Thanksgiving & Apple Cup

For Thanksgiving this year, I was invited to Matt's sister's house to share a wonderful meal! =) There was SO much food. And I had a wonderful time just being around people on the holidays - sure beat the last two years I spent in the PNW doing nothing for Thanksgiving dinner! Matt's family is so nice and welcoming, they really make me feel at home. Our lunch+dinner was actually a late lunch that extended into dinner, and ended with a couch full of lethargic people.

On Friday morning, we went tailgating at the Apple Cup in freezing-cold weather (literally). Time flew by, as it always does for tailgating! Tambi and I were falling asleep in our seats by the time we got to the game. Waking up that early and drinking is exhausting!! And the game wasn't as exciting as the Seahawks games we'd tailgated for in the past. My favorite part was probably the marching bands - I'd never before seen a marching band LIVE! My second favorite part was sitting behind a Cougars fan who spent ten minutes recording a panoramic photo wrong. She then handed it to the UW fan next to her, who recorded it properly for her. She took the phone back and tried for ten minutes more to record the panoramic photo and never got it right. LIKE SERIOUSLY!?!?! There's an arrow on the screen for a reason, dingus! Now I see why people make fun of WSU people, LOL. I also got to wear my fuzzy husky hat. The Huskies won and we went home happy.





The past 12 months have been fantastic, and I have more now to be thankful for than ever. I found the job of my dreams, which by the way is still going really well, and I've got a lease for a new apartment DT. Matt treats me SO well, and his family is awesome. <3 I am financially stable, with great benefits, and my family is healthy. I have my beautiful Al Pals and I've met so many sweet people in Seattle. Oh yeah, and I'm in the playoffs in my fantasy football league, BITCHES!!!! *gush*

Meowtiple Offense, WINNING!

So close to making it to the playoffs! My first fantasy football season and I'm LOVIN' IT. Mostly because I'm winning. I'm winning! Being in 1st place is like, insane. I just figured out that a punt and kick-off are two different things.. two days ago. Must be all these research and reading skills paying off! LOL.

Being in a league definitely is helping me learn about football fast. And it's so much more exciting when you're invested financially.

My Tale of Two Cities

Last weekend I went back to San Francisco to visit. I attended My and Ya's beauuuuutiful wedding! This was my first wedding ceremony in my adult life, and I'm sure there'll be a few more to come. We had a backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge over water from a cozy hilltop church. We also had 80* Tiburon afternoon sunshine, I'm pretty sure I gained a shade after sitting through that. The vows were so touching, I was laughing and crying and my body was so confused. Calvin officiated, and it made the ceremony even more entertaining! I loved being there, and I could see how happy they were. Ah, WEDDINGS! The dinner was fun too, and the photo booth was pretty awesome. The speeches from the bridal party were lacking but the dj was good! And with lots of alcohol and a Chinese banquet you know I'm happy!!

On Sunday, I watched football with David, Alex, and Gary - they're all in my league. And I kicked David's butt after he tried to trick me into benching Gore! Good thing I'm not THAT gullible. It was a nice relaxing day and I actually felt like I lived in San Francisco again. Normally I feel rushed, and I feel like a visitor, but Sunday was a taste of what I formerly knew as home. I also got to see Tupac and friends, and then Bear later. I LOVE DOGS!! And and and Gary's roommate made us Rolo/Ritz sandwiches!

Monday I had lunch with my mom and my brother, we went to the Pancake House on Taravel and the food was sooo greasy. But we had a good time chatting, and that actually was the first time I'd been in Sunset in over a year.. maybe even two years? For dinner Monday night we went to Shabu for Chad and his mom's birthdays! That was fun, and I ended up sitting near Erwin who I haven't seen since middle school probably? We laughed a lot and I got to spend time with Andy. After dinner, we went to Andy and Alex's apartment to watch Mean Girls. YES!

Before leaving on Tuesday, I got to visit BMW and see my old coworkers! It was SO NICE to finally drop in and catch up because it's almost all the same staff. And I really miss working there! Well, I don't miss the pay or the customers, but I have so many fond memories of those coworkers. David picked me up to get lunch at Prime Dip and we brought it to Alex's to eat with him. Lobster dip! So good.

<3 .="" a="" able="" afternoon="" airport.="" and="" at="" back="" because="" before="" being="" between="" br="" but="" cities..="" city="" d="" decide="" departure="" feel="" feels="" few="" flew="" for="" from="" happy="" him="" his="" home.="" home="" hours="" i="" in="" is="" like="" matt="" me="" moment="" my="" new="" not="" now.="" now="" only="" picked="" realized="" really="" return="" right="" seattle="" see="" seen="" sf.="" so="" that="" the="" this="" to="" torn="" two="" up="" very="" was="" which="" wi=""> It makes me wonder where my home will be in a few years. It could be here, it could be in San Francisco, or who knows what could happen? It could truly be anywhere.

Tech Life

I got a new job, what a relief! It's definitely next-level in terms of technical concepts, and I'm absolutely surrounded by smart people. I'm drowning in brains. Such a nice change from being surrounded by incompetent people in previous jobs! Great benefits, excellent location, and tons of perks. I love being in a challenging environment where there's so much room to grow, and people are so helpful and intellectual that it's impossible not to.

This is what I needed to really stay in Seattle. The opportunity at hand is certainly a milestone in my career and I'm going to love it for a long time - I can already feel it.

Electric Run Seattle

Before tonight, I had seen tons and tons of photos on Facebook, IG, etc. from the Electric Run events in different cities. And I wasn't impressed. It seemed like another trendy 5k but with a generic rave theme that didn't appeal to me.

This morning I had barre class, attempted to play tennis with Sean and Matt, and then as a spur of the moment thing Matt bought me a ticket to do the Electric Run Seattle with him and a few others. Oy vey, I was definitely not in shape for a 5k.

We took off running at the Start line because we were so anxious to begin, but after about 15 minutes I couldn't keep pace with the group. I ended up walking and somewhat jogging on my own for 3/4 of the run, but I got to take in all of the creepy and awesome parts of the semi-decorated Puyallup fair grounds. A lot of the course was winding through empty stables with some pretty cool lights set up. There were bubble machines and foam machines to play in! And there were interesting glow structures, lots of places to stop and take pictures at, and even animal-shaped shrubs with display lighting. My favorite part of the course was an intensely long row of gigantic circular arches that changed colors to the sound of music. The arches also had a strobe lighting effect and it seemed to be synced with the scratches and drops of the mixes.

Even though I can think of a handful of things the event can improve on, I enjoyed the experience! The short rave concert after was alright, we were definitely wishing for some trap music though. Maybe next year? In the meantime, these sore legs will hopefully tone down some before Vegas in 7k, or days.

Fantasy Football - Feline Edition

It took me so long to think of a decent fantasy football team name, now I have one! I'm still on the lookout for a better name/slogan but this will do for now. I'm excited for football season to start!

It's CLAMMER Time!

Today we went to Dosewallips State Park for clamming at low tide! The weather was absolutely perfect, and even though we got off to a rough start this morning we made it just in time. Excellent first clamming experience on a beautiful beach. We even all caught our permit limits!

Now I've got 40 assorted clams (mostly horse clams) that I haven't decided what to do with. But best of all, I got to play with sand dollars, shrimps, crabs, a seastar, and other little sea creatures in the mud! Love my Seattle adventures and Seattle friends!!

My First Par (3)!

Today I played golf for the second time (same Crossroads Par 3 course) and I got my first par!!! At the 9 hole I got right near the green on my first stroke, so I HAD to take that picture. And it became my par. Super exciting, and makes me want to play more and more. Looking into adding to my club set and finding the perfect golf ball to match my swing. Can't wait to get better, and can't believe I waited this long to get into golf!

Golf, finally!

Soooo, today I played my first game of golf. After years of the occasional driving range practice and owning a new set of Callaway clubs for no reason really, I finally got out there and did it! I've always had anxiety of being rushed and holding up the queue at a course, but in Bellevue at the par 3 course today that was not an issue at all.

I lost, but not by thaaat much. Mike and I played 9 holes and I got a 48, he got a 41. I'm so excited to play more! The weather is perfect and I've got plenty of time on my hands the next few weeks. Yay summer hobby!

Woodland Park Zoo

I finally got to go to the zoo! And we saw the cutest little baby jaguars. Took lots of fun pictures and in the photobooth we chose the worst photo (instead of the best, since it seemed so boring). Ugh, LOVE SEATTLE SUMMER!

SF + Seattle + NY + Vancouver = MDW

Last weekend, for Memorial Day Weekend I was lucky enough to see my friends from SF! For all of the May babies, we had a huge group head up to Vancouver to party. The i5 bridge in Mount Vernon collapsed on Thursday night, but luckily everyone else seemed to have canceled their travel plans. We actually got to/from Vancouver from Seattle faster than we would on any normal weekend!

We went to Celebrities nightclub for Laidback Luke on Friday night. On Saturday, the Seattle people went to Ramen Santouka and Bubble World. We also walked around a lot after lunch to explore! After heading back to the hotel to get sleepy Charles, we decided to venture out and find a liquor store. We ended up walking really far and visiting two liquor stores where we discovered something amazing called Spicebox! Like Fireball.. but better. With 3 bottles of Canadian whiskey, we headed back to our hotel to get wasted. Charles and I went to get dinner before we headed with Sean to Empire (which used to be Fabric, I totally recognized it!). I got to party with all of my beautiful SF friends in a club that was essentially ours! Love love love my Al Pals. The drink of the weekend was Red Dragon, something else and 151 mixed shots. I also got to see Zach, who I haven't seen since I worked in San Mateo.



Sunday we walked around a bit more downtown and then headed back to Seattle. The traveling and partying was definitely exhausting, but we made it out to see Starkillers at Foundation Sunday night. I'm really glad we went, because I seriously had a blast. I'm so lucky to have friends in two cities, and I love that they love each other. THE BEST!

DIY: Breaking Boundaries

Yesterday, I so desperately wanted to watch the Sharks game that I did something that I've always wanted to do, but never was able to get myself to do - I went to a bar alone. The Angry Beaver is a new hockey bar (and I think the only one) in Seattle. And yes, THEY WERE PLAYING MY GAME! AND THEY'RE GOING TO PLAY ALL OF THEM! So glad I actually went, the owner was really nice and welcoming and I didn't feel awkward at all. I met a guy from Pittsburg and we made small talk. It's hard to talk to people at the bar when I'm watching hockey though, I guess I'll get better at multi-tasking. Because I'm definitely going back! I also had poutine for the first time, it was pretty darned good.

Today during lunch at work I took a walk to the bank because it was so gorgeous out. I ended up eating at Genki sushi by myself, and it was awesome. Didn't have to wait for anyone, didn't have to share either. I haven't eaten alone at a restaurant since college.. when I had long breaks between classes and I used to grab dinner at the pizza place near campus.

Look at me, doing it myself. WHAT'S NEXT? :)

Home Sweet Home

Last Friday, I flew into SF and Andy picked me up from the airport. Had some delicious chicken and rice from the deli around the corner from the apt. and ate it while watching the Sharks game. I miss being able to watch hockey! :( Later that night, we went to Alesso at the Warfield and then Ruby Skye after. I met some new people, ran into a lot of old faces, and had a seriously amazing time.





Saturday I headed home to have lunch with my parents. I didn't realize how long it's been since I've seen them! We got Korean food in Japantown, and it was actually pretty good. I then got my taxes done with the help of my mama (what would I do without her?) and later Colby came over and we had Lee's sandwiches for dinner. YUM! I stayed home Saturday night and watched Korean soap operas with her. We also watch Death Note which is apparently a TV series now. Lots of gossipping about family and catching up, I love quality time with mama! Sleeping with my fave blanket was awesome.. I think I might need to have that shipped to me!

First thing Sunday, Alex and Nan picked me up and we drove down to San Jose. Alex and I went to the Sharks game!!! Lost in the shootout, but it's okay... at least I got to see a shoot out? I feel so out of the loop, after this season's trades I barely know half of the team anymore. It definitely doesn't help that I haven't been keeping up with the games. Being at the tank was amazing though, and I forgot how exciting the energy is. I'm pretty set on going back for a play off game, as long as it lands on a weekend.

Coming back to Seattle was bittersweet, but more sweet than bitter. I was sad to leave my mom but I was glad to be back in Seattle. It really feels like home now! Being single gives me so much more time to hang out with other people, and I really feel like I'm part of some legitimate friendships in Seattle. When it's time to move back to SF, I will surely be torn.

Losing Weight & Gaining Time

When I first got back from Miami, I gained 2 lbs. But then I lost it again and was 119 lbs this morning. Not complaining! Went to Tia Lou's last weekend for Mike's birthday and had a BLAST dancing, especially with the folks that went to Miami.



We also went to Major Lazer last night, and boy was today a rough Wednesday!



But the losing weight I'm referring to in this post's title is not about pounds. It's about something far more heavy. The Friday after we got back from Miami, Victor and I had a serious talk about our relationship. For probably the second time ever. That's right, we never were able to communicate seriously about anything because we just took things day by day. And as our days passed, our relationship snowballed into something real. But was it real enough to last? I figured we should quit while we were ahead, and save the friendship. To my relief, he agreed. And since Friday we've actually been able to hang out as friends. This is by far the cleanest, most healthy break-up I've ever had. Although it's hard to let someone go after enjoying their close company for over a year, I can honestly say that I'm okay with knowing that we'll be able to remain close friends.

And now I have more time to enjoy Spring and Summer! It's starting to warm up in Seattle, and I can't wait to see what the rest of this year has in store. I'm so thankful for lucky transitions in Seattle, and the amazing people that make it possible. I'm starting to think that it'll be tough to move away when the time comes. But only time will tell.

Ultra Music Festival Miami 2013

Last weekend was seriously amazing. We had one huge trip with many laughs and memories. So many good DJs, beautiful weather, exploring a new city, and experiencing another music festival of epic proportions!

The flight there was long and grueling, but at least on the way there we got to take a Boeing 747 and had access to free entertainment. We also had the most awesome flightstaff members who were giving us a buy1get1 deal. Awesome.

When we got there, we met up with people at our condo in downtown Miami. It was actually above the Doubletree hotel, so it was really nice and definitely a prime location. More than half of the group went to see Alesso at LIV that night, but I wasn't really feeling like it. I ended up going to Blue Martini with Sean, Sarah, and Matt and we had a blast! There was a cover band doing Mexicanish dance music and EDM hits. Tons of fun to dance to, and I don't regret missing the club at all. When everyone got back to the condo, we stayed up late and talked. It was maybe one of my favorite nights.

Friday we went to South Beach for lunch and enjoyed sidewalk seating in a small and cute alley-looking street. The food was so-so, but the restaurant that we wanted to eat at was closed to we just chose a random one that we walked by.



Everyone was super excited for UMF, but we didn't get there until later than expected. I think we only saw a few DJ sets, but everyone saw what they came for - Swedish House Mafia. And it was amazing, spectacular, everything we had dreamed of. The first night of UMF I was trying to compare it to EDC and I think that really took away from the experience. I think the EDC LA stages were better and more organized. I wasn't really happy about the black dust that we were breathing at UMF that first night. After the rave, it took a long time to get out of the venue because we stayed until the end. By the time we got back to the condo and had gotten ready, it was too late to go to Hyde Beach. We stayed in and drank while listening to music and talking, it was still good times.



Saturday we went to the Shelbourne pool party. The event staff... oh my goodness they were all idiots. They didn't know how to look up names on the will-call list and it took forever to get in..for no reason. Once we finally got in the pool was smaller than expected. I guess it doesn't live up to Las Vegas pool party expectations. The deejays were amazing though, so that made everything worthwhile. There were tons of nasty beach balls getting kicked around. Actually they were fun when they first came out, but quickly became sticky and dirty. Carnage was my fave DJ from the pool party. After his set we stopped by the beach and then headed back to the condo to get ready. UMF the second night was also short, which I didn't mind at all! We got to see Kaskade and then Infected Mushroom which were my 2nd and 3rd top priorities of the lineup. So I was happy! The Live stage reminded me of Shoreline Amphitheatre back home where I first fell in love with Kaskade at ID. After the rave, a bunch of the group went to see Diplo at Grand Central. Andy, Victor, Andrey, and I had sold our tickets so we hung out with Kim and Shnell. I fell asleep pretty early that night, I was beat.




Sunday a bunch of the group went to hang out on the beach. Victor, Charles, and I went to get delicioso Peruvian food! I wish I wasn't so hungover that day, so I could have eaten more of the food. I think we were delirious at this point, I couldn't stop laughing at Charles about something he said when I pointed out an HIV Testing banner. Andy met us up at the condo so we could head to UMF first, we wanted to get in early because it was the last day. We made it for Krewella and the end of Flosstradamus (awesome), and then Major Lazer (even more awesome), and finally SNOOP DOGG (THE MOST AWESOME)!!! Man I almost lost my voice rapping along with Snoop. I was so happy because when I went to Rock the Bells last year I was sorely disappointed when I found out Snoop couldn't perform in SF. But YES! YES YES YES! Ugh, so good. ANd I got a turkey leg for dinner that night, which was also really good. Mmmm turkey leg!




After the rave, we went back to the condo to get ready for Zedd at Mansion. Zedd was good, Skrillex came out, but the best part was Funk Agenda. OMG he was better than both of them! Super bassy high energy beats, loved it. Kept me dancing until 5 AM. Sober. That's insanity. And by the time we left and were struggling to get a cab, I was seriously beat. Monday we woke up, packed, and flew back home. I wish I had stayed the extra days like the others because it would have been nice to relax before leaving. Soak up some more of that Miami sun. But in retrospect, I'm glad I didn't because I had so much work to do!




Anyway, truly an amazing trip. I'd do it all over again if I could.

Salad Days

Miami is just one week from today! With a 64-hour work week, TONS shopping to do, and no time to hit the gym.... two weeks of salads it is!



Good thing I got my salmon and taco salads recipes right. Salsa and smoked sockeye salmon are saving my salads. :)

Gearing up for UMF Miami

I've been having trouble getting my diet/workout routine going for Miami! I had planned to get serious beginning last week, but I've been pigging out on the weekends. I've only gone to the gym twice in two weeks, which is very sad. Speaking of the gym, since when do cardio machines have tablet screens, play music/TV for you, give you virtual running modes, and email you your workout summaries? SINCE NOW! Since 2013. And it's insane. I was so shocked when I first saw the treadmill.. it kind of made me wish I had an iPhone still because then I could sync my phone and charge it. The Wi-Fi is a nice added bonus, and the USB port seems handy but I doubt I'd ever bring a thumb drive. If I did, I doubt I'd remember to pull it out of the machine, haha.



I am pretty excited about my Nike+ Fuelband still though, it definitely encourages me to take the stairs. I like to count my steps and match it up with the step counter function... I'm such a nerd. I just upped my daily goal from 2000 to 2500, which is basically taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator... and about 30 minutes of cardio. I think that could actually work if I stuck to it on a daily basis, I only want to lose 5-10 lbs. And during the week I've been successful at keeping my caloric intake below 1100 per day.

I'm starting to assemble my Superwoman costume for our superhero UMF theme. Hopefully the cutting and weaving goes well (it looks so easy on YouTube, LOL) and I already found red shorts. Next items on the list are... heels comfy enough to dance in until 6am, sneakers I can rave in for 3 days straight, and outfits to wear during the day/clubbing. Yeesh, I'm going to have tons of baggage.

Valentine's Day

Every year for the past decade I've been disappointed, infuriated, or distraught by Valentine's Day. This year, I genuinely did not care. And it just so happens that this year is when things changed for the better.

First of all, Victor gave me a Nike+ Fuel Band!!! This is perfect motivation to get me ready for Miami, and I JUST got a new membership to 24 hour fitness so I can go to the new Totem Lake location! The brand new machines are enticing, and with the Fuel Band I've never been more excited to work out. Best piece of jewelry ever.

Second, dinner at my fave Seattle restaurant! Seastar in Bellevue =) Two glasses of wine, my fave oyster sampler, pesto clams, dungeness crab cakes, scallop entrée, molten chocolate cake, creme brulee, lemon crisps, and one moscato dondarello later I am a spoiled and happy girl. I was so excited for the food that I forgot to take pictures of the first few courses, HAHA.

I'm in heaven.

I also sent my mom a card and chocolates for Valentine's Day but the cursed USPS lost it. I worked so hard on my calligraphy to make it!! Oh well, at least I took a picture of it so I can email it to her.

Clean Closets & Taking Tumbles

Two weeks ago, I thought how nice it would be to finally have some time off! Today, I am SO READY to start the new job. Being at home with nothing to do has allowed me time to catch up on my favorite TV shows like Downton Abbey, watch all of the Sharks games thus far, and play with my new Hamilton Beach Blender, but I've simply run out of things to do. Thank goodness that the lockout ended though, because THE SHARKS ARE ON FIRE THIS SEASON!!!!

Anyway, one thing I'm proud of is that I finally got the chance to try on all of my clothes and clean out my closet. I didn't take a "before" picture but here is the "after":

Imagine that none of the clothes up top were folded before, and they were piled into the ceiling in the corners. I also got to go through my storage boxes and I definitely have enough warm weather clothing that I don't really need to shop for the Miami trip. Finding old faves is so fun, and a relief on the budget (especially after not working for a few weeks).

After I loaded up my giant box of clothing, I was grumbling about how I didn't want to carry it downstairs to my car. I knew I had no choice, so I lugged it to the elevator, and then to the parking lot stairs. And of course, my clumsy self misjudged the first step and tumbled down the flight. And I got serious booboos.

My hip (above), my right knee, and my left ankle got the worst of it. Luckily I had my North Face down jacket on and my arms were heavily padded. I'm also lucky that I didn't hit my head. Still, I was SO MAD that I fell! And I had to stuff the clothing back into the box, the same items that I had so carefully folded for the donation people. Ugh!

Then today I was walking up those same steps, for the first time since the tumble and I saw Hi-Chews on the floor. The same Hi-Chews that I keep in my purse! This reminded me of Sonic the Hedgehog games where Sonic would lose rings whenever he bumped into something bad. Except I don't lose rings, I lose candy!

Nike+ Kinect Training Week 1

Yesterday I finished my first week of the Get Lean program in Nike+ Kinect Training. And I love it! I get a light soreness in specific parts of my body after each workout, and I'm feeling less jiggly so I know it's working. The best part about this game is that it customizes the program to how well I do, and it corrects my form all of the time. Miami body, here I come!

I understand that p90x and the Insanity workouts will probably get more results and faster, but I know that I have issues with form and this is the only way for me to work out correctly at home. The Kinect sensors also only count properly done reps, so I don't get to cheat like I do with p90x =)

Hockey is Back! NHL 2013

Finally, THE NHL LOCKOUT IS OVER! Spent my whole Saturday planted firmly on the couch, watching the first day of the 2013 season for a solid 8 hours. Decided to spring for NHL Gamecenter Live when I realized that I would only be getting 2 Sharks games if I didn't!

And today I'm making good use out of that subscription. Although, I wish the stream was in 720p or 1080p. I guess it's better than nothing, love having hockey back. GO SHARKS!

New Year, New JOB!

So far, 2013 has been fantastic.

Firstly, I finally got some SNOW! But more importantly, I got a new job. =) I know, I know... I just started working at Expedia a few months ago. I did enjoy travel writing and I had some pretty interesting coworkers. I received a contract extension last week... but I also received a LinkedIn message from a recruiter shortly after accepting said extension. The message mentioned a Technical Writer opportunity that I would be qualified for. And it surely sounded interesting! So I called back, and before I knew it I was interviewing with the manager.

The interview could not have gone better. I mean like literally, there is nothing else I could have brought to the table in retrospect. We talked phones, work environments, and the industry for a solid hour. Longest and best interview ever! I'm so excited to be writing about phones again, I couldn't think of a job that I want more at this point in my career. The best part of all was getting an offer for the job even before I got home from the interview. Got 'em!

I have one week off before starting my new gig, and I've been wanting to start a new blog. So I did! Enjoy.

Livestrong App: Day 1

I just started using the Livestrong app for Android today, and so far it's been pretty awesome. This is what the MyPlate screen looks like on my Samsung Galaxy S2:

Easy to search, fast manual entry, and overall very easy to use. Having to choose an Activity level was kind of sad for me though.. the most appropriate option was "sedentary" -- there's a difference between knowing in the back of your mind that you're unhealthy, and actually having to select it from a drop down menu.

Time to shape up!

New Years 2013

Well another year has come and gone, and it feels like time is flying faster than ever before! I spent the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 watching The Pianist with Victor. I think this indicates that my year will be full of cozy, entertaining, and sober moments. And actually, that sounds pretty awesome to me. I should probably start by recapping the past few months - there are way too many moments to catch up on here, but I can definitely point out the highlights:

My first JACK-O-LANTERN! Even though my first time carving a pumpkin was in my mid-twenties, I still had JUST as much fun (if not more) than a 10 year old would. And, I was pretty impressed by how well I did! Victor carved a much more complicated freehand Dada pumpkin with bananas and champagne... one day I too will graduate to intricate pumpkin design!

Thanksgiving with my favorite Korean family! Charles invited me to join a potluck dinner with his family, and I made cornbread for the first time. One was a traditional buttermilk cornbread, and the other was a jalapeno/whole kernel cornbread. There was so much good food and laughter, it truly was a Thanksgiving I feel thankful to have been a part of.

The Windows company party at the Sheraton, a.k.a. Wayne Manor! Probably the coolest theme for a company party, ever. So many desserts and really impressive décor. My favorite part of the night was when Victor got recruited from the crowd to play suspect in a murder mystery skit. We were sitting in the room unsuspectingly prior to the show, and guys dressed up like old-time gangsters were making small talk with us .. we actually thought they could have been Microsoft employees getting into the theme but they were scouting for crowd members to drag into the show! And of course Victor was found guilty by the crowd at the end - an excellent show with talented entertainers indeed.

The Expedia company party at the EMP Museum. This venue is probably one of the coolest places to host a company party in Seattle. I mean, the exhibits were open! I got to use the scream booth, the Star Trek green screen, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Rockaroke and the virtual dance videos. The food was only decent, there wasn't much selection at all. The desserts were good though, and there was plenty to go around! I got to know my coworkers better, and I was much more relaxed (I'm super serious and not the friendliest when I'm actually at work).

The Friend Chicken party! We had an epic group of 30+ people over to celebrate pajamas and fried chicken. Most of the chicken was store bought in the beginning, but later in the evening we fired up the fryer and started throwing in the prepped chicken. BJ's chicken was the best, hands down. Kim's mini cupcakes were absolutely amazing. Lots of liquor flowing made for a really loud game of White Elephant. I ended up with 3 cheesy DVDs and movie candies, but I was pretty satisfied with my gift. The party really made me realize how lucky I am to have such a loving, fun, and exciting group of friends in Seattle. Because of them, 2012 was amazing, and I'm sure 2013 will only grow the awesomeness exponentially.

And finally, my resolutions! I used one of my Christmas gifts to seal the list and make it all LEGIT and stuff!!! This year's list includes getting in shape for UMF, dropping down to 115 lbs at some point, getting a reasonably paid job with benefits, blogging at least twice per month, and finally getting around to creating a writing portfolio.

May 2013 be EVER in our favor.