The-Dream & Oktoberfest at Leavenworth

One of my favorite R&B artists, The-Dream, came to the Crocodile on a Wednesday night and the concert was SO GOOD! He opened for Hudson Mohawke... but now that we no longer live in Belltown, it was getting too late on a weeknight to stay out and see the main act. But anyways, OMG! So, The-Dream had some suh-weet dance moves and his voice was just as amazing live as on tracks. He did all of his classic songs that I was looking forward to, EXCEPT for Love King! Booooooooo. But that was the only disappointment for his show. We even had to wait an extra 45 mins for him to come on, but it was all worth it in the end.

For the weekend, we rented a cabin in Leavenworth during Oktoberfest! Everyone arrived at different times on Friday night, and we stayed in to do games, PJs, and family dinner. We ended up with lots of junk and frozen food, LOL. For games, we started off with Guesstures and then played Telestrations. SO FUN! Friday night flew by quickly, and then Saturday we headed downtown for Oktoberfest. We reserved a private shuttle to/from the event and it was a FANTASTIC idea because we didn't have to worry about parking or getting DUIs.

Leavenworth is such an adorable town! I felt like I was walking down the streets of Beauty and the Beast, and I could run into Gaston at any of the beer halls. The official event was smaller than I expected, but was a really interesting experience. The brats and turkey legs were so delicious, and I enjoyed the lively live music in the tents. We explored the streets of Leavenworth outside of the official event and checked out some shops. Eventually, we re-entered the event to get some more beers, and headed back to the cabin early. Everyone was so tired from Oktoberfest that only a few of us were still awake at 10 PM. SO LAME! I stayed up past midnight because I couldn't sleep, and I wished everyone else had stayed awake for our last night. Oh well.

The cabin trip was perfect, and I definitely want to plan a repeat trip to Leavenworth! However, now that I've experienced Oktoberfest, I'm not dying to go back for the official event. We waited in line a lot, and it was pretty crowded in most areas. Maybe we can go on an off-week and still get the seasonal beers at local bars, without the crowds. Regardless, I'm still so glad that I finally went!

Nan, Wiz/Fall Out Boy, and Mount Rainier

The past three weeks have flown by! Typical summer speed. Nan came to visit, and we ate lots and drank a fair amount - as expected. It was a short weekend trip, but we managed to squeeze in some good eats and a seafood bake before she left. Shrimp, crab, corn, and Korean goodies!

We also saw Wiz Khalifa and Fall Out Boy at the White River Amphitheatre that same weekend. Both sets were SO GOOD, and they even did two songs together. I went more for Fall Out Boy, and the guys only wanted to see Wiz; I ended up loving Wiz's stage presence just as much. And when Fall Out Boy did "Dance, Dance' and 'This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race,' I felt 19 again!!!!!!! I ended up buying one concert t-shirt for each performer. I had so much fun!

Work has been really busy, and I'm working on a few projects that are really stressful but exciting. They're totally worth the stress because these projects will directly impact my team (and work processes) in the long run. I'm hoping to take more classes in Fall, but I guess we'll see how my schedule looks in a couple of weeks. I attended the PSBJ Washington's Best Workplaces event at Safeco field last week, and had a blast. As cheesy as it sounds, I still feel so lucky to be loving my job and my company.

It's been at least a few weeks since the last nature adventure, but today we hiked Mount Rainier with Nick and Fei. Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed in state parks. The Fremont trail was really easy, but a good workout nonetheless. We also got some great views! And I've always wanted to explore Mount Rainier. =)

On the way up! 

WE SAW A MARMOT. 

E-40 in concert!!!

After an early morning, and long day of drinking while watching the Seahawks beat the Packers (at Ballroom in Fremont), some friends came over to the apartment to play games. We played Fluxx and Asshole, and by the time people left at 9 PM.. OMG Matt and I were so exhausted!

Going to the Superbowl? #IMIN LOL!

We both didn't really feel like going out anymore, but I am SO GLAD that we went to the E-40 concert!!!!!! After seeing big production concerts last year, like Jayonce and Usher, I think that even though E-40 didn't have back up dancers, special effects, or fireworks, his concert was one of my favorites! His stage presence was awesome, and I don't think I've ever known as many songs at a concert as I did tonight! Muscle Cars, IDFWU, and Function were among the highlights of the show but so many of the songs were amazing! By the time we left, I was drenched in sweat from dancing!! And of course, Marshawn Lynch was at the concert!

SnowGlobe + Tahoe cabin trip!

On Monday morning, Chad, Gary, and Tiana came to pick me up for Tahoe! We did a caravan with Alom and David, and picked up Susan on the way. In Vacaville, we had some surprisingly delicious burgers, and it was a nice break in our morning drive. When we finally got to Tahoe, we picked up our SnowGlobe bracelets at Montbleu. Thank goodness Alex and Nan were already in line and we cut them! We saved ourselves about an hour of wait time by showing up at the right time. :) Getting up the icy hill to the cabin was scary, even with snow chains on. Our van was clearly not equipped to handle icy roads and we spent about 20 minutes trying to make it up the first stretch. We eventually did, but got stuck halfway up the incline. In the end, we walked all of the luggage up to the cabinand left the van in the driveway of the vacant house. And omg, walking up an icy hill in sneaker wedges was a NIGHTMARE. Of course I was carrying the pot of raw meat and had no free hands either. Ugh! After settling in at the cabin, we had a nice hot bowl of bun rieu (courtesy of Susan) and we got ready to go. Tiana brought metallic tattoos for us!!!!

The poor organization of the SnowGlobe event became quite obvious when we showed up at the designated South Tahoe Middle School parking lot, which we had all purchased passes for, and no attendants were around. Also, the parking lot was closed even though we could see that spaces were still available. BOO! We ended up parking on the street and trekked over to the venue. The walk was longer than expected but it got us nice and warm so I didn't mind. Because we showed up later in the night, getting in was a breeze and we were at the bar in no time. We had back to back shots and then saw Skrillex! He was good, and played some good ol' hip hop for us. YES! It was a short night, and we went back to the cabin to drink more. I don't think I realized how much alcohol I was consuming, because it was cold! There were also TONS of Sharks fans. WOOT! And quite a few Seahawks fans as well.

On Tuesday, I woke up with some combination of altitude sickness and a hangover. I got up late, and everyone was already eating breakfast. So I ate that, and made a bagel. Over the course of the three days, I would eat a whole bag of bagels LOL. After breakfast, some people decided to take shrooms, and it was PRETTY HILARIOUS. No one really freaked out but watching them stare at objects as a group discussion was interesting. We found a shelf of VHS tapes in the game room, and watched Home Alone! After people sobered up and got ready, we headed to day 2 of SnowGlobe. The wait was much longer to get in, because we arrived earlier, and the walk to the venue was so icy! The second night was much colder than the first. This was my first time seeing Flux Pavillion, and I was really excited to hear Cracks. I thought Flux Pavillion did a great job. Porter Robinson's set was okay, not too exciting. Everyone was pretty cold so we left before Porter's set ended. When we got back to the cabin, some people stayed up to chat and a few people kept drinking. I decided to take it easy, for fear of another hangover.

Wednesday morning's breakfast was SLIDERS! And more bagels for me. :) We watched movies and hung out at the cabin before heading to day 3 of SnowGlobe. It was cold again, but less icy. And we made it to see Zedd!!!!!!!!! My fave of the week. We snuck sandwiches in, and I think I ate all of them, LOL. The rest of the night was ok, and I went back to the cabin to poo in the meantime. The port-o-potties were not that bad at the festival, but still. Gross! Matt came back to the cabin with me, and I snuck in a power nap before we returned for Flume. Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of Flume's music, but I did think that the fireworks at the countdown were AMAZING. Like, the best fireworks that I've ever seen. They had a lot of the bursting circle fireworks with multiple colors, which are my faves. Before this, I wasn't sure how I felt about the SnowGlobe experience, but at that moment I was sure I was glad that we went. It was a really nice way to start the new year with Matt, surrounded by friends, and watching the most exhilarating fireworks show! Back at the cabin, it was a calm night. I watched Sandlot with Tiana and Chad, which I'd never seen before.

On Thursday, we packed up the cabin and got the cars ready. By the time I packed my stuff, most of the cleaning was done. Thank goodness for responsible friends! The drive back to Seattle from Tahoe was not as bad as I thought it would be. We finished the Serial podcast, and I was fighting to stay awake because I didn't want to miss a thing! I ended up missing chapter 8, but had to keep going because everyone else wanted to continue. I think Adnan is innocent, but because Jay knew where the car was I feel sure that he was involved. I'm really curious to see what happens with the DNA tests!

Visitors, Ursher, Thanksgiving in Portland, and MORE WEDDING!

Jon and Kathie were in town a couple of weeks ago! And Melissa's friends were also here for the weekend. We went to Aston Manor, and had SO MUCH FUNS.

We also saw USHER at Key Area!! Dude. DUDE. That body, those dance moves, and that voice. I'm so glad we went!!! As good as Beyonce? Almost. But I didn't cry like a baby, like I did at the Bey & Jay concert earlier this year, so probably not on the same level.

For Thanksgiving, Matt and I drove down to Portland, where Gary, Chad, Tiana, David, and Kevin were! John just moved back, and Charles came down too. I was so exhausted from PMSing.. unfortunately. But I still had a really good time. Thanksgiving dinner was gluttony, as per usual. We played games, watched movies, and even went to Punchbowl the second night! *YESSS!!!!* Totally bowled, and I haven't bowled in maybe ten years? We failed at Black Friday shopping. The only thing I bought... wasn't on sale. Ugh. Why do I keep trying?

We brought Forrest with us to Portland, and he was all shaking and anxious from being in a new place with so many new people. He wouldn't eat any dog food, but we managed to get him to eat some turkey. He wouldn't even eat his bully stick or his treats, which he normally will do ANYTHING for. Oh well, he lost some weight. And he got to sleep in the bed with us for both nights! He was ridiculously happy to be home, I guess he's just a homebody like me. First for everything though... first road trip! :)

And then we drove back Saturday morning, THROUGH SNOW, for the wedding! Lisa and Quanh got married in the ID, and it was pretty cool catching up with Matt's old coworkers.

And then this week at work we are sandboxing. OMG. I was so stressed out last week when we started delving into the use cases, and I'm so tired. This week I have things more under control, so I'm not feeling like smashing my head through my monitor, but I'll definitely be glad when it's all over. The experience is VERY VALUABLE to me. I've never been so involved with a project of this magnitude, and even though it is a lot to handle I am enjoying every bit of the learning experience!!

I have so many things to be grateful for this year. A great job, a loving boyfriend, a supportive family back home (and two amazing cities to call home), a wonderful puppy, and my health. Everything is awesome!

Coachella 2014

It's been a week since we got back from Coachella, and I'm just now feeling fully rested. Geez!

Last Thursday, Matt and I flew into Vegas after work and hung out with BJ and Mel. We walked around the shopping area and saw the new, ginormous ferris wheel. It's so big, like I cannot even fathom what just one of the spokes looks like up close. We took a picture at the ferris wheel, but we wouldn't figure out where the camera hole was.. HAHAHAHA. That made for an incredibly lopsided photo. The fried chicken at Brooklyn Bowl was suhhhhhhhh good! And we got some cupcakes from the Sprinkles ATM. Yep, ATM for cupcakes. Yep. YEP.

After we finally woke up on Friday, BJ, Matt, and I drove out to Palm Springs! Before we left, we had some Capriotti's for lunch (sandwich spot #1). The drive was long and kind of exhausting to be honest. There was an accident getting in to Palm Springs, adding an extra 30-45 minutes. That's insult to injury! We got ready, pooped, and then hit the road again to get to Indio!

We heard Ellie Goulding from the parking lot (damn you, accident delay) and got in just before Chromeo hit the main stage. Chromeo was pretty cool, he has a really relaxing music style. We explored the area around the main stage but it was already getting dark, so it was difficult to acquaint ourselves with the layout. At the Sahara tent, we saw Martin Garrix and Zedd! Zedd is always freaking good. Outkast was great, except there were a million people at that stage. BJ and I couldn't really see anything... #shortpeopleproblems. They came out with Bombs Over Bagdad though... best idea ever. Getting out of the parking lot was horrendous, we fell asleep in the car because we were blocked in for so long. I think 1 car left the lot every 20 minutes or so, and then everyone else crept forward half of a car length. UGH. Took us two hours to get out because everyone was trying to get out of the same exit and no one was using the exit on the other side of the lot. And the people who knew about the unused exit (us) couldn't get there because we were blocked in. MY GOODNESS!

On Saturday, we got lunch at Firehouse Subs (sandwich spot #2) and we were all like, why don't they have locations in Seattle? It was really good. I got a corned beef brisket.. uh, YUM! We also bought mangos and oranges from a Mexican guy at the parking lot.. apparently BJ does it all of the tine - this was a first for myself and Matt. The mangos were MUY BUENO, though! I think I'll start buying from those guys too. We also picked up coolers and ice for our waters, and the handle of fireball - the essentials. And thank goodness we each got a handkerchief because boy was it dusty! We snagged some hats from Firehouse Subs, but no one wanted to wear them with me. :(

We got in to the festival around 4, and it was nice and hot. Because we were further into the parking lot with the earlier folks, we had to walk way further than the previous night. It wasn't so bad though. We had the most amazing fish tacos when we got in, and explored the grounds more. We caught some Capital Cities, checked out the Absolut bar for a while, and listened to Lorde from afar. We also got Coachella tees and hoodies! The margarita line was miserable, and we were limited to 2 drinks per person.. but we waited freaking 45 minutes for one round. Oy vey! The day was dusty from the beginning, but after sundown the wind picked up even more and it was getting disgusting. Garbage tumbleweeds EVERYWHERE and so much sand in our faces. We ended up ducking into the tent that Solange was performing in, just to get some relief from the sand storm. To our surprise, BEYONCE CAME OUT!!!!! She did a little dancing and looked amazing, of course. What a nice surprise! As she came out, the spaced-out crowd immediately moved forward, up against the stage. Poor Solange... people weren't even paying attention before Beyoncé showed up. We moved to the next tent, and were really trying to stick around for Pharrell and Nas. But after two hours of being sober in the sun, and four hours of relentless sand wind, we got to a point where none of us was enjoying our night. We left shortly after 10 PM and got food at In N Out, and none of us was sad to leave. There was a small exodus that we joined, and it made me feel less defeated about missing Pharrell and Nas.

On Sunday, we checked out of our Best Western (it was actually pretty nice) and grabbed lunch at The Sandwich Spot (sandwich spot #3). Those sandwiches were good too! I got the Copacabana. Mmmm. We headed back to Vegas, another grueling road trip. We didn't stop this time because we were just so anxious to get it over with. When we got back to Mel's place, we got dinner at Capriotti's again. HAHAHAHA. That's sandwich spot #4. We came full circle. :)

In retrospect... Outkast, the sunshine, and Palm Springs were great. The company we had made it really fun too! If we go back, we need to be better prepared with goggles and such. And I think I might need to get VIP tickets. I'm not sure if I'd do Coachella again.. I think I much prefer UMF for the same price. But it sure was an adventure and an experience that I will appreciate forever. Coachella, Coachella.

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.

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.

Rock The Bells & Reno Rubfest

Summer has been INSANE - a vicious cycle of anxious planning, being really busy, and then ending up absolutely exhausted!

The job search is still ongoing, I had a resume workshop with a professional and learned a ton about how to better customize each application. Although he assured me that my content was solid, I definitely feel that the advice he gave me on the delivery will help me tremendously. And so I apply, and wait, and apply, and wait again.

I've also been working remotely nights and weekends again. Thankfully, my assignments have conveniently fallen between big events so I haven't had to choose.

The weekend before last, I went to Rock the Bells in Mountain View! Salt 'N Pepa was wildly entertaining, with the baby daddy and the husband on stage - I love their dynamic! I also thoroughly enjoyed Ice Cube, he is an AWESOME entertainer. The way he transitioned from one hit to another kept us on edge, and he always dropped the beat at the perfect moment. Watching DMX was pretty great also, until he started preaching about God. I don't mind that he's deeply religious, but I didn't pay to see that. DJ Quik and Bone Thugs were good, but I wish E40 and Too Short were there - they would have completed by perfect RTB lineup. Overall, it was an amazing weekend. We stayed over at Hiep's friend's house in Mountain View on Saturday night and had a giant sleepover. SO FUN! <3 br="">
This past weekend, for Labor Day, Charles, Victor, and I went to the Rib Cookoff in Reno (dubbed the rubfest per miscommunication between Alex and myself, LOL). The ribs were excellent as always, and I'm glad this has become an annual tradition. Charles was cracking me up the entire trip, from the airplane rides, to the ridiculous comments he made throughout the weekend, and his overall loveable personality. I'm glad Charles and Victor made the trip this year, I think everyone enjoyed the company through and through. We went to a new club in Reno called Rise, and it totally blew our minds. The venue was definitely on part with San Francisco clubs, maybe even on the same level as LA clubs! Beautiful, open spaces with easy access to drinks and awesome music. We had such a blast dancing our butts off!

For September, I think I'll be taking it easy. I've got two remote work assignments the next few weeks, and I'm going to start a 24 Day Challenge (diet) mid-month. I'm trying to slim down before Moonlight Masquerade on 10/13, and definitely before FreakNight! All of this yummy food and experimental cooking has given me a nice, juicy, spare tire. Not cute.

Summer Shenanigans

So now that summer is in full force, I've had more going on and less time to update this here blog! This weekend was a pretty productive one - made sangria, planted broccoli and tomato seeds, cooked up a batch of corned beef, went to Jozelle's No Pant's birthday party, grilled lightly seasoned chicken hearts, ordered Vibrams for hiking, made pate, and started watching United States of Tara! PHEW.

Over the past few weeks there was the Capitol Hill Block Party, hanging out at Juanita Beach, bbq at the Zante's house, wing cook-off between myself and Victor (I won, btw) and so much more. I LOVE SUMMER IN SEATTLE!