Hi... Me again. The world's worst blogger... If I can even call myself that. Probably more like an occasional visitor who sometimes shares ridiculous stories & lots of pics. Anyways, I am back (at least momentarily) and excited to share my summer adventures!
It all started with the celebration of the century... Cinco de Drinko followed by a nineties bar crawl through Portland. It's cool to start summer in May, right?
Two themed events in a row was almost too much. That trip back to Seattle Sunday morning was a rough... But totally worth it.
Next up... A hockey championship I barely remember, a late Mother's Day celebration with my favorite gals, and the sweetest wedding reception for my dear friend Zach and his beautiful bride.
Not a week later, I was off to Alaska for a little bit of work and lots of touristy shit. I hadn't been back since I worked up there during college, and it was such a treat. The scenery was breathtaking, the sun felt like it was always up, and the towns couldn't have been more adorable. Petersburg had the cutest small town vibe while Seward felt like a trendy little neighborhood that could be found in Seattle. I loved every second of the trip, and even found time to have a little date on top of two hockey rinks. How authentic am I!?
I got back to Oregon just in time to throw my cousin Kayla the sweetest little shower for her baby girl who was (at the time) on the way. It was such a special time to get together with friends and family to celebrate our newest addition... And we only ran out of champagne twice!
The next weekend my friend Bri and I decided to take an impromptu trip to Langley, the most darling little town on Whidbey Island. We had a blast wandering around the artsy town, blowing glass, and admiring our beautiful view from our hotel. We loved the hotel so much that we cancelled our dinner reservations to enjoy chacuterie and sparkling rose on our porch.... And, once again, only ran out of booze twice.
The next weekend was Father's Day, and the perfect opportunity for a little family time. One of my favorite pastimes was going to the races with my dad, so after an early dinner we hit the track.
Such a cute little Daddy-Daughter date.
We all remember my love for a good themed party, right? Introducing Croc-Party 2017... Tayla's ultimate birthday bash. Maybe one of the funnest/funniest parties I have ever thrown.
It is almost embarrassing how many times I replayed Crocodile Rock while screaming "Croc Out" that night.
We spent the next day at the cutest beach that we accidentally found... And by accidentally found I mean we scrambled to find after I took us 30 minutes in the wrong direction.... Whoops. We spent the evening at Golden Gardens where we admired the sunset, the college freshmen with their shirts off flexing their baby muscles, and all the fires that got put out by the beach security. I am realising as I write this that you probably needed to be there... Sorry you missed it!
Next adventure was the Fourth of July weekend which we spent on the beautiful Lake Chelan. It was the perfect way to relax... I am pretty sure I only removed myself from the water to get more food, booze, and these sick shirts.
That is my kind of holiday.
Of course, no Seattle Summer is complete without a few baseball games... Especially with these handsome guys.
Next was one of the alltime sweetest birthday surprises. I was supposed to just get dinner with Zach, but when he brought me into Bottle House for a quick glass of wine, I was greeted by these lovely faces.
Tears were shed, drinks were shared, and an unforgettable birthday was born.
The following weekend I headed to Chelan with a few of my favorite ladies to keep the celebration alive.
Anyone who knows me knows how much I lovvveee my birthday. 28 and feeling great, guys!
My next adventure deserves a post all to itself, but I am just going to cram it into this one instead. #yolo
A few weeks beforehand, Zach and I decided to join Mark and Jen on their trip home to Maui. It was the most spontaneous I have ever been, and I am so so so glad we did it. But my spontaniety was nothing compared to Chris booking his ticket 3 days before. #yolo times 10000!
We spent the week meeting Mark & Jen's friends and family, exploring the island, hitting the beach, trying all kinds of local cuisine, and sipping on all the tropical cocktails!
Mornings often involved walks along the ocean and breathtaking views from our balcony.
We felt super #local as we tried all kinds of new foods and were offered kama'aina (local discount) almost everywhere we went. Jen's family even made us eat with our hands as it is the traditional way to enjoy Filipino cuisine.
We spent several fun nights out in Lahina and Kanapali, but some of the sweetest evenings were those spent with Jen's family enjoying dinner at their houses. One night, we had the coolest bon fire on the beach where Jen and her brothers played the guitar & uke while singing together. It truly felt like paradise.
We took an amazing trip to Hana where we had a barbecue at Black Sand Beach, swam in an underground lake in a hidden cave, and did some mini cliff jumping at Venus Pond. It was an eight hour round trip drive which Zach and I spent in the bed of the truck while we blared country music and took in the breathtaking views. We weren't even mad that our asses were bruised and it poured on us for half the ride.
We hiked down to an awesome blowhole, found the coolest heart-shaped rock, snorkeled with sea turtles, and so much more!
Zach, Chris, and I had a lovely walk to Black Rock in which we stopped at every bar along the way.
Don't they make the cutest dads?
Another trip favorite was Zach and my sunset booze cruise!
And, of course, my new tattoo!!!
We even got to attend Jen's cousin's wedding!
By the end of the trip, we were all talking local and wishing we never had to leave!
After two days back from Maui, it was time to head to Orcas Island to celebrate Bri's birthday! We had such a good time exploring the island, kayaking with Orcas, and relaxing at the beautiful house we rented.
Through the hustle and bustle, I had the opportunity to do a little brunch and wine trip to Woodenville with this lovely crew & spend a beautiful evening with a few other friends in Kirkland on the water front.
Then... It was on to the next wine trip!
This time around we headed to McMinnville for some Willamette Valley tastings and a chance to party on my old stomping ground....
...And party we did. On the way down, we hit up Acropolis for some steaks & strippers, then headed straight to McMinnville to get down to business. You guys... We raged. Arguably harder than we did in college... Arguably.
Somehow, we all got up at a reasonable hour and piled all 17 of us into our 14 person sprinter van and took the wineries by storm.
By the end... We were a REAL sight for sore eyes.
Once we got back to the house we were renting... It was every man for himself. Some of us had steak on the back porch, some passed out in the grass, some kept the drinking going, some went off alone and treated themselves to a bottle of wine and steak dinner. A few people were found playing baseball with a broom and a milk jug, while others went out on the town. Possibly my favorite freak found himself in sitting in the fridge eating stir fry with his hands. Like I said... We were a REAL treat.
After a couple wild weekends, it was nice to relax a bit. I have been real into puzzles lately... I know, wild. My friend Branden and his adorable babe came and spent a weekend with me which was such a nice surprise! It was great to catch up, do a little hiking & brunching, and win a little money at the horse races with my family! I also had the opportunity to meet my cousin's sweet baby girl and even got a little boating in!
Finally, we polished off the summer with a beautiful hike up Tiger Mountain followed by a Labor Day camping trip to Deception Pass.
The camping trip was totally last minute and such a perfect way to end one of the best summers of my life. We had a blast exploring the area, and letting Chris dad us all weekend.
Cheers to beautiful summertime, there really is nothing like it!
