A Book in Review: My Story by Elizabeth Smart

  Hello and happy Monday to you all!  It is such a gloriously sunny day here in the Seattle area.  Spring has arrived and has brought warmer temps and blue skies.  It has been so refreshing to get outdoors and breath in the still crisp air and feel the warm sunshine on my face.  We are so used to gray skies and rain here, that whenever the sun shines Washingtonians practically rush outside to soak it in while it lasts!

  One of my favorite things to do is read.  It is so relaxing and inspiring to step into another world for a moment and experience what others have written about.  When I find a book that catches my attention or imagination I simply devour it in just a couple days.  My latest read was no exception.  My wonderfully thoughtful neighbor brought me a couple books to read that she found exceptional.  The first book I read was My Story, Elizabeth Smart with Chris Stewart.

  A lot of people remember back to the time that every news network was covering the story of the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart.  Thankfully, her story has a happy ending and she decided to write about it.  The book is incredibly well written and the story hard to read (in a good way).  No one wants to think about what she went through during her 9 months of captivity but it's written in such a way that gives the reader a clear picture without being overzealous in the details.  I really appreciated that and admired the way she told her story.  Throughout her entire ordeal, she never lost faith in her God and even shares some of the miracles He sent her way at the very moment she needed them most.  Her family is such an inspiration to me as well as the way she has chosen to live after her rescue.  If you are looking for an inspirational read I highly recommend this book.  Hopefully it will uplift you as much as it has done for me.

~Trisha

Let the Vacation Countdown Commence!

Happy (almost) Spring!  Everywhere I turn spring is beginning to make an appearance.  I absolutely love watching the cherry trees blossom and all the trees sprouting new leaves.  The longer days make for more time to enjoy the outdoors now that the sun has made it's reappearance.  Of coarse, anyone who is familiar with the weather here in the great Pacific Northwest also knows that springtime brings plenty of rain and cloudy days (i.e.-still kind of stuck indoors).  That is exactly why my husband and I always plan a tropical vacation right about now. 

The last 4yrs we've been going to either Cabo San Lucas or Cancun Mexico where you can find warm weather year round and beautiful scenery.  Cabo is by far our favorite spot because it's only about a 3-1/2hr plane ride from Seattle.  It also has a beautiful combination of desert landscape with a tropical vibe.  I'm talking palm trees, soft sandy beaches on the Pacific ocean set against a backdrop of gorgeous desert style mountains.  Cancun is no less beautiful with it's white sand beaches, lush vegetation and sparkling Caribbean sea.  The only downside to Cancun for us is the looonnng plane ride with 1 or more stops and the expensive price tag to go with it.  We always feel like we should stay at least 8-9 days in Cancun since it basically takes an entire day of travel to get there.

This year we are heading back to Cancun to stay at our friend's timeshare resort villa del palmar Cancun.  The first time we vacationed there it wasn't yet completed so we are very excited to see it with all the amenities available.  With just 30 days to go I can practically feel the ocean breeze!  To sweeten this deal, we are going kid free!  We are so very blessed to have family that help us out so we can have some relaxing time together.

Usually when we take a tropical vacation, we plant ourselves at our resort and don't step off the property until check-out time!  The great thing about villa resorts are the many included activities like kayaking and beach volleyball.  Combine that with amazing food and drinks by the pool and I'm all set!  If we do decide to take a day excursion, we usually opt for a boat tour of some kind.  The location of this resort is perfect for a day trip to the beautiful island of Isla Mujeres for some snorkeling.  I know I basically sound like I'm trying to sell you a membership to this vacation club (what with all the hype!), but I'm really just relishing in the fact that I'll be enjoying this most beautiful part of the world very soon!

Where are your travels taking you this year?

~Trisha

Home Reno on the Brain

Just like many of you, I have become immersed in all the wonderful images on home renovation that the web (namely Pinterest & Houzz) has to offer.  I also really enjoy following along with some of my favorite blogs as they dive into home renovation projects big & small.

When my husband and I purchased our 1967 dearly beloved (wink, wink) house four years ago, we did so with the plan that we would renovate the lower level of this 2-story home before moving in.  Due to some loan issues, that plan was pretty much crushed.  And so we moved into a home that reminded me of the 60's everywhere I turned.  Since the day we moved in I have immersed myself in multiple projects to try and make this house feel more like our home.  The one thing we have not been able to do is change the floor plan to make it more functional for a young family.  Our home has a lot of walls, lowered ceilings and cramped hallways with every room feeling closed off to the others.  Our dream was to basically tear down every wall we could to open it up.  After living here these four years, we have come to realize that while we still want an open concept home, we are more willing to keep some walls and use some common sense on the layout.  All along I was only interested in turning our old home into one that felt like the new construction home we last lived in.  Now however I see that it will be much better if we just work with some of the funky things we can't change about our house and emphasize some of the things we love.

Before

Before

Before

Trying to revamp an old house is tricky, let me tell you.  I have played around with so many re-designs and nothing every felt quite right or had the wow factor and flow I was hoping for.  So after all these years we decided to hire and architect to get us out of our slump and impress us with new & fresh ways of looking at our space.  Hiring an architect can be a bit of an investment (they don't come cheap!) but we are more than glad we did.  We now have an amazing floor plan that opens up our layout and provides all the functionality and more importantly the wow factor I was hoping for.  I strongly recommend to anyone facing this type of frustration to look into bringing in some help with this process.

So now that we have a killer floor plan, we must decide if we can actually afford to make these changes now.  After talking with a couple contractors about all the changes we want to make, we've decided to phase it out.  Phase one is basically the entire downstairs (kitchen, family room, office, laundry & 1/2 bath) except our bonus room, finishes & new appliances in our laundry room and our covered patio outside.  Those will have to be phase 2 and maybe 3.  So now the fun part, the part I'm really good at...filling every spare minute with research on just what finishes I want my house to have.  It's just absolute torture (ya right!) looking at all the beautiful kitchens and baths out there.  The real hard part is actually narrowing things down and making decisions...I love them all, how can I possibly choose?!  Here are some of my favorite spaces.  Once we get closer to pushing the start button on this reno I will put together a style board so you can see our plans and choices on finishes.

Pinterest

Pinterest

Pinterest

Pinterest

I can hardly wait until we get the green light to make these dreams a reality.  Until then, you will find me shoulder deep in research on home remodeling, kitchen & bath design and of coarse hunting for deals & discounts.

~Trisha