He asked. I said yes.

Robert asked me to marry him! Of course I said yes. We were in Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta and he got down on one knee and asked if I would marry him. The answer wasn't even in question.

What's crazy is a newscaster happened to walk by RIGHT then, and caught the moment on camera. How awesome is that? It was a truly candid moment and we'll have that forever. 

The Balloon Fiesta was beautiful, but after he proposed I was so excited I mostly forgot about the balloons. The ring that he proposed with was beautiful as well: 6 white diamonds on white gold. It is at the jewelers now getting resized. 

After the Fiesta we went out to celebrate with his family at Tim's Place, a restaurant in Albuquerque that was started by a man with Down's Syndrome where every customer gets a hug. We were joined by his parents and his sister and her fiance. 

I am happy that I am going to be spending the rest of my life with him. He's such an amazing guy and I'm happy to call him my fiance! 

Arriving in ABQ

 We made it to Albuquerque in one piece! We're staying with Robert's parents while we're here, and they're letting us borrow one of their cars while we're here so we don't have to be in a hotel or rent an auto. Here's our obligatory PDX carpet photo:

And on the airplane I got a pretty cool shot of Mt. Hood. There's NO snow on it though! They've been saying that we're in a drought, which I haven't really noticed. But with seeing the mountain I believe it. 

The flight wasn't bad at all. 2.5 hours and it was a straight shot, so I read my new Buffy book and tried to doze. I am glad that we didn't have a layover anywhere, which makes things much easier. Plus Robert and I didn't check any baggage, so we were just in and out of the airport without a hassle.

Today we're off to go explore Old Town (in ABQ), then off to play cards with his grandfather and then off to dinner with the family. His gpa won't join for that, though, because he's very old and slow. It's been nice so far!

The Walking Dead

Robert and I started watching The Walking Dead again last night after a long hiatus. This was mostly because Erika had posted how much she liked it, and then I was surprised to find out that Kurt likes it as well. Who knew! So I thought that I would start it up again. I had only seen episode 1, so we continued with episodes 2 and 3 last night.

Honestly, I don't think I've been hooked. There aren't really any interesting characters that have drawn me in so far, and it looks like it's just another zombie movie, drawn out over a couple seasons. What's funny is that most of the characters that we've come across so far are ones that I am totally fine getting knocked off. Maybe without that connection I'm just not getting the draw of the show.

I think I'm going to watch other things instead. TWD just hasn't done it for me.

New Mexico Trip

Robert got us tickets for New Mexico! We'll be there October 8-12, which is during the Balloon Fiesta. I'm very much looking forward to that! Robert has told me all about it, and it's the largest hot air balloon festival in the world. Think of how pretty that will be with all of those balloons lifting off into the air. You have to get up early in the morning to go and see it. Like they lift off at 4-5am I believe, because that's when the air is the coolest and the balloons can get that hot air from the burner to rise.

This is what's known as the 'mass ascent', or 'mass ascension':

We'll be staying with Robert's parents, who are super nice and accommodating. They always have coffee ready in the mornings and like to visit and play board games. I'm a board game boy, so that is fun for me. It'll be nice to visit with them, and it'll save on hotel and car costs. We won't have to get either of those, so this will be a less expensive vacation than it would be somewhere else.

It's nice to have a vacation to look forward to. We haven't been on one since last year, so I'm itching to go on one. Plus right now I don't have many commitments other than work, so it's perfect timing. I still can't believe that I'm not in school right now; I've been in school since Kindergarten and without that hanging over my head I feel like a free man! :p

Timbers Game

Well, we finally did it:  we went to a Timbers game. Robert's friend Angelina was in from out of town, and we all went for the first time. I didn't know how much fun it would be, but ended up loving it! What a blast! People get really into it, with specific chants for certain things happening. It also didn't hurt that we ended up winning 2-0, so cheering for the goals was great. 

Beforehand we went and got Timbers regalia. I had a shirt and scarf, and Robert had a shirt, scarf and socks. Angelina got a headband and shirt, so we were all decked out. Afterward we grabbed dessert at McMenamins, which was a nice ending to the night. I definitely want to go back for another game.

Before the game at Henry's: 

The view: 

The crew: 

Buckling down

Well, this is currently the biggest that I've ever been weight wise. I know that I've had a lot of my plate recently (get it?), but that isn't an excuse. I talked with my friends Kelsey and Katy (who tweets here) over the weekend and decided that I really need to focus on my health and get back into shape.

Part of that is diet, of course. And I don't mean "dieting" per se, but eating healthily and with purpose. Not snacking, or eating out, or getting coffee each morning. The coffees that I love are frappuccinos and mochas, so it's not black coffee or something that might have some benefit.

Yesterday I hit the gym at the new Planet Fitness in my neighborhood that I joined, and I'll be going after work today as well. When I was a Senior in high school and lost 75 lbs I did it by walking for an hour each day on the treadmill after school and watching what I ate. Time to do that again!

I've come to realize that I yo-yo with my weight. That has been hard for me to admit to myself, but it's the truth. I've been literally 100 lbs lighter than I am right now. Under, actually. A 100 lbs weight range is not a healthy one. Obviously I don't want to get down to what I was before, but under 200 would be ideal. And totally doable.

Robert is working out every other day or so, and I am going to make that commitment as well. I really want to push myself into getting healthy again. I'm not comfortable in my own skin at the moment, and none of my clothing fits, so it's time to make a change.

I've done it before and I can do it again! The trick, though, is maintaining a healthy lifestyle and not letting myself slip back into old patterns and become unhealthy again.

Wish me luck!

Utah Tickets

We got our tickets for Utah! Robert and I will be flying down there April 21^st-25^th for my cousin Tasia’s wedding. I’m really looking forward to it! I’ll get to spend time with my mom, see friends, see family, and show Robert around. I’ll show him the temple grounds, maybe go shopping, go to a used bookstore in Bountiful that I like, wander downtown. The last few times that I’ve been to UT the sidewalk chalk festival was going on at the downtown outdoor mall, so I should check when that’s happening. There are some really talented people out there!

We’re staying with my mom, which makes sense money wise. No need to get a hotel if I have family there. My dad will be abroad in Europe, so I won’t be seeing him. Otherwise I wouldn’t be going, in all honesty. He cut me out of his life when he found out that Robert and I were living together. Not a peep from him since, even when he came up from Utah for my brother’s homecoming. So it’ll actually be enjoyable/possible with my father gone. I don’t know if Robert and I will have another chance of visiting my Mom in UT any time in the next long while.

I want to have some of the classic dinners from when I lived with my parents at our Salem house. Home-made pizza, shells and curry. Mmm. I miss my mom’s home-made cooking! It’s been a while since I’ve had it. The last time that I was there they were doing the diabetes cooking regimen for my dad, so there weren’t any of the classics. Of course we’ll go out for Thai food at least once, and then we’ll probably make no-bakes as well. They are the best cookies in the WORLD.

Erika will most likely come down from BYU-I and Gerrit said that he might visit from Stayton. Kurt has a camping trip with the priests quorum that he is serving with, so that interferes with UT plans. So a couple of siblings will be there, but even if it’s just Robert, my mom and me we’ll still have a good time. Cooking, see new things, board games, card games, etc.

I’m very much looking forward to it! Not only for the reasons listed above, but because vacations are nice. I will get to be away from work, out of my normal routine and have a break from stuff back in Portland. :D 

May Health Goals

Today is the first day of May, so I'm excited that I have a clean start. I actually started my new eating pattern on Monday the 29th. I'm doing gluten-free, corn-free and soy-free veganism. Also nothing processed, no refined sugar, no coffee, no eating out and no desserts. So I'm mainly doing fruits, vegetables, beans and nuts. The one exception that I have is the hummus that's in my fridge since it's plant based and I've already got it.

I'm also adding exercise into the mix as well. Ideally I would work out every day this month, but that's a big commitment! I can try to do it when I get home each day before Robert gets home from work, but that's going to take a lot of effort. I guess it will be worth it though. Last summer, when I was working out with Katy, we did a month of working out every day. We were fiends at it! I wish that we were working out together again. We went to Avas a couple weeks ago and decided to work out together each Monday at 12:45PM but haven't kept up with that. I should text her for next Monday. Robert and I are doing 'Couch to 5k', so we'll be running 3 days a week, and then the other days I can do some cardio after I get home and check the mail & feed the kitties. Then gym, then back home for dinner and cleaning.

My weight has gone up considerably the last few months. 25.6 lbs to be exact! I had worked so hard to get that off and then sorta just got comfortable and started eating junk all the time with Robert. I stopped veganism (that'll be a different post), ate out, ate tons of desserts and didn't watch my portions. Time to stop that! I want to get back to being healthy, working out, and back to the size that I was a couple months ago. Overall, my goal is to lose 50 lbs from where I'm at right now.

For May, my goals are as follows:

- No animal products. It's easy for me to eat healthily while being vegan; I don't have to worry about wanting fatty foods or what the cholesterol/fat content is in things
- No processed foods. That's a pretty good recipe for eating healthily!
- No coffee - I've been getting way too many mochas lately, and they're chocked full of sugar and useless calories.
- No refined sugar - Easy to do since I'm not eating anything processed!
- No gluten/corn/soy - I don't need corn or soy in my diet at all. The gluten is the only stuff I'll miss.
- Watch my portions - Try to eat slowly and take sips of water while I'm eating, plus put less on my plate.
- Do C25K each week - Couch to 5K is a good program and eases you into running a 5k within a good amount of time. Robert and I will be doing the program together, so it'll be more motivating. The app calls for 3 runs per week, which is totally doable.
- Keep a food log - It's really good to see what I'm eating, where my weak spots are and keep sme accountable if I want something that's not-so-good for me.
- No eating after 8PM - That's definitely my weak time and when I want to snack. It was worse when I was living on my own and up all hours of the night, but with someone keeping me accountable it'll be easier. Plus I'm going to bed at 10PM, not 3AM like I used to.

I should be doing all these things anyway, so I should be focusing on the fact that this isn't a punishment or a time of food austerity. The things on the list above (mochas, processed foods, etc) should be an exception, not the norm.

 I can do this! :D

One Man Star Wars Show

The OMSWS that we went to was so much fun! I really didn't know what to expect, but it was entertaining, funny and engaging. It was just the main performer in a black body suit (almost like what a plumber wears) doing all the characters himself with no props. It sounds like it would be hard, and I think that initially it would be. He's been doing this for 12 years, though, so he's got the act down pat. Robert and I sat together (of course), and since it was at the Aladdin Theater no matter what seat you were in you were pretty close to the stage. 

After the show he said the he was staying after to chat with people and sign autographs. Of course I jumped on this since I'm all about meeting D-list celebrities and I'm a huge nerd for anything connected to Star Wars in any way. He signed both of our tickets, which was pretty cool. I also asked him if he had thought about doing the newest 3 SW movies, and he said that he had thought about maybe lumping them into a half hour stint at the beginning of his show. I think he would have to go back to Lucasfilm and get the approval/licensing for it. Speaking of, after the show he told us about how the experience came about and that Lucasfilm had him come down and perform for them and eventually said that he could continue doing it with their blessing and they'd get a 25% cut. Not bad for either party, considering Lucasfilm didn't have to do anything for it and the performer didn't have to write any of his own concepts. 

I would definitely recommend the show to anyone that is a Star Wars fan and is in the city he happens to be touring in. If you haven't seen SW or don't know it well, the show is going to be totally lost on you and you won't understand what's going on. It's for the die-hards that can follow along in their heads with what's happening during the film. It was a great show, and we laughed through the whole thing. His impression of Jabba was killing me. I wondered how he would portray the Hutt, and it didn't let me down. 

Final verdict? Two thumbs up! 

One Man Star Wars Show Anticipation

Tonight we are going to see the One Man Star Wars Show at the Aladdin Theater here in Portland. I'm really interested to see how it can be done, considering SW is a huge story and has many different characters. Is Charles Ross (the writer/performer) going to play all the parts? Have recordings of him playing other parts that he'll play while acting one person out live? Do a series of monologues? It sounds like it's going to be interesting.

From what I've seen online there's been a very positive response to the show. Conan O'Brien, The NY Times, SPIN magazine and a lot of others have praised it. And when I looked up "One Man Star Wars Show" on twitter there was just a long feed of people saying how good it was. I'm not getting my hopes up too much, because I don't want to be let down. In all honesty, I'm not even having to artificially suppress my feelings; I just don't see how a one person show acting out the Star Wars saga could be amazing. But, since I'm going in with that perspective, I will probably be pleasantly surprised.

The doors open at 6PM and the show starts at 7PM. After I get off work at 4:30PM Ill get Robert and me some Baja Fresh, feed the kitties, get the mail, clean the living room, and then when Robert gets home at around 5:25PM we'll be able to head right over. It'll be rush hour time and we have to cross over the entire city, so it'll most likely take around an hour to get there. The Aladdin isn't insanely huge though, so even if we do have seats in the back I'll be ok with that. Either way, it'll be fun to go and see a different kind of show with Robert. Crossin' my fingers that it'll be good!

Literature This Week

To say that work has been slow this week would be a major understatement. Usually there is a small pile of batchwork on my desk when I come in at 8AM and then there is more in a bin to get once I finish that. This week there's only been one day with work on my desk and there's nothing for me to go and get. So of course I'm taking calls like normal but there's nothing to do in the mean time. Instead of stare at the computer screen or count the number of times the florescent lights flicker and think about clinical depression, I read. It's perfect since I love to read and I'm entertained while waiting for another call. 

This week I've been tearing through the books. I've finished four of them and am starting my fifth. They are as follows:

Sliding on the Snow Stone by Andy Szpuk. It's a memoir from a Ukrainian boy before and during WWII. It's interesting because most of the memoirs that I've read during that time period are concentration camp survivors or people otherwise entangled with Judaism in Nazi Germany. This is from the perspective of a boy that is fighting for neither side and whose life is forever changed by a warring Europe. He endures a lot and this is an account of what he went through, all the way through his elder years. I rated it 4/5 stars. The writing was poignant and the material interesting. I have few criticisms of the memoir, as it is a personal experience and written in a language that was not his first. The following is the description from GoodReads: 

It is astonishing that anyone lived this story. It is even more astonishing that anyone survived it. Stefan grows up in the grip of a raging famine. Stalin’s Five Year Plan brings genocide to Ukraine – millions of people starve to death. To free themselves from the daily terrors of Soviet rule, Stefan and his friends fight imaginary battles in nearby woods to defend their land. The games they play are their only escape. ‘Sliding on the Snow Stone’ is the true story of Stefan's extraordinary journey across a landscape of hunger, fear and devastating loss. With Europe on the brink of World War Two, Stefan and his family pray they'll survive in their uncertain world. They long to be free. (In 1932-33, as part of their drive towards industrialisation, the Soviet Union demanded impossibly high requisitions of grain from rural areas in Ukraine. In a deliberate act of genocide, Ukrainian smallholdings were stripped of food, and the population began to perish, with some estimates as high as 10 million deaths, from starvation. In Ukraine, this atrocity became known as the Holodomor (death by hunger). The following years saw Soviet purges and terrors resulting in the elimination of academics and intellectuals, or of anyone who spoke out against Soviet rule. When World War Two arrived on Ukraine’s doorstep, many people viewed the Nazis as liberators – a view that was quickly proved wrong. ‘Sliding on the Snow Stone’ is Stefan’s personal account of a historical period drenched in the blood of a nation, and of his yearning for freedom.)

Parasite Pig by William Sleator. I didn't even know that this book existed until I saw it at a book shop beneath Pikes Place Market when I went shopping there with Robert last weekend. It is the sequel to Interstellar Pig that I read when I was in middle school. I had memories of reading the first one, so a few months ago I checked it out from the library and read it again. It was fun to revisit it. Both the books are YA Sci-Fi targeted at middle school or young high school readers. Totally frivolous reading, but very entertaining. I didn't connect with Barney (the protagonist) in Parasite, but I think that was because the story was so outlandish (hey, it's YA science fiction) and it didn't really focus on character development. I gave it 3/5 stars for the entertainment value. I think there will be a few more Sleator books that I'll revisit as well. The Goodreads synopsis:

The daring game of intergalactic chase that thrilled a generation of science fiction readers in Interstellar Pig has started again, and round two is deadly! This sequel to William Sleator's sly masterpiece takes readers on another hunt for the sinister Piggy, this time in the far reaches of space.
Poor Barney has a boring after-school job, earning money to repay his parents after their beach house is destroyed in a battle with aliens. Of course, they don't believe that aliens did the damage. No one, in fact, realizes that sixteen-year-old Barney saved the world by outsmarting the visitors at their violent game, Interstellar Pig. No one but the aliens, and for them the game is far from over. 
Barney is about to be drawn into the contest again, becoming the unwilling partner of a chatty intestinal parasite; the potential snack of giant, man-eating crabs; and the competitor of a stinger-happy seven-foot wasp woman. Life just got a lot more interesting. 

The Runner by W.J. Davies. This was a dystopian novella based off the recent hit of the same genre Wool (by Hugh Howey). I liked it because it took the exact universe and situation that Howey had set up but used different characters to explore what was going on. The concept was the same because of the nature of how people live (I don't want to give too much away), but this time it is with two men who are in love. I hadn't read a dystopian piece that had main homosexual characters and it was a breath of fresh air. Though it was short and I would have liked more, it piqued my interest in Davies if he were to do anything more in the Wool universe. The cool thing is that Davies and I had an exchange on Twitter!

It's pretty cool that he responded to me on there. I had asked him why he chose to write about gay characters and he responded with that. It linked to a blog post about marriage equality and it's voyage that got him thinking. I rated it 4/5 stars and hope to read more of his work in the future if it's Wool-related. I know that was only a springboard to get his name out there for his upcoming novel, but it didn't sound super interesting to me. The Goodreads synopsis: 

This story is set in Hugh Howey's world of Wool
"We all have a reason for being here, we're just not sure what it is."
Time is running out. As the Great Flood threatens to consume the silo, Ace and a team of divers are in a desperate battle to avert disaster. When a terrible accident destroys the person he cares about most, Ace has little left to live for. 
After nearly succumbing to the silo's flooded depths, he realizes that drastic measures must be taken in order to save their underground home. But those in charge deem his ideas too dangerous, his methods too forbidden, and he is shunned for his sin of toxic words. 
When an opportunity for redemption presents itself, Ace has only one question: Why should he fight to save these people, if they aren't willing to help themselves?

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling. My coworker lent this to me when I finished my other book. I read this in less than 24 hours. It was super light reading, as I thought it would be, and mostly entertaining. There were a few good one-liners in there, but I was just mildly interested in the rest of it. I don't know why, but it didn't really speak to me. I think that it was very scattered and maybe her trying too hard. Or not trying enough. I couldn't tell. I'm not used to reading comedic memoirs (or comedy in general for that matter) and I haven't read anything by her before. It made the NYTimes Best Seller list, so it's popular for sure. Everyone has different tastes, though. I gave it 3/5 stars because I didn't really have to think and it was mildly entertaining. Goodreads:

Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?”  Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly! In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka. 

Disconnect by Imran Siddiq. This is another new dystopian novella that was free on the Amazon Kindle. I am really into it so far! I am 57% done with it and I just started it this afternoon. I am always interested in striations of society, castes or institutionalized social hierarchies. This book plays on that by separating people not only by those castes but moving the people into different halves of the world, only to have a boy and girl fall for each other from different parts of the world. You could totally see that part coming, but the world is a very interesting one. I'm interested to see where it'll go!

Zachary, a 16-year old Underworlder digs in waste to find anything worth bartering. That is the rule of scavenging.
When he discovers footage of an Overworld girl, Rosa, he’s intrigued by her sorrow and breaks the rule.
That decision changes his life, and he will suffer for it.
Zachary must overcome worthlessness, prejudice, and not let a twisted lie devour the new reason that he survives; Rosa.
In space, love had boundaries.

Anniversary

Today is our 6 month anniversary! That's of being official, not from when we first met or even when we first started casually dating. Wow, the time has flown! When I got out of the shower this morning, Robert had placed chocolates and a card on my pillow: 

The chocolates are a Rittersport, which I've talked a lot about to Robert before and he remembered that I liked them. And I am a big fan of hazelnuts in chocolate, so he got me that kind. I haven't had Rittersport (website here)  in a very long time, so it's a nice surprise. The other chocolate bar is one that he introduced me to: Green&Blacks organic Fair-Trade dark chocolate. He got the 70% dark instead of the 85% that he usually gets because he knows I like 70 better. Organic, Fair-Trade dark chocolate sounds very bourgeois/PacNW-er/Portland elitist, but of course I'm totally into that and I love it. And of course organic is just more healthy all around. 

The card was super sweet and totally made me tear up. I'm really lucky to have met such an awesome guy. *cue violins playing in the background* Not to turn this all "after school special" on ya, but he's definitely a keeper. 

I got him a little pillow. I got the colors to match the colors in our living room (brown and red), but he wants to keep it in the bedroom so the kitties won't ruin it. I got it off Etsy.com and I think it's adorable. He says he thinks so as well. :) 

For dinner we were going to Portobellos, but decided on putting that off until this weekend since both of us were tired and didn't want to travel over to the East side, get dressed up and all that. Instead we played it low key and got Thai takeout from Frangipani and ate that while watching 'United States of Tara'. I got Paad Thai, which I rarely get. It's the go-to dish for people that don't know Thai, and one of those I am not. It sounded good, though, so we both got the chicken one "mild plus". With a side of peanut sauce for my Thai, a cute boy next to me and a good show on, the night was a good one. 

Here's to six months together! 

6 Month Anniversary

Tomorrow is Robert and my 6 month anniversary. On one hand, it seems like we've been together much longer (in a good way) and then on the other hand it seems like the 6 month mark has come so quickly! When we became official and had been together a few months I put our 6 month mark in my planner not entirely sure if we'd make it until then. Not like I had any feelings of foreboding or whatnot, but because you never know what's going to happen. Now we're here, and it's flown by. I love spending time with Robert no matter what we're doing. He's totally "the one". :)

We both have to work tomorrow, and then in the evening he got us reservations at Portobello (website here and twitter here) , which neither of us have been to. I've heard good things about it. When I looked online for a menu, this was listed:

The menu changes almost every night, due to seasonal availability and what comes our way. 

Very Portland/hipster/eco-friendly. I love it. haha. I'm looking forward to seeing how it is and getting dressed up to go out together. Next we'll be celebrating a year together! Time sure does fly, especially when you're having fun (as the old saying goes).

United States of Tara

Robert and I started watching 'United States of Tara' on Netflix two nights ago. I'm totally hooked. It's really interesting to me since it's a lighthearted depiction of Dissociative Personality Disorder (formerly known as "Multiple Personality Disorder" but since reclassified). I'm sure it's nothing like what real DID is like, but it's fun and interesting nonetheless. It's also got a character who's in high school (maybe a freshman?) that is gay. It's the main characters son. She's accepting of him, though one of her "alters" (alternate personalities) isn't. It brings me back to when I was in high school and how I was crushing on guys that I couldn't have since they were straight and I wasn't out. This is a total trip down memory lane!

I'm excited to watch more of it. There are three seasons, so that'll be our show for a while along with 'True Blood'. We're in the last released season of that, though I think lately I've lost just a bit of steam on it. Probably because we just haven't been watching it that much. Once I watch another episode I'm sure I'll just get sucked right back in! Those shows definitely do that to me. lol.

Seattle Vacation

Robert and I just got back from Seattle for his birthday. It was so much fun! We spent the night at Brandon and Micheal's house which was just a quick 15 minute bus ride from downtown. They were so nice to let us stay, and it saved us a lot of money that we would have spent on a hotel or other lodgings in the area. Seattle is an expensive city! One of the top ten most expensive in the US, according to this article. It was good staying with Brandon and Michael, though, because not only did we save a lot of money but I got to catch up with them and Robert got to meet them. They are such good guys, and we had a lot of laughs. Especially when we played Cards Against Humanity (description of the game here) with another couple; we were up until the wee hours of the morning laughing away.

Since I'm a huge nerd and I like things organized, I made an itinerary for while we were there:

Friday:
11:45 AM         Arrive in Seattle (5th Ave S & S King St, Seattle, WA 98104)
12:00 PM          Head to Brandon + Michaels    

2:00 PM            Dale Chihuly "Garden and Glass" exhibit (305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA 98109)

TBD                 Jurassic Park 3D/IMAX at PSC

 Sat:
10:00 AM         EMP Museum (325 5th Avenue N Seattle, WA 98109)/ Open until 5PM
                        Pacific Science Center (200 Second Ave North Seattle, WA 98109)/ Open until 6PM
TBD                 Dinner with Michael and Brandon
 

Sunday:
Pikes Place Market (85 Pike St. Seattle, Washington 98101)Seattle “Great Wheel” (1301 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA) 

1:30 PM                Check in at Bolt Bus (5th Ave S & S King St, Seattle, WA 98104)
2:00 PM                Departure
5:35 PM                Arrival in PDX

We rode the Bolt Bus up, which was both Robert and my first time riding it. Not a bad experience at all. They have wifi, which is nice, and it's just a straight shot there. They have a restroom in the back if you need it at all. When we got to Seattle we used an app that's nothing less than amazing: Hop Stop. If you don't have it, you need it now. You put in the address of where you want to go and it tells you the quickest way and lets you pick how you want to travel (bus, train, metro, etc). 

On Friday we went to the Dale Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit. I hadn't heard about the artist beforehand, but Robert introduced me to some of his work online. It's featured all over the world and he's become quite renowned. I took the following photographs on my phone (and they didn't turn out bad at all): 

The art was really beautiful. It is all blown glass, and it showed the different periods that Chihuly had gone through. Rober's favorite piece was the Sun. He has the pictures of the sun on his camera and since I don't have those yet I stole a photo offline: 

It turns out that we actually missed Chihuly coming to Seattle and doing a book signing by one week. We didn't actually know about that beforehand, but had he been there that same weekend that we were there that would have been cool. I don't think that Robert is enough of a fan to want to go up next weekend as well. lol.

Later that night we went and saw Jurassic Park in 3D at the Pacific Center IMAX theater. We had already seen it in 3D down in Portland, but since we had the option of seeing it on the IMAX screen we wanted to do that too. I wasn't allowed to see it in theaters when I was a child (boo hoo hoo), so of course I jumped at the chance to do it now. It's such an amazing movie! Now I can say that I saw it on the big screen and the IMAX screen! I'm not a huge fan of 3D movies, but this one didn't look bad in 3D at all. I know it's just a huge money making ploy, but sometimes I get suckered in. And when it's a film as good as this one, I'm not afraid to say I jumped at it. 

The next day we went to the EMP museum for a couple of shows. The first one that we went to was 'Can't Look Away: The Lure of Horror Films'. It was awesome! It listed 100 of the top horror movies that someone should see and provided clips from most of them. It had stations where directors had been interviewed for the project and props from various movies interspersed through the exhibit. There was a 'scream station', where you could get your photo taken while you screamed your loudest in the little booth. Below are the photos that Robert and I took. I really think that his turned out better because I'm smiling a bit in mine: 

The props that they had were very varied with the films that they pulled them from. There were selections from films that I had never seen and then some of my favorites. I literally gasped when I saw two different ones from 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'.

This is the infamous axe from Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining'. 

Face-hugger from 'Alien'. This is the kind that attacked Sigourney Weaver's character. 

The 'Book of Ascension' off 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' 

"Mr. Pointy" off 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' 

They had lots of other props there, including a full suit of the alien from 'Aliens', then stuff from the 'Saw' franchise, 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre', etc. We spent probably two hours in the exhibit overall. I thought that it was very well done and we were enthralled the entire time. 

Next we walked over to the 'Icons of Science Fiction' exhibit. Both the Horror and Sci-Fi exhibits were done be guest curators, so the feel was different. The description of the exhibit was: 

Featuring iconic artifacts from sci-fi literature, film, television, and art, including an Imperial Dalek from Doctor Who, the command chair from the classic television series Star Trek, and Neo’s coat from The Matrix Reloaded.

It was a lot smaller than the horror exhibit, but since different people were doing them I should have expected them to be different. Initially I didn't know that it was different guest curators. I was totally nerding out when I was seeing different pieces there. A few of the pieces included:

 Lieutenant Uhura's uniform off the original 1966 'Star Trek' series. 

Captain Kirk's captain's chair off the original 1966 'Star Trek' series. The furry balls are Tribbles, off the episode 'The Trouble with Tribbles' (which I remember watching as a child).

The headpiece worn by David Prowse in 'Star Wars: Return of the Jedi'. How awesome is that?! 

Darth Vader's lightsaber in 'Star Wars' 

Yoda's pendant and walking stick from both 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back' and 'ROTJ'. 

Me with Yoda's walking stick and pendant. Nerding out hardcore, as you can see! 

The original 'Superman' costume. Very insteresting to see how they've progressed through the ages. 

Data's uniform. Data is from 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'. 

Teddy from 'Artificial Intelligence'. It's a very good movie but it makes my cry like a baby every time. I saw Teddy and knew immediately who he was without the caption even needing to tell me. Robert hasn't seen the film so he didn't recognize Teddy. 

One of the machine models from 'The Matrix'. They look so sinister in the films!

The mask from 'The Terminator'. I haven't seen the film but this looks pretty awesome. I plan on seeing it at some point, so this was pretty cool regardless. 

I wish that there had been more Star Wars things there, but I had seen the Star Wars exhibit when it came to Anchorage, AK, and that had the largest collection at a museum exhibit. I took so many photos during that experience with Whitney (whom I was there to visit at the time) that those will last me quite some time! 

After the sci-fi exhibit we went to 'The Art of Video Games'. Robert was all a-flutter since he had been a gamer from 8-21 years old. I haven't ever really played video games, so most of them were ones that I was not familiar with. One that I did know was Space Invaders, which I played on our computer at home. I've since downloaded the app and played it on my phone on the bus ride back home to PDX. It's entertaining for sure! 

On Saturday we went to the Pacific Science Center. It's a lot like OMSI and more geared toward children, but we still had a nice time there. Lots of interesting things. There was a dinosaur exhibit with anamatronic dinosaurs and factoids on plaques. Robert was all excited because he was a big dinosaur geek when he was a kid. 

This is the footprint of a duckbill dinosaur. It makes my 11.5 feet look minuscule! 

Inside the PSC was also a butterfly room with live butterflies flying around. You could walk through the room and take photos. Of course you weren't supposed to touch the butterflies, but one landed on my bag that I was holding for a moment. It reminded me of my trip to the butterfly farm while I was in Costa Rica and how you could walk through the large room where a lot of them were kept and they could just fly around freely. I guess that they have a super short lifespan, which I didn't know. 

This is Robert holding a "germ"stuffed toy. I want to say "stuffed animal", but it's not an animal at all. How funny is that? Why would you want it? lol. Robert makes a good Vanna White though! 

A replica of a T-Rex skull gettin' hungry! 

Our final big Seattle activity was exploring Pikes Place on Sunday before we left back to PDX. We had both been there before, but it's always fun to go through and look at people's wares and get some food. We had a cinnamon pull-apart and then a doughnut and wandered around. We got flowers for Michael and Brandon (so many beautiful ones there for good prices!) and then Robert got a cute bow-tie. I didn't find one that spoke to me, but maybe I'll borrow his at some point. ;) We did find a used bookstore in a level below the street level and they had super inexpensive books. I got two Star Wars ones and then the sequel to William Sleator's 'Interstellar Pig'. 

All in all, it was a great trip! I'm really glad that we got to go. It was our second little trip together since we had gone yurting on the coast for my birthday in February. I always have a good time with Robert no matter what we are doing, but the food, window shopping, museums, traveling around and exploring just upped the ante from what we usually do. It turned out super well and he said that it was the best birthday that he's had yet to date, which makes me happy to hear. I give our Seattle trip two thumbs up! 

Trying Our Green Thumbs

Robert and I decided to try our green thumbs and get some plants for the deck. He chose four violas (two in purple, one in yellow and one in orange) and I chose a dark purple calla lily. I got a planter that had a bow crafted into it; it's super cute. We got them from Home Depot and now they're living on our deck. I'm very excited to have some plants out there, and Robert suggested that we get deck chairs to sit outside and read during the summer months. We've got a nice view of the mountains and trees, so we won't be staring into people's homes at all. Here are a few pictures from our Sunday green-thumb day: 

Weekly Smiles & Frowns

I got this idea from my sister's blog and I'm stealing it for my blog as well. It reminds me of the "roses and thorns" we would do at scout camp growing up.

Smiles:
- Today is Friday! 
- This weekend is moving weekend
- Got all my books packed yesterday
- Getting enough volunteers to help move
- Cuddles with my beau
- Getting my renters insurance back
- A new Very Mary Kate video (watch it here)
- Two funny cat posters my coworkers left at my desk
- Cookies

 

Frowns:
- Anxiety about moving
- Not getting enough sleep
- Neck being sore

 

All in all, a good week! I've just been working each day, then going home to pack in the evenings, then falling asleep with Robert. Unfortunately I haven't gotten to sleep in/catch up on my sleep since the Monday before last.  Moving two apartments while dealing with the kitties and working full time is definitely keeping me busy. I told Robert either Sunday or Monday is my sleep in day. I seriously need to catch up. Lol.