Mrs. Newton is BACK in action!

Well, it's been awhile since the last entry, but I am back and have some GOOD news... I got hired yesterday as a long-term substitute for a teacher going on maternity leave! I will be working at Sammamish High School, teaching US History and AP Gov, and am super excited! That means NO MORE 5am wake-up calls, going to different schools each day, not knowing any of the students I am "teaching" (aka baby-sitting), or showing up to a classroom with no lesson plan or attendance sheet. I also get to make my OWN lesson plans, be a REAL teacher, have a consistent schedule, and best of all, really get to know my students (and the other teachers). Things are starting to look up... :)

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

There are many pros and cons to being an athlete (and/or married to one)... Yesterday, we experienced some of the perks. Joe and I had an awesome, impromptu date night courtesy the Seattle Seahawks. Or as Joe and his buddies would say, "we got the hook-up"...

First, we headed to the Woodland Park Zoo for the Seahawks family day. What did this include? Oh, simply FREE admission, FREE parking, and best of all, a personal tour guide who took us through the Jaguar exhibit! SO cool!! Forget the fact that all of the other "families" there were players and wives with their young children, Joe and I had a blast learning about the animals and checking all of them out. While all of the animals were awesome, by far the coolest was the jaguar. Did you know that the jaguar is the only wild cat who can pierce its prey's skull with one bite? Jaguar literally translates into Mayan "the one who can crush with one bite". All other cats go for the throat and/or internal organs to lacerate and slowly kill their prey, but not the mighty jaguar. Um, also you should know they are so freaking pretty. I really wanted to pet it, but a thick glass wall (and common sense) kept me from doing so.

After walking all around the zoo, we were quite hungry so we headed to Troiani in downtown Seattle for some delicious Italian food. This brings us to hook-up #2. We received a gift card here for going to a charity dinner last week, so we ate an AMAZING meal and barely had to pay a thing. I've decided that I might have to add pancetta-wrapped prawns into my weekly dinner menu... what could be better than prawns, wrapped in bacon, and topped with pesto?? Although dinner was amazing on its own, doesn't food always taste better when you don't have to pay for it?! I think so :)

The grass isn't always greener...

Joe & Jack at Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada... beautiful day, eh?

Just one of the many amazing views along the Pacific Crest trail near Snoqualamie Pass

Fall is officially upon us!

Joe taking in the view

A family pic... (Jack was a little distracted)

As the Seahawks bye weekend was approaching, Joe and I found ourselves in serious debate over what to do with a long weekend. Here were the options: A) go home to Oregon- watch the OSU vs. USC game on Thursday, attend a friend's b-day party on Friday, and a BBQ on Saturday, or B) go to Canada- Victoria, Vancouver, and Whistler to explore and hike, and then stop at the North Cascades National Park on the way home and do some more hiking there. Being that I have never been to Canada, we go home to Oregon almost every chance we get, and we both wanted to hike, we chose the second option... NOT SMART. Here is a brief rundown of our time in Canada:

Pro: Stanley Park (in Vancouver) is big and pretty, and sits right on the edge of the city/water.
Con: It was cloudy, windy, and even a little rainy... although Jack didn't seem to mind.

Pro: Great restaurants, including an all-you-can-eat sushi place that makes it fresh when you order it (instead of buffet style, like Todai)
Con: Noticing the sign "you will be charged for all uneaten food and sushi" after we had ordered a ridiculous amount of food so we would "get our money's worth". The delicious food turned into a stomach ache by the end of the night... (but at least we didn't get charged extra).

Pro: The Beavs upsetting the #1 ranked Trojans... no big deal :)
Con: Missing it, because stupid Canada apparently doesn't broadcast AWESOME teams

Pros: The drive to Whistler was absolutely beautiful. And once we got there, Whistler itself was pretty amazing too. There were so many pretty places to hike, good restaurants to eat at, and good deals on rooms at the resort.
Cons: Construction made the drive at least 2x as long as it should've taken (something about preparation for the 2010 Olympics...). And even worse, Canadians are apparently dog-haters... dogs are not allowed on any of the hikes (stupid provincial parks), obviously not allowed in restaurants (even on the patios), and they're not allowed in the hotels either....

SO, we decided to go back home early Saturday morning. BEST CALL by us. Although we got stuck at the US-Canadian border for literally 2.5 hours, we got home and the weather was beautiful. We went on two serious hikes, WITH Jack, on Saturday and Sunday, got some good exercise, and the views were phenomenal. Next time we ever decide to go to Canada instead of home to Oregon, please, someone smack some sense into us.

BYE weekend= road trip!

Well, Joe and I are at it again... another road trip on the horizon, this time to Vancouver, Canada (I've never been!) and the North Cascades National Park. What could be better than tea and crumpets in pseudo-England and hiking in 30* weather!?! We decided on a road trip instead of flying somewhere warm so we can take our beloved puppy, Jack, with us. The sacrifices we make for our children ;) Stay posted for some pretty pics upon our return this Sunday... Have a good weekend everyone!

You say goodbye, I say hello...

Everyone hates it. But sometimes (or for us every few months), it's inevitable. Moving. Between the two of us, Joe and I have moved a total of 6 times in the past 2 years. If we continue at this unbearable rate, we will move a total of 150 times by the time we are 50... It has to slow down sometime, right?

Anyway, at least we like our new home. It is quite a unique living situation, if you are curious you should ask. And the city of Newcastle, WA is quite cute and enjoyable so far... although I (and Jack) do wish there was a dog park close by. Well, I guess it is goodbye to Portland for now, and hello to Seattle. Come and visit soon (most of you reading this probably already are...)