Stephanie Makes

I've moved!!

2016-10-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

A new website has been on my list for ages. I love being able to share my thoughts and ideas on a blog, but I really wanted additional space and pages to be able to share my photos, works and more. It was a labor of love, but I am so excited to share my new site: www.stephaniemakes.com. Go check it out and let me know what you think! I'll be sharing my blog posts and photos there from now on!

Seattle

2016-10-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

I spent the weekend in Seattle at the Click Away conference, and like I say every time I visit the west coast - if it wasn't for my kiddos, I'm pretty sure I would have just stayed. The weather wasn't the best in Seattle (which I hear is pretty typical), but the conference was phenomenal and the people I met were amazing!

I got to see some of my favorites in action, including Meg Loeks, Anna Larson and Mae Burke; and heard some amazing speeches from a lot of inspiring artists, like Amanda Jane Jones (woah, right?) Summer Murdock (total fangirl of Summer and I'm pretty sure she might think I'm a stalker...), Jesh De Rox (absolutely phenomenal) and Kellie Bieser (I wanna be her when I grow up). The conference was uplifting not only from a photography perspective, but a personal perspective as well. I have so many ideas and so much inspiration running through my brain and I can't wait to put all of these into action!

Until then...here's a little photo recap of my weekend!

Scenes from the backyard

2016-10-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

The feel of fall is finally making it's way to North Carolina and we couldn't be happier. The grass in our backyard is finally starting to green up again and our plants are slowing blooming. We're hopeful these cooler temps decide to stick around for a while because we're ready for boots, sweaters and everything pumpkin!

These days

2016-10-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

These are the days I want to remember. The slow and steady. The crazy and wild. The in-between.

Having these two home with me over the past few weeks has been what my mama heart needed. I miss them both tremendously while they are at school each day and I still struggle with where I should spend my time or how to fill my days. Being a stay at home mom isn't easy and can often be very lonely, but I love being able to say "yes" to just about any and everything in their lives. So here's to the little, quiet (and not-so-quiet) moments I love to capture.

A Magical Evening at Lux Salon

2016-09-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

I won the lottery big time in the neighbor department and I thank my lucky stars everyday for my sweet friend, Chrissy. Not only is she absolutely amazing, but she comes with three wonderful sisters I'd like to call my own.

These beautiful sisters own a hair salon here in Raleigh called Lux Salon, which is just as awesome as they are. I was truly honored they asked me to photograph their Client Appreciation Event a few weeks ago. It was a fun filled night and being in the presence of so many talented women was just rad.

The Ordinary

2016-09-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

"Joy comes to us in ordinary moments. We risk missing out when we get too busy chasing down the extraordinary." -Brene Brown

I'm taking a photography class with one of my favorite photographers, Ginger Unzueta over at Bloom, and one of the assignments for this week is to capture 10 photos of our day. It has been a while since I purposefully documented the "ordinary" of our day, so I didn't hesitate to pick up my camera and start snapping away.
If you have never purposefully documented the routine and ins and outs of your day, I couldn't recommend it more. There's something about looking at the "ordinary" through the lens that makes it extraordinary. It's these little moments that I never want to forget....

You, Me & the Sea

2016-09-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

We spent the weekend at the beach doing absolutely nothing and it was truly everything we thought it could be and more. We played in the sand and waves, watched the sunset and rise each day, snuggled on a tiny couch to watch Star Wars and giggled until our bellies hurt. xo

Seven

2016-09-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

Awesome glasses from Jonas Paul Eyewear

She is seven going on seventeen. And she cried the other day when I tried to check her out of school early to hang out together. So it begins, folks. And because they grow up too fast, here are some fun facts about my sweet girl.

Nicknames: Anna Banana

Favorite color: Turquoise

Favorite animal: Guinea Pig

Favorite TV show: Star Darlings

Favorite movie: Alice in Wonderland

Favorite song: Can't Stop the Feeling

Favorite food: any breakfast food

Favorite drink: Shirley Temple

Favorite breakfast food: Everything

Favorite snack: Bowl of cereal

Favorite outfit: probably my fancy long skirts and tank tops

Favorite game: Wax museum

Favorite toy: mermaid tale that I can swim in

Best friend: Bree, Grace and Charlotte

Favorite thing to do: dance and sing and gymnastics

Favorite thing to do outside: play with my friends

Favorite holiday: Halloween and Christmas

Something you take to bed at night: my three lovies

Favorite restaurant: Cafe Mom (that's mama cooking)

Where would you go on vacation: Bahamas

What do you want to be when you grow up: a famous gymnast

For the love of reading

2016-09-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

8 days people. 8 days until we track out of school for THREE WEEKS. I'm a tad bit excited if you can't tell. My kids go to year-round school, so basically every nine weeks, they get three weeks off. It's the best. Ever.

During dinner the other night, we talked about all of the things we wanted to do over our track out. I try to get my kiddos to think of things they want to do as a family, as well as try to set individual goals for themselves. It's always so funny to hear what they come up with. Here's what we've got:

Anna - weekend vacation (family); read 100 books (her personal goal - she likes to set the bar high, my friends. That's basically 33 books a week....hmmmm.).

Drew: go to Disney World with our family (probably not happenin'); build legos (daily goal already, I think).

Our latest books from Bookroo will definitely help sweet Anna meet her goal. If you haven't heard of them, Bookroo is fun monthly book subscription for your kiddos. It's truly like Christmas when these box of books arrive. The fact that they come wrapped up like a present is probably my kids very favorite part.

So we're starting our goals eight days early this track and I'm hopeful we can do a few of those things on our list (probably not Disney World, buddy) and meet our personal goals. Keeping our fingers crossed, friends!

Weekending

2016-09-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

We think that every weekend should have two Saturdays...anyone else agree?

We debated going out of town for the holiday weekend, but decided to just stick around home, explore, rest, relax and just hang together. It was everything we thought it would be and more. And let's be honest - it doesn't take much to convince me to stay at home.

Having just ONE extra day during the weekend is a total game changer. We hit up the lake, every playground within a five-mile radius, had a campout s'mores party and STILL had time to pick up the house, run some errands and do a little bit of laundry. We're giving this weekend a great big high five. Hope you and yours had an awesome weekend as well! Happy Tuesday! xo

The Perfect Match

2016-09-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

Gimme all the hugs, bracelets and watches. Anna tries to steal my jewelry every time I turn around and I'm pretty sure half of what I do have is hiding somewhere in her room. Right now, her go-to accessory is hair ties - the more the merrier... And if she can create an entire rainbow on her arm, then that's even better. Apparently, it's how second graders accessorize these days. Me, I prefer pretty bracelets and watches! You guys know I'm on this watch kick, right??

And it's started you guys, and I just don't know if I'm ready for this.

She said "nah, I want to stay with my friends" when I asked her if I could take her out for lunch last week at school. Nah??? What? What do you mean you want to stay with your friends?! I about died inside. No lie.

She's my sweet girl. And my sidekick...and she's ALWAYS been up for some one-on-one time with mama, but oh man. She's growing up too fast. When we're home, though, I can still see that little girl in her and I'm trying to soak up every last minute of these fleeting days. Her very favorite thing to do is just hang out. My fingers are crossed that she turns out to be a homebody and her teenage years are a breeze (fat chance, right)? We shall see. She's the peanut butter to my jelly; the storm to my calm....and as she says "the milk to my cereal". ;). How cute is that?? I love her and I love spending some good Q-T with her!

And if you're over the age of 7 and prefer to accessorize with pretty watches and bracelets rather than hair ties of all colors, then you'll be super happy to hear that Daniel Wellington has just launched their beautiful new bracelet cuff (in both silver or rose gold) to accompany their watches. It's the perfect match!! You can use the code STEPHANIEMAKES to get 15% off when you place an order over at Daniel Wellington!

Happy Friday, friends! Make it a good one! xo

A September Project

2016-09-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

There's something about September that seems to spark a new project for me. Last year, I did a photo-a-day challenge throughout the month of September, which was super fun. This September, I'm going to mix things up a little and attempt to do a video challenge. I think I tend to get into a little bit of a creative rut when my kids go back to school and I have a little more "free" time on my hands. It's amazing to me how much my kids inspire me and help to spark my creativity.
I tried to take more videos during August, but I'm gonna chalk that up to a big-fat-epic fail. Taking video is so not part of my memory keeping process + I'm awful at video, so I kinda just forgot everyday (until I was laying in bed and remembered that I didn't take a video for the day). So... this should be interesting, but I wanted to push myself to try something new and different + my kids LOVE to see themselves on video, so I thought it would be something they might enjoy doing too.

I like the idea of the 1 Second Everyday app, but I "think" I want more than just one second a day. Not necessarily a super long video every day, but maybe a few 5-10 seconds of our life. I'm still undecided on the amount at this point, so I'm just gonna go for it and see what ends up happening!

Here's a look at what I did get for August...womp womp. It's a few videos with way more photos sprinkled in and it's definitely nothing spectaular by far, but Drew's little laugh seriously makes me smile every.single.time.

Any interest in joining me in this fun September project?? It would be WAY more fun if there was a little group for sure + that would kind of keep me accountable (which I totally need, so pleeeeeeeeezzz...that's me begging)! Hope you will play along!! We'll all make horrible videos together, lol!

A few of my favorite things

2016-08-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

Let's start this hump day with a few of my favorite things!

First up is my awesome wood watch from JORD. I can't even begin to tell you how nice it is to have a REAL watch again (and not having to use my phone for the time). Today is the last day to enter to win one for yourself! JORD is offering up a $75 gift certificate to their entire shop + everyone who enters to win receives a $20 e-voucher that can be applied to any JORD watch! Click the link below to enter or check out my previous post to see more pretty photos!!

···Click here to enter the giveaway + receive your $20 e-voucher to JORD···

These cool letter boards from Letterfolk are next on my list. I've been wanting one of these pretty things for a while and finally just broke down and snagged one the other day. I'd say the kids love them as much as I do. We have The Writer and the size is just perfect. Right now it's in our playroom, but I'm thinking about moving it to our kitchen so we can all see it more! And apparently Jabba the Hut is only 5 years old...who knew?!?!?

If print magazines are a day of the past, then I don't think I can go on.... I LOVE a good magazine. Like really love. Anyone else still love flipping through the pages and ear-marking all of your favorites? Click Magazine is one of my very favorite magazines to receive and mail day is kind of like Christmas! The pages are so full of beautiful and inspiring photos, tips and tricks and more! If you love photography, I couldn't recommend the magazine more!

image sources 1 | 2 | 3

Whole 30 everything. YES! Whole 30 everything indeed.

Whole 30 is one of the best "lifestyle changes" I have ever, ever made. I started a round of Whole 30 last January, and for the most part have kept my diet pretty much Whole 30 for the past two years. I still enjoy some of my favorites (like sweeeeets) every now and then, but doing Whole 30 taught me to listen to my body and notice how different foods make me feel. Breads and pastas - I feel blah and gross. Veggies and lean meats - yay! If you are looking for a kickstart to your metabolism and just want to feel better overall, then check out Whole 30! It may sounds overwhelming and crazy at first glance, but just remember - it's WHOLE foods. You're cutting out all of the processed and pre made foods (that are full of junk anyway). The Whole 30 challenge usually runs for 30 days and I think the group is getting ready to start up a new challenge tomorrow (September 1)!! Here are a few of my favorite recipes!!

Sundried Tomato Creamy Chicken | Chicken Zoodle Soup | The Best Steak Fajitas

Jalapeño Turkey Burgers | Hearty Vegetable Soup

How to create a photo slider for your blog

2016-08-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

If you've been around here for a little while, you've probably seen my blog change time and time again. I use a Blogger blog format, which is FREE!, and I've been really happy with all the available customizations and options on this free format! My sweet friend, Magda, initially helped me fancy up my blog and over the years, I've researched and read and learned just a weeee bit of code to help make my blog the way I want it!

My new favorite thing is the intro photo slider (which you can see at the very top of my blog). I thought about creating a static home page, but in the end, decided to go with a photo slider for now. It's no surprise that I love photos, so having these initial photos at the top of my blog is just the bees knees. Maybe it's not for everyone, but if you're interested in customizing your blog with a photo slider, just follow these easy-peasy steps!

**Before you start to alter your blog, be sure to back-up your blog just incase anything cray cray happens! Better to be safe than sorry!**

Step 1
Start by determining the width of your blog. Just go to Template-Customizie-Adjust Widths and you will see the width of your blog listed at the top. I don't have any sidebars on my blog (I wanted a more minimalist-looking blog, so I removed what I didn't use and added the rest at the bottom), so my blog is 1090 pixels wide. I size all of my photos at 1000 pixels wide, so I ended up using a 1000x500 pixel photo for my blog slider.

Step 2
Resize your photos to your determined size (mine is 1000x500). I use Picmonkey to resize all of my photos because it's just so darn easy!

Step 3
The next thing you need to do is to upload your photos to a photo sharing site and grab the "direct link" of the photo itself (you'll use this link for the code in a minute). I use TinyPic for my links, but there are a number of different sites you can use!

Step 4
Now that you have all of your direct links, you'll need to use a Javascript banner code generator to get your blog code. I use HTML Basics and all you have to do is plug in your info and then it spits out the code for you! I've starred the sections below you will need to adjust. So darn easy! Once you're entered all of your photo links and image specifications, click "Generate"to get your unique slider code.

Step 5
Ok! Now take this code back to your blog and create a new gadget for blog so your slider will show up! Go to the backend of your blog - Layout - and select "Add a gadget" from the layout section of your blog. Select the "HTML/JavaScript" gadget, copy/paste your code into the box and save!

Step 6
While you're still in the "Layout" section of your blog template, go ahead and move the photo slider to where you want it to appear on your blog. I have mine at the top right under my header. Click "Save arrangement" in the top right hand corner of the page and TA-DA - you have a blog slider!!

Yay! How fun is that? I love customizing my blog and changing things around every now and then! I know blogs are probably a thing of the past, but man, I sure do still love mine! Are you a blog-fan? Or do you have a blog you post to regularly?? What else can I share with you??

Thanks for stopping by, friends!
xo

Scout + Isla

2016-08-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

Twins! We have twins. No, not real twins (although I pray to the baby gods every night we would "accidentally" end up with twins...ooooohh...or maybe triplets! Could you imagine??). But in the meantime, our twins are coming in a stuffed fashion. Their names are Scout + Isla and they are precious.

My sweet boy has a BIG LOVE for anything stuffed, so Scout has quickly become his new best friend! And Anna, well...you probably know she loves everything mermaid, so Isla is now attached to her hip.

These adorable stuffed dolls are from Cuddle + Kind and while their dolls might be the cutest ever, their mission is even better. Jen and Derek started this amazing company with sweet children in mind and every doll purchased helps to provide meals to children in need.

Our sweet new twins provided 20 meals to children in need and there just isn't anything better than that. I love a company with a great mission.

If you have a sweet baby who loves stuffies as much as mine, they will fall head over heels for the Cuddle + Kind dolls, so go check them out! And I'm not gonna tell you how many days there are until Christmas ~~117 days~~, but these cuties would make the perfect gift.

xoxo

Project 52: Week 33 & 34

2016-08-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016."

Week 33

Anna: flying high

Drew: giggles + spit

Week 34

Anna: evening walking + talking

Drew: snug as a bug in a blanket

If you give a mom a cookie...

2016-08-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

So I have to admit that I'm a closet sweet-a-holic. By closet, I mean, I tend to sneak into the closet (or pantry) and gobble up all of the sweets. Because, you know, "KIDS, sweets aren't good for you....". Come on. Who else is with me? I know I'm not the only one "looking" for something in the pantry (while you're really just trying to chew and swallow as fast as you can without getting caught!).

Cookies are one of my favorites. Warm, gooey and yummy; straight out of the oven! I seriously can gobble them all up. And if I'm gonna eat them ~~all~~, well, I might as well make them "healthy", or as healthy as a cookie can get! My neighbor makes these amazing oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for us a lot, so I thought I would steal her recipe, my our own (so, duh, I could eat them all) and then share with you!!

These oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are insanely delicious (especially right out of the oven). We usually do two batches - one with semi-sweet chocolate chips and one with dark chocolate chips (my fave). And if you aren't a chocolate fan (what is wrong with you??), you can always substitute raisins or your favorite dried fruit in this recipe!

Here's the recipe so you don't have to lick your screen anymore...

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup + 6 tablespoons butter, softened

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar in the raw (or granulated sugar)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups whole oats (uncooked)

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (or dried fruit)

1. Heat over to 350 degrees. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy.

2. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.

3. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well.

4. Add chocolate chips (or dried fruit); mix well.

5. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 11-12 minutes until firm and golden.

Enjoy!!

I would share some of mine, but....

Makin' Time + A Giveaway

2016-08-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

What time is it? It's time for lunch... What time is it? It's time for lunch...

Anyone else sing the Bubble Guppies song in their head any time someone asks what time it is?? I do...every.single.time. Except I usually sing it as loud as I can and annoy my kids to no end. I love being a mom.

But really. Every one needs some time, right? Like most moms, I struggle with making time and giving time. I try to keep a good balance, but let's face it...most days I'm struggling just to find the time. One of my "mantras" for this school year is to spend more time "just being" with my kids. They love to hang out, sit around and do nothing. Some times we play games, some times we go to the park...other times we have a picnic and read books. I've found that my silly phone is such a BIG distractor when I'm with my kids, so I've made a conscious decision to STEP AWAY FROM THE PHONE, STEPHANIE and "be" with my kids. While I love my phone for Instagram and email, it's also become my clock "crutch" and I find myself lost in the day without it on me to tell the time. I swear I used to be able to determine the time by the sun or something, but those skillzzz apparently go away when the grey hairs come in...

SO! To help you MAKE more time for YOU and your family, I'm teaming up with the awesome folks at JORD to bring you a fun giveaway! JORD is offering up a $75 gift certificate to their entire shop + everyone who enters to win receives a $20 e-voucher that can be applied to any JORD watch!

···Click here to enter the giveaway + receive your $20 e-voucher to JORD···

I have the Fieldcrest Maple Wood Women's Watch and I love it!! It's so fun and pretty, but most of all, it's so unique and different!! I can't remember ever seeing a wooden watch before, but this one is hands down amazing! You can't go wrong with any of the JORD watches!

Giveaway ends 8.31.16 at 11:59pm EST so don't wait to enter!! The winner will be automatically selected by JORD and all other entrants will be contacted via email with their unique voucher code. Good luck, friends!

Around Here

2016-08-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

Our highs and lows around here...

HIGHS: trips to the best coast (west coast) · Uncle Walker in town for a short visit · outdoor concerts · salted carmel ice cream by the gallon · Roomba · nature walks · oatmeal chocolate chip cookies · new stuffed animals · white walls · family dinners + our nightly animal games · bedtime giggles · tons of "caught being good" at school + star student for my little man · white walls · mad scientists · swimming · lazy weekends at home

LOWS: chest congestions + sinus pressure that just won't go away · the heat + humidity (enough already, NC) · having to say goodbye to Uncle Walker · back pain for days · burnt cookies · homework, homework, homework · an air conditioner that can't decide if it wants to work or not · blisters

Afternoon Delight

2016-08-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

You know you've had one too many picnics when your kids request them on the way home from school. With all of these crazy hot days and the feeling that we actually LIVE on the sun, we've been scrounging for things to do inside in the afternoon! Anyone else ready for fall?

Floor picnics are our favorite. I know what you're thinking! The FLOOR?? That's why we use a blanket, silly. To cover up all that dirt and dog hair and gross stuff I try to clean up every.single.day. Have I ever mentioned I feel like I clean A LOT? And I bet you couldn't guess that while I'm OCD an love to be organized, I actually really abhor cleaning. Sorry...my emotions got away with me there...

Anyhow...My two love to spread out a blanket, grab a few books or pick out a game to play while I fix them a little snack. I mean, we all eat snacks after school, so it might as well be on a blanket with fun games, right? And don't forget the fun socks!! Happy socks are our go-to for after school picnics (and handstand competitions, floor races/running, finger puppets and more!).

The photo memory game from Pinhole Press gets pulled out at least once a week. There is something so "awwwww" when we flip over the photos and see those cute faces. Not to mention that they grow up so.darn.fast that the photos make them look like babies.

Everyone gets in on the fun during picnics, even our best furry friend. He's always close by somewhere. Side note - he is SO hairy. And I swear that he and Drew are slowly starting to look alike. Not kidding.

So go grab a blanket and a game and surprise your babies with a floor picnic. They never disappoint and don't cost a dime!

Project 52: Weeks 31 & 32

2016-08-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016."

Week 31

Anna: seriously mom. another picture?

Drew: bedtime snuggles

Week 32

Anna: backyard hanging

Drew: his new bestie

Planner Bootcamp at Studio Calico

2016-08-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

Planner, planner, bo-banner...

Are you new to planners or just want a little boost when it comes to utilizing your favorite planner (or planners if you're a hoarder like me!)? I'm super excited to be joining my girl-crush Marcy Penner in her new Studio Calico class, Planner Bootcamp! This class isn't about fussing up your planner with stickers and such - nope... This class is all about HOW to make your planner work for you!

Marcy is my fave and this class just rocks! I hope you will join us for a little bit of planner fun this month! Here's a little peek at my project! Whatcha think?? Are you in?

Oregon Part III

2016-08-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

If you haven't purchased a ticket to Oregon yet, what are you waiting for?

We spent the last few days hiking and traveling the Oregon Coast and along the Columbia River to Hood River. (Here's Part I and Part II incase you missed them.)

The Oregon Coast Trail was nothing short of breathtaking. It was a little foggy out in the distance, but the views were amazing nonetheless. I'd imagine that a clear day would be mind blowing crazy. There had been some rain the days before, so the trails were pretty muddy and mucky. BUT. In case you were wondering, I wore my tennis shoes! Shocker, right?

From the coast, we hopped in the car and made our way to Hood River stopping by Multnomah Falls for a little detour. I still have no idea how to really say this name, so thank goodness I'm typing this and not telling you. Otherwise, I would be saying "this awesome waterfall"....

Whoa, right?

It was a little misty, but the falls were gorgeous. And so green. It was like being in a rain forest. We hiked to the top of the falls, which is only at about 620 feet high, but so worth it. I made the journey AGAIN in my flip flops, but whatevs...you can't get that close and NOT hike to the top. In my defense though, you could see the waterfall from the parking lot so I just assumed there was no hiking. I was wrong. (And yes - the picture below is looking DOWN from the top!! Yikes!)

After our stop, we hopped back in the car and made our way into Hood River and our PENTHOUSE view. Well, it was our friend's view, but who really cares.

Looking out across the river into Washington State was the best. This view. The penthouse. The sunshine. The people. All of it was the best and we pretty much had to convince ourselves to even leave and find dinner.

WHEN we go back (not if, because, um...we're already planning our return trip), we will be staying here again. The place was so perfect and I really just want to make a pot of chili, turn on football and call that couch my home.

So long Oregon. It was amazing. Thanks for being so awesome. We can't wait to come back and visit.

And you made it all the way through my Oregon posts! Yay! So what do you think? Have you ever been to any of these beautiful places?? Are you searching for tickets now?? We sure are! xo

Oregon Part II

2016-08-14T07:00:00.001-04:00

Let's do this.

For the second part of our trip (you can see Part I here) we ventured north to check out Astoria, Washington and Cannon Beach. I can't even begin to tell you the most spectacular part of this leg because it was all amazing. Our first stop (as pictured above) was the Columbia River where it ran into the Pacific. The Columbia River is something in and of itself to see. You really just can't describe how beautiful it is to see the water with mountains on the other side. Gor-geous.

We stopped in Astoria for lunch at a the Buoy Beer Company and ate with....wait for it... sea-flippin-lions. Yep. Sea Lions. I tried to take one with me, but no such luck. Such a fun lunch place if you're ever passing through!

From Astoria, we traveled back south again to Cannon Beach. I'm not sure if there are any other Goonies fans here ("Hey you guys!!), but going to Cannon Beach was about as exciting as seeing New Kids on the Block when I was in fifth grade. Goonies never say die... First, you gotta do the truffle shuffle...

Sorry. I'll stop. I'm weird.

The weather was little dreary and misty (which apparently is pretty common), but Cannon Beach was awesome nonetheless. Haystack Rock (pictured above and IN GOONIES) was absolutely amazing. It's just so random sitting there on that wide, long beach.

The overall town had a very New England feel and I couldn't get enough of the cute cabins, ship lack houses and wooden condos. I picked out our future vacation home already.

We spent our evenings in Cannon Beach either huddled by a bonfire eating our bodyweight in s'mores or riding beach cruisers on the beach and through the town ogling all of the hydrangeas and beautiful flowers. Guess that's what happens to vegetation when it's misty every morning and only 75 during the day. Good to know...I'll pass that on to NC. It could use a little help in the cooling department.

Have you ever tried to ride a bike on the beach? In sand? It's not easy folks. Oh...and I bet you wouldn't believe me if I said I wore flip flops now would you? Best workout ever.

OMG. What about this photo doesn't just scream Goonies. I can hear Chunk and Sloth right now. Anyone else?

Final photo overload and recap coming tomorrow. And I might even talk about flip flops too... #sorry

Oregon Part I

2016-08-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

We're just getting back from our Oregon vacation and I'm gonna warn you now that I like to take pictures so I'm hijacking this blog for the week with plenty of Oregon eye candy.

We had so much darn fun in Oregon! Have you ever been? If not, stop reading this and go book a trip. Seriously. It is breathtakingly amazing. And don't tell California, but it's my new favorite. Scott and I talked through ALL of the reasons why we should pack up our bags and move and let me tell you, the list is long. We loved every single minute of our vacation and if it weren't for those sweet babies at home, we likely would still be there.

First up was Portland.

One word. Amazing.

The city is just fantastic and the people there....ssshesh...just so crazy nice. Everyone we met was the best. From Uber drivers to waiters to random homeless people on the street. Sweet as pie.

Most of our time in Portland was spent walking. I have blisters on my feet as proof just in case you were interested. Portland is a walking city and they really make it so easy to get all of over town. We started our first day with what is called the 4T. Basically it's taking a train, trail, tram and trolley all over town. It took us about 3 or so hours and yep. I wore my flip flops (this will be a common occurrence if you make it all of the way through these posts and I apologize now).

We loved the 4T and apparently it's not really well known amongst tourists. I heard someone tell me it's the "secret walking tour", so if you go, Google it and find out more. It will not disappoint (but flip flops will...).

We stayed in the Westin right downtown and really loved being immersed in the city. We walked all over, ate at lots of yummy places and enjoyed every minute.

Before we went, I asked on Instagram for suggestions for places to go while we were in Portland and I think we hit up every spot that was recommended. Our faves were: Blue Star Doughnuts (hands down better than Voodoo Doughnuts), Imperial (absolutely amazing), Caffe Mingo (cute, quaint, yummy), Portland City Grill (for the view, not so much the food).

Our final stop of the Portland leg of our trip was a visit to BOTH Blue Star and Voodoo Doughnuts for a little doughnut throw down . We bought 22 doughnuts between the four of us. Well, three really because Scott's weird and doesn't like donuts. I questioned our marriage when he said that, btw. I mean. Who doesn't like doughnuts, but whatevs....

Blue Star rocked it. So good. Those two "old fashioned" in the bottom left hand corner?? I ate both of those. Oh...and the blueberry one, and maybe the chocolate one....and that maple bacon, lemon poppy seed....yikes. I'm going to the gym now.

And not to get into a phone love-fest, but I almost exclusively used my iPhone for this trip. I love my big camera something fierce, but that thing is big, bulky and heavy. I wondered if I would regret not lugging it around, but nope. Phone photos rock. The end.

Part II coming tomorrow...stay tuned.