Be Still My Heart

I have spent a lot of my life not being present or "in the moment".   I am not proud of this.  I am constantly planning something: my CPA exam study plan, wedding, Italy honeymoon {you get the picture}. Because I am by nature, a planner, I probably spend most of my time thinking about the future.  This is really tough to admit, but I don't think its the best way for me to spend my time. It's really hard too, because part of me thinks, this is just how I am and there is not a whole lot I can do to change it. But - I know deep down that is not true. 

I stumbled upon this quote on pinterest and it really struck a chord with me:

Via

I am definitely not getting any younger.  So, I am going to practice living in the moment more. I think some ways I can do this are: be more spontaneous, write gratitude lists, and  focus on my breath {yoga style}. I may have googled "ways to be present". Don't judge. I did find this really good blog entry. You're welcome.

Isaac's Live Lip-Dub Proposal

Have you seen this video of a guy proposing to his girlfriend? I might have cried a little.

How the heck do people come up with this stuff? I seriously eat. this. stuff. up. If I could watch videos like this all day, I would. Trust me. 

7:00 is Too Early for a Dentist Appointment

For some reason, I always book my semi-annual dentist appointment for the 7 am slot. I guess it is so I can get to work on time and don't have to take any sick leave, vacation or make up time later. But, geez, its a little early for laying in a chair with those bright lights and trying to talk to the dentist while they ask you questions.  Why do they ask you questions when you can't talk? Anyway, I got my teeth cleaned this morning and now I seriously don't want to eat anything for the rest of the day. This is a really good diet plan.  I am also wondering if there is a predetermined time that I am not supposed to eat {i.e. for two hours after going to the dentist. But, my co-worker says that is only when you are a kid and get fluoride. Oh, right - I knew that}.

This Saturday, I am going to my usual salon {The Loft Salon and Gallery} in Downtown Seattle. I am getting my brows waxed, hair cut and colored. I decided it's time for a change so I have been cutting out pictures from magazines and looking for new hair color inspiration. It will be a surprise! What I am really excited about is getting my brows waxed. It's been six weeks since my last brow wax and I have been using this brow serum called Librow which is supposed to stimulate growth if your brows have been plucked or waxed too much. Lately, I have been obsessed with my brows. So, I splurged on this serum to try and get mine to look like Lauren Conrad's brows. She is seriously my fashion idol. Anyway, my esthetician has ordered me not to pluck one single hair on my brows and I feel like they are totally out of control. So - only 2 more days of this and then I get them waxed. She said she helped someone grow out her brows for four years. Seriously. I hope it doesn't take that long for mine to look as good as LC's.

Via Starworks Artists

Oh - I almost forgot to show you my chocolate croissant via Trader Joe's from yesterday. And yes, they look as good as they taste.  Happy Hump Day!   

Summer is Here and Weekend Recap!

I just heard that "Memorial Day weekend" is the unofficial start to Summer! I like it! The weather around Seattle has actually been quite good lately, which is nice. My friends and I have started a weekly tradition of walking around Greenlake to get some exercise instead of going out for happy hour, coffee, dinner, etc all the time. It is really fun to see all the dogs, babies, etc that I don't usually get to see during the week. And its nice to talk with my friends too!

I finally finished planning Florence and I am freaking. out. excited. Italy planning is DONE! I think we are going to buy the Florence card (50 euros each, ouch!) which lets us into 33 museums for free, without having to wait in line. Does anyone recommend this? It's relatively new, but I am curious as to how it works (i.e. is it better to make reservations at each separate museum which costs less or is it worth the extra money to be able to skip the lines? My concern is what if everyone buys the card then it defeats the whole purpose of getting in faster. Maybe I'm over thinking it.)

We spent about 24 hours in Portland this past weekend and we had a blast! It was my friend Hoku's bachelorette party! First, Jake and I had brunch at Irving St Kitchen and it was easily the best food I've ever eaten. Seriously. I had a crab cake sandwich and Jake had a burger and they were amazing! We also got some very tasty drinks. Mine was called A-riya-ana or something of the like. It was ginger beer, lime juice and bitters. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Jake got some beer. I forget what it was called.

Irving Street Kitchen

We went to a club called YOLO (which stands for "You Only Live Once")  for the festivities and we had a blast! We loved our Bellinis!

Happy Bachelorette Party, Hoku!

On our way back home to Seattle, we stopped for one last brunch. This time it was at Besaws on 23rd (one of my favorite shopping areas in Portland). Apparently it was established in 1903.  You can read about it on their website.  We met up with my friend Mel and her boyfriend Cole. I didn't take any pictures, but in case you were wondering, the food was really good too! I highly recommend it. Thanks for the wonderful suggestion, Mel! So glad we could catch up. After we got back to Seattle, we just relaxed, went grocery shopping, the usual. I definitely enjoyed relaxing and sleeping in! We went to Trader Joe's and got chocolate croissants which were delicious! I will post a pic of one tomorrow.

Besaws | on 23rd in Portland

That was my weekend in a nutshell. How was yours?

My Memorial Day Thoughts

Today is a very special holiday. Today is Memorial Day. A lot of my family members have served in the Navy including my grandma, grandpa, my Aunt Sandy and Uncle Bill.  My grandpa was a prisoner of war by the Japanese in WWII for 42 months and was give only a cup of rice a day. After he was rescued, the doctors told him he wouldn't be able to have children.  He certainly proved them wrong....he had 8 kids - 4 boys and 4 girls! Thank you for your service, grandma and grandpa, Uncle Bill and Aunt Sandy!

Aaron Milo Albers (my grandpa)

Today my grandma is participating in a Memorial Day Parade in Michigan.  She is the oldest living female veteran in St Clair County, Michigan. Love you grammy!

Louisa Albers (my grandma) in the Memorial Day Parade

Holy Exchange Rate

I have been stalking the US dollar to Euro Exchange Rate every day and when I started it was 0.75... its up to 0.7952. This is a good sign! Keep on rising, little buddy!

That is all!

Happy Weekend!

I couldn't think of anything to write about today so I am dedicating this post to my favorite flower --The peony! Take one look at my pinterest wedding board and you will know that I am obsessed. I tried so hard to get just one for my wedding bouquet last August, but they were out of season. BUT -- they are just starting to crop up here in Seattle now. I saw some at Pike Place and metro market {16.99 for four measly buds} but soon the prices will drop and I will have some of my very own peonies.

Via Jaime Lee Event Planning

Not sure if these are peonies, but they are gorg anyway | Via Style Me Pretty

In the words of Rachel Zoe, "I die"!

Via Pinterest

Have a good weekend, y'all! {Why do I suddenly feel the urge to say that on here? I never say it in real life.} I am headed to Portland tomorrow for some bachlorette party activities. I also may or may not eat some Voodoo donuts. Do you have any fun Memorial Day weekend plans?

Bacon Maple Bar at Voodoo Donuts | Via Portland: 10 things to do

XOXO,
Kim

Shoes + Feet

I have never been to Europe before...  but I already know what this trip is going to be crazy. First of all - when have I ever gone shopping like this for a vacation? I have spent so much money on new shoes, clothes, my very 1st maxi skirt, camera, tote bag {not purchased yet, but planning to} trying to prepare for 2 weeks... mind you, a vacation. First up on my list was: SHOES. I have been researching, reading, obsessing about what shoes to buy for months now. I even spent hours reading all 253 comments on one of my fave blogs.  Do you think I am crazy yet?

Well, a few weeks ago, I bite the bullet and went shopping and tried on shoes. After an hour in the Nordy's shoe department, I ended up with these bad boys:

Merrell Wonder Glove | via Nordstrom

...and for a fancier look:

Cole Haan Air Natalie | via Nordstrom

I plan to wear the 1st pair pretty much every day {on trails, hikes, adventures, travel days between cities}. I have been wearing them around Seattle on weekends to break them in. They are super comfy and I love them! The 2nd pair is for a fancier look, like dinner in the city or something. I still haven't worn them yet and I could probably take them back if I change my mind. They have Nike Air technology and they are definitely comfy, I am just not sure exactly how much I would wear them in Italy and back here for that matter. So, I am still undecided on these. I will probably keep them cause I am lazy, but I hope the little heel isn't a HUGE problem on the cobblestones and what not. I would love to hear advice from my friends that have been to Europe. Did I buy the right shoes????

Mezcaleria Oaxaca

I recently decided {came to the realization} that my favorite type of food is... Mexican! And as many of you know my favorite authentic Mexican place is in Ballard {La Carta De Oaxaca}. Well, they opened a "sister restaurant" right near my 'hood - in Queen Anne to be exact.  It's called: Mezcaleria Oaxaca. Don't ask me how to pronounce it because that, my friends, I do not know. Except I do know Oaxaca = "Wa-ha-ka".

 Jake and I decided to check it out on Saturday and it was delish! We got chips and guac (which costs extra but the guac is amazing!) and we shared a taco entree. I didn't order -- so I wasn't paying attention to what it was called...oops. {Bad blogger} Next time, next time.

But -- I did get to use Instagram on his iphone for the first time and wow - that program is really cool! Who knew there were so many cool filters? So we played around and took some photos for your enjoyment. Also click here for yelp reviews if you are interested in that kind of thing.

Feliz Cumpleanos Mi Amor

Happy Birthday to my love! 

It is Jake's first birthday since we became husband and wife and I was so excited to pick out a "happy birthday, husband" card! Tonight, we are celebrating {in style} at home. I will be making fettuccine alfredo and a special dessert surprise. Actually, for his birthday, I am taking him on a trip to Italy {wink, wink}.

I hope he doesn't read this until after dinner and dessert. Love you, husband!

New Speks

Have you seen the Coastal.com offer to get a free pair of frames (including lenses)? I claimed the offer via Facebook last week and got them in the mail today {via 3 day shipping}! Total cost was $12.90 for shipping and handling. I decided to go for a hipster dorky look! I kinda like them... plus the price was right!

Thoughts? If you haven't already ordered your free pair - you should totally do it! Look for Coastal.com on Facebook, but the offer expires soon {end of May}.

My New Best Friend

We only met yesterday, but I can already tell she is going to be my new best friend. {Yes, I refer to inanimate objects/websites as he or she. Also all dogs are male "puppies" and all cats are female "kitties". I also refer to our apartment as our "house" regularly}. Anyway -- Have you heard of Trip It? It lets you plan your entire trip by entering your info manually or.... you just forward your confirmation emails directly to them and it populates the info for you! Cool, huh? Sorry the screen shot below is so small, but you get the idea right? You can add flights, trains, hotel accommodations, restaurants and activities. I probably don't even know half of the stuff it can do, but I am in awe and super excited to utilize this planning tool to the fullest.

Needless to say, I am obsessed. Shout out to my co-worker Roen and her girlfriend Felicia who told me about it. I am pretty sure I spent 4+ hours on the site yesterday. Oops. Now, I can abandon my old itinerary spreadsheet and use this exclusively. They also have an app, but we won't be using our phones (most likely, except for emergencies). I am one happy vacation-planning lady!

Happy weekend!
XOXO, Kim

P.S. By promising to "post daily" in my first entry, I meant to say Monday - Friday and occasionally on the weekend. Basically, whenever banks are open. I am keeping banker's hours on my blog. And not a hometown credit union that's open on Saturdays either.

I Thought This Was Supposed To Be a Vacation

I had that dream again last night. The only I have all the time when I am stressed or worrying about something. In the dream I am in college again and I don't know my class schedule. So, I am panicking and don't know where or when I'm supposed to go to class. It's awful. And of course, I usually wake up in the middle of the night and then go right back into the same dream when I fall asleep again. I hate that!

Well, folks, we are planning our honeymoon which is only 48 days away {We fly out on the 4th of July} and I am so excited, happy, anxious, that I am beyond words! So, it is truly a very exciting time and I am absolutely thrilled that we are even able to go on this amazing trip. But - planning it is stressful. I cannot imagine taking this trip right after planning a wedding - I would just be so overwhelmed.  Since Jake has been really busy lately with working full time and teaching a class at Seattle U, so I am taking the reins on planning our itinerary each day.

We are staying in Sorrento, Rome, Florence, Lake Como (!), and Venice. Our trip will be 14 days but I am taking 2.5 weeks off work! From Sorrento, we will be doing day trips to Capri (to see the Blue Grotto and the rest of the island) and Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. From Florence, we will take a day trip to Cinque Terre. We will be stopping in Milan (just to pick up our rental car) and we Jake will be driving to Lake Como. I am a little scared about that, but Jake isn't phased. Overall, I couldn't be more excited because going to Italy has been our dream for so long. When we first met, we made a list of all the places we wanted to travel to (I still have it somewhere on the back of a receipt). Neither of us has been to Europe so this is really going to be the trip of a lifetime. Katie from Ever After Honeymoons planned the trip for us and she has been an awesome resource for my million questions (more on that later). I believe she will plan other trips (not just honeymoons), so contact her if you are interested in her help. I highly recommend!

Italy | Via greenlikebathwater

But, when you have a limited amount of time in each place, it is tough to narrow down everything you want to see. There is just not enough time in the day. Also, Jake and my vacation styles are a little different. I want to get out, explore, see the art, and Jake is more of a relax, lay by the pool and read a book kind of guy. I think we will have plenty of  time to do that in Lake Como, but the other destinations will probably be packed with sightseeing. The other thing is that we can always skip something if we don't feel like it. As my wise friend Megan once said, it's better to plan the entire day and then subtract as opposed to wasting time to figure out where/what you want to do next and then missing out on seeing some of the really important things that you really wanted to do or see.

I have many spreadsheets {Yes, I am a dork with a budget} with our daily itineraries and cost estimates and the only city I have left to plan is Florence. Jake is in charge of planning Lake Como and our day in Cinque Terre, which shouldn't be too bad. Man, am I excited for the food and wine. I just booked our tickets for the Vatican Museum in Rome and that's when it really hit me for the first time -- this is really happening! It's kind of like wedding planning for months and then finally trying on the dress, it feels more real.  Here is my pinterest honeymoon board for more Italy inspiration.  I just saw this on MSN.com today - Top 20 Honeymoon Destinations and guess where #1 is???

Trevi Fountain | Rome, Italy

Guilty Pleasures

Via Style Me Pretty

I know we all have them. For me it includes, browsing wedding blogs long after my own wedding. I am not sure I  will ever stop looking at these blogs. They are amazing! Like crazy creative! Some of the things people think of really just blows my mind. I will also admit that I have a "wedding" pinterest board and I opened my pinterest account after I got married. Don't hate. Are you on pinterest? That is another one of my guilty pleasures! I can spend hours on that site. It is definitely the new black.

Keeping Up With The Kardashians (KUTK) | Via Kim's Official Website

My other guilty pleasure which I Indulged in last night is... watching any show that has the Kardashians in it. There, I said it. I am slightly embarrassed, but not enough that I wouldn't admit it to the whole wide internet world.  We watched the Season Finale of Khloe & Lamar last night, but I am getting excited about the beginning of KUTK Season 7!! I think those girls are gorgeous. Yeah, sometimes they are annoying, but they kinda have to be or we wouldn't watch the show. Probably some of it is fake (I can't deny that), but at least I stopped watching Jersey Shore after Season 1.  That show was a REAL train wreck.

Well, there you have it folks. Two of my guilty pleasures. Anyone care to share their own guilty pleasures?    

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Some of my friends have told me that I like to "promote" things that I like to the point where they feel like they are on The Truman Show. I am completely serious. I actually thought that comparison was pretty funny - but I still do it to this day.

Some of my favorite things are:

Tide Pen (am I right?)

Peanut Butter Puffins Cereal

All Small N Mighty Detergent (I like how they are all lined up like a gang of superheroes).

..and no, I was not compensated to say those things above. I just love to tell my friends about things I love. :) The main reason for the post was to tell you all how much I love my.... KINDLE! It is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Jake and I both unknowingly bought each other kindles for Christmas 2011 and it was a complete surprise to both of us. We filmed ourselves opening our gifts, I kind of want to watch our video to see my reaction. I feel like that should be on a commercial or something. Maybe Amazon will see this and give us free stuff?

Many of you might know that I am an avid reader and I was pretty skeptical about the kindle at first. I like the touch and feel of a book in my hand and there is real research that shows the number of books in a parent's home affects how educated their children become. My aunt also told me this story about my cousin -- in elementary school, she was assigned a homework task: She had to come home and physically count how many books were in their home.  If you know my aunt, who is a teacher, she has literally thousands of books and there was no way that my little cousin could count them all in one night. When she got to school the next day, one of her classmates asked the teacher if the phone book counted towards her book count because that was the only one she could find! :( Needless to say, books are very important to me. But, as technology changes I am definitely embracing the kindle. I have been able to borrow books from the Seattle Public Library -- and its amazing. You just put your name on the waitlist (if there is one), get an email when the kindle book becomes available for you, download it wireless through Amazon.com and there you have it! Ready to read in 5 minutes! And you get to borrow it for 21 days and... here is the best part... it returns itself automatically and you can never get charged late fees! Amazing! I love it! I cannot wait to use it on our honeymoon - I will probably read several books during those two weeks (at least for the 15 hr plane ride there and back.... ughhhh...). I also wanted to share some of my favorite reads lately (all free from the library):

The Poisoner's Handbook

The Night Circus

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Have you read any of these? By the way -- Are you on goodreads.com? If not - you should sign up! Think of it as Netflix for books but without the rental part. You just rate books that you have already read and it suggests books that you would be interested in based on your ratings. Share your favorite reads in the comment section below!

Hello Internet!

My name is Kimberly and I live with my husband in Seattle, Washington.  By day, I am an accountant and by night, I like to take naps really late and then I can't fall asleep at a normal time.

I am pretty excited to start this thing up. I have been wanting to start a blog... forever but just haven't gotten around to doing it (plus all the good names are taken!). I decided to name my blog "vintage modern" because that was the theme of my wedding and it really describes me as a person as far as my aesthetic. More of my wedding story here. I know everyone is probably sick of looking at our wedding pictures, but I thought I would post the link just in case someone hasn't seen them yet.

Here are some of my goals for this blog:

1. Post daily. (I know, that's coming on a little strong, but I want to set the bar high). I also promise to use proper punctuation, and not type liKE tHiS or all lowercase. This is mostly for my brother's sake, but I actually think the trendy thing right now is to "write proper."  I should probably watch how often I use the quote marks too.
2. Share "the little things" so that my friends and family that live far away can get a glimpse into my daily life.
3. Give back to the blogging community. I have relied on blogs for almost anything you can think of: from how to create a sock bun (I'm wearing one today, google it) to planning our Italian honeymoon (more on that later). I mean, come on, there is so much out there on the internet. So, now I want to offer some of my perspective.
4. Once I get an iPhone later this summer, I will be able to post cool pictures from Instagram. Stay tuned. 

Are you ready, world?!?