My Friend in the Middle East

My friend, Wanda recently moved to the Middle East. I am still sad about her leaving and moving away but she has started an awesome blog that I thought my friends would find interesting. It's fascinating to read about her adventures. If you're interested, you can read her blog here.

The Great Northwest, Day 6

Our last full day in Washington state had us enjoying coffee with one of Joe's cousins, out for shopping and lunch, and one last family dinner before our "day seven" travel day back to Chicagoland.

Joe in Coupeville.

I'm posing before heading off to my delicious lunch of clam chowder. I love seafood! I ate it every day on the trip except for once. And I'm giving myself a pass for that one day since I usually ate it at least twice a day.  

One final family dinner.

The Great Northwest, Day 5

Thanksgiving! Today we celebrated Thanksgiving with Joe's family at his Aunt Judy and Uncle Jim's house with his dad, stepmom, cousins and grandma.

Joe and I with Grandma Dorothy.

Joe and I posing while Uncle Jim and Aunt Judy are hard at work in the kitchen.

Uncle Jim carves the turkey.

Our delicious lunch! So thankful for a great day with family.

The Great Northwest, Day 4

Our last day in Victoria! After breakfast we checked out of our hotel and drove to Sidney to catch our ferry. Another long travel day for us.

We couldn't leave without taking a picture by the beautiful Empress Hotel Christmas tree.

Dreary day, waiting for the ferry to arrive.

The Great Northwest, Day 3

Our next day in Victoria had us doing more sight-seeing and, for me, a massage at the hotel spa.

Joe and I having breakfast at the hotel.

We visited the Royal BC Museum which showcased a history of BC including this guy from the ice age.

We also visited the inside of the Parliment building.

Here's the Parliment building at night.

By the second day of our trip, our hotel was decorated for Christmas!

Joe before our curry dinner at the hotel's Bengal Lounge. The Bengal Lounge has been serving a curry buffet nightly since the 50s.

The Great Northwest, Day 2

Day two took us to Victoria, British Columbia. It has been on my short list of places to visit for quite some time and made for a memorable way for us to celebrate Joe turning 40. This also marked my first-ever trip to Canada.

Our hotel, The Empress

We had high tea at The Empress, a must-do in Victoria.

Yum! I have been dreaming of the chicken curry sandwich I had since our tea.

After a day of exploring the city, we had a late night dinner at this Scotish Pub. I had the best fish and chips of my life and Joe had bangers and mash.

The Great Northwest, Day 1

Joe and I took off for the Northwest to visit his family and also to take a little side vacation to British Columbia. First things first, a stop at Pike Place Market upon arriving in Seattle. I've been before but its been about seven years since my last visit. We walked around, had a wonderful lunch with fresh seafood and then caught the ferry for the second leg of our trip.

Pike Place Market

Watching all of the action at the fish counter

The original Starbucks

Joe and I having lunch and enjoying the view

Joe on the ferry heading to Whidbey Island

Fore Tee

The birthday celebrating continues. Today we hit some golf balls. But instead of any old place, imagine every ball you have is microchipped and keeps score against your competitor. Kind of like darts only with golf balls. And there's great music playing and really good food/drinks brought to you at your own seating area...oh and heaters. Seriously, this is my kind of golf.

Forty

I sent some balloons to Joe's office hoping to brighten up his busy day.

Today is my husband's birthday...and it's a big one. He refused to let me have a party for him and didn't want anyone to make a fuss. And, unfortunately, that's what he got. (Me? I'm all about the fuss.) Poor Joe had a brutal day with back-to-back meetings and even a late night meeting tonight so we didn't even get to have dinner to celebrate. So I took him out for his favorite meal of the day - breakfast. A few days from now, we'll be in British Columbia. Something tells me that will be a pretty swell place to have a proper celebration.

Girls Weekend

This past weekend I headed to Virginia Beach to see my friend, Carrie. We've been friends since high school but as adults we rarely see each other. So this was a great getaway for me and a fun weekend with an old friend. The weekend consisted of girl talk, pedicures, shopping and lots of good food (I ate seafood for almost every meal and we even hit a Diners, Drive Ins and Dives restaurant, too!).

Cape Henry Lighthouse

The old Cape Henry Lighthouse. Carrie and I climbed to the very top...and today my calves still hurt.



Plague at the side of the lighthouse. It was the first lighthouse authorized by the United States Congress and erected in 1791.

Seafood Mac & Cheese.

Carrie and I having dinner at Eat.

Halloween

Wanted to share a picture on my nieces on Halloween.

Brylea as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and Adyson as Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Isn't Toto cute?