The Weekend {In Pictures}

{the best fried chicken sandwich}

{homemade granola}

{enjoying unexpected sunshine}

{sat in the sunshine to stare at this view for a long time}

{signs of spring}

{salad + martinis}

{diner-style at home breakfast}

{an urban hike to olympic sculpture park}

{an oldie but a goodie}

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Happy {Sneak Peek} Friday

I know I've left you hangin' for Palm Springs pics, but hopefully this one from Joshua Tree will tide you over after this crazy work {and world} week.  It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been and I cannot wait to share all of our awesome pics with you next week!  In the meantime, it's supposed to get icky this weekend so I'm planning to cross some things off the inside to do list and try to get a bit more settled in my new space.  Cheers to the weekend - may it feel longer than it actually is!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Old Stove Brewing

A quick break from Palm Springs posting to let you know about a new brewery we stumbled across on an urban hike last weekend.  Christian and I went for a walk down to Westlake and then north with the intent of grabbing some beers at Rooftop before our walk back up the hill, but instead we stumbled upon the new Old Stove Brewing on Nickerson, a brand new location of the brewery located at Pike Place Market.  The picnic tables in the sun looked inviting {and surprisingly empty on a sunny day} so we grabbed a few beers {to be enjoyed with the cream puff I picked up a few blocks earlier} and sat out to enjoy the sun.  I love a good local brewery, especially when it's not busy and has outdoor seating, and since this one is within walking distance from home I have a feeling we'll be making a few more stops here before the masses find out and take over like they did in Ballard.  Until then, cheers to local beer in the sun!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Palm Springs {Day 2}

Our second day in the desert was our Palm Springs day.  Our first stop was breakfast at King's Highway, one of my faves located in the Ace Hotel, where we ate some yummy food and took obligatory pics in the photobooth.  Next up was a fun surprise, a meet up with my cousin Sloan and her husband David at the Parker!  I had seen online that they were in town at the same time as us but were flying out that afternoon, so we headed over to have a few drinks with them and catch up on the last almost 30 years of not seeing each other.  It was so fun to chat with them and have them take us on a tour of the Parker {without them we wouldn't have been able to go on the property, which is a new rule from years past} and I'm pretty sure after a trip to the {boozy} lemonade stand and all of the hidden gardens on the property, we're ready to call that place home for our next stay :)  After we said goodbye and wandered around a little more, we headed into downtown Palm Springs to walk around looking at shops, checking out the views from the Kimpton rooftop, and taking a coffee and sitting in the sun break before going on a little car tour of some beautiful Palm Springs real estate {there really isn't anything like it}.  After a quick trip to Costco to take advantage of no liquor tax, we headed back to Palm Desert and El Paseo to grab dinner at Armando's Bar & Grill where the margaritas left much to be desired but the chips & salsa and yummy enchiladas really hit the spot.  We wandered around a bit more before walking back to the motel for a early night and to get ready for our big adventure the next day.

this hummingbird was not bothered being this close to us

perfect spot for a coffee break

views from on top of the kimpton {where we were going to grab a cocktail but it felt a little too bro-y for us}

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Palm Springs {Day 1}

As you probably noticed, I took a few extra days off to soak up that post-vacation relaxation and get back into the reality of, well, reality.  We had the best time in the desert soaking up sun, going on adventures, and eating as much Mexican food as possible.  Bright and early Saturday morning we headed out on a flight to Ontario and made the drive east to the desert.  Per tradition, we stopped at Las Casuela's Nuevas for margaritas as big as our heads and some giant plates of tacos and burritos.  After sufficiently stuffing ourselves we headed out to Palm Desert and the Mojave Resort, our home for the long weekend.  It's a cute renovated motel {resort may be a bit over an overstatement} that reminded me of old Palm Springs with giant rooms, bright decor, and palm trees everywhere.  Once we got settled we headed one block over to El Paseo, the famous shopping street in Palm Desert where we checked out the shops, planned meals for later in the week, and ran into an outdoor concert on the plaza.  Afterwards we headed out to pick up some provisions at the grocery store and were greeted by a gorgeous pink and blue sunset before heading back to the hotel for some Seinfeld reruns and an early bedtime.

so happy to be on vacation and so tired from being up at 4:30am

xoxo,

stephanie marie

The Weekend {In Pictures}

{friday night pizza}

{signs of spring}

{urban hiking}

{pasta + fancy wine}

{homemade granola}

{getting back into the weekend yoga groove}

xoxo,

stephanie marie