Happy 4th!

Believe it or not, this was our 3rd 4th of July in Washington! All three years we have been watching the fireworks on a hill in the North End of Tacoma. They shoot the fireworks off of a barge on the water. It's always a wonderful show, we really love it. Last year we were in Seattle and had a long drive home afterwards, so it was really awesome to only be a few minutes from home this year.
We didn't take any pictures of the fireworks this year. It's really difficult to get any good pictures without a tripod. Instead we took some pictures of the sun setting and of Rally hamming it up for everyone around us.

We also tried a new place for shooting of our own fireworks this year. As we were driving somewhere for dinner we noticed a billboard for a place called Firecracker Alley so I looked it up so we could go after dinner. The place was pretty cool, a lot like the Boom City we went to last year. Thankfully all the stands were set up on asphalt so it wasn't nearly as dusty. It also wasn't quite as big, but to be honest all the stands end up looking the same after a while. We were going to buy a box but they didn't take cards so we just decided to go back the next day. We brought Janke with us the next day and we bought our box.
When we got out to the open area for setting of fireworks it was a little terrifying. It was jam packed with kids, teenagers, and adults pretending they were directing a Michael Bay movie. Unfortunately for us, Mother Nature decided to get a little crazy with the wind effects. Just imagine a bunch of people in a confined area shooting off explosives with wind blowing so hard that you have a hard time lighting a fuse. It got kind of scary. To top it all off, I got hit in the foot with a firework! It didn't really hurt, it was just startling. It felt like somebody threw a ball at my foot.

Our box of fireworks was pretty lame though. There was a handful of really cool ones, but half of the box was full of these really stupid little things that practically exploded in your hand and when they launched they just made an irritating noise with a quick spark. We ended up giving them to some random Indian girl who was scrounging around looking for leftover fireworks. She seemed pretty excited about that.
Meanwhile, the week leading up to the 4th and even until now the neighborhood kids are still launching of fireworks in the alleys, despite the fact that they are in fact illegal in the city of Tacoma. On the actual night of the 4th they were going until the wee hours of the morning. Then when I woke up the next day for work, they were still going! I even heard some more just this morning. Hopefully they stop soon because it is getting kind of annoying.

I hope that everyone had a safe and happy holiday!!!

Happy New Year! (almost two weeks late)

Wow, I cannot believe that we are already almost two weeks into 2011! That just seems crazy to me. We celebrated the new year in a new and exciting way. Every year Seattle shoots fireworks off of the Space Needle to ring in the new year. Lucky for us, we had the best seat in the house. Our third floor deck offered us a perfect and unobstructed view of the Space Needle. It was fun getting to participate in all the excitement that the new year brings. The air was practically buzzing with excitement.

The fireworks show was absolutely beautiful and it was a great way to celebrate the end of a year and the dawning of a new one.

The year 2010 brought some really big changes for us. Obviously, Glenn was offered a fantastic opportunity with a great job here in Seattle and we took a huge leap together by moving up here. Not only did we leave jobs that we were very happy with in Phoenix, but we left behind our family and friends, and our wonderful home in Downtown Phoenix. It was an incredibly difficult move, for me especially, but I can honestly say I don't regret it one bit. We are loving everything that Seattle has to offer us and still enjoy exploring new places to go and eat on the weekends.
I'm not big on making lists or resolutions for the new year, but I do like to set some realistic goals for myself to aspire to. This year, my goals are pretty simple. First, I would like to get a job. Sleeping in, playing video games, and hanging out with the dog every day have been fun, but I would like to find a better way to spend my time. Second, I would like to get a large chunk of money put away so that I can pay for school completely when the time comes. This June will make it a year that we have lived here so that gives me residency status here (hooray in-state tuition prices!) Thankfully, if I complete my first goal I will be well on my way to the second. They pretty much go hand in hand. Third, and this one is probably on most people's list, but I would like to become healthier and more in shape. That goal is without any specifics, other than I would just like to feel and look healthier.
I would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy new year. I hope that 2011 brings you plenty of happiness and success. Love you all!

Christmas Tree

Wow, so I am kind of embarrassed that I haven't written anything on here in so long. Life gets a little complicated sometimes and you have to set your priorities. I'll just leave it at that.

We got our Christmas Tree over the weekend! This is our 4th Christmas together as a married couple and in all that time, we have never once had a real tree! Honestly, I'm not really sure when the last time I had a real tree was, but I know it was a while ago. I definitely understand and appreciate all the benefits of a fake tree, but there is just something magical about a real tree.

While we were shopping for our tree I recalled some fond memories that I had with my Dad when we used to go looking for Christmas Trees. It always seemed like such a big ordeal. We used to do it as the whole family, but not everyone enjoyed doing that, so it ended up to be just me and my Dad. It always felt like we were on a special mission to bring home the most perfect, beautiful tree to Mom and Jeff. When we first started out, we would go to the lots closest to home but nothing was ever "just right." Finally we discovered a particularly Target that was a little bit, but not much, further from home. This Target had the best selection with the most beautiful trees. We would always go in and find exactly what we were looking for. While Dad paid for the tree and got it up on the car, I would run in the store and buy a new Christmas Music CD for us to listen to on the way home. I know this isn't some crazy big event or anything, but sometimes there are just memories in your mind that stick out profoundly. This one just makes me smile.

Before Glenn and I went out looking for trees we were interested in buying a live tree that could be replanted after the holiday. That idea appealed to our "green" sensibilities but it required too much green to sound like a plan. $125 was not exactly the price range I was looking for. Cut that into thirds and now we're talking. We decided to forgo that idea. Then Glenn found out that a local charity/foundation/support center would be selling trees and that all the proceeds would go directly to them. The place is called the Dunshee House. They are also known as the Seattle AIDS Support Group. It was really nice to find a great tree and support a great cause at the same time. It definitely put me in the Christmas Spirit.

The lot was full of beautiful freshly cut trees at really reasonable prices. Neither of us knew what kind of tree we wanted so we were mostly just browsing until I found the most perfect tree. This lovely little Douglas Fir is close to 6 feet tall and is as bushy as can be. It is very fragrant and has sort of a citrus smell to it. I absolutely love it!

Glenn thought he would attempt to tie the tree to the roof, but considering he had never done it before, I advised him to wait for the "professionals" to do it. He did. The guy tied our tree snugly to our compact little hybrid and down the hill we went to bring it home.

Getting it inside the apartment was surprisingly easy, but we did almost take out someone while turning a blind corner. Now the tree is nestled snugly in a corner of the apartment. We had to move Rally's bed, but he doesn't seem to mind.

I started decorating the second I had finished straightening the tree. Of course we were about two boxes of lights short so we had to go to Target. When we came home for some more decorating, I took out the new lights and noticed they looked a little funny. They had some weird box attachment on the wire. Crap. They twinkled. I hate twinkle lights, they drive me nuts! We returned the lights and I got a new sparkly pink stocking while we were out.

Now our tree is all decorated and pretty as can be. We bought and built a lego train about a month ago and decided to have it go around the bottom of the tree. I think it looks really cute there.

I just love the way that LED lights just light up the room. They leave the coolest looking patterns on the ceiling at night. They're so bright we can turn off all the lights and still read just fine. That's all for now, but hopefully I can stay a little more on top of the blog than I have been.

Love to all!

4th of July

I never used to be a really big fan of the 4th, but I can most closely attribute that fact to living in or visiting a hot location on the 4th. Sure, watching fireworks has always been fun, and I have lots of fond memories of that, but being hot and uncomfortable in July is just not that fun.
Like I said though, there were lots of fond memories. When I was younger, I remember Grandpa Lutes sending us a sweet little package full of sparklers and other mostly non-harmful fireworks and that was always a lot of fun. I remember a family vacation (before Glenn) where we went to Cabo San Lucas and were treated to beachside fireworks by the resort, even though the holiday has no meaning to them. It was a really special night that I will always remember. I also remember the time when Glenn took me to a Dodger game on the 4th. That was another experience I could never forget. After the 7th inning stretch, we left our bleacher seats in left field and stood behind the bullpen waiting for the go ahead to run onto the field and claim our seats for one of the most spectacular fireworks displays ever seen. It truly was amazing. It was even choreographed to music!
My most memorable 4th of July would have to be last year's. Not only was it not 100 degrees outside, but we were by water, and later that evening I got to shoot off my very own fireworks for the first time. Now that we are back in Washington, I wasn't about to spend another 4th of July simply sitting back and watching the show. I was going to get in on the action too.
This year, we made our way up North the day before to do a little outlet shopping, eat at Bajio (sadly out of business), and pick up some fireworks on the Rez. Of course, I have little to no self control when it comes to buying fireworks, so at the very first booth we spotted and stopped at, I spent all $40 that I had. We had brought Janke along on our little trip and he didn't buy anything at the first stall. At the next stall, I remembered I had $5 in my wallet, so I quickly spent that too. Since Janke is a little indecisive and I secretly think he was just planning on sharing with me, despite my protests, we decided to hit up Boom City. I've never heard a truer name.
Boom City is flat out ridiculous. If you were to create a stereotypical image of a pyromaniac in your head, multiply it by a couple thousand and put those people in a couple acres of land surrounded with stalls upon stalls of fireworks dealers, you would get Boom City. This place was nuts. I have never seen so many fireworks in my life!
Not only that, but there were boxes of fireworks for sale that retailed for $150, $350, even $1000!!! Can you believe that?!
Imagine my surprise when Janke didn't buy anything, and we left empty handed. Hmph.
At around 8:00 on the 4th, Glenn, Janke and I made our way out to Tacoma to watch the fireworks show. It was lovely as always. Afterwards, we drove around University Place to find a suitable place to shoot off our own explosives. We found a nice little area not too close to houses and proceeded to blow stuff up. I was even super nice and I shared with Janke. It was fun. I love shooting off my own fireworks. The only other person who I think might enjoy this as much as I do is Jeff. I hope I can get him up here, maybe next year, because we would have a blast!
I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July! I know we did. Love you and miss you all!
Enjoy the video below of Janke having a difficult time getting the lighter to work. (Hopefully I loaded it properly.)