My car is fixed!

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Who wants to celebrate?

Brrr, it's fall!

My apartment is starting to get a little chilly. So, I've brought out these puppies.

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They. are. AMAZING!

I got them in my stocking from Santa a couple years ago and have almost lost them to a couple sneaky people who adore them as much as I do. I honestly don't know what it is, but if you try them on, you'll understand their glory.

I think they'll delay my use of heat for awhile. For those of you who know me well, I wait until there is a foot of snow on the ground to finally turn on my heat. What can I say - I prefer saving money and bundling up... especially with my cozy, fuzzy slippers!

He likes mature women

Lovely

Here are a couple of the pics that Steph has snapped on her Diana.

I think they are really pretty. She has a gift.

Weekend Update

It was splendid.

Friday: Cleaned house at poker... despite having the smallest chip stack at one point in the game. Then, visited a friend and watched Californication with a tasty glass of Malbec. Funny show on Showtime. David Duchovny is a funny guy.

Saturday: Slept in. Did a little of nothing. Then went on a quick pit stop at Northgate with Maddie. I was on a hunt for something, but didn't find it.

Then, we ran by Thai Ocean (oh, how I miss you...) for some din din before heading to the 304 to watch the Huskies. It was a sad game, but I am not losing faith! It's still a much better season than I would have ever expected!

At night, we headed over to Oliver's Twist in Phinney to surprise Chrissy for her birthday! It was fun. I had a delicious French 75. I highly recommend it.

Sunday: Slept in again. Amazing. Talked on the phone with my mom for awhile. Made myself a little brunch. Watched a little Elf (note: it's never too early for Elf). Took an afternoon nap. Finally, I geared myself up for our 11 mile run. We actually did quite well! I think I'm ready for the big 13.1 this weekend. Well, I hope so.

Overall, great weekend! And now I have a rather exciting weekend ahead... Hope this week goes by quickly!

yummmm

+

= tasty goodness....

Poker face.

Tonight is the night.

The night I defend my title.

My title of Poker Champion.

Big poker game at the 304 tonight with the usual suspects: Steph, Mads, Holden, James, JJ, Jaison, Phil, Chris, Justin and Kenny.

I'm ready to take some money.

I'll be sure to pack away my poker face.

Sometimes my poker face turns out a little like this.

If only I had one as good as this.

But at least I don't have one like this.

(this pic is when we were high rollin' at Jaison's sweet pad in Bellevue.)

Is here a party?

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am for my absolute favorite festival of the year:

Leavenworth Oktoberfest!

(I'm sure there will be several more posts about it.

I like to obsessively talk about it.)

This year marks the 5th annual trip east of the mountains and in true former-sorority-member fashion, what did we decide to do? Make a t-shirt to commemorate the momentous occasion.

For a little context, last year our favorite Oktoberfest band, Die Hockfellner, was trying to excite the crowd between songs and would shout in their adorable German accents: "Is here a party?" and the such. We couldn't get enough of it. Hence, our decision to create a shirt that proudly displays the fabulous phrase. This is the masterpiece design that Kotis put together for us. Isn't it amazing?! I know, you're jealous... with good reason.

Last year, Maddie and I decided to surprise everyone with these lovely costumes. We were super sneaky and no one had any idea what their "Special Leavenworth Surprise" would be... We were superstars that weekend; random people, left and right, asked to get their picture with us.

I want one of these right about now

Delicious!

I guess I'll have to wait until Saturday night;

it will be much-needed after running 10 miles and celebrating the Husky victory.

I'm optimistic.

A missed opportunity

As I sit in my desk and look outside at the beautiful weather, I am reminded of a missed opportunity this summer: Seattle's Duck Dodge on Lake Union.

A couple weeks back, Autumn asked me to join her and Ryan on the last night of Duck Dodge (awesome sailing race!!) of the summer... but I had kickball playoffs that night. Bummer of a deal.

Duck Dodge 2010, I can already hear you calling my name.

*You know you worked too late when you can snap a picture of Duck Dodge outside your office window... Duck Dodge doesn't start until 7pm.

On a whim.

A small group of us from the office - Christina, Kathryn, Olita and I - decided to hit up Purple's half price wine night. Conveniently, on our way there, we passed a familiar pedestrian: Katie! We texted her our plans and she made a U-turn and headed our direction!

The evening was filled with good food, great wine (a Malbec and Grenache) and even better company. I'd say it was the perfect way to start a week.

The lottery in my pocket

It's one of those things that brings a giant smile to my face and sometimes inspires a little happy dance. Pulling out new season clothing and finding a wad of dough stashed away, completely unaccounted for!

I searched in the depths of my closet and pulled out one of my fave dresses from Banana Republic. I got it as my reward when I first started my job a couple years back; it's wool, gray, has pockets (a huge selling point for me!), super comfy, can be worn with or without a shirt underneath and always gets a few comments when I first bring it out for the season. And it's classic enough to be worn year after year!

Today I like it even more because I didn't just find $1 or $5, but a whoppin' $21! Maybe I'll put this toward my savings for these.

Goal Project: Clean

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My apartment isn't messy, but I think it's due for a deep cleaning -

sweep, shake out rugs, dust, wipe down windows/mirrors and the such.

Goal: Do a little housework, while dancing and singing.

[The second part is only because dancing and singing makes cleaning a lot more fun. Who doesn't like a little Whitney when wiping down a windowsill?]

P.S. Last week's goal, running - I didn't run every day,

but I did put in a good 21 miles!

I covet

These jeans.

I'm not gonna lie, I think they'd suit me well.

Better start saving up the Nordstrom Notes!

[that'll take a lot of purchases on the good ol' Visa]

via

Dated, but still funny.

A couple weeks back, Maddie and I hit up the famous Seattle festival: Bumbershoot.

I had actually never been; not sure why I've never gotten around to it, but now I can check it off my list of Seattle to-dos.

She had a hook up, so we got free tickets. Sweet.

The bands were good, but let's be honest, people watching at festivals trumps all. It was quite a sight. Leave it to us to turn it into a game we'll call the Sartorialist. However, our version had a little spin - we secretly took pictures of all of the great fashion.

[Maddie played the game again at the Puyallup!]

Here's the amazingness that I caught...

...some teenage angst

...he'll pull a bunny out of his hat for $5


I wish I had caught the full outfit.
This old man was adorable and belonged in Paris.

One word: Pimp

She time traveled from the Victorian era

just to be at Bumbershoot...

Two years and counting

Yesterday when I got into work, I had this little bouquet of flowers with a note that read: "Happy 2nd Anniversary!"

Yep, I have officially been at my job for two years today. Crazy.

[Thanks Kathryn!]

Go Dawgs, Go!

Cause all the traffic you want, just beat USC!

On another note, aren't these great?

They would go perfectly with these.

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Marshmallow Torture

Cup of Joe just posted this and I couldn't resist.

I remember back in the day when nothing could beat a sugary mess of white fluffy goodness: Marshmallows. As a kid, these are a luxury, reserved for major sugar highs during camping trips - one marshmallow for a s'more, one marshmallow by itself, one for s'more...

Enjoy!

Oh, The Temptation from Steve V on Vimeo.

One for one

Last March when I was searching for a birthday gift for my mom, I found these shoes.

I really, really liked them, but I decided I should wait.

I waited too long. The navy glitter Toms shoes are no longer. I guess I'll have to find an alternative. Silver, maybe?

The best part is that for every pair you buy, Toms will give a new pair of shoes to a child in need. I'm a sucker for good causes.

thank you

1. Pandora. For getting me through this night.

2. Free pizza from the office.

3. All the proposal troopers.

4. Track changes. Makes editing sooo much easier.

5. Printing from the office and avoiding Kinkos. If only the printer was ultra-quick...

6. And most importantly, thank you Friday. You are almost here :)

[this guy got it right.]

via

Pretty braid

I want to try to do this with my hair.

Isn't it lovely?

maybe I can enlist the help of a friend...

via

If we were in a game of bumper cars...

I would win.

And this is why:

Like a rock.

{via}

For the time being, I am driving this mammoth truck through the city streets. I've seen many people doing a double-take of me... probably expecting to see a burly man controlling such a piece of machinery. But no, Petes McGee is proudly at the wheel.

I love big trucks. But I also like fuel-efficient vehicles. Quite a conundrum.

I'm literally obsessed

With cupcakes still!

I just had another craving and I remembered that McCormick's downstairs had some the other day, so I called them up. Guess what? They had them again today!

Kathryn so graciously offered to share one with me because, well, this probably isn't the best habit for my waistline. Oh well. I'm running to make up for it.

It's been quite a busy day around here, so I also got one for my boss. I think she's very excited. I have a sneaky suspicion that she is quite a cupcake connoisseur herself.

I also want to make these. Geez, I have quite the sweet tooth lately!

Goal Project: Run

Less than 3 weeks into my next half marathon and let me tell you, I've been struggling on the movitation side of things. But I must do it.

Goal: Get my butt into gear and stick to my training schedule!

My motivation will be to not get injured on the race because the reality is, if I don't continue to run, I'm going to hurt myself and then not be able to do anything after the race. (Even if that sounds magical right now, I still am quite excited to start up yoga again post-race!)

Last night I went for 6+ mile run and it felt surprisingly good. I could have gone longer if I didn't have dinner waiting on the table at Stephanie's.... which, by the way, was fabulous. And so was Gossip Girl. I'm excited for all of the dinner exchanges and TV programs that fall brings!

Do the Puyallup

We did! Autumn, Karen, Lizzie, Kimber, Maddie and I. It was fun.

Between the six of us, we were able to check off a lot of fair food staples, including corn on the cob, gyro, fresh lemonade, scones, krusty pup, blooming onion and possibly more that I might be forgetting.

While the food is obviously the main attraction, we also managed to check out the farm animals, grange displays, hand washing test booth, a cool Africa exhibit, Hobby Hall and just overall good people watching.

I've decided that the reason the fair is fun is because you can be a complete dork... I mean, really, who gets that excited about voting for the People's Choice of grange displays? (Note: I voted for Skagit; showing the hometown some love)

Courtesy of Kimber's quick picture upload...

Food coma about to set in.

Mini horse and Kimbie!

Fun rides.

Autumn with a chicken... outside the Africa exhibit.

That makes sense... ?

Erika Peterson = Future Professional Beekeeper

Spidey is my new BFF

This guy is in Seattle filming a movie for a couple weeks.

Just so happens, we chose the right hood (Ballard) to go to dinner. They were shooting at the Matador which was renamed Mazzoni's or something for the shoot.

We got in trouble for taking pictures in the middle of the shoot. Oops.

But now I can say that I was within 5 feet of Spiderman.

The End.

Goal Accomplished

This week I set out to use alternative forms of transportation all week. Despite the fact that I had no other option, I still feel like I accomplished something.

Monday: I ran. In a big giant loop. The tour de hoods. So technically, I wasn't going anywhere, but it is an alternate form of transportation, right?

Tuesday: Bus. And carpool with Maddie to kickball.

Wednesday: Bus. And carpool with Scott home. Then ran again with Autumn.

Thursday: Bike. Wait, never mind. I attempted to bike. Packed my bag with my work clothes, had on workout clothes, strapped on my helmet and pedaled away. For 2 feet. Flat tire. Seriously?! Too bad my bus was already long gone. So Plan C, make desperate call to Olita for a ride. Hooray! And hooray again for ride home from Scott again!

I mixed it up and walked to Autumn's birthday party. A good 25 blocks. Good thing James drove me home; walking in the daylight - fine. Late and dark - not so fine.

Friday: Bus. Almost walking again. I was headed down to my bus stop and I see the bus sailing past me a street away. Crap! I start running full-speed across 8th (which is rather trafficky) and toward the bus. It starts going and I have a moment of defeat. BUT, my friends, some bus patron must have seen my frazzled attempt to catch it and asked the driver to stop. Thank you, friendly bus rider. And to my friendly bus driver, you have a splendid weekend as well!

This evening, carpooling with Kathryn.

Thanks for the rides everyone! And Susie, thanks for offering your dad's mechanic services!

Happy Weekend!

Sometimes it takes a crappy situation (read: I hate Jiffy Lube) to realize that it's not the end of the world. Yeah, so I might be out $10K (ugh, typing that still does make my stomach drop), but at least I have an amazing family, fantastic friends, supportive coworkers and even my new bus driver rocks. Thanks all!

Therefore, I'm starting off this weekend with a big ol' smile. I have a lot to look forward to:

• Company "summer" party is finally happening. The theme is something like, "We're Great Americans/Yay, Don is still alive!" (Ask for the story if you want)
• Dinner with Stephanie and Muriel tonight.
• Then meeting up with the other girls, including Karen who is in town for the weekend!
• Seeing the rents and probably taking them to lunch for putting up with my displays of anger (read: I still don't like Jiffy Lube) and helping out tremendously this past week.
• Christina's final fling before the ring!
• Hitting up the Puyallup Fair on Sunday and eating everything that comes into my path. Why is fair food so good?

Who knows that other adventures lie in the weekend ahead. Hope you all have a great one!

Rockstar Diaries just posted this and I feel like it fits perfectly with my post...

{via}

Yummm, Cupcake.

Dear Kathryn,

Thank you so, soo much for my cupcake! I understand that you were probably trying to get me to stop talking about cupcakes, but I don't know if this method will work.

Now the cupcake is staring at me, saying, "Eat me, Erika!" And my stomach is responding, "Give me a break, you just ate a lot of pasta for lunch!" Then, my mind is retorting, "Dude, just eat the cupcake. It looks sooo good!"

I honestly can't wait to eat my cupcake. It's even prettier than this picture. It's decorated with stars and has two giant chocolate straws sticking out of it.

Love,

Erika and her Cupcake Kick

Note: So I started a "Morale Team" with Kathryn for our office; We are trying to promote random acts of kindness by posting everyone's favorite iced/hot drinks and snacks. Man, I've totally reaped the benefits the last two days. Yesterday: Susie surprised me with an Iced Tea Lemonade. Today: A lovely, scrumptious cupcake! Wow. I'm lucky.

pic source

Today's view from my office

As you can see here, there are hundreds of kites flying over Gasworks Park today.

It's quite a sight.

Makes me want to head over to the park.

Ah-ha! I think I'll plan my run to the park, perfect!

source

Goal Project

Maddie thinks that my weekly goal should be having a near death experience on a daily basis because so far I'm 2 for 2*, but I don't think I'm willing to give that a shot.

(*Sunday: Car situation. Monday: Maddie and I were within inches of being hit by a car that sped through a red light at an intersection. She screamed. I nearly peed my pants. The intersection was at a standstill. Yikes.)

But instead, since this was somewhat decided for me by the fates of the car gods:

Goal: Use alternate means of transportation all week.

So far, so good. I ran yesterday. Today I rode the bus. Tomorrow I'm thinking about biking to work. Then Thursday, maybe even walk the 2.5 miles to work. Friday - maybe I'll hitch hike? I look intimidating enough to ward off the weirdos, right?

I'm so green.

On another topic, remember Superman?

Well, he managed to make me snort from laughing so hard yesterday. (Which, I guess, isn't too difficult to do.) He read my post about his galiant efforts and followed-up with an amazing picture message.

The text read: "My secret is out."

The picture is too hard to put into words. So for your viewing pleasure, I present to you: Superman.

Pictorial Representation of our Dave Matthews Band Adventure

As I mentioned before,

Steph won tickets to go see the Dave Matthews Band at the Gorge.

It's so pretty there.

The concert was good.

They played Steph's favorite song, so that was a plus.

However, before the concert started, we decided we wanted some yummy hot chocolate.

So I went on a mission.

After waiting for at least an hour and making friends in line,

I headed back to Steph in the crowd.

Unfortunately, the concert had started, so it was impossible to find her.

I was lost. (Much like this girl.)

As I weaved my way through the drunk and high crowd,

I was at a complete loss.

I was beginning to think we would watch the concert alone.

Finally, I asked a random man if I could borrow his cell.

She answered and we were finally able to reconnect.

(At this point, her hot cocoa was luke warm at best)

Our reunion was blissful and we enjoyed the rest of the show.

Then got into our car to head west,

thinking how lucky we were we didn't have to camp in the cold weather.

Unfortunately, my heat wasn't working.

And my car was driving strangely.

Then, when we were at the tippy top of the Snoqualmie Pass....

I was in the fast lane and suddenly, it died.

I started losing speed quickly.

I threw on my flashers and was inching along.

I had to cross like 3 lanes of fast traffic in the pouring rain.

All while my car was billowing smoke like this.

(Or maybe a little less smoke, but it was pretty intense)

So here we are: 2 girls, 1am, freezing cold outside and raining, 60 miles from Seattle.
After a few desperate calls to some friends, random new friends from the Gorge, Allstate, Emergency Roadside Assistance... The best option was: Dad.
Dad = Superman
Since they live way north, we bundled up in the 1 blanket we had and attempted to sleep.
However, it's really hard to do because
1. The semis were so loud in passing
and we kept thinking they were coming right for our tail.
2. Doesn't Bigfoot live in Snoqualmie Pass?!
3. The Hollywood-induced sensationalist in me just knew
that my car was going to suddenly blow into smithereens.

But we still got some rest.



Then we heard the trumpets blowing.
The rain clouds parted.
And Superman came to rescue us!
(He even brought the very supportive Mrs. Superman.)
At this point, it was 4:15am.


Superman brought us home and we were in bed as the morning light began to fill the crisp Autumn sky.
At approximately 6:00am, my head finally hit my pillow.
Peaceful sleep.
At about 7:30am, Mr. and Mrs. Superman's heads hit their pillows.

As I am writing this, Superman is working on a few hours of sleep
and towing my car down the pass.
I'm so lucky.
He's a wonderful guy.
And so is Mrs. Superman.
Thank you!
(And I owe him BIG!)


(And I'm sorry Dave, but you were worth the ride over...
but definitely not the ride back.)

Pic sources: here here here here here here here here here

Bow down to Washington

It's game day. I'm not going to the game, but I'm thinking good thoughts for the Huskies!

Last year I tailgated for the opening game vs. Oklahoma like this. It was awesome. Even if we had to tailgate with diehard Sooners, it was well worth it. Thanks, Cool Bob!

Let's also bow down to this guy. He's the man.

Jake Locker

pics via & via

TGIF

I can't believe I made it through this week. I'm not gonna lie, it's not easy coming back to the real world after blissfully wasting away the day on the beautiful beaches of Hawaii (ok, I'll stop talking about my vacation soon, but I'm still trying to savor the experience.)

It's been one of those whirlwind kind of weeks. Here's what went down.

• I had to do 37 loads of laundry.
• I got to wear pretty dresses/skirts everyday.
• We dominated in kickball, 23-4. AND, I was Player of the Game! (Well, with JJ) The proof is here. We're currently in 2nd, but I have faith that we'll take the championship!
• Another game, another fun evening with the team at Leny's.
• Got to see the Straubster who I don't get to see often enough.
• Fantastic happy hour on the deck at Maximilien in the Pike Place Market to finally celebrate Kathryn's and my promotion!
• Busy, busy at work.
• Lost 5 pounds from just peeling alone. Will it ever stop?
• Found out that Josh is coming to visit me! (Or just Seattle in general, but I can't help but think it's mostly for me, right?)
• Planned a much-needed night of karaoke for Saturday with my partner in crime, Tronics. It's been far too long since our moment of stardom. We're trying something new: The Waterwheel Lounge in Ballard, per Kimber's suggestion.
• Stephanie actually won the Dave Matthews tickets from commenting on my SeattlePI blog! (And she won Seahawks tickets. I should stick around her so some luck wears off on me...) And guess who she is taking? Yours truly. Thanks, Stephers!
• I fulfilled my craving for sushi for lunch yesterday.
• Scheduled brunch with Kathryn, Katie and Maggie this weekend!
• Uploading and re-tagging and re-captioning my photos like a dozen times. It must have been the red wine I was consuming; messing with my technology abilities...
• I started back on my training, even if I only did short runs. (The race is in a month! Damn.)
• Worked with Kotis Design to create our 5th Annual Leavenworth Oktoberfest t-shirts! Ladies, I'm tellin' ya, the initial proofs are awesome. Just wait for the finished product!
• Tomorrow UW plays the other purple and gold team: LSU. Go Dawgs!

Now this is how excited I am for a 3-day weekend!

And this is what I'm most excited for this weekend.
But singing into an actual microphone, not curling iron.
Or vodka bottle for that matter.
Well, maybe vodka bottle :)