As of Late

I hope you're all having a wonderful start to your Spring! The weather here in Seattle has been, well, it's been a little crazy. We had a gorgeous weekend full of sunshine and then it got all Seattle-y. You know, it rained. A lot. ;)

Here's what Daniel and I have been up to lately, in the form of a list, cause you know... I love making lists....

1.) We went to Shen Yun, a Chinese ballet mixed with traditional folk dance. It was amazing! The costumes were unbelievably vibrate and beautiful.
2.) We played tourists on the docks. We ran around the pier and ate dinner at the infamous "Crab Pot." Hammers included! :)
3.) We had family visit from Montana
4.) We got to meet Jeff, a foreign exchange student from the U.K staying with our relatives in Montana. And then I got to and explain to him what a biscuit is as we looked over our breakfast menus. It's harder than you think! He ended up going with the chicken and waffles, anyway ;)
5.) We discovered an adorable little restaurant not far from our house. We had bennetts with coffee to start. Oh my word, they were so good! And then we had our real breakfast. ;) I had their french toast and Dan had waffles. I loved that they used mason jars and had mismatched tea cups and plates to serve.
6.) We went to Seattle Center and enjoyed a little sunshine on our faces.
7.) I got new glasses! I get oddly excited over a new pair of specs :)

the irish are mad (in a very good way)

Hi friends,

How are you? I'm good. It's been awhile.

Today is St. Patrick's day. What that really means for us is that I'm cooking corned beef and cabbage. That's pretty much it. This tradition is somewhat hilarious to me for two very important reasons: 1.) Daniel gets so excited about this dinner every year. Like it's the only time of year corned beef and cabbage can be made. And when I tell him that I can make it on another day, not JUST St. Patrick's day, he sort of shrugs his shoulders as if he was saying, "It just wouldn't be the same." 2.) Corned beef and cabbage isn't really an Irish tradition. It's an American one. I've never heard an Irishman exclaim their excitement for corned beef and cabbage.

Regardless, we enjoy ourselves some corned beef and cabbage on this very green holiday. :)

With that being said and out of the way (thanks for listening to my rant about beef... that is corned) we can focus on my next topic. Traveling. Oh goodness how we wish we could just pack up our bags, jump on a plane and travel the world. How lovely would that be?

There are times where Daniel and I will plan hypothetical vacations. I'll even look up the cost of the plane ticket to our "destination." (Please tell me I'm not the only person who does this?) This morning I was reflecting on my backpacking trip through Europe that I took about 4 years ago. I feel so unbelievably blessed and thankful for that journey. I met incredible individuals and learned so much. And let's not forget, the FOOD! :)

I remember meeting a group of Irishmen and women who were utterly fantastic. They were staying in the same hostel, across the way from us. We heard singing and laughing and glass breaking and nonsense. They invited us in and all I could say was, "You guys are mad." They laughed and agreed. The Irish ARE mad! Of course, in a very good kind of way.

So here's to Ireland. Isn't she beautiful?

All images were taken from google image.

Who knows, we might just have to plan a trip to Ireland one of these days!

xo,
michelle

Salt.

True Story. 

xo
michelle

we need jackets at the beach!?

This past weekend was cold. I mean cold. I'm an island girl and my bones are made for the sunshine. So when Dan and I decided to go for a walk along Alkai Beach, he wasn't kidding when he told me to bring gloves and a scarf! I always tend to underestimate just how cold I'll get outside. And I'm sure my friends in colder much snowier places are laughing at me right now. But hey... we climatize to our environment, right? :) 

There is something really special about the beaches here in Washington. They have a different allure than the tropical ones I'm used to. 

I can honestly say that I've never had to wear a scarf and boots to the beach before now. ;) 

xo

michelle 

inspire me.

With the world today, it's easy to get caught up with all the negative we see plastered all over the news screen. There are times where I know I feel utterly hopeless in a sea of negative footage and rhetoric. So I try and balance out the type of news I read each and every day. I've become a big fan of the "good news" section that you can often find on your favorite news source. After all life is about balance, right?

I stumbled across this clip yesterday and I knew I had to share. It brought me to tears. So inspiring. If you have the time, please watch this. It will make your heart melt, I promise. :)

xo,
michelle

welcoming the new year.

As the new year approaches, the majority of us have begun to vocalize or write down our new years resolutions. We've thought about how we will better ourselves, how we will improve and what we'll do differently. To be frank, 2012 was a tough year for me. It really tested me in a lot of ways. From being laid off from work, moving to an entirely new place and deciding to pursue a completely different path, my emotions ran high. I decided to follow my heart and listen to my gut, which can be a rather scary thing. With that being said, I wouldn't trade 2012 for any other year. I am so happy I experienced the things I did. It has made me better, it has shown my humility and it has inspired me. This year my resolutions will not include losing 5 pounds or anything of that sort. For this year, I am happy with who I am and what dress size I wear. I will not add a trivial note to my list. My list is a lot simpler this year, 2013 will be filled with much laughter and much love and lots of red lipstick.

Tonight you'll catch me wearing these beautiful black onyx earrings husband surprised me with. (I think Dan thought it was time I switched it up from my pearls) Red lips included.

I hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year!

xo,
Michelle

busy little bee

Hi friends. How are you? I'm fine. Well, to be honest I'm exhausted. I've been running around like a mad woman, getting ready for the holidays and interviewing for what I like to refer to as my "dream job." Seriously, it's my dream job. And guess what? I got it. I landed my dream job. I couldn't be happier. I had to jump through a lot of hoops to reach my goal. From personality tests to second and third interviews, I almost feel like I need a vacation after all of that! ;)

In all seriousness, I am so grateful. I cannot believe this is happening to me. When I got the call I was feeling a bit low. After my third interview I was told I would have to wait 2 more weeks to hear back and to be honest, I wasn't too thrilled about waiting that long. I was anxious. I was nervous. I was a whole mix of emotions. I was expressing my anxiousness to my husband, we were standing outside, he started hugging me and telling me I would hear something soon... and then my phone started ringing. I looked at my phone with slight confusion as I tried to make out the number. Is this someone I know? I hesitated for a moment and then started jumping up and down. I was so excited, I almost forgot to pick up. 5 rings in I answered with a high pitched, overwhelmingly excited, "Hello." It had been 20 minutes since I left my interview. I was congratulated over the phone and accepted their offer. Tears started to roll in and my husband began twirling me around in his arms. Kissing me on the cheek and telling me he knew I'd get it all along. 

I would just like to give a big shout out to my family and friends who've supported me throughout this dream catching journey. I am so blessed to have such an amazing support system. Not to mention, I may have married into one the best families ever! Dan's family is incredible and it feels so nice to live close to them. 

So here's to following your dreams, living life with passion and never giving up! 

xo, michelle