Farewell 2011!

Well, it's that time again! Time to bid another year adieu and look forward to what the new year has in store for us. But before we do that, let's look back at how 2011 treated us:

January - What I Wore Wednesday, a.k.a. WIWW, continued into 2011 {a fun way to look back and see how my style has evolved}; all of the kids in Sam's family treated his parents to a Portland Trailblazer game for Christmas, which we attended in January; and we spent quality time with family & friends.

February - I bragged about my brother's accomplishments; some Valentine's baking occurred; and more WIWW posts.

March - You got to know me a little better; we celebrated our SIL & MIL's birthday and a baby shower for our niece; I fell in love with the cute town of Seaside, OR; neither of us get Spring Break off, but we still enjoyed the weather with friends + family; and, of course, Kristi kept us well fed.

April - Sam built us {+ the Weathers} raised beds for our garden, which turned into a complete backyard makeover; Lily got a new Molly Mutt bed; my SIL's church through her a beautiful baby shower; and we spent Easter down in Eugene so we could listen to our SIL sing one last time at her church down there.

May - Kristi & I went to see Something Borrowed after reading the book a couple years back; Sam turned 29 & we celebrated both his birthday + Mothers Day in Sandy; and Linnea Elizabeth finally made her appearance {a little over a week late} & we all fell in love instantly!

June - I hoped on a plane to see one of my best friends in TX; there was some quality time spent with my college roommate; my brother graduated from college; I continued to read more books thanks to the BlogHer Book Club; we moved my BIL & SIL up to Portland; and Sam & I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary!

July - 4th of July was spent with friends + sparklers; I saw Sara Bareilles in concert with friends; and Sam & I went to the east coast {his first time + I haven't been back in 5+ years} to visit my dad, attend my cousin's wedding, + celebrate my 26th birthday.

August - thanks to Kristi & Sherlai, I attended my second concert this year - Gabe Dixon {+ we got to meet him!}; Sam's family came down for a 'staycation' at our house; and Sam built himself a backdrop for my WIWW photos.

September - I shared how I was feeling lately; we remembered 9/11 - 10th anniversary; and I participated in a scarf swap.

October - Sam & I visited the Oregon Garden for the first time {and are already looking forward to using the membership we purchased}; I played catch up - hair color change, breakfast date with Sam, exploring Portland with Kelly, family photos, and a trip to Redmond to see Michelle + the kids; and we all got together for the 4th annual pumpkin carving party.

November - Sam created a moving picture of our adorable niece that I had to share; I bragged about my talented friends - Jon & Rachel; another 'about me' post; we took Lily to her first dog park; Thanksgiving was spent with Sam's family this year + I shared what I was most thankful for!

December - lots of highlights - more dog park visits, fun with friends, watching my BIL do what he loves, seeing family, & selling my car; I participated in another swap - this time gloves; went to the theatre for a holiday performance; Christmas cards were sent out + the house was decorated; and we managed to see both families this Christmas season.

Overall, I would say this year was a good one for us. We traveled, spent some good time with family + friends, and welcomed our first niece. Even with 2011 being so good, I'm still excited to welcome 2012 and see what it has in store for us. So until next year... :)

Weekend Highlights

To be honest with you, I actually tried to make an effort to document my weekend with pictures so I had something to post here. Sad? A little. In reality, I love taking pictures, but most of the time I forget to take my camera {or iPhone, usually} out to capture life as it's happening. I do enjoy being able to look back at past posts, even it doesn't pertain to anyone else, so I will continue to post, pictures or not.

Here's a couple of this weekend's highlights:

We took Lily to the dog park again and actually let her

off the leash for most of time. I think she had a great time because

she slept for the remainder of the weekend :)

My Saturday night was spent celebrating Kiley's {Sherlai's husband}

40th birthday party! This party was straight out of Pinterest -

there was live music, barbecue, and a photo booth {above}

all taking place in an old barn! Simply amazing, if you ask me!

On Sunday, we drove up to Sandy to see Sam's family.

We've been following along with our brother-in-law's weekly class at church

via the internet and we're so happy to get to see his teaching in real life!

We also drove up to see this cutie!

I wish she'd stop growing so fast, but I do love seeing

her personality change each time we see her!

And finally, it was the end of an era...

I said goodbye to my faithful New Beetle on Sunday afternoon.

The car that got me through college, my long distance engagement,

and the first few years of marriage, all with very little trouble.

But I was happy it is going to another young girl who will

{hopefully} enjoy it as much as I did!

Happy Monday!

Field Trip: The Oregon Garden

This weekend, we ventured out to The Oregon Garden for the first time {thanks to an awesome Groupon} and enjoyed a perfect Fall day surrounded by nature's beauty!

We started the day off with a 30 minute tram ride that took you throughout all of the gardens and told you a little about why they were formed, what type of plants grow there, etc.


Following the tour, we took our time and explored a few of the gardens ourselves.


There was one point when we were walking around that we saw a momma + baby dear dart out {less than 10 feet away} in front of us, through a couple of the gardens. It was a pretty cool site!

Towards the end of our exploring, we found some cut out displays that I knew Lily had to get her picture taken with her head in a pumpkin :)

And just to prove, Sam was there {he was behind his camera most of the time}:

I love when we can find a hidden gem so close to home and after such a beautiful day, I can't wait to go back. And the fun thing about a garden is it will be different every time you go back, thanks to the always-changing seasons!

Weekend Highlights

• The weather, lately, has been beautiful! It may be September, but it finally feels like Summer around here.


• Saturday brought Target, local orchards, and some flea markets. Luckily, the flea market was the only bust.


• I'm not a huge sports fan, but I do love the local teams, so we propped ourselves in front of the TV on Saturday night to watch the Oregon Ducks take on LSU. While it was fun to have football season start, the ending was not as we hoped {better luck next week, Ducks!}.


• I got to spend all of church holding my adorable niece and, as usual, that made all other worries melt away.


• Sleeping in is always a blessing, but there is something about sleeping in on a typical work day to make it a little bit sweeter.


• My productive side went into overdrive on Monday --- gym, haircut for Sam, catching up on past TV shows, photobook making, pant alterations, and more.


• Then we ended the day where we're always at on Monday nights, the Charles & Kristi's house. Good food, good conversation, and trashy TV {Bachelor Pad}!

Overall, a quality weekend. And while I love a long weekend like anyone else, I'm finding it makes for a longer work week too {perhaps it has something to do with cramming 5 working days into 4...}. Who knows, maybe this week will surprise me!

Happy Tuesday!

Over the Weekend

Looking back at our weekend, we definitely took advantage of the nice weather. Between building raised beds and tearing out grass, it is also easy to say our bodies need a couple days to rest {which unfortunately isn't going to happen since it's Sunday night and we've got a full week of work ahead of us}. However, it is nice to see a vision for our yard and we can't wait to find more time to work on it.

Our first of two trips to stock up on lumber for the raised beds.

A {pre} shot of where we tore out the grass for our new raised beds.

Kristi's parents picking up the raised beds {5 in total} that Sam made for them.

Over the Weekend

My inlaws are two of the most selfless people I know & this weekend was no different. Who thinks to invite their kids to their birthday weekend getaway at the beach? My MIL & FIL, that's who! After being gifted a cute beach house for the weekend, they turned around & invited all of us to join them. Sadly, Matt & Krista couldn't make it {you two were very missed!}, but the rest of us jumped at the chance to get away for a night!







Some of the highlights:
*Multiple {long} walks to the promenade and only one resulted in getting rained on!
*Eating Tillamook ice cream {the best!} despite the cold weather.
*Seeing our pup, Lily, have the time of her life running around on the beach & chasing the seagulls.
*And as usual, there was a lot of food, games, & good conversation.

I mentioned it a couple times throughout the weekend, but only having been up to Seaside once or twice before, I'm pretty sure it is my favorite Oregon beach town and I can't wait to go back!

Farewell 2010!

Oh my! How has another year has just flown by? I'm still trying to figure how to slow everything down just a little bit, but until then shall we revist 2010?

January - New Years was low key, but I did share some resolutions that I think I did a pretty good job keeping; I started the year with a little courage & bared my soul with a letter to my younger self and some of the ups & downs of life; my outfits of the day {OOTD} made their first appearance; and I found out I'd be getting another {amazing} sister!

February - I shared {the one & only} check up on my resolutions; we took a trip to Silver Falls; I talked about my favorite {free} iPhone apps and a few of my favorite things in our home; and found happiness in what is around me.

March - Sam & I {as well as one of our friends} were hit with food poisoning; and I posted a couple of my favorite OOTD's.

April - we hosted Easter at our house this year; I recalled a trip to Minto-Brown park with the pups; Spring Cleaning hit our house; I introduced my 'personal assistant'; Sam & I bought tickets for the 6th Blazer playoff game {& had a great time!}; and we took one last trip to Bend before my mom moved.

May - I gave a shoutout to my favorite little guy - Levi - on his first birthday; we jammed a wedding shower, engagement photoshoot, & Sam's birthday {plus more!} into one weekend; I flew down to Napa for my mom's 50th birthday; my good friends took some {memorable} family pictures for us; and my SIL, Laura, & I threw a couple's shower for Matt & Krista.

June - we had another multi-event weekend - this time with a wedding, a bridal shower, & also we fit in some yard work; I got deep again when I talked about where I'm at & the chapters of life; Sam & I went back to Bend for one of my high school friend's wedding, but this time we stayed in a hotel {so weird for me!}; we had to say goodbye to a very beloved dog way sooner than we thought; and we had a low key celebration for our 2nd anniversary.

July - 4th of July was spent with Sam's family again {except this year was unseasonable cold}; I took the plunge & got bangs; I was very spoiled on my birthday; we officially got another sister; and I shared a few thoughts.

August - I went to my best friend's beach bachelorette party & then she got married on a farm {both very magical events!}; I won a giveaway!; my OOTD's changed a little; New Orleans was pressing on my heart {again...}; our pup decided to be a little mischevious; and we had another great Grable Family Beach Weekend.

September - we hiked Ramona Falls with my MIL & FIL; I shared some finds from the internet, as well as several more OOTD's; and we found out we were going to auntie Meaghan & uncle Sam in May {except it wasn't public knowledge to the blog yet :)}.

October - these stencils had me smiling from ear to ear; I recounted a scary moment in my life; I saw my aunt after she ran the Portland Marathon; my countdown list was full; and my best friend & I spent a lovely Saturday together, catching up & eating cupcakes.

November - Pumpkin Carving 2010 was held at our house; Sam took his first official photoshoot; I drove over to Redmond to see the Heaters for the first time in almost a year; I created some fun holiday photo cards {except I didn't end up actually buying any}; and of course I shared what I was thankful for & our Thanksgiving trip to California.

December - a lot of the regular posts continued {WIWW & Love...}; our sister, Krista, sang again at her church's Christmas concert and we were lucky to attend; the news of a niece made us all excited to meet the little one in May; we went to 2 Portland Trailblazer games & they won!; there were plenty of weekends of fun in Sandy, including Christmas; and lastly, our annual Christmas picture.

This year was filled with highs & lows for us, but through it all, I've continued to enjoy the art of blogging. As for next year, only time will tell where things go and I'm excited to see happens. See you next year!

Because it's Monday...

And we didn't get home until late last night {from a jam-packed weekend} , I only have energy to post one of the pictures that Sam took of his Uncle Howard's family at Multnomah Falls on Saturday. Nonetheless, a good sign to our good weekend!


Happy Monday!

Field Trip: Ramona Falls, OR

This holiday weekend brought us up to Mt. Hood with Sam's parents. They had been up there before, but not for several years. And we're always up for a good adventure, so off we went!

We took Lily with us because we knew she'd keep us on pace & love the smells of the forest. Surprisingly she was still ready for more even after the 7+ mile loop.

The log bridges were some of my favorite parts of the hike. Simple & functional!

There were plenty of sights to see & things to explore and Sam wasn't afraid of anything!

About half way into the loop, we reached the falls. We re-hydrated & fueled up and made sure we took a few "tourist" pictures to document the hike.

I'm really happy to have seen Ramona Falls, but enjoyed the conversation and experience I shared with Sam & his parents. I'd love to go back and do it again... after my legs get some rest of course!

5 Years Ago: New Orleans

With the five-year-anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in the news recently, I thought I'd share a few of the pictures from the serve trip I went on 9 months after the devastation {March 2006}. These images instantly appear whenever I hear about New Orleans...

Weekend Highlights – Family Fun!

This weekend was – what I have unofficially dubbed - the Grable Family Beach Weekend, which is now on its third year {that I have been a part of}. Like the past years, it was full of fun, food, and fellowship! Here are a few of the highlights:

Introducing Lily to the Pacific Ocean.

Climbing the sand dunes.

Family pictures.

Camp fires on the beach.

Dinner at Moe's.

Hiking Silver Falls.

And being the planner I am, I'm already anticipating the Grable Family Beach Weekend 2011 and all it has in store for us!

Weekend Highlights*: Ben & Kelly's wedding!

Last weekend, my college roommate/maid of honor/best friend {Kelly} married the man of her dreams {Ben} in her wedding field outside of Eugene. In one word, it was beautiful! Per usual, here are the highlights:

The morning of the wedding day was actually quite peaceful in my opinion.
How can you go wrong with coffee, bagels, & girl talk?

"The Bridesmaids" - our album cover when we decide to start a band :)

Kelly + a few of her favorite women!

Here comes the bride!

One of many touching moments throughout the ceremony.

So blessed to have this man by my side. He lend a helping hand before he was even asked on multiple occasions throughout the weekend to make this unforgettable for Ben & Kelly!

My first picture with the new Mrs. DiCristina!

I couldn't be happier for these newlyweds and as I said in my toast at the rehearsal dinner, "I've never seen Kelly as happy as she is with Ben" and I look forward to where life will take them as husband & wife!

*I know most of my recent posts have been 'weekend highlights', but lately that feels like how my life is measured so thanks for bearing with me until life gains a little more normalcy.

Weekend Highlights: Bachelorette Edition

This weekend was all about my best friend and throwing her a weekend to remember with some of her closest friends before she gets married on Saturday. Here are a few highlights captured during our time in Pacific City, Oregon:

We started the weekend off with a minor detour because we were having so much fun talking.

It was pretty clear early on that we wouldn't have a shortage of food for the weekend (part of dinner on Friday night).

Shameless plug: check out the sash I made for the bride! Simple & classy, just like Kelly!

Luckily, the weather was on our side and we were blessed with one of the nicest days I’ve ever had on the Oregon coast.

And of course we supplied the bride-to-be with plenty of gifts. Enough said :)

Although I can really only speak for myself, I have a feeling that everyone who attended this weekend had a great time & was honored to share in the memories of Kelly's last weekend as a single woman! A big thank you to all those who came to love on our beautiful bride!