Tag: Seattle

• Playing Catch-up

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on July 10, 2017

  Well. Although I’ve been home from Ireland for over a month now, ya’ll have no idea what I’ve been up to eh? I wanted to knock out all the Ireland recaps (to keep them in order #OCD) before adjusting back to real life. Real life isn’t nearly as exciting, but I’ll do my best to conjure up a readable post.

  • First and foremost, I said the most difficult goodbye of my entire life. 

  

  

  There are literally no words to describe the magnitude of pain that takes hold of your entire being when you loose a pet. My beautiful kidney disease fighting cat made it 20 long years. I miss him everyday. He is running free in the sky and his legacy lives on forever. Seriously…his hair will be sure of that.

  • I‘ve gone on a handful of hikes. I made a summer goal to hike at least once a week. This isn’t usually too difficult for me. 

  

  

  

  

  

  • I worked. And made more changes in regards to work. Always changing.

  

  • I spent alone time at the beach. Working on this whole processing emotions thing without using my drugs of choice (sugar and caffeine.) 

  

  

  • I spent the 3rd & 4th of July being extra social. It was good for my soul.

  

  • I started running again. Sorta. I can only manage 2-3 miles and my pace is slow as molasses. But it’s a start. 

  

  • I solidified plans for my next adventure. September can’t come soon enough. Any guesses?

  

  • I started school again. Nine more months people. Nine.More.Months. 

  Q: American friends, how’d you spend your 4th? Non American friends, who wants to let me crash on their couch so I can travel to your country? I’m a very tidy house guest and I’ll give you an excuse to tour your area. It’s a win win. Actually this goes for my American friends too. 😉

  

  | 67 Comments Tagged America, ASU, Cruise, Explore, Fourth of July, Hiking, Running, Seattle

• Seattle Staycation

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on January 9, 2017

  Anytime I find myself in Seattle for an extended period of time I consider it a mini stay-cation. It’s not quite a vacation because I’m only hopping, skipping, and jumping across a small body of water, but it’s time away from my home making it an adventure nonetheless.

  

  I spent the last eight days house sitting in Seattle, and my days looked something like this: work (three of the days), eat (all of the days), and explore (most of the days.) Despite the fact that I do get paid for these house sitting gigs, I typically end up spending more than half of what I make on food. I consider it bonus cash. 🙂

  I spent a lot of time at Whole Foods hot bar spending my life savings on all things vegetables. 

  

  I’ve made a conscious effort to use Whole Foods for here bowls instead of putting my meal into a to go box. Let’s be honest, I eat it all while I’m in store anyway, might as well save a bit of the planet while I’m at it.

  

  I had a few more bowls from different days, I just couldn’t deny the convenience of this Whole Foods being so close to Green Lake, another place I spent a few hours of my time. Here I found my soul mate in bird form, all black body (like my soul) with giant odd looking feet. I was also a witness to a love triangle. Female ducks know how to work their bodies despite being less flashy looking than the males.

  

  

  We can all take a note from the female Mallard. Confidence on point. 

  

  I gave my first unborn child to eat an acai bowl, little did they know I don’t plan to have kids. So expensive, but so good. I’m excited to be reunited with my blender. Perhaps next time I just bring it with me. Yes, that sounds like a good plan.

  

  I kept my sugar beast in check most of the days despite being surrounded by copious amounts of amazing vegan treats, except for one solid choice. A new ice cream shop opened in November showcasing plant based goodness with a base of raw sprouted cashews and coconut milk (no fillers or gums), somewhat sweetened by dates and maple syrup, and with amazingly unique flavor profiles.

  The cone is made from maple syrup and oats. Das it.

  

  Be still my plant based heart. Top scoop is salty caramel ash infused with activated charcoal, bottom is California cabin infused with pine needles, black pepper, cardamom, and smoked sea salt. If you’re ever planning to visit Seattle, Frankie and Jo’s is a must. Did I mention pine needles? So much yes

  I tend to enjoy eating ice cream mostly in the winter months, I’m not sure why. I don’t really eat a lot of ice cream and in the summer with the heat it makes me feel heavy. I happily ate these scoops despite the frozen tundra that hit Seattle last week. So cold it froze parts of the lake.

  

  I spent a solid five hours with a friend from work over the weekend. It was nice to chat with a like minded individual, those are hard for me to find these days. She’s the bee’s knees.

  The only other honorable mention from my week in the city was the sleeping cat I found at the park by the gym I went to. What I want to know is WHERE these statues were when I was a child? Kids these days have it so good.

  

  I’d have climbed on his back like he were Falcor from The Neverending Story. Or maybe the dragon would have been better suited for that, although his spikes look painful.

  

  Back home, and back to school today. I had a glorious month long break making it equal parts hard and easy to go back. This will be my last full semester, with a partial semester over the summer to finish things off. I.Am.So.Ready. 

  Q: What kind of entertainment did you have in the parks as a child? I was early teens when I first saw a t-rex dino you could ride forward and back. It was purple, and it was the coolest.

  

  | 46 Comments Tagged Explore, Green Lake, Ice Cream, Seattle, Vegan, Whole Foods

• Seattle Life

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

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

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

  

  My excited face.

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

  No commute means more time for running.

  

  My current running spot.

  

  Will run for V/GF cupcakes

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

  

  

  

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

  

  Cafe Flora – Italian burger GF/V

  

  How cute is this restaurant setup?

  

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

  

  Sugar Plum – V S’mores Brownie

  

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

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

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

  

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

  Good, more for me. 

  

  Grain free chocolate zucchini bread. Yusss.

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

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

  

  

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

  Q: City or suburb dwelling?

  

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

• The Birth of a New B

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on August 4, 2016

  I apologize in advance if this post is over the top, but per usual I need a place to puke my thoughts. To quickly summarize the point of this post all I can say is life.feels.good. That may sound pretty simple, but when you’ve been in a limbo state of life for over a year it’s a bit more complex.

  Hippie dippie vibes need a triangle of Bikenstocks. 

  

  I’m starting to feel like my old self again. The self that was excited to go on adventures, the self that was excited to go for a run, the self that had no desire to fill her body with processed sugar (lol), the self that enjoyed going to work in the morning, the self that felt creative in the kitchen, the self that felt a desire to connect, the true self.

  OK, and a little bit of processed sugar.

  

  I have learned so much about myself the last year, and despite my own personal “struggles” (I hesitate to say struggles because perspective is everything – I had a roof, I had food, I had opportunities, etc..) I know this time of my life was essential for my own personal growth. Settling for less than what we are meant to do in this world can be a slow killer, side effects similar to smoking cigarettes.

  

  Morning commute

  Bottom line – I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t growing, I wasn’t challenged, and I wasn’t living to my potential in any area of my life. I couldn’t decide what to study in school, I felt it was time for a change at work, and I was in need of more social interactions. So I waited, and then eventually I had to say goodbye to my comfort zone.

  I often advocate the idea of “up and quitting” a job that no longer serves you, challenges you, or allows you to grow to search for what really makes you tick, even when society deems this as irresponsible. Perhaps for you the change needed is following your true passion regardless of the fear you’ve built around the ideas.

  Ever notice how the people that are most happy with what they do in this life are those that don’t build walls around the ideas they create in their minds? They think it, believe it, and DO IT.

  

  Be like this bird, break free from the cage. Also – wallpaper goals.

  For me, I knew the time had come where I needed to embrace a huge change and take the leap. I’m not saying what I do now at work is my “passion,” but it’s surly bringing me closer to new and exciting opportunities. It’s challenging my mind in ways I’ve not experienced before.

  In the short three weeks I’ve worked in Seattle I feel like a completely new person. I isolated myself a lot the last year for reasons I really don’t know, but I’ve completely blossomed into a chatty Kathy again. I’m talking to any and everyone that I come in contact with, and it feels natural. I finally WANT to be around people again. I fully attribute this to taking a risk, and jumping into a completely new world.

  

  Evening commute

  I tend to think I’m not “good enough” for some of the things I want in life. This mindset is toxic, it’s sludge that needs to be purged from the walls of my brain. If you think you’re not good enough, then you will manifest a life less than what you’re truly meant to live.

  Truth is anyone is “good enough” for anything they want. Some things take extra work to obtain (I couldn’t just walk into a hospital tomorrow and perform heart surgery no matter how detailed the dream I had about it was), but if it’s truly what you want you’ll make it happen.

  Wash away the toxic thoughts like a river washing away bird poop.

  

  If you feel stuck in life, it’s because it’s time for a change. This is black and white to me now, point blank, very simple if you allow it to be. When a street is blocked off during construction it’s for the safety of other people, this “safety zone” is a temporary thing until the new and improved street is completed. Safety zones are not meant for long term living.

  My safety zone is gone, I’m on a new adventure, and I’m exploring avenues I once thought were out of my spectrum. I’m excited to see what opportunities come my way now that I’ve finally opened the door to shake things up in my world. Take it from me, the longer you stay in a place of unhappiness the longer you’ll be unhappy. You are not a tree, you are meant to move. 

  Q: What are your weekend plans?! I enjoy this question because I finally have “real weekends.”

  

   

  | 60 Comments Tagged Hike, Life, Random, Seattle, Starbucks

• Manifest So Hard

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on May 12, 2016

  I spent my Tuesday afternoon in Seattle, but this adventure was different than my usual Seattle trips. This adventure wasn’t based around coffee, food, or hiking (despite some of these activities finding their way into the mix later in the day), this adventure was based around business.

  

  There is something in the works right now that I have been manifesting SO hard, but I won’t share it until it comes true. Because it will. It will come true.

  

  My manifestations have been keeping me up at night, and have taken over my thoughts. If I haven’t put enough brain waves into the universe with all this positive talk, then it simply wasn’t meant to be. But it will..it will be. HAaa.

  Manifest so hard.

  

  After the necessary tasks were taken care of, it was time to play tourist – per usual.

  First stop: Pike Place. Also per usual. 

  

  

  

  Next stop: Starbucks roastery.

  If you can get your hands on a cup of nitro cold brew, which is just how it sounds (nitrogen infused cold brew coffee) do it. This was life changing.

  Post refreshments my lovely copilots and I decided to partake in the ultimate tourist trap, we rode the duck. Half on land, half in water this tour takes you around some iconic Seattle locations.

  

  

  

  The weather was perfect, the positive energy was on point, and I found my future tiny home when the duck went in the water.

  

  Another Seattle adventure in the books, and I’m heading back today to see if all my manifesting payed off. Wish me luck!

  Q: What was something you wanted sososo bad that you couldn’t stop thinking about until you got it?

  

  | 60 Comments Tagged Coffee, Explore, Seattle

• I Want to Ride My Bicycle

  Posted at 7:20 AM by Brittany, on October 27, 2015

  I highly recommend listening to this song as you read this post, which has become my theme song for life. At least for the moment.

  Last week I took myself on a date to Seattle with one goal in mind: buy a bike.

  

  As you can see from the above photo I was successful in this endeavor, but before I get to that I want to relive my Seattle adventure.

  

  

  Despite my many trips to the city, I can never take just one photo upon arrival.

  

  I may be bias, or just sheltered, but this is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve seen. If anyone wants to take me to Europe and change my perspective that’d be great.

  I had the entire day to myself so I wandered, wandered, and wandered some more.

  

  

  My first stop in Seattle is almost always the same, a trip to Pike Place Market for good coffee, fruit, treats, and entertainment.

  

  

  

  After I got my caffeine and sugar fix I headed to REI. On my way there I saw many signs I was doing the right thing. Not that I needed any convincing.

  

  

  I’m not an impulsive person, and most of the time I miss out on things because I am too afraid of making the “wrong choice” or because I don’t know enough about things.

  I’ve been planning to buy bike for years now, but wanted to do some research first. After no effort on my part to do so, I decided to buy a bike based on feel.

  Complete and utter impulsiveness. I regret nothing.

  

  A 15 minute test ride, 30 minutes of paperwork, and nearly 2 paychecks later I rode away on my brand new bike. The color was not at all what I planned on, but I love it.

  I made this purchase based on the feel of the bike, and partly on the brand name. Cannondale makes great bikes, this much I knew.

  My ride back to the ferry was a bit scary as it was getting dark and I didn’t feel comfortable riding in the road like all the other bikers. Total newbie over here trying to maneuver around walkers on the sidewalk.

  

  I had to ride my bike onto the ferry (back to my car) among a sea of commuters. I pretended I knew what I was doing, but really I didn’t.

  At least I wasn’t the only one wearing sandals.

  

  The cool kids.

  A successful trip to the city, and I now have a new mode of transportation. 
  

  

  

  Now all I need to do is get my butt used to the seat, and figure out a better way to pack this into my car. For now, I’m content riding around my area.

  I also need a bike lock, a basket for my cat groceries, and strobe lights.

  

  Post purchase selfie after stuffing the bike into my car.

  Q: Do you have a bike?

  

  | 76 Comments Tagged Bike, Cannondale, Explore, REI, Seattle

• Random Rambles

  Posted at 10:06 AM by Brittany, on August 14, 2015

  I ate a pancake and 7 tons of sweet potatoes last week. What’d they have in common?

  

  

  The prettiest darn berries you ever did see. Note, those blueberries on the tater were baked, giving them that purple color, and a gooey decadent flavor.

  I also ate at least 4 homegrown tomatoes.

  

  I didn’t see anything more beautiful that day.

  Seattle with two of my favorites for a Starbucks Roastery adventure. 

  

  

  I decided to get a cup of tea because it was after 1pm, and if I drink coffee too late I’m like a lab rat that’s been injected with cocaine. My tea tasted like Thanksgiving and Christmas had an unwed lovechild. It was fantastic.

  I tried to learn how to play the piano a handful of times in my life, and never made it past the first few pages of the beginners book. 

  

  Should I finally learn to play, I want a piano in my house with hand painted trees like the one I stumbled across at Green Lake in Seattle.

  I had no intentions of participating in National Smore’s Day until the monster in my stomach that starts to crave sugar after dark reared its head. 

  My angelic mother not only had graham crackers tucked in the pantry, but vegan marshmallows as well. I of course had an 85% dark chocolate Theo bar in the fridge because these days I’m never without.

  The best part? This was annihilated eaten at 10:30….PM! I never used to eat that late.

  Funniest photo of the week goes to my dad. 

  

  I sent him a birthday card with a cat because he hates them adores their independent way of life. This photo was sent with the words “negatory.”

  I have the next four days off from work. 

  

  So much excitement. I see Portland, hiking, and sleep in my future. This mini break is the first of a few to come. Livin la vida loca.

  Q: What’s your random ramble for the day? Any Portland readers!?

  

  | 50 Comments Tagged Explore, Food, Gardening, Random, Seattle, Starbucks, Vegan

• Music for the Soul

  Posted at 6:56 AM by Brittany, on February 19, 2015

  Music is a powerful thing. We all have our styles and reasons behind the types of music we enjoy, but every so often we come across a song, an album, or an artist that completely changes our world. For me that artist would be Gregory Alan Isakov.

  

  LIVE at Benaroya Hall!!

  I had always enjoyed his music, but it wasn’t until nearly two years ago I really immersed myself in his magic. Listening to him helped me not only blossom after a breakup, but gave me a sense of hope that I hadn’t had before.

  OK enough mush, time for a recap! From the top.

  

  These treats were actually mine, brought to me by my wonderful boss all the way from Portland. I resisted the urge to eatallthesugar and saved half for my mom.

  As if my birthday weekend wasn’t enough, my mom happened to be born two days after me. Well two days, and a few years ago or so. For Christmas I selfishly purchased two tickets to see Isakov play with the Seattle Symphony, because when you’re already a fantastic artist having the symphony back you up just happens.

  

  Her birthday fell on the day of the show, but to ensure that this was not her birthday gift, we made a day of it. Starting with the coffee and treats from above, followed by a hop, skip, and a twirl over to Seattle for a trip to the Roastery, Pike Place, & dinner.

  

  

  

  Drinking good coffee makes you glow. It’s a fact.

  

  After satisfying my monthly sugar quota with a vegan cinnamon roll the size of my face, we wandered like two lost souls in search of a land filled with glistening eggplant and oven crisped potatoes. Isakov will want to hire me after reading that sentence.

  Lyrical genius.

  

  HOLY yum to my face. Glazed Tofu Banh Mi: Glazed 5-spice tofu, char-grilled eggplant, house-pickled carrots, white cabbage. Fresh jalapeños, basil, cilantro, mint leaves.

  Dinner knocked my non existent socks off. I felt the overwhelming urge to roll around in a sea of mint and basil leaves. This flavor combination was insane. Equally insane? The inside of Benaroya Hall. It was a shame I left my opera glasses at Walmart.

  

  

  I was excited enough to take an awkward bathroom selfie. And the concert?…

  He was fantastic, and he is the most humble artist I’ve ever met. Yes…met. Shook his hand and everything. I wanted a photo with him, but we weren’t allowed. It was a shame I had already broken all my allotted rules for the day.

  

  He.Is.Adorable. His poster had trees on in and we talked about gardening while he signed mine.

  His performance was so fantastic my eyes started to swell at times and this liquid stuff filled into the corners. I also looked like a fearful cat thanks to the hairs on my arms standing up from the chills the acoustics gave me. What an experience.

  Q: What’s the best concert you’ve been to?

  

  | 72 Comments Tagged Coffee, Gregory Alan Isakov, Music, Seattle, 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 a dear friend I met through blogging. 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.

  CliffsNotes 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

• A Few Pieces of Starbucks Knowledge

  Posted at 7:46 AM by Brittany, on August 11, 2014

  I really enjoy my job. It’s the kind of job that you’re excited to go to and are constantly wanting to learn more about. There is something about coffee that inspires me and I can’t seem to get enough.

  

  Most people don’t know this, but Starbucks does a LOT for its communities, and even more for the countries where they buy their beans from. People often jump to conclusions about Starbucks because it’s such a big corporation, but really they are very passionate about what they do, and giving back is huge.

  

  Did you know that Starbucks pays for employees to volunteer? I don’t mean the employees get paid, but the places where we volunteer get money for the hours we put in. #extrashotofgood

  

  Did you know that in an effort to ensure a transparent purchasing process, Starbucks developed something called C.A.F.E practice?  This ensures that quality of life for coffee farmers is ethical, pay is accountable, quality is high, and all environmental needs are met.

  

  Did you know that on top of paying a premium price for ethical sourcing (giving them high quality arabica beans) Starbucks helps coffee farmers with financial support when funds are low?

  I finally took the time to visit the Starbucks Center in Seattle, also known as Starbucks Headquarters. It’s kind of a big deal. I’m fortunate enough to live in the area where Starbucks first started, and visiting this location was just a hop, skip, and a jump across the water.

  Unfortunately without being an employee of the actual corporate building, I had limited access to the inner offices. I did get to explore the Starbucks shop, and enjoyed a free cup of “visitor” coffee.

  

  I’m still very much of an equal opportunist, and I adore local and small coffee shops too. I think trying local coffee is one of three great ways to explore new areas, and while I love Starbucks I don’t always go to one when I am traveling somewhere new. Local coffee usually wins.

  Seattle is a different story though, being the birthplace of Starbucks.

  

  It was a great experience to visit the place where all the magic happens so to speak.  Maybe one day I’ll have the opportunity to venture behind the “badge entrance only” doors.

  

  Until then I’ll continue making coffee I’m proud to sell, and educate people on the details that go down “behind the scenes.”

  Q: Do you “believe in” the story behind place you work?

  

  | 41 Comments Tagged Coffee, Seattle, Starbucks

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