A new experience...

Wow, it's hard to believe that February is already here...that's a sign that 2007 is going to fly by just too fast! We want to take the time to enjoy and relax a bit...there are so many exciting things in store for us this year, that we want to savor it all...for as long as possible! On a positive side, the weather the past couple of weeks has been cold, but DRY!! After some real "wintry" weather early in January, the sunshine has been a real treat...even if it's cold! It's definitely been a unique year for weather around here...and around the country for that matter!

Last weekend we went to Seattle and had a great evening with Terri's cousin, Tara, and her boyfriend, Ivar. After first getting a tour of their new home, under renovations (it's amazing and we told them we'd visit OFTEN this summer...it's right on the water!!!), we headed to Seattle to a Moroccan restaurant, Marrakesh, for a whole new dining experience! The meal is five courses and you sit on the floor...and have no utensils to eat your meal with! Our first course, a lentil soup, you drink from the bowl and it was delicious! The next was a salad that we ate with bread...yum! An appetizer was next and wow, that was so good...though a bit messy! Oh, I should mention our "napkin" was a large hand towel that covered our lap...and was certainly a necessary part of the meal! The entrees were next and there were four dishes (family style) and a couscous dish...again, all VERY good! The final course was a fruit salad for dessert (we did get a spoon for this!). And...the "entertainment" was the belly dancers! A new experience for us and we even persuaded Rick (whose birthday we were celebrating!) to "give" the belly dancer a few dollars (see photo!). What a great time we had...and by the end of the meal we were all brainstorming about what our next "adventure" will be...we love sharing new experiences with Tara and Ivar...it's always a GREAT evening! Despite the "fruit" dessert (that's not a "real" dessert!), we had to head to our favorite place to finish the evening with some coffee and chocolate...at the B&O Espresso, a perfect place to end a great evening in Seattle! Stay tuned for our next adventure!!!!

Not much new in the wedding update...though Jess has ordered her dress, so that's exciting and leaves one less thing on our list of "to do's." There's still quite a bit to do, but that will all come in time. Jess is busy this quarter with school, work and community service required for one of her classes...she doesn't have many free hours during the week, so much of the wedding planning will wait till April when a new (less busy) quarter begins. Sean is keeping busy with work and during the winter weather last month, had a few extra days off when the roads were not safe for driving.

Josh and Miranda are counting down until they move back to this area! No specific date as of yet, but somewhere between June and September. Of course, if they are back before the wedding, it'll make it easier for them. Miranda was hired by Krogers last month and is working evenings and weekends, so that's been something new they are all adjusting to. Josh is home by mid afternoon, so is home with Jayden while Miranda is at work...a perfect situation for all of them. They've just recently gotten some real winter weather themselves, after some unusually warm weather before that. It's been quite a shock to their system, though certainly not unusual to have the cold in that area.

Rick's parents are in Arizona and although it's been cooler there this year, they are certainly happy to be there...and compared to the snow and cold in Moscow, it's certainly a much better place to spend the winter! Terri's parents headed to southern California last month and arrived at a condo they are renting for a couple of months...in Carlsbad. Also, much warmer than what Spokane has had this winter...brrrr!! Of course, the warmer and dry weather is just what they want...so they can get in as much golf as possible! The walks on the beach are not a bad deal either....oh, we're so jealous!!!!

It's now February and Valentine's day is just around the corner. We hope this finds all of you doing well and looking forward to spending that day with the ones you love. Also, remember that it's heart healthy month...so take care of yourselves...we want our family and friends around for a LONG, LONG time!!

Love,

Rick & Terri