linnea paulina

hi there :o)

I hope you're doing well :o) After a long work day today, there was nothing I wanted more than to just get home & heat up some of last night's leftover shrimp curry. Zac and I have both been fighting off colds... good thing we are both feeling better this week (sinus headaches are gone!). A minute ago, I found it difficult to eat ice cream with a stuffed nose... but really, it's a minor issue. I had these pictures from valentine's day on my desktop & thought I'd share a few. It's always nice looking back & remembering the times.

We were so lucky to find a last minute place to stay at the coast. The weather was gorgeous, so many families were out walking and playing on the beach. This strange foamy stuff was covering the waterline. We don't know exactly what it was, but we've got our theories.

We climbed up a rock and sat there for a while with the waves swooshed around us.  These aren't the best climbing boots, but they sure are the most fun to wear.

We had a nice dinner at the casino, and bought little ice cream cups & champagne at the grocery store afterwards.  We walked on the beach at night and found a ginormous piece of seaweed.  It was bigger than me and looked like it came straight from outer space (alien tentacle!).  I started playing a little game & tried to follow the tide as it receded down the shore and then run back before it had the chance to catch me.  I was no match for the speedy water and ended up with pants/boots/socks sandy & sopping up to my knees.  

Zac took this picture of me.  I like it because I can see in my expression the same joy that I feel.  What a great weekend :o)  Now it's time for me to load up the dishwasher & head up to bed... let me tell you that I still have the best intentions of going to bed early... but rarely meet my sleep goals.  Something to work on.  

Tomorrow is Thursday & that means going out for phở & salad rolls with peanut dipping sauce for dinner :o).  I also want to make blueberry muffins (from the box), and ohhhh yes, doing my taxes would also be a good idea fo' sho (it'll be easy, but why do I dread it so?).  Sweet dreams!  

korea

I wanted to share some pictures from my first trip to Korea in December.  I went there for 10 days to spend Christmas with my family.  There was so much to see, and it was wonderful spending time with everyone again.  I had initially been worried about the long flight... but when it came down to it, the flight went like a snap!  Easy & quick.  While I was there, I ran the coldest 5k of my life, ate Mumsy's yummy Swedish food, got the lucky almond in my new years bowl of rice pudding, wore 3 pairs of pants at once to stay warm, had Korean barbecue, went to track practice with Jakie, and finished reading Born to Run.

Coming home was nice, too.  Zac picked me up from the airport.  I hadn't slept at all on the flight back, I was too excited to see him.  10 days felt like a really long time to be away.

I'm just about ready to tuck myself in bed, so sleepy!  Happy Friday :o)  

Seattle

I had a wonderful time in Seattle, but boy does it feel great to be home.  As soon as I had unpacked, checked my mailbox, and opened up the windows to let the sunny breeze in, my body felt newly comfortable.  One of my best friends, Laura, lives in Seattle and it was such a treat to see her four days in a row!  We ate at her favorite restaurants, never skipped dessert, laughed, talked, and caught up.  On Monday night, we went to the Steelhead Diner.  I had fish & chips and we shared a brownie sundae.  Laura holds that this is the best restaurant in Seattle!  

It was great to finally walk around Pike Place Market!  We caught the tail-end of the market, but I still got a taste for it.  Before dinner on Wednesday, Laura wanted to take me to her favorite bakery, Piroshky Piroshky.  She kept telling me, "you don't have to have anything if you don't want to... don't feel like you must!"  Ha... no forcing necessary.  I will gladly accept pastry from a Russian bakery anytime!  My baked apple was incredible.  It is completely acceptable to make sounds when you're eating something this delicious.  

If you visit Seattle, you must come to this bakery :o)  It's right next to the original Starbucks, too.  You could grab a coffee (if you don't mind waiting in a long line!) before going to the bakery.  Pastry & coffee happen to go together quite well (so I have heard) :o) .  

I have always had a thing for little piglets... and so does my mumsy.  My Morfar used to raise pigs on his farm.  Rachel, the bronze piggy pictured below, is the mascot of the market.  

Over the course of the week I ran into 15 or so people I knew from college.  It's always nice to see people again, hear their news, and make another connection.  Really something special.  

My teacher for the week-long class that I took was also a blessing to me.  It is not often you meet someone so filled with joy and passion for life and their hobbies.  He reminded me a lot of my Morfar.  They had the same hands; the kind that take a lifetime of working with tools and earth to build.  My teacher loved and knew sailing/boats with every one of his senses, and he also spoke some Norwegian, which I thought was pretty neat.  He showed the class a journal he had kept while sailing around the world last summer.  His words expressed how proud he felt to have such an opportunity, his appreciation for work, the acceptance of an aging body.  This is life.  His presence was so honest and inspiring to me.  I truly hope that I can capture and reflect that same abundant luminosity in my life.  Our stories, our strength, our smiles despite disappointment... we are all so endearingly human.