My wonderful friend Cammy came to visit Seattle last weekend. While the purpose of her trip was primarily to attend a conference for work, she was able to extend her trip and spend the weekend with me and Alex. Back when Alex and I lived in our condo downtown Seattle, Cammy had come to visit us, so she had the opportunity to do a lot of tourist attractions then. We were able to relax and enjoy some different things that the Seattle area had to offer this time around.
Wine tasting with Cammy
Friday we met up at my house in the afternoon and went for a run before heading back downtown for the evening. We bellied up to the bar at Purple, a wine bar, for quite a few hours and enjoyed an array of different wines, cheeses and a delicious pizza before calling it a night.
On Saturday we decided to treat ourselves to a pedicure and more wine! Big surprise 🙂 We savored in the luxurious Pro Club Spa’s fantastic service and then our chauffeur {my lovely husband} whisked us off to wine country {aka Woodinville}.
We ended up just going to one winery, Mark Ryan Winery, because the other winery we had planned on stopping at was unexpectedly closed. We all really enjoyed Mark Ryan but felt it was a bit expensive for what it was. Even so, we took home a bottle and still have that to look forward to.
Japanese Gardens
Saturday evening we decided to stay in our neighborhood and settle in at Naam Thai and Bottlehouse. We loved our Thai food and then enjoyed a bottle of one of Alex’s and my current favorite wines, a cabernet Franc, at Bottlehouse, along with a decadent pumpkin cheesecake and a chocolate pot de creme.
It was a beautiful day on Sunday, which ended up working out perfectly for our stroll through the Japanese Garden and arboretum. The fall colors were gorgeous and there was even a maple leaf ceremony at the Japanese Gardens.
Beautiful colors!
Cam and I have been friends since middle school but rarely get to spend time just the two of us. It was such a treat to have so much quality time together. I really enjoyed our time and getting the opportunity to learn more about her upcoming wedding, her job and recounting silly stories from our past. Until next time…
Our last stops on our Midwest Tour were in Illinois and Wisconsin, ultimately to attend Alex’s good friend Kari’s wedding on October 5th. We arrived in Illinois early Wednesday morning after our superfast flight from Minneapolis. Since we had been bouncing all over Minnesota for almost a week Alex and I wanted to just plant our feet in one place for a few days, so instead of staying at his parents house for a night, we just stopped there to have brunch and see some renovations they did on the house and then we headed north to their lake home in Wisconsin.
The Allen’s condo complex in the sunset.
We knew that the weather was probably going to be the nicest on our first day, so we changed into our shorts and tee shirts and sat out on the deck and drank Donna’s newly famous {and delicious!} Sangria for most of the afternoon.
Boat Ride!
One of the best parts of being up at the lake is not having an agenda. We spent most of our days relaxing, catching up and just hanging out. There is always a new puzzle waiting to be put together whenever we go back to Illinois or Wisconsin so that kept us occupied for a bit too. It’s always a highlight to be able to take a boat ride around the lake – especially at sunset!
Me and my MILBoat cruise
I had somehow never been to Lake Geneva before, which is right next to Lake Delavan, where the Allen’s lake home is. Lake Geneva is a pretty famous summer vacation spot in southern Wisconsin and is home to some local celebrities and really, really nice houses. We spent the better half of one afternoon popping into some of the shops and we enjoyed a nice lunch at Scuttlebutt’s.
The Allens in Wisconsin.
On Friday Alex’s sister flew in from New York. It was so nice to see her! It had been since last Thanksgiving since we had the chance to see her. The day she arrived we went back to Lake Geneva for lunch to a really fun place called Pier 290. After lunch Donna, Alina and I split up and did a little wedding shopping – I got to see Alina’s wedding dress {!!!!} and Donna tried on a few mother-of-the-bride dresses. So fun!
Hanging out with Alina was so much fun.
We had a mini Iowa State reunion on Friday evening when Bryan, Alex’s cousin, drove up from Chicago to spend the evening with Alex and catch up. It was really nice for the two of them to spend some time together! We’re hoping that Bryan and his girlfriend will pay us a visit in Seattle this year {hint, hint!}.
Alex & Bryan
Saturday morning we headed back to Illinois pretty early because Donna had booked hair appointments for the girls! Alina wanted to get her haircut, so Donna scheduled a blowout for herself and an up-do for me for the wedding on Saturday evening. I love that my mother in-law makes having nice hair such a priority!
Can’t really see much of my hair, but it looked cool in back!
Alex and I left mid-afternoon for Kari and Mike’s wedding at the Morton Arboretum. It ended up pouring just a bit before their wedding, so their original plan of having an outdoor ceremony was out the window. Alex’s friend Nick, who lived next door to Kari growing up, was their officiant and did a fantastic job of making an extremely personal service for them. It was really fun! The wedding was beautiful and it was nice to catch up with some of Alex’s friends from high school. I ended up getting sick mid-way through dinner {no, not from drinking, I had a virus}Â so I went back to the hotel and then sent Alex back to the wedding so he didn’t miss any time with his friends. He reported the next morning that the rest of the wedding was great and that he enjoyed catching up with his friends who he seldom sees.
Alex all dressed up.
The next morning we decided to order room service in our hotel room, and conveniently the movie Bridesmaids was on TV at the same time, so that’s how we spent an hour or two Sunday morning before heading back to his parents house for a family brunch.
Family photo!
Once we got back to Batavia, where Alex’s parents live, we got a chance to see Alex’s nana, his aunt Chris and two uncles named Mike, along with Vince and Nora, two family friends of the Allens. It is always nice to get to visit with everyone.
Alina and I with Nana.
Before we knew it it was time to head to O’Hare to fly back to Seattle!
While in Minnesota, Alex and I decided to break away and take a few days to ourselves. Alex had never been to the North Shore so we took a gamble in hopes that the leaves would be at their peak color while we were visiting and made a road trip out of seeing the leaves and sights around Lake Superior.
View of Lake Superior
Our first stop was at the famous Betty’s Pies. Alex’s pumpkin pie was fantastic, and my apple pie was good, but not great.
World Famous Betty’s Pies
Not much further up the road was Gooseberry Falls, where we spent the most time. We walked around the falls and then hiked out to the lake shore. We were surprised that the colors weren’t more vivid in the leaves. We were probably a week or two too early.
Gooseberry Falls – our first stop on the North Shore.At the falls.Out by the lake shore.Checking out the scenery.Cheese!
After Gooseberry we went to Split Rock Lighthouse and made it just in time to catch a tour.
Split Rock Lighthouse
Our final tourist stop was at Palisade Head, a huge cliff over Lake Superior. I’m sure there’s history behind this place but all I know is that it was a favorite stop of mine and my dad’s when we made this pilgrimage when I was a kid.
View off the cliff
We stayed overnight in Beaver Bay, Minnesota at a little hotel called Cove Point Lodge. It was pretty cute – the rooms were very quaint and right on the water. We had a nice meal at the hotel and enjoyed a bottle of wine outside in an Adirondack chair overlooking Lake Superior.
Lake Superior.
The weather was gorgeous for our entire trip which only added to the fun.
What a wonderful half day we spent at my family’s cabin in northern Minnesota two weekends ago! It was the most only relaxing part of our whole trip. We really did nothing other than sit on the deck, take a walk through the property, grill chicken and make s’mores. I enjoyed the chance to just kick back, relax and catch up with my dad and enjoy our wonderful cabin.
The shores of Lake Shamineau.Say cheese!
On our walk through the property.Me and my dad.Alex and me.The cabin.
What a beautiful wedding Sarah and Mike had! It was such a pleasure to be a part of their marriage two weekends ago at Grandview Lodge in northern Minnesota. Alex and I flew in on Thursday and drove up to Nisswa first thing in the morning on Friday. We arrived just in time to part ways with each other so I could go to the spa with the bridal party and Alex could meet up with some of my friends’ husbands and hang out for the day.
Bubbles in her glass and on her toes!
The spa at Grandview was very nice. We all got to indulge in a little pre-wedding pampering in the form of a manicure or pedicure.
Getting my toes done.
We finished up the day with the wedding rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and bon fire. It’s safe to say we all had a great time catching up and enjoying the beautiful surroundings at Grand View Lodge.
Grandview Lodge
Saturday morning came quickly. I woke up a few minutes before my alarm went off, thinking it was still the middle of the night because it was so dark out. As it turned out, it was pouring. All of the bridesmaids met up mid-morning and headed to Starbucks on the way to get our hair done.
The blushing bride!
All of our hair turned out really well. I was the only one who risked not pulling my hair all the way up, and even though I thought my hair would be easy peasy it ended up taking over an hour to just throw my hair half up.
Sarah and her bridesmaids.
Our appointments were completed around noon and the rain still hadn’t let up. The girls were able to get shower caps from the salon to keep their up-do from getting ruined. It was quite the soggy day. Sarah didn’t let the rain ruin her parade though. We all had our fingers crossed that the rain would stop so that they could go forward with having the ceremony outside.
Kailey and Anne in their shower caps.It was an absolute downpour.
Thankfully the rain did eventually stop and the sky cleared up just in time for the ceremony. It was quite chilly {around 50 degrees}, but at least it wasn’t raining. We helped Sarah into her dress – she had quite the audience! Our beautiful bride has never looked better than she did on her wedding day. Of course the bridesmaids and mothers were fighting back a few tears at the sight of Sarah.
The beautiful bride!
The bulk of the afternoon was spent with Sarah and Mike taking pictures and the bridesmaids poking our heads in on the reception site just trying to sneak a peek at the decor and set-up for the evening. I was able to snap a few photos, but none of them showcase the complete look of the site.
Rustic but classy interior and decor.Place card table. The table ultimately had a tall and beautiful flower arrangement in the center.Since Sarah and Mike met on an airplane they carried that theme through with suitcases and travel paraphernalia.An adorable guest book.This doesn’t look nearly as cute as it did when it had cupcakes on the table, but Sarah found some really pretty cupcake stands made out of old logs and tree sections.The centerpieces were just stunning! The table was not completely set when I had my last look…
Thankfully the rain continued to hold off for the ceremony. We even got a glimmer of sunshine at the most perfect moment: right when Mike was putting Sarah’s ring on her finger and saying his “I do.” It couldn’t have been timed better. The ceremony was beautiful and very personal to Sarah and Mike.
Best man & matron of honor walking down the aisle.Sarah and her father making their appearance.The backdrop where the bridal party was lined up.
After the ceremony the bridal party scooted down to the lake for a few photos and then we made our way to join everyone for a cocktail hour before the reception. The DJ was great and kept people dancing all night long – we had a great time celebrating Sarah and Mike.
Bridesmaids!
Overall, it was a wonderful wedding! We had a great time and it was such a special day for me to see my longtime friend tie the knot.
So many little details all over made the day so much more personal.
Oofta! Alex and I just returned from a whirl wind trip back to the Midwest. The purpose of our trip was to attend two weddings, one in Minnesota on September 28th and the other in Illinois on October 5th. Because the weddings were so close in time and proximity we just decided to make a long trip and stay the week in between instead of coming back to Seattle in the middle. I’ll break our trip down into smaller posts, but here’s a good compilation of our trip. Boy did we make the most of our 11 days!
Enjoying the great outdoors in Wisconsin on our tour of the Midwest.
Our trip started on Thursday the 26th when we flew out of Seattle to arrive in Minnesota just in time to have dinner at my mom’s with John and my good friend from high school, Kelsey, and her boyfriend, Franc. We had ribs and Kelsey’s homegrown tomatoes for dinner, along with Kelsey’s first apple pie, which was a great success. After dinner we headed two blocks away to stay at my dad’s house for the evening.
Local fun at Zorbaz
Bright and early on Friday morning we made the 2 1/2 hour drive up to Brainerd, Minnesota to Grandview Lodge, the location of Sarah and Mike’s wedding. We arrived with just enough time to grab a quick lunch before I had a spa appointment with the bridal party and Alex was left to fend for himself until we met up again for the rehearsal dinner.
Getting our nails did 🙂
Saturday was Sarah’s wedding day! I got to spend the whole day with the beautiful bride. The weather in the morning and early afternoon was terrible – it was absolutely pouring until about 2 hours from the wedding time, then the sun started to peak out. Thankfully the rain held off for the wedding so we could hold the ceremony outside.
Sarah and me with our hairdos… all ready for the ceremony.
The wedding was beautiful, as was the reception! Sarah had a classy rustic theme for the decor and the bridesmaids all looked beautiful in navy and magenta. Everything went off without a hitch and the DJ kept a lot of us dancing until 1 a.m.!
Here comes the bride!
Sunday Alex and I headed to my dad’s family’s cabin for the afternoon just to have some R & R and have a chance to spend some time with my dad. It was so relaxing and we loved taking a walk through the property. We ended the night with a wonderful bon fire and made s’mores.
The cabin.
Knowing we didn’t have much time to ourselves during the trip, Alex and I snuck away on Monday and Tuesday and went on a little road trip adventure. We headed east to Minnesota’s North Shore, along Lake Superior, and drove up just a bit past Two Harbors to admire the scenery, {barely} changing colors and stop to take in some sights.
Gooseberry Falls – our first stop on the North Shore.
Once we returned from our drive we squeezed in a meet-up with my longtime friend Esther. We met her and her two {and a half} kiddos for a little play date and got a chance to catch up. It had been over two years since I had last seen her – her youngest was just a few weeks old and now she’s a walking, talking two year old, soon-to-be big sister!
After our shopping extravaganza we breezed through my grandma’s house and got a quick chance to catch up before meeting my mom and John at Rudy’s Rooftop for a nice dinner. We ended our evening and Minnesota stay back at my dad’s before taking off for Illinois on Wednesday morning.
The Allens in Wisconsin.
Our first day in Illinois was the best weather of our whole trip there – it was sunny and warm. Once we got to Alex’s parents house we had brunch and then headed up to his family’s lake home in southern Wisconsin. Alex and I wanted to go up to the lake to have a few days in one place since we had been bouncing all over and living out of a suitcase. It was so nice to have a home base for three days!
Weather gorgeous enough to take the boat out one evening.
Finally on Saturday it was time for our last big event, the main reason we were in Illinois in the first place. Kari and Mike’s wedding was at Morton Arboretum, which is about 20 minutes away from Alex’s parents home. The day of the wedding was kind of funky weather, and unfortunately, it did not hold out for their event. The wedding had to be held inside, but thankfully there was a beautiful backdrop overlooking the arboretum. Alex’s good friend Nick, who grew up next door to Kari, was the officiant of the wedding. Nick is quite the charmer and did a fantastic job of making the ceremony just perfect for Kari and Mike.
Alex sure cleans up well!
Mid-way through dinner at the wedding I ended up getting sick and went back to our hotel room. After a bit I started feeling a little better so I sent Alex back to the wedding. It was great that Alex got a chance to catch up with so many old friends, but I was disappointed not to have gotten a chance to chat with them on the rare occasion. Needless to say, I hardly have any photos from the wedding.
My wedding get up.
The last day of our trip was spent in Illinois at Alex’s parents house. Alex’s mom put on a little brunch for some family members so that we had a chance to see Alex’s grandma, aunt and two uncles, along with some family friends of the Allens.
Time with Nana.
We arrived back to Seattle safe and sound, and due to our crazy cab driver, we made it back home from the airport in record time. Henry and Jackson were very excited to see us, as we were them, and we’re working into a new routine this week.
What a whirlwind the last 9 years has been. 9 years ago, Alex and I were freshmen in college just trying to have a good time and figure out what life was all about. Little did either of us know when we started dating 9 years ago where we would be today, let alone that we would even still be together. It has been an amazing journey and I will be forever thankful for the experiences we have gotten to have together. During these 9 years we have certainly changed a LOT and been through a lot. We’ve laughed together {every day… several times!}, cried together, taken care of each other, been there as moral support and just enjoyed becoming the best of friends. We are so lucky to have met each other when we were 18.
Fall of 2004 – just after we started dating. We were so young!
I don’t know much, but one thing I know for certain is that as long as I’m with Alex I will really never have a dull moment. He keeps me on my toes at all times, laughing every step of the way. We have so much fun together, so I thought I’d put together a little snippit of some fun/funny photos of us from the last 9 years.
Sophomore year – I remember this weekend quite well. Sarah came to visit from Minnesota and we had a “re-creation” of the night that Alex and I started dating.Halloween 2006 – I was an 80s workout instructor and Alex was just an 80s crack head I guess?Disney World 2006 – this was the first trip that Alex and I took together with his family. What a perfect place to go!Fall 2007 – somewhere along the line we became notorious for ridiculous photo shoots that resulted in Alex looking as goofy as possible.My trip to visit Alex while he was an intern in Seattle was such a blast. I started picturing myself living in Seattle, not knowing yet that the Emerald City would soon become my home.Halloween 2007 – I was Britney Spears and Alex was Kevin Federline.Through all the laughs, time with friends and goofing around we managed to graduate on time.Another Halloween photo – this was 2008. Alex was a robot and I was Martha Stewart.There are a lot of things we enjoy doing together but skiing tops the list.We’ve been through a lot together – literally and figuratively climbed a few mountains 🙂Goonie 🙂This is from last weekend. 9 years later and we still laugh. A lot!The best day of all.
I haven’t posted anything about our growing puppy in a while, so here’s a few photos and notes of our little teenager.
He’s getting so big!
Jackson is a week shy of being 6 months. He weighs 55 pounds. While he isn’t gaining weight as quickly anymore, his body is growing longer and his head is getting huge. I’m guessing that as a full-grown dog he will weigh around/at least 80 pounds. His paws are really large and he’s definitely not even close to being the size he will be when he’s done growing.
Believe it or not, this photo was taken before the growth of his head had caught up with his body!
As a teenager, Jackson is quite often a terror. I thought having a second puppy was going to be easy breezy, especially for the first 2 months or so, but we are currently in our challenging phase, I can see!
Don’t let this moment fool you!
We finished up with our second round of puppy classes about a month ago, now, and were really unsatisfied with the lack of new material that was taught. Apparently we needed to take things into our own hands and teach Jackson some commands and obedience that we assumed would be covered in class. This week we have begun taking Jackson to a park in our neighborhood to “work” in the mornings. It’s helpful to place Jackson in slightly distracting areas that are outside of our house to give him the opportunity to learn and practice his commands in real settings. We also signed up for a third puppy class at Ahimsa, which is where we took Aspen. That doesn’t start until mid-October. In the meantime, we’ve got a daily checklist of things for both Alex and I to work on with Jackson.
Tired puppy = happy puppy mommy!
Earlier this week we found out that Jackson has giardia, which is an extremely common {and obnoxious!} parasite in dogs. It’s very easy to contract and very difficult to get rid of. We are hoping that with medication he’ll fight it quickly.
Jackson has been LOVING swimming at the dog park! He plays fetch in the water and is obsessed with swimming now.Sometimes we can even get him to play fetch in the backyard.Mostly just running around, though.
In finding out Jackson has giardia we realized that we were over feeding him by accident. He wasn’t eating all of his food and that caused a little anxiety in us because we wanted to make sure he was getting enough food and nutrients, but being the good pup he {sometimes} is, he was eating only what he needed to eat. {We hadn’t realized/remembered that when puppies hit 5 months old, their food intake needs start to decline, so we were still feeding him based on the 3-4 month old requirements, which were nearly double what the 5 month old requirements are. No wonder he wasn’t eating everything!}
Jackson and Emma’s play date at the dog park!Sleepy puppy face 🙂
Now that we’re in the thick of our busiest time all year, Alex and I decided to add to the fun by doing some projects and improvements around the house. We have some exciting things planned between now and Thanksgiving – most of the actual work will take place in a few weeks once things slow down and we are in the “shoulder season” before it starts to snow in the mountains.
A year later and the fence is finally finished! The post caps really complete the look of our cedar fence.
I have already made a few little updates in our dining room. On a whim, I decided to run to Crate & Barrel and get some new decor for our boring dining room. That is a room that we really struggled with for a while, so it’s been fun to see it come to life a little more.
Before!After! I’d still like to get different colored candles and something more interesting as a centerpiece for the table, but a little went a long way.Fun napkins and place mats from Crate & Barrel.A jug and some metallic votive holders.Our little liquor cabinet.
Here is a list of some of the fun {and not-so-fun!} projects we have in the works:
Creation of a mudroom – this is our “big project” that we’re most excited about. The entry from our backyard into the house is light colored carpet. Living in a city where it rains 9 months out of the year results in a mud pit of a backyard from October-June. This is not ideal for having a puppy! We’re ripping out the carpet and replacing it with a porcelain tile, then adding some cute hooks to the wall when you walk in to give Jackson a place to get cleaned off in and to hang his leash and our coats.
New bookshelf in the office – we’ve lived in our house for 3 years and still don’t have a bookshelf!
Fun new chair in the guest room.
Decor in our bedroom to jazz it up a bit.
Re-vamp the walls in the office to look a little more put together.
Stain the back steps leading outside from our back door.
Touch up the paint on our front porch.
New wine rack! We are really getting into wine lately and we’d like to get a larger wine rack to store our wine collection down in the man room.
Not very exciting, but we need to aerate and re-seed our lawn.
Even less exciting, a major de-clutter/get rid of stuff initiative is in order. I really don’t think we have that much clutter in our house, but there are some things that we have that we really don’t need now or ever that just need to be donated!
Stay tuned for updates on our projects over the coming weeks as we continue to keep ourselves busy!
Shortly after our little Oliver cat died, my mom suggested planting a baby tree in our backyard as a little memorial to Oliver. Anyone who has seen our backyard knows it’s about as big as a postage stamp, so, while I loved the idea of planting something in Oliver’s memory, I didn’t think a tree was quite right. Upon bringing this up to Alex, he suggested catnip. I thought that was perfect since Oliver acted like such a spazoid all the time, it was as though he was always high on catnip! Thanks for the tag-team effort in coming up with just the perfect thing to honor and remember Oliver with.
Henry getting his nose all up in the catnip!
Last week we planted some catnip in our little retaining wall garden as a memorial to Oliver. He spent so much time in our backyard, racing across the fence, hunting birds and bugs, it seemed like the perfect place.
Protecting his catnip.
It’s safe to say, Henry LOVES the catnip! The catnip plants are right outside the window of my office and I frequently see Henry going to get a whiff or roll in the catnip – I’m going to be fighting off the neighbor cats here pretty soon, too.
