It's Been a Long Time.... Shouldn't Have Left You

... Without a dope beat to step to...

Thank GOD for Aaliyah. It was feeling a little daunting to get back to the blog, but thanks to some inspirational words from my girl, it's time to dust myself off and try again... try again (and again). 

Alright, before I spend this entire blog post sharing Try Again lyrics and busting chest-up dance moves at my desk, here is a little photo montage of my life lately! 

Happy Hours Galore

 A precious Daddy-Daughter Date to Montage & a Blazer Game. Three cheers for frog legs, mac and cheese, and a win over the Nets.... And of course, an extra three cheers for Damian Lillard! 

 Celebrating the final rose in style. The good news, we mastered the Cham-Bong.... Bad news, Nick will have to ring out his wet blanket of a wife on the reg... But whose bitter? 

I will never NOT rock this shirt on Pi Day. Never. 

There really is nothing like a good reunion! Exactly a year ago we met these gems on a Wine Tour of Napa and Sonoma. This time around we were excited to give them a tour of Seattle. What started with pre-game drinks at Barnacle & Oysters at Walrus and the Carpenter, quickly escalated. Before we knew it, we had piled in a few classy cocktails at The Gerald, made our way to Shelter for cocktails and 'smores, looped back to Hot Cakes for dessert round two, and ended at Market Arms for a nightcap. Thirsty Thursday never tasted so sweet... Particularly due to the 3 pounds of gummy bears Branden and Shivani brought us!  

 So sad this was the only pic I got from our St. Patty's bash. We had all the beer, Car Bombs, and green foods you could dream of... It was Irish AF... Just ask my shirt! 

 The Ducks KILLING it in the NCAA tourney and me also #killingit in my bracket! 

And finally, a girls trip to Seaside/Cannon Beach where we survived on booze, taffy, and Goonies references!

Happy Thursday, Loves! 

Cheers to poorly written blogs with way too many pictures.

Disney Dreaming

A few weeks ago, Tayla and I treated ourselves to an impromptu Disney trip & I honestly can't stop relishing in the magic of it all. Disneyland is and always will be the Happiest Place on Earth, and like a fine wine... It just keeps getting better with age! 

We flew in Thursday evening and immediately indulged in National Pizza Day at the precious little parlor right next to our hotel. Once we were appropriately stuffed, we hit the pool... What Cali vacation is complete without plenty of swim time?

I could hardly sleep that night because I was so stinking giddy with excitement, & before we knew it, we were up and ready for the day. Flash to my absolute favorite part of Disney... The first morning. As we stood in line, I felt like I was 7 years old again, seeing the park for the first time. We dashed in and there was Mickey, right of the bat! Dreams really do come true.



We took a quick pic and were off to snag a fast pass. We hit up several rides as we waited for our time to return to Space Mountain... Apparently weekdays in late winter are the absolute BEST times to go... There were hardly any lines. We were totally efficient and made our way all over the park, only breaking for a quick Dole Whip. All the heart-eye emojis for that creamy cup of gold! 

I was delighted to see that Splash Mountain was only a 5 minute wait, but we soon learned why... We were DRENCHED head to toe from goddamn ride and the weather just wasn't quite warm enough to dry us out. Tayla blames me, but I blame the cruel, cruel park ride operator that put our asses in the front of that log boat. GRAVITY, GUYS.... GRAVITY.

We cheered ourselves up with the infamous Turkey Legs which I devoured and relaxed on Main Street with a view of the castle framing our lunch.

Next we hopped over to California Adventures to explore the Pier and hit up a couple rides. Side note... Where did the big CALIFORNIA letters go? I wanted a picture in those! Anyways, I digress. California Adventures just keeps getting cooler. I loved the new Soarin' which is now over the whole world, and totally teared up in the Little Mermaid ride which I hadn't been on before. 

We headed back to Disney before nightfall and went on a few classics before getting poured on. It was only kinda miserable because we were in The Happiest Place on Earth... The evening festivities were cancelled due to weather, so we headed back to the hotel where we hit the hot tub and called it an early night. 

The next morning we were up with the sun, and this time we had a plan! We ran into our girl Minnie the second we got into the park, then headed straight for Peter Pan which was dreamy as ever. Then it was back to California Adventures for a Radiator Springs Fast Pass! YOU GUYS... That ride is crazy good and I totally died over all of Cars Land. It was so stinking cute, and watching grown men try not to squish their small children in the spinning 'Mater ride was a trip highlight! 

A few other highlights for the day included the Mac & Cheese in a cone, A Bugs Life Land, a must-have churro that didn't stand a chance, Disney Dads, the alternate route on Thunder Mountain Railroad which was too good, and ending the evening at the Rainforest Cafe followed by even more pool time! 

It may be the Disney hangover talking, but this may have been one of my fav trips to date!

Cheers to Mickey Ears!

A Little Heart Shaped Spirit

Happy Valentine's Day, Loves!

We all know how much I love the holidays, and I am definitely in the spirit today. 

I just finished signed the last of my cards for tonight's Galentine's Party, and am currently reminiscing on past years. From fancy nights out to wine nights in, I can't help but adore this holiday and all the love it promotes. 

In keeping with the festive feelings, I thought I would share the playlist I am obsessing over & has been on repeat since I woke up this morning. Be warned, it is all my fav mushy love songs that don't make me bitter at all.... I swear. 

 Hope you all have lots of fun plans tonight!

Cheers to love, chocolate, & lots of bubbly.

Surviving the Whole15

Well, guys... I did it! I lasted 15 days on the Whole30 diet... modified to the Whole15 of course!

For those of you who are living under a rock, the Whole30 is an ultra trendy cleansing diet that is sweeping the nation. No grains. No dairy. No legumes. No booze. And no fun! It was brutal, but I am so freaking proud of myself I can't believe it. 

People say that it is life changing, that you stop craving the "bad" foods and you feel like a whole new person. Either those people are full of shit or you have to do it the full 30 days to get optimal results... Either way I am skeptical. Sure, I feel better... Definitely healthier... But not a DAY went by that I wasn't drooling over a big bowl of pasta or cursing myself for dieting during a trip to Chick-fil-a. Although the cravings were painful, the hardest part was the social aspect of it all. Happy hours started to lose appeal... No glass of wine while cooking dinner... No fancy cheese plates while enjoying The Bachelor... And dating! Dating and booze go hand and hand so this diet was an absolute game changer. Somehow, I persevered and I am excited to share a few tips & tricks that helped me survive this thing.

"Sober" Activities - Staying busy was huge for me. I tend to eat the worst when I am bored or out with friends, so it was important for me to stay active and preoccupied. I spent as much time outside as possible... Hikes, long walks, window shopping... Whatever I could think of. When the weather was shitty, movie nights with friends was the perfect way to stay busy and cozy. I went on lots of coffee dates and treated myself to plenty of shopping trips. 

Tell Everyone - Not like in an obnoxious way, but make sure people know. The encouragement and accountability is awesome, and it helps to not CONSTANTLY have people offering you a taste of their latest sugary treat.

Trying New Recipes - I absolutely cannot eat a salad every day for 2 weeks, it just isn't happening. I really enjoyed trying new recipes I never would have thought about. There are so many blogs out there with fun and exciting meal ideas. This Mango Chicken with Cauliflower Rice was insanely good. I also made a delicious broccoli fried rice with shrimp, green beans, egg, and cashews which was pretttttyyyy mind blowing. When I was lacking time/creativity... I roasted a LOT of Brussels Sprouts, and absolutely couldn't get enough Banana Pancakes with almond butter. 

Food Prep - Food prepping and planning was a must... Although I feel like that is a given. Not having to think about what I was going to eat made it a lot easier to avoid grabbing a quick piece of pizza to get by.

Easy Snacks - The truth of it is, if I am starving, I am grabbing WHATEVER is in sight. It was definitely important for me to be able to grab a healthy snack to curb my appetite between meals. Lara Bars were a must (I kept a whole box of Coconut Cream Pie bars on hand at all times) and always had fresh fruit handy. I also ate a lot of nuts! Trader Joes has an awesome selection, so I made sure to stock up. I love unsalted nuts, and found that Pistachios were great because they take a little longer to eat. I mean, lets be honest... a "serving" of cashews just doesn't seem satisfying when a can pound them all into one bite. 

Go Out - This isn't jail! It is tricky but doable. Sure, drunk people are a little harder to handle when you're stone cold sober, but don't miss out on life just because you're dieting! Granted, it took my waitress SEVEN times to bring me my water which became more of a greeting than a request, but it was totally worth it to spend the time with my friends and enjoy the Seattle Night Life.

La Croix - Guys, if you aren't already obsessed... You should be. It is the perfect guilt-free treat and satisfies all kinds of cravings. You need a case. Or two. 

Celebrate - Super Bowl fell RIGHT in the middle of my diet... Wah wah. Everyone knows I love a good holiday, and the food is most of the fun! Since we hosted this year, I had a lot more control over the spread... So I tossed caution to the wind and decided to have fun with it. I stocked up on sparkling water, olives, and these awesome Truffle Almonds so I could pretend to sip on a cocktail have some fun finger food to snack on. I also whipped up a batch of meatballs and an Italian Stew which everyone could enjoy! Between the snacks, the company, and the banana chips dipped in guac... I barely missed out on a thing! 

All this to say, I made it! I survived! It was kinda awful... But also kinda awesome... And I did it! I am officially done with my 15 day Everest, but have yet to go off the rails. Sure, I plan to go buckwild at dinner tonight, but that is a different story for a different day! 

Cheers to all the booze and noodles I can't wait to get after tonight!

 #givemeallllllthecarbs 

Hey Chingyyyyyy

Happy Friday, Loves! 

Full disclosure, I began this post on Monday and am just now wrapping it up. So I am going to treat this like a the week has just began.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was spent surprising my sister for some birthday activities! It was so special to be able to celebrate her for a few days, especially because I didn't know if I would be able to make it. She really is my all-time favorite human, and after seeing her every weekend this summer, we desperately try to get together at every opportunity.

I got to town late Friday afternoon and could hardly wait for her to get home from work. My cousin Lyndsey and I wasted an hour or so trolling Target, my fav pastime, before heading to Gram's to meet her. It was definitely worth the wait... Chloe was so stoked and surprised. I let her do a little homework, then we headed to dinner with some sweet friends. It was a relaxing evening which was exactly what we needed to prepare for the following day.

Saturday was spent shopping and prepping for her surprise dinner party. She had absolutely no idea and was both shocked and thrilled to so many friends and family. I loved everything about the party, but mostly packing around Branden's sweet baby all night long.

Then, it was time for the big finale... CHINGY! That's right, guys... Chingy is still totally relevant and absolutely delicious. From Right Thur to Dem Jeans to his lady-killing smile, I was swooning all night long. Still kind of obsessing.

Obviously it was a wonderful weekend followed by a week filled with wine nights, basketball games, movie dates, and Bachelor gatherings.



Here is to hoping this weekend is as delightful as the last!

Cheers.

Serious Snow Envy

Alright guys, I am about to get real pouty for a second. Holiday season is officially over, and to make matters worse, all my friends and family in Oregon are lost in a winter wonderland while Seattle is cold as shit without a flake in site. Look, if my toes are going to nearly freeze off, at least cover them in snow, amiright? So as I feverishly check the weather hoping for a blizzard, I have been doing my best to combat the post-holiday blues.

Life lately has involved lots of football, Netflix, & getting way too into the Bachelor... But I have managed to get out of the house for a few fun activities!

UW vs Oregon Basketball Game... 'Sco Ducks! 

A lovely evening downtown Seattle complete with a beautiful dinner, a bottle of champagne, and a play to follow. I felt fancy AF.  

Way too much booze and some questionable karaoke.

And, finally, the perfect end to a long weekend! I have lived in the Queen Anne area for the last 5 years and still can't believe how many parks, shops, and restaurants I have yet to discover.   

Happy Friday, Loves! Hope you're staying warm & have lots of fun adventures planned for this weekend.

Cheers!

Pop, Fizz, Clink

Happy New Year! Only about 6 more months until I remember to date everything 2017.... I wish I was exaggerating. 

Anyways, I hope everyone ended the holidays with a bang. I know we did!

Since I am a grandma now, I wanted to keep Friday night pretty low key in order to go hard Saturday. My first stop was happy hour with coworkers. A few beers later we said our goodbyes and I headed home to make a pesto pasta salad and muffaletta sliders for a dinner party at Zach's. It was the perfect way to kick off the weekend.

As usual, I was nowhere near ready for my night out, so Tayla and I woke up early and did some quick shopping for the perfect shoes, dresses, and jewelry to ring in the new year. We banged the shopping trip out like champs and were back to my place with ample time to get ready.

Our first NYE stop was dinner at Terra Plata where we gorged on beautifully plated meals and appetizers and had an early new years cheers before Jen jetted off to work.

Afterwards, we scooted to a friend's apartment for drinks and games. I was obsessed with these cozies and literally talked about them all night long, so that was cute.



Then, it was time for the real party to begin... We gathered the crew and headed out the door. but New Years Eve wouldn't be complete without a little drama. My cousin instantly fell in a pot hole and blamed everyone around her for the accident, pretty minimal, but worth mentioning. Then Chloe grabbed her ID to get into the club only to realize she brought her Fred Meyer Rewards Card instead. OF COURSE. It had to happen. The bad news: Chloe and I had to go all the way back to my apartment to get her license. The good news: I was able to change my shoes and we made it back in time for the new years countdown. We drank, sang, peed in garbage cans, and danced the night away. We ended the evening at The Rock Box where Jen kept our drinks full and the shots flowing. Forewarning, I am about to overload you on pics. #sorrynotsorry

I don't know if it was the people, the fact it was close to home, or that I actually made it to midnight... But this was one of my favorite New Years Eves to date. I will definitely cherish the pictures and memories for a long time to come.

New Years Day, I had planned to do some deep cleaning and finally put away my Christmas decorations. Instead, I barely made it to brunch by noon and spent the remainder of the day on the couch binge watching Scream and Stranger Things with some of my favorite people. It wasn't exactly the day I had planned, but I was one hundred percent okay with it.

I finally got my shit together on Monday and cleaned my apartment, put away my Christmas decorations (which was totally devastating, btw) and even went to see my favorite baby boy! I ended the break at Zach's place where we started watching The Bachelor for the first time since high school! A successful day to end a most successful weekend!

I hope you all loved this year just as much as I did. Here is to fond memories of 2016 and all the excitement to come in 2017!

Cheers.