Zara online
Oh my gosh. I have just realized I can shop Zara online. ZARA ONLINE, people. My life just got about a million better.
Cook the baby
Roughly 5 years ago, my brother and I were standing in his Seattle kitchen, his newly born daughter in his arms. I don't remember the specifics, but we needed all our arms and hands to do something while we were standing there, so my brother plopped his little girl into the pot on the stove for safe keeping while we quickly performed our task. Before he removed her, I snapped the first photo above, and we loving joked about cooking the baby for a while afterwards.
Fast forward 5 years -- Ty and I are hanging out at home one evening last week, and I come across the cook-the-baby photo as I am randomly browsing through photos on my computer (I honestly get lost in time just browsing through photos from the past that are stored on the nether drives of my computer). For kicks I send my brother the photo, and I quickly get a response email with the second photo above and the explanation "same kid, same pot, different stove... nearly 5 years later." Priceless. Cook the child.
One Year Anniversary
This past weekend, Ty and I packed our bags and headed out for a little mini trip to celebrate our one year anniversary (aka, the best decision ever made). We headed to Midway, UT for a stay at Johnson Mill Bed and Breakfast. It was charming, it was cozy, and it was the perfect way to celebrate with my sweetheart. And you wanna know the most random, wonderful thing about Johnson Mill? All of their linens are scrumptiously luxurious. All of them. I am positive our sheets were at least 1600 thread count egyptian cotton, and even the breakfast napkins were so soft and buttery it felt like you were wiping your mouth with a cloud. No joke. As a linen lover, I was in heaven. Not to mention, the stuffed french toast they served us for breakfast was insane, the fall-dewed grounds surrounding the property were a total delight to explore (and can I tell you, that swing was SO fun), and we slept with the fireplace on all night. I know, right? Getting married in the fall is totally the way to go.
We actually met this sweet older couple as we were checking out who were celebrating their anniversary too. It was so exciting! Finding anniversary twins seriously feels like meeting someone with your same birthday. "Are you two the honeymoon couple?" the woman asked me referring to another couple staying there as well. "Oh no, we're celebrating our 1-year anniversary," I responded, "What about you?" The woman smiled as she told me they were there to celebrate their 57th anniversary. 57th! How great is that?! Still all cute and celebrating their anniversary at a bed and breakfast with 57 years under their belt -- now that's what I call love. I'm excited to be like that with Ty one day -- all old and seasoned and even more in love than we are today. I can only imagine how close you are after a lifetime together. I love Ty more today than I did the day we were married; times that by 57 and I'm pretty sure at that age I will be exploding from how much I love this man.
We finished the weekend off with some golfing up at the Wasatch Mountain course, a sweet drive through the back mountains to Park City, and a little shopping at the outlets. Great anniversary weekend? Check.
Iceland
The first thing you need to do when taking a trip to Iceland is to get yourself down to the local thrift store and purchase a pair of very comfy, very functional boots for $7, even if they are ugly. You will be completely delighted with yourself for doing this when you get to Iceland and they are literally THE ONLY pair of shoes you wear the entire time.
Second, make sure you piece together detailed instructions to every natural hot pot you can get to during your trip. Period.
Third, don't try the cured shark, but do try the famous hot dogs (from the hot dog stand Bill Clinton ate at nonetheless), the whale and the puffin (I know, kinda sad). And, eat at Narfeyrarstofa in Stykkisholmur (get used to these types of words too -- they are everywhere) and get some sort of fish. Also make your way down the cobble-lined streets of downtown Reykjavik to Bernhoftsbakari -- the oldest bakery in Iceland; do not, however, order everything that looks tasty to you because you will not have enough room in your stomach, and you will be sad.
Fourth, splurge on a lopapeysa for both you and your husband because 1. they are the warmest sweaters on earth and 2. they are hand-knit by sweet little Icelandic women. But, don't buy them in a store in the heart of downtown or at a tourist attraction (and certainly not at Geysir) or you will surely get ripped off. Try instead at the Kolaportio flea market (which provided our golden finds) or somewhere else that sells them for less than 15,000 krona.
Fifth, hike to Smoke Valley and Seljavellir; you won't regret it. By far they will be two of your most favorite outdoor swimming places, and they will both provide you with magical experiences while tucked away in the canyons of Iceland. Also, the Blue Lagoon; it goes without saying, and even though it's a bit pricey, the water color and free face silica will quickly make you realize it was worth it.
Sixth, joke incessantly about how 500 krona sounds like a load of money even though it is only $4 US.
Seventh, you will soon realize that Iceland -- at least at the end of September -- is the land of waterfalls and rainbows. Prepare yourself to see at least one rainbow and five waterfalls each day without even trying. But, on purpose, you must travel to see Gullfoss, Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss. Make sure you climb on precarious rock perches and up steep muddy embankments while you are at it -- it will make your experiences compoundingly more memorable.
Eighth, plan to travel south to Vik to visit the black sand beach there and see the basalt columns and basalt cave in this Jonsi video (note to people I may have misinformed, I was once told basalt columns are quite rare in the world, but it turns out they are all over the place). You will also want to relish on this beach for a little while because you will find it entirely too enchanting to want to leave quickly, despite chilly winds and low temperatures.
Ninth, be sure you thoroughly acquaint yourself with the speed limits at all times on Iceland roads because speeding tickets in Iceland can cost upwards of $1,000. However, you may be lucky and squeak away with only paying $375 after the nice officer gives you a $150 discount for paying on the spot.
And tenth, book at least 10 days for your trip because 5 and a half days simply isn't enough. Also, don't watch the Icelandic film Volcano on the plane home because you will cry THE ENTIRE MOVIE since it happens to be the saddest movie ever to be fimled.