Seattle Snow Storm?!

Seattle, you did it. You snowed just about as much in one day as you normally do in a year. And for that I am grateful. I did however have to brave this winter storm to get to work and I have lived to tell about it. Here are just a few pictures I took on my way to and from work.

                                                                        braving the snow

                                                              43rd St. as it is almost never seen

                                                                so lovely and yet so cold

                                               and home again, thanks metro buses for still running

                                          very picturesque, minus the grey slushy road in the forefront

Adventure Account

This past week I think I made one of the best decisions of my life! Well, this may be a slight exaggeration, but still. I have been talking about this for quite some time and in going with one of my goals for this year, which is actually doing and not just talking, I finally opened a bank account specifically for the purpose of saving money to go on adventures. And it's about time. There is so much in this world that I want to see and do and I don't want money, or really the lack thereof, to stop me anymore. Hence my new "adventure savings account." I don't have an abundance of money to save but I figure every little bit counts. And as I have a dear friend moving to Nicaragua in 2 short days, I want to begin finding a way to visit her when it becomes too grey and gloomy here to bear. This is just one of the many adventures I hope to have. Maybe a visit to Hilde in Norway or a celebration of my fabulous roommate's graduation will be funded as well :)

napland

joy of all joys. today i discovered the most beautiful thing: a nap room at work. i didn't know until today that such wonderful things actually exist. let me explain. in the building i work in there is a room designated for napping. it is furnished with a comfy cot-type bed, lamp, chair, shelf full of fresh sheets, and a trusty lock. how have i worked here for almost 2 months and only now found out about this?! this magical room is the best kept secret around. from now on, i am certain my lunch breaks will be better than ever.

Ride the Ducks

today has been an incredible saturday.

wake up without an alarm
stay in bed and watch a movie
delicious coffee and letter writing
meeting my roommate's dad and stepmom
hanging out downtown at pikes place market
piroshky piroshky
great conversation with the owner of thailand junkie
riding the ducks
observing occupy wall street, seattle style

now, let me explain "ride the ducks," the number one tour in seattle. this is the ultimate tourist experience. and therefore generally the desire to experience the ducks in all their wonder as a seattle-ite (if i'm even allowed to call myself that) is looked down upon. the visit from tamura's family was the exact excuse we needed to take a duck tour. and my was it worth it. an hour and a half of exploring all the quirky, fabulous things seattle has to offer, by land and by sea (lake actually). the cheesy jokes, loud music, and laughter were endless. people on the street danced and sang with us as we sat stuck downtown due to the occupy seattle protest/rally. there is nothing more fabulous than dancing to the ymca song with a bunch of strangers and people holding signs and making a political statement. the ridiculousness of it all was what made it so inspiring. it was all i hoped for and more.

tamura and i on the duck, gasworks behind us

gasworks, lake union, and the aurora bridge

Autumn in a jar

fall is here. the leaves are changing. the air is crisp. and my apartment smells of pumpkin and spices. some of my favorite things about fall are: pumpkin spice lattes, candy corn, pumpkin carving, the anticipation of christmas, baking fall flavors, pumpkin ale, caramel apples, thanksgiving, christmas decorating. my list could go on. fall is a beautiful time of year. and i must mention that i am a newbie to fall. this is only my second fall, EVER. i am unabashedly in love with the season.

in keeping with the celebration of fall, tamura and i baked delicious pumpkin cheesecake brownies yesterday. while looking at the brownie recipe, i stumbled upon what seemed like the perfect autumn dream:

homemade pumpkin spice lattes. the syrup was incredibly simple to make, and the homemade lattes i crafted this morning were divine. the syrup is autumn in a jar and the latte was everything i could hope for.

so cheers. to everything that is beautiful about fall.

Cupcakes and Curry

Just the other night I had the privilege of spending an evening with two incredibly beautiful and fabulous women that I am so happy to call friends. Our evening began at Jai Thai where we enjoyed a meal of curry, rice, and veggies around a low table complete with cushions and a beautiful view out the window. We talked about life in a candid and completely raw and honest way. Family, future plans, futures with no plans, the craziness of being a young twenty-something, discouragement, tough decisions, the beauty of small moments. These sorts of conversations are glimmers of hope. They remind me that I am not alone. They whisper to me that my life is worth something, that even when I feel lost someone cares enough to tell me that they see me where I'm at. Feeling so content with good food and even better friends, I was asked questions that I knew I could respond to in a completely honest, vulnerable way. It is moments like these that make life worth living. Moments where I can say things I didn't even know I was thinking. Moments that make a hard day dissolve into the realization that there is more to life than what that day was about.

And then we paid our bill, put our shoes back on, and walked out into the cold. We ended up at Cupcake Royale where we bought more cupcakes than we needed and drank Americanos that the barista gave to us for free. It may sound ridiculous, but that barista has no idea how he impacted us (and me in particular) and infused our night with a little extra joy. An extra cupcake, a free drink. That's all it takes sometimes. How freeing. We can all do things like this daily with just the smallest bit of intentionality. Just take a moment to notice those around you. Pay for someone's coffee, take cookies to work, hold the door open for someone, speak an intentionally kind word, share a smile. You really never know when you have given someone exactly what they needed to change their day from lonely to hopeful. It's the little things in life that make it exciting and special and hopeful. Little things like curry and cupcakes and good friends.