HEY YOU GUYS!

No I didn't get to meet the cast of The Goonies, but I did get to see the giant cave where they found One-Eyed Willie's pirate ship! Presently, no ship or secret treasure are still in the cave... they have been replaced by hundreds of sea lions! My family and I visited the cave while we were on our Oregon Coast holiday vacation. It's exact location was Yachats, Oregon.

It was pretty fascinating. We had to take an elevator down 206 feet into the ground. The elevator gave us a preview of the unpleasant aroma these creatures put off. Luckily, you get used to the smell very quickly and it doesn't ruin the rest of the experience. The whole cave is very loud because of the water crashing into the cave and the barking of the sea lions. You aren't actually in the big cave, but a small offset of it that has a viewing screen into the bigger space.

I have added some pictures below and a video over the right hand side of this page in my YouTube section (Check it out!).

More photos of the beach house:

A Coastal Christmas Story

Happy Holidays!

I've been spending the last week or so on the Oregon Coast (Lincoln City) with my family. It was definitely an interesting experience to get down here. For those of you that don't watch the news, it has been snowing like crazy in Seattle. The snow doesn't really bother me, per se, but the entire city shuts down at the slightest hint of snow. Now, with 10'' on the ground, you can imagine what's going on.

My family drove over from Montana and met up with me near Longview, WA. We then completed the beautiful, windy drive through Astoria and down the coast. And here we have remained in our lovely rented beach house. The house itself has three floors, but they are all straight up from each other! Family room on the bottom floor, bedrooms and bathrooms on the middle floor, and kitchen, dining room, and picturesque sitting room on the top floor. I've been doing tons of reading, having completed 1.5 books as of this blog, and watching the giant waves crash ashore. The rain hasn't really subsided since we arrive, but some people have braved the weather for walks on the beach.

Other than that, we are playing lots of card and board games, opened Christmas presents, and preparing to go explore the sea lion cave from the movie Goonies! That's happening this afternoon. I'll be heading back to Seattle on Monday, most likely, where I will enjoy another week of reading solitude before having to return to work in January.

I'll leave you all with pictures from my new camera!

Seattle in Snow (old camera):

Oregon Beach House Views (new camera):

It's Official...

I've been promoted! My new title is Account Executive... no longer an "Assistant." I'm pretty excited about the new title and the new responsibilities I'll take on (not to mention more money!). First order of business? Plan a reporter summit for some of our most influential contacts. :)

As for other things, I'm fully in the Holiday swing. I've been Christmas shopping several times already, including the day after Thanksgiving, and I must say that my list is getting shorter! Gus and I also decorated our Christmas "plant." And YES, it is only a plant. I fear that if we had a tree of any sort, our overly ambitious cat exploration crew (i.e. Jack and China) would decide to climb or tip it over. Therefore, we opted to decorate one of our "cat-proof" house plants (pics below).

Salon of Shame - A Must See!

So, it's a week late, but I HAVE to tell you about this show I went to last Tuesday with my co-worker, Cindy. She has been telling me for some time that I must see the Salon of Shame. Since it only occurs every two months, it was quite awhile before I had the chance.

What is the Salon of Shame? I thought you would never ask. The Salon of Shame resembles a good ol' poetry reading... with a twist. Readers get up and thoroughly embarrass themselves by reading from their childhood diaries, journals, notes, and miscellaneous musings. Let me tell you, this is HILARIOUS! Not only are the topics tackled completely entertaining, but they are totally relatable. Honestly, how many of us can relate to pining for the cutest boy in class or writing that potentially award-winning hit song?

Anyway, I completely recommend attending this show for anyone that has the chance. The website is www.salonofshame.com and the shows happen in several cities besides Seattle. If you want to see a sample YouTube video of someone's reflections on why the toilet paper companies use bears and babies for advertising (warning: some language inappropriate for work settings or in the presence of children), go to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyyipx4PowQ.

That's all for now!

Happy Belated Turkey Day!

Hello friends and family!

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving celebrations. We had a pretty good time here in Seattle. Neither Gus nor I were able to get the time off to go home, so we decided to host our first dinner instead! Our guests included my sister, Becci, who drove up from Eugene, OR and her friend Chelsea, and Gus' and my mutual friend, Srini.

Gus was so excited for approximately the entire week before the dinner. He told everyone how he was going to cook the turkey and how he had come by that decision (advice from friends or coworkers, online reading, etc.)! Needless to say the turkey came out fabulously. By my persuasion, we using a turkey bag to cook, but Gus did stuff the bird with an orange, apple, 3 celery sticks, one whole onion, and numerous spices. In addition to that pile, Gus rubbed the bird both outside and underneath the skin with various spices and butter.

Other food items included: chive mashed potatoes, rolls, french onion green bean caserole, stuffing, deviled eggs, veggies, cranberry sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, apple and pumpkin pies! Additionally, we finished off about 7 bottles of wine before the night was over. Overall, the entire evening was an extreme success and Gus is already planning dinner for next year's event.

Not to miss a national Thanksgiving tradition, Becci, Chelsea and I woke at 5:30 the next day and joined the masses at the various malls and electronics stores. I was semi-successful with my Christmas gift shopping, but I definitely spent more time in the check out lines than actually shopping. Oh well. I was glad to be finished around 11am.

As for the rest of my long weekend, I have watched a lot of Gonzaga basketball (Go Zags!) and plan to watch them in the championship game of the Old Spice Classic tonight versus Tennessee. Should be a great game!

Catch you all later.

I Must Confess...

I'm addicted to Darius Rucker's new CD!!! I absolutely love it. I have been listening to it loop over and over and over while I work. Sometimes I'm so lost in my happy little world that I don't notice coworkers looking over my cube to ask a question. Ha.

For those of you who think you don't know Darius Rucker, a now country artist, you may be confused. You see, Darius is none other than Hootie from Hootie and the Blowfish! Apparently, Darius always wanted to do a country album and he finally got his chance. And I must reiterate that I am, in fact, a fan! Maybe fanatic!

You don't even need to love country music to enjoy this album, so go on, get yourself a copy!

On the home front, Gus and I are pretty much moved into the new apartment. The cats are adjusting fine, and I'm loving the convenience of Gus' and my new commutes to work... so easy! Not to mention, I am enjoying the near constant entertainment that is afforded by living in the University District. There has been a constant string of fraternity pranks, scantily clad costume party goers, and college pep rallies to gawk at. Halloween may have been my favorite night driving around.

Our next big adventure will be fixing Thanksgiving dinner for friends at our house. So far, we only have one "maybe" to our party, but I'm confident someone will want to brave Gus' turkey! Well, that's about it. I hope to have some work news for you in the next few days so stay tuned!

I voted, did you?

Hi Friends and Family!

Just wanted to take a quick moment to urge you all to vote, if you haven't already. Voting is an amazing privilege that we enjoy in this country, and should never take for granted. No matter who you vote for, make sure your voice is heard! If you don't, you won't have any "privilege" to complain if things don't go your way :) ... and I know some of you love to complain. Ha!

Loves.

PS. We finally got internet at our new apartment, so I'll update everyone as soon as possible. I am going to an election party tonight with a bunch of my fellow Obama supporters.

Darth Vader, Frat Boys, Long Days...

Phew! What a couple of weeks. I thought I was busy last month, boy was I wrong. Here's the skinny...

Gus and I went to New Mexico two weeks ago to visit his family and attend the Albuquerque International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. Let me tell you, this was awesome and exactly what I needed. Last time I was in New Mexico was for Thanksgiving and Gus' sister's wedding. While it was amazing to be a part of their family's celebration, it was awesome to just relax and enjoy my surroundings this time.

The first thing we did was go to the Santa Fe Ski Basin to see the Aspen trees changing. The leaves were stunning colors of red, orange, yellow, and green! We hiked around and took tons of pictures. Everything was so lovely and the day was so clear. It was a great start to the week.

We had originally planned to attend the balloon fiesta the day after we got in, but it was unfortunately rained out. Since I REALLY wanted to go see the balloons, we decided to head back down to Albuquerque on Thursday. That evening, we went to the Special Shapes "Glowdeo." Basically, all the uniquely shaped balloons (think Darth Vader, Pooh Bear, giant pigs, etc.) are blown up in the field and remain tethered to the ground. You have the opportunity to wander around and check out the balloons, and of course snap a TON of pictures. Once the sun sets, the special shapes balloons light up at the same time and in different patterns. I'm sure you can imagine how beautiful this sight was. I was in simply in awe.

The next morning, Gus and I got up at 5:15AM to catch the bus to the morning launch of the balloons. Since hot air balloons fly the best in cold weather, they launched very early in the morning. Even though I desparately needed a hot chocolate, I was sooo glad we came. We got to see all the special shape balloons blown up again, but this time they launched into the air. It was so colorful and exciting that I felt like a kid in a candy store. It was hard to know where to look because the balloons were everywhere. After the special shapes had gone, the normal balloons started pouring in for the Honda "Key Grab" Competition. Basically, there were three poles sticking up in the middle of the field with car keys on top. Each of the balloons had the opportunity to swoop in and grab the key, and thus win a car! We saw two balloons reach success, two balloons drop the keys, and numerous balloons come in a little too low, if you know what I mean! Ouch. Overall, the experience was amazing and I would highly recommend everyone attend this fiesta at least once in their life!

Needless to say, the rest of our week wasn't as exciting, but I enjoyed it immensely. We did large amounts of hanging out with Gus' family, watching football, going to a movie, eating delicious food, and just generally enjoying our time together.

Once Gus and I returned to Seattle, our apartment search was on! We didn't exactly plan our vacation at the best time since our current lease is up at the end of October, and we had decided to get separate places from our roommates. Gus and I spent the weekend and entire next week searching for a place. We saw many good apartments and many duds, but eventually we found the perfect apartment. Unfortunately, it is located in the University District! I mean, literally down the street are numerous frat houses. I wasn't convinced that this apartment was going to work. However, seeing is believing. Our apartment is on the back of the building and on the downside slope of a hill. From the front of the building, our apartment would be considered underground. We won't have any neighbors and no one can walk anywhere near our apartment. With a washer & dryer in the unit, I was sold and the rest is history. Now we are working on packing and moving... oy. If you need our new address, leave me a comment and I'll send you an email.

Finally, I promised a work update. Life is crazy on that front. My yearly review is slated for Friday, and I'm hoping to get good news. Stay tuned to hear because if it's good, I'm sure I won't be able to keep it quiet. :)

Anyway, I want you all to know that I love you dearly. Here are some teaser pictures for you to enjoy. Go to my Flickr site for more of the balloons and Aspens: http://flickr.com/photos/29006243@N02/sets/72157608005747110/. I have also put up two videos on YouTube (on the right of this page) of a balloon being blown up.

Quick Update

Oy. Where to begin? Gus and I have been super busy these last two weeks, which is why I haven't gotten on here to update lately. So don't despair. I promise I will post on here this weekend. Things to look forward to:

1. New Apartment details
2. Adventures in New Mexico
   
3. Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta photos and stories
4. Halloween plans...

Stay tuned!

Jeanine LOVES free tickets!

Thanks again to everyone who celebrated my birthday at Fremont's Oktoberfest or sent me messages/cards/gifts. I really do appreciate your kindness and friendship.

Last week was no exception to the busyness that can be my life. I walked into Monday thinking that a "normal week" was in store for me. Boy was I wrong. I spent all day Monday in the office of our video guy where we created and edited a highlights video of our clients' first quarter. I had no idea that this takes sooooo long. What a process!

At the end of Monday, an email came across asking if anyone wanted tickets to the Mariner's game that night... FREE BOX SUITE TICKETS in the Moyer Foundation Suite. Um duh! I was dying to go. I immediately called Gus and politely told him to take a bus downtown after work because we were getting spoiled! This was by far the best place I have ever sat at a game (and probably will ever sit). Pretty much directly behind home plate and above the press box, our seats were padded with wheels and tables in front of us for food. The whole level is warm and carpeted, and the bathrooms are lovely. It really made me feel bad for the "riffraff" sitting in the sections outside of the suite level, haha! Behind our seats in the actual box there was a large TV, sink, fridge, arm chairs, breakfast bar with high stools that looked out on the game... I think you get the picture. I'm so glad that I didn't miss that email.

Tuesday through Thursday found themselves to be relatively normal days, but on Friday, I once again found myself the recipient of free baseball tickets. This time they were directly across from third base on the first level 20 rows back! Gus decided not to attend (something about silly presidential debates), so I took my roommate, Ceci. We had a wonderful time. There were flyballs coming at us from everywhere, and it was Fan Appreciation Night so there were tons of prize giveaways (we didnt win any though). Man, I still LOVE free tickets. How can I resist?

Finally, my weekend came to a close on a relaxing note. Gus and I enjoyed dinner at the Matador on Saturday and met his buddy Beau out for some drinks. Today, we are doing nothing but relax, eat pizza, watch way too much football, and play with Jack and China. For next week, Gus will be gone most of the week to a training in Longview, WA and we leave Saturday for the balloon fiesta in Albuquerque, NM!

It's Official, 25 years and counting...

Thanks to everyone who sent/called me with birthday wishes yesterday. I really appreicate your kindness! I had a wonderful day. :)

Just to give everyone an update on my birthday activities, here you go:

9:00 - Slept in. Not going to work on my birthday. haha
11:00 - Shopping in Bellevue mall.
12:00 - Lunch with Gus at The Cheesecake Factory! Yummy!
1:45 - Swedish hot stone massage at Spa Scotta (I highly recommend this massage and location).
5:00 - Stuck in traffic downtown Seattle trying to get to dinner.
6:00 - Finally arrive for Spanish tapas with Gus at Tango.
7:30 - Phantom of the Opera broadway production (fantastic! horray!).
10:30 - Home in bed wishing everyday was so exciting and relaxed.

Also, I'm celebrating with friends tomorrow (Friday) night at Fremont's Oktoberfest. There are many many different types of beer to sample and plenty of activities to enjoy. It's going to be a great weekend. If you're in Seattle, and you would like to join us, let me know!

Peace.

Sorry for the delay, I've been in San Fran!

Hi Everyone - Sorry it has been so long since I posted. Hope you enjoy the wedding photos below. Just to catch you up to my activities...

I spent most of last week in San Francisco with my new client. We were attending the CTIA Wireless trade show, and meeting with reporters, bloggers, and analysts in order to show off our new phones! We spent all day Wednesday and Thursday in a restaurant where I ushered people back and forth for the meetings. I saw the same demo and listened to the same information so many times, and I could definitely give them myself... possibly even in my sleep!

Each night, I went out to drinks and drinks with my clients or colleagues, and boy did I eat well! The first night we went to The Slanted Door which is a highly sought after location. The food definitely lived up to its reputation and practically melted in your mouth. Filet mignon, halibut, tiger prawns, on and on. Mmmm... I also had drinks with an old colleague of mine who has relocated to SF. The next night, I attended my Windows Mobile client's happy hour press event and accompanied them to a fancy sushi restaurant for dinner. I tried many different kinds of sushi, but my favorite part was the last dish they brought out... filet mignon and wasabi mashed potatoes. I let everyone know that this is how a Montana girl ends a sushi meal!

On my final night in SF, I was left to myself, as many of my colleagues had headed home that morning (I had meetings until 6 that night). Since I had never been to SF, I decided to take advantage and hopped a cable car towards the Fisherman's Wharf. I got out at Lombard Street, the most crooked street in the world, and walked the rest of the way to the water. Walking down the hill, you could see Alcatraz out in the bay, but it was way too foggy to see the Golden Gate Bridge... bummer. Maybe next time. After much wandering, I found a lovely Italian restaurant and treated myself to a lovely meal. I then hopped on the next cable car and went back to the hotel.

The next morning, I was on my way back to Seattle, but not before being sufficiently held up at the airport security check. They kept running my bags through the scanner and finally decided to open them and search. After 10-15 minutes of not letting anyone behind me through the checkpoint, they finally discovered the "mysterious" item they were looking for. Guess what it was? MY NECKLACE! Haha. I had removed it and put it in my coat pocket so it wouldn't set off the alarm. Necklaces are quite dangerous, so I'm not sure what I was thinking by bringing it with me. Finally, I was let through and hopped my flight back home.

It was definitely one of the most exhausting "vacations" of my life, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! Pics below...

Cable Car!

Waiting in line for the cable car.

The top of Lombard Street

Another view from Lombard St.

At the bottom of Lombard St.

Alcatraz out in the bay.

Some boats at the Fisherman's Wharf

Another of Alcatraz in the fog

Bumbershoot?! What's that?

Last weekend we also attending a large music festival in Seattle called "Bumbershoot." This is a three day long festival that features every kind of music you can imagine. Since we had the wedding on Saturday and Sunday, we were only able to attend on Monday. Next year, I vow to attend all three days (as long as the lineup is good!).

"Bumberchute" is apparently another word for umbrella. This signifies the wide range of groups that perform at the show. They changed the spelling of "chute" to "shoot," I guess to make it a more appealing looking word. Very strange!

Anyway, we had a fabulous time! We got to the Seattle Center where the festival was held and wandered around checking out the approximately 13 very different venues! We then went to our first concert, Paramore. Paramore is a younger group whose style would fit in the punk/emo category, in my humble opinion. I'm sure there's a more technical term for it. Next, we saw The Offspring. This concert was soooo much fun. I saw this band back when I was in high school, and I got a kick out of the 15 year-olds rocking out to their music. They probably weren't alive when Offspring hit it big! That makes me feel pretty old. Regardless, this band still has it and boy can they ROCK!

After that show, we grabbed some food and wandered around the various market vendors. As we made our way to the next show, The Flobots, we received a call from Brittney's co-worker who said the show was already full! Don't be too sad for us though. Brittney's friend knows Flobots' emcee, Jamie, and was able to get us in... Don't mind us, we are with the band! Their music is hiphop style, and the show was amazing! Very politically minded, the emcees wasted no time expressing their various views of the world and urging the crowd to use their god-given tools, whatever they may be, to make the world a better place. Wow... I highly recommend this show. I have uploaded a video of one of their songs, Handlebars. You can see it to the right on my YouTube list. Keep in mind, this video is being taken with my arms fully extended over my head with me on my tippy toes. By the way, this is the view I have at all concerts... bummer.

Having learned our lesson of almost missing that show, Brittney and I immediately went to the venue for Death Cab For Cutie (an amazing Seattle-based band) so that we wouldn't miss out. In the mean time, Gus attended one of his fave shows, Del Tha Funky Homosapien. Haha. The Death Cab show was fabulous as expected, and the ticket cost was more than worth the experience. Yay!

Bumbershoot Mainstage!

Crowd Shots!

The Offspring show

Remember, this is the crowd at 3:00pm...

Britt and Pat give their best "rock out" faces

Elaine, Nate, Ryan, Christen are also rockin' out.

These people performed on flexible poles... wild!