We freed our glee!

Hannah and I visited the Puyallup Fair on Friday.  It was a much needed respite from reality.  We had free passes (thanks, ma), found free parking, headed straight for Pete's BBQ, and loved the food!

The animals of course were a fun attraction and to top it all off, we visited the vendors for a free chair massage, mini-manicure, and a test run of accupunturesque chair/floor pads. Talk about GLEE  :)
Thanks, Hannah, for the fun Friday night!

SU Library

Remember the library construction post last year?  Well, we're almost there!  Yesterday, SU faculty and staff got a peek at the new library and learning commons.  I have never seen such an extensive remodel.  Those of you former SU students will remember the 1970's decor, dark, dreary, library with minimal inviting study spaces.  The old library structure remains, but the inside is drastically different -- modern, inviting, and spacious.  The huge expansion adds to the modern touch.  I was in a bit of a hurry, so these pictures aren't the best, but you'll get the idea.  I'll try to post some of the finished product in the next few weeks.

And here is the view from the patio in front of the student center:

Here is a look at the media production center:

Remember the spiral staircase?  They kept it and added another non-spiral with matching marble!

There is a cafe and starbucks-esque study area:

Makes me want to be a student again!

LOTS of computers!

In the addition, there are certain areas where the exterior of the old structure shows through:

A modern reading room:

Nadeje enjoying the oversized rocking chairs in the faculty lounge.

You can bet that I enjoyed rocking as well.

They opened up the fifth and sixth floors of the library to study spaces and collections storage.  Amazing views.  I'll have to head up there on a nice day for some photo opps.

To read more about it, click here, where you will see how "the learning commons redefines the role of a 21st-century academic library in teaching and learning".

For those of you in the area, join us at the dedication celebration after the Mass of the Holy Spirit on September 30, around 11:30 a.m.

Love my pals!

We recently celebrated the birthday of Miss Fisch at Bastille, a lovely cafe in Ballard.  The scenery, meal and company were all I hoped for. 

Hope this is a very special year for you, Fisch.

More recently, we BBQd ribs and salmon at my parents and enjoyed some relaxation with the crazy animals and friends.  It was a lovely Labor Day BBQ.  Here are a million random photos.

Alfred visited the farm for the first time.  Jager showed him around.

And they stalked chickens together:

Baby chicks were born just a few days prior.

Tyler and Levi wrangled the mother hen and baby chicks!

I love this girl!

Karlie and Jordan do too!

Who am I kidding, everyone LOVES her!

And Alfred too!

A visit to Auburn wouldn't be complete without German food.  Krautnip and pickles!!!  Mom put us to work pinching noodles.  It was so worth all of the manual labor!

Thanks, all, for the perfect BBQ!

5 years ago...

We celebrated in the great state of Montana the wedding of Kari and Bruce!  *Fun* times!
Happy Anniversary, guys!  Love always, WaWa

fantastic hike

Mt. Rainier hike: Check!

Tyler and I took the backroads down to Mt. Rainier today for a hike at Chinook Pass, known as the Tipsoo Lake-Naches Peak Loop.  Words cannot even describe how beautiful it was.  Wildflowers everywhere, critters, peaks, sun, wonderfulness!  :)

I took 246 pictures which I cut down to 171.  Sorry, I don't have the patience to post 171 here, so you'll get the best of the best.

We didn't get a spectacular view of Mt. Rainier itself due to lingering clouds, but there were a few peaks that presented themselves, the first being from the car:

We began the hike by passing Tipsoo Lake and beautiful marshy areas.

 

Next up, beautiful peaks and valleys and the Naches Peak.

Dewey Lakes

And a peak at Mt. St. Helens!

More scenery:

We waited here awhile to see if the clouds would roll away, but no luck :(

The wildflowers were in full bloom and I loved every minute of it!

I have to admit that I was worried about a bear encounter.  Thankfully, there were no bears in sight.  But there were wonderful peaks of wildlife.  Some up close even!

First, a pika!  We didn't really know it was a pika until futher research, but one things for sure: this guy was CUTE!!!!!  And he was very intent on carrying his load of branches.

Next up was a gray jay!  I caught him mid flight as Tyler was eating his sandwich:

 

Here's a closeup:

And another one...cute!

All in all, a fabulous hike.  One of my favorites now.  Definitely worth the long drive.