First Comes Love...

It has been a rainy, miserable, depressing May (and for that matter, early June) here in Seattle. Yes, it usually rains all spring and yes, we usually don't get sunny clear skies until July, but our weather in May has been one for the books. Initally we considered going camping, but with the forecast of rain and more rain, we decided to head to my parents place in Eastern WA to lay poolside and enjoy some local vines. Boy are we glad we did! We spent Saturday afternoon by the pool (I have the crazy burns to prove it!), then headed out to a few wineries that night. Our first stop on our evening tour was Kiona Winery. It's located about 15 minutes up the highway from the tri-cities (more in the Benton City area). It is a beautiful winery...one of the few that grow their grapes in the same location as their tasting room. The views were amazing, so we decided to grab a bottle of wine, head out to their lovely deck and take in the sights. We met another couple here and ...

An  official step closer to being married... we got our wedding invitations out on Monday! Mom, Dad, Kevin and I spent Sunday morning in operation-invitation-mode to get everything ready to be mailed....it was like our own little factory, and I was the "supervisor" :) I found a stationer in North Carolina (Oslo Press) who we hired to create the invitations and another lady who did an amazing job with the calligraphy. The invitations are made out of wood (cherry in fact, and I've had to fight Kevin not to polyurethane them!) We LOVE how they turned out and were so proud to get them in the mail to all our friends and family. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do. Two months and counting!

A few weeks ago we had an itch to get out of the house, but with our current budget, ideas were limited. While at dinner with my parents, we decided we'd dedicate our Sunday afternoon to an adventure around the Peninsula . Neither of us had done this before, so it was new to both of us! Our alarm went off at the un -holy hour of 6am (very un -holy on a weekend!) but we were out of bed, eager for our day to begin by 7am. We headed up to Edmonds to catch the 7:50 ferry to Kingston but were stopped short when we discovered the first Sunday ferry didn't leave till 8:40am ...apparently we weren't reading with our magnifying glass to see the tiny print at the bottom of the page. Regardless, this gave us time for breakfast in Edmonds before beginning our journey. The first set of pictures below are from the first half of the day. We traveled along the north end of the peninsula through Port Angeles and stopped for a hike in the Olympic National Park. ...

It's official.  A s of May 1st, the house is on the market! We're thrilled this part of the house-flipping journey has come to an end and are praying for a quick sell. With that said, let's take a fun trip down memory lane; shall we?.... This story begins 3 years ago this August...boy, how time flies. Kevin and Murph were living in an apartment in Queen Anne and were looking to rent a house (with the addition of JT as a roommate ). They found a few places, but most were pretty expensive. One day Murph came home and had this idea that hey, if they were going to spend x-amount each month on rent, might as well think about buying a place and flipping it. At the time the market was booming and the guys were sure that this would be a good investment (not to say it may not be, but let's just say we're not looking to retire off this place). Anyways, a few weeks went by and the guys started looking. Kevin being the Craig's List fanatic that he is, found t...

Yes we are excited for the wedding, and yes, we can't wait to be married, but we're also extremely excited about the honeymoon....or at least you can tell that I am!! I just finished our Visa applications for Turkey and about a month ago we finalized all of our hotels for the islands and Istanbul. We will be leaving for our honeymoon a day and a half after the wedding and returning on August 12th (the day after my 30th birthday). I joke with Kevin that he'd better be planning some amazing surprise for me, but this trip alone will be the best gift ever. Okay, details... See below for the places we will be staying. Like I mentioned on our website , if you have been to any of these places before, we welcome suggestions for good restaurants, beaches, ect. Oh and if you get stumped on what to get us for a wedding present (and you want to keep it cheap), feel free to load us up on sunscreen....these two whities are going to fry! Santorini We will be staying in Imerovi...

Three years ago this summer Kevin and his buddies decided to buy a house in Greenwood. The idea was to fix it up, then turn around and flip it. While it wasn't the fastest "flip", it has made for some interesting and fun memories. It has also given Kevin house remodeling skills that will prove valuable in the years to come. Below are some pictures of the progress Master bathroom Downstairs bedroom. This "bench area" was made to cover the footings. Upstairs hallway Master bedroom New deck off entrance This place has come a long way in the last two/three years, and now, in less than 2 weeks, it will be on the market!! Pray that it sells fast; it's a great house!