ANOTHER YEAR WISER.

{obviously not another year more photogenic. thanks for the adorbs tank top bets!}

it's may 9, which means i am 27 years old!

this past year has been totally insane.

in my 26th year i did things i NEVER thought i would do. i: quit a job, started a freelance business and followed a man to the pacific northwest.

i also had dreams come true that i never thought i would be so lucky to see realized. i: got engaged, found a job i loved, stood beside a best friend as she got married, learned my sister is really my sister and my friend, had people i love come to celebrate our upcoming wedding, fell in love with b's family and so much more.

i feel like it was a year of much learning. i definitely know i do not have it all figured out, and my life is far from perfect, but i am so happy today that it doesn't even matter.

and that was probably the biggest takeaway from the past 365 days. i tend to get so bogged down in the details of life that i barely lift my head to take a look around.

this year, i promise to enjoy the view. and oh what a gorgeous view it is.

A LITTLE BIRTHDAY PDA.

{ellie looks sad, but i promise she wasn't}

happy birthday, sweet bean! i could not be more proud of you or more thankful to call you mine. just think, on your next birthday you'll be my husband!

 

i love you. 

FIRST.

{photo from pinterest}

whoops.

i missed my first blog anniversary!

my very first post was a grouping of photos from seattle - this was pre-instagram, people. old school. now i am four posts away from 200. this blog has seen a lot in its short little life, and is now connecting us with our family and friends all across the country.

cheers to another year of over sharing online.

p.s. i gave the bloggie a facelift for its birthday. if you read this in reader, click over to check it out!

fancy wasn't my name, but this dinner was.

for my birthday, we went out to the fanciest, most well-reviewed restaurant in denver: the palace arms.

it's located inside the brown palace hotel, downtown.

right inside the lobby. we could hear the pianist playing all the way in the dining room.

photo thanks to one of our four waiters.

i just realized we didn't take any food photos. hmm. most memorable courses included: the amuse bouche of foie gras, which i was not about to try. i encouraged baker to eat it, though, which resulted in tears, the most sour/smush face he has ever made and choking down a whole glass of water. i'm laughing just remembering it. at least he can say he had foie gras, though - he's fancy now! another favorite was one of their well-known tricks: making salad table side. we got to watch another of our waiters make caesar dressing and mix up all the ingredients. very cool. 

birthday dessert special! with a candle. very cute. ALSO: free dessert plate included a MACAROON. #fancy. which, i had put on my before-26 goal list and totally forgot about. luckily, palace arms helped me get it in just under the wire.

to prove their fanciness, a private well. my coworker filled me in on this little secret. the hotel has been around so long that it has it's own well, pulling water from the local mountain springs. since it was warm out that night, the fountain water was warm. straight from the mountains.

it was delicious!

and very fancy.

birthday instagrams. plus, so many animals it's like my life is a zoo.

sigh. i am having a heck of a time organizing these photos. so, we'll just go in the rando order that blogger added them in! first up: my surprise present from b that got delivered later in the week! a new camera lense. over-the-top this year for sure, after we agreed to not do bday presents anymore. just you wait until september, sir.

so, this little guy is outside my work window every day. he will literally stick his whole body in and do this crazy teeth clinking sound that scared the beejesus out of me the first time i heard it. i finally shut the window on him and what does he do? taps his hand on it! can you see his little palm, like "hello? i am out here!"

 

art and michelle's little lady, goya. 

 

ahh, super sweet {literally} birthday present from my work bff, sandra. i was shocked and touched! and everyone at work was very jealous.

flowers from b. they still look beautiful, a week later!

my birthday present to myself, a birchbox subscription. 

haha! birthday text from jade! super cute, thanks mom. 
 

noodles and co sent me a coupon for my birthday! free pasta dish, thanks for the casual fancy patio dinner noods!

book club with my prsa girls. very thankful for midweek wine breaks.

tons more iphone photos to share - coming at you later this week. maybe i'll tempt my squirrel coworker into another photo shoot. you never know.

hello siri.

b outdid his other over-the-top gifts with this one! so excited to get it set up and going. who wants to facetime?!

thanks for all the birthday wishes! more photos from my wonderful day coming soon.

who's that lady? hint: it's me.

my birthday present from my parents came - and look what it is! a full dish set! and not just that, but the dish set i blogged about six months ago. it makes me cry that my mom read back and saw that and then went and bought it for me. she didn't just order it online, she cleaned out the nashville store, called the denver store and then ordered the rest. eight sets worth!

i feel like quite the lady with a real set of dishes now.

which is good timing, since i'll be in my late 20s in less than a week.

sister.

happy birthday to the only person who will go out with me at the crack of dawn on black friday to get some ridiculous trinket i just have.to.have.

the big twotwo. happy birthday mj!

happy birthday b!

today is a special day: it's b's birthday! {i would divulge how many, but i don't think he'd appreciate that.}

happy birthday buzz. you're my favorite chef, an epic snuggler, the calm to my storm and the love of my life.

{i just know that public display of affection will be really appreciated.}

we'll be celebrating on the river. happy weekend all!