Meal Prep.

With Haley and Kristi here, the marathon weekend ended up being so much more. When guests come to Seattle for a visit, I get really excited about taking them to my favorite restaurants. And therefore, my marathon meal prep instantly dialed up several amazing notches.

Black Bottle:
caprese skewers
Eggplant rolatini
potatoes and cauliflower curried
portobello grilled and butter bean salad


Umi Sushi:
Tropical Paradise - salmon, strawberry, avocado, tobiko, cucumber wrapped
with tuna & mango, served with blueberry sauce.
Crunchy Lizard - shrimp tempura, avocado, cream cheese topped with
bbq eel & teriyaki sauce.
007 - spicy tuna, avocado & cucumber wrapped with salmon,
lime, cilantro, shishito pepper & jalapeno.

Portage Bay:
Ranchers Breakfast with french toast + fruit bar including whipped cream, strawberries, huckleberries, marionberries, and blueberries. Eggs. Sausage. And spicy potatoes. And lots and lots of coffee.


Spaghetti and turkey meatballs prepared by chef Tyson Goeppinger.

Support.

Support. I think we all know what it feels like to be supported - to feel understood. I also think its conceivable to feel totally happy and at ease in decisions and life's trajectory, and yet, support is still more appreciated than people really consider. THIS, this is what I experienced last week.

I'm a pretty lucky gal. I live a life where pretty much most of the time I feel love and support from just about everyone I come into contact with these days. I was born into a supportive and loving family, my grade school friends rule and gave me the foundation to expect nothing less than support and acceptance no matter what, and my college and now life-experience friends are are all women I support and respect, and those feelings are reciprocal in the most powerful and inspiring ways.

Several years ago I made a decision to move away from MN and everyone I'd ever known. The risk in that move being the friendships and family relationships I'd so intensely invested in. But after living in Seattle for over four years, I've learned that anything in life that is good and true lasts a lifetime. And the support I feel from my friends and family even being so far away moves me in ways I'll never be able to explain.

I received some mysterious texts and phone messages last week . Haley and Kristi - CSB pals - had tucked a surprise in the mail and were trying to reach me in an anxious moment of surprise. WHO DOESN'T LOVE SURPRISES?!

Anyone who reads this probably knows I was committed to running a marathon, and the race was this past Sunday. When I finally reached Haley and Kristi via cellphone conference call, I learned they had booked flights from MN to Seattle to cheer and support me during that race.

I have a hard time emotionally even putting this post into words as I write. Their gesture meant more to me than they will probably ever understand. Their friendships are so symbolic for what it means to truly be a friend. And in this case, a surprise letter of support from Kristi and Haley is like a beacon and reminder of the power in what support can do for a person. I finished the marathon in 3:58:55. Just ONE MINUTE under my goal time!

Thank you!

room dreaming.

Cooper Lake.

Wow, somehow blogging fell off the ole radar the last week or so. I think the fact that my life at work has significantly picked up the last couple of weeks, its been tough for me to spend time on a computer after I cross the threshold of the door to my home.

In an effort to stretch Summer as far into Fall as possible, we headed out of town with Janna and Nate to the east side of the Cascades, and Cooper Lake. I mean, Fall is definitely in the air. The skies are a dark blue. Things are beginning to look golden and crispy. I love it. But the temperatures have been incredible lately, and Cooper lake was no different. We dipped our feet in the lake, soaking up an 80+ degree day and felt like happy campers.


And with snowy mountaintops and a stunning lake as our back-drop, we played several INTENSE games of Bocce ball. That game is crazy when you add things like hills, dung, rocks and holes...and drinking rules to boot. It was a perfect way to toast to great Summer and welcome Fall.

Free bird.

I spent some time on the Olympic Peninsula over the holiday weekend visiting Tyson. Its amazing how at peace I feel the moment the ferry pulls away from the pier. Its like an instant moment of decompression knowing I'm heading out to a place that's so beautiful and so much slower-paced than the city.

We didn't have any real plans. We made dinner. Watched some college football. Made a fire with some of Tyson's forest pals. And worked on the lovely Cornhole set that Tyson is building for my birthday party coming up in October. Sweetie.


On Monday we took a little moto ride through the teeny town of Quilcene. I'm sure we didn't exceed 30mph, but it was absolutely the greatest feeling to zip along country roads with the wind whipping through my hair and the leaves nothing more than a orange haze as we passed by.


At one point we pulled off near a bridge and peered over the edge into the river moving below. Sure enough, a hundred or more giant salmon were fighting the current in an attempt to lay some eggs and procreate. We probably sat and watched for over an hour, and for some reason it never got old. I realize that I'm cheesy in every way possible, but there was something so magical about being so far away, out on the peninsula, in a teeny town, just watching one the coolest natural wonders the Pacific Northwest has to offer. I loved it. I love fall. I love Tyson. And I feel really happy and excited about life and for so many things coming up in the next few months.

Pennies.

I'm pretty sure I've given my parents endless shit over the years about projects. More specifically, House projects. Why do they take so long? Why do they start something and not finish it? Why does the house always have to be in turmoil? On and on, bla bla bla. Kids can be so short-sited! Insert me smiling.

I smile, because I've now bought two homes in my adult life - one of which was a TOTAL REDO and months of work and mess and crazy, and a second that was purchased brand new so in theory, there should be NOTHING to project. Wrong. And I'm pretty all this after I told my parents countless times I was "never going to buy a house that needed work after what I've been through as a child." What a bitch.

So far in my "new" place, my dad has helped me revamp a storage closet so it flawlessly stores my boxes and coats all organized-like. My dad also helped me put in a new door to my deck. These must be riveting visits from MN for him by the way. Let's see, I've painted. Tyson and I have installed shelving. And just last week after oh, a year of planning and buying supplies, Nate, Janna and I put in a backsplash. Parents, feel free to give me shit considering I purchased the tile last spring.

I have to say though, it looks incredible and makes a huge difference.

There's always a project. I have finally at 30, (I need to eek out saying 30 as many times as possible since it goes up a digit in exactly a month) learned that projects are pretty fun, they take a lot of time and more work than you had thought or planned, and you don't always finish them when you want. Cheers, parents!

Tile going up last Thursday:



Grouting last Saturday:




A final snapshot coming soon!

ocean breathes salty.

Last weekend was the second annual coast camping trip, only this time it was sans men. Aside from some wet weather and a mental low point for me on Friday night, the weekend was spectacular. Sea stacks. A campfire. Great girlfriends. Walking on the beach. An amazing sunset. Brews. Loads of laughs. Pancakes on a backpacking stove. The sounds of the ocean. And a shark!