Catalina

On the Catalina Express on the way to Catalina

Santa Catalina Island, or Catalina, is an island in the Gulf of Santa Catalina off the coast of California. I lucked out by having friends of friends who invited us along for a couple days on their boat. We took the ferry across from San Pedro to Two Harbors, where their boat was anchored. This is the "less touristy" side of the island, with one bar/restaurant and is mainly visited by campers and boaters.

Woke up, rolled over, snapped this picture.

Although the full day of fun in the sun left me quite burnt, it was amazing falling asleep under the stars, to be woken up by the sunrise the next morning, all while floating on the ocean. Weekend #2 in California was definitely a success!

PC: My brother via his DJI Phantom and GoPro Hero3

Potato Chip Rock

My initial sun-burn is finally starting to turn to tan as I've been in California for a little over a week!

Weekend #1 in California was spent soaking up the sun on a 8-mile, slightly harder than we were expecting, hike up to Potato Chip Rock. The trail winds along Lake Poway, leading to the top of Mount Woodson where Potato Chip Rock is perched. We left around 10 AM, so it was hot, and we probably had to wait a bit longer to take our memorable picture (personally I think this is a missed marketing opportunity for Pringles).
Regardless, the hike was great, and I can't wait to check out more of the San Diego area!

MI-->CA in 4 Days

Hanging Lake

Two Fridays ago (this post is a little late) my mom and I left Kalamazoo to drive across the country so I can give my job search a real shot in the LA area. 

With my car busting at the seams (because i'm optimistic!) we drove to Indianapolis to see One Direction perform at Lucas Oil Stadium!

From there we hit the road and drove a few hours to get a head start on our biggest leg of the trip, Indy to Denver. After a long day of driving on Saturday we ended up not being able to find a hotel in Denver, and opted to save money and slept in our car a little west of Denver. This actually worked out perfectly. We were able to get up early to make our way to our first stop of the trip: Hanging Lake. The hike up was pretty strenuous, but definitely worth it! It's a little over a mile each way, and takes a few hours. This was a great way to stretch our legs!

Next stop: Zion. From Hanging Lake we got right back on I-70 and headed West towards Zion. We stayed at a rustic B&B 15 minutes away from the East entrance, allowing us to quickly get up and get to the park. Due to time restraints we had to chose one hike, Angels Landing. This hike is definitely challenging, including 21 switch backs, and my first experience using chains! 

After Zion we headed to Las Vegas, where my mom would catch the red-eye home. 

This 4 day adventure covered 2,412 miles in 38.33 hours (according to my mom's calculations.) Now, to find a job so I can keep doing these amazing adventures!

Top of Angels Landing

Five Ingredient Fiesta Bowl

This 'Fiesta' mix can be used as a quick dip, or works great on a bed of lettuce.
Ingredient List:
15 Oz. Can of Black Beans
15 Oz. Can Corn
1/4 Cup Chopped Onion of choice
1/3 Cup Diced Tomatoes of choice
Cayenne Pepper
 

Step 1:
Rinse black beans and corn.
Chop onions and tomatoes.

Step 2:
Mix ingredients together.
Add cayenne pepper to taste.

Summer Adventure Essentials

Summer in Michigan isn't complete without spending copious amounts of time in the sun attending festivals, adventuring outdoors, making trips to the lake, and one of my families favorites, picking blueberries. 

No matter what we're doing, I won't leave home for a day in the sun without some essentials that make adventures that much better.

1. Shades: Squinting all day is no fun. If you can, invest in a good pair of sunglasses.
2. Water: My Nalgene is usually always within 5 feet of me, staying hydrated is key.
3. Snacks: Adventures are no fun when you're hangry. I usually bring a Lara bar or fruit.
4. Adventure Bag: Recently my favorite bag is the Patagonia Atom 8L Sling bag. It holds all of my essentials (including my DSLR), is comfortable and convenient. (Below i'm wearing the Osprey Talon 11 which works great when I have a few more items)

What are some of your 'Summer Adventure Essentials'?
 

BBB Pancakes

Blueberry-Banana Buckwheat Pancakes.
As a special Sunday morning treat, I made my mom and I these awesome pancakes.
The ingredients are simple, clean, and make you feel great! I like mine a little thicker and gooey, with tons of blueberries.

This made 8 pancakes:
1 cup buckwheat pancake & waffle mix
2 tbsp chia seeds soaked in 1/3 cup of water
1 ripe banana
fresh blueberries to taste
 

Make sure the banana is nice and spotted

Stir ingredients thoroughly. Add water or almond milk until desired consistency.

The End of an Era.

Today I moved out of my place in East Lansing...for the last time. 

Those who are close to me joke about how my mom and I have become expert packers from all the times we've moved my stuff (and I have a LOT of stuff). In my first semester of college I moved four times, and once every year since then, so this is probably pretty accurate.

But this time was different. It didn't seem too difficult or emotionally exhausting, but almost relieving. I can finally say goodbye to crappy college housing and all the frustration that comes with it!

In honor of the end of the era, i've come up with a list of some important things I learned,

1. Be a good roommate/human being. This doesn't mean you have to be best friends, but do your dishes, pay your bills, and clean up your stuff from the common areas. 

2. Less is more. Do you really need an ottoman? or a clock radio? or three bulletin boards? Small items add up quickly and are a pain to sort through after you move out. With this, the items that you do have don't need to be the nicest, and/or match. My furniture was grandparents-chic for the most part.

3. Have a tool bag! My little purple tool bag came in handy more times than I can count (thanks mom!)

4. Move as little as possible.  It seems fun to try a different living situation, mix up the location, maybe even the roommates. But staying in the same house my last two years made a huge difference, and I even developed a good relationship with my landlords (they even offered to write me a recommendation!)

5. Pick a convenient location This one should go without saying, but still. Pick a location close to what you find most important. For me, with a huge campus and rough Michigan winters, I chose to live close to where most of my classes are located.

With that, I am happy to say I am done with college housing, have become a pretty decent packer (or at least can throw things in boxes quickly), and am ready for my next adventure!

Check back soon as I start to prepare to head West!

Dog days of summer.

One of my favorite parts of any given day is going for a walk. 

Since graduating from college and going through the inevitable job search process, i've been spending a lot of time watching, and walking dogs. I realized the other day how this has been such a consistent part of my life, that I often overlook. 

Some of my earliest memories include going for family walks around the neighborhood and walking my dog around the "big block". As we grew up and our lives got busy these family walks happened less and less. At some point I started joining my mom and her friends on their daily 3-4 mile walks, and it became almost a treat if I could fit in a walk in my busy schedule. Even in college I preferred walking to class over riding my bike, thankfully I went to Michigan State where there are PLENTY of opportunities to get in long walks to class. 

We go on walks not really for the cardio benefits (although it is good for you, especially when keeping up with my mom's power walking), but as a way to relax and unwind. 

So next time you're feeling stressed, or just need a really nice way to end your day, try going for a walk.

Rawnola

Oats play a pretty big role in my diet. Whether it's hot oatmeal, granola, overnight oats or throwing them in my smoothies, I eat oats almost every day. This is a new combination I finally tried, and i'm hooked. I started with a small batch, to make sure I liked the ratios. 

So if you want to mix up your oatmeal routine, definitely give this a try!

Ingredients for a single serving:
Base:                             Add-ins:
2 Medjool Dates           Coconut Flakes
1/3 Cup rolled oats       Cinnamon

Blend the base and flavorings either in a blender or food processor. Sticky clumps should form, almost the consistency of cookie dough. I served mine with almond milk and topped with bananas.
        

Wedding Weekend

The non-stop excitement following graduation continued this past weekend as we celebrated my oldest brother’s marriage!

Weddings are stereotypically a mix of chaos, stress, happiness and joy.  While all of these were true, the importance of family came through stronger than ever. Everything from the handmade decorations being hung until midnight the night before the wedding, to the home-made food that was prepared by the bride and the two new mother-in-laws, this wedding was a testament to the importance of family.

With that being said, I want to again congratulate my brother and sister-in-law on their marriage! I'm looking forward to the many adventures to come!

Packing Afterthoughts

After returning from my amazing 33 day, 10 country European adventure many people have asked me if there was anything I brought that I didn't need, or items I wish I had. Thankfully, only a few items come to mind.

Things I wish I had brought:
1. A thicker jacket - it was much colder than we were expecting, I ended up wearing lots of layers.
2. My long rain coat- I was originally planning on bringing my long rain coat, but changed my mind last minute. Had I brought my longer coat I would've probably been okay with the colder temperatures.
 

Things I did not use:
1.  Black shorts
2. 3/4 sleeve black dress
3. Black flats
Had we been in warmer climates for more than a week, I probably would've used both my shorts and dress. I also only brought my flats in case I needed them for any of the churches we were going into, but didn't end up needing them.

Last Supper

Bubba Jr. enjoys Irish soda bread as well

London

We arrived to our Airbnb in London, by the tube, in enough time to head down to Picadilly Square. We bought an Oyster pass since we planned traveling along the Underground a lot, and this made it super easy to do so. In Picadilly Square we bought tickets to see Gypsy, and hopped on the hop-on hop-off to get our bearings of the city. 

Our second day in the city we went to the National Museum where we saw some works of Monet and Piccaso. From there we went to the Tower of London and saw the Crown Jewels, then took the river cruise along the River Thames.  We also made it to the iconic Abbey Road to reenact the Beatles cover, and to King's Cross station to Platform 9 3/4.

Our last full day began with a walking tour to Buckingham Palace where we saw the changing of the guards. This was cool to see, especially because it's a ceremony that takes place ever day. We continued on to Oxford Street to do some shopping before seeing the amazing musical Gypsy! After the show we rode the London Eye, walked through Harrods,  and found Elizabeth James' house in Parent Trap. 

Overall, London was one of my favorite cities so far. This could be partly due to the lack of a language barrier, or because I felt completely confident riding the Tube. Either way, I know I want to go back!

London -> York

He wanted to pay  

Bath

First stop in England- Bath.

Our first full day in Bath we took a train to Cardiff, Wales for the long awaited One Direction concert!! We headed to Cardiff early to look at the Cardiff Castle, and spend some time wandering around the Cardiff Market. The market was a very cool mix of a farmer's market and a supermarket.  After we had wandered through the city enough we headed to the concert! As a big One Direction fan, it was cool to see them in a foreign country.We returned to Bath after the concert, where my mom happily greeted us at the airbnb! 

The second day in Bath we did a mini-bus tour with the company Mad Max through the English countryside. We visited Stonehendge, Avebury, Lacock and Castle Combe. This was a great way to see picturesque English towns, as well as learn the historical significance of the region. After returning from the tour we did a hop-on hop-off bus ride around Bath. The natural hot springs contain 43 minerals that have a wide range of physical benefits, and originally drew in the wealthy to the town. 

The third day we did the second hop-on hop-off route through the Bath countryside, and ate at Sally Lunns tea house before heading off to London!

 

Stonehendge

Coffee in Cardiff

Rome

Our first full day in Rome was a national holiday, so there were tons of festivities going on. We ventured just outside the Vatican City, mainly around the Villa Borghese. Here we saw beautiful gardens, fountains, views of the city, and really impressive roller blading. We enjoy wandering through the streets people watching, and taking in the gorgeous architecture.

Our second day Abbi's family arrived and we toured the Vatican Museum, including the Sistine Chapel. Again, we were not disappointed by the beautiful statues, fountains, and art work. It has been interesting to see the various styles of paintings throughout the countries, especially in the detailed pieces. We ended the evening climbing the Spanish Steps, and having a nice dinner in the city (followed by Gelato of course!)

We started our final full day bright and early back in Vatican City at the St. Peter's Basilica. Although the line (or que as they call it here) was long, it moved quickly and was definitely worth the wait. We then went to the Pantheon, the Colosseum, and the Roman Forum. All of these were amazing, and places i've wanted to go since learning about them in Latin back in High-School. We bought the Roma pass which allows you to skip the lines, free fare on public transportation, and free entrance to your first museum. Because of this we were able to get into the Colosseum quickly, and without having to buy additional tickets. 

We're now headed to London (or will be once the weather clears up enough for our flight to leave) and can't be more excited, even though or Italian tans may fade. Once landing in London we will head right to Bath!

St. Peter's cathedral  

Vatican Museum

Fountain by the Spanish Steps

Piazza Navona

Pantheon

National Museum

First day trip!

Bubba Jr. Took his first day trip to the Colosseum yesterday. 

Rome!