Good Morning and Stress Management

So I woke up this morning in a great mood. I have no idea where that came from...

I remember getting dressed in the living room (because where else would you get dressed?) and thinking how lucky I am to have found someone who is the perfect match for me. Then while walking the dog I noticed to the east the sunrise was amazing, and the clouds were moving fast so it was constantly changing. To the west the clouds were just a thick flannel gray blanket which actually made them the perfect backdrop for the half circle rainbow that was plastered against them. I don't know if I've ever seen a sunrise rainbow before - but then, I haven't seen all that many sunrises.

Things changed after I got in the truck. I think there was one or two intersections where I didn't get a red light - those intersections had stop signs. But I still managed to hit all the landmarks on my commute on time, except the last one where I sat a quarter mile away from the office without moving for twenty minutes.

I was scheduled to attend a stress management class today, which is probably a good idea because I do have a little stress in my life right now. Going to the stress management seminar was a little more stressful than I expected though, because it took me away from a surprise staff meeting on departmental layoffs. I missed this swing of the axe, but I don't think it's stopped moving yet. we'll see what happens. I guess there's no sense in stressing out on things I cant change.

Dinner with Mom and Grandma

We had a great visit this weekend with Mom and Grandma. It's so good to see the two of them doing so well. On Saturday night we went to dinner at the Caspian Grill for Persian food. Bill's Judy joined us there as well so we had quite the little party. We had hummus, smoked eggplant and a yogurt dip to start and followed it with koobedeh, lamb kabob, tadeeg, gormeh sabzi, and fesenjoon (my favorite). Mom and Judy really loved all the food. I don't think Grandma liked the stews as much but she really enjoyed the koobedeh.

Alaska

We just got home this morning from our trip to Alaska. Neither one of us really wanted to come back. Before we left, Mr. H was a little nervous about spending a week with the in-laws, but he really had a great time. It's so nice to spend time around people that really like you. We so often feel like we are entirely on our own here in Seattle. We really don't have any kind of support network around here. In Alaska, we didn't even have enough time to see everyone we wanted to see. We'll definitely have to go back soon. In the meantime, we've got to get caught up with all the homework we didn't do while we were up there.

Dee's wedding was gorgeous. I'm so happy for her.

Wild Wheat Bakery and Cafe, Downtown Kent

It's payday weekend so we splurged on breakfast this morning.

We went to Wild Wheat Bakery and Cafe in downtown Kent. I love the downtown part of Kent, it's so old school. The shops are all independently owned and it's a great pedestrian area where you can walk from the library to a wide selection of cafes while shopping.

Wild Wheat is a european style bakery with the really crusty breads. The decor inside the cafe is very simple, but punctuated with pieces from local artists that are available for sale.

Mr. H had the eggs florentine which was garnished with tomatoes and dill (the dill really added something special.) I had Stollen French Toast. The stollen bread is made with hazelnuts, raisins and currants and then stuffed with almond paste, and then battered and fried like regular french toast. The edges carmelized perfectly, and the meal was served with fresh fruit and real butter. Its a sad commentary in our world when butter is a pleasant surprise. We topped it off with 2 lattes and got out of there for less than $30.

Comfort Food

There is nothing quite like grilled cheese sandwiches and cream of tomato soup after spending all day slogging around in the drizzling rain.

Ummelina

We just recently went through a reorg at work and I've been moved from a team I've been with since I started here to singularly supporting the the dept director.

My old team did something to make me feel better though. They went out and got me a gift certificate for Ummelina's - the best day spa in the Seattle area - Ohmmmmmmm

I feel better already.

Auburn

The old grainery and Del's Farm Supply (railroad tracks once ran between the two buildings)
The local dairy - Smith Brothers Farms

Abandoned church and parsonage