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A very COVID wedding

Bride and groom stand smiling outside

Oh quarantine. So many curve balls you threw me.

My now husband and I got engaged in June 2019, and decided on October 2020 as the perfect date for our wedding. Even in March when everything locked down, October seemed like that was so far away and COVID would be done by then! NOPE.

Bride looks at camera while holding groom's face and smiling

So we decided in September that we probably shouldn’t risk the lives of all our friends and loved ones. We told everyone that we were still going to get married, but no one was invited.

We then called our parents and asked if they still wanted to be there as witnesses, and they were very happy to agree. My husband also has a twin, who, along with his partner, has been a part of our quarantine group. This meant we got to have a maid of honor/best man and a total of 5 attendees.

Family wedding picture

We were able to book our venue for the same time next year to hopefully have a reception with our friends and family.

Luckily, we were able to say our vows and sign the papers and become Mr & Mrs Gonzalez without risking any lives.

Bride and groom get married while the officiant wears a face sheild
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20 for 2020 recap

In January, I made a list of 20 things I was hoping to accomplish this year….

I don’t think any of us saw 2020 coming. I started this blog with the intention of documenting some of the local coffee shops, cafes, and restaurants I visit in my area, and boy did that go off the rails.

I put my blog on hold for the entire lockdown because, first of all…I wasn’t going anywhere. Second, I honestly just didn’t want to pretend to be more enthusiastic and hopeful than I was.

Well anyway, nearly a year has elapsed and I am looking back on the list I made a year ago and cracking up. Let’s see how I did:

  1. Get married✅
    • I did!! But the only people there were my mom, my FIL & MIL, Lucas’s Twin and his girlfriend…so 5 people. Real small .
  2. Buy less fast fashion and more vintage fashion✅
    • Honestly I barely bought any fashion at all since I was just at home. But I haven’t bought a dang thing from Shein, so I’m gonna say ✅
  3. More yoga❌
    • NOPE. Almost zero yoga. No exercise at all and I gained a bunch of weight.
  4. Get a new apartment✅
    • We did! It’s bigger and a little nicer, but the real pull was the gym…that hasn’t been opened even once.
  5. Invest more in freelance❌
    • I did a little more freelance, but not MUCH more. I’m gonna say no on this one
  6. Go on a date with Lucas every week❌
    • Hilarious. Nope. Not at all. I can’t even remember the last date we went on.
  7. Make over $50k ❓
    • I have literally no idea. I did some freelance, got a new job…I’m gonna cross my fingers and say I hope I did.
  8. Save $100/wk or more❌
    • Lol no. You would think not going anywhere would save money, but moving and getting married are expensive as hell
  9. Take more pictures ❌
    • This went the way of the yoga…meant to but didn’t.
  10. Go on 2 trips out of Washington✅
    • We went on a honeymoon! So…one trip! And we went to Vancouver before COVID. So yes!
  11. Eat out less frequently – cook more healthy meals at home ❌
    • You tried, Belle. You tried. But we ordered take out like 4 times a week for a while.
  12. See family more than once a year❌
  13. Have friend dates at least once every month❌
  14. Get a smartwatch that doesn’t hurt me✅
    • Yep! My FitBit Charge 3 BURNED my wrist whenever I wore it. I got a Fossil Sport and I love it.
  15. Stop letting laundry pile up❌
    • Ooh. Nope.
  16. Do more nice things for Lucas❌
    • Does marrying him count? Probably not.
  17. Read more✅
    • I have actually read a LOT lately.
  18. Get my license!✅
    • Yes ma’am!!
  19. Get a car? ✅
    • A really cute blue VW Jetta 💙
  20. Make a new friend❌

So 9/20. COVID really won this round.

But here is me a week after I got married with my cute new car!

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Locations

49th Parallel

This past weekend we decided to get out of town (and America in general) and explore Vancouver B.C.! We did a lot of fun things, and we’re putting together a pretty fun little video, but I wanted to talk about a great brunch place!

This coffee shop/donut shop was right around the corner from our hotel and it was just adorable!

Picture of sandwiches

Lucas ordered the Cascadia sandwich, which was bacon, eggs, and cheese with relish and honey mustard! I got the Doug (+ avocado) and a drip coffee (which apparently they call “filter” coffee in Canada. Who knew?) The Doug had eggs with cheese, chives, onions, bacon, and garlic aoli!

Picture of Sandwich Bags

The sandwiches came in these cute little bags, which was very fun. They were delicious and the perfect amount of food. The coffee was DELICIOUS and not too acidic at all. Lucas, who hasn’t been liking coffee much lately had a few sips, and it passed the Lucas test.

One last thing I loved: they make their own almond milk and hazelnut milk! I didn’t get a chance to try any, because I was just taking it black, but I’ve never seen a cafe do that! I’ll have to go back and get a latte and see if it’s better.

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20 for 2020

I am a devout follower of The Onward Project. It’s a network of Podcasts started by Gretchen Rubin.

On Happier, a podcast, the hosts make a list every year if things they want to accomplish within that year. This year, 2020, the list is 20 items long.

Being a textbook Obliger (another Gretchen Rubin term), I benefit strongly from outer accountability…so just by posting this list, makes in more likely that I’ll follow through….so here’s the list!

  • Get married
  • Buy less fast fashion and more vintage fashion
  • More yoga
  • Get a new apartment
  • Invest more in freelance
  • Go on a date with Lucas every week
  • Make over $50k
  • Save $100/wk or more
  • Take more pictures
  • Go on 2 trips out of Washington
  • Eat out less frequently – cook more healthy meals at home
  • See family more than once a year
  • Have friend dates at least once every month
  • Get a smartwatch that doesn’t hurt me
  • Stop letting laundry pile up
  • Do more nice things for Lucas
  • Read more
  • Get my license!
  • Get a car?
  • Make a new friend

Tell me your 20 for 2020!

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Locations

Makeworth Market

One of my ’20 for 2020′ goals (I’ll post the whole list in another post) is to go on a date with Lucas every week. So far, just about every week we’ve gone to our coffee shop. We live very close to Fairhaven, so it’s easy to go to our same favorites over and over again…so we’ve decided to go to every coffee shop in Bellingham this year (and boy…it’s a lot)

Makeworth Market entryway

This weekend we went to Makeworth! I have seen a few Instagram posts of people in this beautiful place and I was excited to check it out myself.

Lucas is taking a break from coffee for a while, because the acidity hurts his stomach…and I don’t drink dairy, so I’ll admit our drink choices tend to be heavily amended. My favorite milk substitute is Almond milk, for flavor and calorie count… however! A lot of shops in Bellingham have stopped offering almond milk (for a lot of very good reasons that I definitely support) but I was super happy to see that Makeworth is still on the almond milk bandwagon.

I got a Merry Mint Mocha (with almond milk) from their seasonal menu, and Lucas got a Chai latte. DELICIOUS. The mocha was creamy and thick and had tiny candy cane pieces on top. Lucas loved his chai latte as well. It smelled heavenly and had gorgeous latte art, which is always fun. We also got some of their chocolate almond biscotti which was also delicious!

Makeworth also has a very curated little store area. They sell some mugs, made by a local artist, and a lot of little curios. It seems like a great place for local makers to showcase their work.

All in all, we have nothing bad or neutral to say about Makeworth. Delicious drinks, beautiful atmosphere. It’s a nice, big, open location with huge windows, letting in tons of light. The baristas are friendly and talented.

Highly recommend!

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Backgrounds for fun Self-Timer Portraits

One way to up your selfie game is to integrate a fun backdrop. Luckily our world is filled with amazing murals, beautiful locations, and fun environmental design. Unluckily….winter happens. I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest where for a solid 4 months it is dark, and grey and wet outside. Terrible for pictures. I also don’t have a gorgeous, well lit home that lends itself to great content.

Not to be discouraged by the weather, I decided to bring the weather indoors! I looked on Amazon and found that there are TONS of fun tapestries for around $20 each (give or take a few)

I have a fairly professional lighting setup, but I’m sure you could get the same effect with a few floor lamps.

I set my camera to a wide aperture and a pretty fast shutter speed, which allowed me to do a few fun hair flip pictures

Here’s a link to this tapestry if you want to get the same one! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V9N3GQ4