It Must Groove: And the Sun Was Shining

What a beautiful sunny weekend we experienced! It has been a while since we experienced weather like this and it was timely. Days like these make it all worthwhile living in the great Northwest.

In anticipation for the weekend, I knew there were a few things that needed to to be done on Saturday, so I mapped out in my mind a plan. The plan really consisted of going with the flow and seeing what happens but at the same time trying to achieve some of the things that I needed done. For example, I was really looking forward to sleeping in and I was glad I got to achieve it. Those who know me well, know sleeping in for me can mean almost hearing from me at dinner time. Alas, I didn't get to enjoy the luxury. I was awoken by the singer Sting, singing his hit song Roxanne. That could only mean one thing, Josh was on the phone because that is his special ring tone on my phone. By the time I grabbed my phone, it was too late and Josh left me a voice message.

Now that I was up, I tried to get motivated to go for a run out in the sun. I tried and it didn't work. I decided to channel surf the TV. I landed on the trusty CMT network and I stayed there for a while. Nothing like a little country music to get me going.

Here are my attempts are self portraits. A friend of mine from Singapore was complaining that I was getting to "wordy" and there were not enough pictures in my blog; so here's pictures for you...I am not so good at the self portraits though.

I finally got my butt out of bed and started on the tasks for the day. Started with laundry, good thing to do. Now the day got rolling. I jumped into the shower and got ready for what was left of the day. I decided that I was going to head to the outlet mall and see what I could find, more importantly go walk about in the sun.

The Seattle Premium Outlet Mall. I like this place but I don't visit a lot. I enjoy window shopping and people watching, so this a great place for both. It is amazing how many different cultures come together at this place. There are a few stores that I typically hit when I visit this mall - GAP, Banana Republic and the Aldo Store. It had been a while since I visited this place and so I noticed there a few new retail stores added to the is place and I realized they all catered to women. The other thing that jumped out at me was the amount of tour buses in the parking lot. Our friends from the North (Canada) take these tours that bring them to shop. I guess it is worthwhile for them to shop here now with the weakened US currency.

(Thought I'd give mention to the Coach Factory store. All my friends from Singapore who have visited in recent times have spent many hours here.

Prices are great compared to what you find in Singapore.)

After walking about for a little while and after picking up a couple of cheap T-shirts for the summer, I was off to my next adventure. For some reason, I wanted to watch some kind of competitive sporting event, so I looked around to find out what was playing around town. I found that the Seattle Storm (WNBA team) was playing their opening night in town. I jumped online and bought a ticket to go watch the game. I enjoy watching basketball, and since the Supersonics sucked this season, I chose the Storm; who are remaining in Seattle thanks for some local owners who bought them.

Entering Seattle (with the Space Needle in the distance).

It may not be a well known fact, but I do enjoy sports and I try to keep up on the local teams. I had never been to a WNBA game before so this was somewhat exciting. Our company used to have courtside seats for the Sonics but we gave them up after they started to do badly. Anyway, I was anxious to see our newly assembled team play. The Storm had brought in a bunch of veteran players who have had success in the league (MVPs and championships) and our two star players Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird.

The Storm had a slow start and went into the half behind. That was not a good way to open the season. Everyone was struggling to find a shot and also struggling to cover their positions. Then I remembered, the starting rotation only had a couple of practices before the night's game due to some players' overseas commitments. The second half kicked off and they were off to the races and never looked back. The Storm took over and just dominated. At one point they were on a 25-9 run and were just smoking. The final score, 67-61 and the Storm won their opening game. The crowd went wild! It was quite a night.

Some highlights:

The team introductions (L to R) Sue Bird, Sheryl Swoopes, Lauren Jackson & Yolanda Griffith.

Game action with Lauren Jackson leading the charge

Sue Bird making a free throw

The team huddling at center court together with the new owners in the mix.

My Saturday evening closed with this beautiful sight as I left the arena.

The beautiful night sky, the Space Needle and a full moon to cap it off.

I am blessed.

Sunday came around fast and it was bright out really early. In fact, I jumped out of bed thinking I was really late for church because it was so bright. I had this horrible sinking feeling but I also realized the alarm was already blaring and my cell phone was not ringing. If I was late, I would probably be hearing those things going off. It was 5:30 AM!! NO!! WHY?? Yada Yada Yada...it was a great morning at church and I got to play bass because I had to substitute at the last minute. It was fun.

I went for the evening service at Cedar Park to hear the Mosaic Community Choir perform. The choir is directed by a long-time friend and mentor Allan Skoog. I love this man! I have learnt quite a bit from observing him and working with him. He has helped develop me as a musician and also a leader. I had not seen Allan in a few years, so I wanted to be there tonight.