July Fireworks, Baseball & Softball

I have a few hours with absolutely nothing to do for the first time in a while...and it is great! I've been enjoying the Giants game on Sunday Night Baseball while surfing online, reading a book and drinking a homemade smoothie. I figured I could take a break from reading to update my blog :)

Fireworks on the 4th were super fun - I even set one off! I think I still enjoy watching more than creating the show, but it was a good experience. I was able to snag a few photos, too. Here are my favorites:

The next fun event of note was Thursday night, when my small group spontaneously decided to go to a Tacoma Rainiers game together (too bad we missed the Grizzlies by one week). Sadly one of our friends is moving to Minnesota, and she mentioned she hadn't been to a Rainiers game yet and she wanted to go, so a couple of women stepped up and pulled it together overnight to make it happen. Here are a couple of pictures:

Then, the next night, our church softball team had a game - and we won! After 2 forfeits and 2 losses, it was really fun to actually win one. Here are a couple of pictures my friend Sarah took:

This week also included a trip to the mall where I actually found several items I liked (I'm really picky). I kept forgetting there was an Old Navy in Olympia; now that it moved to the mall I'm much more likely to stop by. The sad news from my trip to the mall: I found out both Auntie Anne's and Wetzel's Pretzels are gone! Of course, upon this discovery, I started craving an almond flavored pretzel. I might have to venture up to Tacoma sometime soon...

Happy Spring

Temperatures are starting to warm. The sun's making an occasional appearance. Spring is here! 

A few things I love about Spring:

• Baseball is back! I've been a Giants fan pretty much my whole life; I admit I'm still excited about the World Series last year. Even though they only won one of the first four games of the season, I think this season's going to be good. I only wish they came up and played the Mariners a few times...(or even once).
• Easter is coming. I love Easter. It's a toss-up as to whether I like Easter or Christmas better, but it definitely is one of my two favorite holidays. It's fun to form new traditions living up here, although I really miss the sunrise service and french toast breakfast served by the youth group on Easter sunday. Still, our church's Easter breakfast was pretty fun last year and I'm looking forward to celebrating Christ's resurrection. 
• Spring regattas. Since I started rowing again last summer, I'm really excited for Spring regattas. Although I'll do the longer Fall races, I much prefer the Spring sprints and can't wait for them!
• The weather. Even though it still rains fairly frequently and is a little chilly, it's warm enough to start considering going outside in just a couple of layers. We even got to run around outside and toss around a football at youth group tonight!

I'm sure there are more reasons I like Spring that I'm just forgetting. What are your favorite things about this time of year?

Washington & California: What I Love & What I Miss

This summer will mark the second complete year of living in Washington. It's really sunny today, which I guess is what made me think about summer and, henceforth, moving here. A lot of people still give me a hard time for one of the reasons I love living up here: the weather. I love the cloudy, rainy skies overhead 9 months of the year. I know most people don't share my sentiments for the gray weather...but there are other things I love about living in Washington (in no particular order):

• Chicken Teriyaki. It is really easy to get good chicken teriyaki up here. It's everywhere. We have a couple of default restaurants, although we just tried a new place last night that was also very good. In fact, there are at least two teriyaki restaurants within walking distance of our apartment. It's a great substitute to a burger when you're on a budget.
• DaddyO's Burgers. Speaking of burgers, theirs are delicious. Yes, my husband works there, but that doesn't mean I have to like the food. I tend to be a little picky about fast food, but DaddyO's makes good quality burgers with their own special sauce. Mmm...I could go for a burger now...
• It's beautiful. How can you not enjoy the green of evergreens with Mt. Rainier in the distance? 
• It's light longer. Well, at least during the summer. It's not uncommon for the sun to be out until past 9pm in the months of June, July and August, allowing even more time to get outside and do something fun!
• Sometimes it snows (but just a little). When it does snow, it's just enough to be really pretty and fun to play in, but not enough to last for months at a time. It's also a big enough deal that a lot of businesses shut down and get snow days along with the kids in school.
• Life Pointe Church. I have to include our church on this list, because I love it! From the day we started attending, it felt like home. Our Life Group is a HUGE part of that as well :)

With all the things I love about Washington, I do have to admit there are a few things I miss from California:

• Friends & Family. This one's obvious, but needs to be said. Most of our family, plus a lot of close friends, still live down in California. I really wish they all could've just come up here with us, although that's not exactly practical.
• The San Francisco Giants. I've been a fan for as long as I can remember and have a lot of fond memories of going to the games, especially with my dad. I was SO excited about them winning the World Series last year, although I was also a little sad I couldn't go to any of the games or just celebrate with other fans before, during and after the games.
• Chinese food. I grew up in a predominantly Chinese/Taiwanese neighborhood. In addition to standing out in class photos, I learned to expect a certain quality of Chinese food (thanks to all the family-owned restaurants). Although the places I've tried up here have been okay, none of them have quite hit the spot.
• Disneyland. Even though we lived in Northern California, a trip to Disneyland only took 6 hours, which made it much more feasible.

Happy Epiphany!

Today (now that it's past midnight) marks the official end of the Christmas season. Yes, I know most people have been done celebrating for days (if not weeks), but since I love the holidays I like to celebrate as long as I can. The 12 days of Christmas actually begin on Christmas and end today, Epiphany. I don't remember a whole lot about it (my years of Lutheran upbringing are failing me), but I do remember that it's been Christmas this whole time despite most people moving on. Sad, I know.

Anyway, this past Christmas / New Year's was really fun. Throughout December, we attended three white elephant parties - my favorite kind! I also got to head down to California for a few days and spend time with family / a few friends. Unfortunately Matt couldn't make it down too, but I was glad I got to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and my mom's birthday with family, in addition to visiting Matt's family and a few friends I still have in the area. Matt's parents came up and took us to dinner the day I got home too - him getting to see them was great, too.

Although I enjoy seeing people more than actual gifts, I was pretty excited about some of the wonderful items I received: Beauty & The Beast on DVD, various SF Giants paraphernalia, a few Wii games (Glee Karaoke, High School Musical Sing It and Wii Fit Plus), and more. 

More than anything, seeing friends and family again made me really appreciate just how blessed I am. There are a lot of people I wish I could see more and spend additional time with. I've been surrounded by fabulous people my entire life - and continue to be included in wonderful groups of friends and family. Thank you all!