Je'taime Creme Brulee

Today being Sunday I feel super relaxed and happy to be taking things slow. It has been more than busy at the Kennedy house lately, and so this quietness is a welcome change of pace, especially with both of the boys sleeping at the moment. All the thoughts bouncing around in my head are beginning to settle down, and I am finally thinking that the summer state of mind has arrived. To top things off, I had an amazing Thai lunch with a friend after church, and have cheese soup in the crockpot for tonight- yummy things are ahead indeed, and to that note here is a quick recap of our week:

Last weekend Dereck competed in his first triathlon. Most people train years or months to get ready for something as grueling and taxing as swimming, running, and biking altogether in one race. But not Dereck, that's not his style. Dereck and his friend decided two weeks before the race to enter, and so last Saturday I found myself standing out in the freezing rain watching over 200 people in wetsuits start the tri. I somehow convinced my friend Scarlett to join in the cheering fun, and so we stood among the crowd of spectators for almost two hours while competitors swam half a mile, biked 15 miles, and then ran 5 kilometers- not a race for the weak-hearted. In my infinite wisdom of the NW I also made a poster for Dereck and some of my other friends that were competing, and did it with a combo of Sharpie and other random markers. Within the first ten minutes select parts not done in Sharpie were oozing down the posterboard, and I soon found myself with rainbow hands if I didn't pay attention. The whole race was impressive to watch, especially the transition areas where people would run slipping off their wetsuits and later pop off their bikes to get their running shoes on. The thing that most impressed me though were the racers who could slip out of their bike shoes, leave them in the bike clips, and run barefoot to the transition point- it added just the right polish of being someone who knows what their doing. The first finisher in the elite category came in at 1:04, and Dereck came in at 1:19, earning him a 3rd place medal for his age group. Beyond the complete lack of training, the other thing that made this all so impressive was that Dereck did that well while changing out of a swimsuit and into biking shorts, something most triathletes skip. I am incredibly proud of him, and can tell that he was excited about the finish from his huge smile and energy to talk. In fact, I don't know if I have ever seen him that social with complete strangers! After the victory of the morning, Dereck, Scarlett, and I went to Panera for a huge lunch of warm sandwhiches and soups. Then, to round out the day, Dereck and I picked up our new loveseat and moved it into the living room, making the space finally look complete. We are blessed to have even got the loveseat since we decided to not buy it at the same time as when we got the sofa, and four weeks ago when we went back to purchase, it was nowhere to be seen on the show floor. We quickly talked to an employee in panic that it was no longer for sale, and were fortunate to ask about it only a day after someone else had placed an order for the exact same piece. This meant that our order got added to the other one, and we would not be destined to eternally mismatched furniture. The Army does that enough in the frequent moves, so we have decided to have at least one house where everything is together, matching, and not broken or scratched beyond recognition. It's temporary, we know, but let us entertain the fantasy it will always be like this, if only for a bit.

Saturday night Dereck and I celebrated our six month anniversary at a local restaurant in Steilacoom called "Le Creme Brulee." Seeing each other dressed nicely was great enough, but when you add that amazing dinner, it became one of my favorite nights here at Lewis. The restaurant is owned and operated by two French men who spoke broken English and French even when I mentioned I only know German. This left us laughing a ton, both sides getting confused at different points, and a dinner I thought existed only in dreams. We started with creamy tomato soups, moved on to Beef Bouillon and Filet Mignon, and ended the evening with, what else? Creme Brulee. Typing that very word makes me think back and I have to work to keep from drooling on the keyboard. I would sell my puppy for more of the tasty custard and caramelized sugar, or maybe even Dereck.....it was that good. We also had a beautiful red wine paired with the meal that made everything all the more enjoyable and smooth- and this is coming from a proud drinker of white wines when given choice. All in all, between the great company and conversation, food, and atmosphere, I could not ask for a better anniversary. Perhaps I will stick around for more anniversaries, but only if they promise food this good!

The work week picked up as normal after a relaxing Sunday, and after I kicked Dereck out the door for work, I would like to say I got down to my own. Instead I went to a spin class, ran laundry, got allergy shots, and connected with friends. I like to balance the play and work citing my mental health as defense. I wouldn't fit my clothes without exercise, couldn't wear them if they were all dirty, and couldn't work if I had an allergic reaction to something. So really, if you look at it that way, I was preparing myself for work the whole day! Tuesday the sun came out of a two week hiding routine, and it was glorious. I mean the glorious type of day where you want nothing more than to spend every single second outside, and the twenty degree rise in temp. didn't hurt either. After going to personal training in the morning, I spent the afternoon with my friend Jackie drinking smoothies and walking around the lake before heading to cross country and track practice with the little kids. The sun still felt good enough in the afternoon to lay on the astro turf of the track and praise God for the remission of the NW weather, for however long He chose. Then I got home and made a chicken casserole for dinner, and while I thought it was pretty tasty, it got to Dereck in all the wrong ways, and even today he is recovering somewhat from what looks to be food poisoning. Ahhhhh, it only took me six months to do him in!

I am proud to say that, past the procrastination and food poisoning at the beginning of the week, things got progressively better. Wednesday night I attended an AUSA (Assoc. of the US Army) meeting for work and got to meet some big movers and shakers in the local Army community. The meeting turned out to be much more enjoyable than I guessed, and when the good company was paired with strong public speakers I felt motivated to help the cause and support the Army, which is a good thing considering I am married into it. The best part? The age gap from myself to the next person was a good 10-15 years, so I was something of a novelty, and that all the more helped in my marketing for work. Call it a ploy if you will. Friday I spent the majority of the day moving around town with my boss, and that meant I learned about a ton of new places to visit. Locals are the best when trying to get a tap on places to go beyond the normal scope of Army life. For example, I learned about a local micro-brewery in Puyallup that used to be the power station for area trains, and it apparently has some of the best beers and burgers in town- I am pumped to try it out! Saturday morning Dereck and I woke up late- a first in the last month, and headed to the Original Pancake House. I love pancakes, and had a major craving. We spent our time there laughing, talking, and drinking coffee to get ready for the day. I then split off to a Beth Moore bible study with friends, and Dereck tackled our yard- no small feat given the number of pine cones alone that needed raking. The monster trees of the NW are awesome until they drop pinecones everywhere and continually put sticky sap on your dog. The day rounded out with dinner and a puppy walk before crashing on the couch to watch a little TV before bedtime, which leads us to today, with me back from church, Dereck back from work (he had to go in this morning), and Ritter beginning to chew on one of Dereck's socks. I should probably stop and get the sock from him, but sometimes you just need to let things slide, and I am feeling a slide coming on!