The Rose City

A weekend away was just what Mr. Malone and I needed. No agenda - just the desire to get out of town.

And, much to our delight, Portland greeted us with sunshine! We walked, we ate and we spent time with dear friends.

Thanks, P-Town, we'll be back!

The Original

My favorite travel companion

Portland Fire & Rescue

Portland Saturday Market

Paparazzi status

Mother's brunch - do it

Nothing but love for the 5-0-3

Pic of the Week : Trainspotting

PDX --> SEA

Floppy Hat

With our trip to Hawaii quickly approaching, I have started my search for new bathing suits and warm-weather apparel. (Does everybody else hate bathing suit shopping as much as I do? Where can I go where I won't hate it?!)

While perusing some of my favorite sites, I thought that I may need a hat. And not just any hat... a floppy one.

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Friends, is this something I can get away with?! Help!

PDX

Sad story - Mr. Malone and I never really celebrated our wedding anniversary. Well, I take that back. We did celebrate, but we have yet to fulfill our gift to each other: the gift of cotton.

Did you know that someone had the time created a list of traditional anniversary gifts that correspond with each year? Seriously - check it out.

A friend of mine gave me a coupon for Amtrak... buy one adult ticket and get one FREE! Sounds like the perfect excuse to get away to Portland with my main man. Bonus? Saw an article in The Seattle Times about how to score sweet deals when booking a hotel by April 1.

 

The plan? Sleep, eat, shop, get camera happy, and make time to see our college friends.

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Anybody have any great recommendations?

2012

This year has been weird.

Ups and downs, good times and bad, moments that went by too quickly and others that lingered too long - it felt like an emotional roller coaster. A lot of it was my own fault: I take things personally, I read into things, I cry... the list goes on. (Understatement of the year.)

But 2012 also brought a lot of change. Change that I wasn't necessarily prepared for or ever wanting to experience. Change that still hurts to think about and leaves me wondering at night. Sadly, I don't know if 2013 will provide resolutions to some of these unsettled feelings.

What I do know is that I am ready to move forward. The past twelve months have given me great perspective and I'm actively working on building a thicker skin.

Okay, okay... enough of the blog post blues. Let's get to the good stuff, shall we?!

In keeping with tradition (meaning I've done it once) I wanted to provide y'all with some of my favorite memories from the last year. Without further ado, this is Not Your Mama's Year in Review!

JANUARY

An epic night out with some of my favorite ladies was the perfect way to kick off 2012. How could you not love karaoke, comedy and margaritas? My point exactly.

FEBRUARY

Quick - what is the perfect excuse for a half day at work? To catch a flight to Las Vegas? You'd be correct! You win... nothing. Sorry!

MARCH
Being able to host a bridal shower for one of my sisters was absolutely wonderful. Getting to co-host with my other sister? Take that "absolutely wonderful" and times it by two. It should also be noted that Mr. Malone and I hit the 7-year mark in our relationship in 2012. BOOM!

APRIL

I think it would be down right inappropriate to say anything other than our trip to The Big Island. It was a perfect week away: sand, sun, tropical drinks, golf and absolutely NO thinking about work. Amen!

MAY

Wedding season has begun! My sister Julia tied the knot at the most iconic spot in Seattle - jealous much?!

JUNE

A much needed, and LONG overdue, reunion with my college buddies in Bend, Oregon. Weekends like this cannot happen every two years - it's too long to wait!

JULY

Um, hello?! THE OLYMPICS. Duh.

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AUGUST

Mr. Malone and I knocked out THREE weddings, including back-to-back weekends in Portland. My Dougie skills have never been better.

SEPTEMBER

Lordy bee, our trip down South was easily the highlight. The only thing that would have made it more enjoyable? A Husky victory. (Only 38 points off... so close!)

Fun fact: Pitch Perfect was filmed at LSU

OCTOBER

Wedding season is officially complete! It started with family and ended with family, as my cousin married one of the funkiest dudes this side of the Mississippi.

NOVEMBER

Ye Olde Leavenworth Weekend. Crisp air, crunchy leaves, and two dear friends. 'Nuff said.

DECEMBER
How am I supposed to choose between multiple birthday celebrations, an engagement, and a white Christmas?! Easy... I don't!

Cheers to 2013!

Ye Olde Leavenworth

Oh, Leavenworth, how I love thee. 

A weekend away was just what I needed: Saturday morning in bed with Shannon and Christine Sparkleface, spending the day strolling through town, and randomly running into five sorority sisters.

It was full of amazing conversation, hearty laughter, late night "Truth or Dare," and a box full of Gushers.

Can't wait for La Toscana 2013!

Walking outside to this view? If you insist.

The Oil and Vinegar Cellar. Amazing.

We should work for the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce.

NUTELLA CREPE. THE END.

The aftermath of aforementioned crepe.

Where we shot hoops in the morning.

Hi, Shannon!

Tiger Bait

We survived. The Pelican State didn't take as much out of me as I thought it would - well, except for maybe gallons of sweat. 

Over share? Completely. Exaggeration? Not even close.

Yes, it's true. I am meant to live in the Northwest - the humidity just doesn't do it for me. Regardless of the weather (and the ass kicking LSU handed our Huskies), Mr. Malone and I had a wonderful time in Louisiana with his family.

Our trip began with a very brief stint in New Orleans. No joke - we went straight from the airport to the French Quarter for a solid three hours of walking. I had two things on my list: beignets from Cafe du Monde and a cemetery. (What can I say? I loved the movie Double Jeopardy!)

 

Truth be told, I could do without ever visiting New Orleans again. It was dirty and smelled awful. I cannot even fathom how bad that stench must be at night. Although, I can certainly understand why a single person would want to hang out on Bourbon Street.

Woot woot!

After a car ride along the swamps, we made it to Baton Rouge! We drove through campus, checked out my sister-in-law's apartment, and power napped before our first Southern meal. Here is where I should declare my love for the food in Louisiana. The poboys, the gator, the crawfish étouffée... delicious!

Our Friday consisted of walking, sweating, hydrating, walking, sweating, eating, showering, driving, hydrating, and a tour of the Houmas House. (Before our actual tour, we drove 15-20 minutes out of the way to see the Oak Alley Plantation. Totally worth it.)

Oak Alley - stunning

Houmas House

Oh, I do declare! That Mint Julep was mighty fine.

The culmination of our trip was the game on Saturday. (At least one team showed up ready to play!) Win or lose, the SEC knows how to do football. And the LSU fans?! Amazingly genuine. They would taunt us for a bit and then feed us. Everybody was so friendly and hospitable!

Sleepy Mike

That's where we sat!

 

We are smiling so big because there was a wonderful breeze at our seats!

  

Time to start planning our trip to The Windy City