Thursday, August 23, 2007

Sunny California...


I flew to Los Angeles very early on Sunday morning and Diana was there to greet me when I finally found my way out of the airport. She had even made me a lay from the flowers in her yard. It was beautiful! We made a detour to my friend, Meghan's, to meet her boyfriend, Kevin. They took us on a stroll through the neighborhood where we had a yummy breakfast sitting outside and enjoying the sights and sounds of California!

On our way "home", we managed to stop at a few beaches along highway 1 and watch cute boys kitesurfing or just walk along the beach letting the sand exfoliate the bottoms of our feet. :) It was fabulous! The weather was perfect and the sun, sand, friendship and ocean breeze felt like heaven!

Our days were pretty much spent playing on the beach or eating. We had a wonderful lunch at the Brown Pelican - I even had fish & chips. It's about the only fish I can bring myself to eat but I figured it was better than nothing. It was quite delicious - if I do say so myself. We enjoyed the sun for the afternoon and I even managed to get a quick dip in the ocean before I became too numb.

My last morning in California, we hiked up to Lizard's Mouth where we had a great panoramic view of sunny Santa Barbara. It was fun hiking and climbing all over the rocks. All is all it was a perfect few days with my wonderful friend. As always, the time is always too short but I was grateful for time to catch up (in person), share tears and laughter and just enjoy one another's company. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful friend.
Posted by Picasa

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Mike & Jessica's Wedding


Jessica was a beautiful bride! The wedding was absolutely perfect and went off without a hitch - at least as far as those of us in attendance could tell. I took lots of notes because I loved the way she did her wedding. All the bridesmaids wore black dresses of their choosing and then they carried beautiful bright colored bouquets. The reception was so much fun! We ate tons - I even tried crabcakes for the first time and they weren't too bad. There was an abundance of food and wine but the BEST part was the candy buffet where you could fill your own "goody bag" of chocolates. I thought it was a fabulous idea! We danced the night away - or at least until they kicked us out! :) It was the perfect ending to my few short days in Seattle...but now it's on to California!
Posted by Picasa

Friday, August 17, 2007

The Wedding Rehearsal

Mike and Jessica were kind enough to invite me to the rehearsal dinner even though I wasn't directly involved in the wedding. Mike's roommate's parents hosted the event at their home in Edmonds, WA and it was BEAUTIFUL!! The view from their patio (as you can see in the pictures) was absolutely spectacular! There were probably 50 people at the dinner. They had a piano player that played constantly throughout the evening in the foyer area. We had a buffet dinner that was delicious with a dessert buffet that was amazing. I managed to spill chocolate sauce on my white shirt which was quite embarrassing but pretty typical of me. It was wonderful to see Jessica so happy and to get a chance to find out a little more about the man she has chosen to spend her life with. He's pretty wonderful and I do think they make a really good couple!
Posted by Picasa

Thursday, August 16, 2007

My first day in Seattle...

Robin picked me up at the airport and we took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island and then on to her home in Poulsbo. It was beautiful (though chilly - but I didn't mind considering I had left 100+ degrees in Kansas City). We had a great time visiting and enjoyed the view of Seattle.






First thing in the morning, we made our way back to Seattle and caught the bus to Univerity Presbyterian Church where Jessica picked us up and we headed off to get manicures and/or pedicures. Here is Jessica enjoying her pedicure - but we all enjoyed a little pampering.


After our pampering, Jessica took us to see where she and Mike will be living after the wedding. The best part about it is the Thai restaurant in the first level of the building - now that's dangerous! We decided to stop in for a bite of lunch and it was delicious!







Don't you like my new hair style? Actually, that style was designed by the ferry and the wind. :) Jessica took us back to the ferry and we headed back to Bainbridge. Robin had an appointment so after walking around for about an hour, I spent the rest of my time at the Harbor House Pub enjoying some yummy pear cider and catching up on my computer work. Robin joined me when she finished and we feasted on fish & chips. It was a perfect day!



This is the view of Seattle from the ferry as it approached Bainbridge Island.