Seattle Freeze
seattle, staying home

Are Seattleites “unfreezing” during this pandemic?

The boy raised his hand quickly to wave at us with a half smile. Bryce and I drove by, and I waved back. I was surprised that this kid who had been playing basketball in the street had 1) moved over for us and 2) waved at us, even if it was brief. We were… Continue reading Are Seattleites “unfreezing” during this pandemic?

seattle, travel

This travel blog is on pause

The other day a friend asked me if I had been blogging about my experiences with the COVID-19 outbreak. I hadn't really thought to. I mean, my last post was about it. But, I hadn't planned to continue writing about it here. On my nightstand, I recently revived my paper journal to write down at… Continue reading This travel blog is on pause

seattle, United States

Blocked, and at home 2.0

Wash your hands. Work from home. No large gatherings. Six feet apart. Don't hoard all the toilet paper. Cancel unnecessary personal trips. Don't touch your face. (That last one is harder than it sounds. I never realized I touch my face so often until now). Last week I wrote about the joys of just staying… Continue reading Blocked, and at home 2.0

Seattle dog
seattle

Blocked, and at home

I've been blocked from Instagram for more four weeks. (At this point, I've actually lost track. It may be five!) I can still log in and access my account. However, I am unable to post photos with a caption, nor am I able to like, follow or comment on other accounts. (What does this even… Continue reading Blocked, and at home

Pacific Northwest, post travel, seattle

Seattle snow days, sort of

There seems to be a trend where I go on vacation and come home to Seattle snow. Last year it was after our three-week honeymoon in New Zealand. I arrived back home to snow-covered streets and multiple more snow days that followed. That time, Seattle received more than a week of "significant" snow. I was… Continue reading Seattle snow days, sort of

seattle

And the celebrating continues

What a weekend, what a week. I was excited to be staying home so that we could go to the MLS Cup Final game last weekend where our Seattle Sounders would be taking on Toronto FC. Any other weekend, I would have rather been traveling to a new city or going on a new adventure. But,… Continue reading And the celebrating continues

Pacific Northwest

Not too far, but far enough

Birds chirping at 5 in the morning that wake you up. The evergreen trees swaying in the wind. Clear blue lakes and rivers. Mountains beyond mountains. The sound of laughter nearby. It looked like I could have been home in Seattle, or just outside of Seattle. But, in fact, I was more than 300 miles… Continue reading Not too far, but far enough

new zealand

New Zealand: feeling kind of at home

Are you tired of hearing about New Zealand? I hope not because I have so many more thoughts and stories to share! Despite being on the other side of the world, New Zealand felt familiar to me. The country's time zone is "so far away" from us -- Pacific Standard Time here in Seattle --… Continue reading New Zealand: feeling kind of at home

Pacific Northwest, pre travel

Just like that, from summer to winter

Within a week I went from being in upper 80 degree (Fahrenheit) temperatures in Colombia to snowy trails in the Pacific Northwest. Just like that, from summer to winter. No, it's not snowing in Seattle. Yesterday I dragged Bryce with me to go on a "short nature walk" that turned into a five-mile hike. After… Continue reading Just like that, from summer to winter

seattle

Being a holiday tourist in your hometown

A few weeks ago if you had asked me if I had done any "Christmas activities" my answer would have been "no" followed by a long sigh. (I love Christmas and everything about the holiday season — with a hard exception for eggnog). To make sure I efficiently and effectively got into the Christmas spirit,… Continue reading Being a holiday tourist in your hometown