#MondayMotivation - Short Work Weeks

This week’s motivation is brought to you by a short working week for me. I have Thursday and Friday off because my friends are coming in from New Mexico. I’m so pumped to have visitors again and pumped to have a short work week. It’s these little things that keep me pushing forward. Making plans and having visitors keeps me moving. I’ve got visitors coming in August and I’m headed to the Great Lakes in September!

I find joy in planning and hosting, what brings you joy? What keeps you going? Find that thing and run with it. Have a good week!

Annual BFF Trip - Washington State

I recently flew to Seattle to meet my BFF Squad for a long weekend of adventure. Every year, we get together to take an adventure - a camping trip, a full on road trip, or destination adventure - to hang out and catch up. Seattle is one of my favorite places to go, mostly for the area around it, but also now for what the metro area has to offer. We explored, got the views, found the beers, and had a great time. Our Chrysler Pacifica minivan took us from the airport to a Mariners game and then onward to the Olympic Peninsula. Enjoy some photos from our trip. I already can’t wait to get back to my happy place in the northwest. This is my general take on the trip, with my views. My friends may have other opinions, which is okay.

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Day 1: Seattle

• I arrived a night earlier, because the flight was better so I settled in and got the rental minivan

  • Had a total Dad/Minivan vibe and I was okay with it

• Our hotel for Night 1 was the Embassy Suites near T-Mobile Park

  • The hotel was perfectly located for easy food and access to the Mariners game

  • The prices were not bad, but parking is not included (pretty typical, really)

• Tourist sites visited

  • Pike Place Market - the gum wall, various eats and drinks

  • Ghost Alley Espresso is pretty delicious for coffee

  • Discovery Park (lighthouse, beach views, and a view of Rainier)

  • Gas Works Park - very neat art and views of the city

  • Fremont Troll - classic little creeper under an overpass

  • Kerry Park - excellent views of the city and Rainier (cute neighborhood too)

• Breweries Visited

  • Fremont Brewing - easily one of the group favorites for the trip with a wide variety and an amazing patio

  • Optimism Brewing - another instant favorite with a delicious variety and big, open space and the coolest gender neutral bathrooms I’ve ever seen

• Had an excellent dinner at Two Doors Down (scrumptious burgers and great beers/ciders on draft) near the hotel/stadiums

• Attended a Mariners game - was a bit sunny, but lovely

• Ran in to my friend Fredi from Texas who was in town and spent a while catching up - such a nice surprise

• The day was long - lots of driving, walking, drinking local beers, and sunshine so we hit the hay pretty early

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Day 2: Our Venture to the Peninsula

• We decided to find some lighthouses as part of our adventures which included beach visits to the kind of beaches that required sweatshirts (the best kind)

• We hit up a few breweries and cider places as well

  • I shared my favorite cider place Finnriver Cidery & Farm with them and they loved it for the food and drink

  • Port Townsend Brewing for a brief sampler (excellent porter and stout)

  • Propolis Brewing was a different breed of beer and I was here for it - sours, fruity, spruce tips, SO GOOD (easily one of my new must-visists)

  • Discovery Bay Brewing - such a fun patio and tasty beers

• We stayed in Port Angeles at the Olympic Lodge - fun story, Molly and I stayed there in 2009 with our friend Kevin on one of our road trips

• We had dinner at the local pub Joshua’s (again, a revisit for Molly and I and pure nostalgia)

  • Definitely not as I remember it - less daylight next time

• It was another long day of driving, beaches, beers, and sunshine

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Day 3: Olympic Peninsula Exploration

• We started the day with drive through coffee from a coffee hut - so good

  • This is an essential for coffee lovers when in the PNW

  • Iced coffee is better, always, fight me

• Ventured around the peninsula through Forks

• Stopped at the Tree of Life and soaked up the fog on the beach

• Made our way to the Maple Glade Rain Forest to take in the greenery of the Quinault area

• Had lunch at the Pacific Inn Pizza (another revisit after years)

  • I’ve not taken most of my besties here for mediocre food (at best)

• Stopped out at Rialto Beach - nice and cold/windy!

• Came back to town to have a beer at Barhop Brewing

  • Cheesy bread looks GOOD

• Made the decision to go up to Hurricane Ridge

  • the views and sunset were phenomenal

  • Met some fun people who painted rocks and left them in public places

• Dinner at McDonalds because everything was either over an hour wait or closed

  • My only gripe w/ Port Angeles

The Holidays (Happy Summer!)

I know today is not the first day of summer, but we’re into it and that’s exciting for a lot of people. This is now the time to roam for some kids and teachers, the months when vacations happen, and the weekends at the lake that just go by too fast.

For me, the holidays were always about scheduling a day to be with the family and friends and it wasn’t always on the official date. My dad worked shifts, my mom worked retail, other family members had similar situations, etc. so we always found a random day that everyone could gather for whatever holiday it was nearest. When I moved away to college, I’d have to work through the holidays, so we’d have Christmas at New Years and that was fine, too. For me, now more than ever, it’s about getting together with people you care about - family or not - and enjoying that moment.

Having a date for Christmas or a birthday is cool, but why not do those things without an occasion? Why do we have to wait for a calendar to tell us to reach out and have a day to celebrate togetherness? My goal in 2021, as it has informally been for years, is to celebrate life more intentionally on the days we can make work.

It’s fair to say I think most calendar holidays are bogus. With such a wide array of religions and lifestyles here in the USA, I’m pretty sure calendar holidays are simply placeholders for days off for certain industries. Yeah, I like Christmas, but I’m not a Christian so I kind of use it to celebrate Winter in general. So, even if the calendar holidays aren’t your jam, make them your own if you don’t want to completely ignore them. I think the first day of Fall is a good reason to have a feast instead of the idea of Thanksgiving the way it is portrayed. I think we need to practice gratitude all year, and vocalize it more, rather than waiting until that one weekend in November. Instead of being total asshats with fireworks and idiocy, why not focus more on ways to help improve your country and help others while still gathering and having fun too.

It’s nearly Independence Day here in the US and I’m using my free day off to head to the Great Lakes area to visit my friends (who are family) and my family. I’m going off the grid on the 4th to a cabin with people who mean the world to me, and probably not seeing any major fireworks. I’m spending the following week catching up with friends and family at the lake - hopefully enjoying every damn minute we have together because I just live too far away right now. I don’t know where I’ll be on Labor Day, Fall/Winter Equinox, Thanksgiving weekend, my birthday, or Christmas, but I’m sure as hell going to try to spend those days thankful to be alive with people I enjoy being around. Celebrate life every day, any way you can. You don’t need a holiday to have an excuse to get together and enjoy life. If you need someone to celebrate life with, hit me up. We’ll have a celebration just because.