September | 2016 | Blissfulbritt

Monthly Archives: September 2016

Seattle Life

Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on September 23, 2016

Of all the house sitting gig’s I’ve had, the one I’m doing right now is hands down the best of the best. The bee’s knees. Crème de la crème. Typically my pet-ventures are in my neck of the woods, but this one is in Seattle.

And I’ve been here for thirteen days, with three more to go.

My excited face.

First and foremost being in Seattle puts me literally 15 minutes from work. Opposed to two hours. Granted I still don’t mind my commute, but hot damn is it nice not having one right now. I’m in for a rude awakening when I go home.

No commute means more time for running.

My current running spot.

Will run for V/GF cupcakes

Secondly, being in Seattle puts me only an hour away from some of my favorite hikes. Typically I travel two hours to get here, which I also don’t mind, (clearly my perception of time is much different than most) but again SO NICE to chop off an hour.

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Thirdly, I am so close to ALL THE VEGAN FOOD. Again, I happily travel to Seattle in my spare time JUST TO EAT sometimes, but here I am SMACK in the middle of it all. So many options, so little time. My mind is like a tornado, and my mouth is like a suck hole.

Cafe Flora – Italian burger GF/V

How cute is this restaurant setup?

Portage Bay Cafe – V/GF pancakes with UNLIMITED BERRY BAR

Sugar Plum – V S’mores Brownie

Chaco Canyon Cafe – Quinoa, kelp noodles, tempeh bacon with ginger sesame sauce.

Disclaimer: I make sure to also eat a vegetable based meal of greens to balance out the above goodness.

My housemate is a cat, so my job is not only easy, but enjoyable. I love cats. We just get each other. She is black just like my little, and she roams the land in the daytime like a gypsy warrior. She eats well and runs around to burn it off.

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Basically we’re twins. Although she has better self control than I do, I offered her some bread I made and she denied.

Good, more for me.

Grain free chocolate zucchini bread. Yusss.

I’m never bored over here, there is always something to do. So many cafes, so many restaurants, so many people. If anyone wants to move to Seattle and split the $48496438967 rent with me that’d be great.

Or I’ll just house sit forever. Or I’ll sleep in abandoned churches and lighthouses.

That’s all for now. I run. I work. I hike. I eat. I study. I explore. & Repeat.

Q: City or suburb dwelling?

| 57 Comments Tagged Hike, Mason Lake, North Bend, Running, Seattle, Solo Hike, Vegan

Altitude Awareness

Posted at 2:30 PM by Brittany, on September 8, 2016

I climb a lot of mountains. In fact I find great joy in conquering mountains with high elevations, but what I realize now is that spending more than a few hours at these high altitudes makes for a constant head ache, and runs that leave me looking like road kill.

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I spent the last week in Colorado Springs, Colorado and hot damn did my lungs feel like they were being squeezed. I ran three times, and the first time I literally thought my heart was going to beat through my skin. I live at sea level, and gaining 6000 ft was an adventure in altitude awareness.

Post run adventure on forbidden train tracks.

I was spending time with my family at the Air Force Academy, because my younger sister is a freshman there. It was parents weekend, so I gathered some of my hippie belongings and headed south.

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The campus is beautiful, surrounded by trees at the foot of the rocky mountains. I’d have a hard time studying with all the adventure that surrounded me. Military life is fascinating to me, and it was fun to see my sister in her new element.

The architecture was great too.

I shamelessly admit I found the above statue extremely attractive. Not to mention the story behind the hero.

Post military activities there was one free day to explore. I recently saw an article that shared the “Most Beautiful Place in Every U.S. State” and it just so happened Colorado’s most beautiful spot was Garden of the Gods.

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These red rocks formed millions of years ago through a shift in the earth. With over 15 miles of trails I was able to finagle three other members of my family to wander around four of those miles.

I discovered I’m not the only billy goat in the family.

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This walk was by no means steep, nor difficult, but the elevation and heat helped bring my heart rate above resting. I enjoyed the views, but I’d argue there are probably other places in Colorado that are more beautiful. I’m partial to blue and green mountains.

I’d like to make it back to CO someday to explore more of the mountains, and to summit Pikes Peak. I’ll be sure to acclimate myself to the altitude first, it’d be a shame to pass out mid hike.