As the days are getting shorter and the weather getting crisper I am longing for all things fall. I can’t wait to make my first batch of chili and my first loaf of pumpkin bread… I am so excited to pull out my boots and tights and start wearing sweaters and scarves again. That said, I am a bit sad to give up one of the best summers I will probably ever have. Let’s re-live it together!
{Summer arrived early in Seattle and we are enjoying it well into September.}{Alex had an unfortunate bike accident which landed him in the hospital with a broken wrist and ribs. Errr wait, we’re supposed to be remembering the good things…}{The wonderful weather brought us many trips down the hill to Lake Washington to take Jackson swimming}{On the few weekends in May when we didn’t have travel plans we managed to get some work done on our house that included staining the back steps, installing a stone walkway through our backyard, doing some major work with the lawn, and a huge deep clean inside.}{A precursor to our impending Europe trip we tested our “foreign” travel skills with a weekend trip to Vancouver, BC.}{I spent a weekend in DC and Annapolis celebrating my sister in-law’s bachelorette party.}{We planned our Europe trip for more than a year and finally it was time to pack!}{We strolled the cobblestone streets of Cinque Terre together…}{Attended Alina and Alberto’s fairy tale wedding in the Italian countryside…}{We spent unforgettable quality time with Alex’s extended family overlooking Lake Como…}{Ate fondue, stared at the Matterhorn and rode the Glacier Express through Switzerland…}{We drank copious amounts of wine, sat on the beach and gorged on amazing tapas in Spain….}{Watched the Tour de France roll through, saw Big Ben, rode the London Eye and ate wonderful Indian food in London…}
{And we quietly enjoyed the last bits of our trip while admiring the charm of Amsterdam and watching the final game in the 2014 World Cup.}{On our way back to Seattle we stopped in Minnesota to attend Cammy and Adam’s wedding.}{After resting and recovering for a week we were at it again with an incredible camping trip with some of our closest friends.}{Somewhere in there we managed to spend some time with our dog…}{And our cat!}{And I found my way to the farmer’s market many Friday afternoons in the late summer to stock up on tomatoes, berries and gorgeous flower bouquets.}{Alex jetted off for a weekend in Chicago to attend his cousin Bryan’s bachelor party…}{Then we attended their wedding in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin the following weekend.}{I got to catch up with my college roommate Julie and spend some time getting to know her fiance Ryan.}{The following weekend we set off east to Suncadia for Dave and Trish’s wedding with this as the backdrop.}{I took on the tall task of re-decorating our guest room for our imminent visitors.}{Then Donna and Stan came out for Labor Day weekend and we embarked on an incredible wine tour in Walla Walla, Washington.}{With Labor Day as the unofficial end to summer I guess that’s where this story ends…. I guess that’s a good thing because man am I tired! We’ve got to rest up and start looking forward to fall cooking, ski season and the fantastic trips we have coming up in the next six months.}