The Weekend {In Pictures}

{celebrating the end of a very long week}

 {the best reuben in the city}

 {santa and his reindeer above my yoga studio}

 {saturday morning coffee}

 {candles for advent}

 {not so sure about the tree blocking her window}

 {making it work}

 {sunday night soup}

{sunday night football - ugh}

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy {Finally} Friday

Ugh - it's been a week, amiright?  While this week was definitely not what I was hoping for house-wise {I'm currently living out of a suitcase and awaiting estimates to fix that dang home}, I am trying to be thankful for the positives in my life, including my amazing dad who drove all the way down to the city on Wednesday afternoon to dig a huge hole in my yard by himself, only to turn back around and sit in rush hour traffic on the way home and always tries to convince me that it's not all that bad; my awesome boyfriend who lets me stay as long as I need at his place, meets contractors for me when I've missed too much work and makes me yummy homemade dinners; my sweet brother who always answers the phone when I call, gives great advice, calls back on Facetime to explain things even better, and tries to make me laugh even when all I want to do is cry; and my fabulous mama who is coming down for a fun holiday girls weekend {hotel included} to lift my spirits and spread some holiday joy.  While there have been a lot of tears, there have also been a lot of smiles and gratitude knowing that I'm surrounded by some pretty awesome humans.  Cheers to Friday, and hopefully getting that little cottage fixed!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Chuckanut Drive

For our drive up to Bellingham on Black Friday we decided to take the long way and head up Chuckanut Drive on a beautiful {but freezing} sunny day.  I haven't driven this way in years {frankly, I find the drive a bit terrifying with the sharp turns and narrow lanes on the side of the mountains} but since the sun was shining and we were in no hurry, we decided to give it a whirl and I'm so happy we did.  We stopped off at one turnabout to take in the breathtaking views and stretch our legs and it made me so grateful for these pockets of beauty we have here in the PNW - something I try not to ever take for granted.

xoxo,
stephanie marie

KTBBT

For Black Friday this year we decided to amend the KCBBT and try out the KTBBT {Knutzen Thanksgiving Bellingham Brew Tour}.  We all headed up to Bellingham {minus Dad who opted to stay home and babysit Nina while watching the Apple Cup} and made our first stop at our old fave Aslan for lunch and some of the yummiest beers {they even had their seasonal specialty Hook's Stash that Sara and I loved from last year so we made sure to stock up}.  After lunch we headed over to Wander {another fave from last year} where Jack woke up in time for his lunch and we were able to share some more beers and admire all the cute puppies and babies filling up the place.  After the brewery we parted ways then met back up at Mom & Dad's so we could get some last Jack snuggles in before they headed back over the mountains for the weekend.  I'm all about this new tradition - give me some breweries and some of my favorite people and I'll be there!

waking up for the second stop

reppin' the cougs

he just loves his uncle christian

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Thanksgiving

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We spent a few days up north celebrating with the fam and it was perfect, especially because we got to spend some time with sweet little Jack.  Mom & Dad were hosting this year and while it was freezing cold, the sun was shining making it the perfect day to throw open some windows and bask in the late fall sun.  Nina made herself comfortable {and lots of new friends} wherever she plopped down, and we ended the day devouring leftovers and whatever else we could find in the kitchen, reminiscing about the day and looking ahead to Christmas.  It was such a fun holiday that I'm so happy to share with the ones I love.

the yummiest appetizer

jack meeting christian

staying close to dad in a crowded room

grandma, mom, & michael

making herself comfortable {and usually in the way}

making friends

looting the leftovers

remnants of our second dinner

xoxo,
stephanie marie

The Weekend {In Pictures}

{another day, another bucket of leaves}

 {hanging lights}

 {trying to get the lights as high as i could just the way dad taught me}

 {saturday night thai}

 {old fashioned makin's}

 {perfection}

 {breakfast}

 {lazy sunday}

 {hanging curtain rods}

{halfway decorated tree + my fave christmas movie}

xoxo,
stephanie marie