Too Tired To Tick

I'm sorry for the lack of

posting the last few days... I'm just so Tired (yes, with a capital T). I'm a little bit relieved to be going back to work tomorrow just for the break :)

This weekend was one of those work weekends. Where you're supposed to feel like you accomplished a lot. Well, it started with me buying fabric from my new job on Thursday. That lead to me wanting to USE that fabric (shocking, I know), in order to use it I had to clean out an area around my sewing machine. Okay this leads us to Saturday in which I have promised both girls time with their friends.

We go pick up Nirali first, then off to the farmers market to meet up with Bekah's little friend. So Ashley and Nirali walk down to the office to drop something off and Rebekah turns into the spawn of satan, whining and crying and I want this and I want that. I try to reason with her and have her go play in the water with her friend but no...she insists on a fit so loud that people allllll over the farmers market are turning to see what could be wrong with this poor adorable child, tsk tsk. Sigh.

So after 15 minutes at the farmers market I haul the siren back to the car, yes with curious onlookers the entire way thank you very much. I'm going to get a T-shirt that says "I'm not abusing her or kidnapping her, this is just how she is", printed on the back. Finally get the other 2 girls back and by then Daddy's two hours of promised quiet time is SO over.

Okay, so we have lunch and then Nirali and Ashley and I head off to Jo-Anne's, now this is not your Wisconsin version of Jo-Ann's, holy moly rocky! I needed a new cutting mat, rotary cutter, thread, sewing machi...(screeeeeech). Did you think I was going to say sewing machine? Cause ya know mine is only 9 years old and it was a $100 cheapy from Wal-Mart, and Jo Anns? They have some sexxxxxy Husqvarna sewing machines. Gulp. Okay, well I haven't committed because the one I like is out of stock, but come early next week all bets are off because they are getting a new shipment. It's a simple machine, not computerized or anything but it's so smoooooooth, and it comes with a free lesson. Very cool stuff.

So after that we head to the mall, because hello...I'm like with the teenagers yo. 5 hours later my feet we're crying like I'd worked overtime. Day off, right! And do you know those kids didn't buy a darn thing except a pretzel they shared? OKay, I guess that part is actually good. I bought an iron and ironing board at Sears though *innocent whistle as I look at the stars*

Ok, bring Nirali home and get back to our place. Supper. Bed.

Sunday...dun dun dunnnnnnnn.

Start the day at 4:45 (yes A.M.), why not, it's Sunday after all. Try to figure out where I am going to sew...ever. We have 960 sq feet and 4 people. Once Grant gets up it's decided we'll head off to our favorite space saver store in thee world *cue trumpets* IKEA. Right, that's always a quick trip. After 3 hours in that store (bless Ashley's little pea picken heart for staying home with her sister), we had a car full of flat boxes and hours of assembly ahead of us (and by us, I meant Grant).

Much heavy furniture lifting, rearranging, re-rearranging, re-re-rearranging, cussing, we're getting closer now.

Fast forward to now, where I am done with my glass of wine and typing where my new sewing machine will soon sit. Grant is in the living room sitting in a lawn chair (oh no, this post is long enough, I'll not explain tonight) and the kids are in bed but neither of them sleeping. I am off to bed myself because tomorrow is work. Heheheh, yeah right. How was your weekend?

CHIPS

Rebekah channels Eric Estrada

Farmers Market

Today was the Kent farmers market. I love the farmers market because it makes it feel like you don't actually live in a big city, instead you live in a community.

Rebekah's little friend from her old daycare is there every week because her mom helps with her grandma's veggie stand. So we meet up with them and the girls get to have a play date.

Right at the farmers market are these fountains that come out of the ground for the kids to run thru, which was perfect today because it was HOT.

The girls shared a hotdog and hung out on the grass for awhile, taking a break from the cool water.

There was a highly underappreciated street musician playing music near by and both the girls went over to put a dollar in his can, after wards they did this dance/chase episode which left me wondering...where do they get their energy?

Last weekend

Since it's the weekend I figured I better get pics from last weekend up! Man, time goes too fast for me these days.

So last weekend we picked up Ashley's friend, Nirali, and headed off to one of the local Puget Sound park/beaches. It was a perfect day, not too hot and lots of sunshine.

We stopped at Starbucks on the way there because we were lost and needed directions it was an adventure, and adventures call for caffiene. I need to look into a GPS *ahem*

The girls all had fun at the park. Nirali had never been there before, and it was really educational for us to have her with. She left India when she was 12 so she has a lot of culture to share with us and I think we all learned a lot from her.

The beach is such an awesome place for kids. I have NEVER seen a kid at the beach playing a video game or even talking on a cell phone. The water and rocks and shells and exploration just calls to them and it's so awesome to see.

Bekah spent some time flirting with the rising tide, the girls chatted on the sand and then we went back up by the car and had a picnic. I really do love days like that.

More to come....

These are for Grandma

The things this kid picks up on never cease to amaze me...I hear her chattering at her dry erase board the other day, "these are for Grandma because Grandma loves flowers".

I glance over because I've never seen her draw a flower and expected to see dots or scribbles. But indeed, she'd drawn flowers for Grandma. There ya go Mom :)

Seals

One picture I forgot from the whale watch, these guys were so cute lined up by the water. I need a better lens but you get the idea anyway :)

Mom's visit, day three

On Mom's third day here we took the Victoria Clipper out to the San Juan Islands.

The trip included a whale watch tour, but this is all you get for a picture because I don't work for National Geographic and those things move fast :)

After the whale watch tour we ate at the Garden Patch Cafe since it came so highly reccomended by my friend, Josi.

The scenery was just beautiful as you can see.

That's about it for pictures from Mom's visit. I started my new job today which was really interesting and enjoyable but I'm going to have to get used to being on my feet all day bending over a cutting table. I'm a hurting unit tonight.

Mom's second day here

On Mom's second day here we did the duck tour of Seattle .

http://www.ridetheducksofseattle.com/

This was the second time I've ridden the ducks and I'd do it again just because it's so much fun. Our driver was a Denver Bronco's fan, but indulged my Mom with a picture in his Viking hat anyway (ok, the $5 tip didn't hurt ;) )

An hour and a half of laughing, seeing the city streets, and then taking the duck right into Lake Washington...good times.

The second half of the day we did the Seattle underground tour. http://www.undergroundtour.com/

Interesting history about Seattle, I had no idea about most of this stuff. Lots more laughter, great tour guides!

I'll try to write about our lovely public transportation experience when I'm more rested, but lets just say I was thankful that Kimberly offered to meet us at Smith Tower and take us back to our car!

Once at Smith Tower, where Jason works, he was able to take us up to the observation deck for free. That is a great view of the city and worth the $7.50 a person if you don't have connections (which I usually don't, so this was fun!)

Mom is actually back home now but I'll post about her last day here tomorrow. I'm super tired and tomorrow is my first day at my new job so I am off to try to get a good night sleep!

Lavender lavender everywhere!

What a great day we had! About a 2 hour drive out to Sequim and suddenly you're in lavender land. We only looked at 3 farms, but there were a lot more.

At one farm we did the u-pick thing and Mom and I both got a bundle of fresh lavender to take home, Ashley carried the basket.

The next place we went to had a gourmet garden cafe. Ashley had fish and chips with an iced lavender chai tea, I had a smoked chicken and swiss sandwich with lavender dry soda, and Mom had creamy artichoke shimp dip with hmmm...I'm blanking on what she had to drink. Then we all shared some brioche and for dessert lavender infused white chocolate chocolate chip ice cream. We didn't even need supper!

There were cute little gift shops at each farm, and each one seemed to have it's own specialty, which made it neat. If we ever go back we can tour three different farms and have a completely different experience.

Woah, they don't grow them like this in Minnesota!

That is just one huge lavender plant.

This is a picture of Mom in one of the fields to give you some perspective on just how much lavender we inhaled! :) What a fantastic day!

Grandma's happy!

We're all happy. My Mom and Ashley arrived yesterday after a short flight delay, it was really good to see both of them and of course I cried. Bekah was napping at the time their flight came in but I had told her that when she woke up they would be here. Well it turns out we pulled in just as she woke up. So I had Ashley knock on the door and I really wish I would have recorded the reunion between sisters because I'm not sure who was holding on tighter, Ashley or Bekah. So cute.

Today we are off to see the lavender farms in Sequim. It looks like it'll be a beautiful day out there! Yay :)

Innocence

I'm not sure what I love most about this picture.

The fact that she's sleeping or the fact that she's sleeping with a beat up Raggedy Ann doll that doesn't sing, dance, cry, wet itself, or speak forgein languages.

Hard day for me

Today was my last day at the office and Rebekah's last day at her current daycare. I realized today just how attached I've gotten to the patients at the office and also to the people who care for our little princess everyday.

I cried when I said goodbye to her teacher this morning, I cried when patients said goodbye, I cried when my boss said goodbye, I cried in the car, I cried at home, and I cried when we picked Rebekah up and I hugged the center director goodbye.

Are most people good at goodbyes? I'm not. I can hardly bring myself to say the word. I say; see you later, I'll be around, we'll keep in touch, you have my e-mail...anything but goodbye. Some of these people I'll see again, but the ones that I won't see have left me feeling like I have a hole in my heart, and I feel by the look in their eyes that I've left a hole in theirs. I'm glad to have known them and richer for hearing their stories but goodbye snuck up on me. It's like reading a good book that you don't want to put down and it ends too soon, before you felt it was complete, an unsatisfying ending.

I'm blathering, and crying again. Good Lord what a mush.

On a happier note, I am very much looking forward to seeing Ashley and my Mom on Sunday and reconnecting with them. Next Friday I look forward to starting my new job and meeting even more people who will imprint my heart. I am truly blessed with so many good people in my life. Thanks for reading my unusually sappy post tonight :)

Remember these?

Who had a sit-n-spin when they were a kid? Yeah, me too. It cracks me up to watch this video. Something about that compact bundle of energy wearing herself down in such a gleeful manner :) Enjoy!