It felt good to be out of the rain.

About a month ago we spent a few sun soaked days in Scottsdale. A trip to the blooming desert turned out to be just what we needed.

The night before we left I was careful to put the camera battery in the charger. And in the charger it stayed. All week long. Oops! I've never been more thankful for my trusty iPhone and my fave picture app (VSCOcam).

I'm always grateful for a change of scenery and a chance to break out of our routines for a while. We had such a sweet time with our little family and my parents. Warm sun, gorgeous cacti,exotic flowers, frequent dips in the pool, and lots and lots of good food (a vacation must-have in my book) sure did us good.

We visited a Ranch one day and the girls to take turns riding a horse. They were beyond excited and were surprisingly patient and gentle throughout the whole process.

We also had the chance to visit Butterfly World, which is essentially an indoor home to thousands of butterflies. It was so beautiful, but also a little creepy to walk around surrounded by the constant fluttering of wings!

You really can't go wrong with poolside breakfasts, spray parks, ice cream, and carousels.

And then there was this every evening. Thanks for the good time Scottsdale, we will definitely be back!

San Francisco bound + Friday favorites

We're heading to San Francisco on Tuesday and I can hardly wait!  I'm a little late in planning, but I'm doing a little research on what we should do and eat while visiting the Bay.  It's a short trip, but we have the rare luxury of exploring without our little ones (does that sound horrible?)  and I intend to pack as much as I can into three days. Do you have any suggestions?  She has some great recommendations on food, and I'm learning a lot from her readers, but I'd love to hear from you!

In the meantime, here are some of my favorites this week:

Fun + Colorful streamers at a Boy Scout Camp Wedding via Once Wed (click over the see the rest of the wedding, the chevron invites are super cute!)

Que, Sera, Sera print (free download!) created by Nicole of  Making it Lovely

Gorgeous bedroom spotted in a sneak peek of the latest issue of Anthology on Oh Joy! ( I think it may even be her own bedroom)

A clever color your own candles card by W+K Studio seen on Design Sponge
Lovely art by Double Merrick found via Smaller
And last, but not least, an adorable thank you gift for parents of twins by Danyelle

P.S. Tune in Monday for the big reveal of a project I've been working on, and don't forget to come to Connect!

*Poster at top by Kerne Erickson

Portland: Part Two

Here are a few more highlights from Portland:  During our stay, we were lucky enough to stay at The Benson Hotel.  We stayed in one of the Penthouses (!) and really loved it.

The hotel lobby was gorgeous, but I felt a little strange taking a bunch of photos.  I decided to play it cool and just take one.

Have you ever heard of McMenamins?  It was new to me, but you can find them throughout the Northwest.  They take an existing building and turn it into a destination. 

The one in Portland was once a school (Kennedy School) and has been converted to a hotel, theater and also has a couple of restaurants on site.  I think I even saw a community garden on my way in.  The decorations are definitely quirky, but I love that they left the school house charm throughout the space.

It was really hard to capture the place throughout the narrow hallways.  If you're interested in seeing more of what the Kennedy School looks like go here.

We ate in the family restaurant (once again, kids too squirmy for me to get a good shot), but I thought the bar area was really cool.  They turned the boiler room of the school into the "Boiler Room Bar."

And, last but definitely not least, I had the chance to stop in at a little letterpress shop called Oblation Papers & Press.  You may have seen the shop featured in a write-up by Carina Murray on Oh So Beautiful Paper recently.  I did, and it made me want to go!

Armed only with a phone and being too busy looking at all the lovely paper, I never took a photo inside..  If you want to see what it looks like you can go here.  In addition to their own work, they sell products from a lot of different presses.  I could have spent a loooong time there.  When my husband (holding a very curious 15 month old) accidentally knocked down a big display I knew it was time to go. 

But I did pick up a few goodies on my way out:

I'll be back later with some thoughts for your Mother's Day!

Portland: Part One

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  This week has been a blur of motion for me, coming off my trip and being a bit behind on work.  Throw a couple of kids, a sick dog, and mountainous piles of laundry in the mix and you have a snapshot of how my days have been.

Today I wanted to share a little bit about our short stay in Portland, OR.  I've broken it into two parts so I don't overwhelm you with too many pictures at once.  Both my husband and I enjoy taking photos, so the memory card is quick to fill.

Portland reminded me a lot of Seattle, but a little cleaner and with shorter, more manageable buildings.  I think those factors make the downtown feel a bit more friendly and safe at times. There are old brick buildings everywhere and the occasional bag-pipe player. We spent most of our time walking, shopping, and eating in the Pearl District.
 

We ended up walking to a local coffee shop called Barista each morning with the girls.  Like a lot of the brick buildings in Portland, the shop had great industrial style.  I tried to take some pictures with my phone while sitting inside, but thanks to wiggly children they were all too blurry.

A trip to Portland is not complete without a visit to one of Powell's Books stores.  They have a vast collection of new and used books.  It's exactly the kind of place I would love to spend an afternoon by myself in, searching the shelves or sitting in a cozy corner with a book.

We discovered a huge selection of street food vendors spanning several blocks.  We all tried it out for lunch one day.  My family likes a wide variety of food, so it was kind of perfect.  Also, no worries about how kids will behave at a restaurant. I'm pretty sure I would be hanging around these blocks a lot in the summer if I lived there.

Sadly, we didn't get to play by the waterfront much.  The weather had been rainy, so Friday we planned a trip to the Children's Museum.  Of course, Friday ended up being sunny and perfect for the park.  My husband slipped out while the girls were napping and took some photos (after taking a short nap himself).

Stay tuned for Part Two.

Life at the market

My dears, I wanted to share some photos from my recent trip to Seattle with you.  Fasten your seat belts, I may or may not have taken too many!

I lived in the Seattle area for almost five years, but never actually lived downtown.  It was fun to stay in the heart of it all for a few days, instead of just a quick visit.

We walked everywhere.  I really started to see the purpose of my sister's giant raincoat and rubber boots.  I discovered why Tom's are not so good in a flash flood downpour (especially paired with thin cropped pants).  I drove everywhere when I lived there so the rain was not a complete reality to me. I was overdressed at any given time.  To summarize: I didn't really fit in.  BUT, I had a great time anyway.

 My sister and her husband live in this awesome brick building in a tiny dorm-like apartment (the alley pictured above is directly behind the building).

The famed Pike Place Market is nearby.  My favorite thing is definitely all of the amazing flowers for sale.

I also love the wide selection of fresh fruits and vegetables available.

Right off the boat.

My sister introduced me to Piroshky Piroshky, a little Russian bakery that had the most amazing treats for breakfast.  It's located a couple of stores away from the original Starbucks.

Speaking of the green mermaid, we visited the Starbucks in Columbia Tower (the tallest building in Seattle).  It's way up on the 40-ish floor and open to the public.  There was an incredible (and free!) view of Seattle.  I couldn't help but snap a few.

I wish I had a different lens so I could catch the death-defying window washers we saw in action.

I forced my sister to take a couple of pictures of me while we were up there.  Hello rain-induced-Seattle frizz!

I love how versatile a city can be.  Everyone has their own take.  Do you know Seattle?  I would love to hear how you've experienced it.