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!

Jam-Packed Weekend

Saturday morning started out bright and early with the Seafair Pirates landing at Alki Beach. The sun was out, but there was a bit of a breeze so it was nice to be outside.

We did the pirate thing and then wandered down the rest of the beach. There was a pole vaulting competition going on and a bunch of kids were taking advantage of the low water and doing trick on their boogie boards. It made me want to play in the water, but after glancing at the murkiness of it, I quickly changed my mind!

On the way back from Alki we stopped in Mercer Island and spent a few hours at a street fair there. Rob was into the 3 on 3 basketball tournament, while I was enthralled by these two little poodles that were dyed green and purple. From Mercer Island we headed down to Southcenter for dinner and then back home to rescue Jackson from his boring day at home.

Dog in tow we headed down to Lake Sammamish where Jackson had his first swimming experience. I thought I was going to have to pull him into the water but he walked right in. He didn't stay for long though...maybe next time.

Sunday was a camera free day, but pictures would have been great! We'd signed up for a 5K that was sponsored by a local community club. It was a little odd but we had a good time and met some very interesting people. They were 'courting' us to join up with them, but I think our one visit there was enough.

Post 5K we hit IHOP (of course!!) to get our carbs on and did a little house hunting...then went home to collapse.

13 days and counting

Yes, there is a countdown in progress!

To a birthday? No.

To a vacation? No.

To the end of an incredibly long quarter of school? Yes!!!!

I honestly don't think I've wanted a quarter to end as badly as I want this one to. Not because it's been particularly miserable or anything, I just really want a break from school!

Being gone until 10:30 every night for weeks upon weeks upon months can really take their toll on you! I am looking forward to being able to come home after work and just be.

Apparently I've been 'neglecting our family' as of late due to school. Yes, that is an actual quote from Rob. And the family he is referring to...him, and the pets. Yes, pets are family too, if you ask him. ☺

So yes, 13 more days of late night classes and weekend studying and I'll be off for a month to renew the bonds with my 'family'.

Can't wait.

Fishin'

Sunday morning we stopped by the airport to pick up Rob's little sister who was returning from a month in Brazil. We got to hear all about her amazing trip over lunch at...you guessed it...IHOP.

That afternoon Rob's brother talked us to go fishing 'city style' a.k.a. at a fish farm. In the beginning I was just an observer, but got into it towards the end and snagged a fishy of my own.

The place was completely shaded, so it made a nice place to sit and relax while catching your feel of fish.

This was supposedly a great bait for the fish. It's fish pellets ground up with a bit of flour and water. It looked quite the gross to me, but it did work, so I guess I don't really have a leg to stand on.

Rob kept catching fish and then unhooking them before I could get a picture of him with it. He caught a really big fish and was giving me a pose when it flipped off it's hook and back into the water. I was a little slow with the camera, so it was that little guy's lucky day!

I tried to get a good shot of my fish, but it was splashing around too much for me to get in there really well. Don't know how it happened, but I hooked him in the belly instead of in the mouth. It was really weird, but I felt a little bad for him. I'm told this sappiness doesn't make for a good fisher.

After an hour or so we ended up with nine to take home. It was pretty neat to watch them get cleaned. A little on the gross side, but still pretty neat.

Marc was excited to cook them all up tasty for us, but we passed on it. It was strange enough to go from catching them to seeing them being cleaned. Not ready to move onto the eating part of that cycle just yet.

Pretty soon they are getting some salmon in...maybe we'll catch some and cook 'em up then.

One last stop over at Rob's Mom's place so he could hang out with her dog, Jackson, who happens to be Rob's new best friend. Rob is convinced that Jackson is going to be joining our family soon, I am just not sure of it yet. He really is a cute little dog, but I am good with just Sox...for now.

Rolling in it

Q: How do you know when you have reached total loserdom?

A: When you get excited that you've finally got over $200K in the bank on Farm Town.

Not that I would know or anything...

Oh, who am I kidding!?!

I am a Farm Town addict and I love it. Yes, it has made me a big ol' dork of a farmer, but I am a RICH farmer...so there!

Playing online games is SO not my bag, but I am really digging the farmer scene.

Rob makes fun of me, but I sense it's just jealousy. :)

I cringe a little when I find myself planning parts of my day around making time to farm...this is when you know it's time to take a step back. I'm sure I'll grow bored with it soon, but until then...I'm off to plant some onions...

~Farmer Win

Over the Fourth

Day one of our adventure was pretty adventure-less. We browsed the Lloyd Center Mall, got our pictures taken in the photo booth a la Jr. High style and saw Transformers 2. Total waste of two hours if you ask me. The first one was pretty good, but the second one was just plain stupid. It was just a bunch of running around, blowing up and machines zooming all over the place. Not good.



A yummy Standford's dinner after made up for the lack of cinema excitement and then back to the hotel for some shut eye. I am not a big sleeper, but Rob had to drag me out of bed the next morning because this hotel has the most comfortable beds I have EVER slept in. Seriously. That is why we always stay here in Portland. Not for the amazing location, great nightlife or the charming shops. It's the beds.

Next up was the St. Paul Fair and Rodeo. It wasn't much of a fair, but it sure was a good rodeo! As we parked at the city cemetery and walked into 'town', we passed this chalk art and it made me laugh. Had to take a picture!

Rob thought it would be $10 well spent for me to get a palm reading. I went for it and the whole time she was doing her thing I was thinking 'what a bunch of garbage', but she was SO serious, it was almost funny. Apparently I will be on the receiving end of a promotion within the next 3-4 months, I have a long life line (isn't this the lamest line in the palm reading book!?!), will be married within a year, will have three children (two boys and a girl) and will be financially successful for the rest of my days. OK, so I liked that last part.

At the rodeo the bucking bronco was right up there near the top of the list, followed closely by the bull riding, but my favorite part was when the rodeo clown reenacted every dance step of Beyonce's entire Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) video. It was SO funny!!

We skipped out before the fireworks to avoid the crowd when leaving. Little did we know, this sneaky maneuver led us to hit downtown Portland just as their fireworks were getting out, so we didn't get back to our hotel until 12:30. Genius, we know. We still caught some fireworks along the way.

The next day we grabbed lunch and did some shopping downtown.

Rob fell in serious like with an extendable scrubber at Sur La Table and insisted on carrying it around all day. Next stop, Puma. They had the funniest signs! Here's the Hot Stuff sign with my Hot Stuff underneath it posing with his new friend. This last sign was my favorite...it was in the mirror in the dressing room area.

Good trip. We had lots more planned, but ran out of time. It'll all have to go on our list of things to do on our next trip down.

One Year Down

I got a surprising email this morning...an alert informing me that this blog is one year old today. I then started to skim back through some old posts and relived the past year...good times!! I am sure glad that Mel had the patience to help me set our blog up!

It's no secret that this blog has been down in the dumps/on the back burner/left for dead lately, but that will not be the case for long. With the summer coming I have decided to cut back on the classes that I am taking so that Rob and I can spend some time together and hopefully get out and do things worthy of some blogging...so expect some posts documenting our fun summer...I hope!

'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?

This is how I work from home...

-I have slept in 90 minutes later than normal.
-I have washed and dried 8 loads of laundry.
-I have spent 84 minutes chatting online with Raymundo from HP Tech Support over my stupid laptop issue.
-I have filled 3 garbage bags with clothes to donate to Goodwill.
-I have been on 1 work conference call that lasted 2.5 hours.
-I have painted and repainted my nails 3 times. I just couldn't settle on one color (Lincoln Park After Dark, Polar Bare and finally Suzi Says Da!)
-I have cooked and eaten 4 (okay, 6) pieces of turkey bacon.
-I have watched 2.5 episodes of Grey's Anatomy, Season 3.
-I have cleaned 0 bathrooms and it will probably stay that way...for today at least.
-I have answered 17 work emails and 9 personal emails.

Whew, I think I need a break...I will go into the office tomorrow. :)