:: Best of Seattle ::

There aren't many people out there that can say they've won a "best of..." recognition, but as of this past Tuesday, my dear friend Jamie (commonly known in the baking world as JOAT) can now (officially) say that she is a part of that elite group. After a couple of years of baking for friends, family, friends-of-friends, co-workers, etc...she has now been crowned the queen of cupcakes in Seattle, according to everyone that has ever tasted one of her tasty cakes AND Seattle Metblogs. With each new cupcake creation, she continues to improve and I'm always anxious to know what she'll be baking up next. I've been a fan since day one and I'm so happy that the rest of Seattle will now know what they've been missing out on.

Congratulations James on your continued success and this well-deserved award!


Here she is with her AMAZING cupcakes at our wedding in Maui. She honestly stayed inside, missing out on an afternoon at the beach, to bake 100 of the most tasty cupcakes.







If you're interested in trying one of these cakes for yourself, you may contact her at joatcupcakes@gmail.com

Welcome to your 30s...

...Mrs Grout-Blyth...no need to be sad about it...30 looks fabulous on you...

On Saturday night, we hosted Megs 30th birthday party at The Mission in West Seattle. The area we had reserved, with a private bartender, ended up being perfect for our group. The party lasted way too late/early morning and made for a rough Easter with the family, but it was completely worth it. I know Megs was very excited and thankful for all of her friends that came out to celebrate her special day with her. Next year, I think we should get the group back together and celebrate her 31st in Bend.

Jamie made red velvet cupcakes and key lime pie cupcakes - per usual, they were delish and well-deserving of the high five some guests gave each other when they tried them out


No animals were harmed. First "new friend" photo - Megs and I finally got to meet/reconnect with one of our favorite bloggers - Loosy. Just a pointer: On the rare occasion that you do get to meet someone you've blogstalked...don't repeat their entire life back to them...one too many drinks may have caused this to happen in my instance - still hoping I didn't embarrass myself too much.





Happy 30th Mama - love you!

SoCal { Adventure } Recap

700 miles on the rental car allowed for us to cover a lot of ground in five days. Here's my recap...

As I've probably mentioned many times before, I LOVE the desert - especially Palm Springs, Palm Desert and La Quinta. Each March, my aunt and uncle rent a condo in La Quinta for the entire month. Each year they invite family and friends to come stay a few nights throughout the month. Finally, after all this time, Steve and I took them up on this offer and stayed for two nights.

The walkway up to the condo in the Palm Royale Country Club


Les, Kathy, me and Steve
Joshua Tree - nearly 800,000 acres - we saw just a bit








Cholla Cactus

The Salton Sea - Located about 25 miles from Indio, it is actually a lake which occupies a desert basic known as the Salton Sink. It's 30% saltier than the ocean and covers 376 sq. miles making it the largest lake in California. Max. depth is 51 ft. The lake is a bit erie and we honestly had no clue what to expect. We were so intrigued, that we went to watch the sunset and then went back the following morning to explore some more. The towns along the lake are run down, mostly abandoned and mainly consist of trailer parks. Definitely not a lake you'd want to take a dip in to cool off during the 100+ degree summer days as the beaches are full of dead (stinky) fish.

We also headed west and stayed two nights with Brie, Massimo and puppy Mahoney at their new house in Claremont. This is a temporary move for them while Mass completes grad school at the Claremont Graduate University. We had never been to Claremont before so it was fun to check out this adorable college town and catch up with the Backus'. Tara and Jackson even made the drive up from Huntington to have dinner with us on Friday night. I'm in love with Jackson - his eyes, his smile, his chubby legs - he's so happy and Tara is such a wonderful mama.

Brie, Jackson, Tara and me




How cute is she??? If we ever get a little dog, I would want to get a Cavapoo (cross between the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the Poodle) like Mahoney - so well mannered, so sweet, doesn't shed, the list goes on.


running full speed at the dog park


Family photo


Out for drinks at the Hip Kitty jazz bar after a delicious dinner at the Back Abbey

Venice Beach (my old stomping grounds) is always a necessary stop on any SoCal vacation for us. We met up with Christy and Avery at C&O for lunch and then met up with Lyndsy and her new man Brandon for some day drinking at the Whaler and Libray Ale House.

L&B walking down Main Street

And to wrap up the trip, Steve and I shot our friend Shawna and her fiance Tom's engagement photos in Pasadena. Check here for the entire post (soon), but for now, here is a sneak peek

:: Weekend/Monday Update ::

First off - a huge Congratulations to my cousin Matt, cousin Lisa, baby cousin Paul and their newest addition...

Olivia Jane Fitch
Born today at 8:06am in Washington DC
We can't wait to meet the newest member of our family. If she's anything like her big brother, she will be absolutely perfect!

Secondly, alongside my cousin Brenna and her boyfriend Morgan, we successfully completed the Mercer Island Half Marathon yesterday. I missed my PR by 15 mins, but I'm happy with my 2 hr 14 min finish. All-in-all the course was great...minus the neverending hill at mile 11, but I would definitely do it again. I brought my phone along so I could call Steve as we got close to the finish so this is a nice action/self-portrait at mile 6 - definitely no time to stop for a photo-op. Afterwards, my aunt and uncle, that live on the island, were kind enough to host a big lunch with all of the cousins and significant others. Steve took a few photos of us at the finish, but I'm enjoying this action shot despite the creepy look on my face.

We also bought a car this weekend! Woot! I have never experiened the car-buying process until Friday night, but I can assure that I hope I don't have to do it again for a VERY.LONG.TIME - bit too intense for this gal. You would think this purchase would be to replace my Pathfider (Steve will now be driving this), but intead we traded in Steve's Mountaineer and purchased a 2007 Chrysler Pacifica Limited Edition...I've only driven it about 20 miless, but I'm obsessed. So quiet, so smooth, automatic everything...pretty much luxury in my mind. Can't wait to get out on a road-trip...

Blog has not been abandoned...

...I've just been slacking a bit, but that does not indicate the slightest bit of laziness. My time has just been taken up by a ton of other things...

→ 5 day trip to SoCal { let's just say we put over 700 miles on the rental car and covered a lot of ground } I'll have a recap on that soon

→ Sister, Brother-in-Law and friends birthdays

→ Photoshoots/Editing

→ GORGEOUS wedding (and a stay at the W Hotel downtown) for my dear friend Karissa and her handsome husband Matt

→ Training - for a half marathon...errrrr my training level should be at about a 10 with 3 days to go until the race, but I'm feeling like I'm at a 5...honestly GASPED out loud and heart started racing when I printed off the Mercer Island course map yesterday. The island is HUGE, the course is the entire perimater. I'll be running with my cousin Brenna and her boyfriend who are flying up from San Diego and we're running in memory and honor of our Aunt Mary that passed away a few years ago from colon cancer. Speaking of running, I completed my first (and only...to date) full marathon a year ago tomorrow!

→ And as of today...the constant distraction of March Madness - best.distraction. from.the.repetitive.work.day.ever! Thus far, one bracket is on fire...the other needs a few more upsets.

:: Happy Birthday Steve ::

Steve - I hope the next year is just as great as the past year. Congratulations on turning a year older and in your words "gaining on me." Personally, I like the idea that in your mind I'm now only two years older than you rather than two and a half.



I love you and hope that you have a wonderful day. Currently, counting down the hours until we leave for Palm Springs to continue the celebrating.