lopez

I went up to Lopez with the Megans for a quick, but much needed, getaway. We had a very nice, relaxing weekend. A fun dinner at The Islander, coffee at Isabel’s, wine tasting at the vineyard, a little March Madness at The Galley, yummy sandwiches at Vita’s, completed a 1000 piece puzzle (believe me, this was not easy!!), a yummy fajita dinner with delicious wine – a special bottle that I have been saving for quite some time, smores, a little dance party, earth hour (we turned the lights off for a whole hour!!), walks on the beach, and lots of pictures!! I had a great time practicing my travel photography skills -- getting ready for Paris and Istanbul :)

Lopez is such a special place and it’s so nice to be able to share it with my friends. Can’t wait to get up there again.

more

My grandma and I have a special little routine when we get off the phone or whenever we tell each other I love you. It started a VERY long time ago (probably when I was four or five and would try to find a way to prolong bedtime as long as I could). She says, “I love you” and I say, “I love you MORE.” And then she says, “No no no, Brianna, I love YOU more.” We go back and forth like this for as long as we can before we absolutely have to hang up the phone, or it’s really time to go to bed, or one of us has to get on the train or the airplane and go home. I don’t know who loves the other person more, but I know that we both love each other very very much.

We found out last Sunday that my grandma has brain cancer. My family is in shock and we are very scared for her and for my grandpa. I wish I could be there with them right now. She is such an amazing person with more faith than anyone I know and she is so special to me. I am praying with all my heart for her comfort and for my grandpa’s strength.

I am so lucky to have the four most amazing grandparents in the world.

erin go bragh

My mom made a delicious Irish stew to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. So good!

here is the church. and here is the steeple.

I was really excited about how these pictures turned out. I went to the water tower in Volunteer Park last week to see if it was still open to walk to the top. It was and there were some great views! Unfortunately, there are fences and bars that block most of them, but I was able to get these shots of Holy Names and St. Joe's.

hakuna matata

I saw The Lion King at the Paramount with my mom and dad on Saturday night. It was absolutely AMAZING!! I still get chills when I think about how good it was. The music, the set and the costumes were incredible and so were all the actors. I can't pick a favorite part or character because was all so good. Thank you, mom and dad!!

a little reminder

I got lost yesterday afternoon. I was coming back into Seattle from my friend Megan’s grandma’s funeral. It was a beautiful service and I am happy I was able to attend and spend some time with her family. They are an amazing family with amazing spirit. I guess I was a little distracted and lost in my thoughts, because I took a wrong turn and ended up on another freeway that I have never been on before. Although I was really frustrated to be lost and have no idea where I was or where I was going and thinking about all I had to do that afternoon, it turned into a little blessing. I have been waiting and waiting for the cherry blossoms to bloom. I am ready for spring and some sunshine!! I always say that fall is my favorite season, and it really is, but I do like spring a lot too. I love all the pretty colors, especially the pink flowers on the cherry trees around UW. As I took another exit and tried to find a place to turn around, a little flash of pink caught my eye – the first cherry blossoms of the season!! I pulled over, grabbed my camera and took a couple pictures. There were only three blossoms on the whole tree, but they were so pretty. Getting lost was a little reminder that there is so much to be thankful for and that it is important to stop and notice the little things.