Alaska!

I didn't waste any time starting my summer vacation!  

I arrived home a couple days ago from SUNNY Alaska!  Yup, you read it correctly, sunny!  

It was the trip of a lifetime and I have wonderful memories that will last forever.  

Let me back track and explain why we chose Alaska.

About six months ago, I began dreaming of taking a vacation this summer with Nick.  I thought that this summer was the perfect time because we could celebrate three year anniversary (June 26) and to relax since we worked our booties off renovating the house this past year.  

Naturally, I began researching places in the Caribbean.  Sunshine, fruity cocktails, and the ocean.  Glory!  I have been on a few cruises and think it is such a fun, great way to travel.  I love waking up each morning in a new place ready for a day of exploration.  I found a couple of cruises that fit our budget and desired time frame.  Being the sweet man that he is, Nick went along with all my dreams and was happy to do whatever.  I held off on booking the trip, because I was still trying to decide between two different cruises.

About a week later, we went out to dinner with my parents.  During dinner, they mentioned that they had just booked a cruise to Alaska in June with my grandparents and Aunt Vera.  They planned their trip because my grandparents are both in their 80's and my grandma has always had a dream of traveling.  My parents wanted to make that dream a reality.   

As we were discussing my parent's upcoming trip, something happened that I didn't expect.  Nick's eyes lit up and he couldn't stop asking questions about the various ports and adventures my parents had planned in Alaska.  He talked more about their Alaskan cruise during that dinner than he had about the Caribbean during the previous couple months.  In that moment, an idea came to me... instead of fulfilling my desires of a warm, tropical vacation, we could have an adventurous, icy vacation.  I mean... we have traveled to Cancun and Cabo the past two years... so maybe we were due for something different.  

When I mentioned my idea to Nick, he was over the moon.  He preceded to tell me that it has been a dream to travel to Alaska since he was 16.  Done.  Sold.  

Within the next 48 hours, we booked a balcony suite on Holland America's cruise line and were set to go!  My parents were thrilled to have more company.. the more the merrier, right?  Well, it didn't stop there!  

Within a couple of days, my sisters heard that the grandparent/parents Alaska trip included us... and they couldn't bear the thought of being left out.  So within a few days, they had books rooms as well.  So with a week, the four person trip, turned into a nine person trip!  Our family really likes each other.  What a blessing.  

So, that is the back story of WHY we chose Alaska.  It was a fabulous, different trip, and I am so thankful we had the opportunity to explore the beautiful state of Alaska.  

Here are some photos of my favorite parts of our trip.  Get ready for photo overload!

We started our trip off in the beautiful city of Seattle.  We visited one of my favorite place... Pike's market!  Beautiful food and gorgeous flowers... what more could you want?!

                                                                       Sisters!

                                                                    Space Needle

       

Leaving our port in Seattle.  We caught Seattle on a gorgeous, sunny day!

 Our third day of the cruise we entered the Tracy Arm Fjord.  It was a peaceful, slow cruise all the way to the end where we got to view the breathtaking Sawyer Glacier.  We also saw a black bear just chilling on the shore!

                                                                     Pure beauty!

On day four, we spent the day in Alaska's capital, Juneau.  We rented a sea plane and had a pilot take us on a forty-five minute tour of Alaska's ice field and glaciers.  Breathtaking is an understatement.  Incredible!

                                          Nick sat in the pilot's co-seat... lucky!!

The size of the glaciers blew me away.  I had no clue that some of them run for hundreds of miles.

On day five, we spent time in the city of Sitka.  It was a charming down.  We enjoyed walking through shops and talking to locals. 

Only in Alaska.... their winters are cold, ya know?!

We took a hike through a lush, beautiful forest.  We saw a bald eagle just chilling in the tree and LOTS of totem poles!

Our next stop was in the lovely town of Ketchiken.  I must say that it was my favorite port.  The town was interesting and full of history.  We also got to meet an owl and an eagle up close... which was just amazing!

The last port was in Victoria B.C., Canada.  I didn't know much about Victoria, and wow, was I surprised!  It was by far the most beautiful city I have ever been in.  The gardens, downtown, and The Empress Hotel... amazing. 

When we arrived back in Seattle, we celebrated Father's Day by having lunch at a delicious seafood restaurant.  Best way to the end the trip!

Everything about this trip was phenomenal.  However, one of my favorite parts was spending time with my grandparents and seeing the smiles on their faces.  They were pampered, taken care of, and saw places that they had never dreamed of.  I know that this trip will always be very special to my family because our Deda and Baba were a part of it.

Creative Outlets

Happy Summer Everyone!  

I know you might be thinking... well, technically summer doesn't begin until June 21.  However, in my world, summer began TODAY, June 7, at approximately 1:30p.m..  After I hugged each sweet kiddo, wiped away my tear-stained eyes... Summer arrived!

I have lots of fun summer plans in the works.  We have multiple trips to Clear Lake planned, a cruise to Alaska, and most importantly, down-time!  I am also looking forward to my first summer in the our home.  It will be great to have time to continue organizing, decorating, and perhaps even a little shopping??

May was a great month. Busy, but wonderful.  As a teacher I always find my creative juices flowing freely during May.  We have our big display night called Open House and a lot of time and energy goes into putting it together.  Here are a couple photos of my classroom on the big evening.  

 Around the house, we have worked on a couple of projects as well.  Our front door is old and full of issues, but we are determined to make it work for now.  We bought and installed a new door sweep which helped to actually "seal" the door.  Before there was a bunch of air that could come in from underneath the door.  Not a very exciting project, but a useful and necessary one!

While we are talking about practical, not glamorous projects, here's another!  Nick and his dad worked on the roof last weekend and added a vent into our master bathroom.  Hopefully they will forgive me for the butt-shot!

For the past six months or so, I've had this idea of wanting to create a blackboard for our home.  I've seen cute ones one Pinterest where you can write sweet notes, menus for parties, or welcome notes to guests.  I told Nick about my vision, and he went to town!  I now have a finished product and am excited to put it to use.  In a few weeks, we are having an event at our house which will be the perfect opportunity to break it in!

Hmm.. sorry about those blurry, stretched photos!  Can't figure out how to fix that! What a gem that Nick is!!  Making my little dreams a reality!  Excited to use the board soon!

That's it for now.  I am expecting that I'll have a lot more to write about in the near future.  Having long, lazy days seem to help the blogging process!

Cheers!

Adding Flair

Yes!!  I still have a blog!  Yes!  I am a slacker!  I am completely guilty of enjoying the warm weather, gardening, planning summer vacations, and putting in hours in my classroom preparing for Open House!  

In the meantime though, we have added a couple of little flair items to our house!  Nothing major, just "lipstick" type of items.

I have enjoyed random trips to Home Goods, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls in search of fun items to dress up our house.  However, I have been sticking with my original plan of "only buy it if you absolutely can't live without it". 

I found this unusual square clock and loved it!  I like that it has an old feel to it, yet it fits our contemporary, clean-line feel.

The past few months, Nick and I have been hunting for the perfect light fixture for our dining room table.  We both fell in love with this fixture because it balances our rustic dining room table and our modern art.  

The painting behind the table is from Home Goods.  It is a neat painting because while it's simple, it has a lot of complex lines and depth to it.  The tree in the corner is another Home Goods find.  Score!

We are absolutely loving our backyard!  All the flowers and rose bushes are in full bloom.  It's been fun to watch the garden bloom and discover what was hiding during winter.  

Since we have 18 rose bushes... yes 18, we always have a couple of vases in the house with freshly cut roses.  What a treat! 

We have been barbecuing a lot lately and are enjoying the spring/summer cuisine.  I have planted my tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, and pumpkins.  Looking forward to eating from our garden soon!

Life is good! Clearly, we are enjoying the fruits of our labor.  About six months ago, when we were knee deep in remodel mode, we would daydream about "hanging out in our backyard and lazy nights watching the Giants game".  Glad we have arrived!!

Little Things

Now that we are moved into our house and feeling settled, it's the little things that are keeping us busy! You know, dotting the i's and crossing the t's!  I thought I'd share a few random pictures of our life lately with you!

 Finally!  A dishwasher!  After going two months without a dishwasher, I have a brand new respect and love for the fabulous machine!

Our dishwasher is from Costco... yay for Costco rebate checks!

We finally have hooks for our bath towel and a toilet paper roll!  It's the little things that make a difference in day to day life.

Spring break gave me time to organize my life... and all the closets in my house!  Now my coffee grinder and dutch oven have an organized home.

Excited that spring has arrived.  I am thrilled to have an actual garden!  Next weekend I plan on planting these unique varieties of cucumbers and tomatoes!  

This photo might seem odd or insignificant... but, it was a great moment and I had to capture it!!  One of the first Giants games of the season was on, I had a delicious glass of Sauvignon Blanc in hand, booty was parked on our new, comfy couch, feet were up after a long day, and my lovely husband was sitting right next to me.  In that moment... I felt that I was truly HOME.  What is it about the Giants season that just makes everything in the world seem right again??  I don't know, but I sure do love April-October for that very reason!

Life is good!

Reality

Want to hear a secret?  

Blogging has been tough for me lately!  There, I said it.  Why, you might ask.  Well, first off, I should start by telling you that I am a first-born, perfectionist, who likes everything "just-so".  I plan, I organize, and I analyze.  I recognize that life isn't always "just-so" and sometimes it's good to let go and let life happen.  I'm not perfect when it comes to that last statement, but luckily for me, I have a husband who has helped me greatly in that area.  I also find that the older I get, the easier it is to prioritize and let go. 

Back to my house.  My house is lovely, gorgeous, stunning... it's MY home.  I absolutely love it.  But, quite frankly, it is definitely still a work in a progress!  That's okay with me in my day to day life, but sharing my work in progress has been tough!  I started thinking about blogging and how it's been hard for me to find motivation to share.  I decided that it would be beneficial for me to take a step out of my comfort zone and get over it. 

Done, half done, undone, perfect, imperfect, and REAL!  

Now that I have processed with you and let you into my brain, let's get to it!

Want to see our bedroom?  It's not complete, the walls are bare, and it's great!  It's cozy and such a great place to relax after a long day.  

The view when entering the bedroom.

My dresser.  

The collage above my dresser.  I made this a few weeks ago.  It's a collage of some of my favorite photos from our wedding.  I absolutely love all the good memories that it holds and the fact that I get to see them on a daily basis.

Our bed and nightstands.  I still need some pretty, decorative pillows to help the overall appearance of the bed... but hey, in good time ;)

This melts my heart!  Nick still has this frame that I had given him when we were dating... from probably about five years ago.  Since we dated long-distance for awhile, I would always write little post-its and leave them around his room so that he would find them once I had gone.  The best part... that he has kept the little post-it notes!  

 This is a painting we are going to hang on a wall in our room.  It's special because it was painted DURING our wedding ceremony.  The picture doesn't do it justice... it's so beautiful!

  I figured I should show you the actual day it was painted!  Best day of my life!  
                                                         Thanks Allison and Lori!!

Hmm... Looking at pictures of my wedding makes me want to do a blog post about my wedding now....!!
ANYWAYS, back to our bedroom: 
 

                                            View of the bathroom from our bed.

                                                            

Our view of the backyard from the bedroom window.  Have a mentioned that I love our backyard?  

                                                   Well, that's it folks....
                         Not completely finished, yet perfect for this day in time!