Continuing my funemployment adventure, I decided to spend a month in Seattle, the city I have been wanting to move to since before Covid. It was an amazing time exploring neighborhoods, hiking, and trying local restaurants. Despite the last few days being pretty cold, I survived the rain and can still see myself moving here. Let’s see what 2021 has in store for me.
After such a stellar trip in September, I decided to return to Oregon for some fall weather. I spent 2 weeks in Portland and it did not disappoint. With a few day trips, I got to hike in some of the prettiest (and coldest) conditions. Fall really does look good on you Oregon.
In fall 2019, I was lucky enough to go explore Ireland for 10 days. It was an incredible trip and while I loved the cities so much, it was the little moments in green spaces and my day trips to the country side that made the biggest impact.
After a few months of unemployment and an itch for change, I embarked on a two week adventure through Northern California and Oregon. Between so many hikes, vista stops, and exploring, I fell in love with the Oregon Coast and so many other spots. Even though my trip was cut short by the horrendous wildfires, I cannot wait to return and explore more of Oregon and California’s beauty.
“It was being a runner that mattered, not how fast or how far I could run. The joy was in the act of running and in the journey, not in the destination.” – John Bingham
“When you cross the finish line, no matter how slow or fast, it will change your life forever” – Dick Beardsley
There is nothing that can turn my day around more than a run. In college, I wanted to find an escape, something to do to de stress and free my mind for a little bit from all the craziness of school. My dad was a runner, so I figured I could do it too. And since then, it has been such a great part of my life.
My weeks feel incomplete if I don't get three days of running in. I hate not having a race on my calendar. I have a collection of Brooks shoes in various state of wear and a collection of race shirts and colored socks I often sport. My medals hang proudly on my wall and all of my race bibs live in a memory box. I have caught the running bug in full force.
The joy I get from pushing through miles, crushing hills, and feeling the sun shining down or the breeze against me can't be found anywhere else in my life. I am not the fastest runner, but building strength and continuing to race and push myself keeps me going. Something about training and starting my day with a run makes life better.
7 half marathons, 4 trail 10ks, 1 trail 8k, one 10 miler and a number of 5ks and so many more to come. No matter the distance, I'm going to keep running happy.
My itch to return to the PNW and visit college friends brought me back for a long weekend in Seattle. With work being pretty crazy, the weekend away couldn't have come at a better time. With a late flight in and a long wait in traffic at the airport, I made it to my friend Jon's place near Green Lake. He had to head off to work early on Friday, leaving me to go explore on my own. First up, seeing my friend Jess and having the best breakfast at Portage Bay Café. Jess moved to the Seattle area right after my last Seattle trip and I hadn't seen her for a year. It was so nice to catch up over coffee and a delicious scramble. While we were at breakfast, we kept seeing random people walk by with tulips and bananas. An odd combo, we knew we had to check it out after eating. Low and behold, the cutest little "banana stand" was only two blocks away. Thanks Amazon for the sweet treat.
Having just finished a month of night shifts, Jess headed home to rest up for hiking the next day. I headed to take a ferry to Bainbridge Island. The ferry was so pretty and exploring the island was awesome. I got the cutest little coffee at local spot Pegasus and walked along the water and through the cute neighborhood on the Waterfront trail, taking photos along the way. After a few hours in Bainbridge, I took the ferry back to Seattle and headed to Discovery Park. Having just started watching The Killing on Netflix, I knew I had to see the park. It was a beautiful day and fueled by my banana and a GoMacro bar, I walked the two miles from the visitor center to the lighthouse down at the water. It was such a beautiful park, but I was beat from all the walking. That night, Jon and one of his roommates, Jared, and I went and got delicious tacos and drinks on an outside patio. It was a lovely end to a great day of exploring.
My need for nature led me outside even more on day 2. Jess and I headed to two popular local hikes. First up was Rattlesnake Ledge near Snoqualmie. The 5 mile hike was pretty crowded, but led to a sweet ridge view of a lake and was mostly under trees. Feeling bold, we headed to another hike, this one in Issaquah. With a name like Poo Poo Point, we couldn't miss out on this hike. At the base of the trail, a number of paragliders took off, leaving a sweet view for us on our walk from the car to the base of the trail (actually called the Chirico Trail). My legs already feeling all the steps from the day before and the first hike, really felt this second hike. My patience was definitely low and I was getting hangry. Making it to the top was such an accomplishment and the hike down was so nice. The long drive back to Seattle only continued my hanger and dehydration. But Jess stayed with me and we got fuel at The Shelter, a fun local restaurant at Green Lake. It was so nice to go explore with Jess and it made up for such a long gap between seeing her.
I met up with another college friend Erin at a cider bar in Fremont. We caught up on her life at Microsoft and chatted about college friends over cider. Jon joined us and after Erin left, John and I got some food and then went to Lagunitas in Ballard. The tasting room was so cool with big tables, games and a great outdoor space. I ate a ton of peanuts and we chatted about life in Seattle. After, we walked through the main streets of Ballard, checking out the cool bars, before heading home to rest up for another day of hiking.
Day 3 took us to Granite Falls for a sweet hike to Lake 22, a glacier made lake. The hike was quite the experience- while only a 6.5 mile loop, the trail included wooden/dirt stairs, a waterfall, a super sunny, rocky section and then finally snow. Again, I got hangry and fed up with the snow, which Jon was stoked about. But when we got to the lake, the hunger and effort were well worth it. Still surrounded by snow, it was stunning. Surprisingly, it was very warm in the sun and many hikers were picnicking and enjoying the view. We headed back to Seattle late afternoon and decided to do a Whole Foods picnic at Gasworks Park at sunset to end the day. We got veggies and hummus, chicken and veggies from the hot bar, and brought wine and chocolate. It was the perfect end to a lovely day.
Monday was my last day and it was warm! I said goodbye to Jon as he headed to work and I went out for a walk around Green Lake and then explored University of Washington's campus and the botanical gardens. It was so nice to just have a low key, wandering morning. No trip to Seattle would be complete without my favorite ice cream from Frankie and Jo's, a plant based ice cream company. I got two delicious flavors, Chocolate Jamoca Fudge and Chocolate Date. It was so perfect after walking so much in such beautiful weather. After walking a little more through Capital Hill and getting a thank you gift for Jon, I headed back to his place to charge my phone and grab some Whole Foods salad bar for the flight. I was sad to head back to the bay, but it was such a great trip.
After multiple trips up to the Bay to visit me, it was my turn to head to SoCal to visit my friend Lizzie. We spent some time in San Diego and some time in Temecula, where she grew up. With an early flight in, we headed to Better Buzz coffee for caffeine (and acai for me) to prep for the day. We hiked in Torrey Pines and had beautiful ocean views. Led by our love for food, we headed to Lemonade for a fresh lunch and then went exploring in La Jolla, visiting the Salk Institute and chilling at the cove, people watching (and commenting on the wedding photos that were happening there). A night of Mexican food in Old Town and much wine and dancing at a dueling piano bar rounded out our first day in SD.
Off to Casa Applegate in Temecula the next day to hang with her family and enjoy some local wine. I had so much fun hanging with her hilarious family and having lunch with them. We rallied and went to a winery in the afternoon to go wine tasting. It turned out to be the best place- beautiful background, free RX Bars randomly and we got to take a picture with Santa. With a nice walk in the morning through the neighborhood with her dad and french toast from her mom, Lizzie's family was incredibly kind. We visited old town Temecula for more Mexican food and then headed back to San Diego. We puttered around Balboa, marveling at the International houses and cacti garden (such a SoCal thing). We also got to wear the sweatshirts I got us- "I'm a Cool Blonde"- needs no explanation. After a break for coffee and a dinner in Gaslamp, I was back at the airport for a late night flight back to reality.
It was a quick trip, but I love San Diego and would not mind living there some day. The hospitality from Lizzie's family made it even sweeter.
My college friend Katie and I met in Denver for 6 days of city and nature adventuring. It was quite the trip with some ups and downs, but what a cool city. The first day, I walked around Downtown and we biked along Cherry Creek. We got a delicious dinner at Linger, rounding out a crazy first day since Katie was sick. The next day we drove to Rocky Mountain National Park and hiked. We got stuck in a downpour and the California girls that we are were not prepared for 40 degree rain hikes in our tank tops and shorts. I got to catch up with a friend from high school at Red Rocks that night and we saw an amazing concert put on by GroupLove and Head and the Heart. Garden of the Gods brought another rain storm hike, but man was it an incredible spot. That night we got the best dinner at this Italian place- wine, zucchini noodle bruschetta and some delicious pizza. My dairy free dreams came true with vegan chocolate ice cream from the famous Little Man ice cream. That night they were playing funny YouTube videos to keep you entertained in line and they had a photo booth so we could memorialize this amazing moment. We got to explore downtown some more and went to a cool food truck festival and got to see a Rockies game! They lost in the end, but it ended up being a nice day with a break from the rain. The last day brought more rain and since we were tired, we kept it low key. Coffee, bowling and art district exploring before heading back to the airport. Overall, it was an amazing trip and I can't wait to go back and explore more!
I've dreamed of visiting Seattle and I finally pulled the trigger and went for a weekend adventure on my own. The city did not disappoint- I immediately fell in love with it. The rain, the beautiful architecture, the different neighborhoods, the amazing food (shoutout to the ice cream shops that let me have amazing dairy free ice cream). Seattle was quite the fun spot. I visited all the touristy spots- the Needle, the museums, Pike's Place, picture perfect parks. I got to see Vance Joy in concert at a tiny venue in the city and I got to explore the Green Lake neighborhood with a friend from college who had just moved to Seattle. I cannot wait to come back and explore more of this amazing city!
I was lucky to get to attend my company's retreat, Camp Bay Club, at Ojai Valley Inn and Spa. It was a beautiful resort, with perfect little hidden spots and gorgeous architecture. I loved getting to escape the Bay for a few days for some fresh eyes and some company fun,
