tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16927001988055874722024-03-05T04:08:44.350-08:00Seasons of SeattleThe Zelig family blog.Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-42365679201008348972013-01-25T22:51:00.003-08:002013-01-25T22:54:48.039-08:00Christmas in TexasWe had a wonderful Christmas vacation in Texas. We stayed with friends in Houston for 4 days then family in Austin for 5 days and then again 2 more days in Houston. Two Christmas celebrations, a reunion of our scooter club family, lots of play dates with Vespa's new friends, a surprise bachelorette brunch, finally finished my tattoo sleeve, caught up with old friends, the list goes on... and oh so much good food!<br />
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<embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F101414661679414056469%2Falbumid%2F5835253905392758257%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCOfsnY_Wo8TAYQ%26hl%3Den_US" height="267" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400"></embed><br />Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-32498474662899074152013-01-25T22:36:00.000-08:002013-01-25T22:55:14.290-08:00Christmas Cards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbmtB_NdjRq_mL7zySeauYPS_lZrJCw8P4m0otmZURolmK8-Po4Zq5vAeJRxZrsCFRHTiuks8Eamdc0SooRbMbiDn-4yaQSvDmCUb9SJ8RQItImrpoCkr4F3zIK_8yXdOteozHrC4P4E/s1600/DSC_0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbmtB_NdjRq_mL7zySeauYPS_lZrJCw8P4m0otmZURolmK8-Po4Zq5vAeJRxZrsCFRHTiuks8Eamdc0SooRbMbiDn-4yaQSvDmCUb9SJ8RQItImrpoCkr4F3zIK_8yXdOteozHrC4P4E/s1600/DSC_0014.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLC2OwE0k6NiCX5f7TCnQnxg2Vj7ZXY0lGX5Y-kAPEGyiJrjCayX3EefwfrZfDq72ze-yGH1GkjQP7cJYL3dwUu18YQRlbROMwvJvZYHjFbhw0jDBg39XnLj1n4hF4qpVpGRg6HC7Gb9I/s1600/DSC_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLC2OwE0k6NiCX5f7TCnQnxg2Vj7ZXY0lGX5Y-kAPEGyiJrjCayX3EefwfrZfDq72ze-yGH1GkjQP7cJYL3dwUu18YQRlbROMwvJvZYHjFbhw0jDBg39XnLj1n4hF4qpVpGRg6HC7Gb9I/s320/DSC_0009.JPG" height="320" width="214" /></a>This year we decided to make our Christmas cards using block prints. We went with the gnome theme just like Vespa's nursery. I did the drawing. Casey did the linoleum block cutting and printing. I did the writing. It was a lot of work yet a lot of fun. (Side note: Don't be upset if you didn't receive one. We mainly did them instead of buying
presents for all our friends and family we would be seeing in Texas.) Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-34276991938880585622012-12-09T21:18:00.001-08:002012-12-09T21:26:02.817-08:00I'm 32 years old!<embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F101414661679414056469%2Falbumid%2F5820176431937915105%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCO7AlbfG7Y6lSQ%26hl%3Den_US" height="192" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="288"></embed><br />
I had a nice birthday. Nothing special during the day but gathered with friends at night. I always feel the pressure of birthday's having to be really special days. As a kid I use to cry at my birthday parties for some reason or another. In the morning Vespa and I went to baby/momma yoga and she fussed quite a bit so not much yoga was practiced. I guess she didn't get the "It's Momma's birthday it'd be nice if the baby was calm and quiet" memo. In the afternoon we ran some errands and stopped at Whole Foods to pick up the birthday cake which was very good. In the evening we had a small party with friends at <a href="http://chucks85th.com/">Chuck's</a>. One of favorite casual places where babies and dogs are welcome. It's like a quickie mart for beer...and they have brats! I was surprised to see how many people showed up and felt very loved. Casey got me a gift certificate for a massage which was a great present since I would never buy one for myself even though I could really use it. Oh and I almost forgot one more thing. This weekend we are going to see one of my favorite comedians <a href="http://www.mariabamford.com/">Maria Bamford</a>. It's be a real date, got a babysitter and everything (another great birthday present from Auntie Jackie).<br />
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Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-43158762461893704012012-11-28T21:37:00.001-08:002012-11-28T21:39:24.678-08:00Vespa is 6 months old!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can't believe 6 months have already flown by. What a journey it has been.<br />
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At the beginning, our little angel turned into a colicky nightmare.
Vespa screamed all day and
night for the first 3 months of her life. There are a lot of theories
out there
about colic. We believe she experienced sensory overload during this
developmental stage and had trouble self-soothing. We got through this
difficult time with constant swaddling and bouncing. Luckily, this was a
temporary phase and she is now all smiles, giggles, and squeals.
Although she
is still quite demanding and vocal about it. :-)<br />
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Vespa is very social and loves being out and about. Her favorite places
include: Pike Place Market, the
Chihuly museum, pet shops and the freezer aisle of grocery stores. She
is getting to be
a busy bee and needs constant stimulation. Vespa can now roll from back
to front and just recently started sitting on her own. She loves food
and we give her whatever we eat (pureed,
of course). At her six-month checkup she measured 28 inches (99<sup>th</sup>
percentile) and weighed 18 lbs. (80<sup>th</sup> percentile). Doc says she is super strong and predicts she'll
be taller than us! We still don’t know where Vespa got her blonde hair and blue
eyes. </div>
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Over the past 6 months we have been lucky to share Vespa with loved ones. She
got to meet her big brother and sister, both sets of grandparents, aunts, uncle
and cousins. In the fall we took a trip to visit my family in Washington, D.C.
and my friends in Arizona. Next month we will be flying down to Texas where we
will spend time with our friends in Houston and Casey’s family in Austin.</div>
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We are enjoying this special time with Vespa and savoring it
as much as we can.</div>
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This is a photo of Vespa in a traditional Swiss
dress. We are hoping to visit Switzerland next summer. I know Vespa will love
riding the trains.Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-71972512898920566812012-11-28T21:29:00.001-08:002012-11-28T21:43:05.220-08:00Hello again...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKdDtY8eAVto2OI0MKT-uv5INvx4s62aYCokpLUZrSR_8mEM68iaFKzd1dZq8mB1At1g02cXHZPX1wx0BA2yuil3ux59C1wBNTNrCZHEDHfxXlD3dtQTXzQCcMpwBZt-d1dQSR8Hh8GqY/s1600/DSC_0549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKdDtY8eAVto2OI0MKT-uv5INvx4s62aYCokpLUZrSR_8mEM68iaFKzd1dZq8mB1At1g02cXHZPX1wx0BA2yuil3ux59C1wBNTNrCZHEDHfxXlD3dtQTXzQCcMpwBZt-d1dQSR8Hh8GqY/s1600/DSC_0549.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
It's been two whole years since my last post. A lot of life has happened! Two weddings. One baby. What reminded me of this blog was that we recently went mushroom hunting to the exact same spot. This time the hunt was unsuccessful because we were a little late in the season and it was snowing. I'm going to be better about posting here instead of relying on communication through Facebook (which seems to be turning into an advertising machine).Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-89492508614208679122010-10-05T10:29:00.000-07:002010-10-05T12:32:20.576-07:00Gone Shroomin'<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gjyt5wZaLhjoGTmiGPXbHjfWtRRq7S7FVeCDhWOv8vWHJbke9uBAGTN3Cb4IrLzACHBjR1Izl35J6r5RSQLDDcrSZZY_jMsboscF6zuu-3omxMO3I-Hqx_ILHIJFtRJIDgpEiso2Uwo/s1600/DSCN7226.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gjyt5wZaLhjoGTmiGPXbHjfWtRRq7S7FVeCDhWOv8vWHJbke9uBAGTN3Cb4IrLzACHBjR1Izl35J6r5RSQLDDcrSZZY_jMsboscF6zuu-3omxMO3I-Hqx_ILHIJFtRJIDgpEiso2Uwo/s320/DSCN7226.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524643550925180578" border="0" /></a><br />On Sunday Casey and I went mushroom hunting near Stampede Pass, WA (<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Stampede+Pass,+Enumclaw+Plateau,+WA&sll=47.682601,-122.394469&sspn=0.012149,0.032573&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Stampede+Pass,+Enumclaw+Plateau,+King,+Washington&ll=47.594125,-121.039124&spn=0.778859,2.084656&z=10&iwloc=A">map</a>). This is near where the TV show <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_Peaks">Twin Peaks</a> was filmed*. We went there on a tip from my acupuncturist (who barely speaks English but knows his mushrooms). What a variety of mushrooms we came across! Everything from inedible to delicious and medicinal to deadly. Colors of red, orange, yellow, purple, blue, pink, brown, black and white. We took photos (<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/msclone/MushroomHunting?authkey=Gv1sRgCKWEuP_56frR4AE&feat=directlink">link</a>) and brought pounds of mushrooms back home. Casey spent the evening identifying them. Although we could have eaten quite a few, we decided not to because we are still learning. You want to be positive of the species or it could be fatal. I am already looking forward to our next hunt.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzOJxO6wQXwP3Uq5V0mXNWx5PhaI8ZC1BJzgkBN2KrxF109CcMO3kOKt_KREmHv5-A8isSo5LtK36tN1EdRHLS_3dCHoP8Zsx7XuYwOZKqww-PGCNro25qzkVmjzO-nrIb6SZiu-QWdY/s1600/DSCN7259.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzOJxO6wQXwP3Uq5V0mXNWx5PhaI8ZC1BJzgkBN2KrxF109CcMO3kOKt_KREmHv5-A8isSo5LtK36tN1EdRHLS_3dCHoP8Zsx7XuYwOZKqww-PGCNro25qzkVmjzO-nrIb6SZiu-QWdY/s320/DSCN7259.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524637672499653506" border="0" /></a><br />*For the fellow Twin Peaks fans: Next time I am going to get a slice of cherry pie and a cup of Jo at the famous <a href="http://www.twedescafe.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Double R Diner</span></a>.Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-77767926239946296372010-09-11T21:18:00.000-07:002010-09-11T21:19:39.061-07:00Summer of Seattle<table style="width: 194px;"><tbody><tr><td style="height: 194px; background: url("http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif") no-repeat scroll left center transparent;" align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/msclone/JulyAugust2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCKT515nNpqqu5wE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_9jvcE6vUwDk/TH3S6dHquqE/AAAAAAAARqQ/we-fo2VNsho/s160-c/JulyAugust2010.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" width="160" height="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/msclone/JulyAugust2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCKT515nNpqqu5wE&feat=embedwebsite" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">July August 2010</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Casey and I had a summer of chickens and house guests. Our chickens arrived by mail the first week of July and our first guests soon after. Ian and Kennedy, Casey's kids, visited for two weeks. Jen and Adrian from Houston came the week after. Then Will from Portland and Alicea and Brian from D.C for a few days each. It was so much fun to watch the chickens grow. We could see them change over night.Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-57034139918874729782010-07-28T17:12:00.002-07:002010-07-28T17:27:17.266-07:00If you don't know by now...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBOmFUUvhwJ31r1uINem-ooJQ9uLwCNFSKiPN5KzasfzwybUVeO4wgAgXE1PNFtEx0WrLFAyGh1vLT8NAuOFWw9ti0800Evl7RBSWxA5wAsudBBZB2qafPoqTbFBkydYnAEyJBjavEQs/s1600/800px-Aigle-Chateau-1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBOmFUUvhwJ31r1uINem-ooJQ9uLwCNFSKiPN5KzasfzwybUVeO4wgAgXE1PNFtEx0WrLFAyGh1vLT8NAuOFWw9ti0800Evl7RBSWxA5wAsudBBZB2qafPoqTbFBkydYnAEyJBjavEQs/s320/800px-Aigle-Chateau-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499117499687928962" border="0" /></a><br />Casey and I are getting married in Switzerland. The date is set for July 2, 2011. We are so thankful to have my wonderful mother and aunt help plan the festivities. As some of you may know my mother is from Switzerland and I am officially a Swiss citizen. Last summer we fell in love with the town of Aigle where my aunt lives...the rolling vineyard hills, the bridge that Napoleon crossed and the 12th century castle did it in for Casey. We are so excited and hope y'all will be able to make it.Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-68620186700327448132010-07-28T17:12:00.001-07:002010-07-28T17:12:46.067-07:00If you havenEmily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-29805303745640121852010-07-17T14:13:00.000-07:002010-07-17T14:31:10.999-07:00Chickens!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzy9Q3jUlZxOS0l-HZK75y-8Nsi0tIJInSA1sMiN-td5sEFGUDgGn5tXQP9iyrg4VDRYEy79j1Lx5ZT-czqngOLjMdwAiQFfGB0ahWIrf3QiLSJyEU3v5dGcwhYVdr8tJwYW5K4NklJ8/s1600/DSCN6465.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzy9Q3jUlZxOS0l-HZK75y-8Nsi0tIJInSA1sMiN-td5sEFGUDgGn5tXQP9iyrg4VDRYEy79j1Lx5ZT-czqngOLjMdwAiQFfGB0ahWIrf3QiLSJyEU3v5dGcwhYVdr8tJwYW5K4NklJ8/s320/DSCN6465.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494990641658349154" border="0" /></a>If you are one of our facebook friends you know by now that we got baby chicks. We initially ordered 3 but one died in the mail so we had to order another 3 (the minimum number to survive shipping). So now we have a total of 5 baby chicks. Each one is a different breed with a very unique personality. One has fluffy feet, another will lay blue eggs, and one will have elegant black and white feathers. All have names except the replacement one, who is simply called "the second coming" for now. You can see more photos of these cuties by clicking <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/msclone/BabyChicks?authkey=Gv1sRgCN6664vH96uRwgE&feat=directlink">HERE</a>.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwpUxBWvhSjjV3Bm1ZngLPcvMJMuAkx9H-__k6xvC6DdazBjGmZfamxItm-2bscrOF-SBD7OqNbdcS_7tXESA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />Here is a video of them loose the in basement. They enjoy running around free and playing.Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-63167015662842144232010-06-06T16:56:00.000-07:002010-06-10T14:18:49.376-07:00Long time...no blog.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm2N-nKHmX524jO7-1wLHz_jOk85zBGofOheLNSCsWWL18Ho43B0qM6QO6nKn6OvAzF0Ym6gF4fBptWdERCjYDmbduWR92EusSHu5sHj2_vVLAOblYGc2pfx1QP_EjXyjE95xMZWaxSxw/s1600/DSCN6272.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm2N-nKHmX524jO7-1wLHz_jOk85zBGofOheLNSCsWWL18Ho43B0qM6QO6nKn6OvAzF0Ym6gF4fBptWdERCjYDmbduWR92EusSHu5sHj2_vVLAOblYGc2pfx1QP_EjXyjE95xMZWaxSxw/s200/DSCN6272.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479814710724176770" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PC-OMMIfIgMcDY_g1IyHob-YkIaCjpSH0Apc0zUPhbW9XYK8dPf5BV3o447gJ_t3nFhQMqNx7dxq0PrHqttxAcPAP3_AhP4EzCXxzssKz9Jz0qgBRcfrO8z3PpINo6AeSuPSrqQvSDY/s1600/DSCN6280.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PC-OMMIfIgMcDY_g1IyHob-YkIaCjpSH0Apc0zUPhbW9XYK8dPf5BV3o447gJ_t3nFhQMqNx7dxq0PrHqttxAcPAP3_AhP4EzCXxzssKz9Jz0qgBRcfrO8z3PpINo6AeSuPSrqQvSDY/s200/DSCN6280.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479814913344333714" border="0" /></a>It has been a long time since my last post. Where do I start? Well, Whiskey got a haircut. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnR3Hm6n0GKwGgSMNRWhu-vZpzLaV37V6OYawwioWITR2y_C1Gl0WKl7bHv5hEtq30QX2kIsw-AZiuxcuVzsyi0Q59xXcHfMTCSusAk2N3sckAcOz20BiFXrDg6POBODR8KySj3VGo1Q/s1600/DSCN6322.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnR3Hm6n0GKwGgSMNRWhu-vZpzLaV37V6OYawwioWITR2y_C1Gl0WKl7bHv5hEtq30QX2kIsw-AZiuxcuVzsyi0Q59xXcHfMTCSusAk2N3sckAcOz20BiFXrDg6POBODR8KySj3VGo1Q/s200/DSCN6322.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479819992675796242" border="0" /></a>Here are the before and after shots of my Mohawk girl. We also celebrated Casey's 38th (yes, my old man) birthday. As a surprise I got him 2 tickets for his kids to come up and visit this summer. I roasted a duck (seen in photo) and a week later we made duck fat french fries which subsequently put us in a 12-hour coma.<br /><br /><br />We also thought we lost our cat Penny. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEo0fviWIkefqczz0is-gIfqpTA_iYg3SbbOKavc5RZWAEyxZxASlzQIUzv7qG2Eu-8MBUTD8WKUrmPHpfMRCgfUx0BvSEMEGtB7wWXcZvZGOu9zwN3EtZ9ogRpSuPObCTNPg5hVRli9w/s1600/DSCN6327.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEo0fviWIkefqczz0is-gIfqpTA_iYg3SbbOKavc5RZWAEyxZxASlzQIUzv7qG2Eu-8MBUTD8WKUrmPHpfMRCgfUx0BvSEMEGtB7wWXcZvZGOu9zwN3EtZ9ogRpSuPObCTNPg5hVRli9w/s200/DSCN6327.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479818753657292274" border="0" /></a>She was missing for 3 days when we realized she was living inside our couch, petrified of the balloon I brought home for Casey's birthday. We rehabilitated Penny into normalcy (at least for her) and Casey is back to being Mr. Snow White of the house. (Sorry Casey, not the most flattering photo but I thought it would nicely show the farm animals). Did I mention we are getting chickens?!?!Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-84934747559836629952010-05-16T23:46:00.000-07:002010-05-16T23:47:46.407-07:00DIY Food!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxai8sjJmGQQjkk6pcYOwX55-D_ZO_fESXYlqltSBh8OEIT76RK0M0FDtYF4BzWT4a1fEz90ZxbMfrK4TnGolIyj0CFuDF_pxf0to_jrkf4cGlGOUG1q_bBLdp2v4rI2v0540mTPTUsVw/s1600/CIMG1556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxai8sjJmGQQjkk6pcYOwX55-D_ZO_fESXYlqltSBh8OEIT76RK0M0FDtYF4BzWT4a1fEz90ZxbMfrK4TnGolIyj0CFuDF_pxf0to_jrkf4cGlGOUG1q_bBLdp2v4rI2v0540mTPTUsVw/s200/CIMG1556.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Lately the weather has really started to turn warmer and much less yucky/rainy, the raised bed garden is growing like gang busters and it's got me wondering what to do with all the veggies..</div><div style="text-align: left;">Well what else than pickling! Sweet pickling of course.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Actually Em bought me a bunch of stuff to practice on before recklessly experimenting on her hard-won harvest. So here is the first round. Baby bells in all colors,jalapenos,carrots,onions and garlic. I can't wait to eat em', a week or so and I will. If I don't get Botulism, then I'll send Mom,Dad and Sis some. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Oh Boy!!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5CC5q7DlNygU_VOb5H21mZtE6wYVhmaN7A1q09xIBsnfj73VTtioS1gmpDgE-gfl6OFiIfA1UvytY9aRjWMlsXSCC6eBvKTs_VMt2a4ciyd97OoEytXEWnsSFpkYXfopdmPUKl5vmXU/s1600/CIMG1561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5CC5q7DlNygU_VOb5H21mZtE6wYVhmaN7A1q09xIBsnfj73VTtioS1gmpDgE-gfl6OFiIfA1UvytY9aRjWMlsXSCC6eBvKTs_VMt2a4ciyd97OoEytXEWnsSFpkYXfopdmPUKl5vmXU/s200/CIMG1561.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">And I've decided to really push my luck and make a small batch of sauerkraut. Don't worry though, I've done a bit of homework and taken the prudent precautions. I'm assured that it's pretty safe, after all, people have been doing this for ages right?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It's kinda' funny but the best foods(IMHO) are the ones that require some form of bacteria of mold to produce, such as cheese,bread,beer,wine,kim chee,sauerkraut, ect.. And the attraction for me is that I CAN DO THIS MYSELF. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Casey Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11552851297500117054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-11642861874985866492010-05-02T16:05:00.000-07:002010-05-02T17:01:38.806-07:00Garden Construction.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRzTFJWYrrTm83sh8foWEZ_MQsd10sLVzeE6-soG2BcfTV3CPxNGzCRzIIdIGBv_dnnCF_tVPUydiXU-EHc91QQOlApPSf5mb5mPgNPNnkWt_jIRUzZdFp_dpWr52FaNBv8EwKSmWdt8/s1600/IMG_1420.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRzTFJWYrrTm83sh8foWEZ_MQsd10sLVzeE6-soG2BcfTV3CPxNGzCRzIIdIGBv_dnnCF_tVPUydiXU-EHc91QQOlApPSf5mb5mPgNPNnkWt_jIRUzZdFp_dpWr52FaNBv8EwKSmWdt8/s320/IMG_1420.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466816324810376978" border="0" /></a>Casey, my friend Becky and I built our raised bed veggie garden last month. Not knowing how long we are going to be renting this house we built only one 4' x 8' x 16" bed. Ideally I would have the entire yard filled with raised beds but that would be too pricey, plus our new landlords might not agree with all the construction. Now we are just waiting for the sun and heat to come.<br />You can view more photos and garden progress <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/msclone/RaisedBedVeggieGarden?authkey=Gv1sRgCPWG6eyN0LrdswE&feat=directlink">HERE</a>.Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-42247060700193200522010-04-17T09:57:00.000-07:002010-04-20T16:37:38.717-07:002-year Anniversary<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dEoRTqAhtv8qw42RVxMg8wujwCP3SuLkKObJsoBrYsBISVJ3RFXbWRarITiF7V-xDNIv0Jj3Dd-2YIi_WEoYShPfS8C5du6LdK1WQ9LreHvaOf8LPlBBxyHhgQrNG82I5uLHBs3zTXs/s1600/DSCN6192.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dEoRTqAhtv8qw42RVxMg8wujwCP3SuLkKObJsoBrYsBISVJ3RFXbWRarITiF7V-xDNIv0Jj3Dd-2YIi_WEoYShPfS8C5du6LdK1WQ9LreHvaOf8LPlBBxyHhgQrNG82I5uLHBs3zTXs/s320/DSCN6192.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462367027611005730" border="0" /></a>Monday was our two-year anniversary. Time does fly by fast, then again it feels like we have been together forever. We decided to walk down to a nice Italian restaurant a couple blocks away that we heard good things about. We had an early bird dinner (5 PM!) and were the only ones there so we got great service. I has a pasta and veal cream sauce dish and Casey had pan seared herbed scallops. Yum-o! As a surprise Casey bought me two metal lawn roosters. I have been wanting these for years but never got around to getting them in Texas. Low and behold Mexican handmade roosters are sold in Seattle as well. Next up...real chickens!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Nacr7FKKp4_k2Pe4D9S9ncWHKQLU9drTeZRsybCMvBzBTCLjrtgII7sTLUBKJp0bLKFYiVPuTneoKADUj3NET1q5zO-JgNVQlPwoX5v2accGcDge47Bt8q2_fT_GqvRC12Vym7sNTPc/s1600/DSCN6190.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Nacr7FKKp4_k2Pe4D9S9ncWHKQLU9drTeZRsybCMvBzBTCLjrtgII7sTLUBKJp0bLKFYiVPuTneoKADUj3NET1q5zO-JgNVQlPwoX5v2accGcDge47Bt8q2_fT_GqvRC12Vym7sNTPc/s320/DSCN6190.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462367945485824738" border="0" /></a>Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-14944618591329436092010-03-29T18:08:00.000-07:002010-03-29T18:41:06.019-07:00Congrats to the newbie parents!Two friends (Natalie and Carla) and my cousin (Vanessa) gave birth to their first babies in the beginning of March. All boys too! I wanted to dedicate this post to welcoming them. Also an honorable mention goes to my friend Katie in Boston, MA who is also expecting a boy any day now.<br /><br />Natalie and "her" Casey had Barnabas on March 1 in Santa Fe, NM.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKLwuy_tgHSv0xYcDDgUt3XAehA0aQ06-AVmI71n6QvOnNps59gt_Nl3EFGo8vZSpepXOiVmMyF7DZKse7khv6bBuITKZcNYtkYNzkstlpt1wcqC10mBQbIuVr_W23KpzaZKLWUDrzXU/s1600/barnabas.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKLwuy_tgHSv0xYcDDgUt3XAehA0aQ06-AVmI71n6QvOnNps59gt_Nl3EFGo8vZSpepXOiVmMyF7DZKse7khv6bBuITKZcNYtkYNzkstlpt1wcqC10mBQbIuVr_W23KpzaZKLWUDrzXU/s320/barnabas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454233898265267122" border="0" /></a><br />Carla and Brett had Mason on March 11 in Phoenix, AZ.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5g8jt4FalVJTUWEyWPckFwaavBrQUV16Phpncy1wsnYpD05tNhkUa2yLzKGL482iOXGoG9vZDscjFi29-PnDZSEEtBJJKrx-_6pOb66Fcoa0QHHiztL0oqwV5JtWSAGVJ8m5f4KxYXe4/s1600/mason"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5g8jt4FalVJTUWEyWPckFwaavBrQUV16Phpncy1wsnYpD05tNhkUa2yLzKGL482iOXGoG9vZDscjFi29-PnDZSEEtBJJKrx-_6pOb66Fcoa0QHHiztL0oqwV5JtWSAGVJ8m5f4KxYXe4/s320/mason" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454231337401115794" border="0" /></a><br />Vanessa and Charlie had Weston on March 15 in Seattle, WA.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKhE3MJwoZqP8PF6zdq_U5p2ZzqPGZomAOr-zo8lSDNg5eytNnkJzLnHKgp8Qoz-UQlngE9bN4-ZEbBcWFEy2b68UcI_COIg6dv1DAX8Q2n9ROnP9VdI64Z7tgsGy9XMi448Cw0Zj7eE/s1600/weston.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKhE3MJwoZqP8PF6zdq_U5p2ZzqPGZomAOr-zo8lSDNg5eytNnkJzLnHKgp8Qoz-UQlngE9bN4-ZEbBcWFEy2b68UcI_COIg6dv1DAX8Q2n9ROnP9VdI64Z7tgsGy9XMi448Cw0Zj7eE/s320/weston.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454233990619940322" border="0" /></a>Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-64073408706618851852010-03-12T16:49:00.000-08:002010-03-12T18:32:23.702-08:00So much to tell.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGB1PTMik0RU2MrUxrisWCmWP0deYUp-IUxdc5pYQPpWO3W_9VKVZDtzNBqACjOVhNu-6tOeNkCi6ogdHShRngiTeqkps3hapI_JPKYTHU9sbQuL5FRF5IEOMN9i14jjHTdtQcRW0K16k/s1600-h/DSCN5958.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGB1PTMik0RU2MrUxrisWCmWP0deYUp-IUxdc5pYQPpWO3W_9VKVZDtzNBqACjOVhNu-6tOeNkCi6ogdHShRngiTeqkps3hapI_JPKYTHU9sbQuL5FRF5IEOMN9i14jjHTdtQcRW0K16k/s320/DSCN5958.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447934947846779362" border="0" /></a>So much has happened since the last post. Casey actually wrote that last post on Day 2 without water. That weekend I was in Phoenix for my friend Carla's baby shower. So I came home and it was then Day 5 without water. Our landlord was warned by us and the City of Seattle that the water was going to be shut off due to non-payment. We were getting foreclosure and water shut off notices over the past month. Our landlord said he would take care of it and then said he did take care of it. Lies lies lies. So at Day 6 I contacted the city of Seattle to report this. They came within a few hours to inspect the property. On Day 8 we got the notice to vacate. We were thrilled to get out of the lease at this point. Thanks to the help of our friends at the <a href="http://www.westenders.org/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Westenders</span> Scooter Club</a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_O37OUmaA3y1IW6ccaoUuGq16paSMpRo_xpa-UHPVSZDaPi-6bvEiyX3HPJDIWLV3jORdsSNz3ktpAGKXM3Tk-41CpFaGyuO0RCwOBrlKM19iFf1v6Pds9wE6g7sMhqwAY43yulun4t8/s1600-h/DSCN5962.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_O37OUmaA3y1IW6ccaoUuGq16paSMpRo_xpa-UHPVSZDaPi-6bvEiyX3HPJDIWLV3jORdsSNz3ktpAGKXM3Tk-41CpFaGyuO0RCwOBrlKM19iFf1v6Pds9wE6g7sMhqwAY43yulun4t8/s320/DSCN5962.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447935478416828962" border="0" /></a>and Becky, we packed and moved all of our belongings into a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Penske</span> truck within 48 hours. We will be taking our former landlord to small claims court to get the deposit, rent and moving costs returned. Even though we probably wont get a cent out of him we think it is important to at least embarrass him in front of a judge.<br /><br />The good news is that we are already moved into a new place. A cute house in the NW Seattle neighborhood of Ballard. The place is bigger and cheaper than the last. This is a two bedroom/1 bathroom house with a huge basement, a larger garage, and a big fenced-in yard. Casey signed the lease before even seeing the place! He really trusts my judgment... the words "bigger garage" was all I had to say. We have been here now for 1 week. The unpacking is going slow but after packing moving and unpacking over 3 times in 4 months we are getting efficient with this grueling process.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKNcxu_cygaEQFwTuPvO1_aa2ACStcZdqIEmF1cQoDvfxvVKetiZDtvy7m46yh_tqmzmvs4jU5SuawW1x0F39I3B0h8Nj07MbEoURKVVlrG_0uSSqCMRvz3EdOSpQzaDUr6kTfip_w9k/s1600-h/IMG_7478.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKNcxu_cygaEQFwTuPvO1_aa2ACStcZdqIEmF1cQoDvfxvVKetiZDtvy7m46yh_tqmzmvs4jU5SuawW1x0F39I3B0h8Nj07MbEoURKVVlrG_0uSSqCMRvz3EdOSpQzaDUr6kTfip_w9k/s320/IMG_7478.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447935711488879154" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I have a lot more to tell of the happenings over the past couple weeks with my trip to Arizona and my parents visit to Seattle. I will save all that for the next post. Now it's time to take a much needed break.Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-40855709374794356152010-02-20T18:36:00.000-08:002010-02-20T20:33:30.653-08:00Down in the lab<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">After a long period of transition, I finally have a workspace!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH9QC3f6QNZcOaYDuksHWhLot-6zQrtGhI4oDM_J5VrfGYJNkD1cRi_JTXFxoeznsWAiAW3VWXfR7CBwGdGW4aKfdxBqwVuxkJOeUEXa4rv8p4X5x59mozaRIupLGzZYf1vzqVEwEsc0U/s1600-h/CIMG1393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH9QC3f6QNZcOaYDuksHWhLot-6zQrtGhI4oDM_J5VrfGYJNkD1cRi_JTXFxoeznsWAiAW3VWXfR7CBwGdGW4aKfdxBqwVuxkJOeUEXa4rv8p4X5x59mozaRIupLGzZYf1vzqVEwEsc0U/s320/CIMG1393.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We've worked so hard getting all our stuff situated in the new house, It's time to relax and enjoy it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Casey Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11552851297500117054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-7498689407069274232010-01-20T23:34:00.000-08:002010-01-28T09:23:54.288-08:00Settling into Seattle.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFEGPMoVztKBqF9lNBa9_R7BLJp-ROjnx55NxC89o7FPBh78hx2vyyyGMoLxNP60lgkji7oK4wY19xBbo6mrQrXpCaZ5wXtOj_3lCXsjh-7UgiuPGkj3J1ej3G4Rab7c7RJVDjixFgYE/s1600-h/DSCN5861.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFEGPMoVztKBqF9lNBa9_R7BLJp-ROjnx55NxC89o7FPBh78hx2vyyyGMoLxNP60lgkji7oK4wY19xBbo6mrQrXpCaZ5wXtOj_3lCXsjh-7UgiuPGkj3J1ej3G4Rab7c7RJVDjixFgYE/s320/DSCN5861.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431839175104512994" border="0" /></a>Last week was eventful. Although our house is still in the unpacking mode. "My" kitchen is all set up. I have been cooking quite a lot since we moved in. Homemade meals daily...mostly soups and stews for this rainy weather. We don't go out to eat anymore. Its great! Much cheaper and cozier. On Friday night we made homemade pasta with a pasta machine I got for free on craigslist.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlRaYLmwoHFb5-isD07pT4DmhlhCp-etRpPIauf8-lGBT7V_oBIhmLwKpTp1_BhCmNLgETh0HuwEtwbL7dhW-AIzs-DGJMPbhWbMF42GcK1tfUe9GJu7IvtxWL6rSKZeWmLw9qmaLu2o/s1600-h/4291877735_cbdba7a3a7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlRaYLmwoHFb5-isD07pT4DmhlhCp-etRpPIauf8-lGBT7V_oBIhmLwKpTp1_BhCmNLgETh0HuwEtwbL7dhW-AIzs-DGJMPbhWbMF42GcK1tfUe9GJu7IvtxWL6rSKZeWmLw9qmaLu2o/s320/4291877735_cbdba7a3a7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429097089925324354" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Over the weekend, my friend Becky and I went on an all day farm tour in Sequim (pronounced SQUIM or I like to say SQUEEM). Nash's farm is a medium sized organic farm located about 2 hours away. You have to take a ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island then drive north. It was a beautiful day. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFPw7ABVfjnpvnUC5DuLU6sXkcOsk-Rfj3zVlAQ2TKUMFrBsAawqcbsD9QgQGCbR38MJZDrxj7wd81wC5MO0QzEgBYgThwRLMraO3tWPYkV2dg-4TzOC9_XpLTd7zFOOOEIGD0GJCTpY/s1600-h/4292618748_c73206f9ed_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 172px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFPw7ABVfjnpvnUC5DuLU6sXkcOsk-Rfj3zVlAQ2TKUMFrBsAawqcbsD9QgQGCbR38MJZDrxj7wd81wC5MO0QzEgBYgThwRLMraO3tWPYkV2dg-4TzOC9_XpLTd7zFOOOEIGD0GJCTpY/s320/4292618748_c73206f9ed_m.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429098694138036098" border="0" /></a>We lucked out because it had been raining hard for the previous 10 days. The fields were quite muddy as you can see in the <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/msclone/FarmTourSequimWA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJGAvMv_p-6jAQ#">photos</a>. There was a wonderful vegetarian meal provided made from fresh farm produce. We also picked some cabbage, kale and brussel sprouts. I went a little overboard but you can't stop me when they say "take as much as you want."Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-17831697999251509012010-01-04T11:23:00.000-08:002010-01-04T17:03:11.924-08:00Newest Addition to the Family<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyNu3BMTa1YIcz6XSf1FM9DKJFQXiiX9cxtMfEb5TammvEeAJLSSKDQgc00GSVimTjT-ElOFQf5J9W_Huz8eBgguw7gWa5iDJQ2q_wQbQm-b7HFMNlCv3hlq-nG1QThlavlpVMlpJomU/s1600-h/DSCN5829.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyNu3BMTa1YIcz6XSf1FM9DKJFQXiiX9cxtMfEb5TammvEeAJLSSKDQgc00GSVimTjT-ElOFQf5J9W_Huz8eBgguw7gWa5iDJQ2q_wQbQm-b7HFMNlCv3hlq-nG1QThlavlpVMlpJomU/s320/DSCN5829.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422974420426435810" border="0" /></a>Say hello to our new bird. She is a 6 month old Cinnamon Green Cheek Conure. Since Whiskey won the <a href="https://www.nationalspokesdog.org/contest.html?contestId=1">Cesar Milan Contest</a> (first place in her category!) we decided to use the $700 Petco prize to add a new member to our famiy. It was between a fish tank and a bird. The buh-buh-buh bird won. We did our research and found out that the green cheek conures are little clowns that sometimes can talk and are otherwise very quiet. Our baby is very sweet and cuddly and already trusts us. We are still working on a name. So far it is "Pinky" because we were watching this creepy 70's movie called 3 Women right after we got her and the character's name was Pinky Rose. Other possibilities are Sammy, Coral, and Poulet. Like all of our animals she is already IN LOVE with Casey. Last night she was preening his hair. Click <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/msclone/NewBird?authkey=Gv1sRgCNeJm9rJ2fG7HQ#">HERE</a> to see more photos of her. As some of you may know Surfin' Bird is one of my favorite songs. Here is The Cramps rendition for Jen.<br /><object height="133" width="160"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iHCbZShZdWM&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iHCbZShZdWM&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="133" width="160"></embed></object>Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-30399999805152773072009-12-26T23:12:00.000-08:002009-12-26T23:15:49.042-08:00Engaged!<div style="text-align: center;">My sweety proposed to me yesterday and I couldn't be more thrilled! It was a very very special x-mas present and I'm happy to spend the rest of my life with her.. Of course she already knew that.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynEtDfMHcJ6XFng7oNAeaeB8ksckHB3GrUl6SJfsDWk_vwsGzequFkVYv_nyW_raOUOn_UEqsyyrjdWdjnaVCv4eV3ngfhbSr_gPejXK8uvFhbjTNzg5KPmp2g09euE-XmLgpjyZdalU/s1600-h/DSCN5762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynEtDfMHcJ6XFng7oNAeaeB8ksckHB3GrUl6SJfsDWk_vwsGzequFkVYv_nyW_raOUOn_UEqsyyrjdWdjnaVCv4eV3ngfhbSr_gPejXK8uvFhbjTNzg5KPmp2g09euE-XmLgpjyZdalU/s320/DSCN5762.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Before that we had the best little dinner by the fireplace in our own place.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Life is good.<br />
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</div>Casey Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11552851297500117054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-52179789369862926142009-12-20T21:25:00.000-08:002009-12-20T22:14:10.258-08:00The Offical Slum Lord<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2lH7esEI4ZAdpd-z8wFi_iChWbANbFjvlcpHEZwXJw4ptTo_DtBtdYXvffvFLhRMJ8ft7Oru0WKkuzFtilUXncNEqc7k2KUgP5mPLudtNZFcNTG3QmTJAtg8-pqmrDySPiVIUnm-3QA/s1600-h/DSCN5731.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2lH7esEI4ZAdpd-z8wFi_iChWbANbFjvlcpHEZwXJw4ptTo_DtBtdYXvffvFLhRMJ8ft7Oru0WKkuzFtilUXncNEqc7k2KUgP5mPLudtNZFcNTG3QmTJAtg8-pqmrDySPiVIUnm-3QA/s320/DSCN5731.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417563951197289938" border="0" /></a>Our scooter club in Houston nicknamed our close friend Dmitry "Slum Lord" because Casey and I lived in his garage apartment. It was a joke because Dmitry is the sweetest man in the world and gave us nothing less than everything. But unfortunately we have now met the official Slum Lord. He drives an Cadillac escalade. It may just be our first sour taste but it is really starting to turn into a bad feeling, especially after talking to our neighbor renters. Casey and I had our hopes up so high. We have been either living 200 miles apart or in other peoples places for the past 2 years. This is our first home and I guess we just wanted everything to be "perfect." In short we have, no mailbox, no stove, no working bathroom sink and when you are paying $1,4000 a month that is complete bullshit. No excuses. I really hate bitching. I am thankful for so many things in life. Casey and I are really happy to have our own place. We celebrated our first night here with a special toast of champagne. We'll get through this and anything else in our path.Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-29490659771593273162009-12-13T08:57:00.000-08:002009-12-13T09:35:56.258-08:00Birthday Road Trip<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGjqIuvIZStlsi6j8yYkZZS5STgu22j14JOc2SjSqujFDNiohi_nenJvzXXfaO2-Ljqyvez3stqZw-cvctkFhoC8JoraoLeXoJm9HZD1xcOVbvuwdhaNBGQ0ORHnbigCVrVU3VzgiY14/s1600-h/DSCN5674.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 122px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGjqIuvIZStlsi6j8yYkZZS5STgu22j14JOc2SjSqujFDNiohi_nenJvzXXfaO2-Ljqyvez3stqZw-cvctkFhoC8JoraoLeXoJm9HZD1xcOVbvuwdhaNBGQ0ORHnbigCVrVU3VzgiY14/s200/DSCN5674.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414770515119505010" border="0" /></a>Casey took me to the Space Needle <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dKGg_Qky7O0rjWpv3aa4uukLiJtCn6OzeIAR5brcQZP7wjCTOZxJqCdSMz7PQewj0gq9AIXfP9DSr5PZb5O7BWURK47CA71e1jacaWsJ6KV4dq3-zEiCC5zHCg-y14ulxJnjuKOCIBI/s1600-h/DSCN5697.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dKGg_Qky7O0rjWpv3aa4uukLiJtCn6OzeIAR5brcQZP7wjCTOZxJqCdSMz7PQewj0gq9AIXfP9DSr5PZb5O7BWURK47CA71e1jacaWsJ6KV4dq3-zEiCC5zHCg-y14ulxJnjuKOCIBI/s200/DSCN5697.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414773172909776162" border="0" /></a>restaurant for my birthday. What a view! I totally recommend it even if it means going only once because of the price. I had a memorable birthday. With 2 cakes and being sung to countless times over the weekend. <a href="http://sugarshackbakingcompany.com/">The Sugar Shack</a> made my red velvet cake. It was oh so good.<br /><br />We had a fun time in Portland. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtBlHbzi569qIT77qg8pDdxJ7nx36jBdReZrZmhj_qh8mD8pS1Jo1OGAGdS8oaiYC1Vv7xRyqElQLnIVpjRXnW2XsuFL4q9QZSH5x_ouxNmBhCIM6ROMc5D0GUiKEIPL-PXXJ_EoPm7o/s1600-h/DSCN5682.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtBlHbzi569qIT77qg8pDdxJ7nx36jBdReZrZmhj_qh8mD8pS1Jo1OGAGdS8oaiYC1Vv7xRyqElQLnIVpjRXnW2XsuFL4q9QZSH5x_ouxNmBhCIM6ROMc5D0GUiKEIPL-PXXJ_EoPm7o/s200/DSCN5682.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414771798257203682" border="0" /></a>Will is an amazing artist and it was fun helping him set up for his opening party. Casey and I were designated as the wine and food watchdogs. We were shocked at some peoples "habits." One of these boats will be an installation in our new house.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2_p7B6kcNNvf-sdWW6Jdb05Xu5QRgZd_OrvcaZSgzplDtC2C8k52uBeLufh-Avc6CdVERrufiXc4u86fJku1q6vu02bD1r1UAeCz43s0mo1BYie2SD5aiJJJ4iqNcVEb3IYFfWtg1L8/s1600-h/16753_1219824508453_1614141831_541561_2130703_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2_p7B6kcNNvf-sdWW6Jdb05Xu5QRgZd_OrvcaZSgzplDtC2C8k52uBeLufh-Avc6CdVERrufiXc4u86fJku1q6vu02bD1r1UAeCz43s0mo1BYie2SD5aiJJJ4iqNcVEb3IYFfWtg1L8/s200/16753_1219824508453_1614141831_541561_2130703_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414775782336637378" border="0" /></a>On the way back to Seattle we stopped at Debbie and Dave's in Graham, WA to see Natalie, her Casey and her 7-month hump. They are complete goofballs.Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-51169720765059665742009-11-29T16:50:00.001-08:002009-12-02T16:01:34.814-08:00Festivities.A lot happened this week. We signed our lease to the house and will be moving in on Dec. 15. My cousins from Oregon and New York came out for Thanksgiving. It was quite a feast. I made a "made-from-scratch" green bean casserole and Casey made Texas style corn bre<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiea_B8ap2ptn4dbkoHW7ulFZ-jdMOxD4hYm_La6WaxogRWfiitRL0rFLCU1fY0aII5rK7-9ED82W2GucFrrg6-D3jpHIvQMowxoekht18pY3_4icLPVmKxPaCVHFwAoUeW_TQK2wCxsco/s1600-h/DSCN5665.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiea_B8ap2ptn4dbkoHW7ulFZ-jdMOxD4hYm_La6WaxogRWfiitRL0rFLCU1fY0aII5rK7-9ED82W2GucFrrg6-D3jpHIvQMowxoekht18pY3_4icLPVmKxPaCVHFwAoUeW_TQK2wCxsco/s200/DSCN5665.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410791498502564354" border="0" /></a>ad (Hosanna's recipe). This Thursday we are going down to Portland to visit our friend Will's <a href="http://www.racc.org/resources/first-thursday-dec-3-lifeboat-william-rihel">art show </a> and also to celebrate my birthday (yay for 29!). On the way back up to Seattle we will be stopping by Graham, WA to visit my friend Natalie (from Sante Fe) and her mom.Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-6898340531258981682009-11-22T09:33:00.000-08:002009-11-24T17:29:11.637-08:00We found our new home!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0I8Nd1iCNXjQZ1RjTDKqZQLsNsJve2yaLPyjnqLPLNiac7xFYEfh4RnjHg4NdvIzz8PaNRlgigwcmpEMXlF-hAqEbnHd-4oTHqZAvO5zHMLuSTK_N9utIYzqD7cQRCOgr5qfa1qoC7Pc/s1600/front2_mls.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 253px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0I8Nd1iCNXjQZ1RjTDKqZQLsNsJve2yaLPyjnqLPLNiac7xFYEfh4RnjHg4NdvIzz8PaNRlgigwcmpEMXlF-hAqEbnHd-4oTHqZAvO5zHMLuSTK_N9utIYzqD7cQRCOgr5qfa1qoC7Pc/s320/front2_mls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407814223598543794" border="0" /></a>Looks like we will be moving soon...a whole three blocks away. The rental is a cute one bedroom house with a separate garage (workspace for Casey). There is a large yard with a massive tree in front and the house sits back on the property so we have tons of privacy. We love this neighborhood (Capital Hill) so we are happy to be able to continue living here. You can view more photos of the house by clicking <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/msclone/NewHouse?authkey=Gv1sRgCMWXouD7uOClFg&pli=1#">HERE</a>.Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1692700198805587472.post-80790171674873328182009-11-15T19:11:00.000-08:002009-11-15T21:35:18.149-08:00Date Day.<div style="text-align: left;">Yesterday was our unofficial Date Day. We went to a matinee screening of A Serious Man. The Cohen brothers have come out with yet another masterpiece. I won't ruin the plot, but it is definitely worth seeing and will leave you hanging at the end. For dinner we decided to check out this "urban" sushi restaurant that I had a coupon for. The food was good and we were impressed with the low key atmosphere (no white tablecloths) and low prices. Casey misses his favorite Sushi spot in South Austin and was telling stories about the Sushi Pimp. Later that night we went to see Michael Winslow a.k.a. the Man of 10,000 sounds (Police Academy, Spaceballs). I got last minute complimetary tix by email. The show was awesome! He is an extremely talented performer who really puts on a show. Here is a clip of his impersonation of Robert Plant. In the 1 month since we have moved here Casey and I have gone to 3 comedy shows. Next week we are seeing Harland Williams (Half Baked) with a couple we met at a previous comedy show.</div><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kl1vY7bgL6Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kl1vY7bgL6Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>Emily is Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361436443234031102noreply@blogger.com0