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 Kelli!

Happy Happy Birthday Kelli!  I hope you have a wonderful day in the valley and I can't wait to celebrate you very soon!  Cheers to you, cousin!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Happy Birthday Kelli!

Happy Birthday Kelli!!  Thank you for being the only person to confirm I looked like an Oompa Loompa after my wedding makeup trial :)  I love you and hope you have a fabulous day!

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 {All The Things} Friday!

Happy Friday!  And Happy Birthday to Merith tomorrow!  And Happy Birthday to Kelli on Sunday!!  So many things to celebrate this weekend and be thankful for.  It's going to be a warm one here so I'm looking forward to finding some shade, going for a walk, and soaking up what may be our last weekend of the summer without plans.  Hope you have a great one!

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

The Weekend {In Pictures}

{friday night dinner}

{trying out bertelsen winery with mom & kelli}

{cheers!}

{brunch in bellingham}

{with my lovely susannah}

{checking out the welty dahlia stand}

{picking up our favorite bread at the breadfarm}

{roadside stands are one of my favorite things about the valley}

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Family Day in the Valley

I took a few days off last week for a little R&R and to spend some time with the family.  Kelli was in town so her, Mom and I all headed up to Bellingham for a girl's day and to celebrate what would've been Nana's 90th birthday {hard to believe it was 10 years ago we were celebrating her 80th!}.  We met up with cousin Deb from Canada for lunch at The Black Cat and had a great time chatting and catching up {I haven't seen Deb in years} and toasting to Nana.  Afterwards, the 3 of us headed back to the valley where we decided to kill some time and bring a bottle of wine down to Marsha's for a little impromptu happy hour which made her super happy.  Finally, Kelli and I picked up some takeout at Tacos Tecalitlan and brought it up to Cardinal Craft Brew to share dinner and a pint with Mom & Dad before finally calling it a day.  It was a fun day with the family and one that I'm sure would've made Nana proud :)

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Afternoon with Kelli {Trailbend Taproom}

A few weekends ago Kelli was in town so my parents brought her to visit us on their way to the airport.  Christian and I decided to introduce them to Trailbend Taproom, one of our favorite places in Ballard, and despite the pouring down rain and whipping winds, we made it to the coziness of the restaurant which luckily for us was not too crowded.  We settled in for a late lunch and beers, and when everything came quicker than anticipated and we noticed the rain was not letting up, we ordered a second round and continued to catch up.  Once it was actually time for them to head to the airport, the skies had finally cleared and we were able to walk to our cars without getting soaked and snap a couple of pics.  It was a quick but fun visit and I'll take any opportunity to hang with the fam and eat good food!

xoxo,

stephanie marie