Category:

Washington State

12.31.18

by Carly-Ann December 31, 2018

There are a few things to cover today.

First up: thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who took some time out to send birthday wishes, stories, photos and just general good vibes yesterday. Y’all sure know how to make a girl feel loved. You’re amazing.

Kevin got it in his head that he was going to make me a birthday cake this year and that is the nicest thing a boyfriend has ever done for me. He let me in on the secret prototype on Saturday, the day before my birthday and I gave him some strategy tips, but otherwise it was all him and it turned out to be pretty damn good. Also, delicious.

Second: today continues in the birthday celebrations because I can never have my birthday without thinking of my cousin. It was on this day when my first love, my first partner in crime, my original Kevin joined me on earth 27 hours after my own arrival. He hit me with a super heartfelt and sweet birthday message – complete with photos – in the morning yesterday and gave me a good old cry. I’m pretty sure I still make this face. And his smile still lights up the world.

Finally, I’ve written a few year in review posts already – my year in reading, my year in running – but I always like to do a little overall year in review exercise as well. (This was 2017’s.) Since yesterday was my birthday, I attribute the start of my new year being so close to the start of the new year as the reason I love New Year’s celebrations so much. The fresh start, the new beginnings, the blank slate – I’m just a big fan all around.

I have some resolutions and new practices in my plans for 2019 and I’ll share some of those tomorrow, but today, on the last day of 2018, I’m going to take a look back at the things we did this year.

JANUARY

I started the year with The Bigger Yes, a course facilitated by Laura McKowen and focused on discovering, exploring and committing to your deepest callings. This gave the first months of the year a very inwardly focused dedication and feel. ❤️ I wrote my life story and that was an experience in itself. ❤️ We spent some time outdoors and moving our bodies in different ways. ❤️ I committed to writing and reading more and I followed through with that for most of the year.

FEBRUARY

We celebrated my Mom’s birthday at our place while we hosted a birthday/Super Bowl party and cheered as the Eagles hoisted the Lombardi trophy for the first time. ???? We headed down to Seattle for our first (and one of our favourites) race of the year, My Better Half at Seward Park. The weather was crisp and cool and the scenery was incredible. The post-race oatmeal bar was tops, second only to Kevin’s Significant Otter t-shirt. This was the trip on which we unwillingly bought a new set of tires – and a Costco membership! ???? Kevin and I celebrated our seven year anniversary.

MARCH

I took a trip to Kingfisher Resort on Vancouver Island to celebrate my aunt’s milestone birthday with her, my Mom and one of my aunt’s childhood friends. We enjoyed supreme beauty and luxury and I even met a new cat. ???? Cara and I went to our first hockey game together. And then we went to another. ???? We started working on our community garden plot and started nurturing the seedlings that produced our summer bounty. ???? I reconnected with my high school friend, Jane.

APRIL

It was Easter! ???? We headed across the border again for the Birch Bay Road Race in April. Unfortunately, we’d followed a bad lead on hotel for this trip and fled the “Birch Bay Stayaway” as someone on Trip Advisor dubbed it. Luckily, we found the Four Points Bellingham via Hotels.com and settled into a more more comfortable room quickly. Unanticipated costs of this misguided hotel booking: new swimsuits from Target. Unexpected discovery: The Pacific Caesar, from B-Town Kitchen & Raw Bar, the greatest salad either of us have ever eaten. ???? Canucks season ended. ???? I got a new boss.

MAY

We celebrated Mother’s Day. ???? We spent a lot of time in the gardens – our balcony, our community, my parents’. ???? I basically cooked my way through Deliciously Ella Everyday. ???? I talked books and podcasts and coffee. ???? I went through another melanoma diagnosis and two surgeries which I wrote about months later, in September.

JUNE

The Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon took place in the beginning of June and we headed down south for the weekend. We did the 5k on Saturday when we got to run through the Museum of Flight hangar and the half marathon Sunday. It was a beautiful course, but Kevin was injured (sadly, a recurring theme for the year) and I kept him company the whole way. No matter, we still finished and collected our medals. We also got to see Old 97s in the post-race concert. ???? Later in the month we did our last race before we took a break for summer, the Scotia Half 5k, my least favourite race ever. ???? I got my I Am A Moon Goddess mala from I Am Blessed Mala Beads.

JULY

We celebrated Canada Day and watched fireworks from our balcony. ❤️ I harvested FLOWERS from my garden for the first time! (I usually just grow vegetables.) ❤️ Cara and I made our first appearance as Canucks season ticket members at the Summer Showdown rookie game. ❤️ My month took a woo turn when I joined a Tarot challenge and explored everything I know about the cards with a daily draw. ❤️ I went along for the ride on a Lakers Island road trip to Nanaimo and I got to hang with my girl Lori and *finally* meet her daughter Emily. ❤️ We had a surprise visit from our Amy and had a delightful dinner and catch up session on Granville Island.

AUGUST

A relatively low-key month of getting flowers, growing veggies and closing up shop on the lacrosse season. ???? This was also when I embarked on a commitment to daily writing and the realization that not coming up with a unique title for every post set me free.

SEPTEMBER

We picked apples with Barb and John. I started working from home. ???? We started talking about how this old cat can’t live forever. ???? We watched The Good Place and Making It. ???? It was my Dad’s birthday. ???? Kevin went to Philadephia for the NLL Draft. ???? I catsat.

OCTOBER

Here’s where things got fun, most notably because travel season arrived. ???? I went to Chicago with Lesley so we could explore and she could run the Chicago Marathon. ???? I got back and three days later, we turned the car towards Whistler for a weekend in the mountains and the BCLA AGM. ???? The hockey season started up again and we went to our first game as members. ???? Late in the month we went to Bothell and our favourite hotel for the weekend and the Captain Jack’s Treasure Run in Redmond where we got to dress like pirates. ???? To finish the month, we celebrated Kevin’s birthday and then we went to the Canucks game on Halloween.

NOVEMBER

I enjoyed the Canucks Diwali event and then the next day we left for Vegas. ???? Ten whole days of it including the KronosWorks conference, the Rock ‘n; Roll Half Marathon and 5k. ???? Almost as soon as we got back, we started preparing for our final trip -and half marathon – of the year, San Antonio. ???? We started watching Christmas movies and went ice skating at Rogers Arena. ???? We fully immersed ourselves in celebrating the upcoming holidays, but with tempered it with more old cat contemplation. ???? We got the tree up and decorated and then we left town again.

DECEMBER

San Antonio was our last stop of the year and when I asked Kevin about his favourite travel, without hesitation, he proclaimed that this was it. We were there for just three nights, we packed a lot of good times during that short span and, you know, it sure feels like we were there longer than that. ???? I lost some faith in people when I started to contemplate those who seemingly do something kind solely for the attention it’ll get them from strangers, but my spirits were lifted when we toured a couple of holiday markets. ???? We visited the Anonymous Art Show at North Van Arts where my friend Jane had three pieces on display. ???? We checked out Fridays on Front Holiday Edition to get some much needed time with friends. ???? Just after hitting the 120 day mark, I shared what I’ve learned from writing everyday and I celebrated a few of the joys that Christmas cards brought me this season. ???? I praised the Christmas bakers out there and I spent three consecutive days at Rogers Arena including the home opener for the new Vancouver Warriors lacrosse team. ???? I also made a Christmas playlist.

If I may add another side effect of writing every day, I certainly keep track of the details and the things that go on in our lives better and the memories remain more vivid. That’s always a plus.

Looking back on the year there were a number of joys, adventures, opportunities for growth, love and generousity. I had wanted 2018

On this, the final day of 2018, I invite you to look back on your year and contemplate the good, the challenging, the beautiful, the lessons and all the experiences you had, the people you knew, the things that you learned. As they say, out with the old and in with the new.

December 31, 2018 0 comment

Seattle TDTFYH Travel Travel review Washington State

10.29.18

by Carly-Ann October 29, 2018

written by Carly-Ann

A few things I’m thinking about today:

How people react so strongly and so fearfully to change. Everything we currently love was once different or strange. Why not believe in the possibilities of something instead of choosing to focus on perceived limitations?
How to nurture your inner Tigger when in the company of or close proximity to an Eeyore. (Related: Happier podcast, episode 12.)
The genius of this Tonight Show sketch featuring Nikki and Brie Bella. I was inspired to look for it after I found this painting while we were checking out at Anderson School this morning.

I’ve had a lot of people ask me about Anderson School every time I talk about it or after we’ve paid it a visit. I know it can seem random that we stay in Bothell when we visit the Seattle area, but it truly is a case of the hotel being the attraction.

The McMenamins name has become an empire. With interests in hotels/resorts, beer, wine and spirits, coffee roasting, pubs, restaurants, theatres, music venues and I’m sure a few more ventures that I’ve either forgotten or am not aware of, the company has been spreading its unique flavour far and wide across Washington and Oregon.

I’ve been to six of their historic hotels and number of their pubs and restaurants. My introduction came from Amy back in the days when I used to be in Portland five times a year to visit and attend various events.

While all of their properties lend a very specific McMenamins vibe, it’s their hotels that are the greatest treats.

With McMenamins, the mundane becomes magical – depending on which historic hotel you choose, you may find an onsite brewery, a movie theater, a full-service spa, gardens and orchards, a winery, soaking pools, live music and more. Along with comfortable guestrooms, original artwork, restaurants and pubs, of course.

Essentially, they’ve taken old buildings and repurposed them as modern day lodgings including features unique to each property. There are hotels that have always been hotels, but there are also a few more out of the box transitions. Anderson School is similar to Portland’s Kennedy School and, I’m assuming, Bend’s Old St. Francis School. Two years ago, we stayed at Grand Lodge, a former Mason Lodge and the summer before that, Olympic Club, a former brothel in Centralia.

We have plans to visit all the locations, but time and again, Anderson School comes up as the most convenient for our Seattle-based needs and for our next McMenamins fix.

As we were driving there on Saturday, I told Kevin that my plans for the weekend were to lounge around McMenamins leaving only to attend the race and the come right back. It’s the kind of place where you just want to hang out and pretend there’s no other world outside.

And that’s basically exactly what we did.

Anderson School features:

A restaurant
A pub
Three bars
A brewery
A theatre
A store
A pool

There are also several rooms for hosting parties and events – both private and open to the public. On Saturday, there were two weddings and a christening being celebrated and there are always parties, concerts, historic talks and other fun events being held throughout the seasons.

There are 72 guest rooms (by my count – I may be wrong) and each is uniquely dedicated to one person of note who hailed from or had some other connection to Bothell. We’ve stayed in four of them, but we’ve seen five thanks to a kind front desk clerk gave me a tour of room 101 after I excitedly discovered that it was inspired by the former guitarist from Death Cab For Cutie.

Beyond their general funkiness, there are a couple of things that any McMenamins location can be counted on to provide:

Great beer
Great music
Great tots, particularly the Cajun variety

No matter the location, type of venue or product, they can be counted on to bring it. If you’re planning any kind of trip around Washington or Oregon, try to incorporate a stop even if it can’t be a stay. You won’t regret it.

I’ve written about Anderson School a few times. Here are some other links:

10.27.18

10.23.18

Writing is good, but living is better

Our *other* passports

Race Report: Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle 5k

October 29, 2018 0 comment

Race review Running TDTFYH Travel Washington State

10.28.18

by Carly-Ann October 28, 2018

written by Carly-Ann

First note: I love reading about your travels. Send me your travel posts, stories, notes, whatever. It’s my lifeblood.

Second note: my friend Rebecca is abroad with family at the moment and their first stop (after a long journey) was Capetown, South Africa. Read up about it here.

I had a few thoughts. As someone who has spent eight hours on a layover at Heathrow, I see her pain and I’ll even raise it. We were not in the lounge, but among the people. The also had no idea that a leg from London to Capetown would be so long. That, right there, showcases my geographical ignorance, I know. When I contemplate it, it makes perfect sense, but at first thought I just didn’t realize it was that far. Finally, I was fascinated about how she wrote about Capetown having perfect Feng Shui.

Looking to our own travels, today was race day. Pirate race day. And the reason we’re here in Washington State this weekend.

Originally, I had wanted to take Kevin to Los Angeles for his birthday this weekend so that we could do the Rock n Roll Half Marathon there, but scheduling got in the way and Captain Jack’s Treasure Run turned out to be the next best option.

I’m going to start by saying that Orca Running is the best organization around. If they are planning a race, you want to be there. Their races are reasonably priced, maximize the fun of the events and they’re good at paying close attention to little details that really add to the experience.

For some reason, the race was moved from Woodinville to Redmond pretty recently. Woodinville is pretty close to where we stay in Bothell, but Redmond isn’t too far either.

We arrived with time to spare. Pre-race communications warned us that parking might be an issue, but gave helpful tips on a nearby parkade. I’m not sure how dicey it got for latecomers, but there seemed to be plenty of room when we got there.

I’m going to give props to race organizers for giving this event a very reasonable 10am start time. You don’t see that often. With the exception of the RnR Vegas events that take place at night, every other race we’ve done has started earlier, in some cases, MUCH earlier.

So, it was bright, but the weather was unpredictable. When we went to bed last night, it was raining cats and dogs. When we looked out the window when we got up, it was wet, but clear. When we walked to the car, it was getting sunny. As we drove, it got sunnier and we started to rethink our costumes. When we arrived at the race area, it was gorgeous. By the time the race started, it was getting cloudy again and it even rained a little on our way back to the finish line. PNW running, pfft.

The course was a paved trail that was strictly out and back. Though there were times when you could see highways nearby, it was rather peaceful and beautifully surrounded by trees of all fall colours. There were a few dips underneath overpasses, but it was almost entirely flat.

There were about 1000 runners taking part today and organizers did a great job of managing everything, especially the start line. I might never have guessed that there were that many of us out there today.

Both before and after the race there was a little expo set up with a few interesting stops. Each entry also included a trip to the Treasure Chest after the race was over. When it was your turn, you put your hand in and got a piece of Orca Running swag. There were drink koozies, bags of candy, toques and things like that. Kevin and I both ended up with sunglasses.

One of my favourite ways Orca Running sets itself apart from other running companies: the post-race food. At My Better Half there was an oatmeal bar. At Birch Bay Road Race there was chili. Today was a little less monumental, but still delicious. We got bananas, mini bagels with cream cheese, Oreos, red vines and bags of chips.

Another great thing? Their staff and staffing. There is always someone around to answer questions, point you in the right direction, help you figure out what’s going on.

Races often advertise that there’ll be photo of the event, but after you’ve been to a few, you realize that there might have been one photographer who captured the start and the first 1% of finishers (aka NOT US.) Not Orca races! We were asked nearly ten times whether we’d like a photo before the race and there were a number of photographers out on the course. That said, running photos are awful 99.9% of the time so it isn’t like we’ll ever look at any, but it’s nice to have the option.

And they have great medals, too!

With a roster of twelve races around Washington state, many in the Seattle area, it’s worth the trip to check at least one of them out.

Get thee to an Orca Running race in 2019!

October 28, 2018 0 comment