weekend on the island

Ahhh, this weekend was just what we needed. We escaped to Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands on Saturday. It feels like it was more than just two days as we just had a really good time. The more I visit all of these small towns, I realize I am a small town girl for sure. The city is great but my heart always feels so calm and happy in small towns. We always talk about where we want to buy our vacation property...I am thinking one of the San Juan Islands would be perfect.

I know they cater to tourists a little bit but they also just have the small town charm. We went to the farmer's market which was clearly full of locals and had so much fun (and incredible food). I think that was my favorite part. Because the weather was gorgeous, there were clearly a lot of tourists in town which made the locals even easier to spot. It was so fun to listen to them talk at stores like everyone knew everyone ("oh, you're here for a wedding? Whose?"), to see them all reunite at restaurants, to hear the waiters take orders for 'the usual' at every single place we went. I lovelovelove it. I suppose growing up in a small town- a small state, really- has a lot to do with it. Being in the city is so weird after living that life for about 24 years...even my grad school was in a tiny town.

Anyway, the sweetness of Population: 1900 made it even better. The hotel we stayed at was adorable and we were upgraded to a room with a comfy king-size bed. There was nothing fancy about our hotel, it was an earthy remodeled place with all the usuals plus awesome beach cruiser bikes. We took the bikes out right after we visited the farmer's market Friday and kept them for quite a few hours. We took a 6 mile ride around town, circling through open fields, beautiful views of the ocean and adorable cottage-style homes. It was hot out but the sweat dripping down our backs was so so welcomed as we know months and months of rain and clouds are just around the corner at home. We visited all the local shops: used bookstores, clothing, trinkets, antiques, jewelry...and then stopped for some ice cream to cool off. We were pretty tired after waking up early for our ferry ride so we returned to our room for a quick nap. We must have been much cozier than we'd anticipated because our little nap was rather long. We awoke refreshed and had some time to kill before our massages. Since we'd had an early lunch at the farmer's market (incredible brick oven pizza with an amazing crunchy-chewy crust), we rode our bikes to a little restaurant for happy hour where we had the best gorgonzola potato wedges with bbq sauce and roasted garlic, bbq wings and cocktails for $14 total. We relaxed there, rode the bikes some more and then went to our couples massages. Nathan said it was the best massage he's ever had which was well worth it. Mine was great too, she was a little more gentle than I like but I always say, I have never had a BAD massage.

It was pretty adorable that our massage ended with the massage therapists lifting each of our hands and putting them together and then walking out of the room, leaving us lying side by side, eyes closed, completely relaxed and holding hands. It made me smile pretty big. We left to clean up and then went to dinner at an Italian restaurant on the water. The bread was awesome, pasta and salads were delish, wine went down easily and we ended with a triple-layer chocolate cake. We stayed there for a leisurely couple of hours, watching the sun set on the water and just laughing, talking and people watching. We had talked about going bowling but were so relaxed from our massages we decided to just go back to the hotel. We sat in the hut tub for a while and then retired to our big bed and slept wonderfully.

Nathan had planned to meet a friend Sunday afternoon to watch football and we only had a couple ferries to choose from so we decided to have breakfast and head out. We also wanted to make a quick stop at the outlet mall. Breakfast was yummy and we finished with time to sit by the water until our ferry came. After leaving the island, Nathan's friend called to say he couldn't make it...so we actually could have stayed longer and kayaked or hiked..but that's okay. We stopped at one outlet mall just to go to Lululemon but found it was a total joke with the discounts being about 10% off the normal store. We went to our usual outlet mall though and found Nathan's store (there is a store that fits him perfectly, no matter what he puts on) was 50% everything so we did much better there.

Annnd now we're back. We are already talking about our next trip (we were thinking next weekend but maybe we should wait?) and are feeling 10 times better than we were before we left. Clearly this was a much needed thing and clearly we will be doing it again and again. Nathan's mom gifted me The Best Places to Kiss in the Northwest last year and there are some great weekend trips in it that we hope to work our way through.

back to school

Well, my summer vacation officially ended yesterday and school has resumed. I didn't realize how much I loved my summer break until it was over...Of course I am very happy to be back at work though and it didn't take long for me to be extremely busy with kids who need school supplies, clothes, shoes, sports fees paid, medical care, etc. etc. It's going to be a busy year and I am trying to find a way to have enough money and funding sources to support all these kids. I don't want to have to turn anyone away this year and so far I have had great luck finding donations...but there are definitely some who slip through the cracks.

Today I met a student who is part of a family of 7, struggling to make ends meet after his dad was laid off. We went through a list of stuff he might need and then started talking about sports. He told me he is playing football so I asked if he has everything he needs to play. He said he really needs a new pair of cleats so I asked what he is using right now. He told me he went through the gym's lost and found and found 2 different shoes, 1 velcro size 13 and one lace-up size 14...and has been wearing them all year. If that doesn't make your heart hurt, I don't know what does. He was very sweet about everything, said he would make do with what he had but I could just tell he was holding back as he told me about giving up his summer in order to work to support his family...I made a few calls around, hoping to find some sort of help. I wanted to get him some socks (it was the one thing he told me he really needed) and some new cleats. The right size. Amazingly, the football booster club president called me back and said, while they don't get many requests like this, she would be happy to help. Tomorrow is the first football game of the season and she will be delivering a brand new pair of football cleats, both size 14, to my office before the game. I am so excited to give them to him.

I don't know if the booster club is paying for these cleats or if the president herself is doing it. So often I make these calls to organizations who might be able to help only to find that the person who answers just feels so strongly about helping that they will pay for it out of their personal bank accounts.

The truth is, I would absolutely positively love to be the one writing checks to buy these things, shopping for new shoes and kitchen towels for my families...and honestly, I can't say I haven't already done it in my years of working in this type of work...but, while we are fortunate to never go without, my bank account is sadly not big enough to meet the needs of every student who walks through my door and I am often desperately seeking help from outside organizations for any support they can give me. It breaks my heart to turn away anyone who is hungry, cold, tired, sick or hurting so my goal this year is to never have to say no. It's a lofty one because so many community agencies are as just as tapped out for resources as their clients are...but I'm going to try. This is why I do the work I do (to help others) and I hope I can be the person families can turn to in their most desperate times of need.

Sad stories aside, I have had lots of students from last year stop by already to say hi and it has been so fun to see their growth and maturity in just a few short months of summer. I'm so proud of the resilient kids who walk through our doors every day and I can't wait to celebrate each little victory as they continue on their paths. Somedays are harder than others but I really think I am lucky to get to do what I do.

numbers on the calendar

Yesterday was my 27th birthday and it was the first time the number actually felt a little weird to me. Normally I love birthdays, and this one was no different, but hearing twenty-seven and knowing it's my age just feels so strange. So I think that means I have reached the whole 'I just act the age I feel' stage and don't really think about the number anymore...Of course 27 is by no means old and I am still acting that way...but the feeling is definitely different than it was at 20. Maybe it's just adulthood and being married, having a career and a degree and a house and all that stuff.

Anyway, it was a great birthday. The night before my birthday Nathan and I packed a little picnic of our favorite bread, gourmet cheeses and meats and olives and headed to the lake near our house. It was fun to just sit on a blanket and enjoy some downtime together... not to mention we both love cheeses and breads which taste even better when consumed at a picnic.

On my birthday there was a Sounders game so we planned to go watch it at our friends' house as we normally do. Nathan planned pedicures and manicures for all the girls while the boys watched the game which was a ton of fun. Afterwards we met back up and went to the horse races.

We finally remembered to bring our new camera and got some really cool shots of the horses in action. After the races we went back to our friends' to have a bbq and hang out. Their neighborhood block party just happened to be that night too so we spent a little time there with the live music and dancing. I told Nathan I am bringing this idea to our homeowner's association, we need a sweet block party! All in all a good birthday for sure. Nathan gave me a Kindle and 4 real books. I am working on getting used to the Kindle since I love the touch/feel/scent of books (no joke) but I think it will be very helpful when we travel, when I have downtime, etc. etc. I plan to just have a hybrid of electronic and paperback/hardcover books because I just can't give it all up.

Nathan and I made snickerdoodle cupcakes for my birthday and they were so good. I wanted to buy cupcakes from my favorite place but we had an overabundance of eggs from the milkman that needed to be used so homemade it was. I also haven't baked for almost a month so it was almost like a therapeutic return to one of my favorite hobbies.

I'm actually surprised at my lack of baking considering my endless amount of free time this summer. It has gone by pretty fast and while I have definitely had some major boredom moments (as in, all I want to do is go shopping every day but if I did that we would be eating Ramen for the rest of our lives), it has been pretty fun to have an entire summer off. School starts back up September 7 so I'll be officially back to work a couple days before. I am procrastinating re-painting and decorating my office but maybe this week it will finally happen. We still have a few more things to look forward to this summer: the first Seahawks game in which we are season ticketholders, monthly dinner party and Dave Matthews Band at the Gorge over Labor Day. I really do love summer...now if the sun would just come out things would be even more enjoyable!

one year anniversary

Yesterday we celebrated our one year anniversary. Nathan picked me up from the airport (I had been in Montana) with 2 dozen {real} roses in the trunk. I carried an anniversary cake, slightly saggy and a little melted but a surprise nonetheless.

We decided to do traditional anniversary gifts, both as a challenge and as a (sort of) easy way to know what to give one another each year (come on, you have to agree picking a gift is always a bit difficult). I was so impressed by the gift Nathan gave me: handmade paper flowers. Handmade by HIM! He even made a video of him doing it as he knew I wouldn't believe he did them himself. I am so so proud of him and I love the flowers. This is the best part of doing the traditional gifts as they inspire some creative thinking for sure!

We spent the afternoon lounging around and then went to Daniel's Broiler, an awesome steakhouse on Lake Union in Seattle, for dinner. The restaurant is right next a marina that houses expensive yachts so we had fun watching people come in and staring out at the water. It was a gorgeous night and our food was soooo good. We were ooh and ahhing with every single bite. We started with filet minion strips (in teriyaki garlic sauce), split a caesar salad and then I had prime rib and Nathaniel had a New York steak (with melted butter on top...ooooooh). The steaks came with garlic mashed potatoes and everything honestly just melted in our mouths. So good.

(We are taking a picture on our anniversary each year. This is more of an outtake but I had to share it because it just cracks me up. Poor Scrappy)

We walked around the dock after dinner and dreamed up our next big move. There are rows of boat houses on the shore of Lake Union and after once visiting one belonging to Nathan's co-worker, we kept telling ourselves someday we'd love to live in one. Maybe it's a pipe dream or maybe it could really happen but we pondered renting out our house and moving into a boat house for a year (or more) just to live the life. We are in Seattle, why not have the quintessential Seattle experience? There are only a couple advertised right now and they don't allow dogs but we'll keep our eyes open and consider the possibility...why not have a little adventure?

When we got home from dinner we were too stuffed for cake but broke it out anyway and each took a bite. Not nearly as good as it was a year ago but the good memories are definitely still there.

This past year has truly zoomed by and I'm thinking that is only a testament to how fun and wonderful it has been to have my best friend by my side. We've got lots of plans and hopes for the future and while I can't hardly wait for them I am also vowing to spend this next year enjoying the little things, the little moments with the one I love. One of my favorite things to do is to look around at our house and see everything that is "us". His clean socks wrapped up in a pile of mine as they wait to be folded, pictures of past adventures, the first furniture we purchased together, the bath towels we share, the toothbrushes happily leaning on one another in their cup on the counter...all these simple little things that are our's just make me smile.

Happy One Year Anniversary, hubby, and many more to come!

Sorry the color looks weird

This weekend we spent our first 4th of July away from Montana. While we were bummed to miss out on the fun with our families, the alternative was definitely a good time. We went to the Westport beach with 12 of our close friends. The weather was even better than we'd hoped, the fireworks were great, the company a ton of a fun and the food was delicious. All around good times for sure...oh and Scrappy loved it.

When we got home and pulled into our driveway, the lawn mowing service was working on our yard so we left everything in the car and went in to get something to eat. About an hour later we went back out to unload only to find my back window looking like this:

Awesome. No idea what happened here. The lawn mowers were the only ones in the area as it was the middle of the day on a Tuesday. We asked them if they knew what happened or maybe hit it with their equipment or kicked up a rock or something. They of course said no but after more thought I'm thinking there is just really no other way this could have happened. There is nothing inside the car to indicate it was broken into, in fact, we had a ton of valuables in there having just gotten back from a trip and nothing was missing. I will be calling the owner of the lawn mowing company in the morning and hope to get somewhere with this...It's $300 to fix and pretty frustrating considering I have to wait for the glass repair guy to come and fix it and don't really think I should be driving around for fear the rest of it will fall in. Ugh. I am mostly bummed that no one will say they did it. I get it if it was an accident but just admit it.

all I talk about is food

Today we made our weekend trip to Costco. We usually go once or twice a month and while I usually am the family grocery shopper (I am just going to tell the truth: when Nathan comes, it takes twice as long and I spend way more than I planned), Costco is always a joint affair. Can I just say how much I LOVE Costco? Everytime we go we come home with so many good treasures. Today it was sea salt (Nathan has been wanting some forever...I don't know why), a big thing of taco seasoning (which was very needed as we eat a lot of tacos and always seem to run out of the seasoning packets when we need them), shorts for Nathan (he gets new clothes almost every time we go there), pig ears for Scrappy, flank steak, our favorite dried mango fruit mix, artichoke dip and multigrain chips for our 4th of July trip...I could really go on and on.

I know, I get excited about grocery shopping...but trust me it's good.

School is out for the summer and I have a to-do list of projects. Three are waiting in the garage, a rocking chair and 2 coffee tables. Garage sale purchases that will soon be sanded and repainted. I also turned one of our kitchen walls into a chalkboard wall and plan to write all over it with my to-do list. Checking things off has never been so fun!

Tonight we went out for Thai food at a new Thai restaurant near our house. We were saying we really have never had bad Thai and this is definitely a new favorite. We got fresh rolls, panang curry and pad thai. So delicious. We have leftovers for lunch tomorrow, I can't wait.

little voices

Last week we got to have fun houseguests stay with us for 6 days. My cousins and their sweet girl Amelia came over from Montana to visit. We loved hearing the echo of a little voice all throughout our house. Nathaniel was instantly smitten with her as he tends to be with all little kids so it was pretty fun to see them interact or hear him talk about her. Of course he wanted to do whatever he could to make her smile so between Chad being here and giving her doughnuts and Nathan shining a laser pointer on the wall so Scrappy would jump and make Amelia squeal with laughter...I think it went pretty well. Of course I am extremely smitten with her too:)



I loved having Amelia here, talking with Sara when Sam was gone for work and just being with the fun members of my extended family (we hung out with Logan and Eric, Gabe and Juli came over, Chad was in town...). We really need to get together more often as we all have so much fun when we're together. We are among the few of our friends who live over here but don't have a lot of family here and we definitely miss it.

Speaking of family, tomorrow night we are starting the trek to McCall, Idaho to meet up with Nathan's mom and her fiance and his family for a big morel mushroom picking trip. They do this every year and rent a big house and just hang out so it should be pretty fun. Nathan's mom is also giving us two chairs-and-a-half so we will be coming back with a U-Haul trailer. I am super excited as we now have an empty room so we will be doing some furniture shuffling.

I am nervous about taking a day off work for our trip (I already have Friday and Monday off) as I am crazy busy at work but I think I just have to do it and trust that things will be okay. I have a lot of homeless students right now and lots of kids needing food, prom dresses, clothing, tickets to the senior grad party, etc. etc. It's so good to be busy, I just wish there were more time in the school day! 7:50-1:50 goes by so quickly.
Of course this is not to say I am not SO excited for summer. I don't even know what I'll do with all the free time, probably go a little crazy.
We do have a few trips planned (Idaho, Westport (the ocean), Winthrop (small town where we're already scheduled for 90 minute couples massages thanks a gift certificate we got for our wedding!), Wyoming, Montana, the Gorge) though so it should be fun.
I also need to get to work on our front yard as every time I look across the street at our neighbor's wonderland of flowers I feel slightly inadaquate. I planted a few last week but they pale in comparison to her's. I think she has slightly more time on her hands.

Embarrasingly I looked in the guest bathroom shower today to notice the shower floor was dirty...big apologies to our guests for it not being clean, I must have completely overlooked it! :(

london on my mind

Today I checked the weather report to find that London is expecting 70 degree temperatures all week. I kind of wish we were still there! Although the sun did come out today...and is actually still out tonight, so it's not so bad. I don't miss London just for the weather though, there was so much to see and do there, all over England Scotland...it was so much fun. Nathan has to go back in June and I am going to tentatively plan to go along. I just can't get enough and having the opportunity to jump on board his business trips makes me a lucky girl!



We bought a new (to us) couch this weekend. My brother moved out and took his loveseat with him. It was the only piece of furniture in our formal living room so the emptyness in there just wasn't working for me. I searched Craigslist for a few days and came across a great option. It was a truly successful Craigslist find as the owners were extremely nice and CLEAN so I had no concerns about the quality and condition of the couch. Even better, we were able to fit it into the back of my car and tie the door down to make it home. Double score. I had also just found a crib on Craigslist for one of my pregnant students so now I am completely addicted to Craigslist after having TWO successful purchases in a row. What else can we buy? Leather chairs to sit across from the couch? A comfy chair for the guest room? Bookshelves? A table? Ahhh...it gets addicting.



We are having a dinner party with a group of friends (these were originally Nathan's friends from college) this weekend. We are expecting 14-16 people plus us...and I have realized we do not have enough plates. Since I am resisting using reusable plates for a nice dinner party I needed a plan. Today I looked at Goodwill. I love going to Goodwill for things like picture frames that I can paint and transform to brand new...but I hadn't ever considered it for dishes. I want to buy a really nice new set of dishes or add to the ones we have but I had no idea I registered us for a set that is $13 a plate (we got them all as wedding gifts)...and really I don't even like them that much...so maybe it's not worth the money. While I'm searching for our perfect kitchen upgrade, I figure I should go cheap to add about 5 more plates just to tide us over. So far Goodwill just wasn't doing it for me but I'll check a couple other places before probably caving and buying brand new dishes even though my husband will tell me we have 2 perfectly good sets. Hmph. :) Oh! I just realized I should check Craigslist for dishes too!

a mish-mash of sorts

It's raining like crazy and has been for days and days...Makes me miss this Mexican sunset we saw just a few weeks ago. :) We had so much fun on our relaxing honeymoon and are going on vacation AGAIN in 2 weeks! This time it's London and will probably be the opposite of our Mexico trip (little to no sunshine, lots and lots to do, not nearly as good food, no swimming pool) but still very fun. I am going crazy trying to figure out what to do and where it all is. There are so many cities with stupid long names and so many things to see! It's going to be awesome though.

Nathan has to work in London for the first week but my parents are flying in the same day as us so I will hang out with them while Nathan works. Then we head over to Glasgow where we meet Nathan's mom and sister (his sister goes to grad school in Scotland) to see that area. Nathan meets up with us in Edinburgh after his week of work and we keep traveling from there to Cotswolds and back to London and possibly Bath (and all kinds of little places in between- this is the very shortened version). Can't wait!

Nathan is in Australia right now. I didn't end up getting to go with because the trip was cancelled, rescheduled, cancelled and then rescheduled again and by then it was too late for me to jump on, not to mention he is only there for about 5 days and I would not see him at ALL. Not exactly how I wanted to see Australia so I will wait until next time (which there will most likely be every year). While he's gone I have a list of things I want to do around the house, one may involve painting - without him. Eeek. I need to do a second coat in the office/guest room and have been putting it off for too long. Chad is also going to be here for his spring break next week and I think he is at our house Tuesday and Wednesday. He wants a pedicure and I am happy to join! I might take a day off while he's here. I was supposed to have last Monday off (I am only paid for something like 172 days a year, 12 being in the summer so I have to take days off during the school year to make sure I don't work extra...which of course never seems to work that way and I end up working and not getting paid...but such is the nature of my career) but it was too busy for me to be gone. So maybe I'll take it this week.

I signed up to take an 8 week workshop to become a doula! I am super excited about it. I need to shake things up a little job-wise so this is definitely an exciting way to do it. Eventually I will probably just be a independent doula for hire so I can work as much or as little as I choose. Even doing a couple births a year would be awesome...My dream would be to be a doula for low income women. It's not ususally something they can have since not a lot of insurances cover doulas so people pay out of pocket. The fee can be expensive so I would offer a sliding fee or a much lower one that allows all women to have someone there to support them through their pregnancy, labor and after baby's born. Classes start March 22 and it's a small group of 10 or less women led by a really cool lady. I cannot wait!

I should probably write in here a little more so every entry doesn't become such a mish-mash like this one. I really want to get our website up and running so we have a much more fun and exciting blog. I'll have to talk about my computer geek.

trimmed

Our trim is being painted right now! When we bought our house we (I) had big DIY dreams of turning it into our special place. Painting, sanding, remodeling, decorating and making it our own were always on the docket.
Recently we tried to tackle one of those dreams and were quickly reminded that perhaps we aren't the greatest do-it-yourselfers after all, at least when it comes to painting trim. You see, I don't really have what they call a steady hand. I unfortunately did not inherit the left-handed artist gene that seems to have stopped with my dad...and therefore most things that involve straight lines (cutting, driving, painting, etc.) do not exactly come naturally to me. I have no problem accepting them as they are but when it comes to hundreds of feet of trim in a house that we will someday have to actually make presentable enough to sell to the next guy...well...then it matters.

And since the white trim my mostly only my dream...my hubby (with a somewhat steady hand but more importantly a resume that boasts a stint in the paint section at Home Depot) was none to thrilled to do it all himself. And do we blame him? No, not really. But, ever the sweetheart (or just lacking the guts to tell me no), he pushed our cart through Lowe's as I loaded it with primer, paint, rollers, sawhorses and crowbars (the reason for these will soon become apparent). $101.65 later we were on our way to live out his personal definition of hell on earth. Oh, did I forget to tell you he hates painting? Because he does. And did I forget to tell you we had just been at Lowe's the day before to purchase the third gallon of paint for the guest room because I still can't decide what color I like? Because yeah, we did that.

So, back home, hubby is convinced we can't paint the trim without removing it (the whole steady hand thing). We set up the sawhorses in the garage and after watching You-Tube videos about how to safely remove trim without breaking it, he got to work while I stood by (of course this is not the best arrangement but there wasn't a whole lot I could do at this point). 4 pieces in (which took foreverrrr, involved lots of grunting and frustration and seemed to make happy hubby into grumpy Gus), one large piece began to crack and wouldn't come off. At all. We began to realize that there was no way we could get a whole house-full of trim off without ruining both it and our marriage.

We sat on the floor and he admitted that he really doesn't want to paint all the trim nor does he know how and would be so much happier hiring someone else to do it. Not one to argue with the truth, I agreed. Luckily Nathan has a friend who owns a paint company so one quick call to him and Phinney Ridge Painters were scheduled to come out with an estimate in the coming weeks.

Until then, the guest room remained untouched, 4 pieces of trim laying on the floor, the bed and desk in disarray after being moved in order to fit into the small corners of the room and the walls empty of any hangings due to our paint the night before. We shut the door and without saying it, seemed to agree that it would be best we not revisit that near-disaster for a couple days.

Fast forward to Monday, we were given the estimate at a deep [friend] discount and it was decided that we would begin with the bottom floor of the house and see how far the painters could get in two days. We set a limit for ourselves and agreed that this would be phase one (the living area), phase two (the bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs) could come later after we've traveled a few of the trips set to happen this spring.

The exciting thing is it's HAPPENING! Our house, built only a few years ago, has been looked sadly dated due to its drab wooden trim. This little update is sure to bring much needed cheer to our happy home.

Not to mention we have to buckle down and start project #2: painting the kitchen cabinets white! Maybe we should go in for a few sessions of marital counseling before tackling that one though? Just brush up on loving one another through our least favorite projects maybe...I think I need to pack my vocabulary with the most encouraging of phrases so my sweet hubby will only be a little angry when I ask him to paint a few more straight lines for me:)

happy new year!

2011 has begun! Above is a picture of us with friends on New Year's Eve in Vegas. We spent four days there and had a great time.

It is no question that 2010 has been an amazing whirlwind of a year. I have been looking forward to its re-cap for months as it was a year marked by three major events:

At the start of the year, we decided we were ready to become homeowners. For five months we made lists of our wants and needs, visited potential homes on the weekends, dreamed of the perfect location for our Christmas tree, furniture and dog door in every house we saw while riding the homebuying roller coaster. We made numerous offers, waited with bated breath for answers and heard more bad news than we thought we could handle. Finally on May 24, 2010, we closed on a home, our home.

2010 also was a hard year at work. As the stress and unhappiness boiled into my relationship and home life, my search for a new job became a more serious one. In April I was contacted by a school district for an intensive round of 3 different interviews for a position as a social worker. I was excited about the possibility for something new but even more I felt like I was finally being recognized by a staff who would value me. I was offered a position and began in May. While the job has been a challenge, it is a good one and I do sincerely enjoy the change of pace (and the amazing schedule).

Most importantly, 2010 was marked by love, joy and excitement. We began the year in full-on wedding planning mode - both Nathan and me and our entire families. For 8 months we all rallied around the details of caterers, DJs, flowers, invitations, chairs, tables, decorations and preparing my parent's lake house for blue and yellow love.
On August 7, 2010, we threw the biggest and best party of our lives. I truly married my best friend. Surrounded by 200 of our closest friends and the family with the sun beating down and the lake sparkling in the background, we made promises that now hang on the wall in our bedroom, reminding us daily of the commitment we made to take care of one another, forever. The day was perfect and our joy was punctuated by fireworks, dancing, laughing and so much love. We spend two wonderful weeks in Montana reliving the moments and enjoying the calm after the storm.

For this one reason, I will never forget 2010 and still often finding myself thinking upon the moments of our rehearsal dinner, our wedding and our morning-after brunch and crying with happiness. Every second of each of those days makes my heart tingle. I never want to forget the way I felt, the way it looked, seeing my husband for the first time as he pulled up in the boat, standing up with 12 of our friends circled around us, looking out upon 200 smiling faces, dancing until the music died, laughing, hugging, holding...
After nearly everyone had left for the night, Nathan and I found our parents huddled in a circle, smiling and already talking about the details we had accomplished. We all hugged and high-fived. "We did a good job," someone said. And we knew we did. we threw a good party, we wrote good vows, we picked our best match and even more, 20+ years ago, our parents met one another and raised us to eventually fall in love. It was good.

The forecast for 2011 is travel, and lots of it. We will go on a ski mountain getaway at White Pass, travel to Mexico for our honeymoon, visit Montana and Wyoming, use a wedding gift certicate we got to cozy little Winthrop, WA and go on 3 seperate trips to Australia, London and then Toronto, Canada. It's going to be good!

Happy New Year to you!