holiday date ideas

photo by victoria west photography

the holiday season is such a busy time! 

for the past week, i've been running around like a maniac; 

trying to get from one store to the next, or to a particular brunch

or party or get-together, while fitting in appointments - and there's 

always more i could be doing in my classroom.

it's easy to get bogged down with to-do lists, shopping

and other details. we lose sight of what the holidays are truly about:

spending time with the people who matter most! 

as a way of staying connected, and out of the holiday shopping frenzy,

will and i are trying to dedicate more time to one another.

we're both incredibly busy, so it's not always realistic to set aside an entire day

together. however, we love taking time to do something here 

and there, while cherishing the larger chunks of time we have together! 

i've compiled a list of our favorite holiday traditions, as well 

as other events and places we hope to visit this christmas season!

1) ride the carousal in westlake center, followed by hot chocolate (of course!).

2) attend wild lights at the woodland park zoo. admire the beautiful displays 

of animal shaped lights. don't forget to visit santa and his reindeer, too!

3) stop by gingerbread lane at the sheraton hotel in seattle. 

with the upcoming release of star wars, the theme of the houses is

'may the holidays be with you.'

4) enjoy the holiday music, such as 'home for the holidays' 

by the seattle men's chorus at benaroya hall.

5) the holidays wouldn't be complete without a red and green sprinkle

donut from top pot. they're our favorite! or maybe my favorite. 

willie doesn't usually object to donuts (thankfully!). 

6) bundle up and take a walk together. admire the christmas 

lights and other holiday displays! 

7) love holiday movie classics? watch 'it's a wonderful life'

at the grand illusion cinema.

8) the annual christmas ships parade takes place in 

december. you can sign up to ride onboard with the choir on lake washington, 

or watch the decorated ships from afar! 

9) the nutcracker is new this year! george balanchine

has created an incredible performance at mccaw hall. tickets can 

be purchased from december 16-28th.

10) visit the festival of trees at the fairmont olympic hotel.

each tree has a unique theme and is beautifully decorated! 

proceeds from the event are donated to the seattle children's autism 

center and uncompensated care at seattle children's hospital. 

11) enjoy snow showers inside the atrium of pacific place

while completing your holiday shopping! there

is also live music from 12:00-2:00 and 5:00-7:00 on weekends.

12) snuggle up, turn on the hallmark channel, 

grab your popcorn and eggnog, and enjoy a christmas movie together! 

happy holidays, everyone!

xoxo.

a donut date!

^^^ donuts from our local top pot! 

i always want to try something new, but never 

stray from my classic: rainbow sprinkle with the 

delicious pink frosting. there's something about that

frosting, i tell you! ^^^

^^^ all the coffee. all day, please ^^^

top and jeans: old navy, flats: fossil (old), hair pin: anthropologie, bangle: forever 21

will and i have been extra busy as of late.

between my new job, both of us working different hours, 

and busy weekend schedules, we haven't had much 

time to just hang out. i miss it!

this week, i recommended having a breakfast date

so we could spend just a few extra minutes together.

and who can say no to donuts? on a wednesday?

from top pot, too!? not us!

thus, this morning i woke up a few minutes earlier

and enjoyed one (ahem, two) rainbow sprinkle donut(s)!

we also had to sample the new pumpkin spice old fashion -

it was delicious, as to be expected. 

it's too bad i don't aspire to wake up extra early

for a yogurt. or green smoothie. or a granola date.

my pants have been fitting a bit more snug,

and i blame it on the donuts. but again, i just can't resist them!

xoxo. 

a little ice cream date

^^^ 'ice cream bus this way, everyone!' ^^^

^^^ vegan ice cream cookie sandwiches! ^^^

^^^ parked in westlake center, seattle, this ice cream bus is delicious! ^^^

^^^ i chose snickerdoodle cookies with cappuccino ice cream -

i finished it off very quickly! ^^^

when walking downtown a few weeks back,

willie and i passed by the above sign 'ice cream bus ->'

and knew we had to stop.

although we hadn't yet eaten dinner, we definitely indulged in an 

ice cream sandwich (or two).

they were absolutely delicious and vegan, too! i think that means they were

a healthy dinner option, don't you?

the cookie counter, we will be back to find you again soon!

xoxo.

seattle date night

^^^ my handsome date! ^^^

^^^ all ready for an evening of bicycling! ^^^

top: zebraclub, leggings: american apparel, flannel: thrifted, 

backpack: herschel (via nordstrom), sandals: birkenstock

^^^ we were able to watch this gorgeous seattle sunset after our biking adventure ^^^

for those of our friends living in the seattle area, 

you have likely seen the above neon green bike docking stations, 

located throughout the city.

willie and i walk by them often, 

and every time, we say 'we need to rent those!'

with the lovely spring weather, we finally decided 

to take advantage of how simple it is to rent 

bikes from pronto, cycle share!

how does it work?

pronto owns 500 bikes, located at 50 docking stations throughout

the greater seattle area. 

pronto bikes are available at any time (holidays, too!).

the only restriction is that you must be 16 or older to rent :)

you can choose to rent your bike for 24 hours 

or obtain a three day pass.

when you're done riding, simply return your

bike to any pronto station,

helmets are available at every station, too! 

the 24 hour rental is affordable and fun.

we biked both downtown and throughout sculpture park.

willie loved using the conveniently attached bell on his 

bike to remind me to stay out of the way of the more serious bikers

(aka every biker other than myself - 

i was chugging along at a more leisurely pace).

to learn more about pronto, cycle share,

or to see which location is nearest to you, 

visit their website here.

happy riding!

xoxo.

**this is not a sponsored post. 

we had a great experience with pronto, cycle share,

and i thought it would be fun to share with you, my readers!

all photos and opinions are my own.

better late than never

tom painted a picture for me! much better than anything i could hope to paint on a computer.

is it silly if i want to frame it?

the above (right) picture was taken while in eastern washington a few weekends ago.

we were all dressed up to attend a concert at this local winery.

the concert was held at the above venue. 

it could not have been more gorgeous...

nothing like sitting outside in the summer air, sipping on wine, watching the sun set, and enjoying music with someone you care about. the only catch?

the huge lightening storm that surrounded us halfway through the event.

i. was. terrified. 

tom, the brave, assured me we were safe and did in fact get us home safely.

phew! 

lightening, if you could please hold off next time, that would be great!

xoxo.

off to the aquarium we go

 

tom and i went on a date to the aquarium this weekend.

it was fun and pretty cute :) 

we only took a few pictures, as you can see...

it was a great end to the weekend.

we spent the sunny afternoon walking along the pier, petting starfish & watching sea otters,

and eating salmon pizza and gelato.

we will have to ride the ferris wheel next time.

how was your weekend?

hopefully you are equally unready for the week ahead... it will surely be busy!

xoxo.