.seattle.

.hmm. apologies for the recent lack of posts. my seattle trip and the return of the boyfriend has caused some serious jams in the system.

but i will hopefully be blogging more often as my routine settles back into a more normal ebb and flow!

some highlights from my seattle trip:

• the blue angels! i have seen them every single year since i was teeny tiny, and i still get all excited when i hear that familiar rumble as they scream across the sky

• wandering through the wallingford farmer's market after my haircut. the abundant fruits and veggies were gorgeous, and although the market is small, i think it's a hidden gem. the market is on wed. from 3-7pm. you'll probably have to get street parking, as they close down the parking lot for the market.

• which brings me to....my haircut! i went crazy! my hair has been long for so long, i figured that it was time for a change. and i must admit, it is easier to take care of, and lots cooler for the summer. so short!

• a strapping young lad who was at least 5 years younger than me flirting with me at trophy cupcakes. it made me feel like an old woman. back off, buddy! i could be your grandma.

• trophy cupcakes. their cupcakes are amazing! the farmer's market blueberry, which they make on wed. in the summers in honor of the wallingford farmer's market, is great. my favorite is still the green tea, which is absolutely incredible. the vanilla chocolate is probably my second fav. i recommend all seattleites to go their at least once. it was even featured on marthastewart.com! it's funny, because i went there on wed. after my haircut, and then it turned out that shannon had their cupcakes are her wedding reception!

• while i was driving through the arboretum with all my windows down and my sunroof open, minding my own business and enjoying the (somewhat cloudy but beautiful nevertheless) seattle summer, i realized two seconds before that the sprinkler ahead was jetting out into the street. so my car interior got a nice little bath. as did i. it was awesome.
  

• seeing an old man in a really nice mercedes in, where else, madison park, primping while waiting at a red light. i'm pretty sure he trimmed some nose hairs, and all while holding a cigar in one hand and taking the occasional puff.

• walking around greenlake with my mommy, who apparently is ms. super-walker now. it was a beautiful day. i miss greenlake. snapped some good pictures. i love the one with the massive amounts of lily pads. if you look closely, you can see the turtles hanging out on the log.

• getting to see the fam. i miss mom, bear, and dad when i'm not home! so it was nice spending time with them. okay, and the cousins too. and aunts. i have an awesome family. we missed you kristin!

• finally getting a dslr! canon eos 20d. dad never used his camera, so he gave it to me. just had to buy a lens and memory card. awesome. i am so psyched. although i have never taken a photography class. i should probably read a book or something.

• holding a less-than-a-week-old kitten. no joke. i went to visit my mom at work, and she took me into the kennel area, where there was a pile of new born kittens. only two had their eyes open, and even then, they were still milky and cloudy. i got to hold one, and it was smaller than the length of my hand from fingertip to the end of my palm. it was so adorable, and soft, and i wanted to stick it in my purse and take it home to boston. it was mewing and snuggly and so so cute. i wish i had had my camera.

• seeing mary! yay! i miss my buddies when i'm gone.
  

• seeing sara and shannon at shannon's reception, and catching up with mary jo and jim. i really wish we still had our book club going; that was so much fun.

• being in seattle. period. i love that city (aside from the snarled i-5 traffic. that sucked. i don't miss traffic)

so, all in all a good trip!

last night, jeff and i watched the olympics opening ceremony. so crazy! china went all out for it - it was so incredible how so many of the displays had hundreds of people moving in unison. particularly the martial arts masters - was it tai chi? i don't remember. but there were over a thousand of them, and they formed all of these perfect circles as they were doing their routines. no marks on the floor or anything. it was crazy. and a bit disturbing. some of the things sort of reminded me of old wwii footage, with the rows and rows of goose-stepping nazis. but overall, it was an incredible show. bravo, whoever directed that! so impressed.

and it is always fun to watch all of the countries walk past! although there were some countries i had actually never heard of in my life, it was still so neat. those people have so much pride, even if they only have one or two athletes. the u.s. of course had a massive contingent, as did china and russia. the olympics are just so darn fun!

okay, enough for today.

.cheers.