Home Sweet Home

I'm happy to announce that Joe and I found our home! The keys are in our hands, and we're officially homeowners. Our little home is nestled right smack dab between Phinney Ridge and Green Lake, and we couldn't be more excited. House hunting was strenuous, but it was worth every open house, every special viewing and every signature at closing. We can't wait to make this house our home! 

Stay tuned for all of our home improvement adventures!

P.S. As you can see, we were all smiles after the final signature...

Gasworks Picnic

Good company? Check.
Picnic fixins? Check.
Kites filling the sky? Check. 
Funny faces? Check.
Beautiful views? Check and check.

Perfect Saturday afternoon, if you ask me.

Some things just never change.

We had our annual girl's night out this past weekend - it was absolutely, positively amazing. I'm proud to share that we got the party started on the dance floor - there was not a single soul getting their grove on until we broke the ice. Whether it was us or the song "Call Me Maybe", people were soon flooding the dance floor.

But this year, we realized that some things never change for girl's night...

Jenny is still 21.

The Frontier Room in Belltown still has great dancing for girl's night. 

Jenny still has long, long hair. 

Autumn (Amy) still has bangs. 

I still like the same dress. 

I still go by Heidi when odd people ask my name. (Along with my ladies of the evening, Amy, Jenny, Katie, Chrissy and Vivian)  

But most importantly, creepers gonna creep. Remember the creepers from 2010? Well, let's just say they were at it again, two years later. I should note: they aren't together, just the same two guys oogling young girls on the dance floor. And we felt the need to secretly take photographic proof. Thank you Jenny for being my guinea pig, so it was at least a little less obvious.

So enjoy the 2010 vs. 2012 evidence.

2010: Old man with shades so he sneakily stare. You can't trick us though; we knew what he was up to.

2012: Old man ditched the glasses and now just stares with no inhibition.

2010: The expression never changes.

2012: See? The expression remains constant. Please excuse the blur -
there is only so many times you can take a photo without getting noticed.

This and That

Just a few pictures from Instagram as of lately. Beautiful pink clouds from my office window, a Friday evening glass of rosé, my favorite summertime Starbucks drink (iced tea lemonade!) and what happens when your boyfriend makes your PB&J sandwich for work :)

Hope everyone has an amazing, long weekend!

Dash & Dine

To make running a little more fun, Maddie, Autumn and I sometimes plan something fun after a run - it makes us look forward to it a bit more. Last night, we decided to dash and dine. Go for a quick run along Lake Union, then warm up with some tomato soup and a sammie.

So if a runner's high isn't enough for you, you should try a turkey and prosciutto sandwich with white cheddar, arugula and lemon mayo. I guarantee you'll want to go running every night. 

Thanks for dinner, Mads!

I covet

The whole high-waisted, 50's style swimsuit trend is pretty darn cute. I'm not sure if it's really for me, but shoot, it looks great on some people. What do you think - would you give it a try?

Million Dollar Quartet

For my Mom's birthday back in March, I got her tickets to the Broadway show, Million Dollar Quartet. The show was about the legendary day in Rock n' Roll history when Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins all got together for a jam session at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. It was part history lesson, part comedy, part nostalgia (more for my Mom) and part concert. Throughout the whole performance, everyone around us was tapping their feet, twisting their shoulders and bobbing their heads to the tunes - no one could stay put in their seat! Needless to say, the show was surprisingly good.

But the day didn't end with the show - we also perused downtown, had happy hour at Pesos, got pedicures and ended the night with a bottle of rosé at my apartment. A perfect Saturday in my book. Hope you enjoyed the day too, Mom!

Reminisce

It's crazy to think that this time last year, we were in Sweden. It feels like ages ago! Since then, two of my cousins have gotten engaged and one had a baby - certainly shows how so much can happen in just a short year. While our next trip is likely years away, I'm already excited for dinner at Kvarnen (had to be in the top ten meals of my life!), catching up with family, making our way to the other side of the family in Norway and fika. Oh fika, if only you existed in America...

Fresh Air

I love the view from my office. But let me tell you, it can be torturous on those beautiful, sunny days. The sailboats, canoes, party barges and more. I can constantly hear them whisper, "Erika... come out and play..." I used to brush those whispers aside and buckle down at the task at hand...

But those days of ignoring the great outdoors are gone. Well, at least once a week. As I've said before, I'm making it my goal to get fresh air during the workday at least once a week. This is a big deal for my office, but I think it'll make me a happier, more productive worker. Yesterday, Olita, Katie and I took a quick 10 minute walk along the lake and it gave me the much-needed boost of vigor to make it through the rest of the day. (Plus, these adorable little girls brought a huge smile to my face!)

I might not have time to take a walk every week, but I think I can at least try to take a quick breather on the Starbucks patio or on the bench on the lake. I think it seems like a reasonable goal. I'm depending on my co-workers to keep me honest!

Shift in Weather, Shift in Menu

While I do love my soup (gosh, I've posted so many recipes!), it really is more of a cold-weather meal. So once the temperatures rise and the sun is shining, I tend to shift my standard weekly menu - aiming for fresh ingredients, quick and easy (so I can spend more time outside) and a tad on the lighter side.

For example, a chicken sausage with veggies, spicy mustard and a dollop of cream cheese, plus a simple arugula salad* - delish! Do you have any go-to summer meals?

*I try to make my own dressing when I can. This one included the juice squeezed from half a lemon, plus a little red wine vinegar and olive oil, a little squeeze of dijon mustard and lots of ground pepper.

A Mother's Day Picnic

Nothing quite beats a picnic on a sunny Sunday, especially with family. For Mother's Day, Joe (III), my Mom and Dad, and Joe (II) and Lilian all met up at Green Lake for a little picnicking, relaxing and good (great!) people watching.We saw a pet tortoise (it was huge), a woman with a paper bag as a hat and later in the evening, I hear there was a pet kangaroo! We missed the latter, but believe me - I'll be keeping my eyes open for it in future runs and walks around the lake.

Mom, I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day - you deserve the very best. I love you!

TGIF (and Mother's Day!)

Hope everyone has a lovely, sunny weekend celebrating all of the Moms out there. I know I will be! Per my Mom's request, we'll be picking up Paseo sandwiches and finding a place to picnic by the water. Oh, and showering her with our love :)

Happy weekend and Happy Mother's Day!

card/via

Bride-To-Be

While celebrating the lovely Bride-to-Be this weekend, it got me thinking about a few of the reasons I love this lady. So here goes:

• She gives the best hugs, hands down
• Her kitties are cute and she lets me take care of them :)
• She has the guts to do a complete career shift to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse 
• I wouldn't be surprised if she was a makeup artist in her past life
• She's got your back. (Better go and get Sharonda?)
• Her laugh is contagious
• She's seriously one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet

Lizzie, your wedding is right around the corner! Can't wait to watch you marry the man of your dreams!

Oh-So-Studious

 

Is it just me or do bookshelves also make you feel studious? Whether or not they are filled with actual books (or pretty bowls and trinkets), a nicely styled bookshelf unquestionably adds a lot to a room. But you know what adds even more to a room? A pop of color, of course. Painting the inside of bookshelves - an inky blue, mossy green or even a bright peach - it can beautifully transform a room! Considering a quart of paint costs about $10 - in my opinion, it would be $10 well spent. I'm storing this away on my "future projects" list. One day.

 

 

 

pics 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Meet Mia

Another GMMB original! Gosh, I love working on good issues. Cheers to all of you amazing teachers out there for giving students like Mia the skills they need to succeed in life!

Sushi Night

We certainly rose to the occasion for our last cooking club - the theme was sushi and our tasty treats could have won over even the most persnickety sushi connoisseur. Spicy tuna rolls, tofu and veggie rolls, yellow tail sashimi, poke, edamame, wontons, sake and more. We topped it all off with some homemade raspberry ice cream and fudge, compliments of Miss Erin Straube. All in all, I think this cooking club raised the bar. How will we be able to top it?! Your ideas are welcome :)

Spinning, spinning, spinning

Today I tried spinning for the first time. Here are my thoughts:

• Getting up at 5:45 is rough...
• ... But totally worth it in the end.
• Holy dehydration! I feel like I've had a few gallons of water today and I'm still thirsty.
• I've never loved a fan so much. Teacher, please direct it my way?
• If I hear, 'increase resistance' one more time... 
• It's one helluva a cross-training activity.
• Lady who went straight to the elliptical after class, you're intense! I went straight to my couch to recoup for a few minutes.
• Having a friend at both sides helps. A quick "I feel your pain, but we can do this" glance really does go a long way. Thanks, Mads and Autumn!
• You can burn between 400-600 calories in 45 minutes! 
• Would it be bad to reward myself with 400-600 calories in chocolate? :)

 pic/via

Trout Saratoga

So what to do with all that trout? Trout Saratoga, of course! It's simple, flavorful and probably just tastes better since you know it's fresh. From bottom of the lake to dinner table in less than a day! I don't think you can say that of store-bought fish.

The only downfall? The bones. I hate fish bones. My parents can attest to this, as I used to complain about them during our many meals of fish. I've toughened up since then a bit, but still don't like bones. Is this just me or do others have an intense aversion to fish bones?

Other than that, it's a meal worth making.

Ingredients
1 (4 pound) whole trout, cleaned (We did like 4 small trout, and thanks for cleaning the fish, Dad!)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced (I added more like 3 cloves)
1/2 cup white wine (plus a glass or two for yourself)
1 lemon, cut into wedges
4 sprigs fresh parsley

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x13 inch baking dish. Season the trout inside and out with salt and pepper to taste, and place in baking dish. 

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, olive oil, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, and minced garlic. Spread evenly over the fish. 

Bake for 35 minutes, or until fish flakes easily. Baste during baking with wine. Serve garnished with lemon wedges and parsley sprigs. 


P.S. Last night, my Dad told me that fishing is in my genes - my ancestors fished off the coast of Norway in Stapnes for over 500 years. Plus, apparently women in the family often bring home the bacon (or fish in this case!) - my Great Aunt Tilda was apparently a force to be reckoned with when equipped with a fishing pole! 

Another fishing story.

Instead of waking up at the crack of dawn like last time, we opted for the evening bite on opening day. We were out on the lake by 4:30pm, ready for a fishing showdown. You see, my Dad has yet to out-fish me. We have years and years of opening days and fishing derbies under our belts, but my undefeated record still stands. (Knock on wood.) So he is committed to one day break that record. So what do you think? Do you think 2012 was the year for my Dad? Or has Joe been reading up on tips and tricks since his last time out in 2010? The fishing story below...

Cain Lake a small, quaint lake just south of Bellingham.

  

The fishing extraordinaire, my Dad. Even if he can't out-fish me. (Again, knock on wood.)

Joe got a bite... but no fish.

"Hey dad, let's get our pictures together... oh wait, FISH ON!"

They just kept coming and coming...

These faces are saying "you've got to be kidding me!"

"Seriously, let's just stop the embarrassment..."

Erika: 10, Boys: 1 - to protect the innocent, I won't share who got the one :)

So my record still stands. Phew! Better go start on my magic fish-attracting potion for 2013. Up next, how we cooked the trout, yum!