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!
Read moreLife: Week 12
After waiting impatiently for signs of spring around Puget Sound, I wound up spending the first day of the new season in central California, travelling for work. I left behind a warm, sunny Seattle that finally felt like spring and arrived in a rainy, cool Sacramento. The rain passed quickly, and the brief showers made the unfamiliar scenery feel more like home. On the trip I had several long, exhausting days, but managed to find moments to enjoy, including a fantastic restaurant walking distance from my hotel and a picnic lunch in the sunshine under some flowering fruit trees. After arriving home late Friday night, I took it easy Saturday, catching up on some reading in between much needed laundry and cleaning. After a mostly sedentary March, I finally hit the trail again on Sunday for the month’s Alpine Trails Book Club hike. Our group was smaller than it’s been in months, and it made for a laid back morning. The roaring, milky green Stillaguamish and small signs of spring (including the first trillium sighting of the year!!!) sighted along the trail were just what I needed after such a long week. Spring is coming!
Read moreLife: Week 35
This was a tough week. Monday was a stressful scramble to get ahead at work, and the remainder of my week was spent in California for work. While I did manage to squeeze in a quick (and much needed!) visit with my sister-in-law while I was in the Bay Area, for the most part my trip was a series of busy days fill with client meeting followed by many late nights trying to stay on top of my regular day-to-day work. On two of the three nights of my time in California, I didn’t mange to tear myself away from my laptop until at least 8 PM, and by the time I boarded my flight home Friday at 8 PM, I felt a bit like I was drowning in work I’d need to catch up on come Tuesday morning (since Monday was a holiday). Happily, over the course of the weekend, I was able to forget work. Before I’d left for California, I’d hoped Andy and I would spend the long weekend backpacking, but after my exhausting travel I knew I needed a restful weekend at home. I’m still hoping to get out for one last backpacking trip before winter descends on the Cascades though!
Read moreHawaii
Every few years, Andy and I take a couple weeks off work and venture off on a big trip. While I have a huge list of new places to visit, for our trip this year, I wanted nothing more than to return to an old favorite - the Big Island of Hawaii! Usually when Andy and I go on a vacation, I have every day planned out months in advance. Apparently the laid-back nature of Hawaii is contagious, because for this trip, other than loose plans to go hiking a couple times, and one restaurant we absolutely had to visit, I made no plans at all. Over our 12 nights on the island, we decided to spend 7 at the same condo south of Kailua-Kona we'd stayed in on our last visit, 3 nights at a tiny cottage near Volcanoes National Park I'd found on Airbnb, and our last night at an historic Japanese hotel in Captain Cook.
Read moreLife: Week 42
When work gives you the opportunity to go to the Bay Area and extend the trip into a long weekend spent with family that you don't get to see nearly often enough, obviously you take it! Leaving behind some seriously rainy fall weather, midweek I headed down to San Francisco for a meeting, most of which I missed because of a ridiculously delayed flight. After the meeting I spent a few hours trying to finish my entire workload for the day, then headed east for a wonderful weekend with family. There were plenty of hugs, games to play, and many, many books to read. On Saturday, while the kids were napping, my sister-in-law and I made macarons, and they turned out to be some of the best I've ever made. As always, my visit wasn't nearly long enough, but I'm so glad that my work gave me the opportunity to squeeze in a short visit!
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