The Eagan-Heffernan Chronicles

Hawaii!

2011-11-11T08:35:00.001-08:00

We went to the North Shore of O'ahu, Hawaii for 10 days in October. We stayed in Hale'iwa and had a great time. A laid back blog post in honor of the laid back Hawaii vibe -- just photos.

Family Visits!

2011-11-11T07:46:00.001-08:00

Both my dad and Ryan's parents did trips to Seattle this fall. It is always so great to see family and Owen is at that age where grandparents are the most exciting people ever.

With Grandpa Gary we had many adventures. Parks, and hikes, and fun times (oh my!). The Heffernan's visit was also excellent and fell during the annual Harvest Party at Oxbow Farm (best organic produce in the northwest!), where Owen got to pick his Halloween pumpkins and walk in the children's parade. Fun times!

ALSO! We found out that we are having a baby girl in September. We are so excited.

Below is a quick little picture re-cap:

Visit with Grandpa Gary

Visit with the Heffernans

Camping!

2011-09-23T16:28:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Ryan and I took Owen and Gus camping at Mt. Rainer National Forest. Overall, we had a great time despite the perpetual torrential downpour that began a mere minutes after we arrived.

The wet Eagan-Heffernan crew at the end of the trip.

Before we headed toward the mountains, we broke down and bought a car camping 6-person tent. It is freaking huge. It's not even the Cadillac of tents, it's the Hummer of tents, but it beats trying to cram our growing family in our 4-person mountaineering tent.

The Tent

We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and did some exploring. Owen loved it, as always, and we wish it weren't the end of the good weather season here in the Pacific Northwest! No more camping in the rain this year I say!

Happy Birthday Baby Cash!

2011-09-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

Lake Quinault

2011-09-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we headed up to Lake Quinault with my mom to celebrate her birthday. We had a great time hiking and swimming in the lake. Owen took to lake swimming like a fish to water despite the fact that the water was brrrrrr. freezing. ass. cold. We had such an amazing time relaxing and chatting and playing. All in all a perfect weekend!

Lake Quinault is a nostalgic place for me as I spent time over many summers there as a young girl. When my mom and I flew to Seattle and drove over to the lake for our pioneering journey to the peninsula it was the first time that I had ever seen a clear-cut section of forest. I remember it being so impactful to me as a young girl (I think I was around 12 at the time), and I realized on our drive this weekend how stirring the image still is.

It was totally news to me, but there is a lot going on politically when it comes to the Olympic National Forest. Not sure if people have heard about the Wild Olympics Campaign and/or its opponent the Working Wild Olympics Campaign. I won't bore you with the details here, but if you're connected to and love the Olympic wilderness, it's worth a little investigating.

Also, as an aside, three cheers for going someplace without cell reception!!!

We Are Family!

2011-09-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

We've had some great visits from family this last month here at the Eagan-Heffernan household. First, Owen's cousin Annie came up to Seattle for a long weekend and took in some of the sights. Owen was beside himself pretty much the whole time she was here, and when we took her to the airport he asked what one of her siblings we were picking up at the airport to take her place. Needless to say he was a little devastated that we only dropped her off.

Annie and Owen!

Annie and I at the Experience Music Project. (Photo by Aimee)

After his visit with Annie, Owen got a lot of love time from his Aunties Emilie and Hannah and their one-year-old Arlo. It was the first time Owen had met Arlo, and he loved, loved, loved him. We were pleased that Ms. Irene was hitting the east coast because Emilie and Hannah got to extend their stay for an extra four days. We win!

Owen with his cousins Baby Cash and Baby Arlo.
(Photo by Emilie)

Owen, Baby Arlo, Aunt Hannah, Aunt Emilie

Owen and a wide-eyed Arlo.

Favorite Owen quote from the visit:

Owen: "This baby is freaking me out."

The O Man.

Nature Walks with Owen and Parkroll

2011-08-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

It was a great week for Owen and I re parks! We made two great discoveries. Now, maybe all five people who read this blog already know about Carkeek and Idylwood Parks, but their fabulousness was news to us. For the five people who live elsewhere and read this, next time you come for a visit, let's hit these up! We had a great time hiking yesterday, and Owen was an entertaining nature walking guide.

Nature Walking with Owen

Owen: "Mom, I know you think that the trees look lazy (sounds like: twees wook wazy), but they're busy."
Me: "Oh yeah, what are they doing?"
Owen: "Making clean oxygen for us to breathe."

*****

Owen: "Mom, do you think that you could build me a house with no rules (sounds like: woools)?"
Me: "No, you live with us now, and you don't get houses with your own rules until you get older. That's one of the nice things about getting older."
Owen: "But I'd be just next door. You could come over. I'd keep food there."

Idylwood Park

Idylwood Park in Redmond is kind of crazy awesome. It's right on Lake Sammamish and there is a huge section of open lawn where you can picnic and wade in the lake. There are hardly any people over in that area and you can just sit quietly and look at the lake. Then, parallel to that section and separated by a thin green belt is an area with a huge playground, nice bathrooms with changing areas, a rental area (for kayak and SUP rentals), and a swimming area in the lake with lifeguards. DELIGHT!

We headed over with our friends Shira and Emuna and had a lovely picnic and some play time. We were there for over three hours and there was no boredom induced whining from either munchkin.

Carkeek Park

Yesterday, Owen and I headed out to explore Carkeek Park, which is kind of in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle. It is such an amazing area! There is some amazing kid friendly hiking, which Owen totally dug, and a great play area with a giant salmon slide (see pic). There is also access to a beach that has nice sand and also a sufficient number of rocks for skipping. In addition to all of this wonderfulness are sculptures throughout the park. There's a neat .3 mile walk that you can do and take a look at all of the art.

Two thumbs up for Carkeek!

Of Climbing Age

2011-08-19T09:09:00.001-07:00

I put this pic up on Facebook already but had to do a post because I love the look of total exhilaration on his face so much.

Ryan did a climbing trip to Leavenworth with The Chad, Gully, Ms. SSS, and E-Man in July. Owen and I tagged along, but didn't climb as I was still having the first trimester pukies. Owen was really excited and interested in climbing and so Ryan told him that all he needed to get started was a harness. A couple of weeks later we went to REI for me to grab some running socks and Owen made a bee line for the climbing section. He walked right up to the clerk and said, "All I need to start climbing with my Uncle Gully and Aunty SSS is a harness. Do you have it in my size?" The clerk looked at me curiously and then showed us to the kids harnesses. Owen strapped in and never looked back.

Saturday on Alki

2011-08-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

Ryan: "Isn't it a nice day?"
Owen: "Yeah... the wind in my hair, the wind in my knees."

St. Edwards

2011-08-05T18:42:00.001-07:00

Today, Auntie Aimee and I took Owen and Baby Cash for a walk through St. Edwards Park. It is so incredibly beautiful. I had never visited the park before, but will most definitely be back. One thing I love about the Seattle area is the focus on preserving green space. It is so nice to be smack dab in the middle of the city but feel like you are walking through a forest. Our little jaunt through the greenery reminded me of this book, which I feel like all people with children in their lives should read immediately. It's fascinating.

Old Pics

2011-08-05T10:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't taken photos off of my Nikon for almost a year (about as long as I went without posting). I finally got around to it and here are some of the cute photos! Most of them are from 2010.

Owen and Nana Jo filling the pool. (Summer 2010)

Owen the Builder! (Halloween 2010)

Owen and his dad building a new shelf.

Owen and Grandpa Gary. (Winter 2010)

Batman Forever

2011-07-14T18:31:00.001-07:00

Maybe one day he'll say he met his soul mate on a play date...

First Disneyland. First Haircut.

2011-06-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

We are currently in Dana Point, California with the Heffernan family. We took Owen to Disneyland for the first time on Tuesday. He loved it. He was totally overwhelmed, but he thought it was the funnest thing ever. His favorite ride was the Buzz Lightyear ride where you shoot space guns at targets and try to destroy the evil Zurg. A few minutes after the ride started Ryan looked down to see Owen cowering in the corner of the little car, and when he asked Owen what was wrong, Owen said, "This is pretend right? We don't really need to destroy the evil Zurg? Do we?" So funny.

Another first, Owen got his first haircut last night. His Aunt Tracy helped me so that he wouldn't look like a total tool. His Aunt Aimee captured the moment. He looks so stinking cute.

Funny Convo with Owen

2011-06-03T09:09:00.001-07:00

"mommy. did you know that there are no more dinosaurs? they were alive... then they all died... it's called 'stinktion,' but some made it. like giraffes."

I never want to forget this conversation!

Owen Converses #3

2010-07-21T14:49:00.000-07:00

Owen: "I don't want to go to school today."
me: "Why not?"
Owen: "It's lonely there because there are no mothers there."
me: "Oh, no mothers there, eh?"
Owen: "No, only teachers."

Owen Converses #2

2010-07-03T00:53:00.000-07:00

Me: "Owen, time to get ready for bed."
Owen: "No, mommy, no."
Me: "Yes. Time for teeth brushing and reading and jammies and bed."
Owen (yelling): "MOMMY!! P N O!!"
Me: "What?"
Owen (yelling hysterically): "P. N. O!!!"
Me (totally perplexed): "What?????"
Owen (softly now): "P N O -- spells Nooooooo."

Owen Converses #1

2010-06-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

Owen: "Mommy, why you have a mole?"
Me: "I don't know, ask the mole."
Owen: "Mole, I want juice."

Summer Vacation

2010-06-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

Owen "driving" during one of our many ferry waits.

Owen swinging during one of our many ferry waits.

I've been waiting for enough time to do a sufficient post about our summer vacation in Canada with Emilie and Hannah. The time never comes, so I am going to sum it up as follows:

Owen's first time out at sea. He loved his life vest and had a blast.

Owen has started "smiling" for photos. He has a total underbite when he does so. Stinking adorable I say.

We went to British Columbia with my cousin Emilie and her (now) wife Hannah. We were on (beautiful) Cortes Island for about six days and in Vancouver for four.

Salmonberries were growing all over Cortes Island. Owen was in love and
every time he saw a bush he would put in a request.

Our cabin for our time on Cortes.

It was so relaxing and beautiful and fun. We were honored that Hannah would share her family and friends with us and that Emilie and Hannah would share their wedding with us.

There was a great playground near the community hall with a play boat.
Owen, of course, immediately began pretending that it was a garbage truck.

Howie, Bernice, and Hannah. Our gracious hosts and tour guides for our time on Cortes Island.

Owen had a blast with his aunties and was the hit of Cortes Island and everyone was so kind and hospitable, we couldn't think of a better summer vaca.

Owen ("smiling") playing with his "guys" and "garbage truck."
Loading and dumping the guys in and out of the truck never got old,
which is a good thing because the weather didn't cooperate for most of the trip.

Owen and his Aunt Em on a day he decided against napping. Eek!

Rock throwing near the water in gumboots.

Exploring with Aunt Emilie.

Anyway, here are a ton of photos from our trip. I hope that trips like this become a yearly event with Emilie and Hannah and the little dude percolating in Hannah's belly :) It was so much fun. Woot woot!

Wedding Day!!!!

Owen getting ready for his first bluegrass concert.
He sat through a 2 hour concert without a
peep -- completely enthralled with the live music!

No trip is a trip without a trip to the recycling dump.

We have 3 Rs we're gonna learn about today:
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!

Owen's new best friend ever. Coby.

Everyone on Cortes Island has the most amazing gardens ever. I was in heaven.

Ode to Garbage Man

2010-05-26T00:12:00.000-07:00

Owen wrote a song for the garbage man. It's really cute.

Say what?

2010-05-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like a cussing badass. Like when I run home from work. 4.5 miles. In the freezing, pissing rain. In a tank top. Barefoot.

As I am running by cars at a rush hour stand still I make up conversations people can have about how incredibly awesome I am. They go something like this:

Man: "Um, is that our attorney running down Alaskan Way, in the freezing rain, in a tank top, barefoot?"
Woman: "Oh my gosh, it is."
Man: "I bet the wills and trusts she drafts are as badass as she is."
Woman: "Yup, me too."

I should bring myself down a notch with the truth, though. I was in a tank top because I forgot a jacket and didn't expect the blustery Seattley freezing raininess (dumb). And, I wasn't really barefoot because I was wearing my Vibram Five Fingers. But, I could have taken the bus home instead of running so now I've gone and inflated my ego again.

ANYWAY, this post is going nowhere and is really just a shameless plug for this book, and this book, and these shoes. Make it happen people, just make it happen. Drink the KoolAid! I am. It's so tasty and sweet.

Also, a random plug for eating salad for breakfast. It's my latest obsession because the spicy mesclun mix and arugula in my garden are going gangbusters, so mornings look something like this these days: cut greens, wash greens, fry egg, top greens, eat. Delicious! And nutritious! Unfortunately, I can't yet get Owen to eat it and he still asks for pancakes every morning. Oh well, all in good time.

Pukefest 2010

2010-05-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

Owen had Pukefest yesterday and today. He filled my mouth with his projectile vomit. My worst fear has been actualized. Owen is the David Lo-Pan of vomitude.

If I Were...

2010-04-07T21:17:00.001-07:00

A friend Buzzed a blog post containing this and I wanted to do one for myself. Fun.

If I were a month I’d be April

If I were a day I’d be today

If I were a time of day I’d be early morning

If I were a font I’d be Neue Helvetica

If I were a sea animal I’d be a sea horse

If I were a direction I’d be west

If I were a piece of furniture I’d be an Eames Lounge Chair

If I were a liquid I’d be beet juice

If I were a gemstone I’d be turquoise

If I were a tree I’d be a Sitka Spruce

If I were a tool I’d be laser picture hanger

If I were a flower I’d be a California poppy

If I were an element of weather I'd be snow

If I were a musical instrument I’d be a cello

If I were a color I’d be burnt sienna

If I were an emotion I’d be happiness

If I were a fruit I’d be a plum

If I were a sound I’d be the wind rushing through trees

If I were an element I’d be kryptonite :)

If I were a car I’d be headed to the desert

If I were a food I’d be sugar snap peas

If I were a place I’d be Castle Valley

If I were a material I’d be bamboo

If I were a taste I’d be caramelized onions

If I were a scent I’d be that smell right before it rains

If I were a body part I’d be a lung

If I were a song I’d be the I Won’t Back Down cover by Dawn Landes

If I were a bird I’d be a puffin

If I were a gift I’d be homemade

If I were a city I’d be Berlin

If I were a door I’d be open

If I were a pair of shoes I’d be Birkenstocks

If I were a poem I’d be Wild Geese by Mary Oliver:

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

Got My Jog On in the Desert

2010-03-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

This picture really is self-explanatory and is indeed
my unsolicited endorsement of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Well people, I did it! I ran the Canyonlands Half Marathon! Started out running and crossed the finish line running (with blisters). The best part is that I felt fantastic during the entire run. I flew to SLC last Friday, my friend Chad picked me up from the airport, we headed south to Moab, picked up our race packets, and turned in for a good night's sleep. The next morning was FREAKING FREEZING (like high 30s) and we had to wait for about two hours in the cold for the race to start. Once I got going and the sun came out it was the perfect running temp.

The Chad and I freezing before the race.

In taking on this endeavor I decided simply to embrace the journey. My first goal was to complete the training program and finish the 13.1 miles come hell or high water. My stretch goal was to run the entire distance. So, to start the race running and not stop the entire time was such an amazing experience for me I can't even begin to explain. Also, to accomplish this in my hands down favorite place on earth was simply surreal. When they said, "And M.Eagan from Seattle," as I crossed the finish line I felt so pumped I thought I could run another half right there and then!

The Chad and I after the race.

My main reason for choosing this particular half marathon was that I hadn't been to the desert in about six years. It seemed like every time we tried to make it down there life just got in the way. So I set this goal and spent the money to register for the race as a way to obligate my return.

Let me take a minute to explain the significance of my return to the desert: The Utah desert and I are good old friends. Maybe we're more like family, really. I traveled there in my early teens with my mother, lived there for a time as a rafting guide, and spent a four year stretch climbing there about two weekends a month. I rang in the millennium in the desert, got my first speeding ticket in the desert, fell in love with my husband in the desert, and forged some of my closest friendships in the desert. Chad explained it perfectly when he said that the red sand gets under your skin and in your blood; it turns your bones pink and becomes a part of you. (Not a direct quote.)

The Fisher Towers lit by sunset.

So, to be there, and run there, was like coming home. I kept looking around me thinking, "These are my black-streaked, blood red walls; these are my desert towers; this is my rushing Colorado river; this is my cool, dry air; this is my limitless blue sky; and, this is my still, quiet, peaceful space." In case you couldn't tell, it was one of the best days in my 30 years.

Mr. X, Sarah, The Chad, and Molly relaxing after the race.

My dear friends Mr. X and Sarah joined us for some beer drinking and climbing on Sat and Sun. My dad and his partner graciously drove to Moab to cart me home for my return flight on Monday. It was all around an amazing trip!

The Chad leading a climb on Sunday.

* All photos taken with my iphone, pardon the quality.

A St. Patty's Day Reunion

2010-03-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

Owen rallied until 11. We didn't realize it was so
late until we left. Oops. Bad Parents!

I had the most cussing awesome St. Patty's Day this year. I had a super efficient day at work, got Owen his birthday presents, which means that I get to wander around a toy store (let's just be honest folks, we all love toy stores), went for my last training run before I took off for my half marathon, and went over to some old friends' house for a feast.

You know what they say, "old friends are good friends," and isn't it just so true? When I first moved to Seattle for law school Ryan had to stay behind in SLC for work. I moved into a cute, small, old apartment building on Cap Hill called the Brevard. My second week there I was out back throwing something away when I ran into a group of tenants having a few beers. They were so freaking nice and it made my day to hang out with them---moving to a new place can feel so isolating!

Henry the Dog and Owen got along quite well.

Long story short, the people from the Brevard have been close friends since. We were shocked to find a day that everyone could get together for dinner, but it worked out perfectly. We had an amazing Indian feast, courtesy of Dave and Michelle, and left the evening feeling filled to the brim on many levels. So, cheers to old friends!

The Deuce

2010-03-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

happy second birthday owen patrick eagan-heffernan!!!

Owen reading new book.

here's the time line of events:
presents
pancakes
Pacific Science Museum
nap
Winnie the Pooh video
dinner
cake
presents

here is owen's second birthday in photos:

Festive Gus.

Not happy to be in the car.

Hand in pocket and walking with Dad. So cute.

Making bulldozer arm go up. dump. back down. Very exciting.

In the butterfly room at the science center.

Squirting water with Dad.

Shoulder riding with me.

Dairy-free birthday cake!

Thomas the Train caps. All aboard. (Photo Credit: Scott Heffernan)

Brewin in Eugene and Meggy Does Dallas (or DFW International Airport)

2010-03-08T13:48:00.001-08:00

Owen focusing and tired in Eugene.

Weekend before last Ryan and I headed down to Eugene to hang out with our dear friends. We had a nice relaxing weekend eating pop-overs and pizza and making home brew. I was so excited to learn the basics of brewing your own beer and am ever grateful to my brewmaster friends for demystifying the whole thing. (Grazi, Mr. X and The Chad, grazi.)

Artistic Home Brewing Shot #1

I went to Bikram twice while there and really liked the studio in Eugene. The teachers run a tight ship, keep the room at maximum temperature, and the instruction is top-notch. What more could a girl want? I have been loving Bikram as a cross-train for my half-marathon training and credit it with my ability to stay injury free these past months.

Artistic Home Brewing Shot #2

On Sunday I flew to Dallas for a Continuing Legal Education course (CLE) on high level estate planning in a low interest rate environment. It was really interesting stuff. I'm being serious. It was my first time in Texas and I didn't get to see anything other than the airport, my hotel, and the American Airlines Conference Center (all within three miles of each other). I missed O-man a ton and was so happy to see him when I returned. I bought him a little cowboy hat, which he doesn't like to wear, and will get a photo as soon as he keeps it on for longer than 30 seconds. He kind of shunned me for a while but I'm on the A-list again now.

Owen explaining in small words so I'm sure to understand.

Owen is now chatting up a storm and using new words everyday. It is so funny to hear what he thinks. He is currently obsessed with garbage trucks and garbage men. He waits anxiously on Tuesdays for the garbage men to come and take the garbage. They love him and honk for him every time, which only adds to the obsession. He has the whole process down pat and will, at random moments in the day, explain to me the "garbage life cycle" by stating the following: "Truck. Up. Up and dump. DUMP. Back down. And gone. Honk. HONK!" We had a minor ant infestation and had to call the exterminator. Owen was obsessed with the ants and would periodically get angry at them during the day. When the guy came and started looking at them Owen said, "ANT GUY! ANT GUY! BYE ANTS!" It was really cute.

Owen sleeping in his own bed. Sweaty head. Holding "guy" in left hand.

That's really all I got for now...

Official Complaint

2010-02-24T12:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Dog-Walkers on Alki Beach,

When your dog poops on the sidewalk, PICK IT UP. The last two times I've gone running on Alki I've felt as though I'm running through a Cambodian forest hoping not to hit a land mine.

Warmest Regards,

m.e.

P.S. If you only have one of those little rat-dogs that takes mini-Tootsie Roll size craps THIS STILL APPLIES TO YOU. Shit is shit. Deal with it.

Hello hello.

2010-02-20T14:19:00.001-08:00

Hello. Been a while. I wish I had time and energy to do a full recap of the last month and a half, but I really don't and it's so beautiful outside that I just want to be out in the garden. So, here are the highlights.

I turned 30 on Jan. 18. I got lots and lots of birthday love and had a great celebration that lasted about a week! Ryan and I went to Leavenworth and stayed at an amazing place called the Sleeping Lady. We went cross country skiing for three days and just had general relaxing good times. I had a lovely ladies night celebration during which I sustained a couple of drinking injuries (embarrassing and totally juvenile, but fun nonetheless).

One evening about two weeks ago Owen decided to cowboy up and start sleeping in his own bed. Ryan and I hadn't even mentioned it to him but he just got in one night, organized his stuffed animals, demanded a book, and then said "night night." He's doing really well and only calls out for me to come in during the night a couple of times. I am so glad that we co-slept with him and feel that it was most definitely the best thing for him while we were doing it. I am also glad that he now sleeps in his big boy bed because Ryan and I now sleep much better. I have decided that it's just Owen's cute little personality to do things like that all on the quick. He stopped nursing just one day, quit taking bottles just one day, and stopped co-sleeping in just one day. He must mull over things in his mind and then just execute. Cute little stink.

I am training for a half marathon in Moab on the 20 of March. I have never been a runner so it has been really fun and interesting to push myself in that way. I am still kind of slow but have no problem pounding out the mileage these days. I hate, however, to push the jogging stroller while running.

Ryan started a new job, which he loves, and my practice is coming along quite nicely, which I love. More on everything later I suppose...

Merry Merry. Happy Happy.

2010-01-01T13:59:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year one and all. We had an excellent holiday season. We kicked it off with a visit from our dear friends Sarah and Mr. X. We drank and ate and walked and brunched and movied.

I think O looks totally Player's Club in this picture.

Owen's second Christmas was great fun. We spent Christmas Eve at nice little soiree at our friends Kirt and Diane's house. It was so great to spend time catching up with them and other friends from our Brevard days and also to meet new folks. Kirt made some stellar salmon chowder that I thought about for days afterward.

Owen discovered the joys of cookie dough this Christmas.
Now, every time I use the KitchenAid he starts jumping saying "O! O!"

Christmas day was spent just hanging around here watching Owen open gifts and video chatting with his Grandpa Chris and Grandma Karen. Owen got a tricycle from my mom and we went to take him to Lincoln Park to ride it for the first time but he fell asleep on the way.

From Above: Owen opening his first present; Owen opening his tricycle;
Owen attempting to use both his ukulele and trike at the same time.

I made a killer pork roast (which we used as a vehicle for my bing cherries preserved in red wine) with roasted root vegetables and Brussel sprouts. The dinner was great but the best part was making the roasted root veggie hash the next morning for breakfast.

Roasted root vegetable hash with a poached egg.

Owen, of course, made away like a bandit, but he was most excited about the present Ryan and I gave him: a ukulele. He was spending hours and hours obsessing over Ryan's guitar so we knew he would love it. He slept with it the first night he had it, and now wanders all around the house strumming and singing songs. I freaking love it.

It was great to have Ryan home from work for the holidays. We had a great time hanging out with Owen (we went to the zoo and rode the trike and just took great advantage of the weather) every day and spending time with friends.

Owen's first bike ride (or push!)!!!

New Year's Eve celebrating started with dinner at Corey's house and ended at an all holds barred blow out at Suz's. I was worried that Owen would be super shy around all of the strangers, but he just wandered around shaking hands and stealing cupcakes. It was such a funny site to see this little toddler shaking hands with a huge group of dolled up adults with cocktails. I loved it.

It has been a great holiday season for us up here in the northwest and I am looking forward to 2010.

Glad That's Over

2009-12-02T14:55:00.001-08:00

Whew! That was epic. I've never been so sick in my life. I just laid there like a slug, it was my only defense.

So, now I'm back and playing with Owen, and working on getting my practice started, and visiting sick family in Utah, and then spending Thanksgiving in Eugene with friends, and really just keeping busy. I have, like, ten posts that I've been intending to do for the last five weeks and haven't gotten to for one swiney-pneumoniaey-traveley-busy reason or another. So, I'll just do one giant post and get everything all caught up and then go about my business.

I made this miso soup with buckwheat soba noodles,
tofu, and veggies when I was on the upswing
delicious and nutritious.

Ages and ages ago, before the flu even set in, my mom and I did a drive up Chuckanut to check out the changing leaves and have a nice chat. We got off I-5 as soon as possible and meandered through the farmlands of Skagit County. It was so freaking lovely. The best part was that we stopped at one of my favorite mini-farms and bought some great things for entirely too cheap: pink apples, fresh cider, a huge pumpkin (it was pre-Halloween), some lovely split peas, onions, carrots, etc.

Owen making a wish.

I love the honor pay system at the farm.
If I ever get my dream farm, my farm stand
will have a little honor-pay too.

Owen wandering.

With the pink apples I made a delicious apple cake with rum soaked raisins and just general deliciousness.

The pink apples were gorgeous and delicious.
What more could you want from a food.
They were really tiny and cute, too.

With the split peas I made my favorite all time ever split pea soup. It is the easiest soup to make and can be done in under 30 minutes (immersion blender helps). I think that everyone should make split pea soup all the time. The peas from Pleasant Ridge Farm were so freaking green and fresh and delicious I couldn't even handle it. This is my favorite recipe, although I usually add a few carrots when I saute the onions.

Pretty split peas from Pleasant Ridge. So yummy.

Ryan and I finally got to climb outside in Washington! My mom graciously agreed to watch Owen for a day. Ryan and I got up at 4:30 and hit the road. We drove to Vantage, WA, to climb at the Frenchman Coulee, a grouping of really cool basalt columns. One side of the columns was always in the sun so we were in t-shirts in October. I didn't get very good pictures because we were too busy getting in as many pitches as possible. We headed home and made it back to relieve my mom by 6:00. Not a bad day at all if I do say so myself!

Ryan on a climb at the Frenchman Coulee.

View from the base of the crag.

My dad got both knees replaced and suffered a small stroke related to the surgery. Owen and I went to SLC to visit him during his recovery for about a week. We had a great time visiting with him and are happy to report that he is officially on the mend. Owen started using a lot more words during that trip. We stayed with Donna, my dad's partner, and she skillfully threw up her hands to his sign language and managed to coax not cries but garbled musings from my little rooster. Well done Donna!

Owen concentrating on Legos.

There was a flurry of unpacking, laundry, and packing on the one day Owen and I were home before heading down to Eugene, Oregon, to spend Thanksgiving with Owen's Uncle Gully and Aunt Sarah. We had an awesome trip and there is nothing better than celebrating the holidays with cranmosas and close friends. I love Eugene because it breeds a whole new level of hippie. We went to the holiday craft fair where we were inundated with tie die, hippie pottery, and various other earthy bric-a-brac. We did get Owen a fantastic handmade monster hat (picture to follow in later post).

Saturday we spent some time at the local climbing gym and had a great time. I love climbing with other women (no offense Ryan) and am sure to enjoy many future trips with Sarah in the vertical world. Owen was a champ at the gym and I love how even the tiniest crimps are total jugs to him.

The Thanksgiving table. Owen is on the floor playing with his Legos.

We headed home on Saturday evening because Ryan, Owen, and I came down with a cold. I was feeling very sorry for myself and like I would never be well, but I am on the upswing now. Yahoo!

Molly the international dog of mystery missing her boy toy Gus.

I've been on one of my reading upswings as of late. Since I got sick I have read this book, and this one, this one, this one, and this one. Also, this one, which was one of the better ones I've read in a while. And this one, which I didn't really care for. If anyone wants to chat about them let me know.

In the Last Two Weeks...

2009-11-04T20:21:00.000-08:00

Unattractive photo Ryan took once
we realized that I wasn't going to die
this morning and just needed
MORE OXYGEN PLEASE

Number of doctors I have seen in the last two weeks: 5

Number of emergency room visits: 2 (4:00 am this morning was our latest soiree in the Ballard ER)

Number of things diagnosed with: 4

H1N1 twice
Pneumonia
Reactive Airway Disorder (RAD -- or "not-so-RAD" as the case may be)

Number of prescriptions: 10

A "Z-pack" of antibiotics (as a prophylactic measure that was as effective as a diaphragm)
Cough syrup without Codine
Vicodin (to suppress the cough and for the chest pain)
An Albuterol inhaler
Cough syrup with Codine (to suppress the cough better than the cough syrup without Codine)
Tamiflu (for the H1N1)
Percocet (to suppress the cough better than the Vicodin)
Clarithromycin (for the pneumonia)
Prednisone (a steroid to help with the not-so-RAD)
Valium (a sedative to help with the negative side effects* of the Prednisone)

Number of times I (embarrassingly) peed my pants (a little) in a coughing fit on the floor: 4

Number of times I thought I just might actually die: 3

Highest my fever ever got: 104.0

*When the doctor prescribed the prednisone he said that the drug has the strange side effect of 'exaggerating' underlying personality traits. It pretty much sent me into a manic phase where I detailed some scratches on the floor with our Specialty Wood Kit and scrubbed the bathtub until it was glistening clean at which point I was sweating profusely and Ryan had to rip the Soft Scrub and sponge from my hands, which sent me into a coughing fit on the floor. Through my gasps of air I was begging my mom to let me go to the store for bok choy and shitake mushrooms so I could cook a healthy miso soup with buckwheat soba and greens. GEESUS CHRIST!* For the record, Ryan wanted me to mention that he did ask if we could get the Valium in the form of a tranquilizer gun.

The Challenge

2009-10-31T18:06:00.000-07:00

My mom pointed out an interesting article in the paper today. It was about The Great American Apparel Diet. Essentially, it's a group if women who have committed to not buy any clothes for one year. Ryan and I had toyed with the idea of not buying anything superfluous for an entire year (with a couple of carefully thought out exceptions of course), but had gotten lost in our conversations about the details and never made the leap. This article totally inspired me and led to an extensive Saturday morning conversation about American consumer culture.

My initial reaction to the article was that it's kind of sad that this is such a radical notion it gets so much press (Redbook, Oprah, Seattle Times), but then I thought about myself and how many articles of clothing I would buy this year... it's definitely more than I would initially think. And then I realized, that's the point. Consumption in our culture has become so mindless and ingrained that people need to make overt commitments in order to, ironically, buy out of this pervasive culture.

Anyway, blah blah blah. I know we've heard it all before. But for some reason, the conversation today motivated Ryan and I. We each committed to give up buying certain things for the period of one year (until Nov. 1, 2010). I am obviously posting this to hold my feet to the fire.

I will give up purchasing 1) clothing, 2) shoes, 3) any pre-made sweets (but I can make my own if I'm so inclined... this is mostly to break my addiction to Starbuck's lemon loaf) for one year.

Ryan will give up purchasing 1) espresso drinks and 2) pre-made sweets for the period of one year.

A Stinky Ginkgo Tree Grows in Brooklyn

2009-10-24T20:20:00.001-07:00

A pic Em took of Owen and I. Yes, it was windy. No, I didn't do my hair like that.

Two weeks ago Owen and I traveled to NYC to visit my cousin Emilie and her partner Hannah, who live in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn. We had a freaking excellent time. We saw great things, ate great food, and took great walks. I really loved the neighborhood feel of Brooklyn as compared with the craziness of Manhattan. Also, I felt like everyone there had a kid, so the city was very kid friendly (that's not to say that traveling with an 18-month-old is easy!).

Em and Hannah bestowed upon Owen a series of group hugs. This photo is a bit overexposed, but
I love it nonetheless because you see the pure joy in Owen's face.

Apparently there is a brief window of time every year where female Ginkgo trees shed their fruit. The fruit really, really stinks. To me, the aroma was of fresh vomit consisting of one of those Parmesan pretzels they used to sell in malls. Putrid. I didn't let the smell ruin the trip, but I did comment on it a lot. :)

Deserted building, Brooklyn Bridge, tree.

Auntie Hannah explaining to Owen why he simply can't have more more more ice cream.

I know there are a ton of photos on this post, so just burn past them or enjoy them. I don't care either way.

Tickets please.

Here's the play by play of the trip:

Thurs Night - Friday Morning: Take red eye flight to JFK. Kind of a bad idea. Owen didn't really sleep. I definitely didn't sleep. We got in at 5:30 am and it was epic to get a car service with a decent car seat (despite the fact that I called the day before and confirmed a car seat for a 28 pound toddler). In any event, we arrived haggard and worn at Em and Hannah's. They were quite spry and ready for work and I only have foggy memories of our interactions. After they left, Owen and I headed to the bedroom for a 6 hour nap. Thank God.

Owen enjoying himself at one of the many playgrounds
we stopped at. He loved throwing balls at the pigeons,

Friday: We roamed around Emilie and Hannah's hood. We played at a nearby playground where Owen saw kids playing with a ball and went into one of his little fits where he non-stop requests a ball (ba ba). So, Em and I headed to a toy store and bought him two lovely balls. One large one for the apartment and one small one for our daily outings (of course the big one ended up going everywhere anyway). We met Hannah at a super cute bookstore and then got food for dinner and turned in for the evening.

Pretty building with pretty light.

Owen debating whether to sleep or eat
on the subway ride home from the Museum
of Natural History. He ended up choosing sleep.

Saturday: We went for a long long trek through Brooklyn and all of its fabulous neighborhoods. We ended up at the Brooklyn Bridge and then made our way to the Manhattan Bridge. Both so beautiful in their unique ways. It was so lovely. We stopped at a delicious dumpling place on our way home and got take out.

The Manhattan Bridge. So beautiful.

Sunday: We braved the crowds and headed to Manhattan to see the Museum of Natural History. I had never been, but had always wanted to go. I also figured that it was a good museum for a toddler as the exhibits were awesome and would hold his attention. Owen did really well on the subway but would only sit on the seats and not in his stroller. Whatevs. Dinner at an awesome burger joint where I got this turkey burger with pickled onions and goat cheese. Enough said.

Auntie Emilie and Owen waiting for the subway.

Something that really, honestly, promise used to be on this earth. Creepy.

Owen getting a lesson in vertebrates.

Monday: We headed out for a play date in Prospect Park with Emilie and Hannah's friend Jenn and her kids Emma and Ivy. To say that Owen met the woman of his dreams when he met Emma is an understatement. He was enamored. He was smitten. He was taken. When Owen turns 18 and decides to move to NYC, I know he'll be moving for Emma. I, for one, like that he's into older women. Monday evening Hannah treated us to homemade butternut squash mac and cheese and homemade bread.

Ivy (front) and Emma, Owen's paramour.

Owen at Prospect Park.

Tuesday: Our day of departure. Our flight didn't leave until 7pm Eastern time so we were able to get in a nice full day. Emilie took me to her work to meet some of her co-workers. It was great to see it and meet all of her friends I had heard so much about. After lunch we headed to the NYC Transit Museum. The museum was so cool and totally blew my mind. It was also a great place for kids as they have real buses that they can pretend to drive and subway cars for them to play on.

I was super sad to leave when it was time to go. I wanted to stay forever in that fabulous city with two of my favorite people! Hopefully we will be able to make another visit out sometime soon.

Owen so freaking tired. Every one of his afternoon naps
were spent in a stroller while we were there. He was a
total champ and I'd take him anywhere!

Hit Me With Your Best Shot Universe.... Okay, You Win.

2009-10-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

I have the flu. ~~It's not the Swine Flu, although the doc at the Urgent Care was sure it was until she got the test result.~~ Turns out I do have the Swine Flu. I have been in bed for the last 17 hours with a fever, cough, headache, and chills or sweats.

This pic is so effing creepy.

Anyone remember that book, Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day? Yeah, I'm having a week of those....

Grandma Deon

2009-10-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

When my grandmother passed away I was sleeping peacefully in my cousin's apartment in Brooklyn, NY. My mom had told me the night before that we may loose her that evening, but, no matter how prepped I was, hearing the words from my mother the next morning was gut-wrenching.

My grandma lived a wonderful life and I was very close to her. She and my grandfather traveled frequently to Sun Valley when my mother and I were living there, and when we moved to Salt Lake we lived with them for five years while my mother attended graduate school. She was the kind of grandmother who my peers mistook for my mom because she always wore bright lipstick (though not garish at all), skirt suits, and high heels.

In thinking about her death over the last week or so, I have come to realize that, for me, the hardest part of losing someone is that the memory has this pesky habit of blurring images from our past. Without her here, I worry that what she has meant to me and my memory of her will become clouded. So, I have decided to make a list of the things I promise to remember about my grandmother.

I promise to remember: the way she laughed; the way her house always smelled of toast; the way she sang random little songs as she would putter around the house ("I got a horse right here, his name is Paul Revere..."); the way she would go through all of her granddaughters' names when she was calling after one of us as we would tear through her house during the summer ("Emmy, Blair, MEGGY!"); and, the way Gina and I would always duck her kisses before school in the morning as not to get lipstick on our cheeks.

I promise to remember all of the little tricks that she taught me: sandwiches look fancier when you cut them diagonally; if you trim the top of a potato chip bag, people don't dig their grubby little hands all around inside and less germs are spread; if you clean out the sides of a half-full jar of mayo with a paper towel before putting it in the fridge it lasts longer; if you hand iron things right out of the dryer before folding, you often don't need to iron at all; and, chewing a half stick of gum makes you seem daintier.

I promise to remember: a quick curl of the hair and some lipstick make you look put together even if you're in sweats.

I promise to remember: even though us Hulberts have big calves, high heels look rockin' on us.

I promise to remember: how much she loved my grandfather and mother (and all her children) and to love my family with the same dedication.

I promise to remember: to stand up straight, cross my legs at the ankle when I am wearing a skirt, and brush my teeth before going out.

I promise to remember: how, after Alzheimer's had clouded her memory, she looked at my son and exclaimed, "Well look at him!"

This little list may seem a touch trite, but sometimes it's the little things that force my grandmother's memory into full view for me. Of course, she instilled in me the importance of kindness, love, and empathy,too. If I am able to affect my children and grandchildren half as much as she did me, I will consider myself a great success.

xoxoxo Grandma.

Up, Up, and Away!

2009-10-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

Owen and I are heading out tonight to spend 6 days in Brooklyn with his Aunt Emilie and Aunt Hannah. Super exciting!! Before we shove off, here are a few little pics and updates I've been meaning to post:

A perfect Saturday: We took Scott and Aimee climbing last Saturday. We went to a little manufactured climbing area in Marymoor Park. It was super fun. There are two parks here that offer free climbing on manufactured climbing walls. It is kind of nice because you get to be outside and climb within city limits. Pretty cool. (If you go to the link, you'll see a picture of the area. Please note the fenced around the whole area, which functions much like a play pen for Owen.)

Owen just randomly grabs a book, lays down, and reads. Super cute.

After climbing we rushed home and primped (showered) and headed to our friend Dave's birthday party at Elysian Fields. Taking Owen to a bar (gasp) on a Saturday night was perfect because we wanted to keep him up until 10 pm when my mom got back in town from her trip to Europe. :) As always, Owen was a ham and loved seeing all the people. It is always fun to see so many people from law school because they were pretty much all pregnant with me, so they like to see how much Owen has grown and it makes me feel like a proud mamacita.

Owen eating raspberries. Yumma yumma.

It was great to see my mom! Her trip was fantastic and we loved hearing her stories. Owen was more than thrilled to see his nana and stayed awake dancing and laughing with her until 11:30 (eek!).

Play Dates: One great thing about being home more is being able to get Owen together with other little Chiclets. We met Eva and Fin at Lincoln one beautiful day a couple of weeks ago. Last week we went out to Kirkland to visit with Jeanie and Margot. Margot has grown so much! She and Owen played really well together and have very similar temperaments, which makes them fun to watch. When we get back from NYC, we'll have little Owen and Pearl and Owen and Emuna reunions. Fun!

Owen and Margot in the kitchen and drag racing at Jeanie's house.

Where the Wild Things Are: Last night we went with Jon and Austin to a sneak preview of Where the Wild Things Are, which was shown to raise funds for 826 Seattle. There was a little Q&A session with Dave Eggers (one of my favorite authors and the gentleman who, along with Spike Jonez, wrote the screen play) and the kid who played Max. I thought the movie was so great. Afterward we grabbed a quick bite at Palace Kitchen, which I had never eaten at before (two thumbs up!).

Owen sporting his very own Max crown from our Where the Wild Things Are sneak viewing.

Garden: My garden is plugging along. My tomatoes are still ripening and the green beans are still going strong. I planted one bed full of fall veggies (kale, chard, radishes, broccoli rabe, frisee, arugula) so we'll see how that goes. We got 5 lovely delicata squash, which we've already devoured (just pop on the grill with some EVOO and salt) and I have two lovely pumpkins all ready for Halloween (and eating!). I've loved my garden so much and I've already been obsessing over seed websites deciding what to grow next spring. Wonderful!

Tomato in the rain. Very artistic.

Camptastic

2009-09-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

This is Owen Sunday morning. He wanted to wear Ryan's
hat with a bill and ear flaps. I think he looks a little like Elmer Fudd.

We took Owen camping for the first time this last weekend. He freaking loved it. We just went up to the Denny Creek campground near Snoqualmie Pass. The crux of the whole endeavor was actually getting packed and out of the city on Saturday morning. We hadn't camped in quite a while so we were digging through stuff like madmen to find our gear, and then frantically throwing bottles, formula, diapers, wipes, clothes, etc. together. Epic.

Owen and Ryan getting ready to turn in. Owen was clearly excited about the whole tent thing.

We hiked up to Franklin Falls on Saturday and let Owen throw stones in the little pond by the waterfall. We had planned to hike up the Denny Creek trail on Sunday, but my foot was definitely a little worse for the wear. It is feeling better, but it is not yet as good as new (hiking up with Owen on my back was probably not the best idea!).

Me and Owen on the hike up to Franklin Falls.

It was freaking freezing once the sun set on Saturday and all through Sunday morning, but we came equipped with Owen's blue fleece bear suit. Owen went to sleep when the sun went down and slept in until 9:00 am. That's 13 hours---a record for him (and for us since he was born).

Owen trying so hard to stay awake on Ryan's back on the way down from the falls.

It was so great to get outside and spend a night looking at the stars. Owen threw a fit when we started breaking down camp and when we were trying to roll up the tent he started screaming, "NOT done, NOT done, NOT done!" It was a ten minute endeavor to get him in the car and he cried from exit 47 all the way to Issaquah on I-90. He finally fell asleep, but not before a final "not done" whimper. Cute little stinkbug!

I love this picture of Ryan and Owen. I took it at the falls and Owen just wouldn't cooperate.

I don't know if I'd go back to that area again. It is a little nature area sandwiched in between east-bound and west-bound I-90 near the pass, and there was a hint of white noise from the freeway through the night. We have also rarely, if ever????, camped in a formal campground like that. It's a little contrived, but what are you going to do with a baby?

My three boys hanging at the falls. I think Owen is feeding Gus a rock...

All in all it was a fun trip. I'm glad we got it in before the weather turns to shit here, which is shaping up to be this weekend. :)

Regular Conversation

2009-09-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

I've only been home alone with Owen for a few days now. It's super fun, and I feel super lucky, and blah blah blah, but things are definitely lacking in the area of conversation. At any given moment, Owen and I are engaged in the following conversation:

Owen: "Dada."
Me: "Dada's at work."
Owen: "Dada."
Me: "Dada's at work."
Owen: "Dada?"
Me: "Dada's at work."
Owen: "Nana?"
Me: "Nana's in Europe."
Owen: "Mamom!" (pointing)
Me: "Yes, I'm right here."
Owen: "Done."
Me: "Okay."
Owen: "Done."
Me: "I know, I'm done too."
Owen: (emphatically) "DONE! DONE! DONE!"
Me: "Owen, you haven't begun anything. It's logically impossible for you to be DONE at all."
Owen: "Dada?"
Me: "Dada's at work."
Owen: "Uh-oh!!!"
Me: "I know."

These pictures were taken with the iPhone and are from
our drive home from SLC. We stopped in Pendleton and had a
picnic at a playground to break up the drive for Owen.
He just walked right up the little stairs and flung himself
down the slide. It was cool to watch.
(There is Gus's face poking through in the pic above. Cute Gus.)

"Welcome to Utah, set your clock back 50 years." - Ed Abbey

2009-09-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

We just returned home from over 10 days in the Beehive State. Here's the critical information:

The High Points

Watching all three of Owen's great-grandparents light up when they saw him
The drive down alone with Ryan and the ride home with Owen and Ryan. Road trips make for wonderful conversations, they really do

Freaking huge sky. Lovely drive (both times).

Watching my dad play with Owen on the floor of Donna's living room
Relaxed chatting and playing with Chris and Karen at their house, which feels like a second home
Dinner at Fresco on my mom's 60th birthday (an annual tradition)
Couples only, no kids allowed dinner with Mick and Tracy
Tomato soup at Stoneground with James, Chad, and Ethan (and splitting a roll and a beer with Chad like we're some old couple who's trying to cut down on carbs)
Hanging out up Big Cottonwood Canyon, which also feels like a second home

The lightening storm that we saw as we pulled into Boise at 11:00 pm
Seeing Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal perform at Red Butte Garden

The Low Points

Forgetting my Nikon (all photos from my iPhone)
Having to go to the doctor for my foot and getting a day boot, a night boot, and a recommendation to stay off it until it feels better

Karen slicing her finger with scissors and needing stitches

This is Karen's finger post-incident. The entire
week, we kept chanting, "Karen's #1! Karen's #1!"

Seeing people Ryan and I unfriended some time ago at an outdoor concert (and not unfriended in the Facebook way, the actual unfriending balls to the wall way --eek!)
Owen getting a topical Strep/Staff infection (not sure b/c they didn't culture) in his ear and trying to find a pediatrician STAT
Walking out of my mom's house for the last time (closing in Oct.). She has been in that house for the last 10 years --- that's the longest time she's lived in any one house since I've been born, so needless to say I feel some attachment to it

This is my closet door at my mom's house. I love it.

Canceling out trip to Moab because of my foot

Realizations

Black coffee brings out the flavor of Cool Ranch Doritos much like a nice Oregon Pinot does for Copper River Salmon
One of the reasons I hate Utah is because there are mini televisions at every filling station
One of the reasons I hate Utah is because they play Fox News on said mini televisions
The sky looks so freaking big in Idaho and Utah and the high desert landscape will always melt my heart
I want to chalk up, jam my hands into a crack, and climb. Enough of this lazy grad-school-come-baby-come-first-heinous-stressful-job-as-a-lawyer shit
Joe Biden would never let James and Ryan touch him like that, even though they'd like to

Owen is a super little rocker who rolled with the flow the entire trip. I want to take Owen camping, and I think he's ready and will love every second of it

On the way home, Owen was reading and babbling.
When he was suddenly quiet, we took a look and found
that he had fallen asleep under his book. Before we
removed it, we snapped a little photo. Freaking cute.

All Rise. This Court is Now in Recess.

2009-09-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

That's right! I've officially finished my clerkship at the King County Superior Court. The day after my last day, we headed out to Salt Lake City for some much needed family time. (Update to come.)

I am so going to miss all of the wonderful people that I worked with, but am excited to move on to Phase 2 in my life here in Seattle. Ciao KCCH!

Delancey

2009-08-09T12:09:00.001-07:00

If you like food blogs you've probably heard about this one. If you've read it, you probably know about this restaurant. We were lucky enough to attend a soft opening on Wednesday night with Jon and Austin.

In summary: the food is freaking great and the space is amazing. Delancey opens its doors to the public on the 12th of August. Everyone should go. Get the padron pizza and a beer---it's greatness squared.

(i only had my iphone, so the photos are not that stellar)

Odds and Ends

2009-08-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

Few odds and ends hanging out in my camera that I needed to upload and share. Kind of random, but here we are:

Cherries in Red Wine: I got four pounds of amazing Bing cherries right at the peak of the season (couple of weeks ago) and put em on up in some red wine with cloves an orange zest. Super simple and super delicious. Now, for some reason, I took on this canning project at 4:45 am on some idle Tuesday before work. Pitting and canning four pounds of anything before 6 am is weird. Me's crazy. Oh well. I think they'll be fantastic over everything in the world, from pork roast to homemade sour cream ice cream. Delightful.

Dimpled Plum Cake: I made a dimpled plum cake. It's friggin delicious. I plan to make more. Everyone should make one. It's an everyday, everything cake. I can't stress this enough. Please make this cake. (Recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking book.) Blessings be upon you if you make this cake.

Owen and Buddy: Owen connected with a new friend. Her name is Devin Neko. At a barbeque last Sunday, they fed each other ice cubes out of a table top wine bucket for their first date. Classy.

Owen's Fever: Owen has a viral infection and the only symptom is a fever between 100 and 104. He is still asleep. It's almost noon. Poor little rooster.

Garden Update: Despite his health issues, after a dose of Tylenol, Owen was peppy enough to request a gardening adventure. We watered and gardened and it was fun. My garden stuffs are doing quite well. Pumpkins are huge. Carrots are delicious, tomatoes are ripening, we've been eating homegrown green beans for months, lettuce from the garden is plentiful albeit a little bolty after the heatwave.

I guess I didn't know where to begin...

2009-07-30T17:29:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to do this post for a while now, but I guess I didn't know where to begin. Weekend before last two of my BFFs celebrated birthdays. The weekend felt like all debacle, all the time. It was great. B-day fiesta numero uno was held at the Bastille Cafe in Ballard. Delicious and delightful is all I have to say about that. The red wine was flowing, giggles were gushing, and eyes were tearing toward the end of the night (I blame that on the wine).

B-day fete part deux was a bash to end all bashes. It culminated with numerous people in or near their thirties doing keg stands. I've decided that watching lawyers, venture capitalists, and Microsofties do keg stands is infinitely more exciting than watching college students, river rats, or climbing bums do keg stands. Maybe it's just because it occurs far less frequently. For the record, I did not do a keg stand because 1) I was wearing a dress, and 2) I am a mother... the dress had more to do with it. Please view my Keg Stand Photo Essay. Faces of the 'standers' have been intentionally ommited to protect the guilty (in case they elect to run for office one day).

For the Keg Stand Birthday Celebration I baked another giant cake. It was a strawberry cake (featuring local strawberries) with cream cheese frosting and sweetened coconut sprinkled on top. It was kick ass. I didn't get a photo of the finished product because, uh, I was too busy not doing keg stands. Thank you. Good day to you.

Lavender Festival

2009-07-20T23:10:00.000-07:00

Weekend before last my mom and I took Owen to the Vashon Island Lavender Festival. It was so great. That's all.

Apricot Riesling Jam

2009-07-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

I made Apricot Riesling Jam last Wednesday after work. I picked up some amazing apricots at the farmer's market the Sunday before and was super pumped to try out the recipe. I am going to give it a solid two thumbs up. I added some extra apricots and didn't add all of the sugar called for. It was just perfect. With the changes I made I had enough for five 8 oz jars instead of the four that the recipe says. It is so freaking good. It's the kind of jam that can dress for any occasion; be it toast or a yummy Bakery Nouveau croissant.

Delicious!

My jam hoarding is going really well. I'm going to try plum next then blackberry when they are in season. I think I'll have enough to get us through the winter. We'll see.

Scott Heffernan Photography

2009-07-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

Not this last Friday but the one before that Scott's art was featured at a gallery stroll in Kirkland. His photos are delightful and it was a really fun evening. I dare say he was the most talented artist featured. A ton of people came out for the event and it was awesome to see so much interest in his photography.

I thought those of you in SLC might appreciate seeing a couple of shots from the evening. (Karen, I wanted to get a posed picture of Scott pointing cheesily to his photos because I know how you like those, but he wasn't compliant.)

Something Bad

2009-07-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

Something bad is eating my pumpkins. I had to trim back leaves because they were going the way of the dodo. They are tiny little black bugs. I think they may be aphids, but I thought aphids only came in greenish whiteishness. I'll do some researching and get back to everyone. But if anyone knows anything please let me know.

Also, I've already tried squirting them with soapy water and that didn't work.

Also, I've gotten better at killing things like slugs and snails. At first it made me sad, now I like it. I am evil.

Jammin and Garden Update

2009-07-11T07:51:00.001-07:00

The weekend of the 4th was great. Friday was a court holiday, so Thursday was my Friday. I got off work early on Thursday and my mom and Owen met me for Free Thursdays at the SAM (more on that later).

Thursday night we had the best night ever with Scott and Aimee. We took a date night and went for dinner, mini golf, go karts, and a movie. It was seriously the best thing ever ever ever. The weather was perfect and I won at mini golf. :)

Friday was spent putting around and spending time in the garden. We went to the Phinney Ridge Farmer's Market to grab some raspberries for making freezer jam. I had been wanting to make freezer jam for some time, and Aimee served as an inspiration on Thursday night because her family gathers annually to make enough jam to last through the year.

Ryan told me the cutest memory about his grandmother, who had raspberry bushes and appears to have been quite the homemaker with stellar pie crusts and an amazing garden that Art (her husband) kept. Apparently, during raspberry season, she would take a piece of cloth and tie a little container to the grandkids' waist so they could go out and pick raspberries. Ryan says that it was so fun and they would just gather berries for jam, and eat a few along the way. I love this memory and wish I could have known Art and Bessie.

Back on track.

SO, we got raspberries and made freezer jam. The basic recipes call for a 3:5 ratio of raspberries to sugar. This is baffling to me. I want to actually taste the essence of summer on my toast, not the essence of C&H. So, I procured some 'Low to No Sugar Pectin" and carried on. I added the package of pectin to 1 3/4 cups unsweetened apple juice, brought that to a boil, boiled for 1 minute, then poured it over 5 cups smashed raspberries. The recipe called for only 3 cups but my mother and I are always of the theory that you increase the best parts of a recipe :) Then you add sugar to taste. I only added just over 3/4 of a cup and it was perfect for our family's liking. Delicious! I can't wait to 1) make this an anual thing, and 2) make apricot and plum freezing goodness soon.

My garden is petering out. People told me that you really do need to keep planting throughout the season so you don't blow your wad early and then have nothing but lettuce. I've officially blown my wad. Chard's done. Beets gone and eaten. Peas are up. Arugula is gone. My pumpkins and squash are not yet ready to eat. Same with my pickling cucumbers. I seem to be ignoring my monster kale plant... we really should eat that for breakfast with an egg or for dinner as a bed for a little grilled braut... hmm.... In any event, I need to spend some time in the garden this weekend planting and what not. I'm going to plant another delicata, some more cukes, more bush beans, and then we'll just go from there!

Anyway, this is becoming a long post so I'll wrap it up. We had a slumber party at Pete and Leah's house for the 4th. They have a great view of Gasworks Park. Owen didn't like the fireworks that were going off around the neighborhood at all because they were too loud, but he loved the ones that he could see and he would clap at appropriate times and say, "oooooh," when the really good ones went off. He was so tired after the party on the 4th and a brunch with friends the next day that he took a 4 hour nap when we got home. Yahoo!

#65 A Snoozy Saturday

2009-07-01T06:15:00.000-07:00

It was a lazy weekend with yum foods from the garden. My mom was in SLC caring for her mother and Ryan, Owen, and I were just loafing around. On Saturday I made "eggs in a nest" with poached eggs on a bed of the last mature Swiss chard from the garden. The only thing missing was home grown eggs; I want chickens in the worst way. I have for a long time now, but out current living situation (townhouse) is not very conducive to keeping fowl on premises. Knowing all too well of my chicken longings, Ryan had a jewelry maker in Portland special make me a chicken ring for our 5 year anniversary. I love it, but it doesn't produce eggs.

I digress.

Bum out of focus because he was
running away from me and I had
manual focus on. Cute little bum!

We took a huge nap as a family, gave Owen a long bath (because he had a poonami), and went for a picnic. All in all a lovely relaxing time!

Also worth mentioning are the following:

1) Sprouted wheat pasta with sauteed pea shoots (garden)

2) Salad from the garden with first nasturtiums (pretty edible flowers that taste like a fresh crack of peppercorn -- yum)

3) Mid-century modern table finally found, bought, and delivered!!!!!!!!!!!!

#64 Crazy Weekend, Garden Update, Grocery Challenge Update, and a Pony Ride

2009-06-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

Crazy Weekend:
This weekend was kind of crazy. Excellent awesome crazy, but still crazy.

Friday: Aimee and I went to a party (see her blog post for more details). The long short of it is that it was a party thrown by Nintendo and hosted by a kick ass female blogger here in Seattle that Aimee knows. The people were awesome, the satay was divine, and I got a freaking Nintendo DSi for FREE as a freaking party favor. Now, maybe y'all get free stuff all the time, but around here, free stuff is amazing and awesome and thrilling and unique in every way. I have been beside myself since receiving it, and carry it with me always so that if I need to play Mario vs Donkey Kong at the drop of a hat, I freaking can. Freak freak freaking cool.

Saturday: We went to the Sweet Strawberry and Kite Festival in Enumclaw because we thought that Owen would fancy it. He did. He had a pony ride, which he loved. And he got his own little mini kite that is so lite it floats and flyes with hardly any wind. So fun.

In the evening we headed over to my friend Jessie's house for a birthday bbq. Owen was the only baby/kid/person under 5 feet. Jessie has chickens and he got to meet them. He was totally maintaining composure until one lightly, gently pecked his finger. Then he flipped out and in baby language screamed, "what the HELL ARE YOU? YOU FREAK OF NATURE???" and ran behind my legs. Overall, he did well, and rallied until 10:30 when we finally left.

Sunday: Father's Day! Go Ryan!
We went to another friend's, Dave, surprise birthday party in Volunteer Park. It was a great day and there was a kickball tournament, PBR, and a "decorate your own beer cozy" station. Owen was the only baby/kid/person under 5 feet there, but did well. At one point he tried to join the kickball tournament, but is a little young for that. :)
In the evening we went to Breeze's house for a bbq. Her darling and delightful sister Caitlin is in town and that calls for a celebration. Our friends Katie and Garrett were there and it was so great to see them. It has been ages. As was the theme, Owen was the only baby/kid/person under 5 feet at the house, but he did great and performed as expected. (I made a really good buttermilk cake for the bbq - yum yum yum.)

Sometimes I feel like we're the only people in the world with kids. That's all.

Garden Update:
Slugs are trying to eat my bounty. I caught 12 last night. I trapped them with beer. I like organic gardening. Mmmmm. Beer.

Grocery Challenge Update:

It was not even a challenge. We had so much good food in the pantry, and combined with the garden, we had plenty of healthful stuff to eat. Example, tonight is the last night and we're having organic free range chickie on the grill, a wheatberry salad featuring fresh garden peas, radishes, and red onion, and a green salad with oil and vinegar. All veggies were from the garden. Go figure, we haven't been grocery shopping in about 20 days and we eat like kings... let that be a lesson to you. (I don't know what the lesson is, I think it's something about keeping whole grains in the pantry, freezing shit you don't use instead of throwing it out, and keeping a garden.) All of the pics from above are from the last supper.

I meant to post this the day before yesterday, but didn't. Yesterday we still hadn't gone grocery shopping and had for dinner some lovely yellow split pea soup (from scratch), mixed green salad from the garden, and some bread (below). Maybe I'll just go as long as I can without grocery shopping.... nah.

#63 Aimee and Cake and Degrees, Oh MY!

2009-06-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

My lovely sister-in-law is officially a therapist. I am so proud and excited. I envy Aimee because she has known that this was her calling for some time now. I have always wanted to know what my calling is, but think I am destined to be a drifter for the rest of my life.

Aim's right though, she was born to be a therapist. Many, many families are going to be happier and healthier because she has chosen this profession. (And, if they're beyond repair, she can send them to me for a dissolution proceeding ;)

We celebrated her graduation the weekend of June 12. Everything was so wonderful and special, and it was so great to be able to share it with her. I got teary when she was hooded on Friday morning because I know too well the blood, sweat, and tears that go into a graduate degree. I couldn't be more proud.

Her present from me (and Ryan) was the most giant ever cake, which was a centerpiece at a surprise party for her on Friday night. It was a three layer butter cake with bittersweet chocolate frosting and fresh raspberries. I used 12 inch rounds and the freaking thing weighed no less that Owen, that's for sure. It was damn good and damn gorgeous, and I was quite proud. I like to give food for presents because making something is so much more personal than buying something I think; there's nothing a homemade cake or a good dinner can't sufficiently celebrate. I like that Aimee is the kind of gal who appreciates things like that, too.

So here are the logistics re the Biggest-Cake-I've-Made Cake:

Recipes:
Cake: Alice Water's 1-2-3-4 cake (essentially tripled the recipe)
Frosting: Bittersweet chocolate frosting (cream & bittersweet chocolate melted, cooled, and
whipped into butter with Kitchenaid)
Filling: Raspberry Jam

Timeline:
Tuesday 6/9 - purchase 2 12' round cake pans
Wednesday 6/10 - make 2 cake rounds, cool, freeze
Thursday 6/11 went out with friends, too late to bake when came home
Friday 6/12
5:00 am - baked third layer, cooled, froze
3-7 pm - made frosting, frosted, decorated
7 - 7:30 pm - drive from West Seattle to Kenmore, worry that: cake will drop while
getting it into car, cake will frost my cute outfit, we will crash and cake
will die, we will crash and we will die, cake will drop while walking into
White's house, cake will still be frozen, people won't like cake, children
attending will punch or lick cake.
7:30 pm - walk in door and everyone ooohs and awes, I am like, "yeah this kicks
ass, I know."
8:00 pm - dusted raspberries with powdered sugar moments before Aimee walks
in door.
8:30 pm - cut cake, cake kicks ass, Aimee loves cake, everyone talks about how
huge cake is. YES!

#62 DONE.

2009-06-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

Owen has a lot of words these days. Most of them, only a select few can understand (me, Jo, Ryan). People look at him funny when he waves and says (very pleasantly), "Die Die," instead of, "bye bye." I think it adds to his charm. I also think he is a child prodigy. I also think he could be a baby model.

I digress.

The one word that he has mastered is "done." He makes such an effort to say it perfectly it really melts my heart. He says it whenever he doesn't want to be doing something (i.e. diaper changes, car rides, grocery shopping, baths, bed time, etc.) He says it a lot. Owen is often done.

We got it on tape for those of you in SLC or elsewhere. Take a gander. Also, there is another video of him just spazzing out that I thought you may like.

Cheers!

#61 The Hill (Fresh!!)

2009-06-23T16:47:00.001-07:00

Two Thursdays ago I went to the film Fresh with Austin and her friend Courtney. The film was part of Seattle's True Independent Film Festival (not to be confused with SIFF).

I finished my day at work and took the bus from the courthouse to Capitol Hill. I miss living on the hill so much. It is one of those neighborhoods that just has an air about it; I feel so nostalgic when I'm there. I walked by my law school campus, which was where I not only spent three years toiling away on my degree, but is also where I walked and walked endlessly while laboring at Swedish hospital with Owen.

Me and the ladies shared some sparkling rose and a salad at Oddfellows, headed over to the film, which was showing at the Northwest Film Forum, and then ate Molly Moon's ice cream at Cal Anderson Park. Aaaah, what a lovely evening! It was quite possibly one of my best nights out as of late.

The film was so, so good and I highly recommend it. It is about food policy and, although not intended to be so, paralleled the book The Omnivore's Dilemma. The filmmaker was there to answer questions and it was interesting to hear that the catalyst for her interest in this topic was a series of articles on global warming that were published in the New Yorker. She said that after researching the issue of global warming, she felt that farming practices were not only one of the most signigicant contributers to the problem, but were also an area with great potential for change. (Thanks for letting me geek out.)

I snapped a few shots with my iphone to cronicle the evening.

#60 The Grocery Challenge

2009-06-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna throw a few gauntlets in these parts in the next couple of weeks.

Those of you who knew me in my vegan days know that I've never been a woman to do things in tiny increments when I need a change, and I need a change, so I may be prone to outlandish statements over the next bit. So, 1) I invented the question mark; and 2) as a sort of experiment we're not going to grocery shop for 10 days. Just to see. Just to know what's lurking behind the bags of split peas and french lentils in our tiny, overstuffed pantry. Just to understand why that organic free range local blah blah blah chicken is languishing in our freezer.

Maybe this doesn't sound like a big deal to those of you out there that do the beginning of the week Costco run and ride that out or those of you who are just as happy with Kraft mac and cheese as you are with whole-wheat-penne-sharp-chedder-gouda-with-truffle-essence-mac, but around here we have a bit of an obsession with farmer's markets and fancy grocery stores. This wrecks havoc on our budget. So anyway, on with our experiment. I was inspired by this blog pos t.

Exception: Owen gets what he needs (milk, diapers, wipes) I get to grab deodorant on my way home because duh, we can stop at the farmer's market this Sunday to get some fruit (only fruit).

The end! Go team! Yahoo!

Addendum: We haven't stocked up on groceries... in fact, I think we haven't been grocery shopping for about 7 days. Really, this is a small part of a larger effort to ween ourselves from the pervasive consumption-driven frenzy we've likely all been thinking about courtesy of the recession. Also, because of the garden, I'm not worrying about scurvy. (Mostly, I just wanted to use the word scurvy in a sentence. I invented scurvy after I invented the question mark. Gauntlet.)

#59 Leavenworth

2009-06-03T18:04:00.000-07:00

(I know this is my third post within, like, ten minutes. I just got home from work and Owen is asleep. Snooze little Owen, snooze.)
(Also, yes, our baby takes naps at 6pm so that he can stay up until 10 and hang out with his working mother and father, proud to say.)

Owen has a black eye. He became intimate with the corner
of the ottoman while the top was open. It was really sad,
and I cried, but now I think he looks kind of tough. Aaaah,
the hazards of mastering bipedalism.

This weekend Ryan and I decided, for no reason in particular, to take a trip to Leavenworth. Owen had is first trip to the zoo on Friday. He loved it, so we took him again on Saturday morning. After the outing and some brunch, Ryan and I were at a loss as to how to spend the weekend so we packed up and headed out.

The drive along Highway 2 was so incredible and it made me miss my old life (the one where I lived out of a truck, worked in a climbing shop, took road trips every weekend, ran rivers, and scaled the cliffs of the Utah desert... yeah, that one). There was something about the raging Wenatchee River and the landscape in general that made me long for the adrenaline that hits before navigating whitewater rapids, the sound of oars dipping in the river -- dip, swoosh, drip, dip, swoosh, drip -- and the way my fists feel jamming into a perfect hand crack. The most overwhelming feeling was that I want to make sure Owen experiences these things (more on that later).

Leavenworth was funky and delightful. We stayed in a little hotel with a pool that looked out on the river. We took Owen swimming twice, walked around the little Bavarian themed main street, ate schnitzel and spaetzle, and, as seems to be the norm for Ryan and I as of late, found a local winery to do some tasting. All in all, two thumbs up on the weekend.

I like how Owen is pointing his
toes in this picture. So cute!

#58 Check Out My Sexy Garden

2009-06-03T17:57:00.000-07:00

Hello Fancy Little Carrot.
I'm going to kill you and eat you.

Rows of Swiss Chard and Radishes --- in just
the few short days since this photo
was taken, the chard has almost completely
covered the radishes! Yumma yumma Mr. Swiss
Chard salad with quinoa and vinaigrette.

Garden peas, sweet peas, kale,
arugula, bibb, lolla rosa! Oh my!

My first beet. I got impatient and
gave him a pull before he was good and ready,
but he still tasted delicious!

#57 A Late Welcome

2009-06-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

Over Memorial Day weekend I went for a stroll in the arboretum with my friend (and doula) Shira and her new little munchkin, Emuna Mira McCurdy. I first met little Emuna just days after she was born, but didn't snap a photo on that visit. I got one this time that I feel sufficiently captures her dandy little cheeks and happy little smile. Welcome to the world little Emuna! I think you and Owen will be splendid friends.

Fact: Emuna's name means "the highest level of faith
one can reach in the Kaballah"
Fact: Owen was in love with Emuna and Loverboy, Shira's cat

#56 Harvesting! Hooray!

2009-05-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

My garden has finally grown to the point where I can get an actual meal from it. A couple of weeks ago I made Ryan, Owen, my mom, and I a lovely salad for lunch. I used some bibb lettuce, lolla rosa lettuce, baby beet greens, baby swiss chard, arugula, and some lovely baby lacinto kale. I topped it off with some quartered French breakfast radishes and some simple homemade lemon vinaigrette. So exciting!!! Since then, I've made a mean batch of arugula pesto and countless salads. I am obsessed with my garden. Obsessed.

#55 Eugene!

2009-05-19T18:31:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Ryan, Owen, and I traveled to Eugene to visit our dear friends Gully and Sarah. The little known benefit of being an only child (as I am) is that you get to choose the aunts and uncles for your children. We already lucked out with Ryan's family, but I've decided that I get to add to the whole aunt/uncle bit, so, Uncle Gully and Aunt Sarah it is!

Owen is literally getting in 5 teeth right now (including his first year molars) so I was worried that he wouldn't do too well on the trip, but it pretty much went off without a hitch (save the fact that he is allergic to the sunblock we put on him and he broke out in hives). We got started down on Friday after work and arrived late Friday night. Owen went right to bed once we got there and slept through the night. On Saturday we had a great time walking along the river and chatting. We grabbed a quick lunch and finished up the day with wine tasting at a trio of vineyards just outside of Eugene.

On Sunday Sarah baked "most-amazing-ever-ginger-scones" and we just relaxed and bullshat until it was time to head home.

Eugene is such a cute town and both times we've been down to visit the weather has been super nice. I love the college feel and how hippie it is, and, now, all of the fabulous vineyards I realize are so close to town. Oh yes, we'll be back, Eugene!

#54 Gus and Owen

2009-05-17T22:43:00.000-07:00

My dad was asking me how Owen and Gus are getting on these days so I thought I'd post some recent pics of the two of them snuggling. Overall Gus is liking Owen. Sometimes Owen just bugs him to no end and he'll spend all day going from one end of the room to the other just to escape him. On rare occasions if Gus is sleeping and Owen bugs him Gus will let out a little grumble. Owen is really good at touching Gus softly and even kisses him sometimes.

Owen can say both "doggy" and "Gus."

#53 Mama's Day

2009-05-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

I had such a glorious Mama's Day on Sunday! The morning started early with me making my mama some lovely lemon blueberry muffins. We then packed up and headed down to Olympia for some sea kayaking and grillin with my Uncle Steve (aka The Funmeister aka, to Owen, Uncle Fun). It was so peaceful sitting on his deck and just having a good ol' time.

When Ryan and I were yaking we had two seals that came within five feet of our boats. One just sat there with his little black eyes staring and his funny little nose snorting as he breathed. It was one of the coolest experiences I've had in a long time. Sea kayaking is so awesome and is, to me, the epitome of moving meditation. (Quite unlike my former pastime on whitewater rapids!)

Thanks!! to all of the amazing women in my life. I am so lucky to have not only the most amazing mother, but a fabulous mother-in-law and sisters-in-law as well. I was also privileged to know both of my grandmother's well as I was growing up and I have learned more than I can ever say from them. These people only begin the list of amazing women in my life; there are countless more. Cheers to all of you mothers out there!

#52 The Thing about Fridays...

2009-05-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

The thing about Fridays is that they make or break a weekend; how you choose to spend a Friday evening completely determines how long and relaxing you find your weekend. If you are proactive about your Fridays and resist the urge to come home from work and put on sweats your weekend feels infinitely longer than if you simply let the evening fizzle away and complain all night about your work week.

Example #1 - The Picnic: Two Fridays ago the weather was beautiful (finally, but now that's gone and it's gross again) so I hurried home from work and make a quick picnic. Owen, Ryan, and I headed to the park, sat out looking at the water, and munched on yummy food. We then took a long relaxing walk through Lincoln Park and just chatted the night away. By the time we drove home, I was so relaxed I could have sworn it was a Saturday, but, low and behold, I still had 2 days left in my weekend.

Worth mentioning at this point in the post is my
current obsession with green cabbage raab, which is
actually over wintered cabbage that has begun to flower.
Here it is tossed with rice pasta, shallots, and a
nice homemade vinaigrette. Delicious!

Example #2 - Pearl and Owen, Owen and Pearl: Last Friday we headed out to Maple Valley to visit our dear friends Lee and Courtnei. They have two beautiful girls, Pearl and Eleanor (who I've blogged about here before), who Owen had a delightful time playing with. Pearl and Owen were born on the same day, in the same hospital, and Courtnei and I think this means they should consider marriage. It was so nice to leave the city behind and share good food and conversation with friends. On the drive home I felt energized and happy and like my weekend was already well spent and it was only day 1.

Sooooo, let this be a lesson to you. Savor your Fridays!!! This weekend we head down to Eugene to visit our good friends and Owen's adopted Aunt and Uncle (Sarah and Mark aka "Gully").

#51 First Steps

2009-05-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

Owen has been on the verge of walking for a while. He had never gotten to the point where he was walking between two people, but he was totally standing and cruising along furniture and what not. Apparently, he was saving his skills for a visit from his Aunt Sarah and Uncle Gully because when they were here he took his first steps... and, it turns out, he was quite adept at walking (despite the little face plant, he's now doing quite well). It's like with crawling in that he just started crawling one day. No practice, just up and crawled at noon and by seven that evening crawling was old hat to him. I think I love this about him... in fact, I'm sure I do. So, maybe he'll be running marathons by next Tuesday. We'll see.

We pulled out the camera right after he started, so here are his fourth and fifth steps :)

#50 Hadouken

2009-05-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

A few days back Ryan was throwing tickle-hadoukens at Owen. Owen, in turn, tried to throw hadoukens at Ryan. Please view clip (sound is important --- "da DA DA!").

#49 Table

2009-04-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Ever-Elusive-Mid-Century-Dining-Table-With-Leaf,

Why are you so hard to find? Why are you so expensive when I do find you? Why don't you lie in wait at Value Village like a good little table should?

We would really like to seat more than four people comfortably in our home, and we'd treat you really well. We have nice chairs to go with you. I'll take you in round or square, or an aggressively rounded square. A few knicks and stains add character; just show yourself.

Warmest regards,
Meghan

#48 Tulips, Tulips, Tulips

2009-04-27T22:10:00.000-07:00

Ryan, Owen, and I made an impromptu trip to see the tulip fields in Skagit County this Sunday. They really are so amazing.

Owen just kept pointing at the red, purple, and pink fields and saying, "eh! eh! eh!' in that cute little high pitched voice that he does. I just love it.

#47 P-Town

2009-04-27T21:54:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. I want to move to Portland. Ryan does too. It is the best little town I ever did see. From our perspective it is the perfect combination of SLC and Seattle. A little gem, really. Ryan and I headed down to Portland to celebrate our 5 year anniversary (not that crazy when you consider that we've essentially been together for 11 years!). My mom watched Owen for the weekend and we got to be foot loose and fancy free in P-Town for the weekend.

We ate fabulous food (Pok-Pok!!!), looked at fabulous art, went to the farmer's market, drank yummy beer at Rogue brewery, and just enjoyed a sunny, fabulous northwest weekend. We also scored a few naps at our hotel, the Hotel Monaco, which was the same place we celebrated our wedding night with friends in Salt Lake!

I bought a lovely little fig tree at Pistil's Nursery which I have transplanted and placed on our juliet balcony. They say this year's harvest will be minimal, but that next year I should get over 15 figs! Love it! I really, really wanted to go to Meadow and get some Fleur de Sel to have with my almost-ready-to-pick French Breakfast Radishes, but they were closed :(

We'll be back, Portland, just you wait and see!

#46 A Trip to the Sea

2009-04-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

For the last while, Ryan has been crazy at work with a launch. My co-worker offered up her little beach cottage on the coast to my mother and I for an adventure. It was perfect timing because Ryan needed a little breathing room to work and sleep without a baby nearby. So, my mom and I packed the car, belted in Owen (who is now forward facing like a big boy) and headed west to the sea.

We spent our time walking along the beach and through the little neighborhood. We made lovely food, drank a lovely bottle of wine, and enjoyed the fresh sea air. We contemplated moving in, but that's really not appropriate. Owen had a blast exploring a new place and I loved showing him the crashing waves for the first time.

#45 O R E O

2009-04-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

A couple of days back my mom and I were in a regular grocery store (not the hippie grocery stores that we usually shop in) and I saw Oreos. I love Oreos and was delighted to see that they have stopped putting partially hydrogenated oils in them.

Everyone should eat Oreos. Oreos should be a food group. The main reason I love Oreos is that they take me back to my childhood. My mom hates the frosting and used to scrape it off with a knife. I would sneak all of her frosty inards and let them melt in my mouth. I think my dad liked Oreos, too. I've gone through many phases with Oreos (double stuff, dunked, not dunked, separating the two cookies and eating separately) but simply dunking them in a glass of cold milk is my favorite.

When my mom and I saw the Oreos in the store, I knew instantly that Owen must try them. He approves... likes them dunked in milk, but the frequency with which the bag disappeared indicates that Oreos should be purchased sparingly (Ryan also likes Oreos).

#44 Plant a Seed and Watch it Grow

2009-04-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

Any of you who've been over to our house have seen the change. Since February I (and Ryan at my behest) have been busy building and planting raised bed gardens. I have wanted a garden for as long as I can remember, and we finally have the yard to do it. I wanted to do it last year, but starting such a project when you're either 900 months pregnant or with a new little baby is not the easiest thing in the world. Even now, we couldn't have done it without my mom helping with Owen or helping with the project (yeah teamwork!). So, here's how it went down:

1) My mom and I head to City People's to get some seeds and some peat pellets to start germinating. We go ahead and get some starts going (chard, kale, peas, lettuces, etc.).

2) Ryan and I get the wood at home depot and build the raised beds in the garage.

3) Ryan and I tear up an insane amount of lawn and go on an earthworm rescue mission in the process.

4) Raised beds go down, ground gets leveled.

5) Dirt and cedar chips arrive in driveway, Mom and I spend hours moving dirt from driveway to beds on tarp until nice neighbor lady (NNL) brings us wheelbarrow. NNL gets big load of lovely organic potting soil.

6) Starts go into bed, new seeds get sown as well.

7) Meghan realizes that maybe she's not patient enough for gardening because she wants the radishes now and doesn't like looking at the scrawny seedlings; she feels as though nothing will ever grow.

#43 First Birthday!!! (An Evening in Photographs)

2009-03-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

#41 Happy Birthday Owen!

2009-03-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

#40 Embarrassing for Ryan

2009-03-10T14:45:00.001-07:00

I couldn't help but post this cute email I got from Ryan:

Owen's Note
Ryan Heffernan
Mon, Mar 9, 2009 at 9:25 AM

This is what Owen typed when I was letting him bang on my keyboard. I found it displayed this morning as I was closing out open windows. A dumb thing to save, I know, but I couldn’t resist. It might mean something in his language.

.jhijknjk l g t 54t l chb[w;';l t; l o/ hlploll;nm mmmm.z o}plm cxm c vcccccccccccccccccccccccccccvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv gfm lkkkkkkk mmklbl ,mfgmnfgh/.nm/
}n[h[l[jv vj
??>//. kuhjy uuuubbbhh
m//'/.o uyhf vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvffgvfgvvgfgfv

Ryan W. Heffernan
Operations Program Manager
Global Foundation Services

#39 Deep Thought

2009-03-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

#38 Olympic Sculpture Park

2009-03-07T21:23:00.000-08:00

My dad is in town and today we had a lovely stroll at the Olympic Sculpture Park. It's one of my favorite places in Seattle.

#37 Where have we been???

2009-03-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

That's a good question. I don't really have a good answer. I wish I could say that we've been kept busy doing fabulous things in cosmopolitan places, but really we've just been home and busy with life in general. It's been about 2 months since my last post; here's what we've been up to these days:

January:

My mom moved up to Seattle to help us care for Owen while I am finishing up my clerkship. She has put her house in SLC on the market and has been staying with us until it sells. It is so amazing to have her up here! I can't even begin to describe how different it is to leave Owen with her all day as opposed to taking him to daycare. I know every day that he is in the best hands and that his every need is attended to. Thanks Mom!
My birthday (1/18) was great. I gave myself the same present I give myself every year and turned my phone off for the weekend and didn't check email :) Ryan and I went to a fantastic dinner at Lark to celebrate.
Ryan and I took a much needed trip to SLC to visit friends and family. We stayed for almost five days and got great visiting time in with everyone. We've committed to one another to go there for a visit long enough to travel to the desert sometime this fall. I can't wait.
Owen started talking in earnest around this time. His first words were mama, dada, gawgee (doggy), and damn (thanks to Grandma Jo---or Nanjo as we've begun to refer to her).
Owen also got super sick after we went to Utah and got another ear infection.
Owen is a champion eater. He can eat three eggs for breakfast. (Sound like anyone we know, perhaps his father???)

February:

The month of love! My mom watched Owen on Valentines Day so that Ryan and I could take the bus into downtown. We went to lunch at the Pink Door, got gelato, loafed around Elliott Bay Book Co. for hours, and wandered around the city all day. We also caught a movie (a rare occurrence for us these days).
During this month, Owen became adept at pulling up and using anything that would move as a baby walker. He is getting so close to walking, but hasn't taken that first step.
It has been so amazing to watch his problem solving abilities develop. When he first started pushing his high chair or a stool around, he would get it stuck in a corner or on a rug. He recently started pulling on things that got stuck, or pushing on them from an angle as to move around an obstacle. This sounds like a minor thing, but it really is so cool to watch.
One of the cutest things that Owen does is crawl to his bookshelf, pull off all of his books, sift through them, select a book (very often it is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?), and do a "three-legged-crawl" over to someone, and hand over a book. He then can read the book for hours and hours, time and time again.
My cousin Emilie came out for a visit from NYC. The primary purpose of her visit was to confirm that Owen is indeed the cutest baby in the world. (Confirmed.)

March:

Owen is creeping up on one year now. There will, of course, be an Ode to Owen post around the actual day. I can't believe it's been a year!

I promise I'll be better at posting from now on. Cross my heart and hope to die.

xoxoxo

#36 Elf Yourself

2008-12-27T13:55:00.000-08:00

Well, we broke down and bought a copy of ourselves elfed. This is different than the one I emailed out, so give it a view if you have nothing better to do with yourself. Cheers!

#35 An Uncanny Resemblance

2008-12-26T20:34:00.000-08:00

#34 Owen's First Christmas!

2008-12-26T13:42:00.000-08:00

Owen loving the camera! What a ham.

Owen inspecting my new lens cap.

Owen's arrival spurred a lot of discussions between Ryan and I about Christmas and what place we want it to have in our family. Neither Ryan nor I are Christian and Christmas, after all, is primarily a Christian holiday. We contemplated not celebrating it at all and we contemplated going full throttle. In the end we decided to celebrate the holiday, of course, on our own terms by highlighting things we felt were the most important. Throughout our discussions a few themes kept recurring: Giving was important to us, but not necessarily to each other or to others that have too much already, but to people who have little and truly need more. We want Owen to always be aware of the privilege into which he was born, and to understand his ability to help people who have less. Tradition was important to us, too. We decided that we wanted some constants in our celebration of the holiday---things that we could come back to year after year. Finally, spending quality time with friends and family was also important.

Owen playing with his new toy (still wrapped).

So, given the above explanation, our Christmas looked something like this:

Curious Owen.

A couple of weeks before Christmas, we chose two babies from the Angel Tree at my work. Children Owen's age who requested only long sleved onesies for warmth. We took Owen shopping for these children's gifts and, of course at this age the conversation is relatively meaningless, simply explained to him that he has so much.

Of course Gus was not forgotten. He also scored a little bone shaped pillow and a bone shaped fleece bed.

Ryan and I spent Christmas Eve braving retail hell in order to procure child-proofing items. Owen is now crawling in earnest, and targets only electrical cords, outlets, sharp objects, and stairs. We raided Home Depot for a smattering of child safety items, and then spent the evening straightening the house and installing our child-proof bootie. Initially, we had planned to head out to Scott and Aimee's for some celebrating, but unfortnately the weather kept us home.

Our Christmas tree and gifts for Owen from his grandparents and Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins Campbell.

Owen 'opening' a present.

I had heard a fabulous story on NPR one morning on my way to work about a family's Christmas tradition where a collection of Christmas books was brought out every year after Thanksgiving and read throughout the season. Ryan and I decided to emulate this, so we purchased one new Christmas book, adding it to one my mom purchased for Owen last Christmas while I was pregnant, and officially started our collection. We finished the evening by reading Christmas books to Owen and watching a movie once he went to bed.

Owen and Ryan reading on Christmas Eve.

Owen hating his hat.

No Christmas is complete with out a traditional food, so for breakfast I made an apple Dutch baby that was delicious! I think they look so festive and are super easy to make; I find it the perfect Christmas morning food. We opened presents in the morning, listened to classic Christmas music (like Blue Christmas by Elvis, among others), and looked through our Christmas books again. Later in the afternoon we headed north to Scott and Aimee's where we chatted, ate, and played games. All in all, a fantastic Christmas!

Photos of the Apple Dutch Baby. I got a new lens for Christmas and I was playing with it all morning :)

#33

2008-12-24T18:32:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!

May your days be merry and bright!

Love,
the Eagan-Heffernan Family

#32 (This is just a random post I did to show someone how to post, but now I like it, so I'm leaving it... I hope you all find the stream calming.)

2008-12-23T15:06:00.001-08:00

Hello!

#31 Snow Days and a Fabulous Din Din

2008-12-21T21:58:00.000-08:00

Well, I just received word that the King County Superior Court will be closed tomorrow due to inclement weather. I didn't go to work on Thursday or Friday, so this means that I have inadvertently had a 5 day weekend. This is great, albeit a titch stifling.

One great mystery about the northwest is the consistently stupid choices people make when it snows. Seattle folk don't know how to drive in the snow. There are literally abandoned cars strewn to and fro, which makes plowing and sanding a bit of an endeavor. The silence of the snow draped neighborhood is often broken by the sound of someone spinning their tires endlessly in an effort to dislodge their vehicle from a mini-snow bank. Our street hasn't been plowed since this front moved in and we've only driven twice, not necessarily because the roads are that bad, but because people are c.r.a.z.y.

Exhibit 1: Here is a photo from the Seattle Times of somebody darting in front of traffic on an icy road.

Exhibit 2: Here is a bus that couldn't stop on a hill and so he almost careened onto I-5

So, here we sit: Sunday night, fire on, bellies full. We've just been hanging around, taking walks to the field to let Gus run free. We were going to have Rik, Eva, Fin, Scott, and Aimee over for dinner on Saturday night, but the weather prohibited such festivities. As a result, I had some lovely little ingredients sitting in my fridge, so I treated Ryan and I to a yummy dinner this evening.

On the Menu Tonight:
Chantrelle Mushroom Risotto
Endive, Frisee, and Fennel Salad with Shaved Parm and Red Wine Shallot Vinaigrette

Desert Yet to Make:
Pear and Cranberry Crumble with Homemade Cinnamon Ice Cream (ice cream is made and in the freezer just lonely)

#30 Crawling?

2008-12-21T13:44:00.000-08:00

Please see these videos to experience Owen's new mobility. I'm not sure you can call it crawling. Unfortunately, the only thing that motivates him is a live power cord. Oh well.

#29 Chosen Family Holiday Dinner

2008-12-17T17:21:00.000-08:00

Every year, our friend Sabrina has a little fete that is affectionately called a "Chosen Family Holiday Dinner." It usually goes down something like this: amazing friends, amazing food, amazing drinks, and amazing amazingness. This year was no exception.

This year it was clear that there was a child involved. Throughout the evening you could find a circle of chatterers, not standing in the kitchen sipping wine, but sitting on the floor reading Global Babies and playing with a toy car. I'm not sure what Owen will do when there is another kid involved in this annual giving of thanks and celebration of friendship; he likes all of the attention.

This is what a chosen family holiday dinner looks like:

#28 A New Low

2008-12-12T09:39:00.000-08:00

Well, Gus hit a new low. He has been protesting Owen's presence and Ryan's return to full time work by systematically destroying anything and everything that is left on any surface in our living room. Often we'll do a "Gus Check" before leaving and feel confident that we'll return to an in-tact home, but he'll manage to find something that was previously unappetizing and munch on that all afternoon. For example, he's destroyed DVD packages, rolls of paper towels, potatoes, anything you can think of.

Well, we got home from work last week to find the house smelling faintly of diaper cream. Turns out Gus had gotten into Owen's diaper bag, which was placed on our highest counter, and eaten an entire tube of Burt's Bees Diaper Cream. This made him terribly ill, so awaiting our arrival at the top of the stairs was a pile of doggy throwup smelling of diaper cream. He had also pooped in the house twice because of his upset belly. Ryan and I now understand the full extent of Gus's meddling---he is alpha and omega, the creator and destructor, nothing is safe.

#27 Our First Trip Away

2008-12-06T16:33:00.000-08:00

My mom came up to visit during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, so Ryan and I were able to sneak away to Vancouver, B.C. for our first overnight trip away from Owen. We have both spent nights away from him separately---Ryan when Owen and I were in Salt Lake this past summer, and me when I was taking the bar exam---but this was our first time away together.

We had such a great time. Vancouver is such an awesome city, and feels much more metropolitan that Seattle. We stayed at a great B&B called the Barclay House in the West End and relaxed and read, ate a fabulous dinner, and explored Granville Island, Stanley Park, and the surrounding area of the city. We also went to a super cool Buddhist temple and monastary in Richmond (a small suburb outside of Vancouver). Unfortunately it took us 3 hours to cross the border back into the U.S. Theoretically it would be a great time to read and chat, but Ryan and I were so bugged to be in line we couldn't even talk.

Top 5 Reasons to Move to Vancouver (in random order):

1) Cooler than Seattle because it's in Canada
2) Granville Island Tea Company
3) "Green" graffiti
4) Random art projects on the water
5) A book store that sells nothing but cookbooks

Fun times! It was great to get back to see the little man, we had missed him.

#26 First Thanksgiving

2008-12-03T20:06:00.000-08:00

Too tired for a proper post, so just photos with captions tonight :)

Owen with his Thanksgiving dish.

Our Thanksgiving CSA box and sugar pumpkins getting prepped for the pie.

Owen eating and Gus---attentive as always.

My mom and Owen snuggling after dinner.

Ryan relaxing and Owen snoozing while my mom and I turkey wrangled.

Me trying to get in a kiss.

Gus looking at the counter where the food is.

Owen delighted.

The aftermath.

On the menu:
Turkey
Stuffing
Yams
Cream Braised Brussels Sprouts
Pumpkin Pie

#25 Pooptastic

2008-11-23T21:01:00.001-08:00

What is a family blog without a poop story? A classier blog than this one, but nothing I want to read. :)

Last Sunday, after we took Ryan's parents to the airport Ryan and I headed out to REI so I could grab a sweater I had been eying. We parked along the curb, and as Ryan was getting the Ergo on, I was grabbing Owen from the car seat. When I lifted him I smelled the Owen Funk so I said we needed to change him. We opened the trunk and I began to unsnap the legs of his outfit. I was greeted with poop running down his leg. ("Loose Bowels" was a side effect of the antibiotics he was on.) Upon closer inspection, I realized that the poop had gone out of every hole in the diaper (read front, back, and both leg holes). To make a long story short, we ended up practically ripping the outfit off of him (so he wouldn't get poop on his face and head) and having Ryan hold him naked in the air outside of REI (in NOVEMBER!) while I scrubbed him down with every last wipe. Of course the second we started doing his, he decided that he had to pee. Good thing we had another outfit.

I had phantom poop smell on my hands for the next twenty-four hours. Gross.