Space Needle and the Seahawks vs. the Panthers (Sunday Night Football)

My mom works very hard at the dentist office and she has for years.  She probably does the work of four people everyday and gets paid the salary of a dental assistant.  Her boss bid on some Seahawk season tickets that were donated to dollars for scholars at the Yelm HS auction last spring.  He kept some for his family, gave her a pair and the other four tickets were put into a drawing for his patients to win. 

One day mom came home and called me.  She said to me, guess what!?  It honestly could have been anything...we really weren't talking on any particular topic.  Her voice perked up a little, my boss gave me some Seahawk tickets!!  I said, NO WAY?  For reals?  I could not believe it.  I might be going to a real Seahawk football game!  She said it was for the Carolina Panther game on December 4th but at that time we had no idea where the seats were.  I was really hoping for some good seats.  Also at the time I didn't realize it was a Sunday Night Football game either but it made sense when I checked that it was a 5:30 p.m. start time.  Ugh, I am going to go to bed so late and have to get up on Monday morning so early to go to work but totally worth it!

I really hoped and prayed that it didn't rain.  It would have been so hard to stand there for at least six hours in the cold and rain.  I didn't mind the cold as much as long as it wasn't paired with the rain.  We lucked out that day with sunshine and dry weather.  It got cold but it thank god it wasn't raining.

I got a phone call early Sunday morning.  I had planned on getting up at 10 to give myself an hour to get ready before mom arrived.  I saw that it was Suzanne and was puzzled.  She never calls me this early.  Maybe she forgot we sleep in on the weekends?  Or, maybe something horrible has happened?  I was hoping that she forgot we sleep in.  I got up at 9:30 and slowly started getting ready for the game.  I called her back and she didn't answer right away.  I really hope nothing happened to her.  She called me back a few minutes later.  She said that she was kicked out of her house and she was just driving around until I called her back.  I asked her what happened.  Long story short, her husband and domestic partner (they had a non-traditional arrangement) kicked her out of the house because she was having dinner and lunches with friends and they freaked out and thought she was cheating on them.  They did not want an explanation.  To me, it seemed like they were waiting for this to happen and needed a dumb reason to let the plan continue.  They made her out to be the villain in the scenario and it really confused her.  To a rational outside party it confused the heck out of me as well. 

She asked me if she could stay with Ben and I until she could find a place to live.  I told her sure without any hesitation however I wasn't going to be home because I would be in Seattle when she got here.  I asked her if that was fine and she said it was.  Ben also said she was welcome to come over and sort out her thoughts.  She thanked me and asked for my address again.  11:00 came and I wasn't ready yet.  Mom came in and asked if I was ready to go.  I told her the situation and I went and got ready as quick as I could.  We left around 11:30.

The drive up was faster than I thought it would be.  Last time we tried to find a way to get a picture of the SODO sign.  We found what road it was down but it was only accessible by bus and there were no sidewalks.  I found a place to park and I walked around to a bus stop.  The roofs of the buildings cut off most of the bottom of the sign but I took pictures anyway.  I walked back and mom decided she wanted to go to the Space Needle and take pictures from the Seattle Center.  Earlier I had gotten one of a really cool mural.

We followed the main roads into downtown and used landmarks to get us to the Seattle Center.  It wasn't really that hard with memory and using the Space Needle as a guide.  I usually park in the Key Arena parking lot near EMP mostly because I know how to get in and out of the area when we had to leave and I knew my way around the center from here.  We were getting ready to park and I noticed this van with Ohio plate on it.  The guy game out and asked if he wanted his parking ticket.  He also added that it was good until 9 that night.  I said okay and I thanked him for letting us use it.  He smiled and left with his family.  We parked, put the pass in the window and made sure we had our stuff so we could take pictures and stay warm.

We spend at least an hour walking around the Seattle Center area.  We went into the field house to use the restroom and to walk around.  We went upstairs just to see what has changed since the last time we were there.  They definitely did some remodeling and they added some new restaurants.  Mom was upset that she couldn't find the Seattle Fudge Co.  They either went out of business inside there or they moved to a different location.  I found out later that they moved to a different spot.  We went back outside and walked over towards the Chihuly Garden and Glass.  We didn't have time to go inside but they did have a sculpture outside that we could photograph with the Space Needle.

Mom wanted to go over to the Space Needle before it was time to go.  I still haven't been inside and up to the view yet.  It is on the list for sometime soon.  Mom took a couple of photos with the fountain, the lit Christmas lights and some of each of us.  There were a lot of people wanting to go up for the restaurant and the view.  We walked towards the fountain near the Key Arena for a few pictures with the fountain, the sun and the Space Needle.

 
By the time we walked back to the Escape it was time to head back towards the stadium.  I really didn't want to waste the parking ticket so I flagged down the next car looking for a spot.  It happened to be two middle aged men wearing Seahawks gear with some kids in the back.  I asked them if they were looking for a spot to park and they said yes.  I asked them if they wanted our parking ticket.  Their eyes lit up and said yes with a lot of enthusiasm.  They thanked me and as I walked away I heard them tell the kids something about paying it forward and that there was still good people in the world.  It was my good deed for the year.

We drove to the stadium and hoped that our free parking spot was available.  I really didn't want to pay for parking since there are some spots going for $50!!  We made our way to 6th and Massachusetts.  Ugh the ones I wanted were filled up and people do not know how to park!  We went around the corner near the DSHS building.  There was one spot we could sneak into.  I backed it trying to avoid the giant mud puddle.  We hid the stuff we didn't want stolen and brought the other stuff with us in our see through bags.  I had to buy a bag so I could pack my items in with me.  Century Link now had strict rules of what kind of bags you could bring inside.

We walked the few blocks to the stadium along with everyone else who was attending the game.  We decided to go through the field house.  Mom asked what there was to do inside the field house.  I told her I had no idea...I've never been to a real Seahawk game before.  We ended up just going inside the stadium to walk around and take some pictures.  I bought a program.  The proceeds benefitted some sort of children's charity.  We thought we should find some food and drinks before we went to our seats.

Mom couldn't decide so we ended up eating Ivar's.  The warm food was delicious since it was getting colder and colder and we were right by the Puget Sound.  We headed to our seats.  A few weeks ago I got online and we looked to see where our seats were and the view of the field from those seats.  The seats were epic!  We also looked to see how much the seats were if we would have to buy them.  One seat cost $1200!!  I would have to take out a small loan to go to one game!  How can people afford these?  We wouldn't have ever gotten to go if we weren't given tickets.  We made it to the seats.  They were amazing!!  Unfortunately pictures don't do it justice.

We sat there, took it all in and watched the field fill up.  I took pictures as the Seahawks warmed up.  We got there way too early...almost 2 hours before the game.  It actually went by pretty fast.  I was hoping that someone tall wouldn't show up in front of me and block my view of the game.  I knew since we were down here we would be standing the entire time.  I warned mom and she said she would be okay.  It's just part of being in the lower level. 

The stadium started to fill in more and more as it got closer to kick off.  The row in front of us still wasn't occupied.  I was really hoping that it was going to be empty tonight so I could see.  Sometimes it sucks being 5'3".  The field crew started getting the tunnels ready for the starting line ups and the teams came out in chunks to get warmed up for pregame.  About 10 minutes later they all went into their pregame drills.  It was fun to watch them get ready for the game.  I hope the Seahawks destroyed the Panthers after how arrogant they were last year.  Then a guy and his friend showed up and of course they were taller than I was and kinda arrogant.  They drank and were in the way most of the night.

Ricardo Lockett and his kids raised the 12th man flag prior to kickoff.  The national anthem was sung, the Seahawks linked arms and we had some fireworks to top of the festivities.  Now it was game time.

 
The Panthers had the ball first and the entire stadium was confused on why Cam Newton wasn't the starting quarterback.  Apparently he was being disciplined by the head coach on not wearing a tie while traveling with the team.  It was a requirement and he thought he didn't need to because a tie didn't go well with his outfit.  How dumb!  Instead the backup quarterback Derek Anderson was in for the first series.  The first play was an interception right in front of us.  We made it to the 8 yard line.  I wished he would have taken it in.  We've struggled in the red zone for some reason a lot this season.  We couldn't convert so we ended up with a field goal.

The rest of  the game we dominated.

Our offense bounced back from the previous 14-5 loss at Tampa Bay.  Kearse, Tyler Lockett, Doug Baldwin, Graham all had big catches and racked up yardage and Rawls had two touchdowns to keep Carolina from within reach.  Lockett was spectacular with his kickoff return and the defense was dominant at full strength. However, we had an unfortunate set back when Thomas and Chancellor collided trying to intercept the ball breaking Thomas's leg.

Sadly the Panther's did score a TD in the second quarter.  I was really hoping for a shutout just because.  There was a lot of energy in the stadium whistle to whistle.  I know every week is different but I really wanted us to play like this every week.  We have the talent and the coaching we just need to work on our offense and keeping our quarterback safe.

At half time we were up 23-7 and we got to watch the wiener dog races.

We came out of halftime and put up 17 more points to solidify our 40-7 win over the Panthers.  We stayed behind a little while just to take in everything.  I still can't believe I got to go to a Seahawk game especially where we sat!

We gathered our stuff, used the restroom and headed out.  The walk to the Escape was cold.  Once we got inside I blasted the heat and we got onto 6th to take us towards I-5.  I wanted to get home as soon as I could because 5 a.m. comes really fast.  It was about 9:30 when we finally got onto the freeway.  People just seem not to know what lane they needed to be in to go south so they cut everyone else off that read the sign and got in the proper lane.

Mom wanted to stop for some French fries.  The easiest place to stop was Fife.  We stopped at the McDonalds and ordered a number 2.  I haven't had McDonalds in over two years.  We shared the meal and I had the drink.  There wasn't any traffic so we got home just before 10:30.  We had Ben warm up mom's car.  Mom used the restroom and left because she also had to get up early.  I changed, brushed my teeth and washed my face.  I talked to Ben and Suzanne for a few minutes and then it was lights out.  I was going to be so tired tomorrow but I got to go to a Seahawk's game!!

Next Adventure:  SNOW

Relay for Life: Christmas in the Park and Craft Fair

Last September I decided to join SE Relay for Life's leadership team as a Social Media Coordinator.  Since then I've been posting pictures, random information, websites, links and events since late September.  I made sure to bring the selfie stick.

Our group decided to be in Yelm's Christmas in the Park parade, a parade I've only been in one other time while I worked at the hotel.  This weekend was going to be very busy and it started with this parade.  We had to be there around 8:30 but I arrived at 9 and almost didn't get to go through town before the closed it off.  I needed to get to the Burger King/Mr. Doug's parking lot.  After a slow commute through town I finally made it, grabbed all of my warm gear, I wasn't sure how long we would have to be outside, called mom and found out where our float was.

I took a few pictures of everyone getting ready.  The parade started at 10 so we had about an hour to wait.  It actually went by really fast.  Nichole passed out all the hand outs, we distinguished our riders from our walkers and I took pictures as we walked down 507.

I was very surprised on how calm this parade was compared to Prairie Days.  You have kids running out to the street to grab candy or whatever is being handed out.  Some of them demanded that you give them something.  At this parade, barely anyone wanted any of the free handouts.  It was very strange to me.  We finished the parade in one piece and got a group picture at the end. 

Mom and I walked back to the cars.  We had to let the repair man into the office so he could fix a few things at the dentist that stopped working.  He was suppose to do it yesterday but he ran out of time and mom went home when she didn't hear back from him.

We stopped by the Lions Club to go to the junk sale that was set up there.  I really wasn't planning to buy anything but I did find a few things for Grammie since I had her name for Christmas.  I had asked her a few times what she would like and she never gave me any answer.  I found an old can (not sure what was stored inside of it) and a brass cup that would work great for our Apple Cup trophy.  All we needed now was a small apple to fit inside.  As luck would have it some vendor was selling apple ornaments and they let us buy one instead of the whole container.  Like I needed 50 small apple ornaments!  We paid for our stuff, told Nichole bye and headed to Yelm City Park to check out our booth for a few minutes. 

We ended up staying longer than we thought we would.  We saw Megan, Miles and Mason, ate free hotdogs and hot chocolate and stood by the booth for at least a half hour handing out information.

We walked back to the Escape and I dropped mom off at her car at the office.  I asked her if she wanted to go to the craft fair with me she said no, she had stuff at home to do.

I drove into town towards River Ridge High School.  I have heard about this craft fair before but never had the interest nor the money to go.  The parking lot was insane!  I barely found a spot to park but I managed to find one as soon as I could.  I walked inside and looked for Suzanne's booth.  I have never seen this many crafts in one place in my whole life!  I was very overwhelmed!

I found her booth inside the gym and I spent at least three hours sitting there with her, stamping passports and taking money from people.  We spent a half hour wandering the booths looking at what everyone had to offer at their booths.  We shared a funnel cake and before I left for the day she gave me back my table I let her borrow.  She said she would see me on Monday after her lunch with a friend on Sunday.  I told her to have fun.

I went back home and got my stuff ready for the Seahawk game tomorrow.  Mom was going to be there around 11 a.m.  I was stoked!

Next Adventure:  Space Needle and the Seahawks vs. the Panthers (Sunday Night Football)

More Big News!

On November 22, I got a phone call from one of my co-workers and she told me about some great news.  Since I leave at 11:30 am because I work part-time in the mailroom, the announcement was made in the afternoon when I wasn't there.  She was there and called me to tell me what I missed.  She explained the situation.  One of our co-workers we've been having trouble with for the past 4-5 months got a developmental job assignment (DJA).  This allowed her to keep her (OA3) position in the mailroom but move to another business area to learn new skills.  In this case some of our programs we use at L&I such as Linus and Orion.  She has had trouble moving on from interviews because she is "unemployable" to the rest of the agency.  I think it's just her, personally.  She's been late often, treats others very poorly, talks A LOT...unnecessary talking mostly, keeps you from doing your work (twice while working with her she has knowingly sent mistakes up to the cashiers) and she just stopped caring and started just going though the motions.  Honestly, I think our leadership would love to get rid of her but her being permanent status and us being part of a union it is very hard to get rid of someone.  So they moved her somewhere else and is paying her salary even though she is not doing work in our business area.  It's really stupid but it keeps her away from us.

In my case, I was "moved" into her full time position for at least a year.  I have been told by several people that once you leave an area to a temporary or a DJA you most likely won't come back.  I sure hope that is the case.  I could use the money.  So now they are paying me and her full time out of our budget.  If it gets really busy we might have to hire someone for my part-time gig.  If the worse case scenario falls into place, I would get my part-time job back and she will resume her old job if she didn't find something else after her DJA.  We are hoping she doesn't come back for several reasons.

My co-worker told me to act surprised the next day when my manager tells me the great news.  I told her I would do the best I could.  And I didn't feel that bad when I bought almost $100 in groceries that afternoon.

My boss came up to me and told me what was happening the next day.  She said we would have to tweak my hours and talk to the payroll people upstairs about the change.  Full days would start December 1st.  I was stoked.  I can now not worry as much about money.  I still can't believe that it's taken this long for me to get a full time job after college.  It's been since 2006!!  Places are finally starting to give me a chance.  I have the education and the skills just let me do!

Next Adventure:  Relay for Life:  Christmas in the Park