Thursday, May 31, 2012

Cats with Hats

I don't know if any of you saw my previous post that featured cats with ties and collars. I thought that was the funniest thing in the world. Well...today my amusement has reached an all time high. It was brought to my attention that hats for cats are sold on Etsy as well. Oh boy you are in for a treat! If you flip through all the pictures in the store it should be a guaranteed laugh. If not...well, there is definitely wrong with you :) 


Visit the Etsy store here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ToScarboroughFair



So I had my first orchestra practice on Tuesday evening. To my surprise there were 2 other viola players! Two older ladies that were very nice. One of them hadn't picked up her instrument in 55 years...and she did better than I could have if I hadn't played in that long. And the other a California native as well. In the first hour I found myself getting caught up on things that were hindering my mood and stopping me from having a good time. We started playing the first piece and I literally cringed. There were so many wrong and out of tune notes...and the strings were by far the worst. It makes me laugh now that I think back to it. It was like a crazy rodeo and every time the conductor counted us in it was as if she just said "let em' rip!" There were other details that totally threw me off but I had to remind myself that this was just an orchestra to have fun with...we weren't gearing up for some competition and we wouldn't be reprimanded for not sounding perfect. And I am happy to report that after playing for 2 hours we sounded MUCH better than the first 5 minutes. So that was very reassuring.  
It felt so good to be back with a group playing my viola which I loved doing for many years. It's just not the same playing alone. If I played the guitar or piano I think I might feel differently. 
If you know me you already know music is so important to me...playing, listening to my music, discovering new bands, etc. With my new schedule here in Washington I literally have music playing for hours every day. It will always remain important to me. Growing up my parents were constantly playing the music they loved over the stereo and I know I will do the same. 

Here's a tune for you mom and dad! 






Monday, May 28, 2012

Memorial Day Weekend/Birthday Weekend

I suppose all great weekends must come to an end at some point. It was a holiday weekend which meant 3 day weekend for the boy and I to spend together and it was also his birthday today.  Happy Birthday!

(This is a picture from back home that I like)

Friday and Saturday night we went to our friends Noah and Rachel's house for dinner. Friday night being a work function and the second to celebrate Brian's birthday. In between we did a lot of lounging. Saturday afternoon I had my first day of volunteering with the Snohomish County Music Project. I joined their orchestra and also applied to volunteer. I met up with the group of kids and it really was awesome. I spent some time playing in a small drum circle and then Roger, the guy that does most of the organizing, told me they have 40 violins that were donated by Barry Manilow hanging around. So I was able to work with 2 girls for a while. All of the kids are about 16 years old and in the juvenile court system so I wasn't sure what to expect. It was so awesome to see these kids so excited about playing music (some more than others of course). So I am really excited to continue volunteering and possibly striking up a mentorship. Sunday we woke up pretty late and relaxed the whole day, I did some cleaning and meandered around. Today we skyped with Brian's parents and I made a breakfast that put me in the kitchen for 2 hours but it was soooo worth it. I made mimosas to drink while I prepared everything (of course :)). I made potatoes au gratin for the first time, I baked eggs in a muffin tin on top of sauteed bell peppers and onions with cheese on top and then bacon. Not to toot my own horn but it was the best breakfast I have ever made and I was able to have everything come out of the oven and ready all at the same time. Twas a success. Here are some various pictures from the weekend. 


This is a picture of all the cottonwood floating around and gathering on the ground! We are so covered with it you would think it was snow



The boys enjoying their bourbon with cigars/pipes


My lovely in-laws! 


Potato peeling party




After this weekend filled with tons of good food and indulging more than usual I really should not be allowed to eat anything this week. haha

Friday, May 25, 2012

Dear Upstairs Neighbors,


You'd think the banging of your bed frame against the wall would be a dead giveaway that your 'private time' is not so private. The walls are pretty thin so the banging isn't the only thing I can hear...so please don't involuntarily include me in your sex lives. 


Thanks,
Downstairs Neighbor

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Song of the Day

I am obsessed with this song today and can't stop replaying it. 

20 Years by The Civil Wars


Today I am taking care of Brian. He had a very tiring dentist appointment today. He showed me the list of all the procedures he had done and it had AT LEAST 7 things on there. I'm not joking. So he is home resting watching cheesy action movies. 
One thing I am really really loving today is NPR: Tiny Desk Concerts Podcast. There are so many artists that I like playing these small intimate office concerts for NPR. Pretty cool. Check it out if you can! You can access them from either itunes or go to npr's website. 



Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Song of the Day

90 Mile Water Wall - The National



Yesterday and today have been overcast and drizzly...feels like winter time. So last night  I decided to make soup out of the chicken carcass I roasted the other day. It was a perfect night for soup and leftovers today. Unfortunately orchestra practice was cancelled tonight due to another group using the stage. So I will have to wait until next week. 

Things I am loving this week so far: 

-Last night we watched the movie The Darjeeling Limited. I suppose I am on an Anderson film kick. For me I know I've watched a good movie when I am left feeling like I was sucked into that world for an hour and a half. 
Wes Anderson movies do that to me

-Marc Maron's podcast on Itunes "wtf" Warning: Offensive Language

-The National (sometimes there is nothing better than some melancholy music on cloudy gloomy days)

-Olive taking naps on my lap while I am at my computer


Monday, May 21, 2012

Over the Weekend

Well this weekend was pretty dang relaxing. Friday Brian got off work early which was a nice surprise. We skyped with his parents and I roasted a chicken with mashed sweet potatoes and corn bread. By the way, the corn bread mix from trader joes is SO good! Highly recommend it. Saturday we slept in, watched some tv then went wine tasting at the winery we recently joined. That was definitely one thing I missed from back home was the little winery we belonged to in summerland. After tasting some vino we wanted to grab some lunch. Brian was really craving a hamburger so we saw this place called teddys. All was fine and dandy until we got our total - $32 bucks!!! All we got was 2 burgers with fries and a drink and it wasn't even served to us. Brian told the girl he has never spent that much for a burger before. So true! Good grief. It tasted great, but so not worth the money. So needless to say we won't be back. Sunday after church we had had a potluck brunch at our friends Noah and Rachel's house. I was in food heaven...mimosas, homemade keish, bagels and homemade lox, and fruit salad with a marscapone whipped cream. I ate WAY too much but I just couldn't help myself. Who could?! Now back to Monday...boo. In other news, last week I joined a local community orchestra here in Everett. It consists of mostly retired senior citizens but it will be a great group to help dust the cobwebs off of my viola. I hope everyone had a good weekend. Ill leave you with my song of the day.  I just discovered this super cute icelandic band. 





Friday, May 18, 2012

Soap

So for the past week I have forgotten multiple times to buy shower soap. Somehow...this Ed Hardy soap has made the trek from Ventura to Everett without being used. Mind you, it has made our shower it's home for what seems like 2 years. I don't know who bought it or why it's made it's way into our shower unused for so long. So of course after complaining that I keep forgetting soap Brian says to use the Ed Hardy stuff. Well...it wouldn't be so bad coming out of the shower smelling like a dude, but I can't get over the fact it is Ed Hardy brand. Really?! For me it's a double negative that doesn't equal a positive. 




Otherworldly Video

Neat Otherworldly Music Video

http://vimeo.com/lpapace/ostersoen

Friday Videos

I remember seeing this first video several months ago and I forgot all about it then I saw a commercial using it so of course I had to post it. 



These 2 girls crack me up every time they are on Ellen



Thursday, May 17, 2012

Things I am loving today:

1. Beirut Pandora station

2. This lovely spring weather


4. Olive's pedicure - no more talons!

5. Seeing pictures of Jadon - our friends David and Tiffany had their baby. I love the little beanie they put on newborns. 

6. Sir Pellinore (our frog) is now eating LARGE crickets. Yucky! However, I love watching him gulp down 5 big crickets in about 1.5 minutes. He is very talented. 

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Song of the Day

Beirut is on the list of my top 5 favorite bands. One day I will see them live. 




Monday, May 14, 2012

Song of the Day

The Shining by Badly Drawn Boy



This Weekend

I am so sad this weekend is over!!! It was such a lovely two days...the weather was spectacular, I got to spend both days with Brian and some friends, and do a little exploring. On Saturday we woke up and made pancakes, bacon and coffee. We discovered that Silverlake was only about a mile away from our house so we went to go check it out. They were having some kind of fishing event and tons of boats were floating around. We decided we wanted to hang out there longer so we drove back home to get some towels, sandwiches and sunscreen. I couldn't believe that this beautiful lake was so close and felt like 1000 miles away from our strip mall neighborhood. Then in the evening we stayed home, made some dinner and discovered a new show...Alaskan Gold Diggers (I think that's the name). Sunday we went wine tasting with our friends Noah and Rachel in Woodinville. It's such a cute area with tons of wineries to check out. One of the wineries Noah and Rachel belong to has outdoor concerts through the summer so we bought tickets to see Blondie in September. Pretty excited! Chris Isaak is also playing...still waiting on my parents to give me a date when they are coming up so that concert is a maybe. After doing some wine tasting we went back to Rachel and Noah's for a bbq. The weather couldn't have been more perfect for an outside bbq and Brian was excited to learn how to make beer. It's a light beer so I am pretty excited about it myself. 

Silverlake





BBQ Time




Brian giving Noah a hard time-two peas in a pod those two



Beer is a brewin'

Friday, May 11, 2012

Song of the Day



Friday Videos

I decided to start making Fridays a funny video day. I have some videos here that made me cry from laughing so hard. Seriously. Hopefully I won't be the only laughing here. 





                                     


Thursday, May 10, 2012

Sleep

This morning I woke up well rested! This has been an uncommon occurrence as of late in this casa. Brian doesn't have to go to work until 10am every morning so we stay up later than the average joe...we are in bed at about midnight or 12:30ish. Well, that's all fine and dandy except I've got a hungry little kitty waking me up at 6am. So I usually get up to feed her and so not to disturb Brian I just either stay up or take a quick cat nap on the couch with the kitty. I convinced Brian to wear ear plugs last night so we can come back to bed without causing a huge commotion...me moving around getting comfortable and olive purring and doing what she does. If any of you know me...I CANNOT live on 6 hours of sleep a night. I just can't do it. So waking up refreshed and energetic was a nice surprise. I even went to the gym! Hooray.  

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

This Weekend

This last weekend we had such nice weather!! So refreshing after a week of rain. And let me tell you...after a winter of rain and snow everything is SO green, everything is blooming...this is what a true spring looks like. On Saturday Brian and I went back to La Conner. We just love it there. We arrived in the afternoon so our first stop was lunch at the brewery. I got the fish tacos and Brian got a pizza. Even though it was cinco de mayo I still drank wine and Brian had beer. After lunch we walked around and went in a few shops then ended up at this little wine place Ryan and Kristy introduced us to. It was warm enough so we sat outside along the water. It was a great relaxing afternoon. Sadly, I didn't end up making my tacos...I guess maybe next weekend. Then Sunday we took a drive to McCleary, right outside of Olympia, to have lunch at Brian's aunt's house. It was one of the most beautiful drives I have ever taken. Last time we were there was on our way up to Everett. To give you an idea, it was snowing, we were both stressed from our long trek from back home, and I was just plain exhausted to put it mildly. So it was very nice to go back for a visit on a beautiful day completely stress free. I hope everyone else had a great weekend as well! 












Friday, May 4, 2012

Almost Cinco de Mayo

I LOVE Mexican food...seriously. I could eat it every day, all 3 meals a day. It's that good to me. Since I have been on my computer this morning all that I've been hearing in the background on TV are cooking shows featuring Mexican food and margaritas...I'll just have to clean up the drool from my keyboard a little later. Well, I feel inspired to make pork tacos. My mom gave me a great recipe I have been wanting to try...roasted pork shoulder tacos with all the goodies I love- onion, cilantro, tomato, avocado and spicy salsa. I have never really learned how to properly cook Mexican food so I am going to give this recipe it a try. If it's not that great, well, at least we will have margaritas to dull our palettes a bit and think it's the best food we have ever had! :) 
When I think of Mexican food and parties, I immediately think of going to Rosa's family parties. There is always music blasting, delicious food, great tequila, outside fireplace and great fun. Let's teleport back there for just one day...please! 
Lastly, I just love Mexican, South American, Cuban and Spanish music. Lately I haven't been listening to it at all so I think it's a good time to bring it back into my playlist (and maybe put up a Frida poster or two without telling Brian).




Thursday, May 3, 2012

Songs That Make You Dance

I really felt like dancing and rocking out in my bedroom to some tunes...these are what I was really digging today. I actually worked up a sweat! I'm not sure whether I should feel like I accomplished something or if it's a tell tale sign I need to do some more cardio. I'll go with the first! 


Haiti



Power Out + Rebellion (Lies) 


Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Coldplay

We all have certain bands that are dear to our hearts...when you put on a certain track it takes you right back to that place you heard the song for the very first time or where you would listen to it a thousand times over and over. Well, for me that band is Coldplay. Coldplay was my favorite band for a few years and I pretty much listened to them until I could no longer hear one more song because I overplayed every single song. Well, today I decided to listen to their music and time travel back to 2002-2003ish. As much as I am enjoying their music (as I type) I also feel super homesick now! Danget. Coldplay makes me think of taking long drives on the old PCH highway at night in my old Camry stationwagon with Sarah as my faithful passenger. We would go on drives quite often just to listen to music and smell the ocean. Coldplay also makes me think of my mom because she enjoys Coldplay just as much as I do. Love you  Mom!! <3 




(Volume:LOUD is a must!!) 





Addicted to Coffee

Yesterday I woke up and decided to not have any coffee...I felt slightly dehydrated so I wanted to drink water instead. Well, I had a splitting headache all day!!! I realized I am addicted to the caffeine from my morning coffee. So, needless to say I had my coffee this morning. I did not want to go another day with a splitting headache. And boy did I enjoy it. 
So this Sunday Brian and I decided to "take a nice drive" somewhere not knowing exactly where we were going to end up. We drove to the Everett harbor first and then took a road which led us to Marysville. Well, since this little road trip we decided we were going to plan our destinations from here on out. To give you an idea of what Marysville was like, all the people walking around literally were on drugs, drug dealers, alcoholics, and no one was up to no good. It was very depressing and shocking all at once. I have NEVER seen a town like this in my entire life. I think Brian put it best and said, "they are like ghosts and ghouls walking around." That's what they looked like, sickly pale, almost a gray color which usually is a tell tale sign of a drug addict, and young people walking into the cemetery looking very shady...every. single. person.  It was like a dark cloud was over the entire city. Eeeks. We both left that town feeling very depressed. Before this trip I would always think to myself that Everett has quite a few shady people (which they do!) and a dark cloud hovering,  but now I am grateful I live in Everett, with a slight cloud cover, and not Marysville! All it takes is a few minutes to realize your blessings. It can ALWAYS be worse. 
On a happy note, I discovered the band Alabama Shakes. I really like them! Here is a song to leave you with: