Raise the Woof

We were definitely star struck last Friday night when we had the fortunate opportunity to attend the University of Washington Raise the Woof event. It's basically a fundraiser for the football team and a time for boosters and fans to get excited for the new season. My brother and his friend purchased a table and had other friends buy tickets. Two of his friends backed out so James and I got free tickets! Now let me preface this by saying my brother and husband LOVE Husky football. I'm not talking love like you love ice cream. I'm talking love like they know all the stats, talk about it every time they're together, sleep, eat and breathe this stuff during the season. So you can imagine how pumped they were.

Sporting our husky gear, we eagerly checked in and walked through the tunnel that the players come out of and down on to the field. I had never been on the field before. Some of the major players like Chris Polk, Jermaine Kearse, Devin Aguilar, and Keith Price (the new quarterback) were taking pictures with fans. The band was playing and cheerleaders were cheering. They had a couple of open bars and it was just fun to walk around. You could even take a picture with Dubs, the mascot husky. We also saw Jason from the Bachelor! Of course I didn't really know any of the players, but I for sure could pick out the Bachelor in a crowd. :) I made the guys sneak some pictures for me.

Then we went behind the stadium where they had tables and a stage set up. We got in the buffet line to get dinner and all the sudden we saw Joe Montana right behind us! He was there with his son who is on the team. We sneakily snagged a picture of him too. We couldn't believe we were that close to him! But of course we acted cool and suave like it was no big deal. The dinner was excellent and then during the program coach Sarkisian got up to speak about the season and introduced all the players. It was a really fun night. I think we are definitely ready for Husky football to start. There goes our Saturdays....

Childhood Friends

People often tell me how amazing they think it is that I'm still friends with so many people from my childhood.  In fact, most of the people I spend time with these days are people I know from elementary, junior high or high school.  There was/is something special about our class and I can't quite put my finger on it.  It's probably the fact that most of us grew up in the same area so we have a long history together.  A strong connection forms when people have been part of your life through the crazy '80's bangs stage or the metal mouth stage and they still talk to and like you.  I've noticed that most people from our graduating class still hang out with each other--we're all just in different groups.  And when I see people from childhood who I haven't seen in a long time, it feels like no time has passed at all.

This summer has been especially fun because I've gotten to reconnect and spend time with a lot of people I grew up with.   

My close girlfriends Karen, Jana, Hillary, Kristine and Jessica.  I've known Hillary and Karen since first grade and met the other girls in junior high

Two friends Leslie and Brandon met in junior high, reconnected and got married in June.  Their wedding was like a mini high school reunion.  All these people went to high school together and most met even earlier than that.

DeeDee came to visit!  I met DeeDee in Kindergarten.  And now she has a sweet little one of her own. 

 

My dear friend Tyler.  We met in kindergarten and grew up in the same neighborhood.  Tyler just got married last weekend which was another mini high school reunion.  Congrats Ty!

Heidi, Vanessa, Tyler, and Justin.  We all grew up in Timberline and have lots of memories riding bikes, going to the sand pit, jumping on the trampoline, and playing two-hand touch football.  What a blast from the past to all be together again!

 I'm so grateful for all these people in my life and many more who know me so well--all my quirks, awkward stages, joys, sorrows, and life milestones.  Here's to many more years of friendship!!

We'll Get You There

"We'll Get You There" is the slogan of the King County Metro transportation department.  And what I (Megs) have now learned from riding the bus into work almost every day for 4 years is that their slogan doesn't really tell the whole story.  I feel like there should be some caveats added to that slogan such as:

"We'll Get You There. You probably won't be on time and you may have to stand in the pouring rain and cold wind waiting for us for 20 minutes, but you'll eventually get there"

"We'll Get You There along with a bunch of other people who seem like they're either coming from or going to the loony bin."

"We'll Get You There but it probably won't smell very good along the way."

"We'll Get You There and you'll have the added bonus of learning the life stories and sagas of your co-passengers because they will talk too loudly on their cell phones."

There always seems to be some kind of adventure on the bus.  I take one bus into the city from the suburbs.  That bus is actually kind of boring.  Most people are pretty normal and just need a cheaper option to get to work.  That bus is quiet and as I look around almost everyone is glued to their smart phone, listening to music, or reading a book or newspaper.  That bus ride actually feels relaxing and I fall asleep most times. 

And then comes the joy of riding the downtown bus up to my workplace.  The craziness of that bus ride never ceases to amaze me.  Some days, especially when it's really crowded or bad weather, the bus makes me cranky and I'm not in the mood to deal with it.  But over time, I think riding the bus has actually been really good for me.  It has taught me more compassion and empathy for humanity.  As I sit and observe others or listen to them tell their stories, I realize that most people in this world are just trying to get by, feel loved, or receive validation.  I once heard someone say they would never ride the buses in the city because they're too scary.  If I have learned anything from the downtown bus it's just the opposite.  It's helped me realize that the inner city isn't that scary.  It's just filled with people who are lost and hurting.   

I think a lot about my faith and actions when I'm on the bus.  I know that if Jesus were here today, He would definitely be riding the bus.  He would give up his seat for someone who was injured and didn't have health insurance.  He would sit and talk with the woman on her way to the drug rehab clinic and probably give her a hug.  He would give bus money to the homeless man.  I am challenged by this on every ride because I definitely don't always behave the way Jesus would with people on the bus.  Most of the time I'm annoyed or judgmental.  But I see the Lord using spaces like this to teach me what it means to help and support those who are hurting and oppressed.  Even if that means just giving a smile or giving up my seat.

"We'll Get You There and you might just become a better human being along the way."

Critters, Part One

When we were first buying our house, we got a lot of advice and information from others.  "Make sure it's a house you can stay in for at least 5 years."  "Your list of house duties now will never end."  "Don't buy a house in your first year of marriage" (whoops!).   The one thing people didn't tell us and that we weren't prepared for was how many critters we'd be dealing with.   Seriously, it's like a zoo around here.  So intermittingly throughout the blog, we'll be paying tribute to the menagerie that is our living space. 

We have to confess that most of the critters we'll be describing have caused us much annoyance.  But today we'll be focusing on the critter that actually brings us much joy...the hummingbird!  Last year we bought a hummingbird feeder at Molbaks with the hopes that our yard would be fluttering with those crazy fast wings.  But no such luck.  So we gave it a try again this year.  With homemade sugar water, we put out the feeder, hung some colorful flower baskets close to it and waited.  To our surprise we finally got hummingbird visitors.  That's right--not just one, but several!  And then we quickly realized that these weren't your average hummingbirds....these things are HUNGRY!  For a few weeks we were refilling the water every 2 days.  Sometimes they're a little feisty too and fight each other to get to the feeder.  But man there's nothing like capturing a glimpse of the little guys and seeing them be still for just a few seconds to get a drink.  They fascinate us.

Megs has been trying for weeks to capture the hummingbirds on film.  She would see one on the feeder, run to grab her camera and of course it would fly away.  And then it wouldn't come back while she was standing out in the yard.  The minute she went inside, it came back. This process repeated about 5 times.  She finally had success the other night after sitting on the deck for 20 minutes and taking at least 10 shots.  Megs is now officially a hummingbird stalker.

James wanted to write an ode to the hummingbird for our blog and wrote it in the form of a haiku (we're channeling Ryan here):

Hummingbirds

Red feeder syrup

addiction

More critter stories to come...

Happy Birthday James!

Today is James' birthday!  Happy 37th to the love of my life!  We had a really fun weekend and did lots of celebrating.  Dinner together on Friday night with ice cream cake, James golfed on Saturday, Blue Angels, Pike Place, and Spaulding family dinner on Sunday.  Whew!

Yummy dinner at Brunello by our house.  We relived our Italy trip all over again!

B&R ice cream cake with oreo ice cream and chocolate cake

Wonderful Sunday morning eating Top Pot doughnuts, drinking coffee and reading the paper.  Do you like my artsy picture?  I was pretty proud of it--with the iPhone no less!

Found a great spot on the grass by Leschi to catch the Blue Angels show.  As many times as we've seen them, they never cease to amaze us.  I think this might become a tradition every year!

Afternoon at Pike Place Market.  We hadn't been here in ages.  We acted like tourists taking tons of pictures and trying all the goodies along the way.  I'm starting to notice that we ate A LOT this weekend! 

The cake that James' dad made--yellow cake with chocolate frosting.  The sugar rush continues... 

James and Papa Spaulding

We finally got a shot of the whole family!

Such a fun summer weekend celebrating my very special husband.  We all love you James!!

Talented Sibling

I (Megs) am fully convinced that whatever creative and brilliant genes exist amongst the Warner lineage, they definitely bypassed me and went straight to my brother, Ryan. He consistently amazes me with his creative writing, poetry, and artistic skills. Lately he has been WOWing us with his ability to make videos. He is too humble about it so I wanted to share his talent on our blog. I think eventually he might want to do this as a side business. So if any of you have a special event coming up that you'd like to document, please let me know and I'd be happy to connect you with Ryan. Here are some samples for your viewing pleasure (be sure to turn on your speakers)...


Middle Fork Roasters from Ryan Warner on Vimeo.



Costa Rica // ¡PURA VIDA! from Ryan Warner on Vimeo.
To see all his videos, please visit his Vimeo page at http://vimeo.com/user5990131