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I don't really like to think that everything happens for a reason, but I saw this on instagram yesterday, on the 17th anniversary of 9/11, it struck a cord.  Shortly thereafter, I read this piece in the Washington Post, about perspectives of kids experiencing 9/11 remember, and I found tears streaming down my face.  

I was 18 on September 11, 2001, just weeks before starting college, and the weight of news, the replays of the footage felt like falling off an abrupt cliff into adulthood.  The gravity of the action taken, the carnage, a confused sense of trying to understand...how life would change in that moment, felt like a departure from adolescence and any remaining innocence forever.  I had never stopped to consider what it might've seemed like or been like to experience such a day as a child.  #neverforget

Fun Find

I loved flower pressing as a kid.  I'm not even sure why exactly, it's not a very fruitful hobby.  I remember picking blooms off my mom's potted pansies without her approval and then carefully pressing them between two sheets of cardboard.  My press always felt "fancy" to me, as there were several screws you cranked to ensure the press was successful. When I saw these glasses over at Cupcakes and Cashmere and a wave of nostalgia for those lazy summer days, picking and pressing flowers which later ended up glued onto birthday cards for grandparents.  

Anyone else press flowers as a kid?  I think I might buy these glasses solely to indulge in that sweet memory.

image/urbanoutfitters

Tis the Season for Christmas Cards!

Holiday card season is upon us, and oh how I do love a good Christmas card!  My parents always sent Christmas cards out by the dozens, which in turn meant we received a bounty of them ourselves.  I fondly emember stalking the mailbox with my sisters, pouring over the new cards, the shining smiles, the gold embossed into the paper, arranging our new cards and adding them to our artful display in our kitchen.

For many years, my mom handmade all of our Christmas cards, which I appreciate now more than ever as an adult, being able to now fully recognize the amount of time and effort she invested into this favorite tradition.  Nowadays, the templates available online are light years ahead of the options available when we were kids.  Again, I'm turning to good ol' dependable Tiny Prints for our first holiday card as a family of three this year, whose printed cards always turn out polished and classy (also because they frequently offer sweet discount codes!).

Some of my favorites include...

 {Christmas caroling}

{Bold and bright}

 {Simple and sweet}

{Arrows and snowflakes}

Are you a Christmas/holiday card giver?

A Christmas Book Tradition

One of my Christmas traditions my mom initiated growing up was giving each of us a new holiday book at Christmas time.  Each of my sisters and I received a book, and inside the front cover it lists our name and the year.  As you can imagine, this amounted to quite a collection of Christmas stories.  This year, I'm excited to start this tradition with my daughter!  I realize it will be a couple of years before she can actually read these Christmas stories herself, but by then we'll have a whole shelf to pull from!  It makes me smile to think of us curled up together, reading these stories together with her as she grows up.  Now, all I have to do is find the perfect first book to kick off this tradition.

What are your favorite Christmas story books?

10 Reasons Why I Love You

1. I love how when you're sleeping in our arms or lap, your hands fold gently across your chest, one atop the other.  It's the sweetest thing to watch when you sleep, you look so peaceful and content.  The soft folds of your hands, the smoothness of your sweet skin, I could stare at little baby hands all day long and be wholeheartedly content.

2. You've found your thumb!  After we put you to bed one night, but before we retired ourselves, we heard this loud sucking sound coming from your crib.  I tiptoed in to check on you, and there you were, sucking your little left thumb with gusto.  I hissed at your dad to come in and see, and together we quietly leaned over the edge of your crib, watching you in awe, so proud of your feat.  It's truly amazing how you're already learning and discovering new things for yourself.  Now, a few weeks later, as you're getting more skilled at consistently finding your thumb, you had this adorable habit of sucking your thumb with one hand, and twirling your hair with the other.  It's the sweetest!

3. You've become such a talker, you coo, and smile, and flirt.  It's as if we're having a secret conversation that no one else understands.  Your dad and I have been trying to capture this magic on video for a few weeks now, and I finally got it.  You cooed, smiled, and babbled up a storm.  I've watched that clip on repeat.

4. Oh, how I love your snuggle!  At our mommy and me movie, after I burped you, you curled up on my shoulder, and nuzzled into the soft fabric of my shirt, burrowing your head around until you found that sweet, comfy spot.  With one arm curled around my back, the other resting across my chest, your eyelids grew heavy, your head grew heavy on my shoulder, and you snuggled in for a good nap.  I love  these moments, the closeness of your heartbeat against mine, your warm breath against my neck, our heads nestled against each other in pure bliss.  You can nap on me anywhere, anytime sweet girl.

5. I love your smile, you are such a happy baby!  When we tickle and smile at you, your gummy grin lights up right back at us.  You also love to smile in your sleep, it makes me wonder what you're thinking and dreaming about.

6. You have the cutest little rolls on your wrists, it's the perfect little fold of skin, right where your arm and hand meet.  It's as if you have a rubber band or hair tie right folded right at the crease of this joint.   It's such a small detail, but I love it.

7. You are soo long! At your two month check up this week, the doctor exclaimed, "She's so long!" You are topping the charts at 24 1/4 inches!  Officially in the 95th percentile for your age, you're going to be a tall girl just like your mom!  You're a long and lean little baby, growing more everyday.

8. Turns out, the love for the Detroit Tigers pacifier was short lived, your dad and I joke that you're a fair weather fan, as you gave up your fondness for it shortly after they lost to the Red Sox.  Your latest interest, your lamb Wubbanub, affectionately known as "Lambie."  If we're out and you're feeling fussy, you can bet mom and dad are scrambling going, "Where's Lambie, do you have Lambie?"  However, Lambie does play second fiddle to the built in soother known as your thumb, occasionally we'll find Lambie (who we left on your chest, mid suckle), thrown across your crib in the middle of the night.  Guess there's no substitute for the real thing!

9. You're an active little one.  Lately, the changing table has become center stage for windmill arm and leg acrobatics, kick, kick, kickin' and flailing all around.  It's a mini workout on your back.  We love watching you play.

10. You think mommy is hilarious!  One of our new morning routines is for you to gently rock in the swing, while I playfully dance around the room in faux ballet poses and stretches.  It's a sight to see, let me tell you :)  You smile and crinkle your eyes when I goofily dance around, while you wave and kick and coo happily, amused and entertained by my silly antics.
Mommy appreciates this vote of confidence, by the way.  Love having you by my side. :)

Good Things

1. Ocean air is good for the soul.  It was so nice to get away with my little family.  We spent the weekend walking the shores of Cannon Beach (with baby in Ergo), breathing in the salty sea air, and soaking up the gorgeous sunshine on a beautiful fall weekend.

2. Riley has started to coo!  It is the sweetest thing!  She gurgles and giggles and makes all kinds of adorable baby noises, but one of her "favorite" sounds is awfully reminiscent of "Hi," which she sometimes echoes when we say hello back to her.  Therefore we've decided it is her first word :)

3. Came home to fresh flowers on my doorstep last week from the huz to celebrate our anniversary.  We opted out of getting each other gifts this year to save money but I was pleasantly surprised by a blushing bouquet of magenta roses and white gerber daisies to say "I love you." The gesture was greatly appreciated.  In turn, I bought him a cannoli (his favorite) at Whole Foods. That's love :)

4. Fall is alive in Seattle, and made even more beautiful by being pleasantly accompanied by crisp blue skies.  Our wonderfully sunny summer has blessed us with an especially colorful fall, everywhere I look the trees are bursting with vibrant red, orange, and golden leaves.  Love this season!

5. Friends who bring food to new parents with a baby.  I can't tell you how lovely this is.  I never appreciated the true gift of a home cooked meal until I was on the receiving end.  It's glorious!  For those moments when you're tired and starving and you've had one too many frozen pizzas...  Thank you dear friends!

6. New (to us) episodes of How I Met Your Mother on Netflix. My husband and I LOVE this show and are slowly making our way through the final season via Netflix.  Oh how we've missed the inside jokes, the blind side high-5 of Marshall and Lily, and the will-they, won't-they dance of Robin and Barney.  To us, the resurgence of HIMYM after bedtime is Legen (wait for it) -dary!

7. Last Friday night was my first workout post baby.  I figured I'd dive in head first and attend my favorite spin class.  Dark lights, pumping music, sweat flowing, these workouts are intense, and yes, it was challenging, but I did it!  Gave myself a hearty pat on the back!

8. Receiving my new teaching certificate in the mail.  I'm "officially" legit for another 6 years! Woot, woot!

9. Halloween party at my PEPS (moms) group.  What a sight to see!  Try taking a picture of 4 ladybugs, a dinosaur, Princess Leia, an old fashioned girl, Superman, a monkey, and a pirate all wriggling around on the floor in a circle.  Priceless!

10. My little bug is 8 weeks on Thursday!  I sure love being her mommy.

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Newborn Photos

It's hard to believe our sweet girl is 6 (almost 7) weeks already!  Here are some of our favorites from her newborn photo shoot.  We can't get enough of her!

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10 Reasons Why I Love You

1. You are such a sweet and curious baby, always turning your side to side to soak up your surroundings, I always wonder, what are you thinking about?  You are usually wide eyed and alert when awake, pensively staring as you take it all in.

2. You love to stretch!  When you wake, you arch your back, slowly shrug your shoulders, and move your head gently from side to side.  This is followed by clenched fists as you reach your arms upward into the air, shoulders twisting from side to side.  Your stretching is often accompanied by a great big yawn, and you are most definitely your momma's daughter, not easy to rouse after a restful sleep.

3. You love sleeping with your arms above your head; arms up, elbows bent, head tilted to the side, as if you're a referee calling a touchdown.  While you enjoy your swaddle time, you almost always find a way to wrangle those arms free of that swaddle blanket to resume this comfy position.

4. You have the best facial expressions!  From sleepy to happy to quizzical to amused, we're doing our best to capture each and every expression in photographs.  We can already tell you're growing so big, we look back at pictures of you as a newborn and you look so tiny!

5. You have been a rockstar baby for visitors. When friends and family come over, you either coo sweetly or lounge contentedly in their lap, snoozing as they ooh and ahh over your sweet face.  It's as if you're saving your louder personality just for mom and dad :)

6. You are a snugglebug, we love how you're so eager to curl up and nestle your head into our shoulder or snuggle into your daddy's chest.  I love peeking down at you, as you rest your gentle head on my shoulder, and seeing your wide open mouth; content and fed, and happily asleep.

7. You love your changing pad - it's so funny, I would have never thought the diaper station would be a preferred location for a baby, but you're always happy and content to wiggle and lay there while we're rummaging through drawers or clamoring for wipes.  I think you like the vantage point, being able to lay comfortably and stare up, as you'd much prefer laying here your crib :)

8. Of all the pacifiers in the bunch, you much prefer your Detroit Tiger's pacifier to them all.  No Soothies, Nuks, or Wubbanubs for this baby - at least not yet.  Your dad thinks this is a good omen for his beloved sports team.

9. You have the cutest sleepy just-after-eating smile.  Your forehead crinkles up as you raise your eyebrows, and a slow sleepy smile spreads across your face.

10. You have changed our life forever.  We love you so much already Riley, and our hearts are growing with love for you every single day.

Making a Memory

During these first few days home, I've found myself trying to soak up every sweet moment and savor the smallness of our baby, and her sweet baby scent before she grows up and changes in a flurry.

As I rock in our glider, Riley nuzzled under my chin, I find myself replaying the scene from the original Parent Trap over and over in my head.   Hayley Mills' character, Sharon McKendrick, upon meeting her grandfather for the first time, buries her nose into her grandfather's lapel, and sniffs heartily, much to his bewilderment.  "What are you doing?" he inquires, laughing at her eager smelling. "I'm making a memory," she replies candidly.  "Years from now, when I'm all grown up, I'll remember my grandfather, and how he always smelled of...tobacco and peppermint!"

This is the only way I've been able to describe what I find myself doing these past few weeks...making a memory.  I find myself burying my nose into the soft, downy hair of our little girl's head, inhaling her sweet baby smell, trying to lock this precious scent into the folds of my memory.  Capturing the softness of her skin against mine, the way she fits in crook of my arm, the heaviness of her head on my shoulder...all these moments together, making a memory.

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Phone Talker

Did you read Joanna's post about talking to friends on the phone?  It got me to thinking how many people I actually talk on the phone to (on a regular basis).  My husband, parents, my sisters, and two out-of-state college girlfriends...  Even though most of my friends live in my same city, I realize we rarely talk on the phone.  Yes, we email and we text...but, is that really the same as a good old phone conversation?

 I know many people abhor talking on the phone, but I've always been a phone talker.  In middle school, talking on the phone to friends (after I had just seen them earlier in the day at school, mind you) was THE THING to do.  Of course, this was back before having call-waiting was the universal standard, and my parents used to hem and haw at me over constantly occupying the house line.  I can picture my 13-year old self, knees bent, feet propped up on the desk, rocking back in my chair, while twisting and knotting the curly white phone cord around in my fingers.  I'm not sure what we spent all those hours actually discussing, but those conversations were of the utmost value and significance to me at the time.   I even asked my parents if I could have my own phone line as a birthday gift, to which they scoffed and decidedly replied, absolutely not!

I really like Joanna's tip for the 5-minute phone call, that way there's that verbal connection that seems so much more personal and connected that a 10-15 worded text.  A shout out to my friends, be forewarned, I may try and call you next time, I realize not all of you are phone talkers, but how hard is 5 minutes, right? 

Do you talk much on the phone?  Or do you prefer texting/emailing?

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Olympic Memories

Happy Olympics everyone.  The summer Olympics may be one of my FAVORITE things ever, specifically track & field, swimming, diving, and of course, every girl's favorite event...gymnastics!  

I have vivid memories of watching Olympic gymnastics, perhaps since I have am fascinated by the sport and the physical strength and flexibility of these athletes!  I fondly remember the pizazz of the "Dominique duo" from the '96 Olympic team (Dawes and Monceanu).  And you can't forget Kerri Strug's amazing clincher of a vault, with the dramatic limp to the gold medal platform.  Seriously, we can always count on the Americans to pull off a show-stopping finale!  

I also remember watching the gymnastics overall competition from the '04 Athens games with my sorority sisters in their room at a UW fraternity, where they were living for the summer.  We were decked out in our party attire, as it was about 10 pm, ready to go out, but unable to peel ourselves away from the live gymnastics coverage.  I have this visual of us sitting huddled around a smallish TV, nursing strong vodka-somethings, while cheering on our girl, Carly Patterson to the victory.  I remember leaping up, cheering, and hugging one another other excitedly as Carly was crowned the individual all-around champion, narrowly beating our Svetlana Khorkina.  

There's just something about the Olympics that brings out that national pride in me, and I'm sure in others too.  So I ask: Do you have any memorable memories from Olympics past?  

Are you planning on watching the Olympics?  What is your favorite summer Olympic event? 

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Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful Dad!

We love you!!

DVD Binge

Growing up, my dad cultivated an enormous movie collection.  I remember our weekly pilgrimage to Blockbuster Video, to walk and scour the perimeter of the store, tirelessly searching for a worthwhile, but appropriate new release to rent for us kids for the weekend.  At the checkout counter, he always perused the VHS/DVD for sale bins and we usually left with between 1-2 new movies to add to the collection on most trips.  

Hence, I am a movie buff.  I love movies, especially oldie but goodie movies.  In recent years, I have found myself starting a substantial DVD collection of my own, which I attribute to affinity for movie-watching ingrained by my dad long ago.  When watching a flick and a friend mumbles, "Who is that guy, I think he's in something I've seen," I pride myself on being that person who can successfully make the movie-to-movie connection instantaneously (or at least reasonably fast)!  Yeah, I'm that girl, I know, I know, don't worry, I am aware that my actor and actress trivia and the ability to recite lines from movies is not favored by all... :)

Lately, I've been feeling a little ho-hum about my movie selection, and went on a bit of a DVD binge on amazon picking up some new flicks to add to my collection including... 

 and

What are your favorite rainy-day, go-to, pick-me-up-when-you're-in-a-bad-mood, or just plain random FAVORITE MOVIES?  I'm dying to hear!

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Wishing on a White Horse

Long ago, my mom's best friend taught my sisters and I how to wish upon a white horse.  Before she bestowed this knowledge upon us, I'd never ever before heard that white horses were lucky, but an intrigued child with plenty of banked wishes, I didn't question her logic.  We were fascinated, and listened carefully to her tutorial of how to wish upon a white horse.

* spot a white horse
* lick your thumb
* stamp your thumb in your open palm
* make your wish
* seal your wish by punching your opposite fist into your open palm
* wait for wish to come true

One thing I do know, it's definitely something I've never forgotten.  Learning this as a child was magical as it was such a strange, weird, and unique set of instructions to follow in order to cast a wish.  Yet regardless, ever since that day, I've found myself scanning the horizon on road trips in search of every white horses without any markings, splashes, or spots, eager to make that next wish.

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Hair Do?

I am a big fan of the updo. Whether that be your basic ponytail or a twisty, messy knot atop my head, it is the convenience of being able to throw my hair up at a moments whim that helps me resist the urge to chop it all off.

However, I admit, I am no master of the perfect bun. Now, maybe I stand alone here, but the DIY updo ala pinterst may seem effortless it it's visual step by step guide, however by step 3, my hair never quite looks as it should in the tutorial. Am I alone here? I am envious of the messy-chic buns captured daily by some of my favorite bloggers - especially Naomi, her hair always looks effortless perfect, how does she do it??

The turning point for me, when doing my hair became an important routine worth cultivating, was during my awkward tween middle school years at a private-Catholic all-girl school. I soon realized, that hair, when styled correctly, could actually improve one's appearance and significantly enhance your chances of slow dancing with cute boys from neighboring parochial schools at middle school dances. Who knew?!?

During this era, my friend Sarah and I were notorious for the pull-through-bun, which at the time was the "cool" style, and frankly the only acceptable hairstyle we thought worth donning, during our ever-important seventh grade year. This "look" - if I can even call it that - was your basic ponytail, with the pony pulled through the band as far as humanly possible without making the actual tail. Basically you were left with a limp loop of hair hanging from your band. As I recall, this style didn't exactly hold up throughout the day, which be default meant many superfluous trips to the bathroom, with the sole purpose of reviewing said loop in the mirror, and redoing as necessary.

Now, years later, looking back at pictures of ourselves, we laugh uproariously at this hairstyle we swore by. We even affectionately refer to this once beloved loop as "the bag of poop" hair, as there is an utterly uncanny resemblance between the that loop of hair and those compostable baggies that accompany walkers to the dog park.

Do not worry though, once I am able to master the messy but effortless chic chignon bun I will surely post it - if only so you can honestly break it to me, that all these years later, I'm still wearing the bag of poop hair. :)

image via pinterest

Lately...

I've made the recent discovery that Felicity is accessible on netflix streaming. I admit, since my discovery, I've spent way too many hours reliving the beloved series. Felicity reminds me of watching TV in my parents living room, affectionately called "the den," where I'd feel the anticipation of college as I watched Felicity and company navigate through the beginnings of college life in New York City. I remember it sounded so adult and far away, I mean it was 1998 after all and I was merely a sophomore in high school.

Do you ever pick up watching old shows from your past, just for fun? I was surprised how many episodes I had no recollection of, but once the tape began rolling, I remembered all of those moments I once lived vicariously through. Remember the big Ben vs. Noel dilemma? Ah the memories...

P.S. I totally rooted for Noel.

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Adventures in Jam Making

Yesterday mom and I had a jam session, raspberry jam that is. My mom is the "jam master" if you will, she makes jam every year; strawberry, marionberry, blackberry, you name it! It's kinda her thing. This jam session was extra special because jars of this raspberry jam will be the favors at our wedding - pretty sweet, huh? Here are a few pictures from our jam session.

In a funny way, making jam reminded me of that episode of FRIENDS where Monica makes jam as the "jam plan to get over my man," and Joey totally devours it all, and has jam all over his face...remember that one? Love it!

Thanks Mom, plus I knocked another thing off my summer to-do list. Yes!

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Travel Nostalgia

A year ago today, I was flying en route to Japan for my two-week tour of the country. It was a peek into a fascinating culture, and a trip full of amazing experiences and fond memories.

I can't help but feel a little sad and nostalgic today, when instead of bursting with excitement for my impending travels abroad, I'm having a very ordinary, run of the mill day teaching summer school. Ho hum. I find that my memories of my Japan trip are heightened and becoming clearer the 1-year mark abounds. I'm remembering the metallic smell of the subway, the hidden sushi place we discovered on our first night in Tokyo, being mesmerized by the neon lights of the city, and the peculiar cartoon character statues outside of our hostel. Great memories that only make me wish I could go back...today.

I love the excitement of planning of a trip or vacation, and watching the calendar as the days slip away and that trip draws near. Having an excursion to look forward to is such a motivator for me. The thrill of exploring somewhere new or even exploring somewhere familiar again is so captivating that I can't help but feel a little sad I'm not going anywhere new this summer.

I'm sure I'm not alone in this. Do you get travel nostalgia?

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Food Memories

Do you ever make foods to recall a memory? I've only eaten fried zucchini blossoms once before. It was in 2009, and I was dining at restaurant in Piazza Santa Maria in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome with my family.

I remember these were written on a chalkboard menu, and we ordered them on a whim, my sister scoffing at my insistence on ordering yet another fried food. I remember eating them while drinking wine and laughing while we sat underneath a painted mural of Christ with his hands together in prayer on the restaurant wall. We later took a picture of my mom mimicking this pose that same night.

Lately I've spied these bright, colorful zucchini blossoms popping up at my local farmer's market. So now I want to try my hand and make these myself, if only to remember that summer two years ago; the lively Italian streets, the amazing flavorful cuisine, the pure unadulterated magic of Rome.

What's a favorite food memory of yours?

Summer Bike Ride

My sisters and I used to ride bikes all the time as kids. We lived in a neighborhood burgeoning with children and families, so we'd often encounter our friends riding bikes to and from swim team practice in the summer months. We knew all the shortcuts, which neighbor's property brought you from one street to another, the houses where the mean, cranky neighbors lived (whose yards you were obligated to walk your bike through in lieu of pedaling fast).

In those years before I ever registered the desirable freedom a learner's permit or a driver's license held, my bike held a freedom all its own. Being able to speed down my street, turn any direction on a whim, and pedal until our legs ached...it was so exhilarating! Katie and I taught ourselves how to ride with no hands, balancing the handle bars between our knobby knees. I of course was the cautious one, and reluctant to fall ever, but she did not ever demonstrate such a fear.

Now that I'm a grown-up, biking is less of a necessity and more of a leisure past time. I do currently own a bike, a $25 steal my parents scored at a local garage sale. Yet, I'm hopeful to acquire a beach cruiser in the next few years or so, hopefully by that time we'll live in a more bike-friendly neighborhood. But when I do, I'm going to invest in this clever contraption, ideal for those who enjoy biking and cold beverages.

What's your favorite place to bike ride?

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