Famous Last Words

You know what I'm going to write, right?

I really thought I wouldn't be going back because when I left, Kurt said they didn't have enough work for all the engineers in that office. But yesterday night I got the word that Seattle needs me, and they need me now.

I tried offering up Ricky as sacrifice since he's already there but apparently they want ME because it involves the floating bridge part that I worked on.

Sigh. I'm just too good...

Unfortunately I've fooled them all.

At least this time it will only be for 2.5 weeks. Originally it was to be for 4 weeks but I told them I had a church obligation... which is true.

After talking about it last summer, I was supposed to finally get to do "Project Runway" with the YM/YW in April. I had even laid awake Monday night making plans in my head, which I finally wrote down on a pad of paper so I could get some sleep.

So Seattle decided to send me back on Tues the 12th.

Unfortunately the combined activity is on the 7th so I still miss it. Unless the nice, wonderful, beautiful leaders move it for me... again. Fifth times the charm, right?

This blog was going to start with "As I left Seattle for (what I thought was) the last time, I took pictures on my cell phone of Mt Rainer out the window. It had been cloudy over Seattle, but they were sparser down south."

Instead I will show the pictures but continue to complain. Anyone still here?

OK, now that they've left I can just complain to you.I'm going to miss the Clark County Fair and a whole week of preparatory crocheting.I'll miss General Conference surrounded by all my crocheting/sewing/duck tape paraphernalia.
And Choir practice for the Easter Program (this is a picture of the next mountain south of Mt. Rainer).
And biking in the beautiful Las Vegas weather.
Sigh. I guess in a couple of weeks it will way outweigh being unemployed.

But today, it's only just.

(added later) PS. If you click on the pictures to see them bigger, you'll see on the 3rd and 4th picture that the bump in the clouds IS the mountain.

Seattle Discoveries

I meant to post this earlier but I'm crocheting like crazy to get ready for the fair in 2 weeks. This year I'm gonna win that blue ribbon! (Movie Quote)

1. Forgetting ur plug in for your new laptop is expensive to replace, but at least that's all I forgot the first 2 weeks.

2. Second 2 weeks... not so much. Ie, forgetting ur laptop is more expensive still. Thank heavens for nice VTs.

3. Krogers Rice Bitz do not taste at all like Rice Chex.

4. You can only stay in the Barns and Nobles parking lot for 2 hrs.. after that you have to pay.

5. The third floor stairway is a great place to store your shopping cart.

6. The meat isle in a Seattle supermarket should really be called the seafood isle.

7. They didn't leave out the first two digits of the elevation on the conceptual bridge plans, 17.41ft IS the elevation.

8. They have Jimmy Johns in Seattle!

9. Apparently I leave a trail of stickers no matter where I go.
10. It's OK for toilet water to be tan in the office building. They recycle.

11. I only have one sweatshirt to my name.

12. Rent can be a child's name.

13. New Mexico has it's own Southwest airplane.
14. There is a reason Starbucks was started in Seattle. Its cold and wet. I watched people walk around with their steaming Starbucks cups and was jealous.

15. They have talking water fountains.

No joke, that speaker underneath would make gurgling sounds whenever you pushed the button for water.

And the last one... although perhaps this should be a Vegas discovery,

17. Bread, cheese, yogurt and eggs will keep for 2 months in a fridge but the cut onion and lettuce... not so much.

Home Sweet Home

What does a Melanie do when she gets home after 2 months away from her stuff?

Says a loving hello to her books, car ("I missed you!"), books on the other bookshelf, pillow ("I missed you even more!"), books downstairs, and then eats pizza and garlic knots while going through her accumulated mail. And then blogs about it.

It doesn't get much better than that.

Last Weekend In Seattle

YA!! I mean... so sad to leave.

I wouldn't mind coming back but as a tourist where I could go where ever I wanted during the day. Who wouldn't? There's still is a lot to see. Coming back here to work? Not so much.

I wanted to go out this weekend and see something exciting... like the ocean or Canada. Unfortunately I had to work all day Saturday (I didn't even get to have dinner with Mauvia and family who were in town for a funeral. Its a good thing I had gone to see them the weekend before!). I probably could have gone out but then I would have had to work on Sunday to finish and I didn't want to do that.

Yes, I am more righteous than you. Why do you ask?

I have everyone trained at work that I do not work on Sunday so they don't even ask. Its great. I don't want to ever disabuse them of that notion.

Anyway, I had Sunday afternoon. I really did want to see the ocean or Canada. I'd always thought, "Seattle... up in the northwest corner by Canada and on the ocean".

Not so much. Who knew Puget Sound was so big?

I shore didn't.

So I went to Snoqualmie falls and then drove around the mountains and up Puget sound.

I was worried about going to the falls because there is quite a bit of hoopla on the Internet (Washington States most popular attraction!)but it really was cool. (Some guy offered to take my picture.. um... pretend that's my worried look)

Of course, you can't get up close to it but all along the side you get rained on from the mist even though the falls are so far below. It was beautiful. (I think I'll stick with my own picture taking ability.... or not. Where's the falls?) I thought the huge spotlights were kinda funny. The park closes at dusk... when would they use them?
As well as the random words in the concrete steps.
There were lots more I didn't take pictures of. I'm glad I got to see it even though most of it was under construction. On my drive around I saw some cool old farms, nice homes by the shore, and Indian reservation homes (that looked an awful lot like the ones in NM only with clapboard instead of adobe) but of course I didn't take pictures while driving cuz that would be dangerous... well, 'cept I took this one.
One last drive over the 520 floating bridge. This is the one being replaced and the reason I'm in Seattle. Isn't it cool how the bridge blocks the wind enough to keep the waves down? Its because of the fetch.

No really... the fetch is the distance the wind has to push against the water. Just a little engineering info for you.

OK, now I've got to go eat something out of the fridge or freezer. I've got to eat all the food before I leave cuz I can't fit it all in my suitcases. Apparently I buy/make food when I'm stressed.

PS: Don't experiment with goulash when u don't have access 2 ur own pantry. If it doesn't work, there's no spices (garlic) or sour cream to fix it.

Back to Wenatchee

Since I probably won't be coming back to Seattle any time soon (famous last words), I thought I would go and see my friend Mauvia and family again. Plus, I had so much fun last time that I wanted to play with them again!

So off I went. I tried to take a picture of the same bridge as last time to show the difference, but there wasn't a good place to stop cuz of too much SNOW.
It took me a little longer to get out there cuz first I had to work in the morning and then there was snow over the pass even though the roads were just wet.

Hello Tate!
He wasn't too impressed with my star wars legos playing abilities. I always died trying to call for back up.

Ben made us wonderful turkey burgers and Mauvia fried zucchini. (Yes, this is the only picture I got of Ben. Fail)
Never had fried zucchini before. It was good!

Mauvia and I stayed up way too late watching North and South. I love Mr. Thorton. I don't think Mauvia was as impressed cuz she kept falling asleep :-) She said she's gonna read the book. I think I'm gonna too.

It was beautiful in Wenatchee. Sunny.
Yes, I took a picture of her bathroom.
I remember this theme from when I visited her many years ago when I graduated.
I thought it was cute!

At church we listened closely to the talks while playing with stickers.
Do you see the stickers on the nose? Tate put them there.
When we got back from church (where I got 2 go 2 Primary cuz Mauvia is the Pres and was welcomed with the "Hello!" song twice!), I looked at the traffic cams over Stephens Pass. Uh oh. Snowing lots. I better get going! I looked at I-90 but it was farther away and it looked like it was worse. Washington have traffic cameras all over the state... its way cool!

So, instead of staying to listen to Zoe's recital I said goodbye,

To Ben, Mauvia and Greyson (more picture fail... u'll have to see if Mauvia has better on her blog)
Zoe,
Tate
And started my journey.

It started snowing as soon as I got into the canyon. And got worse and worse.
Have you ever driven on something like this in a little Chevy Aveo? That thing was so squirly, slipping around on the road. I shore missed my Subaru! This is where it opened up into two lanes and I could move over to the slow lane.

I didn't want to stop cuz I was afraid I would never get going again.
Some white knuckle driving (Don't tell Dad I took pictures while I was driving!). I learned pretty quick how to use the engine to help slow me down as I headed down the hill.

It was so nice to get down over the pass and back to rain. Rain on snow... so weird.
Once I got down over the pass the traffic became stop and go. It took me just over 4 hours to get back.

Now it doesn't seem quite so bad even though I know it was. I was wishing I hadn't left so early even though I know I made the best decision. The next day they closed I-90 and made chains mandatory across the pass.

Its raining in Seattle again.
But its OK cuz I got to see Mauvia and family :-). Thanks again for a fun weekend!