Mariners Night

After Romy & Michele, Mom & I had another adventure at the Mariner game!  I had won tickets in a raffle at work for some amazing seats right up from 3rd base and we met Maddie & Ash for a hot evening at the game.  The temps were close to 90 that evening, but after a quick trip to The Pen for a beer where I practically sweated my face off, we headed to our seats that were luckily in the shade.  It was so fun to watch the boys play against Houston in their throwback uniforms and even though we ended up on the losing side, we all had a great time sipping beers and ducking from foul balls.  There's nowhere better to be on a hot summer day than at the Safe with friends:)

 warnings!

 even the hydro races were retro

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Romy & Michele and a Sunny Weekend

A few weekends back, Mom came down for the play I've been looking forward to all year - Romy & Michele's High School Reunion: The Musical.  Amazing right??  I've loved the movie ever since it came out years ago, and was so excited when I heard they were making a musical out of it.  The show was pretty hilarious and followed the best parts of the movie perfectly {including the costumes, accents, and funny flashbacks}.  We spent the afternoon laughing hysterically, and I'm so glad we got a sneak peak before it heads to Broadway.  The next morning we woke up to sunshine and the temps about to get in the 90's, so we did the only sane thing and had an early outdoor brunch at Maggie Bluffs with David.  Breakfast out on their patio in the summer is one of Seattle's best kept secrets, and those breakfast tacos were absolutely perfect with the boats and water in the background.  After brunch, we weren't quite ready to go back to my hot home so Mom & I drove around through Queen Anne and stopped off at Kerry Park for some gorgeous pics of the skyline and Parsons Gardens, one of my favorite hidden spots.  It was one of those perfect summer weekends that made me so happy to live in this beautiful city :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Jackie

Yesterday we all got together to remember and celebrate the life of Jackie Donovan, one of my mom's best friends and a fixture in our family since as far back as I can remember.  So many of my memories growing up are with Jackie and her family - from New Year's Eve parties playing games and staying up late to family vacations when we were little to summers spent at the beach, her favorite place.  Just judging from the hundreds of people that crammed into the Country Club yesterday to tell stories and pay their respects, you could see how loved this woman was and how devoted she was to her friends and family {and let's be honest - anyone that insists on an open bar at their memorial is a pretty fun lady}.  I'll miss being around her - she always made me laugh - and I'll miss having someone to talk to about reality tv {no one loved The Real World and The Bachelor as much as this lady} :)  We'll miss you Jackie. 

xoxo,
stephanie marie

4th of July {part 2}

The second half of the 4th celebrations went like most others - we sat around on the deck drinking beer, eating more food than we could ever need, and mingling with friends and family while taking in the beautiful sunshine.  After most of the guests had called it a day, the diehards {including half of the Welty family that came back!} bundled up and settled in to watch the amazing {and a little too close} fireworks show.  Norm really outdid himself this year - the show lasted a full 6 minutes without stopping - and everywhere you looked the neighbors were trying to compete, making it a bright and festive celebration {even Lila claimed she should've brought her sunglasses}.  It was a perfect way to end one of my most favorite days of the year, and I'm already getting excited for next year to get my favorite group of people together again :)

jack loved his first 4th

 my friends have the most beautiful children

 linnea loves ice cream, as i've witnessed before

 the best place for a sunset

 lila came back bundled and ready for the show

Until next year!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

4th of July {part 1}

How was your 4th?  As always, the 4th of July celebrations at Samish Island were the place to be.  The day was absolutely gorgeous - the sun was shining all day long, and a cool breeze by the water kept it from getting too hot.  The oyster nachos were top notch {we even had a second round later in the day!} and the parade seemed longer than any we've seen in years {although the exotic animal category was disappointing}.  I love that my friends make this a tradition with me - and are even flying up from Cali for the festivities!  And I love that everyone loves this day just as much as I do -  I can't imagine celebrating anywhere else!  Here are a few pics from the first part of the day.

 beach ready

 luca was lovin' life at the beach

lb and her sunglasses were parade ready

 cheese!

 givin' fist pumps

 jack's first parade was a success!

 kami's favorite part of the day

 suze and luca

 lila

our annual picture - girls and bebs

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy 4th!

I hope you all have a fabulous 4th of July this week!  I'm excited to spend time with family and friends at my most favorite place celebrating one of my most favorite holidays.  Hopefully the sunshine sticks around for our day at the beach, and I'll be back later in the week to tell you all about it!

xoxo,
stephanie marie