Birthdays and Beaches

There are too many May birthdays. I've decided.

Monday, May 12 - Went to a sushi place after work to celebrate three awesome birthdays:  Kristina, Hexar, and Ben. While I did not partake in sushi, I did enjoy a stellar martini made from pear saki. I also got to witness this ridiculousness:

Check out those leggings!

Tuesday, May 13 - Happy Birthday to my cousin, Dan! 
You know you love my morning walk pictures... Only in Seattle (I'm guessing), do you see this around the block:

Polar bears need help!  Followed by a list of ways to help the environment.
Presumably made by an adorable child.

That night, I was able to watch the most of the Hawks game (win!!) with coworkers, surrounded by beers and dreamsicle beers (truth). 

Wednesday, May 14 - On my first night alone in Seattle, back in January, I volunteered for the Northwest Avalanche Center fundraising dinner. Welp, this Wednesday was their 'thank you' event for all of their volunteers. Yay me! We met up at a microbrewery for a few delicious beers and biscuit sandwiches. Did you know May 14 was National Biscuit Day? I didn't. Now I do.

After the event, Kristina and I carried on to Golden Gardens for yet another birthday festivity for our friend, Amber. Golden Gardens is a public park that has pretty much everything - beach, wetlands, hiking trails, volleyball, playgrounds, etc. This night, bonfire was king.

Bad lighting, too dark, blah blah blah.  Look at that gorgeous sunset!!

Thursday, May 15 - Run group! It was another fine day in Seattle, so I couldn't help but join the run group for a loop around Greenlake. Three miles was all my knee could take, but I did it!

Friday, May 16 - We closed out Kristina's birthday festivities (if they ever really end) by dressing to the 9's to go to a dive bar called the Zoo. Black IPA's were flowing and much to my excitement, they had pool, darts, and a very untrustworthy skee ball machine. 

Saturday, May 17 - Feeling as stellar as one can after a night of drinking and no dinner, I awoke to realize that for the first time in history, I left my ID at the bar the night before. After a great brunch, Porter and I walked the 3.5 miles roundtrip to reclaim the lost item. It was a gorgeous day and we stopped at the lake to soak it in (one of us literally).

Gahh more gorgeous flowers!!!  They're everywhere!

If I were to live in a houseboat, it would be on one of these.
A few plots are still open. My birthday's in August. 

The Perfect Mix

My weekend of relaxation (with a few exceptions, of course).

Friday, May 9 -  Last week, I hosted WhitePage's Happy Hour, followed by a going away party for a wonderful coworker. Afterward, I packed up the necessities for my new "partial home" in Greenlake and crashed early. I would explain my living situation, but it's too confusing. Just think of me as a happy nomad.

I love that I sent a company-wide email with "ass" in it and nobody cared.

Saturday, May 10 - Due to weather, skydiving with friends was cancelled. Instead, I met up with a coworker for lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent napping and reading. That evening, I went to a local bar with friends. No better way to end the night than on a patio drinking basil/cucumber cocktails.

Sunday, May 11 - Happy Mother's Day!!! Unfortunately for my family, Illinois seemed to be getting a little "Seattle weather." Fortunately for me, Seattle had an amazing day. After a lazy morning, I joined Matt and Porter for a beautiful trip around Lake Union.

The 33rd largest yacht in the world belonging to the richest woman in Great Britain.

He loves me.  I swear he does. 

That night, I cheered on the Blackhawks with fellow Chicagoans at a nearby hockey bar. It felt awesome to cheer them on with other (very vocal) fans.  

This picture captures about 1/3 of the crowd, so it really wasn't as pathetic as it looks.

Smile When it Rains

Here's the thing about Seattle. It rains. It's just not as much as everyone seems to think. We get a lot of sunny days too. I'm not thrilled when it rains, but every time it does, I remind myself why it's such a gift. 

Seattle is so LUSH. It's what I loved about Salzburg; and you know what? It rained "all the time" there too. The grass here is so green; there are flowers everywhere. When Porter and I go for our walks, we have a mutual understanding. He stops for me to take pictures of flowers and I stop for him to pee, usually on said flowers. 

Here's a snapshot of my highlights from around the neighborhood. All of these flowers are within a 7 block radius.

Many thanks to Porter for his continued patience with my flower obsession. May we never tire of it. 

70 and Sunny in Seattle

After my weekends in Chicago, and all that flying, you'd think I'd take a break. Just the opposite! Here's the highlight reel.

Wed, April 30 - Closed out April with a bang. The weather this week was incredible; as such, one of my coworkers invited a few of us over for an evening on his rooftop. There was sun, beer, and temporary tattoos all around.  I daresay, there's a trend here...

I said I wanted beer and mountains.  I really don't think it could have been any better.

Thursday, May 1 - After a month+ hiatus, I returned to the Thursday Run Group. It was another beautiful day; I simply couldn't pass it up. I made it three miles around Green Lake without my knee hurting, so that was exciting! After the run, we all met at a cuban cafe called Bongos!  It was delicious.

Friday, May 2 - Sausage Fest at Matty's. Thirty people, all together for one reason: the love of the grill. Mainly meat on the grill, but we had some vegetarians too (let's be honest, grilled veggies are the best kind). 

I'll be darned if I didn't take any photos. I must be losing my edge.  Here's a stolen one.

With the exception of one delicious brunch (I actually ate eggs), most of my weekend was spent at Matty's, packing and organizing.  This week, there's a little house shuffling going on, but more about that later.  

Pinot in Chicago

Four days after returning from my trip home for Easter, I found myself back at SeaTac on my way to ORD. That's right. Two weekends in a row. Alaska Airlines loved me.  

Whereas the weekend prior was all family, this weekend was all friends. In just one month, three good friends (Matt, Tom, and me) all moved out of Chicago. This weekend was to be our reunion tour. Unfortunately, due to work conflicts, Matt was not able to make the trip from Australia. His girlfriend, Kelly, and his friend, Syl, attended in his stead and did a damn fine job. We enjoyed a pinot tasting at Navy Pier, unbelievable food and white peach cosmos at some restaurant I don't know the name of, and martini's at a bar nearby. If you're thinking to yourself, "I didn't think Lisa drank martini's," you're right.  

It was a whirlwind weekend filled with good friends, great fun, and a lot of craziness. While the weather was sunny, it was also cold. Nonetheless, I was still able to enjoy the city, walk down Michigan Ave, and just savor every moment in the gorgeous city.  

T-R-O-U-B-L-E.  Every one of them. :)

As with before, when I stepped into ORD, it didn't feel right that I was leaving to go home, even though Seattle does feel like a home to me. I'm sure it doesn't help that ORD itself is, and always has been, such a landmark in my life. With the exception of a few flights out of MDW, all of our family trips started and ended at ORD.  That's a lot of hours spent in an airport. Yet they were all worth it, much like my two back-to-back weekends flying home to Chicago.

Home is Where the Pierogies Fry

On the Wednesday before Easter, I bolted out of work, running for the train that would bring me to SeaTac airport. A 'short' 4 hours later, I was home at ORD. I landed at midnight, so I don't need to tell you that not much happened that night.

Thursday was wonderful. I was able to spend the morning with my family as my cousin and aunt made their infamous pierogies (they made over 300!!). While they stuffed and rolled, I watched and played with the kiddos. I'm very helpful.

Wearing, undoubtedly, his favorite shirt from Auntie Lisa.

That afternoon, I went to the pool with my mom where we were able to catch up in our favorite place.  

This is a fitting time to mention my (belated) April Fool's... After my Dad's cruel April Fool's joke (below), I decided payback was necessary. When you deliver your April Fool's joke on April 17th, they never see it coming!!! I bought a very strong temporary tattoo and laid it in plain sight for all to see: a mirror image of the word BLISS. No heart attacks but some solid reactions. It was meant for my dad, but the rest of the family was just a glorious bonus. My aunt is praying for the thought of a tattoo to rid my mind; thanks Aunt Connie.  :)

Payback.

Friday was Christina and my girls' day. Shopping, manicures, movies, snuggles, the works. That evening was spent as all Good Friday's are - at my parent's place decorating eggs and cookies like CHAMPS.

Saturday was the Easter Basket blessing followed by a million, delicious fried pierogies - and that was just my portion. It felt so comforting to be surrounded by my family again.

Possibly my favorite picture with Addyson.

Maverick wanted to play Dominoes too.

Sunday continued with tradition. We all went to mass in the morning, had breakfast at my parent's, and then went to my cousin's to chow down on some more pierogies (usually a lot less than the day prior). More cherished family time together spent drinking beer, chatting on the patio, enjoying the 80 degree weather! 

The Best.

Packing that Sunday night felt very odd. I was at home, and yet, I was going home. That was the weekend that my move to Seattle started to feel official.