Simpsons in Seattle

We had a fun filled Halloween! Here's some pics of the kiddos for posterity. Nora hammed it up by being Corn and I think her DIY-costume turned out pretty funny. We might be getting to the end of Evie dressing up though. Even though she picked her costume this year (Lisa Simpson), she wasn't into it at all and in the end, the costume didn't turn out. At the last minute she rummaged through my closet and decided to be Audrey Hepburn and I think it turned out pretty good, but she wasn't running around excited to get candy like she used to be, sadly.  Playing games at Spooky Spaghetti Nora and her friend Cassidy at Spooky Spaghetti I bought Ketchup and Mustard costumes for the kittys but they did not like them. Charlie would promptly roll onto his back to try to get at the hat. Audrey and Corn getting ready to go trick or treating  

A few weeks ago, the girls and I volunteered for a Keep Bellevue Clean event. I've been eyeing all the trash on the highway and on major streets so when I saw this pop up as a community event, I was eager to go. We walked around a high trafficked corridor (altho very little traffic was there so early on a Sat morning!) with bright yellow vests and garbage grabbers in our hands, and picked up all the trash we saw along the way. The girls had so much fun that we went way over the estimated time for the event and were the last group to return. I recall enjoying doing similar events as a kid when we did graffiti or beach cleanups, so I'm glad the girls are getting into it too. Now if only I could figure out how to clean the freeways.

We went to visit a friend who is fostering kitties and the girls are in luuuurv. These kitties are so cute! The kids stole my phone and took about a gazillion photos, so here's a few good ones. Doesn't this make you want to get a kitty?  

My friend Kathy snagged some invites to a private event at Chihuly last week and lucky me got to be her plus one! The greenhouse was gorgeous all lit up at night and it was great being able to walk around the museum without the crowds. We also got to sit and watch the glass blowing demonstration up close and listened in as the folks next to me asked a ton of questions. It was a really nice night out!  So pretty! Watching the glassblowers at work. They sell what they make at the Space Needle gift shop and proceeds go to charity. Space Needle lit up at night  

Our first Yu-cousin trip was in June 2007 to Vancouver, and ever since then, several of us "older" cousins try to get together every few years to see one another and catch up. COVID put a damper on our trips but we rallied this year to find a time that worked for us Lady Cousins and guess what? Everyone descended here to Seattle last weekend!  It was a really nice long weekend filled with LOTs of talking, laughing and eating. We kept the weekend super easy and low profile - we didn't have too many plans and were pretty content to make soup noodles at home and just hang out listening to music, playing mah jong and watching movies. Mostly, it was just nice to catch up and chat. I was super sad to see them all leave on Monday; it really makes me wish I had closer family in Seattle. At the same time though, it means these weekends with them are that special!  Evie and Nora were sad they weren't able to join. Thanks to all the dads for watching the kiddos so we could do th...

It's been pretty stormy this past week so I'm really glad that a few weeks back we took advantage of the good weather and did a day trip to Mt Rainier for our annual summer hike! We tried a new-to-us hike that circled Naches Peak, with a side trip to Dewey Lake. In all, it was only about ~6 miles r/t but had 1300 elevation game and with numerous stops for pictures, snacks and lunch, it was an all day affair.  All smiles at the beginning of the day, with great views of Rainier in the background. Rainier looks so close and so far at the same time. I wonder how much longer the kids will tolerate us taking so many photos? Or be willing to be in selfies with me? Family photo That's Dewey Lake down there. We hiked down to the lake, which was about 1.5 miles and 1200ft. It was "fun" coming back up. Another view of Dewey Lake, on the way back up. Fall colors were starting! This is called no-name lake. The trail connected with PCT for a bit!   

A friend of mine I haven't seen in a while texted to say that she had reservations for Canlis, her husband couldn't make it, she had a gift card to use up and did I want to be her last minute date? HECK YEAH! Canlis is one of the most iconic restaurants in Seattle and often cited as one of the best restaurants in the city. The restaurant is situated on a little perch right next to the Aurora Bridge, overlooking Lake Union and has lovely views. And, while they've been in business for 50 years, their new chef just got named one of Food & Wine's best new chef's of the year. Scott and I only went once a long time ago (before kids) and I haven't had a good excuse to go back so I was surprised and super stoked when she reached out. Anyway, I put on a nice dress and my "date" picked me up and off we went. We had a 7 course meal (you choose 3, the chef brings out an additional 4) plus some drinks and all-in-all had a really lovely time. My fav was our star...