Tag: Adventure

• Exploring the Area

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on January 5, 2014

  New Years day I had the joy of partaking in my third blogger meet up. I was able to sit and chat with Holly for over two hours!! She is just as gorgeous and lively as her blog portrays, and she is also very patient. I got lost on my way to Starbucks and drove to the wrong one.

  

  Holly knew how to make an impression because not only was our conversation wonderful, she also brought me a treat. Anyone that brings me treats gets an instant spot in my circle. Make it a vegan, GF treat and you get top spot. This apple spice like cake has sweet potatoes and two different gluten free flours. It was delicious and tasted like fall!

  

  No patience, had to bite it before the photo.

  If anyone is interested in transitioning to a plant based lifestyle Holly has a new e-book out with tips and tricks and even some recipes! Check it out here.

  

  After we grabbed coffee and parted ways, I decided to explore the area. I went to Whole Foods, World Market, and best of all..I found an amazing restaurant called True Food Kitchen. Upon walking in the doors it was as if the wind blew my hair back and I heard voices whispering, “Brittany, you’re finally here.” The drool was forming before I even sat down. If I lived here, I would apply to work at this place immediately.

  

  Juicing like a boss

  Fruit everywhere, veggies everywhere, earthy tones, grassy plants, bearded waiters..I sat at the bar to place a “to go” order and watched juice be made, fruits being chopped, and people buzzing loudly. While I waited for my order I was given an orange.

  

  It looked like this, except PACKED with people.

  

  

  Arrow points to what I ordered. With a GF pita bun.

  Sadly my kale salad was served with Parmesan cheese, and even when I tried to pick around the cheese the dressing tasted like a Caesar and I ended up not eating it. The sandwich more than made up for the lack of kale though, even for a whopping $12.

  

  

  

  This tempeh was AMAZING.

  I had a blast blindly roaming the area and discovering new to me places. Today I fly back to Washington, and Tuesday I go back to slangin lattes at Starbucks. I had a wonderful vacation, and I am now bracing myself for the colder temps.

  Q: Do you like to explore areas you are unfamiliar with? Most of the time yes, unless I am on foot and my magic wand is broken..I need that for protection.

  

  | 44 Comments Tagged Adventure, Arizona, Bloggers, Exploring, Random, Vegan

• 57 Children

  Posted at 8:05 AM by Brittany, on January 1, 2014

  The older I get, the less interested I am in staying out late and partying with my friends. Don’t get me wrong..I love to go out with my friends, but it’s rare for me to want to stay out past 10PM. I like my sleep, and I like waking up feeling refreshed, not dead. Last year on NYE I went to my first hot yoga class, played bingo with some fellow old souls, and was back home by 9:45PM. All I was missing was some prune juice and pants up to my waist.

  I thought that was great, until this year.

  

  This year I went with my dad, and my two younger siblings to help package enough food to feed 57 children for an entire year in the Philippians. As Ron Weasley would say, that’s pretty wicked.

  

  A non-profit organization called Feed My Starving Children has multiple locations, with one location out of Tempe, AZ. I had never done this before, but my copilots had and said it was a lot of fun. For two hours we swapped stations and packaged around 20,000 meals.

  

  How’s my hair?

  I started with the rice and soy station, then moved to the bagging station, then found my way to the packaging station. We were tucked into a warehouse with music blasting and laughter all around. It was quite an experience and I would love to do it again.

  

  This experience challenged me to step outside of myself and think about other people. I’ve never been one for resolutions, and the last two years I only set small goals (2012 was the year I would run my first half marathon, and 2013 I wanted to run four. I ran three in 2013 and I am so pleased with that) that I knew were attainable.

  This year I want to not only continue to better myself in my fitness/nutrition endeavors, but I want to put my focus onto those around me. I started to focus on others throughout December and it was very rewarding..the perfect way to end one year and start another. My goal for 2014 is to adapt a lifestyle where I am more selfless, helping others whenever I can. The range for this is endless, anything from helping a family in need of Christmas dinner, to helping my mom clean the dishes when she feels tired. Anything that helps.

  

  2013 was the year I started to discover who I am, it was a roller-coaster of emotions for me and I was challenged to persevere when I felt like I was falling down a black hole. 2013 opened the door to many new adventures I have yet to discover, and I learned how to find peace withing myself when my mind felt like a stormy sea.

  I have a lot more to learn about myself, but 2013 was the push I needed to start thinking about how I want to live my life. I want to better myself as a person, and to accomplish this I want to take the focus off of me. I don’t mean putting my needs, desires, or goals to the side, but when I feel the internal “me, me, me” monster flaring up at any moment I want to handle myself better and think about those around me too.

  The more I take myself out of the center, the happier I feel. The less I worry, the happier I feel. The more I give, the richer I feel. Cheers to 2014.

  Q: What’s ONE big goal you have for 2014?

  

  | 55 Comments Tagged Adventure, Family, New Year, NYE

• To Each His Own

  Posted at 6:46 AM by Brittany, on December 30, 2013

  I’m a drip coffee lover through and through. Flavored coffee isn’t my thing, and don’t even think about adding any syrups to my black cup of bliss. Every so often I do branch out of my black coffee hole and I get a latte.  A double short half decaf soy extra foamy latte to be exact. Oh yeah, I’m one of those people.

  

  How’s my handwriting?

  I am very aware that not everyone likes their coffee black as night. Strong, thick, dark, and intense doesn’t always suit everyone, but when I can see through my coffee something needs to be done. I usually make my coffee in a french press, so it’s easy to make strong.

  

  After discovering my family likes their coffee a bit different than me, I knew just what to do. I decided to go for a run, and you’ll never guess where I ended up.

  

  Oh look..Starbucks!

  I like my coffee dark, but I don’t always want a lot of caffeine (fun fact: the darker the roast the less the caffeine, the lighter the roast the more the caffeine.) so to get a richer flavor without added caffeine I got some decaf VIA packs to add to my morning brew.

  

  Perfect addition for a strong flavor, without the added jitters.

  

  Same cup of coffee, but with the added VIA packet. Dark and bold. Round trip the run was about 5 miles and I had some wonderful views throughout. I’m loving the sun.

  

  Living so close to not only Starbucks, but also to Sprouts is a perfect excuse for a run. I came home and enjoyed the great views from my dads back patio. Great place to enjoy a dark cup of coffee. Just enough to fuel me for a bike ride, and an afternoon hike!!

  

  Q: Do you like to run/walk/bike to the store for things you need? I LOVE to.

  

  | 52 Comments Tagged Adventure, Coffee, Hike, Random, Running, Starbucks

• Three Activities

  Posted at 9:20 AM by Brittany, on October 28, 2013

  Lately I have noticed that I go through phases of activities. By this I mean I will enjoy a certain activity more than others and focus on that certain activity with more energy than all my other activities. These activities are broken into three categories: Food, Running, and Adventuring.

  Right now I am in the adventuring phase. I haven’t baked anything in weeks, and I have only run four times since my half marathon a couple weeks ago. Right now I am focusing on going out with my friends and taking advantage of fall.

  

  Fall foliage between the fence.

  These activities are the core of this blog, and as you may notice I talk about these three things in bulk when I am going through each phase. While training for my last half, I had more posts about running, when feeling crazy in my kitchen I have more posts about creations, and while feeling adventurous I blog about my random adventures. I still partake in ALL these activities year round, but only one gets top spot at a time.

  

  Random giant pumpkin, of course I want a photo with you.

  Last week I was very spontaneous. This doesn’t happen often, as I usually prefer things planned far in advance. My coworker and I decided to take a last minute day trip to a town over three hours away. By last minute I mean we said, “hey wanna go tomorrow.” OK!

  

  With views like this a long car ride is tolerable.

  Our destination was a small Bavarian town called Leavenworth. I had been before, but not for many years. Our initial plan was to make it for Oktoberfest, but that never happened. Instead of bagging the trip, we decided to make our own Oktoberfest.

  

  Fall decorations and FIRE tables at an outdoor beer and brat place.

  The town itself is adorable and very touristy. There is a lot of character all throughout it.

  

  

  

  I wonder what they sell here…

  The shops were great, but the real show stopper was the scenery. The mountains overlooking the town took my breath away, and the fall trees gave me chills of happiness.

  

  After wandering the town for an hour or so, I completed the task I came to complete. I was so jazzed that the spot with the fire tables served Field Roast, and I got myself a “brat.”

  

  This is the face of a very tired, but content soul.

  The day was long (I had been awake since 3am for work, and didn’t get home until around midnight) and the drive was far (approx 190 mi from my house EACH way) but it was an adventure to remember and it sparked a whole new level of spontaneity in my world.

  I shared my adventures in a local town, my footsteps through the corn, last week I went to Leavenworth, yesterday I went to Seattle for the last professional soccer game of the season, and I even made it to a haunted house with some of my coworkers. The phase of adventuring is coming to an end (not for good, just as the main phase and topic of my posts lately) and I see some more running posts in my future. I have my eye on another half marathon very, very soon! I also need to get my butt in the kitchen and BAKE!!

  Q: Do you go through phases where you do/talk about certain activities more than others? GET OUT AND EXPLORE! 

  

  | 61 Comments Tagged Adventure, Day Trip, Leavenworth, Random, Running, Spontaneous, Vegan

• Footsteps Through the Corn

  Posted at 10:47 AM by Brittany, on October 25, 2013

  Thank you everyone for your input on my last post! If you’re at all interested in self hosting your blog, check out some of the comments! I know self hosting is my next step so stay tuned because I’m not sure exactly when it will happen! Now, onto today….

  I went to a corn maze. It’s not officially fall until you visit the corn maze/pumpkin patch. Sadly, no ninja moves were allowed so I kept my nunchuks in my pocket.

  

  Throughout the maze there were pumpkins with random paintings on them. My favorite was a self portrait of my child, equipped with a device for eating cereal, or ice cream.

  

  

  The objective of the maze was to solve a riddle. Random letters were sprinkled all over the maze and we were to write the letters down onto a sheet of paper, and then unscramble.

  

  S is for chicken.

  

  Any guesses? I couldn’t figure it out and had to resort to Facebook for help. I don’t know how I passed third grade. After finding all the letters, I enjoyed the sun through the corn.

  

  Obligatory corn maze photo.

  The farm also had chickens, goats, sheep, and one lone llama.

  

  To wrap up my trip, I searched the pumpkin patch for the perfect pumpkin to bake.

  

  

  

  

  This one..I want this one.

  When I went to pay for my pumpkin, the man did not know how to use the mobile device required for payment with a card. After asking him to find someone to help me, he asked me if I could wait a while. So I put the pumpkin back and I left. UGH I was so upset. Looks like I’ll just have to visit another pumpkin patch to get my pumpkin to bake!

  Q: Have you been to a pumpkin patch or corn maze this year? Now I want to go apple picking!! I just don’t want to find any larva in my apples….eww…

  

  | 49 Comments Tagged Adventure, Corn Maze, Fall, Pumpkin, Random

• Dancing with Hippies

  Posted at 8:57 AM by Brittany, on October 18, 2013

  Yesterday my friend and I hit the streets of a local town and enjoyed the lovely fall day.

  

  

  Something about wandering outside with leaves littered along the streets makes me feel so warm and full of life. I had the most wonderful day, and fall continues to make me swoon. There were plenty of photo ops, and naturally I had to take part.

  

  

  

  I’m not sure what’s going on the last photo, my face is clearly facing the wrong way. This is definitely my kind of girl though, having two of the same outfit. I also ran into Gigi, and by ran into I mean I superimposed her face into the hole next to mine so I wouldn’t be alone.

  

  How neat is this building? I want to live here.

  I also made some new friends.

  

  Bullfrog rides: $0.25

  

  Yoga with the locals.

  The only downside was not being able to find any vegan treats. Only one bakery had a slab of cake (only one option) but I didn’t have cash and that’s all they accepted. I went into every cafe/bakery in attempts to find something. While rounding a corner to another cafe, we saw some local hippies dancing at an intersection. My friend called them crazy, I called them intriguing. So…I went and danced for 19 seconds with no shame.

  I don’t know what compelled me to do this, but it was liberaring!! What I do know is that my dancing skills are zero (I was trying to mimic that lady) and this lady had the hairiest armpits I have ever seen. Once I saw that I ran the other way. Dance on my friends!

  We ended our afternoon at a coffee shop that was connected to a wine bar with live music. I swooned so hard over the guy singing. His voice was like a combination of Fergie and Jesus. Inside the adorable coffee shop I saw the most adorable sign. I want.

  

  “Luv can be so blind. & strangely blissful. Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

  Amen.

  Q: Do you like wandering cute local towns?

  

  | 55 Comments Tagged Adventure, Fall, Hippies, Love, Random, Vegan, Yoga

• Tucked Into the Woods

  Posted at 8:08 AM by Brittany, on September 4, 2013

  I often daydream about living somewhere remote, tucked into the woods, with only my family and my garden. Chickens roaming free, and dogs barking at the leaves blowing in the wind. A picturesque view to stare at while I sit on my porch and drink my morning coffee. While I love living in a smaller city, something about the idea of escaping the world with just a few small items sounds so…magical.

  I recently discovered a gorgeous place called The Bloedel Reserve, just a hop, skip, and a jump from where I work. While I would like my place to be MUCH smaller, this place is similar to my daydream in the sense that a family once lived here, tucked into the woods. This is now an open to the public attraction and man, was it gorgeous!

  

  I have a thing for barn like buildings. See here, and here for other examples.

  

  A place to sit and watch the water.

  I also have a thing for random benches. See here for another example.

  

  

  I assume this is where people used to live. The entire downstairs was set up like a 1920’s murder mystery film. It was a bit eerie, and I expected Jack Nicholson to pop out at any moment. Despite the creepy interior, the view from the house was breathtaking.

  

  Clearly aliens come to visit too.

  

  Follow the path down to the water.

  

  These zen garden stones look like giant PB cups to me. Perhaps I need sweets. I accidentally stepped into the sand while taking this picture..oops.

  

  One more pebble path for good measure.

  If I were alone on this quest I could have sat for hours staring into the open water daydreaming about making cupcakes and PB cups in my own back-country cabin. Alas, I was not alone and this journey took just under an hour, enough time to stir up my hunger.

  Q: Would you rather live in a busy city, or a quiet countryside? I would love to live in a busy city for a few years, but when I settle down it must be somewhere tranquil and with a slower paced life. 

  

  | 59 Comments Tagged Adventure, Nature

• Brittany, Party of One…

  Posted at 9:58 AM by Brittany, on August 22, 2013

  …your table is ready! Does anyone else ever feel like it’s easier to slap some bread together or throw some spinach in a tortilla and call it dinner? This may be easy, but where is the fun, where is the inspiration, where is the EXCITEMENT?! Who says elaborate meals have to be enjoyed with other people? I want to start making them for myself..solo style.

  I haven’t been in much of a cooking mood these days, but with a bit of a push I am slowly getting back to making myself some decent meals. Not to say that a PB&J isn’t decent, it’s just not decent to eat every morning, afternoon, and evening. Sure, cooking with others is WICKED fun, but don’t think for one minute solo dining isn’t worthy of a solid meal.

  

  A classic meal is always a good place to start when jumping back onto the cooking bandwagon. Whole wheat spaghetti with roasted Brussels sprouts, sauteed asparagus, raw Swiss chard, and an avocado. Lightly tossed with lemon juice and simple seasonings.

  Even after a long, LONG day, there is something so rewarding about taking the time to prepare a proper meal. No body likes a lazy lass. I look forward to making lots of squash and potatoes in the next few months. Fall is coming, and we’ve already started to decorate.

  

  Sure it’s still August..but you can never be too early for fall, HAHA! Just ask Starbies, they already have the PSL mix (not available to the public yet)!! Sadly it contains milk, perhaps there is a vegan with benefits day in my fall future! Or maybe I should create my own..

  I’m feeling optimistic today, and I have a calm/positive mind. If I could, I would take a leaf blower and send some of my feel good to all of you! Sharing is caring my friends. Next time you feel like you’re lacking motivation to treat your body to a good solo meal, slap your hand and get your fanny to the market to buy some fresh delicious food! You’re welcome.

  

  Food for thought!

  Q: Do you cook for yourself (or your family) everynight? I find it’s easier to consistently cook meals when there are other people involved. Cooking for one is harder for me, but SO much more important. Treat yourself right! 

  

  | 55 Comments Tagged Adventure, Fall, Food, Recipe, Vegan

• Good People

  Posted at 7:30 AM by Brittany, on July 6, 2013

  Last weekend I spent some time with old/new friends. I say old/new because while they are new to me friends..I have met them before because we all went to high school together. A mutual friend recently came into town and brought us all together. Since the three of us have no friends we decided to make a trip to Seattle together.

  The original plan was to go to a couple farmers markets, but we only made it to one and were only there for about 8 min. Enough time to snap some pictures & drink some juice.

  

  Fruit wine!

  

  

  Raspberry Tetris

  The remainder of the day was spent figuring out public transportation (I have never ridden so many city buses in my life, and it was a blast of an adventure), eating good food, and spending time looking at thrift shops, bakery’s, and coffee shops.

  

  While this bakery had an adorable picture worthy sign, they did not have anything worth purchasing inside. So I did what any Seattle lover would do, and I walked across the street to Starbucks. I got some weird looks for getting a drip coffee while it was 80F outside.

  

  This is how I double fist. Water and coffee!

  It’s no secret that I love to walk, however the temperatures were getting higher and higher throughout the day, and it was hard to walk at times. You know you’re with good people when despite the heat you still go out of your way to walk for some sugar.

  

  

  This homemade ice cream shop has one vegan ice cream option, which was delicious, but reminded my why I don’t like ice cream on hot days. Call me crazy, but I feel so sick and weighed down with the heaviness of frozen cream on a hot day. Nonetheless this coconut milk chocolate chunk ice cream was SO good. Must remember for a COOLER day.

  

  I really liked that my ice cream was the same price as all the “normal” ice creams. Usually I find that I am paying more for a vegan option (which is lammmeee) but this place charges by the scoop regardless of the flavor! That’s the way to do it! All in all it was a fun and exhausting day with new friends.

  Q: What foods do you stay away from on a hot day? Ice cream, fatty foods, HOT meals, anything heavy. 

  

  | 47 Comments Tagged Adventure, Ice Cream, Seattle, Starbucks, Vegan

• The Secret Garden

  Posted at 9:56 AM by Brittany, on May 23, 2013

  It’s amazing the places you can find if you just walk around your area.

  

  There is a garden/children’s park just under 2 miles from my house. I’ve been here a few times before, but never really stopped to appreciate the scenery.

  

  I’m not sure if children maintain this garden, or just come to look at it, but it was adorable and made me want to polish off my green thumb. It’s looking rather rusty right now.

  

  Tiny garden railroad..I was wayyy more excited about this than I should have been. All this cave needed was a troll.

  

  Bahaha I had to.

  It’s reasons like this I probably don’t have many friends. Owell. This garden even had edible plants and I swooned when I recognized some Swiss chard.

  

  I need this green house. This exact one. The colors are awesome.

  

  Are we noticing a trend yet with my last few posts? Nature is kind of my thing right now. I could sit on this bench all day. Just when I thought this garden already had it all..I discovered it. THE secret garden..

  

  Tucked back behind the garden with long plants covering part of it, was a door. It was actually kind of creepy and once I was done pretending a boy in a wheel chair was going to come open the door for me, I scooted off before a rabid raccoon tried to eat my feet.

  As if this tranquil place couldn’t get better, there is a trail leading down to the water.

  

  After spending some time daydreaming about living on that boat in the picture and pondering life, I made the trek back home just before it was dark. Adventure complete.

  Q: Are you within walking distance of any fun places? Be reasonable, you CAN walk 3-4 miles (possibly more!) to get there. Put your legs to use! 

  

  | 65 Comments Tagged Adventure, Gardening, Nature, Walking, Water

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