LAKE LOVE

I'm sitting with a lot of hopeful anticipation for next week. It's usually my favorite week of the whole summer; the week of July 4th combined with my birthday in late June. July 4th has always meant time with my 19-person extended family at my grandparent's lake house in northern California, the same lake where Daniel and I were married two summers ago. It's easily one of my very favorite and sacred places on this earth, and some very happy memories are housed there.

I feel grounded and home at that lake, and also so loved and known. My extended family is closer than any I know, something I've only come to realize later in life, and I don't take that for granted for a single second. I'm so thankful to know them and be related to them. It's an adventurous, athletic, and fun-loving crowd, filled with wakeboarders, skiiers, golfers, and ultimate frisbee players. I'm the oldest cousin, and there's seven that follow me (plus two spouses including Daniel) all the way down to age nine.

Our days are filled with lounging on the dock, boat rides, eating as many donut peaches as we can, trips into the little town for ice cream, and games of baseball and volleyball on the lawn. Our nights always start with margaritas made by Gramps, followed by long, leisurely dinners on the back deck. People grab sweatshirts and blankets as the temperature drops, but no one goes inside. I think we all know we're kind of on borrowed time at the lake. It's kind of holy ground; peaceful and still. We're getting time with people that we only get to see a couple times a year, and somehow we all grasp the importance of that.

Even more so for me now with our wedding memories there, but there is just something about that lake that moves me. I love that every summer when I'm there, everything's different but also everything's the same. Through so many different stages of my life; from childhood memories, to high school, college, and grad school, dating different boys and working in different careers, that lake has seen me through what feels like a lifetime of changes, including the moment I became a wife. I love that I can be both exactly the same and completely different all at once there. That while the circumstances of my life may change, there will always be some things about me that remain the same, like my love for hosting and celebrating, and my inability to measure while cooking or pack light.

I feel so full of good memories and am hopeful for many more. It's a sweet, sweet summer.

LATELY

Summer is in full force in Seattle, as you can probably tell from the two-week blog silence. It's been consistently sunny and 70-80 degrees, which means we are outside at every chance we get. Thanks to how far north we are, the sun doesn't set until well into the 9:00pm hour, and we are usually out till past then playing volleyball, running greenback, or happy houring with friends. Here are some highlights as of late. 

Happy hour with my husband and treasured in-laws. 

Daniel with our nephew Jake Daniel. Hashtag sunglasses emoji face.

It's strawberry season.

Happy hour with Daniel at Manolin. We are crazy about our date nights. I read this from Shauna Niequist recently and I think it perfectly sums it up: "Making that time and pushing ourselves out of the house even when we're tired is so good for us, because it reminds us that we're living a love story not running a small business together. It reminds us that part of love is taking the time to listen to the tiny details of someone else's life and genuinely care about them."  I forget where I stumbled on that of hers but I so love the words and the meaning. Long live date night.

From a recent workshop that I had the privilege of attending as well as contributing as a vendor. Hoping to share more in an in-depth post soon.

Even though summer doesn't officially start until the 21st, it certainly feels like summer here. Hope you're all having a great start to this magical season. 

SAN DIEGO

Last weekend, we got to see one of my husband's high school friends marry the girl of his dreams in San Diego. It was a really fun trip and confirmed that I think destination weddings are the best kind of weddings (so biased, since we had one ourselves). It's so fun to get away and have a mini vacation while celebrating love. The best.

Our trip happened to overlap with some of our friends from Seattle, so we grabbed tacos with them straight from the airport. My sister in law used to live in San Diego and this was her favorite place, South Beach Bar & Grille. Really good and right on the beach. Get the Mahi fish tacos.

I packed my Kiss & Makeup bag and it worked great. A few still left for sale here. 

Walking to the rehearsal dinner. The groom, Ben, is on the phone here. All these guys grew up together in Seattle, were teammates on sports teams, classmates and friends all growing up. They are hilarious and rowdy when they get together and it was really fun to watch.

We all stayed in a big house on the beach, complete with a hot tub. Such a great rental find by Ben.

We ate our share of tacos and multiple trips to In-N-Out. Best way to do California. 

And lots of iced coffees. 

The wedding was stunning. So much joy and Megan was radiant.  

The best wedding date I could ever ask for. Daniel is SO MUCH FUN at weddings and I am so thankful to have married someone who can keep up on the dance floor. 

Three big guys copying all their dance moves from this little girl. So cute.

Love this photo so much. 

We got to squeeze in seeing a few of my elementary school friends too. Such a fun trip. We came home to 80 degree weather in Seattle and it truly feels like the kick-off of summer. Hello, most favorite season. Feeling so thankful.