Not the End of the World

Well the world did not end yesterday. Whew, what a relief! I didn't get quite everything done that I'd hope. Try as I might, I still have way too much to do, and want to do, before our world goes away.

What are somethings I did do? Well, here's a few:

1. Finished a Book: A newfound friend of mine, Katy, she's a recent Seattle transport from Eugene too, recommended a book to me. The book she recommended and the book I finished was called Alice I have Been. First of all, I found this to be a very interesting book. I always enjoy a book that is based off something people know about, but add a twist - like a childhood story or a historical event. This was based on true events (mostly) and very well written. You know when a book is well written when after you finished reading for the moment, your mind is thinking in the same writing style. Or maybe that's just me. After I read, sometimes I start thinking like the book is written. That's a good sign for me that I'm enjoying the book. Another sign is when I stay up way to late reading. Which I did with this one. I read it in two weeks, which is pretty fast for me when I'm busy working (and it's been busy at work). I laughed, cried, and got frustrated as I read this one. I love books that get you so involved that you have a mix of emotions. This wasn't a happy-go-lucky book, but definitely has an different twist to it. I say it's definitely worth the read!

2. Ate some delicious Pie: Josh and I are big-time planning for the wedding these days. Some parts of the planning are more fun then others. For instance, pie tasting! We are probably going with a something different than cake for our wedding...PIE! Our wedding is a fall, Seattle themed wedding (yes, Seattle fall is the theme) so we thought pie would be fitting. Plus, wedding cake is not always that great (frozen and then defrosted, bleh). Pie is fruity and good. It has fruit, so it must be good for you. We thought pie would be fun. And pie was definitely fun to taste! This place in West Seattle was very good indeed.



3. Went to the Beach: West Seattle has some beaches that I can imagine will be great in the summer. It is still a bit cold here and not totally spring/summer yet. We have had some occasional sun and one really nice, warm (warm for me now is 70) weather (warm for me in the past was 80/90...Pacific NW has changed this Cali girl).



4. Started Season 4 of Mad Men: This Netflix disc has been sitting here for a while. It's a Josh & Heather watch together series so I can't watch it without him around. However, he just has NOT been around. He's been traveling - New Jersey, Chicago, Germany - for work. We finally sat down and watched two episodes last night. Now, if only True Blood and How I Met Your Mother would come out with their recently seasons.

5. Saw the sun again in Seattle: I'll just say this, it's been a long winter here. Sun is not so shiney yet.



6. Make some pork chops. Tasty too. Not dried out. Good recipe. And I made some pasta shells. These are always a winner with this recipe.

Now that I know the world isn't over, I did do a few more things just in case. Such as:

1. Tried out Shellac nails: Shellac is the newest thing to the nail industry...it lasts 2-3 weeks with no chipping! Plus it dries instantly, so no smudges. Awesome! I wanted to try it out because my finger nails chip the first day, so I basically stopped getting them painted. Not to mention, I'm super impatient and always smudge them. However, I'm very excited about my Shellac nails and they are super girly, springy pink. I'll keep you posted on how this goes. Today is Day 1. I got them done this morning at Hoa Salon in Ballard. They were so nice there. I even got a shoulder/neck massage as they put my nails under the magic machine thing.



2. Walked the farmers market: After my relaxing, indulging time at the nail salon, I walked around the Ballard Farmers Market. I love this market. I petted a few dogs (a golden, two Akitas, and a mutt), tasting some goodies (applies, juices, bread), ate pizza, and enjoyed the semi-sunny weather. I bought myself some treats too. Pumpkin muffin from Grateful Bread Co. Hard Berry Cider from Rockridge Orchards. And 2 crunchy, spicy Aztec apples. Go Market! (Do you like the photo? I used Instagram).



3. Make some Coconut Pineapple Banana Bread: I can smell it now. I just pulled it out of the oven. Hopefully it's as good as it smells. It's from a recent blog that started following...Joy the Baker. I mean her name is Joy. It was meant for me to follow.

4. Finally Wrote another Post: Sorry, I really have been too busy. Work + Wedding + Life = No posts lately. I'll try harder.

Pull Over

Yes, sometimes you have to pull over. I'm not talking about cops (but yes, you should pull over for them). I'm talking about soaking in the beauty of the day. Or stop and smell the roses as the saying goes...

Yesterday I was driving around a part of town I haven't ventured into much, West Seattle. I was there to treat myself to a facial since Josh was out of town for the weekend (I got it off Groupon - love it). Anyways, afterwards I looked off to the distance and had to drive towards it. It was Puget Sound in all it's glory. Sometimes you get so wrapped up in this and that and checking off your to-do list, that you forget to stop and enjoy the beauty of the city. And let me tell you, I think Seattle is gorgeous! All that rain adds a bit of mystery and character to it (and not to mention, green and trees).

And pull over is what I did. The first pull over was after I saw awesome cloudy and a little aqua water in the distance. I drove towards it and ended up walking along the water for a few minutes (even though it was raining). Here's a quick shot I took.



And then I turned around and as I was driving home, I looked over and saw the city skyline. I quickly pulled over as there was a viewpoint. And took this picture:



Darn it! I should ALWAYS carry my camera with me. But my iPhone did a decent job, don't you think?

And the beauty doesn't stop there. I took this photo as I looked out the window from our home - from inside my at-home office.

Celebration

This weekend there were two celebrations. TWO. Both in Chicago. Two hints: One party was about age and the color related to the other party would best be matched with white.

Give up? Okay, I'll tell you....Grandma Ruth had her 90th Birthday and I had my first ever Bridal Shower! Woohoo Party!

The West Coast O'Neill family headed out to Chicago for these big celebrations. The whole gang arrived in Chicago on Friday evening (although my mom got their earlier in the week to meet up with friends and spend extra time). The first stop, dinner at Gale Street Inn, of course. My family is extremely, and I mean extremely, predictable when it comes to Chicago visits. The first dinner is always ribs at Gale Street. The other predictable stops include Lou Malnati's (or sometimes Ginos East), Hackneys and Portellos.

The Day of Parties:

Party #1: My Bridal Shower




Saturday was the party day. The fun started at 1pm at my cousin Erin's home. It was so great to see everyone come over from all over to celebrate. We had a jolly good time. Considering it started at 1pm, we began with a tasty lunch. We had a trio of salads - strawberry, spinach, goat cheese salad, fruit salad, and curried chicken salad. Yum!

Then we had some fun games - what's a shower without those games everyone loves?! We played the guess that famous couple game, the bride's favorites, and then I had to test my knowledge about Josh. I got 13 out of 20 right. That may sound bad, but some where things Josh didn't even think about before (I asked him afterwards, and he was like, "I don't even know!"). How can you get something right when the person the question is about doesn't even know. I do pride myself on some of the right ones those (that, or it's sickening how right I was). For instance, his favorite food. Anyone who knows Josh, knows this question should be what Josh does NOT like! I have a little secret...I sort of like these games!

Next up: dessert! The hosts sure know me because it was no other than frozen yogurt with a toppings bar - a froyo store at home! How freakin' awesome is that?! Not to mention my favorite flavors cookies 'n cream and peanut butter were present. I had to go back for seconds.



We wrapped up the party with gifts (pun intended there). I got tons of gifts. It was a cooking themed shower so I got some great recipes. In fact, I'm trying one out - a chicken marinade (it's in the frig now). I got all sorts of great kitchen gadget and tools to better my cooking efforts in the kitchen. To name a few: dutch oven, cutting board, cookie press, bowls, and then nice plates to put all this food on. Since I was just visiting, everyone was sweet enough to send the boxes to my house. Yes, they have been piling up. I kept looking longingly at the pile of boxes as mounted higher and higher the past weeks (I tore through them when I got home). Kitchen fun coming!!

The shower was super fun and better yet, I got to see lots of my family. :) Thanks Erin, Aunt Ann, Beth, Aunt Jan, and everyone else who helped make it a great shower!



Party #2: Grandma's 90th Birthday

We all headed out from the shower directly to Hackney's for some more celebrations. Woot Woot! This time all the guys joined in the fun for some hamburgers and family time. We had around 30 people to join Grandma in celebrating 90 years. Since Grandma loves pictures, I decided to put together a photo book for her (using my iMac). It warmed my heart to see her ask, "is it really for me?" Twice! (Okay, that might be memory, but still. But I did see her going through the book when we picked her up the next day...). I also put together a slideshow to put out for everyone to watch (watch it now). It was on top of the table that displayed all her birthday cards. And she had a LOT of card (my mom tried to get as many people to send them to her - cute!).

There were speeches and story telling, babies running in circles (literally, in circles, it's call catch me), laughs, and hugs. The party really turned out great. I hope (and think) Grandma felt loved.

Grandma Ruth's 90th Birthday from Heather O'Neill on Vimeo.

Grandma blows out the candles on her 90th Birthday. The whole family got together to celebrate this weekend (4/30/11).



Happy Birthday Grandma!

The Non-Party Day:

What a drag; no parties! Sigh. Just kidding. I think everyone was wiped out from all the partying. We're wild ones, us O'Neills. Sunday was a day for Josh and me to meet up with Uncle Chuck to not just see him, but prepare for the big day. We meet up for lunch and some chatting. Then we finished the night celebrating (fooled you! we don't stop) my Uncle Mike's birthday. We went to Uncle Mike and Aunt Ann's home in Crystal Lake for Chicago pizza.

And that my friends, is how you party. O'Neill's know how to party-party.

P.S. You know me, there are TONS more pictures to check out. GO HERE.

Hippy Hop

The #1 thing this Easter has over last Easter...I'm not working. You might remember that last Easter I was working at Eugene Starbucks making pastel colored lattes. That's a good start; no work!

This Easter weekend has been pretty low key. It's too bad yesterday wasn't today, or even better, too bad both days this weekend weren't like yesterday...sunshine and *practically* warm. It was the first day all year that we've had the chance to sit outside and eat lunch without a jacket!

Today has been mostly Seattle gloom weather with spots of rain. Typical. However, no weather can put a damper on Easter. We certainly celebrated. We went to a mega service for our church. I mean m-e-g-a -- as in so big that the church had to rent out Qwest Field, one of the big Seattle stadiums. Josh sums it up from his comment while we were there, "we go to a big church." We sure do! It was fun though, because everyone there is there to celebrate. Kinda cool.

And this is quite a bit different from Bethlehem Church and our songs, like Every Morning is Easter Morning.



After church, Josh and I enjoyed our little gifts from the Easter Bunny. The little bird will chirp in the palm of your hand. If you rub your hands, it chirps faster (heat activated). We had to test it out...it does chirp less if you run your hands in cold water first too. Guess who gave us that birdie! I'll give you a hint, it starts with a J.



But what is Easter really about? Not gifts. What does Jim Gaffigan have to say?



That's right Jimmy, I love bunnies and eggs. You can tell from my favorite childhood Easter book, The Count Bunny. It's such a cute book. I thought the special egg was so cool and I wanted one.



And I'll never forget my favorite Easter sport, egg hunts with Grandma Ruth. Oh, and trying to find the Easter baskets in the morning based off a trail of eggs from the bedroom. Ahh fun times.

Happy Easter!!

The Great Outdoors

Fresh air. Beautiful views. Sounds of nature. Ahh, the great outdoors. And I'm not talking about the movie (although it is a funny one). I'm talking about the real thing. Outdoors.

This Saturday I got to go out into nature and enjoy my first time snow shoeing. Josh and I were lead by two friends Aaron and Casey. We had a great time plowing around in the snow.

We opted on going a little further out of the way to get to some awesome snow and great views at Olympic National Park. Not the tropic rainforest part you all might be familiar with- this is a big park - not just banana slugs! We were in the mountains, the Olympic Mountain range at Hurricane Ridge (check out the web cam).

Our outdoor adventure began at 7:20am when were off on the road to catch the 7:55am ferry. We took the Bainbridge Island Ferry to go up and over to Olympic National Park - it seems weird, but everyone assured me this was faster. Here's our path Seattle to Mountains (I told you it was a big park - see all that green, that's the National Park).



At the wee hours of the morning, we caught some nice views looking back at Seattle as we sailed off on the ferry (is sailed the right word? hmm). Once back on land, we drove onward for 2-1/2 hours. Our only stop was Safeway to stock up on lunch sandwiches and water. Then off to the Visitor Center to get some trail info.

After driving through vampire-like fog (yes, very Twilight of me), we got to the top of the mountain. Then we just pulled off to the side of the road, parked, and climbed up the snowbank. We strapped on our shoes and headed off. Now, to me, this did not seem like a trail. No parking, no trail head, no trail map. This is true outdoor adventures. On the top of the snow (I say this because on the road, the snow level was above our heads), we saw a small blue pole barely popping out. This was our trail indicator!

Where did the trail start? All we saw was down, down, down. Could one really walk down that hill? In ordinary dry weather that hill was way too steep, but snow makes everything magic. Our magical snow shoes took up down that steep hill. Although Josh's shoes weren't so magical at one point.



No matter though; we all made it down the hill to flatter ground. Ah ha! The ridge with the trail. Although there wasn't really a trail, it was just a ridge that could become a trail.

We stomped along in our special shoes to wondrous sites. Sometimes we were surrounded by fog and others delightful sunshine.



Aren't we quite the trail blazers? Look at this lush snow! We have conquered.



Shortly after lunch, I took a video. Yes, it's wobbly, but seriously I'm on the side of a mountain and turning in snow shoes is NOT easy. Balance is difficult with an iPhone. Our lunch spot was prefect. Of all the trail, we saw only one place without snow. And it just happened to be 1pm. It must have been a camp site the night before because there was even firewood to make wood chairs. How perfect.

Anyway, we all had a great time and enjoyed nature and it's beauty. The stats:

• Left Home @ 7:15am. Retuned Home @ 8pm.


• Left the car @ 11:15am. Retuned @ 4pm. That's a 4.75 hour hike.


• Hiked 3.05 miles


• 800 feet of altitude change = climbing


• 145 pictures (and that's just my camera)

The crew: Aaron, Heather, Josh, Casey...



The View (Ansel Adams style):



I took a bit of a nap on the car ride home. Isn't that a nice feeling; to have a nap after fresh air and exercise. I'm tired, but if you want to see more, go to my Flickr photo album.

I love Washington.

Thanks to REI to helping make this trip possible.

Almost Heaven

I saw strawberries at the grocery store and the idea hit: Angel Food Cake. How heavenly! I love me some angel cake with strawberries and whip cream. Oh so heavenly. And it fits since I'm so angelic-like, right? Just joking.

So I bought those strawberries. And then I bought some mix. Voila, a dessert from heaven and made by angels (aka me). And to me, this is Spring in a box. Although it's dreary outside, a bit of spring inside doesn't hurt.

To start, I have the utensils and mix.



 

 

 

 

 

 

Next you get things mixing. Look at that dollop of happiness. My Grandma Norma always told me that you had to mix longer than the box says, you must get that stiff batter. That's an insider tip. That and she had a brand that she always used. I think it was Betty Crocker, but really it may have been Duncan Hines. Darn my memory!



 

 

 

 

 

 

Then you stick it in the oven to cook things up. And flop it upside down. Don't want it to get sunken. That would be drab. And you trust the angels (see the bottle says TRUST) that it won't topple over.



Now you celebrate and feel like a Angel Queen.



Last you look at the delicious cake and EAT IT.



Now you wish you had some. It's easy...go do it!

And that, my friends, is how exciting my life is right now. That plus a bit of work. But keep any eye out because something exciting is happening this weekend and I'll be sure to share. Stay tuned!

Busy Right Now

Alright; I feel horrible. Slap my wrists. I've been such a bad blogger lately. I've missed so many topics to write about and now it just seems silly to go back and write. Sigh. I'm going to try and be better. Honestly, I've just been busy. Busy with work. Busy with wedding planning. Busy with home stuff. Busy with this. Busy with that. Just plain busy. And when I'm not busy, I'm tired or out doing something.

Work: This is one major busy. I started at the end of February and it seems like I've never left. It is a different experience this time around though. For one, I'm working from home. This is actually working out pretty well for me besides the lack of human contact sometimes. I still get up and get dressed. Yes, it's tempting to stay in my PJs all day, but to really get up and going, I need to get into clothes.

I also get to see the client every week. I get out of the house and some human interaction. Awesome. It's actually fun to be able to see the client and get to know them better. Not to mention the beautiful view I get to see from the 23rd floor.

Wedding: Another top busy. This is like a job in itself. Emailing people. Researching vendors. Finding ideas. Meeting vendors to see if its a fit. Making decisions. Managing a budget.

Ahh busy. Sorry I've been delinquent blogger. I'm just busy right now. Okay? (<-- that's where I got the blog title idea)



The views really are quite nice...this photo doesn't do it justice. I just get embarrassed pulling out my iPhone to take a picture in a business building.

The Gang

Every time I visit the Bay Area, my parents like to ask who I see when I am down there. One of the must see group is "the gang." I don't know if "the gang" actually calls themselves "the gang," but that's what Josh and I call them. They are "the gang." When I talk to my parents, say "the gang" and then feel that maybe they don't know who exactly that is. Doesn't everyone know who "the gang" is? So then I start listing everyone: Melissa, Jeff, Manual, Chris, Jimmy, and some more recent arrivals Tori and Alley. They are "the gang."

That's exactly who Josh and I saw last weekend when we were in the Bay Area. It was the perfect alignment of events. Josh had work in the South Bay. I had the chance to get some face-to-face time with my team in Foster City. Then it was Manuel's Birthday. The perfect timing for a weekend visit. Finally, Josh and me in the Bay Area at the same time. Lately we've been going separately for work. Honestly, it had been somewhere like two years plus (maybe even three - I don't feel like doing the math) since we'd been down there together - as in, when I lived there still. Wait, it must be three years. Wowzaa!

However, we didn't spend all our time down there together. Although we were both in the Bay Area for work, we actually stayed at hotels close to our work...which wasn't nearby each other. He was in Mountain View. I was in Foster City. In our changed perspective, far too much to drive now (thanks Eugene and Seattle - driving for 45 minutes isn't as easy as it once was). So there we were, close but yet so far. Josh was there for the whole week and I was there from Wednesday to Friday and we didn't see each other until Friday night.

Friday night is went all the real fun started though! We started at The Gang's usual hangout these days, The Dutch Goose. It's like a pub type place with hamburgers and such. Oddly with deviled eggs as a speciality. Even though there weren't peanut shells on the floor, I think of it being a peanut shell type place: casual and fun. It was loud but we got to see The Gang and just have a chill out sort of evening. It was also in celebration of The Manual and his birthday extravaganza. The Gang and more were there to have a fun Friday night.

Josh and I ended up Pricelining a hotel and got the Sofitel in Redwood City. (Yes, Pricelinging. Or as we as, we'll "Priceline it"). This is where we crashed Friday night from a full week of work. It was weird staying at a hotel in an area you once lived. Driving by old apartments that were no longer yours.

Saturday morning we went for coffee slash breakfast at Cafe Borronne - a place we heard was tasty. We had some lattes, muffins, and eggs. The coffee was quite tasty considering it wasn't a Seattle place (Just Kidding - I'm not that big of a coffee snob...yet). Then we headed to the old Saturday (or Sunday) morning stopping grounds: Los Gatos. We used to eat breakfast down there and then walk around the stores or the farmer's market. That was went we lived closer to it, so breakfast was closer to the hotel. We did enjoy seeing the cute little Los Gatos. Some stores are still there, and some are gone. The town was still cute as a button though.



While we were on the "visiting old fav spots" mode, we decided to head to Santana Row. Like old times, we walked around the shops yet didn't buy anything. We did enjoy a lunch on the row though. But all that walking tired us out, so we headed to the hotel for a bit of nap.

Saturday night was the real Manual birthday celebration. The gang headed over to Los Altos Grill for some good grub and fun. Yummy food, tasty drinks, and good friends...where can you go wrong?





Afterwards we enjoyed some made-from-scratch birthday cake from Alley - I think she's going professional. In the words of Chris, "did you see this cake? it's ridiculous. It's SO GOOD. Wow, did you see this? Did you see it?



Our last day, Josh and I were tired. Just plain tired. Too much fun. Too long of a work week. Tired. We enjoyed breakfast at another old favorite, Alanas in Burlingame. Then we headed down via the 280 (our favorite hwy) to the South Bay since we were flying out of San Jose Airport (which, by the way, is quite nice now). We didn't know what to do, so we decided to be productive and register some more at the Valley Fair mall. This is still one of the best malls - practically everything is there. I love this mall. Although I love the outdoor-ness of our Seattle University Village mall. Okay, in all truth, I just like shopping.



And that, my friends, was a full filled weekend. Back to the hum-drum of the work week. Sigh.

Paddy Day

Poor Patrick became Paddy. How'd that happen? How did Paddy come from Patrick? There must be a story about that. It makes me think of Paddy cake the hand clapping game.

I wore my green today and my Irish jewelry. At one point in life I was receiving lots of Irish jewelry especially stuff with the claddagh. I had to deck out because this is my last year with the last name O'Neill. Next year it'll be Brown.

I wanted to inspire you with the holiday with some awesome information. I read a bit on my favorite wikipedia site and searched St Patrick's Day. Fun fact for you - I learned the shamrock was used by Saint Patrick to teach the trinity in Ireland. Did you know that? Woohoo, new information for you! Another fun fact: If I had been born a boy, my name would have been: Patrick John O'Neill. Now that's Irish. I'd bleed green I think (or Guinness). I mean take a look at my grandma - and she's not even the Irish side (don't tell her I said that...):



Today I ate a corn beef sandwich to celebrate. I didn't have brown bread though. I wish there was brown bread instead of soda bread around the stores. It's all over in Ireland. It would have made the sandwich that much more Irish. Sigh. I guess I could have made it (see hyperlink earlier), but that's a lot of work. Trader Joe's leaven bread did the trick this time. I thought of taking a photo of my sandwich and then was too hungry and ate it instead. Just use your imagination.

Also, we had the luck of the Irish in Seattle today because it was the first day with no rain in weeks. The sun was shining; it was beautiful.

I don't want to bore you, so you can read more about St Patrick's Day from last year's post - much more interesting. Or check out this O'Neill website.

Collections

I was trying to come up with something witty to say about collections, so I went onto Wikipedia to see if I could get some inspiration. What I found was that there are lots of definitions for collection, yet not really seemed to fit the type of collection I was going to write about. Is my definition of collection totally off base? Did I not learn something in elementary school? Crazy.

Now I got your curiosity! Go on, check it out. I'll make it easy for you...here's the link. But come back to my blog, to hear about my collection.

I'm thinking about starting a collection. I wish I made this decision a long time ago because my collection would have been much more diverse and vast. There would be oodles and oodles of places I visited represented in...wait for it...MUGS! Specially Starbucks mugs. I know this is a common thing to collect, but they're cool. (1) They are trendy and stylist, (2) They are the perfect size for a morning coffee or tea, (3) they can be awesome souvenirs, and (4) I did work there and it is now permanently and undeniably a part of my life. Sadly, I have some problems with this collection, (1) it takes up lots of space in the cabinet, (2) what about all my other mugs, they'll feel neglected and forgotten. I love some of my other mugs. I guess the pros outweigh the cons.

This is the start of my collection. Yes, there are two Seattle mugs. I like the architecture mug (that's what it's called at Starbucks). It has cools facts on the back. For instance: Elevation: 14' Above Sea Level, Avg. Annual Rainfall: 37.07 in. Ave Daily Temp Jan., 40.1F and July 65.2F



Let's give some of my mugs some love. Here's a fond memory. Josh and I's first big vacation together - England. These mugs we bought in London. They are representing the Underground's Circle and Central lines. Cute!



Then there are the mugs Don Brown made for us. We used these tons. I don't drink out of the one with me on it - that's Josh's cup. Mine is the scenery mug.



And the random cups. One from my friend Kim in Eugene. The other I love the phrase - I gave it to Josh during law school.



Or maybe I should totally change course and just start a sticker collection. Not just an ordinary sticker collection, but a cool Seattle sticker collection.

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:

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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...