The Weekend {In Pictures}

{friday night celebratory dinner}

 {squeezing in a space for yoga}

 {the best a gyro in town}

 {cheers to saturday!}

 {practicing her downward dog}

 {patiently waiting for breakfast}

 {yummy breakfast burritos}

{sunday naps}

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Pre-Christmas in the Valley

The week before Christmas I headed up north to nurse my sweet mama back to health after her knee replacement surgery.  The first few days were spent preparing and serving food, cleaning the house, wrapping last minute presents, baking cookies, helping mom in and out of bed, administering {and keeping track of} pain meds, watching the Hawks, and trying to get a little work done in the rare downtime.  By the end of each day, I was exhausted!  But I'm so happy I was able to take some time off to help her {and dad} get ready for the holidays and slowly but surely get her up and moving around.  While she may feel like she's not getting better at all, I remember those first few days and how far she's come since then - she's way stronger than I would be!  Here are a few pics from those quiet yet busy days before Christmas.

 my nightly bottle glass

 homemade mac and cheese - mom's and my favorite

my fave cookies

 gorgeous sunsets

 snuggle bug shadow watching the hawks

 foggy morning

 can you spot the bald eagle?

a representation of all of us those few days

xoxo,
stephanie marie

New Year's Day

After one too many of those delicious cocktails celebrating the end of the decade, we woke up a bit groggy and sleep deprived but nothing a yummy breakfast couldn't fix.  When C suggested a walk down to the waterfront before the rains came I hesitated only briefly, remembering my goal the night before to "move every day".  The sun was shining for our 2 mile walk down {and 2 miles back} to grab coffee on Pier 70 and though I huffed and puffed and sweated out lots of gin, in the end I was so happy that we got out to explore on the first day of this new decade - one, I have a feeling, will be pretty awesome:)

sweet neighbor dog carmen greeting us when we got back

xoxo,
stephanie marie

New Year's Eve

For New Year's Eve this year we decided to stay in again and make cocktails and a yummy dinner, this time with Christian's mom, sister, and brother in law.  We started out early with C taking the reigns as bartender trying out yummy new recipes for us and all of us pitching in for a delicious dinner.  We ate, drank, watched movies, and laughed at Nina for taking up 3/4 of the couch leaving no where else for people to sit, and at about 11:30 we headed up the hill to take in the midnight fireworks at the Needle.  Unfortunately they cancelled the show due to high winds {ugh!} but we still celebrated with mini bottles of champagne and cheers-ing to a Happy 2020.  It was the perfect low-key way to ring in the New Year with my favorite guy and his family.

 my cutest bartender

 a delicious dinner

 nina taking up all the seating space

 the nye crew

 a blurry cheers!

 no fireworks this year, but a nice new years walk

Happy New Year!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

The Weekend {In Pictures}

{friday night brews}

 {veggie filled brekkie}

 {lots of at home yoga}

 {gameday nachos}

 {beastmode!}

 {calm down garden - it's a little early}

 {sunday meal prep}

{golden globes}

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Go Hawks!

Before I get to all the holiday shenanigans we got into over the past few weeks, here are a few pics from last Sunday when C and I headed downtown to meet brother and Chris before they witnessed the Hawks' heartbreaking game against the 49ers {but how about that Beastmode touchdown?!?}.  Even though the game was disappointing, it was fun having an impromptu lunch with my bro at the busiest sports bar around and I'm hoping that since it's playoff time now the Hawks will step it up and get a win on Sunday.  Cheers to that!

xoxo,
stephanie marie 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  I can't believe we're starting a new decade - 2020 sounds pretty crazy, right?  2019 seemed to fly by in an instant and now here we are again beginning a new year, making resolutions, wrapping up the holidays and starting over.  As I think on my resolutions and goals for the upcoming year and what I hope to accomplish/continue, I keep coming back to the same things I do every year, but with a renewed excitement and intention.  I need to move more - after taking a break from consistent workouts this past year, I've felt it not just in my body but also my mind.  I feel sluggish, weak, and not too happy with myself, so this year I vow get back on track with a goal to move everyday {which I started on New Year's Day with a long and hilly 4 mile walk and an at home yoga session with the Motherchic challenge I joined - I love a good workout challenge:)}.  I know it won't be easy and there will always be excuses not to, but I'm realizing now more than ever just how important it is to be healthy, confident, and strong as I enter the latter half of my 30's.  Along with this get healthy resolution, I'm going to make an effort to cook healthier meals that make me feel good and full, drink less alcohol {especially during the week}, and get my butt up from my desk once a day to go on a walk at work {I work in such a beautiful area of the city that it's a shame not to enjoy it}.  As for the mental part of being healthy, I've started meditating again {a resolution from several years back} and on the days that I do I feel so much more calm and peaceful and ready to tackle the day - nothing wrong with that!  As for tangible resolutions, I want to continue my "green journey" of less single-use plastics {it is insane the amount of packaging that accumulates}, recycling said plastics when I do have them, and making conscious green choices in my everyday life {this planet is the only one we've got and we all need to do our part to take care of it}.  I also want/need to travel more this year {is it crazy that the only airplane I got on in 2019 was to go and come back from Sweden?!?  One trip a year is so unlike me} and am already planning a few weekend getaways for the near future.  So basically, as it is every year, I want to start and continue to do things that make me happy, healthy, and the best possible version of myself - sounds simple enough right?!?  I know this decade is going to bring so many wonderful things with it and I cannot wait to see what this first year holds.

Cheers to a happy, healthy, and fabulous 2020 - we got this!

xoxo,
stephanie marie