on pretending to know how to ski | the vermont edition

Last weekend, J & I went "skiing" in Vermont.

The thing is, we don't actually know how to ski. In fact, we might be the world's worst skiers. But doesn't that just sound so posh? Oh, we went away for the weekend. Just a little light skiing in Vermont. That sure sounds a lot more luxurious than "Last weekend we went to Vermont. We drank lots of hot chocolate and watched a bunch of other people ski." Which is what we did.

But it was great!
We bundled up, explored the lodge, stomped around in our snow boots (I finally got a pair!), drank roughly 10 gallons of hot chocolate, and enjoyed our first weekend outside of the city. My favorite part was probably watching all the 2 and 3-year-old kids ski down the mountain like a bunch of professionals. That was good for my ego. I think some of them actually flipped us off as they whizzed by.

My actual favorite part was snowmobiling. (Do I look cool or what?)

That was a first for both of us and I'm proud to say that we are much better snowmobilers than we are skiers. We went on a 2-hour tour through the forest, across a frozen lake, and - much to my delight - right past all those 3-year-old punks. "Later, losers!" I yelled as we sped off into the sunset. I mean, it was 11:00am but we sped off nonetheless.

At the beginning of the tour, our guide told us that our snowmobiles could reach a maximum speed of 75mph. Naturally, J managed to get the thing to go 80. He won't admit it, but I'm pretty sure that while we were flying across that frozen lake, he was living out all of his motorcycle dreams. (It's me, or a motorcycle. That's the deal.) Meanwhile, I was wondering what it would be like to be catapulted off of a snowmobile onto a frozen lake. Would it be be better to belly-flop or just break right through the ice? (Hi mom!)

I think we found our new favorite hobby.

a week well spent

it's amazing how quickly times goes by when you're with the people you love. it almost seems unfair, doesn't it? i mean, really. i would have sworn that five minutes ago I was rushing off to the airport, daydreaming of California sunshine and yet - somehow - I'm already back in Oregon, unpacked, and wondering where the week went.

it's times like these that I really wish life had a "pause" button. wouldn't that be great?

the thing about having a really good time is that, when it eventually has to end, it's a million times harder to say goodbye. and goodbyes are the worst! but we won't think about that right now.

this week was everything I could have asked for and more (a lot more). i must have really been needing this trip because I felt spoiled just being home. being with my mom. spending every day with my best friend. finally seeing my family. finally being with my people. we all have our people, don't we? you know the ones - the people in your life that make you feel rejuvenated and calm and loved and happy and grateful just by being in the same room together. i sure love those people.

the theme of this vacation was definitely relaxation. i have a handful of fun adventures to share, but the moral of the story is that this week was all about taking it easy. enjoying the simple things. like not having to set an alarm. and going on walks. riding bikes with my mom. hanging out with my dog. listening to the ocean. reading. maybe dedicating an entire day to eating cupcakes and watching the whole season of orange is the new black with lauren. (you know, life's simple pleasures)

sweet, sweet vacation. i've only been back for a few hours and i'm already feeling nostalgic and sappy and all sorts of melancholy. i suppose that's to be expected, after a trip like that.

damn you, sweet vacation! 

home sweet home

hey blog!

things have been extra quiet around here in lieu of a top secret mission. I'm spending a week at home in California and decided it would be fun to surprise my best friend a whole week before she thought I was coming to town. knowing me, I'd wind up spoiling the whole thing by posting anything on here or instagram or facebook, so I figured total internet stealth-mode was the way to go.

after lots of plotting and planning, I'd like to report that the suprise was a great success (and really, is there anything more exciting than a surprise reunion?). we haven't seen each other since Christmas, so this has been a long awaited day. there was lots of screaming and jumping and hugging involved. reunited at last!

it feels so good to be home. there's always something therapeutic about it, as I'm sure you know with your own homes. it's so easy for me get caught up in a routine of work and responsibilities and to-do lists, that coming home is like a little escape from reality. everything seems to slow down. these past few weeks have been pretty hectic, so I'm looking forward to a week's worth of friends and family and doing a whole lot of nothing. sometimes no plans are the best plans, you know?

so stay tuned! lots of California-y photos coming your way. be prepared for a bombardment of sand, sun, and sunburns.

speaking of sunburns. this photo was taken the first day of my trip. my mom and I went straight from the airport to go ride bikes along the beach (classic Californians!) and somehow it didn't occur to us to put sunscreen on until we were a few hours into our ride. needless to say, I think I got more sun (and burns) within one hour of being back in California than I have my entire summer in Oregon. oops.

a weekend in seattle

you'd think that after almost four years of living in oregon, by now I would have visited seattle (or washington, at least!). but, you'd be wrong. maybe I'm just too loyal an oregonian. 

with our work schedules, it can be tricky for j & I to really take any significant vacation time, but magically, we were able to take a mini vacation this past weekend and escape to seattle. j has family that lives in town, so we got to spend the weekend with them and see (what felt like) every corner of the city.

(okay, maybe not every corner)

and now, lots of photos! 

the fourth of july was really fun. it started off with a tour around the space needle (obviously), a visit to the lake union market (where we got to explore some pretty cool boats and also where I inhaled the world's largest bag of caramel corn), a trip to the ballard locks, a deeeelicious bbq, and finally, an oh-so-casual fourth of july party on one of their friend's house boats. a house boat, people! it was very festive indeed.

somehow, we managed to score prime firework-watching-spots when the sun finally set (lately, it's been staying light out until almost 9pm!). we all piled into one of the boats outside the house and had the absolute best view of the fireworks over the water. I was convinced we were on the set of a movie.

the only downside of this trip was that we couldn't stay longer. four days definitely felt luxurious, but sunday rolled around much quicker than I would have liked. it's always great to explore a new city and spend time with people who really know the area. j's family took us all over the place - to all their favorite restaurants, bars, parks, shops. so even though we "only" stayed for four days, they packed in (what felt like) a week's worth of activities. there was no stopping us! onto the next great thing! 

pike place market was (of course) really cool to see. naturally we chose to go on the busiest day of the week, but it was fun to be around so many people and get to see all the little nooks and crannies of so many shops. (you would not believe their flower market. $10 for the most beautiful bouquet you've ever seen!)

and of course, our trip wouldn't be complete without a visit to the gum wall. mmmmmmm.

one of my favorite parts of the trip (though, there were many) was taking the ferry to bainbridge island. it was kind of a spur of the moment decision, but it ended up being one of our favorite memories of the trip. timing was really on our side. we set sail (ahoy, matey!) in the late afternoon, got to leisurely wander around the island, and by the time we caught another ferry back to downtown, the sun was just about to set.

it was very romantic indeed. ;)

(actually, it was freezing more than anything else. i'd say 70% freezing, 30% romantic) how d'ya like that! 

not pictured above:
01. the day we spent kayaking around lake union. talk about a serious arm workout! (j might have done most of the paddling. I wasn't a very good boat-mate... I don't think he was too happy about that)
02. the best ice cream i've ever had in my life (and I'm an ice cream connoisseur, so. think about that)
03. the best hot dog i've ever had at 2am.
04. the amazing, tangled monster that my hair became after our windy ferry ride.
05. the absolutely gigantic (and delicious) meal we had at the crab pot that sent all of us into an instant food coma.

all in all, I'd say it was a pretty great trip. I woke up monday morning already feeling nostalgic, and I think that's the sign of a vacation well spent.

Have you ever visited Seattle? What are your favorite parts of the city?