Where were you?

Today is the 25th Anniversary of the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger, STS 51. This is one of my first big memories. Like most school children (I was in kindergarten) I was at school, we were gathered in a central room, and we watched the launch live on television. I don't remember my exact reaction, but I remember knowing that something was very wrong. I'm sure the television was turned off, and we were returned to our rooms. As it turned out, this would become a kind of watershed event for our generation (Jaime has a very similar memory of watching the launch). A "where were you" event, and one of the first tragedies that was spread across the world almost instantly. As such, I felt it appropriate to take a moment to remember it. And I must admit - President Reagan probably put it best -

"We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of Earth' to 'touch the face of God.'"

-Geoff

(The Boston Globe Big Picture Blog has a great post/pictures as well)

2010 - What a year!

2010, it's been a busy year...
We started the year on an upbeat with our cruise to the Caribbean, then came crashing back down with the death of my Uncle in April. In May, several events culminated - Jaime got a new job, we traveled to London and Paris to visit family, we picked up our new car (I'd been waiting patiently since February, thanks Bro!), and we finally took the plunge, bought our first house, and headed for the suburbs (we're adjusting well!).

Summertime came quickly - Jaime and I both celebrated our 30th birthdays (we're sad if you missed the party!) We got up to speed on working on projects around the house, and we got to spend some quality time up at the cabin. We also celebrated the arrival of our nephew Philip IV!

As the fall rolled around, we headed to Europe once more, to take in Oktoberfest. Got some autobahn cruising in, visited Amsterdam, drank a LOT of beer, and had an awesome time.

Christmastime was great, we got to see all of Jaime's family when we traveled to San Francisco, and also visited some of my family as well. Then we came home and got to see Tina and Ryan and niece Isabel and nephew Peyton, who were visiting from London.

It seems that every single weekend was packed with visiting friends or family, going to see a show, or some sort of travel. No wonder it felt like 2010 flew by. It really has been quite a year. We are truly blessed.

And so, last night, we found ourselves up in Bellingham, ringing in the new year with friends Courtney, Dan, and Craig at Boundary Bay Brewery (with a keg drop!) What will 2011 bring? How can we top last year? Well, 2010 brought one more significant change...

Happy 2011 everyone, here's to another great year!

Are we still listening?

So, highlights of October -
We finally got a couch for our living room. Part of moving into a larger house - a lack of furniture...of course, it was damaged upon delivery (so we've FINALLY got someone from Macys coming out to fix it!)

Jaime spent a week in Baltimore for the CF Research conference

We both traveled to San Francisco - Jaime for her sister's baby shower, and both of us to drive to Fort Bragg (along the coast in Mendocino county) for my great Uncle's 100th Birthday! My dad had also flown down for the event, so we ended up carpooling with him. This was good for multiple reasons - the main one being that I didn't have to worry about him navigating the highways that cross the Coast Range - LOTS of blind corners and steep drops! Also, road trips with my dad are normally quite entertaining, but this one more so because he was able to share many stories of when he was a firefighter with the CDF in Mendocino county. I know Jaime gets carsick easily, but we had a great time as he shared some of his more memorable moments, including smoking the brakes on a vintage ladder truck after missing a shift heading downgrade...Father/son awkwardness not withstanding, my father is a grand story teller, especially if Geography is involved. Of course, it was also great to see Uncle Bru and family. Unfortunately we didn't have much time to stay - it's a 3 hour drive one way from SF to Fort Bragg. At least on the drive back, as we ascended the Coast Range once more, we were able to view one of the most beautiful sunsets in recent memory...

Into November, an even busier month!

The first big highlight was the CF (Cystic Fibrosis) gala at the Sheraton downtown. Since Jaime works for the CF Foundation (through Childrens) they are allotted a certain number of comp tickets to the event. We were fortunate enough to be chosen to go. And it's black tie! So, for me, a quick trip to the Mens Warehouse to pick up a tux shirt and a bowtie to go with my black suit. Jaime had a nice dress to go along, and we were decked out! To say that the event was swanky would be an understatement! There was a silent auction and a live auction, along with a WONDERFUL dinner! We didn't end up scoring anything. I'm pretty sure we were there to help drive up prices. There were some good wines available at the silent auction, but none in our price range. Oh well. We didn't even take a crack at the live auction. At one point, they have one round where people can simply pledge to donate money. There were THREE people that pledged $100,000 each. Just like that... But, like I said, dinner was amazing (I even tried some crab!) and the wine was flowing. A truly great time.

The weekend after that was time to catch up with friends - we had dinner with Deke and Miranda Friday night at their place in Puyallup (Thanks guys!) Saturday we had our neighbor dinner (even though we're no longer in West Seattle) and it was great seeing everyone. Sunday we finally got to see Kevin, Param, and baby. It's always so nice to see friends and just pick right up where you left off, no matter how long it's been..

We made it through Snowpacolypse 2010! Even though I didn't yet have the winter tires on Tigger, we were able to safely navigate to the park and ride and catch buses to and from downtown fairly easily. Of course, this meant work was madness, because there were lots of people that were not that fortunate (I'm embarrassed to say how long it took us to get home Monday)

Thanksgiving was great - we kept it simple with dinner at my parents house with the rest of my family.

And here we are at the cusp of December! We've got our Christmas tree, and should have it setup (along with house lights) this weekend, so I'll get some pictures. Hope everyone is doing well! That's all for now.

Europe for slackers

(Hmmmm, something's not right here...)

(I took vacation for this?)

So, when we last left off, we'd made it to Amsterdam. After a nice relaxing night, we headed out into the city for some exploration. Once again, with our Rick Steves guide in hand (invaluable!). As a driver, the bicycles are crazy - as a pedestrian it's worse, because you're vulnerable. Head on a swivel! Sightseeing was nice - there is not a single level building in Amsterdam. Not an exaggeration! Headed to the Anne Frank house for a very somber look at some of the city's history. Had an overpriced lunch at a rooftop cafe. And as the rain began to pour down on us, we made it to Wagamama for dinner (see posts on our trip to London).



The next day, we headed for the train station to take a trip out to the country. Headed through Haarlem, and up to Hoorn for a ride on a vintage steam train (Jaime must REALLY love me!) Only problem was the cold - thank god for hot chocolate. Seriously, temperature was hovering right around 45 degrees with a North wind and occasional drizzle. After a 90 minute ride on the train, we arrived in Medemblik and caught a ferry to the historic town of Enkhuzien and the Zuiderzee museum. It's the Dutch version of colonial Williamsburg - essentially people dressed up in old-timey clothes doing traditional activities. The highlight? The laundry room, of course! We walk up and see this massive smokestack and big building. Thinking "oh, this must be the blacksmith's shop", we're shocked to walk in and see a GIANT washing machine system, and one burly Dutch dude shoveling massive quantities of coal into the furnace to keep it stoked. Interesting fact - the Dutch actually bleached their clothes by leaving them on the grass through the night - some sort of chemical reaction with the dew and the moonlight caused bleaching (ask Jaime, she can probably explain it). It was a nice look into historic Dutch life, and Jaime even tried some smoked herring. Me? NO WAY! After spending a couple of hours there, we caught a real train back into Amsterdam and hit up a walking tour of the Red Light district. After a few drinks, we headed back to the hotel, and spent the final night (or was it?) of vacation relaxing.


The next day, we got all packed up, had a nice breakfast, walked around for a bit in the morning, picked up some souvenirs, and then headed back to the Hotel to grab our bags and a cab to the airport. Now - we checked with the front desk - cabs to the airport all cost the same - and we had the nice lady call one that accepted credit cards. Not 5 minutes later, we see a gentleman at the door waiving at us. Alright, our cab's here! Walk outside, and he's very helpful with the luggage, and he's got some really nice wheels on his cab. Huh, no big deal, the guy's got style! Hop in, start heading for the airport and notice the meter running after a while. Hmmmm, thought it was a flat fee...

As we get close to the airport, Jaime finally asks - "So I thought it was a flat fee to the airport?"
"Oh, well, yes, it is for regular cabs. Did you not call for an executive cab?"

"no, we didn't. Oh well. Do you take credit cards?"

"No, I don't, unfortunately..."

"Ok, then, we're going to need to find an ATM" (the Dutch HATE credit cards!)

Lesson learned - we talked the guy down to a still shocking 55 Euro (from 70!!! I'm not making this up!) Some poor sap at the hotel had to ride to the airport in a regular cab (but only paid 35 Euro)

Most expensive cab ride I've ever had. Ugh.

But it gets better.

We arrive at the airport and try to check in - "Well, yes mam, the flight is completely sold - these are standby tickets..." Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Ok, well, check our bags anyway, and then get through security and head to the gate to see if any spots open up. Since the tickets were actually purchased through a KLM employee, someone actually asked Jaime if she wanted to ride in the jumpseat (assuming she was a KLM employee as well. Again, I'm not making this up!) Uh, I don't know, is there drink service with that? There is? Oh, you mean I have to help serve it! No, thanks! We'll take our chances.

On the plus side, Schipol Airport has Boingo - so I got to be "That guy" and use my international connection to hook up to the Nordstrom VPN client to log into my work computer, and let my boss know that NO, I won't be at work tomorrow, funny story about that...

As the plane boarded, our hearts slowly dropped, and we realized that we were not getting home that day. Well, make the most of a bad situation! After a phone call to father in law Jim, we got ourselves a hotel, and a dinner recommendation. Checked in, dropped our bags, cleaned up, and got a cab out into the Dutch countryside. Dinner was at an old Windmill that has been converted into an eatery - with the bar on the first floor, and tables all around the 2nd flr. Cool thing - they use a winch and pulley system to raise orders to the 2nd flr, since the stairs are so narrow. This means the beer and wine glasses don't have bases, but instead sit in wooden blocks. I had a shteak, and Jaime had the shpare ribsh, and we learned our waiter had a brother who lived in Shacramento (ask me about it).


After a peaceful, relaxing dinner, and some sink laundry for me, we headed to bed and were ready to face the next day. Fortunately, that day's flight was not oversold, and we made it on board (with real seats!) and headed back for Vancouver. After a 9 hour flight, we landed in Vancouver, picked up our car, and headed for home. I must say, we were expecting the worst at the border, I mean, come on, we'd just flown back from Amsterdam, and opted to fly into Vancouver instead of Seattle. And the Canucks didn't even scan our bags when we landed. But - border was quiet - hardest question we got was about the front license plate not being mounted on Tigger. Oh, and the guy checked our bag of bulbs for proper documentation (which we had paid extra for). And that was it - "Alright, thanks guys, have a safe drive home..." Awesome!
Jaime called our parents to let them know we'd made it, we cruised down I-5, arrived home, got our bags out of the car, cleaned up, and passed out...

Once again, take a look at all the photos here...

Damn, that was fun! So, Oktoberfest 2020? Anyone?

The Adventure Continues...

So, Oktoberfest isn't all beer and pretzels, ya know! There's rides too! To get the full experience, we indulged! First up was the swings like they have at the fair...only these swings could be raised WAY into the air - see my picture. It ended up being a great view of the Munich skyline as the sun set! I'm so proud of Jaime. We also took the giant Ferris wheel, this time with a great view of the fairgrounds. We happened into our cart with some Danes who had had a GREAT time...except that when their buddy passed out in the cart, they took off when the ride was over and left us to remove him (with the German Ferris wheel operator scolding me in German)...oh well.


We walked through the grounds one last time, and headed back for the hotel, totally exhausted.

The next day, we ventured to my automotive Mecca - the BMW museum. If you've known me long enough, you know that I'm a car guy, and a BMW car guy. We started off in the building where BMW shows off it's current cars/technologies, and where customers taking European delivery come to meet their reps and start their factory tour (sigh). As we wandered around, a man on a motorcycle began crisscrossing the room and going up and down the stairs on his motorcycle. Crazy stuff...



After that, and some lusting after a 118D (a diesel 1 series we don't get in the states) we headed over to the museum. This is the part of the story where my jaw drops, and Jaime is forced to wipe drool from it. Seriously, cool car stuff abounds. Engine history, racing history, and a big 'ole exhibit on my car - the 2002 being famous for reinventing BMW as a small car maker known for sportiness, and saving them from bankruptcy. It also sparked their first major entry into the US market, and the rest is history.

(BMW's M12 engine from Formula 1 in the 80s, before turbo charging was banned - this engine was capable of over 1,000hp)

(the 507, BMW's first big post war coupe, and the inspiration for the Z8. Jaime called this car sexy!)

(the 2002 - what more can I say? And in Inka Orange! This particular model was a 2002ti (touring edition) and not available in the States)

(that right there is a purdy front end!)

It was all that I expected, radness all around.

After the museum, we headed back into central Munich for an afternoon of much needed relaxation. Kind of dull, but we had a great time lounging in the sun, enjoying some ice cream, and playing cards. For our final dinner in Munich, and Germany for that matter, we ventured down the street from the hotel to a German Chinese restaurant called Win Wah. I mean, when are you going to get to have German Chinese food again? It was good, too!

(The town of Bacharach, in the Rhine valley)

The next day was a travel day, back to Amsterdam. Driving wasn't too bad (at least in Germany). Midway through the day, we stopped at a beautiful town in the Rhine valley for some lunch and a break. Unfortunately the weather had turned and it rained on us most of the time. As a result, we hit some traffic after our departure. Oh well, some things are universal. We didn't realize it, but our biggest challenge of the entire trip was upon us. It was just before 7pm Friday night, and we were on the outskirts of Amsterdam. We punched the address of the hotel into the GPS, and continued on our way. As we proceeded, the streets started getting narrower and narrower, it was getting darker and darker, and the number of people on bicycles kept increasing exponentially with every kilometer we got closer to the hotel. It was, in one word, COMPLETELY FREAKING NUTS!!!

After a slight detour (a street closed to cars) and navigation around the canals, we made it to the hotel. We felt a small bit of relief, dropped our bags, and then prepared for our trip to the train station to return the rental car. It was bad before, but now it was raining, was totally dark, and the bicycles had multiplied again. Between our hotel and the train station was one of the better nightlife spots in Amsterdam. With Jaime as an awesome spotter (Bike left! Taxi right! PEDESTRIANS - they're not stopping!) We trudged on. After navigating what I'm pretty sure was a 12 way intersection, we arrived at our destination per the GPS. Alas, no Sixt rental agency to be found. ACK! It's night, there's people/bicycles/traffic/TRAMS! circling all around us, and we can't figure out where the fracking rental car place is. So, in desperation, we pull into the train station parking lot to regroup (and head to the surface on foot to find the agency). With the car parked, we make our way to the exit. Then, like a miracle, we head up the stairs one floor, and there it is, a tiny office, tucked into the staircase, for Sixt. Holy crap, we found them! After paying the bill (and vowing NEVER to drive in central Amsterdam EVER AGAIN) we head upstairs and outside into the night. Ah, this is a better pace - walking, knowing where we're headed, no luggage, and not in any hurry. After surviving our trip, we stayed in, got room service, and called it a day...

To be continued...

Oktoberfest!!!

(Our flight out of Vancouver - yes, that's a tri-engine MD11, KLM being the last passenger operator)

Well, that was an adventure...flight from Vancouver to Amsterdam - rental car from Amsterdam to Utrecht. And then, after arriving at our Bed and Breakfast for the evening, and strolling out to explore the city a bit, Geoff learns his first valuable lesson of the trip - bicycles are silent killers. Ok then, so I'll keep my head on a swivel.


Our first night in Europe we stayed at a nice B&B in this college town. It was very comfy, casual, and provided for some much needed rest. The next morning, after a fresh breakfast (including some awesome fresh squeezed orange juice) we ventured out onto the Dutch highways, and headed for Munich.


Funny moment of the morning - passing through the countryside, not seeing a speed limit sign, freaking out that you don't know what the speed limit is, seeing a sign that says "ausfahrt" and suddenly realizing you've crossed into Germany, you're on the autobahn, and there IS no speed limit! Unfortunately our rental car was a bit underwhelming - A Volvo C30 with a 2.0 liter engine, no turbocharger, and only 5 forward gears. Not really an Autobahn cruiser. I DID manage to get it up to 175kph at one point, but not for long. We averaged ~140kph. Ok, that's fairly decent...

To break up the length of the drive (~8 hours from Amsterdam to Munich) we stopped in Wurzburg for lunch. Got a much needed walk in, and had some recommended fresh Italian food from a restaurant where they didn't speak English. Lots of pointing at the menu ensued. Thank god "Coca Cola" is universal!

(the palace above the Rhine river in Wurzburg)

Another few hours on the Autobahn, and we were finally nearing Munich. I'll admit it, we had a Garmin...which leads to our next insight - the freeways run all around Munich, our hotel was in central Munich, and there was no direct route there. "Turn onto (insert weird German road name here) and continue for 7km" then "turn onto...and continue for 9km" Finally, the little finish line flag was visible on the map. We had arrived! We parked the car and greeted friends Lian and Mike in our hotel room. After an authentic German dinner (and a beer warm up) we headed to bed to prepare for the main event!


Wednesday, 9:30am, our journey to the Theresienwiese begins. We began our day at the Augustiner tent, where Lian talked to a waitress setting up who promised us she'd get us seated, since most all of the inside tables are reserved. We walked around for a while and checked out the rest of the tents, and then as people started multiplying on the fairgrounds, we headed back. After again locating our waitress, we sat down, I bought some giant pretzels, and we ordered our first round!

(Live every moment, and prost!)

With a toast to my late boss to start, our Oktoberfest experience is on. This is what it's all about. I know in the picture it looks like there was a lot of foam in the glass, and there was, but it was the first pour of the day. We'll cut them some slack, after all, I'm pretty sure the folks at Oktoberfest know how to pour beer...


Food was ordered (1/2 chickens, more pretzels) another round was ordered, Phase 10 was played (awesome card game!) and the tent slowly filled. A nice couple from New Jersey sat down with us. Then the Austrian Police force K9 unit sat down with us.



Madness ensues, more beer is ordered, German phrases are taught (ask Jaime!) Music is played, and slowly, the afternoon begins to run together. Funny thing about that...yes Judy, the beer probably is a bit stronger, but after 4 liters, ANYONE is going to start to feel it.

Time to stretch our legs. We part company with our Austrian friends, and head outside into the sunshine. Good lord it's bright out here! So, what do you guys want to do? Hey, let's head to a beer tent and have a drink! Awesome...


I'd love to tell you about the rest of the afternoon, I know we ended up in the Hippodrome tent...that's really the only detail I'd be able to confirm...maybe ask Jaime...

Gonna pause for now - will continue the story tomorrow...in the meantime, here's the link to the Shutterfly album (some of the pictures have captions)
Address:

Catching up...

Ah, Labor day weekend...the last gasp of summer. And judging by the weather, it's VERY true this year.


Jaime and I spent the weekend at the property/cabin with niece Kendal...and yes, we volunteered for it (well, Jaime did anyway). The weather was at least a little better on the other side of the mountains, got some sun in (and some wind). Wasn't warm enough for swimming (oh well) but we had a good time anyway. Kendal was wonderful the whole time! Only snafu would be the cricket that was chirping from the ceiling at 2am. BUT, a flashlight and a broom took care of that. I swatted him off the ceiling and "took him outside" (translation for those without kids - I squished him).

Housework continues...I'm now a lighting expert - can change out a fixture in about ~30 minutes! We've only got 4 fishbowl fixtures left, so after that, I guess I'll have to develop some other specialty. Thank god Jaime enjoys painting. Also working on the slow process of replacing every outlet in the house (they're all beige and worn out). I've only managed to shock myself twice. Whoever wired this house decided to randomly assign outlets/switches to breakers, because it makes absolutely NO sense! Oh well, the joys of homeownership.


Summer of 30 was a HUGE success - sorry to those that could not make it! Unfortunately, I was so busy socializing that I didn't get any pictures! If anyone has a picture of the hot dog cart, please send it my way. Also, Craig's a rockstar for letting us borrow his Subaru to tow the cart out of the backyard (and hopefully not destroy his clutch!)

Beyond that, summer is drawing to a close. Jaime's folks will be in town next week, and the weekend after that, we're leaving for Oktoberfest. Where has the time gone.

Ok, I'm gonna get back into a rhythm and keep things updated.

Later!

Somewhere, lost in the 'Quah

We're working on rekindling the ole blog, it's been a LONG time! Something about having a house and fixing stuff and planning stuff and summertime and Facebook. Trying to come up with a new title - we're no longer geographically "left" of Seattle on the map, but we're certainly still more "left" of Issaquah (Not talking maps here, people) though maybe less so than when we were in West Seattle...

So "Right of Seattle" is out for sure...I guess "Left of the Quah" would still work...thoughts?

Slighty Right of Seattle?

4 years ago today

Four years ago today we got married in a beautiful location with all our family and friends around us. It was one of the greatest days of my life and I wouldn't change a thing.

I am so blessed to have the best husband and friend a person could ever want.

I can't believe time has gone so quickly, but I'm glad we've made the time to do everything we have done together. Its been a great four years and I'm looking forward to the rest to come.

-wifey

One more quick personal update

For those of you who we haven't spoken with recently, I want to let you know that you don't have to hate children's hospital on my behalf anymore.

They opened up another position, in the same group with the same title, and offered me the position. So I start working at Childrens and the Therapeutics Development Network of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation on June 14th!

I am really excited about the job. Plus now I don't have an unfounded grudge against an amazing non-profit institution.

Also, we moved into our house this weekend, which is AWESOME! But I know Geoff will give a better update about that soon so I will leave it to him.

Way to go, BP! (That's sarcasm, btw)

Granted, there are MANY people to blame for this disaster (including oil hungry Americans)

Holy Crap, May!

So, at the start of the month, Geoff and Jaime headed off on a little European vacation. Two weeks in London/Paris...



It was rad! Brother in law Ryan and Peyton were waiting to pick us up from Heathrow, and it was a short car ride (on the wrong side of the road!) out to Pinner and my sister's LOVELY house! After a short nap Sunday afternoon (we arrived at 10am, having left Seattle around noon the previous day with a stopover in Chicago) we were adjusted and ready to enjoy the time we got to spend with niece Isabel and nephew Peyton, and our travels! Monday we got a late start to the morning and headed into London proper for our first experiences. Since we missed both Isabel and Peyton's birthdays, we took them to Hamleys, a large toy store in downtown London. Afterward Jaime, Tina, and Isabel headed to Harrods for tea, and Ryan, Peyton and I walked around Hyde Park.


The following day Jaime and I departed for Paris via the Eurostar. Ok, ok, I'm a train guy - but the Eurostar is amazing! It's fast (almost 200mph), smooth, and QUIET. Seriously, Jaime and I were whispering with each other because the cars are so quiet...It's also incredibly easy! I HIGHLY recommend checking it out if you're in London or Paris (it also goes to Belgium).

Video of Geoff and Jaime on Eurostar

Paris was RAD! Paris is also HUGE! We arrived Tuesday afternoon, checked into our hotel, and thought we'd take a nice short stroll along the river Seine - I guess because it's nearly all flat, the city just seems to go on and on. Highlights of Paris - yeah, the Louvre is cool, and we spent a LONG time inside, but Cathedral Notre Dame, in my opinion, is better! Seriously, it's beautiful. Sunset atop the Eiffel tower - again, spectacular. Incredibly windy, but spectacular. After nightfall, every hour on the hour, they have a series of flash bulbs that go off all over it. We caught an elevator down just in time to catch it. Our final indulgence in Paris was a dinner cruise along the Seine. Nice views, great food, spectacular wine, and my absolute most favorite person to share it with. Once in a lifetime...

We ended Paris with a walk around the Montmarte district, using the Rick Steves Paris guide. There are travel books, and there are Rick Steves guides. Don't bother with anything else, seriously. Caught the evening Eurostar back to London. Loved every minute of the journey.

(shout out to the Paris Metro system - I don't speak ANY French, and it took me two rides to figure out how it works - all other subways should be designed this way)

The next day we spent relaxing with Isabel and Peyton in Pinner (Uncle Geoff needs his rest when he travels). The following days were spent exploring London - Discovered a great chain restaurant called "Wagamama," toured Westminster Abbey (no pictures?) saw Big Ben, the Tower of London (held a crossbow), the Crown Jewels (again, no pictures? They're BEAUTIFUL!) , took a bus tour (great way to get acquainted with the city, but no good for deep insight) "Which way's North?"

saw the Rosetta stone at the British Museum (history, awesome!) drank lots of English beer, ate fish and chips (no skin, please!) and had a generally great time.

On our last full day, Tina, Isabel, and Peyton joined us to check out the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace. The ceremony is cool and all, but the highlight for me was actually getting to see the Queen. Granted, she was cruising out in her Rolls Royce limo, but still, she waived at the crowd. Otherwise, I'd say Buckingham Palace was a bit of a yawn. Afterward we grabbed some lunch, and then took the kids on a boat cruise down the Thames to Greenwich. We spent some time in the very cool National Maritime museum, then headed uphill to the Royal Observatory to "see" the Prime Meridian. It was unfortunate that we were all a little weary, and there was a GIANT group of French school kids there. If I make it back to London, I'll have to go check it out again. In fact, by the end of the trip, I was TOTALLY over groups of French schoolkids...




It seemed like we had just gotten comfortable when it was time to head home again. We spent one VERY long day (including a 5 hour layover in Chicago) getting home, and rolled in around midnight. We cannot thank Tina and Ryan enough for hosting us - they provided us their house and made it possible for us to be able to stay for 10 days, otherwise it never would have happened. Everyone asks me what my favorite part of the trip was...and sappy as it may be, it was getting to spend so much time with my niece and nephew.

Here's a link to the Shutterfly album.

So, the other big news is that two days before we left for Europe, we put an offer in on a house in Issaquah. There was lots of emailing and signing and scanning while we were in London, but we got it done. We're in escrow this week - and planning on closing on Thursday or Friday. I'll just include a link to the Windermere listing - it's a GREAT house, in a nice neighborhood, and it HAS A GARAGE!!!! Yeah, we're moving to the suburbs - deal with it ;) We'll still come to West Seattle for Bakery Nouveau, Easy Street Records, Kokoras, and Beveridge Place. Plus, we have so many great friends here.


Nearly a year ago, when we turned in our airline miles to get our London tickets, we didn't plan for everything to come together at once. Who knew the week before we left we'd find our perfect house. Besides - if we got an offer in before April 30th (we left May 1st) we were still eligible for the first time Home Buyers tax credit. Score! Then - when the Sportwagen started leaking again in February, how were we supposed to know that it's replacement would show up while we were traveling (thanks, bro, for taking such good care of the Tiguan "Tigger" while we were gone). Did I mention someone who may or may not be my wife might be leaving her 20s behind on Saturday? Did I mention someone who may or may not be her Husband will be doing the same in two weeks? Holy Crap...seriously.

One more thing - I've been promoted at Nordstrom. My friend Deke is leaving for a different department - I'll be taking over his role as the Knowledge Base administrator, and separately from that, I've been promoted to our "Escalation" team. Things are starting to move in the right direction, and it feels nice to be acknowledged for it. I start all of that June 1st.

So, that's May...god only knows what's in store for the rest of the year. I hope everyone is doing well. If we haven't talked in a while, you can understand why?

If you're in Seattle, and free on June 5th...well, we might be moving that day ;) Free beer?

-Geoff

Hmmmm

Pretty sure Jaime hasn't been entirely forthcoming with me, based on what she received in the mail recently - (be sure to click on pics to see the full size!)







Now the fun part - how best to fill it out so that I can get them to read as much of the response as possible before I totally screw with them...


Check back later for my responses...
Best part is - it came with a pre paid envelope for return.

..........

Life
sometimes it feels like everything is happening all at once...
because it is.

To say that the past few months have been intense would be a mild understatement. We've had some highs, and some serious lows as of late. But closure, even when it isn't what you want, can at least help make life a little less hectic. If you want, please feel free to skip these first few paragraphs, it's all pretty downer stuff (I'll take no offense, I promise)

March and Early April - in mid March my uncle Chuck went to see the doctor because he hadn't been feeling well. The following week he found out that he had liver cancer. He met with doctors, and they recommended chemo. It was later revealed that it had actually started in his pancreas, but was a rarer form of cancer that may be better treated with chemo.

He had started chemo in late March.

We came together as a family, we planned meals, we got him a new recliner, we took care of his cat, we felt the love...

Sometimes love is not enough

Unfortunately his liver was too fare gone. He passed away 3 weeks later on April 6th.

About the same time, my boss at work left to fight his battle with Urothelial (bladder) cancer. Fortunately that's fairly treatable and everyone at the Help Desk looks forward to his speedy recovery.

Jaime didn't get the job at Childrens. It sucks that their study won't go as well, but whatever, that's their mistake and we're over it.

Begin more uplifting (and totally randomly spaced) blog post...

Jaime and I had dinner at Teatro Zinzanni back in March - good food, great wine, drag queens, and my awesome wife - loved it!

We had a great time at niece Kendal's Easter concert, and she's a great performer -


I've been promoted! When I return from our trip to England/France I'll start training for my position as a Help Desk Level 2/Escalation analyst. It's not huge, but it's a step in the right direction for me, and I'm starting to feel like the 2+ years that I've worked my tail off at the Help Desk are starting to pay off.

Went to Opening Day at Safeco field with Deke and Miranda, and despite an M's loss, had a lot of fun.

Earlier this month, we had to take the Sportwagen to the shop because the check engine light came on - but you know what? I didn't care, because our new Tiguan has reached port! I've been tracking its journey from Emden, Germany on the "Cygnus Leader". Nerdy, eh? The ship arrived in San Diego this morning and offloaded its cargo, including "Tigger" (Jaime has already named our car and we don't even have it yet!).

(Somewhere inside that boat is our new car)

Holy Crap! Barring continued volcanic activity, Jaime and I leave for London in a week and a half! We've been planning this trip for about a year, and it's finally almost here. That reminds me, I need to buy some power adapters! We've got our Eurostar tickets, a hotel reservation in Paris, a new prime lens for the camera, and all kinds of plans...But the most fun will be to spend two weeks with niece Isabel and nephew Peyton!!!! See you guys soon!

We had a wonderful visit with Jim and Judy two weeks ago! They came out because we've finally decided to actively look for our own house and they came to offer advice/guidance. Their visit was also a great excuse to hold a barbecue, and since Jim was here, the weather was spectacular. No solid leads on the house front yet, but we're not under a timeline, so we're taking it slow.

So, that pretty much sums up the past two months. As usual, I've just kind of dumped out my thoughts into one gigantic post (no one's forcing you to read the blog, mmmkay?) We're still working on plans for a "Summer of 30" party. Stay tuned. I hope everyone is doing well, and if you haven't heard from me lately, forgive me.

The decision is in...

Well, not the decision we were hoping for, but at least we know. I unfortunately didn't get the job with Children's Hospital. But on the bright side, my parents are here this weekend and we are having a great time. I couldn't have asked for a better time to have bad news delivered than to have my husband and parents (my biggest supporters) around me.

So now at least I have a little clarification and a path to follow. And like all paths in life, I'm sure it will be full of surprises and be a great experience. I get to continue to work at Epigenomics with a team of people I really admire. Luckily we just got more funding, so it all is looking a lot better. Wish me luck...

No, Seriously

It's almost laughable at this point (except that we both REALLY want Jaime to get this job!) Still no word from Childrens...

In other really crappy news - my boss has left work after being diagnosed with Urethral cancer, and my Uncle Chuck was recently diagnosed with liver cancer...we wish them both a speedy recovery.

For some uplifting news, Jaime and I traveled up to Bothell to see Kendal perform in her first "concert" with her preschool. We had a great time and I got to be family photographer for the event (though I came unprepared without my tripod - there was a balcony and several people who had obviously done this before). Enjoy!


We also had a RAD date night on Friday night at Teatro Zinzanni! Great food, wine, theater, burlesque, and men in drag - this is a guarantee for a fun time. I highly, HIGHLY recommend it!

No job update

Jaime kicked ass in her 2nd interview with Childrens. Now we're just playing the waiting game again...

Waiting is so much fun...

Not so much.

Sleepover!

So Jaime and I got a little parenting experience this weekend - we picked up Kendal Saturday afternoon, took her to the aquarium, the park, and then home with us to spend the night. As it turned out, we ran into neighbor Chris and daughter Jordan,5, who was ecstatic that she might also be able to spend the night with Kendal...sure, why not? Kendal, Jaime and I made pizza for dinner, and afterward Jordan came over and we made dessert pizza. Good times. Jaime and I enjoyed it thoroughly, except that we didn't sleep much because either one of us would wake up and check on the girls. Hey, it was our first overnighter with kids, mmmkay? More importantly, the girls slept in till at least 7, and had an absolute blast! Link to complete shutterfly album here, and some selections below.

Homeward Bound

Start of post - Geoff and Jaime are content, and looking forward to a great year, regardless of anything that might happen in the near future, job wise.

So Jaime and I have been mulling over some major decisions lately...
Jaime's current job was scheduled to conclude at the end of 2010. As a result of this, she began testing the waters to see what else was out there. This led to a job posting at Childrens Hospital for a job similar to what she does now, but as more of a project manager. Without realizing that she was (self admittedly) slightly under-qualified, she applied for it. A few weeks later they called her for an interview. So, sometime in early February (I forget the exact date) she interviewed. She was ecstatic afterward - she kicked ass in the interview (as I knew she would!)

A few days later, she was in need of references, so she contacted her old boss. Her old boss was willing to be a reference for Jaime, but at the same time, mentioned that she had a position that would be VERY well suited for Jaime, and asked that she call her to discuss the details. That weekend, Jaime called...

At this point in the post, things turn entirely chaotic

The position that Jaime's boss was offering was similar to the position at Childrens. It also paid more, and offered possible relocation to San Francisco...

Wild speculation begins

We spent one Saturday mulling over the decision, and running the numbers. We decided it was a good idea. Jaime contacted her old boss again, who asked that she fly down to San Francisco (where the company headquarters are) and meet everyone and interview formally for that job. I (gently) reminded Jaime of the numbers. Jaime bought a nice new suit and flew to San Francisco.

She loved it down there, but we had to make a rational decision, and the decision was that the offer was not enough to get us to move to SF. Jaime was bummed, I was bummed for her, but I love it here. We went over the decision again - were we making the right choice? Later, Jaime visited the Redmond office, where they informed her that the number that had been offered was ONLY for moving to SF. While the Redmond number was still good, we decided that it was not worth it in the end. In the meantime - Childrens called Jaime for a second interview...

So we are waiting on the second interview with Children's. Hopefully good news will be available by the end of march. We will keep everyone posted.

In the meantime - my parents have adopted a new Brittany, and we had the chance to meet him Saturday night at a family dinner. He's adorable! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.




Other update is that we are now waiting on a 2010 Alpine Gray VW Tiguan with nav and awd (but no sunroof) that is expected to arrive at the dealership in early May. In the meantime, my (very awesome) brother has fixed the leaky Sportwagen roof, again, and Pignataro VW will be buying it from us when the Tig comes in. VW is throwing in some additional money as well. The managers/sales staff at Pignataro have been absolutely AWESOME in dealing with the whole leaky roof fiasco (as has my brother!). I must say, I'll be sad to see it go, but look forward to a vehicle with a solid roof.