I turned 30!

On November 14th I turned the big 3-0!! Because 30 is the last, big, milestone birthday I'll be having for a while (10 years?) I decided to go big. I forced 5 friends to go to Sayulita, Mexico (my favorite place)  with me for an entire week to ring in my new decade.

My birthday was on a Monday, but Sunday night at midnight we rang in my birthday with beers by our private pool and swimming and some super cute 3 and 0 sparklers Beth brought from home and the happy birthday song, of course!

Monday morning we made breakfast at the house (beans, rice, peppers & onions with runny eggs and Cotija and avocados on top and fried plantains on the side with coffee, yum!) and all ate together at our outdoor table. It was kind of cloudy that day but still really warm and I wanted to go to Secret Beach (AKA Playa Los Muertos) which is basically my favorite place that exists and I wanted to swim in the ocean and since it was my birthday everyone was on board with whatever I wanted to do which was the best. So, we grabbed some beers and towels and books walked to Secret Beach to spend a few hours playing in the waves, climbing rocks, reading books and buying more beers for 15 pesos from the pop-up beach bar.

^^Walking to the beach on my birthday^^

 ^^Me on my 30th birthday on a rock at Playa Los Muertos, Sayulita, Mexico^^

 ^^Pt. 2^^

^^Beth getting surprised by a giant wave^^

 ^^Josh in the ocean at secret beach^^

^^Holaaaaa! I'm on top of the world!^^

When Beth and I were swimming in the ocean at Secret Beach we kept seeing all these little bubbles in the water and we got totally freaked out. Turns out they were schools of little fish swimming up to us and then jumping out of the water to feed/try and eat us (obviously). It was borderline terrifying but also the funniest thing ever. We floated in the waves and laughed for like an hour and it was the best. It was exactly what I wanted to be doing on my 30th birthday.

When we started to get hungry the girls minus Katie (Me, Beth, Emily and Kylee) walked into town to The Real Fish Taco to get octopus tacos, margaritas and guacamole for lunch at my request.

^^Birthday Octopus Tacos, marg and guac^^

After lunch we went back to the house to hang out for a little while and then eventually shower and get ready for the evening. Before heading down to watch the sunset from the beach, all the ladies took a shot of tequila and Josh took a picture of our shot of tequila (thx Josh!!).

^^corralejo shots for the ladies on my bday^^

We rented a big, beautiful house for my birthday complete with a private pool(!!) which was so amazing. It was a block and a half from the beach too, which was great. Every evening while we were there we would grab beers from the fridge, walk down to the beach and watch the amazing sunsets. On the night of my birthday (which was also the night of the Super Moon!!) we walked down to watch the sunset and saw a crowd of people. We obviously walked over to investigate and we found that a nest of baby sea turtles had just hatched and were making their way to the ocean! BABY SEA TURTS AND I SHARED A BIRTHDAY BECUASE OF THE SUPERMOON AND IT WAS THE MOST MAGICAL THING! And because of the crowd of people surrounding them, none of them were eaten by birds and they all made it to the ocean and I feel like I have a v special connection with them. XO baby turts!

 ^^I was SO EXCITED to see the baby sea turtles^^

 ^^Go baby turts, go!^^

^^Look at how presh they are!^^

After all the baby sea turts made it to the ocean we settled in on a blanket to watch the sun set. Because it had been cloudy all day the sunset was gorgeous!

 ^^Transport me back here, please?^^

 ^^Sayulita birthday sunset^^

 ^^beach babe selfie (terrible)^^

 ^^Best friend, me, best friend in law^^

^^The Chicas!^^

After the beach there was more tequila and a speaker phone call to my parents (thanks for giving birth to me, but Katie has just poured me another shot of tequila, so I have to go, LOVEYOUBYE!!) and another tequila shot for the chicas!! And then there were street tacos that cost like $3 total for all 6 of us and were sooooo delicious (shot out to Kylee for taking us there) and more shots and this CRAZY "shot" that my "friends" got for me that was on fire and poured over a bunch of glasses that cascaded down into a bowl and the bartender threw this sand stuff at it which made it spark and the fire go crazy while everyone in Mexico sang happy birthday to me with the lights out in this random bar, and then I drank the shot through a straw and it was giant and hot and sooo strong and then I was drunk.

 ^^Shot #2 for the chicas^^

^^Birthday selfie with Beth^^

After we finished our amazing tacos and I finished my bowl of warm fire water we went to the swing bar to sit on swings and drink more (WHY?) and be warm outside in the middle of the night in November, because Mexico!! It was so good! Kylee also walked down the street and got us churros from the churro stand to share which was perfect. Fresh churros! Birthday goals, you guys!

^^Swing Bar^^ 

^^chicas on a swing^^ 

When we decided to move on from the swing bar, we said goodnight to Josh and Katie who were a little drunk and tired. Beth, Emily, Kylee and I then went to Don Pedros which was hosting a salsa night. Don Pedros was right on the beach which was great and when we got tired of watching the salsa dancing and taking a million terrible selfies we walked onto the sand and finished our beers next to the ocean.

^^Super sober, obvi^^

At that point we were all fairly sloshed and tired so we started walking home. Beth and I spotted a taco stand, so knowing it would help our hangovers the next day, we grabbed tacos to eat back at the house. Then, about 10 steps later, we drop the tacos on the street. Again, super sober. So we go back, get more tacos, eat them sitting on the ground on the side of the road, walk home, chug water, probably drunk text anyone who will pay attention to us since we finally have internet and pass the fuck out.

^^Street tacos on the street, which puts my birthday taco tally up to 3X!!^^

Miraculously my hangover the next day wasn't even terrible. Mexico, you so good to me! xo

It was everything I'd hoped and dreamed for my 30th birthday and I'm so thankful to all of the people who flew to a different country to celebrate with me for a whole week. Friend goals, birthday goals, and motherfucking life goals... am I right?!

Cheers to 30 years, babes!

Single Summer Shenanigans

It's been 6 years since I was single last and I couldn't think of a better time to be newly uncoupled than summertime in the PNW. The weather is magical, the days are long, everyone wants to be out doing stuff, work has temporarily slowed down for about a month and I have a slight suntan. CHEERS.

This month has been a whirlwind of saying yes to what feels good while also being gentle with myself. There has been less exercise and more drinks with friends, less salads and more dinners out and I'm really into all of it. I've been out of my apartment more, hanging with people I love who I lost touch with a bit, and generally packing in all the things I feel like I missed out on or couldn't want to do in the past few years.

My sorority sister Julia got married at the end of July. We went out the weekend before her wedding for a bachelorette party that included almost naked men, a rooftop bar, dropping it low at the Alibi Room downtown and finally late night Mexican food. I had a blast, and more importantly, so did Julia.

^^The bachelorette party outside the Triple Door^

^^Sisters^^

^^Julia (far left) onstage at the Buckaroos show (YAS)^^

Julia's wedding was on her family's farm on Camano Island. Dolly's fiancé (now husband!!) Wes drove Erin and I up to the wedding. We stopped at the Stanwood Saloon on our way for a few pre-wedding drinks and then threw it back, college style, with a few cold Coors Lights in the car before walking over to the ceremony site. Always keeping it classy.

^^Stanwood Saloon, beers and a tequila shot each before the wedding (obviously)^^

^^Car Bar SnapChat Selfie - PS can we talk about how hard it is to save photos from SnapChat now? Someone show me how.^^

The wedding was really beautiful complete with great food, friends, live music, drinks, cupcakes and an option to camp which we were going to take but last minute Erin decided to drive us back home. I was so happy to wake up in my bed the next morning, even though I was covered in mosquito bites which still haven't quite healed. UGH.

^^Love my PC05 Sisters^^ 

^^I definitely put on my bright yellow Ocean Shores sweatshirt part way through the wedding when I started to get cold. Gotta keep it classy!^^

I've been lucky enough to spend a bunch of time with Erin and Alli lately. Alli just recently moved back from Brooklyn and lives so so close to Erin and I (who live less than a mile apart, the best)!! It has been so nice to have a single friend to do all of the things with. Erin's man friend has been gone the past few weeks so the three of us have been having the most fun together which makes my heart so so happy. There have been yoga classes, drinks, flirting with random men, talking about random men, watching the new ghostbusters movie, dinners, shopping trips, etc. and it has been so, so good.

 ^^Sister Erin and I out in Ballard^^

^^Sneaky shot of sister Erin and a man we met at the bar who was definitely interested in taking both of us home so we left together in an Uber without him, lolz^^

Gaby came up to visit one weekend too (well, she came up for work and I got to hang out with her which was amazing). We spent one entire afternoon drinking ALL the beers at the Latona Pub (I've actually spent a lot of time there in general lately, it's my go-to neighborhood spot and I'm so thankful it exists and that the people who work there exist too).

^^Gaby and I single lady day drinking at the Latona Pub^^

Also, I spontaneously booked a trip to NYC!! EEK! I've always wanted to go and I figured now is the perfect time. I go for a night by myself and then Gaby meets me the following afternoon and I cannot fucking wait. Gaby is the best travel partner and we've talked about going to NYC foreverrrr and it's finally happening (because single Rebeka is sooo spontaneous) and I am about to burst. I'm really, really doing what feels good and it's the best. I would recommend it to anyone going through a change, or just anyone in general, really.

What else, what else?

There was also pizza for dinner with my law school+ group of friends right after Brittan and Brian got back from traveling the world. Then there was an evening in Columbia City in the park with them where we drank entirely too much pink wine, ate snacks from PCC and listened to music while sitting on blankets. I eventually had to send myself home in an uber and watched Netflix in my bed for most of the following morning. Worth it. 

^^Paul La's arm, Natalie, Brittan, Brian, me, Gaby, Erin and her man friend, Ambur and Adam. Rob is behind the camera^^

Oh! And Adam and Ambur finally set a date for their wedding. It's so soon and so small and I'm bursting at the seams with happiness for them. I will happily add one more wedding to my summer if its theirs. Congrats friends!

So yes, because I feel like I get asked every day how I'm doing here we are. I'm doing well. I'm keeping busy and I feel mostly really happy. Life lately has been an adjustment but I think I'm adjusting for the better and morphing into a really great version of me. So, for the next few months I'll be soaking up as much summer as possible and doing all the things that seem fun and hopefully popping in here to recap the good shit (even though all of my life is pretty good these days, I'm not going to lie). Thanks for all the support, friends. Cheers!

A bunch of Bald Eagle sightings & things (‘MERICA!!!)

Oh geez, life has been BUSY lately. The end of Microsoft’s fiscal year and the end of the calendar year are the busiest times for me at work, add to that the fact that I’m planning my 10 year high school reunion which is taking place mid-July, and family stuff, and graduations, and birthdays, and the usual summer activities (yay summer!), and growing out my bangs, and everything else. things have been a little overwhelming (cue the reunion-related stress dreams).

At least it’s been really, really nice out in Seattle the past few months. No June-u-ary to be had this year. That’s meant that I’ve got to be outside a lot and also, randomly, see a ton of bald eagles lately. Let me tell you about some of the best sightings!

‘MERICA 1:

^^Shrimp Fest 2015 beer garden^^

During the summer a group of us go to Brinnon, WA whenever we can to camp at Josh’s family’s property. The weekends are always filled with fresh, grilled seafood, sore backs from sleeping in cars, too many beers, and campfire mishaps. We try and make it to Brinnon over Memorial Day Weekend so that we can go to Shrimp Fest, which is super dinky but there are belt sander races, and a beer garden, and fried food, so really it’s perfect. Weekends in Brinnon always include a million bald eagle sightings. During this last trip I learned that Juvenile Bald Eagles don’t have white heads and tails. They’re still huge though, and once you know what they look like they’re super easy to spot. There were a few bald eagles that soared over our camp site all weekend.

^^conquering dog fears and fashion fears all at the same time^^

Also, while camping, I pet this very scary looking dog and I discovered that SmartWool socks with Birkenstocks is the MOST magical, comfortable combo ever.

‘MERICA 2:

^^Rattlesnake Lake^^

A few weekends ago Dustin and I decided to escape the city heat and head out to Rattlesnake Lake for the day. Dustin grilled hotdogs on his portable grill, I drank rose spritzers, and we fed ducks by hand. More importantly though, THIS is when we saw the MOST majestic bald eagle sighting of them all! EVER! There were eagles soaring overhead and at one point one was directly over our heads and then quickly turned around, dove down and caught a fish from the water right in front of us and flew away with the fish in its talons!!!! Merica for the win! Expired sunscreen not for the win though, because we both ended up with really severe sunburns :(:(((

  ^^Dustin, the duck whisperer^^

‘MERICA 3:

^^me, Adrienne & Gaby in Hood River^^

Two weekends ago, Dustin and I went to Hood River for the night. Driving on i84 from Portland to Hood River I saw two bald eagles fly over head. That drive is super beautiful to begin with, add a little America goodness and it was like adding sprinkles on your ice cream cake! So much goodness. When I got to Hood River, I met Dustin and his childhood BFF + his wife for taco pizza and beers. Dustin and I then met up with Gaby who was graduating from college that weekend (!!!!!!) and we ran into an old high school friend of mine, Adrienne, on the street and ended up grabbing drinks with everyone.

Saturday morning was hot. Dustin and I got breakfast sandwiches then morning beverages and walked around downtown Hood River before he had to leave for a family thing and I had a hair appointment. Insert gratuitous post-cut selfie here:  

^^New hair, hayyyy^^

After my hair appointment I drove to Portland where I stayed with my cousin Tad and his lovely S/O, Kelsie for the night. We met up with our other cousin and his family for Mexican food at a hole-in-the-wall with outdoor seating and then drinks on their patio, during which Tad ran into our cousin’s screen door and kinda broke it and I laughed harder than I’ve laughed in a really long time. We also listened to this song really loud in Kelsie’s Land Rover (“DRIVE USSSS, KELSIE!”).

The next morning after breakfast covered in gravy, we went to my uncle Bert’s house (per my demand) where we drank ice cold Keystone Lights on his patio until I had to leave for graduation. Gaby graduated from PSU and I got to sit with our good friend Dan and his daughter Allison during the ceremony. After graduation we all had dinner together and I didn’t get back to Seattle until like 11:30pm. #exhausted #worthit 

^^Congratulations, Gaby! I’m so, SO proud of you!!!^^

‘MERICA 4:

I often see bald eagles on my way to and from work. They like to sit on top of light posts on the west end of the 520 bridge. A high point in my very long, very traffic-y commute which is totally worth it because I love living in Seattle and I love working at Microsoft. Being a young professional is pretty cool.

Oh, and bonus (similar) ‘Merica! Last weekend Natalie, Josh, Katie and I went to the Washington Brewer’s Festival in Redmond where we made friends with the guys pouring the White Salmon-area beers and found out that “locals drink for free!” yay! On our way over to Redmond, we saw a bald eagle soaring over Lake Washington.

 ^^Katie, me and Natalie at the WA Brewer’s Festival 2015^^

So yes, lots of America! Lots of friendship! Lots of Summertime goodness!  PS, I ordered this tank online the other day. Fingers crossed it gets here by the 4th of July. Counting down the days until my favorite holiday + a much needed long weekend! Oh and I’m also counting down until the end of MSFT’s Fiscal Year too (June 30th, Hey-O!). Kbye4now!

Ocean Shores Trip 2015

^^Natalie, Ambur, Erin, Brittan and I super excited to be at the beach!^^

Friday after work, Dustin and I drove to Ocean Shores, WA, to meet our friends (Ambur, Adam, Rob, Brittan, Natalie, Erin, Pat and Paul) for the weekend. We rented a huge house on the beach that sleeps like 37 people (overkill? maybe.), it was magical.

We immediately headed to the beach on Friday when we got to town because it was sunny and warm and beautiful. The beach was magical minus the fact that millions of these blue jellyfish had washed up on the beach and were now decomposing on the sand… Once you got used to them, though, it wasn’t too bad.

^^Ambur, Erin, Brittan, Natalie and I^^

Friday night we had a fiesta complete with margaritas and tacos and games and decorations and hats and an end of the night bonfire with birthday cake.

 
^^Pile on Rob’s truck!^^

  
^^There we go, practically a music video shoot^^

Saturday morning I made biscuits & gravy with cheesy scrambled eggs for everyone. The girls then complained about wanting OJ for long enough that Rob went out and got us some (thanks Rob!!). He could have also agreed to go to the store for OJ so he didn’t have to listen to our conversation about getting #reckedthroughyourrectum. No joke. Apparently “booty bumping” is a real life thing (that none of us do/have ever done) but is super funny to joke about when you’re hungover. We spent the rest of the day in the warm sunshine at the beach drinking screwdrivers and beers. We did yoga in the sand and practiced handstands and Brittan and I made up a really awesome dance-type routine that we totally nailed. #skillz

While we were at the beach Natalie and I found a live crab overturned in the low tide. When we realized he was still alive we named him Jesus the Crab, took pictures with him, and then set him free in knee deep water. He immediately swam away when I put him back in the water! Hooray for Jesus the Crab!

^^Jesus the Crab. Isn’t he cute?!^^
 ^^Fake acro yoga^^ 

Late Saturday afternoon there was a lot of napping, eating tortilla chips dipped in leftover sausage gravy and leftover birthday cake and leftover tacos. We watched Step Brothers, and then people started partying again. I didn’t make it up very late or party very hard (am I getting old?!?!), but there was definitely a few who lasted until like 5am taking shots of beer and then slapping each other (I don’t understand either?! But the Snapchats were hillarious). Ha!

Sunday there was waffles and eggs for breakfast and clean up time and then Dustin and I headed back to Seattle where we ate seafood for late lunch (because we failed at that activity while we were at the beach) and did chores and watched The Interview and called it an early night.

Now, I leave you with the funniest picture from the whole weekend:

^^Senor Brittan and Senorita Dustin^^

The End!

Easter Weekend 2015

I’ve had a busy and super fun past few weekends. I definitely want to write about them all, but I figure, let’s start with this weekend and work backward. I’m not totally sure if that makes the most sense but whatever.

On Friday my coworker Candice gifted me a yoga mat I’ve been eyeing for a while that she had an extra of (I love it, its totally magical, thank you Candice!!). I put my new-to-me mat to good use this weekend during two yoga classes. The first class was a relaxing, low key class held Friday after work at my gym. The second was a super fun, energizing, Saturday morning class held at the Chihuly Glass Museum.

 
The class took place in the Chihuly Glass House which is a 40-foot tall, glass and steel structure covering 4,500 square feet of light-filled space. The Glasshouse is the result of Chihuly’s lifelong appreciation for conservatories and it houses a 100-foot-long glass instillation, shown in the picture above. It was a really cool setting for the class and the instructor worked a lot of visual cues into the teaching which put the focus on the beautiful glass art and the Space Needle right outside.

 
After yoga I treated myself to a coffee at my favorite coffee place in Seattle, Zoka. While I was there I ran into my outside counsel, Phong, who I joke is my spirit animal because he guides me through all difficult things in life. I love running into people I know in Seattle.

^^Pretty flowers on the sidewalk outside of Zoka on Saturday^^

With my delicious Americano in hand, I went to the grocery store to get some goodies for Easter (I made Paula Deen’s banana pudding and it was a hit!) and then walked to an appointment near my house. Afterward I took myself to lunch at the nearby Latona Pub where I ordered a Double Mountain beer and a steak and mushroom salad and while I waited for my lunch, I sipped my beer and read a book I started Friday night and couldn’t pull myself away from. I ended up starting Wreckage by Emily Bleeker on Friday and finishing it Sunday evening. I couldn’t stop! I love books that captivate you like that.

After lunch I met my friend Natalie for another beer on the patio at The Yard in Greenwood because it was sunny and beautiful out and sipping a beer while engaging in girl talk in the sunshine is one of our favorite activities. Dustin joined us at The Yard after he was finished at the gym (we NEEDED his practical, guy advice for a very urgent matter, of course) and when Natalie had to leave, Dustin and I ended up running a few errands before grabbing dinner at our favorite sushi place by his house.

On Sunday Dustin and I went to Katie and Josh’s house for a delicious Easter Brunch complete with mimosas and cards against humanity. It was a good time. I think Katie and Josh’s for Easter is my new favorite tradition (this was my second year spending the holiday with them). I spent the rest of the evening finishing my book.

It was nice to spend a weekend at home after being gone the past few weekends. Yay for relaxing, yet fun weekends in Seattle. I hope you all had a happy Easter weekend!