Gig Harbor Undressed

Easter Sunrise Service at Gig Harbor’s Haven of Rest

For more than 20 years now, the Haven of Rest funeral home on HWY 16 in Gig Harbor will be holding an Easter Sunrise service beginning at 7am.  Haven of Rest has a gorgeous view of Gig Harbor Bay and Mt. Rainier.  The service features staff from many different Gig Harbor churches combining together, and offers a great place to go for those who may have recently lost a family member or friend.  Everybody is welcome.  Dress warmly, as it can be cool and wet!

‘08 Whiskers Wine and Dine a Success!

The 2008 Whiskers Wine and Dine was held this past Friday night and was another fun success. Whiskers Wine and Dine is the annual auction and dinner fund raiser for the Peninsula Spay and Neuter Project, which is now known as Coalition: HUMAnE. This is a pretty amazing group that is dedicated to helping Gig Harbor and the surrounding area control our pet population. Make sure you check out their website to see all of the cool things that they are doing.

Here are a few photos from the evening, as well as a portion of the slide show that was shown highlighting the opening of their new spay and neuter clinic.

One of the many cool pieces of art that was donated for the live auction. This lazy susan was one of the most popular items of the night.

My favorite table of the night!

Laura Michalek is an energetic and fun professional fundraising auctioneer.  If you have any fundraising auctions in the Gig Harbor, Seattle, or Puget Sound region, you may want to look her up.

Looking for a Handyman in Gig Harbor?

I’m not a handyman.  I can’t fix much of anything.  I own a few tools, but that’s mainly because the clearance tub at Ace Hardware is just too tempting for me to pass up.  I don’t really know what to do with many of my tools.  Recently, my wife realized that the paper bags under our kitchen sink were wet.  I then noticed that our kitchen cabinet was bubbled up and the laminate peeling.  That’s not good.  I saw that there was a leak coming from under our sink, and I thought I could fix it.  I figured one of the 3 tools pictured above could do the trick.  I tightened the thingy (that’s really what it’s called, I think) that looked to be leaking.  That made it worse.

I didn’t really want to call a plumber.  Not that there aren’t good plumbers in Gig Harbor, but they can be really expensive.  I searched the phone book for a handyman in Gig Harbor, but how do you choose from a phone book?  So I went to the Gig Harbor Chamber and found an all around repair man.  Mike Gentile of Gentilly Home Services came out and did a great job for a great price. 

If you live in Gig Harbor or the Key Peninsula, and you need somebody to do minor home repairs, give Mike a call.  As you can see from his card, he can do plumbing, cabinets, windows, doors, just about anything you could need fixed, replaced, or repaired around your home or your office.  It’s great to know a reliable, punctual home fix-it man who works for a fair price!  So if you have minor repairs to be done, don’t call a plumber or a carpenter, save yourself the hassle and call a general handyman!  Support Gig Harbor’s small businesses and get repairs done quickly and fairly.

Gig Harbor’s Newest Restaurant is…

Gig Habor’s newest Italian food restaurant is Pizzeria Fondi, located in the new Gig Harbor Uptown Center.  I’m not sure if this is the big, local chain or not.  I’ve got to admit I’ve never heard of Pizzeria Fondi.  I am sure that I love Italian food, and I know that there’s a lack of good restaurants in Gig Harbor, so I’m excited to try this one.  It’s not open just yet, but looks close. 

Have any of you ever tried Fondi?  Any thoughts on other great places to eat in Gig Harbor?  I know that Spiros has some decent Italian food, and it’s got a great location right there in downtown Gig Harbor, but I’m just not overly excited about them.  Gig Harbor’s Uptown Center is filling up fast, as today marks the opening of the new Galaxy Theater.  How’s this for an evening?  Go to Border’s books and browse around, head over to Pizzeria Fondi’s for dinner, catch a movie at the theaters, hit Ben and Jerry’s for desert.  I’ll have to try that sometime!

Galaxy Theater Grand Opening in Gig Harbor

Are you excited about tomorrow’s grand opening of the new Galaxy movie theaters in Gig Harbor?  Think you can be one of the first 100 and get your free 90 day pass?  Think again!  Here was the scene at 5:30 this evening, 18 hours before the Uptown Center theaters open.  The rainbow is real, by the way, not photo-shopped in!

Believer’s Fellowship of Gig Harbor launches new website

I’ve made mention of our church, Believer’s Fellowship, a few times in this blog.  Believer’s is a non-denominational Christian church located on Hunt St just east of Wollochet St in Gig Harbor.  While there are many wonderful things about our church, three things stand out as very unique to me:

1. We don’t have membership.  Anybody who walks through our doors and participates with us is a ”member.”
2. We don’t take an offering.  No money plates or baskets will pass by.  We believe that tithing is something God asks of us, but feel it should be a voluntary, joyful act.  There are offering boxes located in the church, but no collections will be taken.
3. We have a huge age diversity.  Our nursery is overflowing, our Sunday schools are vibrant, our junior high and high school groups are well attended, we have a huge 20-something population, several “working” age adults, and lots of happily retired Gig Harbor residents.  Not many churches I’ve attended, in Gig Harbor or elsewhere, have such a wide age variety.

Believer’s Fellowship doesn’t believe that church is primarily a Sunday morning activity.  We are focused on building community within Gig Harbor and the surrounding areas, and we do that through outreach programs and multiple home-groups. 

If you’ve been looking for a Gig Harbor church to attend, check out Believer’s Fellowship’s new website that was just launched this week.  There’s even audio of Sunday’s teachings under the “Connect” tab.  Simply click  on the image below to learn about what our church offers.  There are several great churches in Gig Harbor other than Believer’s Fellowship.  Click here to view a further list of Gig Harbor’s churches (not exhaustive, but includes several of the great area churches).

Ciscoe at Peninsula Gardens in Gig Harbor

I’m definitely not a green thumb.  About the only thing I can consistently keep green is the moss in my yard.  One of the advantages of living in Gig Harbor is our climate pretty much grows things on its own.  I have rhododendrons, roses, lavender, and other plants that I either don’t know their names or can’t spell and pronounce them that seem to grow year after year, regardless of my ignorance.  And blackberries?  I’ve got gorgeous, plump, sweet blackberries all around me and I don’t have to do a thing!

Many of you are more serious about gardening, however, and may be looking for a place to get some answers.  For the first time in my 11 years here, I visited Peninsula Gardens this weekend.  I didn’t go there to find plants or answers to my mole problems, I went there to see Ciscoe.  If you’ve never experienced Gardening with Ciscoe, I encourage you to click on the video below.  You can’t help but laugh and become enthused about plants when you watch this guy.

Ciscoe was at Peninsula Gardens doing a live radio broadcast and seminar for local gardeners.  Not being a gardener myself, but just thinking Ciscoe is a great personality, I stopped by to take a visit.  Peninsula Gardens is HUGE.  I had no idea of how big of a nursery it was.  Every plant, gardening tool, water feature, statues, anything you want for your garden was there, as well as an Espresso and sandwich shop…you gotta love the Northwest! 

I wasn’t able to talk with Ciscoe as the crowd was pretty good sized and they were actually charging to ask questions, so I didn’t learn anything other than how big Peninsula Gardens is.  So if you’re looking for gardening tips, this blog is the wrong place to visit.  Try visiting Ciscoe’s website.  You’ll find a lot more answers there than I could ever even make up.  If you’re looking for a fun pick-me-up and you’ve never seen Ciscoe on TV, take a look at the video below.  You’ll learn a cool trick for composting your food and yard scraps here in the Northwest and get a good laugh as well!

Galaxy Theater and more getting closer

Gig Harbor’s Uptown Center is getting further and further along.  I didn’t really want to say this, for fear that my wife would read it, but Ann Taylor Loft is now open in Gig Harbor.  I’m going to have to sell a few more houses to support her Ann Taylor habit.  Actually, I’m quite fortunate in that my wife, while she enjoys shopping, is extremely thrifty and is a great deal-seeker. 

In addition to the opening of Ann Taylor, Gig Harbor’s new Galaxy Theater is set to have their grand opening on Friday, March 7th.  They are offering the first 500 guests a free T-shirt and the first 100 guests will receive a free 90 day pass!  The entire first weekend will feature $1 popcorn and $1 soda.   I’m not sure how or if you can go to the movies with a 5 month old, but that sounds like a pretty good time to me! 

Still no word yet on the restaurants that will be part of the Uptown Center, but as soon as I know I’ll post them.  Currently, Panera Bread Co and Jamba Juice are open, as well as the cafe inside of Borders Bookstore. 

Great Example of Community

My goal with this website is to promote the community of Gig Harbor.  I want people to get a good understanding of all the good that goes on here.  The link below is a recent news story featuring a Keller Williams agent from Tacoma, as well as the Gig Harbor Keller Williams’ Operating Principal.  It’s a great example of what community is.  In the interview, Mike Bastian makes a very profound statement that really grabbed me.  I’ll give you each one guess…the first comment that correctly identifies what quote of Mike’s grabs me as most profound I’ll send a $5 gift card to a local coffee shop.

Enjoy the video.

SuperSpa Sunday in Gig Harbor’s Target

The Seahawks are out, Favre is done, so what to do on Super Disappointment Sunday? Gig Harbor resident Nancy Presser works as a Beauty Advisor for an English company called Boots which is new to the United States. They offer an extensive skin care and cosmetic line at the Gig Harbor Target and she is available for FREE skin care consultations, make-overs, facials, and hand treatments every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This Sunday, during the Superbowl, Nancy is offering a SuperSpa Sunday with free services for those that may not be interested in sports. She’ll be doing mini spa treatments, i.e. massage, facial, make-overs, etc. in the Boots cosmetics aisle at Target. Make sure to visit Nancy at the Target store if watching Brady instead of Favre and Eli instead of Peyton is just not your idea of a good day.

Nancy Presser
Boots Lead Beauty Advisor
Gig Harbor Target
Store (253)858-9777
In Store Hours: Friday 12pm - 6pm, Sat 12pm - 6pm, Sun 11am - 4pm or by appointment during the week.