Every September, the whirlwind of real life catches us up to us after dreamy, long summer days playing at the beach. We get trapped in a spiral of school and sports, lessons and work and I start to feel spectacularly stuck. And this year with the cabin-building project and the kids starting kindergarten, we have […]
I can’t deny that most trips we go on as a family are triggered by a bakery, store or a coffee shop; it’s always some delightful little place I’ve seen and have to visit because time as I know it has threatened to stop until I figure out how to get myself there as soon […]
Do you ever wonder how your life would be completely different if you didn’t meet certain people? I know without my brother-in-law we would definitely have had a void-he’s always teaching us new things about the outdoors and exploring. And he’s always trying to get me to push my nature boundaries to help me be […]
One day I’ll be thankful for the hours I’ve put in running, but I’m going to give my legs a little break for a couple of weeks. I just survived my 2nd half marathon in Vancouver at the Lululemon Seawheeze and it is such a gorgeous run. I just got too sweaty that I couldn’t […]
I’d like to think our recent trip to the Oregon Coast was totally impromptu but as with most trips I have dreamed up in my head, this one was in the making for a while. The only problem was we didn’t book far enough ahead, so the hotels I thought we’d stay at were all […]
How. Hot. Can. It. Get?? Is this really Seattle? Is this really what a Northwest Summer looks like? Have you been loving this crazy weather as much as we have? I swear the few people in Seattle who actually OWN umbrellas are using them to shield them from the sun. This is a conundrum. Do […]
Even after four years of going to Seattle Sounders games, I have no problem admitting I don’t really understand soccer. From what I can see, it’s not just about getting to the goal and scoring with your team-there seems to be a little bit of soap opera stuff mixed in with guys falling down pretending […]
Mondays are better with painted toes and my sis and I managed to have a much needed sister date this weekend at a neat branch of the Absolute Spa Group at the Fairmont Hotel at the Vancouver airport. It was so nice to just sit back, chat and watch our ugly toes turn pretty colors […]
Oh, Monday. I need to list it today so that this wonderfulness gets out, but oh, how I’m feeling a case of the “is it 5-o-clock yet?” Mondays…. Today we love the USA. Not just because it’s fabulous, but because at 3pm two of our Seattle Sounders are playing in the World Cup. And you […]
A few weeks ago we were craving some prata and I remembered a satay restaurant I’d popped into ages ago. The restaurant was actually called Satay and it was pretty empty when we came in and our lunch of prata, tofu satay and mee goreng noodles was definitely tasty and almost reminded me of some […]
Usually I love Mondays. The kids are at school. The house is semi-clean. I have a little time to myself for running, grocery shopping and starting the week. But today I’m a little sniffly and all I want to do is cuddle up in a bed with a warm blanket and a cup of tea […]
I admit I do crave a shamrock shake every March. It’s festive. It’s green. And it tastes absolutely dreamy. But it’s a whole lot of calories and it’s not really exquisite enough to waste running 10 miles for. And I hadn’t really thought about one at all this year until the other morning, a shamrock […]
I’m a little biased when it comes to cookies. My sis is an amazing baker/decorator and she and her husband started a successful Canadian cookie business called the Steveston Cookie Company and I can always count on her to create ANY kind of cookie I can imagine. I also grew up sampling cookies in my […]
Who am I kidding with that Lillikoi in the title? Our travels are usually full of food adventures of the bakery and dessert kind and while we did stop at a lovely roadside fruit stand near the Turtle Bay Resort (recommended by the Gypsy Guide app I bought that had a running commentary/tour of the […]
Thank you amazon. Yes, I totally need a run parachute. Obviously you know that I’ve been searching running shoes and other running things, so naturally you might think this is something I definitely need. But you have not seen my running outfits, and they are garish enough without a giant parachute flying behind me. And […]
Oh do you remember these guys? We had so much fun with the kids during their first Winter Olympics and we were so lucky it happened in Vancouver! I remember taking them to the Richmond Oval and parading them around with someone’s torch and just taking in all the excitement of the Olympic Spirit. It […]
It’s the first Monday of the New Year and I woke up to this beautiful sunrise and the kids and I spent the morning coloring Vancouver Canucks coloring sheets and talking about the Seahawks. Ugh. I totally have sports fans in this house. And since it’s so early in the year, the only things I’ve […]
We have been on snowflake watch all morning and though we’ve seen a bunch of puffy clouds hanging in the chilly air we haven’t even had one teeny flake yet. I’ve been putting off today’s run because I’m so freezing cold. Hopefully some new running attire might help. I love my Athleta pants I bought […]
Maybe the story shouldn’t start with the cliffhanger. But, I was oh so proud. This is what everyone with a fear of heights should do to celebrate just being alive. We weren’t supposed to be up in Vancouver for my birthday, but one thing led to another and here I was in my hometown. We […]
We’ve been in a family restaurant rut lately. Though we love our usual haunts, the Spaghetti Factory, Red Robin and Boom Noodle have been so over-used in our rotation lately that I can’t imagine going back to them anytime soon. (And we love them). Thank goodness we spent some time this past week venturing out […]