school's (almost) out for summer!

This is the final week of school (yay!) & winding everything down has been HECTIC. You can see what my students have been up to on my art teacher blog :] I taught my final art classes today & I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Burton & I have been so busy that we haven't even had a chance to firm up itineraries for our summer trips! We'll be leaving for Hawaii & Japan in just TWO WEEKS, holy cow!! We need to start doing some research...

As the school year winds down, we've been attending LOTS of school events - community BBQs, graduation, dance recitals, musical performances, etc. But my absolute favorite event was PROM! Burton never attended his prom when he was in high school, so it was exciting to be his first ever prom date :] We "chaperoned" by strolling through the beautiful venue, enjoying the sundae bar, making s'mores at the garden's fire pit, & dancing awkwardly at arms' length. It was such a great night - I hope Burton asks me to be his date again next year!

valentine's day AM & PM

1. Heart-shaped turkey bacon breakfast   2. Fresh lillies :]

3. Cutesy card exchange   4. Forest Park v-day hike!

1. Healthy lasagna (our v-day tradition)   2. Bubbly makes everything fancier :]

3. Salt & Straw Thai Peanut Butter ice cream!!   4. Mortified's Doomed Valentines!

What a lovely, lovely day! I hope yours was, too <3

surrounded by beauty

 

 

"Look deep into nature & you will understand everything better." -- Albert Einstein

Burton & I recently re-hiked Angel's Rest Trail. If you'd asked me 10 years ago if I was interested in hiking, I probably would've looked confused. Growing up in flat Florida, I'm not even sure if I fully understood what hiking entailed. But now, it is one of my absolutely favorite hobbies! As long as the weather's decent, I'd probably do it every weekend. It's free, stress-reducing, healthy, fun, & visually astounding. Plus, it makes my dog super happy & I share some of my best chats with Burton on our excursions :] Have you enjoyed nature lately?

enjoying january

 

New year, new calendar! I love this silly calendar & look forward to making these scrumptious meals with Burton each month :] We're actually kind of going through an inspired cooking Renaissance right now & I've got a feeling 2015 is going to be a delicious year.

 

 

This month, Burton & I celebrated the fourth anniversary of our first date! In some ways, I can't believe we've been together for only a mere four years. We've done so much & know each other so incredibly well. Then you think of couples who've been together for decades & four years just seems like a drop in the bucket. The passage of time throughout our lives is such a fascinating concept. That must be why I like Linklater films so much ;]

 

Despite the winter weather, my friends & I have been hiking up a storm. We did a 5 mile hike near Mt. Hood, where I saw my first frozen lake! Kids were sledding, the puppies were prancing, snow was falling, and it was magical.

 

 

 

I GOT TO MEET MY FAVORITE BAND OF ALL TIME, THE DECEMBERISTS!!! It was only a few weeks into the new year, but I can tell this is probably going to be one of the top moments of 2015. WOW. You know what? I'll just have to dedicate an entire post to this experience later on :]

Last weekend, there was uncommonly great weather in Portland for this time of year. It got into the 60s & the sky was crystal clear. A group of six of us checked out the Hoyt Arboretum and Latourell Falls in the Columbia Gorge. Then we treated ourselves to some fancy coffee at Case Study while the dogs looked on :] Have I mentioned how much I love living in Oregon? Wherever you may live, I hope you're having a lovely January so far!

happy holidays!

I hope you all created beautiful, warm memories throughout the holidays. Be merry :]

baby, it's cold outside

DECEMBER IS HERE! It's definitely in my top 5 for favorite months :] Winter break, holidays spent with family, warm beverages, cozy scarves & hats. What's not to love?!

Burton & I even experienced our first ever snow day!! We spent it bundled up with hot cocoa & watched a couple silly movies. It's possible we enjoyed our day off more than our students did :]

We spent some time this past weekend decorating our tiny apartment. We "put up" the cutest 2.5ft Christmas tree, strung up some lights, & listened to some holiday tunes. I absolutely can't stop listening to this one! I hope you're enjoying this magical month as much as I am :]

our second anniversary! :]

 

Engaged. Married. Anniversary 1. Anniversary 2.

 Burton & I celebrated our wedding anniversary a few weeks ago in Bend, OR & it was absolutely magical. I just can't get over the fact that we've been married two years already! It still feels like we're newlyweds & I wonder if it will always be like that :]

   

 Burton & I were happy to spend our anniversary trip exploring more of our new state. While driving out to Bend, we were able to see the five tallest mountains in the state from a single vantage point! It was breathtaking. Bend itself was gorgeous, especially because there was some unexpected snow the week we were there. The bungalow we rented had a fireplace & hot tub that got a lot of use :]

Bend has plenty of good breweries, so of course we visited a few.
There were even a bunch of deer that visited  Deschutes Brewery with us :]

Hiking up Pilot Butte, where we had a good view of the city.
 

Tumalo Falls. Wow! This was my favorite part of our trip.
 

We spent a day hiking around Deschutes National Forest. It was total eye candy!
 

The top of Tumalo Falls.
 

Speaking of eye candy...
 

Myla had A BLAST in the snow! It was her first time seeing it & I loved watching her prance around & eat it. Although, when we were at the bungalow, she kept whimpering to go back outside. Then it became less cute.

I loved the droopy tree branches :]
 

I'm so happy to be married to this man :] I told Burton that it was one of the best & easiest decisions of my life. I'm looking forward to at least 65 more anniversaries with him!

The Deschutes River.

Thank you for the memories, Bend. You're absolutely beautiful! I'm sure we'll be back again soon!

boy, september flew by!

 
My dad and his girlfriend visited during Labor Day weekend!
We showed them some of our favorite parts of Portland in a very short amount of time.
(I can't wait to see my mom & her boyfriend out here in just three weeks!)

The first day of school was September 2nd & it's been a whirlwind!
Teaching out here has been pretty much nothing like my experiences in Florida,
so I feel like a first year teacher again, but it's keeping everything so exciting!
I can't believe the first month of the school year is already over!

One of my favorite things is actually being able to ride my bike to work!
It's only 6 miles roundtrip & the commute is really pretty. Lots of lovely trees & cute houses :]
The weather's been beautiful, but I bought some rain gear for when it gets drizzly!

Burton & I took a weekend trip to Lincoln City to visit my aunt & uncle.
The Oregon coast is so breathtaking (& also a great place to fly a kite!)

In keeping up with my 2014 goals, I finally started learning how to crochet!
& I'm nearly done with my first scarf :]

We did some more hiking in Forest Park where we found the tallest fir tree in the park,
& a stone house built during the Depression. It was a bathroom for construction workers!

 
We celebrated Burton's 28th birthday with an incredible view from a rooftop dinner,
some massages, and a spectacular Ben Folds concert (accompanied by the Oregon Symphony)!
Of course, there were treats & libations throughout the weekend ;]

We're ready for you, October!