Make Merry.

After several interviews and nervous chatter between friends, I was offered an amazing position at an even more amazing company earlier this week. I am so grateful and I feel incredibly lucky. Start date: 6/21.

So often I think back to the fall when I was sick and beside myself with worry after having booked our flights to New Zealand. I quit my job. Sold my car. And up and left with no idea what was to come upon our return. I'm so grateful for THAT experience too - both good and bad. And I know it has given me the window to move on professionally to do something different with my life. It wasn't all easy though and I've had to work really hard to be where I am. I guess the lesson is that taking risks is what makes life exciting. They aren't easy to do and I probably have more grey hair than I did six months ago, but the worry and the doubt has been pure motivation and given me character.

Toast the next phase: Thanks for the champagne, B!

The weekend.

Weekends are good.

Weekends are even better spent bumming around town meeting up with various friends and eating or drinking coffee or delicious brews. That pretty much sums up our weekend last weekend. Friday night I went to see Sex And The City (2) and I must say, this film could've been about an hour shorter and shown on mute so that I could simply watch the outfits go by. Except maybe the part where Miranda and Charlotte are talking about how hard being a mom is, in between sips of cosmopolitans. Great scene!

Saturday I met friends for brunch and then went on a long bike ride over to a vintage furniture store I'd been meaning to pop into for several weeks. Tyson arrived in Seattle around seven, and he and I met up with friends for dinner and some beers at a local brewery. We had decided to bike and rather than take my usual road bike, I hopped on my upright, vintage cruiser and it was so fun! There's nothing better than a bike where you simply need to backpedal to slow it down. No gears. Just cruising.

Sunday we biked over to Queen Anne for yet another brunch with friends. Oh how delicious a good cup of coffee in the form of a non-fat mocha is + a breakfast sandwich containing eggs and spinach and cheese and a veggie sausage. Full and happy we biked around town running errands and loafing about. Later we had the same brunch pals over for dinner and a movie because I guess we all like each other a lot! And speaking of, if you haven't seen Crazy Heart with Jeff Bridges yet, its fab. I recommend.

Good weekends of goodness and great people make for heaps of smiles.

Oh and if you need a good mango salsa for topping off fish tacos or really anything:

• 2 cups chopped pitted peeled mango
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 4 teaspoons olive oil

Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)

GLOOMish.

The weather in Seattle has been down right terrible lately. Its June for chrissakes, and its been rainy and cold for the nearly the entire month we've been back. Today is no exception. Rain slides down the glass of the windows in the office I've taken over while freelancing and I can't help but turn my obsessions INSIDE. Dreaming of fun and cozy interiors. Here's a smattering. Enjoy!

According to the house's owners (who renovated the building), the staircase in the living room was salvaged from a 19th-century bistro in France. The floor is original to the building, which was converted to a residence in 2009.

The kitchen opens to the patio and the garden. The wood floors here and on the bedroom level, upstairs, were salvaged from a nearby factory. Um, can I salvage something? Please! I love the white-washed brick too.


Look at this cool idea for a table:


CRAZY: Cave Home, Festus, Mo.
In 2003, Curt and Deborah Sleeper and their two children were living in a cramped Missouri ranch house when they saw an eBay offering for three acres with an empty sandstone cave. The family intended to build on the land until they realized the former quarry offered 15,000 feet of naturally insulated space.


And look at this great idea for a bed - kids or otherwise. I love that the end of it doubles as a bench.


Lastly, I just love how industrial this space is, and yet really cozy and comfy. Yes, please.


Okay, I should probably be productive. Part of my problem is that I interviewed hardcore-style last week and yesterday for a dream opportunity at a dream company and I cannot stand waiting to hear the news. Is it too desperate to check in with the recruiter and see how the process is going? Or do I play it coy? Or do I simply continue planning my dream home and avoid thinking about it altogether. Will keep you posted, I'm sure.

Matilda.

One of life's little reminders to just get out, live it up, and be grateful for every inhalation recently came in the form of diagnosed breast cancer and a member of my extended family. "Aunt" D, as she has always been referred to even though she's a cousin of my parents, was recently handed down some intense news that has rocked the family pretty significantly lately. Incidentally, I've heard my parents become inspired to grab a hold life and all the adventures they can dream up. This includes some whimsical plans to hit the pavement in their camper, Matilda, and head across country to San Francisco - a destination I know my parents once flew to for dinner because my Mom worked for Northwest Airlines at the time and they could pop on a flight for only $10. Then they could head north up the coast and visit ME, ME, ME in Seattle! Put the pedal to the metal, Pops, and get out here!

Obviously this devastating news in our family totally sucks. I think about D and her adoring hubby of at least forty years and my stomach becomes sick with anxiety for the two of them. I feel so far away and I figured a little note to let her know I'm thinking of her would be the least I could do. Knowing what she's going through, I never expected or anticipated a response. Afterall, Miss D's got a few things going on at the moment. But she did respond, and in case you needed a reason to plan that next vacation or make a phone call to a friend you've been meaning to connect with, here's one I can offer up:

"Hi Honey,

Thank you for the sweet email. I am so lucky to have my family as well as our great extended family, and especially you. It's been hard getting used to and finally realized it's "life" so get on with it.

You're right on your Mom and Dad. Your Mom and I are reaching out for each other more than we have in years. There has always been too many other things to do before enjoying friends and family. Remind me if I get wayward again, that is not a good state of mind.

I love you too, and bless you for your kind heart."

D: I'm so sorry for what you're going through! But know that you are inspiring the Franzen's and so many others with your fight. Thanks for reminding me that when I get annoyed because my house is a mess and I have over-committed YET AGAIN, that's its just fine. Having a clean house is overrated and I won't remember it when I look back on my life to remember the good times. I love you!

Eeeek.

Hello friends and people I don't know. I'm not really sure what to write. Its just, frankly I haven't had much going on lately besides working and then working a little bit more after that. Its been rainy and cold every day making for anxious days awaiting summer and warmth on my skin. I feel like I'm trying to get my feet under me and have been since returning home from our big adventure. For some reason, I can't seem to keep up. Plus, I haven't really been running which is a bad thing because I think running does something to my psyche to create balance in my emotional state of mind.

In the last week or so, I've been alerted to the fact that my thank-goodness-this-will-save-me freelance gig is drying up due to some unfortunate business loss in the agency I'm working for - and I could be cut any day. On the flip side, I've also been out interviewing and some really amazing things could come of it. Just wait and see! Do you like how vague I'm being?

So life just feels a little in flux still. I'm not sure where I'm going to be working and I haven't even put any fun events on the calendar to look forward to for summer. This, my friends is most unlike me. I have a running list of things I'd like to DO though including camping near the North Cascades, maybe a girls' bike trip or camping trip to the coast, getting my bike geared up and ready to tackle a touring trip with Tyson and um, probably some other things too. I'll get there and surprisingly I'm pretty cool with just floating along and making the best of each day at the moment.

I wish I had more fun and interesting things to report and write about. I did however watch a recorded episode of the Bachelorette Premier last night and nearly died of laughter. That show is solid gold genius when you need something to blow your mind with stupidity and subsequently, non-stop laughter ensues. I will absolutely be tuning in every week until that final rose ceremony.

Ok. Hopefully that wasn't too painfully boring. Off to sip and relax at a friend's family cabin for the weekend. Happy Holiday. Hug.

some people are awesome.

A package arrived yesterday. Inside the box were four books, recommended and sent by someone I've never met before. When I was in New Zealand, I received an email from a gentleman containing some most complimentary words about my blog. Floored by his kindness and the fact that he'd taken time out of his day to send me a happy note of goodness, I smiled ear to ear. Turns out, he's also a St. John's alum and he owns a bookstore in St. Paul, MN. = Micawbers Book Store! Over the course of a few emails he requested that Tyson and I put together a little list of books we're interested in, and he promised to send us a package when we arrived back safely in the states. True to his word the books arrived yesterday and he even tucked in a little note for Tyson.

Some people are just awesome in general. Mr. Hans is one of those people. THANK YOU!

He also keeps a blog about books that's totally great: http://micawbers.blogspot.com/ and his store was named City Pages Best New Book Store for 2010. Please go and support this amazing store and amazing person!

Have great weekends, everyone.
Good stuff all around.

Big Love.

With less than two weeks in Seattle under our belt, Tyson and I managed to make our way to just outside of Bozeman, MT for a wedding. The couple: My dear friend Teresa was marrying her long-time love, Aaron, after an eight year courtship. Many were the jokes involving Aaron and how long he'd made Teresa wait, but truly, their wedding and more importantly their ceremony, was anything but funny. In fact, their ceremony was the most incredible I've ever witnessed. I would bet all of the money I have that there was not one dry eye in the house. Teresa and Aaron both wrote their own vows and just over one hundred of us sat in awe of their words. Both intelligently written and full of sincerity and love, I could not stop the tears a-flowin'! Congratulations, you two.




They married just outside of Bozeman at a little resort called Chico Hot Springs. Lucky for us this meant several things, one being our rooms were a stone's throw away from the party and therefore the FREE Sierra Nevada and cosmopolitans needn't be monitored.



It was also located just outside Yellowstone National Park. Following the wedding, Tyson and I, and our car mates, Dave and Wendy, headed over to Yellowstone to play amongst the crazy cool animals that just roam everywhere around you.

We saw:
Bison
Antelope
Big-horned sheep
Elk
A BEAR
and groundhogs


The park is truly beautiful and the meaning Big Sky comes full circle when you stand and look around you. Montana has many things, including heaps of casinos and big trucks, but its the vistas, mountains and wide-open country that make it so special.

For me, it was also really cool to see the place my adorable Grandma Peg grew up. So often I've heard stories of her time in Montana and I know its a place very close to her heart. I felt closer to her just being there!