Woodland Park Zoo May 31, 2009

So we had fun yesterday at Petpalooza, but I was still in the mood to do something else. We decided on going to the Woodland Park Zoo. It was kind of overcast that day, but still fairly warm out.

It was a great day for the zoo. We saw most of the animals even if it was just for a moment. We had just missed the sun bear and the butterfly exhibit was not open, which was disappointing. I do have my favorites from the zoo though. Some of my favorites are the cats (tiger, lions, and leopards), otters, penguins, and the red panda.

We did see a lioness and the very top of the lion's head, as well as the tiger and the the leopards.

The red panda was one of the last animals we saw at the zoo and I had forgotten how adorable they are.

It was feeding time for the otters when we went by and only saw two of them. Kind of a bummer. Maybe when I go to the Seattle Aquarium I will be able to see more of the otters.

The new penguin exhibit was pretty neat. They have it built so you can see them swimming and sunbathing.

It was a fun day and on our way home we stopped at the Pita Pit, which I had just had for the first time the day before. I finally got to know the goodness that is Pita Pit. I like the Chicken Crave with Ranchaque (Ranch and BBQ sauces) or Ranch and Chipotle. Both were good. Why I didn't have this sooner I have no idea. I probably just didn't want to walk up to Greek Row when I was in school at WSU.

Petpalooza May 30, 2009

I had been looking forward to this day since Mother's day when I saw the flyer at Sunbreak Cafe announcing it. Petpalooza on May 30, 2009 at Auburn's Game Farm Park. I was so excited! Finally, an event that can be spent with our beloved dogs. I always jump at the chance to take them somewhere if they can go. Savvy and Kaylee were excited as well because they knew they were getting to go somewhere. It was the perfect day too. The sun was out and it was hot. I filled my Camelback pack with water and grabbed some toys for the dogs and their fold up water dish.

We were off! I think my dogs are in love with my car. Not really in love, but I put the seats down so it is completely flat in the back (I have a 5 door) and they have plenty of room to move around and lay down. I rolled the windows down just enough so they could stick their heads outside and they actually had never done this before. On this day, Savvy realized the greatness of sticking her head out the window just before we reached a stop light. With a huge smile on her face, wind was rushing at her head, and her ears flapping in the breeze. She absolutely thought this was the greatest thing until it stopped. She got this very disappointed look on her face. We started going again and she did not immediately stick her head out the window, but about 5 minutes later she figured it out that when a car moves this is the time to stick her head out the window.

We arrived! Lots of dogs and vendors. We started walking by some of the vendors booths. There was a PetSmart booth and they put bandanas on our dogs and gave us a goody bag with a few toys and treats. Almost all the booths had some kind of treat to give the dogs. They were having a blast. The Humane Society was there with pets to adopt. There were some adorable kittens and a cute small older dog that I was interested in. I walked away before I got too interested. They had some entertainment going on, such as dog agility events, costume contests, etc.

We did half the booths and Evan had been bugging me because he was hungry and he had seen someone with a gyro. So we went on a hunt for the gyro. I bought him his food and a bottle of water and we went and found nice little shady spot behind some booths to eat. I was noticing that I was slightly wet on my back when I was walking, but when I took my backpack off I was much wetter than I thought. I thought my hydration pack might not be fully closed, but alas it had a small hole. I could hear the hole, but couldn't find it. Must be time for a new one. At least it was hot out and I could dry off. I gave the dogs most of the bottle of water. They were already very thirsty. They actually really like bottled water for some reason, but of course I do too.

While watching Evan eat I started to get hungry. So after Evan finished eating I made him get me a cheeseburger. So it gave us time to sit and relax a little. A guy walked by and he had this backpack/pet carrier that had a small dog in it. I think my dogs thought that was obsurd because they started barking at the guy (or maybe they didn't like the guy). They had never seen a dog in a backpack before though. So who knows.

Done eating! Time to walk around some more. We looked at the rest of the booths and I bought Savvy a new collar and leash. They were hand made, cotton material, and had a red bandana type pattern to it. Very decently priced.

One booth we saw was for Reber Ranch, which is a place really close to our house. They have a tiny off-leash area our landlord told us about and we had been meaning to check out. I didn't realize they had a store there, which perked my ears up. I really like to go to pet stores. Mainly because I like to spoil my dogs.

We walked down the trail by the river. Savvy always wants to swim, but the river was so swift that it was unsafe. We found a tiny little inlet of water and she got her feet wet. We relaxed down by the river for a little bit and walked back up. We gave the dogs some fresh water and then bought ourselves some ice cream. We found a nice little shady spot and relaxed for a little bit.

Another booth we saw was trying to get donations for a new off-leash dog park that will be located in Renton near the Cedar River. This will be nice to have since Marymoor and Magneson are so far away from us since we moved to Kent. They have a lot of money that still needs to be raised to keep this project on track. If you would like to support this dog park you can donate at the website http://www.rentonoffleash.org/ or you can watch for fundraising events that they put on. Please show your doggy support.

Our dogs were worn out after this excursion, but they had a lot of fun. I hope they do the Petpalooza every year. It's a great idea and also great for socialization for the dogs.

Memorial Day Weekend 2009 - California

I am way behind on my blogging so be prepared for my full on catch-up blogs.

For Memorial Day weekend, Evan and I flew down to California to visit Kacie and Peter. I love their cute little house, especially their kitchen.

When we landed, Kacie picked us up from the airport. We had decided in advance that we would eat dinner when we landed. Kacie had already made the reservations at a restaurant called The Rok. http://www.rokbistro.com/ It was so amazingly yummy and I think one of Evan's favorite places to eat now. What I liked about it was the fondue, but the main attraction of the restaurant is that you cook your meat (Steak, Chicken, Fish, etc) on a hot rock. The meat is already pre-seasoned, but you can add sauces to dip or cook with on the stone. Evan ordered the steak and he cooked it so determined-like on the stone. I tried a bite of it and oh my gosh, it was extremely delightful. My main focus though was the cheddar cheese and the milk and dark chocolate dessert fondues we ordered and shared. It was my first time having the cheddar cheese fondue and I am definitely torn between the swiss and the cheddar both are very tasty. They had all sorts of interesting things to dip into the chocolate fondue including rice krispie treats and oreo covered marshmallows. Although, I think my favorites are the bananas and the pound cake.

On Saturday, we had a nice relaxing time by the pool and laying out in the sun. We went to the farmers market that day and I tasted the most wonderful fruit, a white nectarine. Kacie purchased all sorts of fruit to make a fruit salad with dinner. Peter barbequed chicken, burgers, and corn-on-the-cob. Mmmmm corn. We went to the movies that evening and saw Star Trek. I think it one of the best movies I have seen in a while. I did feel like a big nerd because I knew all of the Trekie jokes in the movie, but at least I was not the only one because Peter got them too.

The next day we decided to go to Santa Cruz - to the Board Walk. We were trying to make a stop before we went to the boardwalk at the Mystery Spot, but it was fully booked. We should have known since it was a holiday weekend. It is supposed to be a "gravitational anomaly" and it looked rather interesting, maybe next time. http://www.mysteryspot.com

The Beach Boardwalk was fun. http://www.beachboardwalk.com/I had been there before, but since Evan had not been we decided to go there. Kacie and I went a few years back and we had a blast. Of course at that time it wasn't as crowded and as busy as when we went this time. Our favorite rides to go on were the Big Dipper roller coaster and the Bumper Cars. The Logger's Revenge is fun, but you can get pretty soaked. It is better to do that one early so you can dry off in the sun when it isn't so cold. The Carousel is also fun because if you sit on the outside you can grab the metal rings that are dispensed and try to throw them in the clown's mouth (Not a real clown). The guys tried the deep fried Twinkies. I did want to try it myself, but I just was not hungry. Evan said it was good and did not really taste like a Twinkie.

Bumper Car Races

I had scheduled our flight to leave early afternoon on Monday, although it would have been nice to stay longer. Thanks to Evan for suggesting bagels for breakfast, Peter and Kacie took us to Starbucks and Noah's Bagels, they were connected, which was absolutely brilliant. I had not been to Noah's Bagels in a while and it made me remember how good bagels are.

When we got home our dogs were so happy to see us. Our little mini vacation was exactly what I needed. I felt refreshed and relaxed when I got home. I wished it could have been a little longer, but getting home early kept the relaxation set in.

Haiku Friday! Back Again

It's Haiku Friday! Don't be afraid to let your creative juices flow. So lets hear those haikus.

Remember, a haiku consists of 3 lines and syllables of 5-7-5.

Happy to See the Sun
Perfect for Garden Planting
and Deck Relaxing

Brownie Anyone?

Okay, back to my day yesterday. So before heading to the theatre we went to Elephant & Castle for Happy Hour. Their happy hour menu was alright, but could have been better. I wasn't hungry, but looking at the dessert menu my mouth starting watering. All I saw were the words brownie, ice cream, and chocolate sauce. I asked the waiter if the brownie had nuts in it and if it didn't I wanted one. A few minutes later he comes back to the table with this huge plate of dessert goodness. Had I fully read the description of the dessert I might not have ordered it because it was so HUGE.

So first off it was called the Big Ben Brownie. Okay, so you might expect maybe one big brownie, right? Read on further - Thick slices of brownie covered in chocolate and caramel sauce with vanilla ice cream and whip cream. Did you see where it said "thick slices?" The key word being "slices," as in multiple. The size of one brownie was equal to 4 normal sized brownies and there were two of them. Thickly sliced is no joke either; it was more like a brownie cake. Sandwiched between the two brownies was the ice cream, chocolate sauce drizzled on one and caramel sauce drizzled on the other and 4 large patches of whip cream.

Not that this dessert was a bad thing because it was good and yummy. Since it was so extremely large just looking at it made me full. I only had a few bites.

Here is a picture I took inside the dark restaurant from my phone. It's kind of dark, but you get the idea.

Grease is the Word

Last night I saw Grease at the 5th Avenue Theatre. Growing up I was always a big fan of this movie and getting to see it performed live was awesome in itself. Although, I did see it performed as a high school play once, but still nothing can top a Broadway production of Grease. The only thing that bummed me out was Taylor Hicks, Season 5 winner of American Idol, has a part in the show as the Teen Angel. Well, apparently yesterday and today he was not performing and his understudy was stepping in for those two days. Sigh! I really wanted to see him perform. Taylor was definitely a favorite for me in the American Idol competition. He always had his special quirks and soul.

Taylor Hicks

Another favorite American Idol contestant was Blake Lewis. Blake came in 2nd place in the 6th season of American Idol. Blake is an amazing singer/songwriter/beatboxer. I am a fan because he is a local boy who was born in Redmond, WA, but I am also a fan because of his talent. He like, Taylor Hicks, has something special and unique about him. I got to see him perform live in Seattle outside Westlake Center and during which he performed with Sir Mix-a-Lot, which was quite entertaining.

Blake Lewis

Katie Climbed a Tree

So Sunday, while Evan and I were outside planting in the flower pots we let Katie, our cat, outside to explore for a little bit. First thing, she ran underneath the deck frantically trying to get away from our two dogs, Savvy and Kaylee. Every once in a while we would see her little ears and tail poke up from the outside perimeter of the deck. Unconcerned we went back to planting. All of a sudden the dogs got very excited and ran to the edge of the deck. I turned to see what they were looking at and noticed they were looking slightly upwards towards a flowering tree we have in our backyard. There was Katie trying to balance on a tree branch and looking like she was having the time of her life. It almost seemed like it was the greatest toy ever. We did get a chance to take a picture of her and her awe inspiring moment.

Haiku Friday! Vol. 3

Haiku Friday is back by popular demand! :) Okay, maybe only one person demanded it. So lets hear your Haikus!

Remember, a haiku consists of 3 lines and syllables of 5-7-5.

Blue skies here today
Glad to have some weekend sun
Rain and Snow No More!

Haiku Friday! Part Dos

Hooray! It's Friday! Do you know what that means? That's right, It is Haiku Friday! Hopefully you all figured that out from the title. :)

Remember, a haiku consists of 3 lines and syllables of 5-7-5. (Pay attention Mr. Blue.)

Day is Half Over
Relaxation Coming Soon
Maybe Ice Cream too

Haiku Friday!

Okay, so it is Friday and while I was on Facebook, I had an old teacher update her status with "Haiku Friday" and her friends commented with their haikus for the day! I loved the idea and I am going to take advantage of that and post mine on my blog! I hope others will join in and post theirs as well. So remember a haiku consists of 3 lines and syllables of 5-7-5. Stay tuned for the Next Haiku Friday!

A Sunny Friday
Blast! I have to go to work.
Sigh… Sunny Friday

New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year - 4 days late

I normally do not make any resolutions for the new year. Why? You might ask. Well, because I never follow through with them. This year I am making them only because I can look back on this blog and kick myself for not accomplishing what I set out for, but maybe I will this year. So here is my list.

• Lose Weight - I am in need of losing a lot of weight. I know I will never be as skinny as I was back in high school, which was 10 years ago, but my weight is a tad bit embarrassing these days. I need to make time for my health and I need to go to the gym!
• Be More Social - I need to make some time to hang out with friends or go out on the town.
• Go to Dog Park - At least every other weekend. My dogs need to get out and be more social just like I do. Plus, it is good exercise.
• Shop Less - I am a shopaholic, which comes with working for a major department store and having a nice discount. I need to cut down on spending, period.
• Knit More - There are so many fun projects that I want to do that I need to make more time for knitting.
• Learn to Play Guitar - This is something I have always wanted to do and this year I am going to do it.
• Buy a House/Move to a New Rental - So I would like to buy a house before the housing prices start to go back up, but I am not sure how well that is going to work out. So if we can't buy, we are going to hopefully find a different rental house to live in.