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.
This year, on the Summer solstice we were in Utah celebrating the wedding of Cameron's cousin. I can think of no better way to kick start Summer then by attending an outdoor wedding reception. The evening was a quintessential Summer soiree, including warm weather, a festive atmosphere and relaxed environment. A color palette of whites and green dotted the backyard where there was enough food and entertainment to keep even the most discerning guest happy.
Almost two years to the date we held a gender reveal for when we were pregnant with our first child, Asher. My parents at the time only had granddaughters, so the announcement of the first grandson was really a reason to celebrate. As simple and last minute as the party was it has remained one of our favorite parties we have ever hosted.
With Summer in full swing I have been itching to get out and go hiking on a more regular basis. As our schedule has settled down and my baby bump continues to grow larger, we plan to spend the majority of the next several months in Seattle. For those of you who are itching to do a little Summer hiking here are a few of my all time favorite places to go hiking:
This Spring we had the opportunity to visit the wonderful city of Amsterdam. I instantly feel in love with its charm, like something out of a fairytale. I enjoyed taking a boat through it many waterways, walking over its many bridges, looking out as a pedestrian for its many bicycles and photographing its unique buildings. One of the things I really loved about Amsterdam was it fantastic shopping.
Time has flown by, we have not been home very many weekends these past few months. We just returned from a whirlwind trip to Utah this past weekend. At the last minute, we decided to drive there for Cameron's cousin's wedding. Despite our lack of planning or time we decided we would just make it work. The weather was gorgeous, the wedding was flawless and it left me wanting to get married all over again.
Every year in celebration of our anniversary we have dinner at Ray's boathouse. Ray's is a special place to us because this is where we had our wedding reception. Adjacent to the restaurant is a private building which can be rented out for events. It is nice to have such a scenic and special place to return to year after year. After a cloudy day the skies momentarily parted and we were able to enjoy dinner outside on the deck.
For our anniversary I usually try to make a delicious and visually appealing cake. Several years ago, in lieu of gift giving, we decided to spend our money on things we could enjoy together (ie. eating out at a fancy restaurant, going away for the weekend, attending a musical or a concert etc.) Making this cake has turned into a small token of my love on our special day.
Cameron and I are happy to be celebrating our nine year anniversary today. I am grateful for the decision we made to consciously invest in each other on a daily basis. Through good times and bad, it is nice to have a soft place to fall at the end of each day. I make no qualms about it, he is my better half.
We love to go on weekend getaways, but when we have reason to celebrate it is even more fun. With Father's Day, our anniversary, and just having found out the gender of baby #2 within a few days of each other there was a lot to celebrate. There is something inherently relaxing about being at the beach, it is not a fast paced environment. Our weekend to do list consisted of tide pool exploring, beach combing, finding a good ice cream place, and getting plenty of fresh air.
Moments after loosing our son my husband and I embraced. In a rare moment of strength I assured him everything was going to be okay, that we were going to be okay. Admittedly, deep down I was worried, we were entering the unknown. The only thing I knew for sure in that moment was of our love and that it could withstand the greatest heartache. I remember seeing the pain in his eyes and how I wanted to make it all go away. In the coming weeks and months our roles reversed. Often I would burst into tears and repeatedly say "All I want is our son back. I miss him so much it hurts." He would loving say, "I know, so do" and he would hold me all the tighter.
Growing up we spent many a Summer day picking strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. Aside from berry picking making me nostalgic for my childhood, I love to have access to loads of fresh fruit on a daily basis. I think if I could only eat one food the rest of my life, it just might be some type of berry.
The idea of community has been on my mind lately. The lengths some will go to create a sense of community, the inherent need others have to be part of a community and those who fight against anything recognizable to a community. Once we moved into a home I automatically assumed we would become part of a neighborhood community, but over the past couple of years I have realized just how autonomous everyone around us is. While other streets host neighborhood block parties, it would be shocking if everyone knew each others names.
Summer really takes the cake here in Seattle. The weather is great, we spend a majority of our spare time outdoors, the days are long and the beauty is unparalleled.
Here are some of the things I am looking most forward to doing this Summer:
A recent trend in the world of pregnancy is to host a gender reveal party. With our first child we hosted one and so it only seems fair to host another one for our second child. If we have realized anything over the past couple of years, it is that life can take some unexpected twists and turns. When life is good it should be celebrated, which is reason enough for me to have a party.
We try to maintain a schedule around here: Saturdays are for fun and Sundays are for church, rest and spending time with family. We crave this routine, because there are so many other days during the week to run errands, mow the lawn and do the laundry. Although there is always something more productive we could be doing then hiking or enjoying our lunch lakeside, investing in our relationship by spending time together will always be a top priority.
Awhile ago, I mentioned my super talented friend was helping me out with a little sewing project. A week ago I received the finished product in the mail and I could not be more pleased with the results. I saw these charming whales in my local fabric store window and from the moment I saw them I knew I wanted to make one of my very own.
The hiking trail at Snoqualmie Falls finally reopened (a month ago) after having been closed (far too long) for renovations. One sunny afternoon last week, we decided to hike down the newly remodeled trail, only to find out not much has changed.
A couple weeks ago we bought a new tent. As such, it only seemed fitting to take it on its first camping trip. Overall, we were pretty pleased with its performance. On our short camping trip we experienced sun, clouds, rain and lightning all the while staying safe and dry inside our tent. My husband is so tall, he likes a nice long tent he can stretch out in. For the first time we have a tent with two doors, one on each side. I look forward to not being disrupted anytime the other person needs to go to the bathroom in the night.
A popular trend right now seems to be not finding out the gender of your baby. As fun as this might be for parents, it can make gift giving a little tricky. I have pulled together some of my favorite gifts whether the expectant parents have a girl or a boy.
