Long Overdue

Much more to report than what this post will entail so stay tuned for more updates this week.  I'd like to start out by wishing all the mothers out there all the very best on this very special day in recognition of them!  Hoping that each of you were able to celebrate in one way or another.

Next piece of news that really is no longer "news" at this point, is that I am pregnant.  Twenty-one weeks to be exact.  I only mention this now because as I begin to post pictures I think it will be obvious and I don't want to cause confusion by getting caught up and not posting photos in chronological order.

Just last weekend I traveled to NYC with my folks to meet up with my sister and celebrate Silvia's (sister-in-law's) graduation from Long Island University (Doctoral degree in Psychology).  We enjoyed a fun-filled 5 days in the Big Apple...

Our arrival at New York's JFK.

Silvia and Kelly were there to greet us and off we went, heading downtown to meet Brad.  Traffic and horrific horn honking most stick out in my mind.  Upon finding Brad we escaped the mini-van mid-block and walked with Brad to a little Mediterranean restaurant for a quick bite before making our way by foot to Broadway for a showing of The Lion King.  All agreed that the special effects were spectacular!

Kelly and I following the show.

Just across the street from the theater Brad works on the 34th floor of a high rise right in the middle of Time's Square so we went in to take a peak at the views.  I don't have any really great shots but all of us were amazed at how busy the streets were at that time of night.  Lots of people and lights, street vendors and general activity.  Welcome to NYC!

Friday morning arrived quickly for us Pacific Coasters as we gathered together to make our way to Long Island University.  Silvia took her visiting family members in one minivan, Brad's landlords, Pete and Judy, kindly took the Stoll clan in another.  I didn't take any photos but did grab this shot with my iPhone of the new graduate and Brad.

Dr. Silvia and Brad

Following the very lengthy ceremony and a reception for the graduates in Silvia's department, we made our way back to Brooklyn.  Later in the evening Pete and Judy hosted a graduation in their back yard for Silvia and Brad's family and friends.  It was a wonderful opportunity to meet with all of the people that have been supporting Silvia over the course of the last 5 years.

Saturday was also another early start.  This time we were all on our way to Lancaster, PA.  In the way of an explanation, Silivia's family makes the trek from Italy about once a year.  They have "done the city" on a previous visit and had made a request to go to Amish country.  I was more than happy to oblige considering Nathan was unable to make the trip with me and I would love to discover the city with him sometime in the near future.  Besides, it turned out that the beautiful, rolling hills of Lancaster County were a welcome reprieve from the hustle bustle of the city.

Brad had reserved a farm house that would sleep all 11 of us and the Stoll van arrived first.  

Dad, Brad and Mom enjoying the rural scenery and smell of the dairy cows!

Dad, Brad and Mom in front of the house.

Making friends with the lone fawn cow in the herd.  What a long tongue!

Once Silvia's family van arrived we all picnic'd on party leftovers from the previous evening and then headed out for some sightseeing and country shopping. 

Farm animals including some billy goat kids - so cute!

Amish buggies.

Dad enjoying the colorful, man-powered Amish-made scooters.

Brad had made dinner reservations for us at Stoltzfus Farm Restaurant, an Amish meal to conclude our day in the country.

Stoll family before dinner...

On Sunday we took our time making our way back to the city, stopping to meander through an antique mall before departing Lancaster County.  Upon arriving in NYC, Brad dropped us off at Rockefeller Center so that we might make our way to the "Top of the Rock" and soak in the views of the city on our first clear day in New York.

Kelly and I with Central Park and Uptown spanning out behind us. 

The Empire State Building and the rest of the city in the other direction.

Once we were finished we reunited with Brad at the base of the Rock and made our way to the car for a quick driving tour on our way back down to lower Manhattan and the financial district.  We had 7 PM reservations to see the 9/11 Memorial.  The memorial is hard to capture in pictures but I can assure you that it is worth seeing.  I don't have the words but I was touched - highly recommended.  

From the Memorial we made our way to a small Italian restaurant to enjoy a late dinner with Silvia's family.  The staff and food at Numero 28 Pizzeria was authentic and we had a wonderful time tasting 4 different types of pizza.  

The whole crew!

Monday (5/7) was our final day in town.  We started in Brooklyn at a little park with views of both the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges and making the most of some family photo opportunities.

Siblings in front of the Manhattan Bridge: Kelly, Brad and Kari.

The Stoll Family.

Dad and I as we were making our way across the Brooklyn Bridge by foot.

The Manhattan skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge, including the new World Trade Center building.

Once in Manhattan we made our way to St. Paul's Chapel, a small church and resting spot for workers following the terrorist attacks of 9/11.  We took a walking tour of the Financial District including Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange and made a visit to the Bull to conclude our time in the city. The Bull was gated off and there was actually a long line in the middle of the street to get a photo.  We thought, "While in NY..."

What a wonderful trip!  It was great to share the time with Brad, Silvia, Kelly and my folks.  The flight home somehow seemed much longer than it did going.  It didn't help that my tummy was not feeling well.  I would guess this will be my last flight pre-baby and it was well worth the journey.

A Couple of Firsts

Seattle made it on the World News this evening for all the snow that fell today.  It doesn't compare with other parts of the country that get snow all winter long but the white stuff is somewhat foreign in the metro areas and it doesn't take much to paralyze the Emerald City!

Nathan drove me to work today, continuing on to the train station with the 4 Wheel Drive on.  I received an update from him via text once he made it to work, following a mile walk from the train stop.  He sounded quite enthusiastic about the snow.  Sounds like that is a thumbs up for more cold weather activities.

Nathan left work early and picked me up by 4:30 PM.  Once home, we bundled up in anticipation of giving Dixie some extended play time in her new favorite environment.   Little did we know we'd end up having just as much fun as her!

Our front porch covered in a 4" layer of untouched snow.

Dixie and Nathan running through the yard, both with a smile on their face.

Keeping Dixie still for a photo op was nearly impossible!

Nathan's first snowman.  Ever.  So fun!

Other firsts include Nathan creating a snow angel.  Who would have thought building a snowman in the yard or rolling around in the snow would be such a stress reliever?  Not sure how we'll address the concerns about the icy roads that await us tomorrow but for right now, we'll just relish in the good, cold fun that we had in the yard tonight!

Laying in the snow on the front porch. 

New Year's Resolutions

Nathan kindly and lovingly reminds me that I have sorely neglected our blog and has asked if I would so kindly provide an update.  "A lot has happened since the Keith Urban concert in September," he prods.

So with that bit of encouragement, here is a very quick update and no promises about how consistent I will be in providing future updates.

In October we reverted to a fairly sedentary existence.  Dixie was not yet able to go much further than our front yard while we were in the process of getting her vaccinations.  She was too young for us to leave her for much longer than 4 hours at a time and as a result we have very little to report.

In November we took advantage of a free flight to Nashville and took in the sights and sounds of Music City for a long weekend including visits with friends, a NHL game, honkey tonkin' on Broadway and buying cowboy/girl boots!

Dinner out with neighborhood friends!  Back row: Pam, Kari, Dale, Mike.  Front Row: Brenda, Holly, Derek.

Broadway guitar just right outside of world famous Legend's.

In front of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

We spent Thanksgiving with the Stoll family here in Washington State.  We were blessed to have my sister Kelly in town from Illinois and my brother Brad and his wife Silvia in town from New York.  My cousin Amy and her fiance Tom were able to join us for the afternoon meal at my folks' place.  It was good to have everyone together!

Bradley and Kari during a quick visit to the Curtis house.

Nathan, Silvia, Kelly and Mom posing in front of the appetizers.

Dad prepping the turkey!

Silvia and Brad - so cute!

Nathan and cousin Amy digging in!

Our first married Thanksgiving.  Nathan sporting his "Movember" beard in support of male cancer awareness.

In December we decided to decorate the house and get a tree despite the fact that we would not be in town for the holiday.  It was a good decision and helped create some Christmas spirit during the weeks leading up to our departure.  On a sunny, crisp day we headed to the Cascade foothills to find the perfect Nobel Fir.

Nathan and our tree.

The tree farm in the Cascade foothills.

Showing off our freshly decorated and lit tree.

A Christmas gift from my parents.

On Christmas Eve, at 4:00 AM, we sleepily loaded into a cab on our way to the airport.  Two flights later we happily arrived in Orlando, FL to spend Christmas with Nathan's family.  We felt so blessed to have both his brothers and their wives also in town, the whole family together for the holiday.  As you can imagine, my mother-in-law was on cloud nine!  We took this opportunity to grab some family photos.

The Curtis Clan: Back row - Ron and Connie.  Front Row - Isaiah, Laura, Nathan, Kari, Josh, Becky.

A happy couple.

The brothers: oldest to youngest.

An overjoyed mother and her sons!

Unfortunately Isaiah and Laura had to leave late on Christmas afternoon but the 24 hours that we were able to all spend together was truly special.

On the 26th Nathan and I made a day trip to Daytona Beach with his parents.  We enjoyed the sites and sounds of Nathan's childhood vacation spot and it was a treat to hear of all the fond memories.

The Ponce Deleon light house, Florida's tallest light house.

Nathan and the lighthouse spiral stairs.  We climbed all 203 of them!

Lighthouse entrance.

Ron, Connie and Nathan soaking in the sun with the Atlantic Ocean at their feet.

Preparing to race the boys in my pink dragster. Missed most of the 4 second ride, screaming, eyes closed!

On Tuesday the 27th we joined Josh and Becky and Ron and Connie at the most magical place on Earth - DisneyWorld!  Pictures are at a minimum.  We spent a lot of time in lines.  The Electrical Parade, castle lights and fireworks were spectacular!  Something I had not had the opportunity to do before.

The castle matches my shirt.

So cool!

A snapshot with Mickey on our way out.

Our last day in Orlando was low key. We made the most of the last bit of sunshine with a run and a bike ride.  What a wonderful visit.  We are looking forward to Nathan's folks making the trip to Seattle in April!

Now we are two weeks into the New Year and ready for our next sunny vacation.  Today we have watched Dixie frolic in and chomp at Seattle's first snow of the season, providing us with wonderful afternoon entertainment.  The trees are beautifully covered in the white stuff and we are thankful to have a warm house to snuggle up in.

Pulling eagerly around the yard.  Lots of sniffing going on!

Still long enough for a photo.

So from our house to yours, happy New Year wishes!