Dinner Date at Nostrana

Normally our favorite thing to do on a Friday night is to order take out and have a relaxing night in. After exhausting work weeks we often don't feel up for a night out. But lucky for us, our company celebrates a little something we like to call "Half-Day Friday" during the summer months. You work a couple extra hours during the week, and then come noon on Friday, you can start your weekend early! It's kind of the most amazing thing ever. So these days, after vegging out for a little and taking the pup out for a nice long walk, we feel energized and ready to try new restaurants. Which is exactly what we did Friday.


Nostrana is an Italian restaurant located in southeast Portland. It's not small, but it somehow still feels very cozy. We got to sit at the pizza counter, where we watched the chefs toss the pizza dough and slather it with delicious tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella. Yummm. I can't say enough about how incredible our food was. Just thinking about it is making my mouth water! I also enjoyed a fun trio of sparkling wines, all which I loved. It's the perfect spot for a romantic date night if you're ever in the area.

P.S. Just a fun little memory. Half way through our dinner another customer stood up and clinked his glass and asked if everyone in the restaurant would help him sing happy birthday to his friend, who was celebrating her 60th birthday. Everyone in the restaurant bursted out into song, it was so fun! 

{Photos © Liz Denfeld}

Festival of Balloons

Hello, all! Man, this weekend was packed with adventure. I have so many pictures to share, but since I already teased you with the hot air balloon I suppose I'll start there! After posting the photo I realized you all might think that I actually went up in a hot air balloon. And much to my (and maybe your) disappointment, I actually didn't. I did wake up at 4:45 AM to see about 10-15 hot air balloons launch up into the (early) morning sky. It was quite a sight to see. I went with my friends Meghan and Jenna (also aspiring photographers) and we had an absolute blast. We topped off the morning with some girly banter over cappuccinos and breakfast sandwiches. Pure perfection. 


So without further ado, here are some of the 200+ photos I took that morning. And if you're wondering.. Yes, seeing the balloons take off into the gorgeous blue sky did make me want to go on a hot air balloon ride even more than I did before!! 

{Photos © Liz Denfeld}

A Preview...

Just a little preview of how I spent my Saturday morning. More to come Monday!

{Photo © Liz Denfeld}

{Print Love}

I'm a sucker for cute prints. Buy any (or all!) of these here.

Sunday Snaps

I didn't take many pictures this weekend, mostly because I was feeling kind of lazy about it. But Sunday I finally got my inspiration back and brought my camera along with me to brunch. Boy was I glad I did, too! 


We tend to frequent the same breakfast/brunch spots and we felt like trying something new, so we ended up at Irving Street Kitchen. We had been once before but ate outside. They were having a special barbecue for the Fourth of July and we weren't crazy about the food, so we steered clear of it after that. Big mistake. Clearly we just caught them on an off day - and eating inside is the way to go.


I'll let the pictures speak for themselves as far as decor, but in one word I was obsessed. I seriously wanted to move in and never leave! And they were playing 1920s tunes, Frank Sinatra, and even some Pink Martini. After a while I was starting to wonder if their playlist was solely dedicated to me, each song even better than the one before! 

And then of course there was the food. I totally indulged in what they call the "Smothered Southern": Sunny side up eggs, cheesy grits, fried chicken and chili creole wedged between two buttery biscuits and served in a skillet. Did that gross you out? The description was a bit much, but the waiter insisted it was one of their specialities, so I went for it, and it was worth it! It somehow wasn't actually as heavy as it sounds. Corey had their Bacon Cheesburger with gruyere, avocado and herb fries and he gobbled it up in no time. Moral of the story is... We'll be back to Irving Street Kitchen very, very soon.

And of course I couldn't wait home to get home and snuggle with my little Henry. He got sicky this weekend, but I won't gross you out with the details... He's on antibiotics now and feeling much better!

{Photos © Liz Denfeld}

Happy Monday!

Haven't had a chance to upload photos from our weekend, but I have one iPhone photo I thought I would share. As you can see.. I got bangs! I was thinking about it before my appointment on Friday, but didn't want to hype it up and chicken out like last time, so I didn't say anything. But I took the plunge and I'm so glad I did. I love them! I'll post more photos as soon as I get a chance! Hope you all had a fabulous weekend.