Seattle

After our trip to Canada we had a few days in Seattle so Chris and I:

• Meet up for lunch with my friends (We missed Laura!)

Alex, Melinda, Ciara and Me

• Stopped in at my Dad's office

• Did a little downtown shopping

• Played Croquet with the family and ate a delicious bundt (bundkuchen..hehe) from Heidi

• Relaxed with my family

• Saw the Blue Angels who were in town for Seafair

(Paydan plugging his ears from the ROAR of the planes)

cool formation

Tis the Season in Seattle

This year it was our turn to go to Seattle for Christmas. We had a few days in Seattle before we left for our traditional stay in the Blue Mountain Lodge (more to come on it later). So here are some things we did.

We got to see "White Christmas" the the 5th Avenue Theater. It was a great way to get into the Christmas mood. It was great, but not quite the same when there is no Bing Crosby crooning away.

The we fulfilled the usual Bussey Family tradition and headed to downtown Seattle to see the lights, ride the carousel and look at the gingerbread at the Sheraton.

(We took pre-wedding pictures with our photographer 3 years ago in front of this star)

What a great looking couple! I love my PARENTS!

In front of the Carousel

Zoom!

You are NEVER to old to enjoy the ride!

Us "racing on our horses"

Hi Paydan!

(click on the picture to really see the details in the gingerbread houses)
The theme this year was Christmas Movies

I also got to finally get together with the FAB FIVE... my best friends from high school. We enjoyed pedicures, some dinner and hanging out together. (My friend Melinda has the pictures)

When Chris studies...

I Travel!

Or at least I did in this one case. When Chris has MAJOR tests he locks himself in a room and studies 24/7. I am proud that he can work this hard... but it's a bit lonely. So my solution on his last test was to travel back to Seattle to be with my family for a long weekend.

So I went from a Thursday to a Tuesday (thanks to Southwest's cheap flights) and here is my recap:
(sorry not a great variety of pictures showing all I did)

THURSDAY:
I flew in early in so my mom picked me up. Dad at work+ Paydan at school= Girl time! So my mom and I went to the mall! I actually have not been clothes shopping with my mom in a loooong time and it was great. It was nice to window shop and also catch up. We then had a yummy lunch while continuing to gab away.
After Paydan got home from school we all drove up to Suncadia (a mountain style resort) about an hour away to meet up with my dad who was at a business conference there. It was a BEAUTIFUL drive up with all the fall colors! Then that night we went to the closest town (population like 100?) and ate a mom n' pop Italian place.
a view from our room at Suncadia

FRIDAY:
After a quick workout and swim at Suncadia's pool we packed up and headed home. Had a nice, relaxing day at my parents. Then we had a neat experience that night, that I was so glad I was visiting so I could be a part of it. My Grandfather Bussey passed away last year and his work was all cleared and ready to do at the temple. So My Brandon, my parents, and myself had a nice dinner at Outback and then headed to the temple. After a little mix up with the paper work, everything was work out. I began by doing family names for baptisms and then my brother got Baptized by my dad for our grandpa. It was sooo neat and I was glad I was a part of it.

SATURDAY:
I got to meet up with a good high school friend, Yeng, for a bit. It had been a long time and it was so great to catch up. Took some pictures of the beautiful fall (which is the main thing I miss here in CA). Then we had a nice dinner at home and my mom, Paydan and I got in the Halloween Spirit by watching Hocus Pocus!

SUNDAY:
I lucked out to be visiting on the week of the Primary program in my parents' ward. I love the programs and it was fun to see my mom put her great Chorister skills to work and see Paydan in his LAST program. After Church just hung out with family and relaxed and had a nice dinner.

MONDAY:
I had the craft itch and since my mom has her new remodeled CRAFT room I wanted to put it to use. So after looking through some old wood my mom had (back from her Craft Show days) I got a vision and we headed to Michael's. I decided to make Halloween Blocks. So I painted them black and then on the front Mod-Podged on some cute Halloween paper to spell out BOO and two pumpkin faces. Then I also slapped together a frame to match out house. After dinner we headed out to see Brandon and Heidi's new place!

TUESDAY:
Flew home at the Crack of DAWN and was reunited with my wonderful HUBBY (who was free from massive studying!)

Fall and Miscellaneous Pictures:
I love this FIERY red from the Japanese Maple

These pumpkins were from Paydan's garden!

What STUDS going for a Harley Ride!

Celebrating our Country...the 4th!

We had a nice fourth... we decided to pretend like we were tourists in Seattle (even though I have lived here basically my whole life) and we did the "DUCK" tour. These are fun-filled tours in a bus looking vehicle that not only works on land but also SEA! So we got to enjoy the Streets and also the Waterways of the town. It was a BEAUTIFUL day and we were able to also see the set up for the city's big firework display. Even though I have lived here so long I still saw things and learned things I had never seen/learned before.

(us, at the start of the tour)

(the "needle" and EMP, of course altered on the computer)

(the view from the water)

Then we had a nice dinner at The Rock Bottom. The original plan was to watch the fireworks from my Dad's new office downtown, but other building blocked the view. So we opted for the low-key celebration of lighting off some simple fireworks (which of course 10 year old paydan loved) and then watched the big firework displays on TV (in my parent's new remodeled Bonus room!).
It was a great day filled with family and fun! I love our country!

FINALS!!! AHHH!

SO FINALS...
yes the bane of all students' lives. Chris and I are no exception, however, Chris might beg to differon my account. But to my defense, this semester I do have more than coloring and creating posters for my Elementary Ed major, I actually have a test in all of my classes this year. But I thought i would provide a little comic relief to all my fellow study-ers out there. One of my teachers attached this children's poem to our take home test:

Difficult Test
by: Robert Scotellaro

Whoopie! A test! Whoopie! A test!
We're having a difficult test!
We'd also enjoy being kicked by a mule,
then dipped in a caldron of bubbling drool,
but a difficult test is the best!
Or put in a vise and then squeezed till we're flat,
or sharing our room wiht a twenty foot rat,
and then wearing sometight cactus underwear,
but non of, no none of these things compare
to the joys of a difficult test!

don't you just love the sarcasm drippingfrom this poem... haha!

but the only reason I am am saying "whoopie!" to finals is the soon they come, the sooner they are done, which means christmast vacation with my family this year! Here are our plans fo break:

SEATTLE: we will be here for a couple days probably shopping in my favorite city and drinking hot cocoa (as our coffee substitute) in the coffee capital!

SNOWY CABIN (in eastern Washington): Every year but two years of my life I have spent Christmas away from home in a snowy cabin with all of my mom's side of the family. I am so excited to see everyone, celebrate Chris and Mine's first christmas, and go SLEDDING!

CANCUN!: I am probably most excited for this, we are spending a week after Christmast (including our 1 year anniversary) in CANCUN, MEXICO! Finally I will get SOME relief from COLD weather!



So I wish all of you with FINALS... GOOD LUCK! and to ALL a

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAY!

Seattle Visit- So long sweet summer

So Chris and I have spent the last two weeks in Seattle with my Family. It was lots of fun. here's what we did:
-went to two Mariner games (against two of Chris's favorite teams, the White Soxs and The Angels)
-went to the zoo and the aquarium
-went shopping in downtown Seattle (my favorite place to shop!)
-spent 3 days at Baker Lake Lodge in Northern Washington (we hung out, watched movies, went out on the boat and hiked, all while getting eaten alive by mosquitoes)
-went to the Seattle temple (it was our first time back since we have been married)
-went out on lake sammamish (the water was actually warmer i think then the air temperature)
-Chris became addicted to the Wii (especially this game called mario strikers, but he will tell you he wasnt addicted it was just something to do while I wanted to read the whole time)
-speaking of reading I finished the first book in the twilight series and am halfway through the 2nd one (thanks to the many recommendations.. Thanks Janelle)

All in all it was a great time, the weather was actually perfect it was sunny most of the days and just warm enough but cool enough to offer some relief from teh horrible hot weather we have had all summer in Utah. We were so excited to be able to put a sweatshirt on at night! hah!

But Chris just left this morning to go back to Utah to meet up with all the Jones Family Boys for the first BYU football game, lets just say he is FULLY INVESTED! While I leave Issaquah to go to Walla Walla to my grandparents to celebrate their 50th anniversary. So this is the first time that Chris and I have been apart since we have been married. It was Sad to see him leave but I just had to tell myself to suck it up because it was only a couple of days...thats the newlywed side of me coming out!

We are sad to have summer end, but it has been such a wonderful one with lots of visitors and some trips. It was great to end our summer on such high notes with getting to spend time with both sides of the family! But I think Chris and I are also a little ready for school to start so that we can have a more steady routine and have a little more time to spend together since Chris wont be gone working full time now.