Friday, May 29, 2009

Flashback Friday: Happy Anniversary!

Sunday, my parents will be celebrating their 34th wedding anniversary. Here they are in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho where they eloped on May 31, 1975. And yes, they wore matching coveralls because that's what my Mom wanted to wear.


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They met while hitchhiking in Greece. He, was a dashing American with his long blonde hair (still are Dad, just a silver fox now). She, was a striking olive skinned beauty (and still is too!). He visited her in Switzerland, she visited him in Washington...he bought her a puppy. Bada boom bada bing. 2 kids, 2 dogs and about 8 cats later....34 years. Time flies doesn't it kids?

Happy Anniversary! Thanks for meeting and making moi!






Thursday, May 28, 2009

Greek Goddess

I would like these please...
























Found here at Sandali's Etsy shop and seen here on Frolic





To wear with this....






By Alex Monroe


To visit here... yes please!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

I wasn't kidding...life really is a beach

Our last night at the beach I drug Bryan and Erin down to Haystack Rock to take photos. I wanted a new photo for my blog header, and I wanted to wear my freakin' BOOTS! Easier said than done. I wasn't planning on bringing the dogs but Bryan thought we should, and so we did. They are impossible. Needless to say I didn't quite get the photos I wanted....


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But for the Unabomber, they sit pretty. So unfair.


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Thanks to Bryan and Erin for indulging me and my boots!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Life's a beach...

Happy belated Memorial Day! Did you have a good weekend? I did too, thank you very much.

Friday I left work early and we headed South to Cannon Beach, Oregon. Luckily we only hit a little traffic. We got to the house and hit the beach for a quick dog walk and headed to dinner. We decided to try the new Cannon Beach Cafe at the Cannon Beach Hotel. The Cafe replaced my favorite restaurant Gower St. Bistro. Let me first express my love for Gower Street.


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They served moules frites in cute little porcelain lion head bowls, and they deep fried whole cloves of garlic and rosemary with their fries. I know, I'm drooling too. I bought the same Chiquito, Pinta and Sidra glasses (Spanish wine glasses) they used and I love them for everyday use! They also had great calamari that Bryan loved. So as you can see I visited the Cannon Beach Cafe with a chip on my shoulder. Gower Street Bistro= French Bistro, and Cannon Beach Cafe= Caribbean theme? WTF? The Cannon Beach Hotel is New England Style Hotel, a french bistro fits in just right all cozy and quaint. Caribbean style...I don't think so. It was a bummer. I tried to put up a fight by ordering the seafood chowder and staying away from anything with jerk seasoning. But the cook in the neon green shirt must have heard me complaining and omitted all the seafood from the chowder and replaced it with a few potatoes...

Then we drove around looking for ice cream. Osborne's Ice Creamery was closed for the evening so we picked up some Tillamook cookies and cream at The Local Grill and Scoop. If you ever visit this restaurant, try the crab quesadillas.



The next day Erin and I went on a hike at Oswald West State Park. It was beautiful. Lots of old growths and a gorgeous view. My allergies were driving me nuts but we made it to the top. The dogs had a blast.


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Photobucket Erin and the dogs at the top


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Manzanita

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When we got home we had lunch from Season's Cafe, a new place in town. I had the vegetarian wrap and it was very good. Then we all took 3 hour naps. Later we made a very good dinner of barbecued prawns, scallops and Greek potatoes. Bryan also bought smoked mussels, scallops and a ton of cracked crab. YUM!

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Photobucket My Father-in-law hates the camera. Sometimes it pays to just smile Paul!

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Bryan bought Issy a pack after Cesar Milan told us it helps

with their wandering on walks. It does a little. But I think the seagulls

were making her self conscious.

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Here I tried to sneak a photo from the window, but somehow he knew...amazing!



Sunday, Bryan and I got up very early and took the dogs down to the beach. The tide was way out and there were a ton of purple and orange starfish. Issy was freaked out by all the sea urchins. We had a fun time tormenting her. After our walk we went to Waves of Grain Bakery for coffee. This is one of our favorite places. They take forever to make the coffee, but it's worth the wait.


Photobucket Excuse the face, the beach is a makeup free zone

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Then we hung out and watched a movie until the sun came out. Erin and I walked into town to buy seafoam and check out a few shops. When we got back my FIL made me a crab melt that was to die for.

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I could really use one right now. Then we hung out on the deck reading, sunbathing and napping. Perfect. Another excellent seafood dinner of citrus marinated halibut with mango, avocado relish, grilled scallops and coconut rice.

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The dogs had dinner on the deck too



For dessert we had caramelized pineapple with coconut sorbet. We cut our pineapple into spears, rubbed them with dark brown sugar and grilled them.

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Bryan giving Charlie scratches, he lives for this. Charlie not Bryan.




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Big Issy



It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend. I don't know what it is about the beach but it makes me feel happy and hopeful. I hope your weekend was the same!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Flashback Friday: Our engagement story...awww


Bryan, Charlie and I at Haystack Rock

We're headed to Cannon Beach in Oregon for the long weekend. Can't wait! Here are a few photos from our visit in 2006, the weekend we got engaged. Oh you want to know how it played out? Well why didn't you just say so...it's a lovely story if I don't say so myself.



I made reservations for us to spend Labor Day weekend at the beach. We had bought ourselves a poop brown house that year and hadn't planned any trips for the summer, so we needed to get away. On our 2nd night there, Bryan's Dad drove up to walk the beach. He was staying further south and said he would take little Charlie on a walk if we wanted to go for dinner. Clue #1 that I missed.



look how skinny Chunky Charlie used to be!




So we walked into town for dinner. We planned on going to the Wayfarer at the Surf n' Sand hotel, but when we glanced at the menu I said it was too expensive and fancy (stupid Nikki) and thought we should go someplace else. We ended up going to the Driftwood Restaurant (not fancy at all). We sat out on the deck, and as it often does in the Pacific Northwest...the fog rolled in. We started talking about buying some land to build...yada yada, and I said to him "I'm not going buy anything else with you until I know this is going somewhere." In classic Nikki fashion- open mouth, insert foot. At the end of the meal Bryan got up to use the restroom, so I eavesdropped on the table next to us. I noticed the beautiful ring the lady next to me was wearing. A solitaire diamond, and made a mental note to tell Bryan about it...


This is what I ate that night...although I didn't take a picture





After dinner he suggested we go put on our sweats and take a walk on the beach. Clue #2...Bryan doesn't love long walks on the beach. I insisted that first we go to Bruce's Candy Kitchen to get some seafoam because I was having a chocolate craving. Bruce's was closed so I settled for the Picnic Basket...their seafoam isn't as good though.

Milk Chocolate Seafoam (Bryan says it tastes just like Violet Crumble)


So we got to the beach and started walking toward Haystack Rock. Bryan said "if we see my Dad, pretend like we don't see him and walk the other way." I thought, well that's rude, why would we do that? But, it was too foggy to see much of anything anyway, so I went along with it. I turned to him and gave him a kiss and was feeling very happy. And he said something about how he wished the weather was better and when I turned to respond, he was down on one knee with a very shiny solitaire diamond and asked me to marry him.


After she said yes...or HOLY SHIT!


You should know that when I am surprised, or in shock...I go momentarily deaf. So I didn't hear him at first. I just kept repeating "HOLY SHIT." Well obviously I said yes. Because now he is my husband. It was a great weekend for us. Well for me anyway, who knows, maybe now regrets it ;) Everyone says the beach is cliche, but it's a place that means something to us. It couldn't have been more perfect. Well unless his Dad had taken Charlie for the night...or the rest of our lives..

an exhausted Charlie dog

Hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

































Thursday, May 21, 2009

I have crabs...

We're headed to the beach this weekend to work on the beach house...and relax. The latest project is a little bedroom off the back with it's own entry. My SIL and I have been bouncing ideas around, so I created an inspiration board. I tossed around ideas of calling it 'The Crab Shack' because it is tiny and has a slanted roof, or 'The Hermit House' because it's all off on it's own. You know how I love themes!




I've been drooling over those seagull throw pillows by
Jenny Lee Katz. $140 isn't a lot for throw pillows right?
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