As you know I did not place highly in our first event for the Roommate Olympics but it was fun nevertheless.  Here is the event recap in pictures.

I’ll get the next one.

Chelsea

This weekend Polly, Bryan and I road tripped to Northern Oregon for a little getaway and retreat from Seattle.  Spending two nights in Polly’s hometown of The Dalles, Oregon, and then our final day in Portland, we had a blast.  Here is our road trip itinerary:

Friday

Leave for Oregon around 6:30 after work.

Stop in Centralia, OR (1.5 hrs south of Seattle) for Polly’s favorite, Burgerville.  Have a very healthy dinner.

Arrive at her parent’s home in The Dalles at exactly midnight.

 

Saturday

Wake up to a hot breakfast of eggs, bacon, and potato pancakes by her parents.

Pick cherries for less than an hour and in the end have about 25 lbs of cherries.

Bring cherries back to the house to rinse and cool them in cooler.

Ride around on Gator on the orchards, eat several fresh apricots right off the tree.

Get soft serve at Polly’s other favorite, Big Jims Restaurant.

Take the Dalles Dam Tour of the Dalles Dam and fish ladder.

Watch Cutting Edge movie for the first time to relax a bit.

Loved it! Drive 20 minutes to Hood River, OR, with Polly’s parents and friend from home to have dinner and brewskis at Full Sail Brewery.

Sunday

Breakfast and then pack up the car.

Stop at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery to see some very large Rainbow Trout and Sturgeon.

Arrive in Portland. Eat at my pick, Nicholas Lebanese Restaurant.  OMG!!!  I was in heaven.  As good or better than my favorites in Michigan.  Bryan says he has seen me happiest when I water ski and when I eat Lebanese food.

Go to Powell’s Bookstore, which Portlanders absolutely love.

A full city block bookstore with multiple stories and even a Rare Books room with signed first editions of books that go for up to $25k.

Drive up to Pottick Mansion for  pretty good view of Portland.

Head home.  Traffic more than sucks.  Take 5 hours to get to Seattle from Portland.  Polly and I have gone insane by this point and are singing at the top of our lungs, dancing, and basically crying from laughter and delirium.  Bryan is not humored and wants out of the car as quickly as possible. I actually had to take a walk to “cool down” from the energy I had in the car.

 

I had a really great weekend even though I really hate riding in cars and don’t like getting stuck in traffic.  Polly and I made the best of it and had so much fun.  It was nice getting back to Seattle.  As cool as Portland is I much, much prefer Seattle!!

Chelsea

Sometimes I feel like a pretender…thinking I am a “Foodie” when I am really not.  Other times I believe I am a “Foodie”.  Either way I know that I love to find new hot spots, love to eat good food, love to be in the know about cool events, and love working downtown so as I can take advantage of these cool events.  I can certainly look the part (at least in Seattle, maybe not New York or L.A.) and I think I can act the part; being cool and relaxed, chit chatting strangers, taking photos of events.  I really do take them all in.  And they happen all of the time in Seattle!!  Seriously, I don’t know if I could handle a city any bigger with anything more to offer.  And sometimes these single events are just too good to not write home about.

One such event happened on a whim yesterday.  I had no plans after work (for once) except for outdoor yoga at 7:40 pm and I am sitting at my desk working hard, VERY hard.  Until I need a break and check my Twitter feed and see an Eater Seattle tweet about a Stella Artois Cidre grand party from 5-9 pm at the newest happy hour hotspot, Frolik, a rooftop patio and bar complete with bocce ball, pool tables, shuffleboard, etc. on top of the Red Lion Hotel right downtown.  All you have to do is RSVP and print out your ticket to bring.  So I did, and I invited others but no one else works downtown and parking is a bear right after work.  So I go solo, I don’t mind, I just know I am going.

And so glad I did.  I got there right at the beginning and people were quickly starting to show up in high fashion.  The patio was awesome!!!  They gave you a wine glass when you presented your ticket and they had Stella Artois Cidre bottles ready to fill your glass up as often as you would like.  And the Cidre was good…this coming from not a big cider fan in the first place.  It was sparkling and refreshing on such a hot day in the sun.  They had a FANTASTIC jazz/swing band playing with a vocalist who was out of this world.

Then the food starts to arrive and I am completely in love.  So much good food coming out on trays being passed around very frequently.  Everything was very delicious and very tasty with the Cidre.  I was not disappointed with a thing.  I got to try:

• Pork cheek sliders on super light brioche with apple slaw and jalapeno aioli (I could hardly call these sliders as these seemed to be the size of a regular sandwich)

  

• Prosciutto wrapped blue cheese-stuffed dates with balsamic reduction
• Pork roulette on crostini

  

• Duck loin, beets, and goat cheese on crostini
• Fig and blue cheese flatbread
• Creme caramel

  

• Cheese platter with fruit and crackers

  

• Bacon truffles (regular chocolate truffles rolled in powdered sugar and topped with crumbled bacon)

I was so amazed by this FREE event and so happy and lucky that I got to go.  I would definitely drink the Cidre again and I will definitely be back to Frolik…actually next Wednesday for my EGL meetup reunion.  Woohoo!!

Chelsea

Boy is my summer all filled up already.  It is actually kind of insane.  Bryan and I were talking that if we do much hiking at all it will have to be in the evenings after work.  Take a look:

• July 27-28th:  Oregon with Bryan, Polly, and Mark.  Planning on hitting a brewery, cherry picking, visiting Portland, and staying at Polly’s house
• August 3-4th:  Two-year anniversary trip…either group kayak trip in the San Juan Islands or B&B in Victoria, B.C.
• August 10-11th:  Fitz and the Tantrums concert on Friday night and then going up to Vancouver, B.C. to cheer on Bryan’s friend in half marathon
• August 17-18th:  Bryan’s parents visiting, company picnic, probably day fishing trip
• August 24-25th:  Banks Lake boating weekend with friends
• August 31-September 2nd:  Labor Day…Bumbershoot Music Festival, volunteering and attending
• September 7-8th:  Parents visiting…Mt. Rainier, Bainbridge, etc.
• September 14-15th:  SEAW picnic I’m planning on Saturday but otherwise free
• September 21-22nd:  In Colorado for a wedding
• September 28-29th:  FREE!

Chelsea

This month has been full, FULL, of eating out and cooking for friends.  It seems to be pretty nonstop, fun and delicious.  Take a look:

• Americana with homegirl Marika…dinner was so indescribably delicious

  

• Ballard Seafood Fest alder-smoked salmon dinner enjoyed in the sun with Mikayla

  

• Chinese dinner first in a long time in North Bend, WA on the way to the site (I ordered TWO lunch combos to fill me up and have leftovers to take to site)

  

  

  

  

• Cutters Crabhouse for happy hour by myself because I felt like it and I wanted to watch the water and sit in the sun on a very sunny and beautiful day in Seattle.

  

• Another great happy hour with my SEAW group on the Eastside at a good standby, Wild Ginger…and Bryan joined

  

  

  

• Stuffing ourselves to the gills at Brazilian Steakhouse, Grill from Impanema, in Belltown with Bryan on Saturday

  

  

• First time trying Maximilien’s Restaurant patio rooftop for happy hour with Bryan on a Friday night

  

  

• Serious Pie first (Tom Douglas pizza restaurant) for my SEAW board meeting

  

  

  

• Menchies seriousness with $5 fill up your cups with Bryan on Friday night

  

  Plus my last Mad Men dinner, cocktail style.  We had the first event of the Roommate Olympics, cocktail competition, coincide with the last show.  Each of the four roommates created their craft cocktail, were set to the kitchen to make a mess, and in the end we had four beautiful and delicious cocktails to sip and our friends to vote on using a numbering system and with each cocktail numbered on the cup (1, 2, 3, 4).  Unfortunately I tied for second with Polly and Mikayla won.  I made the orange creamsicletini (OJ, whipped cream vodka, more regular vodka for uumph, and cream, garnished with an orange wedge).  For food I kept it cocktail style and just had an array of nibblings but did make some fantastic chicken drumsticks with a homemade hot sauce.  We also had caprese salad, veggies and french onion dip, nachos with cheddar cheese sauce, popcorn, grilled corn on the cob (made by Mark), stuffed mushrooms (made by Tina), and potsickers.  It was a hit and enjoyed by all.  Especially the show…such a great episode!!!

  

  

  Chelsea

Hot:

• Fresh produce (lettuce and snap peas so far) from my garden, we are about to have more romaine than we know what to do with
• New American Eagle wedges LOVE em…but boy do they hurt
• Finding out that season 6 is not the last season for Mad Men but that we actually have another season to watch!!
• Free outdoor lunch concerts downtown Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays!!!
• Actually went shopping
• Scooter battery working again and got my tired fix so it holds air again…promising to fix up my scooter…first step: buy a new trunk for it
• Chocolate frosted flakes and Breyers Reeses Blast for the ultimate winning nighttime snack combo with the boy
• Identity Thief from Redbox…actually hilarious
• I now watch my stocks and mutual funds on a daily basis…but now I feel like I know what I am doing with my money and it is paying off!!!
• Ewelina and Stephan are back at hosting dinners (or at least had one) in part to thank me for mine
• A thunderstorm in Seattle on Tuesday night!!!
• Getting free tickets to a standup comedy show at the Paramount on Saturday night and taking my girls (Polly, Tina and Polly’s friend Lauren).  Jim Gaffigan was super funny and surprisingly very VERY clean which I enjoyed
• Yelp Elite Improv Comedy Night with free wine and cocktails on Friday
• TBM Bertha at the viaduct project had its grand “opening” ceremony on Saturday
• First time using my roasting pan and I love it…love that it is easy clean up
• Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison = great read

Not:

• Vanilla Chex (way too sweet and powdery)
• Seattle temps (its was cool when we first got back, now it is back to being nice)
• American Eagle weird tie-dye pink pants and tank top = returning
• Trying not to let my non-promotion bother me…especially when colleagues got theirs
• Cookie Crisp cereal (cardboardy and flavorless)
• I thought the new roommate was taking up all of the refrigerator space…then found out it was Polly
• Worked on the railroad job until 2 am on a Friday night (saw a few mice)
• Passed up a 50% off everything in the Coach Outlet store sale
• Getting to move back to the 1st Ave office…but not given a date yet meaning it will not be anytime soon
• The risky co-op/condo that was my favorite on Queen Anne Ave. is back on the market with a price lowered 70k to 109k…too tempting but probably too risky
• Absolutely zero rain means having to water a lot
• Getting a really good sound bar from Woot.com for a steal…then finding out I needed an audio receiver and cables to hook it up (but got a deal on an audio receiver from Craigslist)

Chelsea

Monday marked Bryan’s 28 birthday and I helped him celebrate it in his fashion.  He is not much into the big birthday bashes or getting wasted at the bar so we did it his style.

On Sunday we had our 2nd to last Mad Men night and it was a dinner in his honor.  I picked up a 10 lb prime rib roast, made au jus, roasted potatoes and shallots, and green beans sauteed in olive oil and garlic.  Mikayla generously made a fabulous dried cherry, goat cheese and avocado salad with homemade dressing and Polly made roasted carrots and a fantastic cake/trifle (recipe I sent her) of layered angel food cake, bananas and strawberries, vanilla pudding, and whipped cream.  Mark and Jeff brought over some Snoqualmie ice cream pints, Luis brought guac and chips and grilled jalapeno poppers and we had lots of wine and good beer.  The girls thoughtfully donned the cake with a letter “B” made out of cut strawberries and got candles to sing him Happy Birthday.  We spent a good long time drinking and listening to music on the deck and catching up on everyone’s 4ths.  We had a great group of 12, our largest in a long time and of course they pick the most expensive dinner on my end (lol).  We were all stuffed and happy and it was a great celebration.

On Monday I was going to make him eggs benedict but we were both still so stuffed that I waited until Tuesday morning to make them.  He still really enjoyed them and I enjoyed making them for the first time ever.  Monday afternoon we both left work a little early to go on an evening hike at Bandera Mountain.  It was about 3000′ vertical and 3.5 miles to the top.  I wore my daypack (1st time use) to carry the picnic that I had planned.  I made us prime rib sandwiches on baguettes with pesto (he loves sandwiches and roast beef especially), caprese salad (one of Bryan’s favorites), and locally grown cherries.

We dined like royalty on the top of the mountain with breathtaking views of Seattle, Rainier and surrounding areas…with 1000 bugs.  The bugs were so bad we both were so annoyed and angry with them by the time we were done.  We took our time at the top, I gave him a small present and card (a collage of us that I got framed), and then we hiked down as dusk was setting in, that was really pretty.  It was really awesome and a really fun way to spend a night after work.

Happy Birthday to Bryan!

Chelsea

And we have produce!!!!  I have picked some lettuce from my romaine plants, have a bowlful of delicious snap peas sitting on my counter for easy snacking, and Mikayla found her first zucchini ready for harvest.  So much fun and so delicious, double win!