NamastayGrapeful

This is well over due but I am finally getting around to our trip to Seattle. I love traveling and I love doing it with my husband because we have a really good time together. Traveling is definitely an important part of our relationship right now.

I just love the pacific northwest. It is probably one of my favorite areas. I immediately was thinking how similar Seattle is to Portland. Seattle does have its own quirks that sets it apart from Portland. Like the huge shipyard and the space needle. I would go back to Seattle in a heart beat just like I would go to Portland in a heart beat. I always say the people in the PNW are my people. I feel like I fit in so well there. If I could I would move to Oregon specifically Bend today.

We went to Seattle for a 30th birthday party actually. One of my husbands college friends lives in Seattle and we took the opportunity to have a quick trip and I am so glad we did. We flew in late at night on April 25th. The next day we had a gorgeous 75 degree day and it was sunny and beautiful. Which is very unlike Seattle at that time of the year. We made the trip out to Mt. Rainier. I am glad we did because the rest of our trip was over cast and we couldn’t even see the Olympic mountains from Bainbridge Island. The drive was so nice. It took about 2 hours to get there and 2 hours back. We really wanted to make it to to Reflection Pond to get some awesome pictures. Go google it now and be amazed! It is beautiful. But there was still a lot of snow so we could only make it to where the lodge is where people go to snowshoe and ski.

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We pulled over at a few spots that you are able to to get some pictures and take in the natural beauty of Mount Rainier. I have only ever seen Mount Rainier from an airplane so seeing it in person I was awe struck. I love nature, mountain’s and exploring them and the history about them. When we got to the top, well as far as we could go there was so much snow still and they actually didn’t have the rest of the road opened. So we couldn’t make it to reflections pond. Mount Rainier is an active volcano. It is at rest right now. Hopefully it doesn’t erupt any time soon…. On our way back down the mountain we were looking for a souvenir shop of some sort or gift shop. I grab an ornament anywhere we visit to add to our Christmas tree each year. So our Christmas tree is filled with the spots we have traveled too. It is pretty cool to reminisce when you hang the ornaments on the tree. We also saw this huge tree trunk that had all these dates of world events and how old the tree was. It was really cool! We stopped at On our way back to our hotel we stopped at a winery we drove by and I still can’t believe how amazing it was. I want to make a whole separate post about it because thats how good it was and I was super impressed by the winery and the owners. I tried blue wine for the first time! 😳. I have seen blue wine on instagram before and facebook but I have never stumbled across some to actually have.

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We actually went out for Indian food that night after our long day because that was what sounded good. It was actually really good Indian food I enjoyed it! The 2nd day we ventured to the city finally. Gosh it is a beautiful city. I fell in love with Seattle and I would visit again in a heartbeat. We did Pike’s Place Market first and that was so cool. I was admiring all the flower arrangements the florists were making. They were seriously super stunning. Pike’s Place is something like no other. I love the vibe and all the shopping you could do. It was a short walk to some great food, and breweries from there as well as the aquarium.

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Pikes Place was mobbed even for a Friday. We first went and walked through Pikes Place and I bought some local lavender products from a vendor. It was so cool to walk around there and look at everything. The flowers were absolutely stunning and we were able to see the iconic fish throwing. I was able to stop at the first ever Starbucks. That was a cool experience because the menu is very old school and it even seemed how they made coffee and the drinks was old school as well. After we walked around for a bit and enjoyed our matcha’s from Starbucks we went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch. We sat outside and shortly after us someone sat down with a Corgi and he was adorable. lunch was delicious. We then ventured to the aquarium. I eagerly kept hoping I would see an Orca come into the bay but no such luck. We went to a brewery after our shopping day because we were waiting to meet friends for dinner. My husband was super excited to see a Genny sign and he was wearing his Genny shirt. We hit up 2 different breweries and then a restaurant. The first brewery was Old Stove. I had a sour beer. It was a cool little spot. You can see right out to the water. We really liked there beer. The second brewery we stopped at was Cloudburst. This cool little spot was basically a run down garage. It’s not very glamorous but the edgy vibe it had was cool. Its dog friendly too. There was a huge dog that kept putting its front paws up on the bar. We went to dinner at Steelhead Diner. I liked this place because you could go cheap or go super expensive. I had a delicious salad and a glass of rosé. We had such a great dinner with friends.

The restaurant/breweries we went to in Seattle that day were:

El Borracho

Old Stove

Cloudburst Brewing

Steelhead Diner

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On our third day we were headed to Bainbridge island for my husbands friends 30th birthday party. We stopped at a recommended pizzeria from my pizza loving friend Megan. Oh my gosh this place was amazing! It’s called Rocco’s . This pizza was huge. We took most of it with us because the pie was so massive and the slices were huge. We were able to meet the owner and he waited on us. He even put together a gin cocktail for me because they didn’t have a gin cocktail on the menu. It was delicious. It was cucumber based and that’s one of my favorite ways to have gin. After we had lunch on a rainy day in Seattle we headed to the Ferry to take to Bainbridge island. That was such a cool experience. We were staying the night in Bainbridge for my husbands friends birthday party. Before we got to their house we went to A distillery and a wine tasting. We did a tasting at Bainbridge Organic distillers. It was really cool (Bainbridge Organic Distillers.) At the time they didn’t charge for the tasting because they are so new. They are a small batch distiller. I enjoyed the tasting we had. In the same plaza there was a brewery and winery. We went to the winery for a tasting and brought home a couple of bottles. The name of the winery is Fletcher Bay Winery . I love the location of both places and both places had great staff. Everyone was nice and helpful. I definitely recommend both places. When we go back I want to go to the brewery. That night we hung out at my husbands friends house and had a nice evening meeting new people, drinking good wine or beer and just hanging out.

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On our last day in Seattle we stayed in Bainbridge to explore. We walked down to the bay and looked at the cute shops. We also stopped at a bakery and I never got a picture of my doughnut I had. It was fabulous! We then headed to a cool brewery called Slippery Pig Brewery for some awesome bloody marys. After we walked along the bay we walked back to get in the car and head to a farm and cidery called Finnriver . This was such a cool spot. Family friendly for sure! They had corn hole outside and a place to for kids to just run. They also had a food. The arrangement of ciders was phenomenal. I had the pear cider. I tried someone else’s of the habanero that they had. That was even really good. I just love the pacific north west. I belong on the west coast. I hope I can move there one day. Oregon is the dream. It was a quick trip but absolutely fantastic. I had a blast. I wanted to stay longer. The only thing I didn’t get to do was a whale watch to see an Orca. That is my dream! Next time for sure! Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

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Hey Everyone!

Nashelle Trunk Box is a quarterly jewelry subscription box. I discovered Nashelle on my trip to Oregon 3 years ago. My Aunt in Bend Oregon told me about it. I had to stop in and check it out because we both have similar tastes in jewelry. I love the store it is so cute and just very clean looking. I don’t mean like the how clean the store is and that there is no dirt or dust. I just mean the look of it and how everything is set up. I am headed to Bend in a couple of weeks for a quick surprise trip for my cousin and if I can I will stop in and get some pics of the store. Its a great place! There jewelry is not cheap but it is worth it because every piece of jewelry bought they donate a plate of food to someone local or national that is in need. How cool is that? I love helping people and this is the perfect way for me to help because I get a great piece of jewelry and I am also helping someone who is in need.

Each box that you receive quarterly is $150. That doesn’t include shipping/tax. Normally there is 5 pieces of jewelry that you will get and they throw in some extra stuff. Last year I got a beanie and a shirt. Its a nice perk! And if you wanted you can always re-gift the jewelry you don’t like or if you think of a friend or family member when you see the piece of jewelry. Not every box is the same for each season, they have boxes that are gold only, silver only and then a mix of both. I do a mix of both but I got all silver in this box. The box is small. It could fit in your mail box probably.

Some of the jewelry I am keeping and some I am going to gift to a friend that likes it because it wasn’t quite my style. There were 3 pairs of earrings in this box, a bracelet, ring, an anklet, and 2 necklaces. I like the ring that came in the box. I also like the earrings with the blue stone and the ones that are almost like a hoop. The wrap bracelet was cool. I have been loving wrap bracelets. The necklace with the small clear stones on it, I have been wearing as a staple now. The anklet, necklace and earring matching set I was not totally in to. It is a little too much for my style. But they’re nice!

I love this box. I have gotten lot of great jewelry from this box. I like that it only comes 4 times a year too. This wasn’t totally a favorite box but I helped out a lot of people since there were 8 pieces of jewelry in the box. The next set of pictures breaks down the box and the cost of each piece.

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

Each month I get more and more excited about posting my favorites. I really like finding awesome things to share with you all that I truly enjoy or like using. I decided since I love to cook that I will share a few recipes from Pinterest as well at the end of my posts each month. Feel free to look at my Pinterest anytime. I am still a very frequent user of Pinterest and thats actually how I find a lot of my recipes. So lets get into it!

The first thing I want to talk about is a pandora radio station. I love pandora because I always discover new bands because of it. I have been really enjoying the station by the artist Jakubi. If you like the Revivalists you’ll like this band. I love there music because it puts me in a good mood with the catchy beats. They are an indie/alternative band. Definitely check them out if you like that sort of music. As well as the Revivalists.

The next item I got off of amazon. They are these chalk markers that are super easy to use and write with. I love the colors in the pack. I ordered a chalk board from Magnolia. I can link that below incase anyone is looking for one. I love it and I didn’t think it was too expensive. I used the chalk markers on the board to make a sign for a our kitchen in our new apartment. It turned out great! I was even impressed with my penmanship too!

This next item is a must have to add to your purse. I never really believe the items that you see as an add on instagram or facebook but this one I just had to try. Its called the Bagnet. How many times have you gone to a public bathroom and there is no hook for you to hang your purse or coat? It happens to me all the time and it drives me nuts because I hatteeee putting my purse on the ground of the bathroom floor. Queue gagging noise. How gross right? I took the plunge and I ordered the Bagnet. I put it right to use right after that as well. I hook it to what ever purse I am using and I am not kidding you it works. When we were out with our friends before we moved to Texas and we hooked the Bagnet to my friends bigger purse and we hooked it to the table and then actually the metal beam on the ceiling and it still held. Silly me didn’t take pictures (face palm..) But I am not lying to you about this. If you purchase anything in this post… if you can… Bagnet all the way!!!

With the new ban on plastic straws I want to inspire you to buy glass straws. I was using them before the ban because I knew how bad they were for the environment. I like them for smoothies or when I drink water and lemon so it protects my teeth from the acid. I prefer glass straws over metal. I like these glass straws I bought because they are wide and tall.

Dry cracked feet anyone? Or am I the only one? I know its a gross topic to talk about but if anyone has had to deal with such horrible dry feet like me then this is the product for you. I have struggled for as long as I know, like probably since middle school with dry feet. I don’t remember ever having smooth feet. I would have taken a before and after but my feet are disgusting. I currently deal with a chronic fungal problem that my dermatologist can’t seem to help me with besides using lamisil. I refuse to take it because it wrecks your system and I am not about that. So part of the problem is dry feet. I probably could have built another foot with all the skin that came off, so it works super well. I couldn’t believe it. Its not a cure all product, I will definitely have to use it again probably every 3 weeks or so. It has helped my feet so much I was shocked. I wasn’t so ashamed to wear sandals!

I have 2 vacuum’s to talk about in this post. You know your an adult when a vacuum excites you or you get pumped at how well it works. When we moved into our apartment here in Texas, it has all hard wood floors except in the bedroom. We left our big vacuum at home because it was one of the things we didn’t need to bring with us. I wanted something cheap honestly because theres no point in spending $150-$200 on a vacuum for the 9 months were in Texas. I picked out a Bissell vacuum from amazon that was $25. It is light weight and bagless. Now it doesn’t do what I want on the carpet in the bedroom but it does make it easy to clean our hardwood floors because I have to do it a few times a week because of the dog hair and why dirt shows up more on hardwoods is beyond me but it does and it drives me nuts. This vacuum is pretty handy to have on hand for quick cleaning. Deep cleaning? not so much but if you need something for quick clean ups this would be a great vacuum for that.

The other vacuum option if you want just a hand held for quick clean ups is also by Bissell. Its a cordless vacuum. I bought this May of last year off of amazon because I wanted something to keep up with my car at the time because of the pet hair. Brooke spent a lot of time when we were in NY. I would take her to parks and my parents all the time. I really like this cordless vacuum. We also brought this to Texas with us. I have used this for my quick random clean ups like when I spill oats on the floor or flour from baking and its easier to just pull this out then the other vacuum. If you are looking for a cordless vacuum that is also good for pet hair this is a good hand held one. I use it on the couch too because Brooke likes to sleep on the couch.

Are you looking for new mugs by any chance for your tea or coffee? I fell in love with this glass mugs because I thought they were so clean looking and pretty even. I am a huge tea drinker so I needed mugs for while we were here in Texas and I was looking for an excuse to buy these finally. I love these mugs. They are heavy duty and just the perfect size for your hot beverage of choice. I have also used these to drink really any liquid out of them.

I love supporting small business’s on Etsy. I found this jewelry shop on instagram from another store I follow thats from Bend Oregon. They had a giveaway going on and I entered in to win the necklace they were giving away and then scoped out the instagram of the person who made the necklace and then also checked out her Etsy page. I fell in love. I loved the style of the jewelry, I loved that she was from my happy place, Bend OR, I also loved that she names her pieces of jewelry after places in Oregon. I had to indulge and order a few of her pieces. I also ended up winning the necklace from that giveaway as well which was so cool. I never win anything like that so I was super pumped.

Its about time I throw in some wine into my monthly favorites. I am not sure why I didn’t think of this before and do it. I found a rosé at Target here in Texas that I have been wanting to try. First thing though, it is so cool to be able to buy wine in the grocery store and Target. We can’t do that in NY so that was a nice change. The rosé is called Yes Way Rosé. I love it. It is dry, light and crisp. I definitely taste the tasting notes of citrus and white peach.  I am not the best at tasting notes. I want to get better as a wine connoisseur. That was one thing I was looking forward to with moving to Texas, my rosé season is longer because of the warm weather continuing on into November.

Anyone want a proper brew of tea? I love black tea and I love the way the British prepare it. When I was in London in March I felt right at home with my pot of tea with cream and sugar. Don’t knock it till you try it. It is a delicious comforting combo. I am loving Yorkshire tea right now as black or with cream and sugar. Well cashew milk and coconut sugar haha yes I did find a healthy way to do it.

While I was at my Aunt’s here in Texas I noticed something she had on her counter in her kitchen. It was this pretty and simplistic red wine decanter and I just fell in love. I was like I need something like that for my kitchen counter for red wine season. Red wine tastes better when its been opened and had the air hit it and it makes the tasting notes so much better. I went searching on amazon and a few other stores and finally find something similar on over stock. When I got it in the mail I did not believe it would fit a whole bottle. Well it did! It is really nice I love it. I have other decanters and honestly they are pretty but kind of a pain in the butt when it comes to pouring. This one is easy to use and doesn’t feel so awkward when filling up a glass of wine. If you love red wine I think this would be the perfect item for you.

The last item before I link some recipes is a candle. I have fall ones that I am burning here and there but I had to pull out this blackberry birch candle. It smells great. I love getting my candles from DW Homes. I had a friend tell me about this site. I prefer it over Bath and Body Works. I like there blends and the style of there candles way more than bath and body works as well. The top to this candle is so cute too. I love a rustic style.

Favorite Recipes:

Spiced Apple Bread– Try using unsweetened apple sauce. Grating apples was super messy but delicious.

Fiesta Chicken & Rice

Stuffed Chicken

Chicken Parm

Bacon Broccoli Pasta – I added lemon juice to my recipe

Butternut squash Enchiladas – these were fricken delicious!

Links:

Chalk Markers

Chalk Board

Bagnet

Glass Straws

Foot Mask

Bissell light weight vacuum

Bissell Cordless Vacuum

Glass Mugs

Fletch & Feather Co

Yes Way Rosé

Yorkshire Tea

Red Wine Decanter

DW Home Candles

Sorry I have been MIA with these “week in review” posts. I was slightly overwhelmed with the move and honestly realizing I live in Texas now. We are settled in and I feel a little more comfortable and not so out of sorts and or scared.

My last week in NY wasn’t too enjoyable. I have a hard time being around my Dad when its solo with out my Mom. But I made it through.

My husband and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary at a local restaurant in East Aurora NY called the Roycroft. If you ever visit WNY and or East Aurora its a great place for lunch or dinner. We really enjoyed our selves. I had a glass of rosé and he had a cocktail to start. We started with there home made pretzels with beer cheese and mustard. They were so yummy. We also had side salads as well. I had a stuffed chicken for dinner and my husband had a tomahawk pork chop. That was delicious. We aren’t huge on pork but we have it here and there. It was cooked perfectly. My husband had a local beer and then we had a glass of champagne each, well I finished my husbands after we toasted to 2 years haha. We split a hot fudge sundae and it was just really wonderful. A great 2 year anniversary.

I had a great “see you later” dinner with my wonderful friends and I got to meet my friends little girl finally. It was such a great night and I am so thankful for these girls. They make me so happy. I am so grateful to have friends like them. Theres nothing like it. We have gone to Chicago together and we went and saw Beyonce together. I know these girls have my back through anything.

I went and saw my Chiropractor one last time before I left. I am really going to miss him. He has helped me so much mentally and chiropractic-ally. I went Christmas shopping for my niece and nephew too that way I didn’t have to worry about shipping anything and it was at my Mom’s to take to them on Christmas. We shipped out Kurt’s truck with some of our stuff to head to Texas. And everything made it to Texas safely. We went out to dinner with my Grandma and Dad for fish fry’s. I actually shared chicken fingers and fries with my Grandma haha. We went back to her house because she had made some pies for dessert.

For our last weekend in town we got some friends together to a brewery in East Aurora called 42 North. I so badly wish we would have snagged some pictures with our friends but we were so focused on having a good time and chatting with everyone that the night took us away but in such a good way. I will remember that night for forever.

On our last night in NY we had dinner with my sister, brother in law, niece and nephew and my parents. My mom made me one of my favorite meals which is her stir fry. And then we went to see my Grandma so I could see her before I left. The pictures below are from my parents how where I grew up. Epic sunsets :).

We left at 6:30AM from NY to start our trip to Texas. I was sad, excited, and scared. Just so many emotions. I couldn’t believe it was actually happening. I made it to Kentucky before I lost my shit. Just started crying and felt so overwhelmed. After my husband and I talked it out we almost got into a horrible accident which started more crying on my end because that is one of my worst fears and thankfully it never actually happened. I calmed down and then we made it to our destination for the night in Tennessee and that started more crying on my end because the hotel we booked was sketchy AF! But we figured it out and stayed at a Hamptons and Brooke enjoyed her first stay in a hotel.

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The 2nd day we headed to my Aunt’s from Tennessee. Brooke had her first pup cup from Starbucks haha. It was a long ride but so worth it to make it to my Aunt’s in College Station TX, GO AGGIES! I wish I could say I actually went to A&M for school. Who knows maybe one day if they offer a degree online. I would love that. We had dinner with my Aunt and Uncle and caught up on life.

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Thursday we spent the day with my family. We went and got breakfast at a donut shop in College Station that is actually on my Texas bucket list. Babes doughnut & coffee shop. I had a Southwest breakfast burrito and my husband and I split 2 donuts. A maple bacon and blueberry glaze. It was delicious and I even had a iced chai latte 😋. That was a delicious place to stop for breakfast. We had lunch with my cousin at C&J BBQ. Again…. SOOOO GOOD! We had a relaxing day just getting settled into Texas and catching up on work stuff and getting ready for the new apartment. I had scheduled a few appointments for myself to get back into the swing of things. We went out to dinner with my Aunt and Uncle that evening to watch some football. My Aunt and Uncle are so easy going. It was so great to be with them. I wish they lived closer to NY.

I was so sad to leave my Aunt’s on Friday but I was anxious to get to San Angelo and see where I would be living for the next 9 months. We had to drive to Weatherford to pick up Kurt’s truck and then drive separate to San Angelo. I only had to pull over once to ball my eyes out because I was so scared and anxious. Driving 75mph has me sooo freaked out. That is so weird to me because back home I had a slight lead foot. But here… I want to drive like a grandma. We made it in about 3 1/2 hours and we were able to move into our apartment that night thank god. We were welcomed in by a flash flood though. That was insane. I have never seen anything like that. Our Lull bed was delivered that day thankfully so we had a bed to sleep on. Kurt ran to the HEB which is our local grocery store for something to eat for dinner and we just ate and passed out. The next day we just ran a bunch of errands started getting a couple of things for the apartment like a couch, coffee table, tv stand, silverware, plates, bowls, a crate for Brooke and more. We didn’t bring a lot with us to Texas. I am hoping to be able to sell most of this stuff before we leave.

Gosh well I have survived my first 2 weeks here. What a whirl wind already. I am not even working yet and I am like woah this is crazy. I miss home, I miss my friends and family. But I am thankful for this opportunity. Yes if Kurt came home tomorrow and was like were going back to NY I would be like awesome lets go but this move is going to grow us in so many ways and myself in general it is going to help me grow and mature. I needed this. I needed to be forced out of my comfort zone of Buffalo NY.

I have had good Mexican food already. I just need to get ahold of a good margarita. We went to a great restaurant and actually had pizza and wings. And I was surprised how good it was. We had home made ice cream. Walked by a river with the pup. I had a delicious burger this past week. I also got a speeding ticket haha. Ooops! It was totally my fault and I am hoping the outcome after I go to court for it goes well and I hope they can cut me a deal. I feel more comfortable here and that I can survive these next 8 months. I have met so many nice people here so far and it makes me so happy. I hope that doesn’t change.

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Cheers!