A Rather Fine Weekend

Saturday I kept very busy, doing all the things I should. After baking another banana bread, eating breakfast and cleaning up all the dishes, I played my instruments then worked on my model ship for a while upstairs. Went swimming at the local pool, returned, cleaned up, then went and did all my laundry at the beach... where I did some shopping, snacking and reading while my clothes were getting done. They had Monk on the TVs while I was folding laundry! It was the episode about an actor trying to portray Monk in his famous case of the astronaut. Cleaned the house a bit before I wasted some time online, then watched a new episode of Foyle's War and enjoyed a fantastic seafood dinner along with it.

Sunday I was out and about the whole day... started off with getting some frames at Michael's, along with some Christmas decor (the seashell ornaments and star I found at the NEX a few days ago). Very happy to have my own set-up nativity:

From Michael's, I went across the street to Target to find some necessities, as well as a basketball for playing on the courts at my community. But as usual at Target, I also found a neat hat and some gloves... and an inexpensive dart board!














Finally tore myself away from that place and continued on to Mt. Trashmore, not far from there. Walked the 1.5 mile circuit around the lake, as well as climbed the large hill covering the old landfill... and sent my head spinning by rolling down the gentle slope.

Little bit of fall color along the circuit around the lake.

From there I continued on to a gun range, shot 65 rounds at different intervals, got a couple more boxes for another day, then poked around Family Dollar for a couple things I really needed. Then I stopped off at Carrabba's for an outstanding late lunch (couldn't pass up the opportunity since I was there), then stopped across the street to poke around the mall for a bit. That was my downfall. I found classic Yahtzee at B&N, and splurged big time on a Seahawks jersey that I wore for the rest of the day (it was game day, after all).

Across from the NFL store was something called "Cool Eclectic"... and I found some neat vintage prints of Ocean View from the '20s and '30s.









When I had finally decided on the prints (there were a lot of them there), I kept exploring a bit and found the Disney store where I picked up that adorable Nemo mug! On my way home (finally!), I stopped off at Michael's again for frames for these last pics... then I decided to stop by that sports bar I found the other day when I was getting my car fixed. The staff recognized me without my uniform... and I had a Crown Royal on the rocks while watching the Seahawks come back from a huge deficit to win the game in overtime! So fun! Things usually don't go that well when I plan them out. I'd have to say the day was blessed by the Lord. However, I think I shall take a break from spending money. :)

Tonight after work I continued putting things away from last night, went out to the courts to shoot a little basketball, had some chicken noodle soup and sourdough bread, went to the local half-price bookstore I first visited this week to pick up a book I found then... and wasted time looking at biographies of Maureen O'Hara and Errol Flynn. Only leaving when they closed (at 7) I came home, talked with Mom & Dad, and had a steak dinner while watching Jeeves & Wooster (LOL).

Jw

Four Days with My Darling

Friday, the 4th: 10:00am... I was let out of class before the little bit of cleanup started, and by 10:30 I was changed and picking up Michael at the airport. We immediately went to Perry's Breakfast House on Pacific Hwy, as neither of us had eaten yet. It was as busy as ever, but we were quickly given a table. I ordered decaff along with my Darling, as I have developed quite a taste for it (with creamer and sweetener). It was too early to check into our hotel in Mission Valley, so we went home for a good nap before we did much of anything. I sent off what I had written so far on my assigned Navy article, then we decided to go to the Cabrillo National Monument for a walk along the coastline. The weather was perfect... bright sunshine, cool breeze coming off the Pacific. We looked in the tide pools, skipped stones, and got our hands wet. Liberty Station was on our list because I wanted to add Michael to my bank accounts, but it had closed by then. On a whim, I thought it would be neat to take a walk along the waterfront, so we spent a good bit of time enjoying the weather and the romping dogs. On a park bench we narrowed our dinner choice down to Sammy's Woodfired Pizza, just on the other side of Liberty Station. Mike had a thin crust Hawaiian pizza, and I, chicken breast over asparagus. Now able to check into the hotel, we napped, Mike posted his songs, and we had a very nice evening together.

Saturday, the 5th: "Family Restaurant", just up the street from the Howard Johnson we were staying at (on Hotel Circle South), is a breakfast diner that we tried out for the first time. I loved their corned beef hash... and we shared a ginormous California Waffle that had lots of strawberries and whipped cream on top. Just around the corner, towards Old Town and up the hill is the Junipero Serra Museum, built in the style of the original Franciscan mission and Spanish fort that occupied the same site hundreds of years ago. This we visited next, walking through the main room and up the tower for a wonderful panorama of the area, overlooking the river, Mission Valley and Mission Bay. And they had dozens of old-time pictures and lots of memorabilia from the 20's, when the museum was built. After a brief stop at home and at Walgreen's and at the library (for Mike to meet my friends there), we went to the Padre's game that afternoon. We had some Friar's Franks, lemonades and peanuts. They lost, 4-1, but we were able to see a home run and a few great plays. The Old Spaghetti Factory, being two blocks away from the stadium, was the perfect choice for dinner. And we were treated to a large full moon outside the hotel... the same type that graced the sky when Mike first visited me here in March 2011.

Sunday, the 6th: I was finally able to introduce Mike to my friends at Mission Village Christian Fellowship. It was a lovely service... Andy led some outstanding worship, and Pastor Carl spoke about keeping up with knowing the Lord through quiet times. Afterwords we returned to Perry's for breakfast (and a blueberry waffle this time), went home to pick up my dress for the afternoon wedding of Josh & Jacquie (from small group), and had a nap at the hotel before going to it. There was a break between the ceremony and the reception, so I drove Mike and I a little further down the road to see Mission Trails Park, where I had been hiking a couple times. We even got out to see the Old Mission Dam (still in our dressy clothes). The reception was at the Admiral Baker Clubhouse, and they had lots of nice things to eat. If that wasn't enough mingling with church friends, Aku (also from small group) had a college graduation open house that evening. We stopped in for a few minutes, but the both of us were very tired. [Here's the story on the Admiral it was named for.]

Monday, the 7th: A wonderful day with a slow start (I had school for a few hours in the morning). We had breakfast at Ricky's, another diner near the hotels, serving breakfast all day. I tried out a BLT with an egg... mmm! Then we stopped by the base to print out Mike's airline ticket, stopped at the bank to finally add him to my accounts, then went to Sea World as planned. They let us both in for free because we both had military IDs. With only 3 hours remaining to enjoy it, we maximized our time wonderfully. Saw five species of penguins in the Penguin Encounter: a huge room with hundreds of penguins jumping in and out of the water, saw the polar bears, beluga whales getting fed, and a mammoth walrus chewing on sardines right up against the glass. Stopped by Turtle Reef, then fed very vocal sea lions a few sardines at Pacific Point. Very glad we were in time for the final Shamu Show of the day. Loved how the big orcas jumped so high! And we were two rows above the highest splash. :) For the final half-hour we looked in on the otters (they were in the middle of a fight when we arrived) and the dolphins, then rode the Sky-Tower for another wonderful panorama of the area and bought a photo. When exiting, Mike spotted a mama duck with seven tiny babies in the pool under the tower, so we stopped and watched them until it was time to leave. For dinner, we went directly to Red Lobster, just across the river on Sports Arena Blvd. It's practically our tradition to eat there the last night. Back at the hotel we looked through a library book of historical photos of Oklahoma City, that Mike brought to show me. Then I showed him an episode of Foyle's War, and he enjoyed it as much as I do.

This morning we had to say good-bye. I drove him to the airport with ample time for me to go back to the hotel and change into my uniform before class. I already miss him, but oh, what a wonderful time we had!

Jw

A Fariy Tale Trip

I was distracted when I sat down on the plane. Picked a window seat in the second to last row on the starboard side of the plane. Thought I'd have the whole row to myself for a while, but a Marine from Pendelton told a friend over the phone that he just made it in time, and he took the aisle seat. I always have big plans for reading books when I fly, but of course, I did not want to think about anything but home. It was a little chilly, so I covered my legs with my fleece blanket and stayed in my new Washington microfiber coat as I flipped through the Southwest airlines magazine. They had an article about Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades of the past... with some neat old pictures too. And there was an excerpt of Jennifer Grant's new book about growing up with her father Cary, and their Thanksgiving memories. One funny anecdote... one time when they were having roast duck, and the ducks were hanging up inside, Cary tied a necktie around one, noting they should dress the place up more. :)

Okay... so I'm on the way to Las Vegas. The plane had a stop there before continuing on to Seattle. I followed Orion out my window throughout the short flight. He drifted forward, especially when we finally made the turn east after flying right over my new house! Camp Pendleton was a big black spot along the coast... and there were lots of empty spaces of blackness below as we flew over the desert. Thin stripes of highways connected the spots of light... it looked as if they were giant bridges over huge bodies of water; but once in a while a little light would give it away for what it was. I loved the thin, low, blanketing clouds over LA. It looked like snow covering the blue & orange-yellow lights. A very busy, lonely highway stretched all the way to Vegas... many people were on their way... but Vegas itself was enormous! Stretching out for miles. The famous strip of casinos was very near the airport, so even though I couldn't de-plane, I did see quite a bit of the city.

The next flight was exactly two hours... and I think I remember being awake for about 15 minutes of it. Propped my head against the side of the plane with my blanket and was fast asleep, waking up as we began our decent into my beautiful Pacific Northwest.

My bag was waiting for me, but we were almost a half-hour early. Mom, Dad & Meg were on there way, only about 15 minutes away. It was much colder than Cali... in the 30's! What a breath of fresh air! They soon got me and we got home quick. Took me a while to fall asleep though... I was so excited to be there.

Woke up between 8 and 9 both mornings. Dad cooked cheese omelets, we played a satisfying set of Backgammon games, then Meg beat me at Phase 10. One of the neatest surprises was a phone call from Zac! I haven't spoken with him since August, so it was a rare treat indeed! Then we set up the house for the big dinner, moved tables and chairs around. Then I took Spiffy for a walk around our 1/2 mile block.

Andie, Nathan, Beckie & Micah had arrived when we got back. And we helped Mom with some of the last minute food... fruit salad, Brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes. Grandma Payne, Aunt Penny and Uncle Don soon followed, as well as Tom and Bette, long-time friends of our family. Dinner was magnificent... Mom had cooked the turkey the day before (just when I had called in the morning, actually) and Dad had carved and put into the serving trays. He said Spiffy helped out too. :) We had stuffing, gravy, sweet cornbread, jellied cranberries, rolls, sweet potato pie, and other sides. It was all so good, but desert was waiting... Apple, Pumpkin, Pecan & Lemon Meringue pies.

I had a piece of pumpkin before we started the Bingo game though; couldn't wait. Bingo is a long-time tradition of ours... I hadn't done it for a long time though! It sort of went by the wayside while Meg was in Kalamazoo and Miami. Loved it though... and Beckie (7 yrs old) and Micah (5 yrs old) are just at the age now where it's getting to be a lot of fun. Mom and Meg had wrapped pieces of candy, gum, packets of nuts or beef jerky and put them in a big bag. Dad calls out the numbers, and whoever gets a Bingo, gets a wrapped prize. We keep going until the prizes are gone, and then everyone unwraps their hoard, then trades with people for the things they like best. It's wild fun while lots of people sing (or shout) out "Bingo" in choruses.

Then we had desert in earnest. I had some Apple, and a little more Pumpkin as well. People trickled away, and there was lots of chit-chat. My grandma is doing pretty well for being a few short months away from turning 98! We got to visit, and that was really nice. Later on, Meg, Dad and I played Phase 10, and although starting off ahead, Meg finished us off again. :)

When everyone had left, Mom & Dad & I watched a couple episodes of Monk, as they've been re-watching the series. They were in the last few episodes of season three. Ironically, one of them was "... Goes to Vegas". :) The opening scenes were a deja vu moment for me, as it was an aerial shot of the strip. Oh, and the other was Natalie running for school board against Harold.

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Friday! It was the *perfect* fall day... 45 degrees, sunny & crisp. Shared a breakfast of oatmeal with Mom & Dad & Jason (Meg was out shopping with her other family). But first, Dad & I had worked at taking down the extra tables and starting the dishes. It was a leisurely meal, and just what I wanted the day to be like. Took the dog for a long walk after all was settled. We cut through the park to the right, came back around on the street, then cut through the park again to the left, and then continued on the sidewalk to home. He was a worn out little boy after he got his walk cookie. :)

Meg and I wanted to do Half Price Books and Tree Top Toys in downtown Redmond together, just like old times. We did, and it turned out to be a 4 or 5 hour adventure! I found a present for someone at the toy store, as well as some new releases of Carnegie Dinosaurs... :) Sold my John Paul Jones book back at Half Price (which I had listened to on audio from the library in SD) and found the whole set of BBC Narnia on DVD for $15! Yay! I have my own copy now! Then we decided to check out Value Village down the street, and there I found three totally unrelated items: a finely painted duck decoy for decor... a pair of Vietnam-era green dungarees that match my green coat... and a beautiful, padded, light brown vinyl office chair that I'd like to have in my home someday. So I got them all. And Mom can now use it at her desk until I am able to drag such a thing along with me somewhere. We even returned to Tree Top because they called to tell Meg they actually did have more Breyer stablemates in stock, and she ended up getting a few.

Played Phase 10 again when we got home, but interrupted it for a lovely dinner prepared by Mom & Dad. Rainbow trout fried in olive oil, gourmet mac'n cheese, leftover Brussels sprouts and cranberries, cucumbers, and potatoes. Watched two more Monks while we had pie and milk... season 3 finale & season 4 premiere. Finished the game after that... I was 3 phases ahead and only had 5 points, compared to her 300! One out of three, as they say... but I went out big!

Then to cap off this wonderful holiday, I played with current members of the Husky Band for their last rally of the season... the Naked Rally (lots of people with only boxers, briefs & bras - not me) before tonight's Apple Cup against Washington State. Dan was a rookie my 3rd year in the band... and this year, he returned for a 6th season! How nice to play with somebody I know! I didn't know how much I'd remember, but even "Bow Down to Washington" (fight song) came out pretty well. Louie Louie, Tequila, Walk This Way, Everybody's Everything, Johnny Q, You Can Call Me Al, FBG, Johnny's Mambo, Africano and even Polynesian Paralysis came back. Oh, and Free Ride, where we make a sideways W with our horns while playing... It all came back in an instant. There were three new tunes, but they are all hits on the radio now... so since I'm familiar with them from duty driving, I followed along pretty easily. With over an hour of playing, my chops were pretty tired by the time we got back to Red Square (center of campus is all brick) so I just called Mike and let him listen along for a song or two. It had been over a year-and-a-half since I had last played with the band. What fun!

Mom & Dad dropped me off at the regular meeting place on campus, then continued on to SeaTac to pick up our renter Christina from the airport. They did make a special trip to come pick me up at 10:30ish, so that was really nice of them. While I waited for the band to show up at 8:45 (arrived at 8:25) the father of a kid in band who was coming invited me to sit in his minivan to stay warm. What a nice guy!

Got home, and crashed in bed. Finished reading Song of Solomon with my own Lover over the phone. Through this book we each read our own parts, and while I was at home I used Andie's old 1984 large print NIV from when she was a kid. The new testament falls out, it was so loved.

Perfect, perfect, perfect! It was worth much more than I paid to share these precious two days with my family. Got up at 4:30 this morning, had a hot egg and toast waiting for me on the table after I finished getting ready. Parting was easier this time, since I'll be back in a mere 3 weeks time. Hugged and waved goodbye, went right through to my gate, started this post, and promptly fell asleep on the plane. Had the row to myself, so I angled myself comfortably with my blanket for a pillow. The flight from Sacramento to San Diego, however, was crowded. Got an exit row seat and worked on this post for practically the entire hour. Got a taxi right away, and was sitting in my room exactly 30 minutes after touchdown. Only $15 total, so that was alright too.

Thank the Lord for this blessing!
Jw

Sleepy Sunday

I was up between 8:30 and 9:00 this morning... just long enough to eat a couple scrambled eggs with cheese and take some pain pills for that time of the month. Went to bed again, and stayed in even when the family came over for an excursion to drop leftover wedding food at our friend's house (and to see the horses). I needed to stay put. I even slept and dreamed at least two separate dreams before I was alright to walk around at half past noon. Yesterday completely wiped me out. I picked up my room, washed my hair, cleaned the kitchen and browsed through the wedding pictures before everyone returned.

When they did, we had some lunch, then my Aunt Vicki and I took the dog for a walk on our circuit around and through the park. She'd never seen it before and it was a lovely day... 70's and bright sunny weather. Upon returning from that, she wanted to go get a sweatshirt for our boat ride tomorrow (preferably one that she could only get here). We went to Bellevue Square, and after a little searching found the perfect one.

And tonight we all went out to Outback as a farewell to my brother who takes off very early tomorrow morning. Had a very yummy steak with shrimp and veggies, and a sip of my brother's Coke & rum. It was the first Coke I enjoyed... no carbonation... and the little bit of rum tasted very good. It was a lovely day with the family... once I woke up. :O

Jp

Finally, The Sun!

Welcome, sunshine! although your stay was brief!


Today was gorgeous outside, and it even got above 75 degrees! I was stuck inside at work for the better part of the day, but I did take one trip to the next building in the late morning to haul a very heavy box of closed out manufacturing orders back to my building. I appreciated the warm rays in the cool weather when I did.

Gosh, work was very busy; it looks like it will be that way until I go (which is a blessing). I found out of tolerances in two different books today! wow! it feels good to do my job so well, but I wish other people would do theirs... it would make it easier.


After a short dinner I took a brief nap, curled up in Dad's chair. My body has been fighting off something that may turn into a sore throat, and on top of that, it's that time of the month. And I'm pretty tired from work. Poor Puppy could hardly stand it once I woke up. He had been dying for a walk the moment I came home. I took my camera along this evening... and I had a good time. I was still a little sleepy and the sun was shining, but it was getting cooler. My light coat, unzipped, was absolutely perfect.


Since returning from that I've laid down on my bed with the window open, thinking about things and listening to the chirping birds with my blanket on top of me because of the cool of the evening. It's nine o'clock now, and the light is just starting to fade. Ahh.

Jp

Sprinkles

Not a whole lot to report from yesterday, except that after work I thought about biking, but didn't get around to going outside until it was 8:30. Much too late to drive out to Woodinville... and then Spiffy sat there begging to go on a walk. I had just spent a half-hour working on the trip, and the poor boy spent the whole time lying at my feet waiting for me to get up. So I gave in and we had a good walk. But that meant all I could do for a comparable workout was running. But as I started, and continued, I felt pretty good. I wasn't heaving for breath at the end of the first half-mile, so I went around again for a complete mile. And I wasn't gasping! I think I might be getting better at it... maybe.

Last night I woke up at 3 am in dire pain from my period after dreaming about boot camp. I found the irony rather funny after I thought about it, but for a few moments of disorientation I figured that I must be quite insane to join the service. :)

And I'm 2 for 2 this week having something for breakfast. I've decided it's something that will help me feel better and be healthier, and I think it's helping.

I was also desperate to work out last night because they said it was going to be our only dry night this week. Today we had some sprinkles, but nothing too crazy. Just got back from a quick walk with the dog - we watched a movie tonight - Run Silent, Run Deep (1958, Clark Gable) - so it was dark out by the time we started and the ground was wet, but that was all... We also had our family Bible study again for the first time in a few weeks, and we finished James. It was good. Spiffy didn't last long on our walk tonight, though. I don't think he cares much for night walks.

Jp

Fun Days!

I've just spent around six hours entertaining friends and family who came over for a celebration and open house for Meg's doctorate. Mom and I put all the decorations out and Dad and I picked up the platters of food from Fred Meyer this morning. Poor Doggy! People were coming and going the entire time. For everyone's sanity, he had to stay in Mom & Dad's room as all the door bells went off. I was able to have a nice conversation with my 96 year old Grandma and I entertained a 6 year old son of one of Meg's friends with my dinosaurs. :) My brachiosaurus turned into a meat-eater and had a triceratops for a son... LOL

Yesterday morning was spent cleaning the house rather thoroughly: I did all the vacuuming (and thought of friends with similar goals as I did) before my friend came over. That was about 2pm that we went out to have Thai food. I had the same beef salad with tomato and cucumber that I had had on Thursday with the ladies at work. Right after that we headed over to the university to catch the softball game... the Huskies are hosting the first round of the NCAA regional tournament (they were the National Champs last year). But when we got there we found out the game was sold out. :( My friend wanted to get something at the U bookstore, so we went to upper campus (free parking on the weekend!) and did a little shopping. We then drove back down to the wetlands trail near the stadium, but it was a little too wet:

















So we decided to walk over to the stadium along the Montlake Cut (waterway between Lake Washington and Lake Union) and we ended up arriving while the game was still on! So we climbed up the north bleachers of the stadium which overlooks the softball stadium! We had a bird-eye view for the last two innings! for free! :)

And Danielle Lawrie struck out the very last batter for the win! - and as I just linked that, I found out that they won again today, sending them on to the next regional series... against Oklahoma... - didn't think I'd be saying this, but... BEAT THE SOONERS! :) no offense, of course. :)

From that high up in Husky Stadium, we had a pretty good view of Lake Washington and the 520 bridge:And during a very fun chat last night, we watched "State Fair" for some good, old-fashioned entertainment. What a weekend! And I had such a dream last night that I awoke after nine this morning with the thought that I was late for work. I guess I'll save that for tomorrow.

Jp

Merrily We Walk Along

What Spiffy and I generally see on a walk:

After I finished this pencil drawing this afternoon, I showed it to Spiffy and then he looked at me strangely. "Can we go again?" LOL

Jp

Lovely, Lovely!

Had a wonderful Sunday with a dear friend! She was house sitting, taking care of a dog, right on the Arboretum in Seattle. So we went for a walk at noon around the core of the park, came back to drop off the dogs, and then went out on the water trail that I've wanted to do for years but never got around to. It was so pretty and lonely! The sunshine I had seen that morning, coming over, had vanished behind a thick cover of clouds. But at least it was still pleasant: not warm, but not bitterly cold either. I took more pictures for my project... I think I need to work on selecting now... LOL

We got done with the walk around 3, and returned to the house. I showed her some fun stuff, like my WENN website and facebook group... and so we ended up watching "On the Air" on the internet (I am very grateful for whoever posted the whole series!) She, of course, loved it (who doesn't?). She thought that the characters sort of mimicked the roles they played on the opening sequence of 'The Hands of Time'. An interesting first impression...

And then we did work on Photoshop together... and then we went to her church together... Mars Hill in Ballard. This has been my third time visiting, and again I am impressed with how they are very culturally different from churches I usually go to (they are geared towards college age people), but how steadfastly they teach love and trust in Jesus. It's so cool to know how different we all are, but also to know that we are all loved by the same, unchangeable God.

And we rocked out to Jon Foreman in my car.
Aaah... sweet fun.

Jp

just notes

Today I went to Jazzercise again - it's been kinda hard to get up on Mondays - and Mary was teaching, replacing Sarah for a day. The leg and ab routines were killers.

I took the doggie on a walk tonight - something I haven't done in a long time. When I got back, Mom trimmed my hair for me - it was getting a little out of control.

Pardon my boring notes... I love recording everything. It's like writing a journal, only creatively. This is the only journal that I've been faithful in writing in for more than three days. Hence, my skepticism in my very first post. LOL

Jp