High school friend Kate's bachelorette weekend started off in Seattle with a visit to Jihan's house. Jihan is currently working for Starbucks and has a lovely home with the perfect entertaining setup: a microbrewery in the garage, a spacious deck, and delicious food!
Unfortunately, Jihan couldn't join us for the first part of the festivities because she and her husband were flying (as in piloting a small plane) to another wedding.
The ladies started rolling into the rented house on Mercer Island midday on Saturday. We took in gorgeous views of Mount Rainier as seen from the southern tip of the island.
The home was a perfect fit to accommodate our party of twelve.
We spent the afternoon on the dock in the Labor Day weekend sun, and some of us took a dip in the cool waters of Lake Washington.
For dinner we turned to the culinary expertise of Jessie, who made a yummy and healthy curry dish over quinoa with fish.
Angie coordinated some really fun bachelorette games including a video quiz for Kate based on questions fiance Dave had been asked beforehand. It was amazing how her answers were spot on!
Then we made bridal gowns out of household items. I worked on Lindsey's dress on the left, but Kate's concoction in the middle won.
The next day we ventured into Woodinville, western Washington's wine country.
We walked through the lush gardens at Willows Lodge then made our way to JM Cellars for our first tasting.
We had lunch and another tasting at Januik-Novelty Hill.
Next, we walked over to Columbia for a private wine tasting tutorial (and more wine, of course).
Chateau Ste. Michelle was our next stop where we shared a sauvignon blanc semillon on the lawn.
The day wrapped up with a tour of the Red Hook Brewery.
We spent the evening back at the rental house.
Kate had quite a cache of bachelorette gifts to open.
Each gift was a piece of lingerie that Kate had to pair with its giver.
All attendees received gifts as well, including these throw-back animal print slap bracelets.
The bachelorette celebrations came to a close with Cards Against Humanity, a game of spoons, and one final late-night dip in Lake Washington.
From Seattle I flew to Idaho for a quick transition from bridal-to-baby anticipation.
Family friends Nancy Sue and JoAnn threw Sarah a lovely baby shower lunch at the Hayden Lake Country Club.
Bellies and hearts were full as we excitedly celebrated the December arrival of my future niece or nephew.
It was soon back to the Country Club again for lunch with Dad's high school girlfriend Debbie and her mom. Debbie was great, but I'm particularly partial to the lady on the right (Dad's left).
The post-Labor Day week was slightly cloudy, but when the clouds parted, the lake was ours for enjoying.
Adam joined the fun and we tested out Dad's handcrafted stand-up paddle-board.
For one fabulous meal, the nuclear Thilo clan and our significant others shared a table. Dinner at Fleur De Sel was a treat in so many ways. If only that moment could be captured and bottled for future savoring.
Sarah and Paul headed back to Florida, and the rest of us were left to entertaining ourselves... starting with a serious game of Mexican Train.
Sam and Megan joined us for a day on the lake. Turns out the kayakers were much more successful than the canoers when it came to catching a fish.
Maybe if we had visited Mom's fairy forest a bit sooner, the pixie dust would have worked in our favor.
Mom initiated Adam and me in the ways of the fairies, christened us Beetle Vinebug and Feather Heartfrost, and walked us through the enchanted forest to sprinkle the fairies with dust.
Undoubtedly bolstered by magical dust, I flew during my longest training run to date (6 miles!).
Back in southern California I tried to mix in some variety with my runs including stops at Yogurtland (above), and joining forces with fellow resident runners Juliana and Andrea (below).
Adam and I spent his birthday week relaxing and playing games.
We even went to a pre-release event for the new Magic set "Theros."
I'm not sure what Adam wished for when he blew out his candles... maybe a better cake?
One of my runs took me through the campus at CSU Long Beach and the Japanese Gardens.
Adam and I continues our culinary exploration of Long Beach with brunch at the Federal Bar.
Finally, I decided to mix things up a bit and cut off several inches of hair. Too bad no one has seemed to notice! Next time I am getting a mohawk.
