Westport

All is right in the world when I am able to be in front of the roaring waves of the Pacific Ocean. Today we took a quick drive over to the beach in Westport, WA. The waves of the ocean were 4-5 feet high, beautifully crashing into the jagged rocks and sneaking up on us as we walked its edge. I highly recommend taking in a sunset like this now and then. It's good for the soul.

I have always had trouble when people come and go in my life. It's very strange for a person who loves to live all over and travel. I guess I like to be the one moving about and wandering. T., C., M. and L. visited us this weekend as part of their whirlwind trip around Oregon and Washington. T. is a native of Oregon and C. has family in Spokane. We had such a great time showing them around the neighborhood and sharing time with them. It was difficult to watch them drive away, but we are thankful they were able to visit. We miss you already!

It Never Snows in Seattle

Daisy is on the look-out for anything amiss in the neighborhood. She is also dreaming about playing, all day, in the snow. And Z. is exploring his options for throwing snowballs. Yes, snow...and snowballs. In Seattle. It has snowed 4 times here since we moved. We are being blamed for bringing the snow with us from CO. I don't think anyone can really pin that one on us, but it is awfully strange. Earlier in the school year, in CO, A. and Z. had to go to school despite 14 inches of fresh powder. Here in Seattle they have had 4 snow days due to 2 inches of snow at a time. Heh. A guy on the news last night explained that Seattle only gets snow once every 5-7 years so they do not invest in sanding and plowing equipment. I guess that makes sense. Like Jill said in her blog, it's funny to see the weather people get so excited by such a miniscule event. The kids and I made the most of the day and went sledding. A great time was had by all (although I felt very old trying to get up from the sled at the bottom of the hill. Sheesh!)

Ivan

We recently had the great fortune to meet Ivan the Octopus at the Seattle Aquarium. He is a member of the largest species of octupi and they are found right here in the Puget Sound. We were able to watch and learn a bit about him. He is very smart and getting old enough to start searching for a mate. The scientists at the aquarium hope to mate Ivan with a female octupi at the aquarium on February 14th for all to see. I am not sure I want to see that (hey, he needs some privacy too! :) Thanks L. for the tickets and great time we had that day!

Gotta Love IKEA

At the request of the lovely T., I have posted a picture of our new couch from IKEA. Our daughter thinks it's "totally ugly" but we love it! We needed the change (it makes me think of "Mairzy" cause she loves this color :) We have spent many hours browsing through IKEA. Here's to cheap fun!

Dog Happiness

Salvatore Ghirardelli wishes everyone a Happy New Year! (So do I)