west side. part I

Suz and Jason were in Vancouver this weekend and Friday I made the road trip across the border to say hello. They were traveling with friends - Eric and Mary - who upon meeting I instantly knew we were all going to have a great time. After losing to Eric in ping pong {i was pissed!} shots were to be had = creamsicles.




Saturday we were up WAY too early. Ibuprofen. Then a two hour stunning drive up to Whistler. ...I napped a little bit.

We grabbed lunch at the Amsterdam cafe in Whistler village. Every time I'm in a ski town I just want to quit my job and be one of those people who spend a season being a service worker and snowboarding. Ski towns are happy towns. Tons to do. Mountains all around. Cozy outdoor heat lamps. A beer to celebrate after a long day outside.

After many failed attempts at finding the trail head [Jason's favorite part], we eventually embarked on the Singing pass trail. The scenery was beautiful. Eric was clearly the leader. And after some hand to foot climbing we all felt like we were on the Amazing Race!






Good times with Suz and Jas on the west side! See you in a few weeks in MN.

see you.

A final ping pong battle and Tyson was out the door. Good times. Camping, multiple games of tennis, cooking, running, movies, volleyball games, friends, coffee and lots of grins.

Seattle Aquarium

random discoveries.

1:::it actually IS possible to get into a fight with a partner, and not have anxiety and be sick to my stomach...because we can talk about it and respect each others' point of view.

2:::its fun to feel beautiful and totally accepted, even after having a bad cold with a runny gross nose, picking my face in the mirror, wearing sweatpants non-stop and having greasy hair.

3:::people ARE capable of realizing that we are all strange in our own ways. we all have insecurities. we all have weaknesses.

I don't know, maybe these items seem obvious to most. And to say them out loud it seemed like, "well duh! of course those things are important AND totally necessary!" But I don't think I ever knew what it felt like to feel 1-3. Its lovely! Somehow along the way, I believe I slowly began to think I didn't deserve to feel okay in who I am.

Life is funny. Its funny that at one moment we can be totally destroyed and a little while later, we can be great. I find peace in that.

Happy Friday!

'tis the season

Cascade Volleyball club offered me the opportunity to coach again this year. Last club season was incredibly rewarding and fun and I still keep in touch with many of the girls. One of the mothers just invited me over for dinner! I was nervous, though, as I'm traveling a fair amount this year and the time commitment is big. Part-time? And who to coach? Follow the U12 gals into their U13 season or start fresh with a new team? Somehow the club managed to grant all my wishes. I'll be coaching half-time AND I'll be splitting my time between both the U12s and U13s. Get ready for some funny videos and stories. Try-outs are November 4.

This brings me to other exciting volleyball news. The University of Washington Husky volleyball team has just risen to 3rd in the country.





I've been attending games and they are incredible to watch. Great Fans. The pep band (love pep band!). And four of my U12 girls in the front row...every game. Many of the Husky volleyball players help out with our club. They teach clinics, they coach and they attend practices. We also use UW coach Jim McLaughlin's principals in everything we do and our club is based on the model he uses for his program. Last week, the then 5th-ranked Husky's played 7th-ranked UCLA and 4th-ranked USC at home. Both were swept performances. UW 3-0. Christal Morrison, Jessica Swarbrick, and Tamari Miyashiro were absolutely amazing.




Friday night I happened to sit in front of an elderly alum who was so excited over each play, cheering and yelling. After engaging him, he explained that he used to watch every game with his wife but had lost her in March. He recounted season after season of the historically successful team and it was so fun to see his eyes sparkle. I know I'm biased, but from little girls to grandpas, its such a fun sport to watch and be a part of. I can't wait for the club season to start!

UW plays number 2-ranked Stanford on November 8 at home. They've won 38 straight games at home. This will be a great match indeed.

Apt. + some furnishings.

At the request of Yoshi, here are some photos of my condo with a few more items in it.




At some point I'll photograph the bedroom. ...which would require me to clean it up a bit. For now, here is the first pass at putting some furniture and life into my space. Still need to paint. Still need to get some things on the walls. Definitely need some window treatments. Mostly though, I want to swap the current deck door for one that's glass = more light.

Under the stars @ Snow Lake

Last Saturday was an exceptionally beautiful Seattle day. Sunny. Golden leaves all around. And a forecast of zero precipitation. Zero. Very odd. A much anticipated hike + camp was planned. Bess, Josh, Tyson and I set out for the Mt. Baker-Snowqualmie National Forest only to find the original destination's trail head access closed. A quick phone call to a friend and we were on our way to another nearby hike, Snow Lake. The hike was beautiful...except for the giant blisters on my heels (new boots) and the fact that it seemed as though all of Seattle decided to be on the hike too. Even Elsie (doggie) pulled her weight with a small dog pack. After scouting for a campsite we liked, the usual preparations took place: off with the pack, find a nice, flat spot, put up the tent. Somewhere back in Seattle a little sack of tent poles sat. No poles! Alas, the four of us slept under the stars. It was cold but our sleeping bags kept us warm. And amazing: no Seattle rain.

sushi creations

We were invited to make sushi with Bess and Josh. Here is a small piece of evidence. Very fun. And delicious.

called in sick..

Sneaky Tyson flew in from Aspen and surprised me. Naturally I was "sick" after my birthday so we drove out to Mt. Rainier and hiked around. The weather wasn't great but we had fun. Driving along we watched the beautiful forests and fall trees fly by. Slowly the temperature began to drop and the rain turned to snow.

UPDATED!:::Twenty Nine.

Sometimes its hard to believe I'm actually 29 today. I just talked to my dad. He said the day I was born he was on a tractor out in the fields on their farm. They had recently moved from the city to start a life as farmers. From Edina to Corcoran. What a different landscape I was born into vs. my older brothers. He said my mom came running out of the house around 9am and he lost a whole day working in the fields as I didn't actually enter the world until about 7pm. As the clock approaches 5pm here in Seattle its minutes away from that same moment 29 years ago.

So many delightful, loving messages from people today. Thank you! I have the best family and friends and I'm so happy you're all in my life!

****************updated portion**************

Heading out for my birthday. Our cab driver even gave me a present: an orange!


Josh ordered me some pecan pie. YUM.



All my loving friends. In one room.

fringe

I cut bangs. Again. I'm not sure I like them. Crap! But alas they will grow out. They always do.



I used to cut my hair all kinds of ways. I was always trying something new and it changed as often as the seasons. And I was never scared to cut it. However, since growing my hair out long, I feel very protective of it. The woman was cutting away today and I almost grabbed the scissors and threw them outside! "What is she doing!?" I kept thinking. Let's be honest, I can sometimes be dramatic. Give it a few days and I'm sure it will be fine. I posted the only picture I liked after multiple macbook camera poses. We'll see.

Itinerary progress.

Tim has been calling me seventeen times a day. "Should we book it? Let's fly here! I just pulled the trigger!" We are slowly nailing down the Thailand timeline of events.



So far I know we'll be staying in Bangkok for six nights at the "fancy" (per Tim) Dusit Thani hotel. I'll be flying in three days earlier and probably staying in a not so fancy place...but I haven't booked that yet. Yikes. I'm anticipating sensory overload :: backpackers, a boxing match, the river, tuk tuks, shopping, temples, eating, drinking, spas, celebrating Christmas.




After leaving Bangkok we fly to Krabi and hop over to Railay Bay. Photos of this area are absolutely stunning. Literally type those names into Google, click images and prepare to view paradise.





BUT, we've decided to take it one step further and we're taking a boat to Phi Phi island two hours off the coast of Railay Bay. Six more nights. Remote. Climbing. Elephant trekking. Relaxing paradise. This is also an area that was used to film some of the scenes in the movie The Beach.