One of my best friends got married last weekend in Lake Tahoe, and it was the first time all four of my college roommates have been together in close to seven years. I don't think I've ever been to a wedding where the bride, the groom and the minister were all busting out laughing for about half the ceremony. It's safe to say we had a blast. Although we didn't stay nearly long enough, we managed to fit in some quality beach time, an awesome hike along Rubicon Bay and plenty of wedding festivities. And the bride looked gorgeous, as always, but especially with her makeup done by our awesome friend Brittany. Check out Britt's really entertaining (but also informative!) blog if you want some tips on makeup, hair and fashion. 

After way too much time I finally opened up my Etsy shop - Spruce by Emily Setzer. It's small now but more sweet goods are on the way. So if you're into nature decor, check back every so often.

I have a bazillion photos of adorable Baby Anna, but here are a couple appetizers (isn't she delicious?) My friends Lauren and Brendan were troopers, bringing armfuls of gear and blankets and toys and clothes to the park on a deceivingly warm day for our photo shoot. We were all sweating, including Anna. But it's good practice for her. That girl's model material so she'd better start perfecting that tiger face now. And models must brave all the elements.

You get me every time. I can't walk by without stopping to take a closer look. This beauty didn't have a name tag, but it was in the National Botanic Garden, one of my favorite spots in D.C. The horticulturalists there bring in the most amazing plants each summer and plant them in bright blue pots, dispersed around the gardens. If you sit around the pool, surrounded by succulents, you can easily imagine yourself in some cliff-side Mediterranean locale with cobalt waters, where you can ride around on donkeys, eat olives and drink wine. Well, a girl can dream.

I'm kind of ashamed that I've been hiding these gorgeous photos of Bonnie for months! So I finally got around to posting them today. They were taken on a beautiful April afternoon in a park that has lots of sticks - her favorite!

Check out these super mamma-jamba clouds. Seriously, that is their name. Well, technically they are called mammatocumulus clouds. Imagine my surprise after coming out of a new-to-me Mexican restaurant that delivered the best tamales I've had east of the Mississippi and then I look up and bam!- these clouds! What a night! Although I am a sucker for both clouds and Mexican food. And here's another photo to put it in perspective. I can't decide which I like better.

So yeah, it's still winter and we decided to go hiking and pretend it was warm, wonderful spring. To be completely honest it did reach about 60 degrees, which was big, and I did close my eyes and stare into the blue sunny sky until it hurt my eyes. And there was a waterfall, which never hurts.

And then decided to just lie there and not look at me. As if I had no idea that she was also about to tear the ball to pieces, but only after carefully prying off the furry outer piece.

The Yuba River is this secret little spot about an hour from Tahoe, down in the foothills where the sun shines brightly, the water is turquoise and the huge boulders glow blindingly white. In other words, it's a little piece of heaven when you've just about had it with winter. Despite having a great time going snowboarding and cross country skiing in Tahoe, this day of warmth and water was just what my awesome friend Sam, her dog Ziggy, and I needed. Now we just need some spring here on the East Coast.

I just got back from a much-needed trip to Lake Tahoe to spend some quality girl time with one of my best friends, snowboarding, cross country skiing, soaking in the sunshine, and lounging by the turquoise Yuba River on a 70 degree day.