birthday weekend

Also known as...the BEST weekend. 

Gloriously unfiltered birthday sky.

Kel, me and Chels at The Neptune to see Kris Orlowski and Allen Stone.

Kris Orlowski

Chels made me "Better Than Sex" cake. I'm taking her word for it...

First snow of the year in Seattle!

Dawn Mitschele and Noah Gundersen performed with Kris Orlowski.
And oh yeah, Macklemore showed up to play a song with the simply electric Allen Stone. #nobigdeal

twenty • six

• 26 things to know when you're 26 •

Inspired by this article/book. 

1. "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it's the LORD's purpose that prevails." —Proverbs 19:21
2. How to curl your own hair. Like this.
3. Your Facebook wall/timeline/status is not a place for raw emotion/sappy lyrics/photos of you with red Solo cups. 
4. How to parallel park like a champ. And then move to Seattle and learn to do it in reverse, on the opposite side of the street. #superchamp
5. What the inside of a therapist's office looks like. In detail.
6. What your non-negotiables are. (But finally ditch "the list.")
7. What your signature coffee drink is/what your signature cocktail is. 
8. How to drive a manual transmission.
9. Leaving home is okay.
10. Going back home is okay.
11. Owning one amazing lipstick color over $20 is okay.
12. If you have any food sensitivities/intolerances/allergies...and what the differences are.
13. How to read the Bible.
14. "Acceptance is a small, quiet room." (via)
15. How to throw a dinner party. And make it look like this. 
16. Always ask "Why?" before putting anything on the Interweb.
17. The grass is always greener on the other side...because "our hearts are restless until they rest in You." (Saint Augustine of Hippo)
18. Men and women can't be friends.  
19. Only wash your hair every 2-3 days.
20. Who you are...and what your game is. 
21. The difference between being "busy" and being "productive."
22. No one else knows where they're going to be in five years, either.
23. You are not, in fact, the only single person left in America.
24. You're allowed to return bridesmaids dresses. Because I said so.
25. You've got to be a friend to have a friend.
26. Give yourself grace. Someone great I know once said, "As believers we are often exposed to (or perhaps went to school with) so many extraordinary speakers and leaders who are doing really impressive things in the name of the Lord: starting non-profit agencies, writing books, speaking to thousands, going to prestigious grad schools...But let's be honest: the majority of us will be ordinary people who simply need to invite the extraordinary God to work through us in the daily stuff of life." 

 It's Friday the 13th...of January.

Happy birthday to meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

in honor of July 22...

It was my BFF's birthday last week, and she lives in Chicago now (waaahh waaaaaahhhh). The good ol' Sip & Ship didn't put my return address or name on the package I sent her, but she called me right up when she got it. Our minds are just that in sync. I couldn't wait to post about this little calendar/journal/crafty-looking thing I made her, but since she's obviously the #1 reader of this blog, I had to wait it out...

Her first question: How long did it take you to steal all of those paint chips from Home Depot? 

Ha. Like I'd ever stoop that low.

The vintage post cards are all from Colorado though, which is Sarah's home state. The love is in the details.

And yes, I single-handedly ate all of the blueberries out of the paper fruit crate. Sustainable crafting.

Inspired by this post.

Good Lord I miss her. She is the bee's knees.

And this song is dedicated to you, Sarah:

somebody's turning 18 today...

 

Rebecca

aka Sister #3 

aka third time's a charm, right Mom and Dad? :)

To a girl I wish I saw more, 

hugged more, 

talked to more, 

got calls from more 

(real calls, not ones where you accidentally call me b/c your you have a friend at school named Maddie too),

texted with more,

but honestly...could not love more.  

 

Little cutie! 

"I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..."

Ephesians 3:17-20

 A very merry 18th birthday to you today.

You are the sweetest, Becks. 

xoxo,

Mads

momsicles

It's MY MOM's birthday! Wooooeeeeeeeeeooooooooooooo! She's only 35, but she barely looks a day over 30!

(Obvs trying to score daughter points here. No my mom wasn't pregnant at age 10.)

Leave a comment about how much you love her/how fabulous she is and I'll forward them on to her.
Right now Sister #2 is in Santa Barbara scoring major points since she'll be the only daughter actually with my mom on her birthday. 

Suck up.

I love you, Mommy! ☺

happy 22nd!

 

...to my sister Emme!

She's the real deal.

And I'm so blessed to have her in my life.

1...2...3

Wishing we could all three be together on this day!

quarter of the way...

I turned 25 on Thursday! ...and I feel like a real adult now. Not at all. 

But I do feel like 24 was too much of an even number for me—too well-rounded and easy. 

I think I spent the tail-end of 24 getting irresponsibility out of my system. I could give you a list of all the lame decisions I made in the last year, but that would force the quality of this blog down phenomenally. So instead...here's to 2011, and—for me—a 25th year wrapped in grace and new beginnings. And a pristine point of view...

Kerry Park, Seattle, WA

Citizen Crepes with Mom and Emme pre-birthday

The Citizen Crepe:

Avocado, caramelized onions, roasted asparagus, apple smoked bacon, spinach & goat cheese. Topped with house made crème fraiche...

above image

It's def winter up here. Blah.

Emme and I walked around Queen Anne, took pictures at Kerry Park and Marshall Park, browsed the Fremont Vintage Mall, bought espresso at Fremont Coffee (above), which also happens to serve PBR. Such the hipster beer up here. My gosh.

Birthday night I was surrounded by people I love eating Italian food (@ Assagio...come visit; I will take you). I'd only been here barely a week and already had friends! ...and friends who like things like Vodka Penne! God knows what we need, and He always provides :)