A Knowledgeable Week

I took a recent trip to Florida to visit family. As amazing as it was to be home with family and friends, spending time back in Gainesville made me realize that I made the right decision to leave. I still find myself craving the life of a small town and I hope to be back in one someday, but at this point in my life I need to be exploring what a big city has to offer.

I left Florida, confident in my new life and ready to delight it its potential. I began realizing the importance of where my life is right now and I started trying to find ways to enjoy it. I've been home a week and have spent each day practicing my French, reading, expanding myself at work and exploring my surroundings.

I feel like this has been a week of knowledge and advancement for me, which is important as I believe that knowledge is one of the most powerful things you can have in this world. I read Ernest Hemingway's, The Sun Also Rises. It was so interesting to read a different kind of writing style and it inspired me to write a poem, which I shall be sharing on an upcoming post. I've been practicing my French at work while I am walking around in the cold. I just walk up and down aisles saying, "Je mange une pomme rouge" and "Le chat a un poisson." It is quite the thrill.

My weekends are becoming more routine. Thursdays I nap after work then spend the rest of the day cleaning and running errands. Thursday evenings include reading or movies. Fridays are my Karli days- I usually explore an area that I've been interested in, spend time thrifting for new treasures, or get an inexpensive massage from a very nice, little Chinese man that I've met. Friday nights include outings with friends followed by Saturday farmer's market and something outdoorsy.

This Friday I went to explore a restaurant that someone told me about. It was in a little country town which was so much fun to drive around in. As I drove, I indulged myself in one of my favorite things to do alone. I put on some music that I didn't know the lyrics to and sang at the top of my lungs, guessing which word would come next. It mostly involved me being off-tune and making funny noises, but it was freeing and enjoyable. I'm sure we all have silly habits that we enjoy by ourselves. Singing like that and being goofy is one of my favorites.

Here are pictures from my adventure.

Breakfast

Old Town Shops

FLOWER WORLD! 

These ducks were so nice

Isn't She Lovely?

Pacific Northwest

Produce Market

I got some salad supplies

Jade and Ben in Seattle: Day 3

On Jade and Ben's third day in Seattle we explored brunch, farmer's market, wineries, breweries and the international district.

We began our Saturday with brunch at one of my favorite spots- Preservation Kitchen. Continuing with our family-style meals, we shared french toast, smoked-salmon eggs Benedict and a duck omelet. I fell in love with this restaurant shortly after moving to Seattle. It offers such an incredible homey, local feel, while still having great food and service.

French Toast

Northwest Salmon Eggs Benedict

Duck Omelet

Second, we traveled to Redmond to check out their Saturday farmer's market. It was incredible!!! There were many vendors with so much variety of fresh foods and flowers. We all bought some locally canned, flavored tuna from a woman who was serving her jalapeno and dill flavored tuna on apple slices. It gave me really great ideas for my tuna.

Market

Market

Dog at Market

Third, we traveled into Woodinville to see Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery; the first winery in Washington. The winery offers a free tour and tasting, which was actually really interesting and delicious (although we spent a little extra for more wine tasting). Our favorite thing about the winery was the fact that families, friends and lovers were sprawled out on the grounds around the vintage winery. They were all lying on blankets, enjoying picnics and bottles of wine. It was so peaceful to see people spending the day outside. We couldn't believe how beautiful the day was- lots of nice sun, wish a crisp freshness in the air. And we found ourselves lying in the grass, letting the wine pass before we headed to the breweries.

Chateau Ste. Michelle

Picnics in the fields

Jade Tasting Wine

On the way to the breweries we stumbled upon Woodinville Lavender Farm. I knew Jade would love seeing this, so we stopped to see what it was about. We sat on a porch eating lavender flavored ice cream bars, overlooking the field of lavender. Our ice cream bars included flavors such as chocolate lavender, cardamom lavender and coconut lavender. It was spectacular.

Chocolate Lavender Popscicle with Lavender Fields behind

We continued by visiting 2 local breweries in the area- Triple Horn Brewing Company and Black Raven Brewing Company. We sampled lots and lots of beers, talking about which was our favorite. I found the Nothing But Flowers IPA  and the Northwest IPA at Black Raven as my favorites. They had so much excellent flavor.

We went to the international district for an incredible, large dinner. We ate fresh duck, pork, beef and dumplings. It was so delicious. The evening ended with friends coming to my home to play cards and to have a couple drinks. As I sat in my home enjoying my company, I realized how happy I was to be there in that moment and to enjoy my life where it is right now. I feel so lucky to live in such an incredible city with so many different things to do. I definitely feel like I'll spend my weekends exploring more wineries and breweries, or just going to the lavender farm with a book for a treat.

Our Feast

Jade and Ben in Seattle: Day 2

On day two of Jade and Ben's trip we went hiking and exploring in Kirkland. Our morning began by picking up coffee and bagels at a local coffee drive-in next to my house. We then drove to Poo Poo Point for a great, uphill hike. At the top of the point we were welcomed by a large field that looked out on the incredible scenic view. I thought about the coming times I will find myself there, relaxing with a picnic.

Second, we drove about 20 minutes to Snoqualmie Falls. The view of the waterfall was amazing but we wanted to get closer, so we hiked down to the river. The boardwalk ended, but we hopped the fence and were able to reach the water to get some great pictures and pick up some souvenirs to take home to decorate my apartment. The cold mist from the water was so refreshing.

Exhausted from all the hiking, we went back to downtown Kirkland to see the view of Seattle across the lake. While there, we walked around downtown, just enjoying the sunny weather. For dinner, we met some friends at a local Indian restaurant in Seattle. The family-style dinner and conversation was such a great way to end the day. That was, until Ben ate some traditional Indian breath mints, and fought to spit it all out. 

Day three blog post will be coming soon!