Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest I feel most alive surrounded by trees and breathing in the fresh mountain air.
When I am not working you will most likely find me spending time outdoors, volunteering with my church and exploring this beautiful planet with my family.
This is my place to share my passion for life and to encourage you to take time to find the extraordinary in your life.
If Seattle had one spokesperson, it should be Terry Divyak, the owner of Shutter Tours. From the moment he greets you at Pike Place Market until the moment he drops you off he is high energy, full of interesting information and completely thrilled to be showing you around Seattle.
I really cannot say enough good things about visiting Paris in the spring time. We were fortunate to have spectacular weather throughout our entire stay. We relished every moment we were able to sit in the sunshine admiring all the lovely flowers and people watching. I especially enjoyed how this trip turned into a baby moon of sorts. Walking hand in hand exploring the city made me reminisce on the wonderful thirteen years we have had together. I wouldn't trade our time together for anything in the world. Sure, sometimes we disagree and get on each other's nerves, but we have learned a lot from each other and I like to think we are better together than apart.
This past week I was fortunate to attend Seattle Bloggers Unite inaugural field trip. For our first field trip we spent an enjoyable, informative and delicious evening at Trophy Cupcakes with owner, Jennifer Shea. Jennifer took us through the process of how to make the perfect buttercream, how to hand frost, use piping bags and create that signature Trophy swirl. Like most creative endeavors, between practice and perseverance she was able to make things look easy to us onlookers. We were impressed with the ease in which Jennifer was able to frost, chat and look so stylish. Jennifer has that rare combination of beauty, brains, talent and style. Any woman who's motto is "Make Everyday a Party" is a woman after my own heart!
Ever since I saw a positive on my pregnancy test we have been in baby mode over here. I know for many "nesting" does not occur until much later in the pregnancy, but for me it is quite instantaneous. Last time, I had clothing hung on hangers, the sheets washed, the crib set up and made, and the baby quilt finished. By week 27 I was pretty much just waiting on our baby to arrive. I was prepared or as prepared as I thought I could be.
Keukenhof is like Disneyland for flower lovers. It is the annual place growers get to showcase their best and brightest for the coming year. After a couple hours perusing the different displays I kept thinking about how I did not need to be taking so many photographs of flowers, but in the end it was too beautiful not to capture.
I have been looking for the perfect camera bag for quite sometime. I wanted something stylish, versatile and yet something which did not scream camera bag when you saw it. When I ran across ONA camera bags I knew these were the type of bags I had been looking for. We were in the process of planning our trip to Europe and I knew it would be the perfect time to break in our new Brixton Camera bag. The Brixton camera bag is quite large and is able to hold: my camera, extra lens, iPad or small laptop, wallet/clutch and all my other camera paraphernalia (ie. charger, extra batteries, etc.) The Brixton is the perfect size to take on a photo shoot or for carrying a full day of equipment.
All this gorgeous weather last week has put me in Summer mode and dreaming of all the fun things I want to either do again or try for the first time this Summer.
Upon recommendation from a friend we booked a tour through Vayable with Anne Ditmeyer for our first full day in Paris. I liked the idea of a tour because it had been long time since I had been to Paris and this was going to be Cameron's first visit. Upon meeting Anne at our hotel I instantly knew we were going to have a good day. She was easy to talk to, full of energy and a wealth of information. She easily customized our tour to include the areas and sights which would be of most interest to us. One of my favorite take aways from our tour was the handful of photographs she snapped of us during our time together.
There is a certain mystic or love affair people have with Paris. While we were visiting a couple weeks ago I asked Cameron if he thought Paris was romantic. His reply, "It is just as romantic as Seattle" Ha! So for all you lovebirds dreaming of a rendezvous in Paris, come visit Seattle. As a wise man recently told me it is more about who you are with than where you are.
Reykjavik is one of those charming little cities I wish I could fold up and put in my pocket. I would love to be able to pull it out and transport myself there whenever I am feeling blue. Although two thirds of the Icelandic population live in Reykjavik it has never felt busy or frantic like other cities we have visited. Reykjavik is a very walkable city full of interesting things to stop and take a look at. I am drawn to the rows of brightly colored buildings and I have found so many amazing places to shop while I am there.
Amsterdam is such a delightful city, but we knew we wanted to spend some time out in the country while we were in the Netherlands. We had timed our trip just perfectly so we were able to see all the tulips in bloom, but I also had been dreaming about visiting a Dutch windmill. Windmills are the most famous Dutch icon and I was eager to see them in person.
On our day trip to the countryside we were able to explore a working windmill. This particular windmill was crushing pigments to make paint while another one nearby was grinding spices. Standing on the deck of a windmill is something everyone should experience once in their life.
Even though our stop over to Iceland was brief, we were still able to enjoy beautiful scenery, open roads and all four seasons in two days. Oh how I love Iceland, the combination of a subtle color palette, wide open spaces and the dynamic, unpredictable weather. Iceland will always be the place of my dreams.
We just returned from a two week adventure in Iceland, Amsterdam and Paris. Although I found each place to be uniquely exciting and different, hands down Amsterdam won for the most charming city. Everywhere I turned it was so delightful I found myself constantly taking photographs. I desperately wanted to document all the adorable homes, bridges and canals we were witnessing. Between the whizzing bicycles, cobblestones streets and endless canals I found Amsterdam to be different than any other place I have visited before.
Over the years, I have been fortunate to stay at some pretty splendid hotels, but the ION Luxury Adventure Hotel has definitely made its way among my top ten favorite hotels of all time. When looking for a hotel to stay at while on vacation I typically select it based upon three criteria: location, design and uniqueness.
There is exciting news and then there is scream-it-from-the-rooftops-call-everyone-you-know type of news. We are happy to announce we will be adding our second child to our family in October. My heart is so full right now I could burst!
Almost fourteen years ago I backpacked through Europe. I went with my friend for a month and during that time we managed to visit France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. In my whirlwind adventure I fell in love with the world, traveling and all it had to offer. In my opinion, travel begets travel which means that trip forever left me altered. Once you take the initial leap to pack your bag, criss cross time zones and learn to navigate in a foreign country you learn how little you need and how much you have to offer the world.
Hello again!
I must apologize for the silence this past week on the blog. We just returned from a two week trip around Europe. Preparing for a trip is a time consuming endeavor. Between making certain all my plants were watered, the refrigerator was emptied and trying to tie up loose ends this blog ended up being neglected. But I am back, reenergized (despite jet lag) and ready to share with you all the many places we went, experiences we had and of course many, many photos. Over the past two weeks we have spent time in Iceland, Amsterdam and Paris. Each place was so unique and our time there will have a special place in my heart.
Sometimes you cannot plan everything perfectly, so this year we went to the La Conner Tulip Festival a little early. We knew all the tulips would not be in bloom yet, but we had a free Saturday and made a day of it. Regardless of whether the tulips are fully in bloom or not it is a beautiful place and a great day trip.
If you head there in the next week or two you should be able to enjoy fields and fields of tulips.
Over the past month I have been experiencing a period I like to call my "blue period". Picasso had a blue period, so maybe I am channeling my inner artist. This might not seem noteworthy, but I am typically a girl who is drawn to coral, pinks, and reds. From what I wear to the fabrics I have chosen for my upcoming quilt, time and time again over the past month I seem to be drawn to blues. Chambray, denim, navy, pinstripe, I have been having fun with this tonal selection of hues.
All it takes is one seventy degree day and I start dreaming of the beach. Growing up in Washington, I am very accustom to cold, stormy and rocky beaches. Warm, soft sand beaches are actually something of a novelty around here. The things I love most about the beach don't involve bathing suits or sunscreen, rather I always find the beaches around here to be a calm, remote, and reflective places. When I am at the beach I love to explore tide pools, have a bonfire, spend the evening watching the sun dip below the horizon, and pitching our tent directly on the beach.
