ZAGAPALOOZA!

I'm headed to Gonzaga today for alumni weekend (aka ZAGAPALOOZA!). I'm going with my girlfriends, Blair, Lynn, Kelly and we are meeting Kristy in Spokane (she lives there). I'm so excited to spend time with some of my favorites! In fact, I thought I'd take a little trip down memory lane... so here's a little flashback of the five of us over the years...

2007

2008

2011

Birthdays, Weddings, Friendsgiving, and now... Babies (Lynn, not me. Sorry, Mom)! I've loved the adventures that we've had throughout the years and I'm so glad we've stayed close. I'm so thankful for you guys! Here's to another great weekend!

What are you up to this weekend? Hope it's great!

Golden Gardens + Paseo

On Saturday after an unexpectedly loooooooooong day at work we went out with our friends Mykell (she was my Maid of Honor) and her bf John. We had such a great time! First, we stopped by Paseo - this amazing walk-up Caribbean restaurant in Ballard. Mykell claimed that they had the BEST sandwiches ever. I was a little skeptical until she said it was cash only. If I've learned anything, cash only restaurants are usually pretty tasty. And she was pretty spot on. Both Zach and I got the #2, which we highly recommend (apparently #1 is the other really good choice). 

We took our sandwiches to go and went on down to Golden Gardens. I had never been before, but heard a lot from Mykell about how much fun it was (and how pretty). It's a really sandy beach and has a lot of fire pits where you can bring your own wood to have a bonfire! We brought stuff for s'mores but didn't get there early enough to grab a spot. Instead, we just laid out our blanket, popped open some brew-skis and ate our glorious sandwiches. They were so messy, but that's how you know they are so good!

We watched the sunset and then it got chilly so we went back to Ballard to Cupcake Royale! We each got something different and they were - you guessed it - delish. 

Clockwise from top left: "The Kate" - Chocolate with Vanilla (Pink) frosting; Chocolate with Mint frosting; Tiramisu; Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel. 

I can't wait to go back to Golden Gardens! I love the beach. Especially when there are bonfires involved. And s'mores. 

Have you been to the beach lately? Had any cupcakes? What's your favorite cash-only restaurant that you just know is the best place to eat?

Gettin' Our Bob Ross On

We had a blast painting one of our favorite landscapes last weekend - the Seattle skyline (although it didn't have any trees or little squirrels). Painting, combined with wine (and healthy appreciation for mustaches - ahem, Colleen, ahem) made for an awesome night at Canvas! - a paint & sip studio in downtown Kirkland! I'd been wanting to go for a while now and even though I'm not the best artist (I'm no Bob Ross - definitely far from it) I love being crafty and creative. 

We had Thai food before we went and then wandered down to the Kirkland waterfront for a quick photo. Sutira turned me on to Thai Iced Coffee! Have you had it? You MUST try it. It. Is. Amazing. I already decided I have to order it every time I have Thai food from now on. It's that good. Think sweetened (and strong) coffee with a dash of heavy cream on top (I never said it was the healthiest thing on the menu).

I really hope that is not a cat on a leash behind us in the above photo... kinda looks like it, no?

On to the wine and painting! It's a little spendy coming in at $40, but Sutira found a living social deal that ended up being about $27/each for a party of four! The deal included two bottles of wine between the four of us and painting, so it wasn't a bad deal at all. Plus, it's more for the experience, right?! And I'm all about experiences. 

We were the first ones there at 6:30, which meant we got the best spot with a view of the instructor. They had very light appetizers (think chips, salsa, grapes, cheese + crackers, pound cake) and a bar with beer and wine. Since we had wine included in our deal, I'm not sure if you have to pay extra to get a drink or not beyond the $40 regular price.

They give you four paintbrushes in various sizes, then you fill up on all your paint. The instructor then teaches you step by step how to paint! It's like a grown up paint by numbers. Pretty awesome. And as you can see, all of our paintings turned out pretty darn amazing (ifidosaysomyself).

Getting our paint on! Colleen is not impressed...

Ready to paint!

The sweet set up (Rule #1: Don't mistake your wine glass for the water glass to clean your paintbrush).

I don't remember what was so funny... but we sure had fun!

Here's a bigger and more elaborate version of what we were painting.

On all the walls they had inspiration of all the different painting they teach. You could actually paint whatever you wanted, but we all figured it would be better to just stick with the instructor. :)

Me and my masterpiece! Yes, my space needle is ginormous (that's what he said?). I just wanted to make sure if was the focal point... totally planned it that way. :)

Sutira and Colleen.

Colleen's masterpiece (can you spot the mustaches?).

Sometimes you just have to turn is upside down.

Ellie's masterpiece.

And here's Sutira's masterpiece already up on the wall at her place!

The whole group!

The whole process went surprisingly smooth since the instructor gives you each step. When you layer all the different pieces like they show you, it's actually pretty easy! Although, with two doctors-to-be and an accountant in our group you probably won't be surprised that we were the last group to finish up our paintings (perfectionists, much?!).

We had a blast, and I would highly recommend going if you want something fun to do with a group (and have the bones to spend). There was even a bachelorette party painting right next to us! I know there are a few other similar places around the Seattle area, too.

And one more time because we did so awesome.

Have you ever been to a place like this? If so, what did you paint? Did you find it easy? Challenging? Frustrating? Do tell!

Regina Spektor

Happy Monday! I had such a great weekend with my husband home! We didn't do anything too exciting (we saw The Campaign. It was OK... and watched the Seahawks! Yay football!). We just got back to our normal selves, which was awesome. The pups loved seeing their daddy too. But now he's back in Pendleton for the next week and a half to two weeks. :( So... anyone want to get together?! :)

Last Thursday night I went with my friend Kim and my sister (in-law) Jenn to see Regina Spektor in concert at the Paramount. It was the third time I have seen Regina, and the third time I have seen Regina with Kim. Our love of Regina stems from college when we first heard her song Fidelity. We immediately loved the music video and the catchy tune and every time we see her it brings us back!

The first time we saw Regina it was in Seattle at the Moore. She was so shy and cute. She even forgot the lyrics to one of her songs and the audience had to help her remember! It was actually pretty funny!

The second time we made a trip out of it and went to Portland. We stayed at this fun boutique hotel in the Pearl District and did some shopping and ate lots of good food. We realized that the opening act for her in Portland was Fun.! You know, of the We Are Young fame. Before they were kind of a big deal!

She's just so good. I would see her a hundred more times because she is so talented. Her opening act this time was this guy from the group Only Son, but it was just him on stage with his guitar and his ipod. We found out (after some hard core google stalking in between the opening act and Regina) that he and Regina are married! Pretty cool!

If you haven't listened to her, I would highly recommend it if you like indie/pop/raw talent kind of music! 

Country Wedding Weekend!

We had an awesome long weekend celebrating the marriage of one of my best and oldest friends, Meghan, and her husband Eric! The wedding was amazing! It was held at the Tazer Valley Farm up in Stanwood and had a fun country theme. All the decorations were so pretty, complete with burlap, mason jars, and an ice cream sundae bar! It was the perfect day (besides a little rain...). We had so much fun catching up with old friends, making new ones and celebrating Meghan and Eric! We also had a fun bachelorette day doing a little scavenger hunt around the city. Here's some pics from the weekend.

Kerry Park.

Aurora Bridge.

Gasworks Park.

Discovery Park.

Congratulations, Meghan and Eric!!! 

It's wedding season! Have you been to any awesome weddings lately?

Have a Great Weekend!

What are your plans for the weekend? I'm headed to Canada! I'm going with my best friends, Kim and Shannon, to Vancouver, BC for Kim's Bachelorette Party! I'm so excited since I haven't seen Shan in over a year and Kim in a few months. Time to relive our old Gonzaga glory days... maybe not to that extreme, but we will have fun that's for sure! I'm a little bummed we will be missing Prince William and Princess Catherine by a day or two. Maybe they'll be back in London by the time we get there. :)

Have a safe and happy weekend!

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