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.

City Girl Finds the Country//Skagit Valley

Day three is Washington was such a good day! We met up with Marcus' brother and had a picnic overlooking the Puget Sound. We spent most of the time down by the water, throwing rocks in with Simon. He couldn't have stayed there doing that for hours and hours and hours!

On our way back to town, we pulled over at Snowgoose Produce, near Mount Vernon, for a gigantic ice-cream cone of local creamy goodness (Cash Only). It was definitely one of the prettiest farmer's markets I've ever been to. It was one of the highlights of the trip FOR SURE! That whole Skagit Valley is absolutely breathtaking, and my kind of beauty for sure! We drove past a stunning nursery/greenhouse that I still regret not insisting on stopping at--next time we will.

Then back to Lizzy's where we soaked up the prettiest golden hour in her backyard that's littered in these beautiful flowers and bunnies too! It's pretty easy to see why Liz loves her newish life in the PNW :)

boy cousins exploring in Woodinville. WA

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."