In my last post I mentioned my blog space was nearing its max, and I decided a week or so ago to bite the bullet and upgrade to the next level. The irony is that I have hit a bit of the December slump, and while I have things in my brain I would love to write about, few of them are happy go lucky. The nature of this blog however is that I share the good, the not so good, and the sweaty. On Thanksgiving day I decided to start a run streak, where I run everyday until the first of the year.

The idea was not mine, I saw it in a Runners World article, but I had always wanted to do a run streak so I figured why not.

I am 27 days into the streak, and there have only been one or two days where I really struggled to get out the door. My basement is in the process of a looonnggg renovation, which means my treadmill was shunned to the garage. I spent 21 of these days running outside, until Duncan helped me maneuver the treadmill in the garage so I could use it. What a luxury that machine is.

I did enjoy running outside most days, but the snow days were a bit rough.

The goal is to run at least a mile, and I would say the majority of these days I have done just that – one mile. Workdays I don’t usually enjoy doing too much of a workout because my job is very physical, but one mile is always manageable. I find that I enjoy that quick ten minutes (and some change) of movement before the day starts. The day I struggled the most with the streak was a day I also went for a 5.5 mile hike.

I ended up running down the mountain some, likely not a full mile, but it still counts towards the streak in my book.

The intention of the streak is to keep your body moving during the winter months when temptation to be sedentary is high, however the streak is really whatever you make of it. For me, this streak is to keep my mental health on track. Running has become such a blessing of an outlet for me this last year to keep my anxiety at bay. The darker months I am visited by anxieties step sister depression if I am not keeping busy enough (or sometimes just because), and running has been very helpful there too.

I stopped running for a few years when I was first diagnosed with my autoimmune disease because I noticed running would cause my symptoms to flare up. This year I have managed to find a good balance with the sport, ensuring I can continue to run more frequently. My biggest concern this last year however was my chronic sciatica pain. For a full year I woke up every single day in pain or discomfort from a slipped disc issue. I truly thought the pain would never subside.

Thankfully I have been pain free since July/August. I still feel the nerve, as if it has been scarred by the pinching, but the pain is no longer. I sat in my favorite chair recently, one I could not sit in for a year, and realized the joy I felt sitting with no pain.

Side note: when running outside I am never without my GoGuarded handheld. This is not sponsored, this is just me sharing my must have while running. Highly recommend for all women. Go buy one. Or gift one. It’s a must. Sadly.

Running also helped me during the time our water heater was out of commission, as I briefly mentioned in my last post. I went 35 or so days without hot water, meaning quicker showers than you can say the word shower. Going for a run before showering helped me get in the cold water because my body was hot and craved cooling. Now that I have access to warm showers again, dare I say I miss the cold? What I don’t miss is strategizing taking a shower.

My mind appreciates the lack of thought going into showering. Another luxury I didn’t realize I had until I didn’t have it.

Going forward I don’t see myself continuing a run streak after the 39 days are up, but I do see myself chasing bigger goals. I would love to run another half marathon someday, and I think with realistic pacing goals and proper rest this could be a reality. The last 27 days have made me physically and mentally stronger. It’s been a special treat I have given to myself as a reminder that I am capable of difficult things, and difficult things have indeed arose.

The changing of the season moving into winter is a time for us to look inward. Finding outlets and tools to continue moving forward is essential for me. I recently turned down a great job opportunity because it didn’t feel like the right fit. After I made this choice I fell down the spiral of worrying how this choice would appear to societal standards – something I have continuously moved away from for nearly a decade. I choose a nontraditional lifestyle and nontraditional jobs because life is about so much more than money to me.

I felt momentarily weak after this decision, but running pulled me out of that pity party real quick.

All of this babbling is to say life is hard. Being a human is hard. There is no easy button, but there are ways to make the journey more tolerable. For me those things are typically physical (running, biking, hiking, traveling), and for you those things might look different. We are all on the same floating ball just trying to get by. I do my best to find small joys in my day to day life, and a dopamine hit in the morning sure makes that easier.

Q: What is your outlet of choice?

I am going to sound like a broken record by saying this, but I cannot believe Christmas has come and gone. Every year it seems to get a little worse, where I struggle to get fully into the spirit of the holiday. I know Christmas is meant to be more than what we have commercialized it to be, and as someone who dreads the whole gift giving aspect of things I try to find my joy in other ways.

I love the colors, the lights, the food, the treats, the time off, and the time with family. My family is small, and most holidays have been spent with my mom and my older sister. The three of us have found a good rhythm in life, but I often daydream of celebrating holidays with a large group of humans. The older I get the more I crave a solid community to lean on.

The last time I truly felt the spirit of the season was when I worked for Starbucks, there is just something about those holiday cups.

I indulged in one black coffee out of the above holiday cup this year, and it most certainly tasted better than drinking out of a traditional white cup. I often miss being a barista, but it’s around the holidays when I reaalllyyy miss it. Alas, I do not miss large corporations moving away from human connection and moving closer to people in people out. I must be destined for a small mom and pop coffee shop, or my own coffee shop…

I digress.

My Christmas was lovely, a low key day with family. Duncan and I enjoyed a mimosa with his mom and grandma before going to my moms for dinner. A salmon feast with plenty of Lindt truffles fueled the night, and for good reason. My small black cat escaped just as Duncan and I were leaving for the evening, leading to a good cop, bad cop like chase through the woods. I realize chasing is never the answer, and ultimately we had to wait for him to come back.

And come back he did, sauntering in like a drowned rat as if nothing happened. Little shit.

My run streak is still going, although as I get closer to the restart of my monthly cycle I want to run less. So most days during the week leading up to my cycle I will likely be running one mile. Anything to get the body moving? These days I appreciate the movement because I have been eating as if all hell broke loose. I try to give myself more grace this time of year to be a bit flexible with my diet, but as someone who is genuinely affected by the foods I consume I need to reel it in.

My anxiety has been off the charts this month and it’s no doubt because of what I have been eating. I have everyday background noise anxiety, but throw in some gluten, sugar, and dairy and it’s like opening a flood gate. Indulging here and there is one thing, but those holiday treats have kicked me down the rabbit hole. If you are someone who struggles with anxiety like me I highly recommend paying attention to what you eat.

I don’t have any regrets, I enjoyed the hell out of this holiday season with the good foods, but I am ready to feel more centered.

I briefly mentioned earlier I struggle with the gift giving aspect of Christmas. I have a strong aversion to clutter, and there is very rarely anything that I “need” these days. I am much more of an experiences as gifts type of person, as well as gift cards. You can never go wrong with a gift card. The irony is that I do enjoy GIVING gifts, but I like to think I am good at getting people things they need and perhaps would not buy for themselves. Like an electric toothbrush (one of the gifts I gave Duncan last year.)

This year Duncan and I agreed on skipping the gift giving, but then about a week before Christmas he let slip that he got me something small.

Last month when Duncan and I were driving to his parents house for Thanksgiving dinner, we began talking about my trip to Ireland in 2017. I mentioned to him how I visited The House of Waterford Crystal, and was able to go on a tour to learn more about the crystal making process. As I was leaving the tour through the gift shop, I noticed a pair of crystal stud earrings I fell in love with.

At the time I could not justify buying them, I already had a few souvenires, but it was something I had regretted to this day.

I told Duncan I wished I had bought the earrings because they would have been a great souvenir (something small) to remember my trip, and then we moved on to talk about other things. Lo and behold he took that conversation, and hunted down a pair of beautiful Waterford Crystal stud earrings. The package was literally from Ireland. These are the moments and gifts I will cherish forever.

I often feel that people don’t truly listen when I speak. I feel alone more times than not even when in a room full of people. I don’t typically feel understood and more times than not I feel like an outsider looking in. For someone to not only hear what I said in passing, but to act on what I said – I can’t put into words what this meant to me. It’s not the jewelry, or the shiny crystals, it’s the thoughtfulness.

Thoughtfulness far surpasses anything else in my book. Thank you Duncan, you really made my heart smile. And on that sappy note I bid you all adieu, until the next post. I wish everyone a happy and healthy transition into the new year.

Q: How was your holiday? If you don’t celebrate Christmas, did you get the day off?

My run streak officially came to an end on the first of January, and for that I am thankful. I ran everyday for 39 days, and while my OCD brain wanted to push it to 40, my body said nahhh. I stopped at 39, took a day off, and resumed running the next day. I had wanted to try a run streak for some time, but I now know I am much more of a “listen to your body” kinda gal. I never want to feel like I have to do something, because that takes all the joy out of life. I’m glad I tried it, and I might even do it again next year, who knows.

What I do know is that I learned some things, and I am going to share those things right now.

1. Running everyday kept me disciplined. Overall I looked forward to not waking up and wondering if I wanted to run, but knowing I was going to run. Taking the thought work out of this was great for someone like me who struggles with decision fatigue and overthinking. I even ran one day on a treadmill with socks because I forgot my shoes. Would not recommend.

2. Running everyday helped my Christmas cookie addiction. I say this half joking, but in all reality I ate more treats last month than I can even remember. While my skin, and my brain didn’t love this, some of the sugary goodness was helpful the following morning giving me a surge of energy. I will also admit I didn’t think twice about anything I ate while doing the streak.

3. Running everyday reminded me that listening to music during a sport is a luxury. I spent the first 22 days of this streak running outside, which meant no music. I no longer run with music when I am alone outside because I need to be aware of my surroundings. I ran the last 12 days of this streak inside on a treadmill, and this meant all the music. I found myself falling down a rabbit hole of rap music I used to listen to when I was in high school.

It’s bad. It’s so, so bad.

The lyrics sound like they are written by a child half the time, and a corrupt human the other half. I cannot believe I used to listen to it, and yet…some of it was so nostalgic. A few songs made my running playlist, where they will stay and never see the light of day. Apologies to my mom for giving her a hard time when she wanted me to shut the trash off.

These two paragraphs belong on an Early Morning Confessions post, because this is indeed a confession.

4. Running everyday reminded me how much I love walking. Since ending the streak I have enjoyed a few runs, and a few walks. Duncan and I went to a nearby neighborhood with a network of trails leading us to a beautiful pond. We sat and savored the silence for a bit, something I need to do more of right now. My brain has been a fiasco of chaos and while running is helpful, I need to find more time to be still. I had a nice holiday season, but per usual I am thankful the holidays are over.

5. Running everyday showed me how strong my body is. Long time readers will know I used to be an avid runner in my early to mid twenties. I stopped because of some health issues for many years and believed running would be out of the cards for me. This streak showed me not only is running very much IN the cards, but that I can push a little harder than I thought I could.

6. Running everyday gave me an amazing outlet during a stressful season. With the holidays, trip planning, and me just being me, I often looked forward to running each day as a way to melt my mind into mush. It’s hard to stress about life when trying to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. I like to believe running is the reason I was so calm when my Houdini of a cat escaped out of my front door on Christmas night.

7. Running everyday sparked the old me and gave me the itch to run a race. I would love to run a half marathon again in my time, and while I sometimes worry the distance might be too much, the idea of having a bigger goal again excites me. My last half marathon was in 2014, and by this time running felt like a chore. I will never allow myself to get to that point again, and if I don’t want to run on any given day, I won’t. However, short term goals like a run streak or a half marathon make pushing myself temporarily far more rewarding.

8. Running everyday showed me that a mile, is a mile, is a mile. There were 2-3 days during this streak I truly did not want to run. I work a physical job and there were a few mornings I missed my run, meaning I had to run after I got home from work. These days I told myself “just one mile.” I always felt better after my mile (aside from one day I ate too many Christmas treats – the cramps were very real), and I knew running for ten minutes wasn’t going to kill me.

This is my favorite lesson of the entire streak, and something I have come to adopt over the past year. It doesn’t matter how long I go out for, or how fast I run for, I am moving my body and that is all that matters. On the flip side, I learned I much prefer running less days of the week, with longer mileage on the days I do run. 3-4 milers are my happy place, but when running everyday I was typically running 1-2 miles.

Either way, getting outside with some air on my face, regardless of how long is a treat I cherish.

I’m not one for big “new year” goals or changes. I’m more of the mindset that small, manageable changes can and should be made at all times of our life rather than one time at the beginning of a year. I do however want to use this time of my life to really focus on my mental health and finding more ways to destress and calm down. I continue to get worked up over things that perhaps don’t need extra anxiety energy, and it’s strongly affecting my life.

Running will continue to be one of these main outlets for me.

I enjoy the ongoing journey of listening to my body and trusting what it tells me. For example, there are certain times in my cycle that running is not the best option for me, and that’s perfectly OK. I am thankful I have the ability to choose to run (and walk, and bike, and hike) when I know many people do not. I can safely say I will never take these abilities for granted. Thanks for following along, and I look forward to more movements and more adventures as this year unfolds.

Q: Did you have a good New Years Eve? I was in bed by 10.

1. It’s been a while and I have a lot to share, so we are doing an EMC explosion of words. Each number will likely be more words than a usual EMC post, consider yourself warned this will be a long read. Winter has been kicking my butt. We’re talking lifting me up, spinning me around, and dropping my on my head style. My motivation, my drive, and my cares have all flown out the window.

I don’t want to go to work, I don’t want to exercise, and I don’t want to eat well. Thankfully my discipline is still in tact so I am showing up to work, I am still exercising, and I am eating well…somedays, but man am I ready for spring. There is a reason animals hibernate in the winter months, and the older I get the better that sounds.

Humans need rest too.

2. My dear friend Sam got married last February, and she and her husband had a small ceremony with just a few close friends. The ceremony was lovely, but she wanted to have a reception the following year when Covid chaos calmed a bit more. Fast forward to this February and she had the reception.

I cannot remember the last time I put on a dress and went into public.

My favorite part of the entire evening was seeing Duncan in slacks and a tie (albeit the tie was a bit short, but we had a good laugh about it.) That was a sight I never knew I needed to see until seeing it. Insert drooling emoji. My mom and my sister are friends with the bride, and they came with us as well. My sister said Sam looked like a princess in her dress, and I would have to agree.

3. Back in January Duncan and I went to see The Whale in theaters. I have not paid to see a movie since I went to see Jojo Rabbit back in Garmisch in 2019. I don’t think spending money for a movie is typically worth the cost, however the moment I saw the trailer for The Whale I knew I would be spending my money to see this film. I nearly wrote an entire blog post about this movie because I had so many words. I cannot remember the last time I cried in a movie as hard as I cried watching The Whale.

I absolutely sobbed. I had to sit in my seat for a minute after the movie ended trying to compose myself before I could leave the room. I was also days before my period, but that’s beside the point.

The movie was hard to watch at times, and some reviews have given it flak calling it fat phobic, or grotesque. To these comments I would assume those reviewers have never personally struggled with the type of trauma that accompanies addictions. Or rather have not experienced addictions caused by trauma. The movie was raw, and painful, and while it might not be for everyone it was hands down the best movie I have seen all year.

A movie that can hit me on so many emotional cords will automatically climb to the top.

This is a movie about a broken family both collectively and individually, traumas of multiple varieties, and redemptions. It’s heavy, and it’s unbelievably sad, but I am crossing my fingers and my toes that Brendan Fraser wins the Oscar for his performance. That’s saying a lot because I normally couldn’t give two cares about those award shows. Hollywood sucks, but Brendan is amazing.

4. Moving onto something less heavy…while stuffing our faces at Sams wedding, Duncan fell in love with the bacon wrapped goat cheese stuffed dates (say that five times fast) they made. I knew we would have to recreate these someday, and then that societal pressure filled holiday known as Valentines Day rolled around. You don’t have to give me a reason to do something nice for Duncan, but I will happily take a “holiday” as an excuse to make food.

I picked up a handful of his favorite foods for a picnic style smörgåsbord. I got brie and crackers, smoked salmon, olives with garlic and jalapeño, and then I made the infamous dates. Ohhh man were they good. I also made chocolate peanut butter hearts, both of which took me far longer to make than expected. And of course, it took us all of 10 minutes to eat like pigs.

Don’t ask me how I felt the next day. Ooooph.

5. I am absolutely, positively, burned out at work. What was meant to be a transition job from Germany to America has turned into a two year and four month job with more ups and downs than my mood swings during my luteal phase. The job has been flexible, and I am working in an area I worked hard to get to, but I don’t enjoy the environment. I don’t align with the corporate values or goals, and I have reached a point where most days I struggle going to work. Maybe it’s the winter mood?

I have never shied away from talking about working jobs that fill your cup regardless of the pay, and this is no different. I have worked odd jobs all over the world in order to fulfill my need of adventure and learning new things, and I know it’s ok to close this chapter soon. I like my paychecks, and I have stayed longer than I thought because I get a decent pay, but I know I cannot stay somewhere just for the money. If only every job has similar flexibility…

Best thing I got out of my current job was meeting Duncan. He was an unexpected detour in my journey, but one I am thankful I took.

6. I turned 34 last week. A concept that boggles my mind, and has me turning inward as I do most years around this time. One because it’s winter and those are the times for us to rest more and be more present with our thoughts, and two because I am slapped in the face with the reality that I am not getting any younger. For my birthday most years I choose to do something outside. Usually that includes a hike, or traveling somewhere new, and this year was no exception.

Duncan took the day off (what a gem), and accompanied me on a Pacific Northwest adventure.

I had wanted to visit a coffee shop a handful of miles from where I live for over a year now, and what better time to do so than on a birthday. The Espresso Chalet has gained attraction for its quirky Sasquatch themed exterior, and its breathtaking views of the Cascade Mountains. I’m indifferent to the Sasquatch stuff, but I had to see the views. We had a chilly, but clear day and while the coffee was not good, the views made the trip worth it.

Duncan and I each got an Americano, but they tasted more like coffee flavored tea. Very weak – which is saying a lot coming from me because I am someone who waters down my coffee as it is. We both would come back, but would order something else. All was not lost with the crummy coffee though, our second plan for the day was to go for a hike in the area. I had wanted to see Wallace Falls for some time as well, so we threw on our wool socks and waterproof shoes and hit the trail.

The hike was about 5.5 miles, with just under 1500′ of elevation, and after the feast I’d had the day before (my birthday is the day after Valentines Day if you remember the food I made a few confessions up) I was struggling to put one foot in front of the other. I felt like the Michelin man trying to climb up a hill. The trail was beautiful and the waterfall views were gorgeous. 10/10.

I ended the evening with my first froyo in likely a decade, and a homemade gluten free chocolate cake courtesy of my mom. Needless to say I needed a few days of nothing but air to recover. My poor little autoimmune body.

7. In the summer of 2020 my dad and his family planned a Mediterranean cruise for everyone as a celebration of my younger sister graduating college. Obviously that trip did not happen because life as we knew it changed forever, but little did we know there were six cruise vouchers sitting nicely in the cruise voucher ether. For two years these vouchers sat, unbeknownst to anyone, until my step mom received a phone call at the end of last year.

We are all at different places in life, meaning a group cruise for all six of us was no longer an option. In December I was presented with: “you have a voucher and you can also use your sisters, but it has to be booked by the end of the month.” My anxiety and overwhelm went into overdrive as I realized I had to book a cruise within two weeks. My credit was significantly higher than my sisters, and while technically the credit was hers, I was given the option to transfer it to Duncan should he want to go.

After figuring out all the logistics, and getting Duncan on board with my plan, I settled on a 9 day cruise going through Greece, Turkey, Israel, and Cyprus. These are all locations I have been wanting to visit, but a few of them I would not feel comfortable traveling alone. Having Duncan with me will make me feel safer, and while I don’t love the fast paced travel a cruise offers, I think this is a perfect way to get introduced to some of these places. We are taking full day excursions on all but one port day, and I am equal parts excited and anxious. We leave in April.

While the credit did not end up covering the entirety of this trip, it certainly covered a LARGE part of it. There is no way in hell I would have booked this kind of vacation without it. My frugal blood would have been screaming and I would not be unable to fully enjoy myself. It took a lot for me to accept booking the excursions through the cruise opposed to saving money and finding a local tour, but at the end of the day I would rather pay for the peace of mind that comes with doing everything through the ship.

The last thing I need is to be left behind.

8. Duncan moved into a new apartment last week, and I am stoked because he is now significantly closer to me. We will have been dating for two years in April, and while we did entertain the idea of living together it didn’t feel like the right time yet for me. The biggest obstacle for me, which is going to sound silly, is my cat (I am also struggling to accept leaving my mom alone to take care of my autistic sister, but that is another story.) I cannot live without my cat and I wasn’t sure how it would be moving him (he is fifteen) into an apartment complex.

He has lived in a home for his entire life and all I could see was him getting out and getting lost.

Duncan has been nothing but supportive of me in all the decisions I make and all the things I do, and he understand and accepts my crazy when I sometimes take a long time to come over because I am struggling to leave my cat. I have an arguably unhealthy bond to my cat, but ever since I almost lost him in 2018 I am now obsessed with spending time with him. Especially since I left him for two years. My point in all of this is to share what Duncan got me for my birthday.

Once again, it’s not just the gift, but it’s the thought behind the gift.

I cannot deny that this mug looks moderately like a memorial to my fur child, but I absolutely adore it. Duncan said to me, “now when you have coffee at my place it’s like you are with Little.” INSERT CRYING EMOJI. While I adore that idea, I am not taking this mug to his place, it will live with me at mine so I can use it every single day until I perish. He did everything he could to find a cat clip art with a white patch, but he could not find one. Either way, this is my favorite mug for life.

I have thought about putting a blob of whiteout on his neck, not sure how that would go. Thoughts and ideas are welcomed.

9. For the first time in all of my existence I messed up on my taxes. I filed them far too early, and after they were filed I received a W2 I had completely forgotten about. My caregiving job (helping provide care for my autistic sister) switched companies at the beginning of last year, and it had slipped my mind. I filed with the W2 from the company we switched to, and then later received the W2 from the original company. I have since amended my return, and my anxiety has balanced back out.

10. A couple weeks ago I went for an amazing 5 mile run. The weather was lovely, but a bit crisp. I wore a vest because I was going to run by the water, and the wind is always brutal in that area. I tucked my keys and license in one pocket, and my phone in the other and off I went. Or so I thought.

I made the rookie mistake of putting my phone in the SAME POCKET AS MY ID.

I didn’t notice it was missing until I got home, so I drove my running route again to try and find it, but no luck. I had a gut feeling someone was going to mail it to me, but just in case I went to get a new one. I got my new ID on a Friday, and that following Monday my old ID showed up in the mail. A painful $20 lesson, but a wonderful run nonetheless.

Q: What’s your confession?

A handful of weeks ago one of my coworkers talked about a recent hike she had done, and it was a place I had never heard of. The photos she shared were beautiful, and I knew it was a trail I wanted to experience for myself. What I didn’t know was the backstory of this trail, and how I would find myself in some type of post apocalyptic looking landscape that fueled my spirit for adventure in more ways than one.

Get ready for a brief history lesson. Just a few paragraphs, bear with me.

The Glines Canyon Overlook provides a modern view of what used to be one of two dams providing energy for the Olympic Power Company – which in turn helped to provide energy for a pulp mill based out of Port Angeles, Washington. The dam was supplied by The Elwha River, which happened to be home to some of the richest runs of salmon outside of Alaska. This second dam was finished in 1927, and business was booming, but without a fish passage within the walls of the dam the salmon were left with just five miles of accessible habitat from the mouth of the river.

That doesn’t leave much room for baby making spawning grounds.

It took decades to make any kind of change, but by 1980 the salmon population was threatened all across the PNW, and by 1992 the issue was settled by passing The Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act. This allowed full control over both the Glines Canyon Dam and The Elwha Dam (the other of the two) to be granted to the US Department of Interior. They could then enact the necessary actions for restoration of The Elwha River fisheries.

The Elwha Dam was removed in 2011, and the Glines Canyon Dam in 2014. The previous lake like body of water held back by the dam is now a rushing river through an old concrete slab. The dam’s have been removed, but the restoration process is still ongoing. The National Park Service is continually working with a local tribe and other partners to ensure The Elwha River is fully restored. OK, history lesson over…

SO. What does all this dam salmon talk have to do with my hike? What was once a fully functioning and drivable road to view the overlook of the old Glines Canyon Dam – is now a skeleton of its former self. In 2015 a section of this road was washed out due to a storm, and while restoration attempts were made, this section of the road is completely inaccessible by car to this day.

If you want to see the overlook, you are going to have to walk (or bike.)

While I knew we would be walking on a road to get to the overlook, I had no idea it was because the road had been washed out. The hike starts at the Madison Falls parking area, and a short, moderately steep bypass trail took us around the washed out section. This is the only area of the hike within the woods adjacent to the road, but I enjoyed walking on the old road significantly more. Strictly for the abandoned buildings and overgrown brush.

Hence the apocalyptic vibes.

We spent some time wandering around the old abandoned camp ground and NPS buildings before continuing on towards the overlook. This felt like a minor step back in time, and while the washout and the dam deconstruction were relatively recent, this was a unique walk through some historical spaces. The river was beautiful shades of blue and green and the road went on for miles.

The road continues on past the overlook, most notably to the Olympic Hot Springs, but my old lady body was having terrible back pain on this hike, so we called it at the overlook.

Once we made it to the overlook we pulled out our camp chairs to sit and savor the view. There are still multiple interactive signs to read up there, as well as an old speaker box that plays the remnants of a womans voice giving historical information. The audio is chopped, and seems to repeat the same words, adding to the slightly creepy yet fascinating vibe.

This is an adventure that will stick with me for a while. The hike which could technically be more of a walk only covers around 800 feet of elevation and we walked 8 miles total, but the background and unexpected ghost town we were able to discover made this one of the most unique experiences I have had in a while. Either I need to get out more, or this was truly one for the books.

Next time, I want to bring my bike. I can only imagine what other discoveries I can uncover with two wheels. Getting it through the bypass trail will be my only hurdle. A challenge I will happily accept.

I am thankful spring has sprung, and I am hopeful with the warmer days I can embark on more of these new to me adventures in my home state. I wonder if and when the washed out road will be fixed, or if The Elwha Ranger Station will be used again in the future. I’m stoked I was able to see it in its current state, anything inaccessible by car is all the more worth seeing when you arrive.

Q: What’s your most recent unique adventure?

Duncan and I returned home from our 9 day Mediterranean cruise about a week and a half ago, and I am still experiencing the post vacation blues. Never in my life would I have imagined I would be a cruise girl, but we have already started looking at options for another one. This was my second cruise, and just like my last one everything on this ship was down to a science. Amazingly organized and I did little to no decision making other than what I wanted to eat each meal.

Don’t get me wrong, I will forever enjoy being on my own schedule, planning everything myself, and getting off the beaten track – but sometimes it feels nice to let other people take the wheel.

For those of you who don’t know, in December of 2022 (five months ago) I was advised I had a credit for Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) from a cruise my dad had booked back in 2020. The 2020 cruise was cancelled, but no one knew about the credits until recently. I was also advised in order to receive the full credit I had to book a cruise by the end of December 2022 (the same month I found out.)

I had about two weeks to choose a cruise and mentally digest what was happening.

I managed to wrangle Duncan into this fiasco with me, and I was thankful he was interested in the same cruise destinations I was: Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. I had been wanting to see Turkey for years, and Israel also intrigued me. I was truthfully indifferent to Greece and Cyprus, but they were added bonus locations. I figured for someone with anxiety, the safety net of an organized group (a cruise) was a great way to first experience Israel and Turkey.

This trip was fantastic, and the destinations were awe worthy, but this post is going to focus on the ship itself and how we entertained ourselves. My future posts will give respect to each destination we visited in full. The planning process for this cruise was fairly simple, I had a point of contact I worked with and he took care of all the logistics. Then a few weeks before we left I did an online check in with further instructions, and before I knew it we were off.

Our flight left at 0600 on our day of departure, which is only slightly better than getting shocked by an electric fence. I slept maybe 45 minutes total the night before we left, which made for a very long 30+ hours of being awake before I made it to the bed on the cruise ship. I don’t sleep on planes, and our travel day was very long. The silver lining was that by the time I made it to sleep I was immediately on track with the local time. No jet lag.

A win is a win.

We arrived in Athens where handfuls of NCL staff herded us like cattle onto a bus, and drove us to the cruise port. We settled in easily, ate some dinner, and slept until 0900 the following morning. Our first day was an “at sea” day, which was perfect for acclimating to the time zone as well as resting after a long day of travel. This was also perfect for exploring the entirety of the ship. Our ship was moderate, with a 2400 passenger capacity it was easy to find pockets of solace aside from our stateroom.

We started our first day eating breakfast at the buffet, the spot we would eat every meal on board for the remainder of the trip. It was quick, it was easy, and overall it was good. It took me a few days to settle into which foods sat well with me, but ultimately I found a way to ensure I felt my best the entire trip. My one main complaint on this ship was the water. It was foul. I’m talking sewer water slightly filtered foul. It tasted so bad I eventually stopped drinking it.

I relied on watermelon and kiwi each morning to bring me back to life.

The free coffee was bad too, so I went against my rule of not spending any extra money (what can I say, I’m cheap) and I splurged on three venti Starbucks coffees for the 9 days ($10 total.) I only drink a small cup each morning, and I always have to cut the coffee with hot water, so I was able to stretch the coffees over multiple days. A worthy investment for a guaranteed expulsion of the previous nights dinner, as well as a bit of anti inflammatory assistance for my swollen face each morning.

After breakfast I went for a jog on the outdoor running track, which was a bit frustrating on day one. Too many people were using the track to stop and take photos which made it difficult to jog on. I managed my miles and calmed down with regard to gatekeeping the track the remainder of the trip. Later, Duncan tried to teach me chess on a large outdoor chess board, but if you asked me right now what each piece does I couldn’t tell you.

The ship had endless entertainment options, from the pool deck with live music, to cigar lounges, to live shows. We spent most of our first day lounging, listening to live music, eating food, and getting excited for the days to come.

Most of our days on the ship after our at sea day were spent eating quick meals at the buffet (there were also 4 complimentary restaurants, but neither of us wanted to sit down and wait), going to live performances in the theater after our daily excursions, lounging on the pool deck, walking laps on the promenade, and sleeping.

Our room was small, but neither of us complained. I chose the cheapest option and other than the shower not fully draining, and the toilets proximity to the wall (Duncan is over 6 feet tall and had to sit sideways), it was perfect. I’m not one to care much about my accommodations. As long as they are safe, clean, and the bed is comfortable I am set.

My main tips for anyone worried about being around too many people would be to choose a ship with a lower max capacity. Wash your hands AFTER you touch the buffet utensils to prevent germ spreading, and eat either right when the buffet opens, or close to when it closes. Duncan ended up getting a little bug towards the end of our trip and I guarantee it’s because he ate more foods from the buffet that required his hands to eat.

It’s absolutely possible to eat at a buffet and stay healthy, but washing hands multiple times is a must as well as using utensils. I managed to get by without getting sick, even sleeping next to him. There were a few times we ate when the entire ship seemed to be eating, and it felt like a fish swimming upstream. I was content eating at the buffet, but if this isn’t your cup of tea you can dine at restaurants where they seat you.

We also ate outside for each meal providing fresh air and less people.

So how much did it all cost? I’m a sucker for the numbers, let’s break it down.

The cost of this vacation was definitely higher than most of my travels when I sat down and did the calculations, but it was also nearly effortless. The cruise and airfare for two people was $4776, and that’s including port fees, mandatory tipping, travel insurance, and transfers to and from the airport. Divide that by two, $2388 for one person to pay for flights, all accommodations, all food, PLUS travel between four different counties.

The additional expenses for this trip were the shore excursions. I normally wouldn’t spend extra for these, I would find local guides on my own, or just wander, but ultimately I wanted the security of booking through the cruise ship to ensure I didn’t get left behind. We booked six shore excursions costing an additional $1660 for two people. Most of these excursions were worth the cost, a few were not, but overall it was nice to have everything planned and not have to think twice.

The shore excursion process was well organized each day, we would meet in the theatre and when our tour was called we would make our way to the gangway where our numbered bus was waiting. This was a wonderful experience with very little stress.

$4776 for cruise/flight + $1660 for (optional) excursions put us at $6436 before we left Washington. $3218 per person to fly, see four countries, have all the guess work taken out, go on excursions, and so on, and so on, and food, and a bed, and entertainment…I also spent $272 (I’m not calculating this into any of these numbers, just making note of it) for myself while on the trip and that included $60 of tips for tour guides, a few souvenirs, and some food.

BUT, if you remember what I said at the beginning of the post I had a credit. So this $6436 did not all come out of my own pocket. When it was all done and dusted I spent a total of $2617 for two. Split that in half and we each paid $1308 for a 9 day cruise around the Mediterranean. I would absolutely call that a win, and when it was all said and done I would have paid the full cost without a credit if I had to do it again. Absolutely worth it.

Had I paid full price this would have been my most expensive vacation to date. I am typically one frugal traveler.

Final thoughts: We traveled light because we wanted to. This meant no waiting for baggage claim and no worrying about lost luggage. We washed a few outfits in the shower (I brought liquid detergent) which worked surprisingly well. We did not buy any drink packages or specialty meals, we had plenty to eat with the free options. Entertainment was free, I did not leave extra tips (everything was included in mandatory pre tip payments), we took zinc, vitamin D, and magnesium daily to help prevent sickness, wifi was extra money and that felt icky to me (I did not pay for wifi, my package included 150 min for each of us and we rationed those like each minute was our last meal), and we both slept well in our small cave.

For any future cruises I do I will likely go on them for vacation rather than for travel. Vacations are meant to be lazy, to move at slower paces and soak up the immediate surroundings. Travel is for fast paced, non stop exploring to see as much as possible. A cruise is different than traditional travel. There are comforts on a cruise that might rob you of experiences you might have if you’re on your own schedule. There is always a trade off.

There were moments I felt myself wishing I had more time to explore certain areas, but I tend to feel that way regardless. I like to have control over my time and maximize what I see. Ultimately these types of adventures are always what you make of them, we had a blast, and I need to get better at living in the moment! Stay tuned for a week of travel, starting with a day at the Dead Sea and Masada National Park!

Q: Have you been on a cruise? If yes where, if no would you?

The beauty of vacation, is that when my alarm goes off at 0500 I don’t wince and drag myself out of bed. I spring up like a slinky falling down stairs because I know a new experience is ahead of me. After a full day at sea exploring our temporary home base, Duncan and I woke up bright and early in our first port of the trip – Ashdod, Israel. We were to meet for our shore excursion around 0630, and we made sure to have enough time to eat breakfast before we left.

With bellies full of chocolate croissants and watermelon we made our way to the theatre to meet for our tour. The process was smooth – we were given a number and were sent to find our bus with the matching number. Before we could exit to find our bus, we had to stand in the longest customs line of the trip. We waited for what felt like an hour, but we made it through receiving a small passport-like paper allowing us to be in Israel for 90 days.

We were on bus number 7, where we met Eli (ell-EE), the most amazing tour guide I will likely ever meet. A tour guide is like a cup of coffee. The quality can make or break your experience.

Our excursion for the day was a visit to Masada National Park, and the Dead Sea. We drove from green grasslands to barren deserts in a matter of moments, and the drastic change was fascinating. These areas of Israel were unlike anything I have ever seen. We began our day at Masada, a new to me location, and this rugged natural fortress has a somber yet inspirational backstory.

What started as a palace for King Herod the Great, turned into a refuge after Judaea became a province of the Roman Empire. The refuge was home to the last survivors of the Jewish revolt who chose death by suicide rather than slavery when the Roman enemies broke through their defenses. The Romans built a ramp to climb up to an entrance of Masada, where they found the bodies of the Jewish refugees.

For months the defenders of Masada had to watch the approach of the ramp and the Romans. And I thought my anxiety was bad.

Today there are two additional ways up to the fortress: a cable car, and the snake path. Perhaps if you’re really brave you can take the old Roman ramp, but that has bad vibes written all over it. The snake path walks up the entirety of the mountain, and while I’d have loved to do this we were strapped on time and it was 90F outside. After patiently waiting for Eli to argue with the cable car operator on why we needed physical tickets, we made our way up the mountain where we got our first view of one of the many Roman camps below.

These camps are where the Romans organized the building of the ramp, and the attack on Masada.

Eli was a wealth of knowledge. His tour enthralled me to the point of forgetting how hot it was. Until he stopped talking and I had to find shade in any corner possible. We met another couple on this tour who was not only from Washington, but from the same town, and the four of us cowered away from the sun any chance we had. Us northwesterners don’t do well in the heat.

Duncan didn’t wear a hat and his forehead turned crispy like a piece of well cooked bacon.

After an amazing trip to Masada, we made our way to the Dead Sea for the final stretch of our tour. After walking and standing in the heat at Masada, relaxing in the salty sea was a great way to end the day. We went to one of the many hotels near the Dead Sea for a meal (included with our tour), where I quickly shoveled a plate of chicken, hummus, cucumbers, potatoes, and fish into my face.

We only had an hour and a half to eat AND to get our bodies floating – I didn’t want to waste a single minute. Thankfully Duncan was just as keen on turning himself into a human vacuum, and we ate quicker than anyone else on the tour. We made our way to the locker rooms to change, and found an empty spot of land away from the majority of the other people.

Floating in the Dead Sea is unlike anything I can explain by words. They tell you that you will float, you know scientifically that you will float, but you cannot fully grasp what it will feel like to float until you are in the water for yourself. Duncan was a fish in a past life and when you get that guy in the water he is the most content I’ve seen him (other than when he is in the safety of his own space.)

Duncan is to the water like Brittany is to the mountains.

We ended up having plenty of time to float, swim, and roll around like pool noodles, while actively ensuring our faces did not go under the water. Dead Sea salt in the eyes is not something I’d ever like to experience. The water was warm, but I was not uncomfortable despite how hot the day was, and despite wearing black. While planning for this trip I was unsure of what type of bathing suit I should wear. I wanted to be modest and respectful of Israel and their customs, so I chose a halter top suit with shorts to ensure I wasn’t too revealed.

Once we arrived, there were people in bikinis, and speedos. We were in a small, private beach area belonging to the surrounding hotels and I don’t think anyone would care what I wore. Ultimately I was more comfortable in this bathing suit so it all worked out.

I’m a sucker for anything holistic, and the minerals in the waters of the Dead Sea are said to be very healing. That, paired with the Dead Sea being the lowest body of water on earth made this visit bucket list worthy. I could have left the vacation and gone back home happy after day one with the experiences I had. This first day was the best day of the entire trip.

The bus ride back to Ashdod was about two hours, so we settled in for the ride and watched the desert fade back into green while Eli told us stories of his home country. Our tour started at 0800, and we made it back on the ship at 1830. A full day, back just in time for dinner. My souvenir for the day was a clump of salt I found while walking with my hands on the bottom of the sea near the shore. These clumps were everywhere, and my clump made it back home in one piece.

Duncan found a cool rock, and I am scheming a plan to steal it.

Before leaving for this trip I had a lot of anxiety about Israel in particular. The country continues to get attention in the media for protests, for unrest between Israel and Palestine, and more recently for missile attacks throughout parts of the country. These are all valid reasons of concern, but at the end of the day there is unrest everywhere in the world. Travel to Israel is currently only a level 2 out of 4 on the US Department of State website, and as long as certain areas are avoided this country is just like any other.

I am thankful for the experiences we had on our first day, Israel is a beautiful country full of kind people and rich with history. We were able to spend our second day exploring Jerusalem and Bethlehem, but more on that in my next post.

Q: Are there any places you were fearful of, but once you visited you were thankful you went? Are there any places you will not visit?

The first places that come to my mind when I think of Israel are the cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem. As a wee lass I was raised in a Catholic Church where many a Sunday’s I was left with the other linoleum lizards to learn about Jesus. These days I don’t identify with the Catholic faith, but I will forever have the VeggieTales theme song burned into my memories.

Religion is a very individualized process, and I have always resonated more with the Christian faith, but I am by no means well versed on the Bible.

Regardless of where anyone is in their walk with faith I think it’s safe to say these two cities are worth a visit. After an amazing day at Masada and the Dead Sea, we woke up bright and early again for our second port of the cruise. We docked in Haifa, Israel where we had a much easier departure process while heading to meet our guide for the day, Igal. Our first stop was to Bethlehem – a two hour drive away. I immediately noticed Igal spoke much less than our guide the day before, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt because it was early.

Bethlehem is a Palestinian town located in the West Bank, one of the two areas (Gaza Strip and West Bank) advised against visiting. Tourists are free to come and go with caution, however Israelis are not allowed to enter into Palestinian Territories unless they receive approval. Our guide Igal is an Israeli citizen, and because of this he was not allowed to give us the Bethlehem portion of the tour. Thankfully he was able to enter with us, however we picked up a Palestinian guide before entering through the check point.

The first thing I noticed about Palestine after spending the previous day in Israel was the difference in how they treated their land. There were heaps of trash tucked in all corners around Palestine, while in Israel the streets were clean. It was a bizarre difference of two locations so close to each other. The conflict between the two areas was certainly felt more within Palestine, from needing a local guide to reading signs threatening Israeli people.

I still felt safe throughout this entire day, it helped being in such a large group of other tourists.

The Palestinian guide we picked up was very kind, and passionate about her job, but incredibly difficult to understand. She walked too fast at times, causing some stress on the folks who were slower moving. This day was a prime example of what happens when you cram too much into one day. I tried my best to understand her through our personal headset devices, but the best way to hear her was standing as close to her as possible.

Our first stop in Bethlehem was to the Church of the Nativity. This church is one of the most sacred sites of the Christian religion as it is said to be the birthplace of Jesus. Today this church is one of the oldest christian churches still in daily use. The interior was beautiful, but I could not tell you what I learned while inside. Aside from seeing the cave entrance where He was born, I had no idea what I was looking at.

The tour became comical to myself and some of the other guests at one point, because it was so all over the place that no one quite knew what was going on. I gave up trying to listen to the guide and instead focused on soaking in as much as I could. I knew I could read more about what I had seen when I returned home. After spending more time than necessary inside the church, we walked back to the bus to head towards our next destination.

We were headed to a local shop selling olive wood fixtures, jewelry, and other traditional religious items, where I bought my mom an olive wood cross. I was more interested in the sights along the way, and by this time my belly was screaming for food.

For lunch we ate in Bethlehem at an assembly like buffet station. The food was delicious, aside from the fact I decided it was a good time to try chicken liver. I was having a “when in Rome” moment thinking I wanted to try any of the local foods I could (while actively avoiding my allergens) and this was a drastic error of judgement. I am not one who can hide their facial expressions well, and my disgust was seen by those around me.

Somehow I couldn’t get Duncan to try the liver, I wonder if it was something I said.

After lunch it was time to say goodbye to our Palestinian guide, and we headed back to Israel to finish our day in the Old City of Jerusalem. We ended up having to walk part of the way into the city center due to traffic, but these mishaps are some of my favorite. There are few things I enjoy more than walking around new to me places. We entered in through the dung gate, the lowest part of the Old City where all the waste used to exit when it rained (according to Igal), and we were immediately met with music and a parade celebrating a bar mitzvah.

What an incredible way to enter into the city.

We first headed towards the Western Wall, the last remaining outer wall of the ancient Jewish temple, and an incredibly important site of modern Israeli history. People of all religions come here to pray either with spoken word or writing prayers onto pieces of paper to stick into the wall. Igal told us people often write questions on their papers and then place them into the wall, so I decided to participate.

Men and women are separated by a divider and there were far more women on their side of the wall than men.

After spending time observing the happenings at the Western Wall we moved on to walk through the narrow streets of the Old City. This is about when I lost what was going on. Similar to our Palestinian guide, it was very hard to hear Igal. I discovered they both had been talking right on top of their microphones making the sounds muffled. They both reminded me of Charlie Brown’s teacher.

I did my best to stay close to him, but eventually I gave up and tried to enjoy the atmosphere without the history lesson.

We walked the streets as we headed towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which I sadly had little to no knowledge of. This is where my lack of Bible smarts bit me in the butt. I think if I’d had a baseline knowledge of the significance of certain locations we were visiting I wouldn’t have been so frustrated by the lack of audible information. I now know the church is identified as both the place of the crucifixion and the tomb of Jesus.

What stood out to me most was the Stone of Anointing, and a small window viewing into Golgotha. There were people on all side of the oiled up stone rubbing their personal belonging over the top of it. This is said to be where Jesus was laid after his death, but I have read conflicting information. Golgotha is the rock where Jesus was crucified, and there is an area within the church you can touch the rock, but the amount of people inside made me want to move through the area as quickly as possible.

The viewing point was more than enough.

We made our way from the church back through the streets towards the bus to begin the long drive back to the ship. What I enjoyed most in the Old City was all the narrow streets, the architecture, the alleyways, and the local hustle and bustle (not to be confused with the tourist hustle and bustle.) I would love to return someday and wander these streets, get a little lost, and have more time to soak in what I am seeing.

Maybe if I am lucky I can find my orange and white friend again.

If this post felt chaotic in anyway, then you are getting an accurate representation of how the day felt for me. Large tours in larger cities are hard to execute well. It wasn’t Igal’s fault (though at times he was more interested with his phone than with providing information), and I did my best to enjoy the city for what it was. No regrets were had, without this tour I would not have been able to see as much as I did.

The trade off for a rushed tour is the ability to see a lot of things at once. While this is not normally my cup of tea, the day was good and I am thankful to have seen the sites regardless. Two days in Israel was just enough to get an idea of all the beauty to be seen and history to be learned. Perhaps one day I can return to see these cities again on my own terms.

Next up: our half day in Cyprus.

Q: Have you ever been on a less than stellar tour?

When I chose the destinations for this vacation, Cyprus was a bonus spot. It wasn’t until AFTER I returned home that I learned Cyprus has MORE cats than humans on the entire island. This fact alone would have been enough for me to book a trip exclusively to Cyprus. My first impression was fast and furious, I enjoyed the latter half of our day, but I didn’t feel the need to go back.

Until I discovered the cat fact.

Our day in Cyprus started early and ended early. We only had five hours to explore, and we booked a tour to show us a few spots near our docking port in Limmasol. I will spare you all my true thoughts on how bad our tour guide was. She did her best, but the woman was not fluent in English and her lack of enthusiasm sucked the excitement right out of me.

It was so hard to listen to her I eventually stopped all together.

I fully understand that when I am in these foreign countries I am the minority. I never expect locals to speak my language, and I think it’s rude to speak to someone in English without attempting to learn a bit of their local language. However, when booking an English speaking tour I do believe the guide should be fluent in English. This goes for any language, if I book a Spanish tour I would hope the guide would be fluent in Spanish. Alas, this is the last you’ll hear of my grievances with these guided tours.

Thankfully Cyprus is not a place I felt a need for endless information, and I instead used the tour as an opportunity to be transported around with ease.

We started our day with a very quick visit to the archeological remains of Kourion, a city with evidence connecting it to the Greek legend of Argos of Peloponnese. We sat down with our group in this large amphitheater, before deciding to stray off on our own. This decision was half fueled by the fact I could not understand anything being said (wasting time sitting in one spot), and half fueled by my overwhelming need to get away from the small child who was sitting behind me on our tour bus.

Was it the broken English that caused me not to hear our guide, or the child who would not stop talking at the top of her lungs? Jury is still out.

I’m thankful we broke away, because there was so much more to this site than what our guide was showing us. I would have loved to wander this area on my own with endless time, but even the short bit we saw was beautiful. We didn’t wander too far, we only had about 30-45 minutes total at this place, but we wandered just far enough to get a view of the water and more of the ruins.

From Kourion we drove to the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates. I wasted no time deviating from the group once we arrived, and I was immediately blessed with my first friend of the day. A small black and white feline with a tick on his head. I did my good deed for the day and removed the tick with a piece of paper. I then proceeded to pet him regardless of the tick sighting.

What can I say, I like to walk on the wild side.

This area was small, but without the struggle of trying to focus on someone speaking I was able to enjoy myself more. I wandered the ruins and soaked in the history, but truth be told these types of sites don’t really tickle my fancy. Unless I have time to read more about what I am looking at. Ruins are fascinating, and I do enjoy history, but as one of the couples we met on this trip said: “once you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all.”

I don’t entirely agree with that, but there are certain ruins I feel more connected to. Either way this site was a sight to see.

I said goodbye to my new friend, and we hopped back on the bus for a 30 minute drive to our final stop of the day. We drove to the small town of Omodos, and this was my favorite part of the tour. We parked the bus and walked as a group towards the city, passing by some cats in a small park. It was as if the Greek Gods sent us good vibes after visiting the sanctuary.

We aggregated as a group in front of a church where we were given the green light to break off and meet back in an hour and a half. I couldn’t go inside the church because I was wearing shorts, and both Duncan and I wanted to wander as much of the town as possible. We beelined back to the cats before weaving in and out of the small narrow streets.

I quickly discovered Duncan is just as keen on wandering European streets as I am, and we covered as much ground as possible in our short time. We passed a man watering his plants who asked us where we were from. We exchanged a few words before moving on to find more cats. I eventually lost count of how many cats we found, but the amount of dopamine I received after each sighting was enough to keep me at a forever high.

We saved just enough time to sit in the center of the city while Duncan enjoyed some ice cream, and I enjoyed some honey covered cashews I bought before we started wandering. The shop claimed they were locally made, and one sample was all it took. My only regret was not buying two bags. I ended up eating these cashews as my dessert most nights after dinner.

Before we knew it we were back on the ship with the entire second half of the day ahead of us. I enjoyed having a half day in Cyprus, it was just enough to see some new places, while balancing rest after the two previous longer days. The morning started a bit rocky with the tour guide and the linoleum lizard behind me on the bus, but the afternoon in Omodos ended with relaxation and my cup filled with joy.

Give me cats and candy cashews and I’m a happy gal.

We spent the rest of the day eating, walking the ship, enjoying the views, and watching the onboard entertainment before slipping off into a slumber. I didn’t think I needed to go back to Cyprus, but now I imagine how many more cats there are that I could say hello to. Thankfully my cat quota was filled again the very next day…Next up: the back roads of Rhodes.

Q: If you saw the stray cats of the Mediterranean would you say hello or avoid them? They were all so friendly.

Call me crazy, but Greece had never been high on my list of places to visit. I really don’t know why, maybe because I associate Greece with beach vacations and those aren’t really my thing, but upon arrival in Rhodes I was shown that Greece is so much more than just a pretty beach. Ironically, the second I saw the beach I wanted to sit and stare at the water for hours.

The waters of the Mediterranean are truly mesmerizing.

Our previous port destinations required some type of transportation into the city centers, either through a tour or through a shuttle provided by the cruise, but once we pulled into the Rhodes port everything was right there. It’s a good thing too, because this was the only day we didn’t book any tours or have any plans. I am so thankful we kept this day free, this was likely my second favorite day of our trip.

Our plan for the day was to wander, and as fate had it right before we entered into the Old City we saw a Hop on Hop off bus. I am A SUCKER FOR THOSE TOURIST BUSES!

The full rotation of the bus was about an hour. Our plan was to ride the loop in full and decide where we wanted to get off and explore more. These busses provide an affordable option for getting a lay of the land, some historical information, AND transportation for a full day. I love walking as much as I can, but I also love maximizing time with the option of location hopping by bus.

As we started our tour Duncan and I decided to count the cats we saw for the day, and I was already up to 12 by the time we chose our first place to explore.

After one full rotation we decided to get off at the Acropolis of Rhodes. Here there are many old ruins including the Temple of Apollo, the Odeon (small marble theatre), and the Stadium (what we came for.) As we were walking towards the Stadium my cat count shot up and I officially lost track of how many I had seen. I was loving the old Stadium, but I was enamored by the cats.

Our original plan was to spend some time here and then walk down to the beach where we would catch the bus and ride back to the Old City where we started. I was trying to maximize time while also wandering by foot, but we spent just enough time at the Acropolis to warrant waiting for the bus. This gave me the opportunity to find more friends.

I wonder if these cats were around when the Stadium was in full swing, lounging on the benches like they do today.

As we walked back towards the bus stop, I saw my future as clear as the shallow waters of Hawaii. A woman speaking in Greek was summoning the cats in the above photo, with a bag of cat food in her hand. She splayed food out in piles along the flat stone and it was here I learned the way in which humans and cats coexist in these Mediterranean locations. She was such a sweet older woman, and I have never been more certain of my purpose.

We decided to skip the beach and go straight to the Old Town. If time permitted we could walk to the beach, but we wanted to ensure enough time in the Old Town and some of the surrounding locations. We entered into the city through the Gate D’Amboise, one of the many gate entrances, and it was my favorite of them all.

We wandered the bustling streets inside the Old City, but eventually found our way towards the quiet residential areas where we both enjoyed the solitude.

We walked, and walked and walked, petting as many cats as we could. They were everywhere within this city. They were everywhere on the entire area of this island and it was pure paradise. While we were inside the Old City we climbed some stone stairs providing a view of the water as well as a view of a spit of land leading out to the Windmills of Mandraki (once used to grind grain that was brought to Rhodes via the ships), and the Fort of St Nicholas (designated as a place for guarding the entrance to the harbour.)

A vantage point to show us where we would wander next, off we went!

Our walk towards the spit was not without reward, the views of the water were stunning and we eventually stumbled upon the most adorable catuary I have ever seen. A small piece of the old fort was filled with cats. I only wish I’d had more Euros on me, but I spent most of what I brought on water earlier in the day. I gave the only change I had to the cats, anything for the cats.

As we got closer to the fort we tried to climb on the rocks to get a view of the front facing the water, but the rocks got a bit sketchy. Instead we stopped to soak up the view for a bit before walking towards where the Colossus of Rhodes once stood. There is much debate over the true original location of this giant statue, but what seems to be accepted by all parties is the earthquake causing the statue to fall only a handful of decades after it was built.

I like to believe the statue was standing over the entrance to the Mandraki harbor, where today you’ll find two deer statues standing atop pillars.

We spent the rest of the day wandering more within the Old City. The entire day was full of winding in and out of new streets, getting “lost”, and finding cats. It was one of the most enjoyable days I have had throughout all of my wandering travels. I was thankful to have spent the day with Duncan, we walked around 10 miles this day, and he was loving it just as much as I was.

We did not end up riding the HOHO bus again, but we also didn’t need to. We saw a larger area of the city thanks to the bus, but we managed the rest by foot. It was nice to have this mode of transportation at the beginning of our day to maximize time, as the Acropolis would have taken over an hour round trip to walk to without having GPS.

If you’re short on time, or if you want an idea of places to visit I highly recommend any of the HOHO style city bus tours.

As the day came to an end we stumbled upon a community of cats, where we were surrounded by over ten at once. All of them wanted pets and love, and I so badly wanted to take all of them home. Duncan was such a trooper with all the photos I wanted to take. I never want my photo taken, but put me next to a cat and I become like a D list celebrity lusting for the paparazzi.

Rhodes is a beautiful, relaxing city. History abounds for those who enjoy it, and for those who don’t there are endless shops, cafes, and beaches to satisfy your needs. There is quite literally something for everyone here. If I have the opportunity to visit Rhodes again I will likely rent a car because there is so much more to the island than this tiny port area near the Old City.

The Old City is a must see of course, but I would love to drive the entirety of this island one day.

We left no stone unturned in Rhodes. I felt we saw all that we wanted to see for this particular day, and we made it back to the ship with empty bellies ready to devour the dinner buffet. We chose to predominantly eat on the ship for this vacation, while I love experiencing cultures through food, I also love saving money.

Food was already included with our trip, so we ate as much as we could on board.

My opinion of Greece was changed after this day. I look forward to an exclusive Greek vacation in the future, spending at least a week touring a handful of Greek Islands. I have some food to eat, and more cats to pet. Our next stop of the cruise brought us to Turkey where we visited an amazing ancient city, with even more cats. Go figure.

Q: Would you eat the food you already paid for with a vacation package, or splurge on extra local foods?

In January of 2020 my best pal MaryBeth and I booked a trip to Turkey. We bought plane tickets, reserved hotels, and became overjoyed at the thought of visiting this European/Asian country. Then, shit hit the fan. I couldn’t remember what exactly happened, but MB reminded me that an American soldier had killed a Turkish citizen (I think.) The Turkish president wasn’t happy with Americans after that, and Turkey was potentially unsafe for Americans to visit at that time.

After we each talked to our military raised fathers, we decided to redirect our trip. We had an amazing adventure in France that took us to Disneyland Paris, as well as a visit to the beaches of Normandy. We stayed at the most amazing Air B&B which I still dream of today, but my desire to visit Turkey never wained.

Fast forward to booking this cruise, and when I saw Turkey as one of the options I knew it was finally time to dip my toes into this country.

After an excellent day in Greece, we made the journey to our first of two Turkish ports. We docked in Kuşadası, a beach resort town on Turkey’s western Aegean coast. This town is apparently where Europeans flock for a “cheaper” beach vacation, but I can’t say I have a huge desire to return. The town itself is almost exclusively supported by the cruise ship industry, making for an uncomfortable time walking around. More on that later.

Thankfully we were not spending much of our time in Kuşadası, and our adventure for the day was a visit to the ancient city of Ephesus.

I should have known we were going to have an amazing morning after I was blessed with a tiny black friend the moment we stepped off the ship. On our previous days we had to venture further off the dock before I found my kin, but it was as if this ball of love knew I was missing my little black fur child. There he was just sitting at the end of the ramp off the ship, waiting for me to love all over him.

I couldn’t stay long, we had a tour bus to catch, but I was on cloud nine. Our tour guide for this excursion was excellent. His name was Mehmet and he spoke amazing English, was personable, and he was well versed on the location we were heading to. If you read my previous posts you will know having this guide was a blessing. Our bus ride to Ephesus was about 30 minutes from where we docked, and Mehmet gave us a history lesson while I contemplated my outfit of choice.

A few weeks prior to this trip, I saw the most gaudy, amazing shirts at REI and I knew I had to have one. When realizing there was a matching version for men I reluctantly asked Duncan if he would wear one with me. His answer surprised me as he said yes with no hesitation. I anticipated we would wear our matching shirts on the cruise ship only, but lo and behold we chose Turkey to don our attire. It just so happened this was the one chilly day of our trip. Good thing we are from the PNW.

Our shirts were a hit with both locals and our fellow cruisers, and despite the chilly weather I was warmed from the inside out as soon as we arrived.

This area had the most cat to human ratio we saw on the entire vacation, and I was in absolute heaven. It was as if a colony of cats had come here to live and never left. For all the dog lovers out there, we saw some stray dogs here too. Equally as friendly, living in harmony with the cats. It was truly an amazing sight.

Animals aside (for the moment) this city was one of the most fascinating locations I have ever seen. Ephesus was once a port city, considered to be the most important trading center in the Mediterranean region. It changed many hands and survived many attacks, but the ruins are well preserved to this day. It is also said that this city is where Mary, mother of Jesus spent her last days.

Ephesus is a pilgrimage site for many Christians because the Apostle Paul lived within the city to preach the gospel and gain followers. I too was on a quest to gain followers while in Ephesus.

I did my best to pay attention to everything Mehmet was saying, but I found myself distracted by the cats. I know I have been saying this a lot the last few posts, but this was such a unique experience for me. I have never in my life seen so many stray/well taken care of cats in this way. I was also soaking in the views of the ruins, trying to imagine what they looked like in their prime.

I didn’t take too many photos, just the essentials like photos of cats, statues, and an old bathroom.

We eventually made our way to the old library, originally in ruins, but reconstructed between 1970-1978. This was a beautiful location, and I knew this needed to be the backdrop for Duncan and I to take a photo in our matching shirts. I asked a man passing by to snap our photo, but I didn’t like the shot he took. Thankfully moments later someone from our tour asked us if we would like a photo in our matching shirts.

I of course said yes.

After we snapped this photo we were approached by a French couple I had seen around on the ship. The woman and her partner were wearing matching sweatshirts, and she wanted to take a selfie with us. As she was taking the photo her guy said to Duncan, “she roped you into matching too?” Which I found to be comical, because it was Duncan who had to convince me to wear these in public.

I wanted the shirts, but was too shy to wear them out.

Now that we have broken the ice, I can’t wait to match again. My inner eight year old is screaming with twinning joy. We finished up our time at Ephesus and were given about 15 minutes to roam the shops outside of the gate. Duncan and I didn’t want to shop and we instead headed to the bathroom. Nothing could have prepared me for what we saw next.

A rooftop of feasting cats was the perfect way to end the tour to Ephesus. We loaded back into the bus and headed back to Kuşadası for the remainder of our tour. This second part was optional, and while I am glad to have had the experience (I think), it was wildly uncomfortable for both Duncan and I. Turkey is known for their amazing carpets, the intricate patterns and colors are enough to keep you mesmerized for hours.

Fitting that we would end our day at a carpet shop.

Our group gathered into a small shop where we sat around a long couch as if we were seated into an auditorium waiting for a show. We were given a snack and a beverage and before we knew it four or five men were throwing carpets onto the floor while one ring leader described what we were looking at. Perhaps while trying to be personable he asked where everyone was from, and he said the words Duncan still sneers at me for replying to: “is anyone from Seattle?”

While we are not directly from Seattle, I typically tell people I am from Seattle (or Canada) while traveling. Because of this my hand shot up before my brain knew what I was doing. The ring leader looked at us with eyes beaming, “I have been there! My daughter studied at the University of Washington.” I smiled and told him that was wonderful and he continued on with the show. I thought we were in the clear, safe from the attention directed at us, but then the show ended and it was time to shop.

Duncan and I were the youngest two in the room, and neither of us feel the need to buy “stuff” so while we tagged along for the experience we were not planning to spend our hard earned cash on any carpets. The moment the show ended the ring leader bee lined over to Duncan and I and started whispering to us. He told us that because he loved Seattle, he would give us an extra special deal. He asked which carpet we liked the best, and while I had no plans to buy any of them I pointed to an exceptionally beautiful blue one.

He pulled back the carpet to reveal the price tag. $10,000. WOOF. But for us, for us he would sell the carpet for somewhere just under $4000. What a steal right? My face flushed as I felt the pressure to get away from this salesman. I knew we could not be the last ones in this store, so I told him we were going to continue browsing and would let him know what we decided. This got him to focus on another set of people, giving us enough time to escape. We thanked Mehmet as we ran out the door and attempted to wander for a few minutes in the town.

Just as I thought we were free of the aggressive salespeople we were met with human after human trying to lure us into their shop. Nothing pushes an introvert away more than being followed and summoned. I knew I wanted a Turkish coffee maker, but after attempting to enter into one of the shops and not being given the time to breathe let alone think about what I was looking at (when I buy things it takes me time to think) I knew this was not the place I would be shopping.

We headed back to the boat, because I was no longer interested in exploring this town, and it was as if my little friend knew I had been overwhelmed by my final moments. He was there, just as he was at the start of the day to bid us adieu. He left a much better impression on me after being bombarded by the shopkeepers. It took everything in me not to stuff him in my shirt and smuggle him back onto the ship.

My first taste of Turkey was a bit much at the end, but I knew I could not base my entire experience on this tiny cruise ship town. Our second day brought us into Istanbul and the entire day was marvelous. Kuşadası is a town of its own, I would love to return to Turkey one day and visit some of the other cities like Cappadocia, Antalya, and some less touristy towns, but I’ll likely avoid the carpet shops.

When we returned to the cruise ship we overheard a man waiting for an elevator tell a couple about why he will never set foot into one of the carpet shops again. He said the one time he did, the shop owner locked the door and told him he couldn’t leave until he bought something. I can’t even imagine what I would do! Thankfully our ring leader was nothing like that, or maybe we just got lucky because we were the first to leave.

I guess we will never know.

Q: Have you had a pushy shopkeeper experience? Multiple?

If you read my previous post you will know that while I loved the old ruins of Ephesus, the port town of Kuşadası was not for me. I had high hopes that the following day in Istanbul would be a better experience, and thankfully for us it was. Some of my readers left comments stating their experiences in Istanbul were not great, but we had a wonderful guide which I think helped tremendously.

Our day started early, and we were to have a full nine hours in the city. Our guide was a short Turkish man with more energy than height who was enjoyable to be around, and had plenty of tricks up his sleeve in order for us to maximize our day. We started our adventure with a visit to two popular mosques in the city – Hagia Sophia, and The Blue Mosque (also known as The Sultan Ahmet Mosque.)

Originally our tour notes stated we would not be able to go inside of The Blue Mosque because it was closed, but on this morning it was opened for a short period of time.

We went inside of Hagia Sophia first, and while normally the line would have taken over an hour to stand in, our guide was a magician with getting us in. He prepped us before we got off the bus and told us his plan. We were to wait casually on the outskirts of the line in small clusters while he went to find one of his colleagues who was already close to the entrance.

We would then slowly add ourselves into his colleagues group (the line was wide and chaotic and easy to sneak into) and voila, we waited all of 20 minutes.

Admittedly I did not love this, it felt a bit stressful to me and I didn’t like how our guide bounced around like a pogo stick (I also hate the idea of cutting in line), but at the end of the day it worked and I didn’t have any other choice (this is why I prefer arriving places before the world comes to life.) Ultimately we were able to maximize time and for that I am thankful.

Women were only admitted entry if their hair was covered, and everyone must take their shoes off. We entered in and saw some of the most beautiful ceilings I have ever seen, and my feet were blessed with cushy Turkish carpet.

This mosque was once a Christian church and the ceiling has four seraphim mosaics. These were known as God’s protector angels, and their plump moon like faces were covered for almost 160 years when the church was turned into a mosque. Three of the four angels still have their faces covered, but one was revealed when the mosque was turned into a museum. Church to mosque to museum to mosque.

In 2020 the museum was turned back into a mosque, and all of the Christian references within the mosque have been covered with tapestry. Except for the one angels face.

The energy inside the mosque was infectious. I found this to be the highlight of my time in Istanbul. I am by no means Muslim, but it was impossible to be inside such a magnificent building and not feel the energy. My favorite part was the cat inside the mosque that everyone seemed to love on. There were a few men praying in a designated area where the rest of us could not go, and the cat walked up to them and sat down. One of the men pet him as he was praying.

I could have sat in there for hours. I felt we spent enough time inside and I did not feel rushed one bit. As we were leaving I noticed a remaining Christian image on the outside of the main entrance to the mosque. What a fascinating piece of history. The Blue Mosque is just a hop, skip and a jump away from Hagia Sophia, and we headed over there next for a quicker walk through an equally beautiful location.

The line for The Blue Mosque was long, but not as long as Hagia Sophia. The line moved quickly thanks to our tour guide helping random patrons with preparation by the front door. We all wore headsets to hear him even if he was not close by, and listening to him ushering people in was comical. We were only inside for 10 minutes or so, and I don’t remember much of what was discussed, but I do remember the wonder of these ceilings.

As we exited to head towards our next location we stopped to take a few photos from the outside of these two mosques. They are directly across from each other with a beautiful park like area separating them. There were people everywhere enjoying the sunny day.

I didn’t care much for our next destination. We spent far too much time here, and I would have preferred more time at a later spot we went to, alas I didn’t have control over this. We visited the Topkapi Palace, which was beautiful and had many things to see, but the only thing I felt intrigued by were the gardens and the details on the walls.

I have always considered myself a minimalist, with desires for simple spaces and not a lot of “busy” features to a room, but these Turkish ceilings and walls are an exception to my rule. I would love a wall like this in my house.

From here we headed to lunch, which could not have come sooner. My belly was growling and I was ready for a feast. I had hoped we would be treated to a Turkish meal similar to when we were in Israel, but we ended up dining on chicken Florentine. It was delicious, but unexpected. After lunch we made our way to our last destination – The Grand Bazaar.

As we started our drive towards the Bazaar we found ourselves in some traffic that seemed to surprise our guide. I could tell he was beginning to panic a bit because we were wasting already precious time. No one knew what the traffic was for, but our guide coordinated with our bus driver to drop us off on a corner we could then walk from, and we were to meet back at a different corner an hour and a half later.

We had to walk about 20 minutes each way, but we would have never made it to the Bazaar had we not walked some. I loved this detour in plans, walking part of the city was such a treat.

There was a guy in our group who we sat next to at lunch, and it appeared he and his wife were on a trip with his parents. Maybe it was a honeymoon vacation as they looked to be a young couple, but this guy was dead set on buying multiple knock off Rolex watches. Fake watches are a big deal in Turkey, and our lunch mate was eager to ask our guide where it was best to buy them within the Bazaar.

I had other plans. All I wanted was a simple Turkish coffee maker. I had seen some the previous day in Kuşadası, but the prices were high and the hovering was intense. I had no desire to be watched like a hawk while trying to look at my options so I left empty handed. The Bazaar was my last chance to find what I was looking for, but at first it was proving difficult.

I don’t know what I expected the inside of the bazaar to look like, but I didn’t expect it to look like a run down US shopping mall. Our guide let us loose inside to shop and explained to us the layout of the area, but I was worried about getting lost because our time was limited. He told us once we got off the main strip the shops got smaller, and most of the coffee makers throughout the shops I saw looked cheap and mass produced.

I was beginning to give up hope, but then we wandered into what felt like a back alley of the bazaar with more authentic looking stalls.

I stopped in front of a stall with floor to ceiling copper and other metals. It looked like a junk yard at first glance, but as I stopped in front of the stall an older man approached me to say hello. I braced myself for the aggressive attempt to get me to buy something, but the man stepped to the side and said nothing more. I was taken aback by his disposition, and it was because of this I was able to actually soak in what I was looking at.

Duncan pointed out the perfect coffee maker at the top, and this is when things got comical.

Our lunch mate wasn’t the only one to ask our guide where to buy something within the Bazaar. I asked about the coffee makers, and our guide told me I could find them everywhere, but what was most important was to not pay full price. I was determined to haggle for my coffee maker despite the concept of doing so making me wildly uncomfortable. 

It’s 2023, we’re pushing outside of our comfort zones y’all.

Haggling is part of the culture, and I was prepared to ask for a lower price when I asked the kind older man how much the coffee maker I wanted was . He told me the price in Lira, which was equal to about $24 (already half of what they wanted in Kuşadası.) I only had USD because I knew it would be accepted here, so I paused and offered him $20. He came back with “that’s not the same as what I asked for” and apparently my hesitation was obvious.

I counteroffered one more time and told him I would give him $20 and 2Euro, and he said we had a deal. At the end of the day I still payed less than his original ask, even if just by around $1. I call that a success. Truthfully I was happy to pay this man what he wanted simply for his chill behavior while I was looking at his shop. If this man taught his peers how to act around foreigners this would likely result in more sales from people like me. 

With my goal complete we wandered our way back to meet our guide, saying hello to cats along the way. 

We walked back to the corner we were meeting our bus, and I soaked up the hustle and bustle of the city thinking about my experience in the Bazaar. Our journey to find our bus driver was smooth and easy, and we avoided the chaos of traffic that many of the other buses got stuck in. Our guide was amazing at his job, and I am thankful we were placed with him for the day.

We made it back on the ship with time to spare, and settled in before heading to dinner. My experience in Istanbul was entirely positive, and I am over the moon about my fun new copper trinket.

I don’t know if or when I will make it back to Turkey. There are so many other places on this earth I would love to visit, but even just a brief introduction to this culture was rewarding in its own way. I didn’t enjoy the discomfort that came with the pushy vendors in my previous post, but I never felt unsafe with my group. Overall I am thankful for the entire experience, including the salespeople.

My next post will conclude this series of travels where we found ourselves back in Greece for a tromp around another ancient city, more black cats than I could handle, and plenty of blue and white alleyways.

Q: Would you have haggled, or would you have paid the asking price? As an American it feels engrained in me to pay the asking price, but I really wanted to partake in this aspect of their culture. Who doesn’t love saving a dollar? I wasn’t good at it, but I tried. LOL.

After a long and wonderful day in Istanbul, I was excited to sleep in and have a morning on the ship before our last full day of vacation. If you read my first post of this series you will know I wanted more time on the ship to soak in the sights from the water, the activities on board, etc. Somewhat of an ironic statement for someone who has thalassophobia.

From Turkey we were heading back to Greece for one more adventure, but we would not arrive until 1200. I’m naturally an early riser and this gave me time to do all the things I wanted to do that morning. I greatly enjoyed having a leisure breakfast, time to savor my coffee, and one more run around the outdoor jogging track.

The wind was wild that morning, and one side of the ship had me running through what felt like full bodied molasses thanks to the wind.

Lucky for me, the wind meant there were no other humans on the deck and I could run without having to stop. After my run I showered and got ready with Duncan to grab some lunch before we took a ferry boat to the shores of Mykonos. We were unable to port the cruise ship, but a constant shuttle was running throughout the day for people to come and go.

We took the small boat to the shore where we met our guide who was taking us to Delos, a small island that can only be reached by boat (third boat ride for us of the day.) There are boats that depart from Mykonos and some of the surrounding island, and I highly recommend a trip to Delos if you’re ever in the area.

The boat ride took about 45 minutes and the waters of the sea were beautiful. When booking this tour I had never heard of Delos, but it was one of the few options that sounded interesting. The archaeological site on the island of Delos is the remains of a sanctuary to the gods Apollo and Artemis, and the city that developed around it.

What was once a bustling port city is now a fascinating piece of history.

We chose a tour that offered iPads, showing us what the land might have looked like back in the day. I was indifferent to the 3D aspect when booking, but Duncan was intrigued. Once we got to the tour the iPads were not of interest to either of us, and more of a hindrance.

Our guide was knowledgable, kind, and easy to understand, but the iPads slowed us down and I wanted to explore more of the ruins.

Immediately upon arrival to the island we were greeted by cat, after cat, after cat. If you have been following along with this vacation series (or if you just know me), you will know the cats stopped me in my tracks and were a huge distraction from listening to the guide. I eventually took my headpiece out and focused on the surroundings and focused on the cats.

Duncan and I wandered off a few times, never out of ear shot, and we always found our way back to the group.

This place was amazing, and I will absolutely return. I want to see more of the ruins as well as climb to the top of Mount Kynthos. I could not stop looking at this peak during our tour and wishing I had time to run up it. We were given about 15 minutes of free time at the end of the tour before wandering back to the boat heading to Mykonos. We found a cool structure, and then we were followed by two locals.

After our adventure on Delos we had two hours to wander Mykonos as the evening wore on. It was 1800 when we arrived back to Mykonos and we were planning to take the 2000 shuttle back to the cruise ship. Originally I was worried this wouldn’t be enough time, but two hours was more than enough to wander and get a feel for this small city. It was beautiful weaving in and out of the streets in the evening.

I had no goals here, other than to see white and blue streets, find the famous windmills, and pet as many cats as possible. We would be leaving the land of wild kitties the next day and I had to soak in as much as I could.

After chatting with Duncan when we arrived back home, he decided this last day in Greece was his favorite. We were able to watch the sunset on the beach looking out towards the water, and Delos fueled his passion for history. My favorite day was still our first day in Israel, but the freedom of no plan in both Mykonos and previously in Rhodes made Greece a top contender for a return visit.

Mykonos is a bit kitschy for my taste, but I was happy to have seen it. I don’t feel the need to return to Mykonos, but there are plenty of other islands I would love to see. Thankfully, while the shopping in Mykonos wasn’t for me there were plenty of friends to see before we left. We didn’t eat in any of the restaurants, but I can only assume the food was delicious.

Before we left the island Duncan had the idea of taking another cringe hand guiding photo, but this time he would be leading me towards a cat. We took one of these photos as a joke on the ship one of our days, and now this feels like an appropriate tradition for us whenever we see a cat.

We made it back onto the ship by 2000 and ate one final dinner in the buffet. The following morning we were up early to get our stuff together before disembarking the ship for the last time. The process for getting off the ship was chaos, my only negative feedback for the entire trip, but I made it off $30 richer thanks to a free credit we didn’t use. A win is a win.

It has been two and a half months since our return, and I am still daydreaming about this adventure.

I’m in awe of all that we saw – from Greece, to Israel, to Cyprus, to Greece, to Turkey, and back to Greece. Cruise ships vacations aren’t for everyone, but man was this an easy way to travel. This was my first international trip with Duncan and it went amazingly well. Now we will just have to see how he likes a Brittany planned international vacation. Muahaha.

Q: Do you have any upcoming summer/fall/winter plans? Let me live through you!

1. I have a lot of random things to write, and what better way than an Early Morning Confessions post. For starters, just before Duncan and I took our vacation we celebrated my childs 15th birthday. We bought party hats, I gave him a pâté of prescription food (which he no longer eats) sprinkled with fish flakes, we bought gifts, and we sang to him.

I was certain the gift I bought him would be a hit (pink ball with green fuzzy worm), while the gift Duncan bought would be a dud (a catnip stuffed cigar because he is an old man now, as Duncan said.) Come to find out he was terrified of my gift (the bouncy ball sent him running) and obsessed with Duncans. Go figure.

2. That tiny black ball of fur is my best pal. He brings me so much joy and I am certain he is my soul cat. I’m not sure we get more than one soul pet in our lives, and I have never felt a bond with an animal the way I do with him. Shortly after returning from vacation he had a week long spell of vomiting, and was eating less than normal. He was due for a senior check up so I took him in.

After three days in a row of testing and specialists he was diagnosed with IBD, pancreatitis and he was incredibly constipated. He was put on steroids to help with inflammation and I completely overhauled his diet. Changing his food was nerve wracking because although I was certain his food was contributing to the problem (prescription urinary food filled with gargbage), I was worried he would get another urinary blockage (he had one in 2018 that almost killed him.)

It’s been two months of daily steroids (we are currently on the taper), trying multiple types of food, and absolute exhaustion and stress for me. The vomiting has stopped, and I found a probiotic that has helped his poops, but I still have daily anxiety. I’m struggling to let go of the obsessive control to heal him. I am doing everything I can to ensure he is ok for the rest of his life.

He may have turned 15 recently, but I expect at least 2-3 more years with him.

3. Back in May, the weekend before the journey with Little (my cat) began, I went for a hike with three gal pals I met in Germany. Galiya, a friend who I became close with at a time when I needed friendship was coming to visit her pal Sarah in Bend, OR. I knew Sarah, but we didn’t spend any time together. Galiya, Sarah, and I met up with Paige, a friend who I worked with and greatly enjoyed who now lives in Portland.

We hiked Dog Mountain, a trail I had been wanting to hike for a while. This was such a beautiful day of reunion and I would give anything for close friends to live nearby.

4. My car is from 2007 and had the most ugly, disgustingly clouded headlights for years. I didn’t care much, but at a recent oil change (I go to the Toyota dealership), I was asked if I wanted my headlights restored FOR OVER $150!!! Absolutely not. I decided to try it myself and used this Rain-X product for $20.

I was chuffed with the results, and 10/10 would use again.

5. The summer is here in full force, but I haven’t done many fun activities. Between selling my soul to corporate America and spending time with Little, I haven’t had much space for anything else. I have had a few walk/hikes I have enjoyed, gone for plenty of runs, and a few noteworthy bike rides, but I am longing for a weekend getaway.

I don’t see many getaways in my future for quite some time, but I would give up all the vacations in my life to spend more time with my fur babe.

6. This song has made it onto my liked songs on Spotify, and I listen to it often. I first heard it on Instagram, then I found it on YouTube, and I try to show everyone I can. I showed my mom last week and we both cried we were laughing so hard.

7. Have I talked about Little too much in this post? I think that’s impossible, so here is another fun fact. Due to his recent IBD diagnosis I have stopped letting him in the backyard. He eats too much grass which results in vomiting and irritation. Backyard adventures were his favorite, and in an attempt to keep him stimulated/avoid boredom and depression I have found a new adventure.

We now go on car rides.

I experimented a bit ago by putting him in my car sans carrier, and driving slowly around the block. I wanted to ensure he would be chill, and once I saw how he behaved we moved to longer and further rides. I do not take him on the freeway/highway like this, but slower back roads have become a joy for us both. He LOVES these rides.

We even went to Duncans for a few hours one day, which he enjoyed until he didn’t anymore.

8. Consumerism is driving me mad. I have always struggled with the idea of having too many “things”, but it wasn’t until I worked in a retail setting that I saw the effects of: “more, more, more.” Sure, I like buying things that I will use, and I have been known to buy things I likely don’t need, but on such an elevated scale where people around me treat buying and selling “stuff” like it’s life or death – I just can’t.

9. I don’t normally like water activities. I’m more of a land gal, but in an attempt to push outside of my comfort zone I went kayaking with one of my coworker/friends recently. I rented an ORU Kayak (these fold up/down for easier transportation and storage), and accompanied her to a nearby lake for an evening paddle.

The kayak was a pain in the ass to set up, not all of them are as intricate as the one I used, but once it was ready to glide I loved it.

10. I am feeling quite lonely these days. No matter where I am in my life I struggle to find people who “get me.” Most of the people I am surrounded by are surface level friendships, or acquaintances. It’s rare for me to find someone I connect with deeply, and this leads to me feeling like the odd man out around most people.

Some seasons of life I have more connections than others, but people move/life changes, and when I start feeling like this I allow myself to feel the heaviness that comes with a lack of community. A reminder to continue fostering my deeper friendships from afar. As with all things in life it’s an ebb and flow, and the times of loneliness make the deeper connections all the more special.

Q: What’s your confession?

I have been all over the place lately. My mind has been scattered, stale, and stagnant. When my cat got sick back in May it threw me for a bit of a loop. Three months of daily morning medications, non stop monitoring of symptoms and bathroom habits, and trying new foods. This meant I wasn’t finding much time for myself and what I enjoy doing. It took another month before I felt comfortable leaving him alone for a night. I can blame my anxiety for that one.

I would go to the ends of the world for this cat, and I am thankful he is stable and doing well, but admittedly I have felt a bit lost as to where my focus should be directed.

I couldn’t see much past the basics, going to work, and spending time with Little. I knew I needed to spend some time out of my house, and while Duncan is a huge support to me, we have differing desires for how to spend our free time. We compromise most weekends, but in an attempt to let Duncan off the hook (because let’s face it, if someone isn’t overly interested in hiking giant mountains, it’s not fun for anyone) I befriended my coworker Caitlin.

It’s no secret I enjoy spending most of my free time outside. It’s not only physically beneficial for me, but mentally as well. I thrive knowing I have weekend plans to hike a mountain or travel somewhere new, and I’m kicking myself for taking so long to ask Caitlin to hangout outside of work. We have been working closely together for around two years now, but I knew she kept to herself on her weekends.

We slowly learned over time that we had similar humor, similar interests, and there was something about her I knew I would click with. She invited me to go kayaking with her back in June and from there I knew it was game on. We talked about hiking a local trail in passing one day, and I decided to make it happen. Since our first hike together in July we have been making a habit of hiking as often as we can. She is up for any hike I throw her way, and it has been so helpful for my mental health to have someone I can go on bigger adventures with.

Making friends as an adult is hard. There is no way around that. Making friends as an emotionally charged introvert is ever harder. I am very sensitive to peoples energies and I can almost immediately tell if I am not going to vibe with someone. As children we are told to be friends with anyone and everyone, but as an adult I have become the polar opposite. If I don’t like your energy, I will not spend time with you.

This is nothing to apologize for, not everyone is for everyone and that’s ok.

Whenever I am feeling stuck or stale there is usually a correlation. I am either not doing the things that bring me joy, or I don’t have a community of people around me who shares similar interests. My job will never be my source of joy, or purpose, therefor it’s imperative for me to continue finding ways to connect with the world and the people around me outside of where I make money.

I wasn’t sure if I would have many summer adventures this year. Keeping close to Little has been my main priority the last handful of months, but I have been able to sprinkle a hike in most weekends since Caitlin and I started hiking together. We have a few more planned, some of which Duncan will tag along on, and I am directing my focus on enjoying the little things in life.

This first hike Caitlin and I did was one I had hiked back in 2014, and then again in 2015. It had been so long I didn’t remember anything about it. This was my first “bigger” hike in a while, and it felt good to get my lungs working again. The sun was out for the first half of this hike, but as we reached the top the clouds moved in, allowing sporadic pockets of views. I made sure to give Caitlin the best view of my face, a look reserved for true friends.

As it turns out I had summer adventures after all. I hiked, I picked blueberries and blackberries, I ran, I rode my bike, I read three books, I took countless evening and morning drives with Little to see horses and sheep and chickens, I went on walks with friends, I spent time with people I love, and I never had to stray too far from my child. I am excited for fall and the hiking to come, and I am excited to continue finding pockets of joy in the simplicity of my happily mundane life.

Q: Did you travel far this summer? Let me live through you.

Within the last few years I have become fascinated and intrigued by the benefits of cold water therapy. As someone who does whatever they can to manage autoimmune flare ups, the idea of dipping ones body into frigid waters makes sense to me as a way to mitigate inflammation. When my water heater broke last November I took a cold showers (in the middle of winter) for over a month, and while the initial process was not fun, I felt amazing.

Alas, when the water heater was fixed I was happy to go right back to warm showers.

I didn’t always embrace cold water. When I was in my 20’s I used to avoid going into the ocean when at the beach, or alpine lakes while hiking, but in 2020 I submerged my body into an Austrian alpine lake after a very, VERY hot day of hiking and I was sold. The last few summers I have done my best to get into the water at the beach at least once during beach visits, and this past August I managed to swim in two alpine lakes.

First up: Lake 22

A modest, beautiful hike in the Snoqualmie National Forest area, clocking in at 6 miles RT with an elevation gain of 1500′. I embarked on this adventure with my friend Caitlin and her sister Christina. In an attempt to beat the crowds and the heat we left at 0500, arriving at the trail head by 0700. We were the first car in the lot, quickly followed by one other guy. He beat us to the lake, but as we were arriving he was leaving, giving us the lake to ourselves for at least 45 minutes,

I had never done this hike before, but I can see why it is so popular. There is a well maintained boardwalk system that circumnavigates the entirety of the lake, and the reflection of the surrounding mountains are stunning. We found a spot in the sun and started swimming around 0900. I kept my body submerged in this cold, yet refreshing water for at least 25 minutes before we headed back down. This was a perfect introduction.

Next up: Snow Lake & Gem Lake

Heading East of Seattle towards Snoqualmie Pass is one of the most popular summer hikes in the Seattle area. Snow Lake is a 6.7 mile RT, 1700′ elevation gain hike that hundreds of people flock to. The waters of Snow Lake are some of the most blue and green I have seen in this area, and this is one of my favorite hikes. It had been years since I hiked this trail, and I wrangled Caitlin into hiking this, with the intention of continuing on to Gem Lake for a swim.

Gem Lake is an additional 3 miles, with an extra 1000′ of elevation or so, and I was hopeful we could find a pocket of solace as most people stop at Snow Lake. We arrived at the Snow Lake trail head around 0700, and there were a LOT of cars in the lot already. People likely staying in the nearby cabins, and we saw a few parties starting their ascent up to Snow Lake. We were able to pass some people, giving us the trail mostly to ourselves on the way up. We stopped for our first snack once we reached Snow Lake, appreciating the quiet of the early morning ambiance.

The final trek to Gem Lake was easier than I anticipated. It was getting warm, the high of this day was in the 90’s, but with a cold lake to look forward to it was easy to push on. Thankfully with the early start we beat most of the heat, until we were going down. More on that in a minute. We passed a few people who had camped along the way, we weaved and bobbed through the trees, we scrambled over a rocky field (my ankles were sore for days after this), until finally we reached the lake.

There were more people than I expected at this lake, but we still found our own spot to swim. We were in the shade, which was chilly, but it only took a minute before my body acclimated to the water. One of my favorite things to do after sitting in cold water for a bit is to crack my knuckles. My joints swell when it’s hot and when I am hiking, and twisting my back to pop as well was such a relief. We stayed in our section of water for probably 30 minutes.

Across from us on a rock higher up were two guys listening to music. This smaller cove like lake area carries sound incredibly well, and although they were too far away to normally hear them, with the water carrying their sounds we heard not only their obnoxious music, but their voices. At one point one of them said: “those girls are staying in the water.” Clearly they were being outshone by us women, and they jumped one by one from their ledge into the water.

This made my sphincters tighten, I don’t like watching people jump into possibly shallow waters.

Caitlin and I both stayed in the water cooling off, but once I felt my fingers turning white I knew it was time to get out. We moved ourselves into the sun to eat our second snack before heading back down to the car. Caitlin and I sneakily took similar photos of each other while we were snacking, great minds think alike.

I couldn’t tell you what exactly went wrong for me as we made our way back down. Maybe it was the RX bar I ate (those never sit the best, but man I love them), maybe it was the heat getting into the 90’s, maybe it was fatigue, but I started to feel incredibly nauseous as we descended the switch backs after passing Snow Lake. The traffic was stop and go at times because there were so many people coming up (whoever decides to start a hike at 1300 in 90 degree weather is a certified psychopath in my opinion) making the hike down slower than I’d have liked.

This was a one step at a time descent for me, and I was so thankful when we reached the car. Unfortunately I was sick the entire 2 hour ride home, but thankfully Caitlin drove to this hike. I had my eyes shut most of the the way home focusing on my breathing and doing my best not to hurl on my newfound hiking pal. I made it home unscathed, took a shower, ate, and finally started to feel better.

Sickness aside, this was my favorite hike of the year so far. It was a beautiful day, and I loved swimming in Gem Lake. Swimming here was a full circle moment for me, because the last time I hiked to Gem Lake in 2014 my hiking pal swam, but I did not. I was overheated then too, but wasn’t comfortable with my body (the irony, I was at my thinnest then – typical female brain) so I did not swim.

These days I could care less what people think of my body, I’m getting in the damn lake.

As I say goodbye to summer the weather is turning colder, and the pumpkin products have hit the shelves. I don’t see many alpine lake swims for me the rest of the year, but who knows maybe a true polar plunge is in my future. Fall hiking is my favorite, and I cannot wait to watch the leaves change. Crunchy walks here I come.

Q: Do you like swimming in cold water?

At the end of July Duncan and I took a trip to Mount Rainier, with the expectation of hiking one of the many lovely trails on the Sunrise side of the park. The park has two main “areas” and most of the popular trails start on either the Sunrise side, or the Paradise side. Last September we went for a hike on the Paradise side which is significantly larger as far as parking and accommodations, and when deciding what time we should leave to arrive for our hike this year we based everything off of those aforementioned facts: September, Paradise.

Duncan likes to sleep in, while I am content leaving the house at 0500 to ensure we beat the crowds. In order to find a middle ground we left around 0700 with the intent of arriving around 0930. This is what we did last time, so it should have worked well, right? Turns out July is not September (duh, July is far busier), and the Sunrise side is not Paradise. The Sunrise side has significantly limited parking meaning we arrived to find ourselves in a line of other cars, waiting to get past the gate.

NO, no, no, noooo.

After waiting for 30 minutes or so, I asked a passing park ranger how long we could expect to wait, and the words that came out of his mouth put me into a tunnel of darkness – “three hours.” Absolutely the heck not. Thankfully I was next to a pull out, and with no plan B we turned around and started driving. We had no cell service, no idea of where else to hike, and I was starting to have a melt down.

I don’t handle changes of plans very well, especially when I have no way of finding an alternative.

I ended up driving the ENTIRE PARK over to the Paradise side which was MADNESS, before settling on a random trail off the side of the road. We walked through the woods passing a few small waterfalls, with the goal of finding Narada Falls. Ironically Narada Falls in accessible just off the road, but something about hiking to it make it all the more awe-worthy once we arrived. We hiked from Carter Falls to Narada Falls clocking about 6 miles with 1300 ft of elevation gain.

The trail overall was so-so, would not do again, but the day was beautiful and I had a good sport of a passenger. If only he could say the same about me. I was admittedly a pill the majority of the afternoon, but once we were able to get out and start walking I think I turned it around. I don’t know, you’ll have to ask Duncan.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago. It is now September (good time of year), I have two willing humans wanting to leave at 0500, and there is rain on the forecast. A recipe for success. My friend Caitlin and her sister Christina met me at my house for an early departure to hike once again on the Sunrise side of the park. This days adventure was a walk to the Berkeley Park Campground, with an offshoot to the Fremont lookout on the way back.

All three of us were a bit trepidatious due to the weather forecast, but we decided to go anyway. We arrived at the parking lot by 0730, and the entire lot was swallowed by a thick cloud. There was plenty of parking, but the air was chilled and I quickly discovered I did not dress warmly enough. I was certain we wouldn’t have any views that day, but karma was on our side. As soon as we started hiking the sky opened up.

The Berkeley Park trail took us through open meadows and away from the mountain for a unique view of this park. We hiked 4 miles to the campground area, had a snack, and headed back towards the Fremont Lookout. I originally wanted to do the Fremont Lookout Trail as a sunrise hike, but we would have to wake up around 0100 for this, and honestly I don’t think I care enough to watch a sunrise. The views from the lookout were just as lovely during the normal hours of the day.

We savored the view for all of five minutes before the wind took most of our warmth and I could no longer feel my fingers. We made our way back towards the parking lot, making this hike a total of 10.75 miles and around 2300 ft of elevation. This take two of recent visits to Mount Rainier went much better than the first, and a large part of why was because I lowered my expectations.

These two hikes might have been different in all ways – different weather, different company, different attitude, but there was one commonality between the two. There is a local shop 30 min outside of the park that sells ice cream, and it is well worth the splurge. This recent hike my hands were too cold to eat one of my snacks, so I got vanilla ice cream to top with my snack. Absolute win.

The perk of being an adult is that you can reward yourself whether your attitude is positive or negative, and I rewarded myself after both hikes.

Q: Do you like arriving early places before the crowds, or would you rather sleep in and arrive when you arrive?

I have been making a habit of visiting Trader Joe’s about once a week in the last year, and on each visit I was counting down the days until I saw the sign. The sign that indicates the changes of seasons, the Holy Grail of the modern day basic American woman, and the source of a multi month giddiness I know I am not alone in…

Hello. My name is Brittany, and I loose my marbles over the beginning of pumpkin season.

The thing is, I don’t actually consume most pumpkin items. I’ve never even had my own pumpkin spice latte (I have had sips, but it’s not for me for a handful of reasons.) For me seeing this sign is an indication that calmer days are coming my way. The busyness of summer adventures are coming to an end, the rainy days are on the horizon, and the much needed rest my body seeks is more acceptable to my go, go, go mindset.

I love fall. This time of year always feels cleansing to me. A time to appreciate the changes of colors in nature, heartier seasonal foods, and there is a sense of joy that fills my soul when I see pumpkins sitting outside every grocery store. What can I say, I am a sucker for large orange spheres. Walking into Trader Joe’s with the smells of cinnamon brooms and the sights of every gourd imaginable makes me feel like a kid again.

I don’t care what this says about me, I will take any source of excitement I can get.

Pumpkin season also starts my adventurous attitude with food. I typically keep things strict with what I eat, but I let my hair down this time of year through Christmas to taste some forbidden fruits. There are a handful of seasonal treats I avoid, but there are a handful I don’t avoid. I had been waiting 365 days for Trader Joe’s to bring back an item I discovered last year, one I consumed many times.

And in typical Trader Joe’s fashion they did not bring back my beloved this year.

As my luck would have it anytime I find a decent gluten free item, it’s limited. I fell in love with a local muffin company a handful of years ago and they no longer exist. I fell in love with Trader Joe’s gluten free pumpkin bread and it no longer exists (at least not at my local store.) This bread was hands down one of the best store bought loafs I have ever eaten. It’s hard for me to find a treat that not only tastes good, but doesn’t leave me feeling like I consumed an entire fifth of vodka the night before.

Alas, I must move on and continue to seek a new seasonal treat. There are some items that are seasonal, but they’re items I would eat on a normal basis. Add a seasonal flavor to something and I am all over it. Sometimes they are a win, and sometimes they are such a huge loss that I wish teleportation existed so I could speak face to face with whomever created such an abomination.

Tasty treats aside I also look forward to an annual visit to a pumpkin patch/corn maze. The weather has been a bit finicky in Washington, but I hope to get lost in a maze soon. I last all of 15 minutes before I stop trying and begin allowing Duncan to guide me out. I just like to wander. The pumpkins, the flannels, the boots, the corn, the leaves changing – all of this is the beginning of a magical few months of holiday seasons.

I never used to be big on holidays, but as I get older I look forward to them. I don’t care for the consumeristic aspect of them, in fact I abhor that correlation with holidays, but I love the sense of togetherness it brings. I love the fun activities available, the foods, and sometimes even the weather. I savor October and November and I look forward to many pots of homemade applesauce, nights of wool socks and movies, stormy afternoons while I snuggle with my cat, and all the decorated porches.

If anyone out there knows of a good gluten free item I must try (yeah yeah I know I can just make my own and I DO, but sometimes a girl just wants to buy an unhealthy treat), please let me know. Or just share with me your favorite fall treat you like to consume.

Q’s:

• Do you like fall?
• Do you get seasons where you live?
• What’s your favorite fall treat!?

1. I have one last hike I want to share from the beginning of October, but it’s been so long since I’ve popped on here that I think an Early Morning Confessions post is in order. Somehow it’s already mid November, and almost time to scarf down pounds of turkey. It’s also almost time to be thankful Duncan is nearly one year older. Confession: I’m older than my sweet, young, boyfriend.

Any guesses on how much of a gap we have?

2. Speaking of the almost birthday boy, we managed our annual trip to a pumpkin patch just before Halloween. The pumpkin pickings were slim at this patch, and it looked as if a tornado had ripped through the farm leaving rotted gourds in its wake. We managed to find two small rejects that we turned into starry eyed puke faces.

3. One of my coworkers is constantly recommending off the cuff movies to me. I have watched most of the ones he has suggested, some I have ruminated on after watching, but none more than the one I watched most recently. I wanted to watch Midsommar since first hearing about it, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into with that movie.

It was one of the most disturbing movies I have seen in years, and yet I obsessed over it for a week.

I don’t watch scary movies. They are absolutely not for me. I will envision scenes for far too long causing extensive fear of the dark as a full grown adult. This was a horror movie of sorts and although I cannot handle true horror, the psychological thriller aspect of this movie captivated me. However, I was thankful my coworker warned me of a specifically gory scene, I don’t like gore either.

Has anyone else seen this movie?

4. My cat is doing much better these days. I think I have dialed in what he needs in his geriatric stage of life. He is playful and eats well, seems to feel ok, and loves to snuggle. Now that the colder months have arrived he is a sucker for the space heater. He sticks his paws right under the vent that blows hot air, and the image kills me every time. I also bought him a heating pad because he is spoiled and he is my child.

5. My dad came to visit at the end of September and spent a few days falling in love with my cat. He loves my cat so much he almost stuffed him in his duffle bag to take back home with him. He also went into full dad mode analyzing my car to ensure it was in top shape (I have driven the same car since 2008, and I absolutely love it.) One of these statements is true, and the other is not.

Any guesses?

6. My friend Sam and I took a day trip to Oregon the weekend before Halloween. Our goal was to visit Halloweentown, aka the town of St. Helens. For my fellow millennials who grew up in the 90’s you might remember this Disney channel movie. We rewatched the movie before going to Oregon and it was just as terribly great as I remembered.

It was fun to see the filming location right in the center of town, and movie aside this was an adorable place.

7. On this trip to Oregon we also stopped in Portland for Sam to visit Powell’s Books. I knew Portland would have some gluten free goodies, and I found a bakery around the corner from the bookstore. I was flabbergasted by the prices of the goods, and although I do better with gluten free than gluten full, I was not about to pay copious amounts of cash to feel like crap. I settled on a $6 scone that thankfully blew my socks off.

It was worth every single repercussion.

8. My friend Caitlin and I have been staying active despite the rainy weather. I am thankful to have a pal like her who is always up for an outdoor adventure. She has the sweetest adventure pup, and that means a lot coming from a cat lady.

9. Staying active in the fall and winter months is imperative for my mental well being. I have started running more regularly again in an attempt to mitigate any seasonal sadness that is inevitably coming my way (I run year round, but only 1-2 times a week when it’s hiking season). Last year I did a run streak starting on Thanksgiving where I ran everyday for 39 days.

A handful of those days I only ran one mile, but it was enough to keep my spirits high. I have decided to start the streak early this year, and this year my goal is to run at least two miles most days. I won’t be upset if there are days I only manage one mile (hello PMS week, I’m looking at you), but I’ll shoot for two.

I’m on day 8, wish me luck.

10. This year I got back into reading and it has been an enjoyable way to avoid too much time on social media. Social media does little to no good for bettering my life, and while it can be fun to scroll mindlessly once in a while, I do my best to not be on it too much.

I tend to obsess over stories that haunt me, and the book that destroyed me most this year was: A Little Life. There are so many trigger warnings for this book, and I found it to be a sad story along the way, but it wasn’t until the end that it broke me. I sobbed for probably 10 minutes straight, and I was sad for a week. I don’t recommend this book because it’s filled with trauma, but I have never read a book where the main character stuck with me long after reading.

I am glad I read this one. Books and movies that make me feel things are usually worth it for me. Real life is messy, I need messy stories. Sometimes.

Q’s:

• What’s your confession?
• Have you read any books lately that you recommend?

It’s the second week of December, and in Washington the rain is heavy, and the clouds are dark. I don’t mind this weather (yet), but I do find myself reminiscing on the brightness of fall. Two months ago my friend Caitlin and I went for one final big hike, and today I am going to share that story. It’s not often I see a hike that is four hours away and wrangle someone into coming with me, but per usual Caitlin is my go to gal – up for any adventure.

Our original plan was to do this hike (driving included) in one day. We would get up before the birds, drive the long haul to the North Cascades, hike 11-12 miles, and drive home. We would be tired, but we could do it, right? This trail is one of, if not THE most popular trail in the North Cascades meaning we had to ensure getting to the trail early, or we risked having to park on the already too tiny gravel road. In order to ensure we had a parking spot we decided to find a cheap Air B&B and drive up the night before.

We found Lolita, a 1979 Airstream for a whopping $70 a night.

Lolita was cozy, but the bed was rock hard and I slept maybe a total of 3 hours that night. We woke up around 0500, and headed straight for the trail head. Thankfully I had enough caffeine and adrenaline to get me going, and I was stoked to only be driving two hours instead of four. We arrived at the trail head around 0700 with just enough time to snag one of the remaining parking spots.

The lot was filling up fast, but thankfully for the majority of our hike we didn’t run into too many people.

This hike is popular because there are two main options: hike the Cascade Pass Trail which is a moderate 7 mile round trip hike to a beautiful overlook, or continue on to the Sahale Arm which is an additional 5 miles round trip (plus about 2000 feet more elevation.) I would say half of the people who come to this trail stop at the Cascade Pass. The views to Cascade Pass are beautiful on their own, but I cannot imagine coming all this way and not continuing on to the Sahale Arm.

Caitlin and I specifically saved this hike for the first week of October because it is well known for having amazing fall colors. We could not have gone on a better day, the temperature was perfect, the sun was bright, and the colors were intense. If we had waited just one more week we would have been hit with snow.

We arrived at Cascade Pass just under two hours after we started. This is when the wind started to pick up, and it only got stronger the higher we got. I was continually taking my jacket off and putting my jacket on in an attempt to combat the heat from climbing and the chill from the wind. We took our time to stop and savor the views along the way, all the while playing leap from with one woman who was wearing the same jacket as me, but in a different color.

We savored the view of the above lake both on the way up and on the way down. This lake would be our focal point for the majority of the second half of the hike. At one point I even saw myself rolling down the hill, falling into the lake. More on that later. Overall I felt great on this hike, physically I had energy, and mentally I was stoked. We were having fun and the landscape could not have been more beautiful.

Until…

I eventually reached a point where each step felt like I had bricks tied to the bottom of my feet. My lungs felt like someone was sitting on them, and the air around me felt tight. I often struggle accepting when things are physically challenging for me, so I was getting frustrated by the fact that Caitlin seemed unfazed while I was having a hard time.

Turns out we were nearing 7000 feet of elevation, explaining why I was struggling with air.

Ultimately it shouldn’t matter, but I was comforted by this justification for my breathing. As we continued on we weren’t sure of where the end was. We just kept putting one foot in front of the other, fighting the wind, and admiring the brave souls who camped overnight. I cannot imagine sleeping with that kind of wind all night. We finally came to the end of the obvious trail, and met the portion of trail that was predominately boulders. This was a “choose your own path” type of trail, and when a pair of men passed us to the right, we chose to follow them.

Mistakes were made.

While Caitlin billy goated her way after them, I began crawling as the “trail” became tighter and the rocks became smaller and more slippery. We were on an edge that made every single hair on my body stand up as I shook with each crawl. I am a dramatic child when it comes to trail edges, and I was starting to struggle. Caitlin sensed my struggle, and was also convinced we took the wrong side. She didn’t have to tell me twice about finding an alternative route, but before we turned around she snapped the above photo of me while I was trying to find my footing.

I almost look like I know what I am doing. Thankfully I did not in fact roll down the hill into the lake.

We found a far better path, but my adrenaline was still high. We were both exhausted and unsure if we wanted to continue the final 0.3 miles to the “summit.” We had made it to the main view point, we were moving slow with the altitude and fatigue, and I was a bit shook by the trail edge. We sat at our chosen end spot for 20 minutes, eating snacks, before deciding we were too damn close to stop there. We were going to stop at the proper summit even if it took us an hour.

Turns out it only took us an additional 10 minutes or so. This is a reminder that our brains often tell us something is harder than it really is.

The final push brought us over a ridge that allowed us to see what most people come here for – the Sahale Glacier. We couldn’t see the glacier from our original stopping point, and while I had no desire to walk onto the glacier, seeing it was worth the extra trudge. We clocked in around 12 miles with 4000 feet of elevation when we made it back down, and the entire hike took us around 8 hours. This was by far the best hike I have done in a while, and I am so jazzed Caitlin and I made it happen.

The drive out was just as much of an adventure as the drive in because people had parked on both sides of a tiny road. We knew this was happening ahead of time thanks to multiple trail reports, all the more reason we wanted to arrive early. I cannot justify parking like an asshole, and it was sketchy trying to squeeze between two cars. It felt like driving on a back road somewhere in the UK.

Our four hour drive home turned into five or six thanks to Seattle traffic, but Caitlin and I were riding the high of our hike the entire drive back. It doesn’t take much to make me a happy camper. A quick overnight trip for a beautiful hike is almost all it takes to reset my factory settings when I am feeling off. This was my first hike in the North Cascades, and I can assure you it will not be my last.

Q: Anyone else reminiscing on fall? It’s my favorite season, but I do try to savor each season for what it brings.