Last Thursday stared off like any other day the only exception being it was Fiance's birthday. We stuck to our usual routine. Fiance gets up and hops in the shower, I get up make coffee, his lunch and breakfast. This morning I made one of his favorites; eggs over easy, sausage and wheat toast. While he eats he watches Sports Center while I tidy up the kitchen. We decide because I am going to meet him for lunch that I will go ahead and drive him to work this morning. Normal morning chit chat continues, nothing seems out of the ordinary. That is until I head to the bedroom to make the bed. It is then that Fiance intercepts me. He pulls me into an embrace and following exchange went a little something like this... Fiance: I like waking up next to you. Me: I like waking up next to you too. (I try to back out of the embrace) F: You made really good eggs this morning. M: ummmm...okay (I try to back away again...I mean I have an unmade bed to make) F: I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I give him a "whatchoo talkin' about Willis" look as he pulls a white box out of his pocket, did he buy me some earrings or maybe a necklace? F: With that being said...(he drops to one knee)...will you marry me? He opens the box, I see the ring, and I lose it. Tears streaming down my face I nod and mouth the word yes. He slips the ring on my finger which is followed by lots of hugging, kissing, and more tears.
He had been planning this since February. We had never even gone to look at rings together. He had enlisted the help of my friend Jenn to run reconnaissance to find out what styles and cuts I liked and my ring size. They referred to the surprise mission as Operation Busty Housewife which is based off of one of my tweets. And boy did he catch me by surprise. He had been talking about taking a trip this fall and I thought that he would pop the question then. Turns out he was just trying to throw me off the track. He did an awesome job and I love my ring. Fiance isn't always all that romantic; but this was better than anything I could have asked for. I am looking forward to the happily ever after. |
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On our last day in El Paso in an attempt to get out of the house and into the sun, Boyfriend and I went to the zoo.
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Weather is Seattle...cold, wet, and shitty Weather in El Paso...sunny, warm, and did I mention sunny? Boyfriend and I are leaving the dreariness of Seattle for the warm sunny goodness that is El Paso Texas. YEAH!!! |
There is Starsky and Hutch, Salt and Peppa, Batman and Robin, Peaches and Herb, BJ and the Bear...and now there is Beans and Rice. That is what Boyfriend has taken to calling us as a couple. I dunno...I kinda like it.
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As promised Boyfriend took me out for pancakes this morning...and boy was I needing those pancakes. He took me to a place called Chase's Pancake Corral up in Bellevue.
Chase's has been around for about 50 years and is the type of place where the staff knows the names of all the regulars. It is a tiny little place that is always packed. We went around 11am on a Monday and still had to wait 20 minutes for a table...but it was worth it.
Boyfriend and I went to Costco last night to pick up a few things and he could not leave the store with out the jumbo 28 count box of Corn Dogs.
I guess I can't give him too much flack because just minutes later I found a 6lb bag of Gummy Bears I could not live with out.
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We knew day two was going to be much easier than day one with only about 400 miles to go. We slept in until 7:30 am and after breakfast and a Starbucks run were on the road by 9:00 am. It was cold, but we had blue skies and no wind.
Once the sun went down the night before we did not get to see how pretty this part of Montana was. With all the new snow the drive through the mountains was beautiful. We had gotten a lot of snow in the mountains of Colorado, but it does not compare with the amount of snow they gave gotten in Northern Montana and Idaho.
We cut across the panhandle of Idaho and went through Coeur de Laine. The views of the lake here are breath taking. I think this might be an area we venture back into in the summer. We entered Washington through Spokane. It had been all over the news about the amount of snow Washington has been getting...but we were thinking they were talking by Washington standards. By any standards Washington has an assload of snow.
(Snoqualmie Pass) We arrived in Kent around 3:30 PM. It is weird to say...but it is nice to be home. I can't wait to get out and explore the area. But first things first...tomorrow Boyfriend promised he would take me to Ikea.
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The alarm went off at 4:08 am and the song Crazy by Gnarls Barkley was playing...I found that rather appropriate. After getting the last few things in the truck, taking some pictures and a tearful goodbye to my mom we were on the road by 5:20 am...only 20 minutes behind schedule but less than the hour we are usually behind on these road trips. We made it in to Cheyenne by 7:00am we were making good time and things were going well. The plan was to make it to Missoula, MT 7:00 PM going roughly 950 miles, or about 13 hours including drive time and stops.
There are some beautiful sights in Wyoming...Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons to name a few...but we would not be seeing any of that. If you have ever had the pleasure of taking I25 across Wyoming you know it is boring as hell (not Nebraska or Kansas boring but boring nonetheless) and it is windy. It does not seem to matter where we go...if we are on a road trip there is going to be wind and lots of it. Once out of Cheyenne those winds started up. It would not have been so bad had it been a tail wind...but instead we were faced with 65 mph cross winds. I had the wheel cranked so hard against it that if the wind would have suddenly stopped we would have gone careening into off the road and into a ditch.
We stopped for lunch in Sheridan, about 20 miles from the Montana border, at noon. I can't remember the name of the place were we had lunch...but I do remember the name of the loud little kid at the table next to us...it was Tyler. Dear Tyler's parents, telling Tyler to shush 50 million times is obviously not working maybe you should try something else, or take him to a McDonalds playplace next time. After lunch we crossed over into Big Sky Country...and I have to tell you that the sky does seem bigger in Montana.  Driving through this part of Montana was a lot like Wyoming with the exception of more hills and snow. We were a bit ahead of schedule so we decided to be a little touristy and stopped to do the tour at the Little Bighorn Battlefield. It was getting colder and windier so we tried to be quick about it. Boyfriend had been there before and was able to give a very informative your yet abbreviated tour. I got the gist that maybe Custer was not all that hot of a General and had he kept his troops together that the out come would have been very different. I was also sad to learn that all but a horse named Comanche died in the battle.
In checking the weather before leaving that morning we knew that there was a 30% chance of snow...and we ran into that snow just outside of Billings. We went from cloudy skies and clear roads to whiteout conditions and icy roads in a matter of minutes. We drove in and out of snow for the next 6 hours. Every once in a while we would get lucky and get about 20 miles of dry roads but it did not help to make up time. Once in Butte the skies cleared and the roads appeared to dry up. it was 9:00 PM we were about 120 miles outside of Missoula, hours behind schedule and tired. My foot became very heavy and I drove those winding mountain roads as fast as I could...regardless of the protests coming from the passenger seat. We pulled into Missoula at about 10:15 PM...3 hours behind schedule. Here's to hoping that the last 400 miles are a little easier. |
Boyfriend: I Got you some big delicious red apples. Me: What kind of red apples? Boyfriend: You know...the delicious red ones...the ones you like. Me: There are a lot of delicious apples that are red. Boyfriend: But these are the delicious red ones you like. Me: Ummmmmm...Do you mean Red Delicious apples? Boyfriend: Yeah thats what I said. |
A very loud cricket has taken up residence up Boyfriend's bedroom window. This thing is seriously a sleep disrupting menace! The past two nights said cricket has started chirping just about the time we go to bed. It's not the low chirping you hear in the background on cool summer nights...It is more like CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP...and did I mention CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP!!! Male crickets chirp loudly to attract a mate. They also chirp loudly to repel other males. That being the case this cricket is that loud asshole you see in the bar flexing his muscles talking about how many chicks he is going to bang...oh and he is also a homophobe. |
I am a part time girlie girl. For the most part you daily uniform is jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of flip flops. Usually the only time I wear jewelry is to finish off an ensemble on the rare occasions that I do girl it up. I have started to wear earrings a bit more this year. Mostly because I have purchased 2 pairs that I love and wear as often as possible. This first pair I got in Ojo Caliente, NM while on a spa retreat with a couple of girlfriends. I was instantly drawn to them and probably picked them up and put them down about 5 times before I finally bought them. They are made of ancient Greek glass. Depending on the light they give of a green/gold/blueish hue. They were $45, which is more than I would usually spend on earrings because I am super cheap. But I thought they were unique and I am glad I splurged on them.
This second pair I got down in Mexico. I saw them in a little shop near our hotel and would look at them longingly in the window every time we passed. They are sterling silver and are about the size of a silver dollar. I thought they we beautiful and I wanted them. So finally on the day before we left I went in to purchase them. They were priced at $120 USD. I of course could not bring myself to pay that for earrings...did I mention I am super cheap?
Boyfriend knew that I really wanted them so he sweet talked the shop girl down to $70. Still too rich for my blood so Boyfriend spoke with the girl a bit more. I am sure he said something like this..."I have a cheap gringo girlfriend who is weird about me buying her things. Do you think you could come down a tiny bit more on the price so I do not have to listen to her complain all the way home about how she wanted these earrings." I don't speak Spanish but am sure it went something like that. |
Recently Boyfriend had interviewed for a job up in Seattle. We had been waiting on pins and needles to find out if he would get it and how our lives might be turned upside down. We found out today that he did not get the job. I am sad for Boyfriend because I know how disappointed he is. In some ways it is a relief that we are not going to have to pack up and move half way across the country. In other ways I am really bummed because I was looking forward to the chance to start over someplace new. We had talked about the possibility of moving up there several times prior to him interviewing. This included what he would do with his house here and what would happen between us. He wanted me to come with him and of course I wanted to go...but under one condition. Now I am not an ultimatum type of girl...but I could not see following a guy across the country without some kind of commitment. I told Boyfriend as much and he said he understood. So when we got the news today I tried to cheer him up by telling him he was off the hook and no longer had to ask me to marry him. The more I had thought about it the more I realized that I did not want him to ask me anyway, or at least not because that was the only way I would move to Seattle with him. When and if he asks me I want it to be because that is what he truly wants. And he better do it in a romantic way. I got the worlds worst proposal the first time around and look how that turned out. So Boyfriend if you ever read this remember that you need to plan something that is over the top romantic...oh and I am partial to this ring...
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He calls her Frenchie...she is how you say...sexy...no? |
Went camping with our friends Dan and Wendy this past weekend at Selkirk off of Boreas Pass Road. It is a tiny little 15 spot camp ground. We don't stay in the actual camp ground, but continue down Gold Dust Trail about a mile or two until we find a spot that looks nice. Now we are car campers, we have to be. I don't enjoy camping all that much so this is the only way Boyfriend is getting me out into the woods. Now we don't spend our days out hiking, mountain biking or enjoying the wild around us. No we sit around drinking beer and keeping our fire burning in bonfire type proportions.
The thing I like the most about car camping is that the food is so much better. Now I am not saying that you can't have a good meal when packing everything into the woods. But when we camp we eat like this.
There is something about camping that really brings out Boyfriends manly side, exhibited here...
Don't let the super faded tapered leg jeans fool you...he is extremely sexy. I tried to get rid of those jeans many times, but Boyfriend assured me that he would only wear them when we were out in the woods.
I do love the fact the I can get Boyfriend to pose just about any way I want him to. He is such a good sport. |
While waiting for our drinks we perused the menu a bit, but I knew what I was having...the Lobster. I was a bit nervous when I saw the words market price. These lobsters averaged 2-3 lbs, in Colorado market price on a lobster that size is going to run you well over a 100 bucks. Turns out market price on a giant lobster in Newport is 40 bucks. Boyfriend ordered the broiled scallops in a wine citrus butter and we agreed to share. I am excited because I have never had lobster prepared this way. And then out comes the food. Boyfriend dives right into the scallops, which had to be over 2 inches in diameter. I just sat there staring at my lobster wondering how in the world am I supposed to eat this thing. Images of the dinner scene from the movie Splash are running through my head. I decide the best course of action is to just dive in. Now for those of you that have had this experience know that there is no lady like way to go about dismantling a giant sea bug. One thing you don't think about is that your dinner still has all of it's insides. This is something I realize after forgoing the provided bib. Surprisingly I am able to walk out of there not covered in lobster guts.
(Lobster is much larger than it appears, photo does not do it justice) It is true that seafood on the coast is way better than anything you can get in middle America. Everything we had was phenomenal. It was a perfect date night...drinks, great seafood, live music, a beautiful sunset and the first unsolicited "I love you" from Boyfriend. What more could a girls ask for.
...or maybe it was the 5 Long Island ice teas! |
I have flown all around the world and every missed connection, every delay, every lost bag...Chicago. Now I am not bashing the City itself, it is my hometown after all. I am just not sure what the deal is with O'Hare. It is the place where even the best laid travel plans are smashed to bits. If I am going to have a problem traveling there is a 99.5% chance it is going to happen there. |
I am headed out to Rhode Island tomorrow to see Boyfriend who has been out there for the past 2 weeks on "business". Having not ever been to Rhode Island the only frame of reference I have is the fictional town of Quahog on the Family Guy. I wonder how many of the men will have chins that look like testicles...  Peter Griffin, Family Guy |
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