We're in Seattle and hopefully homesick

We flew in over Seattle and our hearts soared seeing Mt. Rainer. Everything here is so green and clean. Lake Washington, Lake Union and Puget Sound were sparkling as we circled the city before landing. 

We drove over the Alaskan Way Viaduct and we swooned over the ferries. It is breathtaking to see the Olympic Mountains again.

It is surreal being back in our old condo in Seattle. My sister has been staying there but there are still many of our old touches and furnishings that make us nostalgic. For example, simple hallway light fixtures made Mr. F and I sigh, remembering when we installed them. We love Chicago and the new friends we've made, but we want to be back in Seattle, especially now that we're visiting it again, for the first time in six months.

Wandering through our old home, with my sister's touches, makes us feel like we're in an alternate reality, or a dream. The kitties did not travel with us, so everything is a little off, two key pieces are missing.

We already checked off one of our favorite Seattle activities, Saturday wine tasting, specifically at Esquin and McCarthy & Schiering. We tried the fall line up for Buty (pronounced Beauty) and the Beast. We purchased the Wildebeast, Buty's Connor Lee Chardonnay,  Reynvaan's Contender, Gormon's Albatross and the Evil Twin. Yes, we are wine nerds.

I am now drinking a Seattle beer (Pyramid's Apricot Ale) looking out towards Ballard and Magnolia, enjoying the gorgeous, sunny 73 degree weather. It's suppose to rain the rest of the week, but I'm looking forward to it.

We're heading to Seattle this weekend

One more day of work until we head to Seattle for vacation!

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I can't wait to see the houseboats on Lake Union. I lived on one when I was a baby!

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Mr. F can't wait to go to Salumi!

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We'll be in Seattle for four days with the family and then nearly four days in Walla Walla with friends from college!

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Did you watch the Glee premiere?

I love the songs, the dancing, the writings, and the way Season 3 seems to be heading! Glee has definitely got the beat!

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How cute was Blaine singing with the Cheerios?

I was just sad we didn't get to hear Quinn sing this episode.

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Loved the "Ding Dong the Witch" number too!

Pictures of food from the week

In case, you didn't know that I love food, here are some examples of how much I really love food. 

Mr. F made this amazing lentil, chicken, thai chilies, cumin, turmeric and pistachio dish early last week. It was not only delicious but there were leftovers for two more days!

Chicago has started to transition into fall this last week. A week ago, it was 90 degrees, by Wednesday it was 58 degrees. Fortunately, Saturday was gorgeous and 70 degrees. 

I loved walking through River North and seeing all the beautiful, colorful flowers. Soon the leaves will start their colorful change too.

 Our kitties loved cuddling all weekend. Lyra takes the top half of the couch.Lily Thomas likes the sit between me and the armrest. Saturday night, Mr. F made fresh pasta with panko crusted artichoke hearts and chicken. It was mouthwatering and delectable.We missed Oyster Fest, by chance, so we went to GT Fish & Oyster House with friends instead. We had Kumamotos from California, the tiny ones at the 1 o'clock position. We also had Nootka Sound oysters from British Columbia, at the 3 o'clock position. The Beau Soleils, at the 6 o'clock position, from New Brunswick were our favorite. We also had Misty Points from Virginia (8 o' clock) and Wianno oysters from Massachusetts. I think I've only had West Coast oysters in Seattle, so I enjoyed learning more about oysters and tasting the differences between the West Coast and East Coast oysters.
We also had oyster po'boy sliders with kimchi!
Mr. F ordered the tuna poke with mango.For dessert we had the Peanut Butter Semifreddo with raspberries.Oh my goodness, this dessert was divine.

Speaking of amazing food, I've been very curious about Chef Grant Achatz after reading his memoir, "life, on the line". @Gachatz

If we could go anywhere in Chicago for dinner, we'd like to go to Aviary for cocktails like this old fashioned,  Alinea and Next.   Have you heard about these venues? Have you been to any of them?

My Saturday=Workout Frenzy Fun

Mr. F and I went for a 6 mile run around Lincoln Park and Old Town this morning. It was gloriously sunny at 10am and approximately 60 degrees. After a great windy run, we stopped by Whole Foods to pick up pastries and dinner fixings.

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I haven't been to ballet in weeks, so I decided to go to a stretch and strength class

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and a ballet class in the Loop at noon.

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Yes, I was crazy to do back to back workouts but it felt great. My muscles are humming. Hopefully I won't feel too sore tomorrow!

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Chicago looks gorgeous tonight! Apparently several of the buildings are lit up with teal lights to support Ovarian Cancer Awareness!

Our best-est buddies got married today!

It was a huge surprise that our buddies got married in city hall today!! 

We wish we could teleport to Boise  to celebrate with them but fortunately we'll see them in two weeks! They will also have a bigger ceremony in Cabo soon! We loved vacationing there with these two love birds!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

What I'm Listening To....a Mixed CD.

It's only Wednesday and work has been intense. One person got a new job and their last day is Friday. Another person gave their two week notice and HR asked them to leave the same day. It's actually the eye of the storm at work.

Thus, I'm making a Mixed CD as a goodbye gesture.

Here's the playlist so far (I'm still working on the order):

Let Me Go by Cake
To the Dogs or Whoever  by Josh Ritter
Must Have Done Something Right by Reliant K
Only The Young by Brandon Flowers
You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon
The World Is New by Save Ferris
I'm Going Down by Vampire Weekend
One Headlight by The Wallflowers
In the Mall by Weezer
Say It Ain't So by Weezer
In The Waiting Line by Zero 7
Commissioning A Symphony In C by Cake
Guitar by Cake

New order and a few new songs:


To the Dogs or Whoever -Josh Ritter
Must Have Done Something Right-Reliant K
Commissioning A Symphony In C-Cake
One Headlight-The Wallflowers
Say It Ain't So-Weezer
Only The Young-Brandon Flowers
In The Waiting Line-Zero 7
Guitar-Cake
Let Me Go-Cake
Ottoman-Vampire Weekend
Caring Is Creepy-The Shins
Wires-Coconut Records

Any suggestions on the order?

My Week in Pictures

I got a haircut on Wednesday by the amazing Jerry at Thomas West salon. If you're looking for a hair stylist in Chicago, I highly recommend Jerry! The salon is located on the second floor of the Merchandise Mart.Jerry has a neat blowout technique using 15-20 boar bristle brushes. I thought I looked hilarious and had to get a few pictures! 

I loved how the blowout looked. It was so awesome to have straight hair.

On Saturday, we drove out to Mundelein, IL. It took about 50 mins driving on I-94, Northwest of Chicago but it was worth it. We had wonderful time with Mr. F's co-workers and their children. 

We had amazing beef tenderloin, twice baked potatoes,  and two different kinds of salad. The cute kids made us missed our kitties and cuddled them a lot when we got home. 

Today we walked to the Wells Street Fall Festival! We had delicious festival food like Korean beef tacos and beignets!We also had pizza from Orso's too! On the way home we walked by the Noble Horse Theatre! I didn't realize the carriage horses in Chicago are also part of the Noble Horse Theatre! 

"Noble Horse, the oldest Riding Hall in North America, was built in 1872, immediately after the Great Chicago Fire. This historic site was renovated in 2003 and now includes a climate controlled theater with a capacity of 290 seats, a gift shop and a Museum of the Horse."

Tomorrow, it's back to work!