Great heights.

via

Today I'm wearing these enormously tall shoes that I got to go with my dress for all the weddings this summer. (They remind me of all the Norweigian wood shoes Emily at Cupcakes and Cashmere blogged about.)

We're talking 5" heel and 1.5" platform. Currently, I'm standing at a towering 5'10" and it feels good up here. You look at things differently at this height. But, there are some weird caveats like how I can't cross my legs under my desk with one foot on the ground because it doesn't allow enough room for my other leg to fit on top. Something I would have never thought about before as an inconvenience for the tall folk.

I feel like I'm getting a small dose of what my sister experiences daily. At 6'1", she's easily the tallest woman in a room. In the past five years or so, she's really embraced her height and likes to wear heels which put her into the clouds!

So sis, cheers to you for rockin' the height with heels. I wish you could pass some down to your lil' sis.

How do you solve a problem like Maria?

You get a glass of wine with her and Karen on the McCormick's deck on Lake Union. Yes, that's the solution.

I very recently found out that a former national consultant, Maria Morozowich, is in Seattle! Fun, fun! (She's the one smack dab in the middle in the blue top and I'm the one in the pink seersucker suit in the top right. Awesome pic, right? Oh the days of wearing a suit daily.)

Here are reasons I like Maria:

• She's adorable.
• She's incredibly thoughtful.
• She has a bit of a Southern accent.
• We both have a passion to travel abroad.
• After a night on Beale Street in Memphis she nonchalantly quoted Wedding Crashers, "Rule #76: No excuses. Play like a champion" for her reason she's going to make it to our morning excursion to Graceland, despite a late, late, LOOOOONG consultant-bonding night, which also doubled for Rachel's bachy party. Her timing and delivery was impeccable.
• And I just like her.

So, yes, I'm pretty much stoked to see her.

Eleusis picture

Finally, Chelanigans 2k10

In a word, it was THEBESTCHELANTRIPEVER.

Last year was great, this year was greater. To prove this, I present you with the trip in pics:

Hours upon hours of floating and it never got old.

The jello shots were plentiful and flavorful. (Matt thinks they are finger-lickin' good.)

The company was grand. We were even blessed by Lizzie's presence all the way from Redding, CA. Holla back, Redding.

It took courage to jump.

Finally, I made the leap.

And froze my derriere.

We laughed. (Did I mention I love laughing photos?)

RyRy, James, Autumn and Maddie CLIFF JUMPED.

There were polaroids galore. (Hopefully will post once I scan)

And there were also hats galore.

And campfires to top it off. A luxury we never experienced in Chelan before since there were alway burning bans. Do you know what campfires mean? S'MORES! Yum.

Until next year...

Nap time?

(not sure about the original source of the picture, but I think I got it from here.)

At this very moment, I would give up my first born, my ability to karaoke or cupcakes for a year to crawl into this lovely bed for a little napperoo. Sidenote: I want this room. Isn't it serene?

More Chelanigans to come. Don't hold your breath because I'd like for you to live. I want to have time to give the vacay justice in its awesomeness. In the meantime, here's another Chelan teaser to hold you over. Since I know my 18 followers are waiting in suspense. Da da DAAAAA.

Chelan Teaser

Chaos in the office, but I don't want to leave all of you in the dark for TOO long. This picture captures the relaxation and sun that was thoroughly soaked up in Chelan this weekend.

Chelanigans 2k10 topped the charts.

Revelation: There is a great need for beer koozies on this trip, perhaps branded with "Chelanigans"? Kotis Design, put it on your books for next year. It's going to happen.

Movie Review: The Ghost Writer

We watched The Ghost Writer the other night. Secretly, I was hoping that Ewan McGregor would bust out in song and dance because he has such a dreamy voice, but alas, he didn't.

I also secretly hoped it was going to be a spin-off of the AWESOME TV series from the 90's. Remember Ghost Writer?! I was a big fan.

Finally, I was secretly hoping that the James Bond theme song would be woven in somehow. But no.

Back to the movie, it was good. Not great, but entertaining nonetheless. A lot of twists and turns and a crazy, oh-my-goodness-that-did-not-just-happen moment at the end.

I'd say if you're interested in a slower pace thriller, go for it. Bonus: Ewan and Pierce Brosnan aren't so bad on the eyes either.

pic via

Found: Cool park and cooler sign

Remember when I discovered Discovery Park?

I now have another one to add to my list of parks in Seattle that I am just now getting around to visiting - Carkeek Park.

We hit it up last night for a little sandwich, beach, Yahtzee, watching awkward thug-like teenagers make out, skipping rock fun! It was a perfect night for it all, especially the thug part. I didn't know it was physically possible to keep pants on SO low.

THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

On our way out of Carkeek, we came across this sign, desparately seeking Nicole. Nicole, if you're reading this, please think about your decision. Do you really want to be with a "freight train conductor" who lives with his mom, owns 12 cats, has an unpleasant skin condition that creates a funky odor and professionally boffs/sword fights on the side?

Eric, my apologies if you do not fit the description above. This is what we concluded based on your AWESOME email address. If you in fact look like this, please give me a call at 555-1234. Joe would understand.

A country wedding

The wedding in Tonasket was amazing for the following reasons:

• Gorgeous day (96 degrees earlier, but probably 80 degrees for the wedding)
• Stunning bride
• Happy couple
• Wonderful family time
• Beautiful scenery
• Fun party

The whole shindig was at my aunt and uncle's house, which is perched on the top of a hill with amazing landscape views.

Even the pastor wore a cowboy hat. Please also note the camo hat in the right hand corner.

My cousin had to hold back the tears when her dad walked her down the aisle.

Then she was all smiles.

Mr. and Mrs. Tony and Amanda Call.
(phonetic: a man to call. get it? hehe.)

My aunt was a very happy and beautiful mother of the bride.

The details of the wedding seemed as if they came out of a wedding magazine. The little beverage shack was next to the dance floor. (Wish I had gotten a picture of the dance floor, but it had Christmas lights around it and was covered, which had a vibe kind of like the last photo in this post.)

The table centerpieces featured the local fruit, pears.

Joe was finally exposed to the Peterson clan, which can be quite intimidating because we're GINORMOUS! But he passed with flying colors. He even spoke in Swedish with my grandma and great aunt. Even though I didn't understand anything, I couldn't help but smile watching them chat it up.

I wish I could click my heels three times and magically reappear there. It's so picturesque! Doesn't it looks like we were photoshopped in?

The party (or hoedown) went into the late night.

Congrats Amanda and Tony!

TGIF

A rambling TGIF for your reading pleasure.

I wore sunscreen today in anticipation of going outside for an afternoon coffee and/or lunch. But for some odd reason, the sun is hiding from us. Dear Sun, come out, come out wherever you are!

On that note, our office is having weekly challenges – this week: Eat your lunch outside at least one day. (Hence the sunscreen.) And every time you meet a challenge, you get your name put into a hat and at the end of the summer they’ll pull a name for a prize! I love prizes. Even more, I love being told to eat outside. Done and done.

I’m going on a Happy Hour Fun Run tonight with a fellow PI blogger who is a running coach by profession and is offering this free, fun opportunity. Run 3-4 miles, talk about running and then drink a beer at Hales. Lovely.

Tomorrow my cousin Amanda is getting hitched, so we’re making the trek out to Tonasket, WA (Population: 947) for some country fun! (Joe is very excited to meet my HUGE extended family…) I’m planning on wearing this gorgeous long, strapless, white dress. What? Is there something wrong with that? (ok, I’ll really be wearing this puppy again. But Carol, I'll be wearing it to yours - you don't mind right?)

Yet another fab Martha recipe – Pasta with Prosciutto and Peas.

I finally made it to Sambar last night to celebrate a good review at work. Well, more or less, we just wanted a reason to get fun cocktails. The “celebration” continued on to the Copper Gate in Ballard, which is supposedly Seattle’s oldest Scandinavian bar – but now rather modernized. Tasty cucumber martini!

And if all of this has in fact not been pleasurable as I promised above, I suggest you read this. And if you've already read that, then read this. Already read them both? Then I suggest you go outside and enjoy the weather. What are you doing inside reading my blog anyway? :)

Happy Friday!

P.S. This is the happy couple gettin' hitched! Doesn't my cousin look like a young Meryl Streep?! But prettier, duh.

I covet

Have you noticed my sneaky trick? When I'm busy at work and don't take an actual lunch break, I point you in the direction of something that I've been eyeing on the world wide web.

Like, for instance, these shoes. You can't tell from the picture, but there is even a small peep toe. I wore clogs all my childhood and haven't had a pair in my adulthood. That might have to change... but maybe not with this price tag.

On another note, who is excited for the Nordstrom Anniversary sale that starts tomorrow? I don't think I'm going (too early), but I'll probably do some online browsing. Maybe they'll have clogs? Or jeans. Or pretty dresses. I don't discriminate.

Pretty things

For Meredith's bridal shower last weekend, I got two gifts and had a difficult time deciding on which one to give. I opted for an ice cream cookbook and a four of these latte bowls, which was a perfect gift because I learned they are big ice cream people. But a close second was this beautiful apron (top apron, but I had a hard time choosing between all of these).

When soliciting advice about the gift options from my fella, he asked, "do you think she already has an apron?" That's when I had to share a secret about women: Yes, aprons are practical and keep your clothes clean, but we can have multiple aprons, well, because they are pretty. The overall takeaway is that women like pretty things. Like when I got this bowl and he was surprised at how excited I was over such a simple purchase. He gets it now, kind of. It's a learning process and I appreciate his effort in trying to understand :)

(Sidenote: The apron currently is sitting in the bag with the receipt still. It would be an absolute shame if I didn't get it back to Anthro within 90 days to return. Absolute shame.)

all aprons via anthropologie

Spicy goodness.

Another win by Martha. If you like spicy pasta, you'll like this dish. It was my pre-marathon meal choice and I think it was perfect. Not too heavy and no scary, unpredictable, what-are-the-side-effects ingredients - just the basics.

I added chicken to the recipe, but I also think it would be good with sausage or shrimp. What I'm really trying to say is: I think it needed the meat.

Spicy Orecchiette with Broccoli

Ingredients
Coarse salt and ground pepper
12 ounces orecchiette or other short pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (Erika's note: I used like twice this amount. Much better.)
1 head broccoli (about 1 pound), cut into bite-size florets, stalks peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Erika's addition: chicken breast

Directions
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add garlic and red-pepper flakes; cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden, 1 to 2 minutes. (Erika's add: I threw the chicken in sometime around now) Add broccoli and 1/2 cup water; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until broccoli begins to soften, about 8 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until water has evaporated and broccoli is crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes more.

To pasta in pot, add broccoli mixture, Parmesan (reserving some for later), and enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats pasta. Serve sprinkled with remaining Parmesan.

Hup Holland

For the World Cup finals - Netherlands vs. Spain - Tom (my neighbor/Joe's friend) decided to take over the grassy knoll across the street and set-up shop. (If he could, I think he would have painted the hill orange. Seriously. There were orange drinks, orange food, orange clothes, orange streamers... His parents are from the Netherlands, so that explains the love for the team.)

It was quite the production which required them to run an extension cord across the street, as well as setting up big, giant speakers. Makes me want to repurpose the set-up for an outdoor movie, anyone?

Now I'm embarrassed (well, not that embarrassed) to admit that I didn't quite catch the World Cup fever, but it was still a fun game to watch. Mostly due to the setting - there were friends, neighbors and stangers all yelling "Hup Holland" (which I learned means "Go Holland"). There was even a family of four who were walking down the street and found a spot on the grass to watch an entire half. Not to mention the countless cars that drove by and asked for a score update. Oh, good times on the grassy knoll.

Check out the sea of orange!

Perfect tiered seating.

Cosby even showed Holland pride with an orange mohawk and vest made of streamers.

The World Cup experience wouldn't be complete without the vuvuzela.

TGIF

via Seattle P-I

A Poem for You

I love Fridays and this is why
To the work week, you can finally say goodbye
No more computer-induced crossed eyes
But rather the “I’m free, I’m free” induced high.

Weekends are filled with friends and fun
If we’re lucky, maybe even a little sun
Dinner parties, movies or perhaps a long run
Whatever I do, I won’t want it to be done.

Enjoy your fabulously, sunny, July weekend!

Sunshine, you are my sunshine

It's sizzling hot in Seattle this week and I'm LOVIN' it.

Bring out the shades, white wine and floaties.

In the spirit of sun, here are some cute sun-related finds on Etsy.

Ferntree Studio

Farouche

EvapaulPetite

Little Lady Company

Those ducks were SO dodged.

It was a whole lot of jibs, tacks, starboards and ahoys on Lake Union last night.

For the one, the only: Duck Dodge.

Rather than bore you with the (incredibly rad) details, I'll share a couple snapshots of my first (and hopefully not last) experience sailing.

The chile verde, which won us 8th place!

Autumn ready to spinnaker... or something like that.

Captain RyRy sails best with beer in hand.

Ducking under the boom, which flies across the boat when tacking. I'm surprised the sport isn't known for more head injuries.

Joe and Autumn holding down the port side.

Caught in a gust of wind!

The infamous duck to be dodged.
(Also the starting point.)

Pretty Seattle.

Sneakily snapped a shot of smiling Joester, soaking up the sun.

Lake Union, I'll be back. You can count on that.

Thanks Autumn and RyRy for having us out!