Adventures in Space!

The one thing we didn't want to do on our trip to Seattle was over-schedule ourselves with a million things to do. As a teacher and a graduate student, we're both tired. Seattle was not just a trip, but vacation. We went to NYC back in February and when we got on the plane home, we were exhausted by all we had done. We didn't want that for this vacation, so instead of planning things to do each day, we basically did what felt good.

That meant we spending Christmas day in bed. Literally, I spent almost all of Christmas day in my jammies watching the water and Christmas movies. With most of Seattle closed, we couldn't do a lot. We could have gone sightseeing, but we thought laying around would be better-- and it was.

The one thing we did have planned that day was dinner at the Space Needle and I'm so glad we did. Miles made our reservations for 4pm which meant we would be able to see Seattle in daylight, sunset, and at nighttime. Needless to say, the views were amazing and dinner, a three-course meal, was worth every penny we spent (which was a lot).

Starbucks & Pike's Market

  

Question: If there is a Starbucks on every corner and a college student visits Seattle with the goal of drinking as much Starbucks as possible, how many cups of coffee will this college student drink?

Answer: Enough that the night owl, who likes to sleep in, was happily up at 5am every morning.

Our only disappointment with the original Starbucks is that there wasn't a place to sit and drink. We would have liked to enjoy our early morning coffee, but I guess walking and sipping isn't that bad either.

Let's also talk about Pike's Market. It's possible that this place has more happy smells than anywhere else I've ever been. Our hotel was just a block away from the market, so Miles and I spent some time exploring and smelling. My only regret is I couldn't eat everything! Everything was so fresh and smelled so good.

Pacific Northwest

Christmas this year was a little different. For as long as I can remember, Christmas has been twinkling lights, Santa cookies, stuffed stockings, breakfast burritos, and crab legs. But after years of traveling to enjoy the holidays, Miles and I decided to take a break from traditions and the hustle and bustle for a week away alone clear across the other side of the country.

We chose Seattle because we wanted to fly someplace where we could take advantage of Miles' Southwest Points and Elite status. We have been talking about visiting for a few years and this trip felt like the time to go even though we were warned that Seattle at this time of year is dreary and cold.

To say that we fell in love with Seattle is an understatement. The city immediately felt like home and I was shocked by just how nice everyone was! I'm not sure what I was thinking-- I've never really heard of west coast snobs-- but I kept remarking over and over just how friendly everyone was. It must be all of the coffee they drink! More importantly though, we fit in. Miles and I love big cities, but we also love the outdoors. The Pacific Northwest is the perfect blend of the two. Here is a sneak peek from our trip!

When I found out I had a bonus waiting for me at HR:

Black Friday Cat Lady

Anyone who owns cats knows the value behind this picture.

Miles and I decided to boycott Black Friday shopping this year, but when I saw that cat litter was half off, I planned an early morning trip to my local PetsMart. I'm not ashamed to admit that I loaded up not one, but two carts with litter. 16 pails at 35 lbs each equals 560 lbs! I'm sure people were staring as we drove down the interstate, but who cares when I saved over $120? Just blame my bargain shopping on the fact that we're still college kids.

First Snow

[wearing: rei pink jacket, target sweater & scarf, old navy cami, levi jeans, LL Bean boots]

Nothing made this girl happier than waking up the first day of Thanksgiving break with the first snow on the ground & wearing Bean boots! This was the first snow for the two of us in over two years.

Of course, nothing made Miles crankier than waking up on Wednesday with the first snow on the ground and having to go to class. I'm still not quite sure what he was crankier about: going to work the day before Thanksgiving or knowing that I could stay warm in bed and he couldn't.

Sometimes being a teacher librarian does have its perks. 

Home Away From Home

For Thanksgiving this year, our home became a home away from home. My parents wanted a quiet Thanksgiving (my mom recently had surgery), so my brother came to visit. He brought with him a freshman from Northern Virginia (and Ireland) whose family was going to Massachusetts to celebrate the holiday. The kid was going to spend the holiday alone at Purdue until my brother convinced him he'd have fun at our house. Miles invited a fellow graduate student who didn't feel up to driving 8 hours for one meal since UT-Knoxville doesn't get the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off.

At first, I didn't know what to expect since Miles and I are so weird, but we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It was fun being the home away from home for so many friends!