November Favorites

Everything here in the Pacific Northwest is done changing colors, trees are starting to get naked, and it.is.getting.cold. I am not naive to the winter weather here, Andrew and I visited last November, but golly. It sure is a different kind of cold! The wind just cuts through all the layers you have on, and makes it feel like you've gotten the wind knocked out of your lungs. If that isn't pleasant enough there is usually a cold mist pelting you in the face at 40mph too :) It is manageable, and I refuse to let the grey get to me! My vitamin D gummies have become the highlight of my mornings. Here are my favorite things as of recently.

•  Reading this book. Oh my gracious! IT IS SO GOOD! I'm not even an avid reader or anything, but this is an awesome one. I've tried to start reading before I go to bed, instead of hauling my laptop around and watching The First 48, because I heard its bad for you and whatnot with the lights from the screen and your sleep cycle blah blah. If you haven't read it, I would check it out! Or do it the easy way and watch the movie.

•  How I Met Your Mother is probably one of my favorite shows ever. Like many shows, Andrew got me hooked on it because he got hooked on it. It is my understanding that during a deployment there is a lot of movie/TV show watching and downloading, maybe or maybe not illegally. Andrew's collection now includes all the seasons of lots of different shows and about 100 movies. When he leaves his hard drive here to go to air drop school, that means I watch all the episodes systematically, one season at a time :)

•  Spending my weekends volunteering. Not only does it give me a great sense of charity but its awesome experience to get acquainted with how the aquarium works and the people there as well. Talking to guests and watching kids use their brain never gets old. Volunteering also gives me sweet opportunities to see the aquarium after-hours, which is an experience in itself. The underwater dome (pictured) is the most amazing, tranquil place when the lights are out. I can't wait to see what awesome things I get to do when I start interning!

• Trying not to be a Grinch! Don't get me wrong, I love me some Christmas time. Giving thoughtful gifts is probably one of my all-time favorite things to do year round, and this time of year that activity gets its own little spotlight. In the recent years I just haven't felt that butterflyish feeling right after Thanksgiving like most people seem to have. Mine usually sinks in right before Christmas eve haha! Better late than never. It is hard to get excited when there's nobody to hang lights with, chop down (yes we had planned on chopping our own tree this year!) and decorate a tree, make cookies, and wrap presents with. All those little events along the way that are like the pre-game to Christmas. Just like fall though, I WILL get that feeling, even if it takes a bit to sink in.

Alright, time for me to get out of here. It's been great November, we'll see ya next year!

Cheers,

KLM

K is for Ketchup and Mustard

Not literally ketchup, but catch up :)

Here I am, readjusted to being in solo mode L It was only a short reunion for Andrew and I, but at least this time he isn’t as far away, overseas, and dealing with war conditions.  He is busy doing an air drop upgrade, being a stud C-17 pilot, as usual. Long distance training is a lot easier for me to deal with on a daily basis; I can call him whenever I want …which may or may not be a good thing for him ;), and we’re only a plane ride away. Even though I probably won’t see him till Christmas time because of scheduling stuff, it puts my heart at ease to know that seeing him is not out of my control, unless they recently started border patrol in western Oklahoma. Here we are on a Sunday outing before he left, at the Hawk's Nest, which is a fun place to watch the Seahawks lose. God forbid we take a serious picture.

Other than that, life is good! I’m puppysitting this week for a coworker who is in Hawaii while it rains like the dickens here. Ruby is a great listener. And she smiles at me when I sing in the car.

I have no plans for Thanksgiving, besides watching the parade and football with Ruby, and eating a turkey sandwhich. Andrew and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving a couple weeks ago so we could experience the whole sha-bang of cooking together, which I was really looking forward to before we learned of his training dates. I meant to write a blog about it but got caught up in the readjustment of being by myself and work and whatnots. It was about 7 hrs worth of cooking: Turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, mac and cheese, stuffing, homemade gravy, pumpkin cream cheese truffles (courtesy of a Pinterest recipie that WAS A LIE that didn’t turn out at all like described. WARNING: They are NOT pretty like the picture shows. Not at all.), and apple pie! Almost everything from scratch besides the stuffing, rolls and cranberry sauce. It was exhausting but definitely fun. Here is Andrew with his beloved turkey. The second time he did this pose, post cooking, the wings fell off. He was so proud of all the crap he stuffed into that thing. It all paid off, because it was yummy, so thank you Chef Barrier!

The one thing that Thanksgiving reminds me is that I dislike when people embrace thankfulness for one day. Why can’t people have that attitude, and the general holiday spirit all year round?? November through December is great for some people, but personally, the holidays serve as a reminder to be gracious, giving and kind, no matter how close the date is to December 25^th.

Besides our giant Thanksgiving feast, I have been cooking a lot lately, who knows why. Probably because leftovers are easiest to pack for lunch. My great and lovely friend Kelli always raves about this Pioneer Woman website, and all the recipes, so I tested it out and look forward to finding more goodies there. Here’s the lasagna I tried, it was yum! And Andrew approved.

Finally, I added some more pictures from Andrew's camera to the previous post about our trip to Canada, so go check them out! Until next time friends...

Cheers,

KLM

T is for Tea?

ANDREW IS BACKKKK! He surprised me at work last Thursday with flowers and everything :) After a relaxing dinner and day of shopping we began our journey into Ooooo Canadaaaaa. The trip began with a drive downtown, and a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island, which is across the Sound. So here we are, in a car, on a boat, in the bay, goin to Bainbridge!

We then drove about an hour and a half northerly to Port Angeles, where we caught our 2nd ferry, sans car, and arrived in Victoria.

If you're not familiar with Puget Sound geography,  here's a general idea of our path. The drive was just gorgeous, as I have found with most things in this part of Washington, and it was nice to enjoy simple things like being in the car with Andrew.



After a full day of traveling, we finally arrived in beautiful Victoria! And then Andrew told me a surprise he had been keeping from me, and pointed out where we were staying! The Fairmont Empress......

Which was right across the street from their Parliament building.....

Amazing right? Our hotel room had it's own little fireplace and the staff were willing to do anything to make your stay a nice one. As you can see, the outside of the building was covered with ivy, and apparently, it too, changes color in the fall. Obsessed. I was obsessed with it. So.BEAUTIFUL! Here are just a couple of the many, many, pictures I took, solely of the ivy.

Obsessed I tell you. I loved staying at The Fairmont, not just for the ivy, or the service, but the atmosphere! Don't you always wonder what it would be like to live in a castle? Well, I do. And I figure this is about as close as I'll get. Though I don't know what I would do with alllllll of those rooms, while walking down the long, curvy hallways it was fun to think about. Until Andrew brought up The Shining and made me nervous to turn corners in fear that there would be two girls on tricycles at the end of the next corridor. Nice Andrew. Real nice.

Besides exploring the hotel, with it's own restaurants and shops inside the place, we mostly just walked around the town. The hotel was within walking distance of the ferry dock, and tons of shopping and great eating opportunities! We got takeout one night and sat in our room to watch American football, found a brewery (Sorry Canada, your beer sucks)....

Ate some salmon nachos, and waffles. Fancy waffles are quite popular there....

Found a Christmas store with an anal retentive owner who allowed no photos and minimal handling in his 6,000 square feet of PURE CHRISTMAS. (Yea I took one anyways HA!)

and finally, on our last day there, our favorite part of the trip, we had afternoon tea :)

We dressed up nicely, and had the opportunity to head to The Fairmont's very own, Tea Room. The tradition has been around for over a century and it was an amazing experience to be apart of. This link tells you a little more about the "quintessential Victorian experience," and what is involved in afternoon tea. Even though the tea was caffeinated, both Andrew and I found it to be super relaxing and felt like we could have sat there all day chatting and calling each other things like "dahling" and "my sweet." As a gift, we received some tea of our own, and I'll have to say, I look forward to drinking it again. Andrew now wants his own tea set.

Of course we, nay, one of us can never take a serious picture, so I had to opt for one on my own as we left town. Until next time Victoria!

Cheers,

KLM

P.S.

Favoritos de Octubre

Here we are again. The end of another month!! Technically, Andrew should be done with his first 60 days in Manas. Unfortch, as is with the military, it'll be about 70 days before he actually gets home. But that is soon! And I absolutely cannot wait! I am only working till Thursday in anticipation of his return. We plan on taking a celebratory trip to Victoria, Canada for the weekend after he gets back, again, cannot wait! I've never been to Canada so it'll be great to put my passport to good use.

Besides getting more excited every day for AB's return, I started volunteering for the aquarium every Saturday. I only have one shift under my belt but it was fun! As "interpreters" we stand by exhibits to answer questions, encourage "touching the animals gently with one finger" at the touch pools, and generally just talk with visitors. The Seattle Aquarium is great because they treat volunteers just like staff, and understand that donating our time is such a wonderful gift we are giving. I am proud to be apart of it! And it is definitely a great place to make contacts in the aquarium world :)

Here are my favorite things for the month of October!

• All things fall. This one was a favorite last month too, but I already had a long list. Look at how our apartment has transformed!

 

Navy pumpkins monogrammed with thumbtacks :) Wheat filled wine bottle :) Kitchen sticks and leaves :) I was going to spray paint the sticks but I liked the more rustic look. (P.S. Don't ya love our cabinets!?)

• Ann Taylor Loft shopping!! Oh gracious. I love everything at this store which may or may not be a good thing. Its great because it's quality stuff, it's bad because my pay checks are only so big! No worries I'm good at budgeting, and am slowly building a wardrobe I love, not purchasing it all at once. So family who reads this blog: Now you know what gift cards are FABULOUSSSS presents! ;)

• Shopping in the kids' section oooo yeaaaa! Look at my new bright red trench coat! Courtesy of the little girls section at Target! One reason I'm thankful for being so short, it saves me money sometimes! That picture also highlights the magnificent scarf my best Megan SEWED me. Yea that's right people, she knows how to sew now, watch.out! Which leads me to my next favorite......

• SCARVES! After Meg's kept me so warm in cozy (I am trying to hold off on the heater until December) I decided scarves look super cute AND they keep you warm. My next purchase will be a big knitted one like the picture. Can't wait!

• My last minute Halloween outfit for preschool. I spent $5 on a red t-shirt and made the rest. I am, if you didn't get it, an Angry Bird! (It's a game you play on your phone G-Unit) Kids in our class love all things Angry Birds, so I can't wait to see their reaction tomorrow on Halloween! And finally.......

• I GOT THE AQUARIUM INTERNSHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes that's right. The internship I talked about wanting in my very first blog ever, I have gotten the position! In January, my "volunteer" status will be changed to "intern!" I am so grateful for all the prayers and support I have gotten from those around me. For 10 or so weeks I will be cleaning, feeding, training, and doing whatever they tell me to, with the mammals and birds (ya....birds) of the aquarium. That means I'll be the closest EVER to seals and otters, and birds. Dreams really do come true! The internship will be the foundation of knowledge and skills that I need to become a biologist in a zoo or aquarium, so cheers to starting the rest-of-my-life career path!

I learned about my acceptance into the intern position AND Andrew is almost home AND I am taking time off work to go on a trip with him. Life is truly wonderful right now and I feel so BLESSED! Until next time...

Cheers,

KLM

O is for Oklahomans

Pardon me for my lateness with this post. Work has been exhausting, volunteer training has finished up, and last weekend I was sick sick sick. Other than that, we are super close to the end of deployment!! I have tried to adopt this motto : Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It is about learning to dance in the rain! So this is me, dancing in the rain of Andrew being gone, instead of just waiting for it to be over.

A couple weeks ago, Kevin's parents came to visit, and I had the pleasure of meeting them and getting to spend time with the Delker clan while they were here. One thing they had talked about doing was going whale watching! I have never been, but Andrew and I always talked about wanting to go out on a trip to see some orcas. The season that whales are in Puget Sound is April till October, so we were at the tail end. I felt kind of terrible having the opportunity to go without Andrew, because we always like check things off our bucket list and have "firsts" together, but after talking with him, he assured me I should go when I had the chance and I "better have fun." After all, if I didn't go with KP and his parents, there wouldn't be another chance till next year.

Kevin and the parents picked me up bright and early in the morning. Like really early. We first had to drive about an hour and a half to Anacortes, then catch a ferry to Friday Harbor, which is one of many little towns in the San Juan Islands. From Friday Harbor we would get on the whale boat and let the fun begin!

Anacortes, WA

Anacortes was a super cute town. There wasn't time to explore it, but we did have time to grab some coffee and treats before we got onto the ferry. We drove Kevin's truck right onto the ferry and then found a seat upstairs.

It was about an hour ride to Friday Harbor. I spent the majority of the time just staring out the windows at the gorgeous Puget Sound scenery, yet, hoping not to get Sound sick. Hey, ya never know. Kevin and I discovered you walk like a drunk person while wandering around the decks of a moving ferry. Little sheltered Kelsey has never been on a cruise ship, but I assume my experience on the ferry was similar, probably less wavy. Here's some pictures from the ride over....

( I just love Mr. Delker's boots! He was cowboy moseying all over the streets of Seattle!) Well, we arrived in Friday Harbor, and what do ya know? There is no room on the boat. Woospies! Since Kevin called late the day before we went there, the place never called back, and therefore, never reserved our spots on the boat :( sad day. BUT we made the best of it! Simply driving around Friday Harbor was worth the trip; it was soooo pretty as all the leaves were changing. God really makes his presence known around fall time doesn't he? Kevin had a friend who knew of a nice park on one side of the island so we made our way over there and ended up spending quite a while just walking around, enjoying the nice day, and having a little history lesson!



Look at the size of that tree compared to Mr. D!

If you can't read the words on the sign, it says that in 1859 the killing of a pig on San Juan Island almost brought England and the US to war because of territorial rights here. While the problem was being worked out, both parties set up camp on this land. They were peaceful here until 1872 when the British garrison was abandoned. Andrew would have gotten a kick out of all the signs and reading about the old buildings that still stand here. I took pictures of all of them for him :)

The trees were my favorite part, I wish they could tell stories. The ornamental garden was used to separate the officers from the other soldiers, hmmm sounds kind of familiar!

After a little BBQ lunch (that was child's play compared to my beloved Kansas City BBQ), we headed back to the dock for a sleepy ferry ride to Anacortes, and even sleepier car ride back to Seattle. It was a great day with some awesome, down to earth, funny, kind people. I was so glad they got a chance to see Kevin, and spend some quality time with him, and especially was thankful they let me be apart of their time here! Here's to hoping my family will get a chance to come explore the Puget Sound soon as well!

xoxo,
KLM