Big Changes In ‘Jeanine View’ Blog Land

Well everyone. I’ve done it again. Updated the blog. Only this time, I’ve moved it to a new home: http://jeanineview.wordpress.com.

You’re probably asking yourselves: “Why do this, Jeanine? I was just getting the old URL memorized.” The simple answer is, “Wordpress is more fun and has tons of cool customization options. I also will have better control over the pictures I post. Did you ever notice that sometimes the pictures on this blog end up cutting in the middle of the paragraphs? Annoying.”

Anyway, starting today, please visit my new site at http://jeanineview.wordpress.com. You’ll get some new fun things like the “About Me” “Contact” and “Gallery” pages. Additionally, my first post is about my belated birthday party last weekend... Not to be missed!

If you want to join the mailing list, so that every time I post, you are notified via email, please let me know! This makes it easier for you to keep up with me, since you don’t have to check the blog w/o knowing if there’s a new post.

Hope to see you all at the new place!

Last of Our ‘Real’ Summer Weekends

I’m going to say it. Summer is over and fall is beginning to set in. While I will miss the steady stream of visitors and warm weather outings we’ve enjoyed this year, I am thoroughly looking forward to sweater weather and a little down time at the house. However, in observance of the end of summer, Gus and I had two last hoorahs over the previous weekends...

First, Jayme came to visit! This was a real first. Normally, Gus and I have to traipse all over the world (Morocco or Spain) to even catch a glimpse of the girl who I have called my best friend for nearly 20 years! After much coaxing, and Gus purchasing a new house containing a guest room perfect for her, Jayme made her way out to Seattle. We had a fantastic time, despite the fact that the weather chose to cooperate only about 50% of the time. We shopped, ate tons of food (introduced Jayme to Indian cuisine!), visited the San Juan islands, caught a concert, watched too many reality cake decorating shows, and simply relaxed! Phewwww, what a way to observe Labor Day weekend. Jayme took off back to Bozeman on Tuesday, and I started my new job the very next day.














And for the last hoorah... We finally got invited out to Britt’s parent’s cabin on Herron Island, outside of Tacoma. We’ve been hearing about how wonderful this place is for nearly 3 years now, w/o any invitation to come stay. Finally, last weekend, a good majority of our friends headed down to the island for some REAL relaxation. Let me tell you, there is no better way to spend the last sunny weekend of the year than relaxing on a private island with a good book and good company. We did take a little jaunt around the island in some kayaks in the hopes of spotting some Orcas, to no avail (the neighbors had seen whales each of the previous two mornings). We played cards and made burgers and read books. It was heaven. Come Sunday afternoon, we headed back into the city ready to take on another week of work.



















After all the excitement this summer, you must be asking yourself, “How will Jeanine keep herself entertained?” Well, have no fear. I have TONS more activities in the near future and will keep each and every one of you apprised of them all. Next up: Going to see the Broadway show ‘Wicked’ for my 26th birthday tomorrow night... My how time flies.

It’s Official: I have a new job!

As most of you know, I’ve been without a job now for nearly 2 months. My interim time has been spent scouring the Internet for job postings, turning in resumes, attending interviews, and patiently awaiting the results. Well, I’m pleased to announce that the wait is over!

Yesterday was my first day as the newest Account Executive at Sterling Communications. My job at Sterling will involve most of the same tasks I was doing previously as it is also a tech PR agency, although much much smaller (there are only 4 of us in the Seattle office). It is located downtown, so I didn’t have to learn any new bus schedules/routes for my commute. So far, all the people in the office seem very nice and my days are running smoothly. My only hurdle right now is learning how to use the new Macbook computer I’ve been assigned, as this is an all Apple product office... I’m extremely used to Microsoft products, so this should be interesting! I am confident that I’ll pick it up and enjoy using the machine in no time.

That's it for now. I'll keep you up-to-date on how things go. Until then, stay tuned for my next blog about last weekend’s visit from my dear friend, Jayme!

I Watch Too Much HGTV...

Since I haven't been working for the past month and a half, my weekday schedule is pretty open. Other than occasionally running off to the gym (and looking for jobs of course), I watch tons of home improvement TV, mainly HGTV. Needless to say, I got a great idea for some very inexpensive wall art and Gus and I recreated it on our freshly painted orange living room wall.

Here it is, what do you think?

Montana Time!

Two weekends ago now, I ventured back to my homeland of Montana for a family reunion and a general escape from the city. My time was jam-packed full of visiting, camping, playing cards, and above all, EATING. There was so much going on last week, that I decided to give you a day-by-day breakdown. Here it goes:

Friday, August 14 – Flew into Bozeman, Montana the same day as President Obama! I was a little afraid of flight delays, but didn’t have anything to worry about. I did see Air Force One when my dad and I drove to Big Timber for the family reunion. Got into the Big Timber fairgrounds to see all the family. There were approximately 98 people that showed up (!), and that isn’t even close to all of them. Pheww. It was really good to see my aunts and uncles (especially my Aunt Mickey from Denver who is an avid reader of the blog. Hi Mickey!).

Saturday, August 15 – Floated the Yellowstone River in the morning. The water was pretty cold, but we had a great time. The Crazy Mountains were a beautiful backdrop for the trip. Ate and played cards the rest of the evening.

Sunday, August 16 – After mass performed by one of my mom’s cousins, we cleaned up the fairgrounds and moved out. Spent the rest of the day doing what we do best, playing cards and eating!

Monday, August 17 – Hung out in the morning with my Aunt Norene and Grandma. Drove back to Manhattan in the afternoon and proceeded out to Townsend for my cousin Shawn’s 4-year-old’s birthday party. It was a nice coincidence that this side of my family was getting together while I was in town. Very nice to catch-up with everyone!

Tuesday, August 18 – My mom had the day off so we went to lunch with an old friend of mine, Kendra VanAbbema. We shared a local favorite, MacKenzie River Pizza, and chatted. Mom also took me out to her office at the landfill to meet her coworkers. In the afternoon, I had a phone interview with another company. The rest of the evening was spent visiting my friend Bria, playing cards with my parents, and relaxing.

Wednesday, August 19 – I picked up my childhood bf, Jayme, bright and early for a morning of rafting the Gallatin River! I have always wanted to try out the “Mad Mile” and this was finally my opportunity. After putting on our very sexy ‘splash suits,’ Jayme and I took off on the boat with our guide, who turned out to be a college friend of Jayme’s, and a family of four from Houston. The Mad Mile was a blast and I highly recommend it. Our boat only got stuck once, and I’m totally blaming that on the guide. J After the rafting trip, Jayme and I cleaned up at her house and took off for camping up the Gallatin Canyon. Jayme rented a forest service cabin, and along with her friend Mindy and Mindy’s friends Reegan and Andrew, we had a blast telling stories around the campfire, making s’mores, and enjoying the outdoors.

Thursday, August 20 – My dad left early this morning for his fishing trip in Alaska! I didn’t get to see him off today, but I look forward to the pictures. As for me, we woke up pleasantly at the cabin and made breakfast on the fire. Mindy and Reegan took off on their four-wheelers, while Jayme and I read books. However, things started going south as the weather warmed up and the multitude of beetles came out! Let me tell you, they were EVERYWHERE! Flying around, landing on your clothes, getting in the food, crawling on the ground. It was just disgusting. After lunch, we decided we couldn’t take much more of the bugs and made a plan to forego another night camping, and instead head out to Bozeman’s ‘Music on Main.’ Music on Main was tons of fun. It sort of felt like a high school reunion. I saw so many people. Seeing some of Renee’s friends at the bar did make me feel quite old, but I did enjoy meeting up with an old friend, Joel, and going dance at KO’s. I actually didn’t get home until 3am, and I haven’t done that in a long, long time.

Friday, August 21 – I needed to sleep in a bit this morning, due to the activities of Thursday night. However, when I recovered, I went out to lunch with Bria at MacKenzie River Pizza again… I just can’t get enough! My mom got off early from work and we ventured to Bozeman to catch the movie, The Time Traveller’s Wife. It was a pretty good show, personally I love Eric Bana. After debating whether or not to movie hop, haha, mom and I headed back to Manhattan to meet up with our neighbor, Lisa. About 9:30pm, mom and realized we had completely skipped dinner, and decided to get finger steaks from the Oasis, our small town’s famous steakhouse.

Saturday, August 22 – Mom and I went shopping in the morning on our way back to Big Timber to hang out with family. My cousin, Jeff, returned from Ghana where he is working for the next year, and everyone was eager to see him. We made ribs for dinner and played tons of cards, per our usual. Seeing a theme yet? Oddly enough, my Aunt Norene and I realized we were taking the same flight to Seattle (she continued on to Portland) and decided we would try to move our seats so we may sit together. However, when we went to check in, our seats were already directly next to each other! Small, small world.

Sunday, August 23 – After mass and a large breakfast, we got in a few more card games and headed back to Bozeman for the airport. My aunt and I caught an afternoon flight and I was back to Seattle in time to enjoy the Texas Chile Gus prepared for my arrival!

Overall, my trip back to Montana was a much needed break from job searching and Seattle’s fast pace. Now it’s back to the job hunt, and looking forward to Jayme’s visit to Seattle over Labor Day. Should be fun!! Below are several pictures, and if you follow this link, you can see them all: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2083479&id=28201408&l=4c39ceee7d

Clarkeruaga Wedding Weekend and job update...

Hi friends! It never fails to amaze me how much time flies by in between my postings. :)

Last weekend, Gus and I ventured to Santa Fe to attend the wedding of his best friend, Gavin Clark, to the beautiful and charming Amy Uberuaga (thus "Clarkeruaga" for fun)! Gus was one of the groomsmen for the wedding. We had a fantastic time! All of Gus' friends came back into town from all corners of the country. Every night the entire crew was out on the town enjoying the moderate temperatures and each other's company. I was even invited to hang out with the girls during the bachelorette night! The temperatures in Santa Fe were perfect, and I joked the entire time that I never thought I'd go to New Mexico for the cooler weather (it was record highs last week in Seattle).

Friday was the rehearsal and dinner which was on the most amazing hotel roof top patio overlooking the cathedral basilica where the wedding took place. I drank margaritas and met many of Gus' friends who until then were only names to me. I always find myself a bit jealous of the amazing friend network Gus has. They are all the most wonderful people, and never fail to make me feel like one of the gang.

The wedding was on Saturday, and it was hard to imagine a more perfect day weather-wise, or a more beautiful bride. Amy was just lovely. The Catholic ceremony was long and formal, but the party afterwards was everything but that! We trekked up to Hyde State Park where an outdoor seating and dance area was set up. We danced, ate, and sang to one of their friends' bands, La Junta, and celebrated Gavin and Amy! I have lots of pictures, and it would probably be easier if you just followed this link to get to them. I've posted a couple teasers below. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2081629&id=28201408&l=e6b41925de

Also... I gave Amy and Gavin the quilt Gus and I have been working on for several months. Lots of blood, sweat, and tears (literally), but I couldn't be more proud of the final product. Gus was a huge help, and I don't think I'd have gotten it finished without him. Pics: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2081633&id=28201408&l=c1b09aa88f

Gus is back to Santa Fe this weekend for another wedding, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to join him.

Finally, as many of you probably know, I was laid off two weeks ago. While I was understandably pretty bummed at first, I'm really looking at this as an opportunity to advance my career. I've already had two interviews this week, and have two more on Monday/Tuesday. Cross your fingers that I find a job that is a perfect fit! Loves.

Concerts Concerts Concerts

Hi Everyone! Last week Gus and I had a big extended weekend of concert fun.

First up, my FAVORITE musical act, The Counting Crows! They were absolutely fantastic. Set at an outdoor venue called Marymoor Park, the sun was shining and setting, a perfect concert setting. The band decided to switch up their concert format and instead of having the opening band (Augustana) play first, both bands were on stage together almost the entire show. They would jam together and alternate songs. Counting Crows' lead singer, Adam, would sing with Augustana and Augustana's lead singer would sing with Adam. It was just a really fun night of music collaboration and the crowd was really into it.

Then on Saturday, I treated Gus to a belated birthday trip out to the Gorge Amphitheatre in Central Washington to see one of his favorite bands, Slightly Stoopid. Our friends Srini and Dave joined us, and I was the only one who had been to the venue before. For those of you reading this that have never been there, it is an absolute MUST. The amphitheatre is set on a cliff along the Columbia River. You can see the rolling hills and flowing river directly behind the stage. Additionally, the sun sets almost directly behind the stage, making a perfect backdrop.

When we got out to the Gorge at 4pm, it was still 99 degrees outside! Whoo eeee. Hot. Thank goodness for a steady wind, or we all may have been quite miserable. We quickly set up our tents and proceeded to hide from the sunshine. At concert time, we trudged along the 1/2 dirt path along with thousands of our fellow concert goers. It was a very interested mixed crowd. The other groups playing with Slightly Stoopid were Mickey Avalon, Stephen Marley (yes Bob's son), and Snoop Dogg! Too funny. I never thought I'd see Snoop, but alas, I got my chance. All around, it was a very fun show. Snoop was fantastic, constantly getting the crowd to cheer, chant, and dance.

We sat up on the grassy hill for most of the evening and enjoyed each other's company and doing some major people watching. My personal favorite was the girl in a 80s workout video outfit: flourescent yellow leotard, belt, & white boots (pic attempt below). Tons of people would run up to her every time she walked by and ask to have her picture taken. After the shows, we hiked back to the campground and relaxed under the beautiful stars. None of the boys had trouble falling asleep, but I did struggle a bit amidst the everlasting array of screaming, laughing, and fireworks explosions.

All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better weekend of musical enjoyment.

Adventures of the Fourth!

After several fun visits from Gus’ family these past months, it was finally time for my parents to come for a visit! We had a lot of fun sightseeing, shopping, hanging out, eating food, and playing cards.

On Friday, we ventured down to the Pike Market to see the fish throwers and purchase some fresh flowers. I love buying flowers in the market because they are so beautiful and so cheap! My particular bouquet was $5 and is a sweet smelling mix of lillies, dahlias, daisies, and mint sprigs. Later we walked down to the Pike Brewery for lunch. In the afternoon, we measured all our windows and headed off to Home Depot & Lowe’s to price new blinds.

Saturday, we all slept in. It was great. Then we headed down to the Interbay Putt Putt course where I proceeded to beat Gus yet again. My perfect putting record against Gus still stands! Wahoo! We enjoyed watermelon and BBQ’d chicken for dinner, along with several rousing card games (cribbage and Phase10). We opted not to fight the huge crowds at GasWorks Park and instead stayed in to watch the fireworks show on the TV. Lucky for us, you could actually see the bigger fireworks from our house! We had fun watching the big ones in person and then seeing them again on the TV (5 second delay). We also lit all of the sparklers that I have had sitting in the garage for more than a year and assailed each other with snap pops and champagne poppers. What fun! Our new deck looked like someone ripped open a giant bag of confetti and threw it from our roof.

On Sunday, we ventured off to the Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum at the Seattle Center. Talk about a TON of information. You could spend days in this place and not see everything. However, we did the best we could learning about the history of music in Seattle, the life of Jimi Hendrix, the creation of sci-fi stories and costumes, I could go on and on… but the biggest draw was the travelling Jim Henson exhibit! They had many of Henson’s puppets, sketches, and story boards available for our perusal. What an interesting, unique, and creative mind that man had! We even got to put on our own puppet show, in the Henson style, featuring the song, ‘Mahna Mahna,’ pics below. Gus and I plan to go back to the museum some time soon in order to spend more time there! We ended the night over at our favorite Sunday dinner spot, Duke’s on Alki Beach, enjoying some chowder and mojitos/margaritas.

Sadly on Monday, Gus and I both had to work. My mom and dad hung out at the house where she baked and baked and baked. I think I have enough goods for a sale! Thanks mom! After work, however, we all met up downtown to head off to the Mariners’ game vs. the Orioles. As Gus and I are ‘season ticket holders,’ I got $10 off each ticket for this game, so we opted to sit in the fancy seats near the field. This was so much fun! The players were so close and the foul balls came even closer. The night ended perfectly with Washburn pitching a complete game and the Mariners winning 5-0.

And with that, ended our long weekend of fun. My parents left early Tuesday morning on the long drive back to Montana. It was only mildly bittersweet, though, as I’ll be back home in Montana during the second week of August for a family reunion.

Here are some of our pics:

Why aren’t those bikers wearing clothes and other fun stuff…

Well, it’s official. After 3 years of living in Seattle and hearing of this “must see” festival, I FINALLY was able to attend the Fremont Solstice Fair and Parade. After all, Gus and I only live an easy, 10-minute walk away! For those of you who are unaware of Fremont’s reputation, you should know it is the self-proclaimed “Center of the Universe.” It is also know as Seattle’s hippie neighborhood containing many fun shops, bars, cafes, and free-thinking peoples.

The overarching purpose of the Solstice festival is to celebrate the first day of summer (Seattle people definitely covet sunshine). However, it does have it’s many wonderful quirks… most notably is the Naked Bike Race which kicks off the parade each year. Before you think this tradition is perverse or degrading, just give me a second to explain! You see, most everyone that participates is completely painted from head to toe. You wouldn’t even know that some of them were not wearing any clothing if you weren’t already privy to the info! Some of my favorites are below. Of course, there are the occasional rebels who decide to forego paint and clothing, but they are rare.

The rest of the parade is full of the normal floats, bands, and entertainment. Although it does have 3 rules: 1)No animals in the parade; 2)No motorized vehicles; and 3)No printed words. It was so fun and unique! All of the floats were pushed via man power, and there were no advertisements to be seen. The focus was solely on the artists and enjoying the parade.

The other great part of this celebration is the good food and craft vendors lined up along the streets. Gus, Srini (our friend), and I wandered aimlessly looking at fun art, crafts, eating fair food, and listening to music. We even stumbled upon a booth for a local nudist colony (yes they were also sans clothing), but we quickly passed by, diverting our gazes. Other than the fantastic sunburn I took home, the day was very enjoyable and well-spent.

This week is a short week for us. We are heading up to Lake Tapps to spend a long weekend at Gus' company's employee campground cabins with many of our friends. We did this last year, and it was a blast. BBQing, swimming, playing volleyball, sunbathing, enjoying everyone's company. I'll post an update next week with the pics.

Here are some pics of the Solstice Parade (before my battery died, sad):