STAND BY

1) to be ready or available to act
2) to wait for something, to resume
3) to remain uninvolved; to refrain from acting
4) to remain loyal to; aid or support
5) to keep or maintain

This year's Fourth of July weekend brought a number of firsts, including my first time flying stand by and my first time jet setting off to San Francisco for a long weekend with my girls. 

One of my best girlfriends is currently working for an airline, which allows her the opportunity to hop on a flight's standby list. Using this, she posed a great idea to me -- "how do you feel about San Fran for the fourth?" I think my bags were packed before I even said yes. I am up for any chance to travel! (Keep that in mind everyone!)

I definitely think the best way to see a city is to visit someone who lives there, that way you get the tourist aspect as well as the local's perspective. JD moved from Seattle to San Francisco just about two years ago, so she knew just the spots to take us. 

Although the trip was short and sweet, we hit the major sights I wanted to see and did the things I was dying to do: Golden Gate Bridge and Park, de Young Museum, Ghirardelli, fireworks watching at Chrissy Fields, trolley riding, Unuion Square, Fisherman's Warf, and Lombard Street. The weather was sunny for the Fourth (complete with a little sunburn) and then turned the next day to show us the frisco freeze. Sunny or not -- I was just happy to be exploring with my friends. 

I am so lucky to have such great girls in my life, ones who are ready for adventure, a challenge, a good laugh, or a solid talk. How did I find such amazing friends that are willing to stand by me in this crazy life?! Blessings I tell ya'...

Until next time San Francisco! I am patiently waiting for my next boarding pass and for my name to be called up from STAND BY! 

(Note: Just to be grammatically correct, STAND BY is a phrasal verb, and in most instances is actually used as a noun.)

CRUISE (Part IV)

1) a pleasure voyage on a ship, usually with stops at various ports
2) to move slowly through or visit

Now we reach the end of the cruise saga as we approach our last port, Cabo San Lucas. 

Unfortunately we did not have very much time to explore Cabo (which means we have to go back right!). Actually this would probably be our only complaint about our trip, as we tendered in at 8am and the last tender back to the ship was at 2:40pm -- totally not enough time!

But the time we did have in port we REALLY enjoyed. As soon as we were in the marina, we hopped on a "glass-bottom" water taxi and headed out to Land's End to explore! I had been waiting for this ever since we passed el Arco from the Pacific on our second cruising day. 

In one word, Land's End is spectacular. From the dramatic rock formations that have been created through the teamwork of tides and erosion to the crystal-clear water on the warm sandy beach, we were truly content on this peninsula.

Our water taxi showed us the pelican and sea lion colonies, then brought us up close and personal to the rock formations (I was a little unnerved at a few points because the current is fierce in these waters...). He explained what each one was called and how it got its name: el Arco, Window to the Pacific, Lovers' Beach, Divorce Beach, etc. 

After our tour we were dropped off for a few hours of exploring and sun bathing. There is no shortage in things/people to watch as you relax on Lovers' Beach, as there is plenty of wildlife and people engaging in activities (one reason I really want to go back to Cabo is for the kayaking and paddle boarding in the Land's End area).

Once our taxi came back we only had time to grab lunch and do some last minute souvenir shopping -- then it was time to head back to the ship for our sail away party. We still had one more day at sea, but this last day was filled with choppy waters -- which meant we were more than ready to get off when the time came! 

All-in-all, we had a fantastic vacation and I think that was due to the fact we were cruising with Holland America Line. They truly uphold their tagline "Signature of Excellence", in every manner. We have now added the Caribbean and Alaska to top places on our travel list because these will be perfect locations to explore on our next CRUISE!

CRUISE (Part III)

1) a pleasure voyage on a ship, usually with stops at various ports
2) to move slowly through or visit

Our second port of call was Loreto -- a small, cozy town that provided a wonderful morning walk followed by a lazy day of reading on the beach. After all of our excitement and activities in Puerto Vallarta, it was nice to simply enjoy a relaxing day on the beach. 

Our itinerary has back to back port days, Loreto followed by Cabo San Lucas -- more to come on our last port as we continue to CRUISE.

CRUISE (Part II)

1) a pleasure voyage on a ship, usually with stops at various ports
2) to move slowly through or visit

First stop -- PUERTO VALLARTA! Of the three ports, we had a FULL day here -- and you better believe, we packed in as much as we could! 

We started off our day by disembarking and hoping right on to a bus to head to Nuevo Vallarta, the home of Vallarta Adventures and the moment I had been waiting for! 

Swimming with dolphins was even more amazing than I could have dreamed. Vallarta Adventures has an amazing facility -- the grounds are well kept (in fact it feels like a jungle as you walk around the different parts of the facility), the dolphins (and sea lions) are not only well cared for but LOVED, and the food might actually have been the best/most authentic meal we ate.

The entire shore excursion lasted about three hours (including transportation time), which meant we had about 45 minutes in the pool with the dolphins -- yes, we swam with two! We had one "teenager" and one mother-to-be. Each time the girls did a trick for us or participated with us, they would get a small fish and have a moment to swim around and receive some love from us. It was so awesome that we not only got to experience them through kisses on the cheek, splash fights, dorsal fin swims, etc. but we also just got to pet them in a casual, unscripted environment. After our swim, a larger group of dolphins put on an awe-inspiring show for us! After the grand finale, the trainers spoke about how important it is be good to dolphins in their natural environment. It was very refreshing to see these trainers speak openly about how much they love this species -- and not that they simply use them for their commercial value. If you are ever in Puerto Vallarta, I HIGHLY recommend Vallarta Adventures!

After we got back from the most amazing morning EVER -- we headed to the beach. No sooner were we on the beach then we were up in the air. Parasailing! I truly cannot put into words how stunning the view was from just under the shade of my parachute. How are there so many different shades of blue -- from the sky to the sea? Seeing the bustling city from the air was a wonderful contrast from being on land. 

The rest of the day was spent heading into el Centro and slowly wandering our way back along the beach (side note: when get got home, I used Google Maps to see how long the walk back was...5 miles! Ooops, no wonder we were exhausted!). We saw some famous sights in Puerto Vallarta, such as Our Lady of Guadeloupe, Los Arcos, the pier, etc; did some souvenir shopping; and best of all eating/drinking (can you say $1 beers?!). Once we were back to the ship, we headed to dinner and then slathered on the aloe vera. 

The next day was back to sea, and then the next stop: Loreto -- as we continue the CRUISE!

SEIZE

1) to take hold of suddenly or forcibly; grasp
2) to grasp mentally; understand clearly and completely
3) to take possession of by force or at will
4) to take possession or control of as if by suddenly laying hold

April truly went by in the blink of an eye (I feel like I start every post with HOW FAST time seems to be flying). I can't believe we are now starting the fifth month of the year!

If I had to dedicate a phrase to April it would be "seize the day". From parasailing in Mexico (yes that post will be coming!) to dancing to our favorite Macklemore songs at Whitney's wedding or making awesome improvements around the homestead, April was the month to do it all. Take a look below! Carpe diem!

April photo challenge daily topics (L to R, top to bottom):
Day 1: "your reflection"
Day 2: "colors" - bikinis ready for Mexico!
Day 3: "mail" - a postcard from a bestie

Day 4: "someone who makes you happy" - this boy who doesn't mind twinning!
Day 5: "tiny"
BONUS: Cheers to our vacation! (at the airport before our flight)

BONUS: El Arco in Cabo San Lucas - so stunning!

Day 6: "lunch" - salmon salad on the cruise
Day 7: "shadow" - catching some shade on the beach in Loreto
Day 8: "inside your wallet" - all out of money after our vacation!
Day 9: "younger [crazier] you"
Day 10: "cold" drinks on the beach
Day 11: "where you ate breakfast" - room service on our cruise
Day 12: "stairs" - after 1,311 stairs I was happy to see a view with NO stairs :)
Day 13: "something you found" - towel monkey in our room
Day 14: "how you feel today" - sleep and sad, post vacation :(
Day 15: "sunset" - view from the plane

BONUS: DMB tickets arrived!
Day 16: "flower"

BONUS: Remember last month when I said I really wish I had a watch? I got one!
Day 17: "something you hate" - our old, dirty carpet

BONUS: our NEW carpet!
Day 18: "hair"
Day 19: "orange" - HMG's colorDay 20: "something you drew" - a note in my planner
Day 21: "bottle" - Vapur, the anti-bottle
Day 22: "last thing you bought" - new Hunter rain boots
Day 23: "vegetable" (carrot sticks)
Day 24: "something you are greatful for" - my faith in a higher power
Day 25: "looking down"
Day 26: "black and white"
Day 27: "somewhere you went" - Skagit Valley Tulip Festival!
Day 28: "1pm" - baby shower!
Day 29: "circle" - aerial view of my water bottle
Day 30: "something that makes you said" - my current read, The Poisonwood Bible

CRUISE (Part I)

1) a pleasure voyage on a ship, usually with stops at various ports
2) to move slowly through or visit

Finally -- a chance to tell you about my vacation!

A few weeks ago I look my first trip out of the country (oh you know, not including Canada, which we frequent to visit family) which was an 8-Day Mexican Riviera cruise with Holland America Line. Not only was this my first time  visiting Mexico but also my first time on a cruise. And honestly, I could not have had a better experience. 

Our cruise was round-trip San Diego which was: 1) super convenient and 2) allowed us to see my Aunt and Uncle (you know, THE Uncle Tiger) before and after the cruise. I brought some items from the Big Climb to my Uncle and I couldn't help shedding a few proud tears as he put on the "relentless" LLS bracelet that I brought for him. Aside from the quick but wonderful family time, San Diego was also good to us on the weather front -- a clear blue sky send off that made us that much more anxious for the beaches of Mexico. C'mon Zaandam, l-e-t-s let's go!

From San Diego we had two days at sea before reaching our first port, Puerto Vallarta. When looking at the itinerary, I recalled thinking "sea days are going to be terrible..." but we REALLY enjoyed them  (in fact, it ended up that we were very thankful for sea days in between port days as they allowed us some resting time). 

Holland America Line has a plethora of events, activities, classes, dinning, etc. -- or lovely places to enjoy doing nothing at all. Our first sea day, the weather was no so great (which our captain PJ told us is common until we passed a certain longitude...uh huh...), but this allowed us to try many of the on board activities that we might not have tried had we had the chance to sun bathe by the pool. 

Our second day at sea provided some scenic cruises of Los Cabos. This time on the bow not only provided striking views of Land's End, El Arco, and Divorce Beach (oh! and delicious sangria!) but it allowed us to see all of these sites from the Pacific Ocean side. Later, once we stopped in Cabo San Lucas, we were able to explore these sights -- taking a closer look. 

That's all for now. I will continue with our first stop...Puerto Vallarta (which includes swimming with dolphins and parasailing)! Look for more to come as I continue sharing my CRUISE!

EXPLAIN

1) make (an idea, situation, or problem) clear to someone by describing it in more detail or revealing relevant facts or ideas
2) Account for (an action or event) by giving a reason as excuse or justification

Ok, ok... I definitely feel like I have some explaining to do. I was really doing well with my New Year's Resolution of "blogging once a week", right? Until now. Now we are reaching the fourth week that you have been without something to read. 

So let me explain how life got really crazy busy (in all good ways). 

The weekend after the Big Climb was Easter -- which meant that I was heading south to spend the weekend with my family. It was so good for me to unplug from everything that keeps me busy with my day-to-day life, and just spend time in good company. 

That weekend led me into my 5 days of preparation before I headed out on my vacation! I had to prepare in three ways: 1) personal packing, shopping, and primping 2) moving 95% of my stuff out of my room because our landlords are AWESOME and they are doing a bunch of renovations (look for a future post on our Home Beautification Project) which were starting while I was on vacation and 3) getting a bunch of work done to help my team out for the five days I would be out of the office. Needless to say, there was no time to blog that week! 

This leads me into my 8-day vacation -- a Mexican Riviera cruise. My vacation was everything I wanted, and more importantly -- everything I needed (future posts on this too, I promise!).  

When I got back -- I hit the ground running. Right back into my busy work and workout schedule -- with the addition to helping put the house back together as the new kitchen flooring is in and our new carpets are complete. When the weekend came, I headed south (again) to celebrate the wedding of one of my dear friends from high school to her sweetheart (who I have known since kindergarten!). 

That (basically) leads me to today. Life is being SO good to me with wonderful changes, new experiences, and laughter and love through it all. Please know that I have so many good things I cannot wait to share -- I just need to make some time to get it all down for you. 

Remember how I told you I had a lot to tackle in March? Now that I have explained, take a visual look how I tackled March (brought to you by Instagram) and stay tuned for LOTS to come: 

March photo challenge daily topics (L to R, top to bottom):
Day 1: "clock" -- wishing for a watch!
Day 2: "morning"
Day 3: "kitchen"
BONUS: This is me wearing my arrow on International Badge Day. PPL.

Day 4: "where I sat" -- I use a stability ball at work :)
Day 5: "sharp"
Day 6: "what I wore"
Day 7: "hair"
Day 8: "mess"
Day 9: "handmade" necklaces with my sisters
Day 10: "favorite drink" -- mimosas!
BONUS: Bridal Shower for the future Mrs. Thomas

Day 11: "texture"
Day 12: "in my fridge"
Day 13: "treat"
Day 14: "share" -- our All American potluck
Day 15: "tiny" four leaf clover
Day 16: "ray of sunshine" -- I love this girl!
BONUS: The bachelorette and I

Day 17: "green" -- outside Voodoo Doughnut on St. Patty's day in Portland
Day 18: "where I was" (Portand!)
Day 19: "on the floor"
BONUS: First day of spring picture 

Day 20: "above"
Day 21: "hats"
Day 22: "sometimes i" get surprises from co-workers
Day 23: "pair" of moccasians
Day 24: "a dream" that one day we will find the cure for leukemia
Day 25: "shiny" new diamond earrings
Day 26: "work" -- my bulletin board
Day 27: "smooches"
Day 28: "flower"
Day 29: "I bought" -- goodies for Mexico!

Day 30: "fresh"? or fake

Day 31: "celebrate" -- Easter with my Family

DISTRACT

1) prevent (someone) from giving full attention to something
2) divert (attention) from something

I have been meaning to write this post for weeks! But here we are, better late than never... 

In mid-February two of my best girlfriends and I road tripped our way to Yakima to meet up with two of our other besties who are living in Eastern Washington. As much as I was super stoked beyond belief to have a weekend get-away and mini-road trip with my girls, I think what made me the MOST excited was having the chance to be a distraction for our favorite med school student for the weekend. 

Our future Dr. Quach does it ALL and she has been doin' it all ever since I can remember. She definitely makes my top ten list of "go-getters I am secretly a little bit jealous of". After becoming friends with her and watching her kick high school's butt, to fostering a long distance friendship as she took names in college, and now supporting her as she fulfills her dream to be a doctor -- I could not be happier to be one of her biggest cheerleaders. Let me also add, that despite the fact that she is a accomplished student, world traveler, and more, she is also one of the sweest, most down to earth and humble individuals I have ever met. 

So the the name of balance, and in upholding my life's mantra "work hard, play hard" - my high school besties and I spend the weekend with Dr. Quach in the name of fun. The aim was definitely to keep her mind off of school (ok...except for when we asked for a tour of her school), from a morning at the spa and a thrift shop themed wine tasting, to a sun-shine filled walk in the foothills and a PJ party watching Pitch Perfect - we helped our girl unwind. 

Here is the part where I get mushy, and say things like "you have no idea how thankful I am for my group of girl friends who are beautiful inside and out" and "we are the true definition of support system" or "I do not know where I would be with out my best friends"...but as cliche as they sound, I mean every word. I know not everyone is as lucky as I am to have such good company, so I aim to work every day to keep our bonds strong. If I meant even half the amount to them as they mean to me, I would be happy.

Dr. Quach, I am over-the-moon proud of your and your ability to stay true to yourself and your dreams. I hope as med school gets busier and more stressful, that you can think back at our hilarious moments over President's Day weekend and have a little laugh break. And when things get overwhelming, you can bet we will be right back there with you in Nola Loop, armed and ready to DISTRACT!

EXPLORE

1) to traverse or range over (a region, area, etc.) for the purpose of discovery

2) to look into closely; scrutinize; examine
3) to investigate into
4) to search for; search out
5) to engage in exploration 

Every year I use January as my "ramp up" month, where I flush out all the ideas, wants, hopes, needs, and dreams I have for the year ahead. The aim is to "have it altogether" by my birthday...the beginning of "my year". Today I looked back at my New Year's resolution post (you can read RESOLVE here!), and I recalled how my focus for January was to keep things simple. January was used to set the precedent for the year: life is simple, savor the day, the joy is in the journey, etc. After a month of focusing on my "be here now" mantra, I let myself use February to EXPLORE. 

Here I am at 24 with so many amazing experiences in my memory's catalog -- and so much in front of me that I can't help but jump out of bed each morning with excitement. In February explored hot yoga, aerial arts, painting, new relationships (did I mention HMG hired two new girls?!), Yakima, sleeping in, new blogs, the rave scene, new books, pushing myself, new firsts, new recipes, old traditions, and more. I let exploration manifest itself in big and small ways, which was a good challenge in keeping an open mind. 

One fun way I explored February was with my Instagram app, capturing my life one small frame at at time. So here is a visual look at my EXPLORING. 

February photo challenge daily topics (L to R, top to bottom):

Day 1: lockscreen photo - a favorite photo from our first time at the batting cages (yes -- that was a Groupon!)

Day 2: best friends - my sisters are two of my very best friends. 

Day 3: outfit of the day - the outfit I wore to my first aerial hoop class

Day 4: role model - my cousin Deanna, as well as Malone women in general 

Day 5: current favorite song - I really cannot get enough of the contrast of Calvin Harris' dance beat and Florence Welsh's haunting voice in Sweet Nothings   

Day 6:  food - this is my daily breakfast at work

Day 7: selfie

Day 8: pet - I miss the best dog ever, RIP Draven

Day 9: smiles - with the beautiful smiles of my sisters

Day 10: quote - this was a gift from my little and it says "though delicate they may seem...your wings are much stronger than you know... SO FLY"

Day 11: black and white - the hounds tooth pattern from one of my dresses

Day 12: screen shot - while this term generally applies to phones, I was slammed that day and I had no time for my phone...

Day 13: someone you love - this OF COURSE is my momma bear

Day 14: my valentine - 5 years running

Day 15: handwriting 

Day 16: something new - I loved this stained glass window panel (although I did not actually buy it)

Day 17: weather - we truly lucked out with warm weather and stunning blue skies while we were in Yakima

Day 18: breakfast - complete with my NEW favorite mug that was a birthday gift

Day 19: mirror pic (ah! you caught me wearing a blazer...again)

Day 20: outside - this was the view from under my new umbrella (thanks sister!)

Day 21: fashion - I keep up on fashion trends by watching the ever-changing downtown storefronts 

Day 22: special moment - is ADORABLE gender reveal was for my coworker (and FAVORITE blogger)  

Day 23: family - this picture quality may not be the best, but the memory from my shore-side dinner in Laguna Beach with my cousins is perfect

Day 24: celebrity crush - this really requires no explanation 

Day 25: jewelry - this statement piece was a gift from my mother 

Day 26: bedroom - just a peak into my sanctuary 

Day 27: night time

Day 28: favorite candy - I miss Reeses because I gave up candy (among other things) for Lent! 

The word for next month is TACKLE. February pulled a fast one on me as I enjoyed exploring it's days, and now I have many things that need accomplishing before this month's end.

MERRY

1) to cause the feeling of cheerfulness or gaiety in spirit 

2) to create laughing happily, festively joyous moments, and/or a merrytime at the party
3) to bring happiness and/or delight

The past holiday season was, without a doubt, the busiest holiday season I have ever experienced -- but it was also one of the very best. Full of merry-ing and marrying (ok ok, so maybe "merry" isn't an actual verb, but go with it)! 

The week before Christmas, I flew out to Chicago to see my beautiful Big sister from my sorority tie the knot with her prince charming! And if that isn't awesome enough I got to stay with my Little sister for the week, as they are both from the Chicago area. This trip was a SERIOUS Michigan Alpha Pi Beta Phi reunion and my heart is still bursting with happiness from those six days of merry-ing. 

It is crazy to think that it has been at least two years since I have seen some of those girls, although it genuinely felt as if I saw them yesterday. While we were in college I spent practically every waking moment with my girls. In many ways, my sisters made my college experience complete and I truly cannot imagine life without them. My Big and I used to always sing this one song we liked to each other...it kind of began as a funny thing we did, then we made it "our thing", and then I think the more we sang it the more it actually became true..."I can change your life, if you'll let me..."

I arrived Tuesday evening, spent time with my Little's family on Wednesday, went to the bachelorette party on Thursday night (thankfully the world didn't end!), spent time in Chicago with my Little on Friday, attended the wedding on Saturday, and flew home Sunday. Although I would have loved more time with my girls, it just made us promise even more that we would plan another reunion...SOON!

 

I am so very thankful I could be present on my Big's special day. Besides the fact that she looked stunning beyond words, every last detail was perfect: from the post card themed guest book, to the chalk boards with adorable sayings on them, to the shout outs to "the bride's college girls", to the sparkler send off. The only thing more perfect than the wedding day is the love these two have for each other.  

Big -- I hope your day was everything that you dreamed it would be because in my humble opinion, it was flawless. I cannot wait until I get to see you again but until then... I will start practicing spelling your new last name!

The holiday season is always very busy, but remember to make time to...

MERRY!

STAY

1) to spend some time in a place, in a situation, with a person or group, etc.
2) to remain through or during (a period of time)

This weekend was the opposite of last weekend — this time the focus was a “stay-cation”. If your hometown area is anything like mine, then there are endless treasures that you have yet to enjoy (even if you have lived there for 23 years)! In order to indulge in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, we planned a “stay-cation” weekend.
 

We started off early in the morning heading off to Rattlesnake Ridge for a day of hiking in the Snoqualmie Pass Region. Compared to when I hiked Mount Si last summer, Rattlesnake was an enjoyable hike. It only takes about one hour each direction to complete, and it is only 4 miles total to reach Rattlesnake Ridge. Once you are at the top the view is stunning! And we lucked out, having amazing weather complete with clear blue skys and puffy white clouds. Quite the reward!
 

Rattlesnake Ridge has additional paths for further exploration, East Peak and Snoqualmie Point. Although we chose to linger on the ridge and enjoy our pb & j sandwiches in the sun instead of hiking further, we enjoyed ourselves enough to know that next time we will tackle the East Peak.
 

After hiking, we headed to the Falls City area to Tree House Point where we would be staying for the night. THP is off of Preston-Fall City Road and despite the fact it is only about 40 minutes from my home, it feels like worlds away. I fell in love the minute we drove into the parking lot and I already knew I was going to dread having to leave the next day.
 

The grounds are tidy, quaint, and natural. There are ponds, little waterfalls, bubbling brooks, and green everywhere. The tree houses are works of art, nestled unobtrusively in the tree branches. We stayed in the Nest which is just a room with a bed and a small balcony that sits above a waterfall. Despite being so small, it provided everything we needed (there is a community wash area with bathrooms and showers, in cause you were curious). THP provides such a peaceful atmosphere, it would be impossible to not relax here. And relaxing was just what I needed after last week’s jet-away, work, and the morning hike.
 

I HIGHLY recommend staying at THP. If fact, I plan to stay there again. Also, the room rates go down in the winter — I could not think of a better place to cozy in, drink hot chocolate and read, than here!
 

The next time you are thinking about planning a get-a-way, think again and…
STAY! 

Photos (clockwise L to R) — 1: our Tree House, the Nest 2: the start of our hike 3: the view of Rattlesnake Lake
4: the view from the top of Rattlesnake Ridge 5: Tree House Point, Temple of the Blue Moon 6: THP, Trilium
7: THP, Bonbibi 8: map of the THP grounds 

JET

1) to travel by jet plane
2) to move or travel rapidly

If I had to use two words to describe my “jet-away” to Laguna Beach last weekend they would be “short and sweet”, without a doubt.
I have found that the older I get, the busier I find my schedule (and if you know me well, you may find this hard to believe — was I born busy?!). Despite the fact that this trip was only Friday afternoon thru Monday morning, I am thankful we all were able to carve out some family time in our schedules. 

These four days were filled with family, sun, sand, saltwater, laughter, and love. It was much needed change of pace that came at the perfect time. I love my family and truly cannot wait for the next time we can all come together.

We are definitely all busy, but clear out some time in your schedule to…
JET! 

Photos (clockwise L to R) — 1: Cousins, oldest to youngest 2: sisters at the airport
3: 70’s party! 4: LA at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre 5: Laguna Beach lifeguard station 6: Laguna Beach