Seattle: My Sister's Birthday (11/14-17)

Friday, November 14, 2008

I caught my afternoon flight from SFO to Seattle on Alaska Airlines and arrived just after the sun set.  It felt later than it was since the sun sets much later in Hong Kong, but it made me feel more like I was in the midsts of winter.

My sister, Linda, picked me up and after 30 minutes or so we arrived at her home in Ballard.  My step-father, Reid, had an event to attend so Linda, my mom and I went to the Indian restaurant that catered my sister's wedding this past June.  Due to my participation as the wedding coordinator/emcee I didn't get to really eat much of it at the wedding.  So it was nice to try it out -- quite delicious!

my mom

my sister, linda

delicious indian food

rex the wonder dog

After eating we went back to the house and watched a couple episodes of "Dancing with the Stars". Then it was time for bed. I fell asleep around 2 a.m. or so.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

The next day we didn't have any specific plans.  I ended up sleeping in until around 1:00 a.m. (I guess I really needed the z's) and putzed around a bit until we decided to head over to my sister's office and run a couple errands.

The first errand was to check out some really amazing cup cakes in Wallingford.  I highly recommend this place.  Super delicious.

cupcakes on display

you know you want one

super delicious

My sister's office is in the old Safeco building in the U. District.  We were there just before sunset so we got a nice view of the surrounding area.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

the university and mount rainier in the distance

mount rainier

downtown sunset

my mom taking pictures

Then back to the home to pick up Reid and go get some dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant.  They have someone there who makes fresh tortillas near the door and they are super delicious.  And the food wasn't bad either.  I haven't had Mexican food since I was last in Los Angeles in June, so it was a nice meal.

In the evening we spent the night at the house watching a few DVDs ("Equilibrium", and "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy").  I was feeling a bit of jet lag though and I managed to get to sleep at the reasonable hour of 1:30 a.m.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

It was my sister's birthday!  Happy Birthday to her!  We enjoyed some leftovers from the Indian restaurant for lunch while my mom was preparing the food for the gathering in the evening and my sister was watching Tropic Thunder on my laptop.  I also spent the morning doing some laundry and going through the boxes of things that I have been storing in my sister's basement for the past 3 years.

I managed to throw out a fair bit and will be taking a trunk and two boxes with me to Idaho. There are a bunch of things that I don't need but that I can sell through ebay so I'm going to spend the next 2 months working through that project.  Might craigslist some of them too, if appropriate.

things i'm taking with me to idaho

In the afternoon I ran an errand for my sister and also went out to pick up her present.  She has a DVD player but no DVDs so I thought it was appropriate to go get some for her.  I picked up a few movies that were her favorites as well as a couple others I thought she would like:

The Incredibles

School of Rock

Kung Fu Panda

Forbidden Kingdom

Enchanted

Iron Man

At around 5:00 a couple of her friends showed up to join us for dinner, which was quite delicious.  My mom prepared a few of my sister's favorite dishes (and mine too) and we all chowed down on them.  For desert it was cupcakes.  Yum!

makizushi

cuccumber salad

friendly friends

elham

reid, my step-dad

After her present unwrapping and her friends went home, we watched a couple of the DVDs.  First Kung Fu Panda, since she hadn't watched it, and then The Incredibles.  By then it was late and time to go to bed.

In the morning my sister is leaving early for work so I might not see her before she goes.  My mom, step-dad and I are taking off around 9:00 after we pack up the car.  Then it will be the long drive down to Oregon and over through Boise and beyond to Idaho Falls and Driggs.  It will take us two days since we're taking a stop along the way.

But I'll save that leg of the trip fo the next blog...