The City by the Bay.

San Francisco.

That's where we went. A total shock. He said be ready by eight, but if you know anything about me...when I'm given a time frame, I give-or-take about 15 minutes. I'm not one of those really late people, just one of those teensy bit late people. It's something I've learned
to accept about myself.

So when he said be ready by 8, I figured in our household that meant 8ish.
Not the case.
He woke me up before my alarm even went off with weather.com pulled up on the iPad, revealing the wonderful news that S.F. was having some unseasonably wonderful weather. As I tried to focus on the screen through my groggy, no-contact eyes I couldn't believe it.
S.F.? Really? We aren't that couple that hops on planes for weekend get-aways all the time.
No sir, this was something special.
And I needed to hurry, having neglected packing my bags the night before.

And special it was. We walked, ate delicious food, sipped delicious sippers, took a two hour nap (yahooo!), did a bit of shopping, and enjoyed uninterrupted time together.


Why is this picture so bright you might ask? Because my friends, that is the sun on my face. It was legitimately really warm/almost hot while we were standing in line for the cable car...truly a San Francisco treat!



And an added treat to the weekend? A lunch date with my Kricky! Having not seen her and her fiance Kevin since they moved from Seattle, I was so thrilled they were available to meet up!

It was indeed a special weekend. A very welcomed time together.
But what makes going away even better? The knowledge that you are coming home.

And reunions certainly are sweet.

Lucky me.

He's taking me away.
A surprise get-away location.
One night. Just me and him.
I can't wait!

Odds and Ends.

Okay, seriously...how is it already January 19th?! I feel like it was just New Years! Clearly the month is getting away from me.

The knuckle dimples just kill me!

What we've been up to:

Hanging out with our tongue...

Oh heeeey there belly!

Growing some teeth...

...sprinkle in there a little round with the stomach flu which was apparently the most contageous bugger ever. Charlotte to me to Nick to Paul...yikes. I have officially disinfected ever corner of our house. Don't be scared to come over. We're good now. Promise.

...and some MLK playdate fun with babies and girlfriends

Cabe has quite the playroom set up-

"I'm SOOOOO happy to hang out with my main squeeze Easton!"

Life is busy. Life is good.

We are now 9 days deep into 2011 and I feel the urge, as I always do, to think about the year ahead and the hopes I have for it.

I'm not making any resolutions in the traditional sense of the word, but I'm thinking about goals I have for the year...things I'd like to focus...what my priorities will be.

Of course I have the usual get-healthy/workout more/eat well goals which are very important to me as well, but what I've been thinking about the most is more of a mantra. An outlook on life. A goal to see the everyday.

I was introduced to this lovely magazine, Seeing the Everyday, a few months back from an equally lovely blog I read. It isn't your usual magazine...there are no advertisements (shocking I know!) and the pages are filled with gorgeous photography and stories about finding
beauty in day to day life.

This is what I want to focus on. Living in the moment, whatever that moment is...and really being present for it. Present for my family, my friends...and most of all my girl.
It's going to be a good year.


Our lives are the sum
Of each moment and interaction.
Each day we work, eat, laugh, play, read, remember...
And work at it all again the next day.
Within seemingly small moments we find opportunity
To build relationships, develop character, find joy
For the price of our time.
LIFE'S MOST ESSENTIAL POSSIBILITIES ARE REALIZED AT HOME.
Where we share, teach, grow, learn, serve, give
Our best without praise or fanfare.
Because every effort, every moment matters
In the development of a person.
Nothing is really routine.

To all who SEE THE EVERYDAY.
-Seeing the Everyday, number seven

Goodbye 2010...thank you for being so good to us. It's been quite the year.

Cheers friends to a sparkly 2011!

It was wonderful.

...and special and memorable and amazing and all those adjectives one would use to describe their baby's first Christmas.

It was all those things and more.

Each of the Christmas gatherings we went to were packed to the brim with holiday goodness and celebrations galore...

...and an abundance of love was showered on this sweet girl.

I was emailing with my brother in law and we were discussing how Christmas is our Groundhogs Day. If I could choose to do any day over and over, it would be Christmas.
For everything that it represents, for all the memories it brings with it, and for all the newness each year brings...yeah, I'd do it over in a heartbeat.

It's hard actually to find the words to acturately depict how special this past week has been. Nothing I write seems to do it justice and I find myself stumbling over words and ramblings and hitting the backspace more often than not.

So tonight I'll let the pictures tell the story.
Her first Christmas.
Forever engrained on my heart.

Joy is not in things...it is in us.
Richard Wagner

Merry Everything.

A good December.

What a lovely, whirl-wind month it's been. Preparing. Anticipating. Celebrating. It has been wonderful and though at times extremely hectic, the fun we've had makes it all worth it.

There have been lots of parties and gift exchanges...

One party that came with an extremely generous gift from an extremely generous and amazing boss...

Lots of food...

With unfortunately not a lot of working out... oops.

And of course lots of time with baby loves...

And now on Christmas Eve Eve, as I sit down to write, with my girl snuggled in bed and a delicious glass of wine in my hand (well, not really in my hand...I'm typing people)...I am overcome with the Christmas happiness.

The anticipated event has arrived. Oh happy day.

And suddenly there was with the angels, a multitude of the heavenly host,
praising God and saying:
"Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace and goodwill towards men."
Luke 2:13-14

An early Christmas treat.

Christmas came a little early this year.

All the way from Louisiana.

These girls.
My sweetest sweet cousins came to Washington for a winter visit. These two are pure goodness. The kind of people where your day instantly gets better just by being around them. The kind of people that make you strive to be a better person because they are so great. Sounds cheesy I know, but it's true.
Yep, sugary sweetness these two.
And I was eating up every moment with them.

We met up with my family in Leavenworth which has to be the most wintery-wonderland location. It was as if we stepped into a Christmas snow globe village. Magical.


Is there anything better than sipping a holiday latte with the snow falling down? Not in my book.


My little snow bunny, er, leopard did great all bundled up and we almost made it all the way through the Tree Lighting Ceremony. Almost. A leopard does have her limits.


Hope's boyfriend Daniel had never seen snow, or mountains of this capacity for that matter...and I must say, there is something so special about sharing an experience like that with someone. Seeing everything new and fresh, nothing for granted and everything in amazement.


After our weekend in Washington's Switzerland, we got to play tour guide in our beautiful Emerald City.

It felt rather decadent to take a day in the middle of the week to bee-bop around town doing "Seattle" things...



Thank you so much my sweets for coming to visit...I am so happy you came, and oh-so-very happy you got to meet our girl!

She is quite smitten with you both.