Beacon Hillbillies

Happy Thanksgiving!

We're so very thankful for our two wonderful boys and all of our friends and family! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Here are some new pictures...

 

Hi Pop! We wish we were there to celebrate with you on your birthday, but we hope this video birthday card from Sam and Charlie will help bridge the gap! Have a great one! We love you tons!

What do the boys do when mom isn't around? Why they eat Krispe Kreme donuts and go biking, of course! Click here to check out the whole day's events...

So, last weekend, when we headed to the outdoor Olympic Sculpture Park in downtown Seattle, things looked like this:

Still gray. Still drab. Still *#$^%)@#! cold.

But, oh boy, did things get better yesterday. Behold this:

Click on those photos above, and you'll be taken to our new photo sets at Flickr documenting all the sunny fun we had yesterday. I don't know what the final high for yesterday was, but I know the thermostat in my car at one point said 85 degrees Fahrenheit. We Seattlites have waited a long, long time for this weather. We're in for more sunshiny goodness today...which brings me to the end of this post so I can get outdoors NOW. Have a good weekend everybody!

Who knew that most Seattlites knew little to nothing about the Kentucky Derby?

Why, we did, of course, which is why we endeavored to treat about 50 of our dearest friends to a crash course in how to celebrate the Kentucky Derby in grand Kentucky Style. And, I must say, it was a smashing success.

I ordered "official" Derby partyware from the "official" Kentucky Derby Store. And then I prepared a spread of some of Kentucky's finest cuisine: Hot Browns, Kentucky burgoo (thanks, Kelly!), Benedictine spread, Kentucky caviar, and Derby pie, of course. I threw in some other southern comfort food favorites, too, like pulled pork barbecue, pimento cheese spread, potato salad, and fruit salad. My friend Kelly also brought a to-die-for Texas sheet cake. Dave manned the bar and made sure everyone tried at least one mint Julep. My mouth is watering just thinking about it all.

We had a betting pool (of course!), and paid the winners who picked win, place, and show. We also gave a bottle of Basil Hayden's (fiiiiiiiine Kentucky bourbon) to the best female and male hats -- that would be Thea and Arthur! I think it's safe to say that everyone had a grand time. And that we'll be doing it again next year.

I've posted photos from the event on our Flickr page here. Also, our friend Julie posted much better photos than mine on her blog here. Now, go look! And, in the meantime, put 2009's first Saturday in May on your calendar.

Charlie: "Where's my water!? Where did you put it?"

Jen and Dave look at each other and shake their heads.

Jen: "Dave, where are Charlie's manners?! Where did you put them?!"

Dave: "I don't know! Maybe I dropped them somewhere on our walk around the neighborhood?"

Sam: "I think they're still wandering around being a slow-poke. Just like Charlie."

Charlie: "No silly! They're in my brain! Duh."

Jen and Dave now trying to avoid cracking up.

Charlie: "Can I have some water please?"

Dave: "Oh! Well, will you look at that. Charlie used his manners."

Jen: "They moved through his brain and out of his mouth!"

Charlie: "Yep, and I got three more in there."

Hola! If you're one of our regulars or someone from Midbeaconhill Blog -- welcome! We should explain that we're having major technical difficulties here at Chez Arterburn. Like, major technical difficulties. Like, our computer rolled over and died. I'm on Dave's work laptop right now, and he's upstairs setting up our new system. We'll have new posts, new photos, new videos up very soon. Like, this weekend. Promise.

Hi everyone! My, oh my, how pathetic we've been... not updating our blog for two whole months! Thanks for bearing with us. Sure things have been busy, but aren't they always? We're finally enjoying spring in Seattle after getting snow (yes, you read that right) last week. We actually got two feet of snow in the mountain passes last week and we got flurries, sleet, and hail last week here on Beacon Hill.

So you can bet we were really happy to get some 70 degree weather yesterday. We took advantage of the nice weather and spent the day outside exploring the University of Washington campus and then heading over to the Ballard Locks. It was great to get some sun on our faces. There were people out everywhere! We're hoping that we've escaped the winter blues for another six months or so. Here are some pics from the day. Happy Spring!

Jen calls me at work this morning and says, "Josie has been chasing her tail continuously for about 10 minutes!" This is what she caught on film. Note the quality of our new video camera and my fancy editing software, too :-)

My, oh my, did we have a great vacation in Whistler, British Columbia last week! They've received over 20 feet of snow this year, and the skiing/snowboarding conditions were excellent.

Jen and the boys took lessons. Jen was learning to snowboard, and she did great. By the end of two days of practice, she was getting on the lift and hitting the green runs (a few big bruises notwithstanding)! Go Jen! She's ready for her own board and can't wait to get back up on the Snoqualmie this weekend.

Sam took three full-day skiing lessons, and he has since decided that he wants his own skis! He was getting on the lift and hitting the greens by the end of the week too :-) Go Sam! Charlie on the other hand wasn't quite sure what to make of skiing lessons... he mostly preferred making snowballs and snow angels. Can you blame him? Still, he had lots of fun...

We had great weather. We ate tons of sushi and spent a lot of time soaking in the hot tub at the condo. Also, we got to spend a lot of quality time with our good friends, Kent, Jen, and their son, Reid. Thanks again, guys, for inviting us up for the week!!! All and all, it was very relaxing and a very memorable family vacation. There are more photos of week's our adventures on Flickr.

Happy Birthday Pop!

Hi Pop! We wish we were there to celebrate with you on your birthday, but we hope this video birthday card from Sam and Charlie will help bridge the gap! Have a great one! We love you tons!

Boys' day out...

What do the boys do when mom isn't around? Why they eat Krispe Kreme donuts and go biking, of course! Click here to check out the whole day's events...

Compare and contrast

So, last weekend, when we headed to the outdoor Olympic Sculpture Park in downtown Seattle, things looked like this:

Still gray. Still drab. Still *#$^%)@#! cold.

But, oh boy, did things get better yesterday. Behold this:

Click on those photos above, and you'll be taken to our new photo sets at Flickr documenting all the sunny fun we had yesterday. I don't know what the final high for yesterday was, but I know the thermostat in my car at one point said 85 degrees Fahrenheit. We Seattlites have waited a long, long time for this weather. We're in for more sunshiny goodness today...which brings me to the end of this post so I can get outdoors NOW. Have a good weekend everybody!

Giddy up!

Who knew that most Seattlites knew little to nothing about the Kentucky Derby?

Why, we did, of course, which is why we endeavored to treat about 50 of our dearest friends to a crash course in how to celebrate the Kentucky Derby in grand Kentucky Style. And, I must say, it was a smashing success.

I ordered "official" Derby partyware from the "official" Kentucky Derby Store. And then I prepared a spread of some of Kentucky's finest cuisine: Hot Browns, Kentucky burgoo (thanks, Kelly!), Benedictine spread, Kentucky caviar, and Derby pie, of course. I threw in some other southern comfort food favorites, too, like pulled pork barbecue, pimento cheese spread, potato salad, and fruit salad. My friend Kelly also brought a to-die-for Texas sheet cake. Dave manned the bar and made sure everyone tried at least one mint Julep. My mouth is watering just thinking about it all.

We had a betting pool (of course!), and paid the winners who picked win, place, and show. We also gave a bottle of Basil Hayden's (fiiiiiiiine Kentucky bourbon) to the best female and male hats -- that would be Thea and Arthur! I think it's safe to say that everyone had a grand time. And that we'll be doing it again next year.

I've posted photos from the event on our Flickr page here. Also, our friend Julie posted much better photos than mine on her blog here. Now, go look! And, in the meantime, put 2009's first Saturday in May on your calendar.

Recently heard around the dinner table

Charlie: "Where's my water!? Where did you put it?"

Jen and Dave look at each other and shake their heads.

Jen: "Dave, where are Charlie's manners?! Where did you put them?!"

Dave: "I don't know! Maybe I dropped them somewhere on our walk around the neighborhood?"

Sam: "I think they're still wandering around being a slow-poke. Just like Charlie."

Charlie: "No silly! They're in my brain! Duh."

Jen and Dave now trying to avoid cracking up.

Charlie: "Can I have some water please?"

Dave: "Oh! Well, will you look at that. Charlie used his manners."

Jen: "They moved through his brain and out of his mouth!"

Charlie: "Yep, and I got three more in there."

Technical Difficulties

Hola! If you're one of our regulars or someone from Midbeaconhill Blog -- welcome! We should explain that we're having major technical difficulties here at Chez Arterburn. Like, major technical difficulties. Like, our computer rolled over and died. I'm on Dave's work laptop right now, and he's upstairs setting up our new system. We'll have new posts, new photos, new videos up very soon. Like, this weekend. Promise.

Spring has sprung!

Hi everyone! My, oh my, how pathetic we've been... not updating our blog for two whole months! Thanks for bearing with us. Sure things have been busy, but aren't they always? We're finally enjoying spring in Seattle after getting snow (yes, you read that right) last week. We actually got two feet of snow in the mountain passes last week and we got flurries, sleet, and hail last week here on Beacon Hill.

So you can bet we were really happy to get some 70 degree weather yesterday. We took advantage of the nice weather and spent the day outside exploring the University of Washington campus and then heading over to the Ballard Locks. It was great to get some sun on our faces. There were people out everywhere! We're hoping that we've escaped the winter blues for another six months or so. Here are some pics from the day. Happy Spring!

A tail of Josie...

Jen calls me at work this morning and says, "Josie has been chasing her tail continuously for about 10 minutes!" This is what she caught on film. Note the quality of our new video camera and my fancy editing software, too :-)

Whistler vacation!

My, oh my, did we have a great vacation in Whistler, British Columbia last week! They've received over 20 feet of snow this year, and the skiing/snowboarding conditions were excellent.

Jen and the boys took lessons. Jen was learning to snowboard, and she did great. By the end of two days of practice, she was getting on the lift and hitting the green runs (a few big bruises notwithstanding)! Go Jen! She's ready for her own board and can't wait to get back up on the Snoqualmie this weekend.

Sam took three full-day skiing lessons, and he has since decided that he wants his own skis! He was getting on the lift and hitting the greens by the end of the week too :-) Go Sam! Charlie on the other hand wasn't quite sure what to make of skiing lessons... he mostly preferred making snowballs and snow angels. Can you blame him? Still, he had lots of fun...

We had great weather. We ate tons of sushi and spent a lot of time soaking in the hot tub at the condo. Also, we got to spend a lot of quality time with our good friends, Kent, Jen, and their son, Reid. Thanks again, guys, for inviting us up for the week!!! All and all, it was very relaxing and a very memorable family vacation. There are more photos of week's our adventures on Flickr.