This is my life

A week and a half until closing day!  I'm living in a land of empty rooms, boxes, and missing the familiar household items that I love (oh, metal forks, how I miss you and how you cut food so nicely).  The floor is my new furniture and that is where I sit at night, which I've learned I am too old to do because my legs fall asleep.  When did that start happening?

Oddly enough, the only things left in my house are garage sale items.  Everything I'm living with is the stuff I've decided I don't need and/or want anymore.  I'm surrounded by everything I'm leaving behind.

I'm eating everything left in the cabinet.  Ramen and pistachios for dinner.  One egg and a kiwi for breakfast.  All the cheese.

I'm wearing capri pants even though it's 42 degrees outside because I'm trying to pack my winter clothes while staying hopelessly optimistic for spring weather.  Today I put winter boots on with capris for outdoor recess.  Not one of my better fashion statements.

I go to the gym everyday...that I can find motivation.  The problem with the gym is that I go work out after school for my solid 30 minutes (it's legit) and then come home and I'm starving, so I eat all the food I can find (pistachios) and I'm already wearing stretchy pants, so I can just keep eating (I have so many pistachios) and suddenly I'm one sleeve of thin mints in and it occurs to me that I should stop.  This negates all the hard core working out I just did.  Vicious cycle.

I had to sign on the dotted line and confirm that I have chosen not to return to school next year.  I just kind of nodded, signed, and made it official.  The next paperwork is the house.  I'm not sure which is harder, but so far I think I'm taking it like a champ.  Come May, I'll probably be singing a different tune.

...and yet I am still living here, but not here, for the next few months.  The adventure begins.

Legoland is not for adults

Did you know that?  You actually must have a child with you in order to get in the lego-created doors?

It took three adults to take one two year old to Legoland.  Three adults, as in, her parents and me because I wanted to go and it was the only way to get in.

This guy was so excited, I think he wet his pants.

Here's the thing about Legoland.  The kids like it.  They run around and they play in a giant bounce house/obstacle course of lego fun.  But the adults love it.  The adults are making tiny cars and racing them, and ignoring their children because they just made a cool bridge and then keeping a close eye on it once they walk away to see how long it will stand there before a kid comes and destroys it.  The adults are building the tall towers and then making the earthquake machine shake it until it falls down.  But the adults can't get in...without a child.  It's a very exclusive club.

They let me in, though.

I didn't actually read all the fine print about how old the child has to be or anything, because it didn't matter, we had one in tow.  And we were off for a child friendly afternoon in Kansas City.

KC LegoLand isn't huge.  I haven't been to any others, but I hear they are big.  I was expecting lots of gigantic lego figures, and to be honest, I was a bit disappointed because there weren't a ton.  However, there were rides, which I was not expecting, so it all evened out.

One of my favorite parts, was the Lego Kansas City.

Downtown KC: Cathedral, Sprint Center, Union Station (although not in their actual locations)

Sporting Park: Home to Sporting KC!

Arrowhead Stadium: Home to the KC Chiefs
Kauffman Stadium (behind it): Home to the KC Royals

Country Club Plaza

Nelsen Adkins Art Museum

 Of course, nothing in Kansas is complete with out a little Wizard of Oz reference.

 We took a little time to play...

I made a tiny car to race down the hill.  It broke right away, so I probably won't quit my day job.

After a quick run through the gift shop (I don't need Legos!), we braved the cold and hit up a few other child friendly activities downtown.  

The City of Fountains lived up to it's name and although it was under 30 degrees out, they kept their downtown fountains running... right next to the ice skating rink.

And an update on the home front (I just became my parents by saying that).  I'm on spring break!  The house has sold and I will move out of it (*tear) soon.  I'm currently selling my furniture and packing my things.  My little house is probably one of my favorite things about living here, so it will be bittersweet to hand it over to new owners.  I'll probably drive by it every day and be creepy.

The Seattle EMP Museum

My trip ended a month ago, and yet I still have more to share.  Just a girl with her camera and some friends.  Everyone headed off to work on Tuesday morning, and we found ourselves making large decisions based on what was within walking distance.

First up, we braved the downpour and headed to the suburbs so that I could meet with a school district. And so begins the job hunt.  It's called a hunt for reason, as I'm being well reminded.

Back downtown: coffee.  It was Seattle after all.  

Next up, decision making.  We settled on walking to the space needle and visiting Chihuly Garden and Glass .  I had remembered seeing it on my previous trips, and have even had my students make art influenced by this artist, so I was eager to see it in person.  

It was considerably further walking distance than I had remembered.  I felt like we had walked a solid 5 miles round trip (up hill both ways!), but was told it was only probably 2, and we compromised with 3 miles and tired legs.  

One we got to the needle, we realized the EMP Museum (the museum of music + sci fi + pop culture) was right there, and probably the more enticing choice for the afternoon...with the garden being an outdoor exhibit in the rain after all.  Plus glass blowing isn't everyone's cup of tea I suppose....and pop culture is totally my thing.

The EMP Museum was a rainy day winner.  First of all, the building itself is fabulous.

I could have spent all afternoon just walking around it taking pictures.

But inside... we were met with a tornado of guitars that you could easily sit and play a game of eye-spy with.  

We meandered through the Nirvana exhibit.  I know nothing about Nirvana, but learned a lot.  Apparently they started in Seattle.  Who knew?

Checked out the Jimi Hendrix exhibit.  It's crazy the memorabilia that is found and saved from these artists and events.

I wandered through the guitar room with the history of guitars....

In all honesty, I got side tracked by the giant Justin Timberlake music videos playing just outside the door.  No one can resist a little "Sexy Back" when it comes over the speakers.

We turned the corner and ran into nerdville... the Sci-Fi exhibit.  Turns out, I don't know many of these characters, but Superman made an appearance, so I was content.  

This exhibit slipped right into the house of horrors exhibit about horror films.  Again, I had no idea what was going on.  Then I saw the Scream mask and I got all excited.  

But Fantasyland... oh yes.  I was all over that one.  Just look at that excitement to go through the extra wide door!

I was greeted by this super creepy alligator (crocodile?) that growled welcoming-ly.  As a true Kansan (for now), I was drawn to the Oz memorabilia.  The wicked witch's hat!  Wizard of Oz clothing!

We made a few more stops and then were ready to hike back to meet everyone who had jobs for dinner.  

...but not before I snuck a peek at the Chihuly exhibit in the gated garden.  I couldn't get in, but felt a bit like I was breaking the rules by spying on their garden exhibit from the wrong side of the fence.

I mean, how amazing is this glass plant??

It will have to be a sunny day adventure in the future!

So long, Seattle!  See you again soon!

Back to Seattle!

I'm really drawing out these Seattle trip updates, mostly just because I love looking at the pictures again and virtually revisiting it all.

So here's the rest of my trip....with the exception of the EMP Museum, which I will update about later (possibly tomorrow).

First up, it was rainy, so obviously we explored outside.  We visited the locks...I believe this was in Ballard, which is a super quirky and charming little neighborhood just north of downtown.  I think.  I'm still learning my way around.

It was cold and rainy and I'll have to go back when the salmon are swimming and the boats are coming through.  Maybe it will be a summer adventure.  Then we stopped by to visit my friend the Troll in Ballard as well.

 
I don't know those people.  Seriously, I don't.  It was getting dark as we were driving around and it was seriously raining ("It never rains like this here!" everyone told me), but we stopped and I hopped out to grab a snapshot of Seattle at night in the rain.

The next day, we went for a brewery tour at Red Hook in Woodenville where we ate, and drank, and ate again.  Rough life.  We gave it a thumbs up.

Everyone had to go to work on the last day we were in town (the nerve!) so we wandered the city on foot.  It was rainy, but we made some essential stops (coffee), and then did the tourist thing (space needle).  We also went to the EMP Museum, because it is right next door to the needle.  

Not too shabby!  It was nice and sunny by the time we came out of the museum, so the walk back was chilly but at least we had dried out from earlier!

In the evening, we caught the light rail and headed south of downtown to Columbia City to meet up with some friends after work for dinner and ice cream.  

We opted (they chose) to go for Ethiopian food.  All five of us shared this giant platter of food- chicken, lamb, and beef, along with beans, and veggies, and a bunch of other things- and everyone shares from the same platter and there are no utensils!  I really loved it!

We ended the evening at an ice cream shop and arcade games.