Winter Wonderland - Snow BBQ Awesomeness

So when Matt and I heard a huge storm was coming this week, we decided to load up on groceries in case we got snowed in. And well, since we were already at Safeway, we decided we might as well stock up our liquor cabinet while we were there.

We decided to expand our horizons, so instead of grabbing a bottle of Jack or Patron, we picked up some whiskeys that we thought looked cool. We were both very happy about our decision to try new things.

With the anticipation of snow, JR and BJ came over and we had a onesie party! I was very excited because I very recently got a Paul Frank onesie and was just waiting for an occasion like this. Needless to say, we were toasty as could be last night. We stayed up late just hanging out and talking. There were old cartoon classics playing in the background, it was definitely good times.

We woke up this morning to SNOW SNOW SNOW! After waking up Tuesday morning and expecting snow (then being very disappointed), it was awesome to get the call about not having to go into work. We cooked up a hearty breakfast that was yummers! I spent a lot of my morning staring out the window, watching car wheels spinning on the patches of ice on our block.

After breakfast, we all went over to the Zante house to play in the snow. There was probably double the amount of snow in Lynnwood than there was in our neighborhood. Everything was covered in snow and looking gorgeous. We started by making snowmen, and I got to practice my ball rolling techniques. I think I've much improved since last time! We pumped up the boom box and were dancing in the snow. It was a jolly good time. Even Reubs came out to play, he's such a cutie!

Someone got the ingenius idea to build an igloo. So we started patting down snow even though we weren't sure exactly how an igloo is built. In any case, we got hungry from all of that grunt work! We took a break and picked up groceries to have a bbq. MY FIRST SNOW BBQ!!! And it was so good. Snow BBQs are awesome because the fire also warms you up!

After eating, we had more energy to build on! But first, we trudged down the block and up the hill for some sledding. Also my FIRST TIME SLEDDING! It was really scary at first, but still very fun. The snow looked so pretty in the night, the sky was dark but because the snow was reflecting the light it seemed still bright outside. Almost like a sepia effect? We had to stop sledding after JR and Matt got hurt. Old geezers.

We went back to our igloo, and kept patting away. We eventually decided to call it a fort instead and quit for the day. Everyone was exhausted! It turned out pretty well, I think it was very impressive and I'm proud to say that it was my first snow fort. :)

Snow days are the best. We DEFINITELY didn't have those in California. Skipping work to play in the snow and drink? Yes please!

SNOW!

I am pleased to introduce you to, my first snowman! The snowing season is now underway. :) There was a teensy bit of snow yesterday, lots more snow today, and according to the weather forecast we're in for snow for at least a few more days.

How does it feel, you ask? Simply enchanting. The only times I've ever experienced snowfall were in Tahoe - they were tiny, miserably cold snow flakes that didn't look like flakes at all. BUT TODAY! The snow was powdery and flaky, and the most wonderfully delightful thing I've experienced in Seattle yet. Matt woke me up this morning to show me the snow, and when I finally got out of bed I bundled up and went upstairs to the roof. I made a snowman! Or at least, what I thought was a snowman. Matt joined me later on and after he told me I was supposed to roll the balls in the snow to even them out and make them fluffy, I made a much more proportionate snowman. They don't show you these things in the movies!

As the snow cleared up later in the day, so did my excitement. Truthfully, my time here in Seattle is become less and less blissful. Things have been unwinding since New Year, and my future is now very uncertain. Things with Victor have boiled down to us just being friends, which I'm totally grateful for, but not very happy about. The feeling of being so lucky and cared for all of the time has now turned into two feelings 1) at times feeling lucky for the fun new friends I have made, and 2) at times feeling sad and left out, wishing that things had stayed the same.

Dealing with the negative emotions in my life is exponentially worse being 800 miles away from the people that I know and love best. The weekend before last I spent two days doing absolutely nothing, just laying in bed feeling so discouraged that I couldn't muster the motivation to shower or eat. Being in a new city and feeling alone is scary, and so unpleasant. But I'm sure that this would have happened eventually, no matter where I went. Sadness seems to be inevitable for me.

There are also changes in my work situation recently, and it's only a matter of weeks before I'll be out of a job. There are plans to move me to a different shop, but so many things can happen at this point. Leave it to me, the worry wart, to wring my brain about everything. So many things scratching at the back of my brain. I'm exhausted and so discouraged, but I'll just keep smiling through it.

I still have fanastic moments here though, like this morning with my first snow experience. Or even just hanging out with Matt and partying with the guys. I went to karaoke with Menie last week, and we had a BLAST. Her friend and his friend joined us, and I almost went to Whistler with them the next day. I know it would have been an amazing trip, but I was feeling sick and didn't want to risk getting sicker on the road. Every day is a new adventure, and I'm trying my best to shake the feeling of loneliness and missing certain someones to enjoy the opportunities that come up. It's tough, but it's the best I can do. And the best I can be is all I've ever wanted to be - that's why I never have any regrets.

Jump Starting Resolutions

Life is good, resolutions are great.

Day 2 of the New Year and I've managed to knock out all of my resolutions! I woke up and did my face, and then I checked my lotto ticket at 7-11. The machine told me I'm "not a winner" -- I suppose it would be cruel if the display said loser. With my mood slightly dampered, I went to the Urban Coffee Lounge to read my book. It was noisier than I thought it would be (I Yelped "coffee, study" to find it) so I ended up just people watching instead of reading. I really enjoyed witnessing the scuttling through the rain by the passerbys. I even saw a girl dressed like a tiger, wearing shuffling pants. SO bizzare.

After an hour of people watching, I went to the thrift store in Kenmore. I was searching for cute little trinkets for a craft project I will be starting soon. I didn't realize that today was the 1/2 off everything sale, so there were quite a few people already there. Unfortunately, my quest for trinkets was a bust. But not entirely! I got a fancy glass plate to put my fruits on, it was only $1.65. I was also tempted to buy cute animal shaped sculptures, but I knew deep inside my heart that it would be a waste of money and space.



I went home to start cooking dinner. I prepped my curry ingredients during commercial breaks while watching the Sharks @Canucks. Such a good game! Overtime of course, and then the shoot out. I had to remind myself to breathe during OT - good thing it's only five minutes long. I miss getting all of the Sharks games, but at least now that the NHL is on the new NBC sports channel, I'll get more hockey games.

After the Sharks won, I went to the gym! Six months and one resolution later, it felt great to have finally gone back. I really like Planet Fitness, a lot more than 24 hour fitness. Many more machines, less crowded, nicer facility, and there are even tanning booths and massage chairs. Although, I highly doubt I'll be using the latter.

I came home to my big pot of curry. I feel great, and I'm going to sleep early tomorrow so I can wake up and have time to brush my hair! If today is any indication of what this year will be like, I think it's safe to say that this could be my best year yet.

New Years 2012

This new years was last minute, unplanned, and I had low expectations. Out of desparation, after finding out that the Indulgence @EMP tickets were sold out, I even looked up airfare for SF and LA. Wayyyy too expensive -- luckily, the evening wasn't a bust. Victor ended up taking me along to preparty in Bellevue, and then house party in Wallingford.

I felt a bit awkward because when I was told we were going to Wallingford, I assumed that it was bar hopping and I didn't dress up. I was just wearing jeans, boots, and a sweater. When I got to Victor's house and he got dressed, he was in formal attire with tie and all! There wasn't any time for me to go home and change, and so I started the night feeling underdressed and awkward. Once I got over that though, things got better.

The house in Wallingford was pretty awesome, the front was all glass where the kitchen and dining area were, and then toward the back was a huge entertainment room. There was also an impressive balcony along the side of the house that looked out onto the lake. Very nice! The party was interesting, everyone was super friendly and I met new people - I even met a guy from Canada who follows the Maple Leafs, AND the Sharks. So cool. At midnight there was lots of champagne bottle popping and I was very cold and wet. Everyone moved inside and enjoyed the night a bit longer. It truly was excellent company and a lovely new year celebration.

Today I decided to start the New Year off right. I went to the gym to pick up my new membership card, had a healthy salad for dinner, read a nice chunk of Love in the Time of Cholera, and played Dance Central 2! That's a pretty solid day, considering that my resolutions consist of the following:

1) Excercise -- regularly, seriously, and to feel good all of the time
2) Eat less and cook more -- moderation and consideration to the max
3) Education via reading -- old faves, new novels, or newspapers even
4) Eccentuate my features -- make an effort with makeup, hair, and skincare
5) Enjoy -- simple things, like eating/reading alone in public places
I think through these four E's I can continue to live a healthy, happy, and full life. And yes, I know that my resolutions are essentially the same every year (aside from a few variations), but I do see improvement with each year that has past. I hope that 2012 will be as generous and exciting as 2011, and of course the main goal again will be to become the best person possible.



And I'm actually VERY excited about Dance Central 2, it's definitely my favorite Christmas gift from this year. All of my favorite clubbing songs are on it! If nothing else, this week will be very amusing.

My First Christmas in the PNW

Alex flew up for Christmas this past weekend, and our adventure began Thursday night in Seattle. We drove down to Portland on Friday evening and decided to stop in Long View to visit Charles! We got caught up chatting with Charles, playing scratchers and the lotto, and ended up staying longer than expected.

By the time we got to Portland it was past midnight! We met everyone up at the Barrel Room - LOVE that place. It was my first dueling piano experience, but there was also an outdoor dance area with a club dj setup! I had fun even though I barely drank anything. I'd like to go back there one day.

On Saturday afternoon we went to get brunch at Jam on Hawthorne. I ordered the corned beef hash and it was SO GOOD. I also poured some of my coffee into Chad's milk and we made a masterpiece! It was yummy. We did some shopping before we headed back to the house and I took my nappety nap.

We had family dinner later that night and there was SO MUCH GOOD FOOD! After dinner we went to Peacock Lane to check out the houses. The pretty lights were a lot cooler than I was expecting. I can't believe San Francisco doesn't have a block with decorated houses. I surely wouldn't mind living in one of those areas, maybe not in Portland though.

We went back to the house and watched Jingle All The Way. The movie was so cheesey, starring two of my least favorite actors - Sinbad and the Governator. It was okay, Selena seemed to enjoy it at least. After the movie we opened gifts. David is such a sweetheart, he got gifts for Alex and myself! I think mine was the better of the two, the most adorable polar bear ear warmers. Perfect for winter!!! The gift-opening ceremony was heartwarming, my family never did anything like that.

After the gifts were all opened, it was around 1 AM. The young adults decided to partake in a game of high card low card, for half shots. Alex and Wilton ended up taking the game to the next level, and they continued to drink into the wee hours of the morning. They both paid the price, HAHA.

The next morning, we went to Legin for dim sum with the family and Wilton didn't make it. I'm surprised Alex did, he was a mess the night before... standing-up sleeping HAHAHA. Dim sum was pretty good, I actually liked the chicken feet there!!! That's impressive in itself. I left shortly after we got back to the house because I didn't want to drive at night. Unfortunately, I hung out with Charles and Sunny too long during my visit in Long View and I ended up driving up in the dark through a storm. It was SCARY. I very seriously considered pulling over and getting a hotel room for the night because it was absolutely pouring and I could barely see anything. Luckily I got through it and a few hours later I was at home unpacking.

I changed and headed to Victor's house for Christmas dinner. I was late for serving but I got to eat everything except for the asparagus. Darn! Oh well. All of the food was delicious, especially BJ's wings and JR's mom's flan. After dinner we drank boots and hung out. It was a merry Christmas indeed!

My first Christmas in the Pacific Northwest was delightful, fun, and so much more. I'm very thankful to have been invited to celebrate with the Huangs, and as always they were a blast. And such wonderful hosts! I had a very Merry Christmas, and again I am reminded of what excellent company I've been blessed to keep.

Discovering the Seattleite Within

Over the past few weeks, I've started to become more attached to Seattle.

In one sense, literally - I just registered in Seattle and took out a new insurance policy in Washington. This is something I hesitated to commit to these past months because I wasn't sure I'd be staying. Now I'm sure, I'm staying. Well.. for a significant amount of time at least.

And in other sense, emotionally; I found myself very offended when Alex, Anthony, and their friend came to visit this past weekend and would not stop complaining. What could they possibly complain about, you ask? Well they said it was boring, that there weren't very many people, and that they had nothing to do. And I suppose if you show up somewhere with no plans, don't meet up with people or try to make new friends, and don't even try to enjoy a new place... then you certainly won't have fun, will you? I was very annoying. So, very, annoyed.

But some good did come of their visit. I met them at Pike Place the day that they arrived and got to have my first Piroshky Piroshky, and also my first bowl of Beecher's mac n cheese! And OH YUM, piroshkies are so good! I think I've only had one once before in my life, and I do not remember it being so tasty. One of my new fave foods :) I should go to Pike Place more often!

And on Saturday we drove up to Vancouver to party. Unfortunately, in Vancouver, the drinks are so weak that each of us was completely sober the entire trip even though I at least was drinking double my normal intake. It was .. fun.. but we definitely weren't having as much fun as the locals. I was actually glad to be home on Sunday - I think I would have enjoyed the weekend more if I'd stayed home and watched movies with Charles and Matt.

Anyhoo, here comes Christmas just around the corner. I already made my holiday rounds last week in San Francisco and spent plenty of time with my mom and brother. Colby actually came out with my friends, which was pretty cool. I think he had fun and I hope he joins us more often! I miss my family, but it's okay because I know they're doing well. I'm going to try and visit less because I've been back and forth every month since I moved. Even though I fly when flights are relatively cheap, they're really not THAT cheap. And I spent a lot more on gifts this year then I usually do. But hey - what the heck right? I'm making more money than I ever have made, even though it isn't much compared to everyone else.

This also seems to be the seasons of visitors :) Alex will be here this week, and Eric and Jen are coming first week of January. Exciting exciting! I hope people visit in the summer as often as they do in the winter, because I want them to see the lush Seattle beauty in full-force.