Get your Groupon!

I joined Groupon a year or so ago and have been buying deals from them like crazy ever since.

I am buying them faster than we can use them, but that doesn't stop my from buying them still...the discounts are just too good to pass up!

I have run into a little problem though...some of them are on the verge of expiring and we're running low on time to get them all done.

I really have come across some great steals through Groupon A few of my favorites:

• Bikram Yoga membership {at a great studio right down the street from my office!!}
• Passes to the Seattle International Film Festival
• Italian cooking lessons
• Bar Method fitness classes
• Multiple spa services {facials, waxing, massages, hair cuts, manicures, you name it, I've gotten a Groupon deal for it!}
• Professional photo sessions {we just did this last week...stay tuned we should have our proofs shortly and of course, I'll share}
• Family Fun Center passes
• Trophy Cupcakes
• Emerald Down racetrack passes
• Puget Sound cruise tickets

Excellent concept Groupon is, really. Check them out {and make sure to sign up for their emails} and see if they have offers for your city!

The Bite

This past Sunday we braved the crowds and hung out at The Bite of Seattle. We haven't been for a few years and figured it was time to go again.

We've had a bit of a rocky history with The Bite:

• Our first year we browsed all the different restaurants and ended up eating Subway at the Seattle Center food court.
• The second year we went we walked through all the food booths and again opted for the safety of Subway.
• Year three we toughened up and tried some Philly cheese steak sandwiches, and then later wished we'd eaten Subway.

Super lame, right?! This year we were determined to shake things up and get our tasting on. We met up with some friends, paid outrageous sums for parking, did some people watching, had our pictures taken with the Foster Farms chicken...you know, all the good stuff.

The weather was a little off. It was bright and sunny outside but pretty cold. I don't know how those people could stand being in the fountain. I was freezing just watching them!

Here's the famous Seattle lunch truck, Maximus Minimus. But with neither of us being partakers of pork I just clicked a pic of their cool truck to share. Foster Farms has these big chicken balloon floating around and I thought they were funny looking.

Oh, what did we eat!? Well we both had a scoop from the Ben and Jerry's mobile and then...you guessed it - Subway! Our friend did sample some Piroshky so we figure that gave us a little cred, right? No.

There is just something about eating food that's being prepared in a fryer under a tarp that doesn't sit well with me. Actually us. We're so prissy.

Maybe next year we'll try the Shishkaberry's??

They look pretty safe. ☺

Get your vote in!

Jackson has become a finalist for the Weiner Dog Races being held next weekend. Highest vote wins the last spot in the race and he needs your votes. So do him a solid, head on over here and cast your vote...for him, not any of the other cute dogs.

We're Jackson is counting on you! Don't let him down. We don't want to have to deal with his constant crying if he doesn't get picked. Seriously, he can be such a whiner. ☺

Cayman Islands

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands was our first stop. The boat docked in Georgetown, which was bustling with people. We had an excursion out to Stingray City planned for later in the morning, so we first set out to explore the area around the port and scout out the places we wanted to stop by on our way out for souvenirs.

We stocked up on gifts at the Tortuga Rum store (rum, rum cakes, sauces, etc.), which they graciously delivered back to our room on the ship. We also popped into Hard Rock, to grab a few goodies.

The whole pirate theme was all over the Caribbean (crazy, I know!☺), so we have a gazillion shots of us posing with pirates - fake and 'real', and some pirate ships - again, some fake and some really real (pretty cool).

We then made our way along Seven Mile Beach (absolutely beautiful for snorkeling!!) and ended up hopping a boat to Stingray City. It was here that we donned our snorkeling gear and jumped in to swim with the stingrays. We swam with them, held them, fed them and even kissed them (for good luck)! This was probably my favorite water activity of the entire trip. Rob liked that it was only four feet deep.

One of the guides went diving for a bunch of conch shells to give us to take home. They were really big and really icky on the outside, so we just opted to hold them and pass them off onto the other passengers. The shells are absolutely beautiful on the inside though. Apparently the urchin-like thing that inhabits them is quite tasty...the locals were eating them right out of the shells. Eww, I know.

We bought some disposable waterproof cameras to snap pictures in the water with, but I have yet to develop them. Actually, I have yet to dig them out of our still unpacked luggage, so all the water pictures will have to wait until I get my act together.

I did manage to get a few goobery shots of us on the boat after swimming. And yes, that is my nose plug on the band around my neck. When it comes to being in the water, the nose plug is the best invention ever...as far as I am concerned. The water in Grand Cayman was amazing! It felt like getting into a hot tub...almost. And the color of the water, absolutely hands down the best color of all our stops.

We came across some new housing developments on our way back and Rob was trying to convince me that we need to purchase the one on the right as a vacation home. I told him I'd have to think about it. ☺

There is a small city on Grand Cayman called Hell. Yes, that's right. Hell. They have a post office where you can mail postcards to all your loved ones (or not-so-loved ones) from Hell. Rob thought it's be hilarious to send out a mass mailing from there, but sadly we were out of time so we had to pass it up.

We hit some more shops (FYI - diamonds are super cheap here!!) and then back to the big ol' ship we called home. And that my friends, was Grand Cayman, in a nutshell. Next stop, Honduras!

We're Cruisin'

Our annual Spring trip is upon us and I really thought Rob was going to let me sneak New York in again, but alas, I was wrong. Apparently our agenda is taking us South...way South.

Rob's been begging for hinting towards a Florida vacation for years and I figured it's about time for me to give in. Yes, that's right...we just booked ourselves two hot, humid, sun filled weeks in Miami and the Caribbean. And in our true nature, we booked last minute, meaning we leave next week.

I've got just a handful of days to get our wardrobe looking cruise-ready (sarongs and floral shirts, anyone??), build up my base tan burn and snag Rob some sunscreen for his head.

So put in your souvenir requests now...or you just may not get anything. ☺

Aloha, or whatever.

What to do?

School is out. For EVER the quarter.

I've got a week and half to waste...relax...do something with until I am back in school four nights a week for ten weeks. Again.

All this free time and I've got nothing exciting planned out...but I am working on it.

I am determined to:

• not let this time off waste away
• not have sitting around catching up on all the episodes of LOST, Grey's Anatomy and 30 Rock that I've missed be the most exciting thing that I do
• dig my bike out of the garage and spend some time with it on one of the many trails by our house
• not freak out about turning 29 next week
• get in some quality time with The Robster
• hit a bucket or two of balls at the driving range
• finally drop off all those boxes marked GOODWILL that have been taking up space in our garage for the past year and a half

If I even get two of these crossed off my list, I will be happy! I know, I know...I am such an under overachiever.

Lethal Weapons

This weekend one of Rob's colleagues invited us to attended a Combat Hapkido Clinic. We've talked about taking Hapkido lessons for some time, but just never actually did it.

There is a martial arts studio near our home that was hosting a well know Hapkido master for the weekend, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to get started.

It was really fun, and a work out different to anything we have done before. Especially when Rob punched me in the face. Seriously.

The master reminded us that it was a 'training accident' (that stays on the mat and doesn't follow us home), and that I should have been blocking him anyways. True.

Rob was really sorry...although I swear I saw him spit out a chuckle. But so did I. I managed to get it a few good jabs myself too. ☺

We are now toying with the idea of taking the more advanced course on a regular basis...I just don't like the idea of having to wear a gi.

So now we are both I am pretty sore from being thrown on the ground over and over again...but also prepared to fend off a mugging or two. Don't mess with us, we are now lethal!

Olympics, two tickets please

With the 2010 Winter Olympics being so close to us (Vancouver, BC), we thought we just HAD to go! Only problem...we got this idea a few years after the rest of the world. Way to go, I know!

By the time I got around to buying tickets, all the exciting events were sold out. I really wanted to see the figure skating, and Rob wanted to see anything that he didn't have to stand outside in the cold to see.

Skating (figure and speed) sold out long ago, but we were lucky enough to get some hockey tickets. I was a bit put off by the price of the tickets, but Rob reminded me that it's not going to be just any old hockey game, it's the Olympics and that is one more thing we can check off our list of 'cool things to do before we die'. True.

After hours of time online and on the phone with their customer support I finally got our tickets purchase and am really looking forward to going!

Go USA!!

Oh, wait...we're seeing Germany and Belarus...not sure who we'll be cheering for yet.

PRIDE

This weekend we made our way downtown to join in on the Seattle Pride 09 festivities. We caught the parade, grabbed some lunch and wound our way through all the stands set up at the Seattle Center.

The parade wasn't your typical kind of parade, but don't worry...no pictures that aren't G rated! :)

These was a group of local librarians. They had a whole dance routine they did with their book carts. It was really cute!

The mayor and his wife

Hairspray!

This was early in the day. It was completely packed, and then some by 2:00.

It was a great day to be outside and downtown. Sun was shining, but not too hot and plenty of opportunities for people watching. A definite must do for any one in Seattle.

Proposal is in order

Saw The Proposal and loved it!

I don't know that I will ever hear the songs Relax or Get Low again without thinking of this movie and dissolving into laughter.

Haven't seen it yet? Definitely go. Yes, it's a chick flick, but it's still got some funny parts for the guys and gals.

Plus, I just love Sandra Bullock!

'To do' really means 'I'm not doing it'

I've had the exact same to do list for months...and have yet to cross a single thing off of it! Here's a little taste:

• Clean out my car - my trunk is so full, I can barely fit my bags in when I go to the grocery store.
  
• Drop off bags at Goodwill - there is about a five or six square foot patch of garage that is taken up by stuff I keep meaning to take to Goodwill (which I pass three times a week!), but I just can't bring myself to load it up...which also goes back to my last task...I don't have room for it anyways. The pile is growing too...pretty soon Rob won't be able to fit into the garage!
  
• Clean out the fireplace. It's still full of ashes. And not ashes from logs...it burned my old bills instead of shredding them. I thought it was a great idea, but turns out it made a HUGE mess. Rob was not happy!

I am hoping to use this long weekend to tackle a task or two, but I will most likely keep up my streak. I'd be better off paying someone else to do it...that's the only way it will happen. So, who wants to make $20?

Booked!

I finally did it. I just booked us 9 days back East for the first week of May. Three days in New York City, down to Washington DC for two, up to Philadelphia for two more and then back to NYC for another two.

We are really looking forward to getting away for such a long vacation. We haven't really decided what we will do while we are there, but we have a few weeks to plan. Anyone have any must see/do's for us?

How behind, you say?

In all of the business I have been enveloped by lately, I knew I was falling a little behind in my blog reading, but by how much I did not know. Imagine my surprise when I log into my lovely Google Reader to find that I am nearly 300 posts behind!!

Bad blog reader, I know. It will take me forever to do it, but I will get through every last one of those posts and then hopefully I will have learned my lesson: reading blogs is more important than real life.

I have got to get my priorities in order!

The Big Day

I hope that everyone remembers to vote!!

If you haven't yet, you can find your local polling place here.