fun – Page 4 – emerald city diaries

my weekend in pictures.

{kicked off the weekend with a mani!}

{triple date night at the one day’s wages charity gala on friday night with these ladies.}

{saw captain phillips on saturday night with my mom & grandmother. best movie I have seen in a very long time – definitely recommend!}

{I love this time of year – christmas catalogs!}

{I planted some spring bulbs in the front yard sunday morning while aaron did a little raking. we are pretending to be good homeowners.}

{pumpkin carving with friends on sunday afternoon!}

{aaron, sadie, & jaz playing. it was the sweetest!}

{we have broken out all of our winter gear as our house is already freezing. thank goodness for the genius who invented cashmere pants.}

my mom was in town this weekend & aaron was back east on a business trip so everything seemed a little crazy. crazy, but good! we had an awesome weekend spending time with friends & family which was much-needed. it makes me excited for the holidays coming up & to take some time with loved ones who we don’t get to see every day.

also, a huge shout-out & congratulations to our cousin kendra & her family on the new addition! love you guys!

how was your weekend?

{happy two years!}

happy birthday blog! it been two years & 284 posts here at emerald city diaries, can you believe it?

i want to thank everyone who has supported this blog the past two years thru following, reading, pinning, & commenting. it means the world that you care about our little part of the interwebs!

i thought it might be fun to share the top two blog posts from this past year, not surprising that they are both diys. {& i know, diys have been a bit absent from the blog recently. i am working on changing that in the very near future!}

the most popular blog post is the diy swaddler tutorial. i ‘made this for amanda’s baby shower. her daughter just turned one this summer – eep time flies! {sorry for the terrible picture. this was back when all of my tutorial photos were taken via iPhone.}

& the second most popular blog post is the kitchen backsplash update. {yep, i was surprised too!}

also, a happy birthday shout-out to my big brother jason {who happens to share a birthday with the blog}!

thanks for celebrating emerald city diaries with us! its been an awesome two years!

my weekend in pictures.

{friday night was sushi date night before we headed out to capitol hill to meet up with some friends.}

{saturday morning i had breakfast with a friend at geraldine’s in columbia city. best pumpkin pancakes ever! my friend & her husband are expecting a baby in just four weeks, so the next time i see her, i hope to meet the new babe!}

{two of my friends from law school got married this weekend & we are so privileged to celebrate with them on saturday. congrats to the happy couple!}

{aaron & i got all dressed up for the wedding celebration. not too shabby i say.}

{i took a new friend down to explore pike place market this morning. i rode the great ferris wheel for the first time. the views are not too shabby, though i think it would be better at night or perhaps at sunset?}

{pike place market never gets old. aaron & i took some of our engagement photos here & it will always remind me of that fun photoshoot!}

{no trip down to the market is complete without a bouquet of fresh flowers. dahlias & sunflowers are ringing in the end of the summer season.}

{we had dinner with my grandmother this evening & enjoyed some sorbet with lots of toppings for dessert!}

we had a very enjoyable weekend & enjoyed the return of the sunny, summer weather! we were able to catch up with lots of friends this weekend which always makes for a good time. while i could use some down time to recover during the weekend days, it is so great that this summer has been full of reconnecting with old faces. this weekend also marked the last wedding of the season for us, so it is really starting to feel like the end of summer. i think this may have been the fastest summer on record – where did the last three months go? how was your weekend?

my {long} weekend in pictures.

{aaron teaching sadie a few new tricks.}

{my mom & i took some out-of-town friends to the chihuly exhibit at seattle center on friday afternoon.}

{a picturesque space needle with chihuly glass.}

{mom & me with a chihuly chandelier.}

{our ride to the uw v. bsu game, courtesy of the steiners! what a gorgeous day to be on lake washington.}

{tailgating husky style. otherwise known as boatgating. & no, i did not captain the boat, i just borrowed his hat!}

{a view of lake washington from the newly-renovated husky stadium.}

{no visit from my mom is complete without a trip – okay trips – to panera.}

{sadie meets friends everywhere we go!}

{me & my uncle bill who was visiting this weekend.}

{sometimes a latte is just the pick-me-up you need to get you through a long weekend.}

{family dinner tonight – mom, jerry, aaron & me.}

we had family & friends in town visiting mostly for the season opener game at the renovated husky stadium. while i was sad that the broncos had a tough loss, i am pleased that the huskies did so well. if boise state has to lose, at least it is to my other favorite team! #gohuskies

it was a lovely weekend in seattle with picture-perfect weather! we did get some down-time in – which is unusual since it is called labor day, right? – which was much needed & thoroughly enjoyed. it is hard to believe that it is already september & that it is back to the grind… #wheredidsummergo

how was your weekend?

my weekend in pictures.

{on friday we did dinner & a movie with my grandmother. her choice was the butler which was very good. highly recommend it!}

{saturday morning i started a painting project. the details are a secret for now but i should be able to share soon!}

{amanda & i had a crafternoon date on saturday. she brought over these gorgeous antique keys. now i need to find a fun project for them. any ideas?}

{i peeled lots of potatoes this weekend since we have been getting so many with our CSA each week. i peeled, boiled, & mashed some up to freeze – you can freeze potatoes, right?}

{we found a dog groomer close by & took sadie in for a much-needed grooming. she even got a bandana to wear with her new look.}

{saturday night was a double date night with our neighbors, the friends. i kept it classy with black & white.}

{aaron & i continued date night on saturday after dinner with some molly moon’s. the summer is nearly over & this marks only the second time we have been. #makingupforlosttime}

{this morning i met a girlfriend for breakfast at the market. it was crazy busy, per usual on a sunday, but so fun.}

{i can never resist picking up a beautiful {& cheap} bouquet when i am down at pike place. this month the dahlias are in bloom!}

we had a great weekend full of catching up with friends we have been meaning to get together with all summer. does that happen to you where you plan on seeing someone {or a couple} & then it takes months to get together? i have been forcing myself to just get something on the calendar & make time every weekend to catch up! it has been lovely. the weekend went so quickly {doesn’t it always?} but we are looking forward to a short work week, though i am at a loss to believe that next weekend is labor day. seriously, where did the summer go? how was your weekend?

wedding weekend in hood river {the wedding}

this last weekend we were in hood river, oregon to celebrate my cousin jesse’s wedding to his bride elise. the venue was at Bella Vista Orchards, a few miles inland of the columbia river. the ceremony took place amongst the pear trees {with views of mount hood} & the reception in a tent on the property. it was a fun venue & a perfect setting for the bride & groom to celebrate their new union!

there were two suggestions made by the bride & groom via their invitation: one – no stilettos and two – head adornments were greatly encouraged. well, i decided to take my chances with heels {they were thick heels that are easy for me to walk in, plus with the length of my dress heels were a must!} & did pretty well, though the i understand the warning against heels given the uneven dirt paths & roads all around the venue. when it came to head adornments, aaron & i were totally in. aaron decided on his fez {that his brother brought back from egypt a few years back}. i originally thought i would make or buy a fascinator {a la duchess kate} but then came across this diy floral crown on my pinterest board & decided that would be perfect. i even talked my mom & sister into wearing them as well. my dad was a little more conventional in a classic polo baseball hat.

needless to say, we had a wonderful time celebrating!

congratulations jesse & elise!

my weekend in pictures.

{waiting for aaron with sadie after work.}

[post-dinner sorbet sundae!}

[packing for a weekend wedding.}

{the bridge of the gods in cascade locks, oregon in the columbia river gorge. so gorgeous!}

{we were in the columbia river gorge for the weekend to celebrate my cousin, jesse’s, wedding. the celebration was at a local orchard – so fun!}

{we drove out this morning to multomah falls with my parents & sister anya.}

{sadie & the falls.}

{after an extra-long return trip home from oregon because of traffic, we met up with friends at bastille for dinner.}

{i guess it is that time of year again to start thinking about my fall wardrobe!}

we spent a really lovely weekend in oregon celebrating my cousin’s wedding. my parents & sister anya were able to make the trip over as well – it was great to see so much family & catch up! if you haven’t been out to the columbia river gorge, you definitely should. it is breathtakingly gorgeous! the wedding was in an orchard with views of mount hood – pictures to come later in the week. we are gearing up for another week of sunny summer weather! how was your weekend?

Liebster Award Nomination.

{warning: this post is super text-heavy!}

i got a blog comment last week about being nominated for a Liebster Award. i had never heard of it before, but was envisioning some type of german lobster. turns out i was way off {though not about the german part}. “liebster” is german for sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. {phew!} the Liebster Award is given to up-and-coming bloggers from another blogger. blogging is about building community and it’s a great way to connect with other bloggers and help spread the word about newer blogs/bloggers.

here are the rules for receiving the Liebster Award:

1. Link back to the person that nominated you.

2. List 11 facts about yourself.

3. Answer 11 questions posted by the person who nominated you.

4. Nominate up to 11 other blogs with 200 followers or less.

5. Ask 11 new questions for the nominee-blogs to respond to.

i have to give a big shout-out to Kimberly over at Painted Love Blog for the nomination – thank you Kimberly for thinking of me & emerald city diaries!

11 facts about myself:

1. i love highlighters & keep multiple colors on my desk. color-coordinated organization? yes please! i think my obsession intensified during law school.

2. i carry a bottle of hand sanitizer whether in my handbag, work bag, or clutch. santa {okay, my mom} fills my Christmas stocking each year with the mini bottles from bath & body works & that gets me thru the year.

3. i was adopted at the age of three. best day ever. there has been a lot of negative press recently about adoption & adoptees which makes me really sad. i realize that not everyone was blessed with the same circumstances as me, but adoption is a beautiful thing.

4. i have been driving for nearly half of my life. the rules have changed now, but when i was a kid, you could take driver’s ed at 14 & get your license at 15. {thanks idaho!} so you can picture me as a tiny 15 year old driving around in a jeep. i was so young. it is scary to think about all of that responsibility at 15! i am praying my kids won’t want to drive until they are out of the house! {wishful thinking, i know.}

5. i have loved hand lettering since i was small. my mom is a calligrapher so i come by it honestly. i remember in third grade when i learned cursive & was so excited to be learning to write like a grown-up. & then in fourth grade i decided to write really teeny tiny {& to this day i don’t know why}; my teacher had to use a magnifying glass to read my writing. to this day i prefer to take notes by hand & am obsessed with any & all hand lettering, especially faux calligraphy {it is just fancy cursive}!

6. i have a knack for learning song lyrics. even if i hear the song just a few times, i can pick up the lyrics. there are songs that i haven’t heard for a decade & i still know the lyrics. i have to write down my shopping list every week & set reminders on my phone for everything, but song lyrics apparently have a special compartment in my brain. the hilarious part though is that on occasion i think i know the lyrics, but the find out they are completely off! {c’mon, you know what i am talking about!}

7. for years i disliked bacon & popcorn. yep years. i am still not a huge fan of popcorn {unless it is coated in sugar & goodness like kettle corn} but bacon? yes please! even when aaron & i took up vegetarianism full-time last fall, i still make room for bacon on occasion. brunch just doesn’t feel the same without it!

8. speaking of brunch. brunch is my very favorite meal. it means you get to sleep in & still eat breakfast food. or a sandwich if that is what you prefer. plus it is the only meal where mimosas or bellinis are really acceptable. when my husband & i got married we had a morning ceremony followed by a brunch. seriously, any day that starts with brunch is going to be a great day!

9. i still keep in touch with many of my friends from high school. yep high school. & many of them are some of my very dearest friends. a lot of people don’t even think about the people they went to high school with; even when i started college people were surprised that i was close to my friends from high school! in hindsight i think we had a really amazing & unique opportunity to bond over those four years that not many others have. sometimes i describe my high school experience as one out of a john hughes movie. yep, we had that much fun! if you are reading this & i went to high school with you {you know who you are!}, thanks for being an awesome friend for all of these years!

10. i almost went to fashion school after college instead of law school. it sounds so cliché but i have always adored fashion. even as a child i was interested in fashion & my dad tells this story about how in a single day i would be wearing a different ensemble each time i saw him. it has always been a huge part of my life & always will be. i dreamed about being able to design & sew my own clothes, handbags, & shoes. but then the practical part of me realized that i didn’t have thick enough skin to make it in the fashion industry as a designer. i appreciate fashion as a consumer & wearer now & may dabble in some DIY sewing, but i think my gut was right on this one.

11. my favorite movie growing up was The Lion King. i had toys, bedsheets, the works. if i would have had a cell phone that young, the ringtone would surely have been “hakuna matata.” the broadway play ranks one of my favorites as well {which i get to see in the fall – eek!}. so, my very wildest dreams came true when i went on an African safari with my parents in 2007 – it was real life lion king! did you know that they used Swahili words for the names of characters? simba is lion, rafiki is friend, & hakuna matata really means “no worries.” if you haven’t been on an African safari {& by safari i mean photo safari} you should put it on your bucket list!

11 questions from Kimberly who nominated me:

1. Baking or cooking? I would have to say baking. After I baked my first cake for the 4th of July {see here} I am pretty stoked about baking.

2. Your favorite place in the world? There are way too many amazing places I have been, so I am going to dodge the question & say it is any place where I get to spend time with family & friends.

3. Your favorite activity? Right now {when I have time} I love tackling some DIY projects. There is nothing like finishing up a project & being able to admire your handiwork, whether it is a gift for someone or something for around the house. I am thankful for so much inspiration – Pinterest, bloggers, HGTV.

4. Who was your teenage heart throb? JTT. Hilarious!

5. Oprah or Ellen? Ellen, hands down. She is hilarious, she dances, & she is philanthropic without making it a big deal.

6. Your guilty pleasure? Anything goes. Celebrity gossip magazines, but only at the nail salon.

7. Your favorite store? Tough question. For clothing, J.Crew or Nordstrom. For house décor, West Elm.

8. What blog must you check every morning before you get started on your day? I use Feedly so I normally catch up on blogs posts in the order they are posted. But, I love catching up on my cousin Kendra’s blog and my friend Amanda’s blog – it is fun to see what they are up to!

9. If you had to paint your walls and ceiling the same color and never paint It again what color would you choose? I am going to be lame & say white, but only because of the ceiling. I think white can be timeless & can be livened up with fun accessories & furniture.

10. Favorite magazine? Also tough – I live for glossy magazines {no e-mags for me}. I really am liking Self magazine – it is a great mix of fitness, fashion, & sometimes home décor. Though if you ask me at the end of the summer I would probably tell you the September Issue of Vogue; I know about 2/3 of it is ads, but I am always so inspired by all the fall fashion.

11. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Antarctica. Beautiful and pristine. Penguins. Plus, it is the only continent I haven’t stepped foot on.

the bloggers i nominate are: {i apologize in advance if you in fact have more than 200 followers – just think of this as a shout-out from a new fan!}

Lizzie from Living Pretty

Svetlana from Chic Type Blog

Coco from A Dash of Coco

Sarah from This Sarah Loves

Erin from Home Everyday

11 questions for the nominee-blogs:

1. if you could live in another decade, which one would you choose?

2. which sex & the city character are you & why? {if you didn’t watch SATC you can skip this question}

3. cupcake or French macarons?

4. if there was only one food you could eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?

5. what is one thing you cannot live without?

6. what is at the top of your bucket list?

7. if you could re-live one day of your life, which would it be?

8. what is your favorite social media?

9. what is your favorite quote?

10. what was/is your dream job?

11. why did you start blogging?

please link back to me when you post about your nomination!

fun, right? how do you find new blogs to follow?

my weekend in pictures.

{saw 2 guns on friday night – not too bad. i have found the best way to enjoy movies is to have low expectations!}

{yep, there was painting this weekend. i finally finished up the inside of the windows that we had put off since winter.}

{our CSA is out of control – anyone need any veggies?}

{aaron buying a flat of berries at the woodinville farmers market.}

{we met amanda, george, & madeleine at the celebrate woodinville festival saturday afternoon. there was a basset hound get-together. & baby basset hounds!}

{yep, he is dressed up like a detective.}

{madeleine was really fond of sadie.i thiink they will be great friends in the future!}

{being lazy means getting dinner in a bag.}

{saturday night was family movie night. aaron was there too but sadie & i were likely hogging most of the couch.}

{we brunched with our friends cale & jessica, introducing them to serious biscuit in south lake union. delish!}

{aaron was making faces at me thru the bathroom window. i was painting the inside frame & he was prepping the outside for paint.}

{holy baby eggplant!}

we had a fun weekend with just a few plans with friends which gave us some time to sleep in & get a few things done around the house – the best kind of weekend! i am in denile that we are quickly approaching mid-august, but have been loving the amazing summer weather we have had in seattle. this is the best summer i remember having in years! it’s lovely. how was your weekend?

my weekend in pictures.

{on thursday we celebrated our third anniversary!}

{friday night i got to dine on indian food with aaron & his brother, ben. naan & mango wala – so delish!}

{a roadtrip isn’t a roadtrip unless you have a latte & donut for the road!}

{welcome to idaho! we spent the weekend in coeur d’alene & i have to admit that it was my first time in northern idaho.}

{we were in town to celebrate our friends & their soon-to-be-born daughter neva rose!}

{we had a good time in coeur d’alene – crazy that we were so close to montana.}

{the gorge is so beautiful this time of year.}

we spent just a short time in coeur d’alene but had such a great time catching up with friends & celebrating a new little one (on the way)! in an effort to “un-plug” i didn’t get very many pictures of the weekend. good for me but bad for this blog post… i didn’t even get a picture of me & the mom-to-be! #badblogger

the weather was so nice in idaho & it was great to be out on the water & in the sun {with sunscreen, of course!}. we got to catch up with old friends & meet lots of new ones; always a treat until i have to remember everyone’s name. aaron is great at remembering names, but i am terrible at it! how was your weekend?