Brandi Carlile & The Seattle Symphony

On Saturday, November 24th, mom and I had tickets to see Brandi Carlile in Concert with the Seattle Symphony. We were both so excited to see this show. I am a huge Brandi Carlile fan and have successfully turned several friends and family members into fans as well.



I was so excited for the show to start, I couldn't hold the camera still.

Sorry the pictures are so terrible, but we couldn't use flash photography, and I'm not that familiar with the setting on my phone camera yet, but you get the idea...

At the end of the show, Brandi surprised us with a "Tribute to Seattle", where she invited Mike McCready, a founding member and lead guitarist for Pearl Jam onto the stage to play Voodoo Child by Jimmi Hendrix. Then Mike treated us to the Star Spangled Banner, Hendrix style. It was amazing!

 

Here is a link to a video posted by another concert goer, who I remember from the show. He was sitting two rows in front of me. Watching this video is like going back in time, exactly how it felt to be there. Enjoy!

Mom, Joel and I also have tickets to Brandi Carlile's concert on December 8th at the Mt. Baker Theater for A Very Special Christmas Performance. I am so ecited to see her so soon, I can just never get my fill of Brandi, ever!

Resturant Review: D-Thai

Last night Joel and I wanted to celebrate reaching a goal we had set for our selves a while back, so we decided to just go out to dinner. We picked our local favorite, D-Thai. This Thai restaurant is located in Bothell, our backyard, and we love it. We had driven past it so many times, never thinking of giving it a try because it was located in strip mall, next to a Little Caesars Pizza and a cigar shop. One night we wanted to eat some Thai food, so I googled Thai restaurants and D-Thai received the highest reviews, so we decided to give it a chance. I am so glad we did!

The restaurant is very small, but set up in a way that takes advantage of every inch. We enjoy sitting in the booths because the table top is decorated with different coasters and an assortment of funny cartoons. It is good entertainment while you wait for your food. The servers are always friendly and we never wait long for our food. Joel loves that they take him seriously when he orders a six, on the spicy scale of one to five. He doesn't even have to add more spice, they hit it perfectly every time.


I ordered a Chang beer, and the server brought me a matching mug and coaster!

The table top displays an assortment of coasters and cartoons

Joel ordered the See Ew Chicken - Wide rice noodles stir-fried in sweet soy sauce, eggs, and vegetables. He said it was very good.

I ordered the Kow Soy Chicken - One of Northern Thailand's most popular dishes. Egg noodles topped with a creamy curry sauce. Also, my new favorite!

Cheers to us for reaching our goal - and for not having to do dishes tonight!

Joel and Me.

We love D-Thai and the fact it is located about five minutes from our house, makes it even better. If you ever find yourself in Bothell, check it out!

Book Review: Rage of Angels

I recently finished reading Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon for the book club at my office. I am not sure if I would recommend this book to another reader, unless they really enjoy the "thriller without thrills" genre. After reading the back of the book, I was expecting something more along the lines of Patrica Cornwall's books or the J.A. Jance books. I used to read Kay Scarpetta books hand over fist, but have burnt out on the murder-mystery thriller books. I thought maybe it was time to give these quick reads another chance. Maybe it still is, but not with this particular book.

Rage of Angels is the story of a young lawyer, Jennifer Parker, fresh out of law school, eager to make her way in the world. She was born in Kelso, Washington and went to school at the University of Washington (fun coincidence). Shorlty after graduating, she heads for the excitement of New York City and lands a job with the District Attorney's office. On her first day she is assisting with a case against a major mob guy, where she blows the entire case and is nearly disbarred. This results in the District Attorney forever holding a grudge against her and going to extremes trying to bring her career to a halt. Even after this mess, Jennifer is able to quickly get back on her feet and is heading up her own law firm in no time. The story just gets a bit too unbelievable for me from here. Things seemed to move too quickly and then the momentum comes to a halt. For several chapters, it is one case after another with no relationship to the plot, other than to show what a brilliant lawyer she is. I might buy this, except everything is so quickly and neatly laid out that it doesn't seem believable and is so quickly glossed over that you feel you shouldn't give it much attention. Eventually the story line gets bit exciting, but in a chapter or two all the action takes place and the book is over.

Maybe my disappointment with this story is the result of my generation. I have been watching action movies with suspense that would make this look like a children's book for most of my life. Maybe I have unreasonably high expectations for what is thrilling in comparison to someone reading this book when it was first published in 1980 (four years before I was even born). This book did entertain me for several bus rides to and from work, so it was not a complete waste of time, I guess.

It Was Raining In My Livingroom...

This is the scene I came home to today after work.

Yes, that is Julie and Joel standing on a stool and a ladder, in the middle of the living room, replacing the ceiling fan. It all started around 2:30pm - 3:00pm-ish this afternoon when I received a frantic phone call from Julie. "There is water leaking from the ceiling fan and dripping onto the carpet!" "Um... I'm sorry, I thought you just said, 'there is water leaking from the ceiling fan and dripping onto the floor.' I must have misheard you." Nope. I heard her correctly. She had taken a bath and when she went downstairs afterwards, she walked into a living room with water coming down from the ceiling in the area around the ceiling fan. She panicked and started trying to contain the water. She put pots and pans around the living room floor to catch the water, pulled up the rug, put out all the fans we own, and did the best she could to soak up the water with towels. She was increasingly confused when she found zero water on the bathroom floor. I called Joel to let him know he needed to go home ASAP to find out what went wrong. There is no way Julie was splashing around the tub enough to make it rain in the living room. Rubber ducky or not, no one makes that big of a mess!

After some investigation work and a phone call to my dad, Joel discovered the overflow valve on the tub had been turned and loosened enough so that the water had seeped between the valve and the tub wall, allowing water to run down the inside of the bathtub, drip down onto the ceiling of the living room and puddle until it found a release, also known as my ceiling fan. Joel and Julie pulled down the ceiling fan to make sure water wasn't pooling inside the fan and to let the electrical unit air out. Dad said the drywall in the ceiling won't soak up much water, so there isn't much to worry about. Joel fixed the overflow valve and we should be safe to bathe again.

A dramatic Monday afternoon, but all is well that ends well!

Husky Football

My office received tickets to the last Husky home game for the 2012 season as a thank you from The University of Washington Intercollegiate Athletics Department for our hard work on the Husky Stadium Renovation.  Even though I have a very, very minor role on this project, I was excited for an opportunity to watch the Husky's play. Joel and I bundled up in lots of layers, braved the cold temperatures, and headed into downtown Seattle for a little tailgating fun with Robert and Anna. Robert is friends with a few Tyee Club members, which allows them to tailgate in the elite Tyee Club tailgating section. We always have fun when we join this group and the food is always delicious. This time, we enjoyed deep fried turkey!

Singing the National Anthem

Before we knew it, it was time to head over to the stadium to watch the game. The game was lots of fun and the dawgs won 34-15 against the Utah Utes'.  It was a great game to watch.

 

Me and Joel, cheering on the Dawgs.

Stewart & Sarah Alway, Me and Joel - Excited to see a Husky win!

What made this game extra special to watch, was knowing that the next time the Husky's play a home game, Joel and I will be watching from the stands in the new UW Stadium as season ticket holders.  That's right - Joel and I have bought season tickets to the 2013 UW Football season with Anna and Robert Birch. I am super excited to see Anna and Robert more frequently while we cheer on our home team.



40th Anniversary Celebration

This year was the 40th Anniversary of the company I work for. I helped my boss plan and coordinate the celebration. It was months of hard work, creative thinking and coordination but it all paid off on Thursday night. The event was held at the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit in Seattle Center. We started the night with a walk through the exhibit which features many of Chihuly's beautiful works. Then we had cocktail hour in the Glasshouse where guests enjoyed plated appetizers and drinks. Before we knew it, it was time for an amazing dinner catered by the Collections Cafe. We celebrated our CEO's forty years of service and surprised him with a special song by one of our talented employees. After a champagne toast and a few more speeches, our amazing night came to a close.

The amazing view from within the Glasshouse.

Employees enjoying the social time.

Enjoying our delicious dinner in this beautiful setting.

Joel, Me, and Corliss (my boss)

I had such a wonderful time at this event, my first company anniversary party. It was wonderful to hear how much fun everyone had and to know our hard work paid off. I can't wait to start planning our 45th Anniversary party!