August in Review

Wow, August flew by, didn't it? September here we come! I'm so ready for fall, I simply can't wait for boots, scarves, pumpkin lattes and falling leaves.

Here are a few things that made August so fun!

Tommy and I had such a great time at the Lynden Fair. 

Blueberry picking! Nom nom nom.

Megan and Adam's wedding was so beautiful!

Are you ready for fall, or still holding on to the last moments of summer?

denim & dots

Tank: Gap

Skirt: Forever21

Jacket: Delia's

Shoes: Consigned

Today I headed home to celebrate my mom's birthday. August is a big month for birthday's, my sister Amber's was the 21st, my mom's today, and Tommy's is on Saturday. It's fun to have so many celebrations so close together, but my wallet may disagree! 

Today we ate some delicious coconut cake after having dinner at Olive Garden. I hadn't eaten there in forever, and was actually pleasantly surprised how good it was! I now understand all the love people have for their breadsticks. 

Ohhhh yeaaaah, giant coconut cake!

wood walls

Yikes...it has been quiet around here. But every now and then life happens, you know? Today I spent the day in Seattle attending a Clinique strategy class. Every few months Clinique has a class to teach consultants about new products coming out. It's always a pretty fun time, but having to drive down to Seattle at 7:00 am really wears you out!

Right now I am vegging on the couch before heading out to watch Tommy play a show. As I sit in my living room I'm staring at dark, wood panel walls. I love just about everything about my house...except for the walls. If I had my way, I would paint them, but alas I'm a renter. They just seem to make everything very dark and brown. I'm not a brown person at all.

Yes, the above picture is a little extreme; my entire house is not filled with wooden items. But, I didn't have to move anything to get that shot either. So, I have been scouring the internet for ideas on how to work around wood paneled walls, and while I haven't found inspiration with a room that has ALL wood walls, these rooms have given me some ideas!

starting top left, going clockwise: mint peach, apartment therapy, emily a clark, one kind design, design sponge,

Do you guys have wood paneled walls? Love them, hate them? I love, but only in moderation!

happy birthday amber!

When my sister Amber was born, I asked my mom if we could take her back (no joke). I was five at the time, and must have thought having a baby sister was going to be a lot different. As we grew up, we went through ups and downs. It was all normal sister stuff, and being five years apart meant we were always at very different developmental periods. 

When I was in 5th grade, she was in kindergarden and wanted to hang out with me and my friends. It got worse as I went into middle school; I think it was a combination of me being a bitchy middle schooler, and her being a little kid, full of energy. Unfortunately, I remember not being very nice to her during this time. 

I'm not quite sure when our relationship started to turn around. Amber got older and more mature, and so did I. I started to see her as an ally and an equal instead of the little girl trying to tag along. She developed strong opinions and a wicked sense of humor. All of a sudden she was my favorite shopping buddy, a person to confide in, and somebody who was both similar and completely different than me. All of a sudden she became my best friend. 

It has truly been so fun to watch you grow up, Amber. I am so thankful to have such a brave, hilarious and beautiful little sister. I can't wait to see where you go, and what you accomplish in the next few years. Love you. 

Happy, happy birthday. 

Graduation Announcements

My dad's side of the family all lives in the midwest, which kinda sucks because we rarely get to see them. So when my cousin got married in California and some family decided to swing by Seattle on their way to the wedding, we were all super excited! 

My aunt Britta is an extremely awesome photographer, and because I had graduated the week before, I asked if she could take a few photos of me for graduation announcements. The weather made it difficult, but she was able to get some great shots that I loved! She was also kind enough to design them for me too. You can find her beautiful photos on her blog, and the post about my grad announcements here. Thanks again Britta, you seriously rock!

My week on instagram

Spolier alert: I saw a wild owl. 

instagram @amandakerz

Top to bottom, left to right.

1. My aunt made my graduation announcements, and they turned out so great! No thanks to UPS though, as they put my package in the bushes where they sat for a week. 

2. Atticus loves to lounge on my computer when I'm trying to use it. It's cute, but gets kinda annoying. 

3. At first I was surprised the fortune cookie predicted that I was about to watch a movie. But then again, I  did order takeout. 

4. Somehow I rationalized this as a healthy breakfast. I mean, it has fruit ...and whipped cream has less sugar than syrup. Right?

5. Looking out the window.

6. Cat show at the Lynden Fair. I like cats...but participating in a cat show is on a whole other level. 

7. Ferris wheel.

8. A Moowich, aka giant ice cream sandwich.

9. Drink after work.

10. Atticus and I went to the vet to get shots and test for feline leukemia (negative!). He then slept for over an hour. 

11. Sunset on Bellingham Bay.

12. YOU GUYS. I saw a wild owl. I'm not sure if this is common in other areas of the country, but I have only seen owls at the zoo. Tommy and I were driving home from dinner when I saw it. The owl was sitting so perfectly on a sign, I thought it was fake. We turned around to be sure and I'm so glad we did! It was huge with black spooky eyes, just sitting on a sign by the side of the road in broad daylight. Very surreal. Gahh, why didn't I bring my camera to dinner? 

heat & hearts

Dress: Forever21

Shoes: Consigned 

Necklace: Vintage

It has been super hot the past few days. And by super hot, I mean upper 80's and lower 90's.  I know for most of you that isn't a big deal. But here in the Pacific Northwest, we are total babies. Under 40 degrees? Freezing. Over 80? Yup, melting from the heat. I acknowledge my total intolerance for extreme weather. Do I still complain? Yuuuppp. Today was 88 degrees in Bellingham, and I was happy to be at work in the air conditioning.

Todays agenda: clean the house, get crafty, drink a smoothie, finish Feast for Crows, buy Dance with Dragons, and send out some more grad announcements (better two months late than never!)

Lynden Fair

Every year when I was little, my mom, grandma, sister and I would head out to the fair. We would ride the Tilt-a-Whirl, eat a brick of curly fries, get our faces painted (I usually got a unicorn), play a few games and look at all the animals.

Now that I'm older, the fair has lost some of its magic. Paying for parking is a drag (oh, and paying for everything else), trying to squeeze through the crowds can get super annoying, and now I wonder about how safely the rides are assembled.

All that being said, Tommy and I headed out to the Lynden Fair today.  The food is still amazing in an artery clogging kinda way, the people watching is top notch, and lots of baby animals!

Oh man, that cookie ice cream sandwich was so good! The only real disappointment of the night was not being able to walk through the horse barns. They were closed while they saddled them up for dressage. Boo. 

Heart was playing at the fair that night, and while waiting in line for some lemonade the lady infront of me turns around and asks, "Heart...what do they play again?" I was a little surprised by the question, but responded, "Oh you know... Barracuda!" She didn't know the song, and responded, "Oh..I must be the wrong generation" She was 40-50. No lady, you're the perfect generation. If anything, I shouldn't know who Heart is.

Megan and Adam's Wedding

On Saturday Tommy and I attended my friend Megan's wedding to her high school sweetheart, Adam. It all took place at Stepping Stones Garden in Burlington, a completely charming venue full of flowers, ivy and rustic details. The weather was perfect, the food was amazing and the ceremony was both full of love and humor. Congrats Megan and Adam!

I totally dropped the ball on taking photos while the wedding was happening, but because I got there early to do Megan's makeup I had plenty of time to snap shots of the beautiful venue! I also totally forgot to have somebody take a picture of Tommy and I...does anybody else constantly forget to ask to have pictures taken with their significant other? Ugh.

my week on instagram

Oops, this post is a day late, but I have a feeling you'll forgive me :). 

Find me on instagram @amandakerz

Top to bottom, left to right.

1. HUGE blueberry!

2. Collection of vintage soda bottles.

3. Heart of Bellingham.

4. Atticus loves to be on my computer when I'm trying to use it. Which I tooootally love as well. 

5. Went blueberry picking!

6. Sometimes your morning coffee needs to be fancy.

7. Went and saw Sigur Ros in Seattle!

8. Sigur Ros. Such an amazing show!

9. After the concert, Tommy and I went and had a burger at Dick's Drive-In. 

10. Atticus is going through that feisty kitty stage, but I love when he gets all sleepy and cuddly.

11.Attended my friend Megan's wedding on Saturday, post coming tomorrow!

12. The lovely cupcake tower at the wedding. Yum!

reminiscing

I have been looking at a lot of old photos lately. It's fun revisiting memories you haven't thought about in a long time. In particular I have been looking at pictures of Tommy and I; we have done so much growing up together!

One of my favorite experiences we have shared together is a trip we took to San Francisco in 2010. It was our first big trip together, and we had so much fun being tourists in a new city. I can't wait for us to plan another trip soon!