the day after the party

I've always kind of loved waking up and walking around the house the day after a party. Besides the dishes covered in remnants of chocolate cake and the occasional stray beer bottle or wine glass, the house is tidy from your hurried sweep before guests arrive. The decorations are still up, the colors still on the table, the chairs still pulled away from the wall and left haphazardly around the room. It's quiet except for the coffee pot purring and bubbling, and the thoughts of friends and food and celebration still linger in the kitchen and around the living room. It's a warm, easy feeling.

(And sometimes, there are enough leftovers to make breakfast tacos for two. This is even better). 

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.