Day of Culture!

So, the sun is shining, my Mom invited us to the ballet.  We saw Coppelia, which I had never seen before.  The main character Franz, was a crack up and totally a fool in love.  Overall, the dancing was spectacular and the little girls in the last act were adorable.

After the ballet, we sauntered and skipped through the Pacific Science Center (which he had never visited before).  We went to the EMP which was really fun.  Of course, the music section was hooked up.  Si played in the drum room for a spell.  He said the drum set was really cool, as he jammed and jammed.  My ears hurt, so I only stayed inside for a few minutes.

My most favorite exhibit in the museum (which I have no pictures, of course) was the Supremes!  They had several costume sets from their performances and they were magnificent!  The detail and design was so gorgeous, classic and truly made music history.  My most favorite piece (just try to imagine) was a midlength dress with a full skirt that had sections of oranges, reds, and maroon all beaded, then like pretty flames, the beading continued up to the top, which was hot orange.  So amazing!

Guitars, guitars, guitars

This amazing piece of art is the first thing you see when entering the EMP.  You can stare at it for hours, just letting the eye move from guitar to guitar.

Sun!

Earlier this month, there were a few rare days of sun (that are no long gone), we enjoyed the Seattle Center's fountain and watched children get wet, share picnics and enjoy our beautiful city.  Viva Seattle!

Baby!

We live on a fairly busy street.  My friend dL, while journeying to our home, watched this cute little dog nearly get run over by two different cars.  She scooped up the little pooch and brought her to our home.  We searched high and low for this dog with no collar.  dL even took her to the Humane Society to see if she was chipped- no dice.  The dog stayed with us for one night and we dreamed of many names for her- Chloe was my favorite.

At 5am the next day, I took her for a walk, half asleep and this man stopped his car.  It's her neighbor!  He said her name is Baby and she lives across the street from him.  After a day of phone calls and babysitting Baby (her owners work nights), she went home!  Apparently, she had a bit of an attitude when arriving home as if to say "why did you guys let me get away"?

She was so sweet and definitely missed her home.  We enjoyed being a dog owner- for one night.

New garden!

My grandfather came over with his roto-tiller and assisted Simon is preparing the soil for our new garden.  My grandfather is the BEST gardener I know producing a very successful garden each year- lettuce, tomatoes, squash (of several kinds), radish, herbs, carrots, corn, peas, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, karabi, onions and so much more, but I digress.

He has been quite involved in the design, creation and assistance in our yard.  Grandma stayed in our home with me, helping me with chores.  We finished with a great Chinese dinner.  We are truly blessed to have such a supportive pair of grandparents.

Japanese maple garden

All of my life, I have loved Japanese maple trees.  When I was growing up, we had one in our backyard.  So, my hope is that we'll have many in all of the homes we live in (later on in life).  In an effort to remove some grass (which is such a waste of water and energy), we'll plant gardens!  Er, I should say Simon will take out the grass and we'll plant together.  So, this little garden has a beautiful Japanese maple tree ("Crimson red") and surrounding the tree (although hard to tell at the moment) are batches of black mondo grass and batches of brass buttons, which are also a New Zealand plant.

Near our home, we have Mintners Nursery and it is such a gem.  It can be a little pricier, but it's great for special plants.  Ask for Eddie and he will give you such great knowledge, help and is a bit fun, too.  He helped us design this area after we put some ideas together.  Simon also helped A LOT.

Clematis!

This beautiful plant will grow and grow (hopefully soon) and not only distract the eye from our ugly, yet effective chain link fence, but also give our neighbors some beautiful flowers to enjoy.  We have many neighbors that walk down our street, Roxbuy.

Beautiful sidewalk!

Four clematis plants line the sidewalk, thanks to Simon's hard work and dedication.  There are *many* bags of bark committed to this project; we had to go to the hardware store a few times to finish the project.  Already, I have seen one of the Chinese grandma's in our neighborhood, who walk down our street daily, marvel at the young pretty plants.

Figs! Figs! Figs!

We have a massive fig tree in our backyard!  The branches are drooping with baby, growing figs.  We are excitedly awaiting their full ripeness. 

How many ways...

We are already thinking of the delicious fig themed treats- wine?  Gluten free pastries?  Jelly?

A perk of being a homeowner... Seattle City Light!

Over the weekend, we were visited by two lovely Seattle City Light employees- Omar and Wayne.  With our assistance, they journeyed through our home and changed every light bulb (besides two rooms where we enjoy the dimming capabilities), provided us with faucet aerators, checked our smoke detectors and surveyed our heating systems. 

Overall, they gave us: 

• 28 CFL bulbs
• 2 facet aerators
• (Would have given us many fire detectors, too)

They were very polite, gracious and considerate visitors- even taking their shoes off at the door.  It's a win-win!  We receive new, energy efficient products and we save energy.  

Pullman!

In February, Simon and I journeyed to Pullman, WA.  I met with the College of Education for work (and fun), met with 3 of the scholarship recipients and most importantly, stayed with Alissa and Curtis Allen.  Alissa is my cousin and is practically my little sister.  She married Curtis, who is currently an assistant basketball coach at WSU.  They have a gorgeous son, Trey. It was a fun, relaxing and fulfilling weekend!

WSU College of Education Art Wall

The College of Education's curriculum includes an art focus for student teachers.  The entire school is filled with different expressions of their work.  Color, movement and chaos attracted me to this wall.

Thrashin' the Dawg Car

A frat "raised funds" by collecting one dollar for a swing of the sledgehammer to destroy the UW themed car.  Loud Top 40 music was blarin' and one woman took an aim from the top.  An enthusiastic guy tried to get me to try, but I politely declined.

Play, play!

We spent lots of time hanging out, playing and being silly with little Trey.  His energy is very curious and so observant, watching everyone.  He is a wonderful little one.

Simon was our chef for much of our weekend. Yum!

He made a delicious dinner of sauteed chicken, asparagus and baked kumara with a honey, sour cream and mustard sauce.  He is available at an hourly rate for those that are interested. :)

We went to the WSU vs. UW basketball game. Trey pumped his hand for the entire game!

Me and Alissa at the game. Go Dawgs! Go Cougs! I'm trying to be impartial.

 

Curtis, got us *great* seats, 2 rows up from the floor.  So close, I'm sure the referees heard me yelling words of anger and disappointment.  The room pulsed with energy and tensions were high.  

UW Coach Romar was at Alissa and Curtis' wedding and this game was the first time they had all seen each other in a long time.  It was really heart warming to watch everyone connect on the floor as the coaches greet each other.  Mrs. Romar sat near us too.  She met Trey and got to experience his sweetness. 

Smile! Trey, 1, is so full of life and activity.

Viva Casa Hirabayashi/Kennedy!

One month after we moved in, I am finally posting pictures of our home for all to see. Here are some of the highlights and memories to remember from this experience thus far:

• We love being homeowners!  And are accepting the fact that this house is our holiday to Thailand, new places we yearn to explore, etc.  For now, we'll stay in Seattle and nest. 
• Spending all of your time and money at Home Depot, Lowe's, Target, Goodwill and other useful household supply stores, is actually quite normal. 
• Cleaning a home that's nearly 2000 sq ft takes a bit longer than our former little apartment home. 
• Entertaining 10 or more people is great fun and much more comfortable in a house. 
• Unpacking is slowly becoming very lame and really uninteresting to me. 
• Purchasing a home has changed our marriage in many ways- for the good! 

Big huge thanks to everyone that helped us move-Ann, Frank, Nick, my parents, grandpa, dL and anyone else I may have not mentioned.  We are also thankful for our friend and interior decorator/designer, Carisa.  Not only has she helped add flow to our living spaces but she also finds us great free and/or very affordable items.  We are blessed with so much help and love!

The cute blue house on the corner

Our front yard and home!  We have great plans for the screen door, which is a bit uninviting, if you ask me.  I envision some carvings or changing the fence-like look to it.  Over time, we will work on the landscaping and the sinking, collapsing front flower bed area.  It is a good size yard.

Intimate kitchen

Our kitchen is a bit intimate and one day, we'll renovate the space entirely.  The storage space fooled me a bit at first.  The "drawers" directly beneath the counter are actually painted pieces of wood nailed to the wood.  The previous owners didn't spend any time or money on adding/completing the drawers.  We are very strategic about our kitchen storage space.

Comfortable living space

Here is our living room and this is what you see when you walk in the front door.  It's warm, still evolving and such a great place in our home.

Living, living...

Here's another shot of our living room from a different angle.  Since this picture was taken, we've rearranged the furniture, but you get the idea.  We were blessed/cursed with lovely, old school blinds that have been successfully collecting dust for several years.  We did our best to clean the blinds and just need to decide what to do.

Fire!

Here is our beloved fireplace.  We love to drag our floor pillows around for an evening of warmth, light and a glass of wine (or maybe two glasses...)  It's old 70's style design is gorgeous and the way the ceiling beams highlight this area of the room, makes this my favorite place in the home.

Where we all come together.. the dining room.

For many years, Si and I were a bit transient, living with my parents when we returned to the US, renting from friends (and we are very thankful for their generosity-Sarah and Laurel!).  Along the way, we inherited various items of furniture.  One item is this beautiful Danish table that happily seats 10. 

Tonight my family will come over for a chili and baked potato evening.  My Mom and sister always host our family dinners so I am honored that we can host the clan. Tonight, we dine!

Mirrors... seeing into your soul

Our dining room has not only some serious wood paneling/decor, but also these old mirrors... a wall of them!  At first, I didn't like them at all.  Simon wasn't sure either way.  Carisa LOVES them!  She raved about how beautifully authentic and coveted they are in interior home design.  The mirrors DO open that area and make it feel bigger and it's a convenient place to check your lipstick, rather than run to the bathroom... but, I'm still not sure.

Our bedroom!

So photographing bedrooms with my little digital camera isn't that rewarding.  The entire house is painted white which means it's a blank slate for our color creations.  Right now, we're just trying to get a feel for it all.  Simon plans to make a really cool bed frame for us, too. 

Downstairs bedroom

This is the largest bedroom stemming from the basement area.  It's not insulated so it will be great for the summers and too cold for the winter.  We plan to make it into an extra room, for guests, possibly media and hopefully to hang our new hammock that we dragged home from Mexico.  Right now, it's where I hang all of our laundry. 

Pardon the poor lighting and photography.. but here's our basement

We are blessed with a completely finished basement that also has a separate bedroom and half bath.  Additionally, there's a big storage room, but I'm too embarassed to post a picture of it because it's full of unpacked boxes.  Plus, this is where Simon can house his drums.  So much space compared to our 700 sq ft apartment that we moved from.

Last but not least... Si's drum kit!

After years of storing my Uncle Mike's drum kit, Simon finally gets a chance to play drums on a daily basis.  The pink camo "curtain" is the perfect touch, isn't it?  We plan to get some real curtains or blinds sometime soon.  Play on!

Back to Blogging... Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  Xin Nien Kwai Le!  Feliz Ano Nuevos!   Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu!   What a year this will be!  In addition to visiting the Yucatan Peninsula for the Christmas holiday, we also bought a home! 

I am also reviving this old blog, with more pictures of what's happening in our lives.  This is mostly for our family back in New Zealand.  We want Mum Margaret,  Dad Lyle, brother Daniel and other family members to stay more informed and up to date on what's happening in our Seattle lives.   Much love to you all in this new year...

So, here's some fun pictures (not seen on FB) of our travels... Enjoy!

Chichen Itza... Kulkukan

Chichen Itza is one of the largest Mayan ruin cites of the Yucatan Peninsula and it's translation is "Magicians of Water" as there were many sources of water under the ruins and from natural cenotes.  This large site had many areas of worship and more.   This temple has several steps that once could be climbed by tourists, until someone fell to their death.  We just enjoyed seeing it from the ground. 

Chichen Itza was a highlight of our trip and well worth the cost, the heat and the bugs.  We learned a huge amount about the Mayan culture and history.

Marvelous Mary!

Our tour guide, Mary was excellent, informative, very sweet and patient.  We dragged her all over the site and she carefully answered ALL of our questions with great detail.  I'm sure we got our money's worth of the entire experience. 

Not only did she speak Spanish, but she also spoke Mayan and explained that the language is still alive and thriving today.  It's estimated that 1 million speak Mayan and some schools teach it.  The written Mayan language is very complicated and difficult to learn.  One symbol can represent hundreds of words! 

Thousand columns

This is 1000 columns of the great site (although we didn't count them).  These once held up a roof, but it's unknown what they actual structure was for.  They are perfectly lined and it's intersesting to imagine what kinds of ceremonies or daily business was conducted here.

Temple of Nuns

This Mayan temple was really beautiful.  Not only did it have a tall piece with interesting carvings, but there were also a series of rooms one for each nun or priest.  The sheer strength of each of the pieces we saw were jaw-dropping and so impressive.

Poc de Poc

In Mayan culture, there was a game played called Poc de Poc and this is the arena.  You can see at the far right a throne like structure where the high priests sat and watched.  The teams played for two days and their goal was to get a ball with the weight equivalent of 3 gallons into the stone "hoops" that you can see on either side of the arena.  The trick is that you can't use your hands or feet to do this.  Amazing, right?  The other fun fact is that the winning team's coach is executed after winning.  It's an honor to die for your team.  

Cenotes!

Cenotes are essentially sink holes that are naturally made.  Some are above earth, like this one and have interesting roots, trees, bushes and wildlife all around it.  You can visit them and for a small fee, go down and have a swim.  Simon swam in this one, but I decided to just hang out.  Turns out I am a rather picky girl when it comes to giant swim holes in which the water is hazy and I can't see if there are or aren't any creatures swimming about.

When touring Chichen Itza we saw a cenote, similar to this one.  We learned that it was used a sacrificial site where small boys and infants were given to the gods for water and other reasons.  Also, many jewels and other valuable items were sacrificed.  At one point an English business man "bought" the area and drudged the bottom gathering all of the goods and jewelry.  Sounds a bit sad and sacrilegious, doesn't it?  Apparently, the items are now exhibited at a Cambridge musuem. 

Another cenote!

This cenote was the most stunning of all that I saw.  The waters were so blue and above the cenote was a hole where light came in.  Stalactites hung dramatically from the ceilings as we swam beneath. Birds flew around in patterns at the top of the cave.  The water was luke warm, but Simon being the fish he is, swam and swam to all corners of the area.  He found little cliff areas that he climbed up to and jumped in until the park guard yelled at him to get down. I was happy enough floating on my back, watching the birds, marveling in the piece of nature.

Casa Quetzal of Vallodolid

Vallodolid, which is a small town between Merida (the largest town on the Yucatan) and Cancun, was charming, quaint and so easy.  We stayed at a hotel boutique called Casa Quetzal.  The accomodation had rooms around this little courtyard and this is what we viewed every morning with breakfast.  It was such an oasis, we stayed an extra day!

Goddess of Sun...

There was an amazing wall of murals at the Policia Municipal.  This one depicts the Sun Goddess lowering light into the God of water.  I loved the colors and strength that each picture shared.  I spent tons of time with these murals, just taking in each detail and color.

Luces

At night, there's a light show at Uxmal, which is just beautiful.  

View of Uxmal

 

This was taken high above the main Mayan ruin area of Uxmal, which means "thrice built".  Often in 400-600.AD, temples were built and rebuilt as improvements to the current structure, and for other spiritual reasons.  We stayed across the road from this ruin and loved the quiet of the surrounding areas. 

Supposedly, there are jaguars in the wild near this ruin and other nearby environments.  One evening we took a long walk and marveled at the stars, the clear night and nearly full moon.  Hearing rustling in the bushes made us pause, but all was good and we were safe.

Nearly touching flamingos...well, as close as we could get.

Visiting Rio Largartos, we took a private tour and visited gorgeous wetlands with crocodiles, amazing birds and FLAMINGO's!  They are beautiful creatures!  Our perky guide, who was always smiling (seriously) said they are pink because they eat only shrimp.  I researched this and they do eat a lot of shrimp and prawns, but actually live almost entirely on algae and sea bacteria.  So that's why they are more pink in some places than others.

To get this close to these birds, we had to wade out in knee deep water over slippery sand with huge chunks of salt to navigate.  I was extra careful because I was carrying our camera to get this excellent shot.  I surprisingly never fell into the water and decided that this activity was much like rollerskating, in water, while drunk.  This may come as a shock to you, but the birds kept moving away as we got closer.  This was the best I could manage.

Isla Mujeres... the Island of Women

We ended our journey with a restful and enticing visit to Isla Mujeres, which is just across from Cancun by ferry.  The island was simple, laid back, full of beaches, little restaurants, bars, lovely people and more...  We entertained the idea of moving to such a place.  What a gorgeous little spot of Mexico and we wish we could have stayed longer.  Ah Mexico...

Where it all began! Simon, Me, Jill and Kim in the Coromandel. October 2005

While enjoying the Coromandel, I met Simon at a hippie festival. A bunch of friends spent the day together and I'm smiling because the dodgy train built by an artistic millionaire that took us up to the great view... didn't kill us. I thought Simon was dreamy, soft spoken and sometimes hard to understand, but so cool. The night before we danced under a huge tent to live funk music. He danced me-twirling, teaching, leading and giving me the butterflies. *sigh*

Come to New Zealand for a great PARTY!

Nearly one year ago, Simon and I were married. Now, we having another celebration in New Zealand. Please come! Here's the scoop:

When: Sat., Dec. 13th, the fun starts at noon

Where: Pauanui, Coromandel, New Zealand

What: A fun event bringing friends, family, great music, food and drink all together in the stunning Coromandel!

The party will take place in Pauanui, Coromandel, which on the North Island of New Zealand. Two homes will be used for the party and we're expecting a great turn out! The venue is a pretty, scenic drive from Auckland and you're more than welcome to stay the night! There will be some guest rooms available between the two homes and an additional home nearby, however, there will also be plenty of space to camp. Keep in mind December is the start of summer in NZ, so the temperature won't be as frigid as many parts in the US, during that time of year. If you want additional information about travel, contact me directly.

How to get there: Fly to Auckland and plan to drive (we can help arrange a ride/carpool or rent a car, which is a good idea if you'd like to see other parts of NZ while visiting) and follow these directions:

Address: 46 El Dorado Leader, Pauanui, Coromandel, New Zealand
Home of Dawn and Clyde Kennedy

Driving directions:
1. From Auckland, get to the Southern Motorway 45.7 km
2. Take the ramp onto (State) Highway 2 17.0 km
3. Turn left to stay on H 2 17.3 km
4. Turn left at Highway 25 21.6 km
5. Turn left to stay on Highway 25 1.7 km
6. Continue on Kopu Rd 1.0 km
7. Turn right at Ngati Maru Hwy 0.9 km
8. Turn left at Kopu Hikuai Rd 27.9 km
9. Slight left at Tairua Rd 1.4 km
10. Turn right at Hikuai Settlement Rd 11.0 km
12. Turn left at El Dorado Leader
- Drive towards the end of the street. You'll see us on the last corner in the road. We're on the right hand side in the large, 2 storied, U-shaped duplex. If you hit the sea you've gone too far.

Any party attendees from the US, contact me for additional information. We'll be visiting the country, Simon longer than me, but there'll be time for lots of fun! Hope you can join us!

Please no gifts!

View of the Coromandel... breath-taking! Come see for yourself!

We met MICHAEL FRANTI!

Me, Andrew, Alan Blackie and Simon at Stanley Park-with the cool, rock balancing sculptures behind us.

Simon admist the lush trees on our way to Breitenbush!

Our Breitenbush cabin was quaint, simple and so cozy with birds chirping and trees whispering everywhere.

Annual Update

It seems that my blog updates have been occurring less and less since we stopped traveling. Shocking!

At any rate, our lives have been jam-packed with activities-moving, work, family fun and a little travel. In the last few months, I've started working with a family as their nanny, personal assistant and helping with a new foundation. Simon is busy working with a contractor, renovating a home in Ballard. He's learning new skills every day and coming home dirty and tired, but loving it!

Last spring, we went to the Sasquatch music festival in eastern Washington. The venue is a gorgeous outdoor amphitheater with multiple stages and I forgot how jaw-dropping beautiful. I hadn't been there since college, which was a just a few years ago. :)

Kristine, Simon and I camped out, enjoyed excellent music by The Cure (one of Simon's all time favorites), REM (they performed as it rained lightly, and most people stayed away. Fools! Michael Stipe is just a dedicated and blissful performer), Crudo (who was recently created by Mike Patton, formerly of Faith No More and such an amazing, kooky performer. He's definitely a little crazy, but so fun!), MIA (who looked tiny from where we sat, but she rocked the whole place), The Breeders, and the highlight, Michael Franti and Spearhead! Not only did he perform away in his very cool, sometimes reggage, sometimes funk, always engaging music, but WE MET HIM! He was gracious and so sweet. He kissed my head. I haven't washed my hair since.

For the 4th of July, our friends Rich, Sheryl, Alan and Ellen, gave us a gift certificate Breitenbush, which is a hot springs resort in the deep forest, south of Portland. For a few days, we enjoyed amazing hot springs and pools, beautiful walks, amazing vegetarian food, intense massages and lots of rest. We met some really interesting people and had lots of quiet time, too.

The entire location is surrounded by trees, mountainous terrain and a deep, rolling river. It's a community owned and operated community with a calming atmosphere. We spent a few nights in the hottest hot springs, laying on rock slate, gazing at the amazing sky that was littered with immense, textured, layers of stars. What a sight! We loved it! Thank you, guys!

We have been visiting Vancouver lots this year, as our close friends Angela and Mark, who we met in Taiwan, moved there. Vancouver is such a fun, bustling, delicious city. Similar to Seattle, it's surrounded by mountains and water. Each time I visit that city, I think about moving there. Oh Canada!

Recently, Alan and Andrew Blackie visited from New Zealand. They were in Vancouvery for just a day and we drove up to see them. The Blackie's are good family friends of Simon's family and it was great to meet them. We enjoyed a little sight-seeing, including Vancouver's annual dragon boat racing and a nice walk through Stanley Park. They continued on through a road trip through parts of Canada and we headed south, stopping only for our favorite border perk... Duty free shopping!

Finally, this summer my nephew Reagan visited from back East. I love the babies in my life and he's a true blessing! He is just over a year old and his personality, warmth and the joy he exudes is just so sweet. Simon and I spent lots of time with him and my brother and sister-in-law while they visited. I couldn't get enough. We also bought him his first pair of sneakers. Any excuse to buy shoes!

That was the last few months in a nutshell... I'm sure I'm leaving out some other great experiences, but you get the idea. We are moving to a friend's condo in a few weeks in a great hood in Seattle. More on this soon! Peace.