Personal
Amanda was a BIG hit yesterday and today, appearing on our local FOX, CBS, ABC news stations as well as The Seattle Times! The media flurry was all because of our #snOMG winter storm debacle, and Amanda was helping Take Winter By Storm spread the message about winter preparedness.
Here's her KOMO (ABC affiliate) appearance:
Here's our not-so-brief discussion about the big day. If you need to reach Amanda, please contact "her people."
Scott got a big group together to head out to Spooner Farms in Puyallup to go pumpkin hunting on Saturday. The place was huge, but it was packed! I felt like I was in a Halloween-themed Disneyland with all of the activities and kids around. I suppose we were the odd ducks -- 14 or so adults running around the farm.
The highlight of the trip was the pumpkin slingshot! You got two shots for a dollar, and I'm sure the group spent $75 combined to have a go at aiming a softball-size pumpkin 50 yards away at a target to try and win a gigantic pumpkin. Unfortunately, no one won, but it was a heck of a lot of fun!
Typical scene at the patch.
Malia and Kyle.
That's a lot of pumpkin.
Sean crammed some quick corn calories before hitting the slingshot.
Caitlin picking pumpkins for the slingshot.
Kyle and Malia have their picks.
Amanda sets up.
And fires!
My reaction.
My turn (I got close).
Scott has his pumpkin stash ready.
Kyle has a go.
Scott reviews the best pumpkins for the slingshot.
Scott has a go.
The peanut gallery.
Sean takes his turn.
Look at that focus!
Jesse shows his form.
No one hit the bullseye. On to the main event!
But first, bacon, anyone?
Courtney makes a choice while Walker learns why not to pick up a pumpkin by its stem.
Amanda considers her options.
Amanda picks a winner.
Kyle defends his choice.
Tough to get a good picture of Caitlin sometimes.
Not even the camera can warm up the Ice Princess.
Our spoils.
Amanda is in her element.
$18 later, and we're a step closer to Halloween!
Sergio was on a trip abroad most of the last month shooting weddings in Greece and Germany. We took advantage of his time away to show some love to the often-neglected second story of our house. It's the only part of the house that hasn't seen a major overhaul, but that was about to change. The upstairs had VERY old carpet. I could believe that it was hand-sewn by Tibetan monks centuries ago and made its way down the Silk Road, across Europe during the Crusades, across the Atlantic on the Nina, Pinta or Santa Maria and by covered wagon to our home during the Gold Rush. That's how old the carpet was.
Amanda and I were ready to install some hardwoods upstairs and took our time making price comparisons because hardwoods are NOT cheap. We finally settled on bamboo at Home Depot, dropped a paycheck on wood and supplies and got to work. The pictures tell the rest of the story, and Sergio was pleasantly surprised when he returned home!
What we were dealing with in one of three upstairs bedrooms:
Rolling the old carpet up while Simon supervises.
Relief.
The worst part of pulling up carpet is pulling up tackboards.
"Clean" floor.
Just about done for the night.
Gianna confirming it's bedtime.
Dad joins the work party, flanked by animal support.
Sergio's bedroom, halfway done.
Preparing the middle room.
Finishing the back room.
Puppy attack!
Celebrating a finished room.
Finished product (minus the baseboards).
Amanda and I took a long weekend to visit Grams in Palm Desert. The weekend activities can chronologically be summarized: sleeping, tennis, shopping, pool, sleeping, golf, pool, sleeping. Throw a lot of food and temps in the high 80s, and I'd call that a good trip.
I mostly took photos during our round of golf (Amanda's first full 18!), so that's what you're getting into below.
Here's me prepping for ski season by the pool.
Grams and Amanda have their game faces on.
Grams behind the wheel.
Me and Eric, who I got paired with to round out our group. Nice guy from Redmond who retired on the golf course in the desert. Can't blame him!
Amanda teeing off, slicing and pinked out.
Is this a celebrity golf tournament?
Grams on the fairway.
What looks better, my follow-through or my calves?
Amanda and Grams.
Amanda sporting mid-drift.
Obligatory couple photo.
Grams teeing off on 18.
Amanda putting on 18 for a double bogey.
Fin.
We took these pictures a couple weeks back, when we had the last taste of summer.
It's quite convenient that we live 10 minutes away from the second largest city park in the U.S. behind NYC's Central Park. Yes, Point Defiance is that big, and we're not splitting a 2-bedroom apartment with four friends to enjoy it like those Manhattan folks do.
Yum... leftovers.
Gianna practicing "stay" long enough for us to get this shot.
Ready...
And she's off!
It's hard to keep this dog in frame.
Crazy air.
Yes, now we're crazy dog owners who only take pictures of our dog. Deal with it.