Discovery Park

Since moving to Ballard we have had our fair share of perfect shiny days. However since the winter we try to take full advantage of every sun filled day we get. During these days we try to get the dogs out and explore our new neighborhood.

We have found baseball fields, dog loving bars, patios, Golden Gardens (Beach 3 miles away), and the Ballard Locks. Recently we decided to head to the Ballard Locks. The Locks is a beautiful port which connects the Salt water of the Puget sound and the fresh water of the Ship Canal which connects to Lake Union. It is also home to the fish ladder which was built so Salmon could also make their way upstream. If you come visit during warm weather make sure I take you here!

Amtrack is one of many trains that use this bridge

Boats headed to Lake Union

Salmon making it's way to the fresh water. It looks easier than it is for these little guys!

On the south side of the Ballard Locks you will end up in the neighborhood of Magnolia. There you will find signs leading you to your next destination; Discovery Park. Now mind you it's about 1.5 miles to Ballard Locks so we weren't sure how much more difficult it would be to make it to Discovery Park. It was such a nice day we simply couldn't pass it up!

Leaving Ballard Locks.

To get to Discovery Park there is a fun short cut that takes you over a bridge which is taking you over a railroad. It is a nice pedestrian only detour which makes you feel like you are in the middle of the country rather than a bustling city.

The rest of the route is scenic with small coffee shops and boutiques. We even stopped into Shawn's new favorite running store "Seven Hills".  Before you know it, you find yourself at 534 acres that is Discovery Park.

The Dogs LOVE the open fields

Me? Well I love the view

From a wooded trail all the way to a beach with a mountain view

The day was a complete success with the pups tired and it ends up being about an 8 mile walk which makes Shawn and I both feeling very accomplished (and our fitbit count is usually pretty high too).

 These pictures were a combination of several days where we were blessed to enjoy this long walk. These days are the kind of days that make you smile, give a small sigh and realize how beautiful life can really be when you are where you should be. Every time we go exploring I begin to realize how lucky I am I followed my heart and made it to the Emerald City.

Paleo Cookies

So on Day 3 of our Paleo Challenge Shawn and I decided we HAD to have something sweet. After some searching online we discovered that dark chocolate is Paleo friendly, we were thrilled! Shawn loves chocolate chip cookies so we started there. Online there are a million recipes so we just chose the easiest one.

Recipe:

• 1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp coconut flour 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk 
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 cup dark chocolate chips

http://justjessieb.blogspot.com/2013/10/chocolate-chip-coconut-flour-cookies.html

The most difficult thing is trying to find the most natural dark chocolate chips. We ended going to the natural food store and getting some from surplus there.

The recipe is super easy, simply add all wet ingredients to the sugar. Mix them together then add the dry ingredients. Bam! Make little balls like you would any cookies and throw them in the oven!

Note: Don't use parchment paper

So we cooked them for about 14 minutes and found they were fairly crispy. The only problem was we could not get them to come off of the parchment! So we will try cooking them a different way next time.

We added pecans for some texture

I thought the cookies were really great! Shawn on the other hand wasn't as satisfied, I blame this on the lack of crunchiness on the bottom of the cookies. (Even though he managed to eat 6 of them!)

Let me know if you find a way to keep the cookies from sticking!

Coming home to the motherland

To start my year out with a bang one of my best friends Jen came to visit. Jen and I met in college, Nathan and and I sat beside her in class hoping we could make a friend to cheat off of, she is Asian so we figured our odds were good. Well we made a hell of a friend however she was horrible at marketing (that's what stereotyping will do for you!). **

So Jen and I hadn't seen each other since I left Oklahoma in 2012, so with a little persuading we planned a visit!!

The first night Jen arrived and we had to try some delicious Sushi in Ballard. Although we both feel exceptionally old we managed to hit up a few bars, have some beers and of course Jen attracted weirdos. It's a curse really.

These are the treats Jen brought. Take note friends ;)

Unfortunately the next day this meant we were both fairly hungover. Jen is a trooper and we managed to make it downtown by noon and see the city.

The disgusting but famous "Gum Wall"

We knocked down a few kids to get on this guy!

Look at those mountains!

An amazing view at the Space Needle. It was the first time I got to see Rainier from the top!

Day 2 we headed over to Bellevue to see Isabelle de Borchgrave collection at the Bellevue Art's Museum. This woman is incredible, she makes the most beautiful dresses all out of paper. You would never believe it unless you saw it in person. We went to see the collection because Jen works for a fabric company who has a line that is based off of Isabelle's designs! So neat! 

The sad part is there were two rent a cops who wouldn't allow us to touch or take pictures of any of the collections. They did however stop long enough to flirt with Jen, quite fun. 



One of her dresses...Yep all paper


The second half of our second day I took her to Fremont (I know I just love it there) to see all my favorite sights!

So we figured out that the Fremont troll is actually in a scene on "10 things I hate about you"

Look closely, you will find pants only the 90's would allow

We finished our afternoon at Golden Gardens with a famous Paseo Sandwich. Seriously best sandwich ever. Sorry Kit and Andie, next time!!

So as exhausted as were we dragged our butts out to enjoy some Zayda Buddies Pizza! It's one of my favorite places in Ballard with great beers on tap.

Shawn made it out!

That's right my main man Tom Selleck hanging out in the Ladies room.

I guess this is what happens when you combine alcohol and Lactose-intolerance

On Sunday we braved the cold and headed to Crystal mountain. So we both had been skiing once but never had tried snowboarding, so in the spirit of adventure we both grabbed a board and headed down the slopes.

There is no denying how badass I look in this picture. However pictures LIE. On the bunny slope alone I fell at least 10 times before making it down to the bottom. Seriously I thought for sure I would break something before I made it down the bottom. I do not understand snowboarding nor will I be attempting it again. I am very proud of myself for trying it once. That's my rule, I'll try MOST anything once. So at the end of my first "run" I quickly changed into skis and was once again happy and sliding along fall free.

Jen however refused to give up. This girl was a rockstar! She would watch other snowboarder's and see how they moved, slowed down, and even fell. She quickly picked it up and preferred it over skiing. Do not put a challenge in front of Jen Yeung, she will squash it!

Jen getting it!

The great thing about having been friends during college is we both know we can party. We have seen each other very wasted and bought each other shots. The best part is, we are both aware we are no longer in college. So once we got home we happily ordered some Thai and watched HP6. Now that is how you end a night my friends!

On Monday we filled her final hours with as much adventure as we could find. I took her to Discovery Park so she could get a little hike in and see some of the glory the NorthWest has to offer. It was so foggy at Discovery Park but in an errie beautiful way. 

View from West Seattle on such a foggy day

The trip was an amazing success and I am so happy my friend made the time to come visit. Step 1 is complete and now I just have to find her a job so she can permanently move to the Emerald City!








**Joking aside, Jen had a 4.0 or something ridiculous. She just hated marketing. She's basically a genius.

2013....How did I afford you?

So this began last night when someone started talking about their new SouthWest credit card. I began to count how many times I flew out of Seattle last year. It was a little sad that I had to count and recount several times. I think I have a correct number but for my memories sake I am going to do a quick count of places I have gone and people I have visited. For reference I will note visitors as a H (for home) and A (for away) for when I was the visitor.

January

1A. Ah how could I ever forget my first trip of last year? January 10th I was so blessed to be able to see my sweet niece Aleithyia the day of her birth. I will say I saved for that pricey ticket ($800!!)

February


2A. In February I flew to Dallas to throw my college roommate a bridal shower. Luckily that ticket was pretty cheap (only $200)

 1H. In Febrary of last year, Keith a friend Shawn and I both went to high school with decided to come for a quick trip! So nice to see him!

March

2H. In March my oldest niece came to visit me during her spring break and birthday! I just love this smart girl! Hint: Buy tickets in Jan-Feb they are so cheap then!

3A.  At the end of March I just couldn't stay away, so I went back to Boston to see my sweet family once more!

 May 


4A. In May of 2013 we had a training meeting set up in Dallas for work. This meant I not only got to see my fun work friends but I got a free trip to see my sister and her family! Love it!

I love these girls!

My sweet sister in our badass shades

3H. My 77 year old Grandpa missed me so much he traveled all the way to Seattle just to see me and my new home!

 

June 

5A. Almost immediately after my Grandpa left I flew off to see my favorite Florida girl Andie. We were so blessed to be able to see each other. This trip was special since her Hubby Kit was deployed. The cost was cut in half as she helped me pay half because we missed each other that much!

We make the beach look good

4H. As soon as I got home one of our best friends Kyle Hicks stopped in for a whirlwind visit! 

 August 

5H. In August I was so blessed for my brother and SIL to come visit me! We were able to work with Elena's parents and they paid for their tickets to Seattle and I paid for them to fly to San Fran. (I got the good end of the stick. Her parents are great ;) ) This came to around $200.

September

6H. One of Shawn's first family  visits was in September for his Birthday! His Mom and Stepdad came to Seattle to see Shawn and enjoy a little relaxing vacation. I love when family comes to visit!

October 



6A.  A day after Shawn's parents left I flew off to Colorado to work and to see the one and only Vanessa. It was so great to have a free trip to meet her family! I miss Cam, she is such a doll!

7A. Although I never thought I would go back to Oklahoma voluntarily I decided my family needed me and I spent a week back where I grew up! It was great to spend time with friends, family, and the cows in Wetumka.  It also gave me the opportunity to throw Jenn a bachorlorette party!

My Uncle Corley the original Indian Cowboy

My Aunt cracking me up

November


7H. Ah one of my favorite visitors of the year. The time finally came and my favorite couple came to visit me! I love these two people! I cannot imagine my life without them.

8A. In November right before Jennifer's wedding my work decided we had to fly to LA for a mandatory meeting! Whew! Talk about some stress!!

We still had time for some fun!

9A. I flew straight from LA to Jennifer's wedding! I was so glad I got to make it.

It was a fairytale wedding

8H. The last weekend in November my friend Cuong (We have been friends since I started working at Samsung) came to Seattle for work and got to visit Shawn and I!

December 



9H. Finally Vanessa got a chance to come see Seattle, we had so much fun!! This girl is just a hoot!

For fun I made an estimate of the airfare I spent in 2013.....and the total is:

$2100

Hey not too bad considering all the places I saw!



Whew just writing about all my adventures has worn me out! I know I am so blessed to have so many friends that I can visit and that want to take the time to visit me! Thank you to everyone!!!


I cannot wait for 2014 adventures! Jen Yeung you're up next!! See you soon!

I want to be strong

Lately the new trend has been "Strong is the new skinny" and I could not love it more. If you know me I have always had a small frame even when I add on weight it goes to my middle not to my booty or legs. As I have gotten older it meant I had to at least watch I eat or I get a mean spare tire. This being said no matter what frame you have, we all have our insecurities. So having seen all of my friends becoming stronger it has encouraged me to become more than just "fit" or "thin". Simply put, "I wanna be strong".

At the beginning of this year (not an intentional NY resolution) Shawn and I joined a gym. Despite trying to save for Europe we decided it was worth the money just so we could get back into shape. Shawn used to work at a gym and wrote out a plan for us to use until we have got our form down.

Each day has different exercises, and we are required to do each exercises in sets (4), the rep amount varying each week. We are writing our weight and rep amount in a booklet to keep track of our progress.


Day 1

Squat
Bench Press
Inverted Row
Planks
(All x4)

Day 2

Cardio 15 minutes
Jump Rope: 5 minutes
Burpee 10 reps, prison squat 10 reps, concentrated dead lifts 10 reps
Cardio 15 minutes

Day 3

Deadlift
Overhead Press
Lat pull down
Hanging Knee Raise
(Allx4)

Day 4 

Repeat day 2

Day 5

Lunges
Dips
Chin ups
Reverse Crunch
(all x 4)

Day 6

Rest or repeat day 2

Day 7

Bi's and Back


We have been doing this since December 30th. Although a work trip to Vegas ruined our routine, we are excited to get back into it today! I am so lucky to have friends that influence me to become stronger and healthier!

A little money trick

I imagine most of you have seen the new picture floating around pinterest and facebook that prompts you to save money over a 52 week period. Each week you deposit the amount of money equal to the week you are on ex. week 2= $2 Week 52= $52. At first i found this catchy but overall kind of gimicky. I then gave it a second thought, if you were to do this on top of your regular savings what would you do with $1378 at the end of the year?



To make this a little more interesting I have decided to double the money I put in every week and have challenged Shawn to do the same. This would mean at the end of next year we would end up with $5500 with no strings attached to it. We could go on an extra trip, pay off student loans, or maybe just keep saving!

I am challenging all of my friends to try this as well. It is simple and a painless way to save money. We will be putting it in a Mason Jar so we can have a visual reminder of our saving success!

Good luck and Happy New Year!

Instant friendship; just add water

As you grow older friendships become harder and harder to form. By friendship I mean a true friend, with someone you build a real and lasting bond with. For me personally I can count my true friends (ya know the ones I wouldn't mind being stuck on a island with) on less than two hands. That is why I was so lucky to form such a quick and easy friendship with Vanessa.

Vanessa and I both worked for Samsung in different cities. She being the Colorado Rep and I am of course in Seattle. Through fb, calls/texts, and a sales meeting we soon realized we were both badasses. However, she is amazingly artistic and decided to put all her energy and passion into redesigning furniture rather than work for Samsung. Although this broke my heart it gave me an opportunity to fly to Colorado to take her place for a work meeting she would no longer be attending.

It was a quick trip but we got just enough done to leave me wanting to come back and explore more of Colorado.

Day 1

One thing Vanessa and I share, is our love for food. We both love food; sweet food, salty food, all food. So on the first day in Colorado we simply shopped and ate delicious meals.

The most memorable place we went to was "Happy Cakes". It's an amazing cupcake place in Denver and you will be hard pressed to find better cupcakes elsewhere.

This is her "Cupcake" face

 For dinner Vanessa's husband made us a huge amazing meal. He is such an incredible cook so the food was pneumonal. Thanks Justin!

Mojito's made fresh from Justin's organic garden

Day 2


On day 2 Vanessa wanted to show me a Colorado hike and so she chose "Devil's Head".

Now Devil's Head is only a 3 mile round trip hike with an elevation gain of 940ft. Easy Peasy, or so it should have been for this hiking girl. Funny story, about 3 minutes into the hike I had to stop to take a break. Then throughout the hike every 5 minutes or so I had to stop. I could not breathe and my vision was covered in black dots. Vanessa was doubting my skills as a "avid hiker" as I had explained to her. Her husband later explained that I wasn't in horrible shape but rather couldn't handle the high elevation. I'm still not sure that Vanessa believes in my hiking abilities...

Had to climb this beauty of a stair case before finishing up the hike.

Made it!

 We had so much fun during my Colorado trip we quickly made plans for Vanessa to come visit me in Seattle.  Although Vanessa hates cloudy days she braved the weather to come see me in early December.

Seattle Day 1 

The first day in Seattle was a very low key day. Vanessa arrived in the late afternoon so I decided to give her a tour of my old neighborhood.

You always have to see the Neighborhood Troll. Although Vanessa remembers the story through Cam's dinosaur book rather than trolls.

I never tire of this view from the Fremont Bridge

Theo Chocolate! Fremont original!

Finally tried Hot Cakes molten chocolate and Butter Beer.

Day 2

Day 2 was our official full day in Seattle. So we decided to do all the fun touristy things we could fit into one day!

The First thing these two Starbucks Junkies did was visit the original Starbucks! This was my first time to actually get to go into the First Starbucks and enjoy a coffee.

Vanessa ready to get into the warm Starbucks for a cup of Joe!

Ok So we didn't actually get Coffee but I introduced Vanessa to the Soy (no water) Chai. Best drink ever!

Delicious!

After getting our coffee and getting free samples at every shop that would allow it we landed at the entrance of Pike's Place Market.

Don't worry she only pushed 3 kids out of the way to get a photo op with the Pike Place Pig.

Gum Wall!!! Can you taste it in the air? Gross!

Overall seeing Pike's place with Vanessa was a completely different experience. We had time to try out samples and see all the nooks and cranny's of the market I've never had the time to see. I love that with each friend that visits it is a completely different experience!

Next stop ...Space Needle

One of the only photos Vanessa and I got together was at the top of the Space Needle. Thank you creepy bald guy!

It was cold but worth the view!

Once we got done with the Space Needle it was time for a delicious Seattle meal so we ventured over to Capital Hill to try a Seattle dog. Now if you haven't had the honor of trying a Seattle dog it contains a regular hot dog topped with cream cheese, mustard, onions, and crispy bacon. Seriously the best hot dog you will ever eat.

Challenge accepted

After lunch we ventured over to Pacific Place Mall and shopped till we dropped and then enjoyed one of the best cupcakes Seattle has to offer.

Strawberry Lemonade was our first victim

Day 3 

 Despite the cool weather Vanessa and I were determined to go hiking. Although it is a 4 hour drive we decided the Olympic Peninsula was the place to see. We woke up early and hopped on the first ferry out of Seattle.

Cold and Foggy Seattle still wins my heart

Our first stop in the Olympic Peninsula (other than Starbucks) was Marymere falls. Marymere falls is about 30 minutes outside of Port Angeles, a short 2 mile rt hike with a beautiful view at the end.

Marymere Falls Trail

Before heading onto the trail Vanessa made some deer friends. She got about 5 feet away.

That's right, she's a tree hugger.

Marymere Falls

Tried to get a group selfie!

Grrr! She's ready to take on a bear!

She fell asleep waiting for me to get the perfect shot.

Ah look Vanessa found some Kinfolk.

The beauty of the NorthWest is unlike any other

On our way to to our next stop we landed in Forks, WA. Although Vanessa isn't much of a Twilight fan she still had to take a picture in front of the Famous sign.

Our next adventure for the day was the HOH Rainforest. They have several trails you can venture down but to save on time we did the Hall of Mosses, a quick trail that encompasses the beauty of the rainforest.

Since climbing the tree didn't work out too well she found a hole to climb into....sort of

We aren't scared of a little wet bark and freezing cold water. OK maybe I was...

We captured this in one shot folks. 

"YooHOO Anybody home?"

"No? Ok then it's my hole now."

Pictured here you can find the "Vanessa" in her natural habitat.

Eerily beautiful

Finally we made it out of the Rain Forest and sped to the Coast before the night stole away the final rays of sunshine. It wasn't exactly the view of the coast I was hoping for but we had fun anyway!

Ready to attack any Sea Urchins that might come to shore

Yep this was the beach, the water was trying to attack us!

Wicked coastal view

The day was full of plenty of adventures and a ton of laughs. We ended the night after a 4 hour drive home with Seattle's best pizza "Pagilacci's".

Day 4

On the final day we decided to just relax and recoup. First thing in the morning we went for a run around Green Lake to help burn off some of the cupcakes we had devoured during the week.

You can't beat a morning run at Green Lake

Late that night we enjoyed the famous "Paseo" sandwich right by the shore in Ballard.

This Caribbean Sandwich is Vanessa approved.

Overall the trip was an absolute success full of laughs and adventures. I am so blessed to call Vanessa one of my best friends. She is funny, giving, and full of energy! I cannot wait until our next trip.....New Orleans, Vegas, NYC? See you next time girl!