exactly what i needed.

because sometimes for the sake of your soul, you just have to...

::pack up your enormous chevy tahoe that makes you feel like a rapper/soccer mom {gotta love the randomness of a rental car}::

::hightail it to the mountains:: 

::stop on the way for a little oskar blues beer and eats {i drank wine, but whatever}::

::light a big fire as soon as you arrive at your home away from home::

::spend the whole weekend with your church small group, who just happen to be some of your favorite people::

::take time to soak in the views and stop to watch the falling snow::

::stay in your pajamas for as long as possible and take intermittent naps whenever the mood strikes::

::forget what it feels like to be hungry::

::play ridiculous trivia games while painting your nails at the dining room table::

::make breakfast strombolis that taste delicious::

::sit in the sun and read for pleasure::

::got out on the town for margaritas and mexican food::

::share your story, the silly ones and the ones that make you cry::

::celebrate each other with a mimosa in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other::

::pray together in the quiet of the morning::

::be incredibly grateful for such amazing people to share in the journey::

gandalf, davinci, and other really important stuff.

after parent teachers conferences on wednesday night and all day thursday, my day off friday was well deserved.

so with the world as our oyster and my new 50mm lens in tow, mr. lesley and i headed downtown for the afternoon.

our lunch date provided the perfect spot to people watch out the window. 

and we were fortunate enough to have gandalf and company in our line of view.

and really, what more could you ask for?

after lunch, we headed off to the davinci machines exhibit.

i, as to be expected, knew next to nothing about the exhibit, but mr. lesley knew just about everything and was loving every second.

i tried to play it cool, snap a lot of pictures, and learn a thing or two in the process.

bottom line: we can thank davinci for pretty much everything.

literally.

{mr. lesley's comment about this picture..."this is you 500 years ago, substituting the ferret for winston."}

we finished off the afternoon with a brew at renegade. 

{i mean, duh. do we ever go out without going to a brewery? i think not.}

when you see a celebrity, get some knowledge dropped on you, and finish it off with a cold one, life is pretty good.

happy weekend.

shots from the weekend.

{friday night dinner with one of our favorite families, grilling out burgers and dogs with a beautiful view of our favorite city.}

{and baby leif was there! he always brings the party.}

{a lazy saturday morning}

{miss louise has perfected the stink eye. even after mr. lesley cleaned out her tank for a couple hours.}

{did i mention saturday was lazy? because it was lazy and so completely perfect.}

{a couple of brews at hogshead before date night. that makes two weekends in a row. we're a little obsessed.}

{date night sushi. the very best kind.}

{my uniform for the weekend. my m-i-l sent us the best valentine's day package, including this scarf. isn't it awesome?}

{my newest discovery. peanut butter+chow mein noodles+an apple=perfection.}

{the grammy awards always call for margaritas.}

{why yes, my sister did buy us matching sweaters for valentines day. jealous?}

this weekend was so perfect.

it was slow and lazy and relaxing and so what i needed.

thank the good lord for the beauty that is the weekend.

a good, old fashioned, great weekend.

i had a really great weekend. 

 wanna hear about it?

good! 

i thought you'd never ask.

through really big versions of little instragram photos you say? 

you read my mind! 

::friday night::

-homemade sushi extravaganza with heidi and laine

-delicious sake cocktails 

-a whole lot of pets and cuddles for sir winston 

-dancing extravagza thanks to the wii and heidi's insane skills

::saturday::

-early morning coffee with mr. lesley's mug {i get to see his face in d.c. in 12 days, in case you were wondering:}

-deep cleaning the apt. while sir winston dominated his kong. he sure loves his peanut butter.

-a pumpkin extravaganza with kari (pumpkin bagels, pumpkin spice lattes, and a pedicure complete with orange nail polish...it was divine!}

-the giver. i'm teaching it. i'm reading it. i like it.

-an afternoon fro yo date with new friend kim. that girl makes me laugh.

-evening meal at ocean prime courtesy of mr. lesley's aunt and uncle {mine now too:}.

the steak was incredible, but the company was even better.

::sunday::

-church in the toddler room. it was mostly successful:) 

note to self: 2 and 3 year olds don't know how to play duck, duck, goose and will probably run right into each other and one of them will inevitably cry.

-afternoon lunch with church friends. a great time of sharing and prayer and a super random fortune cookie.

-a little heart love courtesy of my friend charlene

{i like that when people see hearts they think of me:}

-amazing family time and a delicious meal of mac n cheese 

-a full out shopping session with my sister

it was glorious.

 she really brings out the shopper in me.

i love her so very much.

so there you have it.

one amazing weekend filled with the people i love. 

i hope you were just as lucky.