Gasworks & Uvillage with the Fam

Yesterday I snuck out of work a little early to spend the afternoon hanging out in the city with Mom, Kelli, and Abby. It was a gorgeous day so we started out with lunch at Gasworks Brewing {definitely the move to go on a weekday and miss the crowds} where we soaked up the sun and had yummy food. Since none of them had actually been to Gasworks park, that was our next stop where we took pics of some of the best views of downtown, then we piled in the car and headed out to Uvillage where we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping. Since it was going to be too much traffic for them to go home by the time we got back to my house we decided to order some pizza and chill with Christian while comparing Wordle scores and reminiscing on old times. It was such a fun day skipping out on work with the fam and I can’t wait for them to come back so we can do it again!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Happy Birthday Abby!

Happy 17th Birthday to this compassionate, strong, beautiful young lady who clearly got her killer dance moves from her favorite Auntie!  Abby - I'm so proud of the person you are becoming and cannot wait to see what the future has in store for you.  Keep dreaming big sweetheart!  We love you!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Happy Birthday Abby!

Happy 16th{!} birthday to this strong, compassionate, dedicated, beautiful young woman who I love so much!  Abby - I cannot believe you are 16!  I am so proud of the person you are becoming and I cannot wait to see all of the great things you will do in this world.  Keep being you, girl - I love you!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

A West Seattle Morning

A few weeks ago Kelli & Abby came to town so Mom & I happily picked them up early Saturday morning at the airport. Since we were down that way already I decided to take them all to West Seattle, surprisingly somewhere they had never been. We started the day at Easy Street Records {which definitely scored me points} then headed a few blocks over for breakfast at Portage Bay Cafe, another Seattle staple. After breakfast and a quick stop at Bakery Nouveau for a treat we headed down to Alki {which was packed on this first 70 degree day of the year} where we wandered down the beach taking in the sight of the city in the distance. Afterwards we braved the traffic back home where we spent a bit of time soaking up the sun on the rooftop before they all headed up north. It was such a fun morning exploring a part of the city I rarely go to and I love any chance I get to hang out with some of my Colorado favorites!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Happy Birthday Abby!

Happy 15th Birthday to this smart, strong, compassionate, wonderful human who I’m so so proud of. Abby, you are such a fabulous young lady and I can’t wait to see what the world has in store for you. Keep being you - you are the best! 

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Girls Day in Seattle

Sunday I got to play tourist in my own city, showing a different side of Seattle to Mom, Kelli, and Abby before the Colorado crew headed back home.  We started off the morning at the Ballard Farmer's Market where it stayed grey but dry, joining the hundreds of other market-goers checking out the yummy winter veggies, cutest dogs, and Market mini donuts {which we of course had to try}.  After the market we headed up to the Starbucks Roastery, which ended up being a pretty terrible idea for a Sunday afternoon as it was crawling with tourists and the wait for coffee looked to be hours.  After a quick stop in the pretty empty {sad} Melrose Market, we continued east towards Madrona, stopping in at Glassybaby so Kelli could get her very first one.  After a yummy lunch at Madrona Arms we headed over to Volunteer Park Cafe for coffees, winding along some of my favorite neighborhoods before heading home to chill pre-airport.  It was fun showing these guys parts of the city that aren't the normal tourist traps and it reminded me of some of my favorite parts of Seattle.  Can't wait to have you back, ladies!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Happy Birthday Abby!

Happy 14th Birthday {Sunday} to this kind, empathetic, intelligent, gorgeous young lady!  Abby - I'm so proud to be your Auntie Stephie and I love seeing the wonderful person you are becoming.  Keep being you, sweet girl!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Chateau St. Michelle {Kelli & Abby}

After playing tourist at the Market we headed over to Woodinville for the afternoon.  We started with lunch at The Hollywood Tavern, then wandered over to Chateau Ste Michelle which was full of people out enjoying the sunshine on their beautiful grounds.  We grabbed a bottle of the new Midsummer White to share {which I happily took home the leftovers of} and found an empty bench in the shade {hard to come by!} where we sipped wine and people watched.  It was a wonderful day with the family and I'm so happy we were able to make it happen after so many years!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Pike Place Market {Kelli & Abby}

The real reason for Mom's sleepover this past weekend was because Kelli & Abby came to town!  They arrived super early Saturday morning and after a quick stop off at my house to drop off bags, we headed down to destination #1, Pike Place Market.  Even though it was pretty early, the market was hoppin' while we wandered our way around, stopping to see the new-ish lookout over Elliott Bay and of course grabbing a dozen mini donuts to share.  We picked up a few souvenirs for the Coloradoans to take back home and then we were off on our next adventure of the day!  Stay tuned.... :)

xoxo,

stephanie marie