Damn you auto correct.

Has anyone seen that damn you auto correct website? Go here. For anyone that has an iphone, it's pretty priceless because I swear, Steve Jobs is just screwing with people on these phones and secretly reading all the flubs (and this website) all while laughing his ass off at his great idea to auto correct certain words. I can't even tell you how many times I've texted something only to read it after it's sent and go "NO NO NO" I did not MEAN THAT.

Of course, in the throes of busy season was the best as I was frantically trying to send out texts/emails/contact people, etc all via phone while in transit or just trying to get things done remotely.

One such email went to a female coworker and read like this:

"We can try to make it work either tonight or tomorrow am... Totally fine if u go to the gym. I'll be at the office till 7pm tonight but if we kiss each other let's meet tomorrow morning."

Um, MISS. MISS. MISS. Not kiss.

Luckily, this is one of my friends and I think she responded by saying something to the affect of, "Oh, I won't sleep all night thinking of that kiss." And then we laughed for 5 minutes. We'll call the uncontrollable laughter "busy season delirium."

The Big News!

It's too bad I don't have music that accompanies certain blog posts because this would be a GREAT music post. Seems to be the long awaited post so I feel like I need a fanfare of sorts to introduce it... although, come on guys, all of you that read this blog and are bugging me to post this already KNOW the story. But fine, I will appease you. Here is the BIG NEWS (dum dum dum...):

On Friday, March 18, Justin and I headed over to Seattle to pick up Oliver at the bus stop as we had him for the weekend (Bailey had soccer). Justin was acting weird but I didn't know why and honestly didn't think a whole lot of it. So we get home and Justin says he has to run an errand. Ok, cool, whatever. I give him a list of a couple of things to get for dinner and start to clean the house (because seriously? I had more than 1 hour on a Friday night and a house during busy season quickly becomes scary....meaning, I can't find two socks that match scary and it looks like a bomb imploded in each room of the house. Ok, maybe not THAT bad but bad enough to drive me crazy in the madness of the season because I have no time to deal with it). Other than this sacred time I got this Friday night (just came full circle on that one...)

Anyway, so I'm cleaning the bathroom and then move to start cleaning the kitchen when Justin and Oliver come home. I am scrubbing away when they walk into the kitchen... both holding flowers. So imagine this: I have dirt and dust and who the hell knows what else up to my elbows and on my face and in my hair and am a cleaning mad woman...I am scrubbing the floor and oven (maybe even simultaneously- a quality of CPAs during busy season is multitasking!) and I see that Oliver has 2 red roses, Justin has a bouquet. And I'm thinking, "What the....?" And also that this is probably a very sweet and romantic moment and meanwhile I look like a merry maid. Beautiful! So, I brush my hair back, compose myself (sort of),  stand up and then Justin hands me a book (oh, at which point, the composure I just gained flew the hell out the window):

And, I began to read it. It is a book of pictures, mementos, love and stories... and 5 reasons why I should marry Justin (and Bailey/Oliver). I think it took me 100 years to read the damn thing. I would read one sentence, start to cry, attempt to read the next, cry, and oh shit, I have cleaning products in my eyes now, tissue, read the next and on and on. I think Justin was really just trying to give me a natural facial with that book (thanks baby! I needed that, really, I did!) On the last page, there was a picture of us and it said, "Now, look at me..." And my favorite boy was down on one knee holding out a ring. And then I melted. And tears, tears, tears... family hugs... and more tears. It was so special...it was thoughtful, it was heartfelt, it was shared with Oliver and with each other, and it was as simple as how our relationship all began.

And, of course, a solid YES. Yes to not just being engaged, and not just planning a wedding but planning a life, a marriage that can and will work. You don't do it utterly wrong (um, twice) to make the same mistakes again. Many may argue with me and while I may wish certain things had been different, I truly believe I needed my first two marriages to get me here.  They were really the window to me realizing what I really wanted and needed from a true partner...and realizing that I didn't just have to settle but could truly get what I wanted, and what I deserved. Justin is the culmination of, really, all relationships I have ever had.  Because I'd lived through those experiences, I knew without hesitation what I was looking for in a partner and he fits that description to a tee. He exceeds it. And we don't need marriage to acknowledge what we have or the commitment we feel, but because we know we have that and honestly a bit because of the kiddos, we are getting married. We were friends first and foremost and in Justin I have a guy that I know will sustain, support, and love me for all of me years and years down the road. That's all I need. I am happier than I've been in a long, long, (did I say long?) time.

 

The next day, I went into the office to attempt to work for a bit which didn't work out too awesome since everyone was stopping by to see and hear about the big news. So I ended up leaving work to run. And I RAN... SEVEN MILES. It was awesome. I think possibly it was driven by the natural high from the night before? I have no idea but it was the first long run I've done in quite a while. Perhaps not the best decision but it felt great at the time. I then met Justin and Oliver and we went on a 6 mile walk (after getting Oliver a new phone, which I'm pretty sure was the highlight of his weekend).

My sexy guy (um, holy crap, my FIANCE)... ready to roll.

And us on the water in Kirkland...and on a rare beautiful day in March.

Hey, what do you know, it's SPRING in Seattle!! Yes, that is Justin and Oliver walking.

That night Justin's mom and brother came over to celebrate the good news complete with red bubbles (shiraz champagne from Australia that we bought at a wine tasting a long time ago but were saving for a special occasion- surprisingly amazing). It was great fun.

And the following day when we took Oliver home, we had great shots up in the mountain passes. Washington truly is a beautiful state. I'm surrounded by beauty in this state that we live in, I have a good job (although, ask me during busy season and it's hell, but really- a good job), I'm loved by three boys that mean the world to me and I have some pretty incredible family and friends both near and far away. I'm a pretty lucky girl. It's been a bit of a journey to get to where I feel so utterly and completely at home but I'm here.  I truly have it all...and it feels so, so good.

Update of the backlog...

Here come January and February and March posts as I'm slowing starting to see the light at the end of the busy season tunnel... and I need to get caught up so I can post my really exciting news! Which most people already know about anyway, but regardless.... Here we go:

January

January 3, 2011: And the 2011 year starts off with....

January 9, 2011: Boys, boys, boys...

January 17, 2011: A much needed trip to the sun.

January 18, 2011: Phoenix follow up pictures...

January 19, 2011: More and more...

January 25, 2011: A preview...

January 29, 2011: The Birthday Week.

January 30, 2011: And another year...it begins again...

February
February 8, 2011: The day of client hell.

February 15, 2011: The sweet 16

February 16, 2011: The day of love

February 17, 2011: More of that day of love...

February 26, 2011: Alaska take #2

March
March 2, 2011: The best day of the year so far.

March 5, 2011: Tourists in our own city.

March 12, 2011: A day of wine.

March 14, 2011: March odds and ends...

March odds and ends...

Since March is my busy time, I have a bunch of pictures that I really have no idea what they relate to, or when... but I know they happened in March. So here they are (please, contain your excitement):

I know, SO exciting... a plate of food. Well, this happens to be a new Sunday tradition for us. Instead of eating a regular "dinner" we build a little snack plate... or something. Full of cheeses, veggies, dips, crackers and whatever else looks fun. Oh, also required? A great bottle of wine and good music. Not kidding, this is one of the best ways I have ever spent Sunday nights before the start of a new work week.

Now, THIS? This really is exciting! I now call Justin Sir Juicer. Actually, I don't, but I should. So, one weekend in March, he says, "let's make nut butter." Um. Blink. What? I thought that this was one of his crazy ideas, so I said, "Ok, honey, whatever you say" and then continued to do whatever I was doing. Next thing you know? I have this contraption on my counter and he's pulling out all of the raw nuts we have in the house. And I'm all "YOU WERE SERIOUS." And then, "OH MY GOODNESS, NUT BUUUTTER," because if there is one thing I love it's nut butter. I slap myself a couple of times to make sure I'm not dreaming and then I realize that, no, this is my reality, and HOLY CRAP we are making NUT BUTTER (caps required for the excitement in this). I made some walnut/agave/cinnamon butter and Justin did a mixed nuts/peanut butter. SO good. I died and then came back to eat more nut butter. Apparently, Justin used to make TONS of his own nut butters and juiced all of the time which is why he has this whole get up. Pretty cool... and tasty.

After we realized that we could only make (and eat) so much nut butter, we started to juice. There's a ton of research backing up the benefits of juicing so we started to make our own juice (complete with green stuff, which the boys LOVE). The above is a picture of Sir Juicer with the "guts" of the juice after all of the juice is, well, juiced out by his lovely juicing machine. Pretty cool. And, I need to say: some of the best juice and nut butter I've ever had.

A day of wine.

Last weekend was a weekend of tea tasting, and this weekend, we went wine tasting! A lot of my busy season this year was front loaded into January/February which meant that I was in hell for two straight months but then as a result of several clients that got pushed or moved, my March really started to lighten up (THANK YOU GOD). I was still working most weekends, but was off work by early afternoon on Saturdays and wasn't working 7 days a week. Again THANK GOD. After January/February, I am pretty sure that I would have died with a vice grip on my ten key if I didn't get some sort of reprieve... or someone would have killed me because working so much was actually making me retarded. I swear, towards the end of February I'm pretty sure I was starting to lose track of what 2+2 equaled or hell, I probably wouldn't have been able to tell you my own name. Maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit but not much. Sleep deprivation plus way too much work really makes you start to feel, well, a little insane and completely loopy... it's like living in a drunken state permanently but you aren't really drunk. Perhaps that's why so many CPAs drink??

ANYWAY. I'll stop now.

Onto our wine tasting: It was awesome! Pictures, as follows:

First we went to one of our favorite wineries- Woodhouse Wine Estates. We haven't had a bad wine yet from them and again, we were not disappointed. They make really amazing wines and some of them are totally reasonable. LOVE it. We actually loved it so much we became wine club members. We toyed with this before when we've tasted there but this time, it was time to just do it. And this was only our first stop...

We eventually made it to the Mark Ryan winery/tasting room, another winemaker that we absolutely love. His wines are more on the high end but they are still phenomenal. We didn't love ALL of them so luckily that curtailed us from becoming members here but we did buy a bottle of the dissident, a red blend that we loved.

A picture of the different wines that we tasted that day at Mark Ryan.

A magnum of the long haul, another red blend by Mark Ryan that is just outstanding (we almost bought this over the dissident, actually).

Another stop: the new Woodinville whiskey company distillery. We tried vodka and bourbon, just because it seemed entertaining and Justin loves bourbon. Thanks to him, I also have a fond spot in my heart for bourbon as well. HOWEVER. I did NOT like this bourbon. The vodka was ok but still, not a huge fan. It was all clear too as it's so new it hasn't been aged. Weird. I think I'm mostly a wine person but it was fun to go, anyway, to see what it was all about. I'll stick with my wine and my Knob Creek/Bookers bourbons when I'm having a weak moment (or just want a wild night)....

Justin tasting the Woodinville Whiskey company's vodka... I did like the cute little glasses!

And Justin tasting wine... mmm... so good. I think this was at Mark Ryan still but I'm too lazy to move it in the correct order. We also stopped at Novelty Hill-Januik winery to taste. I've been there a few times now and have had their wines a handful and am just not a fan.

After Mark Ryan, we decided to go to Dusted Valley winery on a total and complete whim. It was nearing closing time for the tasting rooms but we still had about 40 minutes, so Justin suggested we go. I had never heard of it so I was skeptical but he said he'd heard good things. I said, sure, why not? After an afternoon tasting wines, he probably could have dragged me to a place that doled out shitty boxed wine and I would have been happy as a clam. So we meandered to Dusted Valley and OH MY GOODNESS. I was BLOWN AWAY. I could not BELIEVE how good it was. AND, it all comes from the midwest (well, it started in the midwest in Wisconsin but now their vineyards are in Washington). AND, they are the only winery who does SOLELY screw tops. AND their wine is REALLY GOOD. Like so good, Justin and I kept looking at each other like, WHOA. Wine after wine, our socks were knocked off. So guess what? We became members of that winery too (seriously, it was that good). Their wine club is called the stained tooth society so they give you tooth brushes along with the membership- love it! AND, a few days after we went there? They sent us a personalized note thanking us for becoming members and stopping by... major points, I am a HUGE fan of this winery. 

And.... when we got home? A shot of our loot. Our Mark Ryan purchase, a reserve cab franc (LOVED IT) and Dussek merlot (which I loved, Justin did not) from Woodhouse which were the newest wine club releases, a tempernillo from Woodhouse that is the wine from this winery that initially made Justin and I fall in love with the winery, and 3 dusted valley purchases, a syrah, an amazing grenache we had, and their original stained tooth syrah that put them on the map of wineries after it won several awards- we liked it but liked the other syrah we bought better and the grenache was still our favorite from this winery.  All in all, a GREAT day. You can't really go wrong with good wine... we are lucky to live so close to so many good wineries. Life is pretty good. On that note, I feel that I now must go drink a glass of wine...

Tourists in our own city.

For the first time in well over a month and a half, I was off work before 2pm. On a Saturday. With no plans to work Sunday. And that was AWESOME. Hello, welcome to the life of a CPA. To take full advantage of this time off, Justin and I decide to go to downtown Seattle and roam around. It was a beautiful day (meaning, cold but no rain) so why not? We went to pike place and explored the market, walked along the Puget sound, and eventually made our way up first avenue where we stumbled upon a tea shop. Tea tasting? Sure, I love tea so why not?

Justin and I are both avid tea drinkers and by that I mean that instead of drinking coffee every morning, we reach for tea so this was perfect. Here's Justin as we first started out on what would become about a 2 hour tasting (aka: education) on tea.

This was our "tourguide" or tea guru or whatever you want to call him. I have no idea but he was AWESOME. He taught us about appropriate temperatures for various teas, chinese cultures, how to serve different teas, and he let us try about a BILLION different kinds of teas (that whole wall behind him? We tried most of it). We LOVED IT. It was really pretty cool.

We ended up walking out with all of this as our loot. I'm pretty sure that the little chinese man loved us as much as him at the end of it all... wow, authentic teas are pretty pricey. But SO good.

After our tea tasting, we wandered back through pike place market, got some roasted nuts, wandered through a wine store and decided we were starving. So we headed to our newly discovered (thanks CJ!) favorite sushi place, conveniently also on first avenue- Japonessa. They have the BEST happy hour so we got seats at the bar, ordered some wine and just relaxed.

Mmmm wine and sushi. We spent a couple of hours at the bar and can I just go on a little rant here? Does it seem like men sometimes don't listen? I mean I'm just SAYING. We parked in a parking lot where I SWORE we only had until a certain time before we needed to pay more, Justin said it was good for all night. I didn't say much but after paying that $73 dollar ticket, I don't think I am ever going to listen to him again! But, ticket aside, it was such a great day and we literally felt like tourists in Seattle. So fun and so badly needed.

The next day, we made some of our new tea... and we went on a little 6 mile hike close to home. LET ME JUST SAY. I haven't been hiking in oh, I don't know, MONTHS so this was incredible even if it wasn't the longest and most challenging hike ever.

And the following Monday, I put my new little tea pot to use for the new we had just bought (a pur tea, which is a tea that chinese people drink daily for optimal health and is aged, like wine). It sort of tastes like dirt which I know sounds disgusting but I actually rather like how it tastes. I know, I'm doing wonders for promoting it but trust me, it's awesome!

The best day of the year so far.

Maybe I'm slightly exaggerating about it being the best day but I don't care. March 1 was an AWESOME day. After 8 weeks (EIGHT) of being in the stupid boot, I went to the doctor for a check up and he FINALLY told me I could stop wearing it. Upon which I ran, er, hobbled out of the office and drop straight home to get two matching flats to wear instead of one shoe + boot.

 

AND, AND, I even got the ok to start slowly building back up to running (!!!) I was so happy, I can't even tell you.