Weekend round-up

Saturday marked our second trip to Dallas. We figure we better do these things while we still can....

So, after a yummy breakfast, we were off to the Asian Art Museum. We were particularly interested in the special exhibit there (The Return of the Yellow Peril) but the museum was actually small enough that we were able to see the entire collection in about 2 hours. I liked this a lot - the special exhibit was really well done, and the permanent collection items nicely rounded out the experience without exhausting one (too much).

When we were done, Mike was up for another museum (since we were in the museum 'hood), but I was just up for, well, putting my feet up. So we drove over to a coffeeshop we'd heard about. Fort Worth's last independent coffeehouse closed in January, much to Mike's disappointment. However, the independent coffeehouse scene seems to be alive and well in Dallas. Or, at least, this one coffeeshop was really nice. We'd brought our books, so we just kicked it there, drinking coffee and soaking in the ambiance for a little bit.

Our last Dallas stop took us to the neighborhood of our recent ex-President. No, not for a social call, but for a cupcake call! I'd been hearing all about this cupcake store that had started in Beverly Hills and then has been gradually expanding. The Dallas location was definitely in what one might characterize as a tony neighborhood (i.e., not a lot of Toyota Corollas cruising about). The cupcakes did not disappoint! I didn't think they were quite as good as my favorite Seattle place, but the dark chocolate flavor definitely gave my memories a run for their money. Perhaps more data is needed.....

We were back at our house by late afternoon, which was perfect. Exciting, but not overwhelming.

In other weekend news, we also had the first harvest from our garden:Eggplant on the left and an Anaheim chili on the right. Mike ate the chili pepper on some nachos and then we turned the eggplant into some very yummy baba ganouj.

Sunday we had a little celebratory breakfast for the father-to-be, then watched the Italy-Brazil soccer game, and then went out for some pizza (thanks to the Michigan parents who gifted Mike a dinner out!).

Professional Maternity Pictures

So the pictures below are kind of like the pictures I posted in the last entry. Except, you know, minus the swing-y hair. And the fact that I, um, actually look halfway decent in these.

These were taken by my friend Krista of Midsummer Photography. If you're in the area and need a photographer, I think these pictures make it clear that she's someone you should call!

The cleanest baby ever

Last weekend our friends here in town threw us/me a baby shower. We feel so lucky to have had so many baby showers as well as to made so many good friends here in such a short time. The shower was super-sweet.

(Also, let me say that the delay in posting this is related to my not having a computer at home. But I now do have a desk, so a computer will follow shortly. You know, as soon as I decide what I want....)

The food at the shower was totally yummy! This was a traditional ladies-only kind of shower, but there was food enough for the men when they returned (they had lunch and then went to play laser tag).The shower had lots of games - identifying baby pictures, matching celebrities and the names of their babies (and Apple was one of the easy ones, let me tell you!), word association, writing birthday cards to the baby for future birthdays, identifying baby food, etc. The games were fun, and there were even prizes. I didn't win anything; I have a lot to learn - and not just about celebrity baby names!

We also received some lovely baby gifts, including a hand-made quilt and a swing. As someone who is sloooooowly knitting a baby blanket, I'm so impressed by actual, finished hand-made baby items. We're also super-excited about the swing since I've heard those can really calm babies (you know, just in case our baby cries. Like, occasionally, or something).(Mom, the above picture is for you. I look totally stupid in it [me and my lame swing-y hair], but you wanted a profile picture, so here it is)(Also, apparently, I no longer open my eyes for photos. New policy)

In non-baby-related news, our garden survived our absence in Seattle and is doing fine. The slugs seem overly interested in the pepper plants, though. I've tried the beer trick, but I'm not totally sure this has been successful. The tomato plants, though, are setting flowers and fruit, so that's great. We also have one eggplant, two bell peppers and one chili pepper.Also, coming soon are photos of our new living room and the baby's room. In the living room, we've got the new couches and Mike has assembled our bookcases. I'm just waiting until we hang one more picture, then I'll get some photos. We're also waiting on wall decor to go up in the baby's room - the crib and changing table have been assembled, though.

Seattle

was awesome. The end.

Just kidding. I have lots of details and photos to share - I know this post is a bit overdue, but I haven't been exactly sure if I should break up our trip or just go for one long mega-post.

Mega-post it is.

We arrived on what I'm told was one of the first nice days in Seattle. And it was so nice. Coming in on the plane, there was a beautiful view of the mountain (and what a lot of snow it had!), the sound, and the Olympics. Everything was so green. And blue. And sparkly.

I was on the ground in Seattle for approximately 1 hour before cupcakes were consumed. Outstanding. This was followed by a very nice dinner with some of our closest Seattle friends. How I'd missed it all - the friends, the food, the trees....

On Sunday, our very good friends Scott and Meredith threw us a super-awesome baby shower. They truly went all out - someone described the event "like Martha, but without all the pretension." The food was amazing, the shower game (matching children's books and their main characters) fun, and the company outstanding.Monday, Mike did his song and dance at the University. I didn't attend, but all reports indicate that it was a glowing success! I did attend the dinner in his honor that evening; it was so nice to see some of his advisors again and to see how proud they were of him.

Tuesday, Mike worked in the library. But, first, we went for super-yummy brunch with SYL and Cee. Here's a photo taken post-brunch (I had a big breakfast, to be fair).Wednesday, we left on our little side-trip to Leavenworth. For those not in the know, Leavenworth is a small town on the eastern side of the Cascades (up over Steven's Pass). The town has a Bavarian theme to it; it's very popular for Octoberfests (and the week after we were there, they were planning an accordion festival - so sorry to have missed that!).

Leavenworth is a little kitschy, but being nestled right in the mountains, it's also totally beautiful. We stayed at this lovely B&B on the outskirts of town. Here are some pictures taken at the B&B (the first two show the view from our room).The B&B also had, of course, a pet goat.I cannot stress enough how idyllic and tranquil and green Leavenworth was. Part of what made it so beautiful were all the mountains. The mountains, however, did not make for easy hiking (which, alas, was the only kind of hiking I was up for). We did manage to find a one-mile flat nature loop, though.What else was there to do in Leavenworth? Well, German towns aren't known for their vegetarian-friendliness. Luckily, this was a German-ish town near Seattle, so there was, in fact, a very good vegetarian sausage to be had.So good, in fact that one of us went back to the sausage restaurant and had the same thing again for dinner. I won't tell you which one of us, but I do think the picture above speaks for itself.

Another low-impact activity we did was to play mini-golf at the Bavarian-themed mini-golf course in town. Mike won, but I did give him a good run for his money.Friday morning we drove back across the pass.Friday afternoon I got to hang out with Jen Em and Daisy. Here are a few Daisy shots:And then Friday night was book club. Here are the book club ladies.Book club also featured a very special dessert made by Meredith: whoopie pies. They were good.Saturday morning we got to spend some time playing with Zachary.The rest of Saturday featured a trip to Green Lake, more cupcakes (hooray!), and a very nice farewell dinner with Bee & Cee and SYL (although Kris was missing).So that was our trip. It was good - so good - to be back in Seattle. We had a wonderful time; we really do miss our friends and it was so great to be able to spend time (although not enough) with so many of them. Thank you, friends, for re-arranging your schedules to see us!

We also appreciated the trees, the cooler temperatures, and, yes, the rain. Although, just to make sure we weren't getting too sad without any rain, we had a massive storm here last night - complete with hail, power loss, lightening, etc. Take that, Seattle!

Etc.

We didn't do much last weekend. Saturday was graduation, so Mike did that while I ran various errands around town. Sunday, we just hung out at the house.

Since Sunday was Mother's Day, one of our friends gave me a very nice cookie.And Mike also assembled the changing table/dresser and a bookshelf in the baby's room. Pictures to come once we get and assemble the crib and once we hang some stuff on the walls. Even though we haven't done any of that yet, the room is still sort of starting to come together.

And last night we went to a baseball game. It was our first game here in Texas (and possibly our last for this season, given the rising temperatures and impending summer plans). The stadium is actually really nice, but, alas, the team from the city of Starbucks did not triumph (despite a certain someone wearing his rally cap).
Saturday we're off to the land of cupcakes, Thai food, and our friends for a week. I can't wait!