Friday Favorites - 8/26/2016

HAPPY FRIDAY! We made it to another weekend! I am stoked that this weekend is finally here so we can celebrate my sweet girl turning two years old. Aaannnd, the weather is finally starting to cool down and I think we kissed 100 degree days GOOD BYE for the year! WAHOO. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Things I am loving:

1. 

This sweet girl is having a birthday on Monday! I love getting together with family and friends and don't need a reason to do so. But, celebrating this girl is a Perfect reason and I just can't wait. We are keeping is super casual (stay tuned for details in a later post) so we can just hang out with everyone and make some special memories. Three out of the last four nights we got Luke to bed by bribing him with a cupcake at Chloe's party. What? He was going to get one anyways, score one for the parents!

2.  I have posted about Stranger Things before and probably will again, but OhEmGee, you should be watching this show on Netflix. I will be honest, I was thrilled after the first episode. I wouldn't have kept watching it if others hadn't recommend it. We are now 6 episodes in and I can't wait until we get to watch another one. I am dying to figure out what is really going on.... no spoilers here :)



3. This little trio from Sephora. I am so bad at moisturizing, I must have missed that part of growing up where someone told you lather up constantly if you want to be wrinkle free. BUT, it is never too late. This trio of cremes by L'Occitane has three different scents all in the perfect size to carry in your purse. Plus, if you use Ebates, you can get 4% cash back! You can also use the button on the right side of my page. Sweetness.   



4. 

I was sent these towels by j2 line and they are amazing! Such a fun color (they come in blue and grey too :) ) and they can fold up so small. They are super absorbent and dry out in minutes! We took them to the coast last weekend and they made for great travel towels. 



5. I am feeling a little crafty right now and got a super easy project to try for Chloe's birthday. I am actually going out on a limb to do 2 different projects for her party, and one is edible, YUM. Stay tuned for more about how these turned out. Warning: I am NOT crafty so a project to me-which I might think about for 54 hours and plan for and buy extra to try over and over again- might be something you can get done on a Tuesday, before breakfast. But hey, I am a Try-er :)   PLUS- our town got a Hobby Lobby just a few weeks ago and I am dying to go there. I'm sure there will be more to post about that later...

Have a great weekend!

Throw Back Thursday - Pacifc Northwest Road Trip Part 3

Well, we made it to the final installment of my Pacific Northwest Road Trip that Aaron and I took with our best friends several years ago. We took a 9 day road trip from Central California up to Vancouver, BC and back down again. It was amazing and I would do it all over again if I could. You can read Part 1 and Part 2 as well. 

At this point in the journey we had been to Redding, CA, several cities in Oregon, Seattle, WA, and Vancouver, BC. It was time to start the journey home. Our first stop was in Mount Rainier National Park. 

 

 

The boys checking out the map, trying to pretend they weren't lost :)

We walked the Trail of Shadows and it was beautiful.

Hiking at it's best. Subway for dinner. This particular Subway had the option of cheddar cheese instead of american cheese- Life Changing. And another night of camping in the books!

The next day we headed to Mount St. Helens. I had wanted to go see this volcano for many years. You would never guess, but I was 2 classes shy of minoring in Geology in college. The idea of getting to see an actual, active volcano that erupted in recent years was so exciting to me! I was a little bummed to see so much fog in the morning, but luckily it burned off while we drove. 

There she is in all her glory....

Johnston Ridge Observatory is the closest you can get to Mount St. Helens without needing a hiking permit. This Observatory hosts several interactive displays that show the human, biological and geographical story of what happened when Mount St. Helens erupted. It is named after David Johnston, who was monitoring the volcano on the morning May 18, 1980. You can watch a short film about the eruption while visiting the observatory and hear a radio transmission of Johnston's last words, before he was killed by the blast.

It looks so much closer than 5.5 miles away!

 It was a sobering experience to be walking on the ground where such an event had taken place almost 30 years prior. An experience I will never forget.

The area that was part of the blast zone is still pretty desolate. There were a few trees growing, as park officials planted them to get the growing process started. However, not man dead/broken trees

 have been removed. An interesting sight.

Next, we ventured over the Ape Cave. Did you know that I love spelunking? While not the most outdoorsy girl, I have had an opportunity to explore caves in California, Oregon, Washington and the Bahamas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our last night of camping, pizza for dinner!

 

One of my favorite pictures from the whole trip! Love the story behind this one, me and my bff!

 

Driving back through Oregon, gorgeous!

 

Last night of the trip, stayed at Mount Shasta before heading back to the Central Valley.

This was a trip of a lifetime. I love that I was able to experience all of this with my best friends and got to visit with family who lived out of state. I hope to go on a trip like this again...and maybe we will bring the kids along for the ride.