I Heart Spokane (Spo-can)

Well, it's official, I love our fair city. This week as spring has been blowing it's way into being, I've had the opportunity to get out and about around town to some of my favorite spots.

For my mom's birthday on Thursday I went again to lunch at Madeline's (yum Rueben and yum-yum lemon merangue tart!) in downtown Spokane, (across the street from the funky fun Thomas Hammer Coffee shop) and shop at two of the best spots for gifts and gifts for me- Atticus Coffee and Boo Radleys. My sisters and mom and I found some super cute finds including "Keep Calm and Carry On" products and awesome reproduction clocks that would make me happy to tell time by.

My dad took my two little boys on a walk to Riverfront Park while we shopped, the perfect choice for all of us! I've gone to that park since I was a child, even attended Expo '74 when I was all of 2, and my husband was there at a big 4! (We say we met there). By they way, I have quite the burgeoning collection of Expo memorabelia.

Friday night my husband and I actually got out on a date night (my sister is trading baby sitting for cat sitting), had appetizers and drinks at Twigs-such cool restaurants- watched a real movie (Babies), and even experienced a taste of our first First Friday! Apparently there is night life out there! We have small children and like to sleep at this time in our life, but it was really fun to know that a whole world of cool things to do exist in downtown Spokane at night.

Saturday (today) was a day made for junking, or I made the day into a junking day. Either way, my friend Christy was up for a turn around the city, so we hit some super fun estate and garage sales on the North Side, then stopped by to see my sister at Starbucks and discovered pink donuts!!! Please, must they tempt me more? I even had a custom drink (that's what they called it) to be poured into my "new" pink 2003 Starbucks mug I had just picked up at a garage sale.

We didn't have enough carbs, so we headed out to Chaps. Ah, Chaps. It would have been enough just to sit and adore Celeste Shaw's (the owner and proprieter extrordinairre) inspiring decorations, but I had to have one of their amazing cinnamon roles too. We also saw one of the new life size Farm Chicks signs while out there! (My Joy Harvest/Funky Junk booth and Christy's Ballyhoo Girl booth will both be at FC).

We headed to the Sister's Sale on the south hill...our "one" stop for the day, and had fun picking out a few treasures to take with us. Those girls are so fun. Christy and I also discovered that we truly are junk addicts, as we rationlized numerous sale stops along the way "home".

After small breaks home to hug our children and husbands, we met at Christy's house where I salivated over her junking finds and scrapbook inventory-there should be some really fun items at her booth at Farm Chicks. For me to buy, then we'll see what's left!

We headed out on Hwy. 2 to Airway Heights for a fun, fun Girls Night Out event at Gardenstone. Kelly Tareski was a perfect hostess with the mostest and cutest pink tutu! We got to see Emily from TinyBelles and ran into our friends, Debbie & Shelley, two of the Mermaids of the Lake girls! We had so much fun talking that we decided to take our talk on the road and hit the Rusty Moose down the road for some burgers and martini's. And yes, I had my very first ever Cosmo-so martinilicious!! Those Mermaid girls are so fun, and such creative, beautiful women. It was the perfect thing to do and perfect people to be with on Mother's Day Eve.

Now I'm in bed eating some cookies with pink (of course) frosting and feeling so grateful for this life that I lead, the boys who make me a mother and the people that God has placed in my very full and lovely life.

I heart Spokane and I heart junking. But I really, really heart my boys- my husband and all 3 of my "hearts outside of my body".