Flashback! It's been almost 2 months since Rowen's first birthday, but it's not too late - these photos needed to get up here!

This summer has been about going sloooowww. It started off fast, with a flurry of work, Rowen's birthday, two weeks in Asia (for me), then a family week on the east coast. Whew! All I have wanted to do since then is simplify, and soak in the sunny weekends and long evenings with Ro and J. I haven't really traveled, blogged, worked out (much), cooked (much) or done any of my fave hobbies/extracurriculars in about 6 weeks. And it's been amazing! I feel refreshed and rejuvenated. I'm not used to this slow pace, but oh my goodness I didn't realize how much I needed it. All that is to say, I'm glad to be back!



On to Rowen's Birthday! :)

I have to thank our good friend Micah for snapping these shots because I was so caught up in the moment that I hardly took any! It was a simple but perfect party. Rowen had some of her best friends and fam come over, and we played games, enjoyed good food, and adventured around the ranch together. I'll never forget what it was like to watch her eyes light up when I gave her the piece of cake (like..."that's for ME??!"). Her auntie Phi gave her the sweetest gift of all - a homemade growth chart for us to mark her height on as she grows.

I was clearly emotional all weekend, but it all felt right. We're so grateful to our amazing friends and family who helped celebrate the day with us.

 

Dear 31

Written on the last hour of my 31st birthday...

Dear 31,

A new year for us! How fun. It is bittersweet somehow, because 30 was preeeetty special. Lots of travels and adventures. A new (tiny) house and with it, a wonderful new community. A bun in the oven. (A girl!). An engagement. All packaged into the pretty, round number of 30!

No offense, but to me, age 31 is a bit less pretty. I'm in my 30s now. No special birthday party. No huge milestone. My 20s already seem pretty far away in the rearview mirror. And I'm feeling pretty confident that this will be one of my most challenging and unpredictable years yet. I'm planning to birth a child. Then start raising her. I'll be a working momma for a majority of this upcoming year, and concurrently trying to plan a wedding (among other things).

But I'm excited for this mysterious, unpredictable, less-pretty stage. And I'd like to start off our year together by making you some promises...

I will take you day by day. A lot is coming up! So much goodness, so much stuff. It's easy sometimes to get overwhelmed with the possibilities and the to-dos. I'll get overcome with gratitude about the exciting things on the horizon, but then those same things will fill me with stress as I imagine how we'll possibly get everything done in time. This year I want to take things in stride.

I will not strive for perfection. This isn't the year for it, I just know it. This is not the year to beat myself up over the to-do-list items left unchecked, the lbs I didn't lose, the photos I didn't print and organize, the mistake I made at work or the community service project I didn't take on. I'll try to be content with doing my best.

I will practice mindfulness. Whether I get back into a regular practice, or simply insert mindfulness into my every day, I'd like to make sure that I'm being more present and aware, and taking time to center and be inside myself.

I will embrace my community. I've never felt so warmly embraced by my friends, family and local community as I have since I've been pregnant. And good timing, too, because I've never craved it so much! This year I want to embrace back, more than ever, and put energy into the people who surround me.

I will take care of my body. My body is going through something amazing right now - I am in awe of it every day! I'm appreciating it's abilities in a whole new way and I am newly committed to taking care of it both for me and little figgy.

Looking forward to the next 525,600 minutes!

Third Trimester Wish List

I've officially entered my third trimester! Crazy to think. I'm 28 weeks as of yesterday.  As I look toward my 31st birthday (coming up on Tuesday) and down the road at these last few months of pregnancy, I couldn't help but put together this fun wish list of items that I've been daydreaming about lately! Is it a surprise to anyone that many of these items revolve around comfort and relaxing? ;)

1. Yoga, chiropractic work, facials and massage from Bloom Retreat.
2. A wear-forever maxi for maternity & nursing. 
3. Fresh, soft, sleep pants.
4. Acai bowls and green juices from Nekter, our local juicery.
5. Noise cancelling headphones so I can soak into my Hypnobabies tracks (and later, jam out while baby's napping).
6. Beautiful Cosabella nursing bras.
7 & 8. Anything and everything from Hatch!
9. A pretty and comfortable robe for delivery and beyond. 
10. Storq maternity bundles are just perfect in every way. 
11. A cooling pillow to keep me comfy as the weather gets warm (I can't get enough pillows these days).

Ocean Beach and a 30th Birthday

On April 19th, I turned 30.

I always thought I'd be kind of freaked out by this birthday. If you asked me 5 years ago, I might have pictured an enormous farewell to my 20s (girls trip to Bali, going heli-skiing in Alaska, something like that). And I probably would have imagined being pretty freaked out by the prospect of turning a new decade (thanks in part to my kinship with Rachel Green, who as you know, didn't handle her 30th very well). But, as seems to be the case with just about every big change I've faced, by the time it got here I was ready.

Still, I'm one of those people who does care about birthdays. They mean something to me - a chance to check in, refresh, and reprioritize. And let's face it, maybe I like feeling a little bit special for a minute there (*insert blushy-smiley-face*). So the weekend didn't come without its good share of preliminary stress and troubles. Was it going to be special enough, something I'd remember down the line? Am I where I hoped I'd be at this point in my life? Was it going to be terrible without my family and besties (back in Boston) by my side?

Somehow everything settled in a few days before the big three-oh, when I realized I am where I want to be right now, in every way.  And I was lucky enough to celebrate with a weekend full of my favorite things: Jimmy, friends, the ocean, fire, camping, good beer, road trips, food, games, and music.

Here are some silly photos from one day of that weekend - bocce and bonfire on Ocean Beach.

Getaway Weekend :: Bodega Birthday

I had the most amazing time with my family a couple of weekends ago. It was the first time that my brother, Mom and Dad had come out West to see me and my sister - we were so proud to be able to show of this beautiful area of the country which we've grown to love to much. It was also Easter, and my birthday, and one of the most beautiful sunny weekends so far this spring. 

It was also one of the only a few times that my brother, who is not much of a traveler, has been on plane. I felt so lucky to be able to adventure with him for the first time ever. Adventuring is definitely more my thing than his, but he was happy to partake, which made me happy. Dave is 7 years younger than me, which never feels like a lot when we're together, but growing up it meant that we didn't get the same amount of quality time that I did with my 2-years-younger, usually-side-by-side sister. Having him out here was my favorite birthday present :). **hint hint to David: move out to Cali!**

I soaked my family in long and good!! And it was my favorite weekend ever. Here are some scenes from the getaway.

*It's known to be true: Rowes know how to vacation*

Where we stayed: We stayed at an amazing Airbnb place with a beautiful view of the ocean (by the way, have I raved about Airbnb enough yet? It's not much of a secret these days, but if you still haven't checked it out, click here for my referral link). Bodega Bay is one of our favorite places to "getaway" because it's so close - it's just 2 hours, or a bit longer if you take the highly recommended Rte 1 coastal drive.

Where we ate/drank: 

• Mexican at La Bodeguita was legit. Careful of that green salsa, it might try to ruin your tongue, forcing you to pound sour cream with your meal like never before.
• Dutcher Crossing took care of us on my birthday with free tastings and an amazing fruit and cheese spread. I love them. 
• Right down the street, we enjoyed a reservation by the creek at Truett Hurst, where we relaxed with some salami and their delicious Chardonnay. I could go for a glass right about now...
• We also stopped at Quivira, with their lovely expansive organic garden - it's fun to walk around and enjoy the sun before or after a tasting. 
• I've already talked about the chowder at the Bodega Country Store HERE and HERE - we just love it.

What we did: Took walks to the beach, played the Game of Things, cracked ourselves up for hours, played Pin the Tail on the Donkey on Tom Cruise's face (just b'cuz), tasted vino, ate ice cream, started reading The Goldfinch (b-day gift!), smoked cigars, and hugged a lot. 

Thanks for coming, Rowes - let's do it again soon.