Weekend Update with Jill Marks

Updates from our world:

-Visits and travel! Graham's mom (Vicky) is coming to visit next Thursday for 5 days! Super excited to have our first house guest, and do some more exploring! We are going to Snoqualmie Falls, Museum of Glass, Pike's Place, and who knows what else! Oct 6-10...I am heading to STL/BG to celebrate the Grote/Jardosh wedding, see my bff and goddaughter, and visit with the fam-and apparently work a catering job for my mom...gag. Nov 3-6-Sis and Mauri come to visit! We are going to hit up the Space Needle, EMP, and go on a Puget Sound cruise. Really excited to see both of them. We will be home for Christmas Dec 23-Jan 1...still working out the details of where we will be when-hard to fit so many family/friend visits in a short amount of time. Once we have it all worked out, I will post it here-that way if you are going to be BG/STL the same time we are, maybe we can meet up!

-I got a new job! I start Sept 14, as a nanny for a family from our church-they have a newborn and a super smart 5-year-old that will be in Kindergarten. Possibly might be doing a nanny share with another family in our church who has an infant the same age. Really love the family and we are on the same wavelength regarding morals, expectations, and child rearing. Graham's work is going well-he is working on three projects now and it is finally keeping him busy! He is enjoying it more and more.

-We really love our church and are getting more and more involved. The Community Group we originally joined was getting too big, so we went to a smaller group in the area, and are loving it! The leaders are a couple we have made good friends with, Nick and Rachel, and we will be helping with outreach as the group continues to grow. It has been a huge blessing to find this church and the Community Group for Christian fellowship!

-Tonight, Graham and I have volunteer orientation at the Jubilee Center. Our church is one of the sponsors at this center for low income, under privileged families in the area. I have signed up to work their before school program on Thursday mornings and they have recruited Graham to teach computer classes to parents one night a week. We are both looking forward to the opportunity to serve God and minister to the community.

-We applied for a rescue Boston Terrier through an agency in Seattle. Unfortunately, they don't get many rescue puppies, so we now have to decide if we want an older dog or if we want to spend the money and buy a puppy from a breeder (anywhere from $400-700!)...we are keeping our eyes peeled and running some searches online every other day in case something comes up! Friends in our Community group have a BT and they call it the Boston Terrorist...which scares me a bit :)

-Weather has been BEAUTIFUL here...although it is overcast and chilly today. Hope everyone is well!

To dog, or not to dog?

So, as some of you know, Graham and I have been discussing the option of getting a dog. We both grew up with dogs, me with black labs (RIP Nick and Reggie) and Graham with boxers. We have a lot of hesitations at this point-time spent away from the dog, costs, living in an apt (is it a barker, need lots of room to run around), shedding, and my #1 concern...house training. We have done some research and while I wanted a lab and he wanted a boxer, neither one are very well suited for apartment living! Instead, we are looking at this:




















Awww...look at the cute Boston Terrier! I really want a black and white one, but Graham prefers the brindle (sp?) ones that look like this:

Not nearly as cute as the black and white, am I right??

Websites say this is a good watchdog but not a loud barker, has a good temperament and is generally well behaved, great around children, and requires moderate exercise. Anyone have a Boston Terrier or have any tips for getting our first dog?? Do share!

Likes and Dislikes

An alternate title for this post would be "Things we do and don't miss about St. Louis."

 We LOVE the weather here. We are in the non-rainy season, so for the most part we haven't seen much rain. The temps have been in the 60s or 70s and when the sun is shining, it is totally gorgeous! We certainly don't miss the awful heat of Missouri, although I do miss the thunderstorms. It doesn't storm here...no thunder, no lightning, no ominous clouds. It just sorta rains, then gets tired and stops for a bit but might get a second wind and give it another go later.

Coffee. Oh, how I love thee. Yes, there is coffee in St. Louis but in Seattle there is COFFEE. And it is everywhere. I have decided that Seattle-ites have a uniform of sorts: pants (usually jeans), a t shirt, a hoodie or sweater, and a coffee cup. I think the coffee cups are permanently attached to their hands.  In addition to Starbucks, Tully's, and Seattle's Best being in every strip mall, corner, and grocery store, there are also these tiny little coffee stands in practically every large parking lot you drive past. I find these are the best quality with the best prices. Graham doesn't like coffee and I had more or less weaned myself off of it, but now I am back...with a vengeance. I want a Keurig quite badly so I can make it everyday...Christmas maybe?

Things we miss about STL...obviously friends and family-OBVIOUSLY! I miss the ease of going anywhere in STL in 20 minutes. Traffic here is nuts, nuts I tell ya. "Rush hour" lasts for about 4 hours in the am and another 4 in the afternoon/evening. You have this tiny window of time between 10a-1p if you need to go anywhere. Pretty much we stick close to Newcastle and Bellevue during the week. If there is something we want to do downtown, it has to wait until the weekend!

It is so weird...but they don't have Sonic here. WTH?!?! We used to get it all the time in the summer at my old job and now that I can't get it, I think about it all the time. Strawberry limeade...yummy...first place I am going when I land in STL on October 6! Other than Sonic though, there is a huge selection of food here...particularly large amounts of ethnic food. Lots of Indian (yuck, not a fan at all!) and Vietnamese (ever had Pho? its pronounced "fuh" and there is a restaurant in Bellevue called What The Pho? Cracks me up every time I see it). I've had Pho once and willing to try again, and G really liked it. Eating out is very expensive here. In STL, we found that we could often go out for about $25 for the two of us, here we are lucky if we get out under $40. So, I cook a lot and there is great access to local, organic products at reasonable prices.

That's all I can think of for now...I'll probably write another post on this in the future! 

Yikes!

It's been two weeks since my last post-major slacker! Am hoping to be more consistent in my posting from here on out! So since it's been awhile, I will just give brief updates on various areas of our lives to catch you up to speed!

-I finally got a  job! YAHOO! I start on Monday and will be nannying for two beautiful little girls, ages 4 and 6. I am excited to be a nanny again, as I really enjoyed that when I was in grad school.

-Graham is slowly but surely getting adjusted to his job. He had a bit of a slow, somewhat boring start, but things are starting to pick up speed and  he is learning a lot. As this is the first of 4 rotations, he is looking forward to experiencing other areas of greater interest.

-We found a church! It is big, and not something we are really used to-but we like it a LOT. We had our first small group meeting on Tuesday, and are feeling very blessed that the Lord has brought us here.

-Graham and I have both been working out on a regular basis! I go to the gym for cardio and weights in the mornings and he hits the gym on the way home from work each day. He is getting back into juggling and I think he is up to being able to do 5 balls at once-working hard to get back to 8! It is a great upper body workout for him and he is so happy to be back at it!

-Married life is great! We love being married-and have been for 2 months today! It has really flown by!

-We are thinking about getting a dog...but that is going to be my next post...so standby!

Hope all of our friends and family are well! We miss you all!

We visit Pike's Place Market

On the Sunday of the long Fourth of July weekend, Graham and I decided to take a morning trip to Pike's Place Market. Mainly because I had never been, but also because we wanted to familiarize ourselves with the area/parking so we would know how to do it when we take visitors there! We had a good visit, although towards the end we were both feeling claustrophobic due to all the people crowding in. We bought some Copper River Salmon and sea scallops...and omg...they were both amazing! I am not a huge fan of salmon, but this stuff is just SO GOOD it melts in your mouth. The scallops were so tender that Graham pushed his fork down on one and it came through the tines of the fork-like mashed potatoes would. YUM. I want them now. Anyways, here are some pictures from our day.

 The view from the parking garage.

 Look closely at the size of those shrimp and crabs!

 This is where we bought the salmon and scallops. They had shrimp that were as big around as my fist and lobsters that were as long as my knee to ankle. It was craziness!

 There is the lobster-and the monk fish that we are going to get next time!

We had lunch at Pike Place Chowder-where we split a clam chowder, seafood bisque, and crab roll-the soups were soooo good, the crab roll was so-so. Too much celery and mayo, not enough crab. We also saw tons of fresh fruits and veggies, baked goods, the original Starbucks, cheese shops, and loads of craft/art booths. So-come visit! We'll take you here!

Delicious Dish(es)

So today I want to share some recipes that I have recently tried. First up, there is an amazing, healthy Banana Blueberry Oatmeal that I made for breakfast this morning and both the hubs and I quite enjoyed it! It was simple enough to make, although I did have to get up extra early to bake it so it would be finished in time for G to eat it-but it was worth it! Plus there is enough for tomorrow morning, so you can't beat that! I got the recipe from my sister's food blog, which you can find here.

At the last church luncheon we attended before moving to the great Northwest, our friend Michelle brought this delicious chicken salad. Now, I HATE chicken salad...yech-all the celery, onions, overly strong mayo...not a fan. This stuff however, is sooo good! The recipe is from Whole Foods, and you can find the original recipe here. Below is the recipe with Michelle's changes as well as the ones I made to lighten it up and reduce some of the cals and fat grams.

Sonoma Chicken Salad
6 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite size pieces
1 apple, cored and diced
1/2 c. chopped pecans
2 T. poppy seeds

Dressing:
1/2 c. mayo
1/2c. plain, non fat yogurt
4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
5 tsp. honey
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk the dressing together and toss with the rest of the ingredients. Enjoy!

On the silver screen...

Lately Graham and I have seen quite a few movies via Netflix, and I wanted to share a few that we really enjoyed and I would highly recommend.

1.

Based on a true story, starring Hilary Swank (I adore, Graham can't stand) and Sam Rockwell (i.e. Buffalo Bill from The Green Mile)...I really enjoyed this movie quite a bit. I love movies that are based on true stories and it has a feel-good message. Rent it!

2.

This movie came highly recommended by my brother-in-law. I was hesitant, as I have spent the last 2 1/2 years watching Disney and/or Pixar movies every day. My hesitation was NOT warranted-this movie rocked! Great effects, better story line, and was not all that predictable. Super funny. I pass the recommendation on to all!


3.

Hangover 2-We saw this opening day, 2 days before our wedding. It was funny, but not as funny as the first. I would still suggest seeing it and I could bet money my husband purchases the DVD when it is available. Smh.


This weekend we are hoping to see Larry Crowne, the new Tom Hanks/Julia Roberts movie. I've never seen a bad Tom Hanks movie...(is there one?!?!), so this should be a good time. Other movies we are wanting to check out this summer: Horrible Bosses, Friends with Benefits (I HEART JT!), and The Change-Up. Anything we are missing??