New and Old

Tonight I was flipping through the Anthropologie catalog and came across these plates. I knew I had seen them somewhere and then it struck me - the pattern was nearly identical to my great (great?) grandmother's china from Norway. (Minus the odd dip-dye effect.) Years ago, my Grandpa Pete sent me home with one of her plates and I've had it proudly displayed since - you can even see where I have it now.

My plate could conceivably be 70+ years old and now you can find something similar at a store near you. Makes you really think about how cyclical design and fashion can be. Let's just cross our fingers that 1970's kitchens come back in style because let me tell you, our kitchen would be breathtaking. (Currently, it's breathtaking in a whole different way!)

The china is even stamped with the town our Norweigian family was from: Egersund!

A Fall Outing

In honor of Kimbie's visit to Seattle, we had to plan a little Fall outing - so we opted to jump on a ferry to Bainbridge Island to have a kick-back lunch and aimlessly stroll the downtown. It's becoming a tradition and if you know us well, we love our traditions. (Our first year and second year to Bainbridge!) It's really just a good excuse to escape the city, catch up and enjoy each other's company and that's exactly what we did. 

P.S. The "Move Home" Campaign is not doing so well...

Unstoppable

You may have seen the Love Story in 22 Pictures, but now there's a video. Holy moly, it's a tear-jerker. If this doesn't make you 1) believe in true love and 2) want to get our troops out of Afghanistan ASAP, I don't know what will. 

Pumpkin Patchin'

Even if our pumpkin patch adventure was a little chillier than years past, it still hit the spot. I mean, seriously, can it get much better than searching for the ugliest pumpkin for Matt, sloshing through the muddy fields, drinking apple cider and group photo opps? Actually it did get better - we went to Erin's house for warm tomato bisque, grilled cheese and salad, jalepeno popper dip and homemade caramel apples. This tradition just keeps getting better and better.

I know, we're mature; we found a pumpkin with a butt crack.

Because what's a pumpkin patch outing without a jumping shot?

My caramel apple looks like a 4-year-old did it. Mad skillz.

Gettin' Festive

It's pretty festive around our neighborhood - pumpkins, blow-up ghosts, lights and more! At our house, we have a couple pumpkins on our doorstep (Mom and I carved the one above - it took soooo long!), a decorative Halloween sign and a pumpkin on the dining room table. All of which are compliments of the Halloween Queen, the Kobester. You see, when you work at a school that goes bonkers about Halloween - parade and all - you really do embrace the holiday. She's even throwing her own Halloween party, complete with Monster Mash (mashed potatoes), black cocktails and dry ice. I can't wait to see pictures.

But I must admit, my neighbors are giving my Mom a run for her money for Halloween spirit. Look at their house!

P.S. Remember these Halloween decorations? Totally forgot about this idea until just now. Next year :)

Bond, James Bond.

I would love to be able to do this. My inner-007 is just itching to army crawl, leap and somersault through these obstacles.

Well played, Coke and 007. Well played.

Bastille

I rarely go out to eat anymore - we get the occasional happy hour, pho or thai, but nothing too fancy. Much to my delight, Liz and Maddie decided that a girl's night for Seattle Restaurant Week was in order. The restaurant of choice? Bastille, a cute little French spot in downtown Ballard that has intrigued me for years. Why I didn't get here sooner, I don't know. It's delicious. Their gnocchi is in the top five pasta dishes I've ever had. And trust me, I've had A LOT of pasta. I've been told their brunch is phenomenal, so I guess I have a good excuse to go back :)

happy list

Bring out the boots, scarves and sweaters, it's officially Fall. With the sun setting just after I leave work, it's time to think on the bright side (because waiting until March for some decent sunlight is a little disheartening!) and share a little Fall-inspired Happy List. With that, here are a few things that are putting a smile on my face lately:

1. My new down comforter. Sooo cozy and warm. (Thanks for the birthday present, Mom and Dad!)
2. Tisdale Pinot Noir. Best $3 bottle of wine I've ever tasted.
3. Layering clothes - sweaters, long-sleeve shirts, scarves and more.
4. Pumpkin beer
5. Soup season. In fact, I just made this hearty soup last week. Yummm.
6. Sunset happy hours with great friends, overlooking the Puget Sound (above pic!)
7. Cuddling up on the couch with my pumpkin
8. My official lap warmers
9. A reinstated Holiday Work Party tradition in DC. Wahoo!
10. Our upcoming annual pumpkin patch trip

What makes you happy this Fall?

Fancy Dinner

Maddie had a few people over for what she called "fancy dinner." She wasn't lying. It was FANNNN-cy. It was last meal good. It was 'I'm-going-to-fit-as-much-in-even-if-it-hurts' good. If she entered this into a cooking reality show competition, she'd win, hands down. Do you get where I'm going here?

The meal: Top sirloin steak cooked to perfection, homemade pumpkin ravioli with walnut cream sauce (I wanted to dip everything in that sauce!) and some kind of broccoli, cauliflower, bacon and goat cheese deliciousness. Top that off with a white wine sangria - pinot grigio with Julienne apples soaked overnight with a splash of prosecco. Seriously, we were all in heaven.

Makes me think - what would I make for a fancy dinner? Gnocchi with chicken? Crab cakes? Wild boar bolognese? What would you make?

I covet

A couple years ago, I fell in love with this map of the world. Turns out, the same people have created a Seattle neighborhood map. It's like the Ork City maps that I see everywhere, but a little more unique and it uses some of my favorite colors.

What do you think - do you like this version or the other version better? I know I have a favorite.

P.S. I got the Portland map for my sister for Christmas a couple years ago.

Goose and Fifi, again.

If you could see my photo roll on my phone, you'd question my sanity. Over the weekend, I took 28 pictures. Guess how many were of kitties? 21. I've crossed over into crazy cat lady territory, but you know what? I'm ok with that. 

These little furballs are adorable. They make me excited to come home from work each and every day. (To be fair, I'm also excited to see this dude.) They jump for joy (literally) when we come home too. After they get some energy out, they turn into little cuddle bugs - either with us or with each other. Sometimes on the couch, sometimes in a box. They just like to cuddle. If all of this makes me a crazy cat lady, I'll take it.

The final year of my 20's

Let's take a vote: Am I giving a peace sign? Or am I two going on three, but my third finger doesn't want to cooperate? Either way, I'm rockin' some amazing floral overalls. And those ribbon-tied pigtails? So fashion-forward at such a young age.

As I start the final trip around the sun of my 20's, I can't help but get excited about what's ahead. While I only have crossed off seven things on my 30 Before Thirty list, I'm so happy with where I am in life. I have such supportive and loving family and friends. I have the man of my dreams. A lovely roof over our heads. A great career of doing good in the world. Aside from winning the lottery, I really couldn't ask for anything more.

So here's to the great adventures that 29 will bring! And perhaps crossing a few more things off the list? (Oh lordy, that would mean a marathon AND triathlon this year. Ladies?)

P.S. This picture makes me want to get bangs and make a bundt cake. (This was the traditional birthday cake my Mom made growing up - it even had creme filling! It tasted like a homemade Hostess cupcake with cherries on top, but 10x better. My favorite.)

P.P.S. Grandma, keep the old pictures coming! I love them.

Mazel Tov, Jessie and Pete!

There are few things more fun than a friend's wedding. Adding a winery to the equation and a few lively Jewish traditions - like the Hora and lifting the bride and groom on chairs - well, that's when things get even more fun. 

Jessie's creativity brought the wedding to the next level - every little decoration and detail was perfectly planned - the cake display, candy bar, flowers, bunting, table runners and even the late-night root beer floats! All of it, just perfect.

But the real show stopper was the bride, herself. Her simple, yet elegant dress (with a gorgeous sheer back!) certainly made her glow. Simply stunning.

Congratulations, Pete and Jessie!

The ceremony took part on top of a hill, overlooking a valley of vineyards.

The cake display was adorbs.

My hot date. (And my hot tan line, still from Hawaii)

  

Carol and I had a blast catching up and enjoying the festivities. (Plus, Nick and Joe had the chance to get to know each other more!) But we weren't able to snag a picture of us with the bride!

Excuse the poor lighting, but the bride and I made a few attempts of getting a good picture. I sort of love this "outake."

Despite the darkness, I'd say it's still a cute picture of the two of us :)

Silence Whooping Cough

If you didn't already see on Facebook, my latest campaign - Silence Whooping Cough - recently launched. It's been a BLAST to work on and it's always rewarding to put together something that can really make an impact in the community.

If you're not aware, whooping cough is running rampant through Washington and other states. While adults may experience milder symptoms (and might not even know they have it!), they can easily spread it to babies - who can experience very serious complications.

So if you're planning on being around a baby (or small child, for that matter), please consider getting the Tdap vaccine. Just think of it as a two-for-one - you're protecting yourself and the little adorable bundles of joy you're around. (The cheat sheet chart above explains the difference between the vaccines available for whooping cough)

Ok, that's my Public Service Announcement of the day. Thank you for stickin' with me.

Now, if you could be so kind and check out the website, then send it to friends and family, I would be extremely appreciative.

The Palm Springs of Washington

This weekend we made the journey over to the Palm Springs of Washington - Yakima. (Seriously, that's what they call themselves!) We were going to celebrate Jessie and Pete as they became hubby and wife, so thought we'd take the opportunity to go a night early, so we could have a little extra time to relax and explore the bustling metropolis.

On Saturday, we took our time to get up and get ready (which felt so luxurious!) and then hit up a few wine tasting rooms - Gilbert Cellars, which had the most amazing Grenache. And Treveri Cellars, which has mastered the bubbly - they even a delicious sparkling syrah. I'm already regretting not picking up a bottle. In between, we took a little lunch break at a hoppin' local pizzeria. An afternoon well-spent.

We eventually made it back to our hotel to get ready for an evening of fun - details to come, but I will tell you this: you would have never known this was a DIY wedding - gorgeous!