From us to you....wishing you a merry, merry Christmas and that you are surrounded by those that you love during this special time of year. XOXO

A Tradition in the Making...

Auntie, Katey, and {a nearly foiled trip from} mom... (crazy winter weather!)

Downtown...

City lights...

Shopping...

Dinner...

Night at the Sheraton...

and........The Rockette's!!!!!


What a perfectly Christmasy, lovely, special event...

Party, Party, Party!

Hard to believe that our Christmas party last weekend was our 9th Annual! celebration. The girls and I started this tradition back our senior year college and the party has continued each year in some form since then.
Thanks to Miss Jamie of All Trades for all her work in planning this year's celebration!


The two preggers of the party!



The next morning was another of our annual traditions...Girl's Gift Exchange! This year we gathered at Ruthie's new adorable house. We've changed the theme up from year to year, but this year was accessories! Everyone walked away with the cutest things.



I love our special traditions girls--you are all the best!

Hey Santa!!

Last weekend while I was volunteering at the annual Holiday Party at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance for patients and families, one of my volunteer friends asked if I wanted to get my picture taken with Santa. Why not right?! You are never too old to sit with Santa and make some Christmas wishes!!

Holiday Surprises

This year's Annuity Source Christmas party was filled with surprise after surprise! Every year our party is amazing and wonderful, but this year my boss wanted to keep it a secret as to what we were doing exactly.

She got us all rooms at the Hyatt in downtown Bellevue, and at 5:00 p.m. we checked in to get our first "clue"...these holiday rhymes/clues led us to each new location. There were drinks, appetizers, bowling, dinner at the new John Howie steak house...and probably the biggest surprise of all, an impromptu shopping trip to Nordstrom to pick out a piece of David Yurman jewlery!


Needless to say, we were pretty shocked and excited gals...kind of felt like I was in a movie! Lucky, lucky girls.




The gals I spend my days with! Yep, we're all pretty tan...

We ended the night with our traditional ornament exchange...and if you've been a part of this exchange you know it gets quite competitive. I walked away with cutie I had my eye on all night-- a cupcake in a cake stand ornament!


Hope everyone had a festive Merry weekend!

Not to toot our own horn...

But I'm going to anyways!

An excerpt from a review given of our OSSCS Messiah concert this past Sunday:

"Though the soloists play an exciting, glamorous, and integral part in every Messiah performance, the true stars of Sunday’s Messiah were the Seattle Chamber Singers, who served as the musical and inspirational backbone of the production. This enthusiastic choir, celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, delivered rousing performances throughout the concert, whether echoing the sentiments of a soloist or establishing a new mood. It was evident from the singers’ joyful expressions that the annual Messiah tradition is a labor of pride and love...

Shangrow’s vast experience and deep knowledge of the Messiah was delightful to behold. Each verse came alive in a different way, yet an overarching vision for the work was sustained."

And don't worry if you missed it this year...it's an annual tradition!

This weekend...

-made and enjoyed one of my favorite Christmas treats...Chex Mix!

-got my hair highlighted at an Aveda salon where they use 97% natural ingrediants in their hair color...PLUS a free hand massage and head/neck massage!

-gobbled up these delicious treats Jamie informed me of! minty goodness!

-had a fabulous time at the first ever "Supper Club" gathering at the Lovik's Photo via Miss Erin Ewing

-performed with my choir Handel's "Messiah" and loved EVERY SECOND of it. Of course I cried at the end again. It is one of my all time favorite holiday traditions!

Busy, busy, fun holiday season!

Favorite Day of the Year (or one of them...)

Getting the tree and decorating the house!!!

As I mentioned earlier, I am a Christmas nut and love just about everything about this time of year. So naturally that means I am one of those people who like to get the tree up and house decorated almost immediately following Thanksgiving.

This past Sunday, Nick and I went to the adorable tree farm out in Redmond (which we determined last year would become a tradition. Yay to us for sticking with it!), to find our tree.
My favorite tree of all is the Noble Fir but I am also quite fond of the Frazier as well. However, unfortunately as we were told from one of the little teenagers working the farm, these two trees had a rough year. The only ones you could find were the pre-cut ones which not only are much more expensive than cutting down a tree on your own...we decided a bit against the point of driving all the way out to a tree farm when you are going to cut your own tree.

So we searched and searched and found a happy little, lovely smelling, gorgeous little tree. I am quite pleased!

This Thanksgiving...

I am extra thankful for...

-My funny husband and sweet puppy...


-This baby bump that is growing...


-My amazing, wonderful, supportive family

-My equally amazing, wonderful, supportive friends

-Our health

In one of the stars I shall be living,

in one of them I shall be laughing

And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing

when you look at the night sky...

and there is sweetness

in the laughter of the stars...

and in the memory of those you love.

-"The Little Prince", Antoine de saint-Exupery

My hopes

Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best, and expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past
and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times
and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself
that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

-Christian D. Larson

This is a poem that my mom had cut out from somewhere and attached to the front of a very special baby book that she made for me...starting from the day she found out she was pregnant with me. I remember glimpses of this book from my childhood, but it wasn't actually given to me until recently after announcing to my family that.....

I'M PREGNANT!!!!

And although I'm pretty sure that the majority of my blog readership is already aware of this news as well, I now finally feel comfortable announcing it to the cyber world.
Today we are officially 13 weeks along.
Every day we feel so incredibly blessed that a little person...half me, half Nick...is growing inside me. It is mind blowing. And still hard to believe at times. So I go back to the picture from the ultra sound and remind myself that yes indeed, there is a baby coming...and feel a happiness like I've never experienced before.

So many hopes and dreams for this little baby. Can't wait to meet him/her!

The "Sunshine" State

This is what Florida is known as.
However, that statement should be followed by the disclaimer: "Unless a hurricane is passing through the area". St. Petersburg claims to have 361 days of sunshine per year. We just happened to be there on those remaining 4 days.

My company earned an incentive trip from one of the insurance companies that we represent and it was our turn to go! And although the weather wasn't exactly what I think we were imagining, it was an incredibly relaxing and wonderful week of hanging out non-stop with the hubbs. My batteries have been re-charged!

I don't know why...but I love this pic of Nick's boat shoes. Maybe because he has a pair of shoes he wears exclusively on boats. Love him.





Although it wasn't extremely sunny while we were there, it was definitely still warm and muggy...hence the glistening skin!

Celebrating Miss Diggy!

So...yes, I'm a bit behind on my blog posts. How does this always happen? eeks.

A few weekends ago I enjoyed a relaxing, wonderful weekend in Chelan with the girls to celebrate Diggy's 30th birthday, and to just enjoy some time all together. We hadn't had a girl's weekend in quite some time so it was so such a treat for me!

Pics from our {chilly} wine tasting adventures on Saturday...

Confession

I have a confession.

I am a Christmas junkie. Seriously, I love it more than I can adequately describe. I love everything about it: the childhood memories, the smells, the sounds, the lights, shopping for gifts, celebrating Christ's birth, the tree, the food, the gatherings, family, the hope for the new year...just everything.

But possibly one of the things I love most is the music. I am not ashamed to admit I listen to holiday tunes pretty much starting the day after Thanksgiving through the New Year. The confession part of this post comes when I tell you I sometimes start listening to that music a little early.
It happens every year. I get a little itch. Something in my bones just needs a little dose of my favorite Christmas album (Sarah McLaughlin).

So this week, in the privacy of my car to and from work, I indulged in my craving and have been listening. And it has been just wonderful. I only listen for a few days, and then I'm ready to wait again. And the funny thing is, I actually am appalled when I see decorations in stores already, see holiday lights up, hear music on the actual radio. I believe strongly that we should wait until after Thanksgiving to outwardly start the celebrating.

But secretly, in the privacy of my little Honda, I've been singing my heart out all week. And loving every second of it. Merry Merry!

Texas Part II: San Antonio Cougs!

For Part II of our Texas trip we headed back to San Antonio to cheer on our beloved Cougs when they played Notre Dame. Fortunately, the fun-ness level of the trip was not determined by the greatness of the game...not too pretty.

But hanging out with this crew is always a treat for me. Four of my favorite people ever. Together non-stop for 3 days. Just hanging out on the RiverWalk. Yahooooooo!


Even with the loss, we had a wonderful time cheering on the Crimson and Grey with fellow Cougs!

Texas Part I: A View from my Grandparents House

Last week, Nicholas, Zachary and I flew to Texas to visit my grandparents and relatives. While it was a looooong trip down there (flight delays, mechanical problems and a drive to the small town of Franklin made for a day of 19 hours of traveling!)...it was absolutely wonderful to get time with them!

There are certain things that always remind my of my grandparents house. The smell for one. It has a distinct smell of what is, in my mind, the South. And even though they have moved from Louisiana to Texas now to be closer to my aunt, the house still smells the same. In fact, we have a lovely china cabinet in our house that is from their Louisiana home that still has that distinct smell every time I open it. I love it.

Books. I honestly think my grandpa has read/owns every Louis Lamour western novel known to man. He says now he just re-reads them because he thinks he's covered all his bases. I think he's right.


Family heirlooms. My grandpa looooves family history and geneology. He is so knowledgeable about all our kin, and stories surrounding their lives. It is such fun to listen to him re-tell stories with such detail and accuracy. Many of his brothers and his father were decorated war veterans and grandpa has inherited much of the memorabilia.


Blue Bell IceCream. I am certain that if you are either from the South or have traveled to the South you will agree with me that Blue Bell IceCream is HANDS DOWN the BEST icecream on the earth. My grandparents fridge is always stocked with at least 3 different flavors. It is, unfortunately, probably a good thing we can't get it up here in the Northwest.


My sweet grandparents, me and brother.

Excuse the no makeup look. Doesn't everyone do that with family??

Wow.

Is it really November??!

I just looked at my last post in which I was amazed at how fast October was flying by, and now it has completely come and gone. Time is literally flying by.

I was successfully able to stretch out the birthday celebrating for almost an entire month...starting in Walla Walla with mom, dinner with my girls, dinner with Nicholas, dinner with in-laws, dinner with Auntie...clearly I like celebrating by eating delicious food.

And so far...30 has been awesome! I've even been okay entering in 3-0 as my age in the eliptical machine (for some reason for me, this is always when it seems the most real?). I am thankful for where I am today and I couldn't be happier about what the future holds.

Cheers to the next 30!

Flying by

Is it just me, or is October flying by? Admittedly, I've been a horrible blogger this month...but I can hardly believe that it's already been 20 days since I last posted. Oops. It certainly doesn't mean I haven't been reading all your wonderful posts, just haven't been contributing as much I suppose.

Life has been good...enjoying all the beautiful fall colors, cozy weekends, delicious dinner parties and hopefully some soon to come fall crafts! I've got my eye on a few projects I want to try out.

Some very exciting news is that I learned today that I got a spot in the upcoming online workshop with the amazing photographer Sheye Rosemeyer!! I am BEYOND excited! I've been on the wait list honestly for almost a year, and cannot wait to try and absorb as much knowledge as possible from her. I am obsessed with her style, her colorings, and just the way that she captures a simple moment. Her blog has often brought me to tears.

A little "happy early birthday to me"!

Plans this Sunday?

Run, don't walk to the Orchestra Seattle/Seattle Chamber Singers concert if you don't.

We will be performing Beethoven's 9th Symphony. This was his final complete symphony and is considered one of his great masterpieces. And the fact that he was deaf when he wrote this music!...it is a fact that is hard to even wrap my brain around. The 9th is one of the best known works in Western classical repertoire, so even if you aren't a huge classical music buff you'll be sure to recognize the "Ode to Joy" tune.

I promise, by the end of the concert you'll be jumping out of your seat with excitement.
( fast forward to the last minute if you don't believe me)
It really is that good.

Click here for ticket info.

And just like that...

Fall is upon us.

I have turned the heat on (only in the mornings and the evenings before bed...I really resisted as long as I could on this one), my Ugg slippers and boots have once again made their way into my wardrobe, my fall decorations are out, I had tomato and basil soup today, tea this evening...and I just want to hunker down at home.

And have I mentioned that I kind of love it?

These last few weeks have been pretty wild and exciting here, and I'm excited for the pace of life to hopefully slow down a bit. Even still though, it's hard to believe that it is almost October!

These last few weeks we've:
Enjoyed our 12th and final wedding of the year (yes you read that correctly, 12th!) Drew and Emily's wedding was a wonderful celebration with so many of our close friends. Such a lovely evening...even if I was an oldie hawn and made the limo take us home :)

Dined on brunch with Nick's family...

And cheered on the Seahawks with Dave and Amy...


So far, I think Fall is off to a pretty good start!

Best.Alarm.Ever.

Look what came this week!Our very own Peaceful Progression Alarm Clock! I am in love.

I have been wanting one of these babies for a long time, and as fall has settled in here in the Northwest with it's darker mornings beginning, I thought that I would finally make the purchase. While it's space-aged look does nothing for me aesthetically speaking, it's other wonders well make up for it's lack in decor appeal (and it gets hidden when not actually in use).

The alarm starts to go off about 30 minutes prior to when you want to wake up. As it goes off it plays the nature sound of your choice: ocean, running creek, crickets, white noise...and the light gradually fills your room. So when it reaches the time you need to really be out of bed, your room is illuminated similar (though of course not exactly) like it would be from the sun. PLUS...as it lights up aromatherapy beads are heated and fill your room with your desired sent.

Told ya. I'm in love.

Whidbey Island Wedding!

It's that time again! Yep...you guessed it, a weekend wedding recap! What else would we be doing on a Saturday?!

This weekend was the wonderful, gorgeous, and fabulously fun wedding of my cousin Katey and her new hubby Greg. They had the most perfect weather one could imagine for a September outdoor wedding...it was absolutely amazing!

It took place on the nearly 400 acres of land that belong to an aunt and uncle of Katy's on the west side of Whidbey Island. The views were absolutely stunning, as was the bride!





I am pretty much in love with my family, so hanging out with all of them in celebration was an evening of perfection!





Mom and Auntie having quite a fun time on the dance floor!


The sunset. I was rather obsessed with it.


Alek was about the cutest dancer I've ever seen! He had some serious moves. Here's he and Nick cuttin' a rug!

La Conner Wedding Weekend

The wedding celebration of Shane and Steph this Labor Day weekend was nothing short of gorgeousness! Every little detail was so thought out and perfectly executed, starting with our sweet welcome bags at the Bed and Breakfast that we stayed at!

The fresh, simple flowers were actually one of my favorite features. Steph used basil in the bouquets so everytime you were near one you could smell the sweet fragrance! So clever.


Having met through the navy, it was so neat to see some of the special traditions that were included in the celebration. I love that Lieutenant Shane wore his whites, that as they entered they walked through a sword brigade (not sure the real accurate title of this), and they cut their cake with a sword!


And even though the weather wasn't probably initially what they had in mind for their day, it held off just fine. The big top tent, space heaters, lights, candles...it all made for such a romantic evening. We kept saying we felt as if we were in a movie.



These shoes belong to some of the young girls in Steph's youth group class who helped in the ceremony. I just adore their colored converse look!



What fun friends...have I mentioned I love weddings??

Mums the word

Sunday morning before the downpour started, I was happy to get my fall mums planted in the front yard. I'd been really wanting some more color in the front for a while and these cutie little mums were just perfect.







It's amazing how happy these little guys can make me!