MinnesOta

Obviously I am still having a little bit of trouble balancing my time between work, life and blogging. Since you have probably already figured that out on your own, why don’t we just get to it? Two weeks ago Special ManFriend (SMF) Mark, Murphy and I packed up and headed out to Minnesota to visit family and friends. I am always super nervous to fly the pup, but he was just fine. We spent nearly all our time at his parent’s cabin relaxing, sunbathing, skiing, napping, baking, golfing, baking, playing fetch, playing cards and reading. Once the weekend came, his aunts, uncles and cousins all joined for more of the same, including the annual Hankey Family Golf Tournament. The more time I spend with his family, the more I feel blessed. What a great week.

the cabin

Murphy skinny dipping frisbee style

family boat trip to eat lunch at The Castaway

SMF's Dad made this AMAZING ribs...yum!

Great Aunt Lorane and little cousin Ava

My baking buddies, Grandma Cindy and Drew

Mark and Alyssa discussing the timeline of our lives :)

happy hour on the deck...John Daly anyone??

SMF and Baby Austin... L.O.V.E.

grumpy girl, corner seat

Do you ever have one of those mornings where you wake up and feel like your day could really go either way? I was there about 7am this morning. I have been fighting off a little bug, feel like there are a million things to do in the next couple days and missed my bus—twice. Once I finally made onto a bus, I took the very back, corner seat. It seemed very fitting for a grumpy girl. This is where you can currently find me, somewhere between my house and my office; Sitting. Being grumpy. So I have decided to make this an experiment. I am going to call out every good thing that I spot on the way to work and see if I can turn this day around before I turn into grumpy girl sitting in the corner desk. Ready----Go:

· 2 dog owners on the sidewalk letting their pups play with each other

· The girl a few seat up from me has a Microsoft Auto mug…SMF has the same one, and he makes me happy

· Dude sitting next to me is on the ‘introduction’ section to a big thick novel; a fresh start

· We just passed a street called “Snoqualmie” which made me think of my adorable little she-cousins that live in that town…I should really try and go see them soon

· Old man--handlebar mustache… enough said

· Man with clubs heading into the golf course, reminds me that I will be playing a round or two with SMF’s family soon, can’t wait

· Remembered that the Nordstrom sale is going on and I have a gift card to spend... enough said

· An old brink apartment building, I have always wanted to live in one like that

· A van with a company logo “Creative Bros Landscaping” … it reminds me that there are people all over the place that have started their own little biz…it is possible.

· A rooftop patio with a lounge chair about 20 feet from this overpass, do you think the owner sunbathes there??

After a quick stop at Starbucks where I ran into some good pals, I have made it to my desk. I don’t think anyone will notice the grumpy girl in the corner because she just might not be here. Have a good day everyone.

bring it on new week, bring it on!!

Sunday nights...typically I am not a fan of them, but tonight I am pumped, ready for the week to start and proud. SMF and I have worked really hard these past couple weekends, and we are at the point now where it is starting to show. Not only that, but we have some exciting events coming up in the near future to look forward to. Family reunions, lake house trips, an open house and buying a new car all included; followed by more lake house weekends, more wedding showers (for my sis) and a wedding (hers, not ours :) ).

Friday started the weekend off on a great foot, SMF Mark and I drove to Ellensburg to meet up with a really fun girl whom had seen Mark's Xterra on Craigslist and was seriously considering buying it. An hour after we got there, we were back on the road as a temporary one car family. See ya later Nissan, hopefully I will be sharing photos of a new white Land Rover in a couple weeks...we just have to find it first!

Bright and early Saturday morning I drove out to meet my mom at a local (well, local to her, 40 mins away to me) hardware store with a great nursery to try and find the loch ness monster, I mean perennials that are colorful and grow in the shade, but really what is the difference?? We were pretty successful! Check out the photos below...

Who says you can't put much in a VW Beetle??

Momma Bear and I stopped at the farmers market to get our favorite candy..raspberries!

On Sunday, Mark and I, along with some family, volunteered at the Chron's and Colitis Foundation's "Take Steps Walk". We helped with setup, breakdown and ran a bake sale booth during the event itself. Walk teams were formed by people from around the area, many by C or C patients and their families and with light-hearted names like ":" or "Team Brown Shorts". It was great to see everyone out having a great time, supporting each other and raising much needed money to help find a cure. (We will have to rely on Momma Bear's photos, since I didn't get my camera out, I will try and get them from her soon)

Saw, Snapped, Liked!

I saw this in our yard this morning (yes we have weeds) and thought of the blog... There is something about dandelions like this that I love. Maybe it is the childhood memories, or the thought of blowing and making a wish. Either way, I hope you can see the beauty in it like I do...Happy Friday everyone!

magic...not the same, but she's still got it

There is a tiny little town (pop 821) called Peru, Massachusetts that holds a piece of my heart...a BIG piece of my heart. There are so many days, be it winter, spring, summer or fall, that I just ache inside to get back there. So, last week, I went! I spent the long weekend at Camp Danbee with 382 girls, 120 staff and an unlimited supply of little critters. I have to say, I was a little nervous going back as a visitor, having not gone through orientation with this staff, where the strongest bonds are formed. By the end of the my trip, I almost felt like I had been there from the start. I went into this weekend with a purpose. I wanted to figure out if I have such a yearning to get back there because it is where/what I am truly suppose to be/doing, or if it was because it was an adventurous time for me (moving across the country, meeting new friends from around the world, etc). Here is what I have learned: -First, I still believe that working in this field is what I am best suited for, but realize now that it just may never happen. At this point, I could not leave my life without some of it coming with me (specifically, SMF and Murph Dog). If there was a full time job with Camp Group and SMF could work remotely, or find a new gig on the east coast... I pack up the Beetle and hit I-90 in a spilt second, but at this moment, I am living my dream life instead of my dream job:) - Second, there is NO doubt in my mind that I want to be able to offer my future kids the opportunity to experience a full summer sleepaway camp. Most parents on the West Coast would think I am crazy to give my child to strangers for seven weeks, but when you find the right camp family, they aren't strangers. Danbee can have my little girl for the summer anytime they want. D.A.N.B.E.E. Danbee is for me, Hey!

This also happens to be on my 30 before 30 list..

*This little trip also happened to be on my 30 b4 30

Late... but Better Than Never!

This month has been huge for me in terms of my 30 B4 30 list. In my last post I told you that I had just completed my first (probably not my last) half marathon. Our camera had a dead battery that day, so all we have are the official photos from the race staff (that I am too cheap to buy :) ). I promised some pics so here you are my friends!

I am sure you are wondering who I am talking to...my parents couldn't be there and it was the first major sporting event of my life they had missed, so i decided to call them and share it with them... they didn't answer, it went to voicemail :)

Extra Brownie Points For Mr. B

(I am having an issue with blogger tonight, please ignore the fact that all my photos are at the top and not mixed in the text like normal)

I may start to sound like a broken record soon, but boy, oh boy, this past weekend has been BUSY!! Friday night Special ManFriend Mark had a double-header on the north end of town. I quickly swung by the house pretty barely slowing down and throwing open the car door for Murphy to jump in orderto make it uptown for his second game. The bad news is that the other team didn’t show up and I drove all that way for nothing, the good news is that we went out to get a pasta dinner in order to help me ‘carb-up’ for the following morning.

The bell clock tower sound of my alarm clock jolted me awake at 4:15am on Saturday getting me out the door in time to cross something off my 30 before 30 list… I RAN A HALF MARATHON!!! Holey Moses, it still is shocking to me today! I had planned on catching the bus to get to the race that morning, but quickly realized that when I checked the schedule the night before, I was looking at the 4:30PM route! Oh man, what a walk of shame into the bedroom to wake up Mark and ask for a ride. Weekend brownie point numero uno for SMF.

Brownie point number two came not too long after, as I came jogging around the corner somewhere between mile 5 & 6 and there he and Murph Dog stood cheering me on …again at mile 11 again at the finish line… love. Below are a couple pics the photographers took during the race, you will notice I have the phone to my ear, I was trying to have my parents there with me as I crossed the finish line (they really wanted to be there in person, but had a prior commitment).

After the race SMF and I went back to the house and I quickly showered and found myself in bed for about an hour. While I slept, he got to work! Remember the project he and TJ did on the trellis a couple weeks ago? The story keeps getting better. We have been dreaming of exactly how to finish this space for quite some time now, and I think we are well on our way! Mark dug out the sand, laid slate, filled the gaps with healthy soil and seeded the entire trellis area in one afternoon.Brownie point number three. I cannot wait to see how it looks when the grass grows in!

On Sunday we got up early to finish up on our projects including tearing out the garden box ( a decision I really struggled with, but ultimately came to as I couldn’t keep up on the weeds like I wanted) and prepping the back of our house for a new garden space (one with much less maintenance). We also decided that since we had borrowed a friend’s truck, we should do a quick dump run… who knew that 2 loads of lumber, garden box posts and leftover kitchen remodel supplies could cost so much to throw away. $120 later, we were garbage free (well, except that backer board I forgot about in the shed, sorry Mr. B).

We are pretty excited to get the grass back in shape a new tree planted in place of the garden and a new look for our backyard. If you have any ideas you think would work well for this new garden space of ours, leave a comment below!

Bueller?.....Bueller???

Ok, it is true, I have been MIA for a few days. It is not that I haven't been thinking about blogging, things have just seemed extra crazy recently. I am learning to balance life with writing about life and I promise to get better. Here is what you have missed while I was living and not writing... Our little Murphy Boy is no longer a puppy. Last week he officially turned 2! I cannot believe how big he is, I still remember bringing him home weighing right around 20lbs; half of that being extra skin waiting to be grown into. He recently weighed in at a whopping 61 lbs! I don't want to be lame about this, but it makes me a little sad. We celebrated his big day with his version of Disneyland; doggy-daycare. I checked in on him many times via webcam and could see he was having a great time with all his friends. After work/daycare, he and I drove out to the eastside to watch SMF Mark play softball. By the time we got home (8pm or so) Murph Dog was so tired he could barely stand up to eat his dinner. A good day indeed. Murph and I when he was 4 months old (above) and him today (below) This past weekend we had Mark's good friend from GU, Kara (great name I know) in town. She is such a character, we knew she would be up for pretty much anything that involved fun. We started the weekend eating a feast of seafood the way it is meant to be eaten; with melted butter, potatoes and LOTS of corn (my favorite!). Check out my hot Special ManFriend(below)...delish! Saturday happened to be the Solstice Parade in Freemont, here are some of the sights... Nope, those are not costumes, that is body paint! All of a sudden hundreds of people started running out of the crowd and lining up on the street--- Then we saw this being rolled our way!! This are from the 'Art Car' exhibit... I saw more strange things on Saturday than I have in a long time, maybe ever. But walking away we decided that in this age of all digital, all the time, it was really refreshing to see true creativity in other mediums. That is our life this past week in a nutshell...Talk to you soon!

Amazing Find!

This is not my most exciting post of all time, but I believe in celebrating great products that actually do what they are suppose to... A couple years ago, I was at a garage sale with my mom and found this little beauty.... I know, not much to look at in that state, but I finally decided to see if I could clean it up last week. SMF Mark and I stopped by Crate and Barrel and the girl working sold us on MAAS Metal Polish assuring me that it would work. I should say so! Look at the results! It took a little elbow grease, but far easier than I ever thought it would be. Apparently, I was so excited with the results, that I forgot to take a final wide shot, and will have to update later.

Weekend -Schmeekend

Whew, here comes the week! SMF (Special ManFriend) and I were so productive these past couple days... Saturday morning I was up bright and early to head out to M&D's house and work on wedding centerpieces, etc for my sister's October wedding. The day filled with lots of fun lady gab, a delish lunch and plenty of hot gluing. Meanwhile, SMF was at home working on projects of his own. I was so excited to come home to our beautiful finished trellis! Yay! For some unknown reason, the previous owner had built the base of the structure, but never finished the top cross beams...For some other unknown reason, it has taken us a year to fix it! Thanks to our good friend TJ for helping out! To celebrate the beautiful new backyard addition, we decided a little grilling was in order, yum! Sunday was filled with a couple backyard chores and a trip to Murphy's equivalent to Disneyland; Marymore Dog Park!! Also, to celebrate the sun FINALLY making a comeback, we set up our hammock, a sign that summer is here to stay. Below is a pic of SMF and Murph-Dog testing it out :) .

I Love It!

The past couple weeks we have seen plenty of rainy days here in Seattle, but for some reason, it hasn't bothered me much. Here are a few of my favorite things from the recent past...

• SMF (Special ManFriend) and I found the most amazing smelling candle on Bainbridge Island (one of our favorite date spots) a couple weeks ago. I have cut back on self-gifting lately, but found this on the 50% table, and I absolutely loved the fresh floral smell and knew I would not regret this purchase. I was right! If you are looking for a graduation or hostess gift to keep on hand, this is perfect. Delish. Oh, and did I mention they are local? Even better! http://petalcandles.com/

• Rainy work days, followed by perfectly sunny evenings to spend with SMF and Murph-Dog (this is a photo of him leading the way to the park, note the frisbee in ready position)

• The final bloom left from our spring color...Does anyone know what kind of flower this is?

• The funky, fun hotel I stayed in last week while traveling for work. The Modern is the kind of place that makes you think you are that hipster that can pull off black skinny jeans, a flannel shirt and red Keds. It is the place that throws the unsuspecting yard gnome holding a record player in the women's restroom just off the bar. Who doesn't like to piddle while grooving to 'Dancing Queen'? Also, this place was a bargain, somewhere around $100 a night. SCORE!! Can't wait to go back.

Friend Friday

One of the reasons I wanted to start blogging was to celebrate all the beautiful, fun and exciting people and things in my life. So this brings me to our first edition of Friend Friday. Enjoy… This week I want to tell you about my first friend. My friend that has taught me the most about myself. My friend that has stuck by me through all my ups and downs, crazy ideas and annoying habits. My friend, My Sister.

Don’t get me wrong, we have not always been bestie-bestie (I am not proud of our high school volleyball fights), but these days, she is my go to girl for advice, fun ideas and any party planning supplies (seriously, the girl has everything).

Things I love about Lacy:

• She is incredibly loyal
• She works so hard on all events/jobs/relationships she has committed to. I sometimes wonder when the last time she took a breath was and get concerned about her oxygen level
• She makes the best No-Bake Cookies ( I think she got that from our Grandma Rocky)
• Even with all her commitments, she still makes time to host dinners in honor of friends, has the craziest themed parties and really is just an event extraordinaire.
• She will never tell me that something looks cute if it really isn’t (unless, of course I have already bought it)
• She has every color Sharpie, ball point pen, paper, etc you would ever dream of, all organized perfectly in her Staples-esque home office/craft room.
• She is incredibly creative.
• She is one of the best doggy mommies I know
• When she really gets going, her laugh becomes silent and only her body shakes and there is nothing that can stop me from joining in with her.

I love to laugh with my Sister. I love to talk to my Sister. I love to spend time with my Sister. I love my Sister.