Five on Friday

I'm linking up with the ladies once again for Five on Friday. We've been busy lately, with lots of fun stuff planned for the weekend!

1.) Hatch Chile Pepper Season: Jason and I stopped by Central Market last weekend during their annual Hatch Chile festival and purchased five pounds of roasted peppers. After making a quick batch of Hatch turkey chili on Sunday, we saved the rest for future use. On Tuesday night, we washed, seeded, chopped, and prepped all of of them for the freezer. The photo below is not exactly the most glamorous image, but don't be fooled-- these little guys will add tons of amazing flavor to everything from chili, cornbread, mac and cheese, enchiladas, and more, all through the fall and winter. Can't wait!

2.) Office Boot Camp: Since the beginning of the month, my office has been hosting a twice-weekly bootcamp. We gather every Monday and Thursday mornings with a trainer (a former Big 12 track and field coach) on the top of our parking garage, and he runs us through all kinds of drills, sprints, and circuits. We don't use any weights aside from our own body weight, and we only recently just started adding some floor exercises on a mat. The first few times he went easy on us to gauge our individual levels of fitness, so I made the mistake of thinking it wasn't going to be very challenging. Um, wrong. I am so sore this morning I can barely walk. But I love it. And it's such a nice perk to have through work.

3.) Beautiful Ruins: I'm reading this book right now for my book club and really enjoying it. The story line toggles between 1962 Italy and present day Los Angeles. It's really well written, but also fast moving. Definitely worth checking out if you're looking for a fun read.

4.) Baby and Wedding Showers: It's that time of year! One of my best friends from college is expecting a baby boy in October, so I travelled down to San Antonio last weekend to celebrate with her and her friends. Afterwards, we spent some time talking about our labor and delivery experiences. It brought back such fun memories. I'm excited for her as she embarks on this new adventure. Right now I'm also helping to plan a wedding shower for a good friend here in Austin. Next Saturday night, a large group of us will be gathering at Parkside for a great meal, some cocktails, and lots of laughs I'm sure. I'm looking forward to it!

5.) Birthday Weekend: And, last but certainly not least... my birthday weekend is here! My actual birthday is Monday, but the festivities kick off this afternoon. My good friend from San Antonio is coming back up here tonight for dinner and to spend the night. We've got a nice pedicure on the agenda tomorrow before she heads back, and then Jason and I have a sitter coming over at 5pm, so we can enjoy a night out on the town. Sunday we've got dinner plans with some other friends, and then on Monday we'll cook a tasty meal at home-- I'm thinking maybe steaks on the grill. Here's to a new year ahead!

Vacation Part 2: Seattle and Portland

After we returned from our relaxing getaway to Orcas Island, we spent two more days in Seattle. On Monday, Jason's parents treated us to a trip to the Seattle Aquarium. It's a huge aquarium with all kinds of sea life, and Nicholas did well on his inaugural visit. He loved the touch tank and some of the large sea creatures, including the sea otters. I'm sure he'll love to go back as he gets older.

Since he was too little to reach into the touch tank himself, they took out a sea cucumber and a starfish for him to touch.

Later that evening, we met up with some of Jason's family friends at a Korean restaurant for a delicious meal of Korean barbecue-- but not before a stop at a nearby park in Bellevue to burn off some energy and take some family photos.

It may not look like it in this photo, but Nicholas was fascinated by the soccer field and goal. There was also a team of adult men practicing, and he kept trying to run onto the field and get in the game!

On Tuesday, we enjoyed a low key day at home, followed by a quick visit to Green Lake to see my sister and brother-in-law (we planned to spend more time with them down in Portland later in the week.) We ended the Seattle portion of our trip with a barbecue over at Jason's sister's beautiful new house in West Seattle. We had so much fun that I forgot to take an photos, but we loved checking out their new digs, ate our fill of gourmet burgers, and spent some quality time with Jason's family and our best man and his wife who also joined us.

On Wednesday, we scrapped our plans to take the train down to Portland and ended up with a last minute car rental (more on that in another post-- ahem, traveling with a toddler.) After an uneventful ride, we made it to my parents' house. All three of us enjoyed long naps, followed by a low key dinner with my parents. 

On Thursday morning, we made the short trek over to Luscher Farm to check out the community gardens (impressive!) and chickens. Nicholas picked up an apple beneath and apple tree, and proceeded to carry and throw his "ball" all around the gardens. 

Big fan of the chickens!

On Friday, my parents hosted a big family dinner at our house. My aunt and uncle (on my mom's side) from New Hampshire were in town, so it was a great opportunity to get everyone together-- including my brother Geoff and his wife Brooke, my sister Laura and her husband Mike, and my uncle and his girlfriend. We enjoyed an awesome meal of barbecued Chinook salmon in my parents' gorgeous yard. 

Siblings! (And G&B's baby K, due in October)

On Saturday, we headed over to my parents' country club to enjoy some pool time, followed by another big family gathering-- this time with my dad's side of the family. He has four siblings, all of whom have several kids, and we had almost everyone in attendance, including my grandparents, my aunt and uncle who live in the Bay Area, and most of my cousins. It was a fun evening!

Muggin' with Uncle Geoff's shades

We flew home the following morning, August 4th. All in all, it was a fabulous summer vacation. Fortunately the plane trip back went a little more smoothly than the way out, but it's always tough to leave, especially when we don't have another trip on the horizon just yet. But, I know we'll be back soon, and we already have a Thanksgiving visit from Jason's parents to look forward to!

Vacation Part 1: Orcas Island

We left for our summer vacation on the evening of July 24^th. Despite our best preparations for a 4 hour plane ride with a toddler, the flight out was a little rough. That’s a post for another day, but in a nutshell Nicholas screamed for the last hour and a half of the flight. He was officially that kid and we were those parents. But, once we landed, we put the plane trip behind us and proceeded to have a wonderful vacation.

We spent our first day in Seattle, catching up with Jason’s parents, and getting Nicholas acclimated. Then, on Friday we got up bright and early and left for our first overnight getaway without Nicholas. To say we were excited is an understatement. Our destination was beautiful Orcas Island in the San Juan islands, where Jason’s good friend Marc was getting married the next day. After a two hour drive to Anacortes and an almost two hour wait for the ferry, we boarded for the hour trip to Orcas Island.

It was a little chilly that morning, but we got a spectacular,  cloudless day to enjoy the gorgeous views of the Puget Sound and surrounding islands.

Once we arrived, we made the short drive from the ferry landing to the cute town of Eastsound. We parked, and eagerly hit the streets to explore. We wound up getting one of four outdoor tables on the deck of the Madrona Bar and Grill overlooking the bay. Gorgeous.

After lunch, we checked out some of the local shops and galleries, and then headed over to Rosario Resort to check-in. Our room wasn’t ready, so we met up with some other friends who had arrived and were relaxing down by the pool. When we were finally able to check into our room, we were rewarded with this beautiful view off our balcony looking back down at the main resort area and harbor.

That evening, we went to the rehearsal, and then we boarded shuttles over to The Kitchen for a fun outdoor rehearsal dinner.

The next morning we slept in until after 9am, which was bliss. (Best night of sleep in 18 months!) Jason had to start getting ready with the groomsmen at noon, so we had a few hours get breakfast and squeeze in a little sight-seeing. We headed back into town, where we strolled through the local farmer's market (my pictures below don't do it justice, but the flowers and produce were gorgeous) and then enjoyed omelets and cappuccinos at Mia's.

After breakfast, we made the short drive over to Moran State Park so that we could make the drive up to the top of Mount Constitution. Standing at just over 2,400 feet, Mount Constitution is the highest point in the San Juan Islands and offers stunning panoramic views of the entire Puget Sound-- as far as Mount Rainier to the south and Vancouver, B.C. to the north. We were probably there on the most beautiful day of the year.

Afterwards, I drove Jason back to get ready for the ceremony with the other groomsmen. Then, I headed back to Moran State Park for a four mile hike around Cascade Lake. I wound up getting a little bit lost and found myself back at the resort when I was about 80% done with the hike. This would have been fine-- except that my car was still over in the park. So I jogged back to the car and wound up getting a little more of a workout than I had planned.

Fortunately, I still had plenty of time to get ready for the wedding, so I headed back to the room to read and relax for a little while. At 5pm, I drove down to the ceremony, which was on Rosario's beautiful Point Lawn overlooking the water.

(Handsome groomsman and I post-ceremony. Check out the deer behind us!)

After champagne and light appetizers on the lawn, we moved over to the restaurant for more appetizers, dinner, and dancing. Such a beautiful Pacific Northwest night!

The next morning we were up bright and early to beat the ferry lines and head home. After a short stop for a Thai lunch in Anacortes, we finally made it home around 4pm. It was wonderful to have two days away, but it was also pretty great to see the look on Nicholas' face when we walked through the door. He had a wonderful time with his Dzia Dzia and Grandmama, and we are so grateful that they watched him for two and a half days, but we missed him and were happy to be reunited.

Next up, a recap of Seattle and Portland...

Five on Friday

Hello there! After a few weeks away, I'm linking up with Darci, Natasha, April, and Christina once again for Five on Friday. Here's what's going on.

1.) Airplane Crud. Ugh, I hate to say it, but both Nicholas and I contracted some little bug on our vacation (probably from the flight on the way out), and the flight on the way back did us both in. This week we've both been battling colds (though for once he seems -- knock on wood -- that he may shake his without a trip to the doctor and some antibiotics.) Me on the other hand? Not so good. I finally cried uncle yesterday and stayed home from work-- which of course makes me feel guilty because I just got back after being out of the office for over a week. But hopefully I'll perk up over the weekend. Needless to say, I haven't gotten around to my vacation recaps, but hopefully soon!

2.) Bubblepalooza. We're going to brave the heat tomorrow morning and meet up with some friends to check out this fun kids event, which includes live music, chalk art, water games, and of course bubbles. Afterward, we'll grab brunch-- maybe here or here (both are Austin institutions.)

3.) Fall Boots. OK, despite complaining earlier in the week about the heat (yep, it's still 106 here) and lack of any type of fall weather on the horizon, it will eventually cool down. At some point. And when it does, I'll be able to enjoy these new boots. I ordered them as an early birthday gift (thanks Mom!) during the Nordstrom sale and look forward to pairing them with everything from skinny jeans to leggings and tunics to dresses.

4.) Three Weeks 'til College Football. Those are five words I never thought would come out of my mouth. Jason has been counting down all summer... Every few weeks, I've heard "92 days!" "67 days!" "34 days!" And now it's just about here, and I'm actually excited. Before I moved to Texas I don't think I'd ever watched a football game on TV in its entirety. I grew up going to Oregon Ducks games in person periodically throughout my childhood, but aside from that, I never really sat down and watched a full game.  That changed when we moved here and got Longhorns season tickets while Jason was in grad school. It's not hard to get sucked into football frenzy when you're tailgating at a UT game or standing among 100,000 people in DKR Memorial Stadium. That being said, the Ducks are still my #1 team, and I'm excited to see what they do this season.

5.) Stiles and Switch BBQ. Jason picked up brisket, ribs, coleslaw, and and potato salad from this (relatively) new BBQ joint for dinner tonight. Here's to Friday night, a cold beer, and no cooking!

Happy weekend, friends!

It's That Time Again...

Every summer I just have to take a few minutes and whine about living on the face of the sun. Today's the day:

Screen shot taken from my phone yesterday evening as I was leaving work.

In all fairness, this summer actually hasn't been that bad. We hovered in the 97-99 range for most of July, and it's not until we hit days upon days of triple digits that I really get burnt out (pun!) on the heat. I was hanging in there for quite a while, but now it's August and I'm officially over it. I'm tired of sweating on the walk from the garage door to the car, I'm tired of an electric bill that rivals a medium-sized car payment, and I'm tired of just generally hibernating inside and avoiding the outdoors.

I'd love to wax poetic about the approach of beautiful fall leaves, cozy scarves, and steamy pumpkin spice lattes, but this is Texas. There will be no colorful leaves. Scarves are for fashion only, and even then they are as gauzy as they come and layered over a tank. And, come November, I'll still be sweating when I walk up to Starbucks in the morning-- where I will most likely order a grande iced coffee. But, I will happily take those mid-high 80 degree days when they do finally roll in around sometime in October. Sigh.

OK, pity party over. I did just return from a fabulous 10 day vacation from the Pacific Northwest, where we had a great time catching up with family and friends in Seattle, Portland, and beautiful Orcas Island (along with a string of gorgeous 80 degree days.) I'm catching up on laundry, lots of work emails, and (let's be honest) a full DVR, but hope to post some pictures later this week!