deck updates, mount vernon, my birthday

we had a quiet weekend here last weekend. we cleaned, ran errands, and went on a couple bike rides in the neighborhood. we thatcher made us homemade massman curry and it was delicious! 

 thatcher picked out these pots and plants for our deck with a giftcard i got him to swanson's nursery for his birthday.

just when i thought i couldn't love my deck any more than i already do, i sat out there in my pajamas with a blanket one night and i never wanted to leave. 

 

on monday the kids and i had another impromptu trip to golden gardens, but i didn't take any pictures. we ran into our friends kay, wyatt, and fritz there, so that made it extra fun. 

the kids took over my phone on afternoon and i found lots of gems on there, including this one: 

 our downstairs neighbors stopped by with a little housewarming gift one night: a bottle of wine, a succulent, and some sidewalk chalk. so nice of them :) the kids wasted no time trying out the chalk.

 

on wednesday i took the kids on a little field trip an hour out of the city. we went to schuh farms in mount vernon hoping to do u-pick strawberries. unfortunately it's been a wet week, so the fields were too saturated for u-pick. we settled for buying a flat of strawberries from the farm store and a mini bumbleberry pie. yum!

 

on our way out of town we stopped at the vegan/gluten-free bakery to get a treat for thatcher and these two talked me into getting them cupcakes. it was a nice way to kill half a day!

 friday was my 36th birthday! and a day off for most people :) i started off the day with eggs, sausage, and biscuits for breakfast. 

i did a little work and then left the house to go shopping. all i really wanted was a day to go out by myself and not feel like i needed to hurry back home. and it was glorious. i went to goodwill, homegoods, and old navy. i also got a burger and a chocolate shake from dick's for lunch. 

in the afternoon, we watched the hamilton movie (stage performance) that just came out on disney+. it was so good and a relaxing way to spend a couple hours. 

we ordered thai for dinner and i opened some gifts. 

 then my friends vanessa and kay came over for cake and wine on my deck. it wasn't the warmest night, but it stayed dry. we had a great time sitting out there chatting and enjoying the twinkle lights. 

now it's the 4th! we don't have any big plans for today, but tomorrow we are leaving on a 2-night camping trip near mount rainier.