wedding weekend recap

Posted on May 13, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Tuesday, friends! It is glorious, warm, sunny weather here in the Bay and I am soaking it up! I love reading outside in the sunshine under the trees. Currently I’m in the middle of the epic historical drama Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. What books are you reading and loving right now?

As promised, here are some pictures from my whirlwind weekend at home for my cousin Julie’s wedding!

On Saturday morning, Allyn and I met up with Erica and her boyfriend Kyle for brunch, where we feasted on amazing food {my raspberry + white chocolate pancakes were to die for} and enjoyed over two hours of laugh-filled conversation. It always fills my heart to see this girl!

Then on Saturday afternoon we headed to the Mandalay Beach Resort for Julie and Chris’s wedding ceremony on the beach! It was a beautiful day, and thankfully the wind died down during the ceremony… the atmosphere was peaceful and calm. Julie looked absolutely breathtaking as she walked down the aisle, and my eyes filled with tears when I saw the way Chris looked at her. It was a lovely ceremony!

As soon as the ceremony ended, the wind kicked up, as you can see below! I love this family photo though because we are all laughing.

I made sure to hold my dress down in all the pictures, feeling a bit like Marilyn Monroe!

After the ceremony, there was an outdoor cocktail hour and I took the opportunity to snap some photos in between noshing on bacon-wrapped scallops, ahi tuna wontons, cheese and crackers, and sipping on a Shirley Temple! {It’s been years since I’ve had a Shirley Temple, and it was calling to me!}

I love this photo of my parents:

This is classic my dad — putting bunny ears on Gramps! Haha.

So happy to get to spend time with my handsome brother:

When cocktail hour wound down, we all headed into the hotel ballroom for the reception. The food was delicious: Mom, Allyn and I opted for the filet mignon, garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus, and Dad and Greg had salmon with a blackberry glaze and wild rice and green beans. YUM! After heartfelt toasts to the bride and groom, we had a blast dancing the night away. My family is so much fun on the dance floor, making up goofy moves. My mom especially is a dancing fool at weddings … it’s a side of her I don’t otherwise see except at wedding receptions, and I absolutely love it! She is the cutest.

Before the night was over, we made sure to snap some more pictures. I love this one of me and Gramps:

And this one with my sweetheart, who was so wonderful meeting my big crazy family:

Woodburn family photo, take 2:

And of course the night wouldn’t be complete without a silly photo bomb from Pops! Haha, I love this one:

The weekend went by much too quickly, but it was jam-packed with fun! What a blessing to have so many of the people I love together in the same place.

Congrats Julie + Chris! We love you and are so happy and excited for your new life together as husband and wife! ❤

Questions of the day:

What was the last wedding you went to?
What is your favorite thing about going to a wedding?

happy mother’s day!!! + goals for the week of 5/11

Posted on May 11, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Mother’s Day, everyone! I feel so lucky that I get to spend part of today at home with my amazing mama. She is one of the sweetest, most kindhearted people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing, and getting to grow up {and, let’s be honest, I’m still learning and growing!} with her as my mom and role model feels like winning the lottery. I love you, Mom!

I hope that you are getting to do something extra-special to celebrate the mothers in your life today! We are making brunch for my mom: nothing fancy, just toast, bacon, fruit salad, and her favorite scrambled eggs with veggies + potatoes. {But if you’re looking for fancy, scroll down to the end of this post for some drool-worthy brunch recipes!} Here is a post I wrote a couple years ago about trying to do little things to celebrate Mother’s Day every day.

It has truly been a fantastic weekend at home with my family and friends, celebrating my cousin Julie’s wedding! Recap post coming soon, stay tuned. 🙂

In the meantime… it’s time for goals!

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– ~~write eight pages~~
– ~~send out three query letters/submissions~~
– finish midterm evals of students
– ~~finish reading The Kitchen God’s Wife~~
– ~~go to one yoga class~~
– ~~have an amazing time celebrating Julie + Chris’s wedding!~~

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write ten pages
– send out three query letters/submissions
– finish midterm evals of students
– read up to page 400 in Wolf Hall
– go to two yoga classes
– connect with two friends

And here are some fantastic brunch recipes:
– cornmeal waffles with blackberry compote via Two Peas & Their Pod
– raspberry almond scones via Two Peas & Their Pod
– blueberry multigrain french toast bake via The Pajama Chef
– healthy vegan banana bread via the real-life rd
– sweet potato muffins via Peanut Butter Fingers
– snickerdoodle bread via Chew Out Loud
– my own french toast bake based on The Pioneer Woman’s recipe {I need to make this again sometime! it was ridiculously good!}

Questions of the day:

How are you celebrating Mother’s Day?
What are your goals for this upcoming week?
What recipes are you drooling over lately?

This post is featured on Menu Plan Monday!

fabulous friday #21

Posted on May 9, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Hi, friends! Happy TGIF! Hope you’re up to something fun this weekend!

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

1. Being home with this cutie. Mr. Mur-dog, how I missed you!

2. And, of course, I’m loving being home with the rest of my family! My parents and brother are three of my very favorite people in the universe, and anytime we all get to be together feels like SUCH a gift. I am treasuring every moment!

3. Allyn is in town visiting too! He’s coming as my date to my cousin Julie’s wedding tomorrow. I’m excited to show him around my hometown, and we’re meeting up with Erica and her bf Kyle for brunch tomorrow. Can’t wait!

4. Going out to eat at my favorite Ventura restaurants. Nom nom!

5. Julie’s wedding! Her bachelorette party last night was a blast and I felt honored to be included. I love my cousins dearly; we grew up together and went all through school together, and they are practically like sisters to me. Now that we are grown and scattered across the country, it’s a rare treat for us all to be together. Julie had a wonderful, relaxing bachelorette slumber party hosted by her sister Amanda — lots of talking, laughing, and catching up over CPK pizza and homemade cupcakes! Julie is a beautiful person inside and out and I know she is going to be an absolutely stunning bride tomorrow.

On the dance floor at Amanda’s wedding this past summer…

Questions of the morning:

What are you loving right now?
What are your plans for this weekend?
What was the last wedding you attended?

fabulous friday #18

Posted on April 11, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

It’s Friiiiiiidaaaayyy!! Hope you’re having a great one!

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

1. My new part-time job teaching writing and public speaking classes for middle school kids! I taught my first classes on Wednesday afternoon and had an absolute blast. I feel so lucky to be able to spend time teaching and building confidence in these amazing young people! I’m already getting excited to teach my seventh annual Write On! Summer Writing Camp this July.

2. The informal “book club” that my mom and I have started. A couple years ago, my mom made it her New Year’s Resolution to read more, and she started reading every day at work during her lunch break. Now she reads dozens of novels a year and she always recommends the best books to me! I love reading and talking about books with her. It’s a great way to stay close and connected even though we live far away.

One of my favorites of the books she’s recommended is Me Before You by JoJo Moyes. This is a tear-jerker {you’ve been warned! grab the tissues!} It is such a beautiful, well-written story — and extremely hard to put down, especially once you get to know the characters! Mom recommended it to me and once I finished it I passed the book along to my Aunt Annie, who said she was reading it at her hair appointment and two other women came up to her and raved about how much they loved it. When Annie finished it she gave it to my grandma, who just finished it last night, so now she and I have been talking about it too. I think it’s safe to say that we would all highly recommend this book!

3. My cousin Arianna rocked her drama performance last night! I am so proud of her. She absolutely *shines* onstage! Here is a video I took of her singing “Seasons of Love” for the show’s finale.

4. Speaking of great singers: Sara Bareilles’ new single “I Choose You” has been bopping around on the radio {and in my head!} all week. Oh my goodness, you guys, I can’t get enough of this song! It’s so catchy. Love her.

5. Baseball season! I had such a great time at the A’s game last weekend with Allyn & his family. Sunshine + hot dog + A’s win = happiness!

Now I’m off to tackle my to-do list before the weekend! Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Questions of the morning:

What are you loving right now?
What are your plans for this weekend?
Have you read any good books lately?

fabulous friday #17

Posted on April 4, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy TGIF, friends! I hope you have fun plans in store for this spring weekend!

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

1. My incredibly supportive, thoughtful and generous friends and family. I’m still on Cloud Nine after my Steinbeck Fellows reading on Wednesday night! My mom and grandparents came, as did Dana and her sweet mom Lynn, and Allyn took time out of his busy schedule to be there.

2. My dad. Yeah, he gets his own number 🙂 Some of you might remember when I had my first Steinbeck Fellows reading back in December, and he drove up with me after Thanksgiving to be there {and we also went to a wonderful talk by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns the next night!} Well, the arrangement was that he would stay home this time to take care of Mr. Mur-dog, while my mom came to the reading to support me.

Looking back now, I probably should have expected him to do what he did. Here are two facts about my dad: 1) He loves surprises; and 2) He has never missed a single performance or big event of mine, not even back in second grade when I was the lead in our class play and he came to ALL four performances even though it meant he had to miss a big event for work.

So there I was on Wednesday night, chatting with people at the dinner in the Steinbeck Center before the reading, when I felt two familiar hands over my eyes… I turned, not able to believe it. My dad! That was one of the best hugs of my life.

My dad drove 5+ hours to surprise me and be there for my reading! And then after the reading he turned back around and drove the 5+ hours home so Mr. Mur-dog wouldn’t be left alone overnight. He said simply, “You know I couldn’t have missed your big night!” It was such an incredible surprise — a memory I will always look back on and cherish. I love you, Daddy!

3. These beautiful flowers that Dana and her mom gave me. They are brightening up the kitchen, making me smile every time I walk by!

4. This video made me cry in a good way: http://www.upworthy.com/a-pregnant-woman-learns-her-baby-has-down-syndrome-people-who-have-it-answer-her-one-big-question-2

5. And this new Ingrid Michaelson song always makes me smile & dance in the car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsvKT8vsgF4

Today is shaping up to be a “taking care of business” workday, which will balance out the all-play-and-hardly-any-work plans I have for the weekend. Looking forward to spending time with friends, putting in quality time on my yoga mat, and soaking up some sunshine at the A’s game on Sunday!

Questions of the morning:

What are you loving right now?
What are your plans for the weekend?

fabulous friday #16

Posted on March 28, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Friday, friends! Hope you are having a delightful #TGIF. It’s been a little damp and drizzly up here in the Bay Area this week, which is wonderful because we need all the rain we can get! And even with the gray skies, I’m in a sunshine-y mood. Which brings me to…

5 things I’m loving right now:

1. My sweet mama is coming into town tomorrow!!! I haven’t seen her since Christmas and I’m sooooo excited to pick her up from the airport and give her a ginormous hug. It’s gonna be a great weekend!

2. Tonight Allyn and I are going to a play! I haven’t been to a play since September, and I’m really excited. There’s something about live performances that I just love so much. Plus, it’s opening night, which makes it all the more fun! We’re going to see this mystery play called “Sleuth” in Walnut Creek.

3. Look at this mini library in Allyn’s neighborhood! How amazing is this?? I want to start one of my own!

4. One of my favorite local cafes has lovely photos & quotes on the back of their order numbers. This was the one I received when I was there with Emy over the weekend. It warmed my heart. Such wise & true words! And the elderly couple dancing — swoon! “Love doesn’t make the world go round, but it makes the ride worthwhile.”

5. Baking time! I need to make my grandma a birthday cake {the current front-runner is funfetti! with cream-cheese frosting!} aaaand these bananas are just screaming to be made into banana muffins, don’t you think?

**BONUS! {Because it seems there’s just too much to love on this Friday!}: This adorable video documenting a woman’s growing baby bump and her husband’s sweet serenade to the new member of their family: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ7-v7xVm3I

Questions of the morning:

What are you loving right now?
What’s on your agenda for the weekend?

fabulous friday #15

Posted on March 21, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Friday, friends! You know what TGIF means around here…

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

1. My dad and brother are in town visiting!! I love these two guys so much. They crack me up and we always have so much fun when we’re together. The only thing is I’m missing my mama — it’s weird for the three of us to be together without her — but she’ll be coming up to see me in just over a week!

2. This quote that Danica shared last week on her blog — so, so true.

And it reminds me of something my dad always says: “T.G.I.M.! Because if you don’t embrace Mondays you will wind up dreading 1/7th of your life. That’s not something I’m willing to do, how about you?”

3. The new Sara Evans album, Slow Me Down. My sweet dad got it for me as a little random, surprise gift because I love Sara Evans. This latest album of hers is no exception! I’ve been listening to it on repeat and dancing in my car as I drive around. The perfect anthem to springtime! Currently, I think my favorite songs on the album are “Sweet Spot“; “If I Run“; and her cover of/duet with Gavin DeGraw’s “Not Over You.”

4. A company I just learned about, Warby Parker — like TOMS shoes but with eyeglasses! For every pair of eyeglasses they sell, they distribute a pair to someone in need. They emailed me about their Home Try-On program, which allows you to pick out your five favorite frames for five days, with no expense {they even pay for shipping.} This gives you the opportunity to try out multiple looks before you commit to anything, and all from the comfort of your home! I think it’s a cool idea and I love the social mission of their company. I’m looking forward to exploring their sunwear collection in time for the summer!

5. I’ve been thinking and praying for the Holmstrom family, whose precious baby girl Brinley needs all our love and healing thoughts. I went to school with both Eric and Sarah, and they are such kindhearted, generous, loving people. Sarah blogs over at how is your heart? if you want to drop her a note or a prayer.

Questions of the morning:

What are you loving right now?
Any fun plans in store for the weekend?

fabulous friday #14

Posted on March 14, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Friday, friends! It’s been a couple weeks since my last fabulous friday post, but I’m happy to be back today. Taking the time to make note of what I love always gets the weekend off on a great note!

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

1. Springtime! The weather this week has been absolutely gorgeous, and all the trees are bursting into bloom. Not to mention it staying light out past dinnertime thanks to Daylight Savings — it feels like the transition from winter to summer has officially begun. I love this time of year!

2. My friend Kelsey’s laugh. This girl has one of the most beautiful, contagious, joy-filled laughs I’ve ever heard. I talked with her on the phone this morning for the first time in a while, and it was wonderful to hear her voice and her laugh. It’s been a couple hours since we hung up, and I’m still feeling happy from talking to her.

3. Oatmeal with strawberries. All this week I’ve swapped out my usual apple-and-peanut-butter oatmeal for strawberries-and-vanilla-ricemilk oatmeal, and I’m loving it.

4. Wisdom from some of my favorite bloggers, particularly these posts:

“on happiness, joy & a lonely place” and “on life after a break-up” {especially the final lines… so very true!} from sometimes.always.never
“why I’m gushing over coconut oil” from the real-life rd
“follow your dream” and “success on your terms” from heather waxman {who is also doing an amazing “love yourself” meditation series right now!}

5. This beautiful video {thanks Allyn for sending it to me!}: 20 strangers kiss for the first time

Now I’m off to the gym and to run some errands! Tonight should be a low-key, catch-up-on-New-Girl-episodes kind of night, but this weekend is gearing up to be busy with fun plans. {brunch! birthday celebrations! double date!} I’ll be back on Sunday or Monday with a goals post/recap, but in the meantime I want to leave you with these two quotes that have really been speaking to me lately:

“The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” -Bertrand Russell

“If you try too carefully to plan your life, the danger is that you will succeed — succeed in narrowing your options, closing off avenues of adventure that cannot now be imagined.” -Harlan Cleveland

Questions for the day:

What are you loving right now?
What are your plans for the weekend?

fabulous friday #12

Posted on February 14, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends! I hope each and every one of you feels loved today. If you’re still looking for inexpensive + creative ideas to make those around you feel loved, here’s a post I did a couple weeks ago on the topic!

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

1. Valentine’s Day cards & texts. My sweet parents both sent me cards, and I’ve received so many thoughtful messages from friends today. I feel very loved!

2. New Girl. My brother and I are both hooked on this show — it’s sort of become “our” show! Even when we’re apart, we watch it and laugh about it together. I’m a few episodes behind, but I just watched the “Birthday” episode last night and I was laughing so much, I nearly fell out of bed.

Greg sent me this photo of Schmidt and it made me bust out laughing. Even without context, I think it’s still funny! Why is he holding a giant bowl of grapes??

3. My church community. This is my first time really being involved with a spiritual community, and it is such a joyous and comforting feeling. One of my church friends had an operation yesterday, and I drove her to and from the doctor and stayed with her for the afternoon. I was blown away by how many people from church called or texted to check in on her, including our minister. And our young adult group has organized a whole schedule of people to drop by and check on her and bring her meals while she is recuperating. It warms my heart and makes me feel very grateful to have found such a supportive and genuinely caring community.

4. This moving blog post by Single Dad Laughing. I could not agree more. Every dad — every parent — should read this. And reading it made me realize, more than ever, how lucky I am to have won the Dad Lottery. {And the Mom Lottery, too!}

{And happy Valentine’s Day, lovebirds!}

5. The song “Pompeii” by Bastille. Whenever this song comes on the radio, I turn it waaaay up and start rocking out! I love it.

Now I’m off to bake a batch of red velvet crinkle cookies to deliver to the nursing home … Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! Sending lots of love your way today and every day ❤

Questions of the day:

Are you doing anything to celebrate Valentine’s Day?
What are you loving right now?
Any fun plans for the weekend?

a year of Wooden: week 6

Posted on February 11, 2014 by dallaswoodburn

I can’t believe it’s late Tuesday afternoon — this week is flying by already! Yesterday I went out to lunch, caught up with my friend Chidelia via Skype, and started a new tutoring job that I’m really excited about. This morning has been busy with yoga, errands, and writing time. My apologies for being a day late with this post!

This year I am doing “a year of Wooden” following the teachings of Coach John Wooden, and in particular his 7-Point Creed.

January: Drink deeply from good books.
February: Make friendship a fine art.

Last week, the challenge was to call up a friend on the phone to say hello or schedule a catch-up coffee date or lunch.

I connected with quite a few friends this past week, old and new, in a variety of communication forms — phone, email, and in person. It was simply wonderful. I feel so rejuvenated and happy when I make time to connect with my friends. I love catching up, sharing stories from our lives, and laughing together. I always want my friends to know how grateful I am to have their love and support in my life.

For this week’s challenge, in honor of Valentine’s Day, let’s bring back those elementary-school days of passing out valentines and candy hearts! Send valentines to your friends — cards, candy, glitter hearts, whatever floats your boat. The important thing is to let your friends know that you love them.

I’ll leave you with a quote I came across this week that made me smile:

Have a terrific rest of your Tuesday!

Questions of the evening:

Do you generally give your friends valentines?
What is your favorite elementary-school Valentine’s Day memory?

Day-By-Day Masterpiece

Tag Archives: love

wedding weekend recap

Questions of the day:

happy mother’s day!!! + goals for the week of 5/11

Questions of the day:

fabulous friday #21

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

Questions of the morning:

fabulous friday #18

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

Questions of the morning:

fabulous friday #17

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

Questions of the morning:

fabulous friday #16

5 things I’m loving right now:

Questions of the morning:

fabulous friday #15

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

Questions of the morning:

fabulous friday #14

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

Questions for the day:

fabulous friday #12

Here are 5 things I’m loving right now:

Questions of the day:

a year of Wooden: week 6

Questions of the evening: