Katie's Wedding Shower

Molls and I carpooled out to Gig Harbor to celebrate one of our very good friends, Katie, getting married. Gig Harbor is about an hour and a half away, and is a bay on the Puget Sound. We had such a nice time hanging out on the patio and enjoying the amazing view, plus the wedding shower was a great way to meet all of her extended family before Tahoe.

Katie and Bryan's wedding is just around the corner in September ....

and will be here before we know it! Yay!

Lindsey, Mollie, Leigh Ann, Katie, and me

The Bride opening gifts

(please ignore her knee burns from Crossfit - haha I have them too!)

Yummy cupcakes and a cute little holder Leigh Ann gave Katie

All the Pfizer girls

With Linds, the deadly Crossfit Trainer

Alabama visitors!

We were so thrilled that Gabe's cousin, Nathan, and his girlfriend Meredith, and friends made it to Seattle. The three girls came to complete a project for their Physical Therapy class and were able to spend the rest of the week doing touristy things. They did everything from Bainbridge Island, Snoqualmie Falls, Pike's Market, and had Whale Watching on the San Juan Islands scheduled for today. I was so impressed with their schedule to do all the Seattle favorites in such a short amount of time!

We met them for dinner at Salty's, which is in West Seattle on Alki beach. They serve great seafood, but more importantly, it has one of the most phenomenal views to see the entire Seattle skyline from the opposite side of the bay. It was so nice to sit on the patio and here about their trip thus far as well as catch up on life in Alabama. I forget how strong southern accents are .... but boy did they remind me! I just loved listening to them talk, and I even had to have Meredith repeat a few things since I couldn't understand what she was saying :)

Enjoying the sunny weather with Meredith and Nathan

Then, we headed to a comedy show and a well known dueling piano club called 88 Keys.

They had heard all about Pioneer Square, so we walked around downtown so they could check that off their list, too. It is right by Quest and SafeCo Field, and one of the couples stopped in and watched a high school baseball game.

All of the group: Patrick, Courtney, Rita, Michael, Gabe, Me, Meredith, and Nathan

It was so great seeing Nathan and meeting Meredith .... hope to see ya'll this summer for the family get together!

May Book Club

This last month we read Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin, which was a perfect book to read this weeked by the pool.  It was a lighthearted girly book, which was a good change since we just read a more intense book, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.  I definitely don't feel that much smarter after reading it, but it was a good book we could relate to! 

Everyone came over to my house for homemade lasagna and chocolate eclair!  A few things came up and all the girls couldn't make it, but I am glad we still had a good turnout.  Harley and Willis (our dogs) were in heaven with all the attention from the girls ..... and I am so excited to recruit more friends to add to the list who will dog sit while we are out of town.    Ya'll are the best!

Such a fun evening girls and and thanks for making it out.  Now, we need a new book.  Any suggestions?!

Memorial Day Weekend!

The rest of our Memorial Day weekend was filled with a fun day out on the boat and most importantly enjoying the gorgeous Seattle weather!  Shelby was so generous to invite us to the House of Peace for a BBQ, afternoon of games, and of course boating adventures.

Who would have thought that 7o degrees would be hot to me, a born Texan?! 

The official boat driver:  Shelby Marie

I absolutely love a relaxing day with Gabe .... without work or SportsCenter :)

My favorite ladies:  Alison, Carly, and Jenny DB

(Jay you were there in spirit)

Bald Eagle just yards away

Thank goodness for a short work week!!  Gabe's cousin is in town from TN, so we are excited to get to see him and meet his girlfriend!

Memorial Day Weekend so far

Our Memorial Day Weekend started out with a Friday night BBQ at our friends house, Charlie and Melissa's.  We were able to meet the newest addition to their family, baby Abby, who is a spitting image of her sweet parents.  She was the most behaved 12 week old baby and was so content with food, attention, and of course lots of kisses from her Daddy!  What a blessing she is :)

This morning began with going to Crossfit, which is a posting in itself.  I haven't posted yet about my new and intense workouts .... but let me tell you what today's workout was!  

-Run one mile

-100 pullups (the goal is to eventually do them on my own, but there are bands available for assistance)

-200 pushups

-300 airsquats (deep squats)

-Run another mile

The goal is to complete the workout as fast as you can with good form.  50 minutes later ..... I was still alive and finially finished!  Thank goodness Katie was there to encourage me to do the entire workout instead of the easier modified version.

Then, after having an exhausting workout, I stopped by McDonalds to grab a $1 sweet tea (try it if you haven't already!!) and head to Gabe's softball tournament.  He played FIVE games yesterday, so I went to support him for a portion of the time with Harley to keep me company.

While sitting at the softball game, I got a text from Tessa who reminded me it was $1 flip flop day at Old Navy.  She said they were running out of sandals and the line was out the door, so it was a great excuse to leave the game and stop by on my way home.  I normally don't wear these sandals, but for $1, why not!  I cannot believe I waited in the line that was wrapped around the ENTIRE store, but yes I did and glad to get a few new pairs of sandals for Gabe and me.

Now, we are home and going to have a movie night at the house.  Off to watch Valkyrie.   Hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day and thank goodness for our wonderful country!!

Sonja's Baby Shower

My partner is the most precious pregnant person ever and is due two dates before my birthday, July 9th, so I am hoping for a late delivery!!  Sonja had a couples baby shower that was so enjoyable with yummy food, refreshing drinks, and overall just a great excuse to celebrate her baby girl that will be here before we know it.  I cannot wait to meet the little munchkin!!

All the Pfizer girls - Chelsea, Jamie, Sonja, Nicole with her son Theo, Kristin, and me

I am so lucky to have a great set of work friends, but more importantly, friends outside of work too!!!

Boating season is here :)

(Kelsey M., Shelby, Jamie, me, and Carly)

I am so excited summer is here and definitely looking forward to the weekends since boating season is here!!! 

Ich

Paw Paw informed me "Ich" was his Germain word of the day on his birthday, which means "I"!  My sweet Paw Paw just turned 81 years old last week, and I am so proud to call him my hero.  He is such a brilliant man that knows everything about anything, can build a house from scratch still to this day, and is pretty much the handiest man out there.  He who would give his right arm for any of his grandkids, and we love him for that.  I was so lucky to grow up so close to him and Granny Gayle, and I have so many fond memories of them kidnapping Jordan and me for the summers and driving hours upon hours to the cabin in CC (Colorful Colorado).  We were lucky kiddos, that's for sure!

Birthdays all around .... and it is Nana's (Gabe's grandmother) birthday today!  Wow, we are all getting older by the second.  Happy Birthday Nana and can't wait for the many more to come.

I so wish we could have spent your special days with all of you!

Happy 80th Birthday

What a huge year this is for my Grandmother celebrating the milestone of her 80^thbirthday!  She is so sharp, pretty much reads a book a day, and loves to play cards and more cards.  I pray that we have 21 more great years with her like my Great-Grandmother.

Grandmother and her three kids:  Uncle David, Aunt Tanis, and Daddeo 

(Dad shares the same birthday as Grandmother, so this was a little celebration for him too!)

Momma and Aunt LaJan

(Lajan made seven homemade cakes that were an absolute hit!)

What a turnout - almost 150 people!

Grandmother, you have such a large outlook on life, you are a wonderful role model, and most importantly you are a Christian example for us all.  I am so sad Gabe and I weren't able to make it to your big party, but this post shows how much everyone loves you!

My fondest memory growing up is driving into Enid and stopping at the Station with Jordan to pick out a candy bar!  That always seemed like such a generous treat.  Also, what visit with Grandmother doesn’t end without consuming lots and lots of Chocolate Éclair?!  There are so many memories that I will never forget, but I will cherish the games we played till all hours of the night and the amount of time you spent to teach us your favorite card games.

Horrible, No Good, Night

Our dear friends Carmen and Jamie are moving to Singapore at the end of the month, and we had a little going away party for them last night.  They were one of the first couples we got to know when we moved to Seattle .... thanks for Mollie introducing us.  We wish them the best on the otherside of the world, and I know they will thrive on their adventure.

You will be missed!!

  

All the girls with Carms

My other half!

Such a fun group of great friends

The night wouldn't have been as eventful without my partner in crime!!

We parked downtown a couple blocks away, but did not realize they were beginning to block off the street/towing cars for a parade the following day.  It wasn't clearly designated or signed properly, so we had no clue.  Later that evening, I overheard other people talking about cars getting towed off 1st Ave, and Marissa confirmed my suspicion.  I expressed a concern to Gabe that we were parked on 1st and need to go check on our car or move it, and he said "if they were going to tow it then it would already be gone by now."  It doesn't really sit well with me, and I kind of panic because I have unfortunately been towed too many times.  I drop it and decided to enjoy the night!

So, we leave the bar and walk outside to 1st Ave wiped clean of cars and see a tow truck in the midst of towing a vehicle.  I am for sure panicy at this point, and Gabe who is calm as can be asks the driver if all the cars were towed south of here.  The guy said yes.  AHHH!  So, Gabe asked if we could catch a ride with him since he was headed back to the lot to drop off this car he was about to tow.  We ride 25 min with him, get to the lot, and our car isn't there.  Let me remind you, he told us red SUV was towed earlier that night and required a dolly to do the job.  We wait for the guy to take the car off the hitch to ask him further about our car, and then he proceeds to tell us our car is in route.  GREAT!  We wait inside a couple minutes and started talking to the guy who we would normally pay .... And he said he can't tell what is in route.  THEN, we decide to have Mollie leave the bar to walk 3 blocks to see if my car is still on 1st.  Bless her heart, she did not understand me and walked three blocks north of the bar instead of three blocks south!  Haha.  So, Gabe asks the tow guy for a ride BACK to 1st Ave since he was headed to tow more cars.  We separate and I stay at the tow yard in a desolate part of town in case the car comes.  

All this, and we only have one phone since I left my cell at the house.  45 minutes later ..... Gabe ends up getting to the car at the same time as Mollie, and it is happily parked on 1st Ave!  I have never been so thankful for an AWD (all wheel drive) vehicle since it is more difficult to tow, and they saved it for last since it requires a dolly  :)   And after ALLLL that ..... it was never towed and instead we were only ticketed!!!

Coach Smith

Coach Gabe volunteers with the 5th and 6th grades boys at the Bellevue Boys and Girls Club, and here are a few pictures from yesterday's game.  It was so neat to watch these kids look up to Gabe and hear them call him "Coach!"  Also, the parents just loved him, but then again, how can you not!

Gabe warming up with the kids having them alternate layups.

More drills

A one-on-one teaching moment with one of his players.

Congratulating the team with their win!

At one point, one of the kids (Alex) was really exhausted and wanted to sit out, and Gabe already told another kid (Will) to sit out.  Then, I overheard Alex trying to convince Will to play in his spot, and Will said .... "Coach Gabe told me to sit out."  It was so neat to hear one of the kids reinforce what Coach told him to do without questioning it or trying to do otherwise.  

There was a lot of encouragement and general direction throughout the game.  It was an evening of constant "Good job ____, great rebound ____, good hustle ____," and so.  Gabe is really sensitive to this teaching environment and ran with a lot of positive reinforcement so the boys would enjoy learning the game of basketball.  It is suppose to be just "fun and games," but the kids are competitive and of course want to win.  If you look at the scoreboard ... it says 33 to 23.  The score was actually 53 to 23, but once one team is up by 20 they reset the scoreboard.  This way it doesn't hurt the moral of the players!  Kind of smart if you ask me.

This evening gave me a glimpse into the future, and I look forward to the day Gabe can spend his evenings and spare time coaching our kids.  That is, if they like sports and want to be athletes :)

The Biggest Loser

Let me start out by saying I am SO sad this show is over.  I cannot wait for the next season to start because this is hands down my favorite reality show ever.  It is so life changing, and I would challenge anyone to genuinely watch one full episode and if you don't get hooked on it .... then you need to soften your heart.  Haha!  These people have struggled with weight most likely their entire life, and I cannot imagine all the challenges they face with their addiction to food, life of being obese, people staring, etc.

Although Helen was a little cocky before the weigh in occurred, I believe she did deserve to win.  Gabe and I thought halfway through the season that she was almost out of weight to lose, but boy were we wrong.  She came out super skinny, and ripped!

Tara has always been my favorite throughout the entire show because she is so incredibly determined.  She mentally was strong throughout the show, and I believe her life will never be the same.  The fact that she never ended up below the yellow line proves she is a fighter and more than anything wanted to change her life.  She won 12 challenges, which is unheard of!!  I was sad she didn't win!

And the SHOCKER of the entire show was Jerry, at 64 years old, losing almost 55% of his body weight after being kicked off the show the second week.  Unbelievable!!!  He always encouraged the other contestants, and my favorite thing was how he treated his wife and the relationship they had.  He was such a sweet man.

Well, my Tuesday nights will not be the same without this show.  Sad day!

New Hobby?!

Well, I have been going back and forth debating picking up golf as new hobby, which would be really fun to partake in with Gabe.  We are trying to find the right hobby to throw ourselves into that we can enjoy doing together as well as enjoy all over the world.  I always see families at baggage claim lugging around their personally set of golf clubs, and I instantly think .... wow, first off that is probably really expensive and a hassel to ship around the country to enjoy on vacation.  But, secondly, how cool is that to play different courses on vacation together as a family!

Gabe went on a five day golf trip with a group of friends, and before he left we went shopping for a new driver.  Well, we end up leaving the golf shop with a driver and an ENTIRE set of clubs because he really needed them :)  Then, Gabe decides he needed new golf shoes the day he gets back in town from his five days straight of playing golf.  It's like the book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and one thing leads to the next.  So, after shopping around and looking at a gazillion clubs and golf shoes, I thought it might be fun to pick up golf as well.  I have pretty good hand/eye cordination, but I also know it is an incredibly expensive and frustrating sport.  Believe it or not, I enjoy watching golf and have always dated guys who golf .... so I think I want to learn how to play!  What do you think?  

This entire weekend was absolutely gorgeous in Seattle!  We went to the driving range for a couple hours, and I happily watched Gabe hit three buckets of balls.  I was itching to try and swing the club, but my Uncle Don (who owns a driving range and has a lot of experience with golf) gave me a few pointers earlier this month when I was sharing my interest with him.  He said it is a good thing I don't have any bad habits to break and to just take a couple lessons to learn the correct form.  So, I took his advice and just putted around instead of creating my own crazy swing to hack at the ball!

I am trying to convince my girlfriends to learn to play with me, but I don't think I have fully sold them on it.  It seems I have some work to do.  Anyone out there want to learn to golf with me or any women golfers out there that any thoughts?!?!

Here are some pictures from the our date at the driving range!

My turn ....

My three foot putt went in, and Gabe got an action shot!

Hope everyone has a blessed week!!

Birthday Shin-Dig

We went to Edmonds to celebrate Jason's 25th birthday and had a fun and relaxing night with our friends ....

Marissa, Mollie, Me, Beeks, Amy, and Emi

Katie and Me

Half of the group

My hubby and Me!

Happy Early Mother's Day

Last week, I invited Momma to come to Seattle and spend Mother's Day weekend with us.  She decided last minute to take me up on it and actually use her vacation time to get away and come get her haircut from my lady while she was here.  It was definitely a quick visit and wish she was able to stay longer, but she went home to spend tomorrow afternoon at my brother's house that they just closed on in Flower Mound (not Flour Mound ... right Arrie!).  

We are so glad she was able to come for a couple days, and I have to admit that my life is so much more organized after her visit.  I feel bad because we did a TON of Spring cleaning a vast majority of the time, but that is what she loves to do ..... so I won't complain!  Gabe says next visit you are here, we aren't allowed to clean or reorganize anything.  Also, thanks for being patient and riding with me throughout my workday.  It was fun to have someone along for the ride to keep me company, and it was such a pleasant time together!  Thanks for all you do.

By the way, after looking at this picture with our similar haircuts, I have come to the conclusion that we really don't share too many characteristics and look that much alike.  How can that be!!

Happy Mother's Day Momma and to all the other Momma's out there!  I pray one day that I will be an amazing influence on my own little ones one day :)

Free 8X10 at Walgreens

Today only, Walgreens is giving away a free 8X10 online.  Enter the code MOTHER at checkout for redemption :)

Dear Aunt Toasty .....

My heart just melted receiving this photo and letter!  Aren't his hands so sweet?!

Dear Aunt Toasty,

I'm all ready for bed in the jammies you gave me watching Dancing with the Stars with mom. 

They are so comfy! 

Night night. 

Love, Colt T bear :) 

Dinner and Dessert!

Here we are before heading to dinner at Azul, which is an hip upscale Mexican place that I wouldn't label as Mexican. I was so excited to take Abby here since it is our home away from home. I truly wished I owned this restaurant because they have the most amazing menu items, and it's as if you can't go wrong with anything except their grilled chicken sandwich. If you know me, grilled chicken is a pretty safe choice to order at most places. My thoughts are ... when in doubt, order chicken! At Azul, I rotate between ordering the salmon chop chop salad, coconut prawns with green beans, chicken fajitas, and every now and then order the nachos with the works. Gabe gets the Carne Asada skirt steak with green beans and has for the last three years. It's amazing how he has never gotten sick of it!!! 

Once we got home, we decided to get in our pajamas, make cookies, and enjoy them with a cold glass of milk. This reminds me of our sleepovers we had ALMOST 20 years ago! Wow, how fast time flies.

We are off watch Desperate Housewives and enjoy our last evening together. We are headed to the gym in the morning to work off our cookies, and then take Abbdae to the airport. Maybe, I will find a way to kidnap her so she can stay all week. As I recall, Abby did ask me earlier today if she could move in with me. She said she would offer her house cleaning services for living rent free. Hey, I accept any way to spend more time with my sweet friend that I have missed so much!!