The Countdown

Woah, we haven't blogged in quite awhile. Sorry about that, people. I feel like we go through periods of time where we have tons to blog about followed by times when we have absolutely nothing to say. I promise, I'll try to be better about it.

Let's see... what can I tell you? Brian has been busy with school. He's taking 1 class right now, which is (hopefully) his last actual class he will attend as a student in grad school, and after this quarter it will just be lab research and the occasional teaching assistant-ship. For those of you who may not know, Brian is in school for a PhD in Chemical Engineering. So he's a smarty pants and is working hard.

I've been busy with work! It's so good to finally be able to say that! :) I like it a lot. I have learned so much about the digital marketing world and about nonprofits. It is so different from working with Periclean Scholars in college. That experience provided me with a great basis of doing this kind of work, and now I'm seeing how such a huge, far-reaching organization does it, and that has been really exciting. It has also provided me with the chance to really evaluate what I want to do with my life and different options I want to explore. I will meet a lot of senior leaders from all over the organization soon, and I'm excited to learn about what everyone and all the departments do. I'm having a lot of fun learning about different things and being so engaged with work that, in the end, I know helps a lot of people all over the world. 

In other news, it is exactly 6 months until Brian and I get married! That is wonderful and stressful all at the same time. I can't wait for it, and at the same time, we still have SO much to do! It'll all come together though... We have a photographer and someone to marry us... That's all we really need, right? We'll feed our guests on paper plates and have a BBQ and we're good to go. I can probably scrounge up a white dress, we'll text all the guests directions... Good, right? Haha, if only. That's okay. It's been crazy trying to pull this thing together, but it will happen, and it will be so very fun.

Today as a celebration of 6 months until our wedding, Brian took me on a picnic to the beach, and he surprised me with some of our friends who showed up to picnic with us! It was grand. I wish the weather had been better better, but the sailboats were out, and that is something about which I cannot find any reason to complain. Oh, and someone had THE cutest little puppy. I wish I had gotten a picture of it. It was roughly the size of a football and looked like a teddy bear. Seriously, I need one.

PS- Can you believe there are normally mountains on the other side of this little sound? This is what we mean when we say that mountains disappear around here... Literally one day it looks like this and the next, you can see the most majestic Olympic mountain range in all its snow-capped shimmering glory. We decided today that the mountains just migrate south for the winter. Those tricky beasts.

Yes, that is a bald eagle flying over our heads...

Today was the most perfect spring day we ever could have wished for. Spring keeps popping up here, which I am just loving. I also love that we live someplace that never actually stops being green... so spring just means the addition of flowers, and most importantly, sunshine, to the green that always sticks around. We went back to Discovery Park today, one of our favorite places, and actually got hot while we were hiking. Crazy. We also caught low tide and found some little friends, as well as a lovely feathery one...

6 Days to 3 Years

It's been a while since I've contributed to this endeavor, so I'm going to throw in my two cents here once again. Most importantly, I have some pictures to share with the world from all sorts of hiding places they've been (my camera's memory card.)


Like this gem from today's Farmer's Market. Tons of people came out to enjoy the shops and music today in the relative warmth and sun.
We took our time listening to some of the performers do their thing; and of course pet a few dogs. We got a discount on the ice cream we always buy, I'm guessing since we are such consistent and loyal customers. But it could well've been just because the people who sell it are just that nice and friendly.
This picture is from Christmas back at the Swift house in Germantown. The traditional 'Jesus birthday cake' took an urban turn this year, since we ran out of candy 'S's to use.

I think I have one more picture to post up here. But first I will say that all my b-ball teams in the tourney are getting robbed. Just had to rant for a second there, justified or not.
Also, if you haven't watched the show Modern Family yet; you definitely should. Especially if you want a sneak preview of how Katie and I interact (Claire and Phil) and what our life will probably be like in the future. Hilarity ensues.
this picture is of the ever-lovely Katie in a swing at the Memphis Botanical Garden. I think it is supposed to be a cocoon.

Well that's all I really have to share with you folks today.
bye bye

Ahhhhhh... Porch Picnic

The perfect day for a porch picnic... Ok, it was a tad chilly, but I am so happy for this little sign of spring...

Zing! Cranberry Lemon Squares

Hello there, everyone. I hope you had a wonderful weekend full of sunshine. We did not. Well, it was wonderful, but it was not at all sunny. Not even for a second. I am so sick of the rain. So, I decided to drown my sorrows with baking, which is, I believe, a great solution. Introducing Cranberry Lemon Squares... Brian didn't enjoy them so much, but he isn't a big fan of fruit. I love them though, and I thoroughly suggest you follow this link and make them yourselves :)

What is this?

Could it be that Spring is here? It had better not be toying with me...

Sunny Day = Zoo Day

Today was unexpectedly beautiful. It's so nice when I open the blinds in the morning, gearing myself up to see gloom and rain, and then it's sunny! Instant happiness. Today was like that, so we went to Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, which is about 10 minutes away from us. This zoo was a lot different from many we've been to, in that it had impressively natural habitats for the animals to live in. It wasn't elephants in a cement enclosing; the elephants have their own forest and free reign of this whole section of the zoo. It was really cool.

To make this day even better, we stopped at a produce stand on the way home that's right near our apartment, but we've never been. The 39 cent grapefruit signs lured me in, and we discovered a wonderful produce haven. $13 later, our lives have been greatly enhanced by the most delicious strawberries and blueberries I have ever eaten, avocados, and grapefruit. Yum yum. I love our city. But then the guy at Starbucks gave me a vanilla latte instead of a caffe latte. Sadness.