This video makes me smile.

November - where did the time go?

I knew that this month would be busy, but I never expected it to be this busy! First there was the thrill of elections, then Bev & Martin came to town. A week later I was on a flight to Hawaii to help with a recruiting trip. I left Seattle on Tuesday, 11/11 (Veteran's Day) and picked up a rental car - a zippy little Chevy Cobalt. Then it was off to my mom's house where I set up camp. I spent the day prepping for the upcoming visits and fairs. I attended two college fairs and made two school visits. In between, I hung with family and a childhood friend. The trip went by too quickly - I didn't get to visit everyone I wanted to, including Auntie Queenie, and Rayann & family. Hopefully the next time I'll be able to do it. What's coming next? Thanksgiving, of course.

Dean & Sheri

 

Suz & Mom

 

The Menu

 

We ordered a whole host of food - for the most part, everything was good. It's always good to eat with the family, especially Dean. He eats slowly and enjoys his meals.

Honey Walnut Shrimp

 

Can you ever go wrong with this dish?

Deep Fried Spinach

 

Really? Deep fried spinach? But it was good.

Proof!

 

Here's evidence that I actually did show up for work. This was taken at the Christian college fair on Wednesday, 11/12.

Dinner at Camellia Buffet

 

One of the highlights of the trip to Hawaii was meeting up with Kalama & Pua, parents of a current student. I had so much fun with them - we ate, talked story, and laughed. We dined at the Camellia Buffet on the corner of McCully and King (or thereabouts) and just had a wonderful time. I enjoyed the whole night.

Pua & Suz

 

Dinner and Entertainment

 

So the fun of the evening (second to being with Kalama & Pua) was the food. There was so much of it! There was a selection of meat to grill which included beef, pork, and chicken. It was all good. You selected the raw meat and then brought it back to your table to grill.

The Buffet Plate

 

Not only did the restaurant have tons of meat to grill, they also had a whole veggie section. Above is what I selected.

Martin & Bev come to Seattle

 

My friends, Martin & Bev, came in for a short 24 hour trip (Friday, 11/7). It was so much fun to see them! We went to the Wild Ginger (one of Bev's favorite restaurants in Seattle) for dinner. It did not dissapoint. The food was tasty and there was a lot of it. The next day we went to breakfast at Lowell's at Pike Place Market. The view was perfect and the food was good, sturdy, breakfast food. We then drove to the airport where we said goodbye. I can't wait until they come back into town again. Miss you guys already.

Smiling for the camera

OK, I don't know what that line is on my glasses, but it's irritating. I know...I probably just need to clean my glasses more often.

Susan looking over the menu

 

Martin & Bev and Pictures of Thailand

 

Sushi and Sake Festival: Densho Fundraiser

Last night, Susan and I attended the Sushi and Sake Festival - an all you can eat and drink affair. We had a great time meeting up with Dale & Bif and of course, eating sushi. Lots of sushi. Probably not $75 worth of sushi, but it was still good. Lucky for me, Densho is an organization that I believe in. The mission of Densho:

Densho's mission is to preserve the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War II before their memories are extinguished. We offer these irreplaceable firsthand accounts, coupled with historical images and teacher resources, to explore principles of democracy and promote equal justice for all. (http://www.densho.org)

Sushi,

sushi,

...and more sushi.

Happy Feet Comes Trick-or-Treating

Maggie surprised me with a Halloween visit last Friday!!! She was absolutely adorable as a penguin.

Cindy & Maggie

Suz & Maggie

Happy Feet leaving to see her Dad

My little visitor

Maggie and her mom stopped by to visit me a couple of weeks ago. I love the faces she makes when taking pictures.

Autumn comes to town

I was really fortunate (again) that Autumn had some time to come to town. It was wonderful to see her. We hung out at work (and worked), went to restaurants, church, and even had a pedicure together. I was sad to see her go, but am so thrilled for everything that is going on with her and Jacob.

Eric & Autumn

Our decadent treat

One of the most relaxing things that Autumn and I did was pedicures at InSpa. It was so good to just sit, relax, and leave with pretty feet.

The Consul General comes to visit

I've been really fortunate to get on the Consul General's party list. I know I didn't get there because of merit (I'm just not that smart), but really because of who I know (I am a social person). Several weeks ago, the CG's assistant called and asked if he could come and speak at the university. Are you kidding me??? Of course I said yes. His presentation was on Japan's International Cooperation which was helpful. At the end I made him pose for pictures. Here he is with the Japanese students who attended the presentation.

CG with VPs

BBQ with the Ridges

Eric and I got together with John, Cindy and Maggie in October for a bratwurst BBQ. Of course, there was way too much food...like this never happens with me. Anyway, we topped off the evening by watching Psycho w/ Anthony Perkins. Creepy.

Eric & John at the Grill

So while the women were inside getting things ready, the men were outside playing with fire.

MIA

So I haven't posted in a while because I was having problems with this blog, but now I see that maybe it was a problem with my own computer. Of course now my computer has crashed and will have to wait to upload pictures. I promise, though, that I have some great pics to post!!!