highlights of 2013.

2013 2014

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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!

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seattle dog blog thank you

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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?

M

see past yearly highlights for 2011 & 2012.

three years! {wedding anniversary}

today marks three years since aaron & i exchanged vows. it seems like it has flown by but has been super slow all at the same time. {if you ask aaron, he will tell you it seems like it has been just a minute. underwater. if you are a swimmer or scuba diver, you know that is a looong time!}

i just have to tell you that if you weren’t there, august 1st, 2010 was the best day ever! seriously. i am sure you have other dates {like perhaps your wedding day or the birth of your child} that were the best day ever, but this day tops those. promise. we gathered together with our closest family & friends, i got to wear the prettiest dress & get my hair done up, & then we got to brunch! & dance! & later that evening after we had taken a nap to avoid the 100 degree afternoon, we got everyone back together for karaoke. it was lovely. did i mention it was the best day ever?

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{venue: woodriver cellars in eagle, ID // photographer: jason ropp}

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{venue: woodriver cellars in eagle, ID // photographer: jason ropp}

aaron – each day we have been married has solidified what an amazing decision we made. you are my soul mate & i cannot imagine how my life would be without you. you give me strength when i feel overwhelmed, courage when i am scared, patience when i am all wound-up, & you give the best back rubs! thank you for being an amazing life partner & for taking a chance on a girl you met in a bar. {we really did meet in a bar – but thru friends.}

from our vows: “To love you alone, to make you happy, to do nothing which would contradict your wishes, this is my destiny and the aim of my life.”

xo M

*i try not to be political {i feel like it can be so polarizing these days} but i wanted to note how special it is for aaron & me that on our third year of marriage, our same-sex friends & family have the opportunity to marry. we are proud to live in a state that allows for this basic, constitutional right & to live in a country that is moving {albeit slowly} towards change & equal opportunities for all couples. for us personally it was only 46 years ago that we wouldn’t have been able to marry because we are different races. we were lucky enough that the u.s. supreme court found that we have a right to marry each other & feel blessed about this decision each day.