Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest I feel most alive surrounded by trees and breathing in the fresh mountain air.
When I am not working you will most likely find me spending time outdoors, volunteering with my church and exploring this beautiful planet with my family.
This is my place to share my passion for life and to encourage you to take time to find the extraordinary in your life.
Last weekend, we headed to Leavenworth for some hiking, a little bit of relaxation, and a much needed change of scenery. Every once and awhile I crave a new landscape, so last weekend we packed up the car and headed east of the mountains. I am always amazed at how different the landscape is just a couple hundred miles away from our home. It reminds me there is so much still to explore in my own backyard.
Although I am constantly taking photos of Jasper I do not think there will ever come a time when he is grown that I will declare, "Geeh, I wished I wouldn't have taken so many photos of him" It is easy to remember to snap photos of him when we are out and about, but I am trying my best to make a conscious effort to capture him in his every day element. Like when he wakes up from a nap and is super playful and expressive. Also, there are so many things I want to remember about him in the here and now that taking a few photos will help jog my memory later on. For starters, I want to remember his gorgeous sun kissed skin and bleached blond hair from all our Summer adventures. I want to remember how tenderly kissed his animals good night when he thinks they should be resting or how he always wakes up happy and smiling. I even want to remember how he refuses to have his nails trimmed and ends up scratching his face by accident. The transformation from newborn to baby to toddler has been a remarkable and awe inspiring thing to watch. I can't wait to see what the next two years will bring.
Sometimes I find myself head down immersed in my own life when out of nowhere something happens and it causes me to pause and look up. Last week we lost a dear friend suddenly. Over the past week, I have spent an inordinate amount of time reflecting on my own life in a way I have not done for awhile.
It has been an annual tradition to attend the Washington State Fair for as long as I can remember. First with my parents, then with my friends and now with my own little family. At the fair, there are so many things to see, do and eat. This year, the thing which captivated my attention the most was an adorable little boy in a pair of denim overalls. Jasper was such a joy to watch as he "carefully" petted baby animals, danced every time he heard music and rode his very first ride all by himself. There are endless pros to being tall (so I am told) and being able to ride all the rides in the little kid area is definitely one of them.
Arizona can be a VERY hot place in the Summer, but when you know you are only going to be there for a short time it is easy to embrace the heat and enjoy the beauty of the desert landscape. On our recent visit to Arizona our biggest criteria in finding a rental house was that it had a pool. Not only did we find a house with a pool, but it had two outdoor fireplaces, an outdoor television, a pool table and two outdoor seating areas. One of my favorite parts about Arizona aside from all the different varieties of cacti is the fact that people who live here actually own a whole wardrobe of bathing suits. As a Pacific Northwest native, the very idea of wearing a bathing suit more than once a year is a pretty exhilarating prospect.
Last week, we spent some time visiting Cameron's parents in Arizona. It had been several years since we last visited Arizona and we were excited for a change of scenery, warm weather, amazing Mexican food, and lots of swimming. We took an evening flight from Seattle and knew we would be arriving late, so we booked one night at The Saguaro Scottsdale to start our trip off. Aside from the sometimes stifling mid day heat, it was the perfect time of year to visit Arizona. The thermometer easily hovered a little over one hundred degrees each day and we found if we were outside, we pretty much had the place to ourselves.
When you are a child, a box is not just a box. A box can be a boat, a car, a ramp, a coloring book and can provide hours upon hours of fun. Especially, when you are a toddler you are more interested in the box that comes in the mail rather than what comes inside. So when our Kidbox Back to School box arrived I was excited about the clothes inside and Jasper was excited about the box.
This past weekend we drove up to Jones Creek Farm for a little apple picking and a scenic drive of sorts. We stopped at Calico Cupboard for lunch and made certain to pick up a couple of toffee bars for the drive home. Once at Jones Creek Farm we pretty much had the place to ourselves. We walked up and down the rows of apples and pears and were almost overwhelmed by the abundance before our eyes. We live in a place where we have access to some of the freshest, most beautiful produce in the country and I believe it is paramount that my son learns where his food comes from.
Whenever we get a late start, lack the energy required for an eight mile hikes or are stumped as to where to go we end up at Snow Lake. Although it can be a busy and crowded trail, it is a beautiful hike. Also, the reward of ending up at an alpine lake is as big a reward as you'll ever have when you are day hiking in Washington. A couple weeks ago, when the forecast called for a ninety degree Saturday we knew we liked the idea of swimming in the cool waters of an alpine lake.
In the Summer, there is one Saturday I look forward to more than all the others- it is the day we go hiking around Mount Rainier. Typically, we visit Paradise in August when the wildflowers are in full force and our chance of having a clear day is at its greatest. So far this ultra scientific method for picking what day to visit has worked out. Over the past several years we have enjoyed a spectacular day on the mountain.
For the past several years we have made it a point to stop by the South Lake Union Block Party for burgers, sunshine and an all around good time. This year we had an eager toddler in tow who was ready to get in on the action himself. Most notably during the block party, he played a little chess, chased bubbles, grabbed more than a few bananas from the free Banana stand, chowed down on burgers and picked up his first library card accompanied by a temporary tattoo of the downtown Seattle library. After the Block Party we made our way down to South Lake Union Park for a little splashing around in the water to cap off our night.
One of my favorite parts of having a little one is being able to dress him each day. If you know me, then you know a whole lot of thought and effort goes into building and maintaining Jasper's wardrobe. I find it very important for him to be dressed appropriately either for the weather or the outing we are going on. My first priority always is for him to be comfortable, but I also want him to be able to easily wear a variety of clothes.
Snow Lake is one of our favorite hikes to do year round. The drive to the trailhead isn't too far, the distance on the trail isn't too great and we always know it is going to be beautiful once we reach the top. In early Summer, there are streams which zig zag the trail and waterfalls in the distance. In late Summer, there are wildflowers dotting the trail and in early Fall the colors of the foliage are spectacular.
This Summer we have discovered a new favorite place to hang out- South Lake Union Park. Although we have always liked this place, we just recently discovered the joys of it on a hot Summer day. For cooling off we love the epic splash pad, when we get hungry we like the healthy and convenient made to order lunches they serve at the MOHAI and the best part of all is the constant buzz of air traffic overhead and boat traffic on the water.
Although we have done a fair amount of traveling I always feel like we have just scratched the surface. There is so much to see and do in our neck of the woods there really is no need to venture too far unless we are in the mood for a change of scenery. On our way back from Pemberton last month, we stopped at the Sea to Sky Gondola. We rode the gondola up, ate lunch and then walked along a few of their trails and rode it back down. Next time, we plan to hike up and then ride the gondola down. Had we not been pressed for time we would have done so this time.
In Pemberton, BC there exists a place so beautiful it just begs to be shared. North Arm Farm is a family run business that was started by Jordan and Trish Sturdy in 1995. Since then, it has been developed into forty five acres of vegetables and fruit. One July morning, we made the trek from our home in Seattle to their farm in Pemberton. What ensued was an evening of stunning food, inspiring conversations and endless beauty. My only wish is that this farm was located closer to Seattle because I would like to spend as much time as possible in this idyllic setting.
In the summertime, Pike Place Market often turns into a mob of tourists. I feel like a fish swimming upstream as I make my way through crowds of people. Despite all of this, I still like to go there for the fresh flowers, cheese, some of the best fresh seafood I can find and always Ellenos greek yogurt.
Saturdays could easily turn into just another day in the week. We could spend our time cleaning, doing projects around the house and running errands, but instead Saturdays have become our day to invest in our most important priority-our family. On a typical Saturday, we try to leave the house early and head for the mountains. Depending on a variety of factors; the weather, our energy levels etc. we set out on a hike for the day. On this particular day, we hiked a total of nine miles. We hiked to a beautiful alpine lake called Melakwa. On our way up, while Jasper took a nap, I took time to document just a few of the wildflowers we saw. Once he was awake, amidst cascading waterfalls and scenic vistas we practiced his animal sounds.
The biggest perk of catching the early ferry is you can hit the ground running once you are in Victoria. When traveling with a toddler two of the most important factors are food and speed. During our boat ride we were able to eat breakfast and then spend the rest of the time checking out all the boats and beautiful scenery out our window and chatting with the interesting people on board. Once in Victoria we took a short taxi ride to our hotel and without much fuss we were able to be settled into our room and get a bite to eat all before noon. Since it was so early in the day, we then had the rest of the day to explore Victoria at our leisure. We had such a long list of things we wanted to do we really appreciated being able to get up to Victoria so fast and with such ease on the Victoria Clipper.
A few weekends ago we decided to tackle Granite Mountain. Our schedule has been jam packed with travel these past few months, so we have not been able to get out hiking as often as we would've liked to. Hiking Granite Mountain is one of our favorite things to do in the Summer and early Fall. And it never feels like Summer until we have tackled a handful of our favorite hikes.
