2 Days, 20,000 steps and 1 Cougar

On May 19, 2015May 19, 2015 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Canada, Fashion, Food, Travel, Vancouver, walkingLeave a comment

Holy. Crap. Yep, I just noticed I am totally and utterly alone in a forest in Canada with not a soul in sight and this sign comes into view, like someone quickly attached it to a post and ran away… Wildcat spotted in area. Love the pictures to show you the differences between cougars, bobcats and kitties–duh! If you are that stupid and need a pictorial of the differences between a cougar and a cat, you deserve to get f&*king chewed on like a kibble. Just saying….

See Cougar Sign..See Melinda Run...Fast — See Cougar Sign..See Melinda Run…Fast

Looking around and, again, seeing nothing but trees, trees and more underbrush where that damn cougar could be hiding, I channeled my inner Hunger Games heroine and picked up an insubstantial branch to defend myself with and took off as fast as possible. Deep in the forest by a lake in Burnaby, this was my “peaceful” stroll to get in my 10,000 needed steps to make my new Fitbit animate, aka it rattles on my wrist when I hit my goal. Happy times staying fit and alive. Eventually, I ran out of the forest into suburbia and found my way back to the hotel in one piece, feeling fit to live another day and vowing to stick to the urban jungle from now on instead of the actual jungle. The kicker was that my Fitbit wasn’t working right so it didn’t even record my steps including the long climb back up the hill to home. DAMN! My calves are aching and telling me I hit that 10,000 step goal so we’ll just go with that unofficial count and charge it up for tomorrow.

Lost in the forest and never finding the lake, running away from a possible cougar...that was my peaceful walk — Lost in the forest and never finding the lake, running away from a possible cougar…that was my peaceful walk

I got my Fitbit for Mother’s Day and am enjoying challenging myself to get out and get walking even more than usual. Especially when I’m on the road working, it will get me out of the hotel in the evening and onto the streets. Last night when I got into Vancouver, BC, I immediately took off on the skytrain from Burnaby where I’m staying to downtown Vancouver. Only taking 20 minutes, it beat driving in traffic. After a lengthy wait to get through customs due to Victoria Day traffic, I was done with driving. I wandered through Gastown and enjoyed people watching. Lots of buskers playing their songs and people eating outside enjoying the warm weather. I finally settled in at the Water St. café and enjoyed amazing salmon risotto. Seriously, I almost licked the plate–crazy American that I am.

Salmon risotto rand BC local wine...how Canadian of me — Salmon risotto and BC local wine…how Canadian of me

Washed down with local wine, I was happy, happy to walk back to the skytrain and join the crowds returning home. Arriving back at the hotel with the Fitbit working, it synced and told me I had about 100 steps left to goal. Did I run in place and rack up those last few steps??? Oh yeah-BAM! 2 days and 20,000 steps and feeling good… my Type A personality likes hitting goals and my body likes the workout. Win-Win!

Life on the Road is a Challenge to Enjoy

On May 16, 2015May 16, 2015 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Travel, VancouverLeave a comment

In my new jobs, instead of having a grand time taking the bullet train around China with Thom by my side, I’m flying to exciting places like Durham, NC. Not to malign Durham, I just am having a difficult time embracing new places and finding joy in travelling. Just coming off a week in San Antonio and leaving on Monday for a trip to Vancouver, BC, I’m reevaluating whether I enjoy this life of business travel on the road. My peer who doesn’t get to travel said he envied me–seeing new places, racking up frequent flier points, enjoying an expense account eating out, etc. Except that I don’t. Well, eat out at least and most often I don’t see anything other than the office instead of sightseeing in the hour a day I’m not working hard.

My typical food budget is maybe grabbing a free bite at the breakfast buffet at the hotel, a Cliff bar/apple that I pick up at a grocery store when I first arrive and work while I send out my trainees to enjoy lunch and I catch up on my work. Dinner is usually some awful crap from the hotel snack bar because I really don’t enjoy going out to eat by myself. I know I SHOULD research where I’m working and go out every night to a wonderful new “foodie” experience. Damn. I SHOULD seek out the local landmarks and spend at least one hour a day exploring new places. If Thom was with me, no problem. Alone, BIG problem-it’s just not fun by myself.

The River Walk is charming and quite long, making for a nice walk up and down while dodging tourists and drunk convention folk.

I tried this week when I was in San Antonio and, after a really bad day, forced myself to check out the Alamo and River Walk downtown experience. It was cool and I was glad I forced myself out of the hotel on the one night it didn’t rain. People were in boats drinking and having a good old time on the canal.

Selfie at the Alamo, which is right downtown San Antonio by the River Walk

Me not so much but I sat by the water and ate hot food prepared that day which was a nice change from the cold pizza leftover from lunch that was my dinner the previous night. I got some exercise walking vs. sitting in bed watching reality shows so felt much healthier, though I didn’t achieve my 10,000 steps that my new Fitbit wants me to achieve daily.

So, new challenges for me on my work trip to Vancouver–eat hot and healthy food daily, get out and walk my 10,000 steps for my Fitbit to be happy, and find at least one landmark or “hot” restaurant and go at least for one hour. The day will come soon when I stop travelling for work and I’ll probably miss it. So, for now, it’s time to get off my workaholic butt and grab a few moments of personal time during my work travels. Oh, and look forward to those times (mainly Manhattan) when Thom can join me and together we’ll take our usual walkabout adventures. Now, that’s the life!

Beautiful carriages straight out of Cinderella, all lit up at night, are all over downtown San Antonio.

Soaking Up A Month of Music from Seattle to Manhattan

On May 4, 2015 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Music, New York City, Nightlife, Seattle, Travel, Uncategorized1 Comment

Oh what a month it has been to enjoy live music from coast to coast and I’ve enjoyed every moment with every artist. From Elvis Costello to Allen Stone to Griffin House to Hello Brooklyn to the Beatles cover band in the subway, we have been lucky enough to partake of their musical stylings.

Allen Stone and his band rocked the Paramount

Allen Stone was first on our feast of music and he served a buffet of soul in spades. If you haven’t heard of him or listened to his music, DO. IT. NOW. He led the best concert I have ever seen with his deep connection to the crowd, who clearly knew his music and sang along, swaying to the tunes. His energetic trumpet and trombone artists danced as well as they played and the rest of his entourage created a powerful support for Allen’s amazing voice. If I had to pick a similar artist to Allen, it would probably be a cross between “good karma” Jason Miraz and an energetic gospel preacher. After sitting through his rapper warm-up act who encouraged everyone to “light up” and they enthusiastically obeyed, sending up a cloud of weed that enveloped us like a smokey blanket in the balcony to the point my eyes were watering. Got to love Seattleites! After the smoke cleared, we enjoyed this hometown boy’s performance and I predict Allen Stone will be a HUGE artist soon.

Then, same classic and gorgeous venue-the Paramount-but a week later and with a very different tone set by the legendary Elvis Costello performing solo with a few guitars, a piano and a playbook filled with forty years of music to share. Thom is a huge fan but I’m not that familiar with his tunes but was impressed with his artistry. He played all the hits that Thom expected and more with three encores to delight the sold out crowd. Along the way, he shared personal stories of his family and how his music evolved. Quite the entertaining evening.

Lost count of the multiple Elvis guitars he used to serenade us — Lost count of the multiple guitars Elvis C. used to serenade us

Moving on to NYC, we landed and immediately after checking in to our hotel, we set off on foot to walk a few miles to the City Winery to see Griffin House, an artist that I’m sure you have never heard of but might enjoy. We like this venue so much that we wanted to go while in NYC and Tuesday was our free night so Griffin House happened to be playing that night and off we went. I had checked out his indie/slightly country music but enjoyed his live performance even more. Slightly shy and awkward at first, he gradually got into it and finished very strong with the crowd calling out their favorite songs for him to play, which he gladly performed. He is one of the many struggling artists out there just looking for their big break and working hard, living in Nashville and hitting the road to tour the small clubs. He’s coming to The Tractor in Seattle and then to Boise so check him out later this summer/fall.

Griffin House sharing his bluesy tones with us at City Winery

Finally, walking home from a gallery opening after a short hike on the Highline, we were in our old neighborhood near the Flatiron and decided to check out who was playing at Toshi’s, our favorite local music bar. Lucky for us, Hello Brooklyn was playing great cover tunes so we sat back with some refreshments and enjoyed their set. Toshi’s dog is the bouncer outside the club and Toshi himself is a charming host. If you are ever in NYC, you must go to Toshi’s and enjoy whatever music offering they have that evening. It’s sure to be a good time. Guaranteed.

Toshio's bouncer is a cutie — Toshio’s bouncer is a cutie

Finally, taking the subway to one of Thom’s old college buddies for dinner, we were serenaded by a Beatles cover band in the subway. I love this trend of officially sanctioned music in airports (Seattle) and subways (NYC) to entertain the commuters. They were quite good and having a rocking time both times we saw them-coming and going. I hope their tips were plentiful and the people appreciated their artistry. I did. Who knows what music we will enjoy next but I’m sure we’ll be spinning the tunes on Thom’s new turntable when we return to Seattle. Let the music and the good times roll…..

Rocking out with a healthy pour and Hello Brooklyn at Toshi's — Rocking out with Hello Brooklyn at Toshi’s

Biking Adventure Along The Seattle Waterfront

On April 20, 2015April 20, 2015 By Travels with MelindaIn adventureLeave a comment

The adventure begins... — The adventure begins…

“Do you remember how to ride a bike?”, my silly husband asked me as we walked to rent bikes on the Seattle waterfront. Actually, I seem to remember flipping him off for that comment, but in a friendly, loving way of course. I affirmed that I did indeed remember and that I could handle it, thank you very much.

Me, riding way too low and pumping too hard... raising that seat made all the difference. — Me, riding way too low and pumping too hard… raising that seat made all the difference.

After riding for awhile and wondering why it was so flipping hard to move forward at a decent clip, Thom pointed out that my seat was way too low so I wasn’t utilizing my very ample thigh muscles to pump that baby. Damn, I hate when he is right, which he almost never is so it’s usually not an issue. Truly. He may have another opinion. Just saying…

Renting bikes around Seattle is a fairly new thing that I have always wanted to try. So, on a sunny Saturday we finally did it! You just grab a plastic wrapped and hopefully somewhat clean helmet, pop it on, pay your $6 for the day and off you go. What a bargain! We took off from near Sculpture Park and headed north to have a biking adventure. Now, all those Lycra-wearing cycle-racing-wannabes were lapping us and even, really, small children were too but we had a great time. Pedaling at our own pace, we stopped to gaze at the water and meandered through the rail yards at the far end of our journey. It was all just lovely and a wonderful way to experience the lovely Seattle waterfront. Now, even small elevations were challenging so I am not about to pedal around hilly Seattle but, at least for the flat waterfront path, I’m all in to do this again on a beautiful day.

New York, Here We Come!

On April 13, 2015April 13, 2015 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Food, New York City, Parks, Shopping, Travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

$1 Pizza… top of the “to do” list…. bagels from a street cart…a must… live music at City Winery…VIP seats at $28 each…. oh what fun we will have-carbs and wine, oh my! Thom and I are off to NYC on a business trip for a few days and we will revel in being back where we belong. When we moved out of our Chelsea apartment after my assignment ended there in 2/2012, we weren’t quite as sad as when we left Shanghai because we knew we would be able to go back. China, probably not. Since that move out of Manhattan, we have been lucky enough to enjoy our favorite urban setting a few times, always taking advantage of the local delicacies. Nothing fancy for us–one dollar will buy you a huge slice of cheesy heaven or a chewy bagel buttered thick and eaten on the street while you’re walking around the city. I’m salivating as I type…YUM! Good thing that we walk miles when we are there or I would be in serious trouble. Have you ever had a true NYC Black and White cookie??? The sugar content just coats your tongue and overwhelms the senses in an amazing sugar coma way. They are THE bomb!

Shopping is a must so after I finish working and while Thom hangs at a Mets game with his buddies from kindergarten (no kidding-they are still besties!), I will be walking downtown to FishsEddy, the most fantastic quirky store that I love so much at 19th and Broadway. What do they have that’s so unique? Well, I have gotten NYC theme salt & pepper, soap dish, towels, etc. that sound cheesy but they do them in a really cool way and the classic Hillary Clinton mug that Hannah loves, the naughty nude lady mug that I just had to give as a Christmas present to my sis’s hubster, and the list goes on and on. Note to self: MUST bring empty bag to carry back all the stuff I just have to buy. We were thrilled to see that West Elm now carries a little boutique of FishsEddy stuff in Seattle (see, I told you they were cool) but I still want to shop at the original in NYC. I think my favorite item is their ceramic hand collection. I have a small one that holds my most precious rings on my very cluttered jewelry display.

Give FishsEddy a Hand! Best store in NYC.

First night in town, we already have tickets to a concert at City WInery to see Griffin House, an indie bluesy singer out of Nashville, I had never heard of him but love the venue so I downloaded some of his songs and he’s really good. So, tickets purchased, I look forward to sipping some wine in a lively intimate environment down in SoHo. On our way down to the concert, we just have to stop by our favorite Barnes & Noble in Union Square and go to a book signing for the authors of the Dr. Who books. Thom is a Dr. Who freak who even got a Tardis tattoo on his arm, so he will geek out seeing these guys. My husband is so weird and wonderful. Just saying…

Yes, I will be adding to my Broadway Booze sippy cup collection

A Broadway play is a given for another night with TKTS providing a great bargain for people like us who wait till the last minute and take whatever is left on a week night. Musical, drama, I don’t care as long as it’s Broadway, baby, it’s good! I remember the last time we were there we took one of my China peers to see Kinky Boots. As he was drooling over the babes kicking up their heels on stage, I leaned over and told him they were all dudes. The look on his face was priceless and he proclaimed that he would never see such a thing in China. He is probably still telling stories in Beijing about his Broadway experience.

The Met is on the list as the Temple of Dendur is my happy place. When Thom and I lived in NYC, we were members of the Met and went there almost every week to gaze upon the Monets and enjoy so many wondrous works of art. Love it!!! Of course, we will see friends and Thom will get to see his beloved Mets play on Sunday before we go home. We will walk through Central Park after the Met and visit Madison Square Park where Izaak spent his days frolicking with the pups when we lived here. Ahhhhh….the smell of urine-soaked gravel does bring back the memories. NYC… Here we come!

My Love Affair with Lower Queen Anne

On March 29, 2015 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, China, Dog, expat, Seattle, Shanghai, TravelLeave a comment

Today Thom and I walked the pups, Thor and Izaak, under the Space Needle and past the Seattle Center Fountain, then I went on a quick grocery run, ambled over to Palm Sunday services at First Methodist and that was all before noon and all in Lower Queen Anne, the wonderful place I call home now. Yep, I’m definitely in love.

Thor loves walking around Seattle Center every day

When we moved back to Seattle from Shanghai, we considered living closer to my work across the Great Divide-Lake Washington-so that I could reduce my one hour (at least) commute in clusterf*#k Seattle traffic. Giving up the rental car after our 30 days upon repatriating was an easy decision after the infamous $410 traffic ticket I got after accidentally crossing a solid white line while merging into lanes. I vowed then to stop the commuting madness and either live closer to work or take the Connector work bus and leave the liability to someone else. Even thinking about NOT living in an urban environment was crazy. What was I thinking??? Thank God we realized we are city people now and forever and chose to live in our old neighborhood, Lower Queen Anne, hereafter referred to as LQA to lessen my word count.

Even better than our last spot, the condo we were lucky enough to get is right in the heart of the LQA action and Seattle Center is truly our backyard, being only one block away. The dogs are so happy going on their multiple walks around Key Arena with Izaak able to stalk squirrels aplenty. Fascinating study in animal memory behavior because, while Izaak always remembers exactly where he has seen squirrels on past walks, he seemingly can’t recall the millions of “NO’s” we yell at him when he eats the trash in the bathroom. This bad behavior has caused us to now keep the trash can in the shower when not in use to keep it safe, which didn’t work well when I forgot it was there, turned it on and ended up with a very watery trashy mess. IZAAK!!! NO!!!!

But back to LQA, as I sit on my red Ikea loveseat hauled all the way back from Shanghai, instead of gazing upon the Huangpu River which I do miss greatly, I gaze down the Avenue at the busy Starbucks, which opens at the ungodly hour of 5:30 a.m. and the Mediterranean Inn above it. A few weeks ago we had company over and while Skyping with baby Mia, I glanced over at the Inn and saw a pole extend slowly out of one of the hotel windows, at least 16 feet or so long with duct tape holding several pieces together and a small bale of hay hooked on the end. WTF???? Where do you even buy straw in LQA? The pole dangled over to the rooftop adjacent to the Inn and shook, dropping the load into the alleyway and missing the rooftop. WHY???

Two more times it came poking out, both times dropping it’s straw load but these times, dropping it’s load onto the roof. Curious, we ran across the street to examine the alleyway only to see straw bundled with cord and nothing more. We’ll never know who, what, when or why this mysterious prank happened but it was fun to watch it unfold. Think you could see something like this in suburbia? I don’t think so and so, for us, the adventure continues in urban Seattle after our wonderful journey in Shanghai, China.

Walking by the water and seeing the sea lions play is so fun!

So, with five months into my new job and settling down a little, I’ll start writing again, we’ll enjoy going to the Uptown Cinema and seeing cool, happening documentaries and shop for vinyl records at Pike Place Market, a long walk but close enough. I’ll cherish the charming used book store, clothing boutique, nail parlors galore and Mud Bay Pet Shop, where Izaak can get free treats from the doting team members–all within blocks of our hip, urban nest that I hope to get to enjoy for a long, long time. LQA, I’m loving you.

Bring on the dragons and vinyl-an urban weekend in Seattle!

On February 22, 2015February 22, 2015 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Chinese New Year, Dog, Holidays, Seattle, Vinyl1 Comment

Chinese New Year and TET Celebrations in Seattle collided this weekend with far less pollution and far fewer people than last year’s adventure in Shanghai and Hanoi. While it was awesome to be in a crowd again while visiting the International District, I missed the craziness of the scooters in Hanoi during TET. I did find my favorite Taiwanese crackers at the Uwajimaya Supermarket and sampled some egg tarts-always tasty but the crust seemed so heavy after the light airy layers of pastry goodness found at the KFC’s in China. Warm buttery heaven egg custard deliciousness in my hand…ahhhh…I miss it so.

We celebrated CNY and TET with dragons and performances and food

To get everywhere we needed to go, we took advantage of multiple transportation options since we don’t have a car here in Seattle (Enjoy our Kia, little Mia!). For lunch on Friday with David Axelrod giving a talk at my work, we booked a Zipcar and enjoyed hearing all about David’s journey working with Obama. His book looks like a winner and I can’t wait to read it. Thom, hurry up and read, read, read or I’m stealing it. SERIOUSLY.

I got to ask David the inevitable question–How does HIllary win in 2016? He felt she got beat by Obama because she was too confident going into the Primaries thinking she was destined to win without too much effort and also she wasn’t as authentic as Obama when campaigning. This time around, hopefully she will be herself and make history as the first woman President. I’m here to help her in any way I can. Go Hillary!

David Axelrod signing his book for me, Very smart and funny guy.

On Saturday, Thom and I jumped on the Metro Bus first, walked ALOT to get to the International District and then found another bus to go to the SoDo district to explore highly rated Silver Platters for our first vinyl purchases (at least in the last 20 years). What goes around, comes around and the cool hipster thing to do now is to use the cloud for your music on the go but go retro and use vinyl records at home for a leisurely music experience. Well, this year Thom got spoiled rotten with a turntable and speaker for his birthday.

New hobby! After wandering the streets by the stadiums to find a Car2Go, we finally found one after exploring some cool home stores (handmade desks for only $1800.00-what a steal) and finding the main Macrina bakery–it was a high carb day for sure! Can you say half price day old potato rolls??? We really just went in to use their bathroom after being locked out of the Starbucks facilities in the International District. Upon asking for the key to the Starbucks ladies room, I was informed that the store had “closed the bathroom for the day”… at 2 p.m. WTF!!! Even paying customers were s%#t out of luck, literally. I get that on a busy day with the CNY festivities that they might not want to clean up hourly but that’s just basic customer service 101. Shame on them. Luckily for us, Macrina was awesome–bathrooms AND bakery products. Win-Win.

Thom's new obsession-Vinyl! He got the complete package for his birthday. — Thom’s new obsession-Vinyl! He got the complete package for his birthday.

Sunny beautiful skies welcomed us outside to walk the dogs around Seattle Center. Back home, we found a table at CostPlus World Market that would hold our new turntable and Bose speakers, so we hopped into the closest Prius Zipcar and off we went. You have to rent it for at least a hour so we grabbed the table and raced to catch the sunset from Kinnear Park that overlooks the city. Scores of tourists from France and a wedding party were also enjoying the city lights. Gorgeous! A must see for tourists and city residents alike.

Sunday dawned a new day and I had to get a start on the week with LOTS of work to do starting at 6 a.m. and continuing pretty much all day. Why must I be one of “those people” who feel a need to work hard to be the best. Shame on me. But I’m lucky to have a great career that allows me to take care of my family so work I will. On Friday, I leave for a journey to the Midwest where I hope to combine work with a visit to see Mom and Becky, snowy roads not withstanding, next weekend. If thwarted by crappy weather, at least I will get to see my best friend and sister from another mother, Patti, in Indy and will wind up somehow in Detroit on Monday to work for a week. Oh boy–Detroit in the middle of winter–what fun. NOT. At least my busy weekend was capped off with another incredible sunset-it never gets old and I will be dreaming of returning to it (and Thom and the puppies) as I toil away in Motown.

Another outstanding sunset caps off a busy weekend

But where are the dancing ladies?

On February 15, 2015 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, China, Dog, Parks, Seattle, Shanghai, Travel, Uncategorized1 Comment

Walking with my Thor enjoying the mild weather

Where are the dancing ladies/couples and the families with their tents camping out for a day in the park??? Seattleites, take a cue from the Chinese who know how to have fun in their parks and get to socializing. Wake up and smell the coffee (preferably Stumptown) and realize that life is short so stop and enjoy this fine, fine weather, aka Global Warming. Whatever, it’s warm and sunny in February in Seattle.

Enjoying El Nino to the max, Thom and I spent the weekend wandering about and walking around town, usually with the puppies. Yet, I couldn’t help but compare the park culture here and Shanghai as we traversed downtown Seattle. In February in Shanghai, if the sun came out with temps way above average, every park would be filled with families socializing, flying kites, dancing, drawing calligraphy on the sidewalks, and celebrating the good fortune of being able to be outside during the winter instead of being shut inside their typically small homes with no heat. Here, while you do see folks out and about, it’s definitely more of a “get to where I’m going” vibe as people move through the parks with purpose on their way to something vs. just being in the park with friends & family to enjoy being together. While we have the dogs as the main reason to walk around, we are also guilty of moving with purpose as well. On a typical weekend in Shanghai, we would go to Fuxing or Century Park just to soak up the culture, always seeing interesting people enjoying the outdoors. I miss it. Lots. Don’t miss the foul pollution though. Wearing masks are no fun and neither is chronic bronchitis.

So, we enjoyed the sermon today from Rev. Moe-so relevant with social media references to “liking” comments on Facebook and tying in the scripture with a movie quote from one of my fav movies, You’ve Got Mail–encouraging parishioners to ” Go to the mattress” from The Godfather to parallel Jesus telling the disciples not to give up in their religious journey. Funny. After meeting Cowboy, the dog who enjoys church services with his owner, we ran home to get the pups and take them to the dog park near our home. Izaak used to go there all the time but Thor is new to the dog park culture and doesn’t quite get it, though he made a friend and started to learn to chase the tennis ball he couldn’t quite fit in his mouth.

After all that fresh air and sunshine (sorry friends in the Midwest/Northwest enduring snowpocalypse), it was nap time. Izaak threw his long arm over tiny Thor and they spooned together like the Brothers from a Different Mother that they are. Cuteness x2..seriously. It’s just like having kids–you take them to the park and run them ragged to wear them out so they will give you some rest when you get home. Only difference–you can throw them some bones to chew on to get added peace and quiet. Dog park fun:

At the end of the day, Lord I pray for more wonderful weekends like this to enjoy life as good as it gets. Thank you, God!

Gorgeous weekend capped off by a spectacular sunset

Be Kind-Simple Words to Start the Week

On February 8, 2015 By Travels with MelindaIn Dog, Parks, Seattle, TravelLeave a comment

I will start my week with today’s sermon theme in my heart and my head–BE KIND. Simple yet imagine if everyone in the world would remember to be kind to everyone and then proceed to see what happens…politicians out there take note and quit snipping at each other and be kind to one another and work it out. Get stuff done that helps those who elected you…just saying. And not just politicians–I’m constantly surprised in the workplace by people who are blatantly unkind to their peers. HELLO you people who do that, your unkind behavior doesn’t make anyone feel good, including you, or get anything accomplished. It’s a lose-lose experience for all involved. So BE KIND this week and hopefully you and everyone you interact with will have a happy and prosperous week. I hope to!

Speaking of the sermon, we went back to our local First Church today and got to have “Pizza with the Pastor” to get to know more about their church programs. Sitting in a small conference room, 10 people and the pastor, the diversity of the groups was interesting to say the least. The church partners to run a homeless shelter for men as well as provide free breakfasts on Sunday to about 300 people every week. I’m looking forward to volunteering and helping in any way I can as I truly believe there is no better way to help others than providing food and shelter. In our group were two of the homeless men who used the shelter. Hearing their backgrounds and touching on their issues, I was able to get a glimpse into the struggles they faced daily. As one guy nodded off after eating some pizza and enjoying the warm surroundings, we continued to share our religious paths, with Thom always drawing smiles with his Catholic upbringing stories. Also getting smiles are the puppies in the pews as our church is “pro pet” and dogs are welcome to attend with their owners. No one has complained yet so Pastor is going with it until someone does. I noticed Cowboy, the white cutie in the next pew, really had his tail wagging when we were singing hymns. So Seattle! Unfortunately, Izaak and Thor aren’t quite so well behaved so they won’t be attending services anytime soon but we may throw caution to the wind and let them attend the Blessing of the Pets coming up soon…stay tuned for stories on that adventure.

As far as the rest of my lazy weekend, I got to spend some quality time with the “boys” who need constant walking in our backyard, the Seattle Center. We love the lights at night, the fountain spouting to music and the vitality of this gem of a park for Seattlites to enjoy. Blessed we are to live so near to enjoy it daily.

Walking Izaak in the rain to his favorite lawn area by the fountains to do his business, I suddenly reached for the baggies and realized Thom had used the last one the previous night. Oops….now most people would just forget about it but we actually went back a little later on the next walk and hunted down his business so we could pick it up. Wish everyone was as conscientious!

On the walk home looking at the debris left over from a busy Saturday night of partying, I think I may have to get one of those metal handheld picker-uppers to keep the streets clean in my neighborhood. I’m kind of OCD (no laughing please) and can’t stand seeing dirty streets and, unlike China, there are no street sweepers on every block to maintain the appearance. I do miss many other aspects of Chinese life. So, maybe I’ll start a trend by pitching in to keep our streets looking good. Think anyone will help me???

Talking with families, friends and going to the gym rounded out a truly relaxing weekend capped off with watching the Grammy’s–who else always loves the unique pairings of music icons that you just don’t see anywhere else?? Hoping this year is no different and we see some truly spectacular performances. Here’s also hoping that Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj used LOTS of tape on those “cleavage cut to their navel” dresses they have on or there will be nipples galore at the Grammys! No. Thank. You.

When the poodle walked up the aisle, I knew I had found my Church!

On February 1, 2015 By Travels with MelindaIn SeattleLeave a comment

Only in Seattle folks! We finally got our butts out of bed quick enough to seek out a new Church in our neighborhood. Methodist this time, though we are non-denominational in our church preference, usually attending the “church of convenience” which this definitely qualifies for being in our lower Queen Anne neighborhood. The First United Methodist Church is the oldest one in Seattle, established in 1853 and it embraces diversity like no other as well as serving the many homeless with shelter and food. I can get behind all of that in a big way so off we went this morning to check it out.

After seeing the same sex couples, homeless, families, older couples and finally, the cherry on the church cake, the poodle being led up the aisle by a guy in his Seahawks jersey, all worshipping and praising God, I started to tear up and feel like I was home. The green and blue motif also created special ambience, because, of course, it was Seahawks Sunday with a 12th man sign on the alter and the reverend resplendent in green and blue necklaces and stole. GO HAWKS! After the handbell choir performed and a male barbershop quartet, the prayers for church members included a prayer to stop the Koch brothers from buying the 2016 Presidential election. WOW! Never have I heard a church take such a stance publicly from the pulpit. You go girl, Rev. Sharon Moe!

At the end of the service, the congregation formed a large circle “huddle” to take a stance against human sex trafficking. It seems that the Super Bowl encourages this type of thing. So sad and wrong on every level. I hope that we can get involved and help with their homeless shelter and food service. This is our neighborhood and people here need help. Too often we forget how blessed we are and that so many need just a hot meal and a place to rest their head that is safe and dry. Yes, I’m praying for the Seattle Seahawks to do well but, win or lose, life will go on and I will appreciate each and every moment I get to be with my wonderful family. Going to church really helps me refocus and see the world in a new light and be content. I loved the message on the flyer today: “God of the ages, to whom the hours are nothing and everything: may I know each moment as a sacred guest to be welcomed, to be savored, to be sent with a blessing.”. Amen and GO HAWKS!

Congregation huddle to take a stand against sex human trafficking-I'm standing behind the guy with the poodle. — Congregation huddle to take a stand against sex human trafficking-I’m standing behind the guy with the poodle.

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