What we did during our (long) weekend

On Wednesday (the day before Carrie and I went to Utah), I had to take Axia  to be boarded at a place in Kent, Holiday Kennels. Seeing as how we'd be busy that night going to a three-hour class for future parents of multiples, I planned to take Carrie into work, then drop Axia off, then head to work myself a few hours late. Seeing as how the kennel didn't open for drop-offs until later, I elected to go for my very first downtown run along the waterfront.

First leg:

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I went to Downtown Cups, my second favorite cafe in Seattle, and the one to which I've been going for the longest time; I started going there ever since I started working in Seattle back in 2005, while I still lived in Silverdale.

Second leg:

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I did some stretches, and then went to Caffe Bella, my favorite cafe in Seattle, and the fist one that I visited just about every morning when I moved to Belltown in 2006.  In fact, the owner was kind enough to let Carrie and I host a get-together for friends and family on the night before our wedding over a year ago.

As I mentioned before, Carrie and I went to a three hour class for future parents of Multiples at Swedish. Although we didn't learn many new things  tonight (this class is part of a five-week series), we got a chance to be put in touch with other parents who were in the same situation as we are. I'm hoping that we'll be able to find one or more other couples with whom we can trade support.

Thursday through Sunday, Carrie and I were in Utah to visit her family and go to a baby shower which had been put together by Carla, my sister in law. The day that we flew in, Carla, Rus (my father in-law) and Rod (my brother in-law) all went out to eat at Red Iguana, which is easily one of the three best Mexican Restaurants that I've ever eaten at, and has, hands down, the best moles I've ever had. The place opens at 11 for lunch; we arrived at 11:20 to a packed establishment and eight tables ahead of us on the waiting list. The place is simply that good, and if you ever get out to Salt Lake City, I highly recommend making a special visit.


Richfield, Utah is a small town of about 6,000 people 1-1/2 hours south of Salt Lake City. I've been there once before earlier in the year, and things haven't changed much. We stayed at my parent in-law's place for the duration of the visit. Thursday and Friday were pretty much our days to relax, although Carrie and I did prepare some kick-ass slow cooked rubbed ribs and squash Friday night. Saturday was the baby shower, during which we got a ton of baby gear from Carrie's family and friends in Utah; after having met relative upon relative, I escaped with Rus, with whom I spent the next two hours driving around the countryside and generally B-S'ing with before we returned home.


On Sunday, Rus, Carla, Carrie and I drove back into SLC to meet Rod for brunch at Red Rock Brewing Company in downtown SLC. As brunches go, it was fine; as Microbrewerys go, I've seen better in Seattle.


So, we're both back in town now, Axia is resting safe and soundly back home, and life, as it is, has returned back to normal.


And I cannot wait to meet my two precious children!

Γεμινι

A couple of days before our trip to Utah, Carrie and I found out the gender(s) of our soon-to-be children.  I resisted the urge to post the info on Facebook or tell anyone else until after our return so that it would be guaranteed to be a surprise.

We went through a bit of debate as whether or not we should find out; in the end, we decided that since (a) there are many wonderful and generous people in our lives who want to help us out, and (b) finding gender-neutral things for kids is extremely difficult, even in these supposedly enlightened times, it would be good for everyone if we found out.

So, without further ado...

Baby "A"

Baby "B"

Yep - two bouncing baby boys will be making thier way into our lives very soon! :)

Our thanks to Carrie's sister, Carla, as well as her parents for putting together and hosting a baby shower for us during our stay in Utah this past weekend, and our gratitude to all of Carrie's friends and and relatives for thier unbelievable generosity! Its good knowing that there are people who care in the world that we are about to bring our children into!

Le fin de le fin de semaine

This weekend was the first non-painting weekend in a long time (ad the first of at least two to boot!), but that doesn't mean that Carrie and I were any less busy.  On Saturday, we went to an EMOMS consignment sale in Bellevue where we found a ton of used baby clothing for a decent price. Initially the two of us were a bit conflicted about getting consignment anything for our children - after all, we want the best for our precious ones, and part of that involves a degree of environmental stewardship which leads us to want to get organic everything for  them.

But - families hand down clothing and the like to subsequent generations all the time, and each piece of used clothing or furniture reduces our own environmental footprint even more than if we were to buy all new organic clothing and eco-friendly furniture, since we are not consuming newly-made goods.

After the massive consignment sale, we then made our way to another consignment place in Madison Park called Sugarlump, and Birth and Beyond, a maternity boutique store. It was at the latter place that we decided to go with the G-Diapers system. We spend more up front for inserts and pants, but the cloth prefolds themselves are washable, so we don't end up having to spend $50/week for diapers, which I think is worth a little up-front pain (plus, we're not contributing as much to landfills, which is also a nice added bonus).

We also shopped at Target that day for more baby things, and ended our time out relaxing at Stellar Pizza in Georgetown. While goggling the directions, I noticed that (1) it was within easy running distance, and (2) there was a cafe right down the road. So, on Sunday morning,we went shopping for ingrediants so that Carrie could make a batch of her kick-ass chili.

I'm looking forward to next weekend; Carrie and I will be in Utah to see family and go to a baby shower being hosted by her sister. When we get back - I think that I'll have a major announcement! :)

The love of my good and gracious wife

Last night, I went through the same routine that I normally carry out during (mostly) every morning: I took my medication.

I (am supposed to) take Copaxone for my MS every day. I usually do so during the mornings, but I had forgotten to do so yesterday morning, so I took it at night.

For the first time that I can remember, my chest tightened, my heart rate shot througth the roof, I had trouble breathing, and I broke out into a cold sweat.  I had to lay down with my feet elevated for about half and hour, and I (gladly) went to bed pretty much right after dinner.  I'm feeling fine now, but I elected to skip my run this morning in order to get more sleep.

I'm thanking providence that Carrie was there for me, since I was genuinely concerned for my short-term well-being at the time.  She took care of me, and, even though she was out of breath herself and uncomfortable many times throughout the evening due to the strain of carrying twins, she relinquished her usual spot on the couch so that I could be the one laying down instead of her. She took it upon herself to re-read the literature that came with the medication so as to reassure me that this is one of the expected side effects of the medication. The love of a good and gracious person goes far in this world - this was reinforced for me last night.

Fra l'inferno e l'inverno

Well, after another six-week summer here in Seattle, I'm looking at the weather forecasts for the rest of the month, and all I'm seeing is either cloudiness or rain, with highs in the 50's and 60's. If it wasn't the case before, it is now: summer in Seattle  is over.

I'll miss the warmer days and the sun and the opportunities to take many walks, no doubt, but I'll not shed any tears over the heat waves and being stuck in a place that has no AC, that's for sure.

This summer's passing is a bittersweet occasion for me. The beginning saw Carrie getting pregnant with twins, our getting our very first house together, my return to Maryland to see friends that I'd not laid eyes on in two decades (as well as family and friends that I had seen on a more frequent basis over the years), my return to running, and two very momentous birthdays for Carrie and me.

However, the upcoming fall is not without its treats. In a few days, we'll be flying back to Utah to spend more time with my in-laws, finding out the gender(s) of our children, and (hopefully with the help of my sister-in-law) finishing up the ever-present painting project that has consumed so many hours of our lives, as well as finally getting our mess of a studio organized and getting the kids room put together.

Ever since my copacetic autumnal experiences in Maryland, I've come to believe that fall,  is my favorite season, since (for me) it represents  the change from the youthful eagerness of summer into the staid introspection of winter; not so much a sea change as a easy transition in which (at times) elements of both its seasonal bookends are present.

Past the fall, for me, though, lies even greater occasions. Our kids will be born next year, and I may see fall supplanted by winter as my favorite, since it will be the season of the birth of our children.  That is the event that I am most looking forward to!

...and the painting continues...

It seems as if the painting will never end...

I went into this weekend with the intention of fully finishing both the trim in the living room and the entire hallway; however, after having spent most of the day putting two coats of primer and finishing 3/4 of the hallway prior to running out of paint, I had to concede (yet again) that this entire endeavor was going to take a while.  Things are getting done, though, and I should feel grateful for that.

This morning (Sunday), after my run around Greenlake, Carrie and I went to Cyndy's along Aurora for breakfast with her long-time friend, John. We then went shopping for maternity clothes, and became grreatly preturbed that two of the three major department stores in Northgate - Macy's and Nordstrom - didn't even have a maternity section (the young lady at Macy's that we asked didn't even know what "Maternity" meant!!!), leaving JC Penny's the only department store there that did indeed have a section.  Of course, we went to Target and Motherhood, but there selections seem to be limiting after a while.

Oh - and my run...

One of my goals for this year has been to do the entire inner Greenlake run without stopping. It wasn't the easiest thing to do, but I did it! Seeing as how I ran 2.15 miles a couple of days ago, and 2/74 today without stopping, I'm thinking that running  the 2 miles from the light rail station to my house should be no problem whatsoever at this point.

Happy Anniversary, 2009

As of yesterday, Carrie and I have been married an entire year!

It seems like only days ago that the two of us had our ceremony at Cafe Zeitgeist in Pioneer Square only a few hours before jetting off to Buenos Aires for our honeymoon, but a year has passed and so much has happened:

• We got the chance to spend ten – yes ten – days snowed in during the great Seattle snow-dump of 2008
• I got the chance to fly to Utah for the very first time, and meet more of Carrie's relatives
• We bought a house together in Beacon Hill, Seattle
• Carrie got pregnant with twins

Quite an eventful year certainly. We commemorated the occasion by getting out of the house for a day and spending it on the Kitsap peninsula. After taking the ferry to Bainbridge Island, we first went to Molly Ward gardens for brunch, then I drove her out to my old haunt in Silverdale so that she could see the suburban sprawl where I used to live. We then went walking around in downtown Poulsbo, where we browsed a couple of antique stores and I got a chance to re-visit a couple of my old hangouts, Sluys bakery (whose donuts puts Krispy Kreme to shame, in my opinion) and Java Shots espresso, both being places that I would occasionally spend a weekend morning. Afterwards, we made our way back to Winslow on Bainbridge island, where we walked around downtown for another little bit, picking up some fresh pasta and sauce to make for dinner at home. A short ferry ride later, and we were back at our abode, a little tired, but happier for having spent yet another day – and year – together.