Joe and I got to have a "date day" on Saturday and we made the best of it with the beautiful sunshine. It's very rare for Joe to have a Saturday off so we decided to do something that we haven't done yet while living here. We went kayaking out on the lake. We boarded our kayaks down on the water near the University of Washington and had our choice of going north to Lake Union or east to Lake Washington. We chose east not knowing that all of the big boats on the water would be headed in the same direction. These kayaks took some getting used to as they were touring kayaks. I knew that they looked different as they were longer than the ones I'm used to. When I got in and had my foot pedals adjusted I thought I was good to go but as we got going I kept bumping into Joe and I didn't know why. He then instructed me to push on the pedals to change direction. And here I thought they were just foot rests! We headed in our intended direction and it was easy going for a while. That was until we hit the area that narrowed like a canal. Trying to make our way down the same path as the big boats proved to be challenging. The waves definitely proved to be an obstacle and left me feeling frustrated and wet. I should mention here that when I got dressed in the morning I was trying to put together something that was light weight but would keep me warm from the wind on the water. Why I thought a denim jacket fit the bill is beyond me. My sleeves were soaking wet and heavy with the first boat that went by. I learned my lesson in kayaking attire.
We continued our day with lunch near campus and then reading in the park. We did all we could to get our vitamin D.
Today brought rain and then sunshine and then rain again. Unfortunately I had to get in a 5 mile run in the very unpredictable day. I've been using a website where people have mapped their running routes and it has been helpful for me to get an idea of mileage. I was familiar with most of the area that I was going to run and knew that I would encounter a "few" hills. Well a "few" turned out to be an understatement. This was a route for the advanced runner which I am far from. My route went along Lake Washington and into a neighborhood with some really nice and very expensive houses. If it wasn't for my huffing and puffing maybe I could have enjoyed the scenery a bit. An hour and a half later I was left with aching legs and 2 battle scars in the form of blisters on the bottom and top of my feet. I've spent the rest of the afternoon moving in slow motion.

A Week of Firsts

This was a week of firsts for me in two ways......On Thursday night I went to my first "Living Room Concert Series." It was through a friend of a friend that I came to understand what this was. A few years ago a group here in Seattle decided to open up their living rooms to Singer/Songwriters. I guess it's gathered quite the following and I had the opportunity to listen to some truly talented musicians in the comfort of someone's living room. It was great to be so "up close and personal" with these musicians; hearing their stories and finding where the inspiration of each song came from. I again received an affirmation on why I develop crushes on guys and their guitars. (Insert eye roll from Joe here :-)
Saturday night brought a new first for both Joe and I. We went to our first "Female Impersonator" (aka Drag Show). There is this place called Julia's on Broadway and we have probably walked by it at least a dozen times and have always said how fun it would be to see their show. Last night we gathered with another couple to witness first hand the marvel of guys in drag. This show was a tribute to the diva's in the music industry. From Madonna to Beyonce to Britney Spears to Liza Minnelli, all of these artists were represented in true artistic form. From the makeup to the costumes to the backup dancers, we heard a medley of their music with the dancing and performances onstage. Joe was lucky enough to have an aisle seat and this allowed him to have Liza Minnelli to sit on his lap and another "woman" to stroke his chin and ruffle his hair. Needless to say we were left with a lot of laughs but also a lot of questions. These men looked truly feminine with nothing to show for their male physique. How do they do that? We were left asking ourselves this very questions as we left the show last night.
I like to try these new things. The drag show topic has always been accompanied by "Only in Seattle......" would we see men dressed as Whitney Houston looking better than half of the women walking down the street. Another piece of authenticity and another reason why we love this city.

Elvis In Seattle

We saw Elvis this weekend. Bet that sentence catches your attention. :-) I guess what I should have said is that we saw Elvis impersonators running down the street- followed by mimes, cowboys, and a group dressed up in capes. The nice weather on Saturday brought everyone out; and I mean everyone. Joe's friend Matt and his wife Brianna were visiting this weekend as they had a wedding to attend here in Seattle and stayed with us. Yesterday was so nice that we went out for a walk earlier in the day and found ourselves sitting outside a coffee shop enjoying the sunshine. That was when Elvis crossed our path. At first we just laughed as we have seen just about everything on Capitol Hill. It was when the mimes ran by afterwards that we figured out that there was a scavenger hunt going on and we helped out just a little bit as the groups were having difficulty finding a little cafe around the corner. I happen to love the crepes there and were happy to point them in the right direction.
I also completed my first week of training. Thanks to Lauren, the schedule was very doable. After Tuesdays' run I definitely felt it in my legs. By Friday I was ready for my "easy walk" (as described on my schedule). I was down in Tacoma for the day attending a workshop on Stuttering and knew that I might not make it back in time for daylight. I improvised by walking around the mall in heels for 45 minutes. That's gotta count for something right? I think my trainer mentioned that I get extra point for the heels. :-) And I happened to pick up a cute skirt on my walk so I consider that multi-tasking at its best. :-)