give thanks.

the target two-day ad. a must read :)



larissa, my master pastry chef sister, and me!



this is larissa's boyfriend, scott. if he really wanted to, he could crush that kitty with one hand. dont worry, he's a lover not a crusher :)



would any gathering with any family be complete without a funny face picture? no. it would not.

this thanksgiving was such a treat. with me working at gap and prepping for the busiest day of the year and mike actually working on thanksgiving we thought we would have to be on our own for the holiday. lucky us, there was a very mueller thanksgiving happening just 100 miles away in springfield :) we drove down when mike got off work and drove back up a few hours later...but it was soooo worth the drive. Here are a few of my favorite things from Thanksgiving this year.

• larissa's pies and her bread that was supposed to be some rolls. she is currently enrolled in a culinary program on the oregon coast and she is an amazing baker. oh my goodness.  
• all the hugs. i stinking love how many hugs this family gives. it really makes me feel like i fit right in!
• gary and chubbs. they are cats. i don't like cats. but i might change my mind after these two!
• catchphrase. boy that game gets loud!
• when larissa and i found winston. he ran away for the first time EVER. but we found him. it was a happy occasion.
• realizing how much chelsie and i have in common. i think that she and i have the same heart. cant wait to see her really grow up over the next few years!
• the fact that we were with family. the time went by so fast but i'm so thankful that we were able the make that drive.
• confirming that just because your a brunette doesn't mean your not blonde. even more than me. but i'm sure nicole will grown into her common sense soon :)
• did i already mention the pie?
• seeing how happy erik + beth were to have all the kids under the same roof for the holiday for the first time in YEARS.

i hope you were all stuffed with good food and good company. we love everyone and wish we could have been to all our family thanksgivings. maybe next year :)

thankful for...

this week, i am very thankful for pippin. i can always count on him to keep my lap warm, eat my leftovers, give me kisses, steal my covers and pose perfectly for heart warming pictures like this one.

"animals are such agreeable friends. they ask no quetions, they pass no criticisms."

halloween with the robinsons!

our amazing friends megan + kent robinson joined us in portland from spokane on halloween weekend. and what do friends do for halloween? went out for mexican food then carved pumkpins! can you guess which one is mine? :)
[silly, silly boys.]
[ewwww look at that goop! at least we used the goop for something good...baked pumkin seeds!]

[ the finished products and the awesome artists behind them.]

best eyebrows: megan's

best eyes: kent's

best gunshot wound to the head: mike's

we had so much fun...this might just have to become a halloween tradition!

together again.

it wasn't even three days after moving that we made our way over to cannon beach. the beach in october has always meant drizzling rain and hot cocoa...i'm not sure what was going on but it was 70 degrees, breezy and clear. amazing fall day on the coast.

pippin and winston love, and i mean L-O-V-E, the beach! pippin fetched tennis balls from the water and winston chased the waves.

we are super happy that we are just an hour or so away from one of the most amazing places we've ever been. and i'm super excited that, after 6 weeks, mike was there to share it with me!

two challenging, rewarding, stressful and incredibly happy years.

i never thought that i would be self-less enough to share my life, my dreams & my ambitions with someone else. i am very glad that i have because mike has not only supported me, but he has pushed me to do those things when i become discouraged. even when things come up or emotions arise that he doesn't quite understand, he still stands by with whatever it is i may need.

when mike and i got married, we were both so young, immature & thought we could just live on love and nothing else...we had no idea what what it was going to take to make our marriage strong and to survive in the real world. the last two years we have really started to understand just what needs to happen to make it in this crazy world. we still have a ways to go, but i take comfort knowing that we will be learning it together.

thank you for growing up with me, mike :)

i love you and cannot wait to see what else will come our way!

finally.

"here...all the troubles and pains of this world exist only in thought, as a cruel nightmare never to come true."

[cannon beach is a place where i find peace. i always have. but last year when i shared this town with mike, it became our place. as much as i love this beach, it was not fully complete without him.]

[i sat on my blanket sprawled across the sand and read for hours. it was truly beautiful.]

[since my first visit to the oregon coast, i knew i would end up here someday. there has always been a pull, a connection, a need bringing me back. i don't think i will ever be able to put into words how i feel about cannon beach, no matter how hard i try. this place is a home to me. always calling me back and welcoming me with open arms.]

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[black and white pictures are my favorite. but this day was so amazing and the sky was so blue...i had to share the colors!]

best wishes.

in eleven days i will start my new job in hillsboro. but when i think about work, only one thing comes to mind. i will miss this store so much. i can't even begin to describe how much my co-workers have affected me in some of the most positive ways.

in the same week, the gap in old mill is losing myself and two other (amazing) girls. yesterday we were graced with the presence of a wonderfully tasty raspberry vanilla cake and haggen daaz ice cream, as a thank from our team.

i just had to get a picture of me cutting the cake. had to.

the employees (and customers!) at this store have made the last year absolutely fabulous. i know that my next store will be great as well, but i don't think anything can compare to store #2822 in good old bend, oregon!