friendship – Page 2 – emerald city diaries

my week{end} in pictures {indiana edition}.

{sorry for the delay in this post – we landed in seattle late yesterday night & hit the ground running!}

{we got off a red-eye flight from seattle to chicago last week & drove to indiana. in hindsight, this was a terrible idea. #wenappedinapaneraparkinglot}

{aaron being a great uncle!}

{our friend colt & aaron picked these beautiful peonies for me!}

{hanging out with our sweetest niece charlotte.}

{headed to colt & erin’s wedding on friday. more pics to come!}

{aaron spent a lot of time shooting clays at the post-wedding picnic.}

{aaron’s stepmom diane made sugar cookies & someone had to eat the last one. #takingonefortheteam}

{watched the french open finals – go rafa!}

{got to have dinner with aunt kathi, uncle stan, aunt sharon, & uncle mike. what a treat!}

{got to see kait & oliver while in alex. aaron & oliver shooting with a bow & arrow.}

{kait, me, & the bump.}

{our rental car – a kia soul. actually not a bad car, just an awful color!}

{aaron & frankie getting in some male bonding time.}

{we got a chance to see meg & her littles on our way out of town. aaron & si were bffs by the end of our trip!}

{after having lunch in chicago, we got to see wrigley field on our way to o’hare!}

{the route to terminal c at o’hare is always fun!}

{as we approached seattle, we opened the airplane window to discover the most beautiful view of mount rainer!}

we had a whirlwind trip to indiana to see aaron’s family & attend colt & erin’s nuptials this past week. it was so great to see so much family & get to spend some quality time with our niece & nephews {though it is so tough to not see them more often!}. the weather was beautiful & we both enjoyed a stretch of sunny weather with very little humidity {yay!} – looking forward to the summer weather that will hopefully descend upon the emerald city in the coming months. thanks to everyone who made time to hang out with us while we were in town – hope to do it again sometime very soon!

how was your weekend?

project baby {seattle baby shower}

as I had mentioned in this week’s bump post, amanda threw me a beautiful & lovely baby shower this past weekend. it was likely a bit of a challenge since it was gender neutral, but it was so, so perfect! every detail was thought of & executed to perfection. thank you amanda – such a fantastic way to celebrate baby lower with a fabulous group of women!

the spread was perfect – snacks & dessert {french macarons & cupcakes – my fav!} & I adored those hanging balloons. & the very sweetest thing was the guest book: everyone’s thumbprints on the cutest print from where the wild things are. this is the first art piece for the nursery!

{hanging balloons // the spread // the sweets}

{the guest book // shower prizes // oh baby banner in the bathroom // the most delicious drinks}

{quote on the guest book // shower game // favors // the spread}

{the drinks // my balloon chair // law school gals}

{playing shower games // admiring the youngest shower guest // the oldest of friends}

{mom, me, & the bump // the guest book // the lovely hostess & me // balloons!}

perfect, right?

my weekend in pictures.

{I have always loved stripes, but can’t get enough these days!}

{after work drinks while we wait for some thai to go!}

{we ventured into sadie’s favorite store this weekend & she convinced us that she needed some treats.}

{went to see divergent with friends on a double date but the show was sold out. whomp whomp. so we watched the hunger games – catching fire instead.}

{brunch at the pomegranate bistro with amanda, george, & madeleine!}

{finally got the car washed! love the ones you can drive thru!}

this weekend felt productive & it was great spending time with aaron as he was gone most of this week on a business trip. we have moved east to redmond during the pending house work which I promise to share more about this week – big things are starting to happen & it’s pretty exciting! we are feeling almost settled in, but it is strange to find the pace of our routine in a new place. I think we’ll get the hang of it soon! how was your weekend?

my weekend in pictures.

{a trip to bellevue square means I get my auntie anne’s fix. I never really ate big pretzels before I was pregnant, but now whenever I see them I crave them.}

{we just happened to be at nordy’s & they just happened to be running triple points. so, we shopped a bit!}

{no one loves the warm sunny weather more than sadie because it means she gets to cruise around in the car with the window down.}

{aaron & a few of our very nice friends loaded up this guy on saturday. just the start of some very big things to come around here!}

{found some time to relax & enjoy the second book in this trilogy.}

{sadie has been such a cuddle bug lately. she always wants to be right by my side. or on my lap. whichever is more convenient for her.}

we had the most beautiful gorgeous & sunny weekend weather that really made it feel like spring is here. I know this is just a teaser & that winter-ish weather will return soon, but it was nice to break out my sunglasses & not need quite so many layers for at least a few days. we had an awesome group of friends come over this weekend & help us pack & move a few things from around the house as we prepare for our next big project. it feels a little crazy-town around here since there are so many things going on at once these days, but we are excited about the coming months. how was your weekend?

my weekend in pictures.

{pre-dinner drinks on capital hill. cheers!}

{out to dinner with old & new friends on friday night.}

{I don’t know which is more amazing: the fact that spring bulbs are blooming or the fact that I planted these bulbs last fall.}

{I spent saturday morning on a rainy walk around greenlake with an old friend & her little one. I feel like this was a look into my very near future.}

{couldn’t resist the freshly picked pop-up shop at land of nod this weekend. picked up the cutest pair of moccasins for baby lower.}

{sunday lived up to its name today & brought some much-needed sun. needless to say sadie was here for most of the afternoon.}

{see those tiny little green plants at the base of our front tree? yep, those are tulips that I planted!}

{borrowing the divergent series from a friend. I need to get going before we go see the movie!}

{this week sadie got bored & unwound an entire spool of twine she found in my craft supplies. aaron & I spent 15 minutes trying to find an end so I could attempt to re-spin it. still a work in progress.}

we had a fun & productive weekend spending time with old & new friends, & finally taking a much-needed trip to the goodwill in an effort to get a kick-start on spring cleaning. after days & days of rain, we finally got a few dry days, or moments, starting on friday & finishing up with some actual sunshine today – it was glorious! while I am still reeling from the spring forward this morning, it was all-in-all a great weekend! how was your weekend?

my weekend in pictures.

{we attended a fun celebration for both a birthday & an MBA completion for our friend sara – congratulations!}

{hit pike place market early saturday morning to pick up last minute party goodies – fresh flowers & french macarons! the tulips are so gorgeous & I have filled my house with them.}

{the dessert table set-up for my birthday bash.}

{kicking my feet up after a long & fun night of entertaining. loving this fantastic anthro skirt {no longer available}!}

{leftover cupcakes & donuts for breakfast? sure! don’t worry, we also had some blueberry muffins…}

{aaron showing our little friend jaz how to snap a straw.}

{car accident + rainy weather = major traffic issues.}

{meet fred, my grandmother’s new roommate!}

we had the most amazing weekend celebrating february birthdays with our friends & family. seriously, it was the best! sleeping in, eating macarons, & catching up with friends is the very best way to spend the weekend. now I am in disbelief that we are in the last week of march already – where did february go?

how was your weekend?

my {long} weekend in pictures.

{I joined some girlfriends for some lift, tone, burn at the pure barre in boise.}

{in an effort to pack light I didn’t bring my own hairdryer & planned on borrowing my mom’s. little did I know that hers recently bit the dust & she has been using this one from the 1970s…}

{on saturday I had the great joy of showering a soon-to-be-mama with my best & oldest girlfriends. it was so amazing to see these ladies & makes me wish we all lived in the same city again. {sigh} maybe someday! thanks jen for throwing a beautiful shower & congrats to beth!}

{watch out world, according to my fortune I am about to unleash some talents!}

{this morning my mom & I caught up on the men’s final match at the australian open & did our best not to read any news. I felt so, so bad for rafa but excited for wawrinka!}

{I dined with my mom & dad at an old favorite, da vinci’s, this evening. really good italian food if you ever find yourself in downtown eagle, idaho.}

{hopped on a plane tonight for the quick trip back to seattle!}

this long weekend was spent in idaho visiting family & friends, & was much-needed for me. we didn’t make it over for the holidays, so it felt good to be home at least for a few days this winter. it is always such a treat to catch up with family & old friends, & this weekend did not disappoint. we got to see my brother, sister, sister-in-law, & nephews for dinner one night, & I got to see all of my very best & oldest girlfriends all in one place at once – amazing! even though I am sad that the weekend is over, it is great to be home & to see sadie!

how was your weekend?

my weekend in pictures.

{my grandmother sends all of her sheets out to the cleaner. & they come back packaged in saran wrap. she is the only person on the planet that I know who does this.}

{marinating some salmon for dinner guests on saturday night.}

{sadie is so proper with her little paws crossed like that.}

{finally got some crafting done for a baby shower gift.}

{caramelizing the squash & grating the cheese to make this pizza.}

{sadie doing yoga in the kitchen this evening. #downwarddog}

{this is sadie’s “please mom will you feed me dinner now?” look. it melts my heart.}

{after seeing the broncos win, our nerves were up for the seahawks game. we are ecstatic that the hawks were victorious. superbowl here we come!}

what a great weekend catching up with family & friends! on friday we saw the secret life of walter mitty which we both really enjoyed, on saturday we had friends over for dinner & a much-needed catch up, & this morning sadie & I strolled around greenlake with a friend. despite the weekend being at its end {& me being so bummed that we don’t get tomorrow off!} it was a bit of a change that this weekend felt slow. at least to me. it was nice to feel like life slowed down for the past two days. definitely a contrast to the way the work weeks have been feeling recently. how was your weekend? M

p.s. you may notice some changes to the blog. I have been wanting to make some changes to the blog design for a while & finally found some time to start. I hope to have all of the changes finished soon!

highlights of 2013.

{via}

happy 2014!

i’ve said it before, & i’ll say it again!, yearly recaps are always my favorite kinds of blog posts. its a small way to sum up your year & to see how much the last 365 days have brought. as i look forward to the New Year, i am humbled & grateful by all of the wondrous events of 2013. here’s the rundown of ours:

january: I started out the new year with a bout of the flu. we hosted our first blog giveaway! we installed the west elm hanging capiz chandelier over our dining room table. I framed my diy polaroids for our bedroom walls. amanda & I met john & sherry from young house love during their book signing tour! I diy-ed campaign dressers for our bedroom.

february: I did lots of diy-ing for valentine’s day {here, here, & here} I celebrated my birthday! we bought a kitchen island. I tried to be better about getting in front of the camera!

march: I tried my hand at painting an antler {& was so impressed with the results!}. we took my 91-year-old grandmother to target for the first time! amanda & I diy-ed framed house keys on maps. we sold jez the jetta & bought a new car.

april: we updated our bathroom vanity with a converted antique sideboard. we updated the closet doors by stripping off the old paint in a crock pot. we celebrated our one year anniversary in our house & I reviewed all of the house diys!

may: we finally got some good weather in seattle! I painted the ceiling & hallway walls. we celebrated aaron’s thirtieth birthday with a beer tasting party! we had a fun-filled memorial day weekend. we were featured in west elm’s blog front & main.

june: aaron replaced our toilet. sadie was featured in the seattle dog spot blog. my parents visited for a long weekend en route to the olympic peninsula. my diy his & hers maps were featured. we finally got some summer weather!

july: we celebrated the long Fourth of July weekend with a holiday parade, fireworks, & time with friends. I made a nine layer ombre cake! we replaced our kitchen track lights with globe pendants from west elm. we road-tripped to idaho for my ten-year high school reunion. we started growing our first eggplant.

august: we celebrated our three year wedding anniversary. the blog got a Liebster Award Nomination. I diy-ed the tiniest baby hats for our friends’ new baby. we road-tripped to hood river, oregon to celebrate my cousin’s wedding.

september: we went to the husky vs. bronco game to kick-off labor day weekend complete with husky-style tailgating {via boat}. we took advantage of the warm weather & cleaned up the front yard with a fun game called love it or lose it. we celebrated sadie’s ninth birthday! I attended the Alt Summit for Everyone blog conference.

october: I attempted to start doing fashion posts again. we celebrated our two year blog anniversary at emerald city diaries! I finished up with the #embracethecamera challenge. we went to the pumpkin patch & carved pumpkins with friends.

november: aaron joined a team for movember 2013. we snuck off to hawaii for thanksgiving.

december: I reviewed some of my favorite weekend in pictures pics. I participated in A Pinterest Christmas for the third year {see this year’s projects here, here, here, here, & here}! we celebrated Christmas in indiana with aaron’s family.

reflecting back on this year, i am reminded how blessed we are & also how different this year has been than the year previous. it has been such a wonderful year & ringing in a new one is a bit bittersweet.

how was your 2013 – was it a year to remember, or are you itching to start 2014 already?

see past yearly highlights for 2011 & 2012.

my weekend in pictures.

{we woke up to SNOW on friday morning. it was very, very exciting!}

{sadie does not at all look comfy, does she?}

{got a festive holiday mani on saturday morning.}

{packing…}

{sadie’s dog walker becca gave sadie her christmas present. it was a 3 foot bully stick. sadie is obsessed.}

{we had a crepe brunch with our friends cale, jessica, & their daughter jazmyne. jaz & aaron took sadie for a little stroll afterwards.}

{lounged on the couch sunday afternoon & caught some of the seahawks game.}

{again, not at all comfy sadie…}

{we went to the drug store with my grandmother before seeing a movie this evening. this is what was in her cart. all of that is candy.}

{a movie isn’t a movie without popcorn & junior mints!}

we had a fun last weekend before the big holiday which was spent spending a lot of time with friends & family. that is how the holidays should be, right? we are gearing up for some more family time & are very much looking forward to spending the holidays with lots & lots of family this year. but, geez, can you believe it is christmas already? how was your weekend?