Canlis

I can't believe it's been a full year since John passed away.  There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about him, wondering "what would John do?" or wishing I could take him out to happy hour and ask his advice.  Since last Thursday would've been John's 50th birthday and since we weren't able to get to Canlis with him last year, the 5 of us {Nicole, Cullen, Leslie, Delila, and myself} headed out for a birthday dinner there to celebrate our dear friend.  We all got dressed up in our fancies and after a pre-dinner cocktail in the bar, we were escorted to our corner table with a view for our close to 4 hour meal.  We had a fabulous time eating, drinking, laughing, and reminiscing about John, and I know he would've had an amazing time with us {even if he would've had to wear a suit :) }.  We brought along Dave the Minion in honor of John, and when Mark Canlis stopped by to say hello, he took to Dave right away.  The food, of course, was amazing and the company even better, and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate John than with good food and the people he loved.  We miss you, dear friend.

 cullen, me, & nicole

 leslie & delila

 mini corn on the cobs + taquitos

 geoduck + fennel & canlis salad

 orecchiette + lamb ragu, foie gras + figs, & dungeness crab + polenta

 black cod + tomatoes + artichoke & filet mignon + peppers

 japanese style cheesecake + plum sorbet

 after dessert macarons with a serving for john that our sweet server left us {which we of course ate - he wouldn't have wanted us to let that go to waste!}

We love you John - happy birthday!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

The Weekend {In Pictures}

 {susannah meeting baby addie}

 {fall in the yard}

 {tacos + seahawks}

 {its for the kids, i promise}

 {i had to make a new house key, so.....yeah}

{saying goodbye to my dear friend}

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Weekend

I already know this weekend is going to be hard, saying goodbye to my dear dear friend.  But I also know that being with these girls is going to be the best distraction, and I cannot wait to spend the evening and morning with them.  No matter what, these girls are my sisters and they make me so so happy.  Hoping you can spend some time with people you love this weekend!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Frontdoor Flowers

I had made it all day yesterday at work without crying, but when I got back to my house in the evening, these gorgeous flowers were waiting for me at my front door with the sweetest note from Susannah about John and I completely lost it.  Sometimes all you need is knowing someone is thinking about you and knows you're hurting.  And pretty flowers always brighten a sad day.  Thanks Susy - that was exactly what I needed :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Goodbye John

The world lost a beautiful and gentle soul yesterday with the passing of my dear friend John.  Even though we knew this day was coming for the past 2+ years, I always thought it would be much later on, that we would have so much more time.  John was so giving - taking friends and family on trips around the world on his "Goodbye Cruel World" tour, and I was lucky enough to accompany him to Napa and The French Laundry, by far one of my most favorite and special vacations.  He was selfless and humble - when people would talk to him about how unfair his cancer was {and it really really was}, he would be quick to point out that everybody has their stuff they have to deal with that is unfair, and this just happened to be his.  He was sweet - he once texted me to tell me that the coffee shop by REI had a drink named after me, the "beautiful Stephanie":)  And he was so incredibly smart - he was the go-to person at work for basically everything and I never hesitated to ask him for advice about work, life, love.....everything.  I have so many memories with John - him being so excited to play matchmaker for me; after-work happy hours that went well into the night; picking him up from a doctor's appointment and taking him out for beers {and feeling like the worst nurse in the world}; dancing in the lobby in Sonoma; him kindly telling me my hot pink underwear was not so invisible through my dress at the end of the day; the word "lovely"; learning what an amazing artist he is; a rousing game of Cards Against Humanity that went into the wee hours of the morning on a work night; him eagerly and excitedly driving me home one night, which was way out of his way, but it was a beautiful night and he wanted to show off his mini-convertible; spending his past 3 birthdays with him, because we were his people, and we loved him.  John, it really is a cruel cruel world, and I know it hasn't truly hit me yet that you're really gone.  You have left your mark on everyone who's had the privilege of knowing you, and I am truly honored to have been your friend.

Rest in peace, my friend.

xoxo,
stephanie marie

to read more of john's journey navigating the shitty effects and consequences of stage iv colon cancer, check out his amazingly written and refreshing blog, "John's 'WTF? I've got cancer?' Blog"

Kevin

Kevin the cat.  Because she's cute and I'm tired.  And yes - Kevin is a she :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Putt Putt Night

I can't believe I haven't posted these pics yet, but since I get to see Leslie tonight {yay!} I thought it was high time to share.  A few months back, the Napa crew got together for happy hour and catching up.  At one point in the conversation a few of us started reminiscing about Drinks on the Links and I mentioned we had to go again soon.  We all kind of looked at each other, realized we had nothing else going on that night, and piled into Cullen's car to head out to Interbay and relive our glory days {or....... something like that}.  We bought a few pitchers, picked our favorite color balls, and headed out on the course, where we competed and laughed for hours.  I love spur of the moment shenanigans like this that end up being some of the most fun nights and greatest memories.  It's a good group of people, I tell ya :)

 hole in one!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Arts & Sciences {Part II}

 

A few weeks back, we all decided to get together for Arts & Sciences Night, Part II {see Part 1 here}.  If you'll recall, John's been working on covering his wall with a tongue in cheek periodic table of elements, and since we had such a fabulous time the first time {which crazily enough was a year ago} we decided to try it again.  This time we converged on Nicole's casa where her and Dan cooked us a delicious salmon dinner before sitting down to wine and painting.  The Cullen kids joined in the festivities this year, and I think we were all a little humbled by their creativity :)  I went into this night not really knowing what I wanted to do, but knowing I wanted to top last year.  I settled on Mercury and decided to just fill my canvas with everything that came to mind having to do with Mercury {a fish, a thermometer, a planet, and some Queen lyrics}.  I took my time, concentrated, and apparently when you try to do a good job, sometimes it actually happens!  I was pretty proud of my creation and it has me excited to contribute another idea very soon.  Here's to getting the paints out more than once a year :)

 john's amazing "silver"

 my finished product

 the words on the side were my fave

 claire's madeline scene for francium was awesome

 

xoxo,
stephanie marie