The Day That Rocked!

I can't even describe how much today has rocked, but I'm sure as heck gonna try. From the moment I got up this morning, the day has just rolled out so nicely!

1. Apparently, I woke up at the exact right moment in my sleep cycle, because despite only six hours of sleep, I did not have to drag myself out of bed, and did not have the usual almost-Friday function inertia to deal with.

2. I think this was the first day since my new condo-for-sale-cleaning-regime that I got out the door on time!

3. Despite my uncharacteristic a.m. get-up-and-go, I still decided to play it safe and have my morning coffee. And why brew your own when Starbucks is offering free coffee to promote eco-friendly beverage holders? I have a beverage holder. I like free coffee.

3b. And I especially like their Pike Place blend. I couldn't actually tell you if it tastes superior to other blends. I don't drink any one coffee frequently enough to know one blend's taste intuitively. But it's called the "Pike Place" blend. It's a good coffee on the name alone! (and if you don't get why there's a warm fuzzy association, you need to follow up this post by reading here and then here).

4. Spent the morning with Cutie #1. Spent a good chunk of that time outside under the cloudless sky. While an April Alberta morning is still a bit 'crisp', the sun was warm through the clothing, and so refreshingly bright!

5. Drove to Cutie #2's house with the car window rolled down.

6. My otherwise usual lunch today was accented with fruit salad from JM. One thing we agree on is that fruit salad actually needs to be fruit salad. Not just honeydew and canteloupe chunks. In fact, no honeydew or canteloupe chunks. Grapes, apple, orange, mango, blackberries, and raspberries--that's what was in my fruit salad. And like I told JM, it was like summer time in my mouth!

7. Spent the afternoon with Cutie #2. Also spent a good chunk of that time outside under the [still] cloudless sky. Except even better cuz now it was warm enough that I didn't need the hoodie.

8. Played in awe as Cutie #2 conquered new things and showed off new skills!

9. Drove home with the car window rolled down.

10. Sat on the deck for 45 minutes enjoying still more sunshine and a good book.

11. Ate supper that I didn't have to make myself.

12. Drove (still with the window down) to the River Valley for my first ever Edmonton Outdoor Club (EOC) event. I scaled Glenora Stairs (202 stairs from the bottom of the valley to the top) 4 1/2 times, followed by a 90-minute walk along the trails in the setting sun. Flexed my social self in a new setting (this might come back to bite me later). Educated people about special needs. And, as one lady pointed out to me, was not huffing and puffing by the end of it.

13. Came home. Treated my well-worked legs and feet to a hot bath before settling on the couch for CSI.

I have now reached bed time. It is cozy there among the pillows, blankets, and felines. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Saturday in Seattle

So, Saturday started off with the ritualistic morning coffee (READ: Starbucks located in the hotel), and the walk over to The Container Store. The Container Store is one of those places that, even if you only have one item on your "need" list, you WILL come out with significantly more. I went in for a drawer organizer. Came out with that, plus hangers, paper organizer, water bottles (for 'my three', not me), wall magnet strips, and this cool strap thing to bulk items together and carry easier.

Had fun puddle jumping in the rain as we walked back to the hotel to get the car. The copious amount of precipitation in Seattle is one of the primary reasons I could never live there, but if I'm going to be there while it's raining, I might as well have fun with it!

After our rainy fun in Bellevue we headed into Seattle proper. We started by conquering the downtown core without a map to locate this little coffee shop that JM's friend had recommended, and then headed down to Pike Place Market. Our previous visit to Seattle had been crunched enough for time that we always found ourselves at Pike Place within an hour of it shutting down. We were able to get there a little earlier this time; JM appreciated that for the shopping factor, and I appreciated it for the photo opp factor. The market it an experience unto itself. I still have yet to see flying fish, but it's not like I'll never be back there. :)

We returned to Tilikum Place Cafe for supper, dessert, and drinks before Rob Bell's presentation (oh, yeah, the reason we came to Seattle this weekend in the first place!). We had visited this cafe on our first trip, and were so impressed with the quality of service and drinks menu that we decided to come back and check out the food as well. We have now decided that visiting Seattle without eating here is not an option!

Crazy Cool Seattle

I am currently very excited; I get to go to Seattle this weekend! (I was there for the first time back in September) The initial motivator for this trip was to see Rob Bell, who is on tour speaking across the country. Seattle happens to be the closest he will be coming to Canada. But of course, it being the Family Day Long weekend for us Albertans, and Rob Bell's talk comprising a mere two hours of the entire weekend, there will be ample opportunity to revisit highlights from the first trip and create some new adventures, too!

So anyway, I'm a geek, and have off-and-on over the last month gleaned information about Seattle for fun. This evening, I just wiki'd Seattle outright. While Seattle's weather may be dull most of the time, Seattle is anything but a dull city!

For example, did you know that Seattle is in a major earthquake zone?! Or that its original name was Duwamps (after the Indian tribe)? ...I already knew that Starbucks originated in Seattle (saw it close up). I did NOT know that, despite having a population of a mere 600,000, Seattle is one of the most congested cities in the US. I recently learned that a major fire in 1889 burned most of the downtown area, and the city was rebuilt ON TOP of itself. Seattle has an underground city!!! ...This is cool stuff!

I have quickly fallen for this city. When I was there in September, I could not get over the amazingly amicable people, and the beauty of the rolling hills and the ocean. ...Alas, the poor city only averages 58 sunny days a year, which is the main reason I could never live there. I grew up averaging 333 sunny days per year in Calgary (top sunny city in Canada), and living in Edmonton still affords me about 321 sunny days per year.

But a weekend road trip? Sign me up anytime!