Holden's Birthday Cruise

Happy Birthday Holden!  On Saturday, Lisa rounded up some good friends for a surprise birthday sail on The Seeker, a chartered yacht from Fisherman's Terminal around Lake Union and Lake Washington.  The 4 hour tour included Paseo sandwiches accompanied with beer, wine, and sangria, and the only rules were that we were headed to Havana so dress appropriately :)  Everyone showed up in their flowery, Hawaiian shirt best and we even managed to surprise the birthday boy who thought he was spending a kid free afternoon with his wife :)  The boat was amazing and the weather absolutely perfect for sailing around and checking out the huge houses on the lake.  Christian and I joked that we were shocked we were actually invited as we sat on the deck taking pics and soaking in the sun, but I was not about to miss out on a free sunny afternoon on the deck of a boat.  It was fun to catch up with a few of the guys I only see about once a year, and when the boat finally docked at 5PM I was not ready to leave.  Thanks for inviting us Lisa - such a fabulous day!

 hiding before the surprise

 the birthday boy

 houseboat dreamin'

 waving to russell & ciara

 who lives like this?!?!

 happy birthday holden!

 the nordstrom family have these matching houses with matching sea planes

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Dip-A-Palooza XIV

I WON DIP-A-PALOOZA!!!  Sorry, I just had to lead with the best news ever!  It's been a long 11 years of coming in 2nd and 3rd more times than I'd like to admit and this year was finally my year to get my name on the trophy.  When Aaron said I won I didn't believe him {see DAP 12 for why} but as the music continued playing and everyone was clapping and dancing, I realized it was true.  Holden got a few blurry pictures of me dancing around and celebrating, but I wish there was a good one of my surprised and unbelieving face as they announced I had finally won.  It was Christian's first year at DAP and though he didn't bring a dip {and therefore couldn't vote} I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to bring him every year now as my good luck charm.  It was a good crop of dips this year, and to come out on top was made all the more merrier as we watched Tom Brady lose to the Eagles :)  I'm still on cloud nine over here reliving my DAP victory - now I'm just wondering how I can top it next year!

 number one!

 my winning dip up front

 celebrate!

christian and linnea were too focused on coloring to watch the end of the game :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Dip-A-Palooza 13

{most creative dip name - "i built a fence around this guac and i'm going to make you pay for it"}

This year's DAP was extra special, as it was my 10th year in attendance!  Time flies, eh?  We all met up at Holden & Lisa's new fancy digs with a quality selection of dips to sample.  Some were creative, some were generic, but all were delicious and this was one of my hardest voting years yet!  When I was called up on stage at halftime and announced as the 3rd place winner, I was pretty pleased with myself that I whipped up a top 3 finish with minimal effort :)  It was an all ladies top 4 this year, and Lisa took home the trophy with an amazing dessert dip reminiscent of Samoa Girl Scout cookies {seriously, it was delicious}. There were lots of little ones running around, and it was fun to have 2 TV's going with the game so people could walk around and have plenty of dips while not missing a bit of the action.  Like Aaron said, I've been in the top 3 or 4 for as long as we can remember, and fingers crossed that one of these years I will come out on top.  If not, at least I know I'll be well fed on Superbowl Sunday :)

my buddy for the day

a deserving win

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Dip-A-Palooza 12

This year's Dip-a-palooza had it's highs and it's lows.  The Broncos won!!  It was amazing how many people were loudly cheering for the Broncos at the 12th annual Dip extravaganza, and we were all incredibly excited to watch Peyton Manning and the Broncos take down the Panthers.  The dips were pretty tasty this year - lots of peanut butter, lots of cheese, and was that a black bean and bacon dip??  When halftime came and the trophy ceremony commenced, I was shocked to be called up to the front as one of the top two dips of the party.  When Aaron announced I was the winner, I was shocked!!!  I did a happy dance, jumped around, and excitedly accepted the trophy and flag from a proud-looking Holden.  But.....it wasn't meant to be.  I got Steve Harvey'd!!!  In a nod to the infamous Miss Universe snafu, Aaron took back my trophy and gave it to Sara & Walker, leaving me thoroughly embarrassed and disappointed.  I really thought I had it this time!  And to be crushed after totally getting my hopes up!  Most agreed Aaron took it a bit too far, but no worries - I will get my revenge next year.  As Justin said, Revenge is a dish best served cold {which I take to mean a cold dip?!?!}.  Watch your back, Aaron - I'm coming for you.

 my cutest date

 so excited!!

 i finally won after 9 years!!!

wait.....what?!?!?!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Just Married {Holden & Lisa}

Saturday night was so much fun, as we got to celebrate Holden & Lisa finally tying the knot.  We all gathered at The Lounge in West Seattle for the intimate reception {there were only about 50 guests total} and spent the evening toasting and celebrating with this wonderful couple.  I've known Holden since just about the time I moved to Seattle and throughout everything he's always been an amazing friend that I can count on for just about anything {although after the first time, I'm pretty sure he'll never help me move again ;)}.  I'm so happy he's found his perfect person - they are such a great fit.  It was so fun catching up with old friends and reminiscing about the times we spent together, and it made me so happy that these people are in my life.  Congrats Holden & Lisa - I'm so happy for you guys!!!

 this is how to eat and not spill on your baby

 speeches

 my adorable date for the night

 first dance

 the old crew - phil, holden, erika, me, & lisa

xoxo,
stephanie marie