Seattle Days 3 and 4

Day 3 - Chris and I had a less than stellar experience at our gettotastic lodgings the previous evening. So much so that we left the establishment early to check in at the Double Tree. Our friend Jani was coming in early for BurlyCon and agreed to share her room with us. THANK GOODNESS!!

Putting that ugliness aside, we had an amazing time down by the waterfront. We started our day with the ever present Light Rail ride into the city and immediately traveled to Pike's Market. We had a wonderful lunch at the Sound View Cafe. We were treated to an amazing view of the Sound and a fantastic seafood chowder! After lunch, we wandered down Post Alley and interrupted a film crew in front of the famous but kinda gross Gum Wall; eventually we made it to the waterfront. Our goal originally was to take a ride on the huge ferris wheel and at $13 for 3 turns of the wheel, we immediately decided it wasn't worth it. So we walked into a pirate gift shop and fell in love with their abundance of mustache related merchandise; completely thinking of our friends Annie Cherry and Damian Blake. They would love this store!

We travelled down the waterfront to the Argosy Boat Tours. There we bought 2 City Passes and was there just in time to catch their next tour of Elliot Bay. We quickly got some coffee and took our places in line to board the boat. While in line we met a couple claiming to be involved in a love affaire where the woman was married to the guys best friend. You see, this is a case of my curse happening in full force. People blurting out things that are none of my business and something that I really don't want to know. The first half of our boat journey was relatively calm; no rain though a little windy. The second half saw the chairs on deck moving around due to the gusts of wind. We got to see some sea lions, though the whales did not make an appearance this time around. The tour was fantastic and our tour guide was amazing. She did a great job of giving us just the right information at the right time.

After the boat tour, Chris and I headed across the way to the Sea Aquarium. This was my least favorite part of our trip. You see, I do not like animals in captivity and seeing them in captivity makes me sad. Needless to say, this jaunt did not appeal to me in the least, though they did provide great information on how to eat sustainable fish.

Once we left the Sea Aquarium, we started the many, many, many steps up the hill back to the Market and hit the Light Rail back to the Airport to claim our friend, Jani Doyle. Once we got settled into the Double Tree (YAY for non-getto hotel!!) we went for dinner at Roaster's. Not bad food and the beer was pretty good. We came back to the hotel and immediately crashed. A great day to be sure!

Day 4 - Our first night in the Double Tree was wonderful! We both slept like rocks and began the day with showers, coffee and our ride to the city. The day started out with a fine mist and Jani was with us today making the day brighter! We started our adventure at the Armory for lunch and then to the Space Needle. For those that know me, I'm not big on elevators and heights, so I was looking at this part of the trip with a kind of dread that spun my head. I buckled down and got on to the elevator and it wasn't so bad. I'm so glad I didn't chicken out! The views were absolutely gorgeous, though the rain got progressively harder as the day went on.

After our time at the Needle, we went in search of umbrellas. We left the one I brought at the airport the previous evening, so it was the perfect excuse to get new ones. Pricing them at the gift shop of the Space Needle at $25 and knowing we could do better, we priced them at the gift shop across from the Needle; $7. I thought 'Sold!' and then realized we were headed to the EMP Museum next so held off in case there was a nerdy umbrella to be had. Our journey to the EMP Museum was a mixed bag. They had a wonderful exhibit on Nirvana and Kurdt Cobain and the rest was just okay. The main reason we were there was for the Science Fiction exhibit and while they had some cool stuff, it really wasn't all that. The horror exhibit was cool, but not really my thing. My thoughts were mirrored by Chris and after not finding a nerdy umbrella to purchase, we headed back to the gift shop to purchase the less expensive option. By this time, the rain was steady and coming down pretty well.

Umbrellas in hand, we headed over to the Pacific Science Center only to discover that they closed in 30 minutes. We decided to come back to that tomorrow and headed down to the market for drinks. Chris, Jani and I stayed there for the rest of our evening, eating appetizers, drinking beer and chatting while the rain came down. We watched the fish mongers pack up for the evening and then headed back to the  Light Rail for the trip back to the hotel. On the way, we stopped at a grocery store for some supplies for BurlyCon and carried them back with us.

Here I sit, Jani on one side of me, Chris just went back to the room and I have to reflect on how incredibly lucky I am. How blessed my life is to have such a lovingly magical man in my life and friends that are downright amazing. Let's see what tomorrow brings!

xoxo

Seattle - Days 1 & 2

Day 1 began at 3am, loading up the car to go to my Mom's place. She'd agreed to take us to the airport that morning for our 6am flight. Our saving grace was that Chris had so many frequent flyer miles, we got to fly out first class (something that I've never experienced until now and it's FABULOUS!!) We had coffee and Baileys the whole trip out and believe me, we needed it. Don't get me wrong, the flight was great, our hotel on the other hand is gettotastic. It is truly a 'Value Inn' with every room having a door to the outside. Our heater makes a horrific noise and we turn it off at night so that we might get some sleep. The bed, while not the worst one I've experienced, is pretty hard. Chris and I focus on the positive though. We're saving money and there is a free shuttle to the light rail station. Needless to say, we spend as much time away from the room as possible.

Thus begins our adventure. The first day, after getting checked into the room, we took the light rail to Pike's Market and spent the whole day there. Visited many independent book stores including Left Bank Books which resembled something out of a novel or movie, the Original Starbucks where we bought some coffee to say we were there, Office Depot where I found very glittery notebooks for BurlyCon in the latter half of the week, found a hat shop where I purchased a very cute cap and payed a visit to Puget Sound. We had a late lunch there and came back to the room and immediately crashed. Sleep was not an issue.

Today marks the second day. Staying true to 'Value Inn' form, the free breakfast consisted of pre-packaged pastries and really bad coffee. So, we showered, dressed and headed to the light rail station for another day in Seattle. Our Chiefs were playing today, so Chris found a Groupon for a local bar and grille called 95 Slide. Once off the light rail, we headed to the Capitol Hill area for lunch and some football. When we finally arrived, (the walk took a lot longer than we anticipated and was all up hill), the Seahawks were playing and the bar was packed. Chris also discovered that the Chiefs didn't play until 1:05pm and it was 11am, so we left the bar in search of good coffee; not a difficult task in Seattle. Victrola is the first in many independent coffee houses we plan to visit while here. The coffee was fantastic and their patries held us over until our lunch. On the way back to watch the game, we stopped at a costume shop and picked me up a sexy sailor outfit for an event at BurlyCon as well as perused an occult bookstore that was kinda creepy. The food was amazing at 95 Slide, however our Chiefs played like poo. The rest of the day consisted of purchasing new jeans for me, (Chris accidentally spilled half of a beer on me while watching the game), walking to the Space Needle and exploring the area surrounding it. We caught a movie and a late dinner. Now we're back in the room and my tummy is rebelling. Our adventure will continue tomorrow but for now, it's time for bed.

Christy Fitness Day 3

10/26/2012 - Because of my very late work evening yesterday, I had today off of work beginning my vacation week early. Chris and I are taking a trip to Seattle, WA tomorrow and today I'm all about getting things done, running errands, cleaning the house, etc...  What happened was 180 degrees from what I described. I did take Fiona (our new 12 week old kitten which makes 4 for us) to the Vet for a check up and her shots, came home and promptly took a nap that lasted until Chris came home at 4:30pm. Then the packing began. So, my day 3 was not a very good example of what I should be doing. Though, I probably shouldn't have started this journey right before vacation.

Christy Fitness Day 2

Yesterday was a challenge. You see, I have a job that sometimes requires me to work late into the night. All of this week I had that requirement, however last night was by far the latest. I did not get home until 3am, much to the chagrin of Chris, so my plan went out the window. I did not set my alarm to move every hour, I did not work out and I did not write down everything that went into my mouth. The one bright spot is that the portion control did happen in that I barely ate yesterday. This is why this blog is so good for me. I have to be able to recognize when I'm in need of balance and what I can and cannot control. I couldn't control my work schedule this week, however I could have controlled my movement, how much and what I ate as well as writing down my food choices. This also gives me a good way to call myself out on my BS and yes, I take full ownership of the BS that was this week for me. It is a good start and of course there will be baby steps forward and some steps backward. When in the past this would dishearten me, I'm going to try a paradigm shift; to look at these steps forward and backward as all apart of the process that is manifesting my desired state. There... it makes me feel better already.

Today will be a better day, though I start out with a small brownie and a cup of coffee. (I did say it was small... not the healthiest of breakfasts, but I suppose it is better than nothing at all.) Yes, I know.. BS. Lunch will be better.

Christy Fitness Day 1

I have a wonderful fiance; his name is Chris. (Yes our names are very close... Chris/Christy... Just so long as you don't mistake us for New Jersey's Governor.) He proposed to me in epic fashion on 10/12/12.

Here is the link for anyone that wants to view it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqZoZjjN4-8&list=UULIoDdiqTjXt-Dges42ML7g&index=4&feature=plcp

Now begins the whirlwind that will be our lives until the wedding. Looking at myself in this video, I've come to the realization that while I do certainly love who I am, my body needs a little work. So begins the Christy fitness movement! I weighed myself this morning and I'm at 194.4. My goal is to lose 40 lbs by October 1, 2013. (Yes, we are planning an October wedding..) I have a year to shed this excess and I'm confident I can make it happen.

The Plan:
Move... a lot! My job is pretty sedentary, so I'm setting an alarm to get up from my desk and move every hour.

Work out a minimum of 4 times a week. Chris and I have been working out, however we aren't consistent and I need to make my workouts more challenging.

Portion control - Chris is a great cook so I want to eat every single thing he makes me. My diet consists of mainly fresh fruits, vegetables and lean meats. I'm just eating too much of it.

Journal - Write down everything that goes into my body.

Here we go universe! Let's make it happen!!

In the Beginning.....

I asked myself what I wanted to do with all of the thoughts floating around in my head. I had been thinking about writing a blog for some time and was continually discounting the notion. I am in no way a writer and I had always gotten hung up on the question of why or what my purpose was for a blog. Finally, I came to this conclusion: Sometimes, there is no purpose; no end game to justify such things. Sometimes it is quite simply about sharing your story with those that want to read or listen. You may ask, what if no one wants to listen?...

Well, you see, I believe that there is always someone listening even when there seems to be no one.

This blog is about sharing the magic that is my life with you. I hope you find what you need in my musings and antidotes. Above all, I wish you love, laughter and joy.

C