Sounds.

Tell me...what is your favorite sound?

Some girl asked my brother this question a few months ago.  It was one of her many "get to know you" questions that she threw his way!  And it was one he didn't quite know how to answer.  So instead of answering it himself, he threw the question at us (my sister, Peter, and myself). And I, unlike my brother, have all sorts of answers for that question, but I won't bore you with ALL of them.  Rather, I wanted to share with you my all time favorite sound, and that would be LAUGHTER!!

I absolutely love the sound of laughter!  Maybe that's why I married a man that laughs - that way I can listen to my favorite sound all day!  Some of my favorite moments involve hearing Peter's laughter from another room as he watches an amusing TV show.  This in itself always makes me chuckle.  We both love to laugh, but then again, I don't know anyone who doesn't?

I was reminded of this love a few weeks ago - two Thursdays ago actually.  And I remember the day because it was the day Peter's brother, Stuart, came to town.  See my husband is Irish, and it is such a special occasion when his family comes to town.  His brother, Mark, has been here since the middle of April, but Stuart hasn't been here since we got married nearly three years ago now.  And it was late, probably one o'clock in the AM, and I was in our bedroom, underneath the covers, trying so hard to fall asleep.  But I just couldn't, I was distracted because there was this loud noise coming from the guest bedroom.

See, all three boys - Peter, Mark, and Stuart - were in the guest bedroom, probably harassing each other a bit, but they were laughing SO hard!  It was so hard for me to stay in bed!  I wanted to be a part of it - I wanted to see what the laughter was all about, but then I thought it was probably better to just stay put.  I mean who knows what I could find in the guest room - I couldn't help but chuckle a little to myself.  For the first time in years the brothers were together again and their laughter truly brought tears to my eyes!  And let's just say I went to bed with a smile on my face - I mean how could I not, right?

So now you know that I not only love the sound of laughter, but I love to laugh, and here are some photos to prove it.

 Now it's your turn...what's your favorite sound?

Vacations.

There truly is something so beautiful about vacations isn't there?  I enjoy every single bit of it - pre-trip and post trip.  I love planning for a trip and the anticipation that goes along with it.  I love staying up late to pack and getting up early to venture to the airport - I love airports and as much as I hate having to take all my layers off to go through security, it's all part of the travel experience! 



This past weekend, I had the privilege of vacationing with 4 lovely ladies in Newport Beach, California..and it was truly delightful, especially since it was my first official girls weekend away...EVER.  And these aren't just any ladies...these are some of my oldest friends.  I have written about these ladies a few times before - see HERE and HERE to read more about our monthly gatherings.  And to save you the trouble, I will just say that I have known the majority of these ladies for longer than 15 years, which is CRAZY to think about.  And we get together once a month in Seattle at someones home, and this month we decided to change things up a bit and venture to California to celebrate Ms. Carly Jean's birthday! Isn't she just lovely?

Anyhow, we truly had so much fun together - we laughed so much while speaking about first kisses, first boyfriends, first heartbreaks (not so funny, but funny to look back on!!).  We spent a lot of our time simply catching up and laughing…ALOT!!  There was so much laughter this past weekend and I smile as I think about it!  We have so much history.  Some of those girls I have known since elementary school.  I have seen them all through their awkward phases, braces, insecurities, puberty, you name it, I have seen it all!  I have walked alongside them through death, family tragedies, broken relationships, and so much joy.  I know their families, immediate and extended.  I know their spouses and even their children (well for one of us!).  I know what makes them laugh and what makes them ache.  I know them.  History is a beautiful thing, but friendships within that history are even more beautiful. 

Within the weekend there was a time to mourn, a time to laugh, a time to weep, a time to be real and true to who we are and who God has created each of us to be.  And it was simply beautiful.  And come Tuesday morning…when I was utterly exhausted due to lack of sleep, I found myself truly missing them - their joy, their laughter, their love. 

I feel so blessed by the beautiful friendships in my life, and I am simply in awe of the transformation that has occurred in the lives of these 4 women in the 15 plus years that I have known them.  THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THE PRIVILEGE TO WITNESS YOUR LIVES AND TO WALK ALONGSIDE YOU THROUGH IT!!  You inspire me and encourage me to be a better person, and the world is simply made more beautiful because you are in it!! 

Here's to a fabulous time away...and many more beautiful moments together in the future!!

  

xoxo, 

Malia

It's the Little Things.

Gosh...as I sit here on my back porch.  I am truly reminded of the sweetness of those little moments.  It has been ages since I have had time to simply sit and write, or maybe I should say it has been ages since I have actually taken the time to simply sit and write.  As I sit here, my fingers can't seem to type fast enough.  I HAVE SOO MUCH I WANT TO SHARE!!

And I have so many posts I want to write...but for now, I want to share with you the little things that I have enjoyed and discovered this past month.

I have realized this past month just how blessed I truly am, and I hope and pray I never lose sight of those blessings.  I know I have said it once and I will say it again...but it truly is the little things in life that make it so beautiful isn't it?

Life is meant to be enjoyed...every last bit of it, even the smallest of bits.  This is something I have really begun to realize, whether it be sitting outside on a  beautiful sunny day, listening to one of my favorite songs, driving around town with the windows rolled down, capturing something truly beautiful on my camera, a good joke, a good book, baking a cake from scratch, a good conversation with a friend, the smell of fresh cut flowers, the sounds of kids laughing next door, experiencing the joy my husband gets from mowing the lawn and pulling weeds - the list of joys is simply endless.  And it is so easy to lose sight of those things in the busyness and chaos that is life isn't it?

So today, I find myself thankful for this time that I have to sit and type...and today, I find myself SO very thankful for the beautiful women in my life.  I feel so blessed beyond belief to be able to walk through life with the most amazing women who simply inspire me with every breath.

I had the privilege to travel to California with some of my oldest friends this past weekend.  And saying it was amazing is simply an understatement.  I found myself missing them dearly - their laughter, the jokes, the love.  We have so much history together and that history and that love run soo very deep!!

I will write so much more about this, but for now, I will leave you with this lovely photo!

And let's just say I walked away from this past weekend so very enlightened.  The girls informed me of sock buns, ribbon hair ties, and the coobie bra.  As you can tell I am slightly obsessed with the sock bun - so check it out!!  And I have already purchased some ribbon hair ties on Etsy, and I have the coobie bra in my Amazon cart.  Thank goodness for stylish girlfriends!!

This past weekend, I got back into my baking groove.  I baked a chocolate Guinness cake with store bought frosting...nasty!  The cake was delicious, but the frosting just wasn't right.  Our hand mixer broke, and I have been putting off buying another, which I finally did so I could make the frosting for the second cake, a spice cake.  And that frosting is delicious!!  Peter and I were off all things flour for lent, which meant I had to forgo all sorts of baked goodies.  And let's just say I found it easier to go without those items when I wasn't baking them all the time!  

Also, we have planted some items in our garden, but the potatoes are the things that are truly flourishing.  And we have begun the journey of growing some edible items indoors!  And a picture of our back porch with the lovely hanging baskets my darling husband bought - more on that later.

Until next time,

Malia

*Linking up with Finding Beauty in the Ordinary *

Thoughts from the wise.

And no I am not calling myself wise...in fact I am calling my husband wise.  Sure hope he reads this post!

I mean look at that face!  Doesn't he just look wise??  (photo taken at the Seattle Art Museum)

So on Valentine's Day, we created a beautiful meal together, and sat down to share it.  I LOVE to ask questions, so it was only natural that I started hounding him with questions ranging from life goals to wisdom and advice, and considering it was Valentine's Day, he probably felt slightly obligated to satisfy my questions with good answers!

So one of my questions...What advice would you give to a newly married couple?

His first answer...

"Marriage is easy if you marry your best friend!"

And then he paused for a moment, while he thought about his first answer, and decided he needed to add to it...

"Marriage can be difficult and takes work, but it's good if you marry your best friend."

And the wisdom continued...

"Anything worth having is not easy, if its easy then it's not worth having."

And one of my favorite nuggets from the night...

"Don't marry someone that isn't your best friend - it's a stupid idea - your physical attraction, your romantic love is only going to last so long, but the friendship lasts forever!"

My final question of the night...

"How do you know if they are your best friend?"

The husband...

"You just know..."

xoxo,

Malia

February Gabfest

Love these ladies!  On Friday night, we had our monthly Gal Pal Gabfest.  I have written about this monthly gathering once before - so I don't want to repeat myself too much.  But I will say a little bit about it - each month I get together with some of my dearest friends from growing up to share a meal together, drink some alcoholic beverages, and laugh until our bellies ache.

This month one of the five was away visiting her grandma in Iowa, and we had a special guest join us for the night!  It was such a blessed night, and it still blows my mind how long I have known most of these women.  We have been through all sorts of things together - puberty, bras, boyfriends, hairstyles, college, engagements, weddings, pregnancies (well one of us at least!).  So many memories, so many years shared together, so many tears, so much laughter, so much life lived ...together.  And it has been such a beautiful journey...one that we have shared together.

I will be 30 in October, and it is crazy to think I have known these women for MORE than half my lifetime!  Some of us met before we hit double digits, but by the time we were teenagers all of our paths had crossed.

I feel so blessed to share life with these beautiful women who are changing the world one step at a time!  And I am already looking forward to next month.

Skype.

Skype is amazing!  Have you used it before?  Well if you haven't you really should!

Last night, I spent 1.5 hours talking to a dear friend on Skype, and the entire time I kept thinking...This is AMAZING!  It was so fun to see her face and her house.  And she even played a few songs on the piano for me!  It was like she was with me in my home and I in hers.  And I loved every single second of it.

You would think that I would be immune to all the technological advances that have happened during my time considering there have been so many in my 29 years, but if I am honest, technology continues to blow my mind!  And even though Skype has been around for awhile, it still amazes me.  

Peter and I have used it to call long distance to Ireland numerous times - and on Christmas day, we spent over two hours talking to his family.  We stayed up super late and watched them open all their Christmas, and it was amazing...(are you tired of hearing that yet??)  And so great - almost like we were right there with them.  And one of the best parts about it ...internet calls are FREE!  Who doesn't love that?

I have just started using it for domestic calls.  It makes talking on the phone so much more fun when you can actually SEE the person.  However, it does mean you have to give them your full attention because they can see you and they can tell when you aren't looking at them! 

Anyhow, there's my skype plug!  And if you have never experienced it - go check it out for yourself.

Wedding.

Instead of having a post that is just FULL of ALL sorts of pictures I figured I would put alicias amazing wedding photos into their own post...because i have SO many! So we took pictures at Greenlake beforehand and then the ceremony was at Bethany Community Church and then the reception was at Shilshole Bay Beach Club which was AMAZING!! I should add that Alicia's mom Dawn made the amazing cake..and alicia and her family did soo many of the projects themselves...soo many wonderful touches and the pictures don't do it justice, but the professional ones by JKOE nearly do!

Chelan.

So a few weeks ago we ventured to the other side of the state...to lake chelan for alicias bachelorette weekend! It was such a wonderful time..and loved that the journey began as soon as we got in the car! FIVE of us piled into Sarah's Volvo and our time together was filled with soo much laughter and love. And then upon arrival I was blown away by the beautiful bright pink decor ...from the candy once again, to the gorgeous flowers, to the pink balloons, to the house itself and the pool! It was a blessed time and such a wonderful chance to spend time with Alicia and the other 18 important women in her life! I just love my friends soo much and feel soo blessed for the wonderful community we have. So here are some pictures from that weekend. Dawn, Alicias mom, made these beautiful strawberries to share with the rest of us! They were decked out in little tuxedoes and what not. AND the cake below is a cake I made with SOO much help from Bekah.

Working Backwards.

So I just posted some pictures from Meg and Robs wedding... And while I was thumbing through the photos, I realized that I hadn't posted any photos from Megs weekend away in Leavenworth or any from her bridal shower that was obviously MONTHS ago! So I figured I should work backwards and post some photos from Meg's fabulous celebrations! So enjoy the beautiful photos even though the events have passed.

The Rumbles get Hitched!

Well we attended another beautiful wedding on August 22nd!! Some more of our dear, dear friends wed! It was such a joyous day and soo much fun! Peter and Jenny were married at Bethany Community Church near Greenlake...the same spot that Peter and I were married nearly a year before. So it brought back some beautiful memories! The ceremony was everything you would want it to be...and then the reception was just right next door. So we didn't have to travel too far! There were soo many good friends ...and such great food! So much seafood that her dad had flown in from all over the state...crab legs, oyster shooters, crab cakes...AND they even had a candy table for favors...which was a HUGE hit with everyone, especially ME! Love these two together...and soo happy that Peter Rumbles found such an AMAZING woman to call his wife.