THANKFUL.

it's not even thanksgiving yet, and i can't help but feel very, very thankful for all i have.

WEEKEND RECAP.

our weekend was jam packed with goodness!

we kicked it off thursday with birthday celebrations. b surprised me with the cake pictured above from a very fancy local bakery. then we had a lavish dinner at seastar. seafood for the win!

i spent saturday morning in a nearly two-hour session with a personal trainer. happy birthday to myself? i puked once and cried a few tears, but didn't quit. at the end she told me first timers usually stop in the middle and they just walk around the block and talk for the last half an hour. i totally would have elected for that, had i known that was an option. i would say my current pain level is still a six out of ten. ouch.

on sunday, my little sister graduated from college! i was beyond sad that i couldn't be there, but her school live webcasts the ceremony. it was so cool. i could see her super clearly! b and i cheered when her name was called. go em, so proud. can you even believe that is possible? we totally live in the future.

about to go watch how i met your mother. i've been watching for four years and heard tonight's episode is when we actually meet that dang mother, so i can't wait.

p.s. today marks exactly two months to the wedding, eeep!

happy week!

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.

WEDDING WEDNESDAY: MY BRIDAL SHOWER.

even as i write this post, more than a week after my bridal shower, i am still overcome with joy. 

we planned the shower and bachelorette for the last weekend in april and all of my favorite people were able to attend. to have all of my closest friends, my family and tim's family in one room was an incredible feeling. and to know that they were all there to celebrate our upcoming marriage... i have no words.

my sister and mom worked tirelessly to make sure the day was perfect, from picking up my favorite cake to pinteresting every crafty request i sent them. the balloon-string-as-photo-display, as seen above, was a big hit.

the ladies of my family. special shoutout also for my cousin meagan who helped emily put together a lot of amazingness for the bachelorette party, for which meg also served as the official photographer. which, i kind of regret. #blackmailworthyphotos

my best friend, who also did way too much in ensuring a fun weekend for me. champagne and cupcakes? she obviously nailed it.

my ohio university friends. we're about to hit five years since we graduated, and i feel so blessed to still have these beautiful people in my life.

just in time for mother's day, the moms!

my sweet bean bopped in at the beginning to say hello to everyone. he then headed up to cleveland with his guys for a low-key bachelor party. {wink, wink. haha.}

my side of the fam, so grateful they could all be there.

the lovely baker women, who had to traverse the back roads of ohio to make it.

 

a group shot - minus bets {besty where were you?!} - of the girls out later that night.

i think anyone who knows me in real life - or who reads this blog - has felt the fact that wedding planning has not been all i anticipated it would be. but, this past weekend beyond made up for any of the stress i had brought on myself over this year. to be able to literally feel the love from the most important people in my life and to see their excitement for our wedding - it created a joyful anticipation in me for our wedding day. i am 100 percent positive it is going to be amazing simply because of the wonderful people who will be there beside us. and for that, i can't thank them enough.

SEA LIFE: THE GREAT WHEEL.

people, the weather we are having here. oh my gosh. i probably shouldn't even say anything about it - i don't want to jinx it. saturday obviously needed to be spent outside, so i booked us tickets at the new seattle great wheel.

the wheel was just put up last year - crazy to think that was long before our first trip to seattle back in may 2011. {sidenote: we still constantly pinch ourselves that we live here.}

view from below. totally worth it to buy your tickets in advance online - you get to skip the ticket line!

inside the cart, looking up.

are you afraid of heights? i would say i'm moderately nervous nancy about them. the views made up for it, though.

can you see mt. rainer past the stadiums in the center of the photo? it's rare that you can see it since seattle is usually rainy and cloudy, but he has been out and about in the sunshine lately.

boats, boats, boats!

and, what's a seattle post without a picture of the needle?

the perfect day with the most perfect weather. happy monday, friends!

RIDICULOUS OR FABULOUS?

if i were forced to define my personal style, i would say it's midwestern prep with a mix of eclectic grandma. i wear a lot of black, cannot say no to j.crew and am very snobby about what brand of bag i carry.

one of those brands is kate spade. and the new apple of my eye is that sparkler above: the "i kissed a frog" clutch.

so, dear reader, i ask you: is this not amazingly perfect for my upcoming wedding day or do you agree with b and wonder where on earth i'd actually carry it?

WEDDING WEDNESDAY: OUR INVITATIONS.

drum roll please... it's our wedding invitations!

these went out to guests nearly a month ago and we are getting rsvps in the mail daily. it makes my day to open a "yes" one!

i designed the suite and couldn't resist adding something just a bit cheeky on the rsvp card. guests have the option to say "i'll be there ready to boot scootin' boogie" or "i can't make it and there's a tear in my beer", two quotes from classic country songs.

some of the little details. i made the envelope liners myself using rifle paper co's new wrapping paper. the gorgeous return address stamp is by steph creekmur, who is based - where else?! - in nashville.

a close up of my favorite part: the gold foiling! we worked with kseniya thomas of thomas-printers, who did our save the dates, and i absolutely love how they turned out.

we have passed both the 100 day countdown and the three months to go mark until the big day. i'm so ready and i hope the invites got our guests excited, too!  

APRIL IN SEATTLE.

in between quick april showers this weekend we took a quick walk to the grocery store. the path takes us through some of the prettiest parts of our neighborhood, including by the space needle!

directly below. it's on my seattle bucket list to go up in the needle soon.

right next to the needle is chihuly exhibit. you can see the piece peeking just over the trees.

beautiful fluffy clouds!

hi from seattle!

I TOTALLY DO THINGS BESIDES WEDDING PLAN. NOT REALLY.

i haven't taken out my dslr since february, but here are some things i did catch recently with my phone.

i participated in a work event last week that was held on and around the university of washington campus. it is pretty - and was named one of the 15 most beautiful - but i am still partial to the brick lined streets of athens.

the sunny skies of the uw photo may lead you to believe it doesn't rain every single day here. and you would be very wrong. walking to work in it is the worst. upside: i have a ton of cute new rain gear.

if we are eating out in seattle, we are at little water. however, i talked b into hopping into a bar that's a block away from our house: belltown pub. the service was great and they serve hush puppies, which basically caused me to have a flashback to our days in the good old south. plus, they allow dogs. 

sidebar: i want a dog so, so, so badly. i routinely talk to dogs while on my walk to work {"you are so pretty!"}, know the name of our neighbor's dog {fiona}, but not the name of our actual human neighbor, and basically freak out whenever i see one. now, if we just had a house, a yard, mo monies and a bff who could babysit him/her when we were out of town, we could totally get a dog!

up on the roof, b's favorite spot.

 

we finally {only two months in} explored our neighborhood a bit last weekend. we walked down to the sculpture park and this is what is right beyond it: the beach. it's no sunny california, but the gorgeous view  does make me just a bit less mad about the daily precipitation.

CH-CH-CH-CHANGES.

it was the famed lyricists the spice girls who sang "too much of something is bad enough." they went on to express something profound about love, but in my case, it describes a lot of what's been going on these past few months. or really, these past few years.

moving to denver was a huge change. but, making friends happened relatively quickly and finding a job i loved happened on only my second try. it was a lot of change. especially when we were living in that 400-square-foot apartment. there was not a lot besides change in that apartment.

then, we got engaged! it's not only a change in your daily focus, but also preparing for upcoming change.

and then, seattle. which really came out of nowhere. a new job, no friends, learning a new city.  

i am a fan of change. but sometimes it's overwhelming. and that's where i am at today. and where i've been for the past few months, which is why i haven't been blogging. 

i love having this blog and being able to look back at what we were doing on a random weekday in 2011. so, i'm going to try to make time for it again.

see you soon, loyal readers, aka b, sandra and spammers.

WEDDING WEDNESDAY: THE LIST GOES ON.

look, i'm alive! honestly, between this new {very demanding} job, trying to lose weight, planning this wedding and the stress that comes with opening "no" rsvps, ain't nobody got time for this blog.

but, nothing makes me happier than a to-do list, so here's an update. and, just in time: friday marks 100 days until the wedding! 

1. set a date
2. book a venue
3. book photographers
4. engagement photos
5. book videographer
6. book band
7. recruit bridesmaids and groomsmen
8. create wedding website
9. book florist
10. buy wedding dress
11. let bridesmaids choose dresses
12. get b fitted for a suit 
13. pick out groomsmen attire
14. find veil - i still don't know if i'll wear one, but i have cousin melissa's gorgeous veil in hand.
15. book cake baker
16. buy cake knife and server - i'm registered for one! here's hoping someone buys it for us at my bridal shower.
17. order save the dates
18. finalize guest list
19. buy cake topper
20. order stamps
21. send save the dates
22. order guest book
23. register
24. reserve hotel room blocks
25. hire a calligrapher
26. mother-of-the-bride and mother-of-the-groom dress shopping
27. find wedding shoes
28. choose wedding jewelry - earrings pictured above!
29. find garter
30. something old
31. something new
32. something borrowed
33. something blue
34. make day-of emergency kit
35. book makeup artist
36. book hair stylist
37. choose wedding favors
38. buy getting ready outfit
39. complete menu tasting
40. complete cake tasting
41. do hair and makeup trial
42. get measured for dress
43. dress fitting
44. order invitations
45. send invitations
46. buy bridesmaid and groomsmen gifts
47. purchase wedding bands
48. get marriage license
49. book transportation for wedding party
50. buy welcome bag stuff
51. stuff welcome bags
52. complete music request folder for band
53. create playlist for cocktail hour
54. book wedding night hotel room
55. order thank you notes
56. gather tips and thank you notes for vendors
57. submit engagement announcements in paper 
59. book ceremony musician
60. complete pre-marital counseling
61. create sign for front of venue
62. design programs
63. print and assemble programs
64. buy glow sticks for exit - which was a very good idea from my friend sandra!
65. book caterer
66. order rentals
67. create decoration for bride and groom chairs
68. frame parent wedding photos
69. make reserved table signs
70. create "no formal seating" sign
71. hire coordinator
72. buy flip flops for dance floor
73. assist mother-in-law with rehearsal dinner
74. buy rehearsal dinner dress
75. buy bridal shower dress
76. help find bridal shower location
77. buy bachelorette party dress
78. book honeymoon
79. buy hostess gifts for shower
80. create ceremony backdrop
81. buy wedding dress belt
82. find makeup artist for day-of
83. book getting ready hotel room
84. figure out a first-dance song - we {i} chose one and then we {i} decided it was not the one
85. choose a parental dance song
86. book flights to nashville
87. buy parent thank-you gifts
88. rent a cake stand
89. write vows
90. settle on ceremony order
91. stay sane - i am failing very hard on this front.
92. GET MARRIED!

it does feel good to see so much marked off the list! and, next week we'll be in the single-digit countown. eeep!

SEATOWN.

 

besides being a common nickname for our new city, seatown is a restaurant near pike's market. thanks to a heads-up from my friend ben, we recently watched an episode of anthony bordain's the layover, which featured good eats around seattle. b put seatown's crab breakfast sandwich on his bucket list, but i talked him into going for dinner last week to celebrate my good news. 

we grabbed a spot in the window with no wait... and with this little buddy right over our shoulders.

 

our waitress was so wonderful. i mean, service can make or break a restaurant, am i right?! and she made our night. she recommended the blood orange margarita, and it was a good decision. {though, it's rare that the margarita is ever a bad decision.}

so. what to even say about this? b decided he was going to go all out and get "the full crab dinner". i mean, crab is one of my very favorite foods. but, when they brought this out, i almost cried. his little face is just looking at us! sigh. i may or may not have later investigated whether that walrus up on the wall was real or not, then.

but, clearly worth it for the pure joy that it brought him.

it took him about 30 minutes to finish the full thing, and yes, finish it he did! after finding out it was his first full crab, the waitress was so impressed with his eating skills that she brought us free dessert.

now we can check seatown off our seattle restaurant to-do list. only 13,407 to go!

WEDDING WEDNESDAY: I HATE MY DRESS, AND OTHER CONCERNS.

as previously mentioned, i picked out my wedding dress online. have i already talked about how i went dress shopping with my family and it was terrible? i feel bad about how i look right now {hello extra 30 pounds}, and i hated everything i tried on. my fam was like... silent... with every dress i walked out in - no offense to them, i know they were just waiting for my comments and wanted to be supportive and not insanely opinionated like the people on "say yes to the dress" - but it was just not a great experience.

so, when i got back to denver it was crunch time to order a dress. i went to a local boutique, tried on three dresses and bought the one i had been checking out online for months. and then almost instantly had feelings of regret. like i rushed into it, or should have had someone {anyone!} with me.

my dress came in the mail this week and when i tried it on i still had all the feelings i was having about it after i purchased it. plus, it doesn't help that all people who i've sent a photo of it to say "wow, that's traditional!" or "classically beautiful". {no offense to the ten people who have told me that who all read this blog!} they mean it in a positive way, but it doesn't feel good to me.

and now, my manic thoughts about my dress are rolling up to everything wedding. i never was a girl who envisioned this day. i just am ready to be married. and as i sit here in month one million of our engagement cutting out envelope liners {WHY is that even a thing?!}, i wonder how i got so caught up in it all. 

sigh. fellow and former brides: is having cold feet about your dress a common occurrence?

SEAGRAMS.

um, can you all believe we live here?! we walk everywhere, and this is our view on the way to target! i lovelovelove being downtown.

i read "it starts with food" and proceeded to be afraid to eat anything at all for about a week.

ferry in the sound.

our second home, little water cantina. last friday was national margarita day, so it was a necessity. also: clams! delicious.

obviously, i have nothing of substance to share. but, i can't get over our daily views! the space needle, as seen via the sunroof.

BLESSED.

sometimes, my life feels almost too perfect to be true.

i feel so blessed that we were able to pack up and move to seattle for b to take this wonderful opportunity at his work. i feel so blessed that laura and shelly and their families are here. i feel so blessed that it has only rained for one full day in the past three weeks. i feel so blessed that even though our apartment is in a moderately sketchy area of town we feel safe and happy.

i feel so blessed that i've already started a new job. and that i really, really love so far.  

all of this good fortune just for me? i can only hold my breath and cross my fingers and be grateful for it all.

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO.

when i went to write the opening of this blog post, i had to stop and ask b to help me calculate how long we have been here in seattle. was it a week? a month? i would have believed either, but turns out we arrived in the emerald city exactly two weeks ago. meaning we left denver almost three weeks ago. 

time has flown by. we have had almost exclusively sunny days, besides tuesday, when it did the "typical seattle" gloom and mist all day. but, my hunters finally felt perfectly appropriate.

luckily, our living room no longer looks like this. but, it was touch and go there for a while on if we would ever get all the boxes out. hopefully i'll get it spotless this week for some apartment tour photos. i am really loving our new little home so far.

one of my life loves is for magazines, so to have a city that has more than one dedicated publication is very exciting.

and, of course: the food. this is the lunch special from the edgewater hotel, which is only a hop and skip away from our apartment {and across the street from b's office, meaning he has indulged quite a few more times in this wonderfulness than i have!}.

so, no grand declarations that i feel at home, but honestly, i feel no pressure to feel any way at all. whereas in denver, where we were really out on a limb, i feel relaxed and happy and right where i'm meant to be at this moment.