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. 

crafting > packing

My parents threw a supah-fun going-away party for my sister & I before a few days before I left for California--a perfect send-off with friends old & new, yummy snacks, lots of bubbly, and a bonfire under twinkling lights. We had such a diverse group of people at their house: family friends going back years, my friends from college, my sister's friends from high school and now...it was just perfect. So much love & joy in one house! 

I was a bit under the weather in the week leading up to leaving, and I just reaaally hate packing but reaaally love making crafts, so I went a little banner-crazy for the party. I hung the pendant banner made from a map of Portland & the CALI BABY banner above the food & drinks, and then made this little sass wall in the hallway, in-between family photos. I was kind of obsessed with it, and it was fun for guests to find themselves on it! I bought a whole pack of this fun sparkly paper, so I'm sure you'll see a million more glittery crafts. The instagram prints are from Origrami, and I adore them! Pretty sure we'll be recreating the sassy wall in some shape or form in our new place...it just seems necessary. 

shout out to my parents for throwing us the party & to all our friends who came! i love you all.