Wildfire Joining Google!


The good news keeps rolling in! Today marks the beginning of a new chapter as Wildfire joins Google. This is really great news and I couldn't think of a better company to acquire us. It's bittersweet as I love Wildfire and all of my coworkers, but most of us will be joining Google so the fun continues.

A few friends celebrating with our CEO, Victoria, who rocks.

Yosemite + We're Engaged!

This weekend Lucas and I took a little weekend trip to Yosemite National Park, which is about 3 hours from San Francisco. Lucas was super sneaky and planned an engagement weekend and asked me to marry him after a strenuous hike to the top of Mount Hoffmann in Yosemite. After I said yes (obviously!) we hiked down and had an amazing dinner at the Tioga Pass Cafe, which was near our cabin. It was an amazing weekend and the entire time I felt very spoiled and engaged and loved. Below are a few pictures from our trip, if you'd like to see.

We just so happened to run into a National Geographic photographer on our hike who was nice enough to snap a few shots of us using his fancy lens. Thanks random stranger!
Check out the view from the top of our hike. We were 10,850 feet up!
Lucas popped the question after a well-deserved picnic lunch and I took a few shots to show off my new ring (which I can't stop staring at, by the way!).
Finally, we giddily walked down the mountain and the views were stunning.
What a magical weekend. We love you, Yosemite!

My Favorite Finds

Okay, so this is my attempt at getting back into blogging (I know, I know...I've said that about 127 times at this point). I am going to make a concerted effort in the next few months to revamp the look and feel of my little blog. Now that I'm on the West Coast and so many of my friends and family remain on the East Coast, I want to have a way to share tidbits of my life with them. So here's to more consistent blogging, y'all! Here are a few fun links I'm loving from around the web:

I just bought this fun packaging for gifts!

A song I'm digging right now.

I made this tomato and corn salad with lemon-poppy dressing two times this week.

Olympians let loose. This article blew my mind!

My friend Haley's dog fetish is both hilarious and adorable.

The new Loeffler Randall handbag line is to die for.

Alright, so there we go. Have an awesome weekend and Happy Olympics!

Cozy Sweaters

In Georgia we don't even think about busting out sweaters or boots until late October (because THAT would be tacky, unlike wearing Nike shorts with Ugg boots year round, which is completely acceptable in the South, y'all). Since moving to San Francisco a year ago, I've learned that it's okay to layer clothing year-round (and even to wear white after Labor Day...don't tell my mom!). I know...groundbreaking! For chilly California nights, I love wearing cozy sweaters. Here are a few that are currently on my wish list:
J.crew.
Aubin & Wills.
Zoe Karssen.

Pickling Party

Today my friend Lena taught my friend Leanne and me how to pickle! We all love sewing, crafting, and cooking, so they were the perfect pickling partners (alliteration, much?)! Today we made dilly beans, garlic and dill asparagus, spicy carrots, pickled red onions, and some refigerator bread and butter pickles, onions, and jalapeƱos. Yum...my mouth is watering just thinking about it all. When the fruits of our labor are ready (in about 6 weeks!) we're going to have a Bloody Mary party to celebrate our hard work. I just ordered my very own canning supplies, so I can't wait to do it again soon. XO
Basic Instructions:

-Completely sterilize jars and lids. We washed the jars in the dishwasher and boiled the lids in water to ensure that they were especially clean.
-Find a recipe that you like. This book has great recipes and nice pictures.
-Prepare jars by adding ingredients (garlic, dill, peppers, etc.) and then tightly packing the pickling vegetables in an upright manner. Try to squeeze as many as possible.
-Fill the jars with the warm liquid or brine that you prepared. You should leave around a 1/2 inch at the top of the jar.
-Put on the seal and lid and don't tighten it all the way.
-Put the jars into a canner. We used a steam canner which I think is a bit easier to use than a pressure canner (especially for acidic foods, like pickles!).
-Wait for the steam to start coming out of the sides of the canner before you start the timer. Leave them in for the amount of time that the recipe indicates (typically 5-10 minutes).
-Take the jars out carefully and wait for the seals to pop down. You should be able to tell once they're completely sealed. Once they are, tighten the lid completely.
-Leave for 6-8 weeks and then enjoy your pickled goodies!
{Photos from Instagram}.