A couple weeks ago I participated in an Alzheimer's Memory Walk at Seattle Center. My office formed a team and, even though I didn't know anyone on it, I decided to join.
This is what branching out looks like for me. Be proud.
In the end it turned out that a friend on my client team was also participating, so I didn't have to branch out too much. Baby steps, people.
They sent out this picture to the group today and it makes me laugh. Just a hodge podge of people, not looking very enthused and me front and center. Could I look more out of place? The event was obviously to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association with each participant doing the fundraising. My attempts were meager, but THANK YOU to everyone that donated. I walked for my grandma and your support really did mean a lot to me.
One perk of my job is that sometimes I get free stuff. Sometimes they are little things, sometimes big things. And last week, it was cupcakes. Unexpected, (undeserved), delicious cupcakes.
As I was carrying the box back to my desk from reception, I noticed the sticker announcing some improvements. Does that make you uncomfortable too? Moist is definitely on the The List and my brain couldn't fathom that word getting any worse.
Moisty=Worse. Moisty-er=THE WORST.
Although, they weren't kidding around. Those cupcakes were "more moisty-er" than ever before.
I got a birthday present in the mail a little early this year from my brother and sister-in-law. Yes, Internet, that is a can of Rob Dyrdek TAG body spray.
+I have a friend returning from two weeks in the wilderness (or a farm in Massachusetts, either way) where she's been without the internet (see what I mean about it being the wilderness?) and I received an email from her today mid-travel that expressed her hope that I had been blogging in her absence. Oopsy-daisy. Maybe this will make up for it.
+I've been OBSESSED with the US Open this year. To the point where I've been watching matches every day, following @usopen on Twitter, TIVOing matches I'm missing, checking the site for updates and even braving the treadmill (as opposed to my bestie the elliptical) so I can rock the personal TV screen and watch while I run.
And maybe I cried when Melanie Oudin won her 2nd AND 3rd matches. I was just so happy for her!
And I wish Nadal would play without a shirt on. Just thinking out loud here....
+I had good Labor Day weekend. Not quite all I had hoped it would be, but still a solid performance. Having two days off of work alone is enough to make it worth it.
+The weekend included making jam and seeing two chick flicks [Time Traveler's Wife and The Proposal]. Please don't judge me for seeing The Proposal three times in the theater. I can't help it if Ryan Reynolds is the DREAMIEST DREAMBOAT THAT EVER LIVED! I can't.
+The weekend also included a Brandi Carlile show. Bonus! This particular show was a fundraiser for the band's foundation, Looking Out, and included a Q&A session which I quite enjoyed. She also only played fan requests that had been previously sent in. One of which was, Happy, which I've been dying to hear since I saw her perform in in Boise in 2007. I think it's in my BCB Top Three songs. I know you think it should be getting old by now. I can assure you, it's not.
+I also got to hit up Bumbershoot, thanks to my fantastic roommate who had the ticket hook-up. It rained all weekend, but while I was there the rain held off, which I was super grateful for! I saw The Cave Singers, Lenka and Metric.
+The Cave Singers might be my new obsession. And I maybe developed a bizarre crush on the lead singer (on the left). I mean, he was wearing a hot pink hat, rocking a full beard and a dirty tank top...BIZZARE. CRUSH. But apparently I can't resist a man with a harmonica.
+Metric exceeded my expectations. Let's just say there was an ample amount of fist-pumping. I've been singing Help I'm Alive non-stop for the past two days.
+Tonight at the gym I was watching the Federer/Soderling match while running and started clapping after a point. I made a mental note to try not to act crazy in public. Let's just save the crazy for at home, okay?
+I stopped by the grocery store tonight and was hit on by the checker, who I'm assuming is 18 years old. Really, Universe? The best you can do for me is 18 year old bag boys?
+I'm participating in the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk on Saturday at Seattle Center. If you'd like to make a donation to support the Alzheimer's Association, you can do so on my personal donation page.
+Really, the event that I've been thinking about most these past few days is the arrival of my niece and nephew. A text message at 4am is just confusing no matter what the message is, but when it announces that the "babies are here" a couple months early, it's even harder to grasp.
They were born at 29 weeks and we've seen the power of prayer working on those tiny ones. And it amazes me how much love I feel for them without having met them.
Elizabeth with her daddy. William holding his mommy's hand. Try and tell me this isn't the most adorable thing you've ever seen. Please keep them in your prayers! They're just special little ones and my eyes well up every time I look at pictures of them.
+The adventures continue this weekend with WICKED on Friday. I'm going to try my hardest not to sing every word of every song, but I can't make any promises.
I love weekends in general, but I particularly love four day weekends. Having today off was delightful. I slept in, got an oil change (only 6 months over due), grocery shopped, watched tennis and made jam.
My first, and only other, attempt at jam was a couple years ago in SLC with Lindsay and a girl in our ward. It turned out great, but it was something that seemed too difficult to attempt on my own. A few days ago Lindsay came home proclaiming that Friday was the day for jam.
And so it was.
So we headed to Costco and bought some supplies. This time around we went with freezer jam, which is apparently the "cake from a box" of the jam world. I'm not above taking shortcuts so it was fine by me. It only took an hour or two and resulted in jars of jam that look delicious. I'll be able to tell you how it tastes in 24 hours.
The event was obviously to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association with each participant doing the fundraising. My attempts were meager, but THANK YOU to everyone that donated. I walked for my grandma and your support really did mean a lot to me.
