Happy Birthday Nina!

Monday evening we celebrated Nina's 12th birthday with a dog friendly cake {thanks for the recipe, Mads!} and a bottle of prosecco {Nina even got the tiniest taste for herself since she was the birthday girl}.  I'm so happy this awesome girl has come into my life, and her snuggles, sweet looks, and friendly personality make days with her the absolute best.  Here are a few pics from our celebration - Happy Birthday Nina Beans!

 a birthday walk to kerry park

 

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Easter Sunday

How was your Easter?  This year I hosted at my house for Christian, his sister Miriam and her husband Michael.  Everyone contributed some delicious additions to the meal, and I was able to make my first ham and batch of cheesy potatoes which went over amazingly well :)  We all sat around the table drinking and eating while taking turns snuggling with Nina, and after a stroll around Discovery Park to walk off our dinner, we headed back to my house for some delicious Swedish dessert.  It was a fun and successful holiday and though the weather forced us to stay inside for most of it, it felt lovely to have the house filled with great people celebrating together.  Cheers to that!

my centerpiece complete with floating magnolias christian picked from my garden

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Sunny Saturday

How was your weekend?  Saturday was super sunny so we headed out to Rooftop Brewing near my house to meet up with the Bach's and the cutest little Elliott.  We got there right when they opened so we snagged a table in the sun, and over the course of several hours we sipped on their delicious beer {seriously some of my faves in the city} and ate from the food truck out front while catching up on all things life and enjoying that beautiful spring sunshine.  I love days like that where there are no plans except to relax and catch up with friends - it makes me excited for more spring and summer days doing exactly that :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Weekend!  Mom & Dad are off to visit the bro this weekend, so I'm tasked with hosting Christian and his fam for a cozy Easter dinner at home, complete with ham and cheesy potatoes.  Wish me luck!

Have a happy Easter!! 

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Wenatchee {Part III}

Saturday after the winery we headed back to Shaun & Sara's place to check on the dogs before going out to dinner at Stones Gastropub.  We were starving so along withe some beers we ordered several appetizers and huge burgers for all of us.  After dinner, Christian mentioned banana cream pie, which led us on a wild goose chase {on Google} to find the perfect pie, which was naturally at Shari's.  They magically had 4 pieces left, which we brought home to eat while snuggling on the couch with the pups and watching old episodes of The Office.  The next morning they took us to the Huckleberry Cafe, one of their favorite breakfast spots {and a great place to cure my headache from too much wine}, then we headed down to Pybus to stroll around the public market and try some gelato before it was time for us to pack up and head back home.  It was a quick but fun weekend visiting the family and I can't wait to venture back over again for a hiking/boating weekend.  I know Nina can't wait either :)

 waiting for bunnies

so tired after a long weekend

Thanks Shaun and Sara for a great weekend!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Wenatchee {Part II}

Saturday afternoon we headed up to one of the best spots in East Wenatchee, Martin Scott Winery.  The sun had come out, and with the fire table blazing it was a perfect afternoon to sit outside and drink wine.  It started out just the 4 of us, but one by one different members of Sara's family came to join us {including the triplets!} and by the end of the afternoon we had 7 empty bottles of wine and a lot of tipsy people :)  I love sitting outside at this winery and soaking in the gorgeous view with a glass of wine in hand, and I'm glad this place is becoming a must see on my stops east of the mountains :)

 weston and his awesome helmet

 lucy and i chilled for over an hour - she was fascinated with my necklace and is such a sweet girl

christian and lucy were quite smitten with each other

 the damage

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Wenatchee {Part 1}

Friday afternoon Nina, Christian, and I packed up in the Subaru and made our way across the mountains to spend the weekend with Shaun, Sara, and Addie.  We pulled into town just in time for some beers on the deck and watching Nina freak out over seeing bunnies in their yard.  We were served some delicious venison burgers and potatoes for dinner before retiring to the basement where Nina decided to just make herself at home on every couch.  Saturday morning we woke up to a yummy bagel breakfast and had a leisurely morning playing in the yard with the pups, who were way more interested in hunting bunnies {thankfully, none were caught} than posing for pictures with us :)  Afterwards, we took them on a quick trip to the new dog park on the other side of the river where they made more friends while we strolled around trying to stay away from the brisk wind.

 addie and nina meeting for the first time

 an interesting chair choice

 smelling all the smells

 making herself right at home

 posing 

checking out the new dog park in town

xoxo,
stephanie marie