Adventures: Seattle & Port Townsend, WA

This past weekend I went on a little trip to Seattle to get this guy (Chris. My boyfriend.) and see the show he's been working on Port Townsend, WA. Chris is a stage manager, and lately he's taken a few more jobs out of town, which is always a fun excuse to travel!

We spent early Saturday in Seattle, and I got to meet up with my long-time blog-friend, Andi, from Untangling Knots! It's so fun meeting up with people, but with Andi it was especially awesome, since we've "known" each other online for so long. And she was wearing a super cute hand knit sweater, too! 

Chris and I went to the EMP Museum to see all the nerdy stuff like props and costumes from our favorite SciFi/Fantasy/Horror movies and TV. Which, to be honest, there was less than I thought. But the stuff they DID have was pretty cool, including this Iron Throne to sit on and take pictures. Chris was just begging to be thrown off... (throne.. off?!!? ehhh??)

Clearly I'm more devious.

Then we got in the car and drove around the bay to Port Townsend, WA, where Chris was working at the Key City Public Theater. 

Port Townsend is an adorable little town, and I was kinda jealous that Chris got to spend the last month and half there. 

We ate a lot of delicious seafood, drank some yummy drinks, and of course I had to visit the local yarn store and purchase something. 

I got these super soft, hand dyed, French crewel threads at Bazaar Girls! Finding crewel supplies is hard enough, so I knew I had to get a few of these high quality threads. I wanted to buy all the colors! 

So if you're in Seattle and want to take a little day trip - Port Townsend is highly recommended! Very cute and cozy town with lots to see, do, and eat. 

Spring Break on Captiva Island

The week before last, I spent some time on sunny Captiva Island, near Fort Meyers, in Florida. It was a much-needed week of relaxing on the beach and spending time with my family and family-friends. 

Although the humidity killed me (mostly through frizzy hair), our beach-side house, seafood dinners and fruity drinks more than made up for that. I also got lots of sleep and did some crafting. 

Am I the only one who enjoys the flight and spending time in airports? It feels like stolen time - I got so much done, thanks to free airport wi-fi! Let's just forget the hell that was flying during Spring Break and focus on how I enjoyed Dunkin Donuts for the first time in over a year at the Boston Logan airport!

The Desert: Palm Springs

Part two of my desert adventures happened in February - I met up in Palm Springs with fellow blogger Danielle, etsy-extraordinare Heather, and her friend Holly. We had the best time eating, shopping and walking around taking pictures. Danielle and I were originally planning to attend lectures and tours as part of Modernism Week, but after the first lecture was a complete waste of time, we skipped the rest of the events. So bad! But Palm Springs had more than enough to offer, without fancy lectures. 

It was so fun to have experienced "tour guides" for this trip - Holly & Heather are Palm Springs experts - and they showed me all the fun places to eat and shop. Danielle and I did have our share of foibles: we walked in to a "tour" of a home, just to be told, quite rudely, that it was a private group showing; and I locked my keys in the car, while it was STILL RUNNING. But all in all, it was a great time with fun, new friends, and I walked away with some great thrift store finds. 

I just posted a few photos here, but Danielle did a huge recap of everything on her blog - her post about Pioneertown is especially awesome. So go look at her photos, too! 

The Desert: Joshua Tree

So a loooong time ago (end of January of this year), my friend, Melissa, and I surprised Chris and Mel's fiance, Joel, with a trip to Joshua Tree. They deserved it, just because they both turned 30 within a week of each other. I took a million awesome pictures, and then never shared them anywhere. Not on Facebook, not on the blog. Wow, Katie, way to let your memories go to waste. 

We rented an amazing Midcentury Modern homesteaders cabin in Joshua Tree (the city, not the actual park), and had a chill long weekend, driving around, showering outdoors in the desert, grilling meat and attempting to start a fire. The first night, we were really cold and inhaled a lot of smoke. But by the second night, we discovered quick-burn logs, and conquered that fire! 

One of the things I love best about California is the possibility for quick road trips over a weekend, and we will definitely return to Joshua Tree. The desert is calling! 

Adventure Time: Portland Weekend

A few weeks ago, Chris, Melissa and I went up to Portland to see Joel (Melissa's fiance) in Midsummer Nights' Dream at the Portland Center Stage. We spent the weekend exploring the Autumnal Paradise that is Portland!

We walked around the city, stopped in a ton of little shops, ate lots of delicious food, and generally enjoyed the cool, rainy weather. 

My haul from Powell's Books. I could have spend another 5 hours looking through all their wares. 

   
Voodoo Donuts! 

We went to Ground Kontrol, and amazing arcade and bar that serves grilled cheeses, and ran into Wil Wheaton. It was like nerd paradise! 

  

Drank some beers at Rogue Brewery.

It was a great weekend.

And PS, Joel proposed to Melissa the day after we left! Love in Portland! 

Adventure Time: Birthday Getaway

Wine & Chicken & Waffles/Beer & Pretzels

For my birthday this year, Chris whisked me away to a long weekend stay in Ojai, CA. We stayed in a little bed and breakfast, and made side trips to wineries, mountains, beaches in Ventura and Santa Barbara, and ate a lot of delicious food. It was a lovely little trip, and only an hour and a half away! 

Adventure Time - Little Tokyo

I've been in a bit of a rut. The weekend comes, I don't plan anything, and I end up at Target with my friend Melissa, around 10pm on a Saturday, spending $100. Have you been in this rut? It's just so easy. 

So Melissa and I made a list of all the fun places in the LA area that we wanted to explore, and vowed to break the Saturday-Night-Target Habit. So we started last Saturday by visiting LA's Little Tokyo! 

Little Tokyo is a super cute area of downtown LA that has all sorts of fun Japanese restaurants and shops. There's a Japanese cultural center (they had a quilt exhibit!), and we even stumbled upon an eating contest. Yup, you heard me: Eating Contest. 

We possibly went overboard on the food - boba tea, conveyer belt sushi and mochi ice cream in assorted flavors. 

I had to hold myself back from buying all the cute things - but I did go for this little bear purse. It's so cuuuute! 

Sometimes, with adventure comes pain. I had never experienced one of these conveyer belt sushi places, and it was kind of amazing. The sushi goes past your table and you just reach out and take what you want. 

  

Here's Melissa with the piece that did us in - the Heart Clam. The description said "Like a Tender Chicken," which could not have been less true. It was a disgusting, chewy, mess and ruined our appetites for the next two hours.

Ah, well, you live, you learn, you never eat the Heart Clam again!