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.  

Hairy Roommate

Friends, meet Porter! This sweet face is my weekday roommate. While I started house-sitting last Sunday, this Sunday, I officially started dog-sitting as well.  Porter (not named after the beer, but definitely giving me ideas for future dog names), is an adorable old soul.  

Porter likes watching TV, boating, and getting his belly rubbed. He's a great listener (not much of a talker) and has excellent taste in bouquets and friends. Porter's hobbies are leading the self-assigned neighborhood watch and, well, sleeping on the job. Lazy bum.

Damn kids, get off my lawn!

Ladies...

Most importantly, he lets me snuggle him and shower him with kisses. 

Omg she's suffocating me.

A Local Tourist in Seattle

Saturday, April 12 - A last minute decision to join the Saturday run group made a humorous start to my morning. Living between two places, I was convinced my running shoes were at the other house. So I threw on my running gear and a pair of boots, Matty and I hopped in the car and went to pick up my running shoes. Joke was on me because my running shoes weren't there either. We were already late, so there was nothing to do but carry on. Needless to say, I did not run that day. However, all was not lost, I had a pair of pants in the car so I didn't have to walk around in running shorts and grey cowboy boots.  Also, I was able to catch up with a friend while we powered through 2.5 miles walking beachside before a delicious breakfast (mimosas included) with the rest of the running crew. 

Stopping for a touristy photo during our walk.

That night was spent at a friend's house for a birthday party. This was the second time I had the chance to meet Sweet Baby Jesus. Or rather, drink it. Sweet Baby Jesus is a chocolate peanut butter stout from Maryland and it is deee-licious. 

Getting the prized bottle from Ben.

Sunday, April 13 - Skagit County Tulip Festival!  Sunday morning, my friend, Melissa, and I started on the road to Mount Vernon, WA. This weekend was primetime for the tulips, so we wanted to avoid as much traffic as possible. The tulips didn't disappoint; it was stunning!  Such an incredible work of (he)art. Lots of pictures for this one AND look at that blue sky!  Seriously midwest, Seattle is awesome.

One Girl, Two Houses, Two Homes

Thursday, April 3 - Motivated mainly by margaritas, I went to last Thursday's run group. While the majority of the group plowed through 5 miles against the wind, my friend Katie and I ran a solid 2 miles from her home directly to the meet up spot - Hecho, the new restaurant in town.  It was just the right amount for our knees and, as always, Mexican did not disappoint.

Friday, April 4 - Happy Birthday to my cousin, Katherine! Since I wasn't able to celebrate with the family, I celebrated in my own way. :)  First up, WhitePages' Happy Hour - Game of Thrones Fire & Ice themed. There were jello shots... and yes, I partook. Of course I did.  

Following Happy Hour, I met up with Vicki, a friend from home, who was in town last week visiting her brother with her mom. It felt great to have a little slice of home in Seattle! We met up at Rumba, a Seattle rum bar and enjoyed some amazing food - namely, plantain chips with guacamole. To end the night, Pine Box - a former casket factory turned bar!  

Saturday, April 5 - A relaxing day with good friends. Despite numerous beverages the night before, I somehow made it to hot yoga. Miracle! Afterwards, I met up with my friend, Matt, for some more incredible Mexican and quality margaritas. That evening, it was Movie Night at Dave's place. A small group of us watched The Big Lebowski (I hadn't seen it since college - crazy!) and Super Troopers. Such classics. High quality classics.  

More plantain chips!

Sunday, April 6 - aka the Game of Thrones premiere!  My friend, Ben, had a group of us over to watch the madness. As an added treat, he had the makings for spring rolls all laid out. I made my first spring roll; it was simply delicious - and easier than expected! I also tried my first Moscow Mule. It's a drink that seems to pop up everywhere in Seattle (ginger beer + vodka).

Sunday also began my first day house-sitting!  For the foreseeable future, I will be splitting my time between two houses - both of which, coincidentally, belong to Matt's (try to keep up).  It's funny - I moved out here with only what could fit in my Mazda 3. Packing for five days and 15 minutes away, I felt like I was crossing the Sahara. "How do I have so much stuff??" I really haven't added anything (except a few yoga towels), but somehow, five days seemed to necessitate a lot of packing. 

Monday, April 7 - What better place for a 5:00 meeting than Rock Bottom (conveniently located right next to our office). Much to my delight, they just released their Spring beer menu which is loaded with IPA's. I tried as many as I could. The Crossover IPA was fantastic! Our meeting ended at 7:30. Fun times.*

Tuesday, April 8 - Today was more hot yoga at a new studio nearby (fantastic!) and work. Yes, I'm mentioning hot yoga a lot. Yes, I really like it. With all this delicious beer and food around, I better be liking my workouts.  

Fun Fact:  I go home and see my family in 8 days!!! :)

*Not sarcastic.

Superheroes and Dinosaurs

After a week of early mornings and hot yoga, I paid my body back with late mornings and alcohol.  Probably too much... but what are weekends for.  

Friday, March 28 - My two month anniversary in Seattle!  I celebrated by... completing forgetting about it.  Friday was my friend, Matt's, last day at work so we celebrated with a dinner with friends.  Pulled pork tacos with brie on a buttery tortilla - amazzzing!!!  Add in some wine, great company, a beagle, and an adorable (nearly) one year old and it was quite an enjoyable night.  

Saturday, March 29 - With a long sleep behind me, I started my Saturday afternoon with a cooking frenzy.  This was definitely the healthiest thing I did this weekend. Everything turned out great!

That night, I got a wonderful surprise and was able to go to the Sounders Game! My friend, Ben, was one of the first season ticket holders so the seats were incredible - front row!  It was a rainy night, but we had a great time despite their (ridiculous) loss. 

Sunday, March 30 - My roommate, Matt, had an extra ticket to this year's Comicon. For the novice, Comicon is Seattle's Premier Comic Book and Pop Culture Convention.  

Now, I was incredibly excited to people-watch and try to snag a glimpse of Karl Urban. Little did I know, the 1/3 of Karl Urban that I did get to see (lovely) was going to get blown out of the water. Upon entering the exhibitors section, I asked Matty, "Do you think The Oatmeal is here?" That's where it all began, folks. We found his booth, bought a book, and stood in line for Matthew Inman's John Hancock. I focused on not having a (South Park) Stan moment. We got up there and he was friendly (and handsome, of course) but clearly wiped.  He said that by day three of a conference, he's "barely human." Regardless of his exhaustion, my day was pretty much made. 

Remaining highlights of Comicon:  Intricate costumes, old arcade games on free-play, and Lego replications of Rivendale from LOTR and a quidditch tournament from Harry Potter.  

Ok, so the only dinosaurs were the ones on my shirts this weekend, but if you know me, you know I love my dinosaur shirts.