I've now fully embraced that summer is over. I have welcomed fall with open arms and an open heart. But, I didn't know that I'd have to welcome winter at the same time. Weather in the Seattle area has been unpredictable recently. Two weekends ago, temperatures suddenly dropped to the 40s — yes, I'm using… Continue reading It’s beginning to look a lot like winter
I couldn't figure out why my husband's phone was telling us we were 15 minutes away from the visitor center. When we had entered the national park, we thought we'd be at our destination in a mere five to 10 minutes. "Are you sure you inputted the location correctly?" I asked him as he continued… Continue reading An impromptu Denali afternoon
I've been a long-distance runner for more than 10 years. Whenever I meet someone new and they learn that I run marathons, it's not uncommon for them to respond with something like, "I could never do that!" I disagree. You have to have just as much mental toughness and physical toughness when it comes to… Continue reading The Butte
I'm a little annoyed with summer. I feel like it didn't give us a proper good-bye here, in Seattle. Summer just sort of ghosted, like an Irish good-bye. (You know, when you sneak out of a party without saying "bye" to anyone). It's not uncommon for September to be the best month in terms of… Continue reading Good-bye summer, hello fall.
It was getting late. OK, by late I mean it was 7:30 pm. But, I had been driving for more than 100 miles that day -- and, I was hungry and had to pee. We had arrived at the Kingston Ferry Terminal after enjoying an afternoon at Hurricane Ridge and were hoping we'd catch the… Continue reading A missed ferry, a lightning storm
It was as if we were stuck behind the slowest customer at the grocery store. You know the one. This person not only has 15 coupons, but one has expired and they are trying to convince cashier to accept it anyway. Oh, and they are paying by check — and, their pen just ran out… Continue reading The wait, the mountains and the deer
I'm a runner who is trying to remember what it's like to be an uninjured runner again. For me, that meant signing up for a race, setting a race goal, training for the race — and then running the race. I chose the Seawheeze Half-Marathon in Vancouver, Canada. I was more worried about getting to… Continue reading The trip where everything just worked out
[Written last night at 9:45 pm] I'm running a half-marathon in another country — yes, Canada — in three days. I love running in Vancouver, BC. It's the main reason I signed up for this race. Oh, and redemption. But, I have a running blog to write about that. It's safe to say that a… Continue reading Random thoughts on running and recent travels
"Maybe we'll find some sand dollars," I said to Bryce as we left out campsite and walked to the beach. It was around 7:30 in the morning and while it wasn't exactly low tide, the tide was still fairly low. We were camping at Cape Lookout State Park on the Oregon Coast. I had spent… Continue reading To the Oregon Coast!
"Are you lactose intolerant, Kristin?" As I have gotten older, I am asked this question more frequently. (Most recently, even from my own brother!) There's no way I am lactose intolerant. I eat yogurt with granola for breakfast almost every day. I drink a glass of milk with dinner when I'm at my parents' house.… Continue reading Will travel for cheese
otter travel more 