Root, root, root for the home team. Even when they lose.

Saturday night we made our way downtown to Safeco Field for the Mariners v. Rangers game. Before the game started we grabbed some munchies on the Outside Corner right before the rain started coming down. The retractable roof is one of the coolest things about Safeco Field. If it were raining, we would not be at the game. We're not that big of Mariners fans!

And apparently we aren't the only ones. This was the emptiest Mariners game we've ever been to. Maybe they aren't doing too well this year?? I don't know...neither of us really follow baseball...we just like to go to the games and people watch.

It just so happen to be Latin America night so everything was said in English and Spanish and a lot of the little ditty things they do on the big screen were Latino. They uniforms we in Spanish too. For all you Spanish illiterates out there, in Spanish the Mariners are Los Marineros. ☺

This was the sole M's score of the entire night. Kinda lame. What happened guys!?!

We then went home where Rob thought it would be funny to feed Jackson left over cotton candy. OK, I thought it was a little funny too. Yeah, we're awesome.

See, we're irresponsible when it comes to pets...we definitely shouldn't be entrusted with kids yet!

Labor Day the Canadian Way

Rob surprised me with a long weekend in Vancouver, BC over the Labor Day weekend. We stayed at a great place on Robson {where all the shops/restaurants/clubs are} so we didn't have to go far for anything!

We did do our fair share of walking though...there was a lot going on that weekend! We watched some street performers. Our favorite was a guy who juggled fire, then was chained up in a straight jacket and escaped. As if that wasn't good enough...he was quite the comedian as well. There was some sidewalk art too...this MJ one was probably the best.

We went to TaiwanFest, which had the absolute scariest food I have ever seen! People were lining up to get fried octopus and grilled squid on a stick and pickled pork belly, fish ball {?!?} soup, blood pudding on a stick and of course, bubble tea. Needless to say, we passed on every single bit of it!

We spent one day at the Vancouver Aquarium, which was mostly like any other aquarium we've been to, except they had beluga whales, dolphins and a 4-D movie.

It was SO crowded there. We got there fairly early and the line was snaking all away around the building. It was raining so they were passing out umbrellas to people who didn't have them {ahem, Rob}. Here he is with his cute froggie umbrella. I kinda wanted to keep it. ☺

I took a million pictures, but none of them showed up well because I just haven't learned how to master the flash/glass combo on my camera. Oh well!

We also did a bit of shopping, got in some good eats and saw a terrible movie {The American, don't waste your money}. It all went by way too fast. Good times.

Click, flash!

A few weeks back we had our photos taken at Gasworks Park. We didn't get too many couples proofs back from the photographer to choose from {big bummer}, but I think we'll end up getting the few below.

She took a lot of individual shots, which we weren't really looking for, but may snag one of each of us...just to put on our desks at work. Not of ourselves, you know...of each other.

We're not in love with any of them, but like them well enough. Rob thought it would have been funner {or is it more fun?} to have our pets in the pictures with us. I vetoed it without even considering it. Maybe next time. ☺

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!

At the lake

August seems to have slipped by without any blogging, meaning I don't think we did much of anything worth sharing. I did find a few random pictures from a picnic at the lake a couple weeks ago.

We had a streak of hot weather up here for a few days and thought that Jackson would be all over some swimming. Turned out he had to be coaxed a bit. Okay, he had to be dragged into the water. Completely against his will.

But once he got in he actually enjoyed it...for a little while.

Then he'd had enough of it and was desperately trying to drag Rob out.

I thought he was crazy. If I'd had my bathing suit, I would have gotten in and stayed in for a while. Someone keeps pressuring me to play hooky and spend an afternoon at the lake. I might have to give in soon!

It's hip to be a square

Last Saturday we found ourselves wandering through what is normally a beautiful park along the Seattle waterfront. I say normally because this trip it was a little less than lovely. Seattle Hempfest had taken over the park and it was pure chaos, but in the most laid back of ways, of course.

We been to Hempfest once before, you know - just to say we'd gone, but apparently we've turned into complete squares since then. It was really crowded and super smelly (I got a wee bit nauseous and Rob was feeling a tad 'affected' by the surrounding odor) just by walking through the park.

The place was covered in garbage and there was an abundance of parents who thought it a good idea to bring their children. Way to go! It was a good place to people watch though...always a plus.

We snapped a few pictures, did a little bit of walking around/shoving our way through the park, dared to buy and drink some bottled water and then made a beeline back to the safety of our neck of the woods. I can confidently say we've been Hempfest-ed out. For good.

My boys

I walked downstairs and saw them watching TV just like this.

Jackson likes to kick back and watch TV too, I guess. He isn't very modest though...we'll have to work on that.

Accepted

A pretty piece of mail arrived at our house this week, and it wasn't for me. It was for the Robster. And it was from this incredibly not so little school called Penn State.

Apparently Rob isn't content with the handful of degrees he has already and he needs to have another Masters degree. Penn State thinks it's a good idea too, as they have accepted him. Yay.

No, this doesn't mean we'll be moving {although I wouldn't have been 100% opposed to a move}, it's mainly an online program that will only require him to travel to the campus a few times a year.

So just to sum it up: Rob is awesome, super smart and I am proud of him.

At the races

Saturday afternoon we headed off to the track to catch some races...horse and weiner dog. It also just happened to be one of those rare Seattle days when the sky is clear enough to see Mt. Rainier.

There were about three horse races scheduled before the weiner dog races were to take place, so we got in on that fun too. I have a history of winning big at the horses, but I was too content kicking back in the sun to go place any bets. I'd regretted it after the fact. The horse I had my eye on {named Eyes on my Heart} would have made me some big money. Bummer.

There were three heats of the weiner dog races and each one was funnier than the last. These dogs were hilarious!

In the second race a group of them stalled and then started running back to the person that released them rather than to the person calling them at the other end.

I think that if Jackson would've been in the race he might have been one of them...or that he would have wandered off to smell the flowers {because that's the masculine kind of dog he is} but Rob kept insisting that if Jackson were there he would have cleaned the track with those other dogs.

Next year, I told him. Next year.

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. ☺