This is my Happily Ever After

Happy Thanksgiving!

2012-11-23T10:49:00.002-08:00

Hello!

Meet Porter.

We're getting to know each other nicely.

I have more pictures to show you, but Google has informed me that i have used up all of my free GB on Blogger, so I need to do some research to figure out how to get more storage or switch to another host.

In the meantime, have a lovely long weekend and I'll be back soon with lots of adorable puppy photos!

Exciting News!

2012-11-21T09:05:00.000-08:00

We have a little bit of exciting news for you.

Our little family is growing.

We've had a few talks with the kitties about how things are going to change a bit, and while they are not happy to loose some of our undivided attention, they understand we still love them just as much as before.

We have prepared our home, making it safe and secure, to welcome our new little one.

* * * * * * * * *

And this afternoon, we're excited to make the journey to finally meet our little guy,

give him lots of hugs and kisses,

wrap him in a cozy blanket,

and finally bring him home.

Happy Thanksgiving!

More pictures to come soon!

Cinnamon & Sugar Popcorn

2012-11-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

I can't hardly call this a recipe. It's more, ingredients you already have mixed together. But oh boy, it makes one delicious healthy snack.

You may remember my Misto Popcorn Recipe, where I introduced you to one of my favorite kitchen tools, the Misto. It turned a once unhealthy dish into something healthy and guilt free, forever revolutionizing your home movie and popcorn night.

But what happens when you crave a sweeter version? If you're like me, you might have a craving for Kettle corn every ~~daily~~ every now and then. While this is no healthy kettle corn, it does satisfy that sweet popcorn tooth with a bit of cinnamon and sugar.

At 150 calories I got 4 cups of popped popcorn and zero guilt.

YOU'LL NEED
What you'll need to pull this off is an air popper machine, popcorn (I used Trader Joe's Organic Seeds to eliminate GMOs.) a misto tool or your favorite flavor of PAM (I recommend the butter flavored one), your favorite cinnamon, and either a packet of artificial sweetener or 2 tsp of granulated sugar (I used NuNaturals Stevia blend).

THE METHOD
As the popcorn falls out of the air popper into your bowl, spray a one to two second spray of the misto over the first layer of popcorn.
Give your cinnamon shaker one or two shakes over the bowl.
Wait a few seconds and repeat after more popcorn has fallen out.
Once all your popcorn is popped, sprinkle half a teaspoon of sugar over all the popcorn.
If you don't think the sugar is sticking try adding a little more oil from the misto.
Stir the popcorn and repeat until it is sufficiently sweet.
Eat with both hands while cuddled in a blanket next to your Honey.

XOXO!

Gelish Manicure Review

2012-11-04T16:16:00.000-08:00

Another weekend is practically over. I really enjoyed that extra hour of precious weekend time and I chose to spend it hanging out with friends last night and playing Qwelf. I'm not much of a game player ~~I hate competitive games~~ but Qwelf was was lots of fun and there was no competitiveness or speed involved. Anyone could lose basically, giving me a fair chance at winning! The less skill involved, the better.

That has absolutely nothing to do with what I want to tell you about today but it seems necessary as I sat down to type. Sometimes you can't control these things. But I do have something I think is exciting to share with you.

The world of Gel Nails.

I'm kind of odd in that I only like clear or natural looking colors for my fingers and I reserve brighter colors for my toes. I do however have very weak flexible nails when they grow out and as a result they break whenever they get longer than my finger tip. Adding further to my nail problem, any nailpolish or firming/strengthening/growing product I put on them peels off in a matter of hours to days. My toe nails are the complete opposite so I have no problem getting a pedicure and knowing the money is well spent.

Well, for my 30th birthday I bought myself everything necessary for gel manicures. I bought this UV Light Nail Dryer, the Gelish Starter Pack, and two natural-ish gel nail polishes to start learning the skills and technique. Note: all the opinions below are soley based on my use of Gelish Nail Products only.

The manicure itself is very easy and what I like about gel manicures is that it doesn't feel heavy or thick like acryllic nails but rather light and natural. The gel, if done correctly, is a thin layer on top of your nail that is hard, dent resistant, and strong. Strong enough to let my flimsy nails to grow long and beautiful.

These are the colors I bought. The two large bottles are a pink natural and a sparkly natural color. The dark bottle is actually a deep plum--for my toes.

But I think the biggest draw (for me) to Gelish Nails vs. acryllic is that gel nails don't damage your natural nail bed like acryllics do. The gel is painted over top of your natual nail just like regular nail polish, and then you actually cure the nails in a UV or LED light for 2-3 minutes (less for LED light). When you decide to remove the manicure, your natural nail is pefectly preserved underneath, not soft and paper thin like acryllics will leave behind.

Did I mention that it doesn't peel off? I actually tried to peel them off once (and subsequently took a layer of my nail with it. ouch!) and it was difficult to do so. To remove the gel layer, you actually soak your fingers in a cotton ball soaked with 100% acetone wrapped in foil for 10-15 minutes. Easy to do while you watch TV, if you ask me.

They also they chip FAARR less. And let me tell you..I am hard on my hands and nails. I pry open cans, open tupperware, pick (my) teeth, wash dishes, and generally use my nails as a sharp tool that extends from my hand. Even with all that abuse my nails stay chip free for at least 2 weeks and if I don't mind the natural growth, I bet I could extend it to three weeks. Who can say that for regular nail polish?

Finally, purchasing all the tools necessary wasn't that big of an investment when you consider how much money you can drop at a nail salon getting a gel manicure. At my favorite and very economical salon, they charge $30 for a gel manicure. And if you're just trying out the technique to see if you like it, I suggest going to the salon a few times to make sure you really like them and doing so will give you a chance to observe a professional at work. Once you have fallen in love (and I believe you will!), the investment is worth 4-5 manicures tops. And that depends on what supplies you already have in your cabinet. Since making the investment I've given myself a manicure every other week and in just two months, the materials have paid for themselves and the supplies last a really long time.

I'm not a representative of the product (although that would be really cool!). I just wanted to share with you a product I really enjoy and a way to save money and the health of your nails. If you're interested and you live locally, give me a call and I'll invite you over for a manicure.

How did you spend your extra hour this weekend?
Do you like to paint your nails?

XOXO!

Why, God?

2012-10-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

My heart is heavy at the moment. I don't know how to express all that I'm thinking and feeling in a righteous and just way, a way that does not bring dishonor to my God. I just read a blog update of a friend of mine. We're acquaintances really. I know her through my old roomate, Mandy. Mandy and this friend are besties. And I just read her blog update about her life.

You see, Christina has been through cancer. Aggressive brain cancer. Two times. God has used her story, her ups, her many downs, and ultimately her faith and unwaivering love for Jesus to reach LOTS of people. She has a testimony most Christians are in awe of--not that that's the goal. That's not what I'm saying--but this girl has lived through a lot of life.

But my heart is heavy for her today. She was recently married (how do you find courage to even date when you're unsure how long of a life you'd have together?) and now they are pregnant with their first son, also an intentional decision. A decision not to give in to the fear. A fear of what could happen.

Her most recent MRI revealed her tumor has grown back and she needs more brain surgery. And she's 32 weeks pregnant.

After reading this, I'm left with so many questions for God.
So many whys. So many how comes? So many what nexts?

I'm left questioning God. I'm left wanting answers from my God who owes me nor her none. Because he's GOD.

I'm left questioning Christina. How in the world does she persevere? How does she not turn away from God? How does she remain in her faith unwavering, praising God through all this?

You have to read it for yourself. Please promise me you'll read it for yourself.

This post has no silver lining. It has no warm fuzzy from me. I don't know how to wrap this all up into a neat little package for you to read and conclude that everything in my head worked out and I'm settled with my thoughts.

Maybe you can share your wisdom with me. I just don't know how to find peace with this yet.

Bainbridge Island Date Day

2012-10-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

I love love LOVE little date days with my husband. They are probably my most cherished moments with him. This past Saturday was one such day. We decided to get away for the middle of the day and ferry over to a cute little Island in the Puget Sound called Bainbridge Island.

We caught the 10:30 ferry and drove our car on. The weather was crisp and sunny with just a few puffy clouds floating in the sky. Literally, the perfect fall day.

Does anyone else have a hard time getting a decent photo of their husband? Mine seems to think the sillier the face the better. From left to right i call it, "constipated, tongue, and goober".

I digress.

We immediately parked our car at the end of the very small town and decided to walk around until we found breakfast and just as we were doing so we stumbled upon this community garden.

It was seriously the most adorable garden space I've ever laid my eyes on and I vowed that if I could I would dig the whole thing up and replant it in my back yard.

This compost pile was pretty impressive to me. NOT only because its such an awesome effort at composting, but its huge!

The chicken coop impressed Mark. He wants chickens for our own yard and he has been eyeing other coops to study the way they are built with the intention of gleaning some ideas for his own structure. These lovely ladies looked quite peaceful and warm behind their glass window. And the coop was tall enough that I could stand up inside it without hitting my head. Now that's a nice coop!

I found other pretty things to photograph with my iPhone.

A testament to how beautiful the sky was that day! Rare for October 'round these parts.

I instantly fell in LOVE with this potting bench. The richness of the wood and the soft pine bark underneath your feet just made me want to hang out all day grooming plants.

This garden was even complete with a bee hive! And they were very peaceful too.

Seriously. How adorable is this garden?!

Mark pried me away eventually and we moseyed on down the street to a little breakfast nook where I had some chorizo breakfast tacos (minus the egg) and seasoned potatoes. And then we wrapped up the afternoon shopping our hearts out, talking about everything under the sun, and eventually popping into a little pub for a beer and appetizer plate to share.

Have you had any incredible dates lately?

Tell me about your favorite one!

XOXO!

Reverse T3, Hypothyroid and Adrenal Disfunction: My Health Journey 2012

2012-10-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

Those living life alongside me in Seattle know most of this journey already. The last 6 months have been no walk in Disney Land. Health-wise, I hit an all-time low this past summer, and it took everything in me just to get through the day to day routine. It was grueling, exhausting and frustrating emotionally as well as physically. I was diminished down to the weakest of health I’ve been in 15 years and I re-experienced helplessness, utter weakness, and an all-time low: things I thought my body had conquered.

The background on my health issues and previous updates can be found here. I was diagnosed with acute hypothyroidism when I was 15 year old and the diagnosis was a reason to celebrate at that time in my life because of the state of deterioration my body was experiencing. At 4’11”, I was 170 pounds and eating very little--read virtually no metabolism. I had stopped growing and maturing. I had extremely dry itchy skin, dry scalp, and hair loss. Puffiness and water retention were so severe I looked as if I was being swallowed by my own skin. Energy did not exist. Just walking up the stairs was a grueling task and I did everything I could to avoid doing so. I slept 10 to 12 hours nearly every night and could have easily slept more had my mom let me. I also suffered from nearly every classic hypothyroid symptom but because I went undiagnosed for so long, each symptom was magnified significantly.

So fast forward to early May 2012. After 6 months of blood tests, food allergy panels, elimination diets, and no sugar diets, I was still gaining weight despite my stellar food journal and regular workouts. I was also exhausted yet jittery and often dizzy and unable to focus. I knew I didn’t feel right so back into the doctor I went for another option.

After taking a new blood sample she found my Synthroid dose was probably too high still and was being converted to Reverse T3 (RT3) inside my body which is not good. The plan to undo this RT3 was simple on paper but involved a few uncomfortable months ahead of me. Her plan, if I was willing, was to take me off of my Synthroid (a medication I’ve been taking for 15 years) and allow my body stores to “run out” essentially inviting some of my hypothyroid symptoms back into my life (the uncomfortable part), and then simultaneously putting me on prescription T3 hormone (new for me) as my body was apparently not converting the T4 in the Synthroid to T3 which is really what the body uses. This was the end of May 2012.

Did you get all that? No? Good, let's continue.

(This is all very simplified and in my own words based off of what I understood from my doctor. I am not in any sort of medical profession and have no business helping you diagnose or self-medicate. Please see your own medical professional for that. These are just merely my experiences.)

So the next 6 weeks were gradual at first. Each day I was a little bit more sluggish. My foggy mind returned almost immediately. Workouts were really hard, but I refused to give in to my body and give up my health regime and what I believed to be "healthy" for my body. Can you say obsessed?

Then about two weeks in, everything fell apart (coincidentally we were also buying a house that week and moving in with friends for the interim part between rent and own!). I started to sleep all night long, and on into the next day. I struggled to find energy to do simple things like shower, make dinner, and walk home from work. All my focus went out the window and it’s a sheer miracle I didn’t lose my job because I’m fairly certain I got nothing accomplished for a whole month. My hair started to fall out. My dry skin came back and I began retaining water so bad that I stopped wearing my wedding ring.

I quit working out altogether and only walked for 30 minutes a few times a week if I felt up to it. I napped every day. I drank obscene amounts of coffee. My appetite disappeared. I gained weight.

And in my opinion the worst of it was when I experienced hormonal depression for the first time in my life. (I promise this whole post will not be a debbie downer.) Where everything outside of me was completely fine but inside of me I was happy one minute and completely overcome with sadness the next. My poor husband held me multiple times as I walked away from a setting where I was surrounded with friends because I burst into tears and couldn’t for the life of me understand why I wasn’t happy to be with them. And this was the last straw for Mark. Seeing my personality change so quickly made him scared. He insisted I make an appointment with my doctor as soon as possible which was about mid July 2012.

As I was enduring this journey, I became obsessed with researching anything I could find about T3 and RT3, why the body does these things, what kind of diet and exercise is most beneficial, what foods are recommended to avoid, etc. There’s a lot out there. And without any medical degree, I don’t feel comfortable sharing all the possibilities with any of my readers. But I assure you. It’s out there. Just Google “Reverse T3” or “hypothyroid and adrenal dysfunction” to form your own opinions.

I discovered from reading this book that I should probably check into my adrenal glands since lots of what I was reading pointed toward the thyroid and adrenal gland dysfunctioning simultaneously. To test the adrenals, the best method available is a saliva test kit. Thankfully my naturopathic doctor had them in stock and the next day I was on my way to sucking cotton 5 times a day and mailing it in for testing. Meanwhile, my doctor did do another blood test and concluded my body simply does not make ANY or such small untestable amounts of thyroid on its own and that was why my symptoms returned so quickly and with so much force. I was put back on a much smaller dose of Synthroid in addition to my T3 medication.

Two weeks later, I was diagnosed with overall adrenal deficiency and put on a supplement that fosters healing for all the adrenal components (cortisol, adrenaline, testastorone, aldosterone, and whatever others are lumped in there too—they were all generally LOW or undetectable.) I was excited to learn this, oddly enough because having answers to the problems that effect every aspect of life was so encouraging! I remember leaving the doctor’s office with a huge sense of relief.

Within a few days of having Synthroid and my new adrenal supplement back in my life, things started returning in the direction of normal. My energy returned within a week. I lost the water weight I was holding on to. My sleep felt refreshing and no longer exhausting. My emotional rollercoaster ceased. And most of the other symptoms reversed as well.

Life-wise, we moved into our new house that week and I ran a 5k full of zombies. Both still fully exhausting, so it’s hard for me to pinpoint where normalcy truly returned. But things were definitely moving in that direction, and I was too busy to care.

I could end this recap here, and it would be an accurate account of the physical ailments I went through the summer of 2012. But the truth is there was a huge spiritual battle going on inside me simultaneously. Yes, my doctor and I agreed this was the path I would take, but God also had his hands involved. He used this time to show me how weak and frail I really am and how strong and big He really is. My health is not something I deserve to have in this life. It is a gift. And God wants me to be healthy and full of life, but he uses those times of weakness and sickness to teach me to depend on him and draw me near too.

I've definitely taken my health for granted. And having it handed to me so quickly and with such force really helped me realize how much I need my Lord and Savior. How dependent I really am on Him. I'm nothing without Him. And nothing is accomplished without him. And he LOVES me so much.

Home Improvement 101 and FloBed Review

2012-10-08T21:19:00.001-07:00

Blogging has been a little daunting lately with all the homeowner projects we have going on. I want to tell you about them all but find myself exhausted every evening following something hands on. The pictures below are actually 3 weeks old and since then we have moved on to more new and exciting projects to improve. Like my bookcases.

And like most bloggers experience eventually, it can be hard to come up with a readable coherent post when you're exhausted and covered in sweat and paint.

All that is not to complain! But to let you know I'm still thinking about you, and I have the greatest intentions, and even posts written in my head with paintbrush still in hand, but by the end of the day, the connection is lost and the call of my bed is louder than the sentences previously composed.

Speaking of my bed, I haven't told you about it lately. (How was that for a transition, eh?) When Mark and I got married, he jokingly, but seriously said that if I got a ring, he got a king.

That declaration got louder and more pronounced as the years went by on our double bed, elbows swung more freely and all the sudden more leg room was needed.

So once the house was purchased, the first thing we did was order our new bed online. A FloBed. Best. home. improvement. choice. ever.

This bed is the coolest bed (and we did extensive research). Here are some of its incredible features.

It's organic latex, but they also have synthetic latex if you prefer.
It's customizable. As in you have your choice of two or three layers. And with those two layers, you personally get to choose your favorite two layers, and your sleeping mate gets to choose his two layers. So Mark has extra firm over firm, and I have medium over soft.
It smells like vanilla ice cream. I realize that's not normally something people are looking for in a mattress, but think of it this way, it DOESN'T smell like plastic or chemically processed.
It molds to your shape to create the perfect support for your body type, and with adjustable support in the wooden slats underneath, its truly the most customizable you'll get aside from a Sleep Number. I can make the bed firmer under my low back but softer under my head.
It is devine to sleep on. I've seriously never felt so much comfort in my life. For my birthday we took a weekend away and stayed in a 5 star hotel with supposedly a super nice bed. And we slept horribly. We actually complained to management about it the next morning and they said nobody has ever said that before.
It doesn't hold heat like a Tempurpedic. I think this is one of the best features, really. Because it molds like a Tempurpedic but it breathes better than a regular cotton mattress.
It absorbs movement. I have no idea when or if Mark gets up in the middle of the night. And I use to wake up to his every flop and turn.
And I hinted to this in my first point, but we chose the all organic bed which I'm super pleased about. I'm not yet a granola freak, but I do try to limit my exposure to chemicals when I can. We scored a deal where the upgrade from synthetic to organic was free, so we went with it! And the cotton exterior is organic as well.

If you did get through all that without yawning, I applaud you. Chances are most of my readers are not in the market for a new bed, and this one, although pricey, is worth its weight in gold. But if you DO need a new bed, consider the F lobed.

We loved it so much that we decided to build custom legs for the bed and save a few pennies buying the legs the website sold. Mark took charge sawed them all the same length and then spray painted them to match my future bedroom theme.

They turned out just like I had hoped and soon I'll show you the after picture. Oh and by the way, the bed has that many legs. Picture two twin beds and six legs on each twin box spring. Its for even distribution of the weight and has some scientific-y stuff behind it. I just like them because they're white.

I don't have a smooth segway into this next update, but the shed is coming along nicely.

Mark's mom and dad visited with us back in late August. In a week's worth of time they put in a new waterline in the front yard and build the skeleton for a shed in the back yard.

Mark has become quite the handy-man! I love seeing him wield power tools. :-)

The view from the shed back toward the house.

And the waterline in a 3 foot trench dug by Mark and a friend. That's backbreaking work I tell you! I tried to help and gave up after an hour!

It's now all covered up and functioning perfectly. We have superb water flow for showers.

And I have one other thing to celebrate! I finally have a STOVE! Yep, I lived two months in my new house without the use of a stove or an oven. Believe me, I nearly went insane. But the house has been updated to gas and I now have a brand new stainless steel gas stove with conventional oven to cook and bake with to my heart's content!

I shall return later this week with updates on my health, thyroid, adrenals, and fitness. Until then, take care, friends!

XOXO!

Petite Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze

2012-09-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

I love to entertain.

Even when I don't know I'm going to entertain!

(My surprise 30th birthday party that Mark threw for me. Twenty-five of my most awesome friends piled into my house to surprise me! I had a blast!)

I love planning the menu, I love decorating, I love cleaning (for them, not me.), and of course I love the party! Whether it be a dinner date with close friends, or a grand surprise party, I love opening our home for people to gather in and laugh and eat and drink together.

Recently I joined a women's Bible study. It's my first one. Ever.

And it's been really good.

Like. Really good.

I'm getting to talk deeply with other women about life, about God, about Jesus, about relationships. No crying yet, but I don't promise that it won't happen. We are a group of women after all.

And perhaps one of my favorite parts of meeting with a group of women is the fact that they all love to EAT. Being the little cook and baker that I am I like to try to come up with something fun to share.

Oh and we like to keep it to finger foods and appetizers.

Pinterest has been a huge help to find things that are creative and fun. And this past weekend I was browsing my favorite site and found the Brown Eyed Bakers Pumpkin Scones.

I was getting hunger pangs just thinking about a soft savory-sweet pumpkin-y pillow of love.

I had to make them.

And because I wanted a finger food item, I made petite pumpkin scones instead of regular size.
You know, to help us think we're eating less.

I've made scones before. They truly are one of my favorite things to whip up. And they are so easy. The secret is really cold butter. That's it! The dough comes together quickly. And the blend of cinnamon and nutmeg instantly makes me want to wear slippers and sip hot tea. I can't resist.

So that means you might need a cup of tea if you eat one ~~or three~~ of these little babies.

Maybe you were wondering why I haven't posted any recipes lately? And if you were, thank you for your concern! The thing is, I don't have a stove yet. We moved in to our home August 3rd and have been waiting for the city to come put in a gas line so we can have a gas stove, and you know, heat. They are finally coming this weekend, but in the meantime I've been uber creative with my gas grill, my giant and mini crock pot, my bread maker, and this little guy: the toaster oven.

Another reason petite scones worked better than regular ones.

Please run to your kitchen this instant and throw together your own petite scones. It will take you 5 minutes to get the dough going and 10...maybe 11 minutes to bake them. You won't be sorry. And if you time it right, your tea can be ready at the same time.

Happy baking!

PETITE PUMPKIN SCONES WITH SPICED GLAZE

The Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour
6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
6 Tablespoons cold butter
½ cup canned pumpkin
3 Tablespoons 1% milk
1 flax egg (or one real egg)

Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk

Spiced Glaze
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon milk
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
dash nutmeg
dash ginger
tiny dash cloves

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Combine your dry ingredients (flour through ginger) in a large bowl. Using a fork, cut in the butter until your mix resembles oatmeal and the chunks of butter are smaller than a pencil eraser. (I set this bowl in the freezer while I whip up the wet ingredients, to ensure my butter stays cold.)

3. In a small bowl combine your wet ingredients (pumpkin, milk and egg). Gently fold your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients. The dough might seem a bit dry. Continue mixing for another minute. If ingredients are still flaky and don't mix, add another tablespoon of milk. Form dough into a ball. Pat out dough onto a floured surface, shaping into a rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, cut that rectangle in half lengthwise. And then cut each long strip into your petite scone triangles. Place on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until the tops are just slightly brown. Place on a wire rack to cool.

4. To make each glaze, in a small bowl whisk the powdered sugar and the milk together until smooth. Add spices to second glaze.

5. After scones are cooled, coat each one with plain glaze and drizzle spiced glaze on top of plain glaze. Allow glaze to dry before serving (about an hour).

Weekend Highlights

2012-09-24T09:49:00.001-07:00

A weekend at home all by myself felt like an eternity. No complaints! It just felt LONG.

Mark was away at his childhood best friend's wedding this weekend and then it worked out perfectly that Mark was able to attend his grandmother's funeral this morning before hopping a plane back to Washington. A happy and sad occasion all in one weekend. I only have a couple of vacation days left for the year and we decided Christmas would be a better time to save them for using. So Mark left Thursday night and I have been on my own for entertainment all weekend.

Thursday, before Mark was even at the airport, we had community group at our house. Our leader came over a bit early so I could drive Mark to catch his plane, and I arrived home to a house full of dear friends and yummy food and fellowship!

Friday I managed to get myself to work all by myself, bus and all (we usually carpool) and on the way home I bussed to Casey's apartment so we could go get pedicures together!

She picked a sparkly black to match her mood of the week, and I picked a deep cherry color, which I'm quite pleased with! We then headed back to my place and Amy and David joined us for a snacky dinner and LOTS of laughter. When Amy and Casey get together anything ridiculous can happen. No joke. Over the course of the evening, we reactivated Amy's old hotmail account, in order to login to her Myspace account, in order to cancel her Myspace account! For good reason though. DOWN with Myspace!

We also witnessed the most obsurd argument about the color green and whther or not green is a fall color, and if so, WHICH shade of green is a fall color. I can't make this stuff up, folks.

And THEN! Casey observed that our bathroom mirrow was a bit distorted, so we all had to pile into the bathroom to see it for ourselves. (you can't see it here, but when you look into the mirror closely, it looks like there are two layers of you in the reflection.)

WOW, I love those friends. David and I were in tears as we laughed at the girls arguing for twenty minutes over the color green. I love being silly with friends.

Saturday I did a pretty intense Bob Harper Workout, leaving me exhausted. But I mustered up enough energy to play with this little guy for a few hours while his parents went on a date.

We had lots of fun making noise, playing with puzzles, and driving toy trucks around the house.

Sunday was filled with church, weeding my little garden, and distressing my white bookcase. I'm pictures as I go alone, so I'll be sure to do a full recap when I'm done!

I baked some petite pumpkin scones too, but that's a post for another day. Just know I kept myself busy without using the television. Go me!

And I ended my weekend with a book and kitty cuddle. She may be a beast of a cat most of the time, but she is the best cuddler on her terms.

So I survived a weekend alone in our new house without my hubby. Piece of cake.

How was your weekend? Tell me about it!

XOXO!

Currently...

2012-09-20T12:41:00.001-07:00

Currently…

Obsessing over: Crafting! I think buying a new house has turned a new corner in my creativity world. So far I've tried to teach myself to crochet, I've painted and distressed a bookshelf (tutorial soon!), picked out paint colors for my walls, and decorated for fall. I promise this will not become a craft blog--I'm a terrible crafter--but I might share my creations every now and then.

Working on: lists and data entry. I'm at work right now, but on a break, so it's okay that I'm blogging.

Thinking about: motivating myself to go do a lunchtime workout. And fighting the hungries.

Anticipating: pedicures on Friday with Miss Casey! Gosh, I miss that girl! Lots of girl chat will ensue.

Listening to: the typical office chatter in one of the conference rooms at work. But I also enjoy Jillian Michael's podcast when I'm doing easy no-brainer tasks.

Drinking: Market Spice ginger peach tea. I can't get enough of this stuff!

Wishing: this workday would be over. It's been a rough one, and its barely noon.

30 Lessons I Learned in 30 Years of Life

2012-09-13T02:00:00.000-07:00

Today is my 30th birthday!

WEEE!

I gotta say, I'm so excited to be thirty. My life thus far has been OVERFLOWING with blessings, memorable moments, lessons, some hurt, and a whole lot of love.

Here are some of the highlights and lowlights of my twenties.

I moved across the country on a whim, started college, graduated from college, worked as a teacher,

met my husband, saw my parents divorce, quit teaching, got married, met two of my three best friends,

fell in love with fitness, crashed two cars, faced some hard sin, bought a house, adopted two kitties,

lost one adopted father, went on a cruise (for 21st b-day), traveled to Hawaii twice, traveled to Argentina,

learned to grill pizza, turned my back on God, and humbly crawled back to the kingdom of God where I was welcomed with open arms.

Needless to say the twenties were good, and if they were that good, I can't wait to see what my thirties holds.

I'm popping in here today to share with you 30 lessons I have learned in 30 years of life. You don't get through this many years in life without learning a valuable lesson or two. Maybe you'll find a tidbit of wisdom here, or at least wonder how it took me up to thirty years to learn some of these. Especially #9. So here we go!

1. Big hugs cure almost all sad faces. You really can't argue with that.

2. "Loser" is not the same as "looser". Example: It's The Biggest Loser, not The Biggest Looser. Thanks, Casey, for showing me the truth. I hear your voice every time I watch an episode.

3. I may never learn how to spell "convenient" without spell check. I cannot for the life of me remember if the first ''e has an 'i' after it or if both e's have i's. It's a spelling catastrophe.

4. Every day must involve at least a little bit of chocolate. This needs no elaboration.

5. You don't need a lot, but every girl should find really solid, supportive, loving girl friends. Those friendships last a lifetime and when grounded in the commonality of faith in Christ, they are priceless.

6. I rely way more on spell check than I should, mostly because I used to be an awesome speller in school and I'm an English major who ACED advanced grammar glass, but alas, I got lazy somewhere and just try to type close to the word, and then hit spell check. I also realize advanced grammar doesn't necessarily involve spelling, but they are related and the class I took required perfect spelling. Irony: Spell check was okay to use in class. (In #4 alone, I typed 5 errors that spell check caught. See?)

7. God answers prayer. Big and small, he answers. Not always "yes", sometimes "no" or "later". But I'm glad he said "yes" to my biggest and most hopeful prayer.

8. You don't need an expensive gym membership to get into great shape.

9. A chocolate chip cookie still warm and ooey-gooey from the oven is the best food of all time. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

10. Having an egg allergy seriously sucks and drastically reduces the amount of warm chocolate chip cookies one can eat in a lifetime. Vegan chocolate chip cookies are just not the same.

10. Pinterest will suck all the time out of your life. You've been warned.

11. Enjoy moments where you laugh so hard you cry...or pee. Those moments don't come by every day but they are some of the best food for the soul and do wonders on healing your heart. The times I've laughed myself to tears are some of my favorite memories and are almost always with the people who are most near and dear to my heart.

12. There's a difference between working out hard and working out healthy. Lately I've been dealing with adrenal and thyroid issues and working out hard has done significant damage to my system. But working out healthy has been something I'm learning to strive for, and it involves listening to my body and stopping short of exhaustion.

13. Experiences are more valuable than possessions. You can't take possessions with you anyway, and they add little value to your life in the long run. Plus they break down, need repair, wear out, and eventually get replaced. Experiences live on with you until you leave this earth and in many cases are passed down from generation to generation even after you're gone.

14. Don't go into debt. If you're in debt, get out of debt as fast as you can. I recommend Dave Ramsey's book, Total Money Makeover. Living without debt has been the most rewarding and freeing experiences of my life and our hope is that being financially free will allow us to bless the people around us, create a future and retirement for ourselves early, and set up a pattern and legacy for our future children and future generations. There are lots of details surrounding our financial future. Maybe it deserves a full post?

15. Sleep is more valuable than any physical object I own. And I don't even have kids yet.

16. Reading books and spa pedicures are some of life's most precious moments alone with myself. Especially when done simultaneously and involving Harry Potter or Katniss Everdeen.

17. Learn the art of empathy. So often we judge based on what we see without having all the information. We need to spend more time understanding the situation, putting ourselves in different shoes to see why they make the choices they do and what they're going through. It's a learned skill, imperfect often, but a beautiful art when mastered.

18. Getting outside helps you forget your stress for the day. And the farther from home you can get, the further your stress is. Go to the mountains for a hike and photograph the wildlife, go swimming and jump off the diving board, visit the local arboretum for a walk, or try out the bike path that runs the length of your city.

19. Moms can be embarrassing, and even annoying, but the time spent with her means the world to her. So allow her to give you three hugs in a row, and to come over for dinner once a week. One day she will be gone, and you'll cherish those memories you made.

20. Sometimes a mother's touch is the only answer. This especially applies to times of sickness.

21. Growing veggies is not hard but very rewarding! I love my veggie garden and nothing brings me more joy in the kitchen than bringing in a basket of fresh picked produce.

22. Boys will always be boys. Even the most trained ones. I'm thankful they are boys, and I like boys, or rather one boy (my hubby), but the flip side is smelling like a boy, making boy messes, death defying adventures of a boy, and having scratchy boy faces.

23. Carbohydrates are necessary, and I don't want to cut them out. I've come to terms with the fact that cutting carbs out of my personal diet is not fun, makes me cranky, and generally unhappy. Carbs are my friend, in moderation, and should be enjoyed. Weight management can still happen while eating carbs.

24. Flossing is worth the time. This might seem trivial, but man, I had my first uncomfortable dental visit this past June, and I was nearly in tears as she scrapped away tartar. I'm blessed with incredible dental genes and have always loved going to the dentist despite never flossing, but after this last visit, I'm dreading my next appointment.I have vowed to floss on average 5 out of 7 days a week just hoping to avoid the pain I experienced. So far on target!

25. Eat your vegetables first. I grew up eating salad before the meal was served. For this reason, I always eat all my vegetables on my plate first before digging into starches or proteins. Filling up on the veggies helps me to fill up with the nutritious stuff first, and then I don't inhale the pasta or pulled pork that is higher in calories but rather enjoy in moderation. I like food. Lots of it. Eating veggies first helps me keep my waistline small.

26. Be kind. Even if it is hard not to be. Kindness goes a long way, and it's free to give. So when opportunity strikes to be kind, do so. Harsh words don't really get you far anyway.

27. Be interested in others. As an introvert and a terrible conversationalist, I'm in the process of learning that hey! the world is not about me and the best conversations happen when you ask others about their lives, their thoughts, and their days.

28. A woman's biological clock is real, people. We're not pregnant yet, but I'm tellin' you, it's not a myth. Biological clocks do exist. (the verdict is still out on aliens though.)

29. Having a healthy body is the best gift you can give yourself. Over the past year, I've dealt with major health issues including my ongoing hypothyroid issues, food allergies, injury, and adrenal fatigue. I've chosen to pursue a path of healing naturally and I'm thankful to say that today on my 30th birthday I feel better than I have in eleven months. But I can't stress enough how important it is to feed your body nutritious things, exercise, rest, and have a healthy relationship with God.

30. Eating cake everyday of the week during your birthday week is perfectly acceptable and encouraged. I'm practicing that one now. With egg-free carrot cake made with love by my mother.

What life lessons have you learned so far in your life?

XOXO!

Trust Your Eyes Book Review

2012-09-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

I’m a sucker for a really good thriller book. I’ve fallen in love with some of the classic authors that keep the pages turning like Stephen King and James Patterson, and even as a kid I loved the Goosebumps murder mysteries and anything by Caroline B. Cooney. So when Blogher asked me if I wanted to write a review on the latest Linwood Barclay thriller, I couldn’t hit reply fast enough.

Trust Your Eyes is an intricately woven account of two brothers who just lost their father in a freak accident. Ray is the older of the two, is a successful cartoonist and lives a few hours away while Thomas is a 30-something adult-child with a history of psychiatric care who is obsessed with memorizing maps. After their father’s funeral, Ray decides to temporarily move in with Thomas to care for him and the estate while figuring out the legal issues and as he does so he quickly falls back into old habits arguing with and nagging his brother, deliberately lacking the understanding he knows he should have. While settling into a groove he quickly learns that his brother believes he works for the CIA and is on mission to memorize all the maps of the world using an online database much like Google Earth called Whirl360 where there are photographs taken of every inch of major streets and roads. Oh, and this mission has been assigned to him by former President Bill Clinton. Thomas spends all his waking hours touring street after street with the goal of memorizing the globe in preparation for a catastrophic natural disaster where all Internet is rendered useless all the while talking with an imaginary Bill Clinton about the mission at hand.

As Ray is figuring out what home Thomas should be relocated to, Thomas observes a murder captured in the online map photos. Ray isn’t convinced that the photo isn’t a hoax but rather than deal with the explosion of emotions from his unstable brother, he reluctantly grants the request to go check out the street and building of the online photo murder.

Trust Your Eyesquickly explodes into pockets and intricacies from this point forward, culminating in multiple murders, captures, twists and turns. As Linwood Barclay introduces more rabbit trails and characters, motives for murder, and a corrupt political candidate, you begin to be engulfed by the who’s and what’s and he continues to surprise you with each line and chapter.

Obviously I enjoyed this book immensely, and I would overall recommend it to someone who needs a good quick read, despite being just short of 500 pages. Barclay had me guessing at the multiple mysteries popping up and almost every time I was wrong! It was my first time reading a Barclay novel and I would happily pick up some of his others.

If you’re interested in reading Trust Your Eyes, email me. I’ll happily send my book along to you free of charge. And if you want it sooner, it will be available in bookstores starting today.

To read other opinions and reviews of this book, click on over to Blogher!

This is a paid review for the Blogher Book Club but I ensure you the opinions expressed above are completely my own. I would tell you if I didn’t think a book was worth the read. Trust me.

Our 2nd Anniversary

2012-09-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

I'm a month late with this post as our anniversary was on July 30th. But I wanted to post pictures of our little getaway because I enjoy looking back through my own posts to remember our journey together. And I enjoy sharing them with other people too, so it's a win-win!

We decided to do an overnight backpacking trip. I've never backpacked over night before so this was a first for me. Carrying a large pack was a first too.

We settled on a shorter hiking trail about an hour outside of Seattle--Olallie and Pratt Lake Trail. It was the perfect first time backpacking trip for me. My pack was about 35 pounds and the incline was moderate. I could feel that my heart rate was up but the journey wasn't grueling.

We hiked in past the first lake and decided to break camp off the trail near some flatter land, a rare find on a side of a mountain.

I packed us some Adelle's sausages to roast, buns, ketchup, and fresh sugar snap peas to keep our bellies full. Breakfast was oatmeal and coffee. Nothing too special, but I couldn't resist a s'more with dinner and another s'more after breakfast.

I also learned the the hard way about the importance of pitching a tent on the flattest ground possible. I won't be making THAT mistake again.

But seriously, Mark and I love the outdoors and we really don't need a fancy suite and room service to enjoy spending time together.

Hiking and chatting and poking a fire was a perfect getaway.

And it helps that we had this incredible backdrop to wake up to. Seriously incredible. I love mountain lakes.

We hiked back down the trail three miles to our car and made it back to Seattle just in time for some of our favorite Happy Hour Pizza.

My belly was happy and my spirit was full!

Happy Labor Day, everyone!

XOXO!

Summer Bucket List Update

2012-08-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

Like I said in my summer bucket list post, I figure since summer is so late in arriving in the Pacific Northwest, then summer shouldn't really end until my birthday--Mid September. So while everyone else is buying school supplies, baking pumpkin goodies, and pulling out the sweaters, I refuse to accept that summer is near over and plan on plowing my way through these next three weeks as if summer is still here. Besides, I have some more summer bucket list stuff to check off. That seems like plenty of time.

1. Make sushi at home. (nope, not yet. But I have the seaweed wraps. I just need to do it.)

2. Hike minimum 4 times, two of which are Backpacking overnight. (So far, hiked two times, both was backpacking overnight.

3. Make a new header for my blog. (nope! Does anyone want me to hire them to do that?)

4. Learn to love my waist. (still working on it.)

5. Achieve "healthy" according to my doctors. (yes! Or at least answers to get there!)

6. Plant a garden, perhaps herb. (I did. I planted a basil plant. that counts, right?)

7. Have a picnic. (yes, with some of my bible study girls.)

8. Donate old stuff to thrift store. (Oh boy, did we ever. Moving does that.)

9. Try 5 new West Seattle restaurants. (I tried a Greek restaurant, won't go back. And Elliot Bay Pub in Burien. It was pretty good. Also, another pub in Georgetown. Again, so so. Need two more!)

10. Go to a festival. (Yep! Photosynthesis! T'was crazy! But cool.)

beach art!

dance party!

11. Make Popsicles. (I did, actually. Coconut Mango. They tasted like sorbet. Messy buggers.)

12. Pick fresh blueberries. (Absolutely! Found a blueberry farm 30 minutes away in Bellevue. $1.25 a pound! I also picked blackberries and made my heart haaaaappy.)

13. Make a complete meal over fire (perhaps during #2 above) (Yes, twice. Spaghetti and Meatballs at Photosynthesis, and Adelle's Sausages and Smores for our 2nd Anniversary.)

handy dandy Jet Boil.

Anniversaries are for unbalanced meals. Adelle's and Smores.

14. Attend an outdoor concert. (I think Photosynthesis counted for that too, considering it was a giant party on the beach.)

15. Volunteer. (Yes! I volunteered with my community group to clean up this parking lot that was a community center. We did weeding and stuff.)

16. Sunbathe. (Not yet. It only recently got warm, and while I have gotten a bit of sun, I have not purposely laid out.)

18. Walk around a small town outside of Seattle. (not yet. Maybe this next weekend with Mark's mom and dad?)

19. Visit local brewery for fresh summer ale. (not yet. Still hoping.)

20. Buy our house :-) (that we did, as you probably know! Biggest accomplishment yet!)

Welcome to our Home Part 2

2012-08-21T09:37:00.004-07:00

I know a lot of new readers visited this little blog thing yesterday. Thanks for stopping by and welcome back! (If you missed it, you can find the first half of the tour here.) Feel free to poke around a bit. I don't promise anything amazing on this site but every once in a while I have a few moments of brilliance flow through my finger tips. Enjoy!

Now on with our tour. I'm not even sure it's worth posting, to be honest. But I made a promise yesterday, so here's the photos I forgot.

This room probably doesn't need much explanation other than I'm super stoked to have the extra storage, since my master bath is rather limited. If I would have been smart enough to photograph the inside the cabinet, you might be quite amazed, especially if you've ever gone digging for stuff in my previous closets or bathrooms. Somehow I manage great organization at work but fall apart at home. Well, for now, I'm organized in both places, and I achieved that by organizing straight out of the cardboard boxes into crates, tubs, and storage containers.

I promise I don't always write about boring things like organization.

Lets head up those stairs, shall we?

Upstairs we have a 3/4 story but the sides of the roof are taller than most 3/4 stories I've seen. I'm so thankful for that. But either way, future kiddos will love this space regardless of the roof height. We put our old futon up here and then left everything else in the spots where our ~~moving team~~ friends left it.

This is where the mess is.

Room # 2. It has a closet. Therefore we can store small children up here.

Or los gatos gordos as the case may be.

(translation: the fat cats. But don't tell her.)

Um..I don't actually speak Spanish.

So ya! Lots of space! And what I haven't taken photos of yet is our yard. Because it's ugly right now. Downright pitiful.

We'll get to that next summer.

But imagine just over half an acre, the front half mostly open, full of rocks and weeds that have been weed wacked, surrounded by a beautiful new cedar fence and lined by big fir trees on either side.

The back half is a wild jungle of blackberry bushes, weeds, and a few trees. It has a slight hill and would be a 9 year old boy's dream yard for building forts, motorbike tracks and hunting small creatures.

We saw a family of possums last weekend.

Sounds oasis-like right? That's because it is.. and that's why we love it. We have nearly total privacy and enough space to put multiple chickens in the blackberry jungle, a gargantuan garden, a small green house, and maybe a goat or other animal that suites the city farmer's life.

So there you have it. Our new home!

Mark and I feel overwhelmingly blessed by all the goodness God has showered down on us. Everything about this home has His fingerprints all over it, from the moment we found it, to the buying and inspection process, to the closing costs, projects, eagerness of the seller, and helping hands to get our stuff here. He also made my wildest dream come true by gifting me a farmette! That dream was nearly forgotten when we started the house hunting process and realized how little money buys you in Seattle. But this property popped up in our price range and seemed too good to be true. Generally, that's how God blesses his children. In that "too good to be true" sorta fashion.

Thanks again for stopping by, and if you live in the area (and we're friends, of course! Strangers stopping by might be weird.) please stop by in the evening sometime! We'd love to have coffee with you on the porch and share with you all the good things God is doing.

Until then,

XOXO!

Welcome to our Home. Part 1

2012-08-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome!

As promised and much anticipated by many, here is a virtual tour of our new home.

Lets not wait outside any longer. Please come in!

(All these photos were taken with a wide angle lens, so the pictures make the rooms feel a little bigger/longer than they actually are. That said, the house feels large to us, coming in around 1900 square feet. Quite an improvement over our 700 square foot apartment we moved from.)

The front door is a rust red color and the siding is a dusty blue. As all new homeowners, we are consumed with never ending projects and honey-do lists, and that means I did not get a free moment with my camera until about 9 p.m. on Sunday night.

Hence, dark skies and artificial light, distorted colors and yellowish photos.

Sigh.

The front door opens right into the living room and dining space. Off to the right is a little nook where we intend to hang custom hooks for coats, purses, and keys.

You can see the little bench we just picked up from Cost Plus World Market which has lots of additional storage underneath the seat (LOVE!). And I picked up these baskets from Target to put inside my old IKEA bookcase with the hope that we'll be organized enough to store hats, mittens, and scarves in them when the weather gets cold.

We'll get around to painting the walls a lighter off-white or cream color. I'm hoping to accomplish this before Halloween but as we're finding, all homeowner projects take twice as long as you think they will.

I like to call the color that is currently on the walls poop-brown because I don't like how dark and brown it is. I like brown. Just not ALL brown. Plus we have a lot of trees outside, keeping the interior of the house shaded and cool (nice for those 90 degree days we just had--nobody in Seattle has air conditioning.) But the shaded part means we always have the lights on when we are home regardless if the sun is blaring. Natural light just doesn't illuminate the inside. I need lighter walls to brighten up the space.

Imagine curtains on the window and a giant piece of pretty art on the left wall.

Someday.

The view from the kitchen doorway. And the hubby hard at work finding bookshelves on Craigslist for the library room. I'll show you that in a minute.

But first, the kitchen!

My pride and joy. My consumer of time. My shiny toys. And I dont' even have a stove hooked up yet!

Why, you ask? And how do I not break down and throw a tantrum every night before dinner? Well, the stove is just around that dark corner at the back of the kitchen. In a box. We sold the electric stove on Craigslist because it was brand new in plastic and everything. Maximum dollars for brandnewness. I thought the gas line we were going to run to the house would be done within a week of moving in. That was until we found out that Puget Sound Energy will run the gas line to your house for FREE!.... if you are just willing to wait 4-6 weeks.

It was a really hard discussion to have with the hubby. There may or may not have been tears and a little bit of fist throwing. But he gently convinced me and absorbed my punches before I gave in and agreed to wait for a gas line (and a gas dryer along with a washing machine) in order to save the two grand or so it would cost to hire a private company to do the work.

Until then I'm grilling, crockpotting, and toaster ovening. Only one of those is a real word.

That's my story.
On with the tour.

Now we're in the little hallway that leads to two of our four bedrooms and the stairs.

This is our guest room. Its about 10 x 12 feet, so standard size. Remember, don't be fooled by my wide angle lens. I will probably paint this room light grey.

I promise that if you agree to come be my guest, I'll move all of Mark's tools out of there, and fluff your pillows and turn down your comforter. Warm milk upon request.

Please remember this dresser. You will see it again. It's light yellow. And it was free. I'm going to paint it a pretty color and give it new matching handles. It will be my first of many DIY projects.

Into the next room you'll find our master suite. This room is functioning as storage for now, but remember when I told you about the library? This will be it. Two giant book shelves and some curtains, maybe a small desk or a love seat. Oh the possibilities!

Our bedroom is about 12 X 12, same as the library. Our brand new king size bed fits nicely and we will be able to fit two small dressers on each side of the bed. The big black one will probably be donated to my brother because we won't need it....

...with all that closet space!!! We call this one "Eryka's closet". The library has an identical space we affectionately call "Mark's closet". Please disregard the boxes and full trash can. I'll definitely have updates once the bed is off the floor, curtains are hung, dressers are purchased and headboard is made. (Second DIY project).

Welcome to our bathroom! How often do you get to say that, anyway?

I'm on cloud nine with this bathroom. Why? First. It's HUGE. Well, to me its huge. Huge enough to lay down on the floor in official snow angel position and still not touch anything, figuratively speaking of course. *Ahem.* Second, I never thought we'd end up with two bathrooms. Third, check out that glass shower. And yes, that's a jetted tub next to it. The only thing this bathroom is missing is heated floors and a double vanity. But we're not complaining. Oh no. We've very happy with our private master bath. :-)

I know you've all seen a glass shower before. But I've never owned one. So you have to look at it twice.

And this tour guide just got a little bossy. Woops. Lemme fix that.

We'll conclude this tour with a view of the carpeted stairs that lead to bedrooms three and four. I forgot to load those photos (as well as the photo of our second bathroom, but you should know what a hallway bathroom looks like I hope) so our tour will pick up where I left off tomorrow.
Until then, please feel free to leave me comments on the home or suggestions on how to decorate or what you'd like to see in more detail! Thank you for putting up with the poor quality of light in these photos, as I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer than I already had. As we continue to decorate and make improvements to our home, I'll be sure to photograph the final results!

XOXO!

I'm sorry for saying 'I'm sorry'.

2012-08-16T11:26:00.004-07:00

If there are any readers out there still reading this little space I like to call my blog:

1) I'm sorry I've been MIA this week. New house. I hope you understand. And that I have not forgotten you.

2) I'm sorry that I'm even writing a post to say "I'm sorry". I'm not a fan of reading posts like this from other people. And I try to be careful not to apologize for my blog. I'm proud of this space, and I enjoy blogging..when I have time. Which, right now, I don't. But I am sorry to keep all of you waiting for what I'm about to promise you will be posted this weekend.

Which is.... A photo tour of my new home!

That's for you Mandy and Moriah!

So stay tuned to this weekend. :-)

Officially Homeowners

2012-08-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

We did it! We closed on the house and we are now officially homeowners.

I seriously thought this day would never come.

I promise to give you a virtual tour soon, just as soon as we get all of our belongings collected from the four different locations we've scattered ourselves amongst.

This must be what Voltomort from the Harry Potter novels felt like with his soul scattered amongst the horcruxes. Don't ask me where the scissors or the soap are. I have no idea and I might bite your head off. I can't locate my work shoes and I think all my pants are in the laundry. Of which we have no washer or dryer to wash them in yet. I'm relating to Dark Lord on a level I never thought I would.

In all seriousness, I am ridiculously happy with our new home. I walk in and just smile for a solid ten minutes before I can accomplish anything. It has that new house smell..perhaps also known as fresh paint...but it just makes me giddy with anticipation of having a home and a future and perhaps one day...children.

We celebrated with a nice bottle of champagne. Pardon the blurry. It was a one shot deal, and as you can see, Mark panicked and winced and my dream of documenting this momentous occasion was forever blurred. But you get the idea.

photo courtesy of Casey

We took posession of the keys on Friday afternoon. We worked all evening until I couldn't stand anymore and then we passed out to rest before Running For Our Lives. A full recap soon. But that took the majority of Saturday and involved 90+ degree temps, which I know is not very hot for most of my non-washingtonian readers, but it is swealtering for Seattle, and dangerous when you're running a race and not adapted to that kind of heat. Thankfully our whole team of runners did not die of dehydration and only died of zombie attacks.

Sunday was momentous for me. My fridge arrived and it may as well have been Christmas. I adore my new fridge and you can probably find me most evenings with the doors wide open and smiling like a love struck teenager gazing at a Justin Beiber poster.

Mark did pry me away from my fridge baby on Sunday evening for a Sounders Game. WOOT! It was a much needed break and a blessing in disguise, despite the 90 degree heat and the large sweaty man I had to sit next to. Not comfortable. His knee kept venturing into my leg space. But the Sounders Won against David Beckham and his Galaxy team 4-0. So I guess that's good. And time with the hubby is always good.

Lots of fireworks every time Seattle scored.

I think I need to take a sick day and just sleep. After that weekend I'm exhausted. But with our to-do list a mile long, I don't see sleep being a priority anytime soon. Call me if you want to come over and organize. Or if you want to help us move out of our storage unit on Saturday. Otherwise, come by anytime in the evenings to see the place and we'll be glad to give you a tour in person!

XOXO!

Wine Rocks Seattle 2012 & Party Hats

2012-07-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I had the privilege to attend Wine Rocks Seattle 2012. I had scored some free tickets from Keridwyn's giveaway at SeattlePockets.com and was super thrilled to be spending my Wednesday evening with a wine glass in hand and great music.

This blurb explains it beautifully, taken from the Wine Rocks Seattle Website:

Wine Rocks is an annual not-for-profit event that gets out of the traditional "wine setting" and pairs wine with music and food, creating a unique and fun wine experience. Throughout the evening select Washington winemakers share their passion for both wine and music.

That pretty much sums it up! We were in a sort of warehouse-y setting down on the waterfront where the doors opened up to a private patio. The band stage greeted you with lively music and wineries were tucked into every corner eager to pour you a taste.

There were also three food trucks available to purchase food from, and boy did we ever! I chose the Marination Truck for their fun Hawaiian Korean take on Mexican food. I know. It's as unbelievable as it sounds. That tasty picture above was the Kimchi and Kalua Pork Quessadillas. I also sampled each of the tacos, and all were heavenly battles of amazing in my mouth.

If you live in Seattle, track them down and GO EAT THERE NOW.

Two breweries were guests at the event too, and Mark LOVED those. He loves beer, so his love for the breweries went without question. And he loved them so much so that we went back for seconds at Red Hook Brewery and they kindly gave us half glasses of our favs.

I told Mark that even though we were enjoying copious amounts of wine and beer (don't worry--we had a good DD) I still needed to visit the dessert truck and that I would have to force him into splitting a homemade ice cream sandwich with me. And of course it would be my choice, which was the chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies and vanilla ice cream. He agreed, which is good because I needed this to survive, people. Saying "no" was out of the question for him.

He's a good husband.

and now for an awkward transition.....

You're probably looking below and wondering, what the...?

A few days later I twisted a friend's arm into hosting a birthday party for three friends that turned another year older all in the same week. Sadly I only snapped one photo and a video of this life defining moment.

David (on the right) turned 30 years old that weekend! He didn't want a big deal birthday, but I think 30 is a big deal, and so since this is my blog, I'm giving everyone party hats and mustaches for it. And just a tad of public humiliation. I hope they don't mind.

I've been up to a whole lot more, and I'm taking pictures, but I haven't had much time to sit down and tell you all about it! I love summer and all the fun extracurriculars that come with it. Stay tuned for a trip (pun intended!) into Photosythesis Festival, a kombucha truck with kombucha on tap, and sushi on a conveyor belt. How's that for a teaser?

XOXO!

Will You Survive?

2012-07-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

You thought being chased by zombies was only for Halloween?

I may have forgotten to mention that I'm doing this.

In less than a month, run for your LIVES!

10 Summer Days

2012-07-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was beautiful outside.
It was the quintessential day of all summer days. Ever.

Bright blue sky, a gentle cool breeze off the water, zero humidity, every flower in full bloom, the sun providing enough warmth to keep you comfortable and sun-kissed in a tank top and shorts without breaking a sweat, yet if you do decide to climb a giant Seattle hill for entertainment, the shade provides the perfect spot to recover, cool down, and restore your body temperature.

Hit repeat for ten more days and there's our future forecast. Rain is nowhere to be seen.

Seattle Summer really does arrive July 5th.

And this weather has me thinking in short lists because I can't wait to get back out and enjoy the sun! So here are ten things we've been up to since Seattle summer started.

1) A Surprise Massage
After two long weeks of evenings packing and moving our belongings to a storage unit, we were beat. Saturday, Mark surprised me with a 1 hour massage at a local spot in West Seattle. He arranged everything, down to having my Starbucks drink ready for me when the massage was over. He's a good man. And the best part? Insurance pays for most of it. SCORE.

2) Pirates Landing
Last year we volunteered our time to work at the Hi-Yu Summer Festival promotional table at Pirate's Landing where the pirates traditionally take over the city of Seattle each summer. We had such a blast watching the pirates land on shore at Alki that we had to volunteer again this year, and it definitely did not disappoint.

We spent most of the day selling water and buttons and watching the crazy come out in Seattle.

SO MANY PIRATES.

There was a costume contest, a live band, lots of yummy food, and, get this--pole vaulting. It appeared to be athletes from the local high school competing on the beach and it drew quite a crowd.

I nabbed a few handfuls of free LARBARs. I love the sample size because they are only 100 calories. Which is better than the normal 220 calories in a full size one. Even though they are all natural and made from simple ingredients, they are still full of sugar and fat. Bite size helps with portion control.

4) Interior Decorating
I found a new-to-me website that I'm in love with. Houzz.com is a home design website and I've been scrolling through thousands of pictures and adding my favorites to my ideabook (think boards in Pinterest) and saving them to show Mark later. You can also pin them to Pinterest, and I may do that eventually. Seriously though, this website has been such a godsend because I did not inherit the color and design gene from my mother and I really struggle to know what looks good, what's trendy, what's classic, and what I actually like.

5) Chasing Ferries
Well, not really. But Lincoln Park is just across the street from the house we're currently living at, and I've been taking full advantage of the nature trails and waterfront running path.

6) Riding Ferries
Mom is watching our cats for the month of transition and we had an emergency situation pop up on Friday that prompted us to head straight to her house after work. Mark had already pulled a long day and took the 45 minute ride as an opportunity to lay down and close his eyes. I love riding the ferry, even after all these years. It's just so...Seattle.

7) Searching for Cats
That emergency was that my mom accidentally lost Achilles, our male cat! She actually lost him on the 4th of July but neglected to tell us he was missing for nearly two days!! We had a little ~~heated~~ discussion about that one, and its safe to say we are all on the same babysitting terms right now. But the best news is that once we arrived we headed to her back yard and started hollering his name in the voice he knows, and within my first holler, I heard him echo back from deep in the blackberry bushes. I continued to call his name, and he continued to call out to me. His voice became louder and louder and finally he emerged!!! We we seriously so relieved and thankful that he was not only in one piece, but he didn't have a scratch on him. There are some big raccoons and coyotes out in her neck of the woods! But God protected even him for two whole nights.

8) Eating mainly while at work
I'm a lover of all things kitchen, but sharing a house that is not ours has left me not having quite as much cupboard and fridge space as I'm used to in the kitchen. So Mark and I both moved our breakfast, snack and lunch foods over to the fridges at our work offices at the beginning of each week and we've been able to adapt to the shared kitchen for just dinners in the house. We weren't asked to do this, but doing so has turned out to be a great idea. And anyway, it's only a few weeks until we move into our new place and this seemed like the most logical plan for us at this time.

9) Urban Hike
Today Mark and I set out to enjoy the gorgeous weather I mentioned above and did a five mile stroll (2.5 one way) to our new house and investigated the yard a bit more. I think we decided where we want the garden and chicken coop to go. We're just a few steps ahead of ourselves but its so FUN to plan our new home! We sat on the front steps for a while, anxiously chatting about the things we want to do to the yard before heading back to our current home. I love dreaming with him.

10) Last, but not least, we slept.
We did a whole BUNCH of sleeping. I could probably sleep all day if I had black out curtains. I honestly look forward to bedtime and I'm quite a stickler about getting to bed at a decent hour. Clearly I'm no longer 21.

A busy weekend warrants extra sleep. I think I'm recharged enough to get back to work this upcoming week, and it will be a busy one!

I hope you found some rest and fun too!

What was the best part of your weekend?

XOXO!

Sneak Peak at our New Home

2012-07-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

Well, some say summer is half over. And those of you with your 100+ degree temps probably feel it.

Seattleites say summer doesn't really begin until July 5th because of the weather. It's a high of 63 degrees today. But after tomorrow, temps are predicted to reach into the high 70s! ~Heat wave~ It's these next three months that get all Seattleites through the dreary drizzly winters and the sunglasses and sundresses come out in full force.

Either way you look at it, tomorrow is the Fourth of July. And it should be celebrated with friends or loved ones, possibly with a ice cold beverage, a comfy lawn chair, and a few fire works. I'm still working out the details on how I'm going to make that happen. Weather being the biggest hurdle.

We recently moved in with some friends, and we're adjusting better than expected. It feels a bit like summer camp. There are friendly faces in the house all the time, food is often communal, as is the entertainment, and we carry our towel, clothes, and soaps to the bathroom with us each time we shower. But don't get the wrong idea. Our stay with these friends, albeit we're only three days into this arrangement, has been exceptionally great. And I'm so thankful for their hospitality and generosity. I hope I can strive to be just as generous with our new home.

This little was trying to help me clean the cupboard.

Packing and moving took a whole week of evenings after long days at work. We bought one 5x10 storage unit, filled it up Tetris style utilizing every nook and cranny, then panicked because we still had a LOT of stuff to move, and broke down and rented a second storage unit of equal size. By the time we were moved the second storage unit was packed to the brim too and some of the overflow ended up in the backyard of our of our house hosts.

But we're officially all moved out of our little beach rental house and eagerly awaiting our new home that will hopefully be ours on August 3rd.

Not a bad house really? (sorry for the low quality photo.) The yard just needs some landscaping, a garage (in the future) and a vegetable garden bursting with fresh produce. Once we have the keys, I promise to give you an inside tour!

And in good news, the house passed inspection. YAY! We were able to negotiate the price down a little bit more for the few things that the owner/remodeler forgot to do, like install heat in the master bath and the lack of a dryer vent. Last night we met with the finance guy to sign a bunch of papers for getting our mortgage. I'm not sure what all I signed, but I do know that the rates are good. REAL good. We're hoping to score a 3.5%.

And next on my list, I'm going to do a bit of summer reading and learning. Now if the sun would come out for tomorrow, that would be splendid.

Happy Fourth of July!

XOXO!

Packing and Moving Part I

2012-06-25T16:08:00.002-07:00

Totally upside-down.

That is what life feels like right now.

Our rental house is three fourths of the way packed, but we're moving slowly, one evening at a time, so I kept a few things unpacked to make dinner. You know, the can opener, one pot, a stirring spoon. Measuring cups.

Silly me, I volunteered to bake the gluten free cake for my brother's birthday on Wednesday.

It will also include duck eggs so I can have some of it.

Each room in the house is 70% packed. Except depending on how you look at it, the bedroom is 80% packed or 20% packed. All my clothes are out of the dressers, and packed in suitcases. Suitcases thare are open and I'm digging through them to find what I need to wear each day. The laundry hamper may still fill up before we move. There are no more throw pillows on the bed.

Having 70% of my things in storage leaves me feeling disconnected. You might remember that we're moving in with friends until we purchase a house. It's like I'm going on a vacation that has no definite end or destination? How do you pack for that? It might be cold (it's Seattle). It could get hot (It will be July...maybe August). I might need a winter coat (no defined end date to living with friends-could be November). We may go camping (gotta enjoy the summer!) I will want my VitaMix (can't live longer than a week without it.) Should I bring my pizza stone (or is that ridiculous?)

But in good news, despite all the frustrations of moving and feeling totally disconnected from my comfort-seeking self, we put an offer on a house on Saturday and are in the middle of negotiations today. There's a lot of exciting stuff to say about this place, but since it isn't ours (yet) and to keep myself from falling in love with it even more than I should (because I already have!) I'll just leave you with a few pictures of dreams that this place will fulfill.

Source

A spontaneous solstice.

2012-06-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

The longest day of the year came and went.

In Seattle the sun was up before 5 a.m. and didn't disappear until after 9:45 p.m.

with light still visible after 10.

We decided to spontaneously change our plans and spend the evening with our friend on his boat.

We boarded around 6:30 and then zoomed past our neighborhood (we live behind those red roofed houses--

say hello to the Mt. Rainer!).

And settled somewhere behind Blake Island in calmer water for a little BBQ.

A boat BBQ!

There was my favorite beer.

And later some company from our friend, the seal.

And we toured the downtown waterfront before heading back home.

We live in a truly beautiful city and despite complaining about the rain from time to time, when the sun comes out all that rain seems worth the wait.

Happy Solstice!

Summer is officially here, even if it doesn't feel like summer until July 5th.