Get a room!

Shoshie and I went to the zoo the other day. Now, I would not consider myself a connoisseur of zoos...I've been to several in my day, but not enough to be considered a specialist. But I am not a fan of the layout of our zoo, nor am I a fan of the assortment of animals. No polar bears, no hippos, and only one species of pig! However, one thing that I have not seen at any other zoo is the Aldabra Tortoise...it is huge. Prior to finding the tortoise cage, we heard a very loud groan. We had no idea what it was, and Sho jokingly wondered if the animals were "making babies". Then, we walked past this sign:

That explains everything! I guess there will be some tortoise babies running around soon. Other highlights of the zoo visit are as follows:

1) The Ghost of the Bayou. There are currently only 10 living white alligators in the world, and we have one at our zoo (for a limited time) so that should be reason in and of itself to go to the zoo.

2) Finding out that Sho is the same height as a gorilla. If you look close enough, you can see the lovely jewelry that she is wearing (courtesy of my mother).

3) Watching this gorilla eat. The zookeeper threw a burlap bag full of food over the fence, and this gorilla ate everything in the bag. I especially liked watching her eat the corn on the cob...she pealed it as if she was a human, picking off each part of the husk...it was incredible.

I loved it so much, I had to go again!

I couldn't help it...when Shoshie invited me back to the State Fair, I had to say yes! And imagine my excitement when I found out that there was an Elvis impersonator competition that night! I was even able to convince Dan to come along. Unfortunately, the Elvis show was a little less exciting than I had anticipated. I was expecting dozens of Elvi (that would be the plural for Elvis, right?) singing one song each and giving us a hell of a show. As it turned out, there were only three impersonators, they each sang 6 or so songs, and they were not very good. I am very disappointed that there are not more people in this state that think they can be Elvis.

State Fair

My girlies and I have a tradition of going to the State Fair every year...we love to take a day off work to spend the entire day enjoying the events of the fair. This year I could only go for a few hours (stupid work). The first place I always want to go is to check out the pigs...because I LOVE PIGS! This year the pigs were more friendly than normal...this one wanted to eat my hand!
When you are at the fair, you HAVE to eat fair food...hence this huge funnel cake.
Another tradition we have while at the fair is to go to the button making booth and get our picture put on a button to give to our boss who never comes to the fair with us. This "boss" is no longer our boss, but we still like to keep this tradition going. However, this year they raised the price of these buttons to an absolutely unreasonable price, so we decided to just take our own picture and maybe make our own button some day...that job will only get done if I give it to my friend T.
We always round out the night with a performance of some sort, and for the last two years we have watched the hypnotist show with the amazing Tyzen. It is always hilarious...in fact, my mouth was sore from smiling after the show. Tyzen is the second one from the right. I hope to see you all at the fair next year!

If we had only known

I found this on Ken Jenning's blog when we got back from vacation. If he'd only told me we could have sat together. http://ken-jennings.com/blog/?p=990

Vacation Day 8: Saturday

On our last day of vacation we woke up and finished packing before saying goodbye to Jorden's family and heading out to the BYU-UW football game. We had planned out an hour to get to Husky Stadium from Jorden's house, but ended up spending an hour to get across the floating bridge and we missed half of the first quarter. The game was fun to watch, even though it was at time painful. It was our first time going to a road game that wasn't on a neutral site and the UW fans were pretty rowdy. With 2 seconds left in the game Jake Locker scored a rushing touchdown and tossed the football about 30 feet in the air before celebration with his teammates, leaving the officials no choice but to call the excessive celebration penalty. This backed their extra point try up 15 yards which BYU ended up blocking, giving them the 28-27 victory. This game was much discussed on a local and national stage as being a big controversy, but sitting right where he scored the touchdown, I can't understand the controversy. We did get heckled as we walked across the UW campus back to our car.
We left straight from the game to start our drive home. We got all the way to Baker City, Oregon before calling it a night and finishing our drive home Sunday. When we got home that night we were unpacking and looked out the front window to check to weather to notice this:
That's right, our culdesac had about 10 cop cars and they were searching someone's car. What a great neighborhood.

Vacation Day 7: Friday

On Friday we took my parents and brother to dinner at The Crab Pot on Pier 57 in downtown Seattle. We were interested in this restaurant because we recently watched an episode of Dinner Impossible on the Food Network where Michael Symon did a clam bake...and it looked delicious! So when we found out that this restaurant serves clam bakes, we had to try it (especially when we were so close to fresh seafood after being surrounded by land). Mom, Dad, and Erik were not super interested in the clam bake, so they got shrimp and crab. But Dan and I ordered the Pacific Clambake which consisted of clams, oysters, mussels, Dungeness and snow crab, shrimp, halibut, salmon, Andouille sausage, corn on the cob, and potatoes...yum! They brought it out in a bowl and dumped it out on the table in front of us. This is what it looked like:


They also gave us bibs and mallets and let us go at it! I look like a crazed maniac here, but that's kind of how I felt

After dinner we went to the Mariners vs Yankees game (smelling like fish). I was excited to have my entire family together because I don't think we have ever been completely together since we have gotten some new additions to the family. However, my brother and his wife (Thor and Betty) were not able to make it at the last minute, so we will probably go another three years or so without having a chance like this again. But it was fun to be together with everyone else (Mom, Dad, Erik, Jen, Ty, Ty's son Christian, Dan and Jorden). And it gave us a little more room to stretch out during the game. Speaking of the game, it was great! The Mariners have not been doing very well this season, so we were expecting the Yankees to blow them out. In addition, the Mariners were starting a pitcher (Brandon Morrow) who was making his starting debut in the major leagues...so we thought the M's didn't have a chance. So imagine our surprise when Morrow almost pitched a no hitter! He was incredible and only had one hit off him in the 8th inning...which is pretty incredible for a debut! Heck, it would have been incredible for a veteran. Another highlight of the game was when Dan left to get ice cream and came back with chocolate covered strawberries! Boy, they sure are high class now at Safeco Field! The strawberries were fantastic...and the Mariners beating the Yankees 3-1 wasn't half bad either!

Vacation Day 6: Thursday

We spent Thursday afternoon and evening with my sister and her boyfriend (Jen and Ty). Dan and I had previously decided that, every time we went out to eat during this trip, we would have to go to a restaurant that can not be found where we live. So, when Ty recommended a little mom and pop place that sold alligator, we were sold! We think it is called Eat More Gator (Jen, correct me if I'm wrong) and it served authentic southern food...which means everything was fried. Dan had the barbecue ribs and coleslaw (the only two non-fried items) with fried pickles, and I had the fried alligator, fried okra, and sweet potato fries...and we shared fried bignets for dessert. That's right, goodbye WW! I felt a little nauseous after all this fried food, but it was actually pretty good. The alligator had a taste that I can't really describe...some people say it tastes like chicken, but I beg to differ. I have eaten a lot of chicken in my day and that is NOT what it tastes like...but the white meat had a similar consistency to chicken.

After we ate, we headed to Snoqualmie Falls, one of the most popular scenic attractions in Washington and is well known for it's appearance in Twin Peaks. Anyway, I had only been to the falls one time before, when my sister and some friends of ours were babysitting dozens of kids at a wedding when I was in high school. We took the kids down to the bottom of the falls, and I remember that the hike back to the top was not very pleasant. Jen remembered that as well, but we made the climb down anyway. It was actually not terrible coming back up, and it was nice that very few people were there so we almost had the place to ourselves. It was nice to spend some time with Jen and get to know Ty a little better.

Vacation Day 5: Wednesday

One thing I forgot to mention about Tuesday night at Crystal's was that I broke my favorite pair of flip flops. I purchased this pair right before my mission and took them with me everywhere, so they lasted me approximately 5 years...and that's pretty impressive, considering that I wore them pretty much every day for about 5 months straight every year. As you can imagine this was a pretty traumatic event for me. And, as a result, we had to go on a trip to find a replacement pair on Wednesday. I decided I didn't need a great pair to get me through the trip, a cheap pair would do. So we drove down into Covington to check out the Walmart (who were out of flip flops), then we went to Payless (who only had sparkly flip flops, which just would not do). We could have tried the Fred Meyer, but by then we had lost our patience and decided to head back down to the Supermall. And, after finding a very comfortable pair of Nike flip flops at the Famous Footwear, we headed back over to the food court for another Cinnabon. I don't know if that has to be capitalized, but I will always capitalize it, out of respect.

Later that day we went to a ward activity with my parents...the Milk Carton Derby. Basically, each auxillary in their ward spends the year building a boat out of wood and milk cartons, then they race them in a lake with members of the auxillary on top with paddles. It was one of the funniest things I have seen in a long time, and I didn't even know any of the people on the boats. The winning boat was built by the Relief Society, but powered by the Elder's Quorum (because their boat sunk before the race even began...shoddy workmanship). The young men and young women had about eight people on each of their boats...the young men's boat was by far the best, but they had WAY too many people on it to make it move quickly through the water...they would have won if they had only two or three people on the boat from the beginning. I was concerned about the High Priests...they looked like they were about to have heart attacks. Because this was such a funny experience, I have decided to introduce this tradition to whichever ward we end up settling in.

Vacation Day 4: Tuesday

Tuesday was a very busy day for us. We woke up early and drove into Seattle to go to the Experience Music Project (EMP) and Sci-Fi Museum/Hall of Fame at the Seattle Center. I am still a little confused about EMP...wiki says it is a museum of music history, but to me it appeared to be a history of Jimi Hendrix. There were other aspects of the museum as well (like a history of the guitar and musicians from the greater Seattle area), and my favorite part was the hands on music area where we learned to play the guitar, drums, and piano (all instruments that I have always wanted to play). Apparently they also have different exhibits that come in and out of the facility. We also went to the Science Fiction Museum/Hall of Fame which was very interesting. The most exciting part of the "experience" was when we were watching a film of a Jimi Hendrix concert and the fire alarm went off. We ended up having to go outside and wait for the firemen to come and give us the OK to go back into the building. I was not happy to have to wait outside in the cold for so long. Overall, it was a good experience, but a little over priced (but for any of you who are planning to be in Seattle, almost all of the museums in Seattle are free on the first Thursday of every month).

After EMP, we took a trip of a lifetime...to the top of the Space Needle. My dad and I had never been up to the top of the Space Needle, and that is a little embarrassing since we are both from Seattle. My parents treated us to a meal in the revolving restaurant...a very expensive meal. I was interested in several of the items on the menu, but the server had told us about an Ahi Tuna special that sounded interesting. Little did I know that it was a seared Ahi Tuna that was completely raw. This was my first experience with raw fish and I was a little scared, but my parents had paid good money for this meal so I pushed through and ate the entire meal. Although I did not love the consistency of the raw fish, it was pretty good...and I LOVED the wasabi mashed potatoes. Dan enjoyed a Jidori chicken which was stuffed with deliciousness. After the meal we walked up to the viewing deck and took some pictures...and it was not as cold as I was expecting it to be.

As soon as we got home from our long day in Seattle, we left again to go and meet my friends Crystal and Villiami. We decided to go out to Alki Beach to eat at a chowder house that they had been wanting to try. Crystal and I had spent many a summer day at this beach, and one of my favorite memories is when we slept out on the beach to save spots for the Fourth of July fireworks...we met the weirdest people that day (including a man with a python in a cooler and a group of people who brought couches and a mini fridge to the beach). Anyway, we ate at Duke's Chowderhouse and I ate the chowder sampler which consisted of 5 different delicious chowders (but the award winning clam chowder was by far the best). As is tradition at this point, Dan ordered the Mahi fish tacos...and they were the best fish tacos in the world! I had a little zero point sample, and I can still taste the wonderful flavors. If any of you are planning to visit Seattle and enjoy fish tacos, this is the place to go. We also got to spend a little time with Crystal's adorable children (Naomi and Elias)...Polynesian kids are the cutest kids in the world. This was by far our longest day of the trip!

Vacation Day 3: Monday

On Labor Day, Dan and I decided to check out the sales at the Super Mall (my favorite outlet mall). Dan was less than thrilled to spend a day at the mall, but he got new shoes and a Cinnabon out of it, so he can't complain. Speaking of Cinnabon, I don't know how many of you have enjoyed a Cinnabon in your day, but I LOVE them. My adoration of Cinnabon began in my early teens when I would go to the mall with my friends and we would share a Cinnabon and Orange Julius. So, imagine my dismay when I moved to one of the few states in the nation that did not have a Cinnabon franchise. I have been missing Cinnabon for years, so every time I see one I HAVE to have one. Luckily, most airports (including ours now) have a Cinnabon, so whenever we travel I get to enjoy the deliciousness of cinnamon, icing, and dough. This was actually Dan's first experience with an actual Cinnabon (we had purchased minibons on our last trip, but they are just not the same...), and I am happy to announce that he has become a Cinnabon supporter.

Later that night, we went out to dinner with my parents...aren't they cute?

They had been wanting to try a new Mexican restaurant near their house (Puerta Vallarta), so we agreed to help them determine if it was worth their business in the future. When they brought out the chips and salsa, the waitress also brought out another dish with questionable ingredients. My dad turned to the waitress and asked "What's in that?"...and the waitress smiled, nodded, and said "Yes". She then brought out some bean dip. Interesting. At least we knew then that the food was probably authentic. Dan has been on a search for the ultimate fish tacos (make a note of this, and please refer to tomorrow's post), but he was also interested in several other items on the menu, so I agreed to order the fish tacos. Big mistake. They were NOT good...I couldn't even find the fish, and they were incredibly spicy. Dan got a huge meal (which included steak and chile rellenos), so we shared our meals with each other. The food was ok, but I don't think my parents will be returning.