Thankful for Family & Friends

Happy Thanksgiving from the La Libertes! I hope you enjoyed your holiday week and weekend; we definitely enjoyed our much-needed vacation. We traveled to our hometown, Temecula, in Southern California and visited with Tim's family. It was so so good to get some family and friend time in. Not to mention all the cuddles we got in with our nieces <3

We started off the trip with quality time with Tim's mom and dad; they picked us up from the airport and we stopped for lunch (authentic Mexican food - a luxury we miss in Oregon!) and to visit a famous Christmas store on the way home. Once we got into town, we were off to see the nieces immediately. It was so fun seeing their personalities and it was the first time we met the littlest one since she was born in September. Love them both to pieces <3

On Tuesday night Tim's parents hosted a dinner for us with immediate family and close friends. It was absolutely wonderful seeing our friends, the Blantons, and their sweet baby girl (who at just a month old road tripped up the coast to come to our wedding!). It's always so good seeing them and makes us wish we were closer.

Wednesday was dedicated to lounging and grocery shopping for the big Thanksgiving meal. It was nice not having any plans and just relaxing. Wednesday night we went out and had some drinks with Tim's little brother and little sister. We caught up on their lives and had some great conversation accompanied by delicious, local beverages ;)

When Thanksgiving morning arrived, Tim and I woke up early to get ready and wrap a few gifts for our nieces. We enjoyed delicious biscuits and gravy for breakfast courtesy of Tim's dad and then started in on cooking appetizers. Our Thanksgiving meal consisted of the traditional turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, bread, green beans, lots of gravy, and Grandma's green jello. We were appropriately stuffed beyond words after the meal. ;)

On Friday we got to see our cute little nieces again for lunch and then headed off to Leoness (our favorite winery at home!) with Tim's parents to meet the Blantons for some delicious wine tasting. How adorable is their perfect little munchkin?

Friday night we visited our favorite taco shop (because, again, authentic Mexican food!) and then went to Target for some great Black Friday deals. We left on Saturday, but not before we went to see the Hunger Games with Tim's family and grabbed In N Out for lunch. Needless to say, it was the perfect trip. We're so grateful and blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful family and friends. Until next time, Temecula!

Dream Kitchen // Red Vibes

For as long as I can remember I've wanted a red kitchen. I thought I might outgrow it after awhile; thought maybe the pop of red would be too much. But, I never did outgrow it. Everything on my kitchen Pinterest board has either red accents or a rustic feel. So when we registered for our wedding I definitely scanned everything I could find on our list, but in red ;) 

One of my favorite gifts from our wedding is the red KitchenAid mixer my mom bought us... I never realized just how handy it would be! Thanks, mom. <3 Another gift that fit perfectly in our red kitchen is the vintage-inspired Measure Equivalents piece from Hobby Lobby (pictured above). Tim's mom and sister picked it out for us. So cute!

If you know me, you know I love owls. I think every year for the past 5 years I've received some kind of owl-related Christmas and birthday gift. ;) I found these 3 adorably-rustic owl trivets in a random boutique in San Juan Capistrano when I used to live in Orange County. They were too good to pass up and have had a home hanging in our kitchen ever since!

We found these 3 containers at Kitchen Kaboodle. It was love at first sight for me, knowing they'd fit right in with the red kitchen plans I had.

In our old apartment, these baskets held kitchen towels. Our new apartment has so much more storage in the kitchen that we didn't need them for towels anymore, so I thought why not make a cute little breakfast station area? Tim's basket is filled with his favorite coffee and mine is filled with my favorite tea (read all about my tea obsession in my holiday 2015 wish list for tea lovers). This part of the kitchen is definitely one of the more well-loved areas ;)

The "Ustensiles" utensil holder above is from Sur La Table. Tim and I have a newfound love for all the kitchen goodies in there. We can't walk around the Pearl District without stopping in. Everything in the store makes me want to become a chef. And we're definitely looking into taking a few cooking classes together there; they sound fun and, more importantly, delicious ;)

What's your favorite part about your kitchen?

Holiday 2015 Wish List // Tea Lovers

Screenshots taken from Teavana's website.

You could say I have an addiction to tea. Tim would probably (definitely) say I do ;) If you looked in our pantry, you would see my obsession in the form of lots of Chai, Earl Grey, Green, and herbal teas. What am I currently coveting? Teavana's Joy tea and their absolutely mouth-watering White Chocolate Peppermint herbal tea. It really does taste as good as it sounds - just like dessert!

I must say, there's something so calming about having a cup of tea. It's my favorite way to start the morning, especially on the weekends. I love waking up to the peace and quiet of the early morning, putting a pot of water on the stove, and cracking open a good book.

For as long as I can remember, I've never been a coffee person. I don't love the taste (although Tim just introduced me to a great combo!) and it often doesn't sit well with me. Tea, on the other hand, is my go-to. I don't know exactly when my obsession started, but it's a small part of my daily routine that has helped me fight my struggle with anxiety for years. Drinking tea may sound like such a small thing, but isn't that what taking care of yourself is built on? Lots of small steps in the right direction and maybe some big ones, too. And it really does have this calming nature about it and effect on me.

On to the first installment of my Holiday 2015 Wish List, tea lovers edition. Teavana just released its holiday collection and I love love love it! I've been looking for a tea set for a couple of years now on and off and I think their Multicolor 'Viv' Teapot Set (pictured above) is the one! I love the bright, fun colors, the gold trims, and the chic look. Shop the rest of the collage below:

Dottie Tea Tin

White Chocolate Peppermint Tea

Dottie Red Infuser Mug

Poppy Teavana Perfectea Maker

Blush Rose Tea Tumbler

Gold Dot Infuser Mug

All I want for Christmas? For Teavana to open up a tea bar in Portland. Please, oh pretty please ;)

November Monthly Musings // Gratitude

November's Monthly Musings topic is - fittingly - gratitude. It's easy to be too stressed out, too tired, and too pessimistic to remember all the wonderful things we have in our lives. I am definitely at fault more times for this than I'd like to admit. My struggle with anxiety and the haze it can put over me is a contributing factor to all-too-easily forgetting the amazing things I have in my life, but I'm learning how to cope and think more positively, even if it is a slow process ;) As part of an effort to become more present and live a life full of gratitude, I'm joining the 30 Days of Gratitude conversation with my very own list:

1/ My husband (of course he's #1!)

2/ My family

3/ My dear friends (both old & new!)

4/ Our new apartment

5/ City livin'

6/ Fall leaves & chill in the air

7/ Red Starbucks cups & peppermint mochas

8/ Our new neighborhood <3

9/ Morning walks

10/ My new favorite coffee drink (thanks, Tim, for the intro!)

11/ Yoga

12/ My new-found love of Thai food (I know I'm behind the times, but yum!)

13/ My career

14/ My co-workers

15/ Our upcoming Thanksgiving vacation

16/ Fuzzy boot socks

17/ On the note of fuzzy - fuzzy blankets (insert heart-eyed emoji here)

18/ My work's book club

19/ A full fridge

20/ My health

21/ Wine (cheap, expensive, red, white, or rosé - you name it ;))

22/ My blog and freedom to write

23/ Crockpot soups

24/ Pumpkin spice everything

25/ Candles (there's something so nice about a lit candle in the room, no?)

26/ Learning about essential oils (still very much a beginner!)

27/ Collecting vinyls

28/ My faith

29/ My warm bed

30/ The Pacific Northwest & all its glory

Well, now it's your turn. What are you thankful for?

T & Me // Date Night at Home

Weddings are a ton of work. But what they don't tell you is how much work it also is to get organized after the wedding. Between all the DIY decor and crafts we picked up from our families the day after the wedding and all the beautiful gifts everyone mailed us, let's just say our apartment has been quite the hot mess lately. Boxes on boxes on wedding decor on gifts on more boxes. And that's just the beginning of it.

We threw ourselves into organizing and cleaning the apartment yesterday. It took a good while, but we made a huge dent in it and I feel good about how clean our apartment is now. It's amazing how much weight is lifted off your shoulders when you wake up to and come home to a clean place -- one of the best feelings!

Before we dove in, I suggested we make a trip to Trader Joe's and buy ourselves the makings of a delicious cheese, bread, and fruit spread for dinner to celebrate our soon-to-be victory over the mess. I must admit it was the perfect motivation. And it turned out beautifully, don't you think? At home dates eating great food and renting movies definitely top the list of my favorite ways to spend time together.

August Monthly Musings // Love

The past 19 months have been all about planning our most perfect wedding. My now husband (by the way, so fun to say husband!), Tim, proposed to me on New Year's Eve 2013 and we've been planning ever since. (Read more about the proposal). I know this sounds cliche, but wedding planning really is a full time job, so on top of another full time job it was a bit overwhelming and hectic at times. But we made it! And we still can't get over just how perfect our day was.

With all this newfound free time of mine, I've decided to start a new blog series: Monthly Musings. Each month, I'll pick a new theme, post weekly photos surrounding that theme, and tap into my creative side by making something each month (again surrounding the theme). I know it'll be a fun outlet for me to pour myself into and hope it will be just as fun for you to follow along!

In honor of our new life together, August's theme is LOVE! Can't wait to explore all this theme means to me and launch a new series with arguably the most important aspect in any of our lives. Thanks for coming along on the journey with me!

Showered with Love

May was a very busy month for me! I traveled back to California two weekends in a row for bridal showers thrown by my mom/sister and my future mother-in-law. Yep, not one, but two. It's safe to say I'm pretty spoiled. ;) They were different but both so beautiful and I couldn't be more blessed to be surrounded by such beautiful women in my life.

From my mom & sister's shower:

From my future mother-in-law's shower:

(Just missing the Maid of Honor!)

The wedding can't come soon enough <3