tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73439332844239794782024-03-05T18:56:06.458-08:00The Goodlaff GirlBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-49628094452886055972014-05-18T13:40:00.002-07:002014-05-18T13:40:27.967-07:00Hexagons: An Epic Quilting Project<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hexagon (n): <span id="hotword"><span class="hwc" id="hotword" name="hotword">a</span> </span>polygon<span id="hotword"> <span class="hwc" id="hotword" name="hotword">having</span> <span class="hwc" id="hotword" name="hotword">six</span> <span class="hwc" id="hotword" name="hotword">angles</span> <span class="hwc" id="hotword" name="hotword">and</span> <span class="hwc" id="hotword" name="hotword">six</span> <span class="hwc" id="hotword" name="hotword">sides.</span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, dictionary. If only it were that simple. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was introduced to hexagons in fabric form in the spring of last year by a co-worker. She was making piles and piles of tiny little hexagons for a project that even she wasn't sure about yet, and I got a little obsessed--first with her project, then with starting my own. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Actually, I got a lot obsessed. I made a few of my own hexagon templates and started down the rabbit hole. With fabric scraps from my stash, I made a tiny little cluster of hexagons. Then another. Then another. Then I made a larger cluster. And it was love. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few months into this obsession, my sister-in-law announced that she was pregnant with her fourth child. It seemed like fate that she should be pregnant at the same time I was obsessed with hexagons, and I figured that the universe was telling me it was time to take this experiment full-scale. I decided to make a hexagon quilt.There are a lot of things that I wish I could go back and tell naive, beginner Beth, like: "that's going to be a lot more work than you realize," and "your fingers will bleed," and "maybe you should do bigger hexagons so you won't be spending hours and hours on end doing nothing but sewing hexagons." Yeah...let's just say that I'm a lot wiser now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It started with choosing the fabric. Since my sister-in-law made the decision to be surprised by the baby's gender, the color palette had to be neutral. I went digging around in my fabric stash and found two fat quarters from the Tula Pink Hushabye collection that I had picked up in 2009 (top two on the left of the photo below) . Yes, I know I have a problem; we try not to talk about it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had an idea in my head of a very classy, sophisticated quilt that didn't scream baby, but still had an element of whimsy to it. I spent hours looking at fabric, swapping out fabrics, agonizing over patterns. When all the decisions were made, I had ten different fat quarter fabrics from three places: my stash, Ben Franklin Crafts in Redmond, and my local fabric shop, </span><a href="http://www.westseattlefabriccompany.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">West Seattle Fabric Company</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (I love it there. I'm going to see if they will just let me move into the back room and live happily amongst the lovely bolts of fabric.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's what I ended up with: very neutral tans, browns, creams, and whites, with a dash of green and Tiffany blue thrown in for color. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first step was to cut up I cut all of the fat quarters into squares to prepare them for the paper piecing process. So. Much. Cutting. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then came the hexagons ( I used 1"). I was smart enough to order paper pieces from Etsy instead of trying to cut out over 500 of them myself. That was absolutely one of the smartest things I could have done, as all the paper pieces were exact and perfect. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the next few months, I did nothing but baste hexagons. Piles and piles and piles of hexagons. I felt like it would never end. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8UU15p0wqwOLgjwMWlXUjaLEreDzl48RJe8JWRNilMF9Ej18qP-qa9e9cImXEadzXzbI8Gi0ikfJcLo_MDkqhckH-NhX6fXt8sY_jl5BVH_9i9sq9r9V1mVFm0iqav9gafwt8gLxdTDJF/s1600/pileohexies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8UU15p0wqwOLgjwMWlXUjaLEreDzl48RJe8JWRNilMF9Ej18qP-qa9e9cImXEadzXzbI8Gi0ikfJcLo_MDkqhckH-NhX6fXt8sY_jl5BVH_9i9sq9r9V1mVFm0iqav9gafwt8gLxdTDJF/s1600/pileohexies.jpg" height="300" width="400" /> </span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I finished my hexagons and began to sew them into strips. 23 strips of 21 hexagons each... </span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-47BtVE3b6MU/U3hOYzYmU1I/AAAAAAAABpg/VGxDHGE5DN0/s1600/rowsohexies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-47BtVE3b6MU/U3hOYzYmU1I/AAAAAAAABpg/VGxDHGE5DN0/s1600/rowsohexies.jpg" height="300" width="400" /> </span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn't have a pattern, as I wanted it to look random and organic, so I would just lay out two to three strips at a time and make sure that I didn't have any hexagons of the same fabric right next to each other. Then I sewed the strips together, and once the strips were assembled, I joined them together to start creating the quilt top. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did I mention this was all done by hand?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, about 11 or so rows in, I decided to lay out the rest of the quilt so I could just keep up with the business of sewing rows without constantly having to stop and do more layout. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I took this picture after having laid out the entire quilt top. A few seconds later I popped into the other room get Mr. Goodlaff to come take a look, and when I came back, my dear, sweet Pennycat had gotten curious and was padding around on top of my quilt layout. Upon seeing me come back into the room (and knowing that she was not allowed up on the table), she sprung off the table, flinging hexagons everywhere and almost completely destroying an hour's worth of work. I almost cried. Then I remembered that I had captured my layout on film and spent the next half hour looking from my phone to the table every thirty seconds, trying to once again bring order to the hexagon chaos.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5RCIvUSYAXs/U3hOWqTfRxI/AAAAAAAABo8/Wb1hiFXJvLg/s1600/layoutohexies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5RCIvUSYAXs/U3hOWqTfRxI/AAAAAAAABo8/Wb1hiFXJvLg/s1600/layoutohexies.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I spent months sewing the rows and attaching them to the top. I spent car rides and plane trips and lots of nights on the couch sewing and sewing.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vvNoM4pIIDw/U3hOZWIOe8I/AAAAAAAABpo/orvjcHVr1zw/s1600/sewingofhexies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vvNoM4pIIDw/U3hOZWIOe8I/AAAAAAAABpo/orvjcHVr1zw/s1600/sewingofhexies.jpg" height="400" width="321" /> </span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My goal was to have the quilt done by Christmas, when my sister-in-law and her family would be staying with us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn't make it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But when they were here, I boxed up the part of the quilt that I had finished and had them open it at Christmas, which was really more a gift for me than for them. I don't know about the rest of you, but when I put so much time and effort into a project, I want to see the look on your face when you see the final product--that makes all the times I stabbed myself in the finger with a needle and swore very loudly totally worth it. It was nice to have that chance, since I wouldn't have been able to see that any other way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My niece was born at the end of January, and I finished the quilt top in April. Once the hexagons were done, the quilting only took me a few days, and that was mostly because quilting on a small sewing machine takes time and patience (it's amazing that I had any at the end of this project).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the end result: </span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FAPI_MoDRi0/U3hOV703evI/AAAAAAAABps/wi9OWXZ98tg/s1600/fullquilt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FAPI_MoDRi0/U3hOV703evI/AAAAAAAABps/wi9OWXZ98tg/s1600/fullquilt2.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The quilt's not totally square and the binding's a little funky in one spot, but overall, I'm so incredibly pleased and proud of how it turned out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a close-up daylight view of the fabrics I used: </span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iFrGry3jSak/U3hOYVd2nzI/AAAAAAAABpU/EIaTIfYXEcM/s1600/quiltcloseup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iFrGry3jSak/U3hOYVd2nzI/AAAAAAAABpU/EIaTIfYXEcM/s1600/quiltcloseup.jpg" height="400" width="300" /> </span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And a few more glamour shots of the whole thing:</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PShe9Ru07PY/U3hOV9gP9kI/AAAAAAAABos/hDEVbNS7ddU/s1600/fullquilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PShe9Ru07PY/U3hOV9gP9kI/AAAAAAAABos/hDEVbNS7ddU/s1600/fullquilt.jpg" height="300" width="400" /> </span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the quilt backing I chose So Hexy by V and Co. The colors matched perfectly with the blue and green of the Hushabye fabrics I used on the front and the Tiffany blue binding. Plus, I loved that there would be hexagons on the front, and back. (Big shout-out to the lady at West Seattle Fabric Company who helped me make this decision. I waffled over it for probably about 45 minutes before she stepped in.)</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WmrdU_95Sh0/U3hOXfMwK2I/AAAAAAAABpI/aL_pOtI-yoM/s1600/quiltback.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WmrdU_95Sh0/U3hOXfMwK2I/AAAAAAAABpI/aL_pOtI-yoM/s1600/quiltback.jpg" height="300" width="400" /> </span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> For the quilt tag I used a fabric that hadn't been used on the front (but was once in contention), did a bit of embroidery, and made sure to tack it down to the quilt for durability.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K-nPgT6KlUI/U3hOYZbKhdI/AAAAAAAABpc/ZwdoP6JnSYM/s1600/quiltlabel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K-nPgT6KlUI/U3hOYZbKhdI/AAAAAAAABpc/ZwdoP6JnSYM/s1600/quiltlabel.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I mailed the quilt at the beginning of May and it's now safely in the hands of those who love it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, and I sent a little something extra along to keep my beautiful new niece company...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzg2m_8stmXbnOtrkAYogMPHCq3IeN7JK-AIml6slDiw2gPwyJ_Gnd7ZI9PfEIKlq6lcmTLqsL7ZSahDZmkd9ynia1B6mjEsWvxVrVF1O61iIRDyHV-gtDvtz7jtky9ZJJZ0SM13Q-c2wq/s1600/winslowdogsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzg2m_8stmXbnOtrkAYogMPHCq3IeN7JK-AIml6slDiw2gPwyJ_Gnd7ZI9PfEIKlq6lcmTLqsL7ZSahDZmkd9ynia1B6mjEsWvxVrVF1O61iIRDyHV-gtDvtz7jtky9ZJJZ0SM13Q-c2wq/s1600/winslowdogsmall.jpg" height="297" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found this adorable doxie pattern from </span><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/99057148/dachshund-stuffed-animal-sewing-pattern?ref=listing-0" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Retromama on Etsy</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, and sent him along too. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All in all, I love how everything came out, though next time (if there is a next time), I will use larger hexagons. And more patience. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But one thing's for sure: there's a lotta love in that quilt!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Would you ever attempt a hexagon quilt?</span></div>
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com0West Seattle, Seattle, WA, USA47.5666668 -122.3867536999999947.3951783 -122.70947719999998 47.7381553 -122.06403019999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-2231366364743398152013-12-30T19:39:00.000-08:002013-12-30T19:39:02.278-08:002013: Year in Review2013 was quite the year (though you wouldn't know it from the lack of posts on my blog). Two weddings, a new house, a new cat, and so, so much more. Since a picture is worth a thousand words--and I have 16--I'm recapping the year with my favorite photos. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9qVPhM0Xg8M/UsI25jJXkwI/AAAAAAAABkI/p5RxEEJCIXg/s1600/YIR+lunar+new+year.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9qVPhM0Xg8M/UsI25jJXkwI/AAAAAAAABkI/p5RxEEJCIXg/s400/YIR+lunar+new+year.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Chinese New Year in Seattle's International District</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oyvRqBsMbh4/UsI21s9jIkI/AAAAAAAABjA/x6P4_HMWDS4/s1600/YIR+JS+engagement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="387" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oyvRqBsMbh4/UsI21s9jIkI/AAAAAAAABjA/x6P4_HMWDS4/s400/YIR+JS+engagement.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sister Goodlaff's Engagement Party</div>
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Andrew McMahon Concert</div>
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Our new house!</div>
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Our baby kitten, Penny. </div>
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Me, Sister Goodlaff, and Mama Goodlaff running the Disneyland 5K as <br />the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty...</div>
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and then playing in Disneyland later that day! (BTW, I made those shirts)</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-23cq_FEVVrQ/UsI27Y_GIwI/AAAAAAAABkg/lEXcbVp7-5k/s1600/YIR+JS+wed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-23cq_FEVVrQ/UsI27Y_GIwI/AAAAAAAABkg/lEXcbVp7-5k/s400/YIR+JS+wed.jpg" width="375" /></a></div>
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Sister Goodlaff got married!</div>
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I got in over my head with hexagons...</div>
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Did I mention we got a kitten?</div>
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Glassblowing with Mama and Daddy Goodlaff after Thanksgiving...</div>
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followed by family troll time!</div>
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Not such a baby anymore...</div>
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First Christmas in our new house, before and after <br />(my Sister-in-law, her fiancé, and their three kids came to stay)</div>
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And a few days later, my Sister-in-law got married!</div>
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Whew! Here's hoping that 2014 will be just as good!</div>
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Happy New Year to all of you. </div>
Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-49534722268730844582013-05-27T20:35:00.003-07:002013-05-27T20:35:31.055-07:00It's Oh-So-Quiet...It's been quiet around here lately. I apologize for that.<br />
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They say that life is what happens while you're busy making other plans. I don't know who the proverbial "they" are, but "they" are right. <br />
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In a nutshell, the Goodlaffs have had a lot going on. I didn't blog about it, but at the end of March, we took the first step towards becoming homeowners by attending a first-time homebuyers class. Three days later, we were pre-approved; two days after that we were meeting with a realtor. We began a house hunt and found one we liked. We made an offer and it got accepted. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUyFlPCPFPpjcGMf_9Y5oh03dtdo1Tv9kL-EZjuazfXQLiN2YdVBv9a_7vvZHXtO1mIFoj0xWXLNVtCciYHbkln9XjSlhEWGLMvPIoYocE60KhJt9gX49FBRmoHBlE1DqAUl9o78S4xZb/s1600/new+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUyFlPCPFPpjcGMf_9Y5oh03dtdo1Tv9kL-EZjuazfXQLiN2YdVBv9a_7vvZHXtO1mIFoj0xWXLNVtCciYHbkln9XjSlhEWGLMvPIoYocE60KhJt9gX49FBRmoHBlE1DqAUl9o78S4xZb/s400/new+house.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The day we found out that we bought a house, I was diagnosed with a blood clot in my leg. In a few weeks, I will be getting rechecked to make sure it's gone, and then we will set about finding out what caused it. I've been resting and healing, and I haven't been able to eat much in the way of green leafy vegetables, as it interferes with the blood thinning medication I've been taking. It's funny, but the minute the doctor told me that I couldn't eat spinach, all I wanted to do was sit down and eat a big old spinach salad. And I'm not even that big of a fan of spinach!<br />
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Since then, it's been a whirl of doctor's appointments and weekends at The Home Depot. We've learned how to use a lawnmower, hacked back the wilderness that was our backyard (see below!), installed a mailbox, had the electrical completely updated, and, in the course of appliance shopping, learned the hierarchy of refrigerator brands. <br />
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Yard before: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzEHompHxbnHhhdtoKZECXvmiBNVR7a3hH_eGgxy0xzi207hgOJ2ze0YRwOwoDigp0i5xXI2f4SomCYOQAOtYJW3gwKqDuzjBhkfw6kbk8S-60Pm5fknjIsM-gCqnkghmJiBijeHfHD0s/s1600/by+before1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzEHompHxbnHhhdtoKZECXvmiBNVR7a3hH_eGgxy0xzi207hgOJ2ze0YRwOwoDigp0i5xXI2f4SomCYOQAOtYJW3gwKqDuzjBhkfw6kbk8S-60Pm5fknjIsM-gCqnkghmJiBijeHfHD0s/s400/by+before1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yard after:</div>
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We move in less than two weeks. <br />
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We've started packing; the house is a disaster, with alternating towers of empty and full boxes clinging to the walls for support. The first of what I'm sure will be several trips to Goodwill happened today, and even though we took four trash bags full of linens and clothes, two paper bags full of books (yes, I got rid of some books. Be proud.) and various other sundry, a lamp, and a filing cabinet, the house still feels as full as it did before. <br />
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All of this means that I've been neglectful of this blog, and you, the five people who read it. <br />
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As soon as the dust has somewhat settled, I promise I'll be back. But for now, wish us luck with our move. We are going to need it!Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-42308593221770912702013-04-27T22:46:00.001-07:002013-04-27T22:46:06.242-07:00Fabric First, Project LaterA few months ago I saw my local fabric store, <a href="http://www.westseattlefabriccompany.com/">West Seattle Fabric Company</a>, had gotten a new collection of fabric from Moda: Glamping. It was unbelievably cute, and I knew I had to have some of it. What would I do with it? I had no idea. But that wasn't going to stop me. (Side note--that's how I have come to collect an entire drawer of fat quarters that I haven't yet used.)<br />
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I mean, look at it: <br />
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I loved the cute tents and trailers, and figured that I'd find something to do with them later. </div>
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Well, it's later, and I did, in fact, find something to use that fabric for: </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EqDbArb7Zc/UXHtdUcVL7I/AAAAAAAAAuo/FTBoyvZGE-w/s1600/glamping+set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EqDbArb7Zc/UXHtdUcVL7I/AAAAAAAAAuo/FTBoyvZGE-w/s400/glamping+set.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A glamping kitchen set! I embellished three towels and made two potholders and an oven mitt. I am so happy with how they came out:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIfFZodLvqze-jhRRJIGhaMD9dCQSSD1LbGRHmLcFbvt3v6-6sR4V9clc3oROhZtxKniMxjsVGSbQq-9udmt92m87wb8NUiJWlGxnrtv5npb_-V3rqVS6rn8QH-dW2znQakbeUUtp0Ck2/s1600/towels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIfFZodLvqze-jhRRJIGhaMD9dCQSSD1LbGRHmLcFbvt3v6-6sR4V9clc3oROhZtxKniMxjsVGSbQq-9udmt92m87wb8NUiJWlGxnrtv5npb_-V3rqVS6rn8QH-dW2znQakbeUUtp0Ck2/s400/towels.jpg" width="353" /></a></div>
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The potholders are double sided. Glamping fabrics on one side:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XJC3PH5s2Fc/UXHtcvxt3FI/AAAAAAAAAuU/yXA9RQyApcY/s1600/mitt+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XJC3PH5s2Fc/UXHtcvxt3FI/AAAAAAAAAuU/yXA9RQyApcY/s400/mitt+front.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And ginghams on the other. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MMDxQKG6UMKn3fewM55KpTIJGHZ61jWipQyOWYYyu20VO8PPVZbqivdXcGX9xJ9tTZ4nJCaRbKzaMnfE65gbfZm3W2jYpokatSKmaDEwBmEyUpx7oALZFvvfu5389xYW_EgVQOjlG9AP/s1600/mitt+backside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MMDxQKG6UMKn3fewM55KpTIJGHZ61jWipQyOWYYyu20VO8PPVZbqivdXcGX9xJ9tTZ4nJCaRbKzaMnfE65gbfZm3W2jYpokatSKmaDEwBmEyUpx7oALZFvvfu5389xYW_EgVQOjlG9AP/s400/mitt+backside.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I used Insul-bright to insulate the oven mitts and potholders, which means they are not only pretty, but they won't burn your hands when you use them--very functional! (BTW: If you're interested, I found the pattern for the oven mitt at <a href="http://www.skiptomylou.org/2008/09/26/oven-mitt-pattern/">Skip to My Lou</a>. I didn't use a pattern for the potholders. I figured I could handle the square without needing instructions.) </div>
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I'm sending this entire set off to the Newman Memorial Foundation as a donation to their annual Fishing Derby's silent auction. Hopefully someone will love them as much as I do!</div>
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I'm also sending along these fun little key fobs that they can use for prizes. They are really easy and quick to make, so I figured--why not?</div>
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I love crafting for a good cause!</div>
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-35040491918799798402013-04-07T14:41:00.000-07:002013-04-07T14:43:36.497-07:0030 Before 30: Crochet a ScarfI've used my convalescence of the past week or so to check another item off the 30 Before 30 list. You all remember that I changed my goal of crocheting a blanket to a scarf. Well, goal accomplished!<br />
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I have been saving this super cute mustard yellow yarn for a rainy day (let's be honest--I pretty much save all my yarn for a rainy day), and finally found a project worthy of it. I put my new crochet skills to good use and made this braided scarf/cowl: <br />
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I spotted this on <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/23362491789309196/">Pinterest</a>, and instantly knew that I had to try the scarf. It turned out so well, and was a super-easy project, especially for a beginner like me. The suggested "pattern" for it didn't seem like it would really work for what I was trying to accomplish, so I changed it up a bit. I cast on 120 stitches and did 5 rows of double crochet, times three strands (size H hook). Braid them up, seam them off and voila! Scarf. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlR5aK24x0O3ycpWu28NvwKuo1XyhK3k0Or_20up2VeXtEbCXoCuct6xBwjpC2wv7DUH4PAeE7wU_GDXQTEcTfyiGToCQ8MPlXSPWXXx_3kcJf5sq-g2tH7DC0vAMmEzZzeRv8YAgguALo/s1600/scarf1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlR5aK24x0O3ycpWu28NvwKuo1XyhK3k0Or_20up2VeXtEbCXoCuct6xBwjpC2wv7DUH4PAeE7wU_GDXQTEcTfyiGToCQ8MPlXSPWXXx_3kcJf5sq-g2tH7DC0vAMmEzZzeRv8YAgguALo/s400/scarf1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I can't wait to wear it!<br />
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Check another item off the <a href="http://goodlaffgirl.blogspot.com/p/30-before-30.html">list!</a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-54094633543656654482013-03-17T20:13:00.002-07:002013-03-17T20:17:49.621-07:00Since Google Reader is dying...If you're like me and you use Google reader to keep up with all the blogs you follow, you're probably pretty sad to see that it's going away. It seems that everyone is jumping on the Bloglovin' bandwagon, so I though I'd give it a shot.<br />
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<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/5104955/?claim=en8peg4cwr2"">Follow my blog with Bloglovin'</a> Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-6165293857126934092013-03-15T08:19:00.000-07:002013-03-15T08:19:00.847-07:0030 before 30: Progress It's been almost a month, so I figured I would fill you in on my progress. I have taken a lot of steps toward accomplishing my goals, but I'm sad to say, I can't check anything off the list just yet. <br />
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So, what am I up to?<br />
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1. I'm reading <em>Jane Eyre</em>. I've gotten further in the book than I ever have before, but I'm nowhere near becoming a fan. Sorry to all you Bronte fans out there, but every time I pick up the book, I'm bored. Give me back my Jane Austen. <br />
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2. Become a homeowner. We have started looking for houses. This process merits a whole other post, which I may or may not do (depends on my laziness), but suffice it to say, we are looking at but not finding a whole lot...<br />
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3. Finding my style. I spent about an hour last week tearing all my clothes out of the closet and mashing them together in random outfits. I'm pretty sure my five year old niece puts together better outfits than I did. It's a process.<br />
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4. Run a 5K. I signed up for one, does that count? Sure, sure, there's a bunch of training to be done, but I am committed to running one at the end of August. In Disneyland. If you have to run, you may as well be running in the happiest place on earth, right?<br />
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5. Crochet a blanket. I learned to crochet a bit more, and I even bought a book to teach me the rest, but I think I was a little too ambitious in thinking I would be able to start and finish a blanket having barely learned how to do a chain stitch. I am amending my task to "crochet a scarf," because, as the old saying goes, you've got to crawl before you decide to run a marathon. Or something like that. <br />
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6. Let my hair down. I have actually been making an effort to wear my hair down at least once a week, and I've been mostly successful so far. I missed one week, but otherwise, hair has been worn down more in the last month than the last year. Success.<br />
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7. Floss Daily. I have been flossing every day. I've been so good, and I fully expect my dentist to look at my mouth during my next cleaning and say to me: "Finally. Welcome to adulthood where we suck it up, put on our big girl panties, and do unpleasant things like floss our teeth and take out the trash before it overflows."<br />
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8. Sew clothing for myself. I bought fabric for a skirt. Although, it should be noted that I already had fabric for two other skirts. Um, right...<br />
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And there you have it, my progress on the road toward 30. Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-13023434907992553482013-03-12T20:04:00.001-07:002013-03-12T20:04:49.035-07:00It's a Little Early, But...Happy St. Patrick's Day!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-1lV5qfXgGxV4l-1yqVfWyrbLG2xSbk4Nx8EMy6eREdstc4HIAxSdfvc0ZEmak7a5yqxWhEM4OQaG8tsjcn4DGbXGSmnPwfAGlPcKEag7Z1CdBdWUvQuhbhvdfmu2wGVYNbLpYVOsCaER/s1600/cupcakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-1lV5qfXgGxV4l-1yqVfWyrbLG2xSbk4Nx8EMy6eREdstc4HIAxSdfvc0ZEmak7a5yqxWhEM4OQaG8tsjcn4DGbXGSmnPwfAGlPcKEag7Z1CdBdWUvQuhbhvdfmu2wGVYNbLpYVOsCaER/s400/cupcakes.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Behold, Lucky Charms cupcakes! I found this recipe on Pinterest a month or so ago, and knew it would be perfect for St. Patty's Day. Green cupcakes with real bits of Lucky Charms cereal, marshmallow buttercream frosting, and green and gold sprinkles, topped off with a lucky charm. I brought them into work today, and they were a big hit. <br />
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My frosting skills still need a bit of work, but other than that, I'm pretty pleased with how they came out. <br />
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I do have to tell you, there was one huge advantage to making this recipe: I have almost an entire box of Lucky Charms left over. I'm so excited! <br />
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Looking for the recipe? Head on over to <a href="http://www.justcallmemaria.com/2012/03/lucky-charms-cupcakes.html" target="_blank">Just Call Me Maria</a> and check it out!Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-77588590528506969802013-02-19T07:30:00.000-08:002013-02-19T07:30:01.939-08:0030 Before 30Eight months from today, I will turn thirty. <br />
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30. <br />
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The big three-oh.<br />
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I can say, in all honesty, that I'm not dreading this milestone. I freaked out when I turned 27 (don't ask me why--it was just a scary number). Thirty? Not so much. Thirty is only really noteworthy to me because instead of starting my age with a two, I will have to use a three; this is fine by me, because half the time I can't remember how old I really am anyway. Am I 28? 29? Definitely 28, no 29. Seriously, sometimes I have to do the math, awkwardly counting on my fingers. It's a bit embarrassing. <br />
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Still, with such a milestone birthday approaching, I've been thinking back on what I thought 30 would be like. My younger self was pretty ambitious, and I'm nowhere near where I thought I'd be a few years ago, let alone over a decade ago. I'm not too disappointed: my twelve year-old self could never have known that being a ballerina was a dream that was over before it started (yet, I still wonder, is 30 too late to go en pointe?). <br />
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I've seen a few bloggers put together a 30 before 30 list--a sort of bucket list, if you will. Usually these lists are made years in advance, and include all manner of things big and small that a person wants to do before turning thirty. While thinking about what would be on my own list, I got a wild idea that, with less than a year to go, this would be a good idea. <br />
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Why? <br />
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Why not?<br />
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It seemed only fair that since I am starting a bit late, I get to pad the list a little bit. I do like to think that the things I've included on my list that I have already done or accomplished would have been on there had I started five years ago, so my conscience is clear. <br />
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Here's what I've come up with:<br />
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<strong>1. <strike>Live in another country</strike> </strong><br />
I lived in Shanghai, China for a year, and I loved it. In fact, I would love to live abroad again someday. <br />
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<strong>2. <strike>Visit Europe</strike></strong><br />
Thanks to our honeymoon, my husband and I have both been to Europe. There's so much more to see and do, and so many places that we want to visit, but consider this a big fat check off the bucket list. <br />
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<strong>3.</strong> <strong>Go to the Ballet or the Opera</strong><br />
I've been to see The Nutcracker a few times, but I would love to see another Ballet. I've never seen an Opera, but think it could be an interesting experience. <br />
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<strong>4. Read <u>Jane Eyre</u></strong><br />
No self-respecting English Major admits to having never read <u>Jane Eyre</u>, but there you have it. I love Jane Austen; I've read <u>Pride and Prejudice</u> more times than I can count. I slogged through <u>Pamela</u> and <u>Middlemarch</u>. But I have never, ever been able to get into <u>Jane Eyre</u>. I've started this novel at least four or five times, and put it down every time. It's high time I read it. <br />
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<strong>5. Read <u>Anna Karenina</u></strong><br />
Quite a few people that I know have at least one shelf on their bookcase that is full of books that make them look smart. I have one with a lot of "classics" (including <u>Jane Eyre</u>) and some very long, very thick books that I've never read but that make me look very well-read. <u>Anna Karenina</u> is one of those books. <br />
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<strong>6. Buy a house</strong><br />
I hope before the year is over to be a homeowner. There's nothing I want more than to choose my own paint colors and maybe take a gigantic sledgehammer to a wall that needs to come down. What? It looks like great fun on TV. <br />
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<strong>7. <strike>Do a half marathon</strike></strong><br />
Been there, ran that. Notice how I didn't add "do a marathon" to this list?<br />
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<strong>8. Listen to the entire Beatles Catalog</strong><br />
My parents weren't big Beatles fans, so while I know the popular Beatles songs, I'm a bit clueless about the rest of them. Time to get a Fab Four education.<br />
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<strong>9. Find my style</strong><br />
I follow <a href="http://www.kendieveryday.com/" target="_blank">Kendi Everyday</a>, and I'm so jealous of this girl's style. I want to develop my own style and make an effort to look a little more put-together everyday. <br />
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<strong>10. Get a "big girl" wardrobe</strong><br />
As much as I love Old Navy, I really need to take more care in selecting and taking care of my wardrobe. This, of course, means having a wardrobe that's worth taking care of, which means investing in things that will last a long time. <br />
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<strong>11. Learn how to put on makeup well</strong><br />
Foundation, powder, highlighting--it all mystifies me. I'm definitely not saying that I want to put on a full face of makeup every day, but I would like to find a routine and know how to do my makeup well enough not to feel like a rube every time I set foot in Sephora. <br />
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<strong>12. Lose 30 pounds</strong><br />
I was going to call this one "get healthy", but I think in this case, a specific goal is not a bad idea. I hope to lose more, but I think 30 is a pretty good start. <br />
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<strong>13. Run a 5K</strong><br />
I've done a 5K (two, actually), but I want to actually run one, all the way through, without stopping. <br />
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<strong>14. <strike>Move to another city or state</strike></strong><br />
We moved to Seattle for no reason other than we wanted to be here, which is pretty awesome. <br />
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<strong>15. Make a new friend (outside of work)</strong><br />
I'm introverted, and it's hard for me to step out of my comfort zone and actually talk to people I don't know or to do activities that require more than superficial social interaction. Grown-ups should know how to make friends, and as I am a grown-up (most days), I will learn how to do this. <br />
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<strong>16. <strike>Try yoga</strike></strong><br />
Last year, Mr. Goodlaff and I took a yoga class for about 7 months and really enjoyed ourselves. It wasn't something I thought I would ever do or enjoy, but I'm glad I did it, and I really did like it. <br />
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<strong>17. Crochet a blanket</strong><br />
Mama Goodlaff has a blanket on her bed that was a wedding present. It's crocheted and has little chevron stripes on it, and I love the way I can poke my fingers through the holes. I want a blanket of my own, and I want to learn how to crochet better--two birds, one stone. <br />
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<strong>18. Read <u>East of Eden</u></strong><br />
The book is supposed to be amazing, and I've always meant to read it. Now seems as good a time as any. <br />
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<strong>19. Learn to like tomatoes</strong><br />
I do like tomatoes, I just like them cooked. I want to learn to like fresh tomatoes. <br />
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<strong>20. Kayak the sound</strong><br />
I think kayaking would be really fun, and we have a few local areas where we could easily do this. <br />
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<strong>21. Fly a plane</strong><br />
The other day, I saw a Groupon for an introductory flight lesson. I've always wanted to fly a plane, and maybe someday, I will get a pilot's license. <br />
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<strong>22. Let my hair down</strong><br />
I always wear my hair up. It's thick, it's long, and it's a pain in the ass. Still, I'm going to try to wear it down at least once a week. <br />
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<strong>23. Hot air balloon</strong><br />
I may have to get up super early to make the flight, but I think riding in a hot air balloon would be the most majestic thing. <br />
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<strong>24. Ride the Ducks</strong><br />
There's this crazy tourist activity here in Seattle where you get to ride all around in an amphibious water/land craft. The boat cruises all around the city, then drives straight into Lake Union. Plus, you can buy a duck quack kazoo. There's no downside here. <br />
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<strong>25. Sew clothing for myself</strong><br />
I have sewn a few aprons and a pinafore for my niece, but I've never made clothes for myself. I'm pretty sure that's the next step in my sewing adventures. <br />
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<strong>26. <strike>Buy a car</strike></strong><br />
With Daddy Goodlaff being a mechanic, I had never had the experience of buying my own car. Last year, we bought two.<br />
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<strong>27. Floss daily</strong><br />
I hate flossing. I get a lecture every time I go to the dentist. Grown-ups floss on a daily basis, so it's time I do too. <br />
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<strong>28. Be a better friend</strong><br />
The friends that I have are long distance. I don't keep in touch with them as often as I should, and that makes me a little sad. I want to be better about keeping in touch so we don't grow any farther apart. <br />
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<strong>29. See a Roller Derby</strong><br />
All I know about roller derby is that girls on skates knock each other down. Maybe that's all there is to it, maybe not. Still, I think it'd be fun to see one. <br />
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<strong>30. Learn how to drive a stick shift</strong><br />
I honestly don't see how I'm going to be able to do this one. We don't have a car with a manual transmission sitting around, and it's unlikely that someone will hand me their keys and let me destroy their clutch. But it's always something I've wanted to learn, and the skill could come in handy one day. <br />
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What would your 30 before 30 be?Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-76689343282636494362013-01-22T21:42:00.002-08:002013-01-22T21:42:33.714-08:00Sea Wheeze: A FootnoteIt has been brought to my attention--by the two people who actually ran the race with me, no less--that my last post didn't really have anything good to say about the Sea Wheeze. While grueling, the experience was not without its positives. <br />
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<strong>1. I had the courage to start</strong><br />
At first, the idea to do a half-marathon was ludicrous, then tempting, but when I signed up, it became a reality. It was a crazy idea, but I'm pretty impressed with myself for even agreeing to do it in the first place. Facing such a long path towards doing a half-marathon was daunting, but despite all the reasons I shouldn't do it, I still decided to give it a try; I'm not sure that there are a lot of people in my same position that would have made the same decision. And that's pretty awesome.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kcdL2bpxhaM/UPdkoMoCcQI/AAAAAAAAAjE/mLTWwKoOCwg/s1600/miracle-finish-courage-start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kcdL2bpxhaM/UPdkoMoCcQI/AAAAAAAAAjE/mLTWwKoOCwg/s400/miracle-finish-courage-start.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://iheartinspiration.com/quotes/fitness/miracle-finish-courage-start/" target="_blank">Source: iheartinspiration</a></div>
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<strong>2. I surprised myself</strong><br />
I didn't realize how strong I was until I dragged myself 13.1 miles and across that finish line. Though I wanted to many, many times, I didn't give up, and I was pleasantly surprised by my own determination, moxie, stubbornness, and grit. Mind blown--in a good way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaK_QaJDm37c3oyMm1en1pGWxeLEftvh5F0oTvKg3A0ZTwWxQzlSkWg2JfZ6n72WuTSdlPoT5jLEr13VNJ-J7u1UocnCMdkCL_Fhn8umhCTq13yuJduj7pNF75wv0ij5AWQWhHGjOKMZvJ/s1600/tumblr_lwwz17u5Iz1qjd5wfo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaK_QaJDm37c3oyMm1en1pGWxeLEftvh5F0oTvKg3A0ZTwWxQzlSkWg2JfZ6n72WuTSdlPoT5jLEr13VNJ-J7u1UocnCMdkCL_Fhn8umhCTq13yuJduj7pNF75wv0ij5AWQWhHGjOKMZvJ/s400/tumblr_lwwz17u5Iz1qjd5wfo1_1280.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://shahirzag.com/post/14915007160" target="_blank">Source: Shahirzag</a></div>
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<strong>3. I Finished.</strong> <br />
I ran a little and walked the rest of 13.1 miles in a day and lived to tell the tale. I didn't finish in the top anything, but I did finish, and they gave me a medal to prove how badass a feat it really is. How many people do you know who have actually done a half marathon? Because I have. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-feK_WTYqNIY/UPzT-zpUadI/AAAAAAAAAjk/AcQa0uDrtfc/s1600/half+crazy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-feK_WTYqNIY/UPzT-zpUadI/AAAAAAAAAjk/AcQa0uDrtfc/s320/half+crazy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.cafepress.com/+im_only_half_crazy_131_rectangle_magnet,519742285" target="_blank">Source: Cafe Press</a></div>
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<strong>4. I may actually like running someday.</strong><br />
It was only for a little while, and it wasn't something that I did particularly well, but I could see how people can actually like this whole running thing. I think given time, practice, and a better fitness level, it could actually be--dare I say--fun? <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-063yofl_96A/UP9zfeCXJFI/AAAAAAAAAj0/zjRDwxcs2ZE/s1600/running.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-063yofl_96A/UP9zfeCXJFI/AAAAAAAAAj0/zjRDwxcs2ZE/s400/running.jpg" width="322" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/161777811586320248/" target="_blank">Source: Pinterest</a></div>
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So there you have it--a few good things that came out of the Sea Wheeze!Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-19228348475243076102013-01-14T08:30:00.000-08:002013-01-14T08:30:01.671-08:00Sea Wheeze: The End and the AftermathI've struggled with how to put this last bit into words. See, in general, I consider myself to be a positive person, but my experience with the race at the end was really awful, and I want my account to be as honest as possible. So, sorry in advance for the doom and gloom. <br />
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***<br />
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By the time we hit Stanley Park, we were only walking. My feet hurt, my back hurt, and it was all I could do not to throw myself down on the ground and sob. Uncontrollably. For the rest of my life.<br />
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I sat on a bench at one point to adjust my sock; getting back up from that bench was one of the hardest things I did all day. We stopped at an aid station to get a bandage on the bottom of my foot for an emerging blister, and I desperately wished that the cot I sat on was the finish line. I stopped talking to Mr. Goodlaff because I was afraid if I said anything it would be something I'd regret. I was really, really angry. At myself, at him, at the course, at my feet, at the patronizing bastards at the cheer stations (in retrospect, I recognize they were trying to be helpful and inspiring), at everything. I wanted so badly to give up. <br />
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But I didn't. And it wasn't because "I knew deep down I could do it" or "fall down seven times, stand up eight." I won't lie and give you schmaltzy crap about sunshine and rainbows and triumph and perseverance. <br />
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The fact is this: I didn't quit because I didn't want to be that girl. I didn't want to admit to myself that <strike>I was certifiably insane</strike> it wasn't the smartest move signing up for a half marathon when I couldn't even run half a mile. I didn't want it to be proven as fact that I was vastly out of shape for this. I didn't want to be the cautionary tale that they wheel out on a golf cart, everyone looking at you with pitying eyes, shaking their heads and saying later, she never should have tried. I did not want to have come that far and not cross that damn finish line. <br />
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I spent miles trapped in my own head, frustrated with myself, with our lack of training, with the world, and the only thing that kept me going, besides my overwhelming fear of failure, was the grim thought that anyone who doubted me, anyone who'd said I shouldn't do it or didn't have to finish the whole thing, would be proven wrong by the medal I would wear around my neck. Petty, but oddly comforting.<br />
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We walked so long that my feet were numb. I vaguely recognized that they were in pain, but ignored it. There were still people behind us; I checked all the time. We pressed on. <br />
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There's a joke I've heard that anyone can run 26 miles--it's the last .2 that gets you. Well, 13 miles is nothing. It's the last tenth of a mile that's a real bitch. Around every corner, I thought we were almost done. And after every corner, there was one more corner, and one more corner, and it seemed like it would never end. Before the race, Mr. Goodlaff and I had talked about triumphantly running--sprinting, even--to the finish line. I came around the last corner before the finish line, turned to him, and said (trying to hold back tears), "I can't do it. I've got nothing left." <br />
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It took every ounce of mettle and stubbornness I had to make it those last 100 yards. When we crossed the finish line, they were starting to pack it in--it had been just over four hours by that point. Mr. Goodlaff and I clasped hands and passed under the watermelon for the second time that day, and this time, a lovely girl handed me a medal; she asked if we wanted our picture taken, and we (I hope, given my mood at that point) politely declined. <br />
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We walked a few yards, were each given a bottle of water and a juice box of coconut water (nastiest thing ever--I'd rather eat the goo again), and found an obliging curb to sit down on. <br />
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Sweet, sweet pavement! I stretched out my legs, loosened the laces on my shoes, gulped down the water (spit out the coconut water), and tried, for the five millionth time that day, not to cry. We sat there, pathetic and triumphant. A few short minutes later our relaxation was disrupted by some teenage boys doing race cleanup, sweeping up the trash in the streets. Now, I know we were in their way, being perched on the street curb they were assigned to and all, but they swept and swept, getting closer and closer to us until their brooms were barely two feet away from where we were flopped. Clearly they (and their brooms) did not understand that we had just accomplished something major. The looked at us with annoyance and dismay, so we took the obvious hint and got out of their way<br />
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Before heading back to the hotel, LK, Mr. Goodlaff, and I took an opportunity for photos by the Olympic cauldron: <br />
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Because that's how the athletes do it...</div>
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Maybe you remember the kerfuffle about McKayla Maroney's face at the medal ceremony (she was the Olympic gymnast who should have won gold but fell on her butt and won silver instead)? Well, McKayla was not impressed by our performance--neither were we...<br />
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Photo ops done, we headed back to our hotel and flopped on the bed. I've never been more thankful for a bed in my life. <br />
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It was when I got up from the bed that the trouble started. My left foot hurt. A lot. I took a shower and my left foot still hurt. I had to hobble from the shower to the bed and the bed to the chair. It was excruciating. <br />
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There was ice, lots of ice. Mr. Goodlaff hobbled out to get us lunch--he had massive blisters on the bottom of his feet. There was more ice. We were supposed to go to a concert that was priority access for runners, but I couldn't walk. Still more ice. LK came up to our room and we ordered room service because any other restaurant would have involved walking (you see where this is going, right?). Through the night, ice. <br />
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The next morning my foot got better and then worse. I iced my foot in the car on the way home, and about an hour away from Seattle, decided I should go to urgent care to make sure nothing was broken. The nurse looked at my foot, told me it was probably a strain, and if it didn't get better in a week or so to come back in. <br />
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Convalescing...</div>
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It didn't get better. A few days in, I asked Mr. Goodlaff to get me crutches because crawling around our apartment was becoming undignified. If you ever find yourself in need of crutches, head to Goodwill--tons of them, and very cheap! Also, crutches are deathtraps--crawling would have been safer. <br />
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I went to a different doctor for my check up and he said it wasn't broken. He told me I had probably torn or sprained my foot, and gave me the diagnosis: I had Plantar Fasciitis. I was to do stretches, and wear inserts, and it would get better. <br />
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I sort of did and it has.<br />
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I haven't run since the Sea Wheeze, and I'm off of half-marathons for the time being. I think it was a bit extreme to go from never having been a runner to trying to do 13.1 miles in a few hours without having put in the proper training. I was Barney in that episode of How I Met Your Mother when he tells Marshall that you don't train for a marathon--you just go out and start running it. He does and deals with the consequences. I did too. <br />
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I am willing to try again someday, but for now, I'm putting the training wheels back on. Until I can run, and I mean really, really run a 5k continuously, without stopping, I'm not going to attempt a half-marathon again. <br />
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-74134156561925434662013-01-09T21:59:00.000-08:002013-01-09T21:59:54.469-08:00Sea Wheeze: The MiddleBefore I get going, I should give a shout-out to LK, who took pretty much all of these pictures. She ran with her phone and was able to take these shots--I wasn't willing to carry mine with me. <br />
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Finally after waiting an eternity, we crossed the start line and took off running.<br />
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I was a gazelle! We were passing people! We were running! We were awesome! That lasted for about five minutes before <strike>I felt like I was going to die</strike> Mr. Goodlaff and I decided to save our energy for the other 13 miles and slowed to a brisk walk, and LK took off like a little bunny rabbit, jogging off into the crowd in front of us. <br />
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We kept up a mix of alternating walking and running for the first few miles, and I obsessively looked over my shoulder to make sure that we were not last. We crossed over a bridge, wound our way through Vancouver's Chinatown, and hoofed over to the port. Right before we hit our first water/aid station, we were cheered on by paddleboarders in the harbor:<br />
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And serenaded by a gospel choir singing "Let the Sun Shine In":<br />
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Once we hit our first aid station, I gulped down a cloudy glass of what tasted like extremely watered down lemonade but was actually a cup of electrolytes. I've never in my life been so glad for any liquid beverage as I was that day. The magical electrolytes were an instant jolt of energy, as was the half a banana that the volunteers offered to me. I was rejuvenated! Onward we went. </div>
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We curled around city streets, climbed a hill, and began heading up what I now know is called the Burrard Bridge, but right then, I had a much different name for it. Let's call it, for the sake of any young eyes out there, the Bridge of Death. Throw a few expletives of your choice in there and you have a pretty close approximation of what I actually called it. At this point, I was cranky. I was tired, I was pissed off, and I was climbing a hill. We were about 8 kilometers in (what does that even mean? Silly Canadians and their silly kilometers!), and I wanted to cry. <br />
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Actually, I wanted more electrolytes. <br />
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Mr. Goodlaff and I came down the bridge hill and met LK, who was about to head back over the bridge. She gave us the good news that another hill was in our future. Perfect. Then she took this picture: <br />
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Mr. Goodlaff was just being funny. Well, mostly. <br />
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So, up the hill of death we went, past cheering crowds and awesome signs--"You've got the eye of the tiger--and legs of Gisele" and "You are 2 legit 2 quit". We passed a group of Beliebers (Justin Bieber fans), who for some unknown reason, got up early to cheer on half-marathoners. I guess they have to keep their lungs conditioned for when they can actually scream for Justin Beiber. <br />
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The aid station at the bottom of the hill was kind enough to fill my water bottle, give me more electrolytes, and pass another half banana my way. <br />
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And, even though I knew it was coming, I wasn't ready to cross back over the Bridge of Death. I ate a packet of goo, which is a specially formulated, runny Jello-like substance that is supposed to help you keep your energy up if you can force it down, which I did. <br />
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We kept on trucking, finally getting to the edge of Stanley Park, which Mr. Goodlaff and I had toured a few months before. Unfortunately we knew what we were in for. Even the drag queens cheering for us couldn't quite lift my spirits. <br />
<br />Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-15372961550623266362013-01-03T20:57:00.000-08:002013-01-03T20:57:51.949-08:00Sea Wheeze: We BeginThere's not much that I can say about my half marathon other than this: Thank God it's over. <br />
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I'm <strike>not even remotely</strike> only halfway kidding. <br />
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I had a lot of big goals <a href="http://goodlaffgirl.blogspot.com/2012/01/boarding-crazy-train.html" target="_blank">when I agreed to do</a> the Lululemon Sea Wheeze Half-Marathon. I was going to run. every. day. I was going to be swift and strong and ready. I was going to train, and it was going to be awesome. <br />
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To be fair, we did train. We just didn't train nearly enough. A lot happened between January and August, and not a lot of it was running. For several months, Mr. Goodlaff and I did really well. We walked every day, then we started running. Then it was raining, then I got sick, then we got busy with work, then it rained some more, and I got sick again, and, well....you get the idea. By the time we hit July, we sort of gave up and went with the mantra of "it will be what it will be." (Not a good mantra, incidentally.)<br />
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With the lack of proper preparation going into the race, I only had two goals for the race:<br />
1. Finish<br />
2. Don't come in last place<br />
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As you can see, my hopes were high. <br />
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Mr. Goodlaff and I headed up to Vancouver late Friday morning, and checked into our hotel (the Four Seasons--we are so classy!) a few hours later. After meeting up with LK and some initial confusion regarding the location of package pickup, we finally made it to the convention center to check in and get our race gear. <br />
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The minute we stepped foot in the convention center, I knew we were in for it. The place was filled to the brim with fit, skinny people who had been intense runners since the day they were born. I felt an internal wave of deep, dark despair, but then someone handed me a free lime-flavored popsicle, and the panic slightly ebbed. We got our bags and our free flip flops, and headed out to find somewhere to carb up for the next day's race. <br />
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That night, I laid out all my gear and checked over it twice: <br />
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Somehow I managed to get a decent amount of sleep before our alarm went off at an un-Godly hour. After a light breakfast of a banana and a trail mix bar that was one part gravel, one part cardboard, we headed out to our corral--that's marathon code for a group of people that go as fast (or in our case as slow) as you do. Our corral was the last one. Corral 8--the corral for everyone else. <br />
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We met up with LK and did a bit of stretching, but mostly we just stood around, waiting for our turn to start. It took a long time. We took photos to keep ourselves amused: <br />
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We were so far back from the start/finish line that we couldn't even hear what was going on. The speakers literally did not come as far back as we were, which was a little demoralizing--apparently only fast runners get speakers. We heard snippets of cheers and announcements as they bounced off the buildings around us, but for at least a half hour, we were not even in range to see or hear what was going on at the giant watermelon rainbow that marked the start line. <br />
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Finally, we got close enough where starting was a possibility. It was then that we put on our game faces, because it was finally go time. <br />
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<br />Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-42503492446354656922012-12-01T22:44:00.001-08:002012-12-01T22:44:57.099-08:00Christmas Time is HereSorry, Charlie Brown, I'm totally stealing your line. <br />
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We dug our Christmas decorations out of storage today; I waited until December 1st because Mr. Goodlaff is reluctant to be surrounded by Christmas-y things in November--and October for that matter. While I think that Thanksgiving Day is still a bit early to be putting up your tree (no offense to all you early birds out there--when I was growing up, we were lucky to get the tree up in the first week of December), I'm not opposed to Christmas decorations coming out a few days before the calendar flips to December. <br />
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One of my favorite things to make are Christmas wreaths, and after inspiration struck at JoAnn's last week (doesn't it always?), I came home with the supplies to make what I hoped would be a fantastic wreath. I was not disappointed. <br />
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Here she is, in all her glory: <br />
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I am hopelessly, madly in love with my new wreath. The plaid flannel ribbon started it all, and the bird is the icing on the cake. <br />
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Plus, I just realized it's not overtly Christmas-y, and can therefore be used all Winter long. Genius. Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-35075641976593610792012-08-28T21:09:00.000-07:002012-08-28T21:09:26.225-07:00Another 5K Kinda DayIn July, Mr. Goodlaff and I participated in our second 5k race, and this one was a doozy! It wasn't your typical 5k. There were hills and ramps, and oh yeah, this: <br />
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That would be the view of the warning track at Safeco Field (home of our Seattle Mariners!) from the outfield entrance. The race was the inaugural Safeco Refuse to Abuse 5k, benefiting the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and we decided to do it because it benefited a great cause, and it was such a unique experience. The race took place mostly in and around Safeco field, starting by the parking garage, lapping the outside of the stadium, heading inside the field, winding up and around all levels, back down to the ground level, underneath the field past the clubhouses, and finally exiting out the outfield entrance for half a lap around the field on the warning track. </div>
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We actually ran part of this one, and ultimately we shaved a few minutes off of our previous 5k time. It would have been more, but we hit the field, passed the Mariners dugout, and well, we stopped for a few photos...</div>
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I think the field attendant may have let us sit on the bench, but we didn't want to push it. Plus, we had a race to finish! I can tell you, there isn't any better feeling in the world than crossing that finish line after running on a ball field belonging to a Major League Baseball team. It felt very Field of Dreams, but was probably a little bit more Rookie of the Year (please tell me that someone else remembers this movie?). Seriously, I felt like I could have run another 5k at that point--that's how incredibly thrilling it was. </div>
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We finished, and after a little harassment from the security guard about Mr. Goodlaff's traitorous running gear choice (you wear a 49ers sweatshirt in a park that's about 3 feet from where the Seahawks play, you get a little bit of flack), we got a final post-race sweaty picture: </div>
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We exited the field through the bullpen (!!!), and upon exiting, were given circus animal cookies, a banana, a bottle of water, and chapstick. Plus, we got jewelry: </div>
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Any event that ends with me getting a medal is fine by me. </div>
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Mr. Goodlaff and I decided that we really liked the 5k format. Short, achievable, but still leaving lots of room for improvement. Our ultimate goal is to be able to run a 5k in under a half an hour, which seems pretty doable, and requires much less training than, say, a half marathon (more on that later). </div>
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Have you run any fun 5k's?</div>
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-50385885113115313542012-08-23T08:00:00.000-07:002012-08-28T21:10:14.036-07:00ABC'sMy niece and nephew have birthdays within just a few weeks of each other, and each birthday and holiday gives me the chance to get crafty. In this case, I saw a great online tutorial for magnetic fabric alphabet letters and knew it would be perfect for growing, learning kids. It was also a great opportunity to work through the massive stash of fabric that I own (I have a thing for fat quarters--leave me alone). <br />
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I used this fantastic tutorial from <a href="http://chezbeeperbebe.blogspot.com/2009/10/tutorial-how-to-make-plush-alphabet.html" target="_blank">Chez Beeper Bebe</a> to create this: <br />
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Ta da! All twenty six letters of the alphabet (plus one extra G so my nephew can spell his name). I even made a bag for them to keep track of all or most of the magnets when they're not in use. </div>
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It's a great (educational but still fun) gift, so we addressed it to all three kids. I really love how it came out, especially the variety of colors, patterns, and fabrics. </div>
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Hopefully they will use these for years to come!</div>
Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-48396225729433687232012-08-19T21:37:00.001-07:002012-08-28T21:11:11.498-07:00Shabby Chic Ruffle WreathAbout a month ago, I decided our front door decor needed a bit of sprucing up. And by "sprucing up," I mean a complete overhaul. Out with the Spring hydrangea wreath, in with something new. <br />
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I combed through all my wreath inspiration on Pinterest, rummaged through all my crafty odds and ends, and came up with this: <br />
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I took some leftover muslin fabric that I had sitting around, cut it into strips and ruffled it (tutorial <a href="http://jonesdesigncompany.com/decorate/a-spring-wreath/" target="_blank">here</a>). Raffia, unpainted wooden stars, a paper rose, feathers, white organza, and a little bit of metal coil later and I had myself a wreath. Yes, I actually did have all of that laying around. </div>
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Funny story: the white rose was a decoration on one of our wedding presents. I saved it because I thought I could use it someday-- smart move, if I do say so myself. I used tulle (leftover from alterations to my wedding dress--seeing a trend here?) to hang the wreath, and I love how it all turned out.<br />
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I'm not quite sure what to call it, so I'm going with shabby chic ruffle wreath. It's a little bit country, but a little bit classy too. Organza and raffia in the same wreath my be considered a sacrilege, but I say it works. Plus, it looks nice against the charcoal color of our front door. <br />
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I still love seeing it when I come home. It's a nice little bit of serenity before opening the door to our house full of chaos!<br />
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-87862015070735177562012-05-23T20:48:00.000-07:002012-08-28T21:12:07.807-07:00A 5K Kinda DaySo, this happened: <br />
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A few weeks ago Mr. Goodlaff and I decided to get a feel for a race day, and signed up for the West Seattle 5K. It was a Run/Walk fundraiser for the West Seattle High School, which means that, if nothing else, our entrance fees went to a good cause. <br />
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I had two goals for this race: 1. Finish in under an hour (we walked all of it but the last 50 feet), and 2. Don't come in last place. I'm happy to say that we accomplished both goals. Pessimistic goals, you say? Pshh. Realistic goals, more like. <br />
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Mostly, we were trying to get an idea of what Wheezy would be like, and get a baseline for our performance. The verdict? We still have a long way to go. With a little less than three months before Wheezy, we still have a ton of work to do. But I'm pretty sure we can do it.<br />
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<br />Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-8989134717276124452012-05-10T07:30:00.000-07:002012-05-10T07:30:03.137-07:00A Few ProjectsI haven't been overly crafty lately, but I did want to share a few things that I have been working on in the past month or so. <br />
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A few months ago, I got on a bit of an embroidery kick. I was on Amazon.com, ordering a birthday gift for Mr. Goodlaff, didn't hit the limit for free shipping, and decided to get a little something for myself. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Doodle-Stitching-Collection-Embroidery-Designs/dp/1600595812/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336351157&sr=8-2">Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection</a>, ended up in my cart, and gave me the pattern for this design: <br />
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I think it turned out well. The metallic threads were a pain in the ass, but I really like the way it came out. My next embroidery adventure involves clothing that someone might actually wear, so hopefully my skills are good enough for fashion!<br />
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My other project has been a long time coming--over a year in the making. See, once upon a time, I bought a cool frame from a thrift store. I spray painted the hell out of it and with a little bit of magic, it got a new lease on life as an info sign for our wedding guestbook:<br />
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<a href="http://nikirossphotography.com/">Niki Ross Photography</a></div>
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I love the frame. The yellow is almost obnoxious, but you never see frames that shape, and I knew it would make a lovely...something...someday. That day is here, and the frame has now become a chalkboard. <br />
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I cut a piece of wood down to size with a box cutter (that was fun), painted it with black chalkboard paint, and now, our lovely wedding frame lives on as a weekly menu board. <br />
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Here's what's cooking this week (don't be jealous):<br />
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It's actually a really useful thing. We plan the week's menu on Sundays, buy all the supplies for dinners, and because we don't assign meals to days--we just see what we feel like eating on any given evening--sometimes we have trouble remembering what we are supposed to be making for dinner. It's because we're getting old. And we keep forgetting to put Ginko on the shopping list. Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-45831992223347884442012-05-08T07:18:00.000-07:002012-05-08T07:18:00.026-07:00Tutorial Twosday: QuinoaAll hail the triumphant return of Tutorial Twosday!<br />
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I have just discovered quinoa. It's a lovely little protein-packed grain with the consistency of couscous and a healthful resume. The first time we cooked quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wah), we fell in love with the texture and its ability to be a blank canvas to all kinds of flavors; the love affair has continued from there. <br />
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This week, I have two quinoa recipes to share, both of which I have tested, both of which are tasty. <br />
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Feeling summery? Try Quinoa with Corn and Scallions: <br />
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<a href="http://www.justataste.com/2011/07/quinoa-with-corn-and-scallions/" target="_blank">Via Just a Taste</a></div>
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This was so good. Light, fluffy, and sweet, this was the perfect addition to a light, summery meal. We had ours as a side for kabobs, and a glazed carrot and pea tendril salad, and it was perfect. There are some things we cook and I think, " I am so bad ass! I am an awesome chef!" This was one of those. Two thumbs up. <br />
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Remember how I said quinoa was good for you? Remember when I said you could add pretty much anything to it? Remember my love of cheese? (You see where this is going, right?) One of my lovely Pinterest pals found Quinoa Mac and Cheese, and I couldn't resist. Grains. Cheese. What's not to love?<br />
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<a href="http://aroundthetableri.blogspot.com/2012/02/cheesy-quinoa-mac-cheese.html" target="_blank">Via Around the Table RI</a></div>
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Was it as good as Mama Goodlaff's Mac and Cheese? No. But it was pretty awesome. And I felt very righteous eating that instead of pasta mac and cheese. I will probably add more cheese to the recipe next time I make it, which will completely negate all the good things the Quinoa brings to the table. Oh dear--old habits die hard. <br />
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Happy Cooking!Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-82658707815008473222012-05-03T21:24:00.000-07:002012-05-03T21:24:49.041-07:00Baby, You Can Buy My CarWhen we moved to Seattle, Mr. Goodlaff was able to telecommute. Once I got a job, I drove the car, he stayed home, and all was well in the land of auto. A few months ago, Mr. Goodlaff got a new job about 25 miles away. Sadly, this means no more working in his pajamas, but it also means we needed another car. <br />
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We investigated public transportation. If I had my druthers, I would never drive. When living in China, I took the bus and subway everywhere, and I loved it. We looked at taking public transportation here, but it was inconvenient, impractical, and a pain in the ass. So, we decided on another car. <br />
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I've already established that there are certain life experiences I missed out on because my dad fixed and provided my cars. Buying a car is one of them.<br />
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One of our saving graces was that we did a ton of online research prior to buying. We looked at a ton of cars and even more dealerships. We read reviews. We did price comparison. We checked the Carfax. Eventually we found one car that we liked and wanted to look at. It had a clean bill of health--no accidents--and had always been serviced at the dealership that was selling it. It was in great condition, and had a good price, so we went to the dealership early one Saturday morning to take a look. <br />
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We were greeted the second we stepped out of our car, and told Voss (our salesman) that we wanted to look at the car we'd seen online. He pulled it out, we gave it a once over, took a test drive, and we really liked it. In fact, I was trying really hard to show how much I liked it. We decided to deal. <br />
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The best thing that Mr. Goodlaff and I did before walking into the dealership was settle on our maximum price. Then we settled our our real maximum price. Sound confusing? Let me explain...We came up with the number that we would tell the dealer was our top price, but we also came up with our real maximum--our "walking away from the table no matter what" maximum, if you will. We went back and forth on price, and finally settled somewhere in between our two numbers. <br />
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It took us another hour after we came to an agreement to hash it out with finance and dodge all the warranty upsells. But just a few hours after we decided on a price, we drove away in a new (to us) car. <br />
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And she's beautiful!<br />
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This is Luna. Luna is a Honda Accord, and we have been getting along very, very well. She has very dark windows; I didn't like them at first, but now they've grown on me. </div>
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I can't say that the process of buying a car was fun, but overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the results!</div>
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Adult experience number 372...check!</div>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-76398472113594447162012-04-26T17:33:00.000-07:002012-04-26T17:33:46.913-07:00Postcards from Seattle: Gas Works<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm a bit behind. It happens. </div>
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A few weeks ago we went exploring in Seattle, and all roads pointed towards the Wallingford neighborhood, home of Gas Works Park, which used to be--I kid you not--a gasification plant. Now industry and recreation have come together, and I happen to love the combo. It's clear we weren't alone in loving the park or the beautiful weather.</div>
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I was most enchanted with the spring daisies sprinkled all over the park. If you ignored the industrial elements, it could have been a scene out of The Sound of Music.</div>
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We headed up to the top of a hill in the park, and saw a few really awesome views: </div>
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All in all, Gas Works turned out to be a pretty awesome park!</div>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-68074898949845194072012-04-15T21:31:00.000-07:002012-04-15T21:31:38.497-07:00Postcards form Seattle: We Like PikeWhat do truffle oil, harissa pasta, clam chowder, and strawberry balsamic ice cream have in common? <br />
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Seattle!<br />
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Several weeks ago the Goodlaffs decided to take advantage of a brief break in the torrential rain to get out and be tourists in our city. I like to think we did pretty well. <br />
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We started at the Space Needle, and found an Angry Bird ready to launch at the evil space piggies. Apparently, it was a promo for the launch of the new Angry Birds Space game (which is awesome--just sayin'.)<br />
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The Space Needle was a part of the 1962 World's Fair, and is celebrating 50 years of being awesome, so the Seattle Center is doing a lot of revamping and remodeling to celebrate such a big anniversary. One of the new exhibits coming in is a blown glass greenhouse garden featuring glass artist Chihuly. The glass is starting to go up. It's not even done yet, and already it looks cool. </div>
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We walked from the Space Needle to Pike Place Market. We explored the stalls, bought fancy gourmet pasta (harissa-flavored, which was really good!), saw some flying fish, and got suckered in to buying some truffle oil (which is amazing--we are so gourmet). All the food made us hungry, so we paused for lunch at Pike Place Chowder. I firmly believe that only real way to eat clam chowder is from a bread bowl:</div>
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Right after lunch (and I wouldn't recommend this order of events), we popped down Post Alley to see the Gum Wall. It was artfully disgusting, or disgustingly artful--I'm not sure which. </div>
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We paused on our way back to the Seattle Center to admire some strange plumbing:</div>
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And by the time we got back to the Space Needle, the clouds had disappeared and we headed up in the Needle for some seriously great views of the city! Looking towards Lake Union:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1p_6wH90fJ-CvhrucKhH8hc4QRLDfe8IJ-hNGPTn_JzpehLVaOlCab9bUlHho_1cOGdD1OxG2Qe9v7ZaBdUr3UxBCIlQAlCOUXrVKIqqtd8zecS77Y_Df_VIGiSCSUlV8Nc-27Pocpbt/s1600/lakeunion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1p_6wH90fJ-CvhrucKhH8hc4QRLDfe8IJ-hNGPTn_JzpehLVaOlCab9bUlHho_1cOGdD1OxG2Qe9v7ZaBdUr3UxBCIlQAlCOUXrVKIqqtd8zecS77Y_Df_VIGiSCSUlV8Nc-27Pocpbt/s400/lakeunion.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Then Downtown with Mt. Rainier peeking out in the background: <br />
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We ended our day with a quick trip up to Capitol Hill, where we grabbed ice cream cones (Strawberry Balsamic and Thai Tea) from Molly Moon's. Tasty!</div>
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We are loving exploring our city. There's so much to see and do--I don't think we'll ever get bored!</div>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-48395418628997051242012-04-04T17:46:00.001-07:002012-04-04T17:46:44.609-07:00Wheezy: RoadblocksWell, friends, I'm Wheezing it up, but not in a good way. The training schedule I had so painstakingly laid out? Totally shot to hell. <br />
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We started running, and that's when it all fell apart. I wasn't stretching well enough before we went, so my leg started hurting halfway through our runs. After the pain kept up, I took a day off to rest. The next day it began dumping down rain. <br />
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Then I got a cold. Then Mr. Goodlaff got a cold. And then, and then, and then. It hasn't been good. My cold didn't last as long as the last one, but it seriously affected my lung capacity; I was out of breath walking the 20 feet from my desk to the printer. Then Mr. Goodlaff got sick. Then came two weeks of torrential, very cold rain. The running and the walking completely stopped. <br />
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Training in Seattle isn't for sissies, which apparently we are. <br />
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We are slowly getting back on the road again. We are back to walking, and sometime this week, there will probably be running. We have just over four months to get to a running-ish shape, and I know we'll make it. I just don't know if we will be able to run as much as we'd like. <br />
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Well. You know what they say--the best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry. Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343933284423979478.post-16789992509717951922012-03-29T18:07:00.000-07:002012-03-29T18:07:21.432-07:00An Old FriendI've been quiet, I know. I haven't felt much like blogging lately; I got sick, it's raining cats and dogs, and well, I just haven't been feeling inspired enough to clickety clack away at the keys and share. <br />
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But today, I will share a magical tale. Once upon a time, there was a magazine called Blueprint. It was a Martha Stewart design/lifestyle magazine for the younger set, and it was amazing. Projects and styling and pretty, pretty, good things. They did 8 issues, and then Blueprint went away. It was a sad, sad day, especially since I only managed to snag six of the eight issues. <br />
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Without issues one and eight, I felt incomplete. And sad. Very, very sad. I had to fill the void and complete the set. To eBay I went. The eBay sellers knew the preciousness they had, and were charging accordingly--$25 dollars for one issue! Psh. A bit of fortuitous googling brought me to <a href="http://thehiddenlibrary.blogspot.com/2009/04/ordering-blueprint-magazine-back-issues.html">The Hidden Library</a>, where I found a customer service number (1-877-747-1050) and an offer: all eight issues for $20. Sold. I called, I bought the set, paid the man, and today, I have eight brand-new, never been loved issues of Blueprint magazine. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7v29_ejI_oAvnfPX111NSi3f2ain5Ds91naVvRZb80mamQMrSO3jCEbuLdpoh1fRdPZ6K2q0EslqQMoNPl3KanRzeNYwGOCs1gdpGsairznEVxOB_hBMIBMdQ7ZmoDAc0VIIiLQabS20K/s1600/blueprint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7v29_ejI_oAvnfPX111NSi3f2ain5Ds91naVvRZb80mamQMrSO3jCEbuLdpoh1fRdPZ6K2q0EslqQMoNPl3KanRzeNYwGOCs1gdpGsairznEVxOB_hBMIBMdQ7ZmoDAc0VIIiLQabS20K/s400/blueprint.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfVqFxjtzqaP2q6V_5qCdm2_DhzyLH4Zc5y40KTWh5KNgoHzCYaPT2CJf4lX6QXhnEKJ_XkVK0Km_4GrGPOB99_BIxUEmRcwi1TPuFHFPL_ryNzVhrpAUYMB__pJFZMYK8BusOFn-bO2R/s1600/blueprint1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfVqFxjtzqaP2q6V_5qCdm2_DhzyLH4Zc5y40KTWh5KNgoHzCYaPT2CJf4lX6QXhnEKJ_XkVK0Km_4GrGPOB99_BIxUEmRcwi1TPuFHFPL_ryNzVhrpAUYMB__pJFZMYK8BusOFn-bO2R/s320/blueprint1.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That dress...I just love it...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left">It's like meeting up with an old friend and making a few new ones at the same time. I can't wait to re-read through all the issues for inspiration! </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">There aren't a ton of bundles left, so if you're interested, go snag yours while you can. You'll love it, I promise!</div>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08801478709693553524noreply@blogger.com1