Road Trip!

I can't tell if that was a one-day or a five-day weekend, but what I know it was a great one. 

Friday afternoon I hopped onto the Bolt Bus and hitched a comfy WiFi ride up to Seattle for the weekend to spend some quality time with my brother. We had aggressive plans for the weekend like hiking, a boxing workout and some basic touristy things - which turned into late nights, starting dance parties, urban hiking, caramel dunked apples, daytime naps, cousin breakfast and yes, still boxing! 

It was great to see that he's made some good friends, has learned a lot about his city and has even identified his favorite bars, restaurants and views of the city - which is otherwise known as the "visitor's ride" for anyone that makes the trip up to see him. 

We were lucky to have some great weather for our walk around the city to the historic Pike's Place Market and the new Starbucks Reserve Roastery. Even if it would have rained it would have been a great weekend, just a little less walking and a lot more reading.

The sign with the greatest life-advice ever below was ironic because I was showing my brother the Geo-tags on Snapchat and completely missed it myself. You can bet I got some looks when I was taking a photo rather than the four words of advice: Put Your Phone Down. 

It's great to have my brother so close - to visit him I used to have to take 2 weeks off from work and a day's trip to Europe - now he's just a bus ride and $45 away! I'm glad we've learned to like each other as we've become adults - he's a pretty cool dude!

And no - I didn't watch the Oscars and will not watch the Bachelor tonight! 

How was your weekend?

Girls Weekend in Seattle

Okay, the recap you probably haven't been waiting for!

This weekend I escaped snowlandia and made it up for some girl time with my lady Amanda. Amanda and I met when I moved to a new high school my sophomore year and we became instant friends. Both talented, intelligent, intrinsically motivated young women looking to make a difference. We teamed up with two other bright women and formed a group that we named "TMNT" (Yes, that's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). 

These girls gave me my first taste of blogging when we used to use Livejournal private posts to communicate and gossip about all the dirty details of adolescence. Too bad I don't remember my password to retrieve the 55 private entries AND great thing that those posts never existed on the public internet. I was a sassy teenager without much of a filter.

But back to girl's weekend. If anyone is a great host it's my girl. She picked me up at the bus station, had a bottle of wine ready and waiting the second we stepped into her door and she even let me sleep in her bed with her rather than making me stay on her couch. We wined, chatted, wined, Sex and the City Marathon, explored, shopped, wined, whiskeyed and did our best to stay warm while Seattle got it's own snow flurries. 

Enjoy some photos from the weekend! 

:: Rooftop view of the Space Needle as Seattle started to get it's own snowfall.

:: Amanda and I showing off our macaroon to our smart doctor friend, Grace.

:: Pleather, Scarf and Bose headphone selfie on the Bolt Bus.

:: <3 coffee and sunglasses - both were necessary.

:: Buffalo Trace on the rocks with a splash of ginger

:: Darts with girls & boys

:: Nailed this nice stranger in the eyeball 30 feet away in a bar snowball fight

:: All the selfie's (get off my nose, awkward hair)

I can't wait to visit her again in the spring. Thanks again for a great time! 

Fall Favorites

My favorite season of all has arrived!

There are so many things I love about the fall as a native Oregonian and can't imagine the season any other way.

Here's a peek into the next few months for me as they are most autumns. You may get a clue why for me this is the 'most wonderful time of the year'.

• 90% chance of rain in the forecast makes me reach for my running shoes, not my umbrella.


• Hot cocoa or green tea is sipped from an extra large mug that's cradled by my two cupped hands eager for warmth.


• Candlelight is preferred over electricity - scents of cinnamon, red apples and warm vanilla fill my home.


• Leaves crunching beneath my feet is the most beautiful song to my ears.


• My Ford Focus is equipped with leather heated seats!


• Leather boots, rain boots, shortie boots, Oh my!


• Adding a scarf to my outfit can put an entire new twist on my wardrobe - especially with so many ways to wear them.


• Halloween is one of my favorite holidays to get crafty and creative. My decorations are already at work ready to come out!


• Baked goods as gifts go a long way.


• Homemade soups will be a recurring weekend activity.


• MLB Playoffs.


• The Walking Dead Season 3 begins October 14th


• There's no pressure to have a tan!


• My dad's birthday is tomorrow, September 28th - he will be married to aMUCH younger woman for 6 weeks.


• My birthday is November 16th, my mom's is the 18th. Scorpios unite!


• Baby Olive is due October 29th, I can't wait to see Tanna and Greg's firstborn!


• Brother Matt is coming home for 2 weeks while I scored 10 consecutive days off from work. 

What's your favorite season of the year and why?

<3 JE