Valentine's Day

John's boss bought everyone a box of homemade chocolates. They did not last long at our house. John gave me a fruit and chocolate arrangement from Edible Arrangements. Super tasty. We knew John loves apples, so got him a white chocolate covered one from Big Bear Chocolates. Also found a cute idea using "Flip" covered pretzels. Took me a week to find some in any store, but finally found. "I would 'Flip' if you'd be my Valentine" is what the card said. We gave Audrey her favorite treats - Toblerone and Ferrero Rocher chocolates.

Audrey gave me a coupon: "This coupon belongs to Samantha Carter, and is good for one free project done by Audrey Carter. (with no complaints)". There was a little fine print...."Project limited to a small or medium sized project. Ask coupon manufacturer for details." Sidney also gave me a coupon: "This coupon is for Momma Kitty and is good for unlimited naps on her lap, nibbling on her pictures, sitting on her desk, attacking her nylon covered ankles, and being the best kitty she has ever known!"

Symphony: Riders in the Sky

Mom and I went to the Symphony. They were joined by Riders In the Sky - a Cowboy band consisting of a fiddle, accordion, guitar, bass plus vocals. For 30 years Riders In The Sky have been singing tunes made famous by Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. They sang numbers such as Yellow Rose of Texas, Red River Valley, Back In the Saddle Again and Happy Trails. You might recognize them from their performance of Woody's Round Up in Toy Story 2 and Monsters Inc. - Scream Factory Favorites.

Here are the words to a popular cowboy poem that they performed during the concert on Saturday. The poem was written by Wally McRae, a Montana rancher.

REINCARNATION

What is reincarnation? The Cowpoke asked his friend
His pal replied it happens when your life has reached its end
They comb your hair and wash your neck and clean your fingernails
And lay you in a padded box away from life's travails
And the box then goes in a hole that's been dug in the ground
And reincarnation starts in when you're planted neath the mound
Then clods melt down, just like the box, and you who is inside
And then you're just beginning on your transformation ride
Meanwhile the grass will grow upon your rendered mound
And soon upon your lonely grave a single flower is found
And then a horse will wonder by and graze upon flower
That once was you and now become your vegetated bower
The posie that the horse done eat along with his other feed
Makes bone and fat and muscle essential to the steed
But some is left that he can't use and so it passes thru
And finally lays upon the ground this thing that once was you
And say by chance I wanders by, and sees this on the ground
And I ponders and wonders at this object that I've found
And I thinks of reincarnation and life and death and such
And I come away concluding you ain't changed all that much.

Beauty & the Beast

One reason we had to hurry home was because Audrey and I had seats to the Best of Broadway production of Beauty & the Beast. What a great event! We had good seats and enjoyed the special effects and choreography. For instance, during the saloon singing of "Gaston" the singers and dancers coordinated clinking their mugs together during their dance number. Hard to describe, but really added to the performance. They did a great job of special effects during the transformation scene (Beast to man) while suspending the actor from a wire. It truly was a wonderful performance and we had a great time!

Audrey and I in front of our Beauty and the Beast artwork before heading downtown to see the production.

Drive Home

We checked out of the hotel but had to make one pit-stop before hitting the road. There is a new Safeway in downtown Bellevue that I wanted to check out. It has a parking garage under the store so you can enter the store via an elevator.

Garage Entrance

Main Street Entrance

We then headed on our way home, stopping at Ihop for breakfast. When we were to Vantage, we stopped at a rest stop and took pictures of all these windmills. I believe they are part of the Wildhorse Windfarm in Vantage. Enjoyed our quick trip to Seattle.

Robert's Wedding

We got up early this morning to drive to Seattle to attend John's youngest brother's wedding. John and I swapped out driving while Audrey spent most of the drive napping in the back seat. We stopped at North Bend to fuel, grab some breakfast and reminiscent of band/choir road trips, I went in the bathroom to change from jeans into nylons/high heels and a dress. We arrived at the temple in plenty of time for the morning ceremony, which was lovely. Here is a picture of the bride and groom exiting the temple:

Carmela and Robert Carter

Brothers: Robert & Duane

The goofier brothers: Steve and John

After pictures on the temple grounds, everyone departed until the reception that afternoon. We stopped by Deseret Book and then headed to check into our hotel in Kirkland. We found a nice Courtyard by Marriott not too far from the reception location. After a nap we went and enjoyed visiting with family members who had also traveled to the festivities. Carmela and Robert had chosen black & white for their decoration - check out this yummy cake!


Congrats Carmela & Robert! Have fun on your honeymoon to Belize. Side note - instead of gifts, we were able to log onto a honeymoon account and purchase a portion of their trip. Kind of a fun twist, especially for those couples who are already established in their own homes. We chose to give them a scooter rental.

After the afternoon reception, we had time to visit Bellevue Square Mall and check out Crate and Barrel and the Disney Store. This gave us something to do while waiting to be seated at Cheesecake Factory for dinner. After dinner & shopping we headed to our hotel to rest. Good day!

Kitty Helper

Every time I want to spend time in my office on a project, I "get" my helper kitty! Here she is helping me with a report for work by sitting on top of the very binder I need to reference for my report.


Let's take a closer look at those paws!!!



And how about that tail? Not sure it is really helpful to get kitty hair on my printer.

Cougar Gold Soup

For those outside Cougar country - Cougar Gold cheese is produced by the Washington State Creamery and sealed into cans. Each can sells for $20-25 depending on what flavor is purchased. We always go with the traditional and it is best served with Triscuts.


COUGAR GOLD SOUP
1/2 c. butter
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. thinly sliced celery
1/4 c. flour
3 c. chicken broth
1 c. grated carrots
3 c. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 c. milk (or 1/2 & 1/2)
2-3 cups shredded Cougar Gold Cheese
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (would suggest sharp)
Black pepper

In a large soup pot, melt butter over moderate heat. Add onion and celery and saute until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually add chicken broth and cook until slightly thickened. Add grated carrots and potatoes and cook until just tender but still firm, 20-30 minutes. Add milk and reduce heat to low. Add cheeses and stir until cheese are melted. Season with pepper to taste.