An Emerald City Life

07/20/2026

06/20/2026

06/06/2026

06/03/2026

My husband and I had a lovely music-filled evening thanks to at the gorgeous Olympic Pavilion on the rooftop of in Ballard last week. The music theme was “yacht rock” and the band was delightful and for the next concerts (there are two seatings) on June 10th it’s “Piano Men: A Billy Joel & Elton John Tribute” which would be such a great listen too.
On a sunny Seattle evening (don’t you just love the longer days lately?) it was so nice to arrive early for drinks and snacks (the Marcona almonds with bee pollen and sea salt were so good) and feel like we almost had the whole rooftop to ourselves as other guests trickled in. And it was pretty cool to hear live music in such an intimate space while also watching the sun go down in spectacular colors.
There were a couple groups celebrating birthdays and other milestones together but it wasn’t crowded and I also didn’t realize the restaurant and event space is also connected to (have you ever stayed here?) on the street level of the building also has yummy food so it’s easy to make this a dinner and concert combination as well. Do you love going out to listen to live music too?
Thanks for having us

06/02/2026

Still holding on to some little bits of May while June just barrels its way through. Don’t you just love the longer days filled with warmth and sunshine we’ve been having lately? I definitely feel like I’m coming out of some kind of hibernation. There are patches of wildflowers on Lodge Lake Trail and I hope maybe after the next bit of rain in the mountains that are really going to pop. Also nearby has a margarita pizza (balsamic glaze, fresh tomatoes basil crispy crust and just enough cheese✨) that is perfect.

05/29/2026

Spent the loveliest morning in with who took me for coffee at and showed me a great place for soup (you can ask her its name if you’re curious. It does not seem to have an Instagram and it was so delicious.)

This whole area seems like it has underlying buzz for and it’s exciting to walk around and take it all in.
Walking back to my car I popped into and noticed it has a section of soccer books (like one with a history of the World Cup that I need to go back and get.)
I’m actually joining in my first group reading event thanks to and I think I’m going to bring the book I posted with my soup (The women could fly by Megan Giddings. I tend to do mostly audiobooks so I’m looking forward to a chance to make myself read)

My husband bought it for me on his last work trip at a bookstore in Raleigh called - it came wrapped with only a short description about it (it’s from a section in the store called “date with a book” and he sent me a photo of all the wrapped up books and I picked a couple after reading their descriptions and he randomly chose from those two so it was a complete surprise for both of us. Have you ever bought a book like this?)

Seattle-based is now in Pioneer Square and I’ve only ever seen it online so it was nice to actually be able to check out the feel of their clothes.

I also walked into for the first time too and it has the cutest Seattle World Cup water bottles (and hats are coming!) They look like the window art and I love the whimsy.

After all that I stopped by today and spotted Rainier cherries and I wish I saw stories before I didn’t buy the vitamin C serum that was there-Have you tried it? Do I need to go back before it sells out? Do you ever go to Trader Joe’s and only buy exactly what you came in for?

Also are you going to check out any World Cup activities if it’s in your city? I saw the Seattle barge tickets went on sale today from and and I’m debating trying that out for a game. It feels like such a cool time for Seattle. ❤️

05/26/2026

A few weekend things from a trip up north:

Chocolate mess” from
Grandma, me and Toby from a zillion years ago
Our room at the where we hoped for whales but will come back and try again (I booked on points and it turned out lovely)
New Vancouver architecture
reimagined as a soccer ball for (Vancouver has so much going on for including a soccer ball croissant from )
Granville island greenery
The Port Mann bridge (how I know I’m home)
A sunset to mark the day
A water landing that caught our eye
And Nanaimo bars among the treats from the most perfect celebration for someone dear to our hearts. ❤️

Happy shorter week maybe? Hope it’s a good one.

And also I am kind of feeling the mantra “eat dessert first” setting the tone more in my heart too. I always wish I had more photos of people we hold dear and I once again I got caught up in the moment this weekend and didn’t take enough. And my cousin told me that a harmonica is the best instrument for young kids (it always sounds good compared to things like a recorder or drums) and I think that’s good advice.