New Season, New City

So, its Fall.  I realized that the Summer has actually come to a close when a. I heard on the radio that it was the first official day of Fall.  And, b. when I needed a sweatshirt to stay warm walking outside.

I live in Baltimore now.  I live in Baltimore now?  I'll get to that later.  I must say, that Baltimore scares the bejeezus out of me, and also I don't really know anyone here.  So, its possible that I will become the Great Baltimore Recluse.  But I'll have lots of time for writing!  And maybe re-learning French or something.

Don't get me wrong, Baltimore has its nice parts and I hardly even know it yet so I'd hate to be judgmental.  Here are my observations, thus far.

One thing I love about Baltimore is all the brick!  Exposed brick walls everywhere, brick sidewalks, brick factories, brick major-league baseball stadium, brick town homes and storefronts.  Its very matchy and industrial and colonial and eclectic, all at the same time.  I've always been a fan of brick things and Baltimore must be keeping the brick people in business.

One thing I don't love about Baltimore is how people just run around in the streets.  Oh, streets are for cars?  Its like a new concept here or something and people are having a hard time grasping this one.  When I drive somewhere I feel like I'm playing Frogger.  Except, I am the frog and I am in the car and I am trying not to hit the pedestrians who are also frogs, jaywalking, or dodging cars, or sauntering toward my bumper as I slam on the brakes and swerve into the next lane.  Its madness I swear it is.

I do love the industrial-ness of this city.  I put cities into two categories, the "nitty gritty city" and the rest of them.  ie. Philedelphia, New York and Boston make the nitty gritty cut.  Washington DC, San Diego and Orlando do not.  Baltimore is grit to the core.  If I make it out alive, I'll have earned some major street cred. But it has the right combination of boats and docks, those brick row houses, and so far, a few really good cocktails.  So I think we'll get along just fine.  Baltimore, show me what ya got!

silver and gold

making friends is easy!  i've read and heard a little bit of mumbo jumbo lately, on how its the next thing to impossible to make friends after the age of 22, or your completion of a bachelors degree.  whichever comes first.  this is sad.  i'm here to help you make a friend in 4 easy steps, that i'll call "preschool fundamentals on friendship".  if a preschooler, with very few social skills and little awareness of the world, can make a friend, then so can you, you twentysomething college grad.  ready?  ok.

Step 1: put a smile on that face of yours.  and don't be afraid of eye contact.  use eye contact, and smile at people.  this is america, and we're real friendly around here.  you don't have to go around smiling and staring like the village idiot, but if you're all sitting on the same rug at story time, or say, starting your new job, it helps to portray yourself as approachable.  even if on the inside, you're shaking scared and shy and can't wait for your mom to come pick you up.  you're a grown up now.  she's not coming. 

Step 2: introduce yourself. "hi my name is emma, what yours?"  remember that?  if you're willing to put yourself out there, it immediately makes you vulnerable to others, they generally won't shoot you down.  probably because they're busy taking pity on you for being such a simple human being.

Step 3: make a play date.  people tend to bond over commonalities.  whether its your fervor for happy hour cocktails, dora the explorer, or the NBA.  get together for a drink, to play with barbies or meet at the mountain for an afternoon of snowboarding.  don't be afraid to put yourself out there, ask for a phone number, use it.  mom also won't be setting up your play time, so its up to you.  people respond well when you reach out. 

Step 4: repeat!  making friends tends to have a domino effect.  while it does take some effort, once you have one, you'll see how it can be very easy.  the more people you know, the more people you'll come in contact with and before long, you'll be amazed at all the fun people who have entered your life.  you just have to let them. 

i moved to the pacific northwest a year ago, without a friend on my pacific northwest resume.  i remember calling my mom a few weeks after the move and announcing "i have two friends!"  it was a great triumph.  gone were my lonely days.  friends add spice and fullness to life.  i'm looking at another big move in the next few weeks.  as my time here winds down, i can't help but reflect and give thanks for the many wonderful, caring, fun-loving people who have entered my life over the past year.  as well as the ones who have been there to support and love me, no matter how far away.  as the saying goes, "make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other's gold."  i learned that one in preschool. 

 

 

one year ago i didn't know 99% of these people.  look at how blessed i've been!

ok ok for real this time.

I had you fooled, didn't I?  You thought I'd forgotten all about my promise to re-start the blog here.  The truth is, I've been on the go-go-go so much that I haven't had any time.  I don't know how those daily bloggers do it.  Magic, or unemployment or something probably.  People keep asking me if I actually work.  The answer is, yes.  Full time.  And in between full-time work, I've become a full-time traveller.  Which is funny, because as a travel nurse, I actually am a full-time traveller...  So does that make me traveller squared?  Anyway.  I've been able to seize practically every opportunity that has opened to me this year, and for that I am truly blessed.  

I feel a little overwhelmed at the task of playing catch-up.  I've done a lot lately.  A lot a lot.  And its only when I sit down with the urge to document it all, that I realize how much exactly I've been up to.   

I'm a big huge fan of lists (don't get me started).  So, in its simplest form, here's the first half of my 2013:

January:

Work.  

Snowboard.

Mt Si Hike  

Work.  

Crystal Mt, WA more Snowboard 

Workworkwork  

February:

Sister visits Seattle...we go to Whistler, BC and the San Juan Islands

Work

Snowboard.  So much snowboarding.  

Bend, OR for Mt Bachelor snowboard weekend. 

Weekend adventure in and around Puget Sound

March: 

Work

Snowboardsnowboardsnowboard

Hawaii 

Work

April: 

Austria (to snowboard) 

Ireland 

Washington, DC 

Work 

Seattle play time 

May:

San Juan Orcas Island, WA 

Work

Mt St Helens and Portland, OR 

Work

Sasquatch Music Festival at the Gorge Ampitheater 

Work

June:

Olympic Peninsula girls weekend

Washington DC NYC PA 

Work 

Work 

Work 

Portland 

Road trip!

Crater Lake 

Redding, CA 

Lassen NP 

Lake Tahoe 

Reno 

Work 

Vegas 

Zion NP 

Grand Canyon

Albuquerque NM 

Work 

July:

Work 

West Michigan.  

Phew!

That doesn't even cover the normal stuff like nights out, exploring this city, military ball, friends new and old, finding street parking, etc.  

Its been fun.  I'll keep ya posted.  For real this time!

back in blogging action

Hi!  Remember me?  It has been a while.  At the request of my adoring fans (hi Mom) and the growing desire to archive all I've been up to lately, I decided to restart the blog.  After all, it is adventure season. But lets be real here.  The adventures have never really been out of season.  In fact, They've been coming at me like never before these past few months.  Ready to re-cap?  Lets go!

Over the past weekend, my dear friend Caitlin and I went on a little overnighter to the Olympic peninsula.  It was so nice to get away and reconnect with my friend...and with nature.  We took my car on the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston, drove up and stopped for lunch in Sequim, made our way through Port Angeles (where we would later spend the night at the Olympic Lodge) and parked ourselves in a couple Adirondack chairs on the shore of Lake Crescent.  Here's a little piece of information I really want to share; you pronounce the name of the town, Sequim, "Skwim".  Try and sound that one out when you're reading road signs.  We had fun creating sentences such as "I could really go for a skwim. I hope our hotel has a skwimming pool."   Etc.

Anyway, we spent a lovely afternoon sipping Bota Box merlot out of paper cups leftover from a bridal shower, making friends with a few curious ducks, reading, chatting and enjoying the view of the glacial lake from our chairs.  After this we, being the nerds that we are, had to go to Forks.  Forks of the vampire novel/movie series Twilight.  It had to happen.  I won't say it was a waste of time, because it had been on our Seattle bucket list since we both moved out here a year ago and I'm a huge advocate of bucket lists, but it was close.  Sorry Forks, you do not have much to offer.  And we didn't even see one single vampire.  We did meet some seriously friendly and vampire-loving folks at the Forks Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau though.  So, that was fun.

After a lovely and seriously restful night at the Olympic Lodge in Port Angeles, we got up to go for a hike on Hurricane Ridge in the National Park.  However, the trail was snowed over, and after taking in the incredible mountain views and air, we got back in the car to drive down to a hike at lower elevations.  While driving down the mountain, what did we see up ahead?  A BEAR.  Yep, a real live bear.  Grazing like a cow, down an embankment at the side of the road.  Feeling it was relatively safe, and hearing my mother's words of caution in my ear, I got out of the car and took several pictures.  Bear sighting made my weekend/life.

We went for a hike at the Sol Duc hot springs, saw a beautiful waterfall (what is it about waterfalls that makes them so magical?) and then ventured in to the Soleduck hot springs themselves.  I will chalk it up to experience.  The springs are cool if you like bathing with a lot of large Russian men and women, smelling like sulfur, feeling a connection with hot lava and sneaking wine into forbidden places in opaque water bottles.  Love it or hate it?  I'm still torn.

I would highly recommend a visit to any and all of these places and can't wait to get back out to the peninsula.  Its one of those places that makes you feel very far away.  And that can do a mind and body a lot of good.

Until next time!

Sentiments on Snow

Its January, and whats that saying "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em"?  I've always maintained a similar attitude about snow in the winter time.  If its going to be miserably cold, why not take some of the misery out of it, and go have some fun?

You can make snow into your own lounge chair

 Snow can make a scenic view even more scenic

You can grab a snowboard, or skis and zip down a mountain in snow

You can watch the sun come up and cast a warm yellow glow on the snow covered mountain

You can grab a saturday morning mocha and drink your warm drink on a snow covered dock

You can grab a buddy and hike up a snow covered mountain

See?  Snow can be lots of fun.

And, its my firm belief that a little snow can make a moment like this a whole lot more satisfying.  

New Year, New Blog Post

Would you look at that!  Another year in the books.  Its lucky 2013 and while a little apprehensive about the future lately, I feel like there are some very exciting things in store.  There always are, after all.  

Tidings of Comfort and Joy, to You and Yours in 2013

xo

Verna's Bench

a few weeks ago, a couple sweet girls- fellow travel nurses- invited me to move in to their waterfront rental with them.  there's so much i love about this new place (mountain/water view, duh).  but perhaps my favorite detail is a green bench across the street.  do you see it through the window down below?  its become my little zen zone.  verna sounds like my kind of gal.  bless her family for this bench, as a reminder to anyone who sits there, to sit, breathe deeply, relax, let go, and enjoy the moment in the beauty of God's creation.     

Verna had the right idea.