Welcome Anna and Talon!

Our dear friends Brittany and Victor welcomed their adorable twin babies, Anna Rubin and Talon Victor on November 16th. As you can see from the photo above I am in a state of baby bliss. They are perfect, cuddly, tiny, and smell amazing. I might have a touch of baby fever. :)

My sister, Brittany, and I were all in the SAME exact hospital room for the births of our babies --- how weird is that, talk about a special place! Being back in that room last week and watching B&V welcome their little ones brought back a flood of memories from Myles' birth over a year ago. As you may have read in his birth story, it wasn't an easy labor or delivery. But being with the twins and their elated parents actually brought back a lot of positive memories for me of our five days and nights in the hospital after Myles was born. There was something very special about those early few days and weeks when Patrick and I were learning to be parents and how to take care of our tiny infant. After my C-section and tumultuous labor I was more or less bed-ridden for the duration of our time we were in the hospital. My entire focus was getting back on my feet and learning to breastfeed Mylo. Patrick changed every single diaper those first five days, walked Mylo around to console him, swaddled him, and tracked my medication and feedings. We were exhausted, excited, overwhelmed, and so happy to be with our son. And more than anything it felt like we were a team. Being a parent is hard and wondrous work and I am incredibly grateful that I get to do it with my best friend and with so much support and love from our community. 

Welcome to the world Anna and Talon, you are so loved already!

We are going to Argentina!! Need tips and recommendations!

Patrick and I bought our tickets and are officially heading to Argentina in February! I am SO excited for our first trip to Latin America. I am going back to work full time starting in January (waaah waaah) and I wanted a little something to get us through the long, rainy winter. We had thought about going to Hawaii (Patrick has never been) or Mexico but in the end we decided to take advantage of Mylo being able to stay with family and go on a big trip that we have been dreaming about for a while--- Buenos Aires here we come!

I haven't even started to plan anything yet, all we have done is purchase our plane tickets in and out of Buenos Aires for a 10 day trip. The big draw for us is the city itself but we also want to do one or two trips to a couple of the MANY destinations in Argentina. It’s such a huge and beautiful country I feel like we will barely be able to scratch the surface, I guess we will just have to go back. We are leaning toward a side trip to the stunning Iguazu Falls or possibly Mendoza wine country but we are looking for recommendations and tips for travel!!

PS. We are also thinking of taking Tango lessons. Yes, we are that couple. :)

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Friday Roundup

What do you think of my rooster? I got him to look back at me as he was nonchalantly chillin' on his front stoop in Ubud.

I hope you liked my photos of Bali and reliving my trip with me, I have a few more things to post next week, including telling you about my time in Korea.

I'm back in the swing of things at home. My life mainly consists of working on wedding albums, which has given me a wealth of ideas for Wedding Wednesday posts, attempting to cook meals and be inspired in the kitchen, which I also want to post about AND beginning to Christmas shop, and again, lots of things to post about with that as I'm aiming to do most of my shopping through small businesses and companies who sell fair trade products, in part I've been inspired by the gifts that support The 30/30 Project, more to come on that later.

For now, here are some interesting things I've stumbled on this week...

Cheers to that town in Germany that pulled a prank on Neo-Nazis and raised money for charity!

Sleepless in Seattle has a new meaning and a great cause.

The professional cuddler, I don't know why this story is endlessly interesting to me. 

Some cuteness from all the way from the Arctic Circle

This month marks the 25th anniversary of The Little Mermaid, a huge part of my childhood. I named my dog Ariel :)

It might be my year to try again at knitting, perhaps arm knitting this time, this tutorial looks good and fairly easy.

If you're in Seattle, you can shop Black Friday sales a week early in Fremont today! 

The history of macaroni & cheese along with Martha Stewart's perfect recipe, I might have to try her version to see how it compares to my favorite aka the world's best :)

Adnan's family breaks their silence and the saga of Serial continues...

My iron broke (a year ago, and I haven't bothered to get a new one) so this tip is right up my ally.

Trunk Club

I've shared in the past that I'm a big fan of Stitch Fix and every time I get a box Patrick and I talk about how great it would be if they had a Stitch Fix for men. Enter Trunk Club. I originally heard about it while listening to This American Life and it sounded similar to Stitch Fix so we gave it a try! The main difference is that instead of a set five items, your personal stylist sends as many clothes as you want. In the two boxes that Patrick has received there were about eight shirts, three pairs of pants, a pair of shoes and a couple of sweaters or blazers. They are anticipating that you won't want to keep it all but want to give a lot of options. The prices are also higher than what I have paid with Stitch Fix but the quality and brands are all top notch.

For us, Trunk Club is a bit too pricey to receive once a month but I think a few times a year it's a great chance to get a few high quality staples for Patrick's closet.

PS. Trunk Club was recently bought by Nordstrom which I think is a good sign!

Visit Bali #2

Here are a few photos from Sapulidi, our second hotel in Bali. It's located minutes from the heart of Ubud and is hands down one of the coolest places I've ever stayed. Thatched roof huts with a beautiful rice patty behind it.

This place was paradise, each "room" is a little hut, complete with a separate bathroom, that's just a few steps away, over a little pond with lily pads! The bathroom had roof over half of it and then a lovely bathtub where you could soak and look up at the stars.

After exploring Ubud one afternoon, we came back our room to rest by the pool for a bit and we were enjoying this lovely flute music coming from the rice patties. Naturally, we thought the people working in their field had brought a radio, but after awhile, we noticed that there was actually a man, sitting out in the middle of the field playing his flute!

PS Incase you missed it, here is my first post about Bali. 

Unique Wedding Dress Hanger Ideas...

The personalized wire wedding dress hangers have definitely had their moment. I see why everyone loves them,  they're definitely a great alternative to the hanger the dress came on. But I think it might be time to look at some other options.

BHLDN has a few great options:

Mr & Mrs (see photo)

Gold Antiqued

Maid of Honor & Bridesmaid

Here's a few options from Etsy:

Put a Bird on It

Floral

Simple Initials- Sans Wire

Sequins 

Truly Vintage French Art Deco

Here are some  fairly easy DIY options: 

Sparkly Love

Fabric

Visit Bali

Hello! Well, it seems after a couple of weeks of vacation, I needed a week to recoup, get through the jet lag (which is ALWAYS the worst coming back from Asia!) and clean out my inbox and piles of mail. Now that I've gotten all of that somewhat under control, let me tell you about my trip!

First off, let me say, I HIGHLY recommend Bali. It was a great mix of relaxing tropical vacation, beautiful temples, unique culture and and activities for any type of traveler. Yes, the flight is long and not exactly cheap, but once you get there, it's a beautiful, safe and inexpensive tropical paradise.

Since this summer, my sister and I had been talking about wanting to do a trip together. She had a week and a half off for fall break from the international school she teaches at in Korea, so that was our starting point, I would come and join her and we could go somewhere from there. Through personal recommendations of friends and some google searches, we decided on Bali.

I think we figured out the key to a successful vacation. Whenever I leave cold and rainy Seattle for a tropical spot, all I really want to do is soak up the sun, but then I start to feel guilty that I'm not getting out and enjoying all the vacation spot has to offer. For this trip, Stephanie and I found the perfect mix.

We spent the first half of the trip laying on the beach at the Sol Beach House Benoa, which was a pretty classic resort spot. Since we knew the rest of our trip would be filled with exploring, we felt no guilt lounging and reading and taking dips in the pool and ocean when we felt like it. The resort is all inclusive for a very reasonable price, so we didn't have to worry about carrying money or how much things cost. It was lovely.

We spent the second half of our time in a more traditional Balinese setting, out in rice fields in a (very nice) thatched roof hut at Sapulidi, on the edge of Ubud*, where we enjoyed petting monkeys, visiting all of the little shops and checking out the amazing architecture of temples and palaces. Above, are photos from Ubud Palace and a couple nearby temples.

More to come later this week!

*If you read Eat, Pray, Love, Ubud is where Elizibeth Gilbert spends most of her time in the "Love" portion of the book, so as you can imagine, the town is now filled with middle aged women who have come for a similar experience.

Serial Podcast

So I know everyone is writing about the Serial podcast so I debated about posting, but seriously, it's so good  (and controversial) that I can't resist. This American Life finally has a spin off podcast and it's called Serial because they are tackling a long term story verses one story per episode. And boy did they chose a captivating one to start things off. I don't want to give away too much but they are re-investigating a murder that took place in 1999 in which high school student Adnan Syed was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. Sarah Koenig reports on this real life murder mystery that has me (and the rest of the nation apparently) totally enthralled.

Trust me, it's worth streaming.

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Monday Motivation (better late than never!)

Appreciate what you have. pic.twitter.com/tJ56TBMiXm

— banksy (@thereaIbanksy) November 8, 2014

My favorite twitter account to follow as of late is @therealbanksy. 

The twitter handle is misleading, it isn't the real Banksy, it's just a fan account. Regardless, whoever is behind it posts absolute gems of inspiration, thought provoking art and a bit of whimsy in many different forms. Here are a few more...

pic.twitter.com/47rTsG0uQl

— banksy (@thereaIbanksy) October 10, 2014

Kim Kardashian got naked & got millions of dollars. These kids have been naked all their lives & never got a penny. pic.twitter.com/sxbIiupkzp

— banksy (@thereaIbanksy) November 15, 2014

pic.twitter.com/7Mum44f8xL

— banksy (@thereaIbanksy) November 12, 2014

Street art in Casablanca pic.twitter.com/dp5vVapXKi

— banksy (@thereaIbanksy) November 9, 2014

Friday Roundup

Happy Friday! Jenny and I took a little impromptu break from blogging this week. We'll be back at it again next week with a bit more energy I hope. Can't wait to see her photos from Bali!

Hope everyone has fun plans for this cold and sunny weekend. Here are some links to get us started

LOVE this! Might even have to write a whole post on it.

For those of you cooking for Turkey Day, 10 day Thanksgiving timeline. Or some great spots to get out of town for the day and not cook.

ICYMI, fascinating article about what makes relationships last.

Made me laugh. 

Made me cry.

INCREDIBLE bathrooms in NYC

Raising children as an international photographer. 

Would you hire a professional bridesmaid??

5 kitchen items to pick up at a flea market and 5 ways to make a house a home.

(photo of Mylo walking in fall leaves)

Monday Motivation

via

Friday Roundup

Hello from South Korea! I'm headed home soon and I have mixed feelings about it- I'm sad for my vacation to be over, but looking forward to cuddling with my cat, and Jason too! I'll be back next week to tell you about my travels, for now here are some fun things I found around the web this week.

I'm kind of wishing my name was Elizabeth Gallagher because this is an amazing offer!

Taylor Swift + 1980's Arobics

Rugs on the walls

Mark Zuckerberg Q&A

18 year old senator- crazy!

Have you read Amy Pohler's book yet? This makes me want to pick up a copy. 

Interesting story of a former bodyguard who escaped North Korea




Above, Korean painting titled "Chuil hanmyo" (Free cat on an autumn day) because I miss mine :)

Jenny's Favorites: October Edition

1. I've signed up for Plated in an attempt to try out new foods for dinner. Would I walk into a grocery store and buy duck or quail? No. But I will order it on Plated and successfully cook up a gourmet meal with it!

2. This trusty backpack (which I originally bought for Jason and have since commandeered, oops!)  has been the perfect sized carry on for my little adventure this month.This is the first time in forever that I'm traveling without carrying on 30 lbs. of camera gear. On my way here I was skipping with joy all the way to my gate after I breezed through security.

3. I'm ashamed to admit how much time I've spent watching Gilmore Girls since it came out on Netflix at the beginning of October. There's something about it that's very autumn-ish about it: School themes, lots of coffee, etc. It's been the perfect show for me to watch while catching up on busy work on my computer that got pushed aside during the sunnier months. Added bonus: I'm talking faster and including more obscure pop culture references in my daily life.

4. I bought this little Josie Maran lip & cheek duo on a whim before I left on my trip and I've been loving it. It's really moisturizing for your lips and both colors can be used as a cheek stain as well. Multipurpose products are the best.

5. You're looking at a stack of books, because that's what I read in a week of vacation. Only my stack was virtual because most of them were on my iPhone. I love books tend to devour them while laying in the sun.

I'd highly recommend:
One Plus One: An adorable story of humanity, helping strangers and love.
Heirs & Spares (The Realm Book 1): Historical fiction that's not boring! Set in a European kingdom at the time of the Reformation, there's some history but also romance, deception, plotting and backstabbing.
The Boys in the Boat: A scrappy underdog type of story about the UW crew team who won Olympic gold in front of Hitler in 1936. So much of this book takes place within walking distance of my house, I loved reading about what my neighborhood was like in the 1930's!
Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography: If you loved Choose Your Own Adventure books as a child and find Neil Patrick Harris even remotely interesting, you'll enjoy this book.

These we're OK...Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed them, but didn't feel like they quite lived up to the hype/reviews I'd seen: 
Eleanor & Park: This is a cute story of first love. It takes place in 1986 which also wins points with me, but I'm seeing on lists of all-time best love stories and toted as the next The Fault in Our Stars, which it is not. 
Me Before You: Good book, but I liked Jojo Moyes' One Plus One a lot more, see it above.
The Hypnotist's Love Story: I'd recommend Liane Moriaty's The Husband's Secret over this one.
(book photo via)

A Chicago Wedding...

I LOVE the joy & happiness in these photos taken by our very own Zoe Rain in Chicago in August. 

Halloween Fun

My little Superman!! Mylo won't wear anything on his head these days so we went with the simple Superman outfit for Halloween. He was comfortable and that made everyone happy. With him starting to take his first steps he does kind of act like a little Superman so it was appropriate! Patrick and I were Mr. and Mrs. Cat--- bet you can't guess who's idea that was. :)

Hope you had a great Halloween, love seeing all the pictures of everyone's costumes. 

This is an example of the struggle it is to get one cute picture of Mylo and I!!! Thank goodness for iPhones so you can take a million and then delete. His faces though.

 And a little gif of us trying to get a photo of him in his skeleton jammies -- no mama!!!

Hello!

After a week in Bali, getting some much needed vitamin D and  relaxing with my sister, Stephanie, I've flown to Korea with Stephanie to spend a few days where she lives.

We loved Bali! We stayed in two different spots and got a great mix of laying on the beach in Benoa and then exploring in Ubud.

More to come later...once I'm home and have downloaded photos from my camera, etc. For now, here are a few photos Steph snapped of me on her phone.

PS. One of my FAVORITE things was easily our afternoon in Monkey Forrest.

Monday Motivation

It has been a long day for me--- better late than never!

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