Mrs. Brynn Sutherland

On Saturday, August 20th, Brynn and Ryan tied the knot! They had their wedding up in Snohomish at the Swan Trails Farm, so both Clint and I made the drive out there with Colleen and Will. After two extremely hot Summer days, Saturday was a nice change. It was a little cloudy, but the temperature had dropped to something more reasonable, which made it perfect for an outdoor ceremony.

We arrived and signed the cute "guest book." Brynn is a fan of puzzles, so they had a blank wooden puzzle made so that each guest could write a message to the couple on their own puzzle piece. The rest of the venue was decorated beautifully as well. We took a seat, and waited for the ceremony to begin.

puzzle guest book

beautiful Swan Trails venue

Colleen and Will

Clint and I

wedding ceremony programs

The ceremony was very sweet. Not only was it the pastor's own wedding anniversary, but he had also officiated 5(?) other Sutherland weddings! Brynn looked gorgeous, and Ryan was grinning from ear to ear.

Bridesmaids

Ryan and his groomsmen

the flower girl was a little behind

After the ceremony, we found our table with the cute little place cards, snacked on some appetizers, had some drinks, and mingled with the other guests. It was nice since that gave me the chance to catch up with Brynn's mom who I hadn't seen in forever! The guys also got to play a couple rounds of cornhole. Brynn and Ryan had constructed their own and personalized them with their initials.

guests finding their seats

Clint and Layne

beautiful table arrangements made
by Brooke's mom, Donna

cornhole!

They then served dinner which was a delicious BBQ buffet...potato salad, green salad, corn bread, beans, mashed potatoes, ribs, chicken, and pulled pork! Clint and I definitely hit it up for round two. While we ate, Joey, the best man, and Sarah, the maid of honor, gave their speeches. Wedding speeches can be a little tricky, but both turned out great. Good job guys!

Brynn and Ryan then had their first dance, homemade pie was served (a fun alternative to just a traditional cake), and we danced the night away.

cake and pies

first dance

Congrats to Brynn and Ryan, and thank you for including us on your special day! We had a blast celebrating with you.

A few of their wedding photos, can't wait to see more!

so pretty!

Double Date Night

A couple Fridays ago, Sarah and Taylor came over to check out the new place and have dinner with Clint and I. I gave them the tour as Sarah and I talked about all things home decor. Having just decorated their new place, she sure knows her stuff and recognizes where everything is from (guess it doesn't help that I went and copied the same duvet cover she and Taylor have from West Elm).

They also brought me a housewarming gift! They sure know the way to my heart...wine, pizza stones, pizza papers, and a cute little owl kitchen timer...how sweet. We had a few drinks at my place, then decided to head out to Alki.

It was one of the hottest days we've had this Summer, so being outside was a must. We put our name in at Cactus (yum), and headed next door for some beers while we waited. Once our table was ready, we sat outside and enjoyed the warm weather even after the sun went down.

Dinner was delicious, and both Clint and I had such a great time catching up with Sarah and Taylor. We even got to see pics of the new puppy they were going to pick up the following week. Can't wait to meet the little guy, he looks absolutely adorable!

Finn

Looking forward to our next double date, hope to have one soon!

Boating with myBalls

Yesterday was the hottest day of the year Seattle has seen so far, so what better way to spend it than on a boat? Luckily, Anne and I had made plans earlier in the week to go out on hers, so it couldn't have been better timing.

Anne's friend Shannon was planning to use this as a photo opp to get some pictures of people with her product as she's preparing the launch of her company, myBall. She and her partner have created a cover that zips on over those exercise yoga balls. I think it's a great idea. They have handles so you can carry them easily, plus they come in fun patterns to hide how much of an eye sore those balls can be.

So Anne, Alicia, Clint, Darrin, Shannon, and myself all headed out onto Lake Union to have some fun and get photos with the balls.

It was the perfect day to be out on the water...sailboats, paddle boards, seaplanes, and the Space Needle...can't get better than that. Summer really is Seattle at it's best. We had some more fun with Shannon's "balls" and just enjoyed a perfect evening out on the lake.

Clint diving for the ball, glad we got the shot!

inappropriate ball placement

the girls

Clint and I

Thanks Anne for having us out on your boat, always a fun to spend time with you. Can't wait to be a famous myBall model!

First annual camping/floating trip

This past weekend, Colleen, Will, Kylee, Troy, Clint and I all headed out of town for a camping trip, and had the best time ever. As we were planning it, we knew we wanted to be somewhere warm and close to a river so we could go floating. Since the weather has been so great lately, we decided to stay close and camp near the Snoqualmie river.

Friday after work, we all met at the Fred Meyer in Issaquah to do some shopping, then made the short trek east. Will and his friends have found a camping spot just off I-90 on the Snoqualmie Lake Trail, so we put our trust in him that this would be a good spot for us, and it did not disappoint! After driving for about a half hour down a long gravel bumpy road, we came to the end and lucked out that the spot had not been taken. The site was surrounded by huge tall trees, plenty of spots for tents, a campfire, and right on the river...the perfect spot.

Setting up camp in Ferngully

tent city

We raced the sun to get our cars unloaded, tents up, and a fire going. We just made it, then sat around the campfire for some cocktails and to get dinner going. Clint and I had bought a rotisserie chicken and a bag of caesar salad for dinner, which turned out to be both easy and delicious.

We spent the night around the fire drinking beers and having a great time. We soon got tired, and called it a night. However, I didn't sleep very well. I kept having dreams that I was trapped in a closet, or under a bed. I think my new sleeping bag makes me claustrophobic!

The next morning we woke up and got the fire going again. Us girls sat around while the guys cooked us breakfast, I love camping! Clint cooked us a delicious meal of eggs and polish sausage, and some fruit. Troy was quite the chef and made breakfast burritos. And of course, it wouldn't be camping without a brass monkey.

Troy making rock art

the table Clint constructed

camping noms

Osa waiting for breakfast, too

Cleaning the table

After breakfast, we decided that it would be a great day to go float the Snoqualmie river. We packed up a few things we were nervous about leaving out all day while we were gone, grabbed our floaties, and hit the road. We drove into Fall City to blow up our rafts and drop off a car since this is where we would be ending the float. We then all piled into Will's truck and made our way to the falls so that we could drop in the water from there.

Due to some construction, the park right by the falls was closed where we usually take off from, so we found a spot a little further down the river where everyone else was starting and got ready to go.

the girls ready to float (Osa's first time!)

The water was pretty cold at first, but our floats are pretty comfortable and keep you up out of the water for the most part (plus they're equipped with cup holders and a cooler...floating in style!). We tied ours up to Kylee and Troy, and Osa hopped on with Will. Will's friends Beaver and Reed joined us too, so we had quite the flotilla going as we joined everyone else on the river that day.

happy girl

It was the perfect day to float. When it's that hot out, the only place to be is on the water. Snoqualmie river is pretty calm, so you just float along at a slow pace. We did stop the party a couple times and pulled up to shore so that we could stretch out the time we had that much longer.

Will climbing up to the rope swing

shotgun pitstop

Kylee drinkin with the boys

row boatin

napping with the puggle

We finished up our float and made it to Fall City. Troy drove Will and Colleen back up to get their car, and we deflated our rafts and loaded them back up. We decided to head back to camp since we had plenty of food there and it would be getting dark soon.

Back at camp we were happy to see that all our stuff was safe and sound, no one had snagged our tents while we were gone. We changed into some warmer clothes, started another fire, and broke out the food to make dinner. Clint and I roasted some dogs over the fire, I sure do love camping food!

We then spent another night around the campfire laughing and having a good time. I ended up taking a little cat nap in my chair (floating tuckers you out), but then woke up in order to make s'mores.

pretty girl

headlamp!

DJ Willy Style

That night I was exhausted and didn't have any trouble falling right to sleep. The next morning, we had a little breakfast, the boys checked their fishing poles (three little fish caught, but all released), and started to tear down camp. Camping always seems to go by so quick, but I'm usually ready to head home to my toilet, shower, and bed.

burgers and hot dogs for breakfast, with the help of Osa

wheeling our stuff to the car

We had so much fun, we've decided to make this an annual trip...who's in for next year?!

Just like Christmas!

My starter kit for Stella & Dot arrived last night with all my brand new shiny jewelry samples! Everything came wrapped in it's own little gift box, so even though I knew what I had ordered, it was a fun little surprise opening each "gift"...so basically, Christmas.

pretty little boxes

my loot!

Tuesday dinner with the girls

Colleen, Maureen, Kylee and I all got together for another Tuesday night dinner this week. This time, we got to see Kylee and Troy's place down in Madison Park. Their place is awesome, it's one of those cute little brick apartments on the water that you see when crossing over the 520 bridge. Since the weather has been so nice, we planned to sit out on the dock and grill our dinner. Unfortunately, it ended up being the cloudiest evening we've had recently, but it was still warm out, and no wind!

We all got to Kylee's and were given the grand tour. She's done a great job with decorating since she moved in with Troy to make it "their" place. Colleen had made a delicious plum bruschetta for an appetizer that I couldn't stop eating. I didn't even think I liked plums. I got the recipe from her so that now I can make it on my own.

Troy was busy getting our meal prepared and brought everything we would need down to the dock. He even went down early to stake out a table for us, and had the whole thing set up by time we headed down there (he even thought to bring citronella candles for the bugs)...this guy is good, Kylee found a keeper! He then grilled up a feast for us as we sat and chatted and had more bruschetta and the yummy salad Weiner brought.

Troy brought over our dinner, and we were amazed. Fresh crab legs that he had caught up in the San Juans, a huge salmon filet, and roasted potatoes, yum!

the only picture I have from the night,
but really the only one that matters

We had a fun time catching up, eating a delicious meal, and of course drinking our wine. After dinner we moved the party inside for dessert and started planning Kylee's wedding for her. We decided that she needs to have it in Cabo so we can all have a Mexican vacation! After another glass of wine, we may have actually convinced her :)

Once again, we stayed way past our curfews. We have issues separating from each other when we're just having so much fun. We've said it before, but hopefully now we've learned that late night Tuesdays make for groggy Wednesdays, so we may need to move our party nights to the weekend. It was another great night though, love you girls!

Stylist for Stella & Dot

I have some exciting news! I've signed up to be a rep for a jewelry company called Stella & Dot. I'm overly excited about this, to the point where I'm even dreaming about it every night. I absolutely love the style of their jewelry, even though I've never been the biggest accessory girl. I'll wear earrings everyday, sometimes a ring or necklace for fancy days, but that's been about it. Now I can't wait to have a collection to choose from every morning!

You may remember that I had my very own trunk show that my friend Danielle helped me with. I invited some girls over to both see the new place, as well as try on a bunch of jewelry. I had such a fun time with it, plus I was able to pick out a few things to order online for free! Since then I've been hooked, so I talked more with Danielle about exactly what it takes to do this yourself. I let her know I don't have much free time (especially in Summer), and that I don't want to have to push people into buying something. That's just not me. However...I was very interested in having a trunk load of jewels to call my own.

So, I'm basically looking at it like this...I put down some money to buy a bunch of jewelry at a discounted price (that arrives tomorrow, yay!). If I don't make a single sale, or help throw a single party, then that's okay...I'll just have invested in a jewelry collection. If I do happen to make some money to break even, or maybe a little extra, awesome!

The thing is, I would love to help people throw a trunk show. Like I said, I had a blast at mine, and think everyone would too. It's fun just to get together with a bunch of girls and try on pretty things!

Some other perks that I've learned so far? You get to meet some great people already in the business. I know...I already have enough friends that I like, so why invest in new relationships I don't have time for...but it's always good to network. I actually went to a local stylist meeting last night over on the Eastside with Danielle, and it was nice to see other girls doing the same thing and how they've been successful at it. I may never get that far with it (nor would I want to), but I'll have fun seeing where it takes me.

So here I go! I'll be sure to keep you all posted about how it works for me.

Check out all the amazing stuff they have on my very own Stella & Dot website: stelladot.com/layne
(and yes, that is my picture on the right...apparently my own mother doesn't even recognize me)