Back from Seattle. . .

So, it was indeed a wonderful whirl-wind trip to Seattle. And, it definitely had its ups and downs. First, after arriving in this wonderful city, we headed off to the Supersonics game. It was really great to see the boys play again, but the game itself really wasn't that exciting. The Sonics were behind by like 15 at the half. . .and then the Bulls ended up losing by 15. It was a really lopsided game with first one team, then the other team playing really awful basketball. Kirk had an especially bad night, not like I remember seeing from him. Raoul and I did our best to hold up our sign with pride, but I'm afraid they did not see it among the huge crowd of fans. Then, there was supposed to be a news conference with Nick Collison and Luke Ridnour after the game. We went to the right place to wait. . .and nothing happened. No one seemed to know about any news conference, so apparently there was some miscommunication between the Sonics staff and the KU alumni Seattle chapter. So, huge bummer there. . .no Nick, no Kirk. The game was fun, but I do look back much more fondly of when they played together, and the crowd was a whole lot more enthusiastic. Also, the KU pep band is AWESOME!!! Electronic music and R&B/Rap stuff at NBA games is truly awful. It was fun to see the game, though, and maybe next time I'll be able to see Nick. . .going to try and use my K-Club connections.

Saturday was a way fun day. We started out by going to our favorite French pastery shop "le panier" and eating yummy apricot croissants for brunch. Then it was off to the underground tour of Seattle. Very interesting. . .and boy were there some stubborn people who founded that city! We then went on an afternoon of shopping. . .Raoul for comics and some plastic thing named "Thanos", and me for what else. . .clothes! He was very patient with me, but we were unable to find something for me to wear to our clinic's Christmas party. I'll have to keep looking in KC over Thanksgiving. Then we had dinner at PF Changs (yummy!) and went to see the new Harry Potter movie. It was good, very different from the others. . .and I've decided that I would have enjoyed it much more had I been in a comfy chair with a blanket. We did see some entertainment afterwards, though, when two guys almost started a fight because one of them accidently kicked the other guy's chair during the movie. Sometimes I wonder where all the common sense and courtesy has gone. Anyways, after the movie we topped off the night by stopping by the cheesecake factory and heading back to the hotel with our midnight snack.

Sunday was a short day since we had to leave town. We went down to Pike's market, and we ate lunch at a great seafood restaurant that we found on our last trip over. Raoul got his samon and chowder, and I enjoyed my chicken fetticine alfredo. At the market we picked up a couple of gifts to bring home to the family over Thanksgiving, and then it was back to "le panier" for French pastries and hot chocolate to go. After a long drive in the fog (I think we actually saw the space needle twice while we were there!), we finished our weekend at our favorite Pullman eatery: The Cougar Country Drive-In. Overall an exhausting, but fun weekend. . .and somewhere along the way a demented children's story about Steve the quesadilla making robot was created. You'll have to ask Raoul about that one.

I'm off to good 'ol Kansas on Thursday. Yippee! Wishing all of you a fantastic Thanksgiving and safe travels!

What a couple of exciting weeks ahead!

So, I'm at home right now, waiting for the paint on my sign to dry for Friday. And what, may you ask, is this sign for? I GET TO SEE NICK COLLISON AND KIRK HINRICH PLAY IN SEATTLE ON FRIDAY!!!!! Can you tell that I'm excited? And maybe, just maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get to chat with them quickly after the game, get an autograph, maybe even a picture. Rock Chalk Jayhawk! Raoul got me tickets to the game for my birthday, and we're 16 rows up from the bottom. . .great seats! We're going to stay in Seattle for the weekend, so much fun will be had, and we're staying downtown so we won't have to use the bus to commute into the city. Hopefully the weather will be good and the pass will be clear so we can get there in time for the game.

In other news, next week is Thanksgiving! I got to talk with most of my family over the last week because of my birthday, but I'm really excited to get to see them again. I was doing pretty well. . .missing them of course, but overall having a blast. . .until we saw "Elizabethtown" this weekend. In the movie Orlando is driving down US 50 and there is a sign for Wichita, KS. . . kind of made me homesick. Plus I've heard I have a sister who is eager to have me home (and I am eager to see her as well). Over the break I will have plenty of time to spend with family, eat lots of good food, catch a KU football game, and eat barbeque! It will be a fantastic trip, and I am excited for it. Plus, I've really been missing the barbeque and there is no Sonic here. My sis and I will be stopping by Sonic on the way home from KC so I can get my cherry limeade fix.

Things are continuing to kick right along here in the valley. Work keeps me busy, but when you love what you do it's well worth it. I'm also loving having Raoul so close by. We get to see each other much more than we did in KC/Lawrence. Plus it doesn't hurt to have Seattle so close. . .it makes for a fun weekend.

Hope all is well, and I'll divulge all the details about my weekend when I return!

Isn't he the greatest!

After my evening has come to a close, I have to say a quick word about the amazing boy in my life. I had a long day today, but when I came home I had dinner ready waiting for me with candles and cheesecake, courtesy of my guy. What makes it really special is that he had a long day as well, but still made the 45 minute trip down to see me and help me relax for the evening. So, to that special guy. . .THANK YOU!!! You are AWESOME!!! --Much love

A super, and super-busy weekend!

Wow! What a weekend! So much has happened in the last couple of days, so here goes. . . and who knows, maybe someone will actually respond to my posts (my blog is very lonely :( ).

Weekend started out with a night at the LSCS basketball game. Got to hang out with the bosses and their families, and at half-time we were privelaged to be the first booster to be honored on the court. We got to go down to the floor, snap a couple of pictures, and received a way cool looking plaque. The neatest thing was that the bosses wanted all of us to be there, not just them, because it's all of us who are a part of clinic. Very cool to feel a part of something. Also, I get to have my picture in a welcome ad in the Lewiston Tribune soon, so everybody will know who I am. And, I've gotten several reserve orders from the family for copies to be sent of my first time in print. Overall, continuing to love work. . . except for all the paperwork stuff (death to Medicare!!!). The guys are awesome, and I'm continuing to learn constantly. . . and speaking of learning, I really need to get my TDPT application in (note to self).

History happened on Saturday. . .KU beat Nebraska in football for the first time in 37 years! YEAH!!!! And not only did they beat them, they clobbered them with a blunt object. . .40-15. Hooray for ending the second longest losing streak in NCAA history! And maybe, just maybe, if the offense can continue to play, they may actually help contribute like the defense has been doing all year. I mean, how can a team with one of the best defenses in the nation have so much trouble winning football games? We've got two games left, and if we can win just one of them (either Texas or Iowa State--both very good footbal teams) we'll be off to a bowl game! Rock, Chalk, Jayhawks!

Then, after a mad cleaning dash on Saturday (this place is cleaner than it's ever been!), a girl I work with and her boyfriend came over for dinner. Yeah for taco soup! We played a rousing game of Cranium and chatted till the wee hours of the night. They are very cool people, and we have vowed to get together more often. Along with the fun. . .my b-friend's sis (and also one of my good friends) is engaged! It is very exciting! In fact, this is probably one of the only weddings I will attend that I have been excited about in the last few years. While the news is very cool, I have to say that the reaction from the boy provided some entertainment as well. He did a little happy dance and went into a Cartman monologue (which he explained to me later. . .something about an empty amusment park). It's so sweet to see him so excited about B & B, especially since when bobo first entered the picture, his brother and he interrogated him for an hour over dinner. And, once again, I wash my hands of that whole incident!!!!! :) Anyways, excitement for all! Yippee! I'm going to try to get out to Boston in the spring for a weekend sometime. . . I'll let you know when bugsy!

And then there was children's church. I volunteered to help with the kiddos since they've been looking for help. I'm with the school-age kids, so no problem, they can actually read pretty well! Except. . .there are several children who have a certain condition that I've become more familiar with because of people close to me with similar experiences. It's not a complete problem, but with 4 or 5 of them, it can be pretty disruptive. I guess that God is bound and determined to teach me patience. I just hope with a lot of prayer and support, I can learn it as gracefully as possible.

So, now I'm back home from up north, settling in to get some dishes done, do laundry, and write that stinking 500 word essay for my TDPT application. A pretty uneventful end to an eventful weekend. But, nonetheless it must be done! :)