Anniversary!

Devin and I have been married for a whole year now! To celebrate, we went and spent the day in Seattle. We stopped by and looked up at the space needle.

View from the bottom

A wall Devin took a picture of.

Then we went on an Underground Tour of Seattle. It was VERY fascinating! I'll give you a very brief, simplified version of the history. When the settlers came to Seattle they built their city at sea level or below. When the tide came in, the streets were wet. They tried building the city up with all the extra saw dust from the logging companies. Saw dust and water doesn't work so well. So, it was not the best set up. Then, in 1889 there was a big fire that burnt the whole city to the ground. So, the city government saw it as a time to restart and bring soil down from the hills to build Seattle up. But, the people didn't like that because it would take 7 years and they wanted to keep their business open. So, they all just rebuilt on the sea level again. So, the Government went around and started building retaining walls 6-7ft tall around every block. Then they started filling in the streets with garbage from the fire, dirt, whatever they could find. And then they paved the street. So, the street was a level higher and the sidewalks were down below. Eventually they paved the sidewalks as well. Making the city on the second floor of all the buildings. So Devin and I went on a tour of the underground level! Its pretty complicated so I'll stop now, but you should check it out if you're ever in Seattle. And, when you're walking in Seattle next time, you'll know that you're not really on the ground!

This is the underground sidewalk. After they closed off the top, it was a nice shopping center. I think that sign was added later. 

If you see one of these in Seattle on the sidewalk, this is what used to be a sky light to the underground level!

This is an elevated toilet, also known as the Krapper. Seattle started elevating their toilets on the bottom floor because the tide created a mess.

This is one of the first buildings built after the fire.

This is another cool, old building.

We finished the night off by going to the Seattle Seahawks first game! It was a great day!

Krissy's Wedding.

Devin and I had the opportunity to go down to Vancouver for my friend Krissy's wedding. It turned out so beautiful! She had it at a church, outside. I'm glad we made it! We also got to spend the weekend with my family, which is always fun.

 Me with the Bride

 Devin and Me

And, because I thought her cake was so beautiful:

4th of July Vacation to Vancouver, WA!

For the 4th of July went went down to my house! My whole family was there. Jeff and Ally came up from Provo, Utah and Matt came down from Moscow, Idaho. It was really fun to have the whole family together.

We went to a park in Portland with lots of different trails. We had a contest to see who could find the most unique/weirdest looking plant (all the plants are labeled). Devin won the contest:

 Stephen, Preston, Mom, Ally, Jeff with Portland background.

Jeff and Ally

Devin and I

 I tried to get a group shot with my timer, but it turned out really dark.

 While we were all there my brother Matt proposed to his girlfriend Emilie. Matt let us all help out. The plan was to set off a firework show while he surprised Emilie with a proposal. I was hiding in a bush waiting for them to walk up to the park where it was to all take place. Only, Matt proposed before I gave the guys the heads up to start the fireworks. But, their were fireworks afterward! Emilie's parents and neighbors were also hiding behind bushes and saw the whole thing too!

 

 This is Emilie's ring that Matt picked out by himself! He did a good job!

The next day we went and did some more trails at round lake (after we had family pictures taken, stay tuned next week for some good looking photographs!)

 

Mariners Game

We were hooked up with some pretty sweet tickets and went to the Mariners game this last Saturday. Unfortunately, it was not an exciting game and they lost 1-11 to the Angels. But, it was a fun baseball experience!

 Safeco Field

The view from our seats.

Devin and I, picture courtesy of Nathan. (This is the 7th inning, half the stadium had left by that point)

Recipes!

I have the hardest time deciding what to make for dinner! So, I decided that anytime I find a good new recipe, I would share it on here with everyone (because I'm sure that there are other little housewives with the same problem!!)

A couple of nights ago I made this really easy, yet elegant Broccoli Chicken Roll-Ups, with Fettuccine Alfredo! A great thing about this recipe is that it is easy to alter to the size of your dinner party. These ingredients are for 4 servings


Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Slices of American cheese (or your preferred white cheese, I used mozzarella because I had it)
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen broccoli, thawed

Steps:
1. Flatten chicken to 1/4in thickness. (I used a kitchen meat mallet. I didn't get it to 1/4in thickness, and I wish I would have! It would have turned out better.)
2. Put a slice of cheese in the center of each chicken breast. Top with broccoli.
3. Fold chicken in half and secure with toothpicks.
4. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. remove toothpicks before serving. (the cookbook also suggested that if you are in a hurry you can also microwave the chicken for 4-6 minutes covered in a microwave safe dish.)
5. Pour a little alfredo sauce on top of the chicken and serve with your favorite fettuchine alfredo.