Las Vegas & Red Rock Canyon 2016

When Gaby asked me a few weeks back if I wanted to go to Las Vegas for the weekend to escape real life and hike red rock canyon and have a generally non-Vegas-y Vegas trip I impulsively said yes and booked the trip. I flew out Friday after work and when I landed in Las Vegas it was still hot as balls. I searched the airport for Gaby, we eventually realized that we were in different terminals, and then when I tried to take the shuttle someone left their purse onboard so police had to be called, everyone had to "step back from the shuttle!!!" and eventually we just decided to catch our own Ubers and meet at the hotel. After checking in and finally finding our room (the MGM is hugeeee) we headed out for a bite to eat. We went to Shake Shack (my first time). By the time we got our food I was so hungry and tired that I only ended up finishing half my beer which might be one of the most shameful things I've ever done. It was my first night in Vegas and it was before midnight. Epic Rebeka Fail. After dinner and after stocking up on SPF80 sun screen for my ginger skin, we called it an early night because we had to get up early for a magical day on Saturday!

^^Vegas night one with my giant beer that I didn't finish/first time at Shake Shack! Also, v obvious screen shot of Gaby's snap b/c I am a narcissist^^

On Saturday morning we woke up early, got a rental car with Oregon plates (!!!) from inside the hotel (so convenient!) and drove out to Red Rock canyon, with a quick stop for iced coffees and breakfast sandwiches along the way.

^^First stop: visitor center^^

Red Rock Canyon is seriously magical. The landscape is so stunning and it's really fun to explore there. You pay $7 to get into the park and there is a 13 mile loop you can drive around and stop at various points to hike the rocks. We stopped three times and ended up hiking around, exploring and climbing up rocks.

^^Here comes a bunch of red rock canyon shots. Are you ready?^^ 

^^Can you spot Gaby and I down there on the rock? Thanks stranger for taking our picture candidly then texting me later!^^ 

Unlike hikes in the PNW, these weren't necessarily long hikes, but instead we would go short distances and explore around and climb up on huge rocks and it was really fun and gorgeous!

 ^^A Gaby sized hole^^

^^Gaby and I^^ 

^^Dancer's pose in the desert^^ 

^^obsessed with the cacti^^ 

^^Stopped at one last viewpoint after all of our hiking^^ 

^^On a giant rock^^ 

^^We did it!^^

On stop two of our hiking tour, we found a hole. It was so magical. It was cool in the hole and the hole had a great lookout and we decided if the world ended we'd like to hide in the hole. It was one of our favorite parts of the trip, being in the hole, rehydrating, hiding from the heat and laughing. I can't explain its magic, but it was real.

 ^^The hole^^

^^Gaby in the hole^^

When we left Red Rock Canyon Gaby told me she had a surprise for me! It was very exciting! She remembered that ice cream sandwiches are one of my favorite things and she took me to this shop where you can choose your cookie flavor(s) and your ice cream flavor and your topping flavor and make your own ice cream sandwich. It was super clever and I loved it - it was sooo delicious. I want to go there always. Thank you Gaby for the awesome surprise! You're the best!!!

^^Can't contain my excitement^^

^^Two double chocolate cookies with peanut butter ice cream and rainbow sprinkles for the win^^

After eating our ice cream and popping into Lululemon we drove a little further to grab some sushi off the strip. The sushi place we wanted to go to was closed for a private event, so we went to another place nearby with good Yelp! reviews called Sushi Fever. It was super tasty and when we sat down and I realized that we'd been in Vegas for a million hours and I'd only had 1/2 a beer, I ordered some Sake with lunch, which is a huge DUH. It was a great decision, I was feeling pretty good after hiking, ice cream, sushi and then some Sake!! Fat kid status!

After sushi we headed back to the hotel to return the rental car, hit the pool for a little bit and then took a nap. Eventually we made our way across the street to Diablo's Cantina (where Gaby knew the bartenders) to eat some Mexican food, share a 48oz margarita, make up fake life stories for the restaurant staff and then call it an early night, part two. This quickly became a theme for us. We were totally good with early bedtimes and plenty of sleep (minus being woken up by drunk girls screaming at their friend Marsha who apparently wouldn't let them into their room. I hate those girls. Where are you, Marsha?!).

 ^^Can't go wrong with margarita and guacamole^^

A majority of the day on Sunday was spent at the pool. It was so nice and relaxing. We paid for fancy, cushioned chairs in the adult only pool (not the party pool, the Revive pool) and ordered drinks and laid in the sun and then under an umbrella and aggressively reapplied sunscreen and got in the water and it was so great. After the pool we went to In-N-Out Burger where we both had burgers and I got animal fries and it was OMGSOGOOD. Gotta keep on top of those bikini bods with a strict diet of delicious fried shit!

 ^^Beer by the pool = living the dream^^

^^Gaby killing it at poolside chillin'^^

We then headed over to another part of the strip, stopped to see the Flamingos at the Flamingo, drank dranks, discussed whether or not this old guy named Gary was gay or just a complete psycho, then took a shuttle to the Flamingo for some Roulette where we won a hundred and some odd dollars. Yes!

After gambling we headed back to the hotel to change into dresses before heading out to dinner at this great place off the strip called Carson Kitchen which was intimate, had lots of gorgeous wood, a magical server named Dakota and there was a deck upstairs that looked like it would be low key fun to grab a drink on during a warm, Las Vegas evening.

^^Gin martini and gin cocktail for me and Gaby, respectively^^

After dinner we took a quick walk up Freemont street before deciding we were exhausted and just wanted to go to bed, so we got in an Uber with a man who told us about how he used to sleep on the sidewalk. He has a bed now. We called it another early night because why end the loser streak on our last night, am I right? The next morning I had an earlier flight than Gaby so I woke up and headed to the airport where I grabbed Coffee Bean (fav) and then flew home (less fav). Gaby had another pool day before catching her delayed (boo) flight that evening.

Best not-too-Vegasy Vegas trip ever! I can't wait until my next vacay with Gaby!!  Cheers!

Baker City visit

Over Memorial Day weekend I headed east for the weekend to see my Bethfriend in Baker City, Oregon. The drive should have only taken about 5.5hours but took more like 6.5hours when everything was said and done because of a car accident on i90 going over the pass. Bummer!

^^The view right out of Baker City from i84. Beth told me they call those mountains the little Alps^^

Beth's parents were also in Baker for the weekend, so when I got to town her mom handed me a tequila shot and then we all loaded up and headed to Beth's aunt's camp site for a family BBQ. After the BBQ, Beth and I changed, put on lipstick and headed out to Barley Brown's Brewery (where Beth works) to watch some live music and drink some beer. We met Beth's friend Carly there, shouted at each other over the music, and eventually we headed to the VFW for some video poker, karaoke, $2 beers and a koozy for me to remember the trip by! When it was time to go home Beth called us a cab and we had to stand outside for approximately 5-10 minutes and HOLY COW Baker city gets hot in the day and then cold as fuck at night. It was like it was the dead of winter in June. How is that even possible?! I was dying. Beth thought I was a baby. Whatever, Beth!

^^Beth's dad took this very red-eyed picture of us before we headed out to Barley's^^

 ^^Music up on a stage at Barley's, genius!^^

 ^^Beth, me and Carly with our $2 beers and our VFW koozies^^

^^Carly killing at it karaoke on the most beautiful karaoke stage everrr^^

Sunday morning we all woke up early and then Beth, her parents, her brother Neil and I headed out to breakfast at the Lone Pine Café. We sat outside and ordered Mimosas which were fresh squeezed and it was all really great. But then, mid way through my delicious meal (I had a fancy BLT that was really good and really overstuffed) I decided to pull out some pickled onion and tomato make my sandwich more manageable and when I pulled out the tomato a LIVE SPIDER CAME OUT WITH IT. It was covered in sauce and it was the weirdest thing ever. We all just stared at each other and then Beth picked it up and threw it off the table and I didn't know what to do because A LIVE SPIDER WAS IN MY SANDWICH. WAS IT THE ONLY ONE? DID I EAT ITS FAMILY? AM I GROWING SPIDERS INSIDE MY STOMACH AS WE SPEAK?! Of course that happened to me.

After breakfast we headed to Beth's grandpa's house (where she lived when she first moved there) so we could meet. I am obsessed with that man. He is the sweetest ever and he of course invited me back to Baker City to stay with him whenever I want because we're now besties.

When our breakfast settled Beth and I met back up with Carly for a hike up Indian Rock Trail with Carly's Frenchie, Herbert, and Beth's Boston Terrier, Baxter. The dogs were not the hugest fans of the hike, but did pretty well overall. And at the end of the hike there was an awesome view which we thoroughly enjoyed (in large part thanks to Carly's forethought in bringing a delicious IPA for us to share) until Beth found a tick on her and then we basically ran back down the hill.

^^Hiking up, up, up through the awesome wildflowers^^

^^Babes + Dogs^^ 

 ^^view from the top^^

 ^^Beth enjoying the view just minutes before she would find a tick on her, EW^^

Beth drove us to the trail head and after a quick stop at the lake we were driving home, Herbert in my lap in the front seat, AC blasting on him trying to get him to cool off when I felt something behind my ear. I instinctively brushed it and immediately knew what was happening. I brushed again harder and a tick fell into my chest. I freaked out, told Beth to stop immediately, jumped out of the car, Carly jumped out with me, I freak out more, the tick was on the inside of my shirt, I pulled my shirt down, Carly tried to brush the tick off, it didn't work, and eventually, after she's seen basically all of my boobs Carly picks the tick up off of me and throws it on the ground. We breathed a collective sigh of relief. I owe her my life forever for saving me from the tick and potential lime disease and just general EW-ness. Thank you Carly!!

After the hike we went home to do full body tick checks and then headed back to Barley Brown's for more, very necessary beers.

That evening Beth and I had a delicious dinner at the old timey Haines Steak House with her parents before calling it an early night.

It took me a million hours to get home the next day despite being on the road at 8:30am thanks to another crash on i90 over the pass. I'm never again heading east on i90 on a 3 day weekend, but the trip was great overall and it was so fun to see where my Bethfriend has been living and to drink some delicious Barley Brown's beer!! 

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!

Taco Libre Truck Showdown Weekend 2016

A few weeks ago my Beth-Friend saw on Facebook that there was something called the Taco Libre  Truck Showdown happening in Seattle on May 1st. She decided she wanted to go and booked a ticket up to see me. I picked her up on Friday and we kicked off the weekend with an Indian food feast at Taste of India followed by beers and word games on the erotic photo hunt machine at Ed's Kort Haus. I did a good job SnapChatting but a terrible job saving any photos of that night. Is it too late now to say sorry?

Saturday morning (after I had slept about 100 hours, sorry Beth!) we grabbed some coffees from Starbucks where I ended up getting the worst text from Gaby re: her boyfriend. I instructed her to come to Seattle immediately. After crisis intervention concluded we headed to Beth's friend Jamie's house so Jamie and I could meet and Beth and Jamie could catch up. Jamie's house was on the way to the Seattle Premium Outlets so we headed there next to use the 30% off coupon my friend who works for Nike corporate had mailed me. Beth and I both ended up leaving with a bunch of new workout gear (+ bonus throwback slides for me). After the outlets we met Jamie at the Latona Pub for lunch and day beers (duh, is there anything better than day beers when it's sunny out and your Beth friend is in town?!) while we waited for Gaby to get to Seattle.

Dustin met us back at my apartment and shortly after Gabby arrived. I parallel parked her pink nugget for her, gave her approximately 2 minutes to get ready, we all took a necessary shot of Patron, then I forced everyone into an Uber to dinner so we could introduce Beth to our friend Rob and also get Gaby drunk (again, necessary). At the end of the night Beth, Gaby, Dustin and I had a 4-way sleepover in my 400 square foot apartment. Seems legit, right?

^^#creepin on Beth and Rob walking from dinner to the bar^^

The next morning there was more coffee, Dustin headed home, and then Gaby, Beth and I went to brunch at a place near my house that ended up being delicious.

 ^^Gaby and I brunching^^

^^Feelings^^ 

We basically begged Gaby to stay but she had to get home and take care of some shit, so we said goodbye and Beth and I got ready for the taco truck festival.

It was an awesome day for an outdoor food festival (read: sunny and warm) complete with a beer and margarita garden. We ended up having Native American inspired fry bread tacos from Off The Rez, drinking margaritas and hanging out. Jamie and her husband met us, and so did Adam, Ambur, Brittan, Natalie and Rob!

^^Natalie, me, Jamie and Beth at the beer/marg garden^^

^^The most stunning car paint job I've ever seen. Meow!^^

When we decided it was too crowded at the festival, we went across the street to a bar with a patio to share a pitcher of beer and give Beth and Rob some more time to get to know each other ;) I'd say it went pretty well. My fingers are crossed.

^^Me, Caroline, Beth, Brittan and Rob at the George and Dragon^^

After everyone else left Beth and I eventually found another restaurant with a patio, made our way to Fred Meyer, rented a movie from the RedBox and went back to my place to chill out for the rest of the evening. I had to take Beth to the airport SO early in the morning on Monday and because of Viadoom it took a million hours to get to work after that. I was exhausted but it was totes worth it for a super fun, sunshiny, Bethfriend Seattle weekend.

Dear Beth, can you please start dating Rob and move up here already?! Kthxbyeee!