Buy Me Some Peanuts and Cracker Jacks

There's something about baseball that just makes me happy. I love the whole atmosphere! There's nothing better than a summer night at the ballpark with a hot dog and a diet coke. Tonight Lindsay and I made our way to Safeco Field for the Mariners/Tigers game. It wasn't quite a "summer night", but was still a lot of fun.
I loved this view of the sign, especially with the sun setting behind it.
Linds opted for the pizza/diet coke combo.
I went for the jumbo hot dog and diet coke. It was delish!
The view of the city from the park was fantastic. I love this city!
We were too far away to get any great pictures of the field, but I promised my Uncle Joe that I would post pictures of this game so he could get "sick with envy". 
In other Detroit sports news, the Pistons lost to the Celtics tonight. Bummer, but I'm sure they'll be back next year!

Did I really pay for this?

I survived my first session with the trainer. Tonight we focused on legs and then I did cardio while Lindsay had her session. 

It's going to be a LONG six months. 

I didn't think it was going to be easy, but I didn't think it would be that hard! I'm worse off than I thought! By the time we were done my legs felt like jello and I'm sure I looked like an idiot trying to walk. I pushed through and still got in a couple of miles on the elliptical, which actually made my legs feel better. 

If only you could have seen Lindsay and I hobbling around the house this evening. I'm sure it was amusing. There are four flights of stairs and poor Linds had to make her way to the top. Although I think going down is worse than going up.

I'm going back for another session of torture on Saturday morning. I'm not quite sure what I've gotten myself into.

Seattle Scenery

The weather in Seattle last weekend was beautiful despite the forecast of rain. I spent most of the day Saturday battling with the DMV, followed by a fantastic nap and ended they day by taking a drive around Magnolia in the beautiful 70 degree weather.
This is a shot of the city from the same location as before. Only this time the weather wasn't so gloomy.

I stopped at a nearby park to get some shots of the water and the sunset. The evening could not have been more perfect.

On Monday I tried to foster a love for the outdoors and Lindsay and I took a hike through Discovery Park to the beach.

It was fine on the way down, but I couldn't help worrying about the way back up.

Once we got there I could only think about how beautiful it was! I loved it. I'll definitely be heading back.

Isn't my neighborhood fantastic?!

Paying for Torture

Last night Lindsay and I paid a lot of money to get our butts kicked twice a week.  That's right my friends, we now have personal trainers.

I've been contemplating the idea for over a year.  The plan was to get one after I got back from Hawaii last May, but instead I stopped going to the gym altogether. Pretty much the same thing, right?

Right now I'm kind of excited about it. Our first session is tomorrow so ask me on Friday how excited I am then...

On the Bus Today...

...I think I may have gotten a boyfriend. I'm not quite sure.

The bus was packed. I tried to leave work early and catch the 5:03 bus, but I didn't decide this until 4:53 and then proceeded to argue back and forth with myself about whether or not I would have enough time to get to the stop. I went anyway and when I got to the stop I looked at my phone - 5:03 exactly. Apparently this was the one time the bus decided to come early because I waited at the stop until the next bus came at 5:25.

Not the point of my story.

I think 5:25 must be a more popular time to catch the bus because it was packed. I had to sit at the front of the bus in the seats that face each other. (Side note: Those seats are super awkward. You can't help but stare at the people across from you even if you don't mean to.) Those seats are extra crappy because instead of being shoulder to shoulder with one person, you are are sandwiched between two people. 

The slices of bread in the Stephanie Sandwich today were crossword puzzle man (he pulled a seriously wadded up newspaper out of his pocket and went to town) and my boyfriend. Except I didn't know he was my boyfriend until the last few stops. 

As the bus started to clear out only my boyfriend and I were left in the front section. Now, I don't know how often you ride the bus, but it's not uncommon for people to move seats when something more comfortable become available. Not my boyfriend. He kept his leg rubbed up against me until I got off the bus. 

Needless to say it was awkward. 

Oh, and I saw a kid that looked exactly like Napoleon Dynamite and heard him ask permission to go to a friends house and study. For some reason I thought that was funny.

That New Girl is Weird

My company was out of Diet Coke for 1.5 weeks. Every vending machine on all 5 floors. Out. And it wasn't just DC, it was ALL DIET SODA. Yes, I checked. Would you expect any less?  

It got to the point where my co-worker emailed the office manager and basically said "If you don't get the machines stocked with Diet Coke there will be a riot on the 15th floor". He replied back saying he had been working on it and to please not riot. Since he asked so nicely we postponed the riots and the Diet Coke fairy visited our office sometime between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning.

Normally I limit myself to one in the morning or one at lunch, etc. but not for those first few days. On Wednesday I had three. I happened to leave the cans on my desk so I could recycle them later. My co-worker on the other side of my wall saw them and decided she wanted me to make a pyramid of DC cans. I'm still new and feel like I can't say no to anything, so I agreed. Plus, it might be fun to see how many I can collect. 

By day three this is was the progress I had made. All but one (maybe two) are mine.
My desk is in direct view of a high-traffic area and I had several people stop to ask me if I had some sort of obsession with Diet Coke. I tried to explain the plan but I'm pretty sure they all thought I was an idiot. Which is fine because I kind of think I'm an idiot too.

Here's a shot of my desk. It's still pretty bare, but I've grown to like it. Short walls and all.

Was it my CTR ring or the green jello I bring for lunch?

Well, the cat's out of the bag. I'm Mormon. {gasp} I know, right?

I mean, I wasn't keeping it a secret from my new co-workers; I just wasn't announcing it. I'm sure the living in Utah, graduating from BYU and "No thanks. I don't drink." parts of my life were probably good clues. But then again, maybe it was the day I wore the Shade cap sleeve shirt under a tank top of sorts. 

Either way at least one person put 2 and 2 together because today Chats McGee who sits across from me said, "So, have you found a Mormon church around here yet?" I will admit I was a little surprised by the question and all I managed to say was "Yeah, I have".

I don't know why this all feels so foreign to me. I'm acting like I grew up in Utah. I think I just lived in the bubble for too long.

SLH Club: Established 1990

My childhood bestie is getting married tomorrow. And as a result, the membership of the SLH Club (our 3rd grade creation) is going from 2 to 1. Tomorrow she'll be joining the SLL Club.

I always imagined that I would be there on her wedding day (and her for mine, providing that day ever happens to come) but I won't be there for various reasons that can be summed up as circumstances not allowing. 

Even though I'm sad that I can't be there, I'm just so happy for her! I'm sure I would be a different person if she hadn't been in my life all those years; if I hadn't had her to lean on when high school got confusing.

I know, I know...this post is too serious and infused with real emotion about something other than television, but it's just something I've been thinking about.

I just wanted to say 'Congratulations, Sarah!'

Cheers.

I'll admit, there are times when I feel really out of place here. I was at an event tonight where everyone in advertising in the Northwest (let's be honest, just Seattle) got together to essentially mingle (and consume large amounts of free alcohol). It was at a hotel a block from my office and as the elevator doors opened and I walked into the room full of people, I remembered that I'm the worst mingler ever. EVER. I can't shoot the breeze to save my life. Reason #1 why I felt out of place.

After we made our way through the line at the bar we headed out to the balcony - beers in hand for my co-workers and Diet Coke in hand for me. As I walked through the doors and onto the balcony full of people, I realized that I don't know how to do this. This whole scene is foreign to me. I haven't spent any significant amount of time in bars or clubs. Not only do I not know what to say to the people when we're actually having a conversation, I have no idea how to act in the meantime. Reason #2 why I felt out of place.  And I don't know if it was out of place as much as it was overwhelmed.

So there I was.  One giant khaki pants wearing ball of awkward for the next two hours. I'm sure I was even making the drunk people, slurred speech stories about Ikea and all, uncomfortable with how awkward I was.

I guess practice makes perfect. And the way things are going, I'll be getting a lot of practice.

Apparently, Cook for the Win...

My little Archuleta, surprisingly, is not the new American Idol. I just wanted to give him a hug! Unfortunately, I made the mistake of reading Sarah's blog just as I started watching the finale. I had no idea I was ruining it for myself!

I'm a little disappointed, but I'll be over it once So You Think You Can Dance starts tomorrow!

Archuleta for the Win!

Please tell me you watched AI tonight! I have loved David Archuleta from the very beginning and he did so well tonight.  Oh sure, he's quite possibly the most awkward person ever to be on television, but that's part of why I like him. Every week I just want to give him a hug and tell him to remember to breathe.

If I'm being honest, David Cook is great too. He may actually be better suited to be the "American Idol". BUT if we're talking about who the better singer is, it's David Archuleta. Plus, he's just so adorable.

PS - So You Think You Can Dance starts this week.  It's even better than AI. I can hardly wait!

What I Wouldn't Give to Be There Right Now

Remember how I went to Hawaii last year and never posted any pictures of the trip?  Well, I'm posting them now in honor of the fact that on this day last year I was on my way back home from the beautiful island of Oahu. I wish I was there right now!

Dear Seattle Part II

Dear Seattle,
That's more like it.

Love,
Stephanie

You Sunk My Battleship

A typical Saturday usually includes sleeping in, cleaning all "morning" (usually into the afternoon depending on when I roll out of bed), showering and then running errands (read: finding a way to spend money on things I don't really need).

Today's itinerary didn't stray too far from that.  Toward the end of the errands portion of the day, Lindsay and I stopped at Fred Meyer to complete a CraigsList transaction in the parking lot (classy) and then went inside to get a fan. Seattle has been hot the last two days, as far as we know we have no AC and live in a four story town house - by the time you get to the top it's a sauna.

As we were wandering around looking for a fan, we happened upon the game aisle and Lindsay suggested we take a "look". I should know by now that it's never just a "look". Ten minutes later we walked away from the aisle - me with Skip-Bo and Boggle in hand and Lindsay with Sorry!. Did we need these games? No. But I'm just grateful that I escaped without Trouble and Hi Ho! Cherry-O too. 

I suddenly felt the need to  purchase every game from my childhood for absolutely no reason.  I even said, "Well, I want my kids to have the games I used to play." To which Lindsay replied, "Then you have at least 10 months to come back and get them because it will take a month to meet a guy and then 9 months to have the baby."  Oddly enough, that logic worked...this time. But that doesn't change the fact that we make unnecessary purchases ALL. THE. TIME.

Who knows, it could end up being money well spent. We played Skip-Bo later in the evening and it was a lot of fun (and not just because I won 2 out of 3 games).

Oh, and we made yet another trip to Fred Meyer to pick up some box fans for our windows.  Best $19 I've ever spent. My bedroom is at least 10 degrees cooler already.

Dear Seattle

Dear Seattle,

I haven't found much fault with you since we were formally introduced a few weeks ago, but today I might have found something. 

You see, it's just too early in the year to be 85 degrees. I mean, 85 degrees in May does not give me hope for the rest of the summer. Especially when I live in a town house that doesn't have central air. Do you see my dilemma? I'm torn between being grateful for the sunshine and wishing it were cold and rainy so I wouldn't be sweating on my leather couch or burning my legs on the seats in Lindsay's car.

The weather man is saying that you'll be 70 degrees tomorrow and then in the 60's for the next week, so that's good. Maybe you've come to your senses.

I just want to make this relationship work. Hopefully we can come to a compromise.

Love,

Stephanie

Dop Quop

I've been craving a Blizzard from DQ for weeks. A couple weeks ago we set out to find one using my GPS, but there wasn't one to be found. So, tonight Linds and I decided to plan our night around Dairy Queen. We knew there was one by the temple so we made our way over the water to have dinner in Issaquah, followed by shopping at The Rack and then a delicious Blizzard.
If you look closely right in the center of this picture you can see Mount Rainier covered in snow.
The temple looks beautiful at night. Anyone know why Moroni is facing West?

On the Bus Today...

...I saw a woman breastfeeding her child without any sort of covering. Awkward for all of us. Now I'm not a mother, but I feel like if your kid is walking, and very nearly talking, they might be too old for that.

But what do I know?

Are You Calling Me Fat?

Me: "So there's a Gold's Gym around here? I haven't seen one."

Work Guy: "The closest gym to you is the [insert gym name I can't remember here] in Magnolia.  It's actually the smallest one of theirs in the city, but not too small.  I mean, it would have everything you'd need. Especially if you're not into working out all that much."

Me: "What? Are you saying I don't look like a person that works out all that much?"

WG: "No...umm...I mean, I just meant that if you're not like a body builder or something."

I thought I was pretty funny. I'm not so sure if he did.

On the Bus Today...

I'm going to start a new recurring post titled On the Bus Today... to chronicle all of the adventures I'm bound to have while in the land of public transit.  I know it's only day two, but I have a story already.

On the bus today...

...a man got on in the "Free Ride" area (riding the bus is free in certain areas of the city - essentially all of downtown - so that's where you get a lot of the crazies) and approached the bus driver.  I couldn't hear exactly what was said, but I could tell he was asking where he needed to get off to end up at a certain location.  The driver gave him a street name, told him to sit down and that he would take him there. 

As the man staggered back to his seat he called out, "Is that by the court house?".  The driver shrugged as if to say, I don't frequent the court house so I'm not sure, and smiled. Realizing that he just admitted he was heading the court house the man said, "I mean, not like the main court house for felons and stuff, just like the smaller court house for little stuff."

I laughed to myself and wondered if he actually thought that made a difference. Oh, phew! As long as you're not a felon...

This & That

+I took the bus this morning!  I don't know why, but the thought of taking the bus was so overwhelming to me that I thought it made more sense to pay roughly $200 in parking over the course of three weeks.  Today I paid $1.75 and will be paying $0 once I can get my bus pass.

+I have been trying to remember the last name of a kid from college for 6 weeks.  I mentioned it to an old roomie last night on the phone and she sent me a text this morning revealing the name.  I was so happy because it was driving me nuts.

+For some reason I had Clay Aiken's song Invisible in my head all morning.  It was torture.  Is that not the creepiest song ever written?

If I was invisible, then I could just watch you in your room.

Creeps McGee.

+I don't like Quiznos. I keep trying to eat it (mostly because it's the closest restaurant to my building) but I just don't like it.

+I saw a man on the street in a long, flowing skirt, belly shirt and what appeared to be pig tails yelling to no one in particular, "Haven't you ever seen a white man in skirt in this part of town before?" as he was crossing the street. Oddly enough my co-worker had, in fact, seen him recently on her bus.

+I had a work dinner at a "cafe and wine bar" tonight. It was on a street corner with floor to ceiling windows and we had the corner table.  I watched the city pass by for three hours. It was brilliant. 

+The publisher that took us out with was so sure I needed a drink.  I was so sure that I did not. Good times.

+My co-workers and I shared a cab home from dinner. We may or may not have sung New Kids on the Block songs while in the cab and I may or may not have burned them each a New Kids Greatest Hits CD when I got home.

+I have to get up at 6:30 am to catch the bus and get to work by 8:30.  I told a co-worker that getting up 30 minutes earlier might not be worth the $10/day that I will save.  He told me I was crazy and I had to agree with him.

+I like my job but I still get nervous every night before I go to bed.  Hopefully that goes away soon because I may develop an ulcer.

+I'm excited for AI tomorrow.  It's going to come down the David's and I'd be happy with either outcome (even though my AI heart really belongs to sweet, innocent, Little David).

+I realized last night that I've been missing new episodes of House due to some TIVO issues.  I have some catching up to do!

Boys and Girls

Words cannot describe how much I love this picture of my brothers.

I'm the pasty one on the right. Boo.

Is It Morning?

I'm not quite sure why this week was so exhausting, but it was.  I have been wishing for the weekend since Monday! So when 5:30 rolled around all I could think about was how great it was going to feel to do nothing for the rest of the night.  

My original plans were to sit on the couch and read or watch TV while enjoying an ice cold Diet Coke and some sort of junk food, but when I got home I walked directly to my bedroom, cleared off my bed and crawled into it.  

This was where Lindsay found me when she got home a 20 minutes later, where I found myself at 10:20pm when I finally woke up from a great nap and where I find myself now at 11:40pm as I'm getting ready to turn out the light for the night.

Isn't life without real responsibilities great?

Mallory

Did anyone see Justine Bateman on Desperate Housewives this week?  Girl's lookin' OLD.

Time Waster

I have a lot of work to do tonight. I set up my VPN, brought my laptop home and was determined to work (while of course squeezing in a little AI).  

It's now 10:15 and I haven't even pulled my laptop out of the bag.

What I have done is gone to dinner at a trashy Mexican place in Magnolia (and loved it), drove 20 minutes to Beacon Hill for Dairy Queen only to discover that Buttface (my GPS) did me wrong and there was no DQ to be found, had a family jam night with Linds (I'm getting better at the guitar!), caught up on blogs, personal email and Perez, watched AI and blogged.

I've done everything but the one thing I was supposed to do. It's one of my talents.

Untitled

Today I wore yellow shoes. And I liked it.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

I promise I will stop posting about how much I love my job someday, but that day is not today.

It was a beautiful day in Seattle. After work a few co-workers and I made the 15 minute walk from our building, through Pioneer Square, over to Safeco Field. I watched the Mariner's game from a suite, ate a free jumbo hot dog (and lots of other tasty food), shook a maraca (in honor of Cinco de Mayo), and could have had all the margaritas I could handle if I felt so inclined. 

This is the kind of treatment we get from the publishers we advertise with and I'm getting spoiled.

I've worked 11 days at my new job and have only purchased lunch twice; either publishers or the company have purchased lunch the other 9 times.  So far I have had offers to go to Teatro ZanZinni (some sort of dinner and show), get picked up in a limo and taken to three separate locations for drinks and dinner, grab coffee (or hot chocolate in my case), meet up for 3-4 happy hours and will be at the Mariner's/Red Sox game in a few weeks - all paid for by our publishers.  

It's crazy.  And by crazy I mean awesome.  

I like being on the receiving end of schmoozing.

Pomp and Circumstance

My brother graduated from college today and I'm so happy I was able to be there.  Even though I was nervous about taking a day off during the second week of my new job, I think it was worth it.
How cute are he and his prego wife?
Last night Geoff picked me up from the airport and took me to his house. When I got there my mom was sitting on the couch!  What a surprise!  G&L flew her out for all the celebrations this weekend and no one knew about it.  She surprised each person as the day unfolded - me last night, Julie & Dave this afternoon, Amanda at graduation, Annie at dinner and Brian tonight after dinner.

It's been a good 24 hours.

My Family is Funny

My brother and I just had this conversation while looking at the ultrasound photos of their baby...

S: I don't see how you can tell that he's a boy.

G: That's pointing to his wee-wee.

S: I don't see how they know that's a wee-wee.

G: See, that arrow is pointing to his wiener...

G: ...and those are his balls.

I wish reading it back was as funny as the real thing.