Happy New Year! I hope that the new year finds you content and excited for the upcoming year, and that the troubles of the past are behind you! We have had a wonderful, relaxed holiday season, spending plenty of time with friends and family.
In my last post, I mentioned that we fixed the rear suspension on the van. Since then, I have taken the van to the dealership to have it aligned, and I don't know if it is psychosomatic, but it sure does feel like it drives and rides a lot better. So at this point, all of the unsprung weight components of the van (tires, Brakes, Suspension) are ready for another 30,000 miles of adventure! That is a good feeling! I also figured out (and Tom confirmed) that the Service advisor at the dealership is paid by commission, as they managed to find a list of things that I could fix on the van that would run around $8k dollars. I declined, and will evaluate those items myself.
It took a while, but Belle and Mango eventually found themselves in a place where Belle could tolerate Mango's presence. Julie and Jana finally made it back to Seattle, so Mango went back to Julies place until the end of the Semester, when Julie heads back to Berlin.I had a nice surprise the day before Christmas Eve when the Smiths dropped in to say hello with Annie and Fozzie, as they were doing a walk in the neighborhood to check out all of the lights. Catherine Fostered Fozzie back in 2016, and got him placed with the Smiths when the girls were so young. Next year Caroline and Macie head off to college. It's hard to believe that we new Mike and Sara before the girls were born!Christmas Eve had us heading over to Bec's house for an evening of hanging out and chilling. Here, Alex, Connor, and Silv are on pasta-making duty. This fresh pasta went so well with the mussels that Bec made.Sitting around the dinner table, enjoying our Christmas Eve dinner. It was so lovely to chill and relax around the fake fire ;). After dinner, we played a game of Wingspan.Alex spent the night on Christmas Eve, and on Christmas morning, we exchanged gifts. Alex is looking through the photos of him that Mom has collected over the years. Mom is in the process of digitizing all the pictures and movies she has collected over the years and giving each grandkid the originals.On Tuesday, I walked down to the Pike Place Market to meet my friend Nick for lunch. Along the way, I went past the Interbay train yard and saw 19 fuselages queued up. I've been going past this trainyard for years as I would ride my bike to Expedia, and this is the most I have ever seen here.It was an abdsolutely stunning day for a 10 mile walk. The mountains were out, and all of the people were happy and friendly.I made it to Pike Market chowder a bit before Nick, and the line was crazy long, but the chowder was so totally worth it!On New Year's Eve, we were going to stay in and have a low key evening, but then we realized this was the last night the Water Wheel Lounge would be open before the site was redeveloped. This is a great dive bar that has been in this location for over 50 years. It was the site where our friend John filmed the movie Marcies.Scott, Bec, Catherine, Silv and I had a round at Waterwheel (it was the most crowded we have ever seen it) before heading over to Fuel for some dinner. After Fuel we headed back to our place for a game of Settlers of Catan and to ring in the new year.New Year's Day had us hosting our annual Baklava event. Nick, MaryKay, and Brandon have been a part of our annual Baklava day since the very beginning. I'll be helping Brandon move into his new place later today.Luke and Freya enjoyed the Baklava as well. In the back you can see the cactus that Eric grew from seeds, so quite a few folks now have a cactus to remember the day buy.By the end of the month, we will be moving Airborne from Shilshole over to Lake Union. We have been on the waiting list for the Northlake Marina since 2017. This will save us a couple of hundred bucks a month, plus make it easier to participate in duck dodge. The new location is right next to the Rowing club that Alex rows out of, so he will have access to take friends sailing this summer as well.However... before I can actually move the boat, I have to repair this pesky water pump that decided to seize up. The new parts should come sometime this week.Last night, Catherine and I went to Genevieve's and Sam's wedding. I worked wth Sam back at Tableau, and he saved my Bacon more then once :) There were a number of us from Sam's Tableau days who were there, and it was great to catch up with all of them. My time at Tableau was some of the best times that I have ever had working.
This week, it is time to re-establish my Diet and Exercise discipline and get back to the Gym. I've taken my off of the ball since Thanks giving with the road trip and all, but I do continue to make progress on my goals for October's weigh in for the J105 North Americans. And on Wedensday evening Catherine and I are headed up to the pass, where we should find some fresh snow ;)
