Brief Hiatus

Sorry I've been MIA in the blogging world....I've been in Billings for the past 5 days, so I've been pretty busy enjoying the comforts of home.

But I do have a lot to blog about and it will come in due time. Here is a bit of preview:

You definitely know you're in Montana when:

1. There is a raffle at your local bank. for a rifle.
2. As you're driving down one of the busiest streets in town, a 4-wheeler pulls out with a man in khakis and a collar shirt on his way to work.
3. Going out on the town simply requires your 'nice' cowboy hat.

There's more where that came from...trust me!

Miss Organized...

The last week or so I've been given a FANTASTIC project at work! Quite possibly the best project anyone could ever give me.

Erin has invited me to organize the entire store. Yep. Organize the ENTIRE STORE.

The first couple of days I kind of just sat in the back rooms and stared at the daunting task ahead of me. Sure, you can organize your file folders, your sock drawers, even your pictures. But the key to this little undertaking is that it must be a system that is easily implemented and flawlessly maintained. We received new product 4 times a week! That is a large quantity of product going on the shelves and so much flying off the shelves.

So far it's been alot of fun rearranging things, moving the racks, getting feedback from the partners and seeing my progress. I'm nowhere near being complete. Once I get the big things settled, I have my eyes set on organizing the 'floor'--the area where the baristas work hard to make your fantastic lattes, frappuccinos, mochas and teas. My aim there is to make their work easier, less cluttered and aesthetically appealing.

Erin even gave me a title for this adventure: Inventory Management Specialist.

She knows me pretty well, eh?

Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

I spent the afternoon on Sunday watching America's great past time, baseball! Jen works for Boeing and was able to get some pretty sweet tickets for us, so we loaded up Bus 17 and took it down to Safeco for a day at the ballpark!

While our hometown Mariner's weren't able to seal the deal with a win, we did see a pretty good baseball game. And sip on some lemonade and eat some ball park food!

It's been a new experience living in a city that has multiple professional sports teams. Being from Montana, professional sports were something we always watched on tv. I must admit, I think that I've done a pretty good job of soaking up the pro sports Seattle has to offer in the year and a half I've lived here. I've been to multiple Mariner's games, a few Storm games and I was lucky enough to catch a Seahawks game last season as well. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to a Sonics game.

Here a few pictures from our day at the ballpark....

Annie, Jessica & Jen:

Jen, Annie & Jessica:
We were clearly unable to get a full group shot!
And one of the infamous "Annie use your long arms and take a picture of us both" pictures:

Cougar Mountain!

If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times: nothing beats Seattle on a gorgeous sunny day. And nothing beats a gorgeous sunny Seattle day then spending it with one of your favorites. I got the best of both worlds this afternoon! Jodie and I packed up Lily and headed a wee bit east to check out Cougar Mountain. It was the first time either of us had ever been there but we wanted to soak up the beautiful afternoon with a quick hike. It was a perfect day and Cougar Mountain was a good place for a quick jaunt up a trail. Lily came along to pull us down the trail.

It wasn't a fancy hike. It wasn't a hard hike. It was just a hike with a great friend on a nice day with a cute dog. And then we ate sushi. Here are some pictures:

Lily and Jodie:
Canyon Creek Falls (but it was more of a trickle):
Jodie and Lily traversing the bridge:

Kayaking!

Sunday afternoon I met up with some friends from mbi and we took the waves of Lake Union via kayaks. Let me just come right out and say it: it was absolutely fantastic.

It was great to see the gals from mbi. I've really missed seeing them since I left and I admittedly haven't done a very good job of staying in contact with them, so it was so wonderful to meet up and just hang out again.

And kayaking is easily my favorite activity. I seriously do not do it enough. Every time I get that little boat on the water, a huge grin takes over my face and I just feel like I could row to the end of the world in it!

Additionally, it just makes me love this city so much when I get to see it from Lake Union. I think I repeatedly shouted above the sound of the waves, the sailboats passing and speed boats zipping by that 'this is living'! It really is!

Needless to say, being on the water on Sunday and the company that joined me, I was one happy kayaker! Here are some pictures from the day on the lake:

Mairead and Emily gearing up:

My tandem boat partner, Kristin:

Mairead conquering the lake:
Emily & Kristin: