Friday!

I love Friday almost as much as Saturday and this week it might be a toss up. Josh picks me up for work every morning at 6:50, but on Fridays, if we don't have any meetings, he sometimes picks me up at 7:30. Now, I know in the logical part of my brain that 40 minutes should not make that much of a difference, but it really does. It means that I don't have to get out of bed until 7:00 and the illogical part of my brain feels way better about that. We can leave a lot later because it seems like half of the world doesn't go to work on Fridays. I want to know how they make that work. We are trying to push for that at work, but I don't feel traction coming on that any time soon.

Tomorrow we have big plans to take my nephews Ice Skating. It should be hilarious. I can't wait to see which one will be a better little skater. I'm definitely taking pictures and I plan a big picture posting this weekend with all of my latest and greatest...

I know, I know, that's what I said last weekend. Let's see if I can follow through this time around.

Happy Friday, happy payday!

Books!

I clearly did not post pictures over the weekend. We helped Josh's brother and sister in law move in to a new house on Saturday and then went to church on Sunday and took lunch over to Robb and Reba's. We also spent some time Sunday relaxing and watching the Seahawks game before heading out to Josh's hockey game on Sunday night. All in all, a nice weekend.

The week has just been flying by. I sat still for a few moments last night and realized that I have not been writing about books lately. Here are the last several reads (and recommendations) from all of my travels:

Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl- I like coming of age novels and I like mysteries so I really enjoyed this book although it was quite a commitment. The writing was fantastic, but dense enough that I could not practice my speed reading skills. I read this book for a long time and then got a chance to finish it on the plane on the way out to New York. Well worth the time.

The King of Lies by John Hart - After all of that heaviness, I really needed a fast paced, gritty crime novel. The story in this book was better than most and the main character is so broken that I wasn't sure he would make it out of the story in a way that was redeeming. A little darker than Grisham, but a similar feel.

Chuck Klosterman IV - I like pop culture, so this book was a treat. I have read his previous works and this one was merely a collection of columns and one short fiction piece, but it was an interesting way to remember the past couple of years. I especially like the rock and roll parts.

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz - The Simon & Schuster rep sent this with a note that indicated it would be right up my alley and it was. The story centers around a family of private investigators that spy on each other as much as they investigate for other people. It reminded me of Veronica Mars - my favorite TV show - or what would happen if Veronica Mars still lived at home when she is 30. (Oh, and I know it is mean to do this, but the book won't be out until 2007.)

How about you? What are you reading lately?

Slacker (or not)

I've been galivanting around the world without an internet connection. It has been a strange trip. I tried to post some pictures of our camping trip on the 10th of September before I left for New York, but they would not upload. I'll try again this weekend...

I also promise to post some pictures from New York. I spent last week there for work and it was a little crazy. We had meetings all day from 8am to 10pm and the wireless in the hotel was SLOWWWWWW. So, I did not post anything. I was really missing Seattle. I've been to New York quite a few times for business, and this time I really missed the sky. It was a little difficult for me.

Josh flew out on Friday and we spent the weekend running around and seeing the sights. It was his first time in New York, so I took him to all of the big things - Times Square, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. We also got to see Spamalot which was a hilarious and fun show. We got back on Monday and in addition to fighting jet lag all week, I had to catch up from being out of the office. I feel like I have been in meetings forever.

Hope everyone is doing well and has grand plans for the weekend. My grand plan is to post some pictures here. Cheers and Happy Friday!

Happy Birthday Jacob

Jacob's Birthday was Tuesday and I haven't had a chance to post until now. He is now 7. I can't believe it. I remember holding him when he was a little baby. We came home from work and got to go to his birthday party at the Round Table. Jacob got a dog, Lego, for his birthday so most of the presents centered around that. He got a dog bed and dog toys and dog food and dog treats.

Tuesday was also the first day of school for Jacob and Jonah. They are now in K and 1st Grade. It is cool to talk to them about what they are learning everyday. Noah is the one with the birthday hat on his face. He started preschool this week. For many more adventures of the boys and their parents current housebuilding craziness, check out their blog.

Road Trip

We headed out on Saturday to the Gorge to hear Dave Matthews Band. It was one of the most beautiful weekends we've had all summer. Perfect sunny skies and 90 degrees. The Columbia looked fantastic. I was feeling nostalgic for all of the Labor Day weekends I spent making the drive back to Whitworth. We saw a lot of trailers heaped with boxes and furniture and heading to college. The concert was great - the band played for 3 hours. I've seen them before and every concert is different because they riff on a bunch of songs, so you always get a new experience. We had a really good time.

Today, we helped Robb and Reba demo their kitchen. Their contractor starts tomorrow on a new kitchen. We started out pulling up linoleum and ended by hanging new doors throughout the house. The men got to do the fun work of pulling down walls and studs. Their was a great deal of laughing as boards were flying through the air. Reba and I worked on getting the doors installed. She is now a certified expert with the nail gun. They posted pictures on their blog - linked above.

Now I am ready to drop from all of the work. Hope everyone is well. Lots of trips coming up and Jacobs birthday is tomorrow so their will be more fun pictures. Happy Labor Day!

Pictures

Finally - here are the pictures from the fair last weekend. The top two are from a ride called The Typhoon that Jacob and I rode about 10 times. The kids also got the chnace to check out an ambulance. And the last picture is of the Baloon ride - they loved this and went on it over and over again.

Happy Saturday!

For Joanne

I keep meaning to update the blog and I have been distracted by many things this week, almost none of them being work. I WAS working late on Monday (I had to go to a baseball game with a vendor) and this IS a crazy time at work. But, most evenings, I have been having fun. Tuesday night, we met up with some friends and had a hilarious dinner experience in the U district. Of course, that means we got home late.

Wednesday, we went and visited Hannah in her new apartment in Tacoma. Josh spent a great deal of time making friends with Hannah's dog, Rosie. Rosie is a cocker spaniel that Hannah rescued many moons ago and she has always been skittish around men. It is really cool that Hannah is here in the area now and it was cool to hang out with her.

Now, I have to own up to the fact that last night, I was playing Halo on XBox. I have a feeling that this could take up a lot of my time if I let it. But, I am going to try not to let it :)

Tomorrow, we are going to the Gorge to see Dave Matthews Band. I am looking forward to the unbelievable weather and the great views of the Columbia River. I promise to put batteries in my camera and take lots of pictures.

I also promise to update more than once a week. Happy 3 day weekend everybody!