Involuntarily Falling in Love with Volunteer Park//Downtown Seattle Day Four

For those who asked about my outfit details on IG: similar hat, necklace, tee, skirt, daniel wellington watch, similar shoes (just click to shop)

Our last day in Washington, we got ready early and hit up Pike Place again, since the first day everything inside the actual market had already closed. It was just as beautiful as I remembered from last time we were there (and just as crowded too). There are stalls and stalls of giant, colorful flowers for insanely low prices and more fruit and vegetables than you can...shake a stick at--did i just become my mom right there?

It's basically paradise, especially when you get to Sosio's Produce and there are several workers cutting up fresh fruit and insisting you try all their sweet goods. There wasn't one thing I didn't want to buy, but we settles for a bag of tree ripened rainier cherries that blew our socks off! The bag was empty in about 3 minutes...

We made it to the end of the market just in time to see a rowdy fish throw. It was so much more exciting than I would have imagined, I'm glad I got to witness it this time around.

After our stroll through the marketplace, we went across the street for some Pain au Chocolat (chocolate croissants) from the French bakery and who was gonna stop us?--A grilled cheese from Beechers!

We had a few more hours to kill before we had to head to the airport, so we finally hit up Volunteer Park Conservatory, which I had been dreaming about seeing for years. IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

The greenhouse was built around 1912 and is more charming than you can even dream up. I've always been a sucker for greenhouses, but this one may have ruined all other greenhouses in my past and future.

Simon was being a real treasure (after not napping for 4 days), so we spent the rest of the time letting him run around the beautiful grassy park, doing whatever would keep him happy. It wasn't the worst.

He ended up making friends with a little boy just a couple weeks older than him, and the boys parent's recommended we grab lunch at Volunteer Park Cafe, just a couple blocks walk away. It was a cute little place on the corner and we split a chicken sandwich. It was really tasty and I regret not getting the baguette with fresh made strawberry preserves--seriously what was i thinking!? If you go, please get it and report back.

We had a great trip, but I was very excited to get home and back on a napping/sleeping schedule with Simon. In case you were wondering, traveling with a toddler is very very exhausting. Living with a toddler is exhausting, but traveling with one, takes it to a whole new level.

Until next time, Washington. It was real.

Strawberry Fields Forever//Carnation Day Two

I've been dreaming about strawberry picking for years. So as soon as we booked our flights I began my search to see if it was the right season--lucky us, most of the U-Pick Strawberry Farms opened the day before we arrived! It was fate, I tell you--My Berry God-Mother was watching over me.

After waking up and taking part in Lizzy's Traditional Sunday Morning Family Feast (she's a chef and host extraordinaire, we were so lucky!) we drove around in the rain and took in some of Woodinville's beautiful sites, where I saw my first Peony growing in the ground, like a real live flower, y'all! Then down through Snohomish to see the historical homes and out through the countryside of Fobes Hill, where we pulled over and had a nice chat with the cows. Simon did most of the talking and really charmed them with little flowers he so graciously insisted that they smell.

The strawberry fields of Remlinger Farms in Carnation, WA were muddy from weekend rain, but the berries were deep red all the way through, unlike anything you ever find at the grocery store. They were oh so good and Simon, who usually refused to eat strawberries, would hardly let any of them make it into our crate. He was a true mess, but it was the very best mess. There are few things I enjoy more than fruit picking (and eating), and sharing that love with Simon makes it all the better.

The rain started coming down, so we grabbed a few more berries and paid our bill (cash only, FYI), and headed for the car, where we met a beautiful fawn, as you may have seen on my SnapChat (ashleyanielson), then hit the road to meet up with family for dinner and meet our new little nephew, just about a week old!

I'm mostly here for the cheese//Seattle Day One

Marcus text me Tuesday and told me he had Memorial Day off--with his schedule that meant a 4-day weekend. We had been talking about taking a trip for months, so we both hopped online and started searching flights for all our favorite destinations.

Orbit Stroller, Toddler Carseat + Pannier Baskets (such a handy system for traveling!), Fawn Design Bag in Stone Gray, The North Face Duffle

We both were dying to go back to Tennessee and look at some properties we had found on Zillow, but the last minute flights there were too high. We then thought it would be great to visit our friends in Texas, but there was flooding. We then remembered all the beautiful pictures Marcus' sister, Elizabeth, had been been posting of her home in Seattle, plus a brand new nephew to meet up there, we decided that was the place! So with a decent price flight and some travel credit, our flights were booked.

It was definitely the most last minute out of state travel decision we'd ever made, but it was exciting to be so spontaneous. As parents, sometimes it feels like you lose that freedom, but in that moment, we looked Parenthood in the eyes and showed 'em who's boss! I'm so grateful to have married someone who has a love for traveling as deep as my own (and to have family who is willing to take us all in!)

Simon did pretty well on the flight and we got in town just in time to stop by Pike Place Market to grab some Beecher's Mac 'n Cheese and of course a few samples of the Flagship Cheese (SOOOOOO GOOOD!) Plus we always have to stop in at Bavarian Meats for some real German chocolates.

It was misty and gloomy and perfectly "Seattle."