Paris: Day 1

Stop number two on our trip was Paris! Oui oui! We got up super early in London thinking we could catch the Tube to St. Pancras Station and hop on the Chunnel. However, we did not check how early the Tube started running in the mornings. After waiting about 25 minutes at our stop (I think we were the only ones there) we  decided to catch a cab instead. The cab driver was really nice but had a very thick English accent. So thick, it sounded almost like a foreign language! We made it just in time to catch the Chunnel and three hours later we were in Paris!

Coming Up...

Let me tell you, we have been busy busy bees since moving back up to Washington. The weather has been so nice (like, Arizona nice!) since we've been back, and that combined with catching up with friends and family have made for very little blogging time.

But have no fear! I'm still keeping this bad boy going, so don't think I'm shutting down. There are lots of things coming through the pipeline in the next few weeks! I haven't even shown you guys our new digs (although you did see a preview of the backyard a while ago).

Here's a little preview of what's to come...

And yes, that is a two liter beer. It's been a wicked awesome summer and I'm so excited to share the rest of it with you guys!

Always Remember.

Remembering those that lost their lives ten years ago today.

God Bless America.

(source)

Fifty Five

Today would have been my Grandma Phyllis and Grandpa Fred's 55th wedding anniversary! Isn't that crazy? Such a long time, and pretty impressive if you ask me.

Last Christmas I gathered a bunch of old photographs my dad had lying around of his parents and made a photo album. Here's some from their wedding day... don't they look incredibly happy (and beautiful)? And I love those yellow dresses.

Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa! Miss you every day.

Snickerdoodles

A few weeks ago, my awesome husband made me some Snickerdoodles. They. Were. Delicious. I'm kind of spoiled. He's a really good cook and he even bakes a little too. I didn't take any prep pictures, but here's the recipe he used (from the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook). 

// 375 degrees // 10 minutes // makes 36 //

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

*Beat butter

*Add sugar (1 cup only), baking soda, and cream of tartar

*Beat in egg and vanilla until combined

*Beat in flour (as much as you can)

*Chill dough for one hour (I don't think we did this step and they still turned out)

*Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon 

*Shape dough into balls and roll in sugar-cinnamon mixture

*Bake for 10-11 minutes @ 375 degrees

They were so tasty and delicious! Thicker than a regular cookie, but equally as yummy. They tasted even better the next day!

Labor Day Weekend

I hope you all had a great Labor Day Weekend! We hung out with friends in Seattle, rode the ferry to Bainbridge Island to do a little one-day camping, and did a little shopping downtown. The weather was beautiful and I even got a little sunburn. Zach called me his Lobster Wife. I've realized I'm either his Vampire Wife or Lobster Wife. There is no in between for me.

The bad thing that happened this weekend was that my phone officially died. Well, not completely, but it's about 90% dead. A bottle of wine got dropped on it (oops!) and now the screen is just white all the time. I can still answer calls since I know where the "slide" button is to answer, but can't really do anything else since I can't see the screen. So now both Z and I are both out of phones and want to wait until the new iPhone 5 comes out (hopefully Oct. 1!?) and another phone comes out for Z. Basically, that's at least two weeks without phones. Ugh. Not fun, but I'm kind of interested to see how it goes. It might be nice to be phone-free for a little while...

The rest of the weekend Zach studied (a lot) for his big test and I rounded out the weekend with a Mad Men marathon. Just started watching the show and now I see why everyone is so obsessed. It's goooood. I'm just a little slow to the party. :)

Looking forward to a short work week!

Buster and the Backyard

The backyard is definitely our favorite part of the new house (we even have a bridge!). We like to think Buster likes it too.