Reppin' for that loaf life

I can't believe how quickly the past six months have come and gone! We're all settled in at the new place, and we've even had snow already. Forrest is finally off of his diet because he's back in shape. Work is still pretty awesome. We've had a few team activities and co-worker outings over the past two weeks. And I'm about two weeks away from being done with school.

Charles and Huey finally visited! We had a nice, long weekend of eating and drinking. Matt and Huey definitely bonded over Vietnamese accents, and we all bonded over the birthday meat at Radiator Whiskey.

I got a Le Creuset and a KitchenAid last week, so I'm really into baking bread right now. I can't believe it's so easy. Like ridiculously easy.

My first loaf was simple; I only added rosemary and Maldon flakes.

My second loaf was roasted garlic, rosemary, and Maldon flakes.

Both loaves were SO DELICIOUS fresh out of the oven. I had some difficulty getting the dough into the oven the first time, but on the second try I started rotating the dough out and it was much easier. I'm excited to make olive and raisin bread next. I should probably start going to the gym again...

July 4th

Given the year that this country is having, WOW -- WHAT A YEAR TO BE AN AMERICAN! But politics aside, I love the USA and July 4th has become one of my favorite holidays. 

Forrest and I got patriotic AF!

Eric and Jen opened up their home to a huuuuuge party, and there was a ridiculous amount of food! The dogs were all happy to play and run, but the fireworks changed everything. Eric's neighbors do a legit fireworks show, and the dogs were so spooked! Forrest is usually fine with fireworks from afar, but I guess this year it was too loud for him.

Forrest and Walla hiding out in the house

The fireworks show was absolutely amazing, and I'm glad we got to celebrate the holiday with all of our friends! Next year, we'll bring Forrest's bed along so he'll be more comfortable. 

Country Western Bee-day

For my birthday this year, we had a FEAST at the house! Unfortunately, the chosen day was a dreary and overcast setting for a BBQ. Fortunately, it didn't rain the entire time. :) 

I got to wear my awesome Stetson all day, with my denim overalls!! I actually wasn't planning to dress up, until Gavin and Lisa arrived in their country attire. And then Mike showed up dressed like a cowboy... so then I went upstairs to change, and it was immediately more fun.

My faves of the day:

• Dinuguan
• Chili and cornbread
• Crawfish
• Poke 
• Ginger molasses cookies  
• Pistachio and taro froyo
• Chicken pasta salad 

And there were a LOT of other dishes. We ate so much that we could barely drink! That was probably a good thing.. 

I'm really sad that I didn't get any pictures with my strawberry cheesecake, which JR made from scratch!! Hopefully by next year I can train Matt to take my birthday pics. I'm incredibly thankful to have so many friends in Seattle, and I was delighted to help others find friends here. Nick and Steph just moved up, and I was so excited to introduce them to everyone - especially to Wilson because he's also from the Bay. 

Looking back at my previous birthdays, I sure have simmered down over the past few years. I'm happy to be where I am now, though, and am an even more firm believer that everything happens for a reason. 

Clam Jam 2016

Another clamming adventure for the books! We went back to Double Bluff beach on a gorgeous summer day with the tide below -3. The trip was very last minute, but we ended up having a very rewarding day.

In the morning, Forrest was so excited to leave the house... that he had crumbs all over his face from inhaling breakfast. He was a hot mess, with his harness all in a twist. 

This year, we went further out than usual. The area that we chose was really rocky, but there were whole clans of clams under the sand!!!! Forrest was scouting the area and greeting the other clammers for us. 

While we dug and dug some more, Forrest wandered nearby and sniffed just about everything. He even ate a crab! I guess he doesn't remember last time, when got nipped in the nose. LOL

Eventually he got tired and wanted to lay near us. He's not a young chicken anymore! 

After cleaning and prepping our catches, Mike made us clam ceviche! It was DELICIOUS.

Next, JR sauteed some clams with garlic, onions, and butter.

The main course was a heaping pile of butter clams in a white wine sauce.

And the clam finale - baked clams with Ritz cracker crust.

With Tambi and JR to share their culinary genius, we had quite the feast. It was a lot of work, but we also had more hands to do the prepping and the cleaning. Last year, Matt and I only trusted ourselves to make chowder... and it took FOREVER to clean the damned horse clams! I'm glad we got some butter clams this year, too.

I think my clam fix has been satiated for the year. Because we dug so far out on the beach, the walk back to the car was extra brutal. And these clams were NOT light. 

Can't wait to go crabbing next! 

Stanley Cup Finals - GO SHARKS!

As much as I liked Todd McLellan, the recent Sharks coach replacement was obviously a solid choice. Although DeBoer is not as entertaining to watch on TV, he has inspired the Sharks to make it through playoffs. First it was the Kings, then it was the Preds, next it was the Blues, and now the Sharks are taking on the Pens. IN THE FINALS!! THE FINALS!!! It's like the stars aligned - Jones got us past the Kings, Ward got us past the Preds, and Polak got us past the Blues.

When I first started watching hockey, I was SO into it. And my friends who were longtime Sharks fans (and others who were weren't fans at all) would always say that even if the Sharks are doing well in the regular season, they always choke in the playoffs. After a few years, I started to understand that sentiment.. but I never lost hope! If the Sharks win the Stanley Cup this year, I was will be SO HAPPY. I'll also be a bit sad though, because I won't be in the Bay Area to celebrate it.

I wish I had more fan friends to go to games with. Alex always has people to go with, and I'm not hardcore enough to go alone. Even though I was able to get tickets for a finals game, I'm selling them - no one wants to go! Hopefully this season's momentum will create a stronger fan base. In the meantime, some of my Seattle friends are slowly becoming Sharks fans. 

But Forrest has always been a Sharks fan. He has good taste.

Bark at the Park

Unfortunately for Forrest, I didn't know about Bark at the Park... until this year! We took him to the game against the As, and the weather was perfect. All of the dogs were so well-behaved, and the Safeco workers did a fantastic job of keeping the areas as clean as possible. We saw one scuffle at the check-in table, between a husky and mastiffy dog, but I don't think the husky owner was watching her dog. Based on the way she reacted, she didn't seem like a responsible owner.

Forrest is afraid of heights, which is something I hadn't considered when buying tickets - all of the dog sections are on the third level. He fought us when walking up the ramps, and any time we walked within 4-5 feet of an edge. He REALLY didn't want to walk up the stairs to our seats, but we went up anyway.

Initially, I set him in his own seat. He kept scooting backward, and the seat of the chair would collapse inward. LOL. There was also a gigantic Bernese mountain dog sitting behind us, drooling all over Forrest's back. It was SO CUTE! 

I let him sit in my lap, because he seemed more at ease. The Bernese dog kept leaning over my shoulder to get closer to Forrest, and he drooled on my hair. I didn't mind, but we definitely both needed a thorough bathing after the game. 

Despite the terrifying heights, I think Forrest had a great time. He got to smell and meet so many dogs in just a few hours! And he snatched up some french fries and tortilla chip scraps from the floor. Hanging out at the bar/food area was probably his faaaaavorite part of the night. 

Can't wait to do it again! 

Beat the Bridge 8K

We beat the bridge again this year! However, I didn't beat last year's time. 

I'm so confused! I felt that this year's 8K was not as difficult for me - I guess I just didn't push myself as hard as last year toward the end of the race. And as per usual, we didn't train. Overall I felt like I was in the best shape this year. Maybe it was because I was extra tired... yeah... I'll blame being tired. =)

At least this year's time is better than the first year's time. As long as I beat the bridge and don't hurt myself in the process, I consider it a win. 

Note to self: Stop taking the Montlake exit on race day. One hour to exit 520 is ridiculous!

Contact 2015, New Years, visitors, and SNOW!

The week after Christmas, we went up to Vancouver for our very first CONTACT festival! I really and truly loved the venue, and despite the ultra low temps I had a great time. Even though I said no more festivals after this year, I'd definitely consider attending that one again.

After the drive home, we were so exhausted. But we had to get ready for our visitors - Andy, Alom, and Gary! They stayed with us three nights, and it went by way too quickly. We brought them to Burnett's for BNO, and Matt took them sightseeing the next day in Seattle. For NYE, we got a table at Aston Manor and it was the BEST IDEA EVER. We were the first ones to book the brand new enclosed area right next to the stage, and we had an awesome view of the DJ and crowd. Bottles and bottles later, we were all having a wonderful time, and certainly a happy new year. 

The week after the guys left, I got extremely sick and ended up sleeping for two days straight. YUCK! Hopefully that was my sickness for the year. That flu or whatever it was really hit me like a wall. I'm wondering if it was the cold weather, because we did actually have some snow that week. Forrest got to play in it! 

So far, this year has been great! I took a writing class with Chelsie already, and work is going well as usual. I can't wait to see what else 2016 has in store for me. I really have to shed my winter coat soon though -- boy, I layered up thick this holiday season! HAHA