Blissfulbritt | Page 2

- Seventeen
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on May 8, 2025
  
  Last month we celebrated a very, very special birthday. My sweet (and spicy) cat Little turned 17 this year, and I am beyond blessed to have had so many years with my best friend. Truth be told, I never imagined we would get to this birthday. Little has been on a wild ride since he was 10 years old.
  
  In January of 2018 he had emergency (life saving) surgery for a blocked urethra from a struvite crystal (sadly common for male cats.) In December of 2018 he was first diagnosed with early stage kidney disease. In November of 2020 he was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, and had to have a radioactive iodine treatment to complete cure it. In May of 2023 he had a vomit fest leading to a misdiagnosis of IBD, when in reality homie was severely constipated.
  
  This resulted in months of steroids he did not need, and I completely overhauled his diet. I never believed he had IBD and after switching to a new vet I was affirmed in my belief.
  
  In February of 2024 he took a trip to the ER (on my birthday) after five days without a BM. Three weeks later we were back in the ER for the same issue (we have since dialed in on this.) And most recently, in April of 2025 he had a double ear infection, but received a misdiagnosis of being BLIND…more on that in a minute.
  
  So yeah, 17 is a big deal. Despite all the above listed ailments, overall he has lived a very healthy life. His kidney disease is chronic, but ironically this issue has been the least of our worries thus far (aside from contributing to constipation and nausea in his geriatric years.) If you have been a regular reader (or are a real life pal) you will know this cat is my world. Each day with him is a special gift I don’t take for granted.
  
  When shit first hit the fan in 2018 there was no guarantee his emergency surgery would work. I knew we had to try despite the gargantuan price tag, and here we are seven years later. Worth every penny.
  
  Admittedly I might be a bit too attached to my cat, and I have extreme separation anxiety after all the chaos we’ve been through lately. This makes his birthday celebrations extra special because I get to celebrate the wins. For his birthday this year he received a new floppy fish toy from Duncan, a new peacock feather from me, and various treats to snack on while us humans ate apple pie. He also donned a very special birthday boy hat, and he was a true sport about this one.
  
  He looks like he hates me here. LOL.
  
  We also took a special birthday car ride, which is the same as a regular car ride, but with his party hat. He only wore it long enough for me to snap a photo, and then he lounged in the back taking in the sights as we slowwwllyy drove. After his misdiagnosis of having IBD I stopped letting him in the backyard incase the grass was aggravating his stomach.
  
  Instead I took him in the car (sans vet carrier) to see if he would enjoy it, and the rest is history.
  
  Although this celebration was mostly for me to have special memories, I would like to think he had a joyful time. During this day I noticed him scratching his ears and shaking his head, and I then noticed it happening each day after for about four days. I called my vet suspecting he had an ear infection, but unfortunately my vet was on vacation.
  
  I was able to see the urgent care doctor on shift that same day, but because my cat is so incredibly spicy at the vet she was unable to handle him. He usually gets a big hit of gabapentin before we go, but I don’t think he had enough time for the drugs to kick in. This vet took him in the back room (despite me telling her I’d have better luck getting him out of his carrier if he stayed with me in the original room, but whatever) for ten minutes before finally let me come back to help.
  
  She proceeded to tell me she did a vision test on him and that he was completely blind. Insert wtf emoji here. I knew he wasn’t blind, but I was so taken aback that I didn’t know what to say. She was about to send me home with nothing more than a quack diagnosis so I asked her if I could swab his ears for her, because I knew he wasn’t scratching his head due to detached retinas.
  
  Sure enough, double ear infection.
  
  The lesson here is to always be the advocate for your pet. Being a vet is HARD, I don’t deny that, but we know our pets better than anyone and I knew he had something wrong with his ears. Just to be sure, I came home that day and brought out the laser. The vet told me he likely still played with his toys because he could hear them, but I figured if he could hear light then he was a wizard.
  
  He chased that laser like he was five years old.
  
  Like I said, this cat has had quite the medical journey, but he is still plugging along bringing me more joy than I could ever imagine possible. Admittedly I have spent the past two years waiting for the next shoe to drop. I obsessively monitor his bathroom and eating habits, his energy levels, his mobility, and his overall demeanor. It seems just when things calm down something else happens, but I am trying my best to enjoy each day individually.
  
  Anticipatory grief is rough. I find myself getting stuck in loops of sadness for when he is no longer with me all while he is very much still alive.
  
  I don’t want to look back on this time and regret living too far in the future, so I will leave it at this: happy birthday to my geriatric feline, thank you for 17 amazing years thus far.
  
  Q: Have you ever received a misdiagnoses from your vet? If you don’t have pets have you received one for yourself!? Anyone else have a bionic pet like mine who continues to survive everything thrown their way?
  
  | 51 Comments Tagged Birthday, Cat, Little
- Early Morning Confessions
  
  Posted at 4:50 PM by Brittany, on March 24, 2025
  
  1. Back in January I posted about a hike I went on called Mount Si. I received a comment from an artist asking if she could paint one of the views in the photos I shared, and OBVIOUSLY I said please do. She created such a beautiful piece of art, I especially love the tree like frame she used.
  
  You can see more of Lorna’s art on her blog. This is the link to her post with the below photo.
  
  2. Some of my favorite pieces of art I own are those that were created for me by friends, including people I’ve met virtually. OR pieces that were purchased for me by others because the art made them think of me. This is such a special feeling. A lot of my art is centered around cats and nature.
  
  Big surprise.
  
  3. My job sometimes brings in brand reps to share information on products, and with these presentations often comes free swag. We haven’t had many reps come lately, but we did have a box of sample mix-matched Smartwool socks put out for us to dig through. I found two pairs of similar socks, the only difference was the pattern.
  
  I am a sucker for anything free, even if I don’t match. Smartwool has been my go to sock brand for many years, and this was like Christmas morning for me.
  
  4. A couple months ago I shared how I was able to change my own cabin air filter in my car to save me $80. This months car project was to replace my rear brake lights. Duncan showed me how the lights pull out into the trunk, and I bought a new set online for $6. I don’t even want to know what Toyota would have charged me for that job.
  
  5. Nostalgia hit hard when I went to a friends house a couple weeks ago for a Nintendo 64 game night. I would consider myself a minimalist, and I am constantly purging things I do not use or need, but I will never give away my N64. I used to have sleepovers with my friends and we would stay up all hours of the night playing Mario Party, and that’s exactly what I played with my grown up friends.
  
  I only had two controllers, and I was able to find two more online for $32…for both! They aren’t OG Nintendo controllers, but they worked great! I look forward to more N64 game nights as a sorta grown up.
  
  6. I ordered a pressure washer for my mom this month, and Duncan and I tag teamed washing her backyard concrete patio. At first I was disappointed, I had no idea pressure washing was as time consuming as it was. I thought I could spray it like a hose and voilà! That was not the case, but it was worth the time it took to clean.
  
  7. It’s no secret I will stop wherever I am to pick up loose change I find on the ground. I will stop a run, get off my bike, go to a self checkout station that I did not use – if there is a coin, I will grab it. Overtime this habit will pay off, and I can take a handful of rolls to the bank. My recent bank haul brought me $26. Some of that was from returned change after using cash, but a bulk of it was free found money!
  
  8. I recently bought Little a party hat for the birthday celebration we will be having in two weeks. When browsing the selection at MudBay, the cashier told me for his birthday I could have a free salmon treat. I have been buying food at MudBay ever since I stopped feeding him prescription food a few years ago, and this company has been nothing short of wonderful.
  
  Superb customer service for stressed out pet parents trying to find a good food option.
  
  9. I ran a 12k St. Patrick’s Day themed run two weekends ago, and I took this opportunity to buy myself another themed cat shirt. I managed to find the exact same theme as the shirt I bought for my Valentine run, but when I saw there was rain in the forecast I regretted buying a cotton t-shirt for a 7.4 mile run. I ended up wearing a base layer under the shirt and it worked great.
  
  What did not work great was the weather. It was raining, which isn’t a huge deal, but it was also cold and the wind was OUT OF CONTROL. Nearly two miles of this run was across a bridge, and something about a bridge with wind is like a magnet. The majority of this run was brutal, I was on the struggle bus, and when my watch hit 7.45 miles and I saw I wasn’t done yet I wanted to riot.
  
  The course ended up being 7.86 miles on my watch (and on a handful of other peoples watches who sync’d with my Strava account), which isn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of running, but I was ready to be done at mile 3 so this extra mileage sucked big fat doo doo. I finished with a 10:14 pace, and I had to fight for it.
  
  Pre baselayer. I was freezing.
  
  10. On the topic of running, I am in week 9/12 of half marathon training and I am so over it. Don’t get me wrong, when I cross that finish line in April I will be proud of myself, but the last month of training has been a slog. I have had more fatigue than I would like after my runs, and I am starting to dread the mid week runs.
  
  After the 12k I ran I can’t seem to get my body moving further than 1-2 miles which is obviously concerning.
  
  I am cutting back on my weekday run distances and will try slowing things down on all my runs. Hopefully this will help, but I am ready to get back to running here and there when it feels right. I am discovering that I prefer the 10k distance for my longest run’s and I don’t think I need to do much more than that. I struggle with fueling once I up my milage, and I can’t eat bagels and peanut butter like all the other runners. I end up eating things that don’t sit well just for the calories, which then adds to the fatigue. Alas, it’s never ending trial and error.
  
  Q: What’s your confession?
  
  | 22 Comments Tagged Early Morning Confessions, N64, Running
- Birthentines Day 2025
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on March 4, 2025
  
  Another year has passed which means another Valentine’s Day/birthday combo for Brittany has come and gone. My birthday is February 15 (the day after Valentine’s Day), and while I don’t need much on either day, I DO like to keep them separate. I told this to Duncan when we first started dating, and he jokingly referred to the two days as one calling them “Birthentines Day”, and it has stuck ever since.
  
  While Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to gobble a brownie, and make a special meal, I tend to put most of my focus on my birthday. This year when Duncan asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday, I told him I wanted to run a 5K…together…with him…he would be running too…as someone who doesn’t run. I thought for sure he would push back, but much to my surprise he agreed.
  
  We cooked a delicious meal on Valentine’s Day, ate a giant brownie, and we were up and ready to go the following morning.
  
  The beauty of my birthday falling on a Saturday this year is that I knew we would be able to find a 5k somewhere nearby. Because my birthday is the day after Valentine’s Day, I also knew we would be able to find a Valentine’s Day themed 5k. How perfect for Birthentines Day. I found a race about 45 minutes away from us, got really excited, but then discovered it was SOLD OUT!
  
  Back to the drawing board.
  
  I don’t love driving into Seattle these days, but I knew that might be my only option. I found a race with a 5k, and a 10k option on a looped track which felt too good to be true. I prefer running 10k if given the chance with organized races, so I was able to run the first 5k loop with Duncan and the second 5k loop solo. The run was called “Better Together”, and the website alluded to this being Valentine’s Day themed, so naturally I had to get us matching shirts.
  
  One of my gifts from Duncan, a beautiful piece of wall art.
  
  Once we arrived at the park where the race was taking place I knew I might have been very, very wrong about this event. There were no other runners in sight. It turns out this park has “races” every two months or so, and because of this they use the same race bib’s for each run (meaning no themed bibs), some events are smaller than others, and there isn’t really much participation in the theme.
  
  At least there wasn’t on this day.
  
  Duncan and I were THE ONLY ONES WHO WORE ANYTHING THEMED. I was momentarily mortified, but honestly I got over it pretty quickly. We got our bib’s, walked around for a bit, and then lined up with the other 90 or so people (SMALL SMALL SMALL EVENT AHHH) to run. The only way to tell this was at all Valentine’s Day themed was the blow up photo op.
  
  The run itself was nice, the park was a good change of scenery, and Duncan pushed himself more than I would have expected. I kept trying to get him to slow down because I didn’t want him to burn out, but he just kept flying. He was at the early stage of a multi day sickness, which makes his fight all the more impressive! I loved watching him push himself, and we finished his 5k with a 10:45 pace.
  
  After I left him for my second lap I only had one goal: catch up to and beat the girl in front of me. I managed to pass her AND one other person. I finished my 10k 1st in my age group…because I was the only one in my age group. LOL, I love the little wins. We both paid an extra $6 to get a medal, and honestly the medals were very pretty.
  
  Overall we had a good time, Duncan is willing to do another one (no promises on anytime soon) and we both have awesome new shirts to wear at any given moment. We may have been the only ones in Valentine’s themed clothes, but that just meant we got the most compliments.
  
  We managed to get a compliment from the race photographer as we ran by him, and he took this whimsical shot of us. HAHA.
  
  After the run we made our way to the best bakery in all the land. I had a free birthday reward, and I’m a sucker for all things free. This bakery is insanely busy every time we go, but I did not anticipate we would be fighting for scraps by getting there around 1300. They close at 1600, but when I say they had BARELY anything left I mean it.
  
  My reward was good for a muffin or a cookie, and obviously I wanted the more expensive of the two. I ended up getting a muffin I would have never chosen if I’d had options, but they had literally ONE muffin left in the entire shop by the time it was my turn. This muffin turned out to be one of the most heavenly items I have ever consumed.
  
  I’m not a peach gal, and despite the peach slices being huge in this muffin the overall flavor was superb. Well done Wren’s Nest. We were able to each get a savory item as well, and after properly entering into a food coma we made the drive back to my house so I could snuggle with my bestie the rest of the night.
  
  This is the first birthday in a while I haven’t gone for a hike, but this was a fun change of pace. I’m officially on the downward slope to 40, which is the most mind boggling thought I have had in a long time. Somedays when I sit deep in my thoughts I truly feel like I just graduated high school. I am still 18 saying goodbye to all my friends I will never see again.
  
  I am still 24 getting a job at Starbucks and discovering who I am slowly but surely. I am still 22 starting THIS BLOG having no idea I would still be scraping by with it 14 years later. I am still 28 and just letting go of the societal pressures of what it means to be successful, quitting a corporate job and moving to Yellowstone for 5 months. Life is weird. Memories are weird. But muffins are forever.
  
  Q: We are all just overgrown children fumbling through life, right?
  
  | 52 Comments Tagged Birthday, Brownie, Duncan, Little, Muffins, Running
- January Summit Views
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on February 3, 2025
  
  We had an unseasonably long stretch of sunshine and blue skies at the end of January, and I was fortunate enough to convince my pal Caitlin to come with me on a Sunday hike. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, Caitlin and I love to hike, but we’ve both switched into winter mode (for me this means running, and for Caitlin it means baking.)
  
  Not only have neither of us hiked much since September (we went together once in October, and twice in December), neither of us have climbed over 3k feet of elevation since…well honestly I don’t know when. Most of our 2024 hikes were in the 1700-2700 feet of elevation gain range, and while we likely did one or two hikes around 3k feet of gain, I can’t think of them.
  
  All that to say, it only made sense that I choose a hike with over 3k feet of elevation gain for two people who haven’t hiked much lately.
  
  I chose to hike Mount Si, a trail I used to frequent often when I first started hiking. I chose this trail because although the total elevation (4167ft) is questionable for winter (snow, ice), the trail head is directly off the freeway making it easy for my Toyota to drive to. I refuse to drive anywhere sketchy with possible snow, but with all the sunshine I knew I would make it.
  
  Well, I mostly knew. I had a small bit of anxiety about ice because it never got above 30F while driving there, but clearly I’ve lived to tell the tale.
  
  We arrived at the trail head around 0900, with plenty of parking spots available. This is a popular hike, but overall we had lots of moments without others. We took this hike much slower than I ever have before, and this made the entire climb enjoyable for me. I never once felt winded. The majority of the hike is in a forested canopy, but it was sunshine city once we reached the top.
  
  Don’t let the blue sky fool you, it was COLD, COLD, COLD! There was an ever so slight dusting of snow at the top.
  
  Olympic Mountains in the way back, Seattle skyline just in front of them, and my friend Bill posing on the rock.
  
  Mount Rainier off to the left, Rattlesnake Lake in the middle, and my friend Ted posing on the rock.
  
  We sat to snack and savor the view while the sun attempted to warm the skin under my 850 down jacket. Not even this layer could keep me warm once my fingers got cold. Raynaud’s be damned, this didn’t stop me from climbing up some of the surrounding rocks for better 360 degree views. I noticed a sign that was completely covered in stickers, and after going back in time to read my first post about Mount Si (oh my gosh the NOSTALGIA!) I saw what the sign looked like way back in 2014!
  
  Then.
  
  Now.
  
  Aside from the stickers I think the main difference is the photo quality. Yikes. As you can see the sign used to warn hikers about the Haystack Scramble, which is considered the “true summit” of Mount Si. You will never catch me going that extra bit, the flat ground summit is more than enough for me.
  
  After stuffing my face with my summit potatoes, we made our way back down to the car.
  
  I tend to stay fairly active year round, and I didn’t find myself too gassed by the end of this 8 mile trek. Ironically I was due to start half marathon training the very next day, but I planned to give myself a free pass (if needed) for the first day because this hike was more than enough conditioning. I woke up the next morning a bit sore, but I managed to run my scheduled 3 miles at a very moderate pace.
  
  It wasn’t until Tuesday the DOMS really kicked in. That seems to be the normal for me. The day after using dormant muscles I am ok, but two days after I can barely walk down the stairs.
  
  No regrets though, I finished my first week of half marathon training yesterday and I didn’t have to alter any of the training plan. I’m stoked we snuck this hike in when we did because I never have high hopes for winter hiking. My activity for the next 11 weeks will be finishing out my training plan, and then running my half. From there I will likely switch back into hiking mode.
  
  Unless the sun comes out again, then all bets are off.
  
  Q: Do you have an easy time ignoring when the sun comes out? Maybe it’s because I live somewhere with a good bit of grey (which I love), but when the sun comes out I feel like I HAVE to go outside.
  
  | 39 Comments Tagged Hiking, Mount Si, Summit
- Tire Troubles
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on January 23, 2025
  I have traveled to a handful of wonderful destinations in my life. Some of those places were big cities where I managed to get by with public transportation, but most of those places were not. Most of those places had me wanting to bop from city, to city, to city. This required renting a car, and I have driven in some relatively stressful situations (Rome, single back roads of Ireland/Scotland, sitting on broken glass in LA after a break-in, the autobahn…actually the autobahn is a blast to drive on), but nothing gives me more anxiety than the possibility of one specific situation.
  
  A flat tire.
  
  I have been blessed to drive in multiple countries and states with minimal car troubles (I had to put air in a tire once in a tiny town of Italy, but it was like a 6/10 on the stress scale), but the dreaded flat tire finally happened to me. In my own town. In my driveway. I’ve had punctured tires before, but nothing to the point I couldn’t immediately drive to the tire shop for a repair.
  
  This time, my tire was so flat I didn’t dream of driving on it. Actually I did, but Duncan told me no.
  
  I refuse to let go of this broken hubcap.
  
  I stumbled upon the above scene at 0750 on a Thursday, just ten minutes before I was meant to be at work. I shamefully have never changed a tire in my life, and I had no intention of calling AAA when the car was sitting safely in my driveway. I needed Duncan to help me change this tire, but I would have to wait for him to be off work later that day.
  
  Instead of calling out entirely (which I will be doing next time), I rode my bike to work. I will not be doing that again. This entire situation caused more stress than it needed to, but I have a tendency to want to fix problems IMMEDIATELY. This was certainly a problem that could have waited for the following day, alas I did not want to wait.
  
  Thank you to my hero Duncan, he showed me how to change the tire myself next time, though I don’t think I will be doing that.
  
  My weak feeble arms could never in their wildest dreams be able to loosen those tire lug bolts. Duncan showed me how to use my foot to kick down on the arm of the tool to loosen them, but I hope to never have to attempt that. Duncan put the spare tire on for me, we took the flat to Discount Tire where they were able to fix the tire for free, and all was well again.
  
  I had to rely on my knight in shining armor for this car problem, but I was able to redeem myself the following Monday.
  
  I had an oil change scheduled where everything went according to plan, but my engine and cabin air filters were both in need of a swap. I have been wanting to change my own cabin air filter for YEARSSS now, so I finally decided it was time. I wasn’t familiar with the engine filter so I let them fix it for a whopping $70. I immediately watched a video on how to do this myself next time, and it’s just as easy as the cabin filter.
  
  Cabin filter. Yuck.
  
  I bought a $20 replacement filter from the auto store, and managed to replace this all by myself! Well, I needed Duncan’s brute force again to get the glove box off, but overall IT WAS ALL ME OK! Toyota wanted $80 for this job, no way. Kick rocks Toyota! There are few things in life that bring me more joy than saving money, making money, or finding money (coins on the ground.)
  
  And just like that my car is good as new. My anxiety about getting a flat tire however is still just as strong as ever (specifically in foreign countries.) Something about being stuck in an area you are not from with no cell service, and speaking an entirely different language makes my neck hairs stand up. I really hope I am not manifesting this problem by talking about it so much.
  
  Q’s:
  - Do you think a flat tire is a good reason to call out of work, assuming lives don’t depend on you?
  - When’s the last time you had to change a tire?
  - Have you ever changed your own cabin air filter?
  | 51 Comments Tagged Flat Tire, Toyota
- Days of December
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on January 3, 2025
  
  Believe it or not, there was a time in my blogging life where I blogged regularly. Every two to four days I had something to say on this space, but these days I am lucky to squeeze out one or two posts a month. I used to share my daily life happenings, but I have morphed into more of a “just hit some of the highlights” blogger.
  
  Not to be confused with “just hit the positives,” sometimes highlights are the struggles too.
  
  November and December move into a slower time of year for adventures and I don’t have many epic new hikes or travel escapades to share. My daily excitement comes from things like the size and frequency of my cats bowel movements, what ancient artifact I have pulled out of my moms attic to dispose of, and surviving the monotony of working in corporate retail.
  
  I still like to throw in the reality of life amongst photos of mountains and new to me places, but the inspiration to write doesn’t strike as much as it does when I have something worthwhile to share.
  
  While I haven’t traveled anywhere far in a long time because of my sweet fury child, I did have a surprisingly busy December. Each weekend of the month I had something scheduled starting with Duncan’s company Christmas party. Duncan has worked for the same company for nearly four years, but this was the first Christmas he decided to attend the Christmas party.
  
  When he described the event to me I was stoked. I was hoping to see a plethora of plumbers letting loose with an open bar (call me crazy, but I love people watching those who have less of a filter from afar), but as it turned out the after party is where the real chaos ensues. Duncan and I are both in bed early folks, so we left before anyone got too rowdy.
  
  The very next day, we went to my pal Caitlin’s house for a cookie decorating party.
  
  When I say party, I mean it was Caitlin, her sister, and her nephew, plus me and Duncan. A small party. I couldn’t eat any of the cookies, but that didn’t stop me from decorating the above photographed handful. I think I’ve found my calling. Please note the cat cookie on the far left in the middle. I was trying to give this cat a realistic…orifice, but instead it looks like he needs a trip to the ER.
  
  To round out this first weekend of the month, after cookies we took Little for his first of two Christmas themed car rides. I would say it was a success.
  
  The second weekend of December was dedicated to exercise and gluttony. In an attempt to keep the holiday spirit alive I signed up for a Christmas themed 10k. I ran a Halloween themed 10k in October and loved the idea of running another holiday race. I didn’t dare show up to the start line without the proper attire, and I found the most perfect sweater to wear.
  
  A moment of silence for the most beautiful sweater to exist.
  
  I think I was more excited about this sweater than I was for the run itself. The run was beautiful, but COLD. (Go figure, it was cold in December.) I am loving getting back into running races because the community of runners is so fun and uplifting. Running is such a personal sport, but people come together to support the personal growth and accomplishments of each other as if we are a team.
  
  I’m not a fast runner, but seeing small progress is always fun. I no longer run to chase faster times, but I do enjoy challenging myself. I ran this race in 1:01:13 with a 9:51 pace. I was quite chuffed.
  
  Duncan was my number one support, and braved the cold to be there with me. After I was finished we made our way to my favorite GF bakery that was just around the corner (the runs in this town might be somewhat planned around the bakery too.) We each got a sweet and a savory, and this was the perfect end to the fun morning.
  
  Weekend number THREE of the month was reserved for cultural refinement. I love classical music, I love listening to the combination of instruments, and I love Antonio Vivaldi. When I saw there was a local concert of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons I knew I wanted to go. The concert was also one of the candlelight concerts I have seen floating around the internet for years, but I always thought they were fake/a scam.
  
  They are not fake, they are not a scam, and they are very enjoyable!
  
  Annnddd for the last weekend of December I went for a lovely winter hike with Caitlin and Duncan. We brought a stove/fuel so that we could make a cuppa and enjoy the warmth of the dark beans outside. We hiked the Duckabush River Trail just to the viewpoint for a round trip total of around 7 miles. (It was very cold, but still a worthy outdoor adventure.)
  
  Some other honorable mentions for December are: I read five books putting my yearly total at 70 books. My goal for this year is 60 books, but I anticipate I will surpass that. – I wore my cat sweater to work on Christmas Eve and it was the best day ever. After work I took Little for his second Christmas lights drive. – Christmas was calm, cool, and collected.
  
  NYE was also calm, cool, and collected. Duncan and I went for a hike New Years Day, and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to ring in the new year!
  
  Christmas Eve drive.
  
  New Years Day hike.
  
  On that note, I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season. I always enjoy mine, and I always enjoy when mine is over! Maybe this year I will blog more. (Probably not.)
  
  Q: How was your holiday season? Are you ready when the holidays are over, or do you wish they lasted longer?
  
  | 51 Comments Tagged Christmas, Hiking, Little, New Year, Running
- Early Morning Confessions
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on December 4, 2024
  1. It’s no secret fall is my favorite time of year, however the past month has felt more like WINTER. Too dark, too dreary, too much rain, daylight savings kicked my butt, and my motivation for nearly everything has gone down the drain.
  
  However, one thing that gets me jazzed every year is a holiday cup from Starbucks. It’s an instant nostalgic mood boost.
  
  2. I know once the holiday festivities are over, and the days get even shorter I will want to permanently keep my head attached to my pillow. In an attempt to mitigate such behavior I have signed up for another spring half marathon. Training for one this past year during Jan/Feb/March was a helpful way to stay active. I also love having a goal to look forward to.
  
  Having a focus and training regime for the upcoming winter will keep me from turning into Jabba the Hutt. I think this will be a new annual routine for me.
  
  3. Since we’re on the topic of running, I went for a trail run recently. While it’s not normally my thing, I didn’t hate it. I enjoy running solo, but I won’t trail run solo, so I don’t trail run. (That and I don’t love giant hills.) My friend who will also be running the spring half marathon (his first one!) likes trail running, so I accompanied him on a 5 miler.
  
  The run felt good, but the sight I came home to afterwards felt even better.
  
  I’ve been craving these for a while, and my mommy bought me one at the perfect time.
  
  4. After a routine trip to Sprouts recently I noticed one of my back tires was low. I drove to Costco to fill it with some air, where I discovered the tire had a screw in it. Ooofff. I thankfully managed to drive to Discount Tire where I was jazzed to discover I had a warranty on my tires. I got a new tire for free, but I was bamboozled by the guy helping me.
  
  He asked me when the last time I changed my wipers was. I told him it had been a looonnngg time, and that I knew how to do it, but I was being lazy. He told me he could make me a great deal, so I told him if he could replace them for under $20 I was in. He said he could, and I was shocked. He manipulated his computer to get the $50 pair for just $19, but they are AWFUL.
  
  Note to self: not all wipers are created equal. At least I got a free $118 tire…
  
  5. Speaking of saving money, I officially had to buy a new pair of Merrell’s. I bought a pair of Move Glove shoes in 2021 and beat the ever living life out of them. I refused to buy a new pair until the pair I had were shot, and I think having a hole in the heel I can fit multiple fingers through counts as getting my moneys worth.
  
  6. Duncan and I are going to a candlelight Vivaldi concert in two weeks, and I am beyond excited. I had seen the candlelight concert ads for years, and always thought they were a scam. Then I had a friend who went to one, and she confirmed it was no only NOT a scam, but a wonderful experience.
  
  The candles are most certainly not real, but the ambiance will still be lovely. I haven’t been to a classical concert since I lived in Europe.
  
  7. Little free library boxes bring me so much joy. I recently commandeered THREE books (two of which I already wanted to read) from three different ones. I don’t know who first started this trend, but I am so thankful for the pockets of joy. Once I finish these three I will return them to another box, and the cycle will continue.
  
  Just finished Crying in H Mart. That one hurt the heart.
  
  8. Speaking of books, I set a goal to read 25 books this year. Then that goal was bumped to 30, then 45, and then to 60. I have decided to leave the goal at 60, even though I have surpassed the goal (currently at 65 books.) This may not be many books for devout readers, but as someone who only recently got back into reading for hobby I am quite chuffed by this. My favorite books of the year thus far are:
  - I’m Thinking of Ending Things – Iain Reid (Psychological)
  - It Happened One Summer – Tessa Bailey (Romance)
  - The Great Alone – Kristin Hannah (Emotional)
  - Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal – Mary Roach (Science)
  - The Tattooist of Auschwitz – Heather Morris (Historical)
  - Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers – Mary Roach (Science)
  - Educated – Tara Westover (Memoir)
  - And Then There Were None – Agatha Christie (Mystery)
  - The Women – Kristin Hannah (Historical Fiction)
  9. I’m not one to collect many souvenirs, but one thing I try to get from every national park I visit is a pin. I’ve kept all my pins in a small box, and when I told my friend Caitlin this she offered to make me something to display them on. She hand sewed some felt pieces together, and it turned out so adorable.
  
  The best part is that she gave it to me with a pin already in it. I didn’t get a pin in YOHO National Park back in September when she and I went, so she found me one online and bought it for me. What a pal, I am so thankful for her.
  
  10. I ran a Turkey Trot this year against my better judgement. It was a 5k, and while 3.1 miles is a respectable distance to run, for me it’s my baseline. Because of this I don’t like paying to run a 5K. Paying for a 10K or higher pushes me to train longer miles, and therefor is justifiable to pay.
  
  I digress.
  
  This trot was only $20, so I decided to sign up after a friend told me he would be running it. I arrived early the day of the race to pick up my running bib, and the poor volunteers were deep in the storm of chaos. I registered the day prior, so I gave them grace when they couldn’t find the bib attached to my name. I assumed I didn’t have one because I signed up too close to the day of the race.
  
  The woman helping me then handed me a random running bib, and with no further direction said “ok, here you go” (after expressing she could not find mine.) Thankfully I overheard another volunteer tell someone else the random bib’s were not attached to anyone, and we would just have to look up the numbers for results under anonymous runner.
  
  OK, no big deal.
  
  I run the race, and I end up quite proud of my time (29:56), and while I know my name won’t be on the results page I still want to see my number for my official chipped time. Lo and behold, the number I ran with was attached to a Mr. Mark Kimball. I decided to type my name in just to see, and SURE ENOUGH, there was a bib attached to my name and SOMEONE ELSE RAN WITH IT.
  
  I am aware this is the epitome of what’s considered a “first world problem” (this is a confession posts after all), but I was admittedly bummed because I like collecting the running certificates with my name and my times. Duncan convinced me to reach out to the people who ran the event, and they were able to attach my name to the number I ran with and all was well in the world. It’s ok if you judge me for this confession.
  
  Q: What’s your confession? Favorite books this year?
  | 31 Comments Tagged Brownies, Coffee, Early Morning Confessions, Reading, Running
- So Long Spoooooooky Season
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on November 4, 2024
  
  As we say goodbye to October, my favorite month, I want to share a few highlights. October is my favorite for many reasons. The transition to autumn warms my soul, the weather changes to cooler days, and spooky season sets the tone for month after month after month of celebrations. For the last four October seasons, Duncan and I have made a habit (along with many others) of visiting a pumpkin patch/corn maze. To me this signifies the official change from September to October.
  
  We have two main rules when it comes to this pumpkin patch tradition: the patch must ALSO have a corn maze (no maze, no go), and we must go to a new patch/maze each year. No repeats.
  
  This year, my first October highlight (and our new to us pumpkin patch/corn maze) brought us about an hours drive away to Carpinito Brothers Farm. At first glance I wasn’t sure I would like this one because it was right off the freeway. Thankfully we were able to feel like we were tucked into the farm without hearing the cars driving by.
  
  We chose to start with the corn maze, and thankfully Duncan is directionally savvy, because I am not. I tried to read the map at the same pace he did and I have no idea how he walked so fast knowing which way to go. I am someone who likes to have control over most of my situations, but this is one I’ll happily pass the baton with. Let me be the wandering corn troll over the fearless leader.
  
  After Duncan finished finding each location within the maze, I needed a snack.
  
  Plain roasted corn without anything on it allowed me to scour the pumpkin patch for this years chosen gourd. It didn’t take long, partially because I was boiling due to my mistake of wearing a sweater on the last 72 degree day of the year, and partially because the corn wasn’t sitting well. We both found our choices and completed another successful early October adventure.
  
  This adventure gets me into the spirit of my favorite month, but it didn’t quite feel like enough. I haven’t participated in anything Halloween related for a while, and I felt like this year I needed a physical goal after a long season of hiking. For October highlight number two I decided to sign up for a Halloween 10k. I spent a month getting myself from hiking shape back into running shape.
  
  I had no expectations for this race, I just wanted to show up and have a good time. I wanted to dress up, but also wanted to be able to comfortably run, so I settled on an easy classic.
  
  This race was so much fun, and there were hundreds of other costumed runners. Surprisingly I only saw two other Waldo’s (I expected to see a lot), but I saw a TON of Forrest Gump varieties. I hadn’t been running much at all since my half marathon back in May, and I was hoping that 27 days would be enough time to get me into shape for a 10K.
  
  Each of my training runs I dragged, and I was certain I would have to walk at some point (or at least run verrryyy slow), but not only did I manage a 10:02 pace for this run, I placed third in my age group! This will never happen again, and I credit this to the fact I was running a themed race amongst many who might not run much, but I will take the win where I can get it.
  
  My Garmin captured a 10:02 pace as I went a bit off course and had more than 6.2 mi.
  
  I didn’t notice the award winner section until after I was home, many hours after the race. I discovered I was supposed to pick up a 3rd place ribbon and I was bummed that I missed this, so I sent an email to the company. The race director wrote me back saying he would mail it to me, and when I say this made my week I am not exaggerating.
  
  This is a small victory for average runners alike. LOL.
  
  The race just so happened to be about 2 minutes by car from my current favorite GF bakery (this was soooo not planned), and Duncan and I promptly went after I was done running. We had a feast of treats, and I can’t think of a better way to finish running 6.2 miles.
  
  I’m still in a coma from those beautiful baked goods. Pumpkin is the theme for October, cliche or not I go all in. To round out all the October highlights, Duncan and I carved our pumpkins from the patch just before Halloween. We decided to carve surprises and not tell each other what we were doing. Imagine how hard I laughed when we revealed our masterpieces.
  
  Duncan said mine (the big one) looked somewhat like a red panda, and he thought his (the small one) had a neck that looked like it spent too much time in the gym. Because of this he wanted to put a ribbon on the neck, and I think it looks great. I was happy with how they both turned out, and they looked even better illuminated on Halloween.
  
  If you’re having a hard time telling what mine is let me help you.
  
  While I was sad to say goodbye to October, I look forward to settling into the slower pace of life that November and December will bring. November brings a special birthday for Duncan, and the restlessness that I will inevitably feel will encourage me to do something impetuous. Like sign up for a spring half marathon to give me a winter training focus. Who knows…
  
  Q: What’s your favorite fall activity? I have yet to go apple picking, and I think that would be so lovely.
  
  | 27 Comments Tagged 10K, Halloween, October, Pumpkin, Running
- Cutthroat Pass, North Cascades
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on October 25, 2024
  
  I have lived in Washington for 32.5 of my 35 years of life, but it wasn’t until this year that I finally saw the golden hue of the larches. It’s well known amongst the outdoor community that these trees are sacred, and because they only shine bright for a limited time, people flock from all over to find them. One of the best spots to find them in Washington is in the North Cascades.
  
  There are a few trails up north best known for larches, and this year my pal Caitlin and I knew we had to make the trip to see them. The North Cascades are a minimum of 3.5 – 4hrs away by car, so this had to be an overnight trip. When I told Duncan the plan he wanted to come too, so the three of us found a dog friendly place to sleep (Caitlin brought her pup), and made the plans.
  
  The drive there was beautiful, and we stopped along the way to see Diablo Lake, a popular overlook on the North Cascades Scenic Highway.
  
  We stayed in the town of Mazama, 20 minutes away from the popular hiking area. Likely the most popular trail in the North Cascades is called Maple Pass. People line up for miles along the main road for this hike (we saw the masses driving in), and it’s said that during larch season there are upwards of 2000 people who visit…DAILY.
  
  While I would like to do this trail one day, we opted for another trail that we knew would be less populated. We chose to hike to Cutthroat Pass, a 12 mile climb that meets up with the PCT. After our long drive north we checked into our cozy accommodation, and stopped by the local market for an overpriced dinner.
  
  Caitlin and I ended the day with an evening walk, followed by a few games of UNO.
  
  After a mediocre night of sleep we woke up around 0530 with the plan to be at the trailhead by 0700. The trail was just around the corner from where we stayed, and we arrived to find the parking lot mostly empty. It was a frigid 33 or 34 degrees and I worried I would regret wearing shorts, but there was no turning back now. “Be bold, start cold” is a motto I live by through the end of October.
  
  The first two miles of this trail are relatively flat, and lead you to Cutthroat Lake. We stopped here for a quick breakfast break, and then continued on. The first half of this trail was so/so. Nothing to write home about, but I knew there had to be expansive views eventually. The climb was gradual, and no one ever felt like they were overly fatigued. Eventually the forested canopy opened up and the colors started to change.
  
  The sun came out, giving us one last bluebird hike before the autumn rains.
  
  Cutthroat Pass is the knob in the middle of the photo.
  
  When we finally found the larches it was like finding the golden ticket in a Wonka bar. The recent trail reports mentioned that the trees were not at peak color, but none of us had any complaints about the colors we saw. We ooed and aaed at the beautiful surrounding view, and when we made it to the pass we spent a long while enjoying the massive mountains that engulfed us.
  
  Caitlin and I had a summer full of hiking, and we both decided this would be somewhat of a final hoorah before slowing down for the season. Neither of us plan to stop hiking all together, but the weekly or bimonthly planned hikes are on pause until next season. Last October we ended our hiking season with a trip to the North Cascades as well, and this is certainly a tradition I plan to keep.
  
  Our hike back down was even more beautiful as the lighting changed with the midday sun, illuminating the yellow trees brighter than before. We saw some people as we came down (including a handful of bikers), but overall our choice for a less populated hike was a success. We made it back to the car 6.5 hours later, and drove the 4.5ish hours back home.
  
  These further hikes make for long days, but the reward is always worth it.
  
  And just like that, hiking season (for me) has come to a close. As I said before, I still plan to hike sporadically throughout the fall and winter, but I plan to transition back into running for these colder months. It’s been two weeks since we embarked on this adventure, and the weather has taken a turn. I’m ready to put some cookies in the oven, socks on my toes, and sip coffee with a good book.
  
  It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
  
  Q: If you live somewhere with four seasons, what is your favorite thing about autumn?
  
  | 34 Comments Tagged Fall, Hiking, North Cascades
- Banff Day Three: Glaciers, Bee Hives, and Lake Louise Tea Houses
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on October 16, 2024
  
  Before ironing out all the details for our short trip to Banff, Caitlin and I both decided there was one hike we could not miss. The Lake Louise area of Banff is well known, and for good reason. The stunning blue waters of both Lake Louise and Lake Moraine (they’re neighbors) bring thousands of tourists each year. While Caitlin and I don’t love big crowds, we knew we had to hike in this area at least once.
  
  Lake Louise is accessible without any reservations, the only catch is that the parking lot fills up early. Lake Moraine on the other hand requires a shuttle reservation of which we did not obtain. We knew this ahead of time and planned to attempt booking a shuttle two days prior (the earliest we could through the park website) and unfortunately we did not succeed.
  
  We had to skip the hike we wanted to do starting near Lake Moraine, but we knew we could hike starting near Lake Louise no matter what.
  
  For people who enjoy long hikes I would argue that the Plain of Six Glaciers, Big Beehive, and Lake Agnes Tea House loop is the most popular trail starting in the Lake Louise area of Banff. This trail hits all of the popular stops, but if you’re not up for the full 11-12 mile loop there are options to visit just one, or two of these stops and skip the full loop.
  
  We of course opted to do the whole loop, and although AllTrails recommends starting counterclockwise we accidentally started clockwise. We later learned this is what the local employees recommended, so it all worked out. Starting clockwise took us first to the Plain of Six Glaciers.
  
  We arrived in the parking lot with enough time to snag a spot, and our plan was to hit the first of two tea houses before the masses.
  
  We arrived at the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House, the quieter of the two tea houses on this loop, and we quickly started kicking ourselves for forgetting a very important detail. In all the hubbub of trying to secure a shuttle to Lake Moraine/finding other hikes for our previous days we both completely forgot that these two tea houses are CASH ONLY.
  
  Neither of us are big tea drinkers, but we did want to sit and savor a cup for the novelty of the idea. We were momentarily bummed, but ultimately pushed on after at least using the facilities near the tea house. It was here I made friends with an older gentlemen who was waiting for the bathroom after I exited. There were two outdoor compost toilets and I thought the one next to me was empty.
  
  So I told him it was empty.
  
  The bathroom was in fact not empty, and when he knocked someone replied. He concluded because of this that I must be a YouTuber filming for a prank show and he was my latest target. This caused me to laugh quite hard, and I quickly took a liking to him. We played leap frog a few times throughout this hike, and each time he saw me he warned another member of his party (there were at least two other men with him) to watch out for me because I was a pranking YouTuber.
  
  This was the second to last wholesome interaction I had with strangers while hiking in Banff.
  
  After skipping the tea house we pushed on to the Plain of Six Glaciers viewpoint (shown in the previous photos.) This brought us to a series of glaciers tucked into the mountain walls, and was a beautiful start to our looped trail. We sat here for a bit and enjoyed our first snack while laughing about our knuckleheadedness of not having cash.
  
  The sun finally came out as we headed back towards the main trail, continuing our loop towards our next destination: Big Beehive. Going clockwise meant we managed to have parts of the trail to ourselves at times, and when we did see others they were not in masses. After passing an exposed area of the trail we found ourselves in the woods where we began to climb vertically.
  
  Last views of the glaciers as we head into the woods.
  
  After four days of hiking, this vertical climb was tiresome, but nothing we couldn’t handle. We started to see people coming down this section that we had seen at the very beginning of the hike who had chosen to go the other direction. While we were climbing towards the Beehive we deliberated if we wanted to take a side quest on this hike.
  
  There is an offshoot at the summit near the Beehive that takes hikers along the backside of the area to another summit called Devil’s Thumb. In true Brittany and Caitlin fashion we decided to first get to Big Beehive, savor that experience, and then decide if we wanted to attempt the side quest.
  
  The view of Lake Louise from above exceeded my expectations.
  
  Parking lot where we started and the massive resort below.
  
  We ran into my new friend who told another passing hiker to watch out for me, we said hello, and decided to go to the peak of the Devil’s Thumb. I had no idea what to expect with this side quest, and I was all but hopeful until about 2 minutes into the trek. The normal trail had a section of rock climbing in order to continue, and it took me a long while to commit to this.
  
  The rocks were not on an edge that felt unsafe, but I knew that if this was what the trail entailed I would not be comfortable. A hiker coming down assured me that the rest of the trail did not have a rock section like this, so I held my breath and climbed up the rocks. From here the trail became narrow, and there was a sharp edge that made my stomach drop into my colon for the entire attempted adventure.
  
  Photos do not to justice to the narrow trail nor to the drop off.
  
  Caitlin is far more daring than I, and she doesn’t have the same gut wrenching fear of heights, but she was patient with me as we slowly continued on this sketchy trail. I took it slow, wanting to die each step I took, but told myself that I could stop at any point. I finally reached my breaking point when the trail consisting of scree turned vertical.
  
  The moment a trail requires me to crawl with my hands near a ledge, is the moment I tap out. I encouraged Caitlin to continue on, and she did for a bit longer, but she also called it after she continuously slipped. We both knew that coming back down this terrain without trekking poles or experience would not make for a good time.
  
  The blue dot is where I decided to wait for Caitlin.
  
  While waiting for Caitlin a woman passed me asking if I was coming up or down. I told her neither, and that I was staying put after deciding this trail was not for me. She commended me and told me I made the right choice. She told me she was also afraid of heights and cried twice on her way up. She was clearly a trooper, and her partner helped her the entire way.
  
  More power to her, it was still a no for me.
  
  After Caitlin found her way back to me we happily went back to the main trail. I was ready to wipe my hands of this terrifying side quest, and my stomach found its rightful place once we were back on solid ground. I’m glad we attempted this, and without having gone this way we would have never seen the view of Lake Agnes (our next destination) from above.
  
  This view is hidden off to the side a bit of the way up towards Devil’s Thumb.
  
  The last highlight of this trail is walking around Lake Agnes to the Lake Agnes Tea House. This area was madness by the time we arrived. Because we didn’t have cash we knew we didn’t plan to enter the tea house, but we still sat on a rock to savor the view of Lake Agnes for a bit. I watched a group of Germans feeding a chipmunk, debating if I wanted to engage with them at all in German.
  
  When the man came to show me his photos of the creature I said to him “Eichhörnchen?” This is the German word for squirrel and I always worry I butcher the pronunciation.
  
  He smiled and told me my pronunciation was correct, but then the woman with him corrected me that this was a chipmunk and not a squirrel (duh Brittany) and she told me the German word for chipmunk which is “Streifenhörnchen.” Streifen meaning stripes had me laughing. Of course the chipmunk would be the striped version.
  
  We maneuvered through the masses of people enjoying their cakes and tea’s, continuing to our final decent. By this time I was a bit tired, and a bit frustrated because my Garmin watch had spazzed out (I know, first world problems.) The last bit of this hike was one foot in front of the other for me, but it was still a beautiful walk back down to Lake Louise.
  
  As we made it back to the lake, clearly dirty and tired, a couple stopped us to ask if we had completed the loop. We spoke with them for about ten minutes, sharing how the hike was and recounting each of our experiences in Banff. The last wholesome interaction I shan’t soon forget.
  
  After a shower and real food, we drove into the tiny town of Lake Louise for our reward after completing our final hike.
  
  ICE CREAM. My souvenir for myself was a local bar of chocolate (which was to die for), and a small pin. This was the perfect end to an amazing week in Canada. Five hikes, four days, three national parks, two gals, one fancy meal, and…ZERO BEARS!
  
  It was tough for me to find the excitement for this trip after a long couple years caring for a cat with aging illnesses, but I am incredibly thankful this trip worked out (and my cat was just fine without me.) I don’t see any trips in my near future longer than two nights, but I will continue to relish on these wonderful memories from Banff. It was just the trip I needed.
  
  I look forward to rounding out the fall season with a few more hikes, and then I will be hibernating like all the bears I thankfully did not see.
  
  Q: What is something that scares you in the way that heights scare me?
  
  | 29 Comments Tagged Banff, Canada, Hiking
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