This year we rung in the New Year at The Local Vine with Becca and Kevin, Anne (yes, our friend from NYC), Barb (our new friend from NYC), and Karissa and friends -
Definitely a fabulous start to the next 365 days!We are so lucky to have so many friends in Seattle! This year we were only in town for a week, and we were glad to head back to Virginia to relax. Since we're moving back to Seattle this year, we didn't concentrate on seeing everyone, and we spent some good time with people we didn't get photos of, but here were some fun photographed moments:
Dinner at the Civitts' with the O'Neils and Welchs.
We cheered on Sarah's cousin Kendall as her team won the 7th grade basketball tournament.
Lunch with Cousin's Kendall and Lauren.Brian and I were so lucky to spend time with our families in both Minnesota and Seattle. We had a blast in both places - although in MN, we really missed Ryan and Laura who were stranded in Portland because of weather.
During our Seattle Christmas, we had so much fun, we forgot to get out the camera. This year was particularly fun because Nick and Carolyn hung out with us all day! Here's a few takes from our time in the snowy mid-west:
Oh, the time we spend in the kitchen!
The Ruhwedel/Porter/Bosmas
Grandma and Grandpa are a hoot to spend time with!
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!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
We know, we know - it's the beginning of February and we haven't posted any fun stuff from Christmas.
We started our holiday travel in Seattle. I (Sarah) wish I could deny it, but we were totally nerdy and had a schedule...in excel. But come on?! You guys love it! It gave us the chance to see so many people. So here's our recap:
Sydney is such a cutie! You can tell how everyone looks at this precious little thing...It was great to see Kori and Colby (mom and dad). They have been our friends for years, and I'm sure we're just getting started.
Brian and I got to meet Catherine (Mike & Angela's new baby). It was great to catch up with them - Angela was glowing with happiness and Mike and Brian could have kept talking and talking and talking...the way best friends can.
We had another baby to meet, Benton, but this time we met up and the Seattle Aquarium. I think that we might have had more fun than Benton did.
The Civitts clan was a sight for sore eyes! Linda and Tony (Jen's parents) were in town from NYC to see the new baby. James was born in December and you can tell he's already lucky with an older brother like Jack around. The Civitts hosted a fabulous dinner - chicken parm. YUM!
AND we got to meet Riain (pronounced Ryan). I loved holding her. She was 2 months old and had plenty of baby fat to make her cuddly. Erin (her Mom) was all smiles, as usual. Erin & Mike were there, too - representing the "yes, we're married, no kids yet" group like us. What's crazy, is that a year and a half ago these ladies and I were meeting for "Wedding Wednesday." Erin, Erin and I were all engaged, so we would get together and chat (Jen was there for support). Nothing productive - all fun. But I'd bet it kept the stress of the whole wedding thing down. What a great group!
The Harris house was hopping with kids and a great gift exchange while we were in town. A gift exchange is always fun, but going over to the Harris's is always a treat because of the great company, wonderful new wines we are exposed to, and Sara makes some of the best appetizers!
Northlake Pizza Tavern with Mikelle and Jon. They were married last fall and they're such a great couple!
JaK's (a local steakhouse) with Ki, Seon and Fred. They're our scuba diving friends (some of them) and it was a lot of fun to see them.
Cactus (fun Mexican) with Brian's family. Conversation was entertaining, as always!Breakfast/brunch with David and Paul at the Barking Frog! We spent the morning of our wedding day at their house
And we were spoiled again with dinner at the Suarez's, home of Kaptain Kenmore. Little Eliana is such a sweetheart. And once again, Erin and Mike were there. We all had such a good time, we finally had to call it quits at midnight. Brian and I were on vacation, but the rest of the kids had to get up for work.
Christmas itself was fabulous. The Porters have some great family traditions - dinner on Christmas Eve, cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. (By now you all understand why the eating right/exercising New Year's resolution is a must this year!) We were all blessed with time spent together and such fun gifts!Overall, Seattle was all smiles, lots of love and counting our blessings, which are so many, I think it graduates to a miracle. Brian and I truly feel blessed with the wonderful family and friends that make Seattle still feel like home.
Late one night Mike, Caesar, and I went on a little adventure hike. We had rations (Doritos and Bud Light) just in case we didn't make it back...we figured we could survive out there for at least a few hours with what we brought with us. In fact it was about a few hours when we were signaling the house from the rock above...mores code from the rock along with a flurry of text messages yielded no more rations. Probably a good thing, but we did manage to sneak back undetected, get some water, and watch a few shooting stars before being found.
Great adventure and a great trip all around!
Boating and laying at the pool were a couple of the favorite past times while at Rock Island, but boating doesn't always equal boating. Sometimes it means rope climbing, bridge jumping, wake boarding, tubing, floating in the boat towards the dam, swimming, and of course seeing real live super heroes!
Of course of the activities listed above wake boarding and tubing seem to be the most logical fit. Here are a couple highlights from our wake boarding experience featuring Mike, Brian, and Pam!
After a wonderful summer in SoCal I had a trip planned to join up with some old friends in Eastern Washington at the Villa.
After being picked up at the airport by Angela, we went to grab Mike so that we could load the car and boogie over the Mountain Pass and start a nice long weekend of relaxation...so we didn't get on the road exactly when we expected, but I didn't have anywhere else to be so I wasn't concerned about when we got there at all. Mike and Angela were a little concerned, but once we got to Monroe we saw the big DQ in the sky and started the vacation with a Blizzard.
This DQ was a classic sight since there was one manager and a bunch of trainees on shift that night. The manager essentially did everything, but the random antics going on the in background were enough to just keep all three of us laughing as we waited for our frozen treat. One of the best moments was watching one of the trainees ask the manager to help him find a top for a sundae (it was for a drive through customer). He looked around for a little bit, found something that looked like it would work, but couldn't get it to fit...he then asks the manager for some help to find a top, the manager grabbed the one out of his hand and just pushed it on top of the container and ta da a perfect fit!
30 minutes after we walked in the door we actually had Blizzards in hand and were still cracking up over the DQ antics. But, with a Blizzard in hand everyone was a happy camper! Now just a little more driving to see the rest of the crew at Rock Island...
And all of a sudden it was Monday - my last full day in Seattle. I met with the photographer first thing to finalize our wedding album (interested? check it out...) and the Rhiannon and Eli met me on Capital Hill. We walked around a bit, stopped for Thai for lunch and then hung out for a few hours in Volunteer Park. What a beautiful day!
I had to include this picture - because this sign is so NOT Virginia.
And what's a Monday (or any day really?) without happy hour?! Mikelle and John (married on August 11, 2007 - CONGRATS you two!) met me for a few drinks, and it was great to catch up with them. Mikelle and I have been good friends since college, and John completes her. Okay, little cheesey, but really they are a great couple! I can't wait until all four of us can hang out together!
Erin was back for a drink (can't keep that girl down!) and Ki and Seon picked me up. Ki, Seon and I hung out for the evening and it was so great to see them. We always have so much (life, work, diving, traveling) to talk about, there is never a dull moment. And they always know the good places to eat - which is such a treat!
THANK YOU - to everyone that took time to hang out with me! I had such a great trip! And if didn't get to see you - hopefully, we'll be back soon. Brian is officially done working today (Aug15) and he'll be back in Virginia on Monday. And I can hardly wait! Two months is a long time to go without seeing each other - and I have really missed him. Work is going great for me, and he starts year 2 of the MBA program in two weeks. Which brings all of our VA friends back to Williamsburg - so let the good times roll. AND, yes, Brian will start his job search for when he's done with school in May...stay tuned for those developments.
Love you all!
Not to be out done by Saturday - Sunday was just as busy, and I loved it. I was able to attend mass at St. Benedict's, which was fun because I hadn't seen Father Steve since the wedding. PLUS, two couple that we know from church had babies that were baptized. I was so glad I was crazy lady on vacation that just happened to have her camera in her purse...
The bonus was sitting with the Suarez's (remember them from Saturday?) and seeing other friends of ours, too - so many reasons to be thankful!
After all the "Congratulations" and hugs, I was off to lunch with Kori, Colby and their little bundle of joy, Sydney. Isn't she adorable? Her mom and dad are just as cute (okay, kind of =) but I'm not so good with the camera, so no picture to prove it.
After lunch, was the drive to L-town. I had plans to spend the afternoon catching up with the Stewarts. They have two little girls that are just adorable. Shelby and Cory are our 500 card playing, wine drinking, work talking, career discussion friends. Bug (Siena is three, as she proudly will show you with her fingers) and Sydney are their girls.
Talk about a cute bunch. I was talking with Shelby, but Siena is all about having me read her a story. I hope our kids are as excited about reading! And if this action video of Syndey doesn't make you crack up, you are working too hard....Crawling is SO OUT!
Sunday evening was all about family. I headed over to the in-laws - which was a blast. We started the evening with mojitos while we got caught up, and dinner was fabulous. Now I've totally forgotten what Carry and Nick are doing in the picture (which might be just blocking the sun from their eyes)- but it's still cracking me up!
Saturday morning started off perfect! Erin and I were up early and off to breakfast with the Suarez's. Mike and Nicki are right around the corner and are truly welcoming when bringing guests into their home. Breakfast was fantastic and the conversation lively. Eliana was the first of many babies that I'd be visiting this weekend - and what a cutie!
Saying "See you later" was always the theme when I left someplace. And this time, Erin got to be my date at the volleyball team get together. I love these guys! And we're starting to complete the lineup with kids! Maier (Sara & Burke's) is a riot - not even 18 months and he was all over the facial expressions. Mac, short for Mackenzie, (Jaime & Mike's) is a precious *little* one (5 months). You should see her go crazy in the jump-thing! Even when she's crying, she keeps on jumping. Curt and Amanda have Johnny (the cutest chiwawa you ever did see).
And how can you not love a crowd that spoils you with cake?!? Bri, babe - if this continues...we might have to move back!
Not that we were hungry, or wanted to leave...but it was time for girl's night! Erin, Karissa, Beth and I met up at the Pink Door. Only my FAVORITE place to meet the girls for dinner. The servers let you sit as long as you'd like. The house wine works just fine and the Italian food is always tasty. It was SO good to catch up and talk, miss you guys!
Brian and I are really enjoying our time in Williamsburg, but I had the chance to sneak back to Seattle for a few days. I didn't get to see everyone and, of course!, I would have loved to stay longer. I'm going to post just a pic or two of everyone I did get to see. I miss you all! And thanks SO MUCH for working with me and my "schedule". Love you!
Amanda picked me up at the airport (sweetheart!) and we went into Freemont. We caught up over coffee and dinked around the shops, before getting lunch at Nickerson Street Saloon. Mac and Jack's, Seattle, sun - talk about a great "welcome home!"
Curt (Amanda's handsome husband) met us for lunch and even Erin was able to sneak out of work early. YEAH!
Erin and Mike have a new home that is absolutely fabulous! Erin hosted dinner for Erin, Jen and I. It was great to catch up and hear all the happenings....
Mt. Rainier from the plane
Mt. Adams from the plane
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