Getting in the Groove

I love routine in the morning. It helps me wake up and ensure I am on time each day. I think I've got it down with my new job, and it feels great! Not that waking up at 5 a.m. is easy, but it's what I've gotta do. Plus, I love that I get to leave work at 4 p.m.! 

When Friday rolls around,  I am glad to have the weekend begin, since weekends in Denver might be my favorite ever. There is always something fun happening in the city, and the mountains are just a short drive away if the outdoors are calling my name. Hiking in Colorado is awesome compared to my wet hikes in Washington! Loving the dry trail and warm weather.

Additionally, the beer culture is incredible here. I find that we are attending a beer event of some sort just about every weekend. Plus, such events usually allow dogs -  Addie can join us!

Last weekend, we went to Denver Beer Co's pumpkin beer release party. Once in the door, we had unlimited opportunity to try their pumpkin beer plus a host of other beers on tap. Not to mention good food, games, and tons of fun people all brought together for the love of beer and a good time! Addie came along and was a huge hit. We take every opportunity we have to socialize her, and each time I am astounded at what a rock star of a dog she is. We are taking her downtown today for Oktoberfest Denver, and are so excited for good beer and German fun!

Wishing everyone out there a wonderful weekend!

Hooray for long weekends!

Labor Day weekend has been spectacular thus far. Preston, Addie, and I just got back from two nights in my uncle's cabin outside of Lyons, CO. Their darling green cabin is tucked away in the mountains with a river running right outside the backyard. I was dazzled by the lovely flowers in the yard and a hummingbird feeder buzzing with the little birds. We went on two nice hikes and Addie passed much of the time playing with Cody, a little pup a little over a year old. 

I'm exhausted from good time spent with family, hiking, eating delicious food, and reading, and am so glad to have tomorrow off work so that I may get some extra sleep and recuperate!

Addie getting some pets and a rest pre-hike

Theo, my uncle's golden doodle

View from the top 

Colorado is lovely

Cody the cutie! Addie's playmate for the weekend.

A glimpse at the lovely backyard

Head shake

Hummingbird friend

Full sail

I started my new job a week ago Monday, and I'm loving it! It is certainly an adjustment from not working at all, so I'm just starting to learn how to make time for other things. Add the puppy on top of that and I've got quite a few balls to juggle! 

My day starts at 5 a.m., I take puppy out, get ready for work, Preston leaves at 6 a.m. and I leave for work by 6:40 a.m.. I work till 11 a.m., drive home to take the puppy out and rush back to work till 4 p.m. Come home again for the puppy, I cook dinner, and give lots of love to the puppy. Preston gets home by 7:30 p.m.. We eat, and then to bed by 9 p.m. I haven't been this busy in ages! It's challenging but I'm loving it.

Thank goodness for the weekends when we can sleep in (till maybe 7 p.m.) and spend long days together. We've attempted two 14ers with Addie, and hope one day we can make it to the top! We are looking forward to this weekend and to more time spent in the mountains with family.

I'm hoping to get a rhythm figured out soon so I don't feel so rushed all the time, but perhaps that is my new rhythm for a time. Baby puppy plus full time job plus partner in medical school equals a lot more on my plate. 

Addie is quickly approaching 3 1/2 months this Sunday, and she has already put on 3lbs since we picked her up almost four weeks ago! It's amazing how fast she is growing and how much she is learning. She is one smart dog! 

Attempting Bierstadt

One tired pup on the way down

We (almost) did it!

I love her so

On the way down. Couldn't quite do it...

Busy Bee

The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind. It's been busy at our place with friends in town and lots of exploring to do and fun to be had. We have been making the brewery rounds and let's just say they are not kidding about amazing beer in Colorado!

In Denver, we visited Wynkoop  Brewing Company, River North Brewery, The Great Divide Brewing Company, and Former Future Brewing Company. Other favorites we didn't make it to with friends include Vine Street Pub & Brewery, Jagged Mountain Brewery, and Denver Beer Co. 

We of course hit up Coors in Golden, an irresistible tourist spot worth it for the three free pours. A short walk from Coors, we also tried Barrels and Bottles Brewery and Golden City Brewery in downtown Golden. Next time we go, we are certainly going to float the river through town!

If ever in the Denver area, I'd highly recommend all these breweries. My favorite thing to do is get a flight so I can sample what they have on tap to really get a feel for their taste and style. Many offer food or have rotating food trucks outside, and who doesn't love food with beer? Major win.

The next few days are going to be packed with family in town and medical school beginnings for Preston. The start of his med school seemed so far away and now it is right around the corner! 

Exploring Denver: South Pearl Street Farmers' Market

Between applying and interviewing for jobs, I am enjoying exploring Denver. This morning, Preston and I headed over to the South Pearl Street Farmers' Market to get some local produce and check out what this market had to offer. I grew up going to the Davis Farmers' Market every single Saturday morning and every Wednesday evening in the summers, so I was delighted to find such a great market right in our neighborhood! 

I naturally had to sample their chicken tamale offerings, which I found to be quite the tasty brunch. We also went home with ripe red tomatoes, a huge head of lettuce, kale, an onion, and a mystery pepper. Oh the joys of the market! Below are a few photos I snapped while strolling along under the big blue Denver sky.

Food trucks at the market

My tamal colombiano

More market views

I am going to explore more Farmers' Markets in the Denver area, and found this site to be especially helpful!

Portland weekend

This past weekend, I road tripped down to Portland with Preston and our friend Caitlin to visit our favorite Portland locals (see my dear friend Kelsey's blog, Ladies in Navy!). The weekend was filled with good food, great beer and cocktails, and so much laughter. 

Kelsey is a master at photography, and she gave me a hands-on lesson with my new DSLR (I recently purchased a Canon Rebel t3i and am having so much fun experimenting!). Below is a very small collection of my photography experiments and evidence of weekend well spent in a lovely place with even more lovely people. 

Blossom at Pittock Mansion

Frisbee in the park

Spring is everywhere! 

I am looking forward to the end of this week when Preston and I will be flying to Denver to find a place to live. It will be so exciting to have this important detail figured out and to catch a glimpse of what my new city looks like in the spring. 

Here is to warmer days and to new adventures! 

A festival of colors

Today I headed out with a couple friends to check out the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. We made sure to leave early in the day as traffic is a nightmare starting around noon - make sure you don't make the mistake of heading up after lunch! 

Tulip Town was our destination, and what a beautiful place. The three of us walked around the fields of color, taking photos at just about every row. They had every color imaginable in bloom, and at each new row of color we couldn't help but gasp, "they are so pretty!" 

The Tulip Festival is certainly a sight to see and happens every April. Disclosure: bring cash and patience! They do not accept credit cards (at least at this location) and there was certainly a line around every corner. Well worth it, though! Check out some photos below and enjoy.

The three of us ended the day with a late lunch on a rooftop in Seattle, soaking up the sunshine. All in all, it was a fabulous spring day in Washington!

Fun, friends, and flowers

The last two weeks have been full of "F" words: fun, friends, and flowers. And also brunch.

Last weekend, I had a delicious Sunday brunch with friends at DOA. Most tasty! They have fabulous Bloody Marys and really good Eggs Benedict, among other delectable options. If you are ever in Tacoma, this is a must!

Preston surprised me with my favorite flowers: daffodils! Washington is in full bloom and I am loving every minute. The sun is out, it is getting warm, and summer feels like it is just around the corner. 

Mmmmmm beer. That is all. 

Nothing like Saturday morning Shakabrah! Another brunch favorite. 

Time is speeding by and I can't believe I only have seven weeks left in Tacoma. Before I know it, I will be Denver bound. I'm taking advantage of my time and seeing friends, keeping active, and eating at my favorite places. There is so much more to come!

Brunch

In these two years post-college, brunch has become my favorite weekend activity. I love the lazy mornings leading to a big, delicious meal with friends, bloody marys, and coffee. Brunch might be the only meal where it is normal to have three or more types of beverages in front of you (water, coffee, bloody mary/mimosa/etc.), and I love it! 

I am in love with breakfast food. This morning, a friend described it perfectly: One camp is "breakfast breakfast," the savory, and the other is "dessert breakfast," the sweet. I typically lean savory, but love to visit the sweet side every once in a while for the occasional donut or waffle. 

My go-to brunch order is eggs benedict. For me, it is the perfect combination of all my favorite breakfast items: eggs, ham, english muffin, and creamy Hollandaise sauce. Yum!  

Below are a few of my brunch favorites. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, I would highly recommend you check them out! 

Donut from Legendary Donuts in Tacoma, WA

Eggs Benedict and hash browns from Clyde Common in Portland, OR

Egg baked in an avocado, chez moi (don't let them fool you - this is actually not delicious at all. Who knew baked avocado tastes horrible? Got to have some Pinterest fails to keep things real.)

Bloody Mary, beer chaser, water at Clyde Common

Latte! This one is from the Commons in Woodinville, WA

Another donut featuring bacon - this one from Blue Star Donuts in Portland, OR

These are just a small sampling of some brunch highlights. I'm sure there will be more photos to come as I continue my weekend brunch routine! What is your favorite weekend tradition?

Tulips

On Saturday afternoon, in the rain and gloom, I decided to brave the weather in search of tulips. I'm always amazed by what wonders fresh flowers can do for a space and for my mood. They cheer me up, brighten up the room, and basically make everything look up. 

I do nice things for myself once in a while, and I call it "dating myself." The idea is that I do something on my own that makes me feel good, like getting a pedicure or a mid-day latte. I'd recommend trying it out sometime - it's good to be able to rely on yourself to make you happy. 

So I am sharing my tulip bouquet with you, and hopefully they will brighten up your day just a little bit. Get out there and do something nice for yourself! You deserve it.

Remembering fun

Yesterday after work, I played Frisbee with a group of friends after happy hour at a favorite local restaurant, and I had fun. I sometimes forget how important it is to play and be silly and move around when Netflix and my couch is readily available. It seems with technology being so prevalent, we forget to step outside of the social media veil and genuinely interact with our friends and connections. The realization that I am moving soon and will not have these friends close at hand anymore has prompted me to try a little harder, get out there, and make good memories. I am excited for this weekend to catch up with more friends, take care of taxes (eek!), and get centered in my yoga practice. Weekends truly are the best, and I'm so glad this one is here!

Weekend note

In reviewing my posts, I realize I may be leaving the impression that I am a fairly weepy and ill-adjusted human. Rest assured, this is not the case! (It's really only puppies and motivational ballads that get the tears going, and even so it must be an exceptionally cute puppy or an especially applicable motivational ballad).

I am enjoying a relaxing weekend so far with good friends, tasty food, and much needed laughter. Tomorrow, I am hopefully testing my creativity with a new craft project. Be on the lookout for a DIY in a couple days!

Arizona weekend

 I am just back from a lovely weekend in Arizona visiting Preston's family. His sister just had a baby, so we couldn't help but make a trip to meet him!

Phoenix and Tucson provided a much needed escape from the wet and cold. We had gorgeous days with weather in the high 70s. I loved seeing the big blue sky and dramatic desert landscape. Preston told me this is the greenest time of year in Arizona, and I loved seeing the bright desert blooms. Colors seem so much more vibrant in that desolate landscape, and each new type of flower caught me by surprise.

Above are some photos from the trip. I just got a Cannon Rebel and took my first photos with it on this vacation. I'm still learning, but had fun playing around in the sun!