The Walker Clan

Friday, July 20, 2007

Double Layer Chocolate Cake

Rarely do I try my hand at baking, but the other night I was feeling eager to make a double layer chocolate cake. Thanks to cake mixes straight out of the box and store bought frosting the cake turned out okay. I guess next time I will have to break out a real old fashioned cookbook and try something from scratch. Who knows - that would take quite a bit of courage since I tend to destroy most baked goods. However, in the end this prepackaged cake was both edible and delicious.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Redecorating

Amy - here is the post you have been waiting for. Although none of the rooms are quite finished, this will give you an idea of what they look like now and our plans for the future. Hope you like it. We will post more pics as we add to these rooms and finish off others. Any decorating tips you may have would be great as well!

Kitchen and Dining Room before we moved in

Kitchen After

We are thinking of going over the yellow with a brown glaze to give the kitchen a rustic look. We are also looking out for some great artwork to hang that captures a Tuscan feel.

Living room before we moved in

Living Room After
After a winter of dark paint, I really needed to lighten up the room.

This is the cabinet, shelving, and TV niche my dad built. It still needs a second coat of paint on the shelving and cabinet.

This is the color scheme we are going for in the living room. Beneath the pillow are the curtains we plan on hanging as soon as we find curtain rods. Any suggestions on where to find a great set?

Bedroom and Bathroom taken before we moved in

Bedroom and Bathroom After

We plan on putting up some art above the bed, once we find a painting we can't live without. Right now I kind of have my eye on a canvas piece at Ikea.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Wedding Season

The wedding season has begun, and Luke and I have already been to three weddings. The first wedding was for a couple from my home church in Yakima. The second was for Kelee Wall a good friend from college and work. The third was for Paige Kuske my long time college roommate, soccer buddy, and Oxford companion. It was wonderful to be a part of all these weddings and watch friends enter into the next stage of their life. Below our some pictures from Kelee and Paige's wedding.

The beautiful bride and handsome groom

Joanna (Paige's long time friend from Junior high), Suanna (Dave's sister), me, and Laura (Dave's sister) posing before the amazing view.

Paige and the bridesmaids - showing off her garter

Dave and the bridesmaids

The rehearsal dinner - high tea one of my favorites

The rehearsal - always great fun

Soccer girls at Kel's wedding

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Packwood Paradise

Hello friends - I know I just recently started blogging, but I thought I would share a few Packwood highlights with you all. Luke and I spent our much needed three day Memorial weekend enjoying the beauty and peacefulness of Packwood, Washington. It had been over a year since our last trip up to the mountain, so it was nice to get away for a while. Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy from our trip.

There is no such thing as camping without smores!

Buttercreek Breakfast!!

There is nothing better than camping with freshly brewed lattes : )

Friday, June 1, 2007

The Beginnings

I am feeling a little proud today as I take one more brave step into the world of technology. I have to admit that I never thought I would become a blogger. However, as I am wrapping up my third year of teaching, I felt this may be a way for me to journal some thoughts and update those who are interested about the daily life adventures of Luke and me. I have to say, I am somewhat of a commitment phobic with all things related to continual updates and monitoring. But I am determined to give this at try.

Where to begin . . . Luke and I have been living the suburbia life in South Auburn for about 10 months now, which happens to be as far away from the noise and constant commotion of a commuter neighborhood as we could get. I have found since we moved to an area with slightly more space and greenery that I feel an even deeper calling to run away from the hustle and bustle of city life. I guess I always pictured myself as an adaptable person. Yet, at the end of our two year stay in Renton, I was eager to pack it up and head for the hills. Auburn is still not country living, but its one step closer to the slower pace of life I was used to growing up. Unfortunately, our jobs keep us harnessed to the city by some degree. Regardless, I am enjoying our townhouse, the view of Mt. Rainer, the running trails, the four block walk to Starbucks, and the fact the we have found a great church just 10 minutes away. I guess overall a piece of calmness has returned to my life that I felt was missing in our tiny 740 sq ft. apartment just blocks from 405 in Renton. Who knows, now that domesticity seems to be slightly more appealing, maybe kids are closer than the 30 year age limit we originally set for ourselves. I guess will just have to see what the new found love of neighborhood living does to our slightly chaotic and over-scheduled lives. We will have to keep you updated. Until then, here are a few pictures of our almost three years of martial bliss - which I must say has been the most exciting adventure yet. I highly recommend it!