Kim & Mike's Wedding at the State Capital

February 20, 2010

Kim and Mike tied the knot on a beautiful sunny day at the Temple of Justice

We showed up a little early to enjoy the scenery before the wedding and were glad we did because we got very lost. We ended up wandering the halls of the Legislative Building where a tour was taking place. The shorter we got on time the more I realized I was going to have to swallow my pride and interrupt that tour to ask the guide where in the heck we could find the Temple of Justice. Well, when I finally did, it turned out the "tour guide" was actually a security guard who had opened the building for a touring group a little early. Their tour guide had yet to arrive, so I didn't feel quite so bad stealing the security guard - we'll call him Tom - away from them. Tom took us on our own little tour through the legislative building, back out into the grounds, to the Insurance Building (which he mistakenly told us WAS the Temple of Justice), and ... finally ... to the Temple of Justice.

And here it is....

Here is the Legislative Building - literally right across from the Temple of Justice

The wedding was beautiful. Kim's uncle - a district court judge - officiated the ceremony and introduced Chief Justice Alexander who was there to sponsor the wedding. Very exciting!

Such a beautiful place to get married!

The reception was held at the Water Street Cafe in Olympia. We had fun visiting with Angela and Jon, Becca and Jourdan, Melissa, and, of course, the bride and groom.

A Lovey-Dovey Day in Seattle

We spent this Valentine's day filling our bellies with deliciousness. We enjoyed Sunday Brunch at Salty's on Alki. I've always heard that Salty's has the very best brunch in Washington, and I've been dying to try it but we've never gotten around to it. So, I was thrilled when we got a reservation for Valentine's day. The brunch was amazing ... tons of fabulous food and delicious treats ... but I do have to admit I was a bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong, the brunch was great, but I think I actually prefer Shenanigan's buffet. It might not be quite as big as Salty's but the atmosphere is better, and the food is maybe too. That said, I love a good brunch and this one was one of the best I've had ... I just don't think we'll be making the drive again when there's a great place right here in little old Tacoma :)

I am so blessed to have this man as my Valentine.

After brunch we enjoyed a romantic walk along Alki beach. There is simply no better spot to take in the Seattle skyline ... and an added plus ... the weather was great. With the sun shining down on us, we got a little a glimpse of spring - what a lovely, lovely day.

What we've been up to lately....

I usually dread the coming of January and February. With the cold weather, limited things to do, and the kind of "hungover" feeling after the holidays, I usually get a little stir-crazy. This year, though, the slow down has been a welcome respite after the holidays. Stephen and I have taken the time to embrace our "New Year's resolutions" and just enjoy the down time. It's really been great.

My resolution was to learn to cook ... or, at least, learn to cook more things. I have been having such a blast with this. I've come up with new ideas for dinners, tasty treats, and breakfast foods. I am amazed at what you can find on the internet ... there are so many great food blogs and websites. I've even gotten some help from my fellow blogger friends (this is a shoutout to Kristal - THANK YOU!) Below is a picture of one of my favorite dessert recipes. "Key" lime pie. I dream about this pie. It's one of the many Pioneer Woman recipes I've tried - I adore the Pioneer Woman's recipes, but I do think I'm going to have to limit my use of them or risk a coronary (she uses a LOT of butter).

Stephen has resolved to get in shape this year ... unfortunately, he will not let me post any pics of his "before" body (I'm not sure when we will be at the "after" body) so all you're going to get is a photo of the program he's using ... P90X. I've been impressed by his diligence - I've joined him a couple of times and the program is TOUGH

We've also been enjoying our new camera. I absolutely adore it. We've been doing lots of playing around with it and trying new things with it. Here are some pics we took one afternoon on a walk at Chamber's Bay....

And here's a fun night shot we took

And of course, we've been doing plenty of skiing. The snowy white mountain is usually the only way I get through these dreary months. This year it's been fun to have Ashley join us on the mountain a few times as well :)

Superbowl Sunday

Here are some fun pictures from the Superbowl. Angela and Jon had us and the Hundles over to watch the game (and the commercials) and chow down on some delicious food. We had a great time.

Ella kept us very entertained as usual