This week was uncharacteristically hot and sunny for May. With all the hot weather, I didn’t make it out for lunchtime walks as often as last week because I’m a complete wimp when it comes to heat. Still, on my one midday walk during the week, I managed to discover a park that I drive by every day to get to work, but had somehow never noticed. It looked like a lovely, shady spot to sit outside and eat lunch, and with only a 10 minute walk from the office, totally doable! For the weekend, I had a May Alpine Trails Book Club outing to keep me busy. After the success of last years’ trail work party with Washington Trails Association, our May event was another round of volunteering, this time on Little Mountain in Mt Vernon. Checking the forecast throughout the week, I’d been worried that the heat would make for a tough day, but happily the day was cooler than forecast and a wonderful time was had by all! After our day of hard work, we stopped in Mt Vernon for a well earned beer at Skagit River Brewery before heading home. Since Sunday was Mother’s Day, I joined my mom and sister for an afternoon in Snohomish, mostly so that I could finally visit Retreat - a plant shop that my mom, sister, and several friends have all raved about. It definitely lived up to the hype, and I came home with several new plant babies, including one for my desk at work! My lovely weekend was rounded out with a celebration of my niece’s 4th birthday, including several rounds of Guess Who - one of my gifts for the birthday girl.
Read moreLife: Week 18
We’ve had a week of decidedly un-April weather, with nothing but sunshine and warm temperatures. I’d be complaining about it more, but happily there are lots of residential trails near my new job, so I went on a few short walks over lunch to take advantage of the weather before it gets too hot and summery. I’ve also been slowly discovering all the best places to pick up lunch, since I’m not particularly familiar with Bellevue. I have yet to find a gem like Deru Market from my days working in Kirkland, but I’ve at least found good Thai restaurant with a cute bubble tea shop next door - a good start!
Read moreLife: Week 17
After an exhausting, travel-filled start to the month, April has wrapped up on a high note! Since my sister-in-law was still in town, I was able to celebrate my birthday with both her and my husband over macarons, cocktails, and a delicious dinner in Kirkland. It was otherwise a mostly uneventful week, with most of my time outside work spent prepping for the month's book club outing - a weekend of camping on San Juan Island! After a week of typical spring weather - aka sun, rain, warm, cold - I was a little worried about the conditions we'd be camping in, especially since I discovered dozens of holes in my camping tarp on my last trip and hadn't yet replaced it! Things looked even more iffy when I found myself caught in a hailstorm as I was packing up my car to leave Saturday morning! Thankfully, we didn't see a single drop of rain all weekend. I even managed to soak up enough sunshine to get a sunburnt face! It was a weekend of books, laughter and relaxation. We hiked to a lighthouse, stopped by a farmer’s market, and discovered an alpaca farm with award-winning alpacas where I couldn’t resist picking up a skein of the softest yarn with a photo of the alpaca the wool was shorn from. And to top it all off, my wonderful friend Ashley surprised me with a birthday cake while we enjoyed a sunset from the campground!
Read moreLife: Week 16
Big stuff - this week I started a new job, one where I'm no longer working from home. It’s been a dramatic positive change! Working from home, I’ve so missed simple things like a change of scenery and being around other people, and it’s been a relief to be back in an office, especially one that welcomed me with my favorite snack of chips & salsa! Another nice change - I get off work earlier, and even with a 15 minute commute that means I have plenty of time for post-work walks before going home to cook dinner. It’s an excellent time to be out on the Powerline Trail too, with spring in full swing! Most of the cherry trees along the trail have already dropped their blossoms, but now the trail is lined with fresh new green. Since my sister in law was in town with the niece & nephew, Andy and I headed to Wenatchee to spend the weekend soaking up the sunshine with them. It was a weekend filled with small adventures, kite flying, and reading many, many books.
Read moreLife: Week 15
Every time I fly in to SeaTac, I fall in love with Seattle all over again, but after a week in California for work, the view from my window seat was particularly stunning! This particular trip to Sacramento was my last one, since as of next week, I'll be starting a new job where I (wonderfully) won't be working from home anymore. I feel like I made the most of my last stay in the area by finally managing to meet my aunt and cousin who live in the area for a lovely dinner at the same fantastic restaurant I visited on my previous stay last month. I don't see them nearly often enough, so I felt extra lucky to have the chance to catch up over some delicious elderflower gin & tonics! Family visit aside, it was my most exhausting work trip yet, and it was such a relief to get home again, especially knowing I'll never have to make that particular trip again!
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