I'm hoping that we won't have any problems today. Seems everyone else has. My brothers and their families were supposed to have left Sunday night and got there yesterday afternoon. However, do to delays, they won't get there for a few more hours. It looks up for us however. The roads were clear all the way here to Seattle last night and so far the airports are doing pretty good with a lot less cancellations than yesterday and Sunday. One can only hope from here. We'll spend the greater part of today lounging around my brother's apartment and then my wonderful friend, Tiffany, will be driving us to the airport. Where I hope that we won't wait very long. It might be awhile before I update this blog. (I know, I know, what else is knew.) Hopefully, I'll be able to check my e-mail periodically. Whilst we are gone we plan on taking a ginormous amount of pictures to share later.
On a side note: we would love to get addresses from everyone as we compile and put together and New Year's Newsletter, since a Christmas Card wasn't really going to happen this year.
Well, Ty needs this computer since he still must work today. I hope you all enjoy the snow and have a very Merry Christmas!!!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Becoming Christmas
Like most of us, I've eagerly been anticipating the arrival of Christmas. If it were just me I would have started listening to my wide array of holiday music at the beginning of October. However, out of courtesy for my dear husband I begin the minute after Thanksgiving. I love the whimsical feeling in the air. Everything simply feels better at Christmas than any other time of the year.
I decided that in preparation for our long awaited trip overseas, I would prepare my husband with a little mock German delight that is Leavenworth. Both of us have been there, but never together and I was by all odds determined to have this man eat a German meal previous to our arrival to the actual country. Granted you really won't find the originality anywhere unless you're talking about my momma's cooking (hmmmmmmmm), but I'll take whatever I can get.
We decided on the 6th, a Saturday, and last minute convinced my parents and younger brother to come along for the ride. Okay, so they actually provided the ride, but who's keeping track. :) After researching menus (and pricelists) and atmosphere, I decided on Andrea's Keller.
On the way up we had some good conversation about my parents' experiences in Germany. Upon arrival to the mock German village we discovered only too late the excitement and utter pandemonium of the Leavenworth Christmas Lighting Ceremony. Cars lined the streets and parking lots, while mammoth buses lined the allyways. In my eagerness, I miscalculated the event and its apparent magnitude. People from all over come to see this event. In all seriousness though, all it is is a bunch of buildings turning on their Christmas lights at the same time. THAT'S IT!!!!!!!!! All the hallabaloo for that! What do you think? Is it worth all the hype?
The trip was chaos, trying to get around, but all in all a sucess. Especially since the night ended with a short trip to the beloved Cold Stone Creamery, where Ty and I indulged in a nice little helping of Birthday Cake remix. Yummmy!!!!
In order to get ready for the holidays, I find it completely necessary to decorate the humble abode in which we dwell. When I was still living at home, I took the utmost pleasure in placing ornaments on the tree and little knick-knacks around the house. After becoming married, this would not be terminated.
I think these are the first pictures I've put up of the inside of the house. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do when Christmas is over and I have to move some things back. I told Ty that house was built for Christmas. If only I could keep my home like this all year long.
My boss and his wife also like to decorate the office for this special time of year.
Now that the Stockings are hung by the chimney with care,
it soon will be time for us to be in the air.
Flying over mountains, and cities, and cars, and seas,
in hopes of my grandparents' hearts to please.
Our presence shall long be awaited,
and after so many years far too belated.
We'll slip and we'll slide on the Autobahn we'll go
and to make matters worse it will probably snow.
I hope that with your gifts you will all be delighted
and your Christmas spirit renewed and your hearts ignited.
For the greatest gift of all is the gift of giving,
To help someone on their way in this life we are living.
Find the real meaning of Christmas and take it to heart
And this year at Christmas make a new start.
Think in your minds, "What would the Savior Do?"
I promise now it will be the greatest thing for them and for you.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
I decided that in preparation for our long awaited trip overseas, I would prepare my husband with a little mock German delight that is Leavenworth. Both of us have been there, but never together and I was by all odds determined to have this man eat a German meal previous to our arrival to the actual country. Granted you really won't find the originality anywhere unless you're talking about my momma's cooking (hmmmmmmmm), but I'll take whatever I can get.
We decided on the 6th, a Saturday, and last minute convinced my parents and younger brother to come along for the ride. Okay, so they actually provided the ride, but who's keeping track. :) After researching menus (and pricelists) and atmosphere, I decided on Andrea's Keller.
Proof that Ty will eat leafy greens.
On the way up we had some good conversation about my parents' experiences in Germany. Upon arrival to the mock German village we discovered only too late the excitement and utter pandemonium of the Leavenworth Christmas Lighting Ceremony. Cars lined the streets and parking lots, while mammoth buses lined the allyways. In my eagerness, I miscalculated the event and its apparent magnitude. People from all over come to see this event. In all seriousness though, all it is is a bunch of buildings turning on their Christmas lights at the same time. THAT'S IT!!!!!!!!! All the hallabaloo for that! What do you think? Is it worth all the hype?
The trip was chaos, trying to get around, but all in all a sucess. Especially since the night ended with a short trip to the beloved Cold Stone Creamery, where Ty and I indulged in a nice little helping of Birthday Cake remix. Yummmy!!!!
In order to get ready for the holidays, I find it completely necessary to decorate the humble abode in which we dwell. When I was still living at home, I took the utmost pleasure in placing ornaments on the tree and little knick-knacks around the house. After becoming married, this would not be terminated.
The Living Room
Extension of the Living Room
This is hanging just above the couch. Would you believe that all these little decorations only cost me $3.00!
The End Table next to the couch.
And finally, our Christmas Tree. That thing hanging in the corner is our Countdown Chain that I made.
I think these are the first pictures I've put up of the inside of the house. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do when Christmas is over and I have to move some things back. I told Ty that house was built for Christmas. If only I could keep my home like this all year long.
My boss and his wife also like to decorate the office for this special time of year.
Now that the Stockings are hung by the chimney with care,
it soon will be time for us to be in the air.
Flying over mountains, and cities, and cars, and seas,
in hopes of my grandparents' hearts to please.
Our presence shall long be awaited,
and after so many years far too belated.
We'll slip and we'll slide on the Autobahn we'll go
and to make matters worse it will probably snow.
I hope that with your gifts you will all be delighted
and your Christmas spirit renewed and your hearts ignited.
For the greatest gift of all is the gift of giving,
To help someone on their way in this life we are living.
Find the real meaning of Christmas and take it to heart
And this year at Christmas make a new start.
Think in your minds, "What would the Savior Do?"
I promise now it will be the greatest thing for them and for you.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Monday, December 8, 2008
I love free stuff!
This is the first time I've done a blog giveaway thing-a-ma-jig. I'm really hoping to win this one!
Check out the the button on the side and see all the cool stuff. There's quite a bit. Thanks Tiffany for putting this up. I hope you win something too!
Check out the the button on the side and see all the cool stuff. There's quite a bit. Thanks Tiffany for putting this up. I hope you win something too!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Timley passing
Oh, where has this month gone?! Heck, where has the year gone?! Does anyone else feel like they're really back somewhere earlier in the year, but time decided to keep on moving forward? This last month just seems like it hardly happened. November didn't really have a lot going on until Thanksgiving and that was justifiably insane.
I'll go back a little bit before that though to recap. Our office decided to do yet another "Off", which started off as a "Bread Off", and last minute changed to "Baked Goods Off". The requirement was that you had to have it come out of the oven. It was such a busy day that I didn't get a chance to take pictures of anything, but here's a picture of what mine looked like.
I was really excited to make this because I had tried at a bakery a couple of years ago and it was DELICIOUS!!! Needless to say, mine actually turned out pretty good. I was confident, until.........Daniele popped in with her Raspberry Cheesecake Bites. I know what you're thinking, and believe me I was quite skeptical myself. Apparently though, her crust was baked. I wouldn't have come out first anyway, but it was definitely not a fair fight. Oh well, mine was still pretty dang good!
The next week, Ty's mom called us and let us know that our dear Grandpa Robbins had finally passed and the funeral would be the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Which meant a lot of family was coming. If you would like, you can read Grandpa Lovell Robbins' obituary here.
Thanksgiving weekend was crazy, but so much fun. I actually made my Pumpkin bread and the kids gobbled (no pun intended....hehe, okay maybe a little bit) it up. The whole day was full of making food, eating it, and enjoying each others company.
The next day was kind of a laze about day for us ladies. The menfolk however, headed out to the Royal Camp cemetery to dig the grave that Grandpa would be placed in. The person who would normally take care of it was out of town for the holiday and Rex (Ty's dad) took the opportunity to take all of those who were willing and dig with shovels as far as they could (a good two to three feet) and finished the rest with the backhoe. Don't worry, we had warm and steamy hot chocolate waiting for them. Their cousins from Oregon met them out there just in time to help and I think they all enjoyed the task.
Saturday was an early morning for us all. The viewing was at 9AM until 9:30AM. Getting everyone showered and cleaned up took some organization, but we managed to work it out.
Lovell B. Robbins
I'll go back a little bit before that though to recap. Our office decided to do yet another "Off", which started off as a "Bread Off", and last minute changed to "Baked Goods Off". The requirement was that you had to have it come out of the oven. It was such a busy day that I didn't get a chance to take pictures of anything, but here's a picture of what mine looked like.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
I was really excited to make this because I had tried at a bakery a couple of years ago and it was DELICIOUS!!! Needless to say, mine actually turned out pretty good. I was confident, until.........Daniele popped in with her Raspberry Cheesecake Bites. I know what you're thinking, and believe me I was quite skeptical myself. Apparently though, her crust was baked. I wouldn't have come out first anyway, but it was definitely not a fair fight. Oh well, mine was still pretty dang good!The next week, Ty's mom called us and let us know that our dear Grandpa Robbins had finally passed and the funeral would be the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Which meant a lot of family was coming. If you would like, you can read Grandpa Lovell Robbins' obituary here.
Thanksgiving weekend was crazy, but so much fun. I actually made my Pumpkin bread and the kids gobbled (no pun intended....hehe, okay maybe a little bit) it up. The whole day was full of making food, eating it, and enjoying each others company.
The next day was kind of a laze about day for us ladies. The menfolk however, headed out to the Royal Camp cemetery to dig the grave that Grandpa would be placed in. The person who would normally take care of it was out of town for the holiday and Rex (Ty's dad) took the opportunity to take all of those who were willing and dig with shovels as far as they could (a good two to three feet) and finished the rest with the backhoe. Don't worry, we had warm and steamy hot chocolate waiting for them. Their cousins from Oregon met them out there just in time to help and I think they all enjoyed the task.
Saturday was an early morning for us all. The viewing was at 9AM until 9:30AM. Getting everyone showered and cleaned up took some organization, but we managed to work it out.
Lovell B. RobbinsThe funeral services were wonderful. Music and memories were shared and given. Tears were shed and hearts were filled. The spirit was present in all those who participated and it was felt by everyone present. Grandpa Robbins was just shy of 91 and I'm awed at all the things he's seen and done. The only thing that made me sad during it all was that I couldn't have gotten to know him better while he was with us. I so look forward to the day when I'm able to do that. He really was an amazing man in his own right. He was hardworking, ingenuitive, loving, patient, kind. A man of few words, though he was, never without a kind thought or deed to those he loved.
Well, now that Thanksgiving is over and the turkey has had its day, D-day soon approaches. That's right. We're in the final month of waiting until we leave to Germany. It's unbelievable that Christmas is that close. There's so much to do and so little time in which we are given to do it all. However, I firmly believe that with some ingenuity of my own, we can pull this off without forgetting something back home in the bathroom.
Well, now that Thanksgiving is over and the turkey has had its day, D-day soon approaches. That's right. We're in the final month of waiting until we leave to Germany. It's unbelievable that Christmas is that close. There's so much to do and so little time in which we are given to do it all. However, I firmly believe that with some ingenuity of my own, we can pull this off without forgetting something back home in the bathroom.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Pumpkin Carving....
On Tuesday, I decided it was finally time to go forth and buy our small little family a pumpkin and take part in the time old tradition that is pumpkin carving. However, I didn't actually get to it until last night! Oh, well. Let me take you on my journey....
Step 1.
Cut out top of pumpkin.
Yes, I bought a tablecloth and place mats for Halloween. Aren't they cute?
Step 2.
Take out all the pumpkin GU
TS!!!
Step 3.
Pick out pattern and place on pumpkin.
Step 4.
Make an outline of pattern onto the pumpkin.
Okay, do not judge how fat I look in this picture. I was wearing one of Ty's shirts and was waaaay big on me.
Don't worry. That injury on my finger is not from this activity.
Step 5.
Get about thus far and call for reinforcements.
Ty brought out the BIG knife!!!
Step 6.
After awhile, decide to relocate to the coffee table so you can watch a movie while completing the task.
Keeping a watchful eye over his shoulder.
We were a little on edge by the time we finished this project.
But it was well worth the effort!
Not the greatest picture in the world, but it definitely shows of our work. Yay!
Step 1.
Cut out top of pumpkin.
Yes, I bought a tablecloth and place mats for Halloween. Aren't they cute?
Step 2.
Take out all the pumpkin GU
TS!!!
Step 3.
Pick out pattern and place on pumpkin.
Step 4.
Make an outline of pattern onto the pumpkin.
Okay, do not judge how fat I look in this picture. I was wearing one of Ty's shirts and was waaaay big on me.
Don't worry. That injury on my finger is not from this activity.Step 5.
Get about thus far and call for reinforcements.
Ty brought out the BIG knife!!!Step 6.
After awhile, decide to relocate to the coffee table so you can watch a movie while completing the task.
Keeping a watchful eye over his shoulder.
We were a little on edge by the time we finished this project.
But it was well worth the effort!
Not the greatest picture in the world, but it definitely shows of our work. Yay!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Finally Tagged!
So I've finally been tagged! I was beginning to think it might never happen. Lol. You have to give five answers to each of the questions and pass it on. To pass it on, you name them on your blog and you leave a comment notifying them on their blog. Wellp, here it goes....
5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Hoping to go the Youth Church Dances
2. Girls Campin' it up!
3. In 7th grade
4. Crushing on Prince William
5. Starting the Anne of Green Gables book series
5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Unpack from the last two days
2. Do laundry
3. Get rid of my headache
4. Clean the house
5. Make my hubby dinner
5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Chocolate!!!!!!!!!!!!
2. Popcorn
3. Crackers, cheese, and apples
4. Yogurt covered raisins
5. More Chocolate
5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Pay off all the bills, and pay tithing regularly :)
2. Build an awesome house
3. Put amazing landscaping around the house
4. Travel around the world
5. Donate to charities
5 places I have lived:
1. Mae Valley, Moses Lake, WA
2. Rexburg, ID
3. Kirkland, WA
4. "The Base", Moses Lake, WA
5. We're looking at buying a house.....but still in Moses Lake, WA
5 jobs I have had:
1. JRCC - secretary for my Dad's company (speaks for itself)
2. Gymboree (probably my favorite job, everyone was sooo nice)
3. Fashion Bug (it's not always better at the bug)
4. Nanny (never, ever doing THAT again)
5. Secretary/Massage Practitioner at the Chiropractic office
5 people I tag:
1. Amber
2. Nichole
3. Portia
4. Rachelle
5. Ashley
5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Hoping to go the Youth Church Dances
2. Girls Campin' it up!
3. In 7th grade
4. Crushing on Prince William
5. Starting the Anne of Green Gables book series
5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Unpack from the last two days
2. Do laundry
3. Get rid of my headache
4. Clean the house
5. Make my hubby dinner
5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Chocolate!!!!!!!!!!!!
2. Popcorn
3. Crackers, cheese, and apples
4. Yogurt covered raisins
5. More Chocolate
5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Pay off all the bills, and pay tithing regularly :)
2. Build an awesome house
3. Put amazing landscaping around the house
4. Travel around the world
5. Donate to charities
5 places I have lived:
1. Mae Valley, Moses Lake, WA
2. Rexburg, ID
3. Kirkland, WA
4. "The Base", Moses Lake, WA
5. We're looking at buying a house.....but still in Moses Lake, WA
5 jobs I have had:
1. JRCC - secretary for my Dad's company (speaks for itself)
2. Gymboree (probably my favorite job, everyone was sooo nice)
3. Fashion Bug (it's not always better at the bug)
4. Nanny (never, ever doing THAT again)
5. Secretary/Massage Practitioner at the Chiropractic office
5 people I tag:
1. Amber
2. Nichole
3. Portia
4. Rachelle
5. Ashley
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Luggage
Okay, I know I'm lame to be posting about these stupid little details, but they just get me all kinds of excited!!!
I had looked up online what our baggage allowances are, then talked to my dad. I found out that because we have scheduled our flight before the change in baggage allowance, we will be allowed 2 checked bags, a carry-on, plus a laptop bag, purse, or briefcase. That means Ty and I each will be allowed up to 3 pieces of luggage, plus another bag to carry-on. Wooohoo!!
Well, we didn't really have anything all that equipped for such a voyage and decided that now was a good a time as any to find something appropriate for our needs. I searched through numerous online sites and took into account other stores (including Costco) that I knew we could get luggage from. Hands down, the best price was Overstock.com. When, Ty came home I asked him about it and he said that if that was the set I wanted to go for it!
I couldn't resist taking a picture when I got them! They are so pretty and big! The four little pouches at the bottom are actually little organizers. I'm really looking forward to using them.
I wanted to take a picture of them open to show how big they are. The one on the left has the one smaller inside of it. Easy storage. If you look closely enough, you'll see (on the right one) that there is a zipper there. You put all your belongings in the suitcase and it's all completely protected after to zip up the cover!
I've decided to do a "pre-pack" soon, so I'll be able to tell if I can manage to put more things in there and if I need more room for things. What do you think?
I had looked up online what our baggage allowances are, then talked to my dad. I found out that because we have scheduled our flight before the change in baggage allowance, we will be allowed 2 checked bags, a carry-on, plus a laptop bag, purse, or briefcase. That means Ty and I each will be allowed up to 3 pieces of luggage, plus another bag to carry-on. Wooohoo!!
Well, we didn't really have anything all that equipped for such a voyage and decided that now was a good a time as any to find something appropriate for our needs. I searched through numerous online sites and took into account other stores (including Costco) that I knew we could get luggage from. Hands down, the best price was Overstock.com. When, Ty came home I asked him about it and he said that if that was the set I wanted to go for it!
I couldn't resist taking a picture when I got them! They are so pretty and big! The four little pouches at the bottom are actually little organizers. I'm really looking forward to using them.
I wanted to take a picture of them open to show how big they are. The one on the left has the one smaller inside of it. Easy storage. If you look closely enough, you'll see (on the right one) that there is a zipper there. You put all your belongings in the suitcase and it's all completely protected after to zip up the cover!
I've decided to do a "pre-pack" soon, so I'll be able to tell if I can manage to put more things in there and if I need more room for things. What do you think?
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Passports!!!
So, I had originally planned to have posted a couple of weeks ago. But life gets in the way and there really isn't much you can do. Also, I know at the end of the last post, I said that the luggage was next, oh and believe me I'm excited about it, but I actually got these sooner than planned and wanted to share my excitement!
First of all, getting a passport takes some time and a good dollar (more like 100 good dollars) to get. We wanted to make sure that we would have them in enough time. My mom, the wonderful lady that she is, went down to the Post Office in Moses Lake, and picked up applications for just about everyone she could. I started to fill it out, but had some questions about different little things to fill in and didn't want to make a mistake, since these are official government documents. Ty, the amazing computer genius that HE is, looked it all up online, and what do ya know? You can fill it out online, print it, and take in it when you apply. Hooray!
Now for those who might want to know, you can get your passport pics done at Wal-mart two different ways. You could travel the little more expensive route and get them done in the professional photography center at the front of the store (like I did, for almost $11) and only wait a grand total of about 2 minutes and have them in hand. Or if you want a smaller price (close to $8), go to the Photo Center and wait for an hour whilst they process. When we went to get Ty's done (they don't do it in the Ephrata Wal-mart), the girl at the Photography center said they were out of the paper, but we could (and she wasn't supposed to tell us this) go back to the photo center and get it done for cheeper! Ummm, did I mention that this was the same girl who took my picture!!! Oh well.
Okay, so the actual getting of the passports, apparently not as easy as we thought....at least not in Ephrata! We picked a day I didn't have to work and went to Ephrata. We had lunch and then shot over to the Post Office before Ty's lunch was over to get it done. Wrong, you have to go to the Clerk's Office at the Court House. So, we high-tail on over there. And after the maze of get to the office, we finally found it. We stood there while the lady was BABBELING and asking all kinds of questions about my family in Germany and if we had gone before and all the things she LOVED about the country, to finally have her ask for Ty's Birth Certificate, only then realizing that we didn't have either of ours!!!!!!!!!! I was more than upset. We wasted so much time with her talking that Ty was late getting back from lunch. Luckily, it's not that big of a deal for him and he wasn't horribly late. But we decided to come up with an alternate route. After finding all of our information that we would NEED, we found out that you can go to the Moses Lake Post Office, but only between certain hours, no appointment needed. We got there right before the huge lined began to form, and the time it took for the Clerk's office to get to the point they did with Ty's passport, we had finished both of ours. They said that it would take about three weeks until we got them. However, two weeks later......
We got these!!!!
You can see that I was quite anxious to make mine official and couldn't wait to sign it. Ty is much more leisure than I am. Of course, he's not to excited about the actual travel part. Germany, should be fun, but the flying and airports and what not are going to be more fun for me than him.
First of all, getting a passport takes some time and a good dollar (more like 100 good dollars) to get. We wanted to make sure that we would have them in enough time. My mom, the wonderful lady that she is, went down to the Post Office in Moses Lake, and picked up applications for just about everyone she could. I started to fill it out, but had some questions about different little things to fill in and didn't want to make a mistake, since these are official government documents. Ty, the amazing computer genius that HE is, looked it all up online, and what do ya know? You can fill it out online, print it, and take in it when you apply. Hooray!
Now for those who might want to know, you can get your passport pics done at Wal-mart two different ways. You could travel the little more expensive route and get them done in the professional photography center at the front of the store (like I did, for almost $11) and only wait a grand total of about 2 minutes and have them in hand. Or if you want a smaller price (close to $8), go to the Photo Center and wait for an hour whilst they process. When we went to get Ty's done (they don't do it in the Ephrata Wal-mart), the girl at the Photography center said they were out of the paper, but we could (and she wasn't supposed to tell us this) go back to the photo center and get it done for cheeper! Ummm, did I mention that this was the same girl who took my picture!!! Oh well.Okay, so the actual getting of the passports, apparently not as easy as we thought....at least not in Ephrata! We picked a day I didn't have to work and went to Ephrata. We had lunch and then shot over to the Post Office before Ty's lunch was over to get it done. Wrong, you have to go to the Clerk's Office at the Court House. So, we high-tail on over there. And after the maze of get to the office, we finally found it. We stood there while the lady was BABBELING and asking all kinds of questions about my family in Germany and if we had gone before and all the things she LOVED about the country, to finally have her ask for Ty's Birth Certificate, only then realizing that we didn't have either of ours!!!!!!!!!! I was more than upset. We wasted so much time with her talking that Ty was late getting back from lunch. Luckily, it's not that big of a deal for him and he wasn't horribly late. But we decided to come up with an alternate route. After finding all of our information that we would NEED, we found out that you can go to the Moses Lake Post Office, but only between certain hours, no appointment needed. We got there right before the huge lined began to form, and the time it took for the Clerk's office to get to the point they did with Ty's passport, we had finished both of ours. They said that it would take about three weeks until we got them. However, two weeks later......
We got these!!!!You can see that I was quite anxious to make mine official and couldn't wait to sign it. Ty is much more leisure than I am. Of course, he's not to excited about the actual travel part. Germany, should be fun, but the flying and airports and what not are going to be more fun for me than him.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
I'm Leavin' On a Jet Plane....
I'm sure plenty of you know of the excursion my family is planning on taking this Christmas. But for those of you who don't, we are planning quite the trip and vacation to Germany. Most of you know that my mother is German and we have family in that country that I haven't seen in years. Not to mention, none of them have met my brand new husband, who I'm quite anxious to show off.
At any rate, this trip has a lot of planning still that needs to be done, and I wanted to share the process. Mostly, to get ideas if I'm missing anything or of things I could do. To begin with, I'll start with our flight itinerary.
On Tuesday, December 23rd:
We'll be flying British Airways
Depart: Seattle, WA @ 6:30 PM
Arrive: London-Heathrow, GB @ 12:00 PM (the 24th)
Depart: London-Heathrow, GB @1:50 PM
Arrive: Stuttgart, DE @ 4:30 PM, where our family will pick us up.
We'll be returning on January 6th in Seattle @ about 3:50 PM. Yup, that's right. TWO WEEKS in Germany!!!! But here's the kicker: there will be 15 of us going! That includes all the children (even the 2 yr. olds).
Because of work schedules, Ty and I will be the last to get there and flying without the rest of the family. The plan, as of right now, is that Ty will work from home that day until about Noon, which is when we plan on getting our little rear ends out of Moses Lake. Since the flight leaves at 6:30, and according to airline regulations for international flights, we need to be at the airport 2 hours before the flight. We don't want to spend a horrific amount of money parking our car at the airport ($260.00), so we are driving to the apartment complex my brother and sister-in-law manage. Now, our dilemma lies with what is the best solution to getting from the apartments to the airport.
These are our options:
Option #1
There is a Sound Transit Metro Bus stop about five seconds from the apartments. This would definitely be the cheapest of all the options available. The total cost of fare per person is about $2.50, one way. We would start our journey at 3:12 and arrive at 4:20. Now the drawback. Not really the most comfortable way to travel, especially with baggage. Not to mention the there would be at least one transfer in between.
Option #2
If you go to the Sea-Tac Airport's website and look under "Parking and Transportation", they will give you a list of options. The only one serving the area that we will be in (Kirkland) was the Go Shuttle Express. They offer a Share Ride service. They pick you up at you requested destination and drop you off at the airport. There would be a window between 3:00 and 3:20 when they would pick us up and drop us off at the airport at 4:20. Being as there are two of us, and it would need to be a round trip, there's a few discounts. However, the total would still come out to $92.50. Uhhh....remember how I'm trying to save money? This is more than likely going to be either the same or better than getting a taxi, so I'm not even going to look into that.
Option #3
Last of all options is to beg and plead any family or friends living on that side of the mountains to help us out and take us to and from the airport. We would, of course, pay for gas. This is probably going to be the most comfortable (and compared to the Shuttle Express most cost-efficient), however we don't want to inconvienence anyone. That is, afterall, the day before Christmas Eve. People have better things they could be doing on that particular day.
So here we are. Undecided. Help me out people. What advice can you give? Are there other options that I haven't looked into that might be better?
Next up will be the luggage.....
At any rate, this trip has a lot of planning still that needs to be done, and I wanted to share the process. Mostly, to get ideas if I'm missing anything or of things I could do. To begin with, I'll start with our flight itinerary.
On Tuesday, December 23rd:
We'll be flying British Airways
Depart: Seattle, WA @ 6:30 PM
Arrive: London-Heathrow, GB @ 12:00 PM (the 24th)
Depart: London-Heathrow, GB @1:50 PM
Arrive: Stuttgart, DE @ 4:30 PM, where our family will pick us up.
We'll be returning on January 6th in Seattle @ about 3:50 PM. Yup, that's right. TWO WEEKS in Germany!!!! But here's the kicker: there will be 15 of us going! That includes all the children (even the 2 yr. olds).
Because of work schedules, Ty and I will be the last to get there and flying without the rest of the family. The plan, as of right now, is that Ty will work from home that day until about Noon, which is when we plan on getting our little rear ends out of Moses Lake. Since the flight leaves at 6:30, and according to airline regulations for international flights, we need to be at the airport 2 hours before the flight. We don't want to spend a horrific amount of money parking our car at the airport ($260.00), so we are driving to the apartment complex my brother and sister-in-law manage. Now, our dilemma lies with what is the best solution to getting from the apartments to the airport.
These are our options:
Option #1
There is a Sound Transit Metro Bus stop about five seconds from the apartments. This would definitely be the cheapest of all the options available. The total cost of fare per person is about $2.50, one way. We would start our journey at 3:12 and arrive at 4:20. Now the drawback. Not really the most comfortable way to travel, especially with baggage. Not to mention the there would be at least one transfer in between.
Option #2
If you go to the Sea-Tac Airport's website and look under "Parking and Transportation", they will give you a list of options. The only one serving the area that we will be in (Kirkland) was the Go Shuttle Express. They offer a Share Ride service. They pick you up at you requested destination and drop you off at the airport. There would be a window between 3:00 and 3:20 when they would pick us up and drop us off at the airport at 4:20. Being as there are two of us, and it would need to be a round trip, there's a few discounts. However, the total would still come out to $92.50. Uhhh....remember how I'm trying to save money? This is more than likely going to be either the same or better than getting a taxi, so I'm not even going to look into that.
Option #3
Last of all options is to beg and plead any family or friends living on that side of the mountains to help us out and take us to and from the airport. We would, of course, pay for gas. This is probably going to be the most comfortable (and compared to the Shuttle Express most cost-efficient), however we don't want to inconvienence anyone. That is, afterall, the day before Christmas Eve. People have better things they could be doing on that particular day.
So here we are. Undecided. Help me out people. What advice can you give? Are there other options that I haven't looked into that might be better?
Next up will be the luggage.....
Monday, September 8, 2008
Salsa Off!!!!
I know...I'm totally throwing you all off with posting so soon after my last one, but I actually have pictures for this one and I didn't want to wait.
May I proudly present Basin Family Chiropractic's 3rd annual Salsa Off!!! All of us girls in the office and Doc, individually, make a salsa and our patients come in throughout the day, try them, and vote.
My Avocado, Mango Salsa.
Deanna's Salsa, it was a general flavored salsa.
Daniele's Nectarine Salsa.
Doc's Super-Spicy Salsa.
And the winner is Doc with his Super-Spicy Salsa with 19 votes!!!! It was a lot of fun. Last year when we did this I totally bombed (I only got like 2 votes). But in my defense it was the first salsa I ever made and actually Ty's favorite. This year though, I did much better getting 3rd place with 14 votes.
May I proudly present Basin Family Chiropractic's 3rd annual Salsa Off!!! All of us girls in the office and Doc, individually, make a salsa and our patients come in throughout the day, try them, and vote.
My Avocado, Mango Salsa.
Deanna's Salsa, it was a general flavored salsa.
Daniele's Nectarine Salsa.
Doc's Super-Spicy Salsa.
And the winner is Doc with his Super-Spicy Salsa with 19 votes!!!! It was a lot of fun. Last year when we did this I totally bombed (I only got like 2 votes). But in my defense it was the first salsa I ever made and actually Ty's favorite. This year though, I did much better getting 3rd place with 14 votes.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Fair Fun!!!!
So, this post is exceedingly overdue, but I'm adopting the philosophy "Better Late Than Never".
Where we, naturally, fed them unhealthy Fair food such as: Corn Dogs, Fries, Otter Pops, and my favorite Soft-serve ice cream.
Then we went to see the aminals.....
A few of them got a little fresh with Dad.....
They started with two......
Birdies!!!!
And of course, Ty and I ended the night with more Ice Cream....I was so excited I couldn't hold the camera still!!! J/K
That week was a crazy one for me. I was working in the office, doing massages (until they could find someone else...which I'm happy to announce that they did and I'm no longer doing massage), and working at the office Fair booth. But I met some pretty cool people out there.
AVON ladies...."AVON calling". So many ladies took shifts between them all, that I never saw the same ones twice. And normally they came in twos, so they had a buddy. I'm pretty sure this lady's buddy ran to get some food.
My Costco peeps. I felt really bad for these guys. Just to clear it up....Costco bought land in ML about 13 years ago, but nothing has happened with it. For now, they have no plans on coming to ML. They got asked that a lot!!! (I admit, I asked too!)
Tupperware DIVAS!!! These ladies are truly amazing! From the second the Fair started to the second it ended, they were there. I think they did pretty dang good too.
This was my last day at the fair, so I wanted a picture of me and Doc (my boss). That man is so cheesy!
Doc greeting people trying to flock them all in.
I ended my Fair week by meeting Dino Rossi. My uncle was like you're going to meet him...come with me. Grabs my arm and pulls me to him and then introduces me and says something about me being a small business with Massage.....David did you get that memo about me not doing massage anymore? Oh well. Mr. Rossi was a very nice guy and I think he'll do well.
While eating our utterly delicious soft-serve ice cream, we enjoyed some music from a local band.
My niece, Sammy, and nephew, Jaden came to visit and my parents brought them to the Fair....
Where we, naturally, fed them unhealthy Fair food such as: Corn Dogs, Fries, Otter Pops, and my favorite Soft-serve ice cream.
Then we went to see the aminals.....
A few of them got a little fresh with Dad.....
They started with two......
Birdies!!!!
And of course, Ty and I ended the night with more Ice Cream....I was so excited I couldn't hold the camera still!!! J/K
That week was a crazy one for me. I was working in the office, doing massages (until they could find someone else...which I'm happy to announce that they did and I'm no longer doing massage), and working at the office Fair booth. But I met some pretty cool people out there.AVON ladies...."AVON calling". So many ladies took shifts between them all, that I never saw the same ones twice. And normally they came in twos, so they had a buddy. I'm pretty sure this lady's buddy ran to get some food.
My Costco peeps. I felt really bad for these guys. Just to clear it up....Costco bought land in ML about 13 years ago, but nothing has happened with it. For now, they have no plans on coming to ML. They got asked that a lot!!! (I admit, I asked too!)
Tupperware DIVAS!!! These ladies are truly amazing! From the second the Fair started to the second it ended, they were there. I think they did pretty dang good too.
This was my last day at the fair, so I wanted a picture of me and Doc (my boss). That man is so cheesy!
Doc greeting people trying to flock them all in.
I ended my Fair week by meeting Dino Rossi. My uncle was like you're going to meet him...come with me. Grabs my arm and pulls me to him and then introduces me and says something about me being a small business with Massage.....David did you get that memo about me not doing massage anymore? Oh well. Mr. Rossi was a very nice guy and I think he'll do well.
Hooray for FAIR!!! This was the first time I'd been to the fair in about 12 years. Other than the working part, I enjoyed myself. Good times.
Side note: Someone needs to explain to me the excitement about Spaceburgers. And none of that it's Fair tradition crap. This was also my first year for that and it was okay, but nothing I'd be waiting all year for. ??????
Side note: Someone needs to explain to me the excitement about Spaceburgers. And none of that it's Fair tradition crap. This was also my first year for that and it was okay, but nothing I'd be waiting all year for. ??????
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