Oh man, Seattle has been mighty pretty lately and it’s only January February! We’ve been heading outside just about every weekend and it’s been SO freaking nice. Fresh air and pounding the pavement and/or trail sure does a mind and body good! Snapped these shots over in West Seattle the other weekend when we accidentally made ourselves walk 6 miles. Note to self: Salty’s is not anywhere near Alki Beach.
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Now that we’re back to normal around here, it’s time to set some goals for 2015! Here’s what’s on the books for us:
Plan an epic trip to Eastern Europe AND spend the summer hiking in the PNW!
We’re pulling the trigger and are planning a maj three week trip to Eastern Europe this fall, loosely following my pal Rick Steves suggested itinerary. Europe has always been on both of our bucket lists so the time is now. I’ve planned many a vacations, but this one is going to be a doozy! In the meantime, we are saving our pennies and dimes so there won’t be much travel in the coming months. I’ve been geeking out on the Washington Trails Association app recently and have found this new, intense love for hiking. I already have a bunch of hikes bookmarked for the coming months. We kicked off 2015 by tackling Wallace Falls. Zero snow up in the mountains means many trails and clear and ready to be hiked minus the summer crowds. Gotta love that! If you want to hit the trails with me, lemme know! I might start an email group for it 🙂
Learn how to make kombucha at home AND fried chicken. Kind of opposite ideas, I know. I’m totally addicted to that fizzy, yummy goodness but at $4 a pop, it’s getting kinda pricy. Time to brew that ‘ish at home! Looking for inspiration here, here and here. And I’ve actually never attempted fried chicken before, but always like a culinary challenge. I’ve been watching Chef & the Farmer on PBS (nerd alert.) and she made it in one of her episodes. It was an “ah ha!” moment for me and something I’m ready to try!
Continue to be a bad ass gardener AND join a local fruit CSA. You know me, come April, this blog will be all about gardening! I’m even honing my skillz by taking a permiculture class as well as an extensive 4 week gardener’s class through Seattle Tilth. So far, I’ve done fairly well by just winging it, but now I’m ready to take it to the next level. And although the yard is producing maj produce, our homegrown fruit is still lacking. Our poor lil apple orchard won’t be producing for years – sad face. There’s just not enough is ma yard to cover our fruit cravings so a CSA it is. Did you know that fruit only CSA’s even exsisted? I didn’t. Thinking we’ll go with this one. I can’t always make it to the farmer’s market so this will ensure weekly, local fruit.
 Was gifted a new camera, then I got scared and returned it. Too big of a commitment. |
 Recently tried out the new BBQ place in Georgetown, Jack’s. It was meaty! |
 Dreaming of the new double decker driving range at Jefferson Golf Course. |
 Took a botanical sketching class at Swanson’s Nursery. I was the youngest one there by about 20 years… |
 Those are scuba divers but kinda look like ducks now that I’m looking at it. |
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Watching: The Bachelor. I know, I know. It’s horrible. But Farmer Chris? Come on! He deserves to find love! Oh, and finally getting into the Netflix Marco Polo series. It was slow to start, but now I’m digging it. To think of the $$$ they dropped in making this….phew!
Loving: Fitmob, this new fitness membership that allows you access to all sorts of workout classes around town. I’m a total class whore, so being able to bounce around from yoga studio to barre class to spinning is a win for me! Gyms are notoriously pricey in Seattle so $99/mo. ain’t bad if you ask me.
Listening to: KEXP. I can’t work in dead silence so I usually have this live streaming at my desk. I’m a proud amplified member and can’t wait for their new studio to open down near Key Arena and Seattle Center.
Doing: Work son! These past few months have been filled with mostly personal time so it’s back to the professional work grind. It’ll be hard to get back into full weeks of work, but it’s time. I’ve got a million dollars to raise by April 30. No pressure.
Reading: Rick Steves Eastern Europe Guidebook. Woot! I’ve realized that I need something “big” to look forward to every year (see below.) So what’s better than knocking off a lil bucket list action? Adam and I have both dreamed of taking a few weeks off to travel Europe and now, it is time. We’re planning on going in the fall of this year. I’ve planned some pretty epic trips, but this one is going to be the biggest and baddest. I’m a bit overwhelmed just thinking about it.
2014: wedding!
2013: new house and engagement!
2012: Tulum, Mexico and Austin, Texas vacations
2011: new job!
2010: new condo!, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and Panama vacations
Eating: Anything I want, which is bad after being so good pre-wedding. I gave myself free reign for the holidays but need to get back on track. The track with more veggies and salads and less cookies. I contemplated the whole Whole30 thang, but that seems like a lot of work right now.
Thinking about: As always, my garden. It’s an obsession people, I’m sorry. I’m scheduled to go and pick out some fruit trees at a nursery in Puyallup in a couple of weeks and I’m STOKED. Garden nerd alert. I’m also working on setting up some sort of netting system to keep the birds away from my starts. My haphazard system was OK last year, but I’d like something more permanent and easy to work around.
**This blog post was inspired by http://sometimessweet.com/ – check her out!
