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.