It's a Long Story, But Trust Me, She Deserved It

I went to Seattle this past weekend and had such a great time. It was the kind of weekend that makes a girl really happy she lives in the Pacific Northwest and not Japan or NY. 

On Friday night I attended Sizzle'sNintendo's "Girlfriend's Guide to Gaming" party. What to say about a party so awesome I practically levitated around the room? It was such a good time! There were four stations set up for gaming and you spent time at each station playing specific games (Mario Kart, Brain Age, etc.) When you were finished at each station you were given a coin to show that you'd visited and tried all the games. 

And at the end of the night we turned in our coins and were given our VERY OWN NINTENDO DSi portable game systems! I couldn't believe it. Actual party swag! (Not to take away from the PB&J sandwich I got at TequilaCon '07. I loved that sandwich.) I just couldn't freakin believe that part. We also got the game Brain Age, which, sadly, proved that my brain is a shriveled pea. It was so totally generous and cool. I about barfed from excitement when they started pulling out the boxes of new DSi's. I think we all did.

I'm not terribly social, so the party was a really cool for me to say Yes! to getting out of my comfort zone once again. Everyone was so cool, and laughing with a bunch of smart women is among my all-time favorite things to do. My Flickr party photos here. 

On Saturday morning I had a delicious breakfast with Sizzle, Kerri Anne, and Kaply. I have to say how much I enjoyed hanging out with 3 women who are so smart and funny, just talking about life and laughing together. I had a really nice time. 

On Saturday evening I was exhausted from walking around the city for about five hours (I love you, Seattle! Call me.), so I bought a ticket to "The Hangover" and was settling in with some popcorn when my brother texted me. His very cool in-laws had an extra front row ticket to the Mariners game. Did I want it? 

Now, I try to like the sports. I really do. But I don't understand all the rules and details and stuff. But I love my little brother, and love spending time with his wife and her fam, so I ran back to the hotel, freshened up, and caught a cab to the ballpark. It turned out to be such a total blast, and the seats were crazy! At one point a foul ball went 3" over my brother's head at about a zillion miles an hour. Nuts. It was such a blast to see my first ball game, and my brother generously explained the rules patiently. (Except when I asked multiple times if it would go into overtime. He would close his eyes and shake his head slowly saying, "Extra innings. They're called extra innings.") My Flickr photos, including 25 shots of Ichiro-san's butt, here. 

All in all, a really awesome time. Can we do it again this weekend?