Love is eternal. Families are forever.

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."

Glacier Park

Have you ever been to Glacier National Park in Montana? I can't stop daydreaming about this place. Right now it's 27 degrees and I'm all snuggled up on the couch but man do I wish I was back in this beautiful national park! (circa July...i'm sure it freezing there now). It was our first visit to Glacier and definitely not our last. You guys, I had no idea it was so beautiful! My very best friend Dane invited us for a short visit and I can honestly say that it was the most fun we had all summer. We kayaked down the Flathead river, ate huckleberry ice cream, swam in the clearest lake i've ever seen, barbecued and stayed up late laughing with two of the greatest guys I know. I can hardly wait until it warms up again cuz you can bet your boots we'll be back! Here's a few pictures from our trip. If you have't been I suggest you go! It's unbelievably gorgeous and so much fun.

Isn't Dane the absolute cutest? LOVE him.

One

Last month Jason and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary. I think I delayed writing this post because it is hard for me to put into words the amount of love I have for this man. I wake up every morning thinking, "how is it possible to love you more today then I did yesterday?" Being able to wake up everyday next to your very best friend is the absolute best! There is no one in the world that I would rather spend my time with.

Jason, thank you for being mine. Thank you for making me feel more loved then I ever thought possible. And thank you for making my life more and more wonderful every single day.

I love you past the stars and the moon!

Life is good.

photos

What Kate Ate

Zucchini Cakes!

Once again, a big thank you to one of my favorite blogs for this recipe. I could eat these every day. For reals. My current obsession with zucchini is almost as big as my butternut squash infatuation.

Shredded zucchini+a beaten egg+breadcrumbs+parmesan cheese+red pepper flakes+s&p

Form into patties and cook for a few minutes on each side on the stove in a little evoo. Top with sour cream, a sliced tomato, avocado and a squeeze of a lemon.

YUM.

This is how you eat it...

Oh, hello. I forgot about this silly little blog there for a minute. But don't you worry, I've made a list of things to catch you all up on! Until then, please enjoy this hilarious video. I'm pretty sure I watched it 10 times in a row. Aziz gets me every time!

Pinning my life away

I'm sure you've all heard of pinterest. Its hit the blogging world by storm! I read a different blog about it, what seems like every week. I guess it's my turn to put in my two cents about this addictive internet sensation!

Here are just a few items I've created from the things I've found on pinterest. You can check out all my boards here. I've had so much fun perusing this site and being creatively inspired by so many talented people. Not only that, it's a great place to keep yourself organized with things you want to save that you find on websites and blogs. If you like what you see, leave a comment and I'll send you a pinterest invite! Be forewarned though...it's incredibly addicting.

(photo 1, photo 2, photo 3, photo 4)

What Kate Ate

A delicious summer salad!

-lettuce

-bacon

-strawberries

-feta cheese

craisins

-sliced almonds (I like honey roasted)

-S&P

-your favorite sweet dressing. Usually we like Ken's light Raspberry Vinaigrette but last week I bought a delicious maple honey dressing at the farmers market so we used that.

Wash it down with an ice cold diet coke and enjoy!

Seattle!

With Jason in law school, there aren't a whole lot of opportunities for us to take vacations mostly for two reason: A-he's ridiculously busy and B-law school means we are broke as a joke. ;) When we realized that Jason had a day off for the holiday we took advantage of the occasion and headed out! Seattle's just a quick 4 hour drive away so we packed up, left early and were there before we knew it.

Our first stop was the Mariners game! Jase made sure we were there early (an hour and a half to be exact) so we could be one of the first 15,000 to get a free hat. Ha! Note to self-free hats are cheap hats and are not worth the ridiculously early arrival. Don't tell Jason I said that though he loves the hat. The game was a blast! Afterall, baseball is the great American past time and being there the day before our Nation's birthday only seemed fitting.

Next up was the public market. Get ready for a confession-this weekend was the very first time in my 25 years of existence that I've eaten fried fish! Can you believe it? Well I must say I was highly impressed with the fresh cod Ivar's had to offer and I plan on going back on our next visit. My friend so sweetly told me that I've set my fried fish bar way too high now being that I ate it fresh from the ocean and I won't be satisfied with anything else. That's ok though. Like Jason's favorite quote states, "I've got the simplest of taste. I'm always satisfied with the best."

The weather this weekend was absolutely perfect. Not a cloud in site for three straight days. We took advantage of the clear skies and ate at the restaurant atop the space needle. The food was deliciously overpriced but I justified it by saying that we were paying for the experience and memories.

We ended our trip with a bang. We watched the fireworks over lake Union. I'm gonna make a bold statement here-that was probably the best fireworks show I've ever seen. The place was a little too crowded for my liking but without a doubt the show did not disappoint.

All in all, we had a fabulous weekend. I love living so close to a big major city. Weekend getaways are a lot more fun when you have a cool place to visit. Thanks for the memes Seattle! We promise we'll come visit again soon.

Holiday Getaway

So we ditched out on Spokane and spent the 4th in Seattle! The weekend could not have been better. Pictures of our trip coming tomorrow. Stay tuned...

Summer Bevy

My most favorite summer beverage is a tall, ice cold glass of mint limeade. When I lived in Utah I use to go the Provo Farmer's Market every Saturday. There was a stand that sold the most amazing limeade that my taste buds had ever come in contact with! I copycated the recipe and now I can have it when every my little heart desires.

Mint Limeade

1 large mason jar

5 small limes

1/2 c. organic sugar (it has to be organic. that's the secret ingredient)

mint leaves

h2o

Half the limes and use a good citrus squeezer to get all the juice out. I like using this one. Pour lime juice into the mason jar. Fill jar with water-not all the way, leave about 2 inches. Add sugar, put lid on and shake shake shake! Next add your mint leaves. I like to pour a little of limeade into a bowl and muddle the mint leaves. Add back to the mason jar and repeat your shake shake shakes! Pour over ice (or in my case just drink straight out of the jar) and enjoy!

Happy Summering!

Blog neglect

If you're wondering where I've been:

Moving.

We've moved into a house! Isn't she cute? I am so excited to have a yard, loads more space and luckily for you a guest bedroom! Come visit.

Popsicle eating.

I can not stop eat bomb pops. Blast you Walmart for conveniently having these delicious treats always in stock!

Enjoy the outdoors.

I was not feeling Spokane for the first 7 months I was here. I really thought winter was year round. But now this place is gorgeous. Like really gorgeous. We live just a hop, skip and a jump away from an amazing park that we love to go on walks in. Please summer, stay awhile! I'm lovin' the sunshine.

Just so you know...

I use google reader. If you blog is one of those that only show the title of your new post and I have to click on it to go to your website/blog to read it-I don't.

Sorrs.

Story of my life!

This is so me.

picture via Cup of Jo

Paris

Remember how I blogged about wanting to get kissed atop the Eiffel Tower? Well, I've found a way and it's by winning this contest! I have been following Jordan's blog for quite some time now. It is one of my absolute favorites. When I read that she was giving away this little getaway I was so so excited! So cross your fingers and toes guys because me along with thousands of other people are trying to win this trip! (Hopefully me though...)

Picture from Oh Happy Day of course :)

America's favorite past time

Last weekend Jason and I went to the Gonzaga baseball tournament. It was over the span of three days and for the most part it was a blast! Spokane has been having some odd cold fronts for this time of year. The pictures above are from Friday's game-rain, hail and about 45 degrees. By Sunday's game though the weather was perfect-sunny and in the low 70's. I really love going to baseball games. I grew up going to spring training games back and AZ so baseball has always had a special place in my heart. There's nothing better then eating hot dogs, drinking a coke and cheering on your favorite team to really get summer started! And the players in those cute uniforms aren't that bad either ;)

Portlandia

Last weekend Jason and I took and unexpected trip to Portland. Jason's grandpa passed away and although the circumstances for our trip were unfortunate, the time we spent with family and exploring a new city was wonderful. I really love that Portland is only 5 hours away. It's the perfect little getaway when we need a break from Spokane.

PS- Have you seen these videos? Portland is exactly like that. ;) If you haven't seen the Portlandia series I suggest you watch all the episodes! So so funny.

One down, two to go

Guess who just finished his first year of law school???

This first year was full of late nights in the library, law books all over my living room, random case stories told over dinner and a boy who worked a whole lot harder then I ever imagined! They say the first year is the hardest. Man, I hope that's true cause Jason could sure use some of that heavy load lifted. I am so incredibly proud of my husband. Some days may not have been easy, but I can tell you so far it's been worth it. Every sacrifice he is making is not going unappreciated or unnoticed. I am so happy where we are right now and the effort that Jason is putting forth to give us a good future.

Love you Sayson! One down, two to go!

Dumpster Diver

I can safely say that I now truly understand the expression, "one man's trash is another man's treasure." Today as I was taking out the garbage I spotted this little gem in the dumpster. I couldn't believe someone would throw this beautiful globe away! I immediately scanned my surroundings to make sure no one was around to see me grab it out of the garbage. Should I be embarrassed about taking things out of the dumpster? I'm new at this. I ran back into my apartment on cloud nine and grinning from ear to ear about my new treasure. Jason thought I was crazy. I don't care though. :) I swear it was just what my living room was missing. I love it!

Oh, and did I mention that it lights up?! For reals, who would through this away?

Move aside yoga, dumpster diving just might be my new thing.

Welcome back, bob

So I got my hair cut last week. I've waited to post a picture mostly because I hate all the pictures I took in photo booth. That sounds so narcissistic. ha. But for reals, why can't I take a good picture? Ugh. Being a girl blows sometimes. Always trying to get our cute on...

So there it is! Back to the ol' bob. I grew my hair out for the wedding, which was six months ago. Last week I got the urge to cut it so I did. And I have no regrets. I've always liked short hair. It's always fun to mix things up. :)

More del scorcho please!

Did I ever tell you about the time that Jason and I drove to Idaho (we live in WASHINGTON, mind you..) to eat at a fast food joint? Not just any fast food though, the beloved DEL TACO! I can't tell you how sad we were when we found out there wasn't a Del anywhere in Spokane! Freaking Taco Time took over-NAS-TY. So one Saturday afternoon we decided succumb to our chicken soft taco/del nacho cravings and drove to the next state to satisfy it.

That's hardcore, guys...

what kate ate

Burrito bowls!

This recipe is great because it's so versatile! What ever you've got on hand...use it!

The goods-

The creation-

The happy husband-

I got this recipe from the little red house (one of my favorite blogs, btw). It's quick easy and delicious! I make it often because of those three reasons. :)

25 ways to wear a scarf

If you're a scarf lover like me, you must watch this video! My friend showed me this a week or so ago and since then, I've been trying out all these cute new ways to wear a scarf! I wish it would just warm up here in Spokane so I didn't have to bundle up still, but until it does, I'll be happy sporting one in all these different ways.

Fun(ny) Reads

I am so looking forward to reading these books by these two funny gals. Bossypants is out already and I thought it would make for the perfect birthday present next month! Let's be honest though, I don't think I can wait that long. :) Methinks Barnes and Noble is calling my name on this lovely Saturday afternoon. Mindy Kaling's book doesn't come out until November but I am equally excited to read that one too!

I'll make sure and give some feedback on these after I read them. From what I've heard though they are quite the page turners that have you laughing from cover to cover. I can't wait!

what kate ate

Welcome to the newest segment (ok, the one and only segment) on my blog called, "what kate ate". I got this idea a few days ago. Now I'll have an excuse to blog more...and about one of my favorite things-FOOD! Who doesn't like to read about food, right? (just humor me guys...) When I eat something absolutely delicious, I'm gonna tell you about it. Lucky you. :)

Brown sugar pork with garlic mashed potatoes and string beans.

YUM.

This meal took about 45 minutes from prep time to out of the oven and took all of 2 minutes to consume. I'll definitely be making this one more often.

A little vacay

This weekend I am going to Utah and I can't wait to-

Meet her:

Snuggle her:

Have a sleepover with these guys:

Eat a cherry turnover from this place:

Shop at this store:

...and this store:

and finally, go to this:

I am so looking forward to a little weekend getaway! See ya on Thursday Utards. ;)

For Jordy

While scrolling through ffffound tonight, I came across this image and memories of the Santa Barbara apartments came flooding to my mind. One of my dearest friends Jordan (who was my Santa B roommate at the time) had me watch this movie with her and I loved it. It's such a beautiful story of love and finding meaning in life.

Jordy thank you for introducing me to this movie! Methinks it's time I get on Amazon and purchase it to be my own. It truly is a classic.

The leaning tower of toss pillows

This evening while I was getting ready for bed, I neatly stacked our toss pillows in their usual home. Tonight though their towering sight made me giggle. This photo is sure proof that I am Pam Gerber's daughter. My mother has given me a love for these babies. Jason thinks they are ridiculous but I know he secretly loves how cute they make our bed look! :)

I just purchased this rug from CB2. You buy the rug by the square so you can make is as large as you want and you can mix up how they are arranged. I really love the look of it, but I don't love how easily it shows dirt. :( (Please ignore the crap under the bed. Our apartment has absolutely no storage space.)

I made this necklace holder awhile back and I absolutely love it! I got the wood and stain at home depot, the nobs at hobby lobby (on sale, even better) and had myself a little craft night! It was super easy and super cheap. I love how it turned out.

Lastly here's a picture of us with our Anthro mugs. We used them as decor for the wedding and now we get to enjoy them forever! That's the best part of using practical decor in a wedding, you get to make good use of it after. :) Thanks mom.