Philly & NYC Trip

  In December we were blessed to get to travel to Philadelphia & New York City. My sister was getting married in Philly, and then we decided to take the train to NYC for a few nights before heading home… to get to live out my dream of NYC at Christmastime! It was such a great little vacation, and I’m so grateful we were able to do it before welcoming this new little girl to our family!
The photos above are all from Philly (mostly Washington Square Park & hanging out by independence hall). The photos below are from our time in NYC. Lots of fun adventures…. I’ll share a little of what we did below in case you find yourself planning your own trip to the city!

Our first night we got settled into our hotel in the Theater District, then we walked to Rockefeller Center & Times Square to see the tree & the lights. It was beautiful, but so crowded! The next day we took the subway over to Chelsea Market, which I loved. We shopped & met a friend for coffee at Amy’s Bread. Then we walked towards the West Village (which was my favorite neighborhood to explore. Loved it.), stopped at a little park, and window shopped along Bleecker Street. Then we walked (so.much.walking.) over to Washington Square Park to see the beautiful arch, and let Evie run around and play with the birds & squirrels (her fave). We headed over towards the Flat Iron Building to check it out, and got some coffees from Toby’s Estate. We wanted to stop into Eataly, but ran out of time. Next time I definitely want to go though, as lots of friends recommended it. Then we headed back to our hotel to get ready to see Radio City’s Christmas Spectacular. I didn’t think we’d be able to see a show with Eveleigh being so young, but then I found out it was kid-friendly and we decided to go for it! So glad we did! It was a highlight of the trip, and Evie absolutely loved it too!

The following day we had brunch at The Smith (which was delicious) and spent the day exploring central park & The Upper West Side. We loved walking around Central Park, and Evie loved playing at one of the playgrounds. We also watched the horse & buggies go by, and stopped by Strawberry Fields. Then we walked over to Levain Bakery to try their famous cookies. Oh my word – best cookie I’ve EVER had. So so good. Then we just explored a little and window shopped before heading into Cafe Lalo for some cappuccinos. This is the cafe from “You’ve Got Mail” – one of my favorite movies. So, naturally, we had to go. It was actually really cute & charming, albeit they played really bad 90s music the whole time.

Then we took an Uber back to our hotel so that my poor pregnant self didn’t have to walk anymore. Big fan of Uber, as you can request car seats! We rested for a bit and later headed back towards Central Park to take a carriage ride (touristy & cheesy and probably a big waste of money…BUT I wanted to… just one of those things I wanted to do at least once in my life ;)) After that we went to The Plaza Hotel to see the tree & lights, and looked at the window displays along 5th avenue. We grabbed dinner to go from Pazza Notte  and headed back towards the hotel to pack & rest up for our early morning flight. Overall, it was a great trip and definitely solidified my love of New York City!

Weekend Getaway to Seattle

It was love at first sight. Truly. We went on a little weekend getaway back in March for our 5 year wedding anniversary. We both fell in love with the city. It’s truly breathtaking. We actually lucked out in that the weather was just perfect for our entire trip. Clear & sunny, and not too chilly. Because of how clear it was, Mount Rainier was completely visible and was the most stunning backdrop to the city.
We did some typical tourist-y things, and really just ate our way through the city. The food is so good. We of course hit up Pike Place Market, and enjoyed coffee from the first Starbucks and some yummy pastries from Piroshky Piroshky. On our anniversary day we had lunch at the Sky City restaurant in the Space Needle. The food wasn’t great, but the 360 degree views from the restaurant made it worth it and the overall experience was really fun.

We also really loved Storyville coffee, which has several locations around Seattle. Great spot to dip into and actually enjoy your coffee in a nice house mug. Another place we (still) can’t stop raving about is Von’s Gustopub - the food was seriously some of the most flavorful food I’ve ever had (not to mention their yummy & affordable drinks). We kind of just stumbled upon the place on our first night in town, because it was within walking distance from our hotel… but so glad we ate there! If you go make sure to order the sourdough mac & cheese and the zesty meatball appetizers. We could’ve eaten there every night of our trip, the food was so good. On our last night in town we ate at The Pink Door, an Italian restaurant that has trapeze artist’s for entertainment. It was a romantic little spot, and having dinner with a trapeze artist flying around next to you is definitely an unforgettable experience.

In the evening of our anniversary we went and watched the sunset from Kerry Park. A little park with the most beautiful views of the space needle & the whole city. Then we walked around the surrounding neighborhoods, which were very charming. We exchanged the love letters we had written each other years prior, to be opened on our fifth anniversary. It was a really beautiful evening.

On our last day in town we took our convertible rental car (Ryan insisted we get a convertible since the weather was so nice!) and drove out to Snoqualmie Falls  for a little hike. It was really beautiful, albeit crowded. Then we headed back towards the city, got some coffee, and drove out to Discovery Park, which was a beautiful beach to walk along and take pictures. Definitely worth a visit.

A few other things we did & loved were walking around the Seattle Sculpture Park, a little visit to the very charming Queen Anne, and walking & shopping in Pioneer Square.

If the weather in Seattle was as nice year round as it was when we were there, it would really be my dream city to live in. It was such a blessing to get away together (though so hard leaving my Evie Girl) and to get to travel & explore a new city!

Baby Girl #2!

Our sweet little Eveleigh is going to be a big sister! We are so excited to welcome baby GIRL #2 in early February. My due date is actually February 5th, the day before Eveleigh’s 2nd birthday. So they will be exactly two years apart and will probably resent it because that means shared birthday parties forever! ;) We’re so excited to have another little girl though. They are going to be so adorable together, I don’t how I’m even going to handle it! I know Eveleigh is going to be such a great big sister!
I’m 19 weeks along and am just finally starting to feel better. Growing a human is really really exhausting. Especially when chasing around an active toddler! In the heat of summer! Ahhh! It is beautiful and such a blessing, but honestly I’m looking forward to meeting this baby & not being pregnant anymore! Already almost halfway there…  <3

Eveleigh's First Birthday!

My sweet little Eveleigh is ONE YEARS OLD today! Oh my word! I can’t even believe it. I can’t believe it’s been a year, and yet I also can’t imagine a time without her in our lives. She has brought more joy to us than I ever could’ve dreamed of.
She is my little ray of sunshine. When we were pregnant we prayed over her that she would be a light in this world. And God has answered our prayers because she is so full of light & contagious joy, spreading it to everyone she encounters. When we go out to the park or even just the grocery store, she waves & smiles & giggles at everyone she meets. She is always making new friends, and sometimes forces this introverted mama out of her shell.

She is walking, curious about everything, and babbling all day long. I try not to be offended that her favorite word right now is “Da Da.” She is full of little pony tricks: waving, blowing kisses, clapping, high fiving, signing more, giving hugs & kisses, and even “pound it.” Whenever she does one of these she is so proud of herself that she immediately claps afterwords. It is too cute.

She loves to eat. Especially whatever you’re eating. She will definitely want some. Bananas are her favorite, and if she even spots someone eating one she will surely want one.

Her favorite thing is going on the swings at the park. She laughs and laughs the whole time. Like literally. She loves to be outside, and to be out & about around people. She is truly an extroverted little one!

I am going to miss her in her baby stages, but looking forward to this next year with her as a Toddler and all the fun that lies ahead! I am one truly blessed mama! I thank God for her every single day!

The Lie of Perfectionism.

Our perfectionist ways keep us distracted. Keep us from doing and being all that God has called us to. They hold us in bondage and keep us from experiencing the freedom & acceptance that God offers.

I’m not quite sure where it began in me. Having older siblings, I would often watch them, observing them. I would see them make mistakes, getting in trouble & getting grounded. I would learn from them and know what not to do. I have a sensitive heart and a need to please people. I remember one time, I was maybe five years old, my dad was cooking baked beans on the stove. The handle was pointed out, and I bumped it when walking past. I accidentally knocked the beans off the stove, and they spilled all over the floor. I immediately began to cry. I made a mistake. I failed. I couldn’t bear to upset him. To have him be angry with me.

I went about much of my life that way. Wanting to please people. Wanting to achieve. Pushing myself to be better. Always expecting more. “Good better best, never let is rest, until the good is better and the better is the best.”

Yikes.

What an unfulfilling way to live. You become a slave. While personal development and growth isn’t a bad thing, it can get twisted into something that only hurts us.

This perfectionism mindset ultimately stems from fear. Fear that we aren’t enough, fear of what people will think, fear of the future, fear that we don’t matter. It can lead to a lot of negative self-talk and anxiety. The enemy has us right where he wants us.

So, everyday, I choose to not fear. To not worry about what people think of me. To not fear failure. I give up pursuing perfection and instead pursue Jesus. I lay it all down at His feet and allow God’s perfect love to cast out all fear.

I will no longer live in bondage. I break the agreement that I am not enough as I am, and I accept the beautiful freedom that Christ offers.

“You drown my fears in perfect love,
You rescued me and I will stand and say,
I AM A CHILD OF GOD.” – No Longer Slaves, by Bethel