Spring turned to summer, then winter turned mean

Hey! I think our long and dreary winter is finally over. Sure, there are still overcast crappy days but there are definitely more clear and sunny days, and pockets of clear and sunniness even in those dreary days. We took advantage of one of those pockets yesterday to take the dogs to Marymoor. As always, they loved it. Thanks to our investment in a ChuckIt, we can play fetch with Spike until he gets so tired he forgets to bring the ball back. Not only does it make up for my horrible throwing, it also shields me from having to pick up the nasty, dirty, slobbery ball.

Dre and I got pedicures yesterday at the newly remodeled Paule Attar Salon in Bellevue, then spent a little quality time shopping at Nordstrom. Unfortunately, it was more like horribly depressing shopping because of the recent weight splooge. But I've been eating much more healthy stuff since we got back from vacation, and to celebrate our first 2 weeks of eating at home, we went to Canlis last night. (I suppose celebrating eating healthy by going out to eat is somewhat crazy, but we were looking for an excuse to go to Canlis.)

We ordered the tasting menu at Canlis last night because it sounded interesting, and shared the wine pairing. The sommeliers were crazy generous, because that was way more than enough and we couldn't even finish those. Before each course, the sommelier comes and pours the wine and tells you about it. Very neat. Yesterday's focus was on Washington wines. Nothing super yummy, but they were all pretty good. (To my uneducated wine palate.)

The food was excellent, starting with a beet salad made of red and yellow beets, and feta cheese with a ginger dressing. YUM! Even TJ, who normally hates vegetables, liked it. The next course, an appetizer of Maine lobster with a foie gras sauce, also yummy, but the sauce was way too rich for me. Having made a lot of effort to eat right in the last 2 weeks has really shrunk my appetite. I ate about half of the beef tenderloin and gave the rest to TJ. (Note to self: medium is really not cooked enough for me). By the time we got to dessert, after 11pm and absolutely stuffed, I was only able to pick at the Valhrona chocolate cheesecake with blood orange coulis. The blood orange part was yummy anyway.

Well, I'm off to the grocery store to buy snacks for the Caltech Admitted Students Reception today. I'm expecting about 5 or 6 students and their parents, and about 8 alumni. I like doing this every year. It's a place for newly admitted undergrad students to celebrate getting in, and ask any questions they have about going there from local alumni. Some have already made up their mind to attend, while others are still deciding. I wanted to make a proper English tea for the food, but since I spent much of yesterday out, or working on my first homework assignment for CSS 342, I guess I'll settle for some store-bought stuff from Larry's Market. Cheerio!