Happy Birthday Abby!

Happy Birthday Abby Wood from Baby Crumpet!

2008 Year Book

January
- Crumpet turned two on the 19th. Dinner party with ''Italian'' theme
- Chris Rhodes visits from Texas - spent New Year's Eve playing cards; later visits Mt Baker
- Visits Portland, Baltimore, New York & Philadelphia
- Book club book: Eat, Pray, Love
- Goes to Vegas with Crumpet & Adrian; sees Beattles LOVE and Richard Cheese live

February
- Superbowl party at Gracie
- Visits Tokyo & Seoul on business; visits Osaka & Kyoto to see my friend Mutsumi
- Sold condo in Queen Anne
- Cleaned crawl space & re-installed insulation
- Visits Ann Arbor

March
- Goes to Seattle Dog Show with Crumpet & Adrian
- Visits Baltimore
- Homemade corned beef/krauts & sheppard's pie for St Patrick's Day party
- Scott & Evan visits; goes snowboarding in Baker
- Attended Nathan's birthday party
- Chinese New Year party at Cathy
- Took Crumpet to Minneapolis to visit Amy Brown; also saw Ron Lundquist
- Book club: the Man who ate everything

April
- Visits Justine/Nico and Lipovsky/Cristina in London; Anne-Lise & Simon in Stonehenge
- Visit Portland with Gracie. Crumpet & Adrian
- Adrian visits Colleen in NY
- Visit Toronto

May
- Visit Crystal in Atlanta; eat at Fat Matt's Rib Shack
- Adrian & Crumpet goes to grandma Mary's funeral in Oakland
- Visits Baltimore & LA
- Attend Seattle Cheese Festival
- Book club: Like water for chocolate

June
- Visit NY
- Goes to Deming Log Show with Crumpet & Adrian
- Starts family vacation in France & Swiss Alps; visits Ion-Marc & Sonia/Serge in Geneva

July
- Continues family vacation in Italy & Amsterdam
- Visit NY, San Diego
- Goes to Int'l District Festival with Crumpet & Adrian
- Goes to Lynden Raspberry Festival with Adrian & Crumpet
- Josh visits Seattle
- Family vacation in Montana

August
- Pig roast at Adrian's birthday party
- Ivan, Heather & Abby visits Seattle
- Visits Baltimore & Portland
- Family vacation to Vancouver, BC
- Attends Lynden Fair with Crumpet, Adrian, Jim & Nathan
- Gracie's birthday party

September
- Visits Portland, NY & LA
- Attends Big Green Egg Festival with John, Cathy, Maya & Crumpet
- Anniversary dinner with Adrian at Rovers

October
- Attend cousin Clifton's wedding in Seoul
- Attend grandpa Percy's funeral in Oakland with Adrian & Crumpet
- Book club: My life in France by Julia Child
- Visits Frankfurt & Baltimore

November
- Visits mom & grandma in China with Crumpet
- Lily & Kai's birthday parties
- Book club: Heat
- Grandma Dot's birthday party in Menlo Park with Crumpet & Adrian

December
- Ku's birthday party with ''Moroccan'' theme
- Visits Toronto, Baltimore & SF
- Family vacation in New England
- Katherine & Nathan visits Seattle

These are a few of my favorite things in 2008

Favorite books:
- Heat
- MY life in France by Julia Child
- The man who ate everything
- Ugly americans & Rigged by Ben Mezrich
- COBRA II: the inside story of the invasion & occupation of Iraq
- Calculating risk
- Outlier by Malcolm Gladwell
- Eat, pray, love
-War reporting is hell

Guilty pleasure (airplane) readings:
- Books by James Rollins, David Baldacci, Vince Flynn, Christopher Reich & Steve Berry.

Favorite movies:
- Tropic Thunder
- Iron Man
- The Bank Job
- It was a good year
- Flawless

Favorite music:
- Killers
- Kanye West
- Rhianna
- Girl Talk
- Usher

Favorite activities:
- Sledding
- Cooking book club
- Crepe breakfast on weekends
- Taking the bus to the farmers' market on Saturdays
- Singing & dancing with Mia
- Finding old friends thru Facebook
- Fantasy football
- Sitting on our deck during the summer
- Dim sum
- Cooking for family & friends

Best acquisitions:
- Blackberry
- Fish spatula (super-wide)

Favorite moments:
- Going to Italy, Switzerland, France & Amsterdam with Adrian & Mia
- Going to Montana with Adrian & Mia
- Going to New England with Adrian & Mia for the holidays
- Going to China with Mia to visit my mom & grandma
- Being silly with Mia & Adrian (anytime, all the time)

Seattle Snow Storm 2008

Over several days in December Seattle was shut down by about 8 inches of snow. Before folks from real winter cities go WTF note that Seattle rarely gets any snow & is totally unprepared for it. The entire city has only 27 snow removing vehicles (Boston, a city the exact size, has 700). We have no sanders and by policy do not salt the streets. The local airline Alaska ran out of de-icing fluids & airport concessions ran out of food as the supply trucks could not get to the airport.

Our street was closed by the time 1 1/2 inches had fallen. Adrian & Crumpet each missed 3 days of work & school. We put the chains on our Prius and that was lots of fun, we felt like we were driving a tank when we took Gracie to the airport.

The benefit of our street covered in unplowed snow (we live on a hill) was that it made for great sledding which we did muuitple times each day, including nighttime (with Crumpet leading way via headlamp). The few days of winter wonderland made we (briefly) wished we live in a place where snow happens all the time. Then the moment passed.

Our cats were far less unimpressed by the snow. They would each venture out for a few minutes then dash back inside for he comfort of heat, food & iTunes.

Christmas 2008

Baby Crumpet helps to decorate our tree, which the cats love.

Didn't do a holiday party this year because we're spending it in Boston. We did listen to a lot of music (love Aimee Mann's Christmas album, wish Tom Waits & Nick Cave would each do one).

Did go to Gracie's holiday party - ate & drank like kings & queens as usual.

Ku 4.0

Turned 40 on December 2nd. Decided to invite friends over for a Moroccan themed party complete with music & robes.

Menu:
- Lamb tagine with preserved lemon
- Chicken pastilla with harissa
- Roast beets salad

Guests: Sam, Ian, Alex, Gracie, Nathan, Jenni, Jim, Masa, Desiree, Cathy, John, Maya

The McQuinns couldn't make it due to ice in their driveway; and Collins had to bail because it was opening day on the mountains

Thanks to everyone for coming, especially for participating in our annual food drive for the needy.