Our dear friends Carrie and Patrick got married last weekend! It was such a pleasure to be a part of the celebration of their marriage. Their wedding was absolutely perfect for them – I couldn’t have picked a more ideal setting for their nuptials than Fontaine Estates, a picturesque apple packing warehouse turned winery, in Naches, Washington, just outside of Carrie’s hometown of Yakima.
View from the windows of the venue
It was such a pleasure to be one of Carrie’s bridesmaids. I had so much fun spending the day with Carrie, watching her smile from ear to ear with gleeful excitement and anticipation of her wedding.
Carrie’s stunning dress.Carrie’s coffee says “Bride” – check out Carrie’s amazing engagement ring!Alisha, the makeup expert, helping Carrie get the perfect wedding day look, not like it took much effort!Carrie was so exuberant all day!Our beautiful bride all ready to go see her groom!
The ceremony took place outside overlooking the vineyards and the Yakima Valley region. It was breathtaking. {I don’t have any photos of the ceremony!!} Carrie had us all in tears as her parents walked her down the aisle, growing more emotional with each step towards the altar where Patrick was waiting for her. The actual ceremony was short and sweet – we enjoyed two readings “Marriage Joins Two People in its Circle of Love” and a reading from “The Alchemist.” Their wedding vows were so sweet and endearing – they started by vowing that they would both remain each other’s “biggest fan.” After the ceremony we enjoyed a cocktail hour before making our way inside for dinner and an evening full of dancing.
Carrie’s personalized chair – “Mr.” and “Mrs.” – they did not have a head table, rather they enjoyed their dinner with their parents.The inside of the venue – the vintage floor and open ceiling added to their chic rustic wedding.Table setting – so much work went into perfecting this look. It’s so simple but so thoughtful and perfect. Each table was named with either a place, event or important memory. The jars of jam above the place setting were made by Carrie, her mom and one of her bridesmaids {Hailey}. Their wedding colors were inspired by the various hues of wine, thus the deep burgundy chargers. The napkins remind me of burlap, an accent seen throughout the venue.One of the sweetest parts of the decor was this precious memorial.The cake was so unique and so Carrie. This is called a Pioneer Stacking Cake. It’s a naked cake that exposes the layers and the frosting in between, so there is no outside frosting. It was divine 🙂The details even made their way to the bar!So many personal touches made this day even more special.Me with Mary and the blushing bride.Alex dressed up for the occasion.Alex and Ryan are always in cahoots.The Millers – such wonderful friends.Mary and me in our wine colored dresses.
Days after Alex’s parents departed from their Seattle visit my dad arrived for his brief stay with us. I just saw my dad a few weeks ago and we will be seeing him again shortly, so he decided to sneak in a quick visit out here to enjoy some Seattle sun and meet Mr. Jackson.
Checking out the Chihuly Museum. This was one of my favorite exhibits.
We sure jammed a lot in during the time my dad spent here. After picking him up from the airport on Saturday morning we came back home to let him get settled and take Jackson for a walk before heading downtown. There is a relatively new museum in Seattle called the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum {which happens to be the number one rated attraction in Seattle, according to Trip Advisor} and I thought my dad would enjoy seeing it, so we spent a bit of the day walking through the museum and admiring the glass work.
An exhibit where you look up at a collection of glass work in the ceiling.
Chihuly is an artist who specializes in glass blowing. It is mind boggling how a person can create some of the glass figures and sculptures {not sure that’s the right word!} that he has constructed. It’s truly impressive and inspiring to see his work in person.
Beautiful exhibit in a glasshouse.
Once we had seen enough we grabbed a quick bite to eat and then stopped by the Volunteer Park Conservatory on our way home. I had never been to the Conservatory {or Volunteer Park}, so it was a nice experience for me as well.
Chihuly’s glass exhibit depicting a garden.
Picking up from where we left off with Alex’s parents last weekend, we arrived home late afternoon and opened up a bottle of wine to enjoy on the patio before going out to dinner. Unfortunately, our evening out to eat was not very impressive. Alex and I had been to Skillet Diner a few times before and thought it would be a fun place that my dad would like, but ultimately it left us disappointed. I’ve never sent back food before, but we asked them to credit my meal. Alex’s dinner was good, but my dad’s was not impressive. It’s always a bummer when that happens!
View from just behind Summit West.
Sunday morning started off quite foggy and overcast, so we took our time getting up and moving. We took Jackson for a walk and then walked up to the Hi Spot Cafe for breakfast before grabbing the dog and headed east for the mountains. There are so many hikes within an hour of Seattle and we found a great one to do that was actually at Snoqualmie Pass – we parked in the Summit West parking lot and traversed across the ski area before heading out of the ski boundary towards Lodge Lake. It was quite a nice hike – a bit longer than expected – and we really enjoyed the change in scenery throughout.
Taking in the scenery.
Lodge Lake was beautiful and muddy. We brought a picnic of wine, cheese and crackers that we enjoyed while Jackson went swimming. Who knew he was such a water dog!?
Enjoying our picnic.
Tired from our hike, we mustered up the energy to venture out to our stomping grounds to share two bottles of wine at Bottlehouse before meeting my Aunt Cathy at St. Clouds, a neighborhood restaurant, for dinner. It is always fun to bring out of town guests to Bottlehouse and this time was even more fun because we got to try out some new wines on their menu.
Water dog!
After a quick trip, my dad is safely back in Minnesota and we are back to the grind!
Now that Labor Day has come and gone, signs of fall are all around us. The leaves have started to get that light yellow hue, signaling that they’re getting ready to turn. There’s a lovely crisp feeling in the evenings after the sun sets, reminding me that jacket weather is just around the corner. My mind is focused on sweaters and boots, hearty chili, apples, roasted chicken and slow cooked homey meals. I’ve had so many desires recently to just curl up on the sofa with a cozy blanket and my Kindle and a hot cup of coffee.
We have so much to look forward to this fall – the weddings of three wonderful friends, our trip to Breckenridge and a weekend getaway with friends in Leavenworth. While the days continue to grow shorter and the rain becomes abundant, I’ll be spending more time in the kitchen whipping up some good fall comfort food and counting down the days until ski season. I can’t wait!
We are so lucky to live in Washington. Not only is it the most beautiful place in the world but we’ve got some darn good wines. Wine country is only 2 hours away from Seattle and last weekend we took advantage of that and took Alex’s parents over to Yakima Valley to do a wine tour.
The Allens at Bottlehouse, gathering suggestions for our wine tour.
Our wine tour included stops at five tasting rooms in the Yakima Valley area. The first four were outside of Yakima where we went to the actual vineyards where the grapes are grown and the wine is produced, then the fifth was just a tasting room in downtown Yakima. The night before our trip we stopped at the Bottlehouse, our neighborhood wine bar, and asked for some recommendations. Thank goodness we did because the places Henri suggested were absolutely fantastic and have become our new favorites.
First stop: Bonair
We started the trip at Bonair, a winery that Alex and I went to several years ago. We loved Bonair on our first visit but none of us were impressed this time. I guess they got a new winemaker and things seem to have gone downhill, unfortunately. The Bonair estate is gorgeous and they have tapas, so we did get to enjoy sitting outside with some lunch to fill us up before we continued.
The second stop was our absolute favorite. We had never heard of Two Mountain Winery before, but we quickly fell in love. We tried 7 wines and they were all wonderful {and wonderfully priced, I might add!} – I would have gotten a bottle of every one of them. Alex and I may even join their wine club…..
Two Mountain tasting roomTwo Mountain
Our third winery was the most beautiful. We pulled up to Dineen Cellars and were amazed not only at the expansive views their estate offered, but the houses on the property were just adorable. The visit was topped off by incredible wines and great conversations with the owners.
Checking out the view at Dineen.
After Dineen, we drove back towards Yakima and stopped at Treveri Cellars. Treveri only produces sparkling wines. Alex and I had Treveri before and we love their sparkling syrah – so tasty! Their tasting room was really fun and we had a great time.
Gorgeous views!
Once we got back into Yakima we decided to head out for dinner and stop at a tasting room in downtown Yakima beforehand. Gilbert Cellars is a pretty large wine producer in Washington so we stopped in for a flight to finish off our day.
Such a fun trip.
We all had such a fun day exploring new areas in Washington and drinking some amazing wine. I can’t wait to go back to wine country again soon!
This week, a huge priority of mine and Alex’s has been on our cat Henry. After suddenly losing his brother last week we want to make sure that Henry is getting adequate attention, that he feels like we’re playing with him enough, and of course, that he knows we love him.
Such a cool cat 🙂
Being such a “cool cat” we are relieved that Henry seems to be doing really well with this adjustment. There are some moments that we can tell he senses Oliver and gets spooked out, but overall, it seems like Henry is doing okay, given the circumstances. He has been extra cuddly and it seems like he “checks in” with us more often. Alex did a little research on the cat mourning process for Henry and found that Henry may be looking for his brother for around 6 weeks, he might eat less and he might lose some hair, depending on how stressed he is. So far, Henry is eating completely normally and we haven’t noticed him losing any hair. He does seem to still be looking for his brother, though.
Henry.
We had considered getting Henry a playmate since he and Oliver were such good pals; however, we have decided, at least for a while, that we’re not going to get another cat. Hopefully Henry and Jackson will become BFFs.
Alex filling up the pool for Henry and Jackson.
Shortly after we got Oliver and Henry as kittens we made the choice to allow them access to play outside. We made this choice because we felt that the quality of life would be far greater for them to have outdoor playtime than to be confined to our home. Certainly we knew the risks and potential consequences with this were greater, but to us, their quality of life was a very important consideration. For this reason, I have no regrets in letting Oliver outside and we are continuing to allow Henry to play outside. I have so much joy and so many memories thinking about how much more fun the boys had playing outside, exploring and making friends with the other neighborhood cats.
Where did the time go?! Last I checked, Jackson was 25 pounds and 3 months old. Now he’s 50 pounds, has started to get feathers in his adult coat, is walking like a champ, is gaining more freedoms by the day, and is acting more and more like a dog every day.
Handsome man!
We survived Jackson’s teething and lived to tell about it. Honestly, the bulk of his teething took place in a span of about a week and it was the most difficult and trying week that we’ve experienced with him. He was absolutely miserable and wanted us to be right there with him. We got through it and his adult teeth are almost all completely in now! His mouth looks totally different.
Morning cuddles with Alex and Jackson.
Lately Jackson hasn’t been sleeping in a confined space at all – for a while he slept in the bathroom because it was too hot for him to be locked in his crate. Now, we just put a gate up to keep him upstairs and he transitions between sleeping in the bathroom and sleeping in his bed in our room.
He’s allowed on one chair…. this is it. I don’t think he’ll fit here for long!
Jackson continues to surprise us with the mature decisions he is able to make all on his own. When Alex and I retire to the couch to watch TV or read, Jackson usually knows it’s his time to go to bed. There were two nights in a row that Alex was on the floor holding his bone for him and Jackson just got up and walked into the bathroom and went to bed for the night. I can’t believe he can make that decision!
Finally turning into a Golden Retriever!
Our little man really wowed us at the dog park over the weekend. He was so independently interested in the water we could hardly believe it. Then he floored us when he actually retrieved sticks and tennis balls out of the water and brought them back to us! We were astounded that he’s finally turning into a golden retriever.
Jackson and Alex at Marymoor Dog Park
We continue to be amazed at what a great dog he is turning out to be. I’m looking forward to introducing him to Alex’s parents and my dad over the next week and a half. I can’t wait to see what the next few months have in store for us with this growing fur ball!
It has taken me a week to build up enough courage to look through photos of Oliver to write this post. With each day, life is getting easier to handle as I move towards finding solace after the loss of my “baby cat” Oliver last week. Today I am remembering Oliver and all of the fun memories I have of my spunky little cat.
Oliver.
Oliver was always there. Wherever “there” was, that’s where Oliver was. He was always up in everyone’s business needing to be the center of attention, getting pets from anyone who he possibly could convince to love on him.
Always into everything.
If I was making dinner, Oliver’s nose was in my face. When I sat down at the computer downstairs, Oliver would be right there ready for a cuddle. Like clockwork, when Alex and I would sit down at the table Oliver’s little face would pop up in the window next to the front door and he’d start meowing for us to let him in. in the middle of the night, Oliver would come and dig with his paws for me to let him under the covers so he could snuggle up in my arms and nibble on my cheek as he fell asleep. He was just always there.
Bed time in the Allen house.
One of the most challenging parts of moving forward is that since he was always so present in my entire day I find myself constantly looking for him and waiting for him to be there. I can still see his little face in the window. I can hear him meowing. I can feel him. I can hear the sound of him sprinting through the house. He’s still very much alive in my mind.
Such a helpful packer.
I have never met a cat who is as cuddly as Oliver. He was just the absolute best cuddle bug I could have ever hoped to have.
He loved to be held.
Some of my favorite memories of Oliver are of him showing off his acrobatic skills. He learned quickly that he could jump up onto a rail that we have running around our walls at about 8 feet off the ground – he would sprint around this rail and show off whenever we had company. Oliver loved to jump from our fence through the neighbor’s deck banister, which was several feet up and away from the fence. He was so agile.
Crazy cats!
Oliver and Henry had a heart warming brotherly bond. I fondly recall so many times whispering to Alex to come and look at Oliver and Henry cuddling together on our bed, or when one of them would be so gingerly licking the other one’s head, cleaning it, because it was out of reach. They loved to wrestle and chase each other around the house. They were just always together. They were best friends. My heart breaks for Henry’s loss.
Cuddle bears
I can’t even express how much I miss Oliver. My heart was shattered and it will take a long time to mend itself, but I’m working on it. It’s overwhelming, though I am comforted by these photos and the endless memories I have of my kitty, who will forever have a piece of my heart.
Oliver cuddles.He sure loved sun bathing.Oliver in his Halloween costume last fall.Oliver.I can still see him sitting up here, perched on the rail, looking out the window.My Oliver.
Being introspective and reflecting on life is something I think is not uncommon after dealing with loss or something difficult. I have spent the last two days really dwelling on life, not just my own life, but life itself. We often hear the phrase “life is short” or “stop and smell the roses” but after going through an experience where I can literally say that my life changed in the blink of an eye, I truly get it now. I understand how short and how precious life is, and unfortunately, I understand how quickly it can change.
Serenity.
I have always been a person who has enjoyed my life and not sat around waiting for it to pass me by, making excuses and saying “I’ll get to that later,” but now more than ever, I really will savor the details of my life. The little things, the big things, nature, the sunset, the sunrise, the smell of the air after it rains, morning cuddles with my puppy, the few moments when Henry will let me hold him, goodbye hugs and kisses from my husband, bites of food, sips of wine, views of Mount Rainier, laughter, hugs from friends, the sound of the wind, and most importantly, the time I spend with those who matter most to me.
Majestic Mount Rainier
There are things in everyday life that matter and things that don’t. I would like to focus my energy on those things that do matter and make each day and each moment meaningful. I am not saying that I need to climb a mountain or go on an adventure every day, but making the minutes and hours count, not just passing the time.
Lake Shamineau
Living in the moment is something I’d like to strive to do more often. I’d like to continue checking things off of my bucket list {perhaps I should actually write my bucket list down first!} and really make the most of every day. I just never know what tomorrow holds, let alone the next minute, and I don’t want to give myself the opportunity to live in regret that I did or said something I shouldn’t have and can’t take back, or that I didn’t do or say something I should have and can’t now. Life is just too short and too unpredictable to hold grudges, to lose your temper, to be mean to someone you love, or to to just let it pass you by, missing those moments that make life full.
Today has been a very sad day for the Allens. Our cuddly, wild, spastic cat Oliver got hit by a car outside our house and died right away. It’s a good thing I have a big heart filled with love for our four legged friends because these animals we have totally dominate my heart. Unfortunately two of them have broken it. I know that time will help put the pieces back together but for the time being I am just very sad at the loss of my beloved Oliver.
Love this little guy.
Both Alex and I just knew that Oliver wasn’t going to have a long life. He had so many close calls that it’s a miracle he allowed us to share two years of memories with him. Something just told us that he wasn’t going to be a cat that lived to be 20. This morning was the final straw, I guess.
He had all sorts of crafty tricks up his sleeves.
Losing Oliver is hard enough to deal with on its own, but if it’s possible to have your heart broken twice in one day, Henry, Oliver’s littermate, is succeeding at breaking my heart as well. He knows something happened to Oliver and he can’t find him. It is crushing me to watch him looking all over for his little brother, wondering what’s going on. The first time Henry came outside after we buried Oliver in our backyard, he walked straight to the spot where Oliver is resting and it was as if he knew that’s where Oliver is, but still remains confused. I am so sad for Henry.
These two were so close to each other. It devastates me to think of how Henry is doing.
Now that we have had to say good bye to our puppy and our young cat in the same year we have certainly learned that life is short and that you really need to savor every moment of it. You just never know – my life changed in an instant this morning.
One of Oliver’s favorite places to sleep in the winter – our ski gear basket. It was the perfect vantage point for him to look outside in the backyard.
I will miss Oliver so unbelievably much. He was the cuddliest little cat a person could imagine. He was so needy and loving and constantly wanted attention and cuddles. At night Oliver would either sleep in my arms with his head on my shoulder or down at the end of the bed curled up with his brother. Oliver was such an acrobat. He could climb trees and jump like it was nobody’s business. But most of all, I will miss the joy he brought to me.
Cuddles with the baby cats.
It’s incredible to me how people and animals can form such a bond, and my bond with Oliver and love for him will never be forgotten.
This weekend we are being especially nostalgic. August 17th and 18th both hold special places in Alex’s and my hearts for a number of reasons.
Our first day with Aspen, August 17th, 2012.
Last year on August 17th we got to meet our little puppy Aspen. Alex’s mom flew her out from Illinois to come and live with us.
I’m pretty sure Alex fell in love with her the first day we met Aspen.My little pup Aspen!
August 18th comes with some bittersweet memories. On August 18th, 2004, Alex and I met for the first time when we were moving into our dorm at Iowa State University. While we didn’t start dating for over a month, it really a day that opened the door to the rest of our lives.
Freshman year at Iowa State.
Three years ago today we closed on our first house! We have lived here longer than anywhere in the last 9 years and we are so happy and thankful to be here. Being a homeowner is an enormous responsibility, but we are loving all of the pros and cons that come with the territory.
Our new front door.
And sadly, last year we said goodbye to Alex’s beloved grandfather “Papa” who passed away on August 18th.
We are so thankful that Papa was able to come to our wedding. We have such fond memories of him there.
There are always memories to celebrate and dwell on. This weekend we’re doing just that!
