Tag: Bloggers

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on May 22, 2017

  1. I leave for Ireland tomorrow, so this post will be extra scatterbrained. You’re welcome, and yes, I am so beyond excited. No words can describe the dance going on in my stomach.

  2. I bought myself a new travel pack for the trip, because I will be carrying all my things on my back. By “my things” I mean enough Larabars for a buffalo and three outfits. And my Sonicare. Basically my bag will probably be too big for my minimalist travel.

  

  3. In my 28 years of life I had never been to an official concert. I have been to the symphony twice to see my boyfriend play, but I’m not sure that counts. This changed last week with an impromptu trip to see Mercy Me. Oh.My.Gosh. What have I been missing all my life!?

  4. At said concert I felt my soul come alive when a room full of strangers came together as one with similar life struggles. Oh the beauty of a christian concert.

  

  5. When I was 18 I got an impulsive tattoo on my wrist that was poorly done. Last Thursday I got an impulsive tattoo on my wrist to cover up the old one. It turned out much better. Moral of the story: being impulsive with a permanent decision has 50/50 odds.

  6. When I was a child my sole purpose for life was to sing and dance with my best friends Bert and Ernie. I finally found how to get, how to get to Sesame Street.

  

  7. I quit coffee. Again. But this time I actually wanted to. The withdrawal headaches were so real, and enough to ensure I made the right move. My adrenals are shot, and overall I feel very flat when I drink it. I also get more tired later on when I have coffee, so BYE FELICIA! Healing my body from the inside out.

  8. I saw this gem a couple weekends ago when she came to Seattle. Blog friends are the best of friends. Aside from Bert and Ernie.

  

  

  9. My mom, sister, and I went to a Joyce Meyer conference this weekend, and for dinner we went to Whole Foods. We spent $60 on three bowls from the hot bar. What even…Whole Paycheck indeed.

  10. I’m out. Follow my Ireland adventures on my Instagram. If the stars align just right I won’t be coming back. 😉

  

  Not Ireland. Photo from a hike last week. But it’s green, sooo…

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 60 Comments Tagged Bloggers, Early Morning Confessions, Hiking, Ireland

• Unexpected Friendships 

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on July 11, 2016

  The universe has a funny way of bringing people together. I’ve been friends with two wonderful humans for over three years now, and I met them both through blogging. I often wonder if one day I’ll decide to stop sharing my adventures with the world, but one thing that keeps me coming back is the connections I continue to make with like minded people.

  

  Two years ago I flew to Virginia to explore the land with a girl named Megan. Megan and I then drove north to Michigan to attend a girl names Lillian’s wedding. It was a trip I’ll never forget. Fast forward two years, and Megan invited Lily and I to her wedding. So I hopped on a a plane, flew to Michigan, and Lily and I drove north to New York.

  All thanks to blogging. 

  

  Megan’s wedding was a combination of summer yellows and rustic wood browns. A casual yet classy wedding on a golf course that appeared to be straight out of the jungles of Jurassic Park. It was beautiful.

  

  We ate, we celebrated, we laughed, we mingled, and we continued the wedding tradition of our triangular friendship. This must mean I’m next, so Mr. Mountain Man anytime you’d like to show your face I’ll happily smile back.

  

  That other pretty lady in the middle is Alex, met her through blogging too!

  I’ve had the opportunity to travel to California, Ohio, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania meeting a handful of people along the way, simply because I decided to share my mind with strangers five years ago. What a trip.

  

  Without this adventure I may never have seen the lovely street art in Rochester, New York after a 5 mile run through the city. I may never have experience the cheapest produce at the Rochester Public market (where I proceeded to flabbergast an elderly man at my abilities to consume pounds of lettuce in one sitting) spending $1 on a bucket full of apples.

  

  

  What a lovely adventure it’s been, and I can’t wait to see where I travel to next.

  I hope it’s somewhere with Indian food as good as I found in Michigan, because my mind was blown by the flavor explosions.

  

  Q: What’s the most unexpected way you’ve made new friends?

  

  | 63 Comments Tagged Bloggers, Explore, New York, Vegan

• Freedom

  Posted at 2:15 PM by Brittany, on September 15, 2015

  I feel very thankful to have a lifestyle that offers me a great amount of freedom. I have somewhat of a unique mindset in that I truly believe life is too short to be unhappy in any way, shape, or form, and I believe it’s up to us to create the lifestyle we want.

  Often when I have discussions with my parents about my future and my career desires I’m told: “think about the life you want to live, and how to make that a possibility with your job choice.” Well what if I’m currently living the life I want outside of work, but I know I’m not in my “end all be all” job?

  

  I admit that lately I’ve been feeling a bit burned out at work, but my job right now is allowing me to live the life I want when I’m not immersing myself in the world of coffee. I find with the proper adjustment of my mindset, the positives can always be found. Working this kind of job allows more time for…

  Running/Hiking/Exploring

  I thrive off of routine, and the one thing I don’t have while working at Starbucks is a routine. My schedule has been even wonkier since becoming a supervisor. I’ve tried to spin my up and down schedule into a positive by realizing it’s much easier to have a relaxing morning at times and go for a longer run when I have a closing shift.

  

  

  

  I’m also able to easily escape to the mountains should I feel the urge, which is often.

  

  

  Spending time with clients

  Aka my house sitting buddies. This has become a legit third job for me, and I spent a lot of my time taking care of other peoples fur babies. I enjoy the freedom of having certain weekdays off, or really any days I ask for off.

  

  This is Emma, she is a regular in my life these days. Her mom travels a lot, and one day I strive to be like that. A life full of love and travel sound fantastic to me.

  That haunch fluff kills me. So does the word “haunch.”

  

  Reading

  When I leave work, I leave completely. 100% gone mentally and physically. I don’t work a job that requires extra work when I get home, nor requires restless nights due to stressful thoughts about projects or deadlines. This opens more doors for other mental actives like blogging, and reading.

  

  My current read. A classic about a man that escapes to the woods to live off the grid before it was “cool.” A life of self sustainability and tiny homes is a life I would love to live.

  

  So much yes. I dig his style, I think we would have been great friends.

  Spending time on meals

  Piggy backing off the previous bullet point, I have time and energy to invest in the meals I eat. This is a key part of my life, because food IS life.

  

  

  Potatoes are also life.

  

  Cinnamon wheat bundles, cinnamon puffin squares, a spoonful of almond butter, a frozen banana, all on top of some homemade apple sauce. So good, but sadly my insides weren’t so happy. Worth it.

  When it comes to eating, I’ve taken a step away from my obsessive paranoia with trigger foods, and have focused on the foods that make me feel good. My food allergy test came back with results that didn’t help much, so the true test is how I feel after eating things. The foods that don’t cooperate will continue to be ditched, or moderated. Simple as that.

  Travel

  I have a fantastic boss, that gives great flexibility when it comes to the schedule. From school to travel, she has accommodated everything I’ve asked of her, and I am immensely grateful for her. I’ve planned some travels to balance my need for freedom.

  

  I’m off to Ohio tomorrow for a weekend of shenanigans with Meghan and I couldn’t be more excited. This has to be the biggest perk of my current job, the flexibility. Follow me on Instagram to see what shenanigans I get myself into on the other side of the country. Something tells me my Birkenstocks with socks will stick out like a sore thumb in the Midwest.

  Now if only I could find a job that gave me both the freedom to do all the things I love, AND allowed me to thrive while working. It’s out there, I just have to find it. 🙂 For now, I’m just going to keep riding the caffeine wave. Unless any of you reading want to pay to me travel, make you food, take photos, and share it all online.

  Anyone…anyone…Bueller…

  Q: Have you found your passion? Are you living the life you want outside of work?

  

  | 64 Comments Tagged Bloggers, Coffee, Explore, Food, Running, Starbucks, Vacation

• Little Bits of Love

  Posted at 7:30 AM by Brittany, on August 3, 2015

  There are a handful of things I am loving right now, and not just watching my cats UFC fight while I dip popcorn into almond butter and mustard.

  SEPARATELY.

  

  

   Lately I’m loving…

  • Too legit to quit runs.

  

  Recipe to come for this pie.

  As you can see/know if you follow me on Instagram I ate a fat piece of raw pie last Monday and went for a run from my town, to the next town over. I had no idea if I’d make it as I haven’t run more than 6 miles (and only a handful of times) since March.

  • Creepin in a coffee shop

  

  I hadn’t spent time blogging in a coffee shop for…so long I can’t recall when the last time was. It’s always fun to be in a Starbucks that isn’t the one I work at.

  • Features on popular websites.

  

  Hey look, those are my balls!

  I am not a famous food blogger, nor do I aspire to be one. My recipes don’t travel the web at the speed of light, and I don’t have people knocking at my door begging to try my random creations. With that said, it has been like the work of a wizard adding coffee to the energy bite world. These bite sized balls have been a hit since the day I first shared them. Adding coffee to treats makes the world a better place.

  • New shewwwss.

  

  I stalled long enough with buying a new pair of Vibrams, so I ordered these online because they were on sale. I can’t say I love these yet because they haven’t arrived, but I’m hopeful that by sacrificing my pride with that “up the ankle” look they’ll be extra comfortable. If anything they won’t have holes in the toes like my current pair.

  • Coffee

  

  Is this a shocker? Do you know what I do sometimes with my days off? I drive out of my way to get a good cup of coffee. Yesterdays cup was Brazil Santa Ines, a Starbucks Reserve roast with tasting notes of milk chocolate and plantains. It sang in my mouth.

  • Blogging

  

  Despite today’s somewhat random attempt at a post, I have a few posts in the draft bin ready to go. One mountain adventure, one recipe, and one product review.

  Piggy backing off of that I also love blogging for the people I meet, and places I go.

  

  click image for photo source

  Like that time I went to Taiwan…

  Just kidding, but this girl did and she sent me that awesome mug with a bear on it. I am traveling soon though to visit this girl. I’m stoked to stomp all over Ohio and drink all their coffee, and eat all their food. All the all’s.

  Q: What is one thing (or five) that you’re loving right now? I’m loving how sore my legs are from yesterdays five hour hike. 

  Disclaimer: No felines were harmed in the making of this post.

  

  | 66 Comments Tagged Bloggers, Coffee, Energy Bites, Pie, Random, Running, Starbucks

• When I’m Not

  Posted at 5:47 AM by Brittany, on June 22, 2015

  One of my favorite things about blogging is having a space to purge all the random thoughts that swarm inside my brain. Doing this also allows me to connect with other like minded bloggers, forming lifelong connections and genuine friendships.

  

  My number one friend.

  Sharing my love for plant based food and cats allowed me to connect with Kayse, a creative girl with a green thumb and a hand for art. After lusting over her art work for months, she kindly sent me a customized dapper cat portrait of my dude.

  

  Words cannot express my gratitude. Please do yourself a favor and check out her online shop, the art she creates is so unique and fabulous.

  Ok, time to purge some thoughts.

  When I’m not blogging, or having a stare off with my cat, I’m usually eating. I haven’t posted a recipe on the blog in MONTHS, simply because I’ve been enjoying exploring OTHER peoples food. I’ve found a few companies that cater to walking science projects like myself, and I happily support them. Local eats are my favorite.

  

  Local pizza, I’m all about that pie life right now.

  When I’m not eating I’m running. 100 mile May gave me my recent running mindset. I’m in a fantastic routine where I am excited about my daily runs, and on the off chance I’m not I skip it for something else. It’s a beautiful thing.

  

  There’s also more room for cupcakes when I have a consistent running routine, that’s also a beautiful thing. Balance in bliss.

  

  You’d never guess these cupcakes were dairy free, gluten free, soy free, rice free, nut free, egg free, dinosaur free, spinach free, & broken glass free.

  They fall into the “if one doesn’t take up your entire hand you need two” category.

  

  Just like these donuts.

  I think I need to make these two hand treat photos a thing.

  When I’m not eating or running I’m playing with coffee at work. I haven’t created any of my own coffee tastings lately, but I have been putting together mini ones at work for my coworkers with featured coffee’s and Starbucks food. 
  

  

  This blend has a beautifully complex flavor of red currant, with a bright and sparkling acidity typical of African grown coffee. I don’t prefer these tasting notes, but I try to explore other options once in a while.

  When I’m not working I’m still spending time with my coworkers. We’re family.

  

  My fellow coffee master ❤

  We all love to drink coffee.

  

  When I’m not with other people I’m exploring alone.

  

  My happy place.

  I love blogging, but lately I’ve been enjoying life away from it all more. Eating, running, working, and exploring have taken top spot which is typical of the summer months. I just can’t soak up enough adventure fast enough!

  On that note, I’m off to explore. I mean…off to work.

  Q: What things take up most of your time?

  

  | 59 Comments Tagged Bloggers, Cats, Coffee, Coffee Master, Cupcake, Donuts, Plant Based, Running, Starbucks, Vegan

• Bye Bye Barista

  Posted at 7:23 AM by Brittany, on May 21, 2015

  This past Monday I said goodbye to my job as a barista, and hello to my new job as a supervisor. In the Starbucks world once you become a supervisor you are no longer considered a barista. However, in the textbook world I will forever be a barista as long as I am with the company because I will still be making beverages for customers, but I now have a few extra tasks and responsibilities added to my day. I digress…

  

  In typical Brittany fashion I spent the days leading up to this change enjoying the “carefree” barista life both in and out of work. I spent my days exploring, eating, meeting blog friends, and drinking good coffee. My kind of perfection.

  

  { Exploring }

  A 9.5 mile hike through the Olympic Forest with perfect weather, and good company.

  

  

  

  { Eating }

  Whole Foods in Seattle carries baked goods from my favorite local bakery, and naturally I had to hoard them stock up.

  

  I balanced out the sugar with vegetable rolls.

  

  { Meeting Blog Friends }

  After years of blog reading, texting, letter writing, package sending, and patience, I finally got to meet my Canadian soul mate, Britta.

  We met up at the Starbucks Roastery, because…Seattle.

  

  What a gem. We drank great coffee and talked like old friends. I

  

  Side note: The coffee I had at the roastery (photo above) literally blew my mind. This roast has a medium body, & a low acidity giving it a sensationally silky mouth feel. The chocolate notes were the strongest I’ve ever experienced in a coffee. It was like the beans were flavored, but they weren’t. What a beautiful coffee.

  { Drinking Good Coffee }

  Good enough segue? As if that Brazil reserve roast wasn’t good enough, I snagged myself a bag of Pike Place Reserve beans from the first Starbucks store in Seattle.

  

  Not to be confused with the traditional Pike Place roast served at any and all Starbucks locations, these beans are ONLY sold at this location, and one other store a block up from the original Starbucks. Darker than the standard Pike Roast and SO much better. It’s a real treat when I get this as my weekly coffee markout.

  Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a French press of Pike Place special reserve to drink while I enjoy my day off from training. Back to the grind tomorrow.

  Q: How do you like to spend your free time?

  

  | 67 Comments Tagged Barista, Bloggers, Coffee, Food, Reserve Coffee, Starbucks, Vegan

• Adventures with Lily

  Posted at 3:40 AM by Brittany, on October 14, 2014

  I had the pleasure of spending last Thurs-Mon with this lovely girl. Lily and I became friends through blogging wayyy back when this little blog first started, and our friendship has blossomed more and more as each day passes. I went to her wedding before we actually met in person, because blogging has a magical way of bringing people together.

  When deciding what to squeeze into the few days she was here, this is what I came up with.

  Hiking

  

  

  

  A four mile hike in the heart of the Olympic Mountains. The views were stunning as per usual.

  

  Playing Tourist

  

  Deciding what baked goods to purchase is serious business.

  I took Lily to Pike Place Market for baked goods (for both), beer (for her), coffee (for me), salmon (for her), and a day of Seattle exploration. I also got a cookie the size of Texas to split.

  

  Half Marathoning

  

  We both ran the Poulsbo half marathon. A separate post dedicated to this race will come later this week, but I’ll just say the race was fantastic, and Lily got 2nd female overall. She is a beast.

  Coffee Dates

  

  Lily humored my love for coffee and went on multiple coffee/tea/beer dates with me. I got coffee every time because I am a square and I like square things. Like black coffee.

  Random Activities

  

  Building a sad yet epic looking haunted house.

  

  Carb loading on pasta and bread pre race.

  

  I got Lily to try a handful of vegan items. The success rate was about 50/50.

  Clif Notes Version: We ate, we drank, we laughed, we hiked, we ran, and we explored.

  A fantastic weekend with fantastic company.

  Q: Have you made any friends through blogging? I’ve made a handful of solid friends that I cannot imagine my life without!

  

  | 47 Comments Tagged Bloggers, Half Marathon, Run, Seattle, Vegan

• What I Learned in LA

  Posted at 4:08 AM by Brittany, on September 18, 2014

  I’d like to dedicate this post to my homegirl Gigi, without her this post would not be possible. A fantastic host and friend, she drove me all over the place in order to satisfy my sweet tooth, and my Disney obsession. Mad love for you G. ❤ ❤

  Here’s what I learned on this trip to LA:

  1. Local coffee costs the amount of a small child’s root canal and despite being really cool, (personal pour overs that resemble a 9th grade science experiment, cool beans.) $5 for a drip coffee resulted in trips to Starbucks for the rest of my trip. $1.90 drip coffee is more like it.

  

  In all reality though the pourover I got from Coffee Commissary in West Hollywood was fantastic.

  2. Vegan and gluten free bakeries are just as abundant, if not more popular here than in Seattle. I felt right at home in this aspect. Breakaway Bakery takes the cake (pun very much intended) for my second favorite treats. The Bearded Lady will forever have my heart at the top.

  

  Java Chip Cookie, Maple Donut (OMG divine), Oatmeal Cranberry Cookie, and a Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcake. I wasn’t excited at all…

  

  Also delicious was Rising Hearts Bakery in Culver City. I balanced this bakery visit with a trip to Cafe Gratitude right before. I eat green so I can eat three desserts at once.

  

  Grain and Veggie Mix, Carrot Cupcake, Chocolate Whoopie Pie (UNREAL), and a Coconut Oatmeal Chai Creme Sandwich. Balance is bliss.

  3. Blog friends make the BEST friends. Never have I discovered such a perfect group of people to spend my time with. Gigi and I had such a great time together, and if stripping down for a couples massage upon first “meeting” in real life doesn’t scream best friends, I don’t know what does.

  Side note: my back is a wreck and I have knots for days. Help me, I pay in cookies.

  

  4. Starbucks green tea tastes better when consumed out of a Disney Parks cup. Real talk.

  

  5. The LA farmers market sells nut butters that are so good you will be willing to spend double on them in order to ship them to your house. I brought a carry on bag, and in order to avoid the possibility of the airport throwing my beloved jars away I mailed them to myself.

  

  Not my photo, because mine are still in transit from CA to WA. Patiently waiting for my fruit and nut spread AND pistachio butter. Yes..pistachio. Click this photo to visit the website!

  6. Disneyland is better when littered with pumpkins. I can’t think of anything better than combining two of my favorite things: Disneyland + fall/Halloween = pure bliss.

  Disneyland photo explosion in 3…2…1…

  

  

  Starbucks Mickey Cookies!

  

  Cliff Note version of this post – I eat a lot of sugar (currently on a week long detox because…balance?), I love exploring new places through coffee and food, I open my mouth much too wide for photos much too often, Disneyland is the happiest place on earth, I’m obsessed with pumpkins, and I have the BEST friends a girl could ask for. Life is good.

  

  Q: What’s your favorite ride at Disneyland? If you haven’t been, please tell me why. 

  

  | 69 Comments Tagged Bloggers, California, Coffee, Disneyland, Starbucks, Vacation, Vegan

• Whirlwind

  Posted at 5:38 AM by Brittany, on September 15, 2014

  The last week has been a whirlwind. I feel like I went from 0  to 60 in 1 second flat. I’m not complaining, being busy and active is fantastic, but it leaves me EXHAUSTED. I had a mini vacation last week to California which I will blog about soon. Right now my life is back to work work work, run run run, and I am house sitting for TWO people.

  One house is fully equipped with a small cat that has a lion cut.

  For now, enjoy this photo of Eeyore mackin on me and Gigi.

  

  Take me back to Disneyland!

  Q: What takes a backseat first when you’re busy? Blogging and other hobbies usually.

  

  | 41 Comments Tagged Bloggers, Disneyland

• Adventure Seekers

  Posted at 7:27 AM by Brittany, on June 30, 2014

  Starting tomorrow I am finally headed back to school. I’ve kept my education plans hush for a while because I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but  cats out of the bag-it’s time to get my learn on. With that said, I’ve been soaking up as much adventure as I can.

  In all reality I am only taking one summer class right now, and it’s only two days a week. My schedule will hardly be affected, but any excuse for adventure is a good one in my book! This weekend I had a blast.

  

  I met up with Alex for an exceptional donut and lake walk date. We chatted and walked for a couple hours and it was as if we were old time friends. I just adore her optimistic spirit, what a gem!

  

  We walked roughly 6 miles, and then after I dropped her off I headed back to the lake to get in a run and some more walking.

  

  I ran just around 4 miles, and walked another 2 bringing my total of the morning to about 12 miles. I was ready to destroy a donut.

  

  I could totally get used to running around a gorgeous lake followed by donuts and coffee everyday…ppsh who needs school? Kidding…kind of. I did need some real food though, so I spent my life savings on 1.2 pounds of food from Whole Foods salad bar.

  

  If you’ve never had roasted garlic the size of a small child, you’re missing out.

  The very next day I went for a hike at the mountain near my house. I’ve hiked this trail too many times to count on one hand, so I decided it was time to explore some more. I ended up stepping foot on all four trails of the mountain, adding an additional 1.5 hrs to my hike.

  

  I honestly didn’t have much of an idea where I was, but I knew eventually I would be spit out onto a familiar trail. My friend was along for the ride, and I was sure she wanted to kill me.

  

  The multiple trails took as around the mountain instead of straight up. After finally finding the top, we enjoyed a 20 minute eat/rest.

  

  5 hours and at least 10-11+ miles later we made it down in one piece.

  Today I am headed to Seattle for another bigger mountain hike, stay tuned for a post on that. I also post my hiking adventures to my Instagram if you wanna follow me there..ya know..if ya wanna.

  Q: What is your idea of a fabulous adventure? Good food,  good company, and a GOOD outdoor workout. All wrapped into one day.

  

  | 65 Comments Tagged Adventure, Bloggers, Hike, Seattle

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• BRITTANY- Self proclaimed minimalist "granola" striving to maintain a balanced, healthy life with good food, long hikes, strong relationships, exploration, lots of broccoli, and laughing like it's my J.O.B. Currently living and working in Germany, join me on my adventures abroad!
• Contact: blissfulbritt@yahoo.com

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