SURPRISE

1) to strike or occur to with a sudden feeling of wonder or astonishment, as through unexpectedness
2) to come upon or discover suddenly and unexpectedly
3) to make an unexpected assault on
4) to elicit or bring out suddenly and without warning
5) to lead or bring unawares, as into doing something not intended

One of my favorite birthday gifts this year (other than the Seahawks winning the Superbowl!!!!) was a surprise from my sister Colleen -- tickets to see Lorde! 

I knew Lorde was coming to WAMU Theater so I asked my sister if she wanted to go with me. Of course she said yes (there are few things she loves more than live music), she offered to buy the tickets and we planned that I would pay her back. Well, the day that tickets went on sale my sister texted that she accidentally missed her alarm and by the time she logged in to buy tickets it was sold out! What?! Nooooo...

Now, imagine my surprise when I am opening presents on my birthday and my sister hands me a very heavy box. I open it to find empty wine bottles(?!) and then I see the Lorde tickets! She did miss her alarm the day that tickets went on sale, but Lorde had not yet sold out.

Fast forward to the day of the show. Colleen and I decide we should grab dinner somewhere after I am off work and before the concert starts. Surprise! As luck would have it, Dine Around Seattle was going on -- which means we got to eat a thee-course meal, at a restaurant that would normally be too expensive for us, for only $28! Talk about serendipity! We enjoyed a delectable dinner by the canal at Ponti Seafood Grill, complete with sunny, gorgeous blue skies.

After we were stuffed full of salad, salmon, and dessert and took a short walk along the canal in the sun -- it was off to the show. Now, in full disclosure, my sister and I had braced ourselves for a less than stellar show. Lorde may be an extremely talented songwriter and singer -- but that does not mean her performance quality is on point yet. We heard less than awesome reviews from her past shows and knew she had just enough material to fill out a set. But we excited anyways!

Perhaps my sincere fondness for Lorde blinded me or maybe since we prepared ourselves to be underwhelmed worked in our favor -- but we were both pleasantly surprised by her performance! Her opener set the stage for a relaxed and fun atmosphere and then it was time for the main event! Lorde delicately commanded the stage, and stayed true to herself with her sharp/quirky dance moves. She may not be the most talkative nor is she anywhere near the performer that Macklemore is -- but she held her own up there!

Thank you again to my sister for such a wonderful birthday SURPRISE! 

FLY

1) to move through the air using wings
2) to be carried through the air by the wind or any other force
3) to float or flutter in the air
4) to travel in an aircraft or spacecraft.
5) to move suddenly and quickly; start unexpectedly

The first two months of 2014 have truly flown by -- or maybe I am just doing a great job of sticking to my New Year's Resolution of staying present? Either way it has been almost 2 months since my last post so it is time to get a little update going. 

For my birthday this year I received entry to the Quarter Century Club -- you know, turned the big 2-5! And the weekend I spent celebrating was one for the record books...literally. 

To kick off my birthday weekend, some of my wonderful co-workers surprised me by "decorating" my desk. It was a huge surprise, not only that my desk was decorated, but more so the extent to which they decorated it. I mean...see for yourself: 

That evening, Sebastian took me to see Pacific Northwest Ballet's opening night of The Sleeping Beauty. Now, I have to tell you when he took me to PNB's opening night of Swan Lake for my 18th birthday, I feel asleep in the 4th act (and no the irony of the fact that I fell asleep in a ballet and also the name of this year's ballet is not lost on us). So it REALLY meant a lot and he would give the ballet another go with me this year. Anyways, the ballet was absolutely stunning (as always), and definitely made me miss my good ol' dancin' days.

The next day was my actual birthday and I spent the morning indulging, you know coffee and giant stawberry nutella crepe for breakfast, followed by mani's and pedi's, then mexican food/happy hour for lunch (who doesn't love a sombrero?!). 

From then it was time to head to iFly for Indoor Skydiving! I will be honest, I would have loved to go outdoor skydiving for my birthday -- but due to the fact that it is February, it did not seem the most feasible. Indoor skydiving was the next best thing -- and I LOVED it. The best part was the fact that I had a group go with me, and my Dad did it! Such a hoot to share this experience and fly with my Dad. Also, could this shot be any better?! Check out that beautiful 12th Man flag! 

After iFly, I met some friends at Capitol Cider. A few months ago, I read a Seattle Met blog post about this new cider bar, and I wanted to try it out -- what better time than my birthday, right? The main floor is dimly, romantically lit restaurant that includes gluten-free food options -- perfect for a future date night. The lower floor has quite a different feel -- a bustling bar with tons of seating and games for everyone. We set up camp by the shuffleboard tables, playing any game we could get our hands on (Battleship!) and tasting the delicious ciders. Thank you to all who came out to celebrate with me! 

Thankfully, I had distracted myself all weekend with birthday activities -- because the moment I woke up on Sunday, the butterflies wouldn't stop (well...I think they were butterflies...). The day was finally here. The day I had anticipated almost as much as my birthday: SUPERBOWL SUNDAY, SEAHAWKS vs BRONCOS. This is the first Superbowl in a looooong time that I couldn't care less about about the commercials -- this year Superbowl was about FOOTBALL (and Bruno Mars!). Now that we are so far past the game, the details are irrelevant but one thing remains the same, the Seahawks were untouchable that day -- absolutely perfect. What a game to end the season on. From the girl who spent halftime crying tear of joy and who only wanted a Lombardi Trophy for her birthday, I say THANK YOU SEAHAWKS! It was an epic ride, for the record books. (Also -- thank you Sylvia for letting me wear you autographed jersey from THE BEST CORNER IN THE GAME, since he is #25!)

I still can't get over what a wonderful time I had on my birthday weekend: the love, laughs, food, company, experiences, gifts, and memories. And if the beginning of this year is going to set the precedent for 2014, this year is going to FLY. 

EXPLORE

1) to traverse or range over (a region, area, etc.) for the purpose of discovery

2) to look into closely; scrutinize; examine
3) to investigate into
4) to search for; search out
5) to engage in exploration 

Every year I use January as my "ramp up" month, where I flush out all the ideas, wants, hopes, needs, and dreams I have for the year ahead. The aim is to "have it altogether" by my birthday...the beginning of "my year". Today I looked back at my New Year's resolution post (you can read RESOLVE here!), and I recalled how my focus for January was to keep things simple. January was used to set the precedent for the year: life is simple, savor the day, the joy is in the journey, etc. After a month of focusing on my "be here now" mantra, I let myself use February to EXPLORE. 

Here I am at 24 with so many amazing experiences in my memory's catalog -- and so much in front of me that I can't help but jump out of bed each morning with excitement. In February explored hot yoga, aerial arts, painting, new relationships (did I mention HMG hired two new girls?!), Yakima, sleeping in, new blogs, the rave scene, new books, pushing myself, new firsts, new recipes, old traditions, and more. I let exploration manifest itself in big and small ways, which was a good challenge in keeping an open mind. 

One fun way I explored February was with my Instagram app, capturing my life one small frame at at time. So here is a visual look at my EXPLORING. 

February photo challenge daily topics (L to R, top to bottom):

Day 1: lockscreen photo - a favorite photo from our first time at the batting cages (yes -- that was a Groupon!)

Day 2: best friends - my sisters are two of my very best friends. 

Day 3: outfit of the day - the outfit I wore to my first aerial hoop class

Day 4: role model - my cousin Deanna, as well as Malone women in general 

Day 5: current favorite song - I really cannot get enough of the contrast of Calvin Harris' dance beat and Florence Welsh's haunting voice in Sweet Nothings   

Day 6:  food - this is my daily breakfast at work

Day 7: selfie

Day 8: pet - I miss the best dog ever, RIP Draven

Day 9: smiles - with the beautiful smiles of my sisters

Day 10: quote - this was a gift from my little and it says "though delicate they may seem...your wings are much stronger than you know... SO FLY"

Day 11: black and white - the hounds tooth pattern from one of my dresses

Day 12: screen shot - while this term generally applies to phones, I was slammed that day and I had no time for my phone...

Day 13: someone you love - this OF COURSE is my momma bear

Day 14: my valentine - 5 years running

Day 15: handwriting 

Day 16: something new - I loved this stained glass window panel (although I did not actually buy it)

Day 17: weather - we truly lucked out with warm weather and stunning blue skies while we were in Yakima

Day 18: breakfast - complete with my NEW favorite mug that was a birthday gift

Day 19: mirror pic (ah! you caught me wearing a blazer...again)

Day 20: outside - this was the view from under my new umbrella (thanks sister!)

Day 21: fashion - I keep up on fashion trends by watching the ever-changing downtown storefronts 

Day 22: special moment - is ADORABLE gender reveal was for my coworker (and FAVORITE blogger)  

Day 23: family - this picture quality may not be the best, but the memory from my shore-side dinner in Laguna Beach with my cousins is perfect

Day 24: celebrity crush - this really requires no explanation 

Day 25: jewelry - this statement piece was a gift from my mother 

Day 26: bedroom - just a peak into my sanctuary 

Day 27: night time

Day 28: favorite candy - I miss Reeses because I gave up candy (among other things) for Lent! 

The word for next month is TACKLE. February pulled a fast one on me as I enjoyed exploring it's days, and now I have many things that need accomplishing before this month's end.

VACUUM

1) to use a vacuum cleaner on
2) to clean (something) with a vacuum cleaner

The last of the birthday celebrations wrapped up the weekend following birthday when I finally headed down to spend some time with my family. Previous to my birthday, I don't think I had see my parents since Christmas -- and they only live 35 minutes away! (Note to self...do not allow that to become a habit.)

In addition to cooking up a feast with my sisters and spending overdue quality time with my family, I was especially excited for my long awaited birthday gift...MY FIRST VACUUM. Go ahead -- laugh (as that was the theme for my birthday), but I am seriously. This vacuum is like something out of the Jetsons: space age and high tech, yet sleek and sophisticated. (In fact, I named her Rosie after the maid on the Jetsons).

If you are in the market for a new vacuum, let me introduce you to the "Shark 3-in-1 Lift Away". It will change the way you look at cleaning!

Can you say domestic?!

If this wasn't already my favorite household chore, now I really love to VACUUM!

LAUGH

1) to express mirth or pleasure with an audible, vocal expulsion of air from the lungs that can range from a loud burst of sound to a series of quiet chuckles and is usually accompanied by characteristic facial and bodily movements
2) to experience the emotion so expressed

Wait, what? It's February already?! Even worse...Mid-February? I have so many verbs that I haven't even had the chance to share yet! Slow down life!

But, since it is February...you know what that means! MY BIRTHDAY! 

My birthday weekend was celebrated with many of my favorite things -- but my most favorite thing was definitely in abundance: laughter.  

Fridays are awesome on their own...but when you have a Friday birthday it is a double whammy! I was completely spoiled from the moment I woke up, with gifts from my sweet sister all set up in the kitchen. Then I get to work and a fantastic coworker decorated my desk with balloons! I was taken out to lunch and the "surprised" as an afternoon internal review turned into a Trophy Cupcake hour (complete with Macklemore cupcake toppers...they know me too well)! The surprise almost worked -- but either way the laughs were sweeter than the icing on the cupcakes. 

That evening was spent in outstanding company as we partook in one of my all-time favorite verbs: DANCING. We danced the night away at Ballroom in Fremont and there was no shortage of laughter here as we showed off (or showed up) our moves (or lack of moves?).

Saturday brought my first ever wine tasting (thank you Groupon!). I will admit, I did stick to the white wines (you can guess why) but I tasted some seriously good wines! Convergence Zone and Kaealla both provided delicious sips, complete with impeccable vino knowledge and enjoyable conversation. In fact, my group ended up purchasing one bottle of wine from each boutique. After our tasting was over, we did a mini driving tour of the "Woodinville Wine Country" (since I have never seen in the area). I will definitely head back up to Woodinville to do some more exploring!

Just when I thought there was no way to top by birthday weekend, Saturday night absolutely night blew my mind. 

My wonderful date (who did an outstanding job keeping the whole event a COMPLETE secret, only dropping hints that I knew were just to lead me off track...)  was due to arrive at 5:30pm. He asked me to dress nicely, but insisted I add a sequined flower in my hair...a little out of the of ordinary.... Once I was dolled up and a sequined out, we jumped in the car. But we didn't head out until my blindfold and seat belt were both securely fastened -- yes, I said blind fold. I was blind folded in the car and on the entire walk up to the building (where the strangers passing by continued the masquerade by saying things like "I cannot WAIT for this wrestling match..."). 

When my blindfold was FINALLY removed, I stood looking at the front doors of Teatro Zinzanni, an aerial arts, carnival, hula hoop lover's dream! Not to mention, a foodie's dream -- with a decadent five-course meal. There are not enough "praiseful" adjectives to do justice to this dinner theater -- even extraordinary falls short, as no detail went unnoticed. From the rich velvet walls of the Moulin Rouge Tent and "completely in character at all times" waitstaff to the jaw dropping aerial arts performances and the hilarious dialog of the show-- this night was one I absolutely will never forget. 

Here's to 24! Thank you all for making my birthday such a blast. Life is a gift that is meant to be celebrated, and you all gave me the best present of all -- memories in which I will look back on and not only smile fondly, but LAUGH wholeheartedly.


P.S. As a side note...I thought I should let you know that after two and a half years, I have started eating meat again. Maybe that will be a blog post for another day?