The Gages take Seattle

We have been talking about going to Seattle for years. It has always been one of those places that we were really interested to see. So, as our 2nd anniversary neared, we decided to go for it and book a long weekend in the Pacific Northwest. And I must say, it was totally worth it.

We left early on the 17th and were in Seattle and checked in to our hotel by 10 am, so we had a full day to explore. Of course, we made a b-line for the Public Market.

It is every bit as beautiful and interesting as "they" say it is. I guess I expected halibut and cod to be whizzing over my head at every nook and cranny, but its nothing like that. There is really only once place where they throw the fish, and the rest of the market offers a plethora of items. Tons of fresh veggies and fruits. I was most amazed at the flowers - the most beautiful tulips I have ever seen. The people running the stands were putting together all kinds of bouquets for like $10 each. And the lilacs were heavenly!

Sunday brought a clear and sunny day. Being used to the Mountain time zone, we woke up super early and were dressed and ready to go before 8. There was a monorail right by our hotel, so we were able to go directly down to the Space Needle. I'll just go ahead and say that it is overrated, but on a sunny day it is worth it.

Up at the top it seemed to be moving around a little, so we were up there maybe 20 minutes.

At this point, it was still before noon. So off we went to the pier to get on the ferry to Bainbridge Island. This is a must see/do if you ever go to Seattle. Especially on a pretty day. We were actually able to see Mt Ranier from the ferry. We didn't think it would be a big deal - we live right by the Rockies for crying out loud. Imagine casually looking over your shoulder and seeing a 14 thousand foot mountain/volcano from sea level. Makes you feel so small. Here is a pic - wish we had a better lens with us. It was breathtaking. The locals told us its way over due for an eruption. I hope not!

We found a pub on the harbour. It was nice and the food was great. As were the bloody Mary's.

When we returned to Seattle, we enjoyed a wonderful Anniversary dinner at Chez Shea. Its a very romantic spot with just a few tables. The food was delicious.

Its a good thing we walked everywhere, as much as we ate on this trip!

On Monday, we were able to make it to the Nordstrom flagship store, which I loved. I think Jeremiah did, too. We headed back down to the public market and tried some piroshkis and found a chowder place that was incredible. They had a seared scallop chowder that was so good I basically licked the bowl in public. Later that afternoon, we went to a place on the water with an oyster happy hour. Yum. Even though I am totally partial to Gulf oysters, Pacific oysters are just as good.

We met a lady from Harrison coming out of her Yoga class - her Hogs baseball cap was a dead giveaway! She gave us some really great suggestions on places to eat and things to do, most of which we didn't have enough time for. I guess that means another trip is in store for us :)

10 Facebook Rules for Married Couples

Found this on our wedding photographers blog. These are rules to live by, in my opinion.

Facebook has become hugely popular in the past few years. Lea and I both love being able to catch up with old friends and family on Facebook. But with anything that comes along, there can also be dangers and problems if not used responsibly. Sometimes Facebook and other online communities can cause problems in marriages if some rules aren't followed. Here are 10 guidelines for married couples that Lea and I talked about and I'd like to share...

1. Don't spend more time on Facebook than you should. How much time is that? It depends on what your spouse says. Communicate with your spouse and ask them, "Am I spending too much time online?" You want to make sure your spouse is your number 1 relationship, not your buddies on Facebook. Pursue your spouse more than you pursue online relationships. Don't Facebook during "couple" time (ie. When your wife asks you to watch a movie with her, do you Facebook through it? Or don't facebook every night instead of going to bed with your husband.).

2. NEVER hide things from your spouse on Facebook. I've said it before and I'll say it a 1000 more times, openness and honestly is the glue of your marriage. When you start hiding friendships, conversations, chat sessions and comments from your spouse, THAT IS UNHEALTHY. If you're not allowing your spouse to know what you're doing on Facebook or online, that's a sign that you're doing something you shouldn't be doing. Cheating on your spouse online is JUST AS WRONG as physically cheating on your spouse. If you're doing it ... STOP IT!

3. Share your Facebook password with your spouse. I share every password with my wife ... from my Facebook account to every email address I have. Why would I want to do that? It's called trust, and it's also called accountability. Knowing my wife can open my laptop at anytime and read anything I'm doing, or see any place I've gone, keeps me accountable. Don't hide things from your spouse. Make sure you regularly tell them, "You are welcome to see what I'm doing anytime."

4. NEVER befriend anyone of the opposite sex that your spouse is uncomfortable with. Befriending an old boyfriend or girlfriend should NEVER be done. Don't search for old boyfriends and girlfriends. Simple communication with your spouse about this is best.

5. Defriend anyone who crosses normal boundaries. If someone is saying things, doing things or asking questions online that make you uncomfortable OR would make you uncomfortable in person, then that's not a good sign. Listen to the little voice in your head. If something tells you "this isn't right," then it's probably not. Never be ashamed or afraid to defriend someone that may have ulterior motives.

6. If you're married, PROUDLY set your "Relationship Status" to married. I wish there was a "Happily Married" status or for that matter, an "I'm madly in love with my incredibly gorgeous wife." I'd change my status to that in a heartbeat. :)

7. Post pictures of you and your spouse on your Facebook, OR use a "couple" picture as your profile picture.

8. Don't be afraid to proclaim your love for your spouse on Facebook. Someone of the opposite sex won't question your love for your spouse if you occasionally brag on your spouse on your Facebook status. It's healthy to brag on your spouse, and occasionally doing it in public conveys your love for your spouse to the world. It doesn't bother me one drop to tell the world just how much I love my wife. At the same time, I would NEVER use my status to complain about my spouse. Not smart!

9. Think before you type. Don't make comments on statuses and pictures of other people that come across as suggestive.

10. No matter how many friends you have on Facebook, remember that your #1 friend should be your spouse. Strive to better that relationship on a daily basis. Work 1000 times harder to grow in your relationship than you do at finding friends on Facebook. NEVER take your relationship with your spouse for granted. THE LAST THING YOU WANT is 1000 Facebook friends, while the love between you and your best friend slowly dies out.

T minus 24 hours or so

Until we head out for Colorado. Mom arrived last Thursday, and since then, she and I have been furiously packing the house and cleaning for our future tenants. We ordered two ABF cubes, thinking our stuff would easily fit...wrong. I hired some guys to come do the heavy lifting - the buffet, our king size bed and nightstands, the door chest in the guest room, and the grill. No problem, right? Ha, by the time they got that stuff loaded and tied down, it became very apparent that not much else was going to fit.

So after doing a quick cost benefit analysis in my head, I realized that most of the stuff that would require us to order another cube (and piss off the neighbors and HOA even more) just wasn't worth it the price. The 20 year old desk that Mollie painted with white out when she was about 2 - gone. The nice, long couch that was my first major furniture purchase - gone. The comfy big chair that Jeremiah got from his grandfather - gone. Tons of little things that we don't really have any use for anymore - gone. Goodwill is definitely reaping the benefits of this move.

Today, the carpets are being cleaned, mom is cleaning the bathrooms and windows, and our dear friend George Elder is coming to help with some last minute maintenance. Tonight, mom and I will start packing the car with the "special" stuff like china, crystal, my work computers, etc. And I have to prepare myself to say my sort-of goodbyes to everyone at work tomorrow. Then, we hit the road!

First stop - Dallas and Shelby, Brett, and Baby Gigi time. First thing Thursday morning, we head towards the Rockies. The weather looks nice, so we won't be driving into any blizzards. If all goes well, we should be rolling into Loveland around 8 or 9 on Thursday night. Its been 3 weeks since I've seen Jeremiah, so I'm really ready to be there. Wish us luck and keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

And then there were 2...

Jeremiah left today for Colorado. His first full day on the new job is Monday. He is going to be driving thru some nasty weather, so I'm going to be worried until I know he is safe and sound. He'll be staying with his friend Dave for a few weeks, feverishly looking for a place for us to rent.

Abe is starting to realize that Jeremiah isn't here. He is laying around, sighing, and just looking pretty pitiful. Poor guy, they are best buds. But he'll be back soon for Thanksgiving.

We are moving to Colorado

Jeremiah has been offered a job in Colorado, so we getting ready to move to the Fort Collins area. I am pretty excited about the big move, but we have so much to do. We're in the process of taking tons of stuff to Goodwill and trying to sell some furniture on craigslist. He is leaving next weekend to go up there and start his new job. He'll be staying with a friend and trying to find us a place to rent. Meanwhile back in Texas, I'll be packing up the house so that we can start showing it to renters. I also have to squeeze in a two week trip to Brazil right after Thanksgiving. I'm already gold status with American Airlines and Starwood. Small price to pay, right?

Then my mom is coming down to help me finish packing our U Haul It thingy from ABF. She and I (and Abe) will pile in the car for the big trip from Cedar Park to Fort Collins about a week before Christmas. Needless to say, the next month is going to be crazy busy for us.

A few pictures from the wedding

Here are a couple of the many pictures from our wedding. We used Kori Hudson with Hudson photography out of Fayetteville. She and her dad, Walt, took a lot of great pics on our wedding day - April 19th. Their blog is listed here as one of my favorites.

This is our attempt at the JFK Jr/Carolyn Bissette Kennedy pic from their wedding day.
Here we are with the Atkinsons, some good friends from Dallas who came up to Little Rock for the wedding.