Hangin' with my Gnomies

The cutest thing I have probably ever seen in the woods has got to be the "Gnome Trail" in Seabrook. I am not sure how it got started, but there are TONS of little houses with their gnome and fairy inhabitants just hanging out, undisturbed, doing whatever gnome-y and fairy-ey things they do. There were even a few Smurfs chillin' there!

Ever since we found out about the trail last time we were in town I have been dying to check it out! And it was well worth the wait. Next time we go we are going to bring some little dudes to add. 

Adorable little family of foxes!

There's clearly some re-building that needs to be done here, but these fairies pay no mind to no man! It's party time!

 So, we were unsure if this was supposed to be a garden, or little gnome cemetery.... I am hoping for a garden!

It took me about 10 times as long as it should to walk down this little path because I had to take about a million pictures.... I loved it! We actually had to walk through twice because my darn battery died the first time... M was so patient! :D

Ta ta y'all!

Life's a Beach

In true Washington fashion, we had 1 sunny day out of 5 while at the ocean.... so we made sure to take advantage of it!

We walked along the "Gnome Trail" (pictures to come tomorrow!) and through the woods down to the windy WA beach. The walk itself was gorgeous, and we were rewarded with an empty beach to enjoy. We (and by "we" I mean M and our best friend A) even did our part to keep it neat and tidy by fashioning a bindle out of a piece of netting and filling it with trash we discovered on our walk. Besides some random trash and a plethora of crab shells, there really wasn't much else to find in the sand.

The views were sure pretty though!

Upside down tree!

I didn't realize until I had uploaded the pictures to my computer that I had captured a perfect line of my footprints, the only blemish in the damp sand... kinda neat!

Crangel (crab + angel, get it? ha!) Wings

Even though you almost always have to wear rubber boots and rain gear to explore the beaches along the WA coast, it is still one of my fave places to go. I am almost done gushing about our trip, and I hope you have enjoyed it so far! :)

Tomorrow, I will be sharing pictures of the adorable "Gnome Trail" in Seabrook, which was basically my only "OMG-I-have-to-visit" place I planned out ahead of time. Other than that, we had no agenda whatsoever, which is the BEST way to spend vacation!

Seabrook :: The Magical Little Beach Town

 Oh how I love this place! We spent the most wonderful (birthday!!) weekend there last week in the cutest little bungalow, called "On Turtle Time". (Completely forgot to take pictures of that, but got 300+ pics of Ben the cat... at least I have my priorities straight!!)

This is the 3rd time in 12 months that we have stayed here, and I could seriously live here forever! I highly recommend if you want to get away, you stay here! Check out their website for the cottage rental info.

I feel like my words could not do this little slice of heaven much justice, so take a look at the pretty pictures instead! :)

 

This big red beauty is one of the "Sunset Magazine Idea Homes" and is amazing!

We finally got a chance to eat at this restaurant, and OMG was the food amazing! M had a club sandwich with the most delicious pear dressing... I may be drooling just a bit even thinking about it!

Ok, so not the best picture (there was some construction going on so we couldn't get much closer) but this is the town hall where they do weddings and other events. And M and I are going to get married here! No idea when, but at least the where is figured out!

There was a hilarious little crab-shaped sign on the side of this house (the red spot in the middle of the pic) that said "We've got crabs".... at least they are honest! Ha! Cheesy beach innuendos!!

Sigh... it was so hard to leave this place, and I am already trying to figure out when we can go back! We have a super exciting Mexico trip planned for November, so it may have to be next year, but either way, we will be putting it on the calendar on a regular basis!

PS - Sorry for the pic-heavy post, I just couldn't help it!! :)

A friend like Ben

This past weekend, I spent the best 5 days in the best place in the world with two of the best people ever! I will be explaining more about this magical place over the course of the next few days, but I had to start off with a post about our new friend Ben:

Ben, the two of us need look no more

We both found what we were looking for

With a friend to call my own

I'll never be alone

And you my friend will see
You've got a friend in me
(You've got a friend in me)

 

Ben, you're always running here and there

(Here and there)

You feel you're not wanted anywhere

(Anywhere)  

If you ever look behind
And don't like what you find
There's something you should know
You've got a place to go
(You've got a place to go) 

 

I used to say "I" and "me"

Now it's "us", now it's "we"

I used to say "I" and "me"

Now it's "us", now it's "we"

Ben, most people would turn you away

I don't listen to a word they say

They don't see you as I do

I wish they would try to

I'm sure they'd think again
If they had a friend like Ben
(A friend)
Like Ben
(Like Ben)
Like Ben

(Thank you, Michael Jackson, for letting me borrow the lyrics to your song, "Ben")

Ben is the resident kitty in Seabrook, the fantastical little beach town on the Washington coast where we stayed. This is the 3rd time we have stayed here, but the first time we were actually graced with his presence, and boy, did we feel honored!

He sauntered up to our deck one morning and hung out for some kitty snugs. We left and came back several times throughout the day, and each time he showed back up on our deck! We even let him inside for a bit and he curled up on the rocking chair. When we went to bed that night, we had to put him back out. He sat on our deck, guarding our little bungalow, for hours!

We told the people in the rental office the next morning when we checked out about how long he hung around with us and they were shocked. Apparently, he normally says hi to people, but quickly moves on to the next house. :) 

They were selling stuffies in the gift shop that looked like him, with a little sailor hat with "Ben" heat stamped on it. Of course we had to get one so that we could have our own little Ben at home! 

We'll see you next time Ben!

Friday Faves!

I have no theme for this week, just a collection of some of my favorite things! :)

To start with, I wanted to express the joy I find in using Sally Hansen nail polishes. They always have the greatest shades, and for something as commonly found as they are, they are of quite good quality! My FAVORITES at the moment are these:

The silver, Celeb City, was the first one of the three that I bought, and I was instantly smitten. I picked up the gold, Golden-I, around my birthday last year, and the copper one, Coin Flip, just a couple of nights ago. They have a subtle metallic quality, almost glittery. It only takes about 2 coats of any of these colors to be completely solid on my nails. They are definitely glam, but it is easy to keep it classy!

Continuing on this vein of nail care (and no, I swear this is not the theme!), I am anxiously awaiting the time when I can try out this little goodie:

Lemony Flutter by LUSH Cosmetics

I first saw it blogged about over at The Dainty Squid (and you should definitely check out her blog, it is amazing!) and I had to check it out. My cuticles are a hot mess, and I am always wanting to do more for them. The reviews on their site all make it sound fantabulous, so I have bookmarked it for a future purchase!

iPhone 4S cases at zazzle.com

In precisely 23 days, I will be saying, "Sayonara!!" to T-Mobile and my stank myTouch and FINALLY trading up to an iPhone!!! I cannot wait! And to celebrate, I have been drooling over the cases over at Zazzle. There are literally thousands of designs!

My birthday is fast approaching, and for said birthday, I want to get away to this little slice of heaven on the Washington coast:

This unbelievably charming little place is called Seabrook, and it is located between Ocean Shores and Moclips. It was established in 2006 (if I remember correctly) and literally looks like it is a movie set. It feels like time just stops when you are there. I have only had the pleasure of driving through the town, but I am hoping that soon my dream of actually staying here will come true. I am a little obsessed with the idea at the moment, actually! :)

That's all I've got for you today folks, it was a much-too-long day at work today, and I am a little tapped out! :) But I hope I have given you some new things to fall in love with!

As always, I love to hear what some of YOUR favorite things are! Tata-roonie!!