Seattle/Anniversary

I'm probably going to write two posts today; one about Seattle and one about my quick trip to the West side to see my family.

First, I love Seattle. So does G. I think... no. I'm SURE he would move there in a heartbeat. In face, Seattle is where I'm most heavily concentrating my job search.  Our second anniversary came up and we did a two-day trip.  One day was hiking up at Manastash Ridge in Ellensburg, and the other was in Seattle.
First, Manastash:

It was a little steep

The top was a memorial for people who have passed on

Ignore the scowl on my face

It was a long ways back down, too

Happy Anniversary!

So the climb was worth it just for the views.

The next weekend we went to Seattle, specifically to the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). I was so impressed.  My favorite art isn't modern art or those beautiful Grecian urns. It's the paintings. I love them, especially impressionism.  I also really like Native American art.  In the NA art, we saw a lot of blending old and new, and taking traditional designs and putting them into new forms.  I see the wisdom in it- this is truly how culture is carried forward. 

This Guy!

Cheez!

Ok, she didn't go, but she wanted her picture in here anyway. Cheese!

I was fascinated by this indoor lodge pole with two figures. It had a twin on the other side. WOW

Oh Monet!

Angry white guy with bible

Considering the age of this piece- almost a thousand years, I'm blown away.

This cedar box is made from one piece- bent wood.  The top and bottom are separate but it's otherwise ONE piece!

This is The Triumph of Poseidon 

This is a close up of someone having to smell Poseidon's foot.

That's Zeus as a Swan, with Leda and their children, Helen of Troy, Castor and Pollux. Why are baby cherubs so terrifying?

This is a tapestry called "Oiling". Beautiful, no? Yes! I love the traditional/modern blend.

This guy is outside of the museum.  His hammer swings. 

We went by the Market afterwards. 

Apropos of nothing, this is a great phone background

We had lunch and then gelato at a place called "Gelatiamo".  "Yumm-o"!

This is a view from the water from a block outside of the museum.

I had so much fun on this trip.  No pressure, no real agenda.  Just relaxation. We ate lunch at a place called "Wild Ginger", where G said he had the best pad thai he's ever had.

And just because I love them, here are a few pictures from our wedding, two years ago. <3 br="" nbsp="">

If you look in my bodice, there's a small book of poetry in there. A gift from a lovely person.

This makes me smile!

We tried lots of cake before settling on the tres leches cake. 

We framed this one.

My sister Patti, me, G, and his brother, T. I love T's tie! My friend Cathy made the bouquets, and Charlotte lent me her pearls. They are the ones who made it happen. Well, the party part, anyway.

Just for the record, I never thought I'd get married again. I think that neither did G. But here we are. I wouldn't have it any other way.  These are the important things to us: spending time together, family, adventure, kindness, commitment.  It's not that we're constantly celebrating how awesome our marriage is. C'mon, I'm a human and sometimes a cranky, reclusive, selfish one. But even in those moments I know that I'm truly loved and that someone accepts my love in return.  

Happy Anniversary, G. Thanks for all that stuff ^^.

Summertime and the Living's Easy

I have been in a bit of a funk lately. I'm waiting for my final contract-the one that bestows upon me a permanent job with no expiration date.

I have paperwork assuring me that this will happen. I have my boss's assurance. I have his boss's word. But things move s-l-o-w in academe and my contract expired at the end of June. I'm on an interim until September. Ugh! It's frustrating because I don't feel comfortable going forward with so many plans until I have this big puzzle piece in place.

I can't complain; things could be worse.

So last weekend, G cheered me up by taking me to Leavenworth, Wa. We've been there before, but not in summertime. It's a little German village in the middle of Washington state.

It Looks Farther Than It Is

Oh, it was lovely.  We did a walking tour of Blackbird island, which is the man made by-product of a turn of the last century mill.  We at at Pavz, a cute little french cafe, and visited the Nutcracker Museum, which is fascinating and houses thousands of beautiful, unique and historical nutcrackers (and some that make you go  Ooo-la-la).  

Good night, Knight! 

A little inlet

The Wentachee River

Oh Nutcracker! I adore you!

Mouse King (Life Size)

Art Imitating Life 

We also stopped into the Icicle Brewing Company for a pint, since that's apparently something everyone does.  I made a happy discovery: half pints are available for beer.  Perfect. I like beer, but I can't have a whole lot of wheat, hops, or whole grain stuff AND I have a low tolerance for alcohol.  

Half Pint! 

We walked around town too, to look at the architecture.  We found a neat church-turned-hotel with an onion design on top and a beautiful door. 

The Steeple is Now Part of a Suite

What a Beautiful Door

The sun started to go down. The people floating the river on inner tubes all came up from the water and invaded the town with sand and shorts and sunburns. Usually I don't like crowds; they make me tired. I'm an introvert. But the walk helped and so did putting my feet in the water.

AAAHHHHH

So we lounged around town a bit more, smiled a good deal, and I realized that my bad mood was gone and that living my life waiting for my university to get off its ass isn't as much fun as having adventures.  

Husband Therapy Works Every Time

Um, Yeah. We're a Little Dorky. 

Then we rode off into the sunset.