More of Richard's Visit

Richard on the San Juan Ferry Ride

Me on the San Juan Ferry Ride


Funny little island in Eastsound, Orcas Island

Funny little bird on the tideflats

View from the little island



Exploring while waiting for our delayed ferry off of Orcas Island...


Lake Union from the Ride the Ducks tour

That little ship in the middle was on "Deadliest Catch"!


Gasworks from the water

The skyline with another duck in view


I took Richard to the airport this morning :( These two weeks have gone by so fast--we've been so busy! It was great having him here, and I'm missing him already...
Day 1: I picked him up at SeaTac around noon. We picked up Dick's burgers & shakes and had lunch at Gasworks Park. It's one of my favorite places in Seattle--I love the view of the skyline across Lake Union. And of course, Dick's is a must--very classic American drive-in, and unique to Seattle. We went home & hung out with my mom--had an early night in after that long flight (about 10 hrs from Amsterdam).

Day 2: Richard & I stayed home with my mom. In the evening Mal & Erik came over for a BBQ, and the four of us walked down to the beach after dinner.

Day 3: First proper Seattle day--we made it to the waterfront around noon and had Ivar's for lunch. Had a great time feeding the seagulls :) We walked around the Market and I pointed out all the great touristy bits--the first Starbucks, the piano guy, the fish-throwing fishmongers, etc. We went to Fremont and had gelato under the Lenin statue, then met up with my UW clustermate friends at the Ram in UVillage for dinner. It was great--they loved him, like I knew they would ;)

Day 4: Another busy Seattle day, starting out with a trip up the Space Needle. We had a great day for it--perfectly clear skies :) While we were up there, we saw a couple that had just gotten engaged, so that was cute. Went down to Old Spaghetti Factory for lunch and then checked out the Olympic Sculpture Park across the road. Met up with my friend Rachael for a bit outside the Market, then went back to Seattle Center for EMP/SFM. I'd never seen the Sci-Fi part (it's new since I'd been there last, and I'm not a sci-fi fan...), but it was actually pretty good. It's not all Star Trek/Star Wars, much to my relief ;) I also found the whole concept interesting--a museum of a genre? Like if there were a comedy museum, or a drama museum...Anyway, I was in my element over in the EMP side, and Richard liked it, too.

Day 5: Mom's birthday and Independence Day! In the morning Julie & Debbie came over and we had BBQ leftovers for lunch, and did Mom's cake & ice cream & present opening :) Richard & I went to Everett's Legion Park to watch the fireworks display--it was really good! Definitely what I was looking for--not too crazy crowded like Gasworks, but more impressive than Stanwood. I was glad Richard got to experience a proper 4th of July!

Day 6: Richard, Mom and I went on the North Cascades Highway out to Winthrop. We wandered around the shops and had a nice dinner before heading home. It was great! I'm so glad Richard & my mom get along so well, too :)

Day 7: I took us to this Surprise Lake hike that I'd done in high school, and it was terribly steep and difficult! I had only myself to blame, as I'd picked it out. We should've done the ice caves! On the way home, we had Alfy's for dinner, so that was good. Almost makes up for my bad choice of hikes ;)

Day 8: I really needed a day off to recover from that hike--my leg muscles were killing me! We stayed home during the day, and my mom made pot roast for dinner. In the evening we went to see "Eclipse", and it was really good--much better than "New Moon." I'm really glad Richard's willing to see these Twilight movies with me--they're such a guilty pleasure ;)

Day 9: We got an early start and went up to Orcas Island to camp at Moran State Park. It was absolutely gorgeous, and we got lucky--only 2 campsites left & we got one! We had a fantastic evening at the lake and around the campfire, eating hot dogs and roasting marshmallows :) We were really lucky with the weather, too--80 degrees & dry! I think it was the hottest day we've had all summer.

Day 10: On the way home from the campground, we got delayed at the ferry terminal for 4 hours. It was ridiculous, but we made the best of the situation--had a nice walk around the shops and ate a picnic lunch in the shade. I made enchiladas for dinner when we got home and we watched "Death at a Funeral."

Day 11: Richard & I had a bit of a free, unplanned day and it was fantastic. I drove him around the Tulalip reservation--very interesting, as we just don't have reservations in England ;) Then we went to Alderwood Mall for awhile, and had lunch at Panera--he really liked it! I called Mal to make evening plans, and on the way home I took Richard to Mukilteo. We had a lovely walk around the lighthouse and beach, and saw a group setting up for a beach wedding :) In the evening, Mal took us out to dinner/drinks with Erik and we had a great time! Richard will probably never understand my love for drinking out of Mason jars, but I'm glad I've shown him how things are done in the country ;)

Day 12: Richard, my mom & I went to Casper's for lunch--it's an amazing Southern restaurant at 152nd and Aurora, just north of Seattle. It was delicious as usual :) We went downtown to see the Seattle Public Library--none of us had been inside before, and it was really cool! Definitely worth visiting. We walked around downtown a bit, visited the SAM gift shop, then stopped in at Cafe Ladro. They do an amazing blended frozen latte that is way better than a Starbucks frappuccino--I know that sounds blasphemous, but it's true. In the evening we watched "The Holiday" and didn't even need dinner after that meal at Casper's!

Day 13: For our last Seattle day, Richard & I went on the "Ride the Ducks" tour. Janette had told me it was really fun, and I didn't really believe her, but she was right! I was impressed--lots of locals were on it, and it wasn't cheesy or over-the-top like I thought it would be. It goes all over the city and the Captain was fun and not at all irritating. After the tour, we had lunch at the Queen Anne location of Pagliacci's, my favorite pizza place and my main form of sustenance at UW. We met up with Mrs. Dartnall for coffee in Marysville and had a great time chatting with her. On the way home, we went to Camano Island State Park for a bit, then came home for an early night and Ivar's clam chowder for dinner.

Day 14: On the way to the airport we went to Stanwood Cafe for breakfast. The servings were massive and the Cafe had the usual old guys for patrons at 7:30am--it was exactly what I wanted Richard to experience ;) It was really hard to say goodbye at the airport. I wanted to just get on the plane with him, or keep him here. I don't care what anybody tells you, this whole long-distance relationship thing sucks. 2 more months to go, and then I'll be back in Leeds doing my PhD and living the dream again :)

Richard's Visit

On the hike up to Surprise Lake

Mom on North Cascades Highway

Richard & me on North Cascades Highway



Ross Lake

Mom in Winthrop

Richard & me in Winthrop

View from the Sculpture Park

Views from the Space Needle--Lake Union


Richard & me at the top of the Space Needle


Downtown

Richard in front of the Space Needle & EMP

Fountain in Seattle Center

Richard & me on the waterfront


Feeding the seagulls at Ivar's on the waterfront

Day 25: Your day in great detail

Not so interested in doing this post...my days are not very interesting right now...
So here are just some bullet points
--I get up (earlier than I'd like to, like 5:30 am)
--Eat breakfast (oatmeal or cereal, black coffee with sugar) while watching BBC World News and MSNBC
--Shower & get dressed
--Put on make-up if I'm going out (foundation, powder, shadow, mascara--very quick & simple)
--Some days I drive my mom to work (if I want to use the car & get off the island that day)
--But on other days I stay home and sleep in until 8 or 9
--If I stay out all day, I go shopping (Wal-Mart, Target, bookstores), have 2 or 3 Starbucks drinks, eat terrible but delicious fast food, and if I'm lucky, I might hang out with a friend (Mallory, Rachael, Carly, Mr. Johnson...)
--If I stay home all day, I watch crappy daytime TV with Cookie on my lap (Gilmore Girls reruns, MSNBC), eat marginally healthier food (salads, naan pizzas), and do a little housework (laundry & dishes). Also do some of my new hobbies (gardening & scrapbooking).
--In the evenings, I like to watch some more junk TV (Extreme Makeover Home Edition reruns, America's Got Talent, Losing it with Gillian Michaels)
--When I go to bed, I read for a bit (currently re-reading Harry Potter series, like I do every summer, and am finishing book 4 tonight). Cookie hates this and rubs her head against my hands while I try to hold the book up, or she'll deliberately lie down right in between the book and my face. I shove her to the side, and she stays--but I resent having to go through this every night.

That's about it...Not very exciting. My life will be exciting again in about 5 more days, when Richard gets here :) I'll post pictures & stories about our adventures as I show him around!

Day 23: A YouTube Video

Hilarious! Trigger Happy TV just kills me...Check out their other videos, too!

Day 24: Tickling Fancy Day

http://www.thebridalwave.com/

The Bridal Wave: A Survival Guide to the Everyone-I-Know-is-Getting-Married Years

This brilliant book has really helped me sort things out. I was browsing around the self-help section in the library one day, thinking how stupid, shallow and anti-feminist it is that most of the titles are about "finding The One" or "How to make him love you"--and then I found this. It was like the authors knew what I was thinking. A guide to avoiding the pressure to get married.

My favorite chapter is about the timeline--the "I always thought I'd be married by now" thoughts. Despite all the fun I've had, all the cool places I've been to, all the exotic & interesting guys I've met--the younger me (back in high school) always thought I'd be settled down by this point. If not with a high school sweetheart, then with a college boyfriend. If not college, then grad school--but now I've got a Master's degree and there still aren't any marriage plans in the works. But this book reminded me that you can't (and shouldn't) live your life according to a timeline you set for yourself when you were a kid.

Another favorite is the competition idea. You've known these girls for ages, and always been at about the same place in your life--driving, graduating high school & college, etc. all at roughly the same time. But now they're getting engaged, getting married, having kids--and you're not. Even worse is when you see girls you've always hated--how did she find somebody before me? This book really puts into words the thoughts I've had for the past couple of years. It's not a competition--we don't know what their relationship is like behind-closed doors, and even if it's great, well...I don't have to get up for 2 am feedings and they do. I'm free to jet off to Europe and do a PhD, and they're not.

When I was detained at the UK border and questioned about my relationship with Richard, the immigration officer asked about our future plans. I answered it well, saying that we had discussed it and we are both interested in a long-term relationship. Then she asked if I was planning to settle down in the UK, as part of this plan, and I said I didn't know where we would settle down. While I answered these questions calmly and just wanted to get out of the detaining hall, on the inside I was fuming. I resented the fact that I was having "the talk" with an immigration official before I'd had it with my boyfriend. Why was I being asked these personal questions in a room with 2-way mirrors and a bolted-down chair, instead of at a candlelit dinner or scenic viewpoint with my boyfriend? More importantly, how do you field questions from strangers about your relationship--"when are you guys going to make it official", "I'll bet you're going to be next!", etc.?

This book has silenced all those stupid questions and worries, and helped me to just enjoy my life & relationship, without worrying about the timeline or competition, or the opinions of strangers & border officials.

Day 22: A website

Sporcle.com

Sporcle is full of great trivia games and all kinds of weird quizzes...Mr. Johnson showed it to me and I've really gotten addicted to it! Another great time-waster!

Day 21: A recipe

Jamie Oliver's Tiramisu Veloce recipe
(image from his cookbook)


I've altered this one from "Jamie's Italy." I'm crazy about that cookbook, and I love how Jamie describes methods...they just make sense to me. The differences between mine & the original: mine's a 1/2 recipe, and it serves 4 (he says the full recipe serves 4...I love Tiramisu, but come on!), I substitute a dash of vanilla extract for vanilla beans (criminal, I know, but it's cheaper and I always have it in the cabinet), and I use marsala wine if I don't have sherry or vino santo on hand. I have my version memorized ;)

Ingredients
• About 8 ladyfingers or trifle sponges (however many it takes to line the bottom of your dish)
• 1/2 cup good strong coffee, freshly brewed (or espresso, if you want to be more authentic)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• about 10 oz mascarpone (just alter the recipe for the size of tub you can find)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup vin santo or sweet sherry (or marsala wine)
• 1/4 bar of good dark chocolate (or use milk chocolate and eat the other 3/4 bar)
(I completely leave out the orange zest, 'cause I'm not into it...ewww)

Directions (edited to reflect my changes...)
Get yourself a medium deep bowl or dish about 8-10 inches in diameter and arrange your ladyfingers snugly in layers on top of each other. (Jamie sweetens the coffee with 1/2 the sugar, but I don't because the trifle sponges are covered in sugar...but ladyfingers aren't very sweet, so add sugar if you're using them). Pour the coffee over the ladyfingers, making sure the top layer is completely covered -you'll see the coffee being sucked up by the ladyfinger. While that's soaking, put your mascarpone into a bowl and whisk it up with the rest of the sugar.

Continue whisking and as you do so, drizzle in the vin santo/sherry/marsala and vanilla extract. You want to get the mixture to a loose, shiny consistency.
Smear the mascarpone over the ladyfingers and either grate all the chocolate over it or make shavings using a knife or a peeler. Keep in the fridge until you're ready to serve.