Sunny Saturday and Surf Ballard

Mr. F and I got up early today and went for a nice, long 6 mile walk along Alki in West Seattle. There was a great breeze and it felt warm, yet not over 75 degrees. I missed a spot along my tank top strap, when applying SPF 45 and got a mild sunburn. Apparently the Seafair pirates were also landing on Alki Beach today! We stayed away from the major crowds but it looked like a blast!  After a delicious sushi lunch at Chinoise, we met up with Nichole to go paddle boarding in Puget Sound. We rented boards and paddles from Surf Ballard, and walked across to the street to Shilshole Bay Beach Club (coincidently where Mr. F and I got married!) 

(The purple tables are where our reception took place August 2nd, 2008!)

We had so much fun.  The weather was perfect and the water wasn't as cold as we expected! We all remembered the infamous Friends episode of what to do when you get stung by a jellyfish. Fortunately, we just saw them from on top of our boards and no one touched them! And not to worry, we all had waterproof SPF 70 on!!

After a hardy workout, we came home and barbecued Ahi Tuna! We also had just a splash of Dusted Valley 2009 Rose.  It was divine!

Happy weekend, everyone!

Love my new haircut!

I love the look and style of my hair after going to the hair salon! Today I left work early, when it was only 87 degrees outside, and drove to Madison Park to get my haircut.  I was tempted to cut all my hair off, but Heather the hairstylist reminded me, longer hair is less work. After a delicious air conditioned session and a blowout that my stylist called "the Victoria's Secret Look", I stepped out into 95 degree weather. Seriously? How is it this hot in Seattle?!?!?

 Mr F and I had a movie date and my hair still looks phenomenal in this heat and humidity. Normally, I'm a low maintenance girl, as in, I let my hair air dry with a little fancy Aveda product, or sometimes the latest new spray gel/mousse combination on sale at the grocery store. Thus, getting my hair styled is such a treat! Thank goodness I had a gift certificate to Salon Dallas!

I'm dreaming of a....

...Shopping Spree!

I first saw mention of these adorable heart pumps on Twitter, so I follow the link to the Dog n' Bird blog. BUT Mr. F and I just picked out a hotel for Prague, thus, we vowed not to shop for anything besides food this month.

Why do all these clothes and cute shops taunt me so?

Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere is modeling for the clothing store, Planet Blue. How cute are these outfits along the Santa Monica pier? The Chloe and Reese strapless dress is a perfect shade of pink!

Emersonmade has a new clothing line, available in small batches as of August 2010! Isn't the Pockets Confetti party dress fun and sweet? Plus, Kind Over Matter is having a giveaway featuring the String-Ring! I really hope I'm lucky enough to win it, because I'd love to own one! 

Yikes, I'm a shopaholic!

A view over Prague

A view over Prague
Originally uploaded by cuellar

WE MADE OUR HOTEL RESERVATIONS for September! I'm so excited!!!

More summer outfit cuteness!!

Oh la la! I'm inspired by the white hot and red stripe dress that Jessica Alba is wearing to post about more summer clothes I'm adoring this month. Isn't she so cute with her daughter and awesome green gladiator sandals, crossing the street in Paris. [source] My other favorite fashionista, Rachel Bilson, looked classic and cute earlier this summer in Cannes with her modified tuxedo. [source] Is she staying on her tip toes, or wearing invisible heels?

I'm currently eyeing an Anthropologie number called the "Traced Twirls Dress". It has that vintage flair with tiny polka dots that I just adore. Anything with swiss dot material makes me swoon, like this beautiful blouse, appropriately named the Raccoon Rumpus Blouse.

What lovely summer items are on your wish list?

Pink Parisian Summer Style and Sundresses

 The always amazing Jessica Alba is wearing a perfect sundress in Paris. May I have this outfit and shoes please? [source] I think I could imitate her messy up-do hair style, at least! And guess where she's going?  The Christian Dior Runway Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2011 show!  It seems the Willie Wonka hair is in fashion but I personally like the pink sparkles. I kind of like this dress too, although I can't think of an appropriate event to wear this masterpiece to, nor the excuse to primp/pimp my hair out.  [source]

Gossip Girl Parisian summer fashion is intriguing and pink too, although it may be a bit much for the grey Seattle weather.  What fashion finds, or styles, have you been noticing this summer?

Kayaking for my sister's 24th birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Janie!  I'm so happy we  got to celebrate together with kayaking, donuts, and a trip to REI! Mr. F and I had a great time kayaking on Lake Union. We love taking pictures with the Space Needle in the background. 

We went on a houseboat and barge tour around Gasworks Park and Northlake.  We saw jumping fish, cute ducks, and an adorable puppy!  If you're ever in Seattle, and you want to go kayaking, check out Northwest Outdoor Center!

Here's a map of Lake Union where we kayaked! We started in Westlake, crossed to Eastlake then paddled up to Northlake.  [If you're interested in floating homes, the Seattle Real Estate Blog has a great guide.] We had such a good time, we plan to rent kayaks and make it to Lake Washington later this summer!

Fireworks and sundresses

The rain yesterday eased up a little before 10pm, so Mr. F and I decided to venture out a few blocks away to watch the fireworks from the top of the hill. Our grand plan of running around the lake and watching the fireworks in my parents backyard, had been washed away, literally.  Fortunately, we had a great family style, fried chicken dinner with my grandparents at the Hi-Life which was delicious and way more fun than barbecuing in the rain. 

Here are my favorite shots from Lake Union's fireworks display last night. I finally figured out how to use the fireworks option on my camera and it's awesome.

Today, Mr. F is making eggs in ramekins with ham and munster cheese.  I can't wait for breakfast. While they cook I'm looking up summer dresses on Lesley Evers. I've recently discovered this lovely site from Starfish and Sundresses! There's a great discount for readers of Starfish and Sundresses. I'm very tempted to get the Paige dress in Navy Florette. What do you think?

American Love

American Love
Originally uploaded by Will Foster Photography

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! It's T-minus 53 minutes until the fireworks in Seattle!

Happy Fourth of July!

Mr. F and I stayed up passed midnight (this is highly unusual for us) playing Rock Band with Nichole. It was awesome. Before I get some shut eye, I just wanted to wish you all a HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! [P.S. If you like these patriotic balloons, you can find them and more at BalloonManiacs.com!]

When we wake up, we're planning on getting some barbecue items together, getting a run in around Lake Union, and meeting up with friends to watch the fireworks! There's a neat Seattle Times video that shows how amazing the fireworks preparation is on Lake Union and the story behind the funding this year! I also had no idea that "Time magazine has called the Family 4th at Lake Union one of the Top Five fireworks displays in the country"! [The following photos are from the fireworks display above Gasworks Park on Lake Union last year, taken by my pal, Janelle.]

 There's also more cool fireworks facts on family4th.org:

*How high up a firework will fly depends on its size. The spherical shells used in the Family 4th at Lake Union range from three inches in diameter (roughly the size of a baseball) to 10 inches (slightly smaller than a basketball). A simple rule of thumb in calculating how high a firework will ascend before it explodes is 100 feet of altitude for every inch of shell diameter, so a 10-inch shell explodes 1,000 feet in the air.

*The easiest color to produce in pyrotechnics is thought to be gold—a straight mixture of charcoal and black powder. In fact, gold coloring was the first visual effect fireworks ever had. However, gold can also be one of the hardest colors to perfect.

*What makes the weeping willow effect in a firework? Charcoal burns longer than explosive black powder's other ingredients. It is bits of charcoal—like the glowing embers in your barbecue - that drift slowly down to create the weeping willow effect.

Last year the fireworks were phenomenal in my parents backyard, this is my Dad falling asleep even though the fireworks were loud enough to set car alarms off. It was way past his bed time!

What are you doing to celebrate Independence Day?

Happiness can be found with ice cream

~Ice Cream Cone with Many Colored Scoops
Originally uploaded by ~Devil's Angel~

I'm on the search for ice cream this weekend. Do you have a favorite flavor? Do you prefer gelato to ice cream? I love this quote I found on 'From Portland to Peonies', "You can't buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream, which is kinda of the same thing".

If I got a dog, it would be....

Originally uploaded by ColorMeKatie

a super hero Shiba Inu, like in this photo!