Sibs Weekend

The craziest and most fun April on record ended with a visit from my sibs! My liver may never recover.

Bubbies arrived late Friday night, so we had to wait until Saturday morning to show her the most Seattle of all things: the Space Needle and composting.

Kris got in around 10 that morning, so after a group trip to pick him up, I slaved away over a delicious pancake and bacon breakfast while they watched and yelled at me to cook faster. The things I do for these kids, I tell you.

Next up, as all our visitors will tell you, we forced them to burn off breakfast with a hike! A city hike, that is, to the top of Queen Anne Hill to see the gorgeous views from Kerry Park.

For our next adventure, we rented kayaks and explored Lake Union. It was a perfectly calm day on the lake and the skies could not have been more lovely.

  

We were starvin Marvin by then, so it was on to Ballard to eat the most amazing barbecue we’ve ever had at Bitterroot. We split a Cowboy Killer and demolished so. much. meat. with a side of pork nachos. We set the nachos aside for one minute to make room and the next thing I knew they were whisked away by our efficient server. Now I have unfinished nacho business weighing on my soul.

Next, it was home for quiet reflection before happy hour on the roof. Lar popped open the Westland whiskey he’d poured when we first moved here for the occasion. Then so many awesome things happened on the roof while Kalyn was getting ready, but the pics are just too scandalous to post.

We headed over to Fremont to pay the Troll Toll, then on to the delicious Schilling’s Cider, and finally ZapVerr for all the Thai we could handle.

Sunday morning, we drove across the sound to West Seattle for brunch at Ma’Ono, where Kalyn won all the points for being the only one of us to get boozy with a Bloody Mary. Kris won in the food category with his baked oatmeal that came with a mountain of whipped cream (which naturally Kalyn and I ate most of for him because we are the BEST SISTERS).

After exploring West Seattle, we went back to the main land for more tourist fun at the Space Needle.

  

Then it was time to scarf up for the Sounders vs. Timbers game, with a quick stop at Pike Place before the liver damage began.

      

Sounders fans are a raucous bunch – folks of all ages were tailgating hard and spreading the hate for that team from Portscum. Then it was time to slam our drinks and March to the Match… 

   

…followed by more drinks before game time. 

The next 90 minutes of sportsball were exciting and the Portscum were defeated 1-0. Huzzah! Sounders!

Free popcorn!

After terrorizing a local shop while stocking up on snacks (some singing, some dancing, and maybe a pressed ham), we were invited to the roof deck of Lar’s favorite building by the friend of a friend. The view was incredible – best enjoyed while passing around a brick of cheese eaten like a giant shared sandwich.

    

For sobering up activities, we went to our favorite local spot, Rabbit Hole, for Skeeball and nachos. Competition was fierce as we battled each other and Timbers fans for victory before heading home to pass out.

Bright and early Monday, I drove my sweet Bubbies to the airport. She’s taking a brief retirement from her lucrative audiology career to travel Europe, so I won’t see her until she returns later this summer, tattooed and full of culture. Book your flight home directly to Seattle, Kalyn! Bitterroot is waiting for you.

The rest of the day was spent in a hungover daze with the boys and Tippy. We managed to venture out for lunch at Lost Lake Cafe and a visit to Bruce Lee’s grave before returning Kris to the airport that evening.

Now we have about a month before our next visitors…Mom and Dad! The next few weeks are a busy time at work with some fun local activities thrown in. There is also a crap-ton of running in my future with the Bend Beer Chase in June and the Oregon Wine Country Half in August and ugh I am tired just thinking about it.

Sibs Weekend was awesome and I really miss those goobers. I’ll let Tippy show you how I feel:

Mission Beach and Pacific Beach

More pics from San Diego…it was a lovely couple of days when we weren’t stuck inside! (Although I will admit that part was pretty good, too.)

On Monday, my coworker and I rented bikes for a ride to the Mission Beach Boardwalk. My legs felt so good that I followed it with a run back to the Boardwalk in the opposite direction, where I saw so many amazing beach volleyball games and LAUREN FISHER, Crossfit celeb and all-around bad ass. No pics of her, but I definitely froze and stared in a very creepy fangirl way. 

   
   

The run was followed by reading on my balcony while watching the sun set over the resort. The conference was at the Hyatt Mission Beach, and while I wouldn’t stay again myself, I would recommend it to a family who could take advantage of the awesome pools and water slides.

   
   

Then it was time for another fun dinner with friends who I hadn’t seen in several years! We had a contingent of Philly pals who fled the cold and snow about four years ago – definite inspirations for our move west! It was great to see the group at Taphouse in Pacific Beach. 

  
Tuesday was the final day of the conference and we ended with the “gala” at USD – a seriously gorgeous campus on a hill overlooking the city. 

  
I flew back to sunny Seattle early this morning and spent a good portion of the trip staring out the window at the incredible landscape. Only 2 days until Sibs Weekend begins – I can’t wait!! 

   
     

Oh! I also saw a dyed dog at the airport. Is this a thing? His entire body was multicolored but I could only get a sneaky shot of his green head. I know he was a “he” because his boy parts were dyed BRIGHT ORANGE. #firecrotch 

  

Ocean Beach Pier

It’s no fun to be stuck inside a conference all day when a gorgeous bay full of boats and people is mere feet away. But I was able to sneak away tonight for some scenery! My cousin who lives in here San Diego picked me up for a fun night in Ocean Beach, where we had dinner, walked the pier, and caught up on the last six years. 

   

            

Hoping to get up for a run tomorrow morning before another full day of sessions and networking begins. We’ll see…zzzz. 

P.S. Look at this cute pup and his swanky yacht! 

  

34

My birthday weekend was lovely, despite being cut short by a work conference in San Diego.

As legend has it, I was born on Good Friday 1981, and 34 years later it fell on a Friday again. The day started with a super-sweaty FlyWheel class with my Seattle Bestie, after which she took me for fancy coffee and gave me these amazing Tom’s wedges! 

  

It was a full day of meetings at work, made better when Larry picked me up with flowers for a surprise lunch picnic by the water. Lunch consisted of my favorite things – snacks! – and we picked out our future yachts before I had to get back to the grind.

   

 

After work, we hopped in the car to a surprise dinner location: Brimmer and Heeltap in Ballard, which was awesome. Inspired by Wendy last weekend, I tried an oyster shooter. Um, no. Not for me. But everything else was incredible. I was warned to not even look at the dessert meant because there was another location in store… 

 

Golden Gardens, where we bundled up to watch the sunset on the beach. Larry had a cooler of Udi’s cookies, peanut butter ice cream from Whidby Island, and cans of Sofia champagne to finish off the evening. Everything is better with a pink straw! 

 

Saturday, the surprises continued with an insane Larry-made birthday breakfast… 

  

That’s grilled french toast with melted chocolate-coconut-peanut butter syrup. Oh yes. You’ll also spy my Starbucks birthday beverage (a venti americano) and flowers from Lar.

As I inhaled those glorious carbs, I wore my new birthday shirt from Amanda and then maybe enjoyed second breakfast with some Shari’s Berries from my dad. 

   

 

I needed a nap after this! But instead, we walked downtown to Pioneer Square to enjoy the sunshine and a fun lunch at Quality Athletics. Then I was hustled back home and told to put on fitness clothes and sunscreen for our next adventure…

  

Kayaking on Lake Union! It was such a gorgeous day and we had an awesome time spying on house boats, battling the waves, and watching seaplanes and geese land around us.

   

 

Then it was time to go home to pack for my 8pm flight. It sucked to be leaving, but even the drive to the airport was exciting because the mountain was out!    

  

 

I still can’t believe we live here.

I said a sad goodbye to Larry and Tippy and headed into a fairly deserted airport. Saturday night flights are the way to go! 

We flew over Rainier on our ascent and it was incredible. I was too busy gaping with my mouth wide open to take pics, but just google “Rainier from plane” and you’ll get the idea. 

Now I’m in sunny SD until Wednesday for a busy four days of learning and networking. The hotel has water slides so I’m good! 

It was a great birthday and I’m so grateful to everyone who sent gifts, cards, texts, and voicemails to make me feel extra special. I’m very lucky. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go dominate a hotel breakfast buffet. I hope there’s a toppings bar.

#AWKeattle

My two special lady friends Amanda and Wendy gave me the greatest gift of all by dropping mad cash on plane tickets and coming all the way from Philly to see me this weekend. We’ve been looking forward to this for what feels like forever and now that it’s over, I’m very much suffering from post-AWK stress disorder. I’m also still hopped up on about 100 pounds of sugar thanks to these broads. #lovethem

They arrived Thursday evening on Alaska Air’s one and only nonstop from Philly. Since they’d been on a plane for six hours, I made the romantic gesture of waiting at the gate with a sign. I saw them come around the corner and frantically jumped up and down with my bright pink #AWK over my head. From my angle, it appeared that they looked right at me, then turned and walked the other way. I was confused and embarrassed, as the people around me clearly thought my friends were imaginary. Allegedly, they had not seen me and went to find a bathroom. Mmm hmm. Here’s a dramatic reenactment so you can judge for yourself.

Once I had the chickies in my grasp, we unloaded at the apartment and went straight to our favorite dive bar for tots and shots. Ok, no shots but at least two orders of tots, one with cheese! The girls were total troopers and stayed up until 3am their time.

Then, after Tippy had inspected our visitors with her tongue, she allowed us to sleep.

We started Friday with a lot of walking: first through Seattle Center with Tippy, then up to the roof deck to drink our classic Seattle Starbucks beverages, and finally up the Queen Anne Hill to Kerry Park because fitness is our life. Orrrrr because we wanted to earn a little Top Pot doughnut action? You decide.

  

After a stop at home, we were out for more walking; this time to Pike Place, where we sat on a pig, saw a fish get tossed, oogled the gorgeous flowers, drooled over cheeses and sweets, and finally ate an insanely good lunch of Le Panier sandwiches (I had a shepherd’s pie from a deli because the glutens were killing me) and desserts, with a side of Rachel’s Ginger Beer cocktails.

  

After more shopping and walking, it finally did that rainy Seattle thing, so we headed home to prettify ourselves for dinner at Westward. But first, we had a hot date with a troll.

I LIKE my Sketchers, but I LOVE my Prada backpack.

  

Westward is a lovely little spot on Lake Union with a cozy firepit and fantastic views…when it’s not gray and pouring, womp womp. We still had a wonderful time: A got to rock her rain boots, Larry and Wendy shared oysters and became besties, and we shared some insanely good desserts.

Amanda taught us that eye contact during toasts is NECESSARY.

Saturday dawned bright and sunny, and after breakfast at home (pimp-your-oatmeal style), it was time to eat more at the Theo Chocolate Factory tour in Fremont. We hairnetted up and enjoyed an educational and fun morning with our guide Aaron, who is so dedicated to chocolate that he sometimes eats 99% cocoa to get pumped up before a workout. FITNESS!

    

We next headed to Ballard for shopping around town and lunch at King’s Hardware (where we drank Maxxines – grapefruit vodka, lime, and Vernor’s Ginger Ale – and they were to die for!), then made a few other pit stops before heading home for happy hour on our roof deck.

  
The rest of the evening progressed in debaucherous form, complete with singing, stellar dance moves (“is she serious right now?”), and a showing of the classic film Mean Girls. Obviously there are no photos, because what happens on the roof deck stays on the roof deck, until it moves to the couch to pass out.

Sunday, we took our hungover selves to West Seattle for a fitness walk on Alki Beach before hitting the world-famous toppings bar at Portage Bay Cafe for brunch. Amanda won the prize for most whipped cream!

  

We walked down to Lake Union for the Ice Cream Cruise, where we snuggled under blankets and enjoyed the water views.

The afternoon was spent relaxing. I took Wendy to the International District for a shady yet wonderful massage while Amanda, Larry, and Tippy stayed home for book club. Then it was time for our final dinner at Local 360, where we ordered pretty much one of everything on the menu and enjoyed every bite. And YES, there was a rat sighting, but we chose to stay because it’s not their fault; it’s Bertha’s!

We closed out the trip with more drinks and highly competitive skeeball at Rabbit Hole. We all had our shining moments and the games were intense, as you can see from our game faces.

    

Larry took the girls to the airport super early on Monday for their flight back east. I managed to keep it together during our goodbyes but may have sobbed into my coffee later that morning. (It was probably just sugar withdrawal.) I can’t thank these wonderful women enough for spending their hard-earned vacation days and money to come see me. These two were a huge part of my five years at my previous job and even though they were fantastic coworkers, they are also fantastic friends. Mush, mush, mush.

Cannon Beach & Portland

…or, Cousin Weekend, the Sequel! This was a glorious weekend. Please prepare yourself for photo overload.

We left later than planned on Friday night, but that turned out to be a good thing – we experienced zero traffic-sitting on 5 South Friday night, which is quite a feat for a holiday weekend. We rolled into Portland around 10:30 and Tippy made herself right at home on Erin’s couch since she is not allowed on Blue Beauty at home. Suck it, she says.

We took off around 9:30 the next day for the 90-mile drive to Cannon Beach. Erin, being without a car in the big city, had yet to venture out to the coast, and neither she nor Tippy had ever seen the Pacific. We were only too happy to take them once we realized that this was prime Goonies territory. It was an easy drive with some cool fog that lifted into pure sunshine. And that chocolate Stumptown Cold Brew made the ride extra joyous. Well, for everyone but Tippy.

  

We rolled into Cannon Beach, parked in a free lot, walked across the street, and bam! There was Haystack Rock in all its glory. Stunning.  

Tippy ran for the water and experienced sand for the first time while we gaped and gawked at this gorgeous beach. It could not have been a more perfect sky, and it was windy but pleasant. We did see some lassies in bikinis going for a dip, which seemed extreme, but we are a weak, prude clan, so what do we know?

            

We just walked the beach and took in the scenes. For awhile, Tippy and I ran sprints and chased birds. I’ve never seen her run so fast. My quads are legit sore today from trying to keep up! And in Sperrys, no less.

Our tummies started to rumble, so we made our way back into town, where there were tons of restaurants, shops, and inns lining the streets. We dined on the porch of Local Grill and Scoop with about five other dogs and their humans. It was super tasty and Tippy was kept entertained by cucumber slices. Cannon Beach really is a cute little town. We must return and stay at The Courtyard. They have VCRs!

       

Then we got back in the car to drive just north of Cannon Beach to Ecola State Park, where Brand’s bike scene and the Fratelli’s hideout were filmed. The views from the lookout were insanely gorgeous.

          

 

(Click to make that last one bigger if you can…it’s one of Larry’s famous panoramics!)

Then we drove a bit further into the park to see Indian Beach. But first, on the twisty roads on our way there, we were assaulted by a gaggle of elk!

    

Thank cheezus we had elk experience from our time in Packwood and survived the attack. Indian Beach was lovely. We saw surfers and laughed when a small child bit it when a wave swept her over. Fun times.

      

We drove back to Portland sun-kissed, happy, and hungry. Onto Deschutes we went for beer tasting and sportsball watching, followed by a punch bowl at Teardrop Cocktail Lounge. I don’t know if it was the punch or what, but they were showing a super creepy movie on an old screen in the bar and we all became transfixed as we watched the end. We capped off the night by speed-Googling to find out what this insane movie was. One million points to Erin for figuring it out: The Innocents. Totally bizarre.

  

The next day, we went full gluten with Blue Star donuts for first breakfast to celebrate the true meaning of Easter. #notsorry Then we hauled ourselves to Besaws for second breakfast, where Erin narrowly missed a creepy bunny, and finally walked ourselves silly all over the Rose City.  

        

It was a fantastic weekend and a perfect start to April, which I’m pretty sure is going to be the most fun EVER. Our friend David arrives tonight, my special lady friends get in on Thursday, and then my bro and sis arrive to close out April with a good old-fashioned Sibs Weekend. There are so many carbs in my future!!! Wooo birthday month.