During our recent visit to Washington, Loren and I actually had a few opportunities to spend some time just the two of us. Normally when we visit our schedule is so packed with meeting up with people (which we love!) that we don't do much on our own so this was a fun little bonus.

The day we got into town we decided to head to Pike Place Market and explore for a few hours before heading to Everett. I love going to the market just to take in the sights. This is my favorite corner. I have a thing for clocks, I'm always googly eyed over clocks when we visit places and this one is no exception. You can see it was a weird cloudy/bright day so some of these pictures aren't the best.

My favorite thing to look at will always be all the flowers. They're just so beautiful. And affordable! Obviously the fish is interesting to look at, and if you're lucky enough to catch the fish being thrown that's really fun but the flowers just have a special spot in my heart.

This jeweler had bracelets with quotes stamped onto them, and one said "I kiss my dog on the lips". It took a lot of self control to not buy it. But I thought it was super cute and quirky for a dog lover. :)

After walking around the market for a bit we strolled over to a new (to us) brewery, Old Stone Brewing Co. They had some snacks and sandwiches that you could order, and obviously beer. I liked that they served hard cider and wine as well since some breweries aren't so accommodating to us non-brew drinkers.

What a cutie. After leaving the city we went to our favorite sushi place for a quick lunch, it was the nicest day to spend with my favorite guy.

It's so fun to be a tourist in your own (old) city.  Thanks so much for reading, I truly appreciate it!

Love,
K

Diablo Lake

Loren and I just got back from a long weekend visit to Washington and while we were there we decided to take a day trip to Diablo Lake. I'd actually never even heard of Diablo Lake until we moved away, turns out it was only two hours away from our old house! Anyway, after breakfast Loren, my sister, and I headed out.

We took Hwy 20 to get there and it was a beautiful drive. I can only imagine how gorgeous it'll be in a few weeks when the leaves change colors.

Once we arrived at the lake it was even more pretty than I anticipated. The water is the prettiest turquoise color and surrounded by the mountains. The overlook had some picnic spots and we regretted not thinking to bring a lunch or snack with us.

Laura's colorful braid was such a hit that a lady visiting from Italy asked (through an interpreter) if she could take a picture. We proceeded to call Laura an international supermodel. :)

After we left the overlook we found a spot along the highway where you could go for a hike, we decided against a hike since we were all wearing sandals (and lazy) but it was nice to see the water up close. Loren and I dipped our toes in and holy smokes was the water cold!

After that we decided to head back since we all had plans that evening. It was a fun little day trip and I'd totally recommend it if you're in the Seattle area. It's a quick and easy drive and pretty almost the entire way. I enjoyed having a couple of my favorite people stuck in the car with me all day! :)

Love,
K

Catch Up

My random blogging breaks have been because I haven't been home much and while I have good intentions of posting while I'm away, I always seem to become too busy having fun to sit down at the computer. So here's a quick update on what's been going on. :)

After getting back from Michigan (where we spent July 4th) we had a week of birthday celebrations! Our sweet Ruby girl turned three! We took her annual birthday picture, gave her some steak and chicken, and gave her lots of extra lovies.

Loren and I also celebrated our birthday that week, though I have no photographic evidence. We had dinner at Ditka's in Oakbrook and it was so yummy. If you ever get the chance to go to one of the Ditka's restaurants I highly recommend it! We came home intending to have a relaxing night in but instead Ruby got sprayed by a skunk! So, we spent the rest of the evening giving her a scrub and trying to get the stink out of the house.

We did get out to the Naperville Ale Fest and Loren really enjoyed it. It was a cool event and nice to get out and enjoy the sunshine. Plus, pretzel necklaces.

I left a couple days later to head to Washington for almost a week. It was such a great trip. I managed to see a lot of friends, spend time with my sister, and just feel like I was home for a few days. There was lots of eating, some wine tasting, and a trip to Pike Place Market.

Every time I visit now, I go to the Future of Flight museum and sit outside watching the airplanes come and go. I always feel so proud when I think that I used to work so close to the airplanes that I'm watching. It's also fun to listen to the tourists that are so impressed.

Leaving is always the hardest part of the trip, but I'll be back. Hopefully sooner, rather than later! :)

Thankfully Loren and I had some fun planned for this week to keep me from being too sad. We hit up the Goo Goo Dolls concert last night in Chicago. It's our third time seeing them and they always put on a good show. I don't have many pictures because I don't feel like they ever turn out great but I thought it was really neat when they had a bunch of giant balloons sent out into the crowd!

I have plans for two more concerts within the next 10 days so apparently I'm in a musical mood! I think that wraps up my busy July. I'll be back soon with some house updates (I painted!).

Love,
K

A Full Lovetank

This past weekend Loren and I took a trip to the Seattle area to surprise my sister. It was SO much fun and I'm super happy that we were able to go out for a quick trip. Laura and her boyfriend invited us to their housewarming party and I said to Loren "wouldn't it be fun if we could surprise her and go?!". I looked up tickets and couldn't believe our luck! Seriously, the cheapest flights I've ever seen to Seattle. We booked quickly, let her boyfriend in on our plan and tried to keep our yaps shut for the next few weeks. I've never surprised anyone before, and it's the nicest feeling! It was fun to see her reaction and happiness that we were there to celebrate with her. Priceless!

We were just there for an extended weekend but managed to schedule a few meet ups with our old pals. It was good for the soul (mine at least, Loren probably wouldn't say something so dramatic). Moving away turned out to be so much harder on me emotionally than I ever would have imagined so to see some of my nearest and dearest friends, and know that they were still happy to spend time with me, meant the world.

Lunch date with some of my favorite peeps. 🍕🍕🍕

A photo posted by Kristen Ayotte (@kristenayotte) on Apr 15, 2016 at 5:47pm PDT

I had met a few friends for lunch and afterwards while I was waiting for Loren to wrap up his lunch date I stopped by the Future of Flight museum to take a peek at the flight line where I used to work. It was nice to see all those airplanes lined up again. I maybe cried a little...there was a guy sitting in his car that I'm sure that I was a weirdo. Haha! 

Happy hour with my girls. 💜💜💜

A photo posted by Kristen Ayotte (@kristenayotte) on Apr 15, 2016 at 5:56pm PDT

It's a good day when you get to have lunch and happy hour with people that make you smile and feel happy! I was so grateful to have been able to meet up with them. Friday evening Laura, Diego, Loren and I went wine tasting in Woodinville. No pictures from that...must have been too busy tasting! :)

Saturday we went to one of my favorite places for breakfast, visited another couple friends, and helped where we could to get their house ready for the big party! It was a great party and I think everyone had a fun night.

A small photo shoot on the steps! Hahaha! :)

Love those goofballs!

Sunday we did a little more wine tasting and then went to lunch at a friend's house. We got to meet our friends new baby (adorable!) and see all the other kiddos that we love. Crazy how they grow up so quick! The day went by too quick and before we knew it we were at our last visit and then headed to meet back up with Laura & Diego for a quick snack and to say see ya later.

It was a weekend filled to the brim with love and fun. I try not to be such a sap, but it really did my heart good. And to have been able to make Laura so happy was awesome! I am all heart eyed emojis! :) Thanks for reading! Until next time...

Love,
K