Home

As our plane lifted off the ground and into the cold Kansas City sky, it began to softly snow...we were heading home to Seattle, after being back home for Christmas. Ingrid Michaelson's version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow started playing on my iPod about an hour into the flight and I had to hold back the tears. I already missed everyone. To some it may sound a tad cheesy...but that song, preformed by any artist, has become one I go to when I want to be reminded of home, of where I came from, of my family and friends...of Kansas. Along with the memories, come bittersweet feelings of leaving it behind again intertwined with those of moving forward and growing. Not growing out or away, but growing into oneself as a person, an individual.

home : seattle
Erik and I have been in Seattle for four and half years now and we both love it here. The weather, despite what people may say, is not that bad...it rarely gets above 90 degrees or below 32 degrees. Once the sun shines, it shines bright and beautiful. Almost every summer day is like that perfect 75 to 80 degree day that might show up in Kansas in April or May. There is so much to do...so much we still need to do! There are more outdoor activities than I can name and so many restaurants and concerts, its hard to keep up. There's so much to take in that at times it can be a little overwhelming....but exciting. There is still such a feeling of newness and change here. It always feels fresh and full of life, movement, growth and opportunity.  To quote the great Jimmy Buffett (who, many may know, is a family favorite)-

"River gets deeper not shallow, the further you move down the stream, wonderin if I can keep her

As I race to catch up with my dreams, how they shine and glitter and gleam"

back home : kansas
When I'm back in Kansas, no matter how frigid the temperature outside, it always feels comfortable and cozy, like home should feel. My parent's house hasn't changed a whole lot...a kitchen remodel, some paint in the bedrooms...but it still feels the same. It is still the place where we can act like little kids around Christmas, even though some of us (Erik and Adam) are closing in on 30 years old. Its a place we can let our guard down, we can cry, we can laugh, we can hug, snuggle up, say something dumb...and no one will judge you, no one will care...because they care so much. 

The longer we are away, the more nostalgic it feels going back...the trips back are fast and furious, so we fill the time with little sleep and lots of joking and laughing and story telling. Sometimes I have to pull myself back to the ground to remind myself that not everyday is Christmas...the whole family doesn't get together for large home-cooked dinners and gifts every weekend. I have to let the reality set back in...it isn't like this all the time. It isn't like this a majority of the time...that's what makes our visits so special. Everyone has a real life to live too, with real jobs and real stress. But for that little bit of time...we can forget everything and just enjoy each other.

The older I become, and the closer we get to someday starting our own family, the more I hope Erik and I can create that same sense of home and sense of place for our children. How does one create that sense of home? How do you make sure that sense of security is there? How do you create a home base? As sad as it would be, if my parents ever decided to move from the house in which so many memories were created, my childhood home, I know that its not the house.

It's the unconditional support, the trust, the love...the people.

And that's how I know we and our future kids will be ok...wherever we might end up.

view from my parents attic, while wrapping presents- 12.23.12

A Wedding Weekend in STL

It took me a whole week to recover from the four day wedding weekend extravaganza in St. Louis but it was absolutely worth it. My friend Tina married a wonderful guy last weekend and I had the honor of being a bridesmaid. It was one of the sweetest, most personalized weddings I have ever attended. From the groom's and groomsmen's ties to the tree stump cake stands, almost everything was handmade by either Tina, her Maid of Honor (Anastasia), or her father. It was fun to see all of their hard work come to life.

Unfortunately, I didn't take a single photo...we were busy from the second my plane touched down in St. Louis so here a few borrowed photos. 

Dan & Tina

One of the many handmade touches...coasters made by the father of the bride

Dan & Tina with cutout Dan & Tina...such a fun couple!

Such a crazy, busy, fun, beautiful weekend...I'm so happy I could be a part of the amazing celebration. Congratulations to such a great couple!

A Night in Vancouver, BC

Erik and I decided to flee the country...ok, so it was only for one night and it was only a two and half hour drive, but it did give us a reason to dust off the old passports. After almost four years in Seattle, we FINALLY made it to Vancouver! We've been talking about going up to Canada since we moved here. It was one of those things we always wanted to do but just never made the plans. About a month ago, I decided we just needed to do it. I booked a night at a cool little hotel a block or so off Robson St. (aka the 'Rodeo Drive of the Northwest'). We had so much fun! We walked around the city, ate amazing food, had a few drinks, took a drive up to Grouse Mountain and just enjoyed hanging out with each other. With just over 24 hours in the city, we barely scraped the surface. I know we'll be back soon!

Our weekend in photos....

The side of our hotel. 

The X-tra large beer on the right is mine...I didn't realize it was going to be THAT big!

A cute narrow building in Gastown...I really just like the flower pots in the window.

A sign in Gastown

Some of our dinner came out with a tiny Hibachi so we could cook it ourselves. 

Later that night we bought a couple bottles of beer and people watched out our window. This is our  'cooler'!

And this is how we opened the bottles...note to self-always carry a bottle opener.

We people watched out our window...it was actually very entertaining!

Sunday morning we drove up to Grouse Mountain.

Cleveland Dam, from our Sunday drive.

From our walk around the dam

I just liked this sign.

More summer adventures....and hopefully some crafting.....to come! :)

Eat. Play. Love.

A couple months ago, while in the midst of self-doubt and my (previously mentioned) creative drought, I booked my ticket out of town. I needed to get out of the routine of work, gym, eat, sleep, repeat. Erik was starting his first project as lead designer and as excited as I am for him, this usually means I'm left with waaaay to much 'me' time on my hands. I needed a break from work, the rain, and, honestly, a break from myself. I was in desperate need of some girl time and sunshine. I was in luck...it just so happens that one of my oldest BFFs lives in sunny Southern California.

My friend Tina and I met a long time ago through community theater in our hometown and have been friends ever since. High school was definitely our golden years. Instead of partying, we were hanging out with the other neighborhood kids, playing games like Capture the Flag, frisbee, and basketball. I can still feel the hot, humid summer night air on my skin while I ran from one backyard to the next trying to hide from whoever was 'it'. We stayed out until 2 am, not because we were passed out somewhere, but because we were waiting for Daylight Donuts to open so we could be the first to stuff our faces with freshly made, warm donuts.  Man, we had fun...

Tina and I have gone through periods when we don't talk for a while, but as soon as we do, we pick up right where we left off. The last time I saw Tina was when Erik and I got married....in August of 2008! We did chat from time to time, including the exciting call about Tina's engagement to her beau, Dan. But over three and a half years without seeing each other?!? Way too long.

I flew in late Thursday night and met Tina's fiance, Dan, for the first time and stayed up late just catching up. We spent the next morning catching up even more and drinking lots of coffee....and I took about a million photos of the orange tree and lemon tree in Tina's backyard.

We met up with Tina's friend, Anastasia, who works at the Fox Studios Lot. We ate lunch and she gave us a  nice tour...I was a little star struck, to say the least, and I didn't even see anyone famous. I did, however, see my fashion idol, Zooey Deschanel's parking spot and Mini Cooper...

 
A few more fun photos from our lunchtime fun at Fox...

A view down one of the streets. I loved the painted buildings.

This is 'New York'...also where a scene from Hello Dolly was filmed.

A bronze cast of Homer in honor of the 500th episode.

Does this one really need a caption?! 

Friday night was our night out. Tina's fiance surprised her by setting up (and paying for!) dinner and drinks for her and two friends (Me and Anastasia) at a very nice place called The Penthouse. It is on the top floor of The Huntley hotel in Santa Monica and all I can say is 'WOW'...This was really 'L.A.' in my mind. The people were beautiful, the view of the city was amazing, and the atmosphere was very posh. I don't know if I've ever used the word 'posh' before but there is no better word to describe this place. All I have to say about where the night went from there is: Old School Hip Hop night, 3:30 am Taco Bell run, 4 am bedtime...a successful bachelorette night out.

The view from The Penthouse

An action shot of our table. Our group grew as the night went on!

Tina and I trying out the sardines on crackers...compliments of the chef so we HAD to at least try it!

After we closed down the club...Tina's model shot.

Tina and Anastasia...I think our walk to the car was just as fun as the club!

Acting goofy on our walk/dance back to the car.

Saturday was spent shopping for craft supplies for the upcoming wedding. Saturday night, although it was more low key than Friday night, it was still a late one (another 4:00 am bedtime) and was filled with homemade pizza, homemade cocktails, and a lot of girl talk.

Our homemade pizza assembly line.

Our cocktail for the evening included homemade simple syrup and fresh lemon juice from  the lemon tree.

Friday night was so much fun but I have to say, Saturday night left a lasting impression on me. I had forgotten how good it feels to really just sit down, talk, vent, laugh, and get advice from female friends. Since we've moved to Seattle, I've only had a handful of opportunities to have some good quality girl time but I've held back. Maybe I was just shy or feeling insecure or maybe I was just out of practice. Who knows...I do know that I couldn't have asked for two better people to spend a weekend with than Tina and Anastasia. We had good food, a lot of fun, and a lot of good ol' fashioned bonding time...Eat. Play. Love.

As I get older, I'm feeling the time moving by faster and faster...and I feel that the phone calls with friends (good friends!!) grow fewer and far between. I've always believed this theory about time going faster as you get older- As you age, each year becomes a smaller percentage of your lifetime. When your two years old, a year must feel like forever because you only have two under your belt...One year is 50% of your lifetime. When you are 50 years old, one year is only 2% of your life. Each year that passes becomes a smaller percentage, making it feel shorter and shorter. My point is, take the time to connect with the friends and family you love RIGHT NOW...not tomorrow, not next week. Next week will turn into next month, and next month turns into next year....in my case, three and a half years. Time goes by so fast (and if you believe my theory, even faster the older we get!) so we all need to enjoy life and time with friends and family as much as you can.

A lot of cliches in this post, I know...

I'm trying to take each day at a time and live life to the fullest. ;)