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!