Christmas in Wenatchee {Part I}

We switched it up a bit this year for Christmas and spent the 22nd and 23rd over in Wenatchee hanging out with my brother's crew.  We successfully made the drive over the snowy pass {later that day it closed} then spent the afternoon in Wenatchee checking out the beautiful sunny views.  We headed over to my bro's once the kids got out of school for lots of playing around the fire {and Christian got to meet his newest love, Mellie} and had the most delicious lasagna dinner with the fam before heading back to the hotel for the night.  

miss mellie is the cutest

bundled up lily

the boys were so excited about this racetrack they found under the bed as an early christmas gift

henry checking out the lights with grandpa

reading with tata - even mellie wanted to get in on it

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Betty

Back before Christmas mom spent a few days here in Seattle where we got to get almost all of our Christmas shopping done and spend a festive day in the city.  After shopping all day we were ready for a yummy meal so Christian and I took her to Betty, a cute restaurant on Queen Anne that shockingly we had never been to.  Luckily we had made reservations {this place tends to get pretty busy in the evenings} and after being seated we all toasted with a yummy cocktail to the holidays ahead.  We split the beet salad and baguette {so yummy} and then each had delicious entrees {mom had their famous lasagna, C had a mushroom pasta, and I went with their seasonal cassoulet}.  It was such a fun evening trying out a new to us place in the neighborhood and was capped off with a Christmas movie and peppermint ice cream back at home.  The perfect way to kick off the holiday season!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Go Hawks!

It's been a super busy fall so I was only able to go to one Seahawks game this year, but boy was it the one to go to!  I invited Kelsey to go with me to watch the Hawks take on the Eagles for a flexed Monday Night Football game back in December and of course, being my Hawks buddy, she said yes.  We were prepared for a tough battle with Geno hurt, the Eagles looking great, and the pouring rain, but what could've been a disaster turned out to be an epic Drew Lock-led victory that was insane to witness {at this point we are considered the Hawks MNF good luck charms}.  While it wasn't enough to get them to the playoffs this year, it was such a fun game to go to and got me pumped to go to more next season.  Go Hawks!

hawks win!!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

The Weekend {In Pictures}

{rainy friday takeout}

{saturday pizza after a day up north}

{oatmeal}

{a walk before the Hawks game}

{one of our fave soups to end the way too short weekend}

xoxo,

stephanie marie

New Year's Day

Even though we had a lowkey NYE, we are not used to staying up past midnight so we had a bit of a slow start to 2024.  We had a yummy oatmeal for breakfast, then decided to head out on our traditional New Year's Day walk, this time just around Queen Anne and stopping for a pastry at Cafe Hagen to bring home.  The rest of the afternoon and evening was pretty lazy as we had yummy leftovers and watched some favorite shows.  We were definitely not ready to head back to work the next day, but grateful for a few quiet days off to relax and recharge!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

New Year's Eve

After a lot of driving and seeing family for Christmas, we decided to once again keep it lowkey for New Year's Eve.  We started the day with a chorizo scramble and fresh squeezed juice, then I watched the Hawks {ugh} while Christian headed out for a bike ride on a surprisingly sunny day.  Once he got home we snacked on yummy cheese and started making our dinner project {more on that later!} which was absolutely delicious, then we snuggled in for some champs and the Barbie movie {have you seen it?  Amazing!!}.  We resolved to stay up until midnight this year since we didn't last year, and were surprisingly not too tired as the clock struck 12 and we watched the Space Needle fireworks on TV {which were covered in fog and smoke}.  It was the perfect lowkey holiday I was looking for and I loved spending it with my hubby :)

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  Not sure how it's already 2024 - this year just flew by.  2023 was an exciting one filled with all things wedding and Italy and now I'm ready to slow down and enjoy married life with my honey.  I always love to reflect this time of year on goals, intentions, and resolutions for the upcoming year and this year I keep coming back to not wanting to change a lot.  Sure there are little things here and there that I could do better {less alcohol during the week, more workouts on the weekends, less screentime and more books} but all in all, I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job on the goals and intentions from previous years.  I'm waking up before work almost every single morning to get my workout in before the sun rises {and occasionally getting out to yoga or barre classes in an actual studio again - hooray!}, I'm meal planning and cooking pretty healthy and nutritious meals at home, I'm going for walks after work most days to signify a break between work time and non-work time, and I'm trying to keep things tidy and decluttered as much as possible in order to keep my mind that way as well {though this is the one I probably struggle with the most!}.  These are things I want to continue doing and building on, and while there are certainly goals for the upcoming year {prioritizing financial wellness to set us up for the future is a big one} I feel pretty confident and content where I am going into 2024.  There are some big changes coming this year {namely a new decade for me - oh boy} and I think the foundation I've set with the routines and intentions above will set me up to embrace these changes and tackle whatever may come my way this year.  Cheers to a healthy and happy 2024 - we all deserve some peace and happiness this year :)

xoxo,

stephanie marie