A Christmas Classic... The Nutcracker!

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is The Nutcracker.  This is probably because it is very near and dear to me as I have a little (read sarcasm here) experience with it... Oh say performing it probably over 100 times over 7 years...

That's me in the middle as Clara (I think I was probably 11 or 12) getting ready to perform with some of my Merlitone and Snowflake friends and of course Miss Allison giving me last minute advice.

As the Arabian dancer with professional dancer Allen Gartrell.  This was my favorite and most "famous" role from the Nutcracker.

After a performance with Amy Beyland as the Spanish dancer and Karen Hocwalt (the original Arabian dancer from Cincinnati Ballet)

Luckily for me, the Donaldsons also hold The Nutcracker as a most important Christmas tradition in their family.  I was so excited to attend the Pacific Northwest Ballet's performance of this Christmastime classic.  I had heard of the amazing costumes and set's designed by no other than Maurice Sendak (illustrator of Where the Wild Things Are).  Needless to say, the sets were absolutely unbelievable!  And costumes like none I have ever seen, it was definitely a spectacle and delight for all.  And the dancing...wow!  I of course, heard only a few notes of the Grand Pas de duex and began crying.  I'm not sure why this is, if it is just thinking of the hours and hours and years of practicing or the absolutely perfectly played notes by the orchestra, or the dancing, or the magic of the ballet and season, but every time I  hear it I cry.  It was a wonderful memory that I will cherish forever.  

Dyllan and Caitlyn in front of the mini sets they have set up in the lobby, too cute! 

Mason and Caitlyn ready for the show! They have been going since they were babies!

Me with Herr Drosselymeyer, just an example of the unbelievable sets!

The Linton Invasion!

I apologize for my brief blogging vacation.  And also for the inundation of new blog posts in the next few days, I am going to try to catch up on about a month of blogging.  It was quite a month, with family visits, friend visits and holidays galore!! So here it goes...

Most importantly was the visit of my dad and sister from Ohio to Seattle! It was my dad's first visit in almost 50 years to the great Northwest (he came on a family vacation in 1962 when the Space needle first opened) and my sister's first visit to the Northwest and the first time both of them have been to see me here in Seattle and meet Ryan's family.  I was so excited for their trip and planned out a great time for all.  They were very VERY lucky in that for the first 3 weeks of December it was the driest on record.  In fact their first day here was absolutely beautiful and clear and it was a perfect day to get a little snack at the market before heading to the Space Needle.  It didn't take long for both of them to love the market and all the neat things it holds.  The trip to the Space Needle was amazing! We could easily see all the way to Mt. Baker and beyond into Canada and far south to see Mt. St. Helens on the horizon.  It was a little emotional for my dad too considering his first trip here was the summer the Space Needle opened and he was only 8 years old.  It was amazing the things that he remembered and memories that flooded back for him.  Needless to say it was a great first day of their visit!   

Dad and Holly in front of the original Starbucks with their Piroshky Piroshky treats

Dad at Pike Place fish getting ready for an unforgettable fish catching experience

Holly with one of the fish guys

The next day we all woke up at Sue's house (so amazingly generous of Bob and Sue to open their home to us) and headed out to see where I work at Seattle Children's Hospital and a quick shopping trip to University Village before heading back to the east side for a little wine tasting and dinner at the Stone House.  Wine tasting was so fun, and such a great thing to share with my family as that really isn't something you can do in the midwest.  And then of course it was great to take them to the restaurant so they could really see Ryan in his element and try some of his delicious food!  My dad and sister both loved wine tasting and dinner at the StoneHouse and can't wait to try both again!

Cute holiday picture of Holly and me at U Village in the sled

Dad, me and Holly at Chateau Ste Michelle ready to kick off wine tasting

Holly relaxing on the DeLille heated patio

Sisters! at DeLille

On their last full day in Seattle my dad and sister wanted to re visit their favorite destination.. Pike Place Market for more Piroshky, Starbucks and memories.  I am so glad they could see one of the reasons I love Seattle so much and they loved it too.  After a trip downtown, it was more holiday shopping in Bellevue and then a big Donaldson family dinner before really getting in the holiday spirit at Snowflake Lane and the Bellevue Botanical Gardens with their holiday lights.  The lights at the Botanical Gardens was the most impressive light display I have EVER seen and if you are in the Seattle area next Christmas it is a MUST!  Everything is done by hand and all volunteer hours, it is really quite incredible and a great way to really feel like it was Christmastime!

Holly by her favorite Seattle treat

The aquarium lights at the Botanical Gardens - those Jellyfish blink!

Botanical Garden light pond with moving fountain

Oh and yes that is a grape orchard arch!

All in all the Linton Invasion to the Great Pacific Northwest was incredible and I am so glad I got to spend time with my family near the holidays and show them why I love Seattle so much.

O Christmas Tree!

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is the Christmas tree.  I remember from when I was little setting up the tree and hanging the lights and placing the ornaments on the tree was my favorite.  My family always put on Christmas music, drank hot chocolate and reflected on memories as we saw ornaments from years past.  Last year was the fist year I had a real Christmas tree. Ryan and I got a tree here in Seattle and decorated it together.  We knew it would be the first of many trees we would decorate together. This year we really wanted to go up to the mountains and chop down a tree (a la National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation) but with everything going on this month we just couldn't fit it in.  So instead we went to a great tree lot over in Ballard operated by the Boy Scout troop 1000.  I would highly recommend this lot to anyone in the Seattle area.  The had a great selection and great prices!  There were so many trees to choose from: Noble, Douglas, and Great Pine oh my!    

A view down the lot of all the amazing trees

Ryan with our chosen tree, a Douglas Fir!  It has an amazing smell!!!

A quick picture of the finished product, it looks so great and really makes our house smell fantastic

Sarah, Caitlyn, and Cinderella!

This year for Christmas Ryan and I wanted to be a little different in our gift giving to his nephews and niece.  We wanted to do things with them and create experiences that they would remember much longer than a toy.  So for Miss Caitlyn we decided that I would take her to see Cinderella, the musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein.  I was soooo excited to take her and really looked forward to the day, which was the same day as Gingerbreads.  So after we created our candy cottages we changed into our most beautiful dresses to attend Cinderella. 

Upon arrival to the 5th Avenue, Miss Caitlyn informs me she is very hungry, she had forgotten to eat dinner in the excitement of Gingerbreads and had filled up on candy.  Awesome! We walk in and she immediately sees Red Vines and asks me if I will buy them for her, of course I do, the child was hungry.  Now looking back, I think I may have been duped.  Anyway we get into our seats and enjoy a  Lovely Night!  It was really an incredible show and soooo much fun to go with a little girl! I hope that Caitlyn remembers this night as much as I know I will! 

Miss Caitlyn - in her Cinderella dress, not really wanting to smile for the camera

Only shot of the two of us together (she didn't really like that I asked a stranger to take the picture :)

Gingerbreads

It's that time of year! Time for jingle bells, mistletoe, and of course... Gingerbreads!  You may remember that I was in Seattle a few weeks before Christmas last year and I was able to participate and experience Gingerbreads at Ryan's parents house.  It is a simply amazing day that Ryan's mom puts together for her grandkids, kids, her friends kids and grandkids and other family friends.  There is quite possibly the largest assortment of candy ever seen out of a candy store and of course a few dozen gingerbread houses ready to be decorated!  I truly love this Donaldson family tradition and am so glad I get to partake in this day.  Here are a few pictures of my house from this year.    

The front, complete with Santa ready to deliver gifts.  I also love those lego candies!

Candy canes, jelly beans and red hots oh my!  I think Buddy the Elf would love this house 

More candy!

A quick shot of Miss Caitlyn decorating her house and a brief look at the rest of the table

Half Marathon, there is nothing Half about it!

Last Sunday I put all my training and hard work running for the last several months to the test.  I ran the Seattle Half Marathon.  It wasn't my first 13.1, but it was the first one I have done in three and a half years.  Needless to say, I was SUPER nervous.  Ryan was amazing as a supporter through everything.  He had been training to run the half too, but got sick a few weeks ago and wasn't able to train like he wanted to.  It was a game time decision for him, but he decided not to do it, but it was going to help me and be my cheerleader! This began with going to the expo.  Okay, so for those of you that have never run a large marathon/half marathon the expo is a big deal.  You pick up your packet and usually end up spending a lot of money on running things that you absolutely MUST have.  I would urge you to use any restraint.  I however, do not have any.  I bought several sparkly headbands (I mean who doesn't need them right???) and seriously considered signing up for several half marathons and marathons.  Ryan enjoyed the expo too, we spent a lot of time there and probably a little too much money.  

Banners for the marathon through the whole city

Next up, a sleepless night of tossing and turning and wondering if I had trained enough, if I have the right clothes to wear, what if I sleep through my alarm and miss this (I've worked so hard), what if we can't find parking and I have to run to the start, what if I get hurt.  Alarm goes off at 5:55am, time to get ready and push all the what ifs away! It's game time! I start my quinoa in the microwave and drink a little water with a nuun tablet.  I make my race water bottle with another nuun tablet and get dressed.  It's an unexpected 51 degrees so I opt for my black running crops, the official race shirt (very nice by the way) and my black vest.  And of course my new sparkly black headband.  Shoes on, bib on, timing chip on my ankle, time to leave!  Ryan drove to the start and made sure I got in line okay and met up with Mike, my friend Karen's fiancee who was going to run with her bib and with me for awhile.  Ryan got this great snapshot of me in the corral.  

    

I look like I am ready! All nerves gone, it's all fun now!!

And we are off!! The race starts at Seattle Center and runs down Fifth Ave through downtown.  I start out strong but at about 2 miles I realize this new fangled timing chip is kind of hurting my ankle.  At 3 miles I stop to adjust it and find blood running down my ankle, fantastic, but it feels much better after the adjustment.  Then it's on to I-90 and through the tunnel, that part was pretty cool, how often do you get to run on the highway?  Then the course turns north through a park and very nice neighborhood along the lake.  Just after mile 5 I hear someone calling my name, it's Ryan's dad!  Hi Bob! Sure I will stop for a picture. I feel good!

Mile 5 photo op! 

Okay, back to the course, it's about to get hilly!! As we climb and wind through interlaken and the arboretum, I know there is still a BIG hill to come.  As we leave the arboretum (which was really beautiful by the way, a really pretty part of the course) I see people turning left up Galer and I do mean UP! This hill was a monster, but I did it!  Mostly because of my cheerleader at my side but I did it, I ran the whole hill and then some before taking a quick break for water and a final GU.  We are at mile 10 already, I can't believe it!  Then before we know it we are making the big turn down along I-5 and towards downtown.  Again between miles 11 and 12 I hear my name again, it's Ryan's mom Sue! Hi Sue!  I am really glad to see another friendly face at this point.  This was the hardest part for me, I was so wet and ready to be done. 

Almost there! Only two tenths of a mile to go!

As we wind through the end and head towards the finish line I smell the most delicious smell ever.  I ask Ryan what it is, he says to look at the building next to me, I see the Hostess factory.  YUMMY! I want some goodies now! But I am almost done just a half mile left .  As we make the final turn towards the end there is one last hill.  Really! Is this really necessary? It was a killer since I was so close to being done, but I got through it and made the real last turn toward the finish line.  Time to turn on the burners and go all out.  Time to revert to my days as a sprinter and time to beat anyone and everyone in my eyesight!! I cross the finish line and am immediately handed a medal and a warming blanket.  Then Ryan is by my side for a kiss.  He is so proud of me and my training.  I feel so happy to be done and to feel good at the finish line.  In the recovery area we stock up on water, bananas, Jamba Juice and meet up with Bob and Sue again.  As we leave they have computers to check your official time.  Although it was definitely not my fastest (remember all those hills) it wasn't my worst either and most importantly I had a negative split. I ran the second half 3 minutes faster than the first half (and that's where all those hills were!) After seeing that stat I am ready to recover and then take on the Marathon!  Bring it!!!

Thanksgiving, what I am thankful for..

I love Thanksgiving.  I feel it really gives us a chance to reflect on all we have to be thankful for.  It is also a time to look back on memories and traditions.  This year especially I have been thinking about memories and traditions with the passing of my grandmother earlier this year.  I am so glad that I was able to spend Thanksgiving with her last year, I was able to surprise her and the rest of my family on Thanksgiving day.  It was so fun to share that day and that memory with her.  The only thing missing was her amazing oyster casserole.  Since I am the only grandkid that would eat the oyster casserole and my dad and grandma were the only other two people that would eat it she didn't make it last year.  It was always a staple at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it was my grandmother that instilled my love of oysters.

This year as Ryan and I prepared for Thanksgiving he asked me if there was something we could do to bring my family traditions into his family's Thanksgiving.  I instantly thought of oyster casserole.  But I wanted to make it ours, something we could start as a tradition.  So with Ryan's amazing chef skills we took those same flavors I remembered from the time I was a kid and made our own oyster stuffing.  We used oysters from the famous Pike Place fish market and brioche bread to incorporate the buttery flavor of buttery Waverley Wafers.  We also added andouille sausage, onions, sage, thyme, and parsley.  I have to say it was a big hit at the Donaldson family Thanksgiving.  Everyone loved it and are already asking if we are making it next year.  I know that my Jeanie girl (my grandma) is looking down on me with a big smile.  I know she must be proud that I brought her recipe inspiration to the Pacific Northwest.

The oysters, andouille, onions and seasonings before mixing with the bread

Our Thanksgiving table