A Lovely Weekend...and A Hint of What is to Come

The last week was filled with family, friends, love, laughter, good food and wine, and the beginning of my favorite season. My aunt Darla flew in from southern California Wednesday evening and we spent Thursday traversing throughout Seattle. We ate at one of her favorite old breakfast spots in Greenwood (Phinney Ridge Cafe), and window shopped our way through the University Village and of course Target, where she bought Ben and I a beautiful new house warming present: a living room rug that is soft to walk on and not covered in four years worth of memories. We then dined at Ben's restaurant, gorging ourselves on scallops, halibut, and the best dessert: peach crepes with black sea salt. 

Early Friday morning, Ben and I headed south to Eugene to be a part of Allan and Kelda's wedding weekend. There we ate well (Belly for the rehearsal dinner), helped with last minute adjustments as the less than 1% chance of rain decided it wanted to be a wedding guest, and watched our friends exchange their vows. 

(Ben and I before the ceremony)

(The lovely bride)

(Her grandmother's veil)

My favorite part of the evening was finding all of Kelda's personal touches, including little birds everywhere (my absolute favorite). Here is an example of one hanging out in the cream puffs (side note: I ate 7 cream puffs...and 1 cupcake...and a lemon bar--don't judge me...they were delicious). 

We then headed back North to visit more family and friends, and then drove to Seattle in a monsoon. I have never been on the freeway when out of the blue, all the cars slow down 20 mph, when there is open road. But you literally could not see out the window...scary to say the least. Back at the house we spent the rest of the weekend hanging pictures (no bare walls!), hanging out with family, and tackling a 14 mile run. Yes, you read that right...14. Now I know we're training for a marathon (26.2 miles), but 14 is still a big deal to me...it's the longest either of us have ever run (see Ben, I didn't write about what you thought I would write about...yet...).

Overall, the weekend was lovely...but the icing on the cake was that I saw signs of my favorite season: fall. I'm not sure if it was the cup of tea, the change in the air, or the fact that I heated up my frog warm-up that Therese gave me in an effort to loosen up my back...but I got a glimpse of it. And guess what...I LOVE FALL!

Why you ask? 

Well, the simple answer is because it's BEAUTIFUL. The leaves change and outside looks like a painting. But I also love: the beginning of football season , when the air turns crisp, and back to school and all the anticipation it brings. Plus, after a long hot summer, snuggling up with a cup of tea in a warm sweater starts to be very inviting. The cool nights allow for better sleeping, and there is the hint of the holidays, which brings fun movies that you save for those special times, meals that your mother made meant to put meat on your bones, and fun decorations. The speed also slows down for awhile (at least until the end of November). Gone are the plan-filled weekends that last from the 4th of July to Labor Day, and instead they are full of long runs through RED, YELLOW, and ORANGE filled streets, chili in the crockpot, my Jake Locker jersey, and a fresh start. 

I have always felt like Fall is the true beginning of the year. There is just something about it that says clean, crisp, new, and refreshing. I could go on and on...carmel apple ciders, carving pumpkins, etc.  I hope everyone had a lovely Labor Day weekend, and please enjoy the last summer days we have...because the leaves are changing...literally.