Happy {long weekend} Friday

Happy Friday!  I can't believe it's already Labor Day weekend - where did the summer go?!?  Though I'll miss the long days and warm nights of summer, I definitely packed a lot into it and I'm excited for a quiet fall filled with home-cooked meals, leaves falling, sweaters, and, of course, football.  But first, let's enjoy this last weekend of summer!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Samish Weekend {Part III}

Saturday night after a delicious salmon dinner with Mom and Dad we headed out for a sunset cruise on the sailboat.  We didn't even have to put up the sail to have a nice cruise along the island and enjoying the smoky sunshine.  When we got back to the cabin we made a fire and I finished baking my mini peach dumplings for everyone {courtesy of Smitten Kitchen - they were ah-maz-ing}.  After Mom and Dad left, Christian, Nina, and I enjoyed the remainder of the fire {one of my favorite things to do at the beach} before calling it a night.  Sunday morning the water started getting choppy, but we had to head out one more time to check the pots so Mom and Dad came back out for a wet and wild ride to get crab.  We ended up grabbing 3 more for the trip - enough to cook up and enjoy with Grandma and Grandpa - but after many years out on that water I'm not sure I've ever been out on a crab boat when it was that rough and choppy.  Not my favorite moment :)  After eating up the crabs it was time to join traffic and head back to the city after what we dubbed one of our most favorite weekends yet.  We'll definitely be back for some more r&r at the cabin, but for now I'm happy we made these memories and I got to show C what island life is really like :)

 choppy waters

happy dog heading home

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for letting us use the cabin - it was wonderful!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Samish Weekend {Part II}

Saturday morning we woke up to a beautiful calm day on the water.  We had a lazy morning, making breakfast burritos and sipping our coffee outside while taking in the gorgeous scenery.  We spent most of the day just chillin' at the house before we saw dad pulling up in the sailboat to join us.  The 3 of us went out with the neighbors to pick up our crab pots in the late afternoon and by that time, the winds had come and the tides were pretty choppy.  We ended up with 7 crab {which hasn't happened in a long time} and when we got back to shore Dad taught Christian how to kill, clean, and cook them so they taste juuuuuuust right.  After the 20 minute crab was done, we sat around the table with Mom and all 4 devoured our own full crab and washed it down with some delicious Tofino Brewing beer.  Though it's one of my all time favorite foods, I sometimes forget how truly amazing fresh warm crab right out of the cooker is, and I couldn't get enough of it.  Even Nina got a bite and seemed pretty stoked :)

 "i know there were some crabs here"

 perfection

 our littlest boat driver

 the perfect meal

 the first bite is always the best

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Samish Weekend {Part I}

A few weekends ago we decided to head up north to the cabin {since Grandma and Grandpa were away} to celebrate our anniversary.  We decided to bring Nina, who lives for a road trip and sticking her head out the window {which also brings endless amounts of slobber to my car - good thing I didn't get a car wash beforehand}.  After a very long Friday afternoon drive to pick up the keys from mom and dad we arrived on the island just in time for dinner and wine while watching the sunset.  Nina was in heaven running around in the fresh air and meeting new dogs - she even met a few new neighbors when she wandered off while we weren't looking.  It was so peaceful to just drink wine and watch the sunset and every minute or so the colors kept getting brighter and more vivid - it truly was a beautiful evening and exactly the relaxing time we had planned.

 after we laid down some blankets she made herself right at home

 meeting new friends

 steak dinner on the patio

 loving life and tuckered out

 even nina can't resist a sunset

xoxo,
stephanie marie