lighthouse. And find it, I mean discover it, we did. And that’s the end of the discover the lighthouse story. We did discover other things too - little birdies, an empty nest, a crow, and some other random things I could mention. More exciting though.. we touched the Puget Sound. Yes, I’ve lived in Seattle for six months, and never touched the water (besides that which comes from the sky).



Sister day ended with some grocery shopping. cooking dinner, and reviewing bridesmaid dresses. Que divertido!

El Fin.

 

Sneak Preview

The weekend right before I started working was beautiful. The sun was out, it was a tad bit warmer temperatures, people were out and about -- I was giddy about it all. Josh was sick, and I wanted to get out, so I went to University Village, an outdoor mall near, surprisingly enough, the University of Washington. I love this mall because it has flowers and cute paths which makes me want to skip around in glee. I like walking around malls even though I don't buy stuff. I like to pretend and live in my imaginary world -- especially in Pottery Barn.

Now back to the purpose of this post, flowers. I saw some lovely flowers and felt it was a sneak preview into spring -- don't get too excited my spring chickens, it's definitely not spring yet. I repeat, it's definitely, definitely winter. Today is a prime example: rain, strong, strong winds, hail, a peek of sun, rain, more rain, clouds, darkness (but clear, however, clear means cold temps). I thought I'd share my sneak preview with you.

Don't these flowers look like they are saying, "hello sunshine! We missed you!"




 

These say, "we twinkle with glee."




 

Little bells of happiness...



I love flowers. No wonder my name is a flower. Heather. Note: You will read on the hyperlinked site that Heather "can survive in some very harsh territory." Also, I'm a very versatile flower.

Back in the Saddle

The runner up for this post's title, was Many Happy Returns. Both cheery, but Back in the Saddle just seemed fitting. And now, I'm sure you're singing along. But really, by the end of the week, I was singing more like this Aerosmith song than Gene Autry. Just kidding, but not, but really.

Okay, seriously now, this past week was getting back into the old groove. It was great to be back at the Acxiom office in Foster City seeing all the familiar faces (and sad to see some not there anymore). It was so nice to catch up with so many friends again. The I was back to the computer, digital world. Just nice to be back (in an office chair, not a saddle, mind you).

Most of my week was getting setup and doing some training. I also got a new laptop loaded with awesome programs, attended meetings, and submitting tickets. Fun times.

Speaking of fun times, take a look at the rental car I got for the week. Actually, I felt pretty ridiculous...orange convertible and Heather just done fit in the same sentence -- perhaps Heather and Porsche do (well, in my dreams they do - wink wink).



The best part of the week were the evenings seeing all my friends. Night #1, Tuesday, was "the gang" (this is how Josh and I refer to our group of college friends: Manual, Jimmy, Chris, Jeff, and Melissa). I had dinner with Melissa in Menlo Park at Sultanas, and then the gang went to Fraiche for some delicious froyo. Night #2, Wednesday, I meet with my friend Lara (an ex-Acxiomer). We had din din down at Pizza Antica on Santana Row followed up with the best froyo ever...Yumi Yogurt...with the best flavor, graham cracker cheesecake. Night #3, Thursday, my last night, was happy hour with Acxiom friends (and old Acxiom friends - everyone still seems to show up for happy hour even though they are no longer with Acxiom...we just that fun of people). Great friends, great times!

I'm grateful for my first week at the office getting some good face-to-face time with my team. Now, I'm back in Seattle and tomorrow starts my first week being home based! Before the work week begins, Josh and I tried to get me all setup with a home office. We made a stop at IKEA on Saturday and Storables today. Then we spent time getting it all together (and built...gotta love IKEA). It's not quite done, but it's workable. I'll share a picture when it's all setup and beautiful.



Wish me luck this week!

Hello Again

This is the much-anticipated post. I know you've been on the edge of your computer seat ever since I built up the suspense in my Later Partner post. You can now relax, I'm releasing the big news. Some of you may already know, but I'm going back. Back to...wait for it...Acxiom.

It's time to suit up and head back to work folks. Man, I've been waiting to use the suit up song for some time now. No, no, I don't actually have to wear a suit. In fact, I could wear my comfies (that's what I call my PJs, yoga-style pants, etc). Wrong again, I can't wear comfies to the Acxiom office, but since I'll be working from home I could. Yes, I'll be home-based here in Seattle. I probably won't wear comfies because all the studies on working from home say you should actually wear normal clothes, but it is possible.

I'll be heading down to Foster City (the Bay Area) Tuesday (tomorrow) through Friday this week for my first week. I'll be training, doing HR paperwork, and all that type of new hiring type stuff. Then I'm back to Seattle and setting up my home office. Next weekend is a big IKEA trip so we can turn this place into a productive-efficiency-awesome environment.

So, it's hello again Acxiom. Hello again friends at the office. Hello again Bay Area (every once in a while). Hello again sitting at a computer and not at an espresso machine. Hello again weekends. Hello again routine schedule. But not Hello Again, the movie. That was bad. Josh says I should be embarrassed to even have watched the movie. I was young, and didn't know any better okay.

Or as I like to say...(note - A is for Acxiom)....

Hello Again Uncle A



Picture of me at a Career Fair January 2008.

Ring Ring

Ring Ring Ring went the new mobile phone. You have to sing that sentence like this song because that's how it goes in my head. You don't have to say anything, I'm strange, I know.

Why is the above strange re-mix going in my head? Well folks, I got a new iPhone. Sadly I somehow lost or someone stole my iPhone. I believe it was stolen or found and then used; just a gut feeling. Anyway, I NEEDED a phone. I felt so empty and alone without my phone. I'd be walking along and reach into my purse for NOTHING. Weird feeling to be out there in the world without a phone or Internet. Crazy how it is. If you told me I'd be like this in high school or around that time, I would have laughed in disbelief.

Within a few days, I was sporting a new iPhone 4 with a pink & brown case. Don't you dare say something like, "you know the iPhone 5 is probably being release this summer." No. Don't. Bup bup bup. I can't hear you. Anyway, if you always waiting for the next, new release in technology you'd never get anything.

I sent an email out to you all a couple of days ago with my new number. Josh has a new number too. We're both Seattle area codes now. It's official, I have a WA license, license plate, and  phone number. Didn't get that mail?? Then let me know.



Give me a ring!!

Reading Rainbow #1

Fellow Children of the 80's, unite...forget Mister Rogers and Sesame Street, it's Reading Rainbow time!

Here's what I've been reading recently:

View fullsize

Fall of Giants (Ken Follett) - Currently Reading -- I'm on page 762 of 985 pages. I love this type of book - historical fiction. My all time favorite book is Pillars of the Earth. Love it. And recently Follett release The World Without End. These mega-novels are awesome. I think Pillars of the Earth is partially why I decided to have a Medieval Renaissance history minor at SCU. A lot of people don't know that about me. I hold a secret love of history. It runs in the family. I mean I have an older sister that is a PhD in Early Modern British history for crying out loud. My mom's favorite 4th Grade subject to teach...history. My dad reads history textbooks for fun. We're a bit nuts. Anyhow, I love this book so far for several reasons. Firstly, it's teaching me. I'm learning all out World War I. I feel like WWI was one day in history class before we headed to WWII. It's making me go online and look up peopleand events. Awesome. Secondly, it's got romanic and drama and all the fiction stuff I love. Thirdly, you catch yourself not wanting to stop reading.I love a book that captures you from the start and keeps you going all the way through. 5 Stars!

Book of Air and Shadow (Michael Gruber) - This one took me a while to get going. I rarely give up on a book. For instance, The Dante Club took me f-o-r-e-v-e-r to get "into" but at about halfway through it picked up and I ended up enjoying the book. The first half was a drag though. I always have faith in my books. You could see this as good or bad. This one started to get close to the Dante Club experience, but it turned out it got better earlier than halfway through. It was a slow first few chapters though. However, once through those chapters, I was a reading machine. Again, this was on the historical side although I wouldn't classify it as historical fiction. It had a love piece in it for the romanic side of me, and the mystery, and the dramatic scenes. Overall, I enjoyed this book. I would recommend it, but it's not one that will pop straight to mind type of recommendation. 3.5 Stars!

The Art of Racing in the Rain (Garth Stein) - This is a classic feel good type of book. You might recall seeing it in Starbucks stores a few years ago. Also, you might remember that I mentioned it in my Bauhaus Coffee Tour post - the main character stops there. I actually cried while reading this one. Yea yea, over the years I've become a real sap. At least I'm not crying at Hallmark commercials - sorry mom. If you love goldens or just dogs in general, this is a must read. It's along the Marley lines. A man and his dog. Awww. 5 Stars! P.S. I want a dog...

The Strain (Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan) - Ready for a thriller type book? This is it. Pan's Labyrinth and The Orphanage are Guillermo Tel Toro's films. "Ahh," you say, "I know those" as goose bumps run up and down your back. I read this one since my Starbucks manager lent it to me after we talked about vampires. He said it was a vampire-like story. I agree, it has vampire vibes to it, but different than the historical, popular vampire view. I had to read this one only during the day - on the bus to work, at work, or days off (not at night!). I had a some crazy dreams and learned my lesson quickly when I tried reading at night. That or I'd read some of it, and then switch to my Total Money Makeover book. It's interesting, thrilling, and keeps you reading. If you're in the mood, like these types of books, you should read it. I'm deciding if I can handle the next in the series...4 Stars!

R and R in SD

After plenty of Vitamin D, the visit moved onto more R&R (that's Rest and Relaxation) activities. My dad had to work and Johan had to go to school, so the girls had fun.

It started Tuesday with a massage at Sante Day Spa. This special treat was in celebration of my new job. I found the place on Yelp (typical me...you know I probably ought to write reviews on it since I use it so much). What was nice is that they offer 10% on Tuesdays...perfect! At first I was a bit weary of the place. We drove into a commercial looking building. After walking though the building, we came across this little spa hidden inside. As we entered, this guy at the desk came out with a heavy French accent. Let's hope it was a true accent. That would have been weird otherwise. Trying to make it more foofy with a accent. But it was real. I think. But, he seemed genuinely nice.

We entered and it seemed to expand further back and you would have to look back out the door to truly believe you were in a commercial looking building. They offered a steam room, sauna, and relaxation nook before the massage. We were led to a locker room to get ready. They had all the little things you might need afterwards - a brushes, lotion, showers, etc - how sweet. Then I attempted the steam room. It was like a shower billowing out puffs of hot steam. It was suffocating, yet somehow refreshing. I could feel the pore on my face go crazy. I didn't stay long because I think I'm a bit claustrophobic. It was pleasant though. My mom chilled on a chair in the relaxation nook where there were small treats and a trickling fountain.

Next the two masseuses came in and introduced themselves and lead us to the rooms. My masseuse was Christine. It was an hour of heaven. She was very nice and was sure to ask if there were any trouble areas. Definitely recommend this place. And that was relaxation experience #1.

We followed this up the next day, my last day, with a pedicure and manicure. Now, after working at Starbucks, my nails really needed help. Extreme help. Crying out for help, help.

See these feet? Don't they loook tired? Don't they need help? Look closely. There is a rip on the one big toe. Chips everywhere. Sad. These our my beach walk feet, what they  need are Beachy Toes.



Perfect name, right? Again, I found the place on Yelp. Mom and I had a bit of trouble finding it at first. It was off Hwy 101 South - a long road with tons of shops. We finally got there on and on an empty tank of gas I should add. The place had cute beach decor. The girls were nice too. They chit chatted with us and did a nice job. It did take a while, but we enjoyed our experience.

Sigh of relief. Relaxation. Rest. Nice. It was a pleasant end to my visit home.

Thanks Parents!!! You're the best!!!!

I'd show you the after picture of my nails, but my feet are hidden in slippers and my hands in mittens up here in Seattle. Back to reality.

Vitamin D in SD

I'm replenishing my Vitamin D stocks in San Diego right now. I left a rainy, stormy Seattle on Saturday evening to arrive to a sunny, clear San Diego. Sunday morning I woke up, went downstairs to discover I didn't even need a jacket! Not only that, but I could also wear flip flops -- Hot Dog! And dang, I should have brought my sunglasses!

Vitamin D Day 1 - Sunday

We started Sunday by paying a visit to my all-time favorite muffin place...Honeys! Honeys has been a breakfast destination of the O'Neill family for years. Before I used to just around from coffee place to bakery place to find the perfect muffin. Finally, around high school, I found it at Honeys. They have this low-fat, oat bran muffin with fruits and it simply delicious. We've been going there for breakfast ever since. The guy there remembers me since I'm the girl that would buy a dozen muffins before heading back to school, or wherever I lived, and brought them back with me. I would freeze them and enjoy them for 12 wonderful days. I think the TSA people must have thought I was crazy. The legend has continued even in my absence. My parents have also latched onto Honeys. My dad always gets two old-fashioned, plain donuts and tea. My mom switched over the years to the egg, ham, and avocado scramble to fruit, yogurt, and granola bowl. My sister, well, she gets random stuff. Me...the muffin. Then you get to enjoy such treats on Coast Hwy 101 in downtown Encinitas on the sunny patio, or inside. I thought I should dedicate a mini-review to Honeys. People on Yelp like it too. Good memories there. And Keely got to join in the fun this time too.



After a filling up on a fabulous breakfast, we headed off to South Cardiff State Beach to enjoy the sunny day with Keely. I walked Keely with occasional sprints after she begged me with those excited eyes and skip in her step saying, "come on Heather, let's run! Yea Yea Yea, let's goooo!" So I would run, or get pulled, with my flip flops and my arms flapping around trying to keep up (you know, running in flip flops isn't the easiest thing to do). What a nice way to enjoy life in SoCal.



In the afternoon, we headed out to UTC for some shopping. I got myself some Converse shoes with a gift certificate (woohoo). On a sunny day, UTC is fun to wander and shop around. Ahhh. My mom and I also got our make-up done after randomly walking by Bare Essentials, the mineral make-up place. It's actually a cool make-up and we both felt brand-new. We treated ourselves to some new foundation and join in on the mineral make-up fun.

We rounded out the day with a lovely dinner in Carlsbad to celebrate my new job and visit home. I hadn't been to this restaurant before, but it's a little place called Paon. Again, we enjoyed our meal on the patio. Perfection. I had myself a pomegranate cocktail and some delicate, fresh sea bass.

Vitamin D Day 2 - Monday

Monday morning was pretty low-key. Everyone had something to do, but me! I found this quite exciting. Sleep! I love you sleep. I woke up and then looked and the clock and plopped my head back down. The only thing that got me out of bed was a little rumbling in my tummy. With dad at work, mom at her physical therapist, and Johan at school, it was just me and the dog. My mom returned around 10:30am, so then it was off to Peets. I introduced her to the yummy latte that Peet's serves. I could see her eyes brighten after her first sip. I knew she liked it when she asked, "what is this?" And then she's said, "you have to write that down for me!" Then, powered up with caffeine, we went next door to Trader Joe's for dinner groceries.

In the afternoon, it was time to work. I headed over to Vanorsdale Insurance to do some training on Constant Contact. I was handing over the torch on their email marketing. I was quite impressed with my memory on getting to the office - the 5, to the 805, to the 52, to the 15. Whew! I had the navigation system, but she wasn't helping me much - thanks memory! I even walked in and everything looked the same. Memories of working in the summers came running back to me. Ahh, the high school and college days.

For dinner, we had a Valentines Day celebration with friends. We bought some Chick's rotisserie chicken and I make the sides - Trader Joe's 3 Grain Rice Blend and Judy's cauliflower dish (well, it's actually Food Network's recipe, but it's funny how a dish gets someone's name when they make it for a group of people. Now that I've made it several times, perhaps it's Heather's cauliflower dish to some folks). And what better to end a meal then with frozen yogurt from Golden Spoon!

I have Tuesday and Wednesday left here at home...another post to come...

NOTE: Don't get the Vitamin D thing? Check it out. It's a sun thing.

Later Partner

In case the title confused you, Starbucks employees are all partners. I'm saying goodbye to my partners! Today was my last day at Starbucks. It was a bittersweet goodbye. It was a fun team at Pine Street and it treated me well, but now onto other business (I'll tell you about the new stuff soon. Just keep an eye out for a new post in a week or so. Did I just get you excited? It's like something big happening right before a commercial break or a season finale on TV).

I'll miss my partner friends. However, it's not goodbye, but a see you later. I mean I live in Seattle - it's not like I'm moving away! (that here is a hint of what's to come in that exciting next post). I got some beautiful dried flowers from the team as a goodbye...



Things I'll miss: partners/friends (duh), making awesome foam, drizzling caramel on caramel macchiatos, easy access to coffee (and saving dinero on lattes), free pound of coffee every week + discounts, cool customers, remembering each Monday I get tips, and some other things.

Things I won't miss: hurting myself on hot liquids or cheese, bumping into random things (oh wait, I do that at home anyway), waking up at 4am, clopens (that's a close and then an open shift), tired feet, taking out the trash, washing my hands every 2 minutes, dealing with crazies, and some other things.

I'll miss this cool apron, pins, recognition cards, and stuff. And Zachy-poo was supppper sweet and said I was Wonder Woman and gave me this MAC lipgloss (from Mac's Wonder Woman make-up line)...Awww.



I'll just have to visit (and be a customer).

Seattle Coffee Tour: Bauhaus

Bauhaus has been on our list to visit for ages. We actually visited it a few weekends ago, so this post is a bit belated. I promise the time lag won't affect the review though.

This is probably one of the more popular coffee shops in town. I remember when I started at Starbucks downtown, some of my friend baristas were staying it was quite good. Then I read Racing in the Rain which takes place in Seattle and the main character stops at Bauhaus on a walk. I think it was mentioned elsewhere too. It's just popular; enough said.

With this popularity, it got all amped up in my mind. This probably wasn't a good thing for my visit. I had this place built up to be fabulous. Well, I thought it was good, but it just didn't live up to my expectations. However, I have to say, it is very Capitol Hill.

Coffee Shop Name: Bauhaus Books and Coffee

Location: 301 E. Pine Street, Capitol Hill

The Order: I got a Sugar Free Irish Cream Latte and Josh a mocha.

General Babble: I did most of my babbling above, but perhaps I can speak more specifically to our visit. The interior has a whole wall that is a book case. There is a loft area up top that has additional seating. Josh and I chose to sit up there. At our particular table, we could look over the banister and see the baristas working away below. As we people watched, we decided it was a locals place for sure. Our coffee was in glass cups - very retro - but it looked cool that way. Not sure how they retain warmth for long.

I enjoyed parts of the store itself with some interesting pieces of decoration and the bookcase. It was quite lofty though so I could see how Josh got a more stark, cool feel from the visit. Overall, I enjoyed our time there but I'm not rushing back.

Ratings:

Overall Visit: 3  - As I've said, I'm not sure if my expectations were too high or what, but it just was a decent experience. It wasn't the "wow, I want to go back there" reaction. We had a nice time though and the coffee was decent.

Latte Art: 3 - Nothing too great here. There was a design, but it was small and almost an after-thought. They had more foam on the top than some of the other fancy coffee places we've been too. The more foam it seems the less design. Josh had whip cream so we couldn't tell. Speaking of which, I found it funny that they pulled out a new bottle of Kirkland whip cream and then proceeded to rip off the wrapping so you couldn't tell where it was from. Tricky, but you could tell.

Atmosphere: 3.5 - I think Josh and I had slightly different options here. I thought it had a different feel and sort of neat with the bookcase and such. And good people watching. Josh thought it a bit less cozy.

Drink Options: 4 - Well, they answered my call for more sugar free flavors. However, I didn't like the taste of the one I chose...Irish cream. I've had it at other places and it was good, but perhaps it was the type of syrup. It gave it a weird after-taste (somewhat bitter). It did mellow out as I got through the first third though. Maybe as a mocha it would have been better. I just didn't like the syrup...Torani? So they get props for flavor option effort. They had all the other usuals too, of course.

Coffee Knowledge: 3 - I'm giving this a mid-range score because I really didn't ask many questions. Partly because the barista were a bit stand-off-ish. Not totally snobs or snooty, but just didn't get that warm welcome. Then I went on their website and their wasn't any information about their coffee...odd since it's a coffee place. They did have cool stuff for sale though!

Food: 3.75 - Plenty of options. They had Top Pot donuts, croissants, muffins, scones, and even ding dongs. I opted for my favorite thing...a muffin. It was alright. A bit dry, and nothing I want to go back for (definitely not Honey's or Palace Kitchen pumpkin muffins). Josh had a croissant which he thought was alright. We left wishing we just got coffee and going to Homegrown around the corner instead...

Good Eats

I thought I'd do a random post about Josh and his eats, or should I say Good Eats. My Good Eats is two fold - (1) I'm referring to the television show that Josh watches on the Food Network with Alton Brown called Good Eats - he has the cookbook, and (2) the big smile that comes across Josh's face when he chows down on good eats.

The thought came to blog about this today when we got some lunch. We didn't want anything big and it was already 2pm, so we thought we'd check out the food truck nearby in Ballard. Josh loves food trucks. Seattle loves food trucks. Portland excels at food trucks and stands. It's popular these days. Anyway, today's truck was a Josh paradise because it serves...wait for it...wait for it some more...Mexican food.

It's called El Camion. Josh's mouth watered when we saw words like gorditas, tamales, and burritos. Even more so when he saw chorizo.

Look at that smile. Isn't he cute? See how happy he is?



Look he's picking up the food. See his little head through the windows?



Actually, I have a confession. I like to surprise Josh while he's eating and take a quick photo. We get lots of random pictures of him eating. Check this one out. We're with my friend Irene at Three Girl Bakery at Pike Place Market. I think he's eating a reuben or meatloaf sandwich.



Or this shot of him eating a beignet at Where Ya At Matt food truck.



Some ice cream at Molly Moons (which also had a truck visiting Queen Anne last week - we ate it in the freezing cold).



He couldn't resist the BBQ at Ro Ro's. I had to get a shot of this one.



But in all fairness, I have photos eating too...(I make Josh take them - hehe)!

Official Washingtonian

Yup, it's official. I'm a Washingtonian and a Seattleite. I had today off and Josh was working, so I thought I'd take some time to go to all those places that we never want to visit...in this case, the DMV. I was pretty impressed with the experience though. I got to the DMV counter with only a 15 minute wait. The process was fairly simple. The only troublesome part was that the location I visited only did licensing, not license plates. I had to go to another place for that. The license plate wasn't hard either though. They got me in and out under 10 minutes. Overall, no the long lines and waiting I'm used to. Hurray. Points for Seattle.



Now that I'm a Washingtonian, I feel I should learn more about the state. I'm not a native, so I didn't learn all the state history and facts in elementary school. I know all about California (thanks Mom and 4th Grade), but Washington...not so much. I took it upon myself to do a bit of research.

I've shared some of my findings here on the post. I would like to say that I did learn a lot about Washington, true or not, on the Underground Tour I took when my friend Irene visited. Bill Speidel gives a pretty darn good history lesson.

Here's an abbreviated list of Washington State Symbols:

• Fruit: Apple


• Flower: Pacific Rhododendron


• Bird: Willow Goldfinch


• Fish: Steelhead Trout


• Bug: Green Darner Dragonfly


• Veggie: Walla Walla Sweet Onion

Learn more about Washington on Wikipedia or find out some fun facts.

You'll see Seattleite hyperlinked above. The definition there is pretty accurate and funny. I think #4, #5, and #8 are pretty true...Check them out:

1. Any person living in, or within ten miles of The city of Seattle, WA


2. Is easily agitated when tourist asks to see the original Starbucks, Microsoft or Kurt Cobain's house. True Seattleites do not care for these things.


3. Considers Seattle to be the best city on Earth.


4. Is a pretentious coffee snob due to the thousands of delicious coffee houses and rostaries that surround them.


5. Any person who knows not to visit Pike Place Market on a Saturday.


6. Any person who was disappointed by EMP (unlike the inbred hicks from across the country who come to visit it).


7. Anybody who knows that "eating dicks" means eating burgers.


8. Any person that hates it when Californians drive through Washington and cry about the rain and the cold.


9. Typically a city that is completely devoid of soccer moms.

Seattle Coffee Tour: Special 'At Home' Edition

From my coffee tour, you might have assumed that I only drink coffee at coffee shops. Untrue! How presumptuous of you! Just kidding you, but I do have to enlighten you. The truth is, Josh and I have brewed coffee at home almost every morning. There is something quite different to having a regular cup of joe at home than going out. First, there is the magical smell of coffee as you wake up. Second, you can enjoy a no-frills coffee to snap you into the reality of the day. Third, it gets you out the door (and perhaps to a coffee shop later).

For obvious reasons, we drink a ton of Starbucks coffees. Hmm, I wonder why? Perhaps because it's "free" for me. Sadly, we don't get the chance to get other beans because I get this guilty feeling of spending money on beans when I know I have some at home already. That's where an awesome gift comes in...

This weekend the mailman brought Josh and I a gift. Okay, it wasn't the mailman, but he was the bearer of good things. Our friends, Jeff and Melissa, sent us Blue Bottle Coffee beans from the Bay Area. Josh and I have been wanting to try this place forever. Now at last we can, and to top it off this week we've enjoyed something different than the usual!

We received two tasty picks: Mexico Chiapas and Ethiopia Sidamo Howolso, both single origin coffees (from Mexico and Ethiopia - get it). So far I've enjoyed the Sidamo Howolso the best and Josh the Chiapas. When we opened both, we could tell it was something different than what we've been drinking. Both had very distinct smells.



Mexico Chiapas - As I mentioned, this was Josh's preference so far. It has a smokiness to it. Josh said it was earthy. I think it was best when I added more creamer to it, and then I thought it was quite tasty. It's one that I think needs that milk to balance it out a bit more. As I read the description on the Blue Bottle website I understand why it's a favorite for Josh. It says it is "a bacon-and-eggs coffee. Big bowls of chilaquiles" and other foods go well with it.

Ethiopia Sidamo Howolso - This was my preference. It had almost a chocolately smoothness to it. The website says it is a "is a punchy, winey, fruity, leathery coffee." Hey, I like all that stuff. Well, maybe not the leather. Umm, I've never eaten leather, so perhaps I do like it and didn't know it. Either way, this one was quite nice too.

For this special edition, I wanted to take you through our coffee at home ritual. It all starts the night before...

--Chose your coffee.



--Measure out the right amount of beans and grind. The coffee-to-water ratio is important to making a good cup. Our system is to fill the beans to the blue sticker - see it there. We did the math a while back and just stick to it. Also, you should double check the type of grind you should use for your machine. Flat bottom filters, cone filters, etc all are different grinds. What do I mean? The size of the bean that you grind...is it fine, medium, course? This makes a difference too! Are you getting it? So much magic in the making!



--Put the freshly ground beans into the filter. Now, don't be lazy and grind them all at once. It's tempting, but ground beans only last about 24 hours max before they start losing their yumminess. We push the envelope by grinding the night before, but who wants to grind in the AM (I'm sure our downstairs neighbors would agree).

--Use some fresh, pure water. Using good, filtered water makes a difference! Are you catching the theme here...everything makes a difference! Everything. Everything. Mwahahaha.



--Now, prepare the coffee machine. This is a new machine, so we are grinding them medium-fine. We love our new coffee machine (I broke our other one, but it was a cheap one luckily--from just after college).



--Set the timer for a few minutes before you wake up. Remember, the best part of waking up, is <coffee> in your cup! Yes, we made coffee at 9:46pm. Auto On!



--Wake up, sleepy head! Get your coffee on!



--Go start your day! ---->>>

(and enjoy this cartoon on caffeine)

Seattle Coffee Tour: Fremont Coffee

On a nice Saturday afternoon together, Josh and I decided to enjoy some coffee. Why not add another review to my tour? Yea, let's do it...

Coffee Shop Name: Fremont Coffee Company

Location: 459 N 36th St, Seattle, WA 98103

The Order: Tall Sugar-Free Vanilla Latte for me and a Tall mocha for Josh.

General Babble: This place had great coffee, a great atmosphere, but okay service. It's amazing how service can "put you off" a bit on a place. When we walked in, there were a few other folks inside. Josh and I headed to what we thought was the end of the line. Another gal that walked in later we did also stood behind us. After a few minutes, the barista told us that the line went around another way. However, during that time span, two to three other groups had gotten in line in front of us even though they came in after. Err. When we got to the front, they moved us along quickly which was nice.

Josh and I chose to sit outside on the porch since it was actually a sunny day. A bit of sun in January in Seattle is uncommon so we seized the chance to catch some rays. The porch was quite pleasant. We enjoyed our coffee in some wicker chairs. The building itself was fun with several rooms to enjoy. There were also some quirky things inside that gave the place some spice. Overall, a very Fremont, funky feel. Here me talk about it on my video below.

Ratings:

Overall Visit: 4 - The coffee was really delicious. Smooth taste and lovely foam. Josh and I both were very pleased. The setting was nice on the porch and there was a good Fremont vibe to the place. The baristas weren't the friendliest - a bit barista snobby-ish. Perhaps they felt busy, or a bad day. I really just go for the coffee in the end I guess.

Latte Art: 3 - Now, I was disappointed here. I ready a few reviews before going here and a few folks talked up the latte art. How great it was and the cool designs such as this gal on Yelp. Sadly, I got a nice design, but nothing I haven't seen. I mean some have gotten hamster and pumpkin designs. The Yelp pictures are cool. Perhaps it's a barista that wasn't there on our visit. Sigh. I really want to see something cool someday. I'll keep trying! Until then, I'm happy with the flowers and hearts.

Atmosphere: 4.5 - Josh and I sat outside on a wrap around porch, which was great. They had plenty of sitting out there too. On sunny days, this is a great option. I'm not sure about the inside, but it seemed cozy enough. This might be a bit biased of a review because we sat outside on a day with some sun (sun which we haven't seen much lately...).

Drink Options: 4 - I stuck with my SF Vanilla latte and Josh to his mocha (you may notice these seem to be our default drinks), but they had a nice selection. I think I read a caramel latte or something too. Again, not much Sugar Free syrups, but who does?

Coffee Knowledge: 3.75 - Here's another point in the service that was disappointing (besides the line thing I mentioned above). I stopped to ask about they coffee they use and the barista didn't really want to give me the time of day. She simply said they roast their own and it was a type of espresso roast. I do think she really knew what she was talking about and you could tell they roasted it on their own (cool). Plus the taste of our drinks was great. That said, I could give them a 5 score here if they seemed more interested in talking to me.

Food: N/A - It seems they have croissants and a few muffins. There might be more earlier in the day. I might have had biscotti too. I just can't rate this because we didn't get anything to eat.

Don't agree with me? Check out Yelp reviews.

Coffee Tour - Fremont Coffee from Heather O'Neill on Vimeo.

January 22, 2011: As part of my Seattle Coffee Tour, Josh and I stopped over at Fremont Coffee in the early afternoon. We sat on the porch and enjoyed lattes and mochas. Hear more from me with this video!

The Rents

It's sad that my posts are getting less and less frequent...my bad. Life has been busy, busy in 2011 so far. There is always something going on. For instance, this past weekend my parents were in town.

Their trip was two fold: visiting us and work. It just so happened that my dad had a work conference downtown Seattle at the Fairmont Hotel. Luckily it was a Monday and Tuesday event, so my mom tagged along and they both headed up early to make a special weekend visit.

We had a jam packed weekend of fun. We started the festivities upon their arrival on Friday afternoon. We galavanted around town until Sunday evening. Sunday evening to Tuesday morning my dad had to get down to business and go to meetings and talk the insurance talk.

Back the the fun stuff. Here's our weekend in a nutshell:

Friday:

I woke up at the wee hours of the morning to open the store. During my shift, my parents were in transit from San Diego. They grabbed the Light Rail from the airport to the stop in front of my store. This is where the fun began.

With us all ravishingly hungry, we ventured off to a lace I've been wanting to return to since I first ate there in December...Citizen. We enjoyed some scrumptious crepes and sammies. It filled our grumpy tummies.

Then it was back to the hotel (for my parents) and my apartment (for me) for nappy time. And to await Josh's arrival home from work.

The day ended with a nice dinner together at Betty's restaurant in downtown Queen Anne. This was only after a crazy car chase by a gal with serious anger issues. I mean she honked her horn at me for about 30 seconds straight. She continued to follow me and when i pulled over, she blocked me in and started to yell. I moved on and she still followed me. Finally I got to a residential area and Josh got out and with her yelling managed to get her to calm down and move onward (without following us!). Crazy I tell you, crazy! I tell ya I felt like I was part of a "When Keeping it Real Goes Wrong" skit.

Saturday:

We started our day with a power breakfast at our favorite Macrina Bakery (you've heard this one several times on this blog already). My mom loves the fruit coffee cake and she sure let's you know it with her What About Bob hmmm ahhhhh's as she ate.

The main part of our day was over at Whidbey Island. Our route had us take a ferry (woohoo, Seattle ferry land -- another check on our chalkboard. Remember? Look at our progress!).



We explored Langley, which was was a cute-as-a-button town. We stopped in little shops and such - shops, florists, crafts, random stuff, etc. Plus the view was gorgeous. We stopped here for lunch at Primo Bistro and then continued onward up the island.

Here is the route...I did a LOT of driving. Point A & D is home. B is Langley and C is Oak Harbor. You'll notice we didn't take the ferry back, but instead drove up and over to the bridge at Deception Pass. The drive at that part was deceiving because it took much longer than expected. However, it was a beautiful drive through the island. We even passed by a national reserve. Beautiful. Simply Beautiful, and even in the rain.



Oak Harbor was a bit of a  disappointment and wasn't nearly as cute as Langley. However, our dinner back home was a delight at Portage -- definitely a new favorite. If you visit, perhaps we'll take you!

Sunday:

Sunday was a bit more local and low key. We went back to Macrina for breakfast, but it was crowded for the big game (Seahawks were playing that day).Yes, we went to Marcina a second time; I'm serious when I say it was like What About Bob. This is dad and me enjoying Macrina's:



Mom and I went to Ballard for some R&R, specially pedicures and manicures at Hoa Salon. The chairs were great - the kind that massage your back, neck, and hips. Ahhh. Afterwards my mom and I walked around the farmer's market a bit - got some honey, a muffin, and just looked at the veggies. Meanwhile, Josh and dad were on the couch at home watching the big game.

The rest of the afternoon we spent walking downtown a bit. Then we rounded off the evening at the first work event - the introduction cocktail hour. There were a bunch of Burger King and vendors and such.

My parents stayed around Monday for the work stuff and took off Tuesday morning. Luckily I had the chance to hang out in the afternoon with them after my opening shift. We went to Pike Market and wondered around town a bit more. And that wrapped up a lovely weekend with the 'rents (aka parents).



Now, do I have to remind you every time to go to my Flickr album to see all the pictures? Sheesh!

The Little Honda That Could

"I think I can I think I can!" That was my motto trying to drive up a steep hill in SNOW last night.

Last night it started snowing again while I was merrily closing the store. Somehow I had forgotten the past snow storm and was like a little girl marveling at the snow. My coworker and I were happy since it was a so evening and we got the store closed on time. I should have connected the dots - snow = people go home early slash don't go out.

After closing the store, I wanted to my car that was safely parked in a covered spot. La la la la. I thought to myself, "oh it's not really sticking to the ground. It's so pretty." La la la la. Snap a shot of it falling with my iPhone:



I get into my car and call Josh to let him know to start heating dinner up. I say, "Hey, it's snowing!" Josh replied, "What?!?" Apparently he hadn't gotten up from his work desk in a while. "Yea, it's been coming down for a while now, but it's not really sticking." Josh warns, "be careful going up the big hill (that we must take to get home - it's Queen Anne for ya)." Nonchalantly, I promise, "oh yea, I'll be careful. It's not that bad."

My first taste of the snow driving comes when I go to brake. By the way, the snow is actually sticking now that I'm not right dab in the center of downtown. I apply the brakes since the light is red. However, the car is not stopping! What! Ahh! I press harder hoping to stop. No-oo! Staring to panic, but luckily I had given myself enough space that it finally stopped without hitting the car in front of me. Whew! I think to myself, "That was too close. I better drive slower!"

So I chug along the route home going about 20 - 30 miles an hour. I realize that it's really quite slippery. I start to worry about the hill. I approach my turn off and see that there are not that many tire marks in the snow. I worry about traction since I have no chains. I wonder, "How is this going to go?"

I get to the light that I turn to go up. I stop and think, "I think I can I think I can. Here goes nothing." I start up the hill slowly. I make it a fourth of the way up and then my car starts resisting and making a roaring sound without going anywhere. Flashes of my car sliding backwards or spinning race through my head. I start to sweat in my large jacket. I apply more to the gas. I start to crunch up some more, then I get stuck again. I put my car in park and call Josh frantically. "I'm stuck, I don't know what to do. I'm stuck. What do I do? What do I do?" Josh calmly talks to me and we decide I should park. I put him on speaker and go to give it a try.

My foot is shaking. And not just a tremor, but it's actually moving back and forth and I can't control it. I can barely keep it on the gas petal. The adrenaline is coursing through me. I start to turn to the side of the road, but I only get partially there. Josh asks if it's a safe spot. And it's really not. We decide to try to get the rest of the 3/4 of the way up the hill to park on level ground.

To help with traction, I get out of the car and shuffle my feet to melt the snow and create a path for my wheels. I get back in to give it a try. Again my foot is spasming. I put my car in low, low gear, and gently apply the gas. My car starts to go super fast towards the curb (and tree). Luckily, by some random spark of intelligence, I decide to let the car roll and then it settled and I turn the wheels upward and try. It crunches, it resists, it makes crazy sounds. A guy walking down the hill stops to watch me. But I make it. I make it to the top! I put around the corner and park. Deep breath!

Although I only made it up the first part of the hill (note: the hill goes up, levels off for a few feet at 12th St, and then goes up again and levels at 13th St, and so on and so forth). I made it up to 12th Street. I consider briefly about going for the win, but decide it's too risky. I get out and walk the way home in the snow.

Now it's the next morning and I'm typing this post. The rain has returned and the snow is slowly melting. I'm not looking forward to walking back to my car to go to work. Sigh. At least I go home.

What now? I'm going to buy some chains, and there is a back up plan for getting home. We will by pass the hill and go around to the other side of the hill and park in the gravel lot.

This is the hill taken today as I walked back to my car. The snow was practically gone since it started to rain in the wee hours of the morning...

Stylish Me

This Friday I got a new style. Nothing totally crazy
because (A) I have to keep it long-ish to put it up in a cool "do"
at my wedding, and (B) I'm a bit of a wuss. However, to jazz it up
I added a few copper highlights. With some framing cuts on the
sides and layers all around, I came out looking shiny and new. I
tried a new place this time - my second visit to a hairdresser here
in Seattle - called Source. It's in trendy Ballard area. The al
that did my hair was nice (although not the super talkative hair
dresser type), but the best part was her rates were super and she
did a great job. Big Puntos! Anyhow, here's a self portrait: class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Small" title="Heather's New Hair Cut"
href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/honeill/5337299685/">class="alignnone"
src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5290/5337299685_0ae8e3953f_m.jpg"
alt="Heather's New Hair Cut" width="240" height="180"
/> title="Heather's New Hair Cut"
href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/honeill/5337299685/">

Snack Time

Top Pot...a popular Seattle treat. How could you go wrong: rain, coffee, doughnuts. It's like peas and carrots; they just go together. Everyone raves about this Seattle establishment. "Oh, those doughnuts are so good." I've direct several Starbucks customers from out of town to the Top Pot location downtown. In fact, Rachel Ray even recommends it as a best bet for java. I believe it was $40 a Day or some show of her's like that. Oh, and President Obama visited it on his Seattle travels too.

After living in Seattle for about six months now, I thought "this place is popular, I better give it a try!" Today was the day. I haven't eaten a doughnut in FOREVER. Seriously, I don't think I have since elementary school (ok, maybe a bit of one in college late, late at night - just a bit though!).

So as Josh and I were having a lovely Saturday afternoon (yes, I had off work!) in Bellevue, we decided to stop by Top Pot. We shared a delicious pumpkin spice old fashioned doughnut. Then I had a cappuccino and Josh a regular old joe.

The snack:



Here's me eating:



Part of the reason that they are so tasty is that these donuts are hand craved, and you can see them working away in the kitchen:



Not to mention some cool logos:



Other donuts places that are pretty famous around the Pacific NW are Mighty-O Donuts, Pink's, and Voodoo Doughnut.

I'll end on some "food for thought"...what is the difference between doughnut and donut?

1.1.11

A cool date, right? All ones = 1.1.11. Not to mention, yesterday marked the end of a decade. A whole decade; that's nuts! 2000 and Y2K seems like just yesterday. I must be getting old. This is my "I can't believe it's 2011" face:



New Year's wasn't anything too exciting for Josh and I. Picture this: couch, warm blanket, movie, and cupcakes. Then going to bed early. That was our New Year.

I have to say, the cupcake was special though. The owner of the Yellow Leaf Cupcake came into my store and we started talking and he offered me a free cupcake. I decided to get two cupcakes for Josh and I to celebrate the end of 2010 and the start of 2011. I picked up a fig and fennel as well as a classic red velvet cupcake. Yum! I'll return. I think it's better than the Cupcake Royal and Trophy Cupcake places that are so popular up here. Will 2011 still have the cupcake mania we saw in 2010?



Back to New Years, we watched two Netflix movies, so now we'll start 2011 with all new, fresh Netflix (as soon as the mailman comes that is). Then we just had a nice relaxing evening. At midnight, I woke up very briefly to the sound of horns and fireworks. I mumbled "happy new year" to Josh and fell back to sleep.

Part of the reason for the low key New Year was that I had to open our Starbucks store today. It wasn't as early as usual, but still I had to be there at 6:30am which means waking at 5:30am. An early start to 2011! The store was slow for the most part though.

On an ending note, this year started off cold. As in freezing. As in I had to scrape ice off my car and avoid ice patches on the road. ICE! The same thing for the end of 2010, there was ice. How shall I battle this ice and cold? A new jacket!

Post-Christmas Depression

No more stockings at work and just plain, ordinary cups.

No more Christmas movies or music.

No more Christmas lights or garland on houses.

No more Christmas cheer.

No more holidays until February.

I'm depressed.

What do you do about this kind of depression?
Go do stuff.

See a Movie...Check.

While we were down in Encinitas visiting my family, we took an afternoon and saw The King's Speech. I had been waiting to see this movie from the previews and I was not disappointed. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush do a great job. Trying to do a stutter would be a hard role to play and Colin Firth pulls it off excellently. Not to mention, he ranks up there with my favorite actors (see Pride & Prejudice or Bridget Jones). I just found out it's nominated for 7 Golden Globes too. Go see it!



Go out to Dinner with the family. Check.

We all went out to dinner the day after Christmas in Del Mar. We tried a new restaurant called Prep Kitchen. It was quite tasty, although the portions were a tad bit small. Next time I'd be sure to add a salad or extra side dish. I was thrilled when my dad mentioned it should go on "the rotation," which means he really enjoyed it and it was reasonably priced. It's tough to get one dad likes...bravo to me for finding a new place!



Brunch in La Jolla in the sun. Check.

Who doesn't like to sit outside on a nice sunny San Diego winter day and eat yummy breakfast? We all enjoyed our french toast and pancakes, while Josh, the outsider, enjoyed his chilequitas. I just love downtown La Jolla.



More coffee (in the sun too!). Check.

And nothings quite beats a coffee stop on the Encinitas coast at Pannikin. It's a funky coffee shop with surfer dudes, soccer moms, college hangouts, and all sorts of other folks. The coffee and bakery goods are tasty too. You'll hear more about this place when my Coffee Tour takes a look at the Pannikin as a side review.