Beach Weekend

This weekend we headed down to Long Beach ... Washington, not California. It's about three hours south of Seattle by car, and basically comprises a bunch of beach resorts located on a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and Willapa Bay (picture above). Unfortunately, there really isn't any swimming allowed because of the cold water and rip tides. But it's a great place to relax and even fly a kite if you like.

We stayed at a little place called the Shakti Cove.



The dogs had a great time at the beach.





We also tried out the forest loop trail at Leadbetter Point State Park, at the very tip of the peninsula.





I think we all agreed (including the dogs) that next time we we'd like to stay a bit longer! [Marc]

Summer Haircuts

Well, one of the drawbacks of long-haired dachschunds is that they overheat in the summer! Thus, I took Bailey and Sprout to the groomers this weekend to get them shaved. They turned out so cute! Little buzz cuts for dogs! Bailey, our little diva, of course, squirmed around the hold time and two people had to hold him while he got chopped. Oh well, I only get them groomed twice a year!

Wedding Details

Are as follows:

Date: Monday, Sept 15, 2008

Time: 11:30 - 11:45 am

Location: San Francisco City Hall, San Francisco, CA

Guests: All are welcome - consider this post an invite; please keep in mind, however, that the City Hall rules say that a maximum of 6 guests are allowed. Not sure if this is enforced, but if so, we will have to prioritize family first for the ceremony portion of the day; as it's only 10-15 minutes, the extra guests, if any, could wait in the lobby, and it wouldn't be too long.

Reception: No formal reception -- we will go out to lunch with whomever shows up.

Gift registry: None. Marc and I lived too long on our own and acquired too many possessions. Thus, in lieu of gifts, those inclined should donate money to their favorite charity, or they can choose one of our favorite three:

San Miguel Middle School - Minneaoplis

Dignity Seattle - Call the phone number at the upper right hand corner; other option would be the national Dignity chapter (DignityUSA)

Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue - we wouldn't have Bailey and Sprout without them!

Thanks to all (especially our families) for your support along the way - we couldn't have done it without you!

We're Getting Hitched!

Well, this is the first photo that Marc and I had taken together - back on February 13, 2004 - he was my date for the University of Minnesota Medical School Ball, and we were crazy about each other! (We still are some of the time, of course.) We even slow danced to Nora Jones "Come Away With Me."

Marc and I met on December 6, 2003 at The Flame. I was in San Diego attending the 2003 American Society of Hematolgy meeting, and my friend Yvette wanted to go to The Flame to check out the scene. (Ironically it was a lesbian bar at that time, and there were only 6 guys there or so.) While I was dancing, one of Marc's friends pushed him into me, we struck up a conversation, and it all began. Marc had been at the Flame after volunteering as a chaperone for a youth dance at the San Diego LGBT Center. It wasn't quite love at first sight, but we were pretty much crazy about each other shortly after we met, which motivated us to continue the relationship despite the distance.

Marc was working in California, and I was going to school in Minnesota. So, for the first three years of our relationship, we flew back and forth, talked on the phone, etc. I even made Marc read the Long Distance Relationship book, which we've both loaned to our sibs.

We chose to start our lives together by starting over again in a new city - I moved to Seattle in June 2006 to begin residency in Pathology at the University of Washington, and Marc moved to Seattle in January 2007 to join me (he's working as a civil engineer and has enrolled at the University of Washington).

We've had a great 18 months together here in Seattle, with the usual ups and downs - it was a bit stressful to sell two homes, move across country, start new jobs, buy another home, and learn to live together. As the summer has progressed, we've talked about our future and we decided that we want to be married. We talked about all the different options - but the recent decision by the Republican-appointed California State Supreme Court (consistent with what was twice passed by legislature but vetoed by the governor - though the Governator now says he stands behind the decision) now makes it legal for same-sex couples to wed - so we plan to do so! Keep in mind that this could be reversed in the fall State of California election - so it may only be for a couple of months.

On September 15, 2008, we will wed in San Francisco... a simple civil service performed by a judge, clerk, etc. in the San Francisco County courthouse. We're both looking forward to it, and we are especially excited about it's intimacy - a small wedding where we can celebrate our union, without the stress of planning a large wedding. We will of course plan a party in Seattle in the future - those of you that can't make it in Sept - don't worry - you can be with us in spirit and celebrate with us in 2009.

More details to come on the specifics...

Mike and Marc

July 4th weekend - hike at Wallace Falls State Park

Well, Marc's sister Amy and her husband Mark came to stay with us for a few days. We had a grand 'ol time on the 4th at our neighborhood block party. On the 5th we went for a hike at Wallace Falls State Park. It was nice to get out and see the trees! Enjoy the pics. Also, STAY TUNED TO THIS BLOG - there will be a very improtant posting in the next 7 days! Mike

Gettin' back in the groove of posting

Well, I'm supposed to be living up to my Seattle life by being a regular poster on our blog, but this has not happened. Oh well! My summer work schedule cleared up significantly July 1, so this should make a difference!

Marc and I have made an effort to discover as much of the country as the sun comes out this summer. This last weekend we went to the San Juan Islands - specifically Friday Harbor. It was pretty neat. We drove from Seattle to Anacortes, parked the car, then took our bikes on the Ferry. We spent one day kayaking and one day biking. A very relaxing trip!

Parking kayaks at Dead Man's Cove



Overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca from the American Camp.
This was a fort that was built by the Americans when they were fighting the Brits over the US-Canadian border - recall that San Juan Island is across from Vancouver Island.

Memorial Day Weekend on the Olympic Peninsula

We took an overnight trip to Port Angeles and the Olympic National Park over Memorial Day weekend. It's really amazing all the natural beauty just a couple hours outside of Seattle. It was the first time I've been on the ferry here in Washington. I thought I would upload a couple pictures for everyone. [Marc]



(Above) From the snow on Hurricane Ridge, looking north. Strait of Juan de Fuca and Canada in the background.




(Above) From Hurricane Ridge, looking south at the Olympic Mountains.



(Above, Below) The bluffs at the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge near Sequim. The shore really reminded me of the California Coast!