st patty's day 2009

although we were not in chicago this st. patty's day, we missed you steve and maura, we decided to throw on our green and party at home.

the evening starting with andrea and townsend dancing the jig to some irish music.


we then settled into a dinner of corn-beef and homemade green beer [and water]!


mmm green rainier beer!


andrea broke out her 'blarney-boppers!' these are reserved only for 3/17.


even townsend got into the irish mood. he's such a festive dog!

happy st patty's day to all of you!

Seattle Symphony 2008

every christmas time andrea and i try to get all dolled up and do something nice.


this year we ate at wild ginger. a nice little asian restaurant above our favorite concert venue, 'the triple door.'


after dinner we wondering across the street to benaroya hall to see the seattle symphony. they were performing their holiday concert 'winter dreams.' the music was amazing! it's always great to hear good classical music. to be honest though, we felt the program was rather short.



what better to end the evening then stopping by the pyramid brewery on the way home for a winter warm up...and spinach, artichoke, chorizo dip!

Happy 30ish Birthday, Brooke!

Since Brooke's real 30th birthday was 3 days after our arrival to Seattle (read: we only knew 2 people at that point) I thought it fitting to throw him a '30th and 364 days' birthday party this year! We invited some great friends down to the Cedar River for a 'barbecue' and games on a beautiful sunny day.

Doing what guys do best...hang out around the grill...


Maddy and Alaska riding around the park!


Brooke's co-worker, Stosh, found a sweet blackberry spot.


Melia...isn't she adorable?


Grill-master Matt, laughing at himself.


Enjoying some snacks under the shelter. Later that evening we played a few rounds of bocce!


Brooke + cupcakes = happy:) He was hanging out with our friends George, Linda, and Mary Beth.

Birthday meal of choice: Lager, cupcakes, burger, and chips.


Linda Phillips. Can you believe this beautiful, innocent woman beat a man up with her fake purse?...you gotta ask her about that.


Andrea and Jenn. bff.


Check out Janine's shirt...that's hilarious.


It was a beautiful day along the Cedar River!


An aerial view of the evening's activities.


Matt and Matt starting up a game of whiffle ball.


Danelle and Matt...they love posing for shots.


Brooke, smiling at the end of the day. He was one happy camper! He loves any day spent with friends and food!

Thanks to everyone who could come out that day...we both had a great time. You all make us laugh! We are blessed to have you in our community of friends.

Happy Birthday! I am so thankful for you, and I hope this coming year is an amazing one for you. We'll have to work on some of those goals you have...



(Photo credit goes to Danelle Vermuelen...thanks! You're great at what you do)

Visit from Steve & Maura

We were stoked to hear that Andrea's brother Steve, and his wife, Maura were planning a trip out west over the summer! After they spent a few days in Glacier National Park, they flew on over to our part of the west to soak in the mountains, sun, and sea. We think we did a pretty good job at showing them a few highlights of Seattle during their 4 days here.

Steve and Maura, looking out over Elliot Bay in downtown. We were fortunate enough to hit up an Indians v. Mariners game while they were here. (Steve, one of very few fans sporting the Indians attire...he made us proud.)


We spent pretty much an entire (chilly) day on a boat that included a tour of the islands in the Pacific NW along with some whale watching (something that we have not been able to see until now!) Let us show you on a 3D map.....
So we took this big boat to see these huge whales....got it? (Thanks to my crafty-elementary-art-school-teacher sister-in-law for the creativity...I'm so impressed.)


We passed through 'Deception Pass,' named during the Vancouver Expedition because it deceivingly appeared to be connected to land...but alas...this is truly an island. Whidbey Island to our left.


Steve, Maura, and Brooke. It was a little windy up top!

A brief history of the local Orca Whales:
There are three resident pods living in the Pacific NW. Pods J, K, and L. They typically keep to themselves, like the typical American family, unless they have a reason to band together. In this case, they become a 'Superpod.' Orcas typically do this to gang up on the transient pods traveling through.

It is very rare to see all three pods on one, short, whale watching tour. We traveled to the west side of San Juan Island to check out Pod J. Here are some beautiful shots of these amazing creatures (note: it is harder than you think to grab pictures of these guys!):

The larger whale is a male; he has a very large, straight dorsal fin.

This is a female, with the curved dorsal fin. Coming up directly next to her is a baby whale. He tucks in close beside her when they travel (cruising at about 35 mph) to keep up with the family.

A size comparison. Enjoy.

We were able to follow this pod around quite a bit before we headed back to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, where we were able to explore the town and grab a beer...or two...before heading back to Seattle.

On the way back we ran smack into both Pods K and L traveling across the straight! They had formed as a 'superpod' and were quite active. We stopped the boat and sat there watching them breech and flip and jump across the water. It was simply breathtaking to see these massive creatures jump straight out of the water, flip, and land!

Andrea, Steve, and Maura. The sun finally came out on the way back!


One of the coolest views of Seattle is from across the water, approaching the city. This goes to show that no matter how tall man can build, no matter how far our technology and enginneering advances, we can never, ever out build God.
Mt. Rainier, 50+ miles away, looms over the Seattle skyline.


We spent our last day touring the breweries and chocolate factories (Theo Chocolate Factory in the background) in Fremont.

Thanks, Steve and Maura, for the visit! You showed us great eats (The Salmon House was a favorite!) and drinks (mmmm...Brouwers) we didn't even know about. But more so, we enjoyed your company. Can't wait for your next visit...maybe we'll take you deep into the mountains this time.

St. Patty's Day in Chicago

As soon as Andrea heard of Brooke's business trip to Chicago, she decided to tag along:) Not only to check out the city a little more, but to spend time with her friend, Liz, and her brother and sister-in-law!

Welcome to Chicago!
[our self portrait]

How cool is it that there is a giant mirror bean in downtown? It kept us amused for quite a while.

We stayed right across the street from the John Hancock Building (definitely one of the coolest of the tallest, if you ask us.)


So what better time than the evening to check out the glow of the city? We headed up to the John Hancock Observatory late Thursday night.


Welcome to the flat midwest...where the lights go on...and on...
[observed from the John Hancock Observatory]


...and on...until you hit Lake Michigan. Then complete darkness hits.
[observed from the John Hancock Observatory]


We were able to get out and check out the city a little. The Art Institute of Chicago was a great visit (thanks Doan!) where we spent most of our time in the Thorne Miniature Rooms exhibit.


Art Museums rock.


Andrea's brother, Steve, and his wife, Maura live in Chicago, so we were able to stay with them after Brooke's conference. In the meanwhile, we had to get from downtown Chicago to their home in Wicker Park via public transit...which included multiple blocks of walking through downtown streets with our rolling luggage.


The 'El' (train) is a popular way of transportation around the city.


Cruising by a hundred miles an hour.


One thing we do miss about the Midwest/East Coast are the beautiful old buildings.
[pictured above is the Chicago Tribune Building]


Holy Crap! Do you see this stuff? They dye the Chicago River neon-nuclear-powerplant green!
[to our environmentally conscious friends: do not worry. whatever they use to dye the river does not hurt any being. thanks for asking]


Andrea and Steve sporting their green flare.


We grabbed Chicago style pizza at Giordano's, and couldn't resist the green beer to wash it down. The pizza was excellent and the beer smooth.
[Andrea, Brooke, Steve, Maura]


Yay!...Andrea loves St. Patrick's Day! Especially since she gets to wear her Blarney Boppers!


Brooke...I know it's only noon, but it's time to stop drinking for the day.


Steve and Maura made sure we got in plenty of tourist activities...so we made the walk down to Navy Pier to check it out. It was sweet!


We took some time to view the Stained Glass Museum located in Navy Pier.
This was a favorite.


We had seen enough buildings and walked enough miles, so we decided to sit down and relax a little. We met up with some of Steve and Maura's friends at an Irish Pub, where we spent the rest of our afternoon/evening/night drinking Guinness and green beer, talking, and laughing.

Steve loved watching his green bow tie light up.


Andrea and Maura...Irish sisters:)


St. Patty's Day fun!


The bar suddenly got cooler as soon as these guys showed up! They rocked that place, it was great.

Overall, it was a great trip to Chicago! The buildings were huge, the bustle was fast, but the time with Steve and Maura was much needed. Thanks, you two, for putting us up and showing us around! Can't wait for your visit out to Seattle this summer!

Now...let's get back to the mountains....