2008 Training Has Been Kicked Off!

Saturday was the first official Seattle Warming Hut Hotties training walk for the 2008 Breast Cancer 3day. I was the training walk leader and picked a nice 6.5 mile route from Greenlake to Maple Leaf through the U-district and back. Last year at this time we generally had anywhere from 5-8 people show up for the training walks. Saturday we had about 25 people show up!! Of which about 19 were new faces and first time walkers. I was amazed, especially since the weather was so crappy (Snow! In West Seattle! At the end of March!). Boy it was fun to be back on the streets though and get some miles under my belt. Time to kick the training up a notch!

To quote my mother-in-law "I'm not amused"

It is March 28th and I just drove home from work in a blizzard. I left early so I wouldn't have to brave the bridges later. There is even snow sticking in my front yard. Insane!

Hello winter my "this is getting old" friend!

Um, ok, so last time I checked it was March. Not only March but officially Spring. So why, oh why was it snowing on the way home last night. I was driving along watching the temperature gage slowly recede from 38 to 37 to 36 to 35 and even down to 34, at the same time watching the precipitation turn from rain to sleet to snow. Crazy. Luckily nothing stuck around for long and this morning the world outside is the usual soggy mess.

I'm so ready for summer.

It is official - I'm a dork!

Yeah, yeah, I know - everyone already knows that, they've known for years. But check out this proof. Hot off the presses from the St. Paddy's Day Dash.

The Easter Bunny Is A Genius!

Over the weekend Chris and I visited my brother and his family in Portland. We had a great time and some really wonderful food (thanks again J&S!!). It is always fun to spend time with my nieces and they love when I visit, mainly because I bring Uncle Chris. As usual he was the big hit. I think my favorite quote from Sadie was "Uncle Chris is really good". My favorite quote from Ella was by far "The Easter Bunny is a genius!". The Easter Bunny had visited during the night Saturday and left a trail of clues hidden in plastic eggs for the girls that led them to their Easter baskets. Chris and I woke up to the sounds of the hunt in progress and Ella's exclamation being yelled repeatedly. Pretty hilarious.

Oh, and uncle Chris taught Sadie how to do "Rock On":





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whh&pdx 019.avi

Success! - $3,200

The 5% day at the Redmond Whole Foods was a huge success. We had a fun time, raised awareness, recruited walkers, and raised almost $3,200 for the Breast Cancer 3-day! That's about $640 for each of us who worked the event bringing me to almost $1,000 raised so far! Only $1,200 more to go.

A shout out is definitely in order for our supporters. My parents made the trek all the way from Wenatchee to help out. Jill came by on her lunch hour. And David and Katherine took a day off from retirement to come hand out flyers. The hotties know some great people!!

Let me just say for the record that hanging out in a wonderful store like Whole Foods for an entire day makes it really hard not to want to eat all of the goodies in sight. Our table was set up right near the bakery section, with all of the Easter treats displayed. Cute cookies shaped like bunnies and chicks. Chocolate rabbits. A tough test of will power for sure.

All in all, it was an awesome event.

Our table:


Balloons!


Sign in front of the store:


Warming Hut Hotties sign:

Wut Kitteh?

I came across this gem today and couldn't resist posting.

Fundraising Update: $240!

Yes, it is that time of year again. The time when I begin to obsess about how much money I've raised and how many training miles I've logged.

So here goes. Training miles logged - technically Zero. Funds raised - $240. Time to step it up a notch I suppose.

Training walks for the Warming Hut Hotties officially start on March 29th and I'll be leading the first one (6 or so miles)!! 5 team members registered as training walk leaders this year so that we can share the responsibility. We've even put together a public calendar so we can plan ahead.

This year I sent a fund raising mailer out to what I'll call the Wenatchee Contingent. Friends and family from that beautiful town in Central Washington who I can always count on for support. Last year I only sent out emails, no mailers, and only to my friends and coworkers from my email address book. This time I broke out my good old fashioned paper bound address book, printed out a flyer on actual paper (pink no less), and mailed it out using actual postage. I even used 3day stickers and a pink ribbon stamp. I sent these mailers out last Saturday and I've already received a $100 pledge online (Thanks Sue & Mark!!) and my mother is apparently delivering a $50 check today (Thanks Chuck & Janice!).

In other fund raising news, tomorrow is the 5% day at the Redmond Whole Foods. If you're anywhere near there, and hungry/thirsty tomorrow please stop in and purchase something! 5% of all proceeds goes to the Seattle Warming Hut Hotties 3day team! I'll be taking the day off work to be at the store handing out flyers and answering questions. I'm really looking forward to it and hope that it is a big success. My parents are heading over today to be supportive and help out with the event. Again, I have the best parents ever.

One last fund raising note. I'm starting to develop plans for this summer's Boobie-Que. Chris and I are going to throw a big BBQ at our house, charging admission, with all proceeds going to the 3day walk! We haven't picked the exact date yet, probably June or July.

Quite a Morning

If the events of this morning are any indication, I should go home and go back to bed.

First, I woke up at my usual time, took my usual shower, combed my usual hair, and went to grab for my usual toothbrush when bamn(!!), unusual yellow jacket perched on the tooth paste giving me look of death. I'm not a fan of bug, spiders, bees or snakes at all so I did what I normally do in a situation like this and went and woke Chris up. He gave it some wackers with a newspaper and I was free to go about my business once again. I finished getting ready, drove to work, and settled into my desk.

Then the next event occurred. I decided to go to the kitchen and toast my English Muffin. Doesn't sound like that big of deal right? Well we don't have a toaster. But we do have an oven with a broil feature. So, technically I broiled my English Muffin and applied Simply Jif. I then filled up my coffee cup and headed back towards my desk. At that same moment someone came through our front door setting off the chime, causing my co-worker to sprint towards the door to see who it was. At the exact moment she passed the hallway to the kitchen (in a dead run by this time) I stepped right into her path, totally oblivious. Result: WABAMN!! My coffee went flying, my muffin went flying, the plate my muffin was on smacked the ground and wound up in multiple pieces. I was in shock, and covered in coffee. And my poor muffin, the littlest casualty, ended up in the garbage.

I think I'll go home and back to bed.

Wasn't it just Friday?

Wow, that weekend just flew by. I'm not even sure there was a weekend. I think it might have been a mirage. I'm pretty sure I didn't accomplish anything this weekend, and yesterday itself is quite a blur.

Saturday Chris and I had an in home appointment with Washington Energy Services to do an estimate for replacing our windows. We knew that getting new windows wasn't going to be cheap but I don't think either of us realized exactly how much it was going to cost. Needless to say the quote to replace all of the windows in our house came in at just under $14,000. I think I'm still in shock. And that wasn't even for the fancy wood windows. That was fiberglass, no fancy stuff, windows. Oh, but they do have a 10 year 7.99% financing option and we'd only owe $149 a month. *sigh*. I think we'll move forward with getting additional quotes but I'm not sure we'll actually be getting any new windows anytime soon.

After that disappointment we decided to treat ourselves to a night out in West Seattle. We tried the newly moved Pegasus Pizza. The food was great and they had Manny's on tap (major plus as usual). Our server was super nice and attentive and their new location is WAY better than their old one. One of the main reasons I didn't like going to the old location was how dirty and grimy it always seemed. Well this place was sparkling clean (of course it is completely new too). I'll be interested to see how long that lasts. I'll surely be trying it again though. Yummy!

Sunday morning came way too fast. I had signed up for the St. Patrick's Day Dash and was to pick up my friend Christy at 7:30am. I've done quite a few of these "fun run" type events and knew exactly what to expect but I think Christy might have been thrown a little off by it. It was super crowded, freezing cold, and there were some really crazy outfits. We had to wait around in the cold for about an hour (we both over obsess about being places early), but by the time the race actually started it had warmed up nicely. The course was great. We started at the Seattle Center on Mercer Street wound our way around the center and onto the 99 (Alaskan Way Viaduct) where we were treated to a fabulous view of Elliott Bay. The sun was out, the ferries were ferrying, and it was pretty awesome to be on foot where usually only speeding cars are allowed. The dash ended at Qwest Field and we treated ourselves to beers at the Elysian Fields to celebrate.

All in all it was a pretty mellow, fun weekend, but it went WAY too fast. *sigh* Back to work....

Too much time?

Some people have way too much time on their hands, but this is hilarious! Posted today on Stuff On My Cat.

Happy Friday & Congrats to Christy!

Finally it is Friday and that darn George Jones song keeps running through my mind. This has been one long week. What with the recovering from the past ski weekend, the day trip to AZ, and a couple of late nights at work. Oh, and my friend Christy's last day of work!

Christy and I used to work together at my previous employer, but she also had a great opportunity drop in her lap and decided to take it! Congrats to Christy!! On Wednesday after work we toasted her departure into the wee hours (8pm is the wee hours for me) at the Pike Brewery (I am starting to see a trend with that place).

Needless to say I'm looking forward to a quiet and relaxing weekend. Tomorrow we have a company coming over to do a window consultation and Sunday I'll be jog/walking in the 2008 St. Paddy's Day Dash. Other than that I see a lot of Wii playing and laying on the couch in my future.

Hooray for Friday!

I got a hundred dollars smokin' in my billfold
I know I oughta save it but it's burnin' a hole
Right through my pocket and into my skin
Come Monday morning I'll be broke again.

It's finally Friday
I'm free again
I got my motor running for a wild weekend
It's finally Friday
I'm outa' control
Forget the workin' blues
And let the good times roll.

I got a little sugar baby down the road
She's sittin' on a radio and rockin' on roll
We'll dance up a storm and later all night
We'll be workin' on doin' all the wrong things right.

It's finally Friday
I'm free again
I got my motor running for a wild weekend
It's finally Friday
I'm outa' control
Forget the workin' blues
And let the good times roll.

Monday, I'll be hurtin with my head in a vice
Tuesday, I'll be wonderin' if I'll ever survive
Wednesday and Thursday, I'll be slowly tunin' in
Friday, I'll be revin' up my motor again.

It's finally Friday
I'm free again
I got my motor running for a wild weekend
It's finally Friday
I'm outa' control
Forget the workin' blues
And let the good times roll.

It's finally Friday
I got my motor running for a wild weekend
It's finally Friday
Forget the workin' blues
And let the good times roll...

Coffee & Lunch in AZ

Yesterday I spent the day in Phoenix again. Because AZ doesn't do daylight savings time, this time we had an extra hour there and fit in Coffee as well as Lunch. When we landed at 9am it was 63 degrees and sunny. To contrast, when I left Seattle at 6:10am it was about 40 degrees and pouring down rain. By the time we left it was 81 degrees and sunny. Boy am I ready for summer now!

Something we don't see in Seattle this time of year - the Sun.



I sat here for about 30 minutes with my face turned towards the sun. Felt to good!



Even the flowers were out.

2008 (10th annual) Jones - Kalahar - Walters Ski - In

Chris and I headed over the mountains on Friday to Wenatchee for the 10th Annual Ski-In. A gathering of friends of family who grew up skiing, ski racing, and ski instructing at Mission Ridge. Friday night we met up at the Applewood Grill in downtown Wenatchee for a pre-skiing dinner. We told stories of years past, passed around the photo album, and had some darn tasty beers. Saturday, bright and early, we met on the hill. We skied and skied and skied. The weather was perfect. I skied in a long sleeved t-shirt and my vest. I even had to apply sunscreen multiple times. Not a stitch of wind and no clouds as far as the eye could see. The mountain was groomed perfectly and there was a thin layer of pow-pow if you snuck off the run. I had a smile from ear to ear the entire day. At the end of the day we retired to Ron and Deb Walters's house for an evening potluck and reminiscing. This year, like those of the past, was great fun. Below are pictures of the event.

Chris mentally preparing himself for the day ahead.


Big Al telling a joke - as usual.


Dad & Chris on Chair #1.


Dad at the top of Chair #2.


Dad & Chris - yep the weather was perfect!


Mt. Rainier in the distance.


The morning ski crew. (John, JB, Chris, Pat, Sue, Allen, Kory, John, Courtney)


Dad & John at the top of Chak-Chak (Chair #4).


The sun just kept smiling on us.


Self portrait with the Columbia River in the background.


Chris at the after party.


Dad with a wee glass of wine (notice Chris's forehead).


The potluck ladies (Deb, Mom, Sally & Nancy).

This is AMAZING!

If you're anywhere near Redmond, please shop at Whole Foods on March 20th, 2008!

WHOLE FOODS MARKET REDMOND ANNOUNCES 5% DAY TO SUPPORT THE

2008 BREAST CANCER 3-DAY

Enthusiastic Locals, Team Warming Hut Hotties, Encourage Residents to Shop & Make a Difference in the Fight Against Breast Cancer

Redmond, WA -- Thursday, March 6, 2008 – Whole Foods Market Redmond (17991 NE Redmond Way) announced today that it will be hosting a Community Day on Thursday, March 20; on that date 5% of the store’s sales will be donated in support of the coming 2008 Breast Cancer 3-Day. Local participants, Team Warming Hut Hotties will be on hand to share information about the Breast Cancer 3-Day which takes place annually and benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund.

“Team Warming Hut Hotties decided to participate in the Breast Cancer 3-Day because each of us have been touched by friends, family and co-workers who are battling breast cancer or who tragically have lost their lives to this disease. We wanted to do something bold that makes a statement of hope; what better way to do that than by setting a goal and accomplishing something rewarding and challenging,” said Melissa Cole, Team Captain. “We look forward to marching through the streets of our local communities with thousands of others as we raise awareness and funds for the breast cancer movement.”

Community citizenship is one of Whole Foods Market’s closely held values. “The 2008 Breast Cancer 3-Day represents a celebration of the human spirit as well as money for research, education and screening. Whole Foods Market Redmond is very pleased to be in partnership with not only a group of passionate, committed individuals but with an organization that makes hope in the face of a dreaded disease possible.” Michael Carr, Marketing and Community Relations Leader noted.

About the Breast Cancer 3 Day: Taking place in 14 cities nationwide, the Breast Cancer 3-Day is a three-day, 60-mile walk that provides an opportunity to educate tens of thousands of people about breast health, including the importance of early detection. Breast Cancer 3-Day participants commit to raising a minimum of $2,200 and walking an average of 20 miles a day during each three-day event. Proceeds from the Breast Cancer 3-Day are used for breast cancer research, education, and community outreach programs. As the primary beneficiary of the Breast Cancer 3-Day, Susan G. Komen for the Cure receives 85 percent of net proceeds and the remaining 15 percent goes to the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. Please visit www.The3Day.org, or call 800.996.3DAY for more information.

About Whole Foods Market: Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market is the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket and America’s first national certified organic grocer. In fiscal year 2005, the company had sales of $4.7 billion and currently has more than 175 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The Whole Foods Market motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet”™ captures the company’s mission to find success in customer satisfaction and wellness, employee excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Whole Foods Market, Harry’s Farmers Market®, and Fresh & Wild® are trademarks owned by Whole Foods Market IP, LP. Whole Foods Market employs more than 39,000 team members and has been ranked for eight consecutive years as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by Fortune magazine.

About Team Warming Hut Hotties: http://08.the3day.org/goto/WarmingHutHotties

*sigh*

I can be such an idiot.

Yesterday we had an all company meeting during the day with a very yummy lunch from Specialty's Bakery. Then to follow it up we all went to dinner at Manzana Rotisserie Grill. Lunch was really, really good and I wasn't that hungry for dinner so I ordered the Tortilla Soup.

Apparently someone had taken control of me at that point.

I hate soup. I once told Chris "I hate soup, soup is stupid". I truly feel that way. I'm just not a soup fan. Oh, and I really don't like beans. So of course I ordered the Southwest Chicken Tortilla Soup. That A) was soup, and B) contained beans.

Really, what was I thinking? I'm still mad about it.

Weird Dream

I had the weirdest dream last night. I was at work. Apparently at my new job, but tons of folks from my old company now worked here. We were preparing for an all company meeting (which we actually had at work today!). I looked up at the clock on the wall and it read 8:51am. The meeting was set to begin in 9 minutes and I began to panic. I realized that I hadn't trimmed the lawn yet (?!?!). I ran outside with my electric lawn trimmer and began to trim our already trimmed lawn (which by the way we don't have where I work, we just have a cement patio). But I trimmed and trimmed and trimmed the already trimmed lawn until the bell rang (?!?!) which apparently signaled the start of the meeting. I ran inside and everyone congratulated me on the great job I had done trimming the lawn.

I gotz mad skillz. That's right.

Mood Lifter

How can a bad day not possibly get better after seeing this?