May 2016 Recap

I've discovered that when work gets crazy, blogging is the first thing I let go. Cleaning my shower is probably the second thing that slips (super gross, I know, but it's my least favorite chore and I'm really looking for any excuse not to do it). But I am neglecting no longer! A blog post! Of the things I've done lately! Get excited!

BOATING
Dustin bought a boat! It's very exciting stuff. I've already claimed my seat (very front of the boat, on the opposite side as the Captain's chair), decided my drink of choice (white wine for cruising, rose for sitting b/c of the splashes) and crafted a playlist (I'm on a Boat, Boats n Hoes, Party in the USA, etc.). I can't wait for it to get really hot this summer so we can the boat out all the time!

^^Dustin and I during the boat's maiden voyage^^

^^Just douching around on the boat^^

^^Dustin is great at smiling for pics while driving. Cheers to him!^^ 

 ^^View of downtown Seattle from the boat^^

 ^^Mount Rainier and Lake Washington^^

 ^^yeah, buddy!^^

OCEAN SHORES WEEKEND

Over the first weekend in May some friends and I did our second annual Ocean Shores friendship trip. This year we rented hotel rooms at the Shiloh Inn and took advantage of their 24 hour hot tub and proximity to cheesy beach town gift shops. It was really windy while we were there but we still managed to eat a pizza meant for about 50 people, go to the beach for a few minutes, ride go karts and bumper cars, and go to the bowling alley. Bonus: we all got matching Ocean Shores clothes while we were there. I've been wearing my neon yellow sweatshirt way too much since I got back.

 ^^Clockwise from top right: Dustin, me, Ambur, Paul La, Erin, Adam, Brittan and Rob^^

^^Ambur, me, Brittan and Erin on Brit and Erin's deck after we came back from the beach due to extreme winds and sand EVERYWHERE^^

^^Killing it at bumper cars lol^^

^^Ready, set, go-kart!^^

MARINERS GAME

Seattle's baseball team, the Mariners, have been doing really well this season for the first time in approximately 15 years, so when Dustin's friend Pickle came up to visit a few weekends ago we all headed to a Saturday evening baseball game. The Ms ended up losing, but it was one of the most exciting baseball games I've ever been to (at one point I even jumped out of my seat, WHO AM I?!), AND I got to eat a churro and drink beers, so I'm calling it a win regardless.

^^Me, Dustin, and the back of Pickle's head^^

^^The roof was closed on Safeco Field that night because it was rainy. Typical Seattle^^

WANDERLUST

On Sunday my friend Katie and I participated in a "mindful triathlon" put on by the people at Wanderlust. It was at Marymore Park in Redmond, Wa (about 15 minutes east of Seattle, also where Microsoft is located) and included a 5K run followed by an hour of yoga followed by an hour of meditation. Katie and I both thought it would be a really good idea to run the 5K without any sort of training (I couldn't tell you the last time I ran) but it went surprisingly well (minus the fact that I was OMG soooo sore on Monday). The yoga practice was also fairly hair but also interesting and they had a lot of pump-up music playing before the events which was fun. I would definitely do it again next year if they have it again. Plus, I got to practice headstands in between events!

^^Getting ready to start some yoga^^ 

^^headstand practice!^^

OTHER
I signed up for a Zumba instructor training and I'm hoping to sub some classes this summer. Get ready! I also booked a very spur of the moment trip to Vegas with my friend Gaby for early June. We're hoping to hike Red Rock Canyon, lay by the pool and just generally de-stress from life. And finally, Microsoft's fiscal year end is June 30th so hopefully work will slow down in about a month, until then, I might be a little more MIA than usual!

FIVE things for Thursday

ONE
Seattle has been having a really, really mild winter this year. While it’s been kind of alarming (where is all the snowpack in the mountains?! what does this mean for summer and water supply?! and wildfire season?!) I know there isn’t really anything I can do about it so I’ve been soaking up the sunny days to the fullest extent (YAY SUN OMG BEST WINTER). Also, SAD seems to be at an all-time low this year in Seattle, so that’s amazing for everyone too.

Last Saturday was particularly sunny and warm (64degrees!!! In March!!!!) so I took advantage all day. Dustin and I woke up early after a homemade pizza Friday date night and walked up the street for brunch with all the beverages (water, coffee and a little booze X2). I then walked around Greenlake with my friend Kate before going shopping at the outdoor mall, University Village, with Natalie and Danielle. We ended the day by having GIRLS NIGHT in Ballard. There were martinis then French food for dinner and a fun bluegrass band after. Sidenote: throwing espresso in a fire is never a good idea. Don’t ask me how I know.

^^Blurry Bluegrass pic of Natalie, Danielle, me and Brittan, photobommed by 4 strangers^^

TWO
Sunday was sunny and warm too. I had some very important shit to get done, so I opened all my windows and my door and I turned on Netflix and binge watched the entire first season of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. It’s good, guys. I also finished (a million hours later) my super-cool paint by number, which is now, obviously, very proudly displayed in my office:

  ^^majestic paint by number picture^^

THREE
Sunday I also became even more of a crazy cat lady than I already was. Right before I opened my door to soak in all the warmth and fresh air, I hear meowing outside. So I opened the door to see what was going on and a ginger cat ran inside, through my living room, to my bedroom and jumped on my bed. WTF cat?! I chased him out and he continued to meow outside. So I went out, discovered he was friendly, checked him for fleas, then let him in because he was DYING to get inside. No idea why he chose me, but I like it a lot. His name is Oliver and he belongs to a neighbor down the street and he is SO sweet. Guys, I contemplated shutting him in my apartment and keeping him forever.

^^Oliver making himself at home^^

I left my door open the rest of the day and he would come and go as he pleased. He would disappear for about a half hour then come back for some pets and to lay on my couch or bed for a few minutes before going back outside. I love him.

Sometimes when I would pet him he would grab my hand with his little clawless paw and pull it in towards him and give it a lick and a snuggle. I died, you guys.

^^Is this not the actual cutest thing you’ve ever seen?^^

Then, on Tuesday, I got home and parked and saw an orange cat on the sidewalk and ran to it. The cat was so not nice and it hissed and swatted at me and I wanted to cry. So I went inside and got some pulled pork from my fridge and went back outside and upon further inspection this cat didn’t have a blue collar or any tags, and it was still really mean, so maybe it was Oliver’s evil twin? Either way it hurt my feelings. Come back Oliver!!

I bought fancy organic snack treats at Whole Foods yesterday in case Oliver ever decides to come back and visit.

See, crazy cat lady status, for sure.

FOUR
I recently got another book from Blogging For Books. Soul Food Love by Alice Randall & Caroline Randall Williams.

The first 70 + pages of the cookbook are all about the author’s family history. The cookbook is a compilation of recipes from 5 kitchens, 3 generations and 100 years. As a bonus (in my eyes) many of the recipes have been made healthy, which is what really appealed to me about this book.

I really like the fact that a lot of the recipes call for ingredients that are easy to find. In addition, the recipes are somewhat familiar but they aren’t necessarily recipes in my normal repertoire. I have quite a few of them dog-eared to try soon. Most notably, I’m excited to try the sweet potato broth (instead of veggie broth/stock in a soup) and the black-eyed pea hummus. YUM!

FIVE
I’m constantly trying to eat healthier and eat less sugar and drink less alcohol and exercise more and all of those things. For me it’s a constant balance between wanting to be healthy and wanting to live my life, sort of a balance between I have my shit together, I should have my health together too, and I have my shit together and I work hard so I should be able to eat/go out when I want and also, YOLO.

I feel like I generally do a pretty good job. I’m a big fan of the 80/20 rule (eat healthy 80% of the time, YOLO the other 20%). Although some weeks it’s more like 60/40. So is life I suppose.

This week I was craving sugar SO HARD. I don’t know if it was because of the time change or because of that time of the month or what, but the night of the third day (after not giving in at all) I finally caved and justified it by making cookies and saying at least that was better than going out and just buying FroYo or a piece of cake or something. Also 3 days of intense sugar cravings are dumb and I just wanted them to stop.

Anyway, that was a really long winded way of telling you about the cookies I made. They’re so, so easy and so good. Like pretty much the perfect peanut butter cookie – a little crunch, a little soft, chewy, great flavor - but with only 4 ingredients. Here’s the recipe I used, in case you’re interested:

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of peanut butter (I used creamy)
1 cup of sugar (wondering if you could use less and achieve a similar result?)
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

WHAT TO DO:
Mix all ingredients together, drop balls of cookie dough a few inches apart onto a baking sheet, use a fork dipped in water to make crisscross smooshes on the the top of the cookie.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350degrees for about 10 minutes until they start turning slightly brown (mine were closer to 12 minutes, but I think it probably depends on your oven and the size of your cookies).

^^4 ingredient PB cookie FTW^^

Please let me know if you decide to make them.

What have you guys been up to lately?!

Some lately happenings

 

^^giant Mexican beers and nachos for Beth’s birthday^^

This past weekend was part good and part stressful and dumb and I wish I could forget about it – so I’m not going to talk about that part, not because it’s secret but because it was really dumb and I don’t want to relive it via writing about it. Also I’m not going to talk about it because this is my space and I do what I want #norulz

Friday was my Beth-friend’s birthday. We celebrated with giant beers and nachos and then with Runnels family dinner then drinks. There was also breakfast the next morning. Then I went to a funeral which was a really nice service, but kind of starting there I would like to pretend the next 9ish hours didn’t happen. And actually some of the time before that too, but whatevz. That night I drove to Seattle so tired and miserable, and Dustin surprised me with some food from my favorite food truck, Off the Rez. I then slept for a million hours minus when I woke up in the middle of the night and told Dustin that I didn’t want to play the bedtime game, I just wanted to play the normal game. I have no recollection of this. Sleep walking/talking is s’fun and probably stress related?

Sunday we washed cars (the Rav cleans up good, although I locked my keys (and cell phone and purse) in my car right as I was finishing the washing/vacuuming which sucked but then eventually it just… unlocked itself(?!) and all was good) and then got food truck biscuit snacks and beer from Chuck’s 85th St. Hop Shop which is basically what Sundays are made for, right? Then I met one of Dustin’s college friends and I grocery shopped and we movie watched and that was relaxing and all the things Sunday should be (minus exercise, I yoga-failed).

I have all the friendship planned for tonight too. I’m grabbing happy hour with my usual Tuesday-happy-hour-crew (Katie, Josh, Art, Amy, Dustin and Sierra), then I’m going to see 50 Shades of Grey with Brittan, Natalie and Danielle because it’s $5 for girls’ night at the Sundance Theater here in Seattle and also you can have drinks while you watch the movie and also because Brittan wanted to see it and the rest of us wanted friendship. I fully anticipate it to be terrible. And no, I have not read the books.

Usually my weekday evenings are all: commute for like an hour home from work, do some exercises because I just sat at a desk all day and I want to be healthy/not fat, cook dinner, eat dinner, do an activity (read, watch TV, do paint by numbers, paint my nails, drink some wine, etc.) and go to bed. Tuesdays are usually my day to do something fun with friends. Hi Tuesday. Hi Beers. Is it 5 yet?

FIVE things

Today I have like FIVE things for you that probably (mostly) deserve their own posts, but sometimes life gets in the way, you know? So here they all are, an update of sorts. Enjoy!

ONE.
I got sworn into the bar the other week. It felt like more of a hoop than a monuments occasion, but it was nice to get dressed up and celebrate my last law-school-ish-related-thing, nonetheless. Hello being a real lawyer.

Dustin went with me to the ceremony and acted as my cheerleader/photographer (he may have been more excited than me, considering he had to deal with my stressed out self for like three years of law school and bar studies - someone give him a high five) and afterward took me to the Ballard Annex Oyster House for seafood - I had oysters, bites of Dustin's clam chowder, and a lobster roll - and champagne to celebrate.

TWO.
That same week, I went back to White Salmon where it was beautiful and fall-like, to do some hunting. I ended up getting a deer opening morning which was so, SO exciting and after tracking it through the woods with my dad and brother Jim, I took this picture in which I was exhausted and so happy.

Note to self: it might be a bad idea (or the best idea) to spend Friday at a coffee shop working really productively (Hood River is the most magical for all things), then go get a manicure (which held up so well through my hunt) before meeting up with pretty ladies for dinner and then letting them convince you to go out for a drink or two and dancing at Jack's until like 1am. But it was really fun and I was really exhausted when I had to get up before daylight to go hunting and when my dad let me go inside and nap while he finished skinning my deer for me, you'd better bet I did just that.

 

And then, that evening, instead of hiking through the woods looking for a deer, I was able to go to dinner with Josh and Sarah, and then grab another drink with everyone in Hood River before I called it an early night because I was SO tired, you guys (spoiler alert, see: THREE below).

 



And, this last weekend, my really cool brother Jim got his deer. I wish I could have been there. Also, jeal that his was bigger than mine (it ALWAYS is).

 

THREE.

I definitely got strep throat last week, which was a total bummer. My tonsils swelled up to the size of cherries and got all white and disgusting, even the Doctor was shocked when he looked at my throat which made me LOL really hard, because you don't expect a doctor to freak out when he looks at your throat, amiright? After not getting sick at all last winter coming down with strep so early in the season was not a fun one. Hey antibiotics forever.

 

FOUR. 

Sunday someone had a birthday. We celebrated with Ba Bar for dinner followed by a drink and a shot for him thanks to our gracious bartender, then home for cake (vanilla with raspberry filling, made by yours truly) and presents.

FIVE.
This next month is going to be full of travel for me and I'm so excited. This weekend it's back to Hood River for some Halloween fun, picking up a freezer full of deer meat and getting my teeth cleaned.

Then, next week I fly to Tampa to swoop up my friend Gaby and drive with her back to the northwest. I'm really excited for our cross-country road trip. We're doing the whole thing in 5 days, Tampa to Seattle (to White Salmon for her). We're definitely stopping in Nashville, St. Louis, Cheyenne(ish) and Boise. Does anyone have any must-sees or dos along the way?

Then, right after my birthday, Natalie, Danielle, Brittan and I are going to San Francisco for a long weekend. Again, if anyone has any must-dos in San Francisco please let me know. I am just so excited about all of it (my bank account, on the other hand, is not, but YOLO, amiright? ha)!

xoxo

Some Tuesday Afternoon Thoughts

Well, somehow it's already mid-August and I'm sitting here thinking surely I have not experienced all the things I love about summer yet, right? Surely this isn't the tannest my skin will be all year, right? Surely summer is not almost over, right? Wrong? What? Well, I'm vetoing. Maybe I need to move to SoCal? But no. Soon the rain will be back and I guess that 10 months of rain is what makes me love the summer so much, isn't it? Also, let's be honest, I'm trying to move closer to Hood River, not further from it!

I've been working a lot and subsequently I've also been stressed out a lot lately. And I've been complaining about it to anyone who will listen, but I think it's almost all out of my system. This is how I know I could never work in a big firm. I'm just not cut out for all the yelling and stress and long hours and things. On a related note, I'm now seeking a professional mentor. And maybe a life mentor too? But maybe that is just called a therapist? Ha.

Earlier today I was walking to Café 4 to get a sandwich and some nice middle-aged gentleman struck up a conversation with me. His name was Steve and he was telling me about Microsoft in the early days, circa 1990. I wanted to be all, Steve, I don't even think I was in pre-school in 1990, but I bit my tongue because I've found that people don't really like it when you say things like that. We got to the café and said goodbye and it was nice to meet you and then I ran into my co-workers and told them that I met a friend and they were like "Rebeka, did you just meet Steve Ballmer?" and I had this moment of panic. And then I did some internal Microsoft stalking and no, it was not Steve Ballmer (because oh my word how embarrassing for me to have met him and not know - I would have known), but he is the VP of LCA. And that's pretty cool, I think. But maybe it's not a very blog-worthy story? Probably. Sorry about that.

Other things that probably aren't very blog-worthy that are about to happen anyway: some pervy mosquitoes got up inside my dress at Kylee's wedding and had a feast, so itchy; I forgot how amazing match making is, I love seeing other people in love (or something like it) and being able to take a little bit of the credit; I'm ramping up my coffee intake lately and oh, how I've missed it; and last of all, I would very much like to watch another amazing thunder and lighting storm in Hood River with my favorites. The end.

work from home is the best kind of work

Since Hood River is basically the only thing I blog about anymore (I definitely blame work for the lack of blogworthy things, and my general lack of a life, while I'm in Seattle) I should probably keep the ball rolling, right? Right...

 

If last night wasn't just the best then I don't know what is. Work has been a lot lately. High stress, and just a lot of hours. So, in an attempt to return to some normal, low-stress version of myself I decided to drive back to Hood River yesterday afternoon to work remotely for the rest of the week and also to help Beth house/dog sit. Pop Tart and I are chillin' tough today.

 

But last night. Last night was good. I got to sit at a café by the river drinking a beer, listening to my handsome friends play music, chatting with my friend Gaby who I haven't seen in forever, and being a happy, low-stress version of myself. It was much needed. 

 

 

^That up there, was the view from the Sandbar Café last night. Prettiest thing ever? Probably. I never want to leave, but I've definitely already told you that. 

 

^That up there is me, Gaby and Andrea (from left to right, naturally). We used to work at Ground together. Ground bonds you for life. #truth.

After the sunset faded into night and the sprinklers turned on next to the café we decided to head to Double Mountain for a beer, and then to the Pint Shack to listen to our friend Tall Paul play some sweet jams #DJtallpaul - it was great. Other highlights of the night included meeting Kurt with a K, who I've been hearing about for years, dinner at 6th St. Bistro with Sarah, and chatting/laughing/loving life with Hood River friends.

Guys, I kind of went out on a Wednesday night. Who am I? That 8am conference call this morning might have been a little brutal. But totally worth it.

A certain line from GIRLS comes to mind "CAUSE IT'S A WEDNESDAY NIGHT BABY, AND I'M ALIVE!"

^Gaby and I loving life. On a Wednesday night. Bring on Thursday and Friday! Working from (the) home(land) is the best.

Things are looking up.

SIX things

Greenlake on Saturday (I love that sunnier days are less rare lately)

 ONE

I read this quote earlier and it totally resonated with me. Does it with you too?  

We are the girls with anxiety disorders, filled appointment books, five-year plans. We take ourselves very, very seriously. We are the peacemakers, the do-gooders, the givers, the savers. We are on time, overly prepared, well read, and witty, intellectually curious, always moving… We pride ourselves on getting as little sleep as possible and thrive on self-deprivation. We drink coffee, a lot of it. We are on birth control, Prozac, and multivitamins… We are relentless, judgmental with ourselves, and forgiving to others. We never want to be as passive-aggressive as our mothers, never want to marry men as uninspired as our fathers… We are the daughters of the feminists who said, “You can be anything,” and we heard, “You have to be everything.”   - Courtney Martin

 TWO
Speaking of things that resonate with me lately, I finally watched the season 2 finale of GIRLS last night. Adam running to Hannah at the end? I loved. I have so many feelings about that show. If you want to discuss, I'm totally game.

 THREE
I made a trip to Ikea this weekend in an attempt to furnish my new apartment with very necessary things such as a mirror and a table. Can I give you all a piece of advice? NEVER go to Ikea hungover. Or by yourself. And hungover, by yourself? Never, ever. Just trust me on that.

That being said, I made it out alive with a mirror and a dining table and a whole bunch of other things too. Ikea is good for inexpensive mid-twenties-apartment-furnishings. I feel like I'm nearing a stage of life where Ikea will no longer be the (acceptable) go-to for furniture, but for now, it's affordable and easy. So, I went with it.

 FOUR
While I was having a nightmare of an experience at Ikea on Saturday, Dustin was buying a new car. It's totes fancy (I'm both a little obsessed and a lot jealous). It even parallel parks itself. The Corolla is feeling so inadequate since Saturday. But, to make it feel better, I did buy the new Justin Timberlake cd for it to play while driving. That man can do no wrong (except for the whole marrying someone who isn't me thing).

P.S. #sogood

 FIVE
I had some really great friend time this weekend. Friday night I "raged" with Lisa. So fun hanging with her all night. Saturday evening I went to Kickin' Boots in Ballard for dinner with my friend Kate. If you didn't already know this about me, I love BBQ. And Kickin' Boots was awesome. I'd totally recommend it. And while you're there, get the Bourbon + Bubbles (bourbon, lemon, sugar, sparkling brut, orange lace) - even if you don't like Bourbon (I don't), it's fantastic. Trust me.

 SIX
This is how I felt basically all weekend.

Bring on the week!!
I hope you are all having a fabulous Monday.
xo

 

The most random things filled with my favorite people

Well it’s been a minute, hasn’t it? I just haven’t had much motivation with work (which has been so, so amazing) and a million appointments all the time and studying for PR and dreaming of warm places (Fiji maybe?!) and spending more time than usual with my most very favorite people #happyheart.

I was able to make it back to Hood River two weekends in a row recently (one of which was super spontaneous). Those trips were filled with so much goodness. I missed it there. And, AND guys, I get to go back again for Beth’s birthday (at which point I will have re-taken that darn ethic’s portion of the bar and hopefully be done with that for good). I reallyyyy can’t wait. Friend time is the best time.

So, because I should be studying right now (I’m getting more coffee smell even more saturated into my hair by the minute sitting here in Zoka, so I guess I should spend my time here more wisely), and because I’m still feeling a little bit of a loss of things to write about on the internet (so many thoughts, so little I’d like to share (weird)) here are some poor quality iPhone pictures of good quality people for you:

Marissa and I at Henni’s for dinner while in White Salmon during one of my trips (p.s. that place is seriously amazing):

Josh and I later that evening – REUNITED AT LAST:

Josh and Marissa (matching hoodies, ain’t no thang):

Dave and his overalls, me delirious from spontaneously driving 5 hours and arriving at a house party in Hood River at 11pm (good choices), and Beth who later regretted this picture – sorry for posting it on the internet… and instagram -  oh, and someone’s hand holding a chip photo-bombing/starring:

Lisa and I getting some Friday afternoon happy hour while I should have been studying for the bar. No worries, we spent the whole next day camped out at Zoka: 

My favorite Uncle and I at his surprise 70th birthday party (which I loved so much, best day):

And don’t worry, I also cut my NASTY LONG hair (seen above) and then to celebrate, Marissa and I took some double selfie shots and then ate tacos…

Oh, and in the midst of all of that Valentine’s day happened, for which Dustin got me a wine aerator, and for which I ate guacamole and my heart was happy:

Friends>Internet.

updates and forwardlookings and other things too

When they said that 1L bores you to death, 2L works you to death and 3L scares you to death, they were mostly right. But I also think that 2L is a culmination of bores and works and 3L is a culmination of all of the above. Busy busy and sort of bored (with school) and also scared ish-less of this whole bar/after graduation nonsense. Oh man, this bar stuff (bar applications which are due Monday and bar loans which are SO stressful), and this job stuff (I probably won’t EVER have one **said in my most dramatic voice), it’s overwhelming. That’s what I’ve been worrying about this past week. Bar bar bar, scared.

Oh and also I’ve been worrying about the rat that decided to die in my bathroom under the tiles that cannot be removed. We’re currently waiting for it to decompose. Our landlord dropped off some air fresheners today. Now our house smells like a meadow with a dead rat rotting in the middle of it. Not cute. SO not cute. (also I’m sorry if that was too graphic)

But in the midst of all of that, I do have some exciting things to look forward to over the next few weeks (and that means fun things to blog about, right?). I’m about to tell you about the things I think of when I’m showering and wanting to vomit at the same time:

Law school prom is next Saturday. Dustin is going as my hot date (obviously). We’re staying downtown the night of. All will be good next Saturday evening. First I just need to find a dress. Once this post is sent, I’m going shopping. Which is great, since I’ve been having major shopping urges lately. I think it’s the changing seasons? Hopefully this dress shopping will cure all my urges, and things.

Also, in April (less than three weeks, EEK) Dustin and I are going to Vegas for his friend’s wedding. He booked us a room at ARIA (which supposedly has a rad pool) and it’s supposed to be 80-ish-degrees. I can’t wait for sunshine and warmth and time spent somewhere other than Seattle. Hopefully this makes up for my snowy spring break. I have a feeling it just might!

Oh and also, I went to a long, lazy breakfast at 5 Spot on Queen Anne this morning with my roommate Erin and our sorority sister Kate. I got the smoked salmon and cream cheese scramble. It was good. I recommend for sure.

After breakfast we walked down to Kerry Park (which is like 1/2 block from Kate’s new apartment). It was super gorgeous. I’ll leave you with some pictures of Erin and Kate (from left to right) at the park:

I’m off to go shopping! I hope you all are having wonderful rat-less weekends.