Introducing...

Easton Richard Bramble

Born: May 20 at 1:04am
Weight: 8 lbs. 5 oz.

Congratulations to my dear friends Kristi and Todd and the arrival of their darling baby boy. I am absolutely thrilled for the two them and can't wait to watch Easton grow over the years. The best part about coming home from our trip last night was knowing that I would get to meet/hold/snuggle/kiss baby Easton and visit with Kristi in Olympia today. At just three days old, he's healthy and perfect with his big blue eyes, olive skin and dark hair. I've been in love with this baby since the day his mamma called to tell me she was pregnant and now meeting him for the first time has confirmed this feeling and made me fall even harder.

2 Day Adventure on St. Maarten

We arrived yesterday around 3pm and have been having a blast ever since. Here are a few photos of our brief stay on the island before we head out on the catamaran with our friends tomorrow morning. The fascinating thing about this 37 sq. mile island is that it's a part of two different countries - the Dutch side and the French side - we're with the Dutch. To make a call from a landline from the French side to the Dutch side, a person is charged international long distance - pretty funny.

Our hotel Divi Little Bay Resort in the background


Stuck in a downpour - thankfully we were at the bar


Hotel




Philipsburg, St. Maarten - the capital




View from lunch at the Barefoot Restaurant


The Boardwalk in Philipsburg


Big Bay

I tested my luck at one of the casinos in town and played roulette - if I had won big, I would have flown our families and friends out to join us...sorry no luck - lost $10.

Shrimp...the fruit of the sea...

Apparently, this past Saturday was the start of shrimping season. Me, like most of you, had no clue about this special day other than Steve coming home with a fishing/shrimping license and us heading out to Harstine Island for the weekend. Steve was sure he found the perfect 230 ft deep spot to drop the shrimp pot...if by perfect he was implying he'd catch ONE shrimp (just like last year), he was dead on. I was picturing a pot full of shrimp, similar to the crab pots on Deadliest Catch...no such luck.

On Friday after work, we loaded up the RinaCamper and took off to Harstine for the weekend to celebrate Mike's birthday. Per usual, we had a great time with family. Boating, beers, BBQ, bonfires, gourmet s'mores and boat rides. I look forwad to the day that there is a cabin on the property, but for now, we really enjoy pulling our trailer out there.

You can call me captain


Not sure about the sideburns/tendrils


Ruger & Skipper

No, not in hiding...

Just consumed by life, a weekend away at Harstine Island, daydreaming about the Virgin Islands...and three nights in a row of happy hour last week...who does that? Apparently me - I was easily persuaded.

photo taken by my father-in-law during a family beach walk on Harstine

:: MOD crazy ::

Have you had the pleasure of trying MOD Pizza yet?
If not, I highly recommend it

Michelle and I try to meet for lunch once a week and so far our favorite spot is MOD Pizza on Bellevue Way across from the new Safeway. The pizza's are handmade (in record time...I think) and 'made on demand' (acronym: MOD). If you don't want one of the pizza's off the menu, you can build your own for only $5.88 - steal of a deal! Be sure to try out the garlic knots too - they're excellent dipped in marinara.
The only pizza that I have tried out, so far, is the Caspian (I'm partially obsessed with BBQ chicken pizza) and it is delicious.
If you don't come to Bellevue often, check out the downtown Seattle and U-District locations.

Eventful Weekend...

And now completely exhausted...
If I were to lay my head down on the desk right now, I'd probably fall asleep in two minutes, so I'll keep this brief...

Friday Night:
Happy Hour with the bootcamp girls and our trainer at Earls in Bellevue. Then, off to Jamie's 30th Birthday party at glassybaby in Madrona. Wine, friends, dessert and glassblowing - perfect party for the birthday girl. Happy 30th Birthday James - hope you had a fabulous day!



James with some of the "babies"



glass blower



L.Spry, Cheryl and Leslie



Lauren, Ruthie, Jamie and Rothie
Saturday:
- Engagement shoot at Gas Works


- the Sounders game (and matchmaking for a friend)






Sunday:
- A long walk on the Soos Creek Trail with Steve
- Editing
- Laundry/clean house/trip to Costco. Attempted to get the garden started, but ran out of time.
- Dinner at our house with the Tharldson's...mainly because it had been way too long since I had seen this little man and it's always great to catch up with his mom and dad. With his baby brother on the way, I told Carter that if he ever needs to escape, he can come to my house and play anytime he wants. His giant blue eyes and smile melt my heart.



Hope you all had a wonderful weekend...goodnight...

In One Month...

We will be landing on St. Maarten
this is no joke...runway is literally feet from the beach


via
Along with 6 friends, St. Maarten will be our first destination (for 2 nights) before taking off on a 7 day adventure through the Leeward Islands/Virgin Islands - stopping along the way on St. Barth, St. Kitts, Nevis and hopefully a few remote islands in between.

Our mode of transportation for the week...


...I think I'll start packing tonight...

Who Knew...

That a new car could make such a difference in a person's life? I sure didn't - until a month ago...when we bought our new car. I am so thankful for this car and honestly believe I'm a happier person because of it. Here are a few things that have made my driving experience 100 times better.

Comfort - the comfort level far exceeds anything I could have dreamed of - the drive is so smooth.

Sound - I can actually talk to a passenger in the car without having to raise my voice.

Automatic - so many things about the car are automatic including the engine (my favorite part). No more stick shift while sitting on 405 in miserable traffic.

Music - a car without any blown speakers - AHHH-MAZING! I've been listening to my iPod, non-stop/on repeat, for the past two weeks. With that said, I thought I'd share a few of my current favorites (I have an eclectic taste).

No plans yet for Sunday morning?

How about a little exercise? Come join Margie and I for a 12K run (that's only 7.46 miles...for those of you wondering) with the Seattle Seahawks to benefit the Renton-Skyway Boys & Girls Club.

If you'd like to join our team (Register Here) or if you'd like to come out and cheer us on, let us know - we'd love to see you along the course.

One Day Without Shoes...

Is TODAY - April 8, 2010

To be honest, I don't feel completely comfortable going barefoot all day today - so instead, my contribution to this day and in honor of children all over the world that can not afford shoes, I purchased two pairs of TOMS { my first...woot! } - one for me and one for my sister { she doesn't know this yet - we'll see if she sees this before they arrive } - which in turn means that two more people living in a developing country will receive a free pair of shoes directly from TOMS. Be sure to check out their site for for more information about this amazing organization and to view their sylish shoe and clothing options. TOMS may also be purchased at Nordstroms.

Hoping this happens to me when I put my TOMS on...
via

:: Best of Seattle ::

There aren't many people out there that can say they've won a "best of..." recognition, but as of this past Tuesday, my dear friend Jamie (commonly known in the baking world as JOAT) can now (officially) say that she is a part of that elite group. After a couple of years of baking for friends, family, friends-of-friends, co-workers, etc...she has now been crowned the queen of cupcakes in Seattle, according to everyone that has ever tasted one of her tasty cakes AND Seattle Metblogs. With each new cupcake creation, she continues to improve and I'm always anxious to know what she'll be baking up next. I've been a fan since day one and I'm so happy that the rest of Seattle will now know what they've been missing out on.

Congratulations James on your continued success and this well-deserved award!


Here she is with her AMAZING cupcakes at our wedding in Maui. She honestly stayed inside, missing out on an afternoon at the beach, to bake 100 of the most tasty cupcakes.







If you're interested in trying one of these cakes for yourself, you may contact her at joatcupcakes@gmail.com

Welcome to your 30s...

...Mrs Grout-Blyth...no need to be sad about it...30 looks fabulous on you...

On Saturday night, we hosted Megs 30th birthday party at The Mission in West Seattle. The area we had reserved, with a private bartender, ended up being perfect for our group. The party lasted way too late/early morning and made for a rough Easter with the family, but it was completely worth it. I know Megs was very excited and thankful for all of her friends that came out to celebrate her special day with her. Next year, I think we should get the group back together and celebrate her 31st in Bend.

Jamie made red velvet cupcakes and key lime pie cupcakes - per usual, they were delish and well-deserving of the high five some guests gave each other when they tried them out


No animals were harmed. First "new friend" photo - Megs and I finally got to meet/reconnect with one of our favorite bloggers - Loosy. Just a pointer: On the rare occasion that you do get to meet someone you've blogstalked...don't repeat their entire life back to them...one too many drinks may have caused this to happen in my instance - still hoping I didn't embarrass myself too much.





Happy 30th Mama - love you!