Labor Day Reflections

What is Labor Day really about?  Good sales at the mall and a day off from work, right?  When you think about it, there are quite a few holidays that are observed in the United States every year that many people don't know the real purpose of or history behind.  For example, Memorial Day or St. Patrick's Day.  Even Christmas is just presents and food to some people.

So what is Labor Day really?  Labor Day was established in the late 1800s to celebrate the achievements of the American people, particularly the American labor force.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, "It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country."  I am proud to say that my home state of Oregon was the very first state to pass legislation to officially recognize Labor Day as a holiday.

Today I am celebrating by not going to work, and instead spending time with friends and sharing some more pictures from last week's trip to Seattle!

Gas Works Park features the remnants of the last remaining coal gasification plant in the United States.  *Don't ask me what a coal gasification plant does...I could only guess*  The structures that I shared pictures of last week stand in the open, while the ones above have been restored and turned into a covered play area.

Yes...I am a child sometimes.

 

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Probably the highlight of our trip was getting to visit friends!  Saturday night we got to meet up with one of my dearest friends, Miss Elana Mae.  Elana and I spent 3 months together in China during our study abroad trip (along with Miss Natalie who we were missing last weekend!)

These are our "sad 'cause we miss Natalie" faces

I wish we lived closer so that we could get together more often.  But once a year is about as often as that happens, so we have to make up for it in a short period of time.

That meant happy hour at my favorite sushi bar in Seattle (Umi Sushi on 1st Ave. in Belltown - if you are ever in Seattle and like sushi you should try it.  They have a great atmosphere and some different types of sushi that I LOVE - including the Crunchy Seattle Roll), photo shoot at Kerry Park, and dinner at Jai Thai in Fremont.  Actually, I didn't even end up eating at Jai Thai because I was still full from sushi...but that's okay, it was still fun.

We aren't very good at being serious for too long.....

Actually, before going to Jai Thai we headed over to another little park just down the road to watch the sunset over the Sound.

To see more pictures of this sunset, as well as some tips for shooting the
sunsets/sunrises, head over to A Beautiful Day, where I guest posted last week and shared some of these.

I think I will be able to wrap up my Seattle trip with one more post later this week.....We shall see.

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The last thing for today, a follow up on last week's 5 for Five {this might get ugly...}

1. Get caught up *and keep up* on the laundry.  Actually, I did manage to do this, which is a major feat for me!  I even did the same with the dishes - double wow!

2. Plan out next week's blog posts.  Fail - I only got through Tuesday :(

3. Work out at least 4 times. Yes!  I made it to the gym three days this week, plus spent an entire day cleaning my house {which in my book, as long as you're sweating, it counts}

4. Drink 8 glasses of water EVERY DAY.  I made it a couple of days, but there were also days that I barely drank any.  Looks like I will have to try this one again next week.

5. Write down daily tasks, and stick to them.  Eh...better add this to next week.

SO . . . Goals for this week:

1. Plan out next week's blog posts.>
2. Drink 8 glasses of water EVERY DAY.
3. Write down daily tasks, and stick to them.
4. Get caught up on editing photos and get them in the mail.
5.  Keep track of all food and activity points.

What are some of your goals for the week?  Link up with Jenn & Jessica and share!