The Stutesman's in Seattle!

Less than thrilled about being on the carousel.

Acting like a tourist

Excited to be on the ferry!

The aquarium may have been the highlight of the trip!

Mmmmm gelato! A frosty treat in nearly frosty weather.

Today Lara and Lani took Joseph and I to Seattle! It was totally awesome! We drove to the Bainbridge Island ferry and sailed to the big city. It was great because Nordstrom was having their Triple Point event and I parlayed that into a reason to shop away! We also went down to Pike Place Market and milled about. I found a Dim Sum place that was only mildly disappointing but the fresh fruits and flowers were an experience for the senses. There was a major league game going on and a lot of Mariners fans dressed for the occasion. We made our way over to the Carousel and had a frozen treat on our way back to the ferry. Overall, a hit with the kids even after enduring all that shopping. Lara and I are fulfilling our patriotic duty to stimulate the economy. That's my excuse and I'm STICKING to it!

Auntie Taryn

Auntie Taryn came to visit us between traveling from the Washington State game and the UNLV game. We picked her up at the Bremerton ferry and got some much needed giggling and shopping in.

Auntie Sondra and Uncle Patrick are scheduled to visit with us on Columbus weekend in October. We are excited to see them after almost a year ans a half! We're also in the process of visiting Dad in Connecticut because Joseph misses him so terribly much!

Rainy Mondays

Today it rained and rained and rained and rained and I loved every bit of it! It was SO cold that I got to wear my Mackinac Island sweatshirt ALL day long! Joseph and I hung out playing Candyland, reading books, and catching up on our Netflix. It was a gloriously relaxed day. I made beef stew for later in the week and for dinner, I warmed up some of Nana's meat sauce. I thought for sure Joseph would appreciate the Farfalle pasta that I got for him but when he looked at it, he was unpleasantly surprised. He LOOOOOVES pasta especially with Nana's meat sauce and when it wasn't what he thought it should be, he was a little put off. I made him try it and even though it is the same, he claimed he hated it. So I made spaghetti and of course, he ate it all.





It was so chilly Joseph suggested that we make some hot chocolate. Thrilled at the idea, I quickly went to work! It's technically still summer and we're sitting here drinking hot chocolate! I love it!

I Heart Work

Okay, I've finally found something that I absolutely abhor about Washington. I thought this place was perfect but, c'mon, this is ME we're talking about and I can find fault with ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. I revel at the opportunity to criticize; it's a hobby, passion and dare I say- OBSESSION. In any case here it is: Amazon.com is where I've been buying books, toys, kitchen gadgets, anything and everything galore. WELL did you know that Washington is one of a few states that attaches a sales tax to orders?! There I was, at the aforementioned site previewing my order for the latest scholarship check drainer. I mean, eh hum TEXTBOOK, SuperVision and Instructional Leadership: A Developmental Approach (8th Edition) as well as Chris Botti in Boston CD/DVD and there it was! Subtotal, shipping (free, of course) and WHAT? Tax? No way! Sure enough, there it was in black and white. Soon the blood rushed to my face and my world was spinning... How could this be? Christmases yet to come, birthdays, anniversaries... how will I be able to shop for anything and everything galore, with free shipping, minus sales tax? Well, the answer is that those days are behind me and I've been sent into a downward spiral of denial and regret.

Okay, being a little over-dramatic. I'm sitting and thinking of all the wonderful things that counter-act this hideous blemish:
1. trees, trees, and more trees!
2. cold weather and intermittent torrential downpour (love, love, LOVE it!!!!)
3. proximity to one of the coolest metropolitan cities in the WORLD
4. beautiful, spacious, inexpensive, and brand-new house
5. no water or sewer bill :)
6. Gap Outlet
7. Victoria's Secret (minus shipping fees)
8. the coolest public library system, ever!
9. most awesome-est job on the face of the earth!

So, have I told you that I have the most amazing job in the world? Well, in addition to complainer-extraordinaire, I suppose I am also an exaggerator. However, it feels like I have the coolest job ever! First of all, Joseph goes to school where I work. If I wanted to spend my lunch hour with him, I totally could! It also makes the commute a little more convenient. Also, here's what Friday was like:

-Drop off Joseph in Miss Betty's room
-Hung around talking story to a co-worker
-Read some accreditation stuff
-Met Mary (my long-lost twin sister)
-Sat in on training (okay that was a bit of a snore but there was lots of candy to keep me up)
-Spent an hour cuddling a deliciously rotund little girl in the infant room
-Picked up Joseph from his class
-On the way home, I got to hear all the stories of what his day was like
I totally love my job! Hopefully as my responsibilities grow, I'll find it even more enjoyable.