A day in the park

Last friday was such a beautiful and sunny day and I couldn't help but take advantage of it. Since it has been rainy almost everyday for the past three weeks I just really wanted to get outside! I was working in the afternoon that day so I thought it would be a good day to take Xander out to the park. My mom went with us so that she could take some pictures of me and Xander together. It was so much fun even though Xander did get a little cranky toward the end. Here are some pictures from that day.

Hiking Tiger Mountain

Louis and I did end up hiking Tiger Mountain after all. It didn't rain until Saturday night so we were pretty much in the clear all morning. I called him up in the morning around 8:30 to let him know that I was ready to go- don't worry, I talked with him the night before to confirm everything. I asked him if would mind if Oscar came with us and he said it would be fine so he came too. Louis picked me up and we were off. It took about 45 minutes for us to get to Issaquah and by the time we did get there, we were so ready to get going.

The hike was great but we didn't get to the summit as planned because there was too much snow on top. We were kind of bummed but it gives us something to look forward to in the summer. We already talked about it and are thinking maybe June? Anyway the scenery was absolutely beautiful and we saw birds, a squirrel, and a newt. It was so much fun and I can't wait to go again in a few months! After we dropped Oscar back at the house we went to the Cold Stone Creamery in Woodinville and had some really good cake batter ice cream. I had mine with chocolate chips, a kit kat, and M&Ms mixed in. It was so yummy! After we finished he took me back home and I was so tired. I went to bed early that night and slept like a rock! Yesterday at church Louis told me that he took a long nap when he got home. It's a good thing we didn't do anything else that day!

Here are some pics from the hike.
This is the little newt we saw. Can you believe I almost stepped on him! I didn't see him at first and then I had to hop over it to avoid killing him. I would have felt horrible!

Some of the snow that started appearing as we went up.

A little bird I caught a picture of. He was hiding in the tall grass.

Oscar walking alongside us.

Just one of the waterfalls we saw. Oscar kept trying to walk in the water but I had to stop him because the water was way too cold for him.

More of the hills on our was up.

The swamp/marsh that is at the base of the trail.

A robin we saw in a tree.

On the side of the mountain where there is a clear line where the snow ends. I think the sun may have melted it a little.

The little squirrel we saw. It was so cute! I think it may have been a young one.

This is about the point where we turned around because it was getting too hard to walk on the snow anymore.

I think Oscar thought the tire tracks were made just for him.

Maybe not

So, we might not be going up to Tiger Mountain tomorrow after all. If the weather is too cloudy we won't go because we want to enjoy the trails without worrying about whether or not it's going to rain. Even though the weatherman says that the clouds should hold off until the evening I have to ask myself "Do we really want to chance it?

Today has been a wonderful day so far. There has actually been a blue sky for most of the afternoon. I am going to Xander to the park when he wakes up from his nap and I am going to also take my mom with me so she can get some pictures of us together. I've been wanting to do it for a while, but everyone was usually busy so it was just me. I'm crossing my fingers that everything will go smoothly this afternoon.

This Weekend

I am hoping that the weather decides to be good this weekend. Partly because I am really sick and tired of the rain and partly because Louis and I have already made a date for that day to go to Tiger Mountain and I would hate to have to cancel that trip. Even though we do have a backup plan if it does rain, I would really love to get out of the house and back out into nature. Plus I also want to try out the new camera too! The last time I went to tiger mountain was over ten years ago when I went with my brother Steve. It was so much fun and the view was amazing! We even ate McDonald's food when we got to the top (back when I still ate meat). I can't wait to go back again, but this time with a guy I really like. Here are two pictures from last time.

New camera

Well, the title basically says it all. Yesterday I went out to Best Buy and bought myself a brand new Nikon digital camera. The Olympus camera I got several months ago just is not as good as I would like. I've had really good luck with Nikon so I stuck with that brand. This camera is really good and I love the Macro mode because I enjoy taking close-up shots. Here is an example:

I decided to try a close-up of my Leopard Gecko Gollum and I have to say that the picture actually makes him look kind of cute! I can't believe he is 8 years old. I have a feeling that I am going to have way too much fun now and I don't have to worry about changing lens when I am out on a hike. I also don't need to worry about breaking a $1200 Nikon D90 either.

Great Weekend!

I had a fantastic weekend! I was not sick when I woke up on Saturday, so I was able to get things done in the morning. Since I didn't have to worry about working, I was able to make some really yummy No-Bake cookies that I brought to Louis's house that night. I got to his house around 5:45 but I called him right before I left the house so that he could get prepared. I brought my laptop so I could show him more of my photos that I haven't printed out yet. The dinner was great! The curry and rice were cooked perfectly. Right after dinner we ate some of the cookies I brought and they were so good! Next, Louis, his sister and I all watched Tangled together. I had never seen it before and I have to say that it was a super cute movie. I wasn't sure what to expect but I really liked it. After the movie was over I took out the laptop and showed him some of the photos that I had taken over the last several years. We had some laughs about a few of them (which was fun in itself). When we were done looking at my pictures he took me downstairs to show me some pictures on his computer. They were mostly pictures from his mission in Japan but there were also some from Germany, and here in Washington. All I can say is WOW. Japan looks amazing! There are so many parks there and many have beautiful waterfalls. I can't really put into words how good they were because they are hard to describe. Time flew by really fast and before we knew- it was 1 am! I have never in my life stayed out that late.....ever. I got home around 2 am but I had the best time. I'm going to invite him over for dinner next week (this week was really busy for my mom) when I see him at FHE tonight.

Bad Timing

I made a date for tomorrow evening with Louis. It should be really great but there is a chance I may not be able to go. I had the last two days off work which have been really nice....until last night. I couldn't wait for the new show called Mobbed- with Howie Mandel and right before it was about to start I got sick! I couldn't believe it...I was thowing up so bad (at least lunch and dinner). I didn't even know that much food was in me. This went on for about an hour before I finally felt a little better and by then I was totally exhausted. I first texted my boss to let her know that I couldn't come in to work today (I couldn't talk because I was in between throwing up), then I went to bed. I ended up waking up about 3 times with nausea but there was really nothing left in my stomach at that point, so it wasn't that great of a night. I feel a little better today, but haven't eaten anything that would be too harsh on my stomach (really didn't want it to come back up again). My boss called me this afternoon to let me know that I didn't need to come in to work tomorrow because she thought I should have one more day to rest. I just hope I feel better tomorrow because I want to go on this date tomorrow night- and want to watch Tangled while I'm at his house too (I haven't seen it yet). If I don't feel better I will have to call him up and tell him that we'll have to do it another day. I hope I don't have to do that.