Washington in December

45 days. Almost 6 and a half weeks. That's how long I was home. My calendar went from very little scheduled to meeting up over 33 times with friends and out of town family... How crazy is that. Along with that came CAP work, grocery shopping, holiday baking, appointments, even getting sick.

Highlights? (in chronological order)

Taking some desperately needed self-care/me time. Fort Casey with paints. It was lovely.

Photo shoot with this girl. Working through things together and growing. Constantly growing. Eating good foods and drinking good coffee. :-D

Derping around with old CAP cadets and siblings...  

Exploring Fort Flagler. Drift wood talks, ferry rides, dark corridors... 

Seeing my Little Fuji Family again. 

Going to the Seattle Aquarium with the Jamieson Family. Driving around Seattle, being with Mr. and Mrs. J as they saw Pike Place for the first time... 

Going to Leavenworth with Nick and Jane. It felt like a true escape. 

Anyway, this break may have had it's rough moments, but overall, I'm thankful for the time I got to spend here in Washington. 

Painting at the Fort

Adventured alone today. I needed the recharge time. Since I've been home, the pace has been crazy and exhausting. 

I dropped Evelyn off at school. The sunrise was stunning and made me want to wake up early and see more glorious mornings with pink skies behind snow capped mountains. I've missed those views.

The drive to Fort Casey was relaxing with the few exceptions of annoying drivers who didn't know how to read a speed limit sign *insert minor road rage and name calling here*. Hardly anyone was at the park for the first hour or so while I was there, so I wandered about taking pictures and walking the beach admiring the rocks in complete silence. Almost too quiet. I had to make myself walk the dark tunnels. I am far too used to a crowd at the fort.

Only car in the parking lot

 I thought it would be too cold for painting, but settled down atop the fort and painted away with my favorite chai tea to give it a try. I sat there a while, painting and admiring the Olympic mountains.

Basic down, just need to add the details.

Chowder on a dock in La Conner, browsing my favorite jewelry store, reading poetry and listening to music with the windows down. It was a much needed day. 

A First

Today, after sending out an email yesterday in regards to an open house I'm helping with, I was asked to make a flier to help advertise. At first I was a little frustrated. I have a full time job, plus packing to leave and then flying in right before the holiday. It felt impossible to be able to create this product before I left.

I have never made a poster or flier before, so this was completely new to me. After looking up some of other fliers for the same program, I had a good idea of what NOT to do. After talking with my sister and then getting completely frustrated over my old version of Word, I borrowed Lisa's computer and used publisher for the first time. It was a great learning experience and I'm eager to work again on that software, but perhaps on my own computer, or at least with a wireless mouse...

Anyway, here's my first ever flier. I'm thrilled that I got it done today, that four of MY pictures are on there and that it's my first one ever. I think it turned out pretty well, although it certainly took me long  enough to make.

Also, cozy fires, cello music and ice cream help the work go by faster.

P.s. If you want to learn more about CAP and what we do... We're having an open house. ;-) *shameless advertising attempt*

Solo Adventure

Yesterday, I drove. No true destination. GPS-less. Spontaneous. For those who do not know me well, that is a rarity. I am a planner. I plan routes based on left hand turns and not taking the same road a lot. But not yesterday. I was in need of peace, a time to recharge my introverted side after a social weekend. I was in need of finding nature and painting inspirations.

Through forests, up hills, with sun in my eyes and windows rolled down, I drove. I fell in love with the mountains, the leaf-less trees mixed with evergreens, the lakes and rives, even the pot-hole filled roads. I enjoyed the challenge of not getting lost, of trying new roads and finding new places.

While in Tennessee, I would purposely leave the house in search of nature, since it was so different from here and yesterday I realized that I need to keep doing that. There is so much of Washington that I can explore.

I can't wait for the roadside stands to open up, until the tulips and daffodils bloom and when watching the sunset doesn't freeze me completely. 

I highly recommend adventuring. Both solo AND with friends. It was such a refreshing time. A thoughtful time. A quiet time... It's what we all need sometimes. 

A Freezing Weekend

Weekend, freakend, weakend, freezend, pleasend. Those where my thoughts on this past weekend.

Thursday proved to be ridiculously busy with back to back scheduling that went something like this:

7:45- Wake up
8:15- Drive Ev to School
8:50- Breakfast and make dinner (we had crockpot fajitas)
9:00- Grocery lists
9:30- Tidy house
9:45- Groom
10:00- Shop (Winco, Walmart, Dollar Store and Cash and Carry)
1:00- Put food away
2:15- Jane to Choir
4:00- Prep for CAP
4:45- CAP
9:30- Home (we ended up staying an hour late to run through ceremony processes for next week)

I kept perfectly with my schedule, fitting in a three minute shower and getting a 45 minute break in the afternoon... It was a crazy day, but kinda fun.

Friday: we cooked all day for the weekend. I got signed up to cook for Field Emergency Services Training (FEST) at CAP. The "kitchen" was a stove (partially working), oven (only got to 160-170 degrees) and a microwave (which we didn't use). There was no running water, no flushing toilets and the building was a balmy 45 degrees. Colder inside than outside.

I was super thankful for my brand new Cambro, which Mom and Dad got me for a gift over a year ago and I just now got to use it. It basically keeps food whatever temperature is it when you put it in. I made breakfasts from home and transported them in the Cambro. It kept it hot until service which was key since the building was practically the temperature of a fridge.

Anyway, Saturday was freezing cold, but all the food cooking went well. Sunday I switched out siblings. Jane came with me to help and Ian and Ev stayed behind to work on homework with the agreement to help me get all the dishes washed when I got home.

Hours later (and a good long nap) and I'm still trying to get my hands and feet to warm up all the way. It was so cold that for part of the day I was wearing two hoodies, with hand warmers (which I kept calling hot pockets, which is funny cause I've never had one before) in the pockets of the inner one.

I won't be doing that kind of thing anytime soon...

Adventure of the Gracies

We decided to celebrate our Friendiversary. We did some talking and we decided we've been really good friends for six years. We've known each other for a lot longer than that, but were never friends.

This morning, Gracie came over and we headed out on an epic adventure to Whidbey Island. Our first stop was at Rosario Beach. It is now my favorite spot. It was gorgeous. Although really cold, so be warned. Also, don't dress like Gracie and leave your warm jackets at home...

Gracie had never gotten out of Deception Pass, so after the leisurely drive out and the recon missions to several parks and beaches, we got to the Deception Pass Bridge and walked most of the way across.

The drive continued to Langley where we stopped for lunch and coffee. I got an amazing London Fog (one of my favorites). We shopped around the town, which has some rather cute shops. Our favorite shop was called Music for the Eyes. It was a great store with a collection of cool rugs, gorgeous jewelry and beads from all over the world (mostly Middle East and Asia).

We drove further still and found a random beach where the lighting was great so we stopped for pictures/photoshoot/to admire the view, but mostly for pictures. ;-)

We stopped off at an art gallery on the way back home as well as to try on formal dresses as Ross. It was super fun and both of us didn't want the day to end.

In addition to all that, I saw mountains for the first time since I've been home, we ate amazing chocolates, drove through slush, hail, snow-ish and rain, had many conversations and drove over 200 miles. It was a lovely day and I'm so thankful to have this girl in my life!

Return to Fort Worden

For two months, we had a date set aside in September to spend together at Fort Worden. We made improvements from the last time by making ferry reservations and packed enough food for everyone.

So this past Saturday at 7:50am, three Fuji's, three Grays, three Jamiesons, one Hacking, four Miles and one Caitlin-- fifteen people total-- loaded into the our "rad" semi-white van and headed for Fort Worden. I forgot how chaotic and loud a full van can be, but it was fun to listen and participate in the different conversations. We arrived in Coupeville at the ferry terminal in great time. Forty minutes before the ferry was to leave. It left us the perfect amount of time to play Duck, Duck, Bang and Ninja in the parking lot. 

Fierce game of Ninja at the ferry terminal

Once on the ferry, the looks we got while fifteen adult/teens got out of the van was priceless! It looked like a ridiculous amount of people in one vehicle. 

All those people fit in one van! 

We admired the view and eventually met up on the Mezzanine deck of the ferry where it was relatively quiet and clear. We had to take what is now a traditional ferry picture for us. 

We arrived at Fort Worden hungry and ready to explore. We grabbed lunch things and headed for the beach. 

Some things you should know:

Gracie+Beach= Friends

Gracie+Beach= Frolicking 

Gracie+Beach= Happiness 

Gracie+Friends+Beach= Bliss + <3

So we ate our Robin Hood lunch of French bread, meat, cheese and sand. Washed it down with Mucho Mango tea and water and hand pies. 

The beach explorers took off, running and laughing down the beach, we were happy. There was real sand between our toes and sun in our eyes. The majority of them ran around the bend in the beach and way out from eyesight. Since shoes, socks, bags, wallets and food were still at our original lunch area, I stayed relatively close looking for cool rocks and shells and talking with Lindsay. 

After a good hour or so, the beach wanderers were called back (I'm mean, what can I say), so we could go explore the fort. They came back with smiles, covered in sand and some wet. 

The beached boat was our next destination. We had to get a group picture there and recreate the recreated Washington Crossing picture from last time... 

We went next to explore the upper bunkers. They were pretty much all the same, but still pretty sweet and not as busy as the lower bunkers. We always search for the best singing bunker. Part way through the exploring, Nick, John and I ditched in hopes of finding a different room to sing in, or just get away from the rest of the group. I think a good scare would have been planned as well. It was fun. I took a bunch of picture as we continued to explore, we ran around, sang and looked around more. 

Near the end, some of us got "separated" from the rest of the group (we thought they would find us, but instead, they went all the way back to the van). It gave us a chance to sing a little as a smaller group. The funnest part was when this dad and his three girls walked past and we screamed really loudly and Ian banged on his Cajon, then silence. When we stepped out into the hall, no one was there. It was awesome! 

Overall the time at Fort Worden was a blast, although it could have been longer.... 

The second ferry ride was us hanging on that same Mezzanine deck the entire time. Gracie gave me a killer neck massage. I was so out that walking back to the car was really really weird feeling. 

Since spending ten hours together wasn't enough to satisfy anyone, we went to Fort Ebey to watch the sunset and sing some more. It was the perfect way to spend the evening. The acoustics in the large room at Fort Ebey were way better than any of the others at Fort Worden. 

It was a sweet time and once again, I am left thinking that I know a great group of people and am thankful for my friends. Until next adventure... 

Who's Idea was it to Hike?

Ian borrowed my laptop for the time he and Ev are in Alabama for two weeks. I didn't think it would be a problem. I just wouldn't be able to watch anything, write anything or do much by way of computers. That being said, I've done a lot of dishes, cooking and hanging out with Jane....

We've watched a lot of movies, but mixed it in with an equal amount of work and errands. I kept hearing from people how cool the Lime Kiln hike is and how we should do it. So Jane and I decided to give it a go. Mom has so many people in so many different directions, she didn't seem at all concerned about two of her girls going hiking. Rosie, not so much. So loaded with pepper spray and directions not to get kidnapped or mugged, we set off. 

The hike itself was okay, a little boring besides the cute little butterflies everywhere. The destination was pretty cool. The Lime Kiln was awesome and huge, but I have to admit we loved the river even more (it was about a mile further on). We spent a good half hour eating lunch and enjoying the river view before we stacked a couple more cairns and heading out. 

We finished the day off with fish tacos with Gracie Hacking, watched Champagne for Caesar and The Village (once Jane was in bed)... After all that, Gracie and I talked until nearly two before falling asleep. It was an awesome day!

Planning Another Adventure

So today, I was looking at pictures on Instagram of Fort Worden. A completely different fort from the one we visited.... At first, I thought it was just people miss labeling their photos, but decided to look it up.

This blog showed me what exactly I was missing.... The majority of Fort Worden went unexplored by me and my friends! We explored 2/9 of the bunkers!

So I guess I'll have to plan another outing to explore that part of the fort. I wonder if it is pretty quiet, seeing as even I didn't realize it was there and I did some research... Good thing is, there's another fort, Fort Flagler that is 40 minutes away from Fort Worden. It is the fort that completes the triangle... 

It too looks like a fun fort to explore! And it's on an island! So, for those of my friends up for another adventure... Looks like we have two destinations to check out in late July or early August.

According to Ev, you've seen one fort, you've seen them all. I disagree and can't wait to go exploring again! Perhaps we'll even find a better singing bunker.

And I'll learn from my mistakes and make reservations for the ferry and bring enough water/snacks ;-) 

Fort Worden Adventure

You know the times when you see your friends at different activities, but you don't actually get to hang out and talk with them? That's how I've felt pretty much the entire time since I've been home. I've seen friends at dancing, volleyball, Jane's choir and birthday parties. But it's not the same as actually getting to hang out with no real schedule or plans.

Nate Miles and I while trying to arrange a day to go somewhere as a group of friends, could not settle on a date, pushing it out into June. Big family with older kids problem right there... So on a more spontaneous idea, we set the date for Sunday, just over a week away. Ridiculous that everyone we wanted to come was able to come that day! But skipping Church... 

8:45 Sunday morning, a Jamieson, a couple Hackings, a few Miles and three Fuji's embarked in the rather dirty 15 passenger van and headed Northwest to Coupville. We really wanted to catch the 10:15 ferry, so we were cutting it way too close. I was positive we would have to wait for the 11:45 ferry (which is way too long to wait). We were sooooo excited that we were the second to last car boarded on that ferry. They had me re-park after the initial time pulling up in order to get us to fit. We were stoked to be on that ferry and many high-fives went around. 

Needless to say, we had a blast on the ferry, both admiring the view, losing members of our group and then sending other off to find them, then people to find the people who were sent to find the original group who had just returned. It turned into an endless cycle of missing people. It was hilarious! 

We finally got to Fort Worden and after posing for pictures in the beached boat, we explored the fort. It was just as cool as I remembered. Almost all the doors opened and closed, hardly any were welded closed and the super narrow (almost creepy narrow) pathways between bunker rooms were super sweet. We did a lot of singing in the bunkers because the acoustics are amazing in those rooms! 

We had our standard Robin Hood lunch on the REAL sand beach and then while the others explored, Nate, Lindsay and I found an even better bunker to sing in. We had fun singing before being joined by the others. I felt a little bad doing a Sunday since everyone goes to Church, but I have to say, the fellowship and worship that happened in that bunker was 10x better and more natural then going to Church. :-D 

Even though we left plenty of time to get back to the ferry, most people made reservations for that particular ferry, so we were stuck at the terminal for an additional 1+ hour. John, Jane and I played card games while the other explored Port Townsend. All of us played Quack, Quack, Bang and Ninja until it was time to board. 

As if that day wasn't crazy enough as is, Ian and I took Kaylie to volleyball and caught the last game before heading home and to bed. Now to clean up the van and wait patiently until the next time we can have a crazy adventure like this one was. I love this particular set of friends, they're so easy to be around, we're like one crazy family. <3