Panes of Glass http://panesofglass.org Sat, 24 Jul 2010 05:00:44 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0-beta2-14526 Savor Seattle… http://panesofglass.org/events/savor-seattle/ http://panesofglass.org/events/savor-seattle/#comments Sat, 24 Jul 2010 05:00:44 +0000 Julie http://panesofglass.org/?p=1018 The day Mom & Dad were flying out of Seattle we decided to do the Savor Seattle Food Tour through Pike Place Market. What a great decision that was! We stopped at 10 different vendors and sampled some amazing treats! My favorite being Chukar Cherries – a must-stop every time I’m in the Market. Our first stop, however, was Starbucks and Peppermint Mochas. Unbeknownst to most, the Starbucks on Pike Street is not the original Starbucks… it just has the original equipment. Pretty funny, huh?

Then, onto Daily Dozen Doughnuts and MarketSpice. The cinnamon doughnuts were favorites of ours! Unfortunately for Mom & Dad, they will have to come visit me again in Seattle to get more… I don’t mind that! And, MarketSpice is renown for their fresh blends of spices and teas.

After doughnuts and tea, we moved onto samples of smoked salmon at the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market – home of the fish throwing everyone has heard of. This practice originally started as a means of saving time from walking from the fish to behind the counter. Here is one of the fishmonger’s throwing a fish!

We moved onto fruit next… white flesh peaches and bing cherries at Frank’s Quality Produce Co. They also sell peppers hung like mini works of art. Very pretty!

Then, we continued onto Pike Place Chowder where I tried my first Clam Chowder and Seafood Bisque. The Clam Chowder was my favorite, and has apparently made it into the Chower Hall of Fame on the East Coast after winning three years in a row!

Next, we moved onto my favorite stop – Chukar Cherries! Ryan & I found this store on our interview trip and took some home to our family for a tasty souvenir. Its a family-owned business out of Eastern Washington and been in the Market for years. We came back after the tour for more!

After cherry salsa and chocolate-covered cherries, we continued onto Beecher’s Handmade Cheese for cheese and crackers and homemade macaroni and cheese. Both were excellent!

We were getting really full, but only a few more stops! We proceeded to Piroshky, Piroshky… for – you guessed it – piroschkies! We had savory (meat & cheese) and sweet (apple & cinnamon) samples, which our tour guide, Nick, likened both to gourmet Hot Pockets. Both were delicious!

Our last stop was Etta’s. The chef here has five restaurants in the Seattle Downtown area and known for his Crab Cakes and Coconut Cream Pie, the crab cakes being our last sample of the day.

Needless to say, we were stuffed, but the tour was a great way to see the Market and get some of the back story behind it and its vendors. We went back and visited a few spots after the tour was over – doughnuts for the road and a Beecher’s Grilled Cheese to go for my dinner. Then, we had to head to the airport. I was so sad to see Mom & Dad go after spending a week together, but very thankful I’ll get to see them in November when Katelyn has come!

]]> http://panesofglass.org/events/savor-seattle/feed/ 1 Deception Pass & More! http://panesofglass.org/events/deception-pass-more/ http://panesofglass.org/events/deception-pass-more/#comments Thu, 22 Jul 2010 22:27:54 +0000 Julie http://panesofglass.org/?p=986 We took a day trip to Whidbey Island, home of a Naval Air Base about 45 minutes from Bellingham. To get to Whidbey Island, you have to travel over Deception Pass, a narrow waterway separating the island from the mainland. The steel bridge, built in 1935 was amazing and we were able to walk to the other side, taking some beautiful pictures along the way!

The currents through the pass cause the water to curl, as you can see…

And, some more people pics. It was cold and cloudy in the morning, hence this first picture, but thankfully the sun came out in the afternoon! We stopped by on our way home for some sunny pics!

This “warning” sign under the bridge was pretty hilarious…

Then, we moved onto Ft. Casey, a hold-over protective base built to help defend Puget Sound, along with two other bases. The guns were never fired in wartime, but impressive none-the-less!

And, of course, the Lighthouse nearby – a must-see for Mom & Dad! We climbed to the top of the lighthouse for a great panorama view of the water.

We ate in a cute town, Coupeville, and shopped several stores before heading back to Bellingham. Although a long day, we were able to see a lot of fun sights!

]]> http://panesofglass.org/events/deception-pass-more/feed/ 0 Snow in July?!? http://panesofglass.org/events/snow-in-july/ http://panesofglass.org/events/snow-in-july/#comments Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:00:49 +0000 Julie http://panesofglass.org/?p=973 Mt. Baker is a ski slope about an hour from Bellingham. The drive up the mountain is only open for four to six weeks a year due to the snowfall. On Sunday afternoon we decided to drive out to Picture Lake, a beautiful view of the snow-capped mountain!

And, a photo of all of us in front of the view!

Then, Ryan decided to throw a snowball at Mom! He is VERY brave! Thankfully, she and Dad thought it was pretty funny too!

We topped it off with a fun dinner at Graham’s, a local restaurant with lots of character! The drive was so beautiful and we had a great time!

]]> http://panesofglass.org/events/snow-in-july/feed/ 0 Cruising the San Juan Islands… http://panesofglass.org/events/cruising-the-san-juan-islands/ http://panesofglass.org/events/cruising-the-san-juan-islands/#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 05:00:49 +0000 Julie http://panesofglass.org/?p=948 The San Juan Islands are a group of small islands southwest of Bellingham. Their surrounding waters are home to three pods of Orca Whales! Although this was high time to see them, however, they were apparently too far north and we missed them. We did see some Harbor Seals and Bald Eagles, as well as the beautiful scenery!

Our touring cruise ship and a few cool views while at sea.

Here’s a view of Mt. Baker from around the bend, followed by a Lighthouse at the tip of San Juan Island, just before the Canadian Border.

And, for the only wildlife we saw on the tour, here are some sun-bathing Harbor Seals…

And a Bald Eagle somewhere near the top of this tree!

]]> http://panesofglass.org/events/cruising-the-san-juan-islands/feed/ 0 The BEST Birthday Present Ever!!! http://panesofglass.org/events/the-best-birthday-present-ever/ http://panesofglass.org/events/the-best-birthday-present-ever/#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 05:26:41 +0000 Julie http://panesofglass.org/?p=936 Mom, Dad, Amber & Zane gave me the BEST birthday ever by surprising me by bringing Traci with them on their first visit to Bellingham! I knew Mom & Dad were coming for the week, but then Traci showed up at the airport! They have been planning this since March and I had NO clue!!! More posts to come on our fun adventures in Bellingham, Whidbey Island, Seattle & Mt. Baker!

Here are a few fun pics from our Birthday Dinner at our favorite pizza place, Coconut Kenny’s.

Then, mom gave us some fun earrings from Chico’s – always a favorite gift from her!

Its been a GREAT week!

]]> http://panesofglass.org/events/the-best-birthday-present-ever/feed/ 0 And The Name Is… http://panesofglass.org/family/and-the-name-is/ http://panesofglass.org/family/and-the-name-is/#comments Tue, 06 Jul 2010 01:00:05 +0000 Julie http://panesofglass.org/?p=917 Katelyn Sage Riley

We had planned on not revealing the name until after she was born, but we decided so quickly, it was too tough to keep the secret, especially from our curious families! My family tried all week to guess it, and actually did (to my extreme poker face)! When Ryan came into town, we told both families together at lunch. They were so surprised, it was great! I called Amber after leaving lunch to tell her. She loved the name, as it was even on their list of potential girl names!

So here’s the origin of how we named her: Ryan thought of her name the night of our 20-week ultrasound. We had not talked about that name specifically, so it took me off-guard, but I had always liked it. Plus, there are many great spellings, as well as a great nickname of ‘Kate’. And, ultimately I love that he named her! And, Sage is a family name on Ryan’s side, as well as my favorite color! Turns out, Katelyn means ‘Pure’ & Sage means ‘Wise’, making it even more special.

We are so excited for Katelyn Sage to turn our family 2 into a trio!

]]> http://panesofglass.org/family/and-the-name-is/feed/ 3 Back In Texas… Part 1! http://panesofglass.org/travel/back-in-texas-part-1/ http://panesofglass.org/travel/back-in-texas-part-1/#comments Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:10:56 +0000 Julie http://panesofglass.org/?p=890 We just got back from an amazing week and a half in Texas visiting family for the first time since we moved four months ago. Needless to say, we were excited to see everyone again! Feeling the TX heat made it feel like summer, finally! Despite Hurricane Alex, we did see some sun! It was a jam-packed weekend, but here are a few fun pics!

My great friend and mentor, Kris, and other great friend, Jill hosted a shower for friends at Kris’s home. It was a blast, and as you can tell, the girls loved it too!

Then, off to the Children’s Museum. Kendall and Laniey painted and put together puzzles… well, we all had to help on one of them! It does not help when Lainey could care less that the Lady Bug had 2 heads! Here’s Kendall’s attempt…

Then, off to painting. Here is Kendall’s work of art!

Potentially, the Blind leading the Blind…

And, to finish off the trip, pink face paint!

Amber and the girls were able to come in for most of the weekend, which was great! We were able to take a picture of all of dad’s girls (including the one in utero)! He’s quite proud!

Pics and details of our Bridge City fun coming soon!

]]> http://panesofglass.org/travel/back-in-texas-part-1/feed/ 1 Planes & Trains or Ribbons & Bows? http://panesofglass.org/events/planes-trains-or-ribbons-bows/ http://panesofglass.org/events/planes-trains-or-ribbons-bows/#comments Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:11:41 +0000 Julie http://panesofglass.org/?p=815 We sent these packages to both sets of grandparents and all three aunts… the verse on the back says,

Boy or Girl, you will soon find out! Unwrap a kiss…
Are there nuts?
Only then will you know,
is Baby Riley a Mister or Miss!

The packages were filled with Plain Hershey Kisses, so… its a GIRL! Hershey Kisses with Almonds would have indicated it was a boy… pretty awesome, albeit slightly off-color! Needless to say, it was torture for the grandparents to wait for USPS, but everyone appreciated it in the end! Here is a priceless photo progression of my parents opening their gift via Skype. Dad got the ‘no nuts’ concept right away… it took my very shocked Mom a second or two! She was convinced it was a boy…

Cathy and Jimmy were able to open theirs together and videoed the event. Then, called both of us to tell us how happy they were to finally know! Ryan’s sister & nephew, Kim & Cole, opened theirs together and were also excited! Our nephew Cade was the only one, besides my dad, that guessed it was a girl. Then, my sister Amber and the girls (Lainey & Kendall) had some fun! I think they were more excited about the Hershey Kisses, though…

I had meant to tell Traci in person on a trip to Houston but completely spilled the beans on accident 2 days before I got there! She loved the gift, though!

Our little girl will be the 3rd granddaughter on my side and 1st granddaughter on Ryan’s side! Needless to say, the Rileys are thrilled to experience a girl and my dad is just hoping for a girl interested in planes at some point, seeing as he is still with no boys. The pressure is on, Traci!

We are so excited and starting to narrow down our list of names. Now, onto figuring out the nursery theme…

]]> http://panesofglass.org/events/planes-trains-or-ribbons-bows/feed/ 6 First Father’s Day! http://panesofglass.org/events/first-fathers-day-2/ http://panesofglass.org/events/first-fathers-day-2/#comments Sun, 20 Jun 2010 22:45:51 +0000 Julie http://panesofglass.org/?p=870 We were able to celebrate Father’s Day for the first time this year! Seeing Baby Riley again has made it so much more real for both of us, on top of my growing belly! Traci & Rich and my parents sent cards. And, both sets of (grand)parents pitched in for a nice Father’s Day Dinner for Ryan. We went to Hearthfire, a great restaurant on the water here in Bellingham. It was a beautiful night and quite memorable! We were in a funny mood before heading off to dinner… hence the crazy pose! Baby Riley has so much to look forward to with Ryan as its dad!

]]> http://panesofglass.org/events/first-fathers-day-2/feed/ 0 20 Weeks In, 20 Weeks To Go… http://panesofglass.org/family/20-weeks-in-20-weeks-to-go/ http://panesofglass.org/family/20-weeks-in-20-weeks-to-go/#comments Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:36:20 +0000 Julie http://panesofglass.org/?p=794 We had our 20 Week Ultrasound today. Baby Riley is developing perfectly! There were tons of measurements and pictures taken, which are included below. The due date is staying consistent at November 2nd.

My baby bump appeared seemingly overnight last week! Its been fun to actually look pregnant! I think I have felt the baby move, but not completely sure yet… more news to come on that one. ;)

Baby showed us its fingers…

Then, its face…

Its tootsies!

And, finally, my 20 Week Baby Bump!

We’ll reveal the gender of our baby after our family knows, which will be after next week! We are sending all grandparents and aunts a fun gift, which I will also post on here after they receive… we think its quite clever! ;)

]]> http://panesofglass.org/family/20-weeks-in-20-weeks-to-go/feed/ 7