Let's Get Cookin!

For the past few months I have been working with two great chefs who both have HUGE personalities! They produce a cooking/dinner show named Wise Guy Dinner Club, that they host at different wineries around Woodinville on Friday and Saturday nights. They cook Italian food and it is amazing! They also host cooking classes, where guests will eat dinner AND learn how to make what they ate, bring it home, and have a second (or even third) meal later!

Last Friday night I attended one of their cooking classes and it was so much fun. And let me tell you something; They DO NOT charge enough money for what they give!!!! They start out with wine and appetizers, then move on to a salad and the main course, all while entertaining you (They are hilarious) and filling you up with more wine! Then they teach you how to make the dinner you just ate, and you get to take it home at the end for another great couple of meals!

Last Friday it was at Mr. Jays Culinary Essentials in Bellevue. They have the perfect set-up: a full kitchen, a mirror hanging over the stove for the guests to see better, tables and chairs and stadium seating. They served lasagna and it was sooooo delicious! The guests loved it and it was so much fun!

Right now, I am working on booking them at different venues for both the shows and the cooking classes. If you have any suggestions for venues or would like to book them for your private party, let me know! They also have a portable stove/oven and counter top, that doesn't require any power outlets, so they can cook and produce shows outside as well!

Wedding Weekend in Seattle

Tomorrow is Tara and Stephen's wedding and I couldn't be more excited :) I've been helping them plan their wedding since February and the day has finally come! So I'm off to get all the final details in order. Hope you all have a wonderful, sunny weekend!!!

Back from Maui!

I am back from Maui and back to work this week. Hawaii was AMAZING, it really is paradise. I will be slow this week on posts while I recover and catch up on all my work. I have a wedding this weekend so I'm getting everything ready for that as well. I will leave you today with a few pictures from my vacation.

The Pool

Maui Sunset from Kimo's waterfront restaurant

Dolphins followed our boat!

We saw turtles too!

The beautiful Grand Wailea

Sister's High School Graduation at Safeco Field

The field before the graduation began. What a beautiful day!

Piper receiving her diploma.

Lucy, just after receiving diploma, heading back down the stairs.

The two graduates :) Congrats girls!!!

Graduation Season

My sisters are graduating from high school today. Yes, I said sisters...they are twins. And you know what graduation means? A lot of graduation parties for the class of 2009. Graduation parties are big business for many vendors.

At my high school's graduation party, we had an up-all-night, right after graduation. We were bussed directly to the party and couldn't leave until the buses left at 4am. There was a lot to do: Inflatables, casino games, psychics, photographers, a hypnotist, arcade games and a DJ. I bet these vendors are loving this season!

Anyways, I am so happy and excited for my sisters! Their graduation is a Safeco field this afternoon (don't worry, I'll take pictures to share with you!) They are both going to UW next fall and I know they will love it!

Microsoft's Official Bing Launch Party

As I mentioned last week in one of my posts, Andy Mirkovich Productions helped plan the official Microsoft Bing Launch Party. Here are some pictures from the party:

The entrance to the party, outside of the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle.

Everything was illuminated in Blue at the party until 10pm, when we lit the Space Needle up orange. Then, all the lights at the party went orange as well.

Official Microsoft Zune DJ played great songs all night.

Just one of the performances that took place during the evening.
From the outside looking in to the party.

Eastside Wedding Location in Woodinville, WA

Last Friday, I dropped by Bear Creek Golf and Country Club in Woodinville, WA to say hello to the staff. We are their preferred Planner/Wedding Coordinators and I live right up the street from them, so its always nice to swing by and say hello to everyone.

Bear Creek Country Club is such a nice venue to have a wedding at. They have a great deck with a nice tent that overlooks the golf course and pond.

The deck connects to the main ballroom which has a built-in dance floor too. I stopped by while they were setting up for a luncheon inside.

You can see the wrap-around deck with the tent in the back here.

Downstairs, they have the dressing rooms for bride and groom with full-length mirrors and vanity areas for make-up and hair.

Bear Creek Country Club is great for the budget conscious bride. They have very reasonable pricing and Food & Beverage packages.

Wedding Location Site Visits in Seattle, WA

I spent almost the entire day yesterday in Seattle. It was a gorgeous day, I couldn't have asked for better weather, and I had so much fun checking out new wedding venues!

Actually, my first stop of the day was not a venue, and it was not in Seattle, it was a floral shop in downtown Issaquah! I met Jon, one of the designers, at A Countryside Floral and Garden. Its a fantastic little floral shop and accessory store. The name doesn't do it justice at all! Inside, it is very modern and colorful, not country-like at all.

The store is bigger than most floral shops. They have lots of home decor items, and cute little purses too.

In the back corner of the store, they have this little nook, where brides can sit down and have a consultation with one of the designers.

They do amazing work! Their flowers are all high quality and they have limitless ideas for arrangements. All designers are AIFD certified, so you know you are getting quality when you book with them.

Thanks Jon for meeting with me! I had a wonderful time checking out your store!!!

Next I was off to the Seattle Yacht Club near the U District to look at their space for weddings.

Above is the front of the Yacht Club. Below is looking at the back side of the Club from the lawn.

Covered stairway down to the lawn (nice to have for the bride in case it's raining)

If you are having your ceremony out on the lawn, this is a great space because the lawn is pretty big, right next to the water, and they have a very nice tent to go with it (usually the supports are covered in nice white drapes).

My next appointment wasn't for another hour and a half, and I didn't want to drive all the way back across the bridge to Bellevue just to drive back into Seattle again, so I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and Mike and I met up for lunch at Joey's on Lake Union. We ate outside on the water and it was so nice! I'm so happy he is finally over here now that he graduated from WSU.

So after lunch I had a site tour at Pravda Studios on Capital Hill. And what did I think of it?? I LOVE the space! Its one, big, 5000 sq ft open room with huge windows as the walls.

Above is about half of the room, empty. You can see how it can really transform to anything you want it to be. Tables, chairs, decor, drapes, and lighting can all be set-up however you want.

Below are a few pictures from events they have hosted. The space picks up any color you put in it. The white really makes the colors pop.

It was definitely a great day in Seattle for me! I love going on venue tours and meeting the event staff at each. Its helpful to put a face to a name, and it helps me build a relationship with the venue, which is my goal for going to them!

Festivities

Last night was the official launch party for Bing, Microsoft's new search engine. (its very cool, you should check it out here). Andy Mirkovich Productions planned the party and it was fantastic! More details and pictures of the party to follow soon!

Tonight I am going to the Mariners game with my coworkers, family and friends! I cant wait to get outside and enjoy this AWESOME weather we are having!!! I hope they win :)

Anyways here is a pic of me, the bf and 2 of our close friends from the game 2 weeks ago

p.s. I don't think it has rained here in Seattle once since then! I love summer!

New Puppy Pictures!

Remember my new little puppy from a few months back??? Well, here are some more pictures of him that I have to share with you all. He's growing up so fast!

He's growing up so fast!

First time on the water in Kirkland.

He's still not fully comfortable in the water. It's pretty funny watching him drag his paws on the ground, trying to not get pulled in. Getting there though... :)

Since it's been so hot here lately, Grif LOVES our kitchen floor!

Smiling in the back seat!