Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Happy 39th Anniversary to the two best people I know!  I am so very lucky that I get to call these awesome people my parents and love having them as examples of love and happiness.  They are always there for me no matter what and I couldn't have picked a better pair if I tried.  Cheers to you, you crazy kids!  Love ya!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Copenhagen {Torvehallerne, Rundetaarn, & The King's Garden}

 

Sunday morning we woke up pretty late, and after upgrading to a new {quieter and bigger!} hotel room, we headed off on an adventure.  We were pretty starving, so our first stop was Torvehallerne, a huge food market with vendors selling anything your Danish heart could desire.  Coffee was a must, so we started at The Coffee Collective for the perfect morning caffeine fix then made our way over to find some traditional Danish smorrebrod {which is basically bread topped with lots of seafood, eggs, herbs - anything!} and a beer to share.  With full bellies, we headed out along the Stroget, Copenhagen's longest shopping street filled with luxury shops, tourist boutiques, restaurants, and everything in between.  Unfortunately most shops were closed but we had fun window shopping and scoping out the waterways running nearby.  While trying to figure out what to do, I pulled up my Copenhagen list and realized that the Rundetaarn {Round Tower} was super close by so we paid the small fee to hike up this 36 meter tower that instead of stairs is a long spiraling inclining walkway with stops to look out windows and into old rooms from the 17th century.  The top of the tower had the most beautiful 360 views of Copenhagen and we lingered there taking in the views {you could see all the way to Sweden!} until we saw a park below that looked pretty and inviting.  After making our way down, we headed over to the King's Garden which is a huge public park overlooked by the Rosenborg Castle.  The garden was in full bloom with gorgeous roses everywhere and I loved seeing it full of Danes out picnicking and listening to music and really enjoying their holiday weekend.  We didn't step inside the castle to see the Denmark crown jewels, but we admired it from a park bench in the garden before heading out on yet more adventures :)

torvehallerne

smorrebrod!

the rundetaarn

an old 17th century toilet, hopefully not still in use

beautiful views

the king's garden

rosenborg castle

i can never resist a statue imitation and got C in on fun {above}

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Copenhagen {Night 1}

We arrived in Copenhagen on Saturday June 8 around 4 in the afternoon after traveling all day and night to get there.  Needless to say, we were exhausted but excited to explore this beautiful new city, and even more excited when we realized we made it to our hotel just in time for the daily complimentary wine hour on the patio :)  After downing our glasses, riding in the tiniest elevator imaginable, and freshening up, we decided to grab a quick bite at Baest, a popular pizza place not too far from our hotel and that I had heard rave reviews about {you may be skeptical about pizza in Denmark, but trust me on this one}.  The wait was long on a Saturday night, so we put our names in and headed to their upstairs bar Rudo for a glass of their specialty, Vermouth.  When it was finally our turn for dinner, we sat at the bar and ordered ravenously since it had been many hours since our last meal.  Everything was really delicious at this hip neighborhood spot and we were thankful for the walk home to burn off a portion of all that food we devoured.  We were zombies by the time we got back to our room and instantly passed out, but were awoken time and time again by the noises from our street facing window, including a drunken band playing and singing at 5am outside the bar across the street {what?!}.  Luckily, we were so tired that we were able to keep falling back asleep and woke up so thankful to finally be in Copenhagen.

 teeny tiny elevator

 our hotel

 the cutest patio in our hotel

 who knew vermouth was so delicious?

 grilled sausage and new potatoes

 stracciatella with oyster mushrooms

 mozzarella, semi dried tomatoes, and prosciutto

 my favorite poster

 bikes everywhere!

so sleepy but so happy

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Summer To Do

I'm back!  We had such a wonderful time in Europe these past few weeks, but before I organize all the pictures and tell you all about it {and get over the jet lag}, I wanted to kick off the summer by making my annual Summer To Do List!  I can't believe next week is already July and with some plans already on the books for the rest of the summer I know it's going to go by fast.  Hopefully there's time to cross a few of these things off the list and savor summer for as long as possible!

1. Grill pizza
2. Bike on a new trail
3. Go fancy or casual at Canlis {or maybe both!}
4. BBQ on Christian's rooftop with friends
5. Outdoor yoga
6. Drink homemade spritz's outside
7. Wake up early for a weekend hike
8. Sign up for a beginners Swedish class
9. Plan a fun trip for fall
10. Go camping and finally teach C how to make s'mores
11. Eat fresh crab
12. Rent kayaks and cruise the lake 
13. Show Christian how fun a Mariner game is
14. Celebrate 35 in style :)

What's on your summer to do list??

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday {tomorrow} to the best dad in the world!  Dad - you are such an amazing human and I'm eternally grateful for your advice, wisdom, laidback attitude, and general awesomeness.  I strive to be more like you everyday {especially being able to hula hoop with a glass of wine} and am always proud to say I'm your daughter.  Thanks for always being there for me through the good times and bad with a hug and a joke and for being not only the best dad but an even better friend.  Oh, and congrats on being Coach of the Year!  You rock! :)  I love you so much - happy birthday!!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

ps - C and I are heading out on our European adventure tonight and I can't wait to tell you all about it when we get back in a few weeks!

Chelanigans {Part III}

Sunday after the boat ride we headed back to the condo to quickly freshen up before going out to taste some more wine.  We started at Fielding Hills where we were going to just buy a few bottles, but ended up sharing tastings and taking pictures out on their pretty lawn.  Next we walked over to Siren Song for a few pics before heading over to our unanimous fave, Nefarious, for bottles of red and white and chairs in the shade to sip on wine and enjoy the view.  After wine, it was time for dinner at Sorrento's where we toasted a wonderful weekend with some yummy pasta and tasty wine, then headed back to the condo for a chill night on the patio {where we all struggled to stay awake until sunset}.  Monday morning we packed up and headed out for our traditional Apple Cup Cafe breakfast before all going our separate ways home.  I love Chelan and love that I get to spend the weekend with some of my favorite people drinking wine and soaking up the sun.  Chelanigans, you're the best :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie