A little experiment...

We got the opportunity to get a discounted season pass to Busch Gardens this year, which means that we get ample opportunity to ride roller coasters and enjoy some interesting shows too. One of the side benefits is that one can go taste beer at the park for free too.

While we were at the park recently we went in for a tasting with some friends when our taste/brew master made an interesting recommendation. We were tasting the Michelob Porter when he recommended making an ice cream float with it. The beer by itself is pretty nice. It is kind of heavy, but has some coffee and chocolate flavors and aromas. So after our tasting we grabbed a six pack and gave the Porter float a shot...we made it with 1/2 a beer each and a couple scoops of chocolate ice cream.

B: I thought it was interesting, but it benefited from an extra scoop or two of ice cream. End of the day I think I would rather have a rootbeer float, but I might have to give it another chance.

S: Eh, just ok...but would give it another shot with an ice cream that had some fudge in it or was more chocolaty than the one we had.

Old Friends in a New Town

Colleen and I (Sarah) have been friends forever! We met in 5th grade. We use to pass hours just walking around our neighborhood in Anchorage. Skipped school together (only once!). Played pepper in the street (just volleyball back and forth), swapped stories during college, attended each other's weddings. And now, here we are.

Colleen, Brad (her husband) and Gwen (the 3-year old) moved to Virginia two months ago. They are about an hour away from us, but we are happy to see them when we can. So far - we've been able to hang out quite a bit!

Here we all are enjoying lunch at the Cheese Shop in Williamsburg:

Busch Garden pictures to come soon...

Have you ever been to Berryville?

Berryville? Probably not - but we'll get there in a second...

It was back to Washington DC for Labor Day weekend. Brian and I drove up Saturday morning, and it was great. An easy 2 1/2 hour drive, and we met up with Phil. Yeah for Phil!


Phil lives within walking distance of the Mall, so the three of us wondered through and into the Air and Space Museum. The last time Brian and I were in DC, we saw everything from the outside, so it was fun to check out the inside - and the AC was welcomed because it was HOT!


I made the boys practice looking animated in the pictures - and they got pretty good! The museum was cool - but definitely was cooler in the 80's.

Darn. The museums closed, so we worked our way to dinner via margaritas... Sushi for dinner, which was a totally treat for us! Given all the conversation, our throats were dry, so we had to stop for another beer or two...good times!

Then Sunday morning, it was time for BERRYVILLE! An hour west of DC, Mary's (Phil's lovely girlfriend) family has a house they call the "farm." It is a beautiful restored farmhouse, with a very modern pool area. Mary joined us after work - and Sunday we enjoyed the sun and the laid back feel of the country. Brian and I treated Mary & Phil to herbaltinis - YUM!
We (okay, Mary) made dinner, played games and laughed like crazy.

Then we (okay, I) STILL had Monday off of work, so we enjoyed a good ol' fashioned BBQ with friends, food and fun. And what's a pool party without red keg cups! I guess you are really only as old as you act!

Happy Labor Day!

Colonial Williamsburg - FINALLY!

For two years now, we have lived in Williamsburg, VA. The home of the second oldest university in the country, William & Mary AND Colonial Williamsburg. Colonial Williamsburg (or "CW" as the locals call it) is the historic area of town where every day is sometime between 1774 and 1781. Everyone is dressed in period costumes and you'll get invited to listen to the reading of the Declaration of Independence because most likely, you can't read.

We have been taking advantage of some free time on the weekends to explore CW. We have sat in on conversations between slaves as they debate whether to leave and fight the British, listened to Benedict Arnold announce the British occupation of Williamsburg, and cheered a general by the name of Washington, who went off to battle.

It's been a trip to hear things like "the house of Burgess" and other things that remind you of your US History classes. Plus, it's just fun!

This is Sarah showing you how those held in the Public Gaol used the facilities.


And here's Brian in the gardens behind the Governor's Mansion:

It seems that a few hours is all we can handle, so we take in a few things and then head home to relax and enjoy the modern amenities.

Happy 30th Birthday, Brian!

Today's the day - Brian is 30 years old.

You can see his reaction:

He's actually handling it with style. We will celebrate at the Fat Canary, our favorite restaurant in Williamsburg, and talk about what a 30rd year-old does that a 29 year-old can't.

Don't worry, Brian is still young at heart -
my husband is asking for Rock Band II, Pixar movies and board games.

See...he's quite a few adventures to go before he's over the hill...

photo from Digital Quixote

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRIAN!

A little trip that went up, up and more up...

I went climbing a few weeks ago now and my body still remembers the point of defeat at 1.8 peaks. I had a great time with Nick and my sister that day. On a less important note, I am almost all healed up from my one tired moment on the mountain where the mountain won. Still not sure what happened exactly since I remember standing still and the next moment I was on the ground going for a little ride that ended in a bloody hand. I must have been day dreaming or something, but it reminded me of the times when I used to ski a bunch. My best friend and I would have no problem zipping down the mountain, but once we stopped at the bottom the odds of us (or at least me) falling over greatly increased…

For pictures and another perspective of the great hike of 2008 check out her blog

The next day I went with my Dad for a hike around Mt. Rainier. My body was thankful that this was a much more relaxed hike instead of another crazy climb like the day before. In fact I would be willing to bet that my body might have down right revolted at the thought of doing another crazy climb the next day...

It was great to spend some time with my Dad up on one of the mountains that we used to go to often when I was younger. I had forgotten how pretty it can be hiking around on the trails at Mt. Rainier. But, then again being on the East Coast I had kind of forgotten what a real mountain looks like too. Thankfully I got two solid lessons while I was in town.

For pictures and other details check out his blog

Phil & Mary Vacation in Williamsburg

So, if you didn't believe it yet, you really should come and visit Brian and I in Williamsburg - everyone else does!

This weekend Phil and Mary came down from DC to hang out with us, or maybe just use us for the pool. Phil and I have been friends since grade school and Mary's a "friend" of his - we liked her! We made the most of the sun and heat - mimosas by the pool, some played tennis, Brian made curry and we played lots of Mario Kart. We had dinner at the Fat Canary (our favorite) and then beers at Chowning's Tavern, a colonial tavern, so we watching a magician, listened to musicians, and played "Shut the Box" - a dice game.

The four of us had a lot of good conversations - and talked about all sorts of things...food, friends, jobs, politics, the media, and George. Hopefully, we'll get to visit them soon in D.C.

A little trip to TJ's house...

The drive behind our trip was to come and checkout Thomas Jefferson's house at Monticello. Pretty nice place if you ask me, but back his day I bet it was pretty darn warm inside.

I really enjoyed the gardens at Monticello. Jefferson was absolutely crazy and scientific about his plants. In fact he kept a journal about each and every plant that was on the grounds and had a preference for useable plants...

Without my navigator I'm not sure we would have made it to the house. However, if I had known the place was retrofitted with AC I would have had no problems finding this place.

May as well make a quick stop at the university that TJ designed (UVA) too.

While we were at the university that he designed we felt that spending a moment with him in the shade would be a nice little break. Thankfully not to long since the shade was scarce and it was hot that day.

And we finished the weekend at lunch with friends

My Kappa Phi Girls

As you may or may not know, I'm extremely involved with Zeta Tau Alpha. I enjoy all of the time that I dedicate to it - and this past year has been especially special. I was asked to be the General Advisor for Kappa Phi, the Zeta chapter at Christopher Newport University. I threw the girls for a loop with my energetic style, but they soon got use to it and we accomplished a lot together.

I know I was suppose to be their advisor, but week after week leaving the chapter meetings, I knew I was getting just as much advise on life from them; whether they knew it or not.

I never tried to be cool or in the know, and I'm sure not either of those things now...but I'm a little closer. =) Late night phone calls, a retreat in North Carolina, LOTS of email, "mash the potato", Facebook, LOTS of hugs, smiles and thank yous. It was a year that I will always cherish.

Visitor from Seattle

AND then we had MORE company! Karissa came to town! We walked around Colonial Williamsburg, enjoyed a bottle of wine in the garden of the Cheese Shop, played Mario Kart (be careful, boys, she holds her own!), and time catching up.

It's wonderful to make new friends, but it's heart-warming to be re-united with old ones. We have been through some adventures together and it's always fun to get together and talk through all that is ahead of us.

We love entertaining! Good thing, huh?!

Visitor from Anchorage

One of my (Sarah) friends from FOREVER came to town this weekend. Carrie had class in Norfolk, but we convinced her to come in a day early and hang out with us. It was so good to see her! We drug her to a graduation party. Worth noting: the party was sponsored by an official taster at Budweiser. So don't feel TOO bad for her. PLUS we spent time at Virginia Beach - darn good weekend if you ask me!

Graduation is/was here!

We can't believe two years have gone by so fast! On May 11, 2008, we heard my name announced as I was awarded my MBA. We had a great day - an MBA brunch, class picture, Mike Tomlin (Steeler's head coach) gave the main commencement speech, and we went out for a fabulous dinner.

My folks joined us in Williamsburg for a few days and it was great to see them. We talked and laughed a lot and were definitely sad to see them head home.

Graduation is here...well almost

Only a few days left until graduation! Yippee!

Kentucky Derby Time!

All dressed up to watch the races! We (right) joined Sage and Morgan (left) and Carter and Lisa (below) for homemade mint juleps during the Kentucky Derby. I am starting to understand this sport, but all of this for a TV viewing of one of the fastest sporting events? Either way we found a way to make it fun!

Austin or bust

Special thanks to our tour guide for taking this picture for me!

I got a chance to go to Austin for a few days. I was there primarily to interview for a job, but we'll see how that pans out here in the next week or so. All in all I feel pretty good about how the interview went and will continue to be hopeful until I hear otherwise.

Now my visit wasn't all work or an attempt to get work. I got a little bit of time to explore the fun city of Austin and one of the days I was there I spent on a Segway (the idea of me taking a Segway tour prompted my sister to call me either a mega or super nerd). I thought it was a blast. It was also a great way to see a new area, since we were traveling at about 10MPH. I think that the tour could have been better if we had a little ear piece so that we could hear our guide a little better, but all in all it was pretty good. We heard about deep musical history of the city and toured many of the "important" buildings in the city like a few hotels, the capital, and a couple of cultural sites. Did I mention that this was a great way to see the city? Being on the Segway lifts you up a few extra feet off the ground which gave an interesting perspective and removed the need to try and look around the rest of the people on the sidewalks. I wonder if this is how someone like Kevin Garnet feels as he is walking around regularly, but I digress...

I think that after being in Austin for a few days that this really is a place that the we would enjoy. The culture is laid back and unassuming much like I feel Seattle is. They also have tons of great food and some good local breweries in Texas. For now, cross your fingers while we wait and hear if I get the job that I want and I will update once we know more =)




Cruising through a neighborhood on the way back to the car!

Sports update...

The 2nd year and 1st year MBA students went to Charlottesville to play softball in UVA's annual MBA softball tournament. Our team went last year and got to the semifinals, but couldn't beat the 2008 team from UVA. This year much like last year we had a great time up in Charlottesville for the weekend with registration at a local Irish Pub and the second night at a great bar with food, drinks, and an opportunity to mingle with MBA's from around the country.

Once it got to game time the 2nd year team was poised to win. We had been practicing off an on to help get back in the swing of things and help people like me remember how to catch a ball. Day one during pool play we played four games and ended 2-2. We beat Harvard and Boston College, but lost to the 2008 UVA team and Kellogg. At this point it was 6 or 7pm and we were in the quarter finals for the playoffs. We had an interesting and fun opponent in Babson college, but we played well and made a clean sweep of all the schools from the Boston area...unfortunately in the morning we had drawn the 2008 team from UVA again for the semi-finals...we played well on defense except for one inning and that inning killed us. Not that it makes it any better, but the conditions weren't great (it had rained for most of the night so we were playing on all grass) and all of a sudden I couldn't catch the ball anymore. Oh well we played great, I had fun playing, and spending time with the team and some of the other teams.

After we got back from the tournament, a few days later, we had the intermural playoffs for volleyball. We were more successful in this en devour since we won and got some new t-shirts =) But, I wish we could have won one more match...we were one game away from beating the men's club volleyball team for a second t-shirt. Unfortunately, they rebounded after we played the best game we had all season to come back and beat us. It was fun playing volleyball again, but it would have been sweet to beat the club team.

Day Trippin'

While we are on the East Coast we decided that it would be fun to go to Atlanta for the day. Yes, the day...I know lots of other people have given us strange looks as we told them we were headed there for the day. But, when we looked at it there was only a few things we wanted to do, which included going to the Aquarium and the Coke factory.

The Coke factory was a fun and interesting historical tour with a bunch of memorabilia from all of Coke's history. As we walked through there was a introductory movie, a 4-D movie, an Andy Warhol section, an opportunity for tasting, and a gift shop. The 4-D movie was something we could have passed on and spent more time with Fizzy Bot the robot and in the Andy Warhol section. It was really neat to see and try all sorts of new flavors from around the globe. I forget how many flavors they actually had, but I do remember a number that weren't to my taste preference...

After a couple of hours at the Coke factory we were off to the Aquarium which is about a stones throw away. First on the list was another 4-D movie this time with fish...clearly we didn't learn our lesson as this was more programming that was designed for a considerably younger crowd. Ah well next time we might remember. The rest of place was amazing, but one of my favorite things in the big tank was the whale sharks! This place is definitely worth going to see. In fact, I would say that it is worth going out of your way to go see, but we are a little biased since we love the ocean and all that it has to offer.

After all that we grabbed a quick bite to eat and then back home. Great day!

Makeover time...

Ever wanted to give yourself or someone else a makeover? Well now with this easy tool from Taaz.com you can! There are some really good and really ridiculous ones out there...

For example:

What did you do last weekend?

Well here in the booming metropolis of Williamsburg there was a lot of activity...or at least one big activity in town for us. We went to a MBA dance aka prom.

This event was a huge hit last year and this year was no different. We had a mix of first and second year students doing the coordination and my hats off to them, because it was a blast. However, before you start reminiscing back to your high school days you have to think about how you would have done prom differently if you could do it all over again. That said this was a lot different than what I remember prom being back in high school and a step up from last years party. Part of the reason it was so different is because HS prom consisted of tuxedos, fancy dresses, hair being done, and it being pretty expensive...it was a racket back then for pictures! Yes, we did dress up and take pictures as you can see, but most importantly we all had a lot of fun!

We went to dinner at a place called Long Horn with some friends. After dinner we were off to the dance for music, dancing, drinks, and more great company like we had at dinner!

Holiday Travel - Minnesota

From Seattle, it was off to Minnesota eh. My (Sarah's) family lives in the country, and since we know no one else, it's all about family. We arrived the day after Chirstmas and had to catch up quick. We visited with my sister Beth, sister Laura and brother-in-law Ryan (yes, Brian and Ryan..not so easy on the grandparents, but we work with it), Mom and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa.

Once again, we spent hours watching the birds and squirrels in the yard. We can identify all four types of woodpeckers and when the pheasants show up, everyone looks out the window.

We spend hours playing cards, and this year there was enough snow that we could use the snowmobiles. And when Brian and I got REALLY crazy, we walk across the lake to Grandma and Grandpa. They think we're amazing, and then we play cards.

Such a great trip! Four days is not enough, or just right. It's alway nice to leave wanting more.