I’m pretty excited about Labor Day weekend this year. Once again, we’re hanging out with Matt & Asayo and the dogs to go camping….and this time we’re going up to Nanaimo, B.C. on Vancouver Island! Not only is it a camping trip but we’re also going to go scuba diving off the coast where it’s supposedly home to the second largest artificial reef in the world (guess they like blowing up ships off the coast and letting them sink). According to Jacques Costeau, as far as temperate diving goes, the shores of Nanaimo, B.C. is only second best to the Red Sea. Sounds awesome…I can’t wait!

What a clever idea — starting today, the city of Seattle hired Rent-a-Ruminant to help clear the vegetation, weeds and brush in this patch of land between the dog park at the base of Pike & Boren and I-5. Literally, goats in Capitol Hill! Instead of getting big gas guzzling weed whackers or mowers, they got goats! They will eat anything, go where machines can’t go and are environmentally sound. I think it’s fabulous…but I have to say, seeing 60 goats with the rush hour traffic of I-5 in the background is hilarious. Here are a few photos that I’ve found:Courtesy of miss_villanelle Courtesy of evil_robot_6 Courtesy of cleverclevergirl

As some of you may know, my little brother, Aaron, has made it on television again (previously was on “American Inventor“)—this time on a PBS show, sponsored by the U.S. Patent Office, called “Everyday Edisons” which showcases the invention process and what it takes to go from idea to actual product on store shelves. He was one of 12 chosen to be featured in Season 2 (and note that all products from Season 1 contestants are now actual, retail products!). Again, he went with his anemone alarm clock which he designed sometime in college. Here are a few episodes that he’s been on. I think there may be 1 more…

We just got back from a fabulous event with Jessica & John that I can’t believe I’ve never discovered until this year. I won an auction item last year to attend the Pike Place Market 13th Annual Sunset Supper at the Market. The event features food and beverages from 50+ restaurants, wineries, and breweries in the Seattle area—and all the proceeds go to the Market Foundation. Over 1,400 people showed up to the market and it was like a bacchanalia of delicious food. Here’s a sampling of some of the food that was there: Restaurant Food Sampling Canlis All Natural Prime New York Steak with Soy-Madeira Glazed Mushrooms & Heirloom…

I turned 31 this year and had a pretty laid back celebration, inviting a few friends over for a birthday bbq on the rooftop. Thank goodness for the sun coming out last minute! Here are photos that I took. On my actual birthday, on Monday, Matt surprised me by taking me to dinner at Tilth, which was delicous. Tilth is located in Wallingford and specializes in using local, organic foods. I’ve only had brunch there and the dinner was equally as delicious. We happened to be there on an evening where there was a set menu featuring Alm Farms from Emerson, WA. The menu was: Fennel Soupfennel, breakfast radish, purslane…

City Chase was a ton of fun! Matt and I spent 5 1/2 hours walking + running around the city, taking buses, and participating in all sorts of various challenges. About 130 teams of two participated and we finished #47 out of all of them….not bad considering that only 71 teams even finished in the allotted 6 hour timeframe. We will definitely do this next year and I’m actually hoping the challenges end up being harder. The day started at Westlake Center and teams had to complete a scavenger hunt in the area before receiving our clue sheet. Some of the “items” we had to return with: – Race shirts…

Man, summer just flies by! Yes, I still need to post photos from Iceland (which I’m still working on so I can tell a nice story), but I have posted a few: Album on Facebook — this is a high level overview in 60 pictures of the entire trip (you don’t need to be part of Facebook to access this link) Landscapes – pretty photos Food we ate — from whale to puffin…. People & Experiences — this is the album I’m still working on…but here, you can mainly see the photos of us and our traveling companions, Debbie & Saevar! But anyhooo….what I’m really excited about is CITY CHASE…