holidays in los angeles

I'm wrapped up in a blanket next to my first full-size, proper Christmas tree that isn't in my parents' house and feeling very cozy and very happy about this holiday season. It's been an interesting and challenging year in LA, so it feels very important and worthwhile to make the holidays here peaceful and joyful. So far, so good. Thanksgiving was a Friendsgiving, with six friends from Washington gathering around a table in California. Angela helped me cook and decorate all day, making all of my favorite recipes my mom made growing up while drinking mimosas and piling up the dishes, and everything turned out kind of perfect. I was a very happy hostess. 

PS: a little craft paper, a DIY Craigslist table, some pinecones gathered from our last trip to the mountains, and some tapestry candles made for a sweet winter tablescape  with just enough room for plates full of food and a few wine glasses per person. 

s i m p l e r

A quick trip home to Seattle with my sisters came not a moment too soon; ten months after my move to California and the day after my parents put the home we grew up in on the market. We walked through the house, exclaiming over all the work my parents have done to get it ready for a new family and murmuring about all the memories we made in those rooms--good and bad, they make up a life well-lived. To truly say au revoir to our home, we had to have one last party in Simpler Times, the outdoor living space my parents have lovingly curated using thrifted & handmade pieces. We celebrated my sister's birthday and clinked our glasses in cheers to memories that time won't fade. My brother played bartender, my dad's eyes crinkled with laughter, my mom presented plate after plate of mouth-watering dishes, and my sisters and I reveled in all that is home and friendship. I processed these photos with an overwhelming feeling of joy and peace--as we say goodbye to a hard year and look forward with hope, I can hardly explain how lucky I feel to be encircled by these people and these memories.