Tag: Random

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 6:42 AM by Brittany, on September 25, 2014

  1. Pumpkins. Orange. Brown. Leaves. Scarecrows. Sweet Potatoes. Baked Apples. Yellow.

  FALL, FALL, FALL.

  

  2. I haven’t gone hiking in almost three weeks. WHAAAAT!?

  3. I have been drinking coffee in mugs made for the mountains though.

  

  4. Instead I’ve been running, and walking, and…working. T-minus 17 days until half time.

  5. I went to visit a friend last weekend and she told me she signed up for her first 5K. After I expressed pure joy by running up the side of a building, she asked if we could go practice run.

  UHH yes!? I didn’t even care that I wasn’t wearing proper shoes.

  I don’t advise running 3miles in TEVA’s.

  

  6. I’ve been doing 90% of my half marathon training in my Vibram Five Fingers. I’ve had the same pair for over five years, and they are fantastic.

  7. This made me insanely excited for Thanksgiving. It also made me wonder why I don’t have something like a sloth or wildebeest as my mailbox. I should rectify this.

  

  8. I went an entire week without treats. I plan to try a new experiment where I only have treats once a week, but if you see me on the news it’s because mentally I didn’t make it.

  9. I’m running out of things to share, so I will mention how delightful my first official fall weather run was. I went out for 5 mi, but ended up running 8 mi. Crisp air and yellow leaves are magical.

  

  10. I haven’t worn deodorant (and by this I mean I haven’t slapped baking soda under my arms because this is what I do for “deodorant”) in two weeks. I hope I haven’t been walking around with a green aura spewing from my body. I only had to reshower once. Win.

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 49 Comments Tagged Confessions, Fall, Half Marathon, Random, Run

• Post Vacation Shenanigans

  Posted at 6:45 AM by Brittany, on September 22, 2014

  Since arriving home from my mini trip to LA, things have been busy. The day after I came home I attended the most adorable/rustic wedding for a former coworker of mine. Total swoon city.

  

  

  The dinner tables were littered with pages from Harry Potter and large vegetables.

  

  The day after the wedding I had my long run for the week. I worked 5:30-2 that day which meant I had to run in the peak of the heat. I was dead, it hurt, I wanted to quit, but I slowly finished.

  This is also the day I started house sitting for the honeymooners from the wedding I went to, and another lovely lady that frequents Starbucks. I was able to run in a different town because of this!

  

  The run was a bad idea. Well, I would have done it regardless, but it further induced a minor head cold that was brewing behind the scenes. It started with a sore throat, and progressed to full on mucus overload. I blame germ infested Disneyland and airplane travels!

  I ended up skipping my run last Tuesday because I couldn’t muster the energy. Instead, I walked to a local yet new to me coffee shop, enjoyed a cup of black coffee, and proceeded to go for a walk around the water. This was a much better decision.

  

  

  

  

  One of the houses I am house sitting for is within walking distance of an adorable row of stores, coffee shops, and the water. I am in pure heaven staying here.

  It seems that taking a couple days off from running and going to bed before 8 for a couple nights put me on the fast train to healthy town. I was able to run a 3 miler last Wednesday, which put me back on track for the week along with a few more 3 mile runs, and a 6 miler yesterday.

  I’m much better this week, but man do I hate getting sick.

  

  Truth, my mom was sick, my coworkers were sick, I didn’t prepare for this!

  Today I go back to school, and the adorable house I am staying in right now is giving me the motivation to power through chemistry (my third chem class, and they never get easier) with the end goal in site! I want to buy one of these tiny houses!! WEEE. OH and as promised/requested here are two lovely photos of the cat I am house sitting with, in all her (semi) lion cut glory.

  

  

  Meow.

  Q: What are your remedies for a head cold? I eat oranges like they’re crack, rest like I’m a mummy, and let the bugs run their course. Thankfully it never lasts more than a few days. 

  

  | 46 Comments Tagged Cats, Random, Run, Running, Wedding

• Random Things

  Posted at 9:40 AM by Brittany, on September 5, 2014

  What happens when I have random pictures/things to talk about, but haven’t blogged in a week? You get random pictures tied to random things to talk about. What can I say, I’m living life. I’m also going to Disneyland with this babe in less than a week and about split my pants I’m so excited. Or maybe that’s from the cookies…but I digress.

  — Anniversary Blend has officially been released at Starbucks. Fall is coming, & I am so ready.

  All you haters can just stuff it because summer is done in my book, DONE! Bring on the crunchy leaves, apple pies, Halloween Joe-Joe’s, pumpkin patches, windy runs, and enough squash to fill a dump truck. Which is what I assume my backside will look like from all the Joe-Joe’s and pie I plan to consume. Winter hibernation starts now.

  

  I’m legit obsessed with this blend. Buy some NOW.

  — Remember that summer biology class I took?

  It left me with a bizarre obsession for any and all species of lichen. Now whenever I spot some on a hike I become entranced as if they have some kind of mind altering properties.

  

  Usnea – used for antibiotic and anti-fungal treatments.

  

  — I’m ready for fall, but still soaking up tank top hikes.

  

  Marmot Pass – 10.6 round trip miles, 6000ft elevation.

  

  

  “Does this look as awkward as if feels?”
  “yes.”

  — I don’t know who Levi is, but he’s got some pretty sweet wheels. I want to go for a ride.

  

  — I’ve been sitting on a secret for about 7 weeks now.

  

  More on this later…

  — I made this bread, and it basically ruined my life. So good.

  

  Not my photo, I was much too busy stuffing my suck to take my own.

  I apparently didn’t have as much to share as I thought. On that note I’m off to run/eat more bread.

  Q: Who wants to sit on top of a mountain eating chocolate bread and drinking Anniversary Blend with me? Bueller….Bueller…

  

  | 57 Comments Tagged Coffee, Explore, Hike, Marmot Pass, Olympic Mountains, Random, Run, Starbucks, Vegan

• Wide Open Spaces

  Posted at 7:26 AM by Brittany, on August 17, 2014

  Change is something that I’ve always struggled with. I know I’m not alone in this, and I’d bet that most of you reading this right now would agree. These days I’ve grown accustomed to change, and even sometimes welcome it. A few months ago I changed my blog layout after over TWO years of the same set up. I’m a big believer of keeping things simple, and I live my life by a, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” motto, but I wanted something new and fresh.

  After settling on a new layout, I quickly discovered that although I enjoyed the sleek and clean look, the way my photos were squished just didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t get myself a dSLR to highlight tiny details in certain pictures just to have them unappreciated by a squished blog.

  

  I have a 70/30 approach to blogging. 70% photos, and 30% written content. After settling with the smooshed setup for a while, I made an impromptu change as you can see. No hesitation, no struggling with the change, just a click of a button and boom-wide open spaces for my photos to stretch and breath. My photos are far from perfect, but they surely benefit from a better layout.

  

  OK, you get the idea. Long story short I have a new layout that is very simple and clean, giving my photos a bit more wiggle room. I still use my iPhone for nearly all other photos like hiking, but even those benefit from some space. On that note go bake something tasty. Happy Sunday.

  

  Q: What’s most important to you about reading/writing blogs? I am a big fan of LOTS of photos. Too much text and I get bored.

  

  | 36 Comments Tagged Blog, dSLR, Food, Photography, Random

• Does It Make Me…

  Posted at 8:37 AM by Brittany, on July 9, 2014

  Does it make me un-American if I say I didn’t watch fireworks on the fourth of July? I did eat some Mac and Cheese though, which I think balances out the former sentence. Vegan of course, and Brittany-fied.

  

  Tomatoes, jalapenos, broccoli, and avocado added to the mix.

  Does it make me innovative for chopping up some chocolate salted almonds for my banana/oat cookies because they’re all I had? I totally turned on the oven despite the 80 degree temps. Priorities.

  

  I just really wanted to use my fancy knives.

  Does it make me a lazy runner for switching from a half marathon to a 5K this weekend? I can’t pretend to be Zues anymore, running 13 miles with zero training just isn’t going to work. So I’ll run 3 miles and then eat donuts as if I ran 13. This sounds much better to me.

  

  This has nothing to do with running a race, but they portray why I am not in running shape. Hiking shoes = hiking instead of running.

  Does it make me inappropriate for saying that due to the aforementioned comment about the warmer temps, I’ve been sleeping with minimal zero clothing? I want to die every night.

  

  Does is make me obsessed if I can’t stop eating/thinking about the flat of raspberries in my kitchen? Local, organic, and only $10!

  

  Does it make me a genius for unintentionally figuring out how to soften dates? I left them in my car and the hot temps made them so perfect. Soft mushy sugary heaven for my crunchy salty rice cake.

  

  Does it make me easy to please if my morning cup of coffee at home right now is already the highlight of my day? I’ve been opening at work every day the last week, and coffee on the go is nothing like coffee at home with nothing but empty, quiet space around you.

  

  Does this make me an acrophile?

  

  Q: Fill in the blank: “Does it make me ________?”

  

  | 61 Comments Tagged Chocolate, Coffee, Does it Make Me, Hike, Mountain, Random, Summer, Vegan

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 3:53 AM by Brittany, on June 11, 2014

  1. My one year Starbucks anniversary was May 28th, and my assistant manager made me the happiest barista in all the land…

  

  Love this company and LOVE my coworkers. I couldn’t ask for a better crew,

  2. I’m really lazy when it comes to using my dSLR for anything other than recipe photo shoots, as you’ll see in this post-iPhone photos.

  3. I’ve learned some pretty epic shit about coffee. So close…

  

  4. I’m also really lazy about reading/commenting on blogs lately. I promise I still lurk, and I still love all my blog babes, but I just kinda fell off the reading wagon. I publish my posts and fly out the door.

  5. If you’ve been keeping up with my posts lately you’ll know I’ve been doing more hiking than running. I went for two 5 mile “zen” runs without my Garmin or music last week and it was magical.

  

  6.  I spent $37 on this pizza. I worked all morning and then hiked two mountains to earn that “drain your life savings” pizza.

  7. I was lusting over a jacket at REI for months, and it finally went on super duper sale. I bought it a size bigger than normal because I didn’t try it on, and basically I am free to roam without pants when I wear it.

  

  so.legit.

  

  Jacket or mini dress, you decide. I’m obsessed regardless.

  8. I won two giveaways in one week. Does this make it socially acceptable to say “winning?” Because it’s literal….

  9. I am obsessed with these snacks right now…whoever said rice cakes were “diet food” clearly never had them smothered in almond butter. The crunchy/creamy/fruit sugar combo is unreal.

  The almond butter/cinnamon/dates combo is like dessert.

  10. I haven’t had a cupcake in weeks, I need to rectify this.

  **UPDATE** Moments after I wrote this post (because I sometimes save a draft for a few days) I went hiking with a friend and SHE BROUGHT ME A CUPCAKE. It was like the heavens opened up.

  Scenes from that hike…

  

  Oh HEY Mt.Rainier, I’d like to dominate you someday.

  

  Leftover pizza tastes even better at the top.

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 58 Comments Tagged Coffee, Confessions, Hike, Random, Run, Starbucks, Vegan

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 7:32 AM by Brittany, on April 14, 2014

  1. I bought a new French press, and I don’t know how I ever lived without this gorgeous piece of pastel. The colors are legit and it screams, “I’m 12 at heart, but LOOVEE coffee.”

  

  2. Speaking of coffee, today I start my training to become a coffee master..aka a coffee ninja. I credit my soul mate Gigi for coming up with that term. Click here to learn more. When I complete the training I will be gifted a fancy black apron (ninja.) Stoked.

  3. Continuing with the topic of Starbucks, three of my coworkers and I “gave back” last week and volunteered to stuff Easter eggs with candy for kids. They are lucky I don’t like mints…I would have struggled not smuggling all the candy out in my pants.

  

  4. Yesterday I went to Darby’s Cafe in Olympia. I’ve been wanting to go there for about a year now, mainly because I saw it on DDD. I’m a sucker for Food Network. It was delish.

  5. I’m training for my 5th half marathon, it’s in three weeks. I’ve been running on roads like this…

  

  ….and refueling with treats like this….

  

  I totally had a giant bowl of vegetables before I face plated a cupcake..I promise.

  

  6. I spent $150 at REI the other day on a rain jacket…it’s been 70 and sunny all week.

  7. I’ve made headway onto foodgawker..and I couldn’t be more elated. I still haven’t read my dSLR manual, and I know nothing about food photography. I shoot what I think looks good, so this is extra exciting for me. I’ve had three photos accepted..starting somewhere!

  

  8. I have complete plans of going back to school, but I’m taking my sweet, sweet time.

  9. I’ve managed to fit some exploring into my schedule. Total necessity. 

  10. Life is good, and I want to own a bakery.

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 47 Comments Tagged Adventure, Coffee, Confessions, Half Marathon, Random, Running, Vegan

• Exploring DC

  Posted at 4:07 AM by Brittany, on April 3, 2014

  I had never been to DC before, so being a typical tourist I was more than happy to tromp around in the snow to be able to see the sights of a new town. I was swooning so hard over the buildings and have more than enough photos to show for it, but first – pancakes. Megan and I found a recipe that I happily slaved for hours ten minutes to create.

  

  

  These were too legit to quit. SO bomb. Gluten/dairy/& egg free. Perfect exploration fuel.

  

  

  I don’t know many other people that would gladly walk in the snow just to explore, and for that I adore Megan to pieces. She also happens to be a fantastic action photographer…

  

  

  

  I really had my heart set on riding one of these bikes, I wish my town had the bike share option. Instead, I need to just BUY A BIKE already! We of course found the White House, and the Washington Monument. Obama invited us to brunch, but I was set on Woodlands.

  

  

  Found a few free museums to wander into.

  

  

  

  

  Meet Paul, my new boyfriend.

  

  I hate snow more than anyone, but this gray snowy day sure made for some fun photos. I didn’t dare carry my dSLR though, so the iPhone had to suffice. Such a charming city.

  Q: Have you ever been to DC?

  

  | 39 Comments Tagged Adventure, Bloggers, DC, Exploring, Pancakes, Random, Snow, Vegan

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 7:32 AM by Brittany, on March 10, 2014

  1. I’ve been hearing birds/owls in the mornings. This is exciting news. I will relish in this while I can because I know that come July I will want to shank them for waking me up.

  2. I went for a run in the rain a few days ago. It was lovely. There is nothing quite like the smell of (fresh/new) wet wood.

  

  3. I want to chop my hair. It’s at the awkward stage and all I do is throw it back. I need to get some guts cause I want to cut it short…real short. Maybe I’ll just buzz it all off.

  4. Sometimes all I need to do is go somewhere that has wonderful memories and just sit.

  

  5. I haven’t been to Disneyland in almost two years….if I don’t go soon you might see me on the news for behavior I cannot be held responsible for. Disney made me do it…

  6. I went painting on Saturday, and it was serious bidness. I think I’ll quit my life and move into the forest to paint trees and leaves on things..yeah..that’s my plan.

  

  

  I’m going to destroy some vegetables in this bowl.

  7. I made a raw vegan banana cream pie yesterday. It rocked my face soooo hard. I will be posting the recipe soon. Be prepared to rock face with me. I’m obsessed.

  8. I hoard Starbucks cups. They are perfect for “out the door” transportation. I also hoard 1lb bags of coffee, which means a giveaway is coming.

  

  Yeah, these are all empty. Oh look, some holiday cups! Those are for the middle of summer when I am craving Christmas time.

  9. This article…yes! If you’re a frequent coffee shopper, please read. Not for kids.

  10. It was a long winter season of running in my Asics. Some sunny weather pushed me to bust out my Vibrams. After 10 miles in my bare-footers, my calves were murdered.

  

  

  No shame in my game. I definitely wore this catastrophe of color.

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 55 Comments Tagged Art, Coffee, Confessions, Painting, Random, Run, Running, Vegan

• How to Make Coffee…Without a Coffee Maker

  Posted at 6:31 AM by Brittany, on March 7, 2014

  About two weeks ago my french press broke. Well, let me rephrase that. About two weeks ago I broke my french press. Apparently when compounds of glass collide they break…who knew! (Please sense my sarcasm.) 4AM is a rough time for making coffee.

  Yes, this is as detrimental as it sounds. To make matters worse, I broke it WHILE I WAS PREPARING my morning coffee!! ¡Ay, qué horror!

  

  So long old friend.

  I had to think of something fast, because there was no way I was going to waste all that hot water I worked so hard to prepare. I couldn’t fathom the idea of giving up that cup of coffee. My heart was set on it, and there was no way I was going to quit.

  

  So here’s what I did. I poured my coffee grounds in this Mason jar, and covered the top with a lid to minimize heat loss. I waited the allotted 3-4 minutes for my grounds to steep.

  Fun Fact: The amount of time for a standard french press to sit before “plunging and serving” is 4 minutes. The longer it sits, the sludgier it gets.

  

  I then grabbed this second glass cup, and used a basic small colander to “strain” out my grounds. Improvisation at its best my friends. This held back most of the ground coffee, but I strained it a second time right into my mug just to ensure minimal grit.

  

  I’ve never worked so hard for a cup of black crack. The overall time was at least double what it would have been with my french press, and TRIPLE the time it would have been using a standard drip coffee machine. You know what though, this has been the best coffee I’ve had in a long time. I find that when you work for what you have, it’s so much sweeter.

  I’ve been making my coffee this way for a couple weeks now. While I do find this coffee process to be enjoyable, there is a method behind my madness. Starbucks has so conveniently released a gorgeous new french press that I simply must have. Instead of spending $20 to replace the glass jar that I broke for my current french press, I’m going to splurge and spend $26 on a brand new, rustic, sleek, GORGEOUS french press.

  

  
  From the Starbucks website: A double-walled stainless steel coffee press with elegant details and an included timer.

  Ohh be still my heart. I am so excited this press comes with a timer, what wonderful marketing!

  I am waiting until the end of the month because I get an additional 10% off, making this beauty $26 instead of $43. It will be worth the wait. This photo doesn’t even show the small black timer, or the embossed Siren logo on the knob. Take my word, it’s beautiful. I did buy myself a new glass though, because I knew they would be gone quick.

  

  IT’S GLASS!! Recycled glass to be exact, I don’t do plastic. OHhhHHH SWOON. I love it.

  Call me desperate, or call me crazy…I’ll call me innovative.

  Q: What would you have done? Honestly, if I hadn’t had to work that morning I might have just gone out to buy coffee, but I am so glad I discovered this desperation.

  Oh, and I know what you’re thinking, “you work at a coffee shop, couldn’t you have waited until you got to work!?” No..I adore my mornings of peace and quiet with my coffee. It’s not the same sitting in a small back room at Starbucks. This was necessary. 

  

  | 50 Comments Tagged Coffee, French Press, Random, Starbucks

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• Contact: blissfulbritt@yahoo.com

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