Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

A Pretzel Suprise

Yesterday when I got home from work there was a FedEx package from Ben's Aunt Judy and Uncle Tony who live in Westchester, PA which is a suburb of Philadelphia. While were used to getting a Christmas gift from them this years gift was cute a surprise and a yummy one I might say. This year they sent us a Philly's best soft pretzel complete with 5 kinds of dipping sauces. This was definitely a different gift and a cute reminder that we still owe them a visit which we will be doing in the new year.

It's Flies!

Yesterday Ben headed up to Paine field for an event that we have been waiting over two years to happen. The 787 Dreamliner made it's first flight. Everyone was super excited to see the plane nearing the end of what has been two years plagued by supplier issues and many delays. Here are a couple of pictures of the plane and the rest can be found on our flickr site.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

The holidays are always fun for us and even more now that we have our puppy Odin. Every year on our trip we pick out an ornamnet from the country.countires we've visited o add to our collection. This year was no exception as we collected ornamanents in Peru and added them to our tree this year. The ornaments are a fun way to look back at all of the places and memories we have about where we've all been and the fun we have had.

Odin's First Back

Yesterday we headed down to Tuxedo Kennels where we train Odin for some fun/training. While the weather was freezing it was fun to see Odin and Ben having a good time while working with Richard on some new skills. Since were planning on having Odin participate in Hunt tests starting this spring Richard decided it was time to step up the training an introduce Odin to a skill called backing which is where he allows another dog already on point to finish working the bird while holding his point. On Odin's very first try he did exactly what he was supposed to do without any correction which was great and made Ben and Richard very happy.

Holiday Party Time

December means party time for us. With three birthdays, friend and work holiday parties we seem to have every weekend booked this month.

On Saturday, Dec 5th the start of the party season kicked off with my little sister Tammy's 14th birthday. This year she had a bowling party and a sleep over with a bunch of her friends. We joined her and her friends, my other sisters and our parents for a little while at the bowling party. She had a great time and I hear that the girls actually did go to sleep at some point the next morning :) That night night we headed to Ben's work party at the house of his lead in Enumclaw. It was great seeing and meeting all of his co-workers as well as tasting all of the different goodies that everyone brought to the potluck.

Friday the 11th we headed to the Lionfish holiday party which was held at the Rainer Vista Boys & Girls Club in Seattle. The evening was filled with lots of games including hulu hoop competitions, remote control car races, a magician show and others, presents for the kids and a visit from Santa. The food was yummy with great appetizers, gumbo and cornbread and lots of desserts.

Lastly for this half of the month we celebrated my mom's birthday on the 12th. My dad treated her this year and took her out to dinner at Coho Cafe in Redmond with no kids which is a rare treat for them. My sisters and I all spoiled her with gifs including socks which is my sister and mothers inside joke/tradition for birthdays.

Maya Turns One!

I headed up to the Lukecarts on the 28th of November to celebrate one of my favorite little girls birthdays. Miss Maya turned one years old on the 23rd. Can't believe that a whole year has gone by already.

McKenzie and Ken invited friends and family over for the celebration which was topped off with Maya enjoying a piece of cake and getting spoiled by those that love her. Here's a few pics from the day.

Thanksgiving 2009

For the first time in at least 5 years we decided to stay home for Thanksgiving this year. Since the decision to stay home came last minute as sadly plans fell through to go to So. Dakota to visit our friends Mark and Robyn we decided to attempt to cook dinner ourselves and spend a nice quite evening at home with Odin.

That night my mom and I decided to head to the premium outlet mall at Tulaip for their mid-night madness Black Friday sales. We both ended up getting some good deals and doing some of our Christmas shopping but mostly we had fun getting out together to shopping.

Saturday, Ben and Odin decided to head down to the the trainer for some hunting and training and brought home three Pheasant and a Chucker. My sister Tammy thought it would be "fun" to come over and help Ben clean the birds so that night after Thanksgiving dinner with my family they cleaned and prepared all the birds for the freezer.

After a busy few days we spent Sunday decorating the house for Christmas. We got all the lights on the outside of the house put up and most of the inside decorated. Now we just have to get the tree and we'll be all set for Christmas.

Hunting = Pheasant

On Sunday Ben, Brian (my sister Bonnie's boyfriend) and Odin headed out to Quincy in Eastern Washington bright and early (3am) so that they could try their luck at catching some Quail or Pheasants since the last two outings hadn't resulted in anything to bring home. I guess third time was the charm as they were able to knock-down one Pheasant. Hopefully next time they get at least two and then each of the boys can have one for themselves.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween Everyone!

World Cup 2010 in So. Africa-- Were Going!

After going to the World Cup in Germany in 2006 and having so much fun watching really good soccer, meeting great people, seeing a great country and of course eating great food we decided to try to get tickets to the 2010 Word Cup that is being in held in So. Africa. We really thought that we had no chance at getting tickets since we missed the first round of ticket lottery but thought we would give it a shot anyway.

Well luck was on our side and we've got tickets to two matches which means were headed to So. Africa in June. Were thinking were going to go on a safari and go see Victoria Falls while were there in addition to seeing great soccer.

Now to begin planning the trip since we only have 226 days until opening match.

Doggie Did Good :)

Hunting season opened this past weekend so Ben and Odin headed out to see if all of the training would pay off and as you can see both boys were happy with the results. Looks like I'm going to get to learn how to cook Quail and hopefully Pheasant once that season opens in a couple of weeks.

Odin's new tricks

Ben decided it was time Odin learned some new tricks so he took on the "task" of teaching him to eat corn on the cob and to eat off chopsticks. As you can see he has learned his new tricks quite well and Ben is happy with himself.

Labor Day Weekend Camping- Steamboat Rock State Park

With the Labor Day weekend forecast predicting rain and lots of it for the Bothell area we decided to head over the mountains to Steamboat Rock State Park in Electric City to do some camping. Steamboat Rock State Park sits on Banks Lake between Coulee City and the Grand Coulee Dam and has 50,000 feet of freshwater shoreline making it a great place for water activities. There is also miles of hiking and biking trails. It took about 4 hours to get there and the drive was filled with plenty of rain and made us uneasy but as we got closer the weather turned out to be great for at least the Saturday night until about 9pm when it decided to rain and I mean rain. Thankfully we were able to get dinner cooked and then hung out in the tent to stay dry.

Sunday we were surprised by warm (70's) and sunny weather. After Ben perfected his technique at cooking pancakes on the bbq we decided to head down to the water to let Odin play in the sand. He had a blast chasing Seagulls, digging holes and just playing in the water. After lunch we decided to head to the Grand Coulee Dam since I had never been there and Ben went as a kid. The Dam is made of 12 million cubic yards of concrete and is the largest concrete structure in the United States and the third largest hydroelectric facility in the world. Afterwards we headed back to the park for some bocce ball and another trip to the water. Here are a few pictures from the trip and the rest can be found here.

Steamboat Rock

Odin playing in the lake

Ben making pancakes for breakfast

Grand Coulee Dam

Sadly this is about the end of our camping fun as the weather decided to turn nasty as thunderstorms and 30+ mile and hour winds blew in. This was by far one of the best campgrounds we've been to and can't wait to go back but with better weather :)

Wunderman Picnic

Last Thursday our company headed out to Carnation to Remlinger Farms for our annual summer picnic. The weather was great- not too hot as it was in the mid 80s and everyone got to act like a kid again as they enjoyed great food and drinks while participating in everything from relay races, laser tag, water balloon tosses, a softball game, watermelon eating contest and more.

Here are a few pictures from the day and the rest can be found here. Another great picnic in the books and definitely looking forward to next years.

Wallace Falls

Today we took advantage of the unexpected sun and headed out towards Stevens Pass to check out Wallace Falls, a 3-tiered, 256 ft waterfall. The hike is within the Wallace National Park, so the trail is nicely maintained and allows you take a dog on the trail which is a plus for us as we were able to bring Odin along. The hike is about 6 miles and only 1,200 ft in elevation gain so we were able to complete the hike in just over 2 hours. Most of the hike follows the Wallace river which offers a peaceful white noise and lots of scenic view points including lookouts at the lower, middle and upper falls.

Heat Wave-- Records Broken!

We had history making weather on Tuesday. The temperature got up to 105 in Bothell and it remained in the 90s that night around 10pm. Being from the mid-west (Chicago) I am not stranger to heat and humidty and actually love warm weather, I do not enjoy it without luxuries like air conditioning.

We are managing to get by with a ceiling fan, box fan in the living room, lots of cool drinks, playing in the sprinkler and of course many trips to the Magnuson dog park so that poor Odin can cool off and play in Lake Washington.

Since it has been so hot and the extended forcast is also supposed to be hotter than normal we finally decided it would be a good idea to get Odin shaved so that he has some relief. Here is Odin showing off his newly shaved coat which is much cooler. While Ben loved him being on the "wild" looking side with all his feathers I'm sure he is feeling much better.

Soccer And A Concert Make For a Great Saturday

Being the loyal Sounders fans that we are Saturday we headed to Qwest Field for the Sounders vs. Chelsea match. The game was great and it was fun to see 65,000+ fans packed into the stadium for the game. While it would have been better if the Sounders had won they played good against a world class team. Can't wait for the Barcelona game in August.

After the game I headed out to Marymoor Park with my best friend McKenzie for the Death Cab for Cutie concert. The venue at Marymoor is great and the weather couldn't have been better for an awesome concert with great company.

Happy Anniversary- 7 years!

Today Ben and I celebrated our 7th anniversary. I can't believe it's been that long - I still remember our first date like it was just months ago rather than years ago. Time sure does fly when you are having fun.

The past 7 years have been so wonderful. While we’ve had both good times and bad, the smiles and laughter far surpass the frowns and tears. We’re a team. What we’ve been through and accomplished in the past 7 years is proof of that partnership and our commitment to each other. While were not always on the same page, or seeing eye-to-eye, in the end, we always find a way to work it out. And at the heart of our marriage is everything that matters: love, trust and respect.We both feel very thankful. We very much look forward to the years ahead….

This year we decided to keep things low key so we headed down to a Chandler's Crabhouse to celebrate. Great company, good memories and yummy food - the perfect end to a sunny day.

Happy 4th of July!

With the past couple of weeks being so busy, we decided we wanted to get away for a few days to relax and enjoy the 80+ degree weather that was in the forecast. This year for the 4th we headed down to Astoria, Oregon. While there we did a little sightseeing and went to Fort Stevens State Park, Fort Canby State Park, climbed to the top of the Astoria Column, and sampled some of the local breweries including Rogue and the Wet Dog Cafe and Astoria Brewery.

While on the coast we decided on the fourth that we would also check out the local festivities in Seaside before heading to downtown Astoria in the evening to enjoy the local parade, watch the beautiful sunset and relax.

The fireworks show was great and it was cool to be able to experience the small town festivities this year. I hope you all had a great 4th of July!

Odin's First "Hunt"

Odin went on his first "hunt" on Sunday. We took him down to the trainer and set him up in a pasture with a couple wild chucker. He found both and looked pretty stylish while doing it!

The Kitchen Remodel

This weekend the backsplash went in which officially finished off our kitchen remodel project. We updated the sink, facuets and fridge a while back and just updated the backsplash. The actual renovation part of the job went really fast, but our indecisiveness was what held up the process as we tried to pick out the "perfect" materials. In the end, we went with the smaller version of the same italian natural stone tiles that we used on our fireplace sicne we love the color and texture. It looks great and we are happy that it is all complete and ready for us to enjoy!

The Simple Things

The simple joys that can make you smile after a long day-- our puppy Odin and fresh flowers on the deck.

Twin Falls and A Visit To Grandma's

We headed out for a family hike this afternoon to enjoy the wonderful 70 degree + weather. We went to Twin Falls State Park which about a 35 minute drive from our house near North Bend. The hike was about 4 miles round trip and ended with a view of two really pretty waterfalls. Here are some photos from our hike today.

After our hike we headed down to to visit Ben's grandma who lives in Auburn. We hadn't seen her since we got back from our trip to Peru so it was nice to visit and share our travel stories with her. While at her house Odin got to play and explore her yard.

Spending time enjoying the sunshine with Odin, Ben and his grandma made for a great way to spend a Saturday.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother’s Day, mom, today I want to take a moment to say “thanks.”

You truly are the BEST.

And to all my friends who are mothers and of course my wonderful mother!
You deserve a day to celebrate all you do.

Peru Vacation

This past weekend we returned from our 15 day trip to Peru. While in Peru we had quite a busy itinerary and were very lucky to not get altitude sickness which is quite common. Here is a recap of the highlights and pictures from all of the different places we went and if you want to see the rest (all 150 +) of the pictures check out our flickr site.

Lima- highlights of this city included going to the city center for a few hours so that we could see the Plaza de Armes and the city cathedral. We got lucky and while in the plaza it happened to be the changing of the guard at the royal palace. The parade around the square was fun to watch since the military did different formations while the band played. Also while in Lima we stayed in the tourist district of Lima called the Miraflores district and happens to be right on the coast line of the Pacific Ocean.

Arequipa- this was our first real taste of the high altitude since the city is located 7,800 feet above sea level. Our highlights included eating dinner at a rooftop cafe where they gave you ponchos to stay warm, going to the Colca Canyon where we did hiking, went to the hot springs and saw 10 condors.

Cusco- nuzzled between mountains at 10,800 ft is a town filled with narrow little roads and tons of hills. While there we got to see a local festival to celebrate the city's cultural center's 25th anniversary. There were many different dancers who performed local dances. While in Cusco we went the San Francisco Montessori which was quite an interesting look at how the nuns lived back in the early 1900's. We also went horseback riding through the valley. Ben also had a culinary adventure and tried Cuy (guinea pig) which is a typical Peruvian dish.

Cusco is also the jumping off point for the trek through the The Sacred Valley of the Incas or Urubamba Valley which is a valley in the Andes of Peru. This valley is also the gateway to Machu Pichuu. While in the Scared valley we stopped at the Písac which is a traditional Peruvian village and went to the local market where they sell local handicrafts, alpaca goods and traditional food. While at the market we were able to watch the procession of the arrival of the Priest at the local church for mass.

After the market we headed to Ollantaytambo, the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti who conquered the region, built the town and a ceremonial center. At the ruins you get to climb almost 300 steps to get to the top but once you make it, the view of the valley is totally worth it.

Machu Pichuu-highlights included seeing the entire complex of ruins and seeing how the city was designed. We took a few hour guided tour and also explored on our own to see everything. While there we hiked out to Intipunku at the top of the Inka Trail and to the Inca Bridge. This is truly a site that one should see in their lifetime since the construction of the houses and temples by the Inca's is very impressive especially since they used no mortar between the stones which are perfectly aligned. While at Machu Pichuu we stayed in the town in the valley, Aguas Calientes, which is where the train comes into so that you can get to the ruins. The town had great happy hour specials which we decided to try out.

Puno- located at the edge of Lake Titicaca, the world's highest commercially navigable lake, at 12,421 ft above sea level, on the Peruvian Altiplano was quite a fun last stop. Highlights included going to the floating islands of the Uros and getting to walk around on them which is very similar to walking on a water bed. The floating islands are entirely made from reeds that grow in the lake and support 5-7 families on each small island. The entire community is made up of about 40 small floating islands. We also go to take a 25 minute ride on a reed boat from one island to another one which was quite an experience.

After the floating islands we went to Taquile Island, (Isla Taquile) in the middle of Lake Titicaca. On the island there are 600 homes and all of those that live here practice native traditions. While on the island we were able to see local women weaving and local dances being performed to celebrate a local festival. We also had a delicious lunch of trout and local soup that was prepared by the elders of the community.

This was our first vacation in South America and with the exceptions of a few hiccups on the last day trying to fly back to Lima (don't recommend flying on May 1st which is a labor holiday) we'll be planning another vacation soon to South America.