:: Whistler or Bust ::

Tomorrow night we're off to Whistler for a quick two-day trip. Contemplating skiing, but may snowshoe instead. I'm honestly over-the-moon (do 30 year olds use this expression? because I kinda like it) excited as I've never been in the winter and have not been since 1987! Any suggestions on places to check out while we're visiting our neighbors to the north would be greatly appreciated.

I'm assuming a lot has changed and it doesn't look much like this anymore...

This is how I remember the border crossing with Cousin Matt and Cousin Mike...is it the same 23 years later?



Mom, Me and Megs (yes, that's my gorgeous sister...nope...don't have a brother)

Sidenote: My dad is in the process of scanning every single photo from every album he has from his childhood, my moms childhood and from when me and Megs were kids. Stayed tuned for some fun oldies.

Just a Little Montage...

Of two of my favorite babies ...
"Why?" You may ask

Because I got to spend an entire night with them and their mama on Friday, at my house. The night also included one too many bottles of red wine (after the babies went to bed...of course), but I won't get into that. Since Steve and I live so far away from the rest of the world, trips to our house sometimes include a slumber party. Perfect because I love the company and love putting our guest bedroom to use. One of the best parts of the night was Ava calling Spry, asking if her tummy hurt because she ate so much dessert and then convincing her to come over and hang out. Spry - thanks for coming over twice in one week!!

On the "train" heading to Seattle

Few things I learned from our slumber party...Miles Loves his baths before bedtime, Ava loves to make Miles laugh, Miles' head is quite possibly four times larger than his buns, Miles doesn't have much to cry about, Ava's imagination is endless and finally...Going to bed at 3am and being woken up at 7:30am by kids jumping on your bed is not easy, but it did make me smile.
Distance has definitely made my heart grow fonder for these two blue-eyed babies...makes me wish even more that we didn't live 300+ miles apart so we could sleepover together more often.

Avery's 30th Birthday Bash :: Solvang, CA

I'm thinking it's about time to get back to blogging since it's now been over a month (not to mention a new decade) since my last post. In all honesty, I have truly missed updating my blog, but decided I needed a bit of a break...break is now over and I'm ready to dive back in...I hope. Enough of my excuses.
The weekend of December 10 - 13, was dedicated to celebrating one of my closest friends 30th birthdays in Southern California. Avery and I went to WSU together, caravanned to LA a week after graduating, lived together for four years and have shared a lot of great memories. Being that she has a Christmas-time birthday, we decided to celebrate a couple of weeks early in a Very-Big-Way...minus a few hangovers and geting lost in Hope Ranch the trip went off without a hitch

Hands . Down . One . Of . The . Best . Weekends . Ever

Here's a few stats that express how much Avery is loved and how much our group of friends from college still love to reconnect:

♦ Carrie flew in from Washington DC
♦ Stacie flew in from Boston
♦ Jackie flew in from Ohio
♦ Myself, Jamie, Marge, Spry, Steph, Lynne, Michelle and Rauh flew in from Seattle
♦ Crystal drove down from San Francisco
♦ Shelby drove up from San Diego
♦ And the girls that live in LA - Avery, Lyndsy, Lori, Christy, Jaime, Brooke and Ashleigh

Most of us arrived by Thursday night so we met up for a few cocktails at Nikki Beach in Venice amd then stayed in Santa Monica at the Doubletree. Friday morning, a few of us met for breakfast at Huckleberry with Dett, Tara and baby Jackson. I could have spent hours cuddling this adorable little guy. Considering he was passed around a table of 10 girls, he was perfect! And of course, it was so fun to finally get to catch up with Dett and Tara in person.

Tara with her baby boy

After breakfast, we headed out for our destination - Solvang! Think Leavenworth charm...in the middle of beautiful wine country. We checked into our hotel and headed out to Carivintas Winery Tasting Room. Next stop Root 246 for some dinner and drinks. From dinner a few peeps called it a night while the rest of us enjoyed a bit of a dance party in the rain, in the streets of Solvang to Mariah Carey "All I Want for Christmas." We then considered calling it a night, but instead convinced the Bradford Wine Bar to stay open a bit longer for us to indulge in some tastings.

Saturday morning we dressed in our plaid tops (yes, this was planned ahead of time), and ventured out on our winery tour excursion via party bus. During the five hour tour, we were able to check out four beautiful wineries...My personal favorite was Zaca Mesa - the grounds were absolutely gorgeous and the wine delicious.

✓ Curtis Winery
✓ Zaca Mesa Winery
✓ Firestone Vineyards
✓ Sunstone Vineyards & Winery

Despite the torrential downpour at times, the day was perfect! We laughed, we sang, we danced (possibly in not the most appropriate places). Pretty much the most ideal girls/birthday weekend on record. Here are just a few of the photos that I captured.

Michelle's best interpretation of Marissa from the OC passed out in Tijuana


Not quite sure...possibly embracing a cool chandelier at Root 246






Apparently, Brooke had had enough smiling and laughing for the day...perhaps partly due to this famous quote..."We'll Split Me In Two and Cover Me in Ice Cream - It's Your Birthday"

*tis the Season

For dark chocolates and peppermint candies...

I was motivated, after reading JOAT's recommendation for the Peppermint Crunch Junior Mints, to share a few of my personal favorite holiday treats. I love any treat that includes peppermint bark.

In my mind, Williams-Sonoma peppermint bark is probably the most famous and I'd take a lucky guess to assume that it's one of their most popular sold holiday candies of the season. Excellent stocking stuffer or hostess gift.

William Sonoma Peppermint Bark

My mother-in-law keeps a candy dish in the kitchen so whenever we stop by, we usually come home with a few treats. The other night Steve came home with a few of these - DEEEE-LICIOUS!

Dove Peppermint Bark Dark Chocolate Promises

Pretzels are one of my very favorite snack foods, especially when they're flavored, so last week, I found this tasty morsel at Whole Foods and figured it was a must have - zero regrets...other than not buying more than one bag. As with most peppermint flavored treats, they're a limited edition product so be sure to stock up.

Snack Factory - White Chocolate and Peppermint Pretzel crackers

Ghiradelli chocolates are some of the most famous chocolates around - of course they would have a peppermint chocolate and of course it would be wonderful Something I did not know is that they also make an eggnog chocolate { Lynds - me.you.must.try } and pecan pie chocolate, which is included in the assortment of holiday chocolates, available at Amazon.com

Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares Limited Edition Holiday Assortment

And...for those of you in Seattle, there are the famous Frango Candy Cane Chocolates available at Macys...however, I checked their website today and they are not currently available - hopefully they've got them in the stores, as they're a treat not to miss.

* Hope your stockings include a few peppermint bark chocolates *

* Happy Thanksgiving *

I feel blessed with all that I am thankful for in my life this year. Here are just a few of those things...

♦ My wonderful husband { 9 months today }

♦ My loving family - old and new

♦ My A-M-A-Z-I-N-G friends that have always inspired me ☺

♦ My adorable kitten, Boots-with-the-Fur, and his unconditional love for us.

♦ My cute little home

♦ My job - as busy and stressed out as I've been lately, I truly enjoy the people I work with and the job I do

♦ My cameras and lens' for allowing me to fulfil my passion of photography to a whole new level this year

Cheers to a day of celebrating all that you're thankful for with your family and friends. I'm off to watch the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade (a tradition from as far back as I can remember), brunch at my in-laws and then on to my parents house for dinner. Happy Thanksgiving!

Morning Routine { Products }

I ususally like to leave product reviews up to my dear friend Lyndsy over at YBB (as she does such a fabulous job), but figured I'd take a few mintues to let you know about a few of my { current } must haves.

I'm in love with the new Clean & Clear Morning Burst Facial Cleansers - I've tried the shine control version with lemongrass and fruit extracts as well as the vitamin C with ginseng. My favorite thing about these cleansers is that while you wash your face, the "bursting beads burst with energy and vitamins, while the invigorating fragrance enlives your senses" (product description - I couldn't have said it better). I was in awe the first time I used this product as my eyes instantly felt more awake and my face refreshsed. For those of you that have a tough time fully waking up in the morning, this is an excellent product for you.

I base a lot of my product decisions on scent and feel. The Caress Evenly Gorgeous Exfoliating Body Wash, with burnt brown sugar and karite butter, was originally purchased based solely on the smell. I am mildly obsessed with the smell of this body wash, and after the first use, I love how it doesn't leave my body feeling like there was soapy residue left behind after rinsing. The exfoliating beeds aren't too harsh and leave my skin feeling soft and smelling great.

I have been using Bath & Body Works body cream just about every single day for the past ten years. If I had to choose one lotion to use for the rest of my life, this would be it. I have always had my favorite scents, but have now officially found my very favorite - Twilight Woods. I can't help but think that the branding manager slightly based the name choice off of the popular book series, but that had zero play in my purchasing of the body cream this past weekend. The scent is apparently supposed to make you feel like you're taking a "romantic walk in enchanged woods," hmmmmmm - didn't quite get that feeling, but I've only been wearing it for two days now. The notes that I immediatley smell when wearing this are coconut, musk, vanilla and freesia. Go take advantage of Bath & Body Works "Buy 3 Get 2 Free" and pick up a couple of bottles - it will definitely be worth your money. I would also recommend the Sensual Amber, Black Raspberry Vanilla and Japanese Cherry Blossom.

{ Go Cougs }

No matter what the Cougar football record is at the end of the season, I still am and will always be a loyal fan. Since we aren't racking up the points, getting much coverage on TV or really even playing well these days, the main thing that I look forward to on Saturday mornings is seeing one, two or three Cougar flags waving in the background behind Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler and Lee Corso. Just like the first time I saw it, I still get goosebumps. It's just one more thing that makes me proud to be a Coug. I'm loving this tradition and I'm loving that ESPN made a commercial in honor of this tradition. Go Cougs!

I Caved...

...and finally bought a pair of Hunter Wellies...green...to be exact

via

Considering the Seattle weather conditions { Lots-O-Rain } for much of Fall and Winter, I decided this was a purchase that must be made. I was a bit apprehensive at first, because I have short legs, but I think they'll work out just fine AND they'll keep my jeans from soaking halfway up my leg...which in my mind is pure misery that can last hours - we've all been there.

I just might even find a puddle this weekend { shouldn't be too difficult } just to test how well they truly work.

Whatever you're up to this weekend, I hope it's fabulous

In Case You've Missed Me...

Or maybe you're like me and was just tired of seeing my same post on Washington DC { is this vain of me? }.

I've decided to provide a bit of an update on what I've been up...

Work has been extremely busy. Do you ever feel that you take a vacation and then you end up paying for it with the over-abundance of work you have to catch-up on when you return? That's me...still catching up from when I missed three days of work for DC. *definitely do.not.regret taking this vacation

Busy, busy, busy with photoshoots. Sometimes, I'll get so wrapped up in the actual day of shoots that I completely forget the hours of editing that come along with it { definitely no complaints here }. I enjoy every single part of photography - camera, editing, meeting new people, etc, etc, etc...BUT the weather report for Seattle has the potential for putting a damper on my shoots this weekend...no rain please...at least not until Monday. Thankfully, I have a husband that supports this little hobby of mine...100%...perk: he made fabulous dinners, three nights in a row, this week so I could get just a few more hours in of editing.

Tonight, I'm off to my 4th Annual Seattle Children's Hospital - Symphony Guild event at Beneroya Hall - awesome show put on by Seattle native and music extraordinaire, Matt Messina.

Also, found time to celebrate this guys 1st birthday - I'm kinda in love with Jake's huge cheeks and blue eyes. Stay turned for more photos from the Burrell's family session.

Have I mentioned before how much I heart Etsy? If not, I truly do love this site and made my first purchase today in months. I think the last thing I actually bought from the site was Steve's wedding band. Today, at the suggestion of Aimee, I bought these { oh-so-perfect } Christmas cards - my first Christmas purchase of the year.

I'm sad to be missing a girls trip to Lake Chelan this weekend to celebrate Diggy's 30th { Happy Birthday Digs - please enjoy some sippers for me! }, but I'm looking forward to what the weekend has in store...as long as the weather can cooperate...

DC { Recap }

The five days we spent in DC, Virginia and Maryland were so much fun. Despite the dreary, dark, rainy weather, we still had such a great time. Wednesday and Thursday night were spent with the Fitch's in Great Falls, VA - Friday and Saturday were spent with the Reynold's at their new home in Arlington. Here is a list of the sites we accomplished - we had so much more on our "to do" list, but with the crummy weather weren't able to do everything we had hoped (i.e. wine tasting in Virginia - planned by Stacie and Carrie).

☂ Downtown Baltimore

☂ Annapolis, Maryland - home of the US Naval Academy

☂ Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

☂ Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

☂ Smithsonian Museum of American History

☂ National Air and Space Museum - Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (definitely the highlight of Steve's trip - all plane photos below taken here)

☂ International Spy Museum

☂ Happy Hour at the Australian Embassy

☂ Birthday-Eve drinks at the Reynolds local Pub - Bungalow Billiards & Brew

☂ Birthday dinner at Filomena's in Georgetown


Capitol Building


Abe Lincoln


Photo taken at the Lincoln Memorial with the Washington Monument in the background


Lincoln Memorial and the reflecting pool


Washington Monument


The next piece of jewelry I'd like to add to my collection


The same plane that Steve's grandfather flew in WWII


Blackbird jet - Interesting Fact: In 1990 this jet flew from LA to DC in 1 hour and 4 minutes! I could get used to that sort of cross-country travel


The B-29 Enola Gay - dropped the Atomic Bomb


Mrs. R, Mrs. R and Mrs. M


Appetizers and beers at Gordon Biersch after the Spy Museum - probably should have reapplied lip gloss as I'm looking a tad pale


An attempt at a fun shoot to show off Carrie's Hunter boots...in the parking garage. Definitely fun and a great laugh, but her jeans were SOAKED after the 30 photos that were taken in this sequence


Just the perfect drink to get the birthday night celebrations going


Birthday dinner at Filomena's Ristorante in Georgetown - hands down best Italian food I've ever had!


Mr & Mrs R at Filomenas


Kev and Stacie


Cousins - Steve will forever be the tallest in ALL family photos


Baby Cousin Paul during breakfast. Also, the first photo taken with my new lens!! Thank you to my wonderful husband for buying my dream lens the Nikon 85mm for my birthday!

A Huge Thank You to Matt, Lisa, Carrie, Erik, Stacie, Kevin, Ben and McCarthy for celebrating with me and another huge thank you to all of you that called, texted and sent me birthday wishes - I feel very loved and thankful for all of you! Thank you for helping to make my 30th Birthday more perfect than I ever could have imagined.