Test results are back and the neuro doc says that everything was normal, so the likelihood of me having MS is really low. WHEW! Of course, this means back to the drawing board, but at least that scary bit is out of the way. When I told my mom, she said, "I'm telling you, I know what it is. You're 30 and you're stressed out." We'll see how correct Dr. Mom is :)

Seven weeks and some change until I'm a missus. My brain is not wrapping around that very well. We have a pretty good crowd coming in from, well, everywhere... Dallas, Edmonton, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Vancouver, and perhaps San Fran, Denver, New York, and Hiroshima. I'm confounded and honored that so many people are putting aside their valuable time and money to come celebrate with us. However all of the minute details shape up, it's going to be exactly what we wanted, which is quality time spent with people we love.

Here is Olive, helping K and I make decorations. She was a big help.



Yes, those are big fluffy tissue paper flowers.

I forgot to mention that my brother and his wife, who are on the brink of being destitute, are pregnant with their 5th (their 3rd together). She's due on July 4th.

Yay.

This is a post for the ladies. Or hey, if you're a dude who likes reading about hair products, knock yourself out. ( click )

We pulled into Miami before dawn yesterday morning, and stepped back on Seattle soil early yesterday evening. I have about 300 pictures to sort through and edit (the sun was so bright that my camera didn't know what to do with it). That will be happening soon. If you're on my Facebook, the pics are already up!

Back at work today for one day, then off for Veteran's Day tomorrow. Work is eerily quiet for having been gone for a week.

So, until I get my pics up to par and junk, I leave you with this spectacular gem:

The proof:




Mercifully, my mom stopped the camera just as Ava was about to spew.

Sweet Jebus, I am full.

Friday night, I had leftover baigan bhartha and naan.

Saturday morning, we had a tasting at a wedding cake bakery (and put down a deposit, what what).  Red velvet with cream cheese mousse, orange cake with strawberry grand marnier mousse, lemon poppyseed with lemon cream cheese mousse, vanilla cake with orange and peach schnapps mousse.

Saturday night, Jenny's mom, who was in town, took us all out for dinner at Purple.  I ate warmed bucheron with fireweed honey and cranberries, crab cakes, gorgonzola and pancetta pasta, syrah-infused brownie, sea salt caramels, creme brulee, and at least two glasses of pinot.

Yesterday morning, Sean and I met his brother and his g.f. at the Crepe Cafe.  I had a savory crepe with mushroom, spinach, caramelized onions, swiss, tomato, avocado and sundried tomato coulis.

Last night was what really did me in.  Sean made fontina, mushroom and pancetta lasagna.  We had pinot.  And garlic bread.  And tiramisu.  And some chocolate bundt cake.

The buttons on my pants are straining today, and I'm wishing wearing jammies was within the parameters of our hospital dress code policy.

And we have a mountain of leftovers in the fridge.

... but Double U. Tee. Eff.

Sean and I went to Vancouver this weekend to see Evan and Robyn and their new place. It was fun, it was relaxing, it was everything we wanted and needed. Plus, we went to the beautiful Vancouver Aquarium. Visiting sea and jungle creatures always, always, always makes for a good day.

How was my Labor Day? Oh well, nothing much except that I SAW APES.



The pics are all here.

A sure sign that your body is slowly but surely crapping out on you? Having to keep corn remover pads stocked in your medicine cabinet.

All is quiet on the home front. Harriet seems to be on the mend from what I can only describe as a summer blitzkrieg of inappropriate urination (and consequently, we found out she had urinary crystals). My roommate's mattress is back in commission, and Harriet seems to be back to her normal sassy self.  While Harriet was quarantined in the bathroom, Olive discovered that she really enjoys being Alpha Cat.  Imagine her dismay when Harriet was sprung from the pokey.

Wedding plans are slowly making themselves. We put the nonrefundable payment down for the ceremony site this past weekend. Neither of us wants to be out the $500 reservation fee, so we kind of have to marry each other now. My dress cost less than $140, and my earrings less than $15, so my dreams of having a somewhat simple affair are so far coming true. We're not scraping, nor are our parents, but the thought of having a huge, overblown wedding quite frankly makes the both of us physically ill. I was the maid of honor for my former best friend in college, and throughout the planning, as early as it is, I've been using her wedding as a template of what not to do. She ended up spending the morning of her wedding throwing up from the stress of all the little details she'd engineered, and could barely remember her reception because she was so exhausted from the aforementioned barfing. No thanks.

Also, I think I want to wear whore red shoes under my dress. I JUST MIGHT DO IT!

This past weekend, we went to the Space Needle for my first time ever. See?

Yesterday, we braved the rain of Biblical proportions and drove to Monroe for the Evergreen State Fair.  See?

Stolen from happycommuter
The rules of the meme:  bold those you've tried, strike through the ones you wouldn't eat on a bet.....

1. Venison

2. Nettle tea

3. Huevos rancheros

4. Steak tartare

5. Crocodile

6. Black pudding

7. Cheese fondue

8. Carp

9. Borscht

10. Baba ghanoush

11. Calamari

12. Pho

13. PB&J sandwich

14. Aloo gobi

15. Hot dog from a street cart

16. Epoisses

17. Black truffle

18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes

19. Steamed pork buns

20. Pistachio ice cream

21. Heirloom tomatoes

22. Fresh wild berries

23. Foie gras

24. Rice and beans

25. Brawn, or head cheese

26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper

27. Dulce de leche

28. Oysters

29. Baklava

30. Bagna cauda

31. Wasabi peas

32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl

33. Salted lassi

34. Sauerkraut

35. Root beer float

36. Cognac with a fat cigar

37. Clotted cream tea

38. Vodka jelly

39. Gumbo

40. Oxtail

41. Curried goat

42. Whole insects

43. Phaal

44. Goat’s milk/cheese

45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more

46. Fugu

47. Chicken tikka masala

48. Eel

49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut

50. Sea urchin

51. Prickly pear

52. Umeboshi

53. Abalone

54. Paneer

55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal

56. Spaetzle

57. Dirty gin martini

58. Beer above 8% ABV

59. Poutine

60. Carob chips

61. S’mores

62. Sweetbreads

63. Kaolin

64. Currywurst

65. Durian

66. Frogs’ legs

67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake

68. Haggis

69. Fried plantain

70. Chitterlings

71. Gazpacho

72. Caviar and blini

73. Louche absinthe

74. Gjetost, or brunost

75. Roadkill

76. Baijiu

77. Hostess Fruit Pie

78. Snail

79. Lapsang souchong

80. Bellini

81. Tom yum

82. Eggs Benedict

83. Pocky

84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant

85. Kobe beef

86. Hare

87. Goulash

88. Flowers

89. Horse

90. Criollo chocolate

91. Spam

92. Soft shell crab

93. Rose harissa

94. Catfish

95. Mole poblano

96. Bagel and lox

97. Lobster Thermidor

98. Polenta

99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
 
100. Snake

I'm at work today, though I don't know if I'll get anything done. That's because our flight to Halifax leaves at 6:30!! Granted, we won't arrive in Halifax until tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. Atlantic Daylight Time. It takes a while to travel 3,000 miles, especially when the city you're going to is so remote that no direct flights from the West Coast go there. Two layovers, haayy. We're stopping in Calgary and Toronto, which will be firsts for the both of us. We probably won't care too much, what with the being tired and jet-lagged.

Earlier this week, my doctor told me that we absolutely have to drive up to Prince Edward Island, because it's everything an Anne of Green Gables girl has fantasized. There's even the house Ms. Montgomery wrote about. It makes me sad, because there's really no time to do all of that. :( Oh well, perhaps another trip?

In wedding news not associated with Nova Scotia, Sean and I set our wedding date. On May 16, 2009, I become legally bound to take care of this creature for the rest of our lives:



Ok, so maybe he'll have his hands full too...

While I was standing in line moments ago to pay for my sandwich at the hospital coffee bistro downstairs, the woman in front of me ordered a 20 oz. triple mocha with double chocolate, a shot of butterscotch, and whole milk. She was clutching a few Sweet N Low packets while she waited. The barista asked if she wanted whipped cream. Her reply? "Oh no, that'd be too much."

I gotta say, I am in total <3 with this picture...

I just wrapped up an epic long weekend with my dear friend metaphile . Jenneh arrived Wednesday afternoon for her culinary tour of Seattle, and we enjoyed a nonstop girl-talk and gluttony fest until early this morning. I have yet to upload pictures, so those are forthcoming. However, I can provide an embarrassingly long laundry list of stuff we ate...


Wednesday
Greek chicken with capers and golden raisins in feta sauce
Copious amounts of red wine

Thursday
AMAAAAZING porchetta sandwiches from Salumi Salami
Bubble tea
Mexican food at a fabulous local spot near Greenlake
Copious amounts of mojitos
Chi chi ichigo dango from Uwajimaya

Friday
Daily Dozen doughnuts from Pike Place
Clam chowder in sourdough bowls
Red wine

Saturday
Wood-fired pizza and artichoke dip
More Mexican food
Booze

Sunday
Tonkatsu ramen at Samurai Noodle
More chi chi ichigo dango
Even more red wine
Boorenkaas gouda

Monday
Butter chicken masala, naan, and marble nut halvah
Pan-seared rockfish with lemon basil cream sauce, crimini risotto, and raspberry sorbet
1 1/2 large bottles of red wine


I'm sure I'm forgetting things.  Amazingly, my pants still fit and my liver still works.

The weather cooperated and there was loads of sunshine to enjoy as we cruised around in my rented Dodge Caliber (baller what WHAT!), wreaking havoc on the city at large and emptying our bank accounts at all manner of stores. We had a lovely time and I already miss her crazy ass. 

Ava Marie, fresh out of the baby chute. 6lbs 11oz

Ganked from damn near everyone...



Underline ones you read for school. Bold ones you've read on your own. Italicize ones that you started but never finished.