It’s early summer in Seattle, and last weekend the weather was warm enough to indulge in one of my favorite summer activities: kayaking! I am far from an experienced kayaker, but I do like to get out on the water a couple times each summer. I think kayaking is a lot of fun, and it’s also good exercise!
I went with my boyfriend and a couple of good friends to Agua Verde Paddle Club, a great place to rent kayaks and also to grab food afterwards. From Agua Verde’s docks, you can paddle around Lake Union and see the city skyline and the houseboats that surround the lake, or you can go toward Lake Washington and check out the Arboretum. We opted for Lake Union, and it was beautiful! We did get rained on for a bit, but since I usually end up getting splashed and soaked every time I kayak anyway, it didn’t really matter to me.

After our kayaking adventure, I changed into dry pants (I’m telling you, I always get soaked!) and we went to the Agua Verde Cafe for a post-kayaking lunch. I actually discovered the cafe before I kayaked at Agua Verde, on a vacation to Seattle back in 2008. From that first experience to my lunch last weekend, the food has always been fantastic. Agua Verde serves fresh, authentic Mexican food, and the generous portion sizes are perfect for famished kayakers. The restaurant is casual, brightly painted, and offers a beautiful view of the lake. You order at the counter, then pick a place to sit. Food is brought out to you in record time. My two favorite menu items are the Puerco Burrito (I get a side of guacamole with it and it tastes soooo good!) and the Pollo Tacos, which are topped with an amazing cranberry slaw. Both are delicious!
Whether you’re craving delicious Mexican food, adventure, or a bit of both, Agua Verde definitely offers it. I plan on making it back at least a couple more times this summer!
 

I used to be the girl that despised change. I wanted everything in my little world to stay cozy and consistent. Of course, I realize that nothing stays the same, and so resisting change is pointless…but even so, it took me nearly thirty years to accept and even embrace change.
Last February, I wrote about some major life changes I was experiencing, some of which I had initiated the prior fall. Back when I wrote that update, I was still unsure about my new life, even though I knew that the personal changes I’d made were for the best. Since then, I’ve found SO much happiness and am more assured than ever that the things that I’ve done for myself are right. I’ve made new friends, and strengthened existing friendships. I’ve fallen in love with someone new and am enjoying every blissful moment of that love. I’m having adventures, having fun, enjoying every day for what it has to offer instead of relentlessly looking toward the future and hoping that it will offer me what I desire. I feel at peace, more than I can ever remember feeling.
When things are right, they flow.
Gone are the days when I felt that I had to struggle for every little thing I want. Maybe this is because I’ve reached a point where I’m letting things happen, and not trying to force what will never be. Maybe it’s because I’ve gained more confidence, and continue to do so. Or maybe it’s both, one never can really tell for sure. But what I can tell is that things just feel so fluid, so right. 
In April, I cut my long hair into a short, inverted bob. I was VERY nervous about doing this. But it turned out great, and I felt so much more attractive with the new cut. I kept it til yesterday, when I went in for a trim and came out with a pixie cut.

For years, I’ve admired women with the confidence to wear their hair so short. They have no long layers to shield their faces and hide behind. I never believed that I could pull off such a style, so I just looked on.
Yesterday when I revealed to my stylist what I had in mind, she was thrilled and gushed about how excited she was to see the results, insisting that I have the perfect face shape for such a cut. Now that I have it, I definitely agree with her and I feel amazing about my appearance! I’ve gotten a TON of compliments about my new hair.
While a fresh hairstyle is definitely a change, my new look is the smaller of the changes taking place in my life. The bigger is a career change that I am incredibly excited about. I accepted a temporary six-month analyst position with my company, with potential for a permanent position after the first of the year. This job is entirely different from anything I’ve ever done and I am beyond excited for the new challenge.
I’m taking my new job beginning July 15th. In between now and then, I have four days next week to work, followed by a ten-day vacation that I’m kicking off by celebrating the 4th of July in Portland with my love, and continuing back in Washington with my parents, who are visiting from California. Together, we will celebrate yet another change in my life, my thirtieth birthday.
These days I am feeling happy, successful, and excited about what I fully believe will be one of my best summers ever.

I am a person who loves organization, and feels most zen when things are orderly and planned out and neat. This may be my preference, but right now my life seems rife with clutter and disorganization.
It’s been six months since I moved into my apartment, and it’s just now starting to feel like home. Maybe that’s because I’ve finally accepted it AS my home. For the last couple of months, a friend and I had been planning on moving into a house together this summer, so I didn’t bother getting too comfy where I’m at. But our plans fell through, leaving me to realize that where I am living is where I’m going to be, at least for another six months to a year, and that I needed to start treating the place as such.
Yesterday, I got home from work and went to get my mail, as I always do in the evenings. The mailboxes for my apartment complex are located in the main leasing office, and to get there from my unit I have to walk along a path and cross a foot bridge over a small stream that cuts the property in half. On this particular evening, it was sunny after a morning of rain, and as I crossed the bridge I took a deep breath of the fresh air and felt very comfortable and content, and glad to be home. It was the first time I’d really felt that happy to be there.
Last winter, when I packed my things to move, there wasn’t a lot of time for going through my belongings or to throw away unnecessary items. As a result, I moved a lot of junk to my new place. And once there, I only had a few days to unpack before I had to go back to work, and I was trying to make the place as comfortable for myself as possible before I had to resume a daily routine. So again, I didn’t really sort through anything, but instead tossed a lot of items I didn’t really have any use for into a cupboard or closet because at least it was put away and my place gave the appearance of being neat. But now that I’ve determined that I’m not leaving anytime soon, it’s time to go through those cupboards and closets and clear the clutter.
Last night I began the purge. I’ve decided that in order to keep the project from feeling completely overwhelming, I’ll tackle one space at a time. Last night I focused on one of the cabinets in my office, and quickly filled a trash bag with things that I absolutely do not need. When I hauled the bag downstairs and deposited it in the dumpster, I felt relieved, as if that was one less bag of stuff taking up much-needed space in my little apartment.
I want to have as little as possible. I don’t want to have loads of stuff just because I once liked it or because it was a present. I want less. I want smaller, more compact, more easy to manage. Maybe having more is widely accepted as a status symbol, as a sign of affluence and success. But to me it is scary. I want my little world to be as easy-to-manage as I can make it.
So marks the beginning of my journey to becoming a minimalist. I’m hoping that along the way I’ll achieve greater peace of mind and greater closet space.

I’ve always loved to write, from the time that I first learned how. From a young age I was always keeping diaries and journals, in addition to spending hours locked in my room, lost in the fantasy worlds created by my own imagination and written down in spiral notebooks or on the old laptop that my dad generously let me have. I’ve been blogging since 2005, on one forum or another.
In May, I started a new writing project after getting inspired by a blog post I read about keeping a Five Minute Journal as a tool to increase personal happiness. From this post, my idea to start what I think of as my  Gratitude Journal was born.
Each day (well, with the exception of days that I forget to do it), I write down three things that I am grateful for, three things that would make my day great, and a daily affirmation of my own self-worth. I am now a month into this project, and I am excited to say that I feel more positive and optimistic because of it!
Today, I decided to write down each of May’s daily affirmations to create a self-affirming paragraph. I don’t look at my previous journal entries from day to day, so I did find that some of my affirmations were remarkably like others and chose not to repeat them, but here is the paragraph I created with my journal for the month of May:
I am beautiful, smart, and successful and love who I am. I am capable of accomplishing anything, not alone but with the amazing family and friends that stand by me, support me, and lift me up. I am a quality person and I am loved because of who I am – and I deserve that love. I can handle any situation I am faced with because I am brave and resourceful. I can do anything I set my mind to, even if it makes me nervous. I can step out of my comfort zone and I will be fine. I deserve all the good things I receive in my life because I am an amazing person. I am an athlete. I am a quality, capable person. I am amazing.  I am a good and loyal friend. I am smart and beautiful. 
Reading these sentences, and being able to say that I believe each and every one of them with all of my heart, makes me feel fabulous!
I can now truly see the power of reflecting daily on the positive things in my life and for taking time to be grateful for what I have. Although of course there are things that I want, as all people want things, I am finding myself more and more content in what I already have. Thinking of three things each morning that I am grateful for has really driven me to pay closer attention to things that make me happy: Skype time with my parents, hanging out with friends, a sunny warm day. And when it comes to thinking of things that would make each day great, I opt not for grandiose things like winning the lottery (although that would be fantastic!) but for simple pleasures: spending time with loved ones, cuddling with my kitties, taking a walk. And when I do those things, I revel in them, because they really DO make my day great.
I’m very happy with the way keeping my Gratitude Journal makes me feel, and I’m planning to keep it up!

Last weekend I was very honored to participate in my second March for Babies Walk. The March of Dimes Foundation is a nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. Since I myself was a premature baby, and since I have friends that have had premature babies, the cause is very important to me. I had a great time participating last year, so I knew that I would want to get involved again. This time around, the experience was even more special because I got to walk with not only some very dear friends of mine, but also my dad!
This year, the walk was held at City Park in Edmonds. When we arrived, the weather was cloudy and chilly, but the sun quickly peeked out and we had great weather for the duration of the walk. And our team, Ounces of Love, was very successful this year – we raised over $2500!
 

 
Thank you to all who donated to this great cause! My page is still taking donations, so if you’d like to help out March of Dimes, go here and donate today!

Last week, my friend and fellow blogger Kate debuted her 25 Faces Campaign, in celebration of her 25th birthday in April. For 25 days, she will feature one post per day about a woman that she feels has inspired her in some way. I thought it was a neat idea when she pitched it to me, and I helped her by editing some of the posts for the project. I had expected to get a sneak peak of some really interesting and amazing women, and I wasn’t disappointed in that regard. What I didn’t expect was for her to ask me to be a part of the campaign and share the story of my abusive marriage and ultimate divorce, but when she did I agreed without giving it a second thought.
It’s been nearly ten years since I filed for divorce, and a lot of people that I know (even some of my own family) didn’t know the story. Kate published her interview with me last week (you can read the full post here), and I admit, I was very nervous to have such personal information published for any and all to read. Some of the things that I shared in that interview were things that I had kept to myself for nearly a decade, and I did feel vulnerable about the level of detail I went into at times. Let’s face it, abuse is a gritty topic, and some of the things I talked about are cringe-worthy even to me.  I worried that maybe I had divulged too much, but the reactions by those who read the post were overwhelmingly positive and supportive. I got tons of comments and personal messages cheering me on for sharing my story and commending me for who I have become today in light of my past.
I am very proud to be a part of 25 Faces. Each and every woman that is featured in the campaign is beautiful inside and out, and has a truly inspirational story to share. I’m sure that some felt like I did, that they were revealing a very private part of themselves in hopes of inspiring others around them. Others have achieved what may have felt like impossible dreams, and their stories encourage me to reach for my own goals. I even suggested to Kate that she should throw a gathering for her interviewees, so that we could all get together and meet one another (not all of us live in Washington state though, so it’d be difficult to pull this off). I encourage everyone to check out Kate’s blog and read each 25 Faces post!

It might be apparent from my last few posts that I have fallen in love with Edmonds, and have been spending a lot more time there. And one of the very best places to visit in Edmonds (in my opinion, anyway) is American Brewing Co. The brewery started up in 2011 and has become so popular and successful, they are currently expanding!
ABC is in a cool warehouse location near the waterfront, and on nice days the back doors are rolled up so that visitors have the option to sit in the sunshine and enjoy a beer. Although the front door faces the railroad tracks, ABC is easy to find: just follow the signs (and the yellow beer mugs!) to the front door. The atmosphere is warm, friendly, and relaxed. Everyone who works there is super friendly and knowledgeable, and the beer is fantastic. I confess, I was not much of a beer fan before discovering ABC, but now I love it! If you’re not sure what you might like, you can try lots of different samples to get an idea of what you might enjoy. My favorite is the American Blonde.
While going to the brewery is always a good time, there are a couple of regular events that I recommend checking out. ABC normally doesn’t serve food, but if you’re lucky enough to be there on a Tuesday night, you can get one of Big Mike’s famous hot dogs to enjoy along with your beer. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better hot dog in Edmonds (or Puget Sound!), and Mike is as fantastic as his cooking. On Wednesdays, Jeremy hosts Trivia Night, and it’s getting a lot of momentum! I definitely recommend checking it out and seeing how much you really know (or, in my case, how much you really don’t).

I’ve had a lot of great times at ABC, including watching the Seahawks win the Superbowl! It’s a place that I’ve invited friends to, and everyone who has checked it out agrees that it’s a fun place with fantastic beer.
 

Last fall, I was very lucky to be introduced to Rory’s of Edmonds, which is now one of my very favorite places. Rory’s offers a full service bar, a menu full of amazing food, and a view of the Sound (it’s right across the street from the ferry terminal). When the weather’s nice, they have a big deck so that you can sit outside and enjoy the fresh air while you have a drink or a meal. For chillier days (I’ve experienced much more of these since discovering Rory’s!), they have a table that surrounds an indoor fireplace. They’ve also got a lot of big TVs, and I spent many a weekend watching the Seahawks games while enjoying drinks and great food. Everyone who works there is super friendly and attentive.

I’ve been to Rory’s enough to have had quite a few different things on their menu, and everything I’ve eaten has been fantastic. I’m a huge fan of their fresh chips and salsa and the Pound of Love, which is a basket of perfectly-seasoned french fries. Meal-wise, my current menu favorite is the Grilled Turkey and Swiss sandwich. While that may sound like a rather tame choice, it’s probably the best sandwich I’ve ever gotten anywhere in the Northwest. What makes it so special is that instead of your usual mayo or mustard, this sandwich has cranberry sauce on it, making it like a leftover Thanksgiving dinner sandwich. Soooo good!
Rory’s is the first place that I can honestly say I’ve become a “regular” at. Right now I am very much looking forward to summer, and I’m excited to enjoy warm weather from their deck!
 
 

Last week was a particularly difficult one for me, and I felt incredibly drained throughout it. Although I think that as a whole I am a happy person who bounces back from a bad day fairly quickly, there were a few days last week that were harsher than even the routine bad day, and I felt that my (admittedly rather sensitive) spirit was taking a beating.
On Tuesday, I had an errand to run after work that required me to drive about thirty miles during rush hour in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I was already dead tired after a very frustrating day, and by the time I inched my car forward on the freeway towards home I was outright exhausted. The one thing that made the drive bearable was that the sun was out, and the weather was brisk and not too cold. I was able to drive with my windows down and my sunroof open. To my left, the sun was slowly dropping in the sky, and I had a sudden urge to try and find a place to sit and watch the sunset. One of my favorite places for such an activity is the marina in Everett, but with the heavy traffic there was no way I was going to make it there in time.
I decided to try getting to the Port of Edmonds, which was a lot closer. I made it just in time to see the sun disappearing behind the mountains, as a ferry boat sailed past on its way to Kingston. I found a bench to sit on and just watched the rapidly-changing sky, breathing in the wonderful smell of salt sea air.

As I sat on the bench, the temperature rapidly dropping and the sky darkening, I felt overcome with a calm, peaceful feeling. Sunsets on Puget Sound, or near any water really, do that to me. I felt all the tension of the day draining out of me, replaced by a quiet happiness. I thought about how lucky I am to live in this beautiful place with its brilliant sunsets.
I want to live somewhere with a view of the sunset over the water. I don’t care if it’s a house, or a condo, or even a decrepit apartment….I just want that view. I want to live somewhere that allows me to look out my window, or step outside, and see the sunset and smell the fresh seawater. I’ve known since a 2005 visit to the Oregon Coast, watching the sun set at Cannon Beach, that it was my dream to live somewhere with a view of the water. Tuesday night’s sunset in Edmonds reminded me of how much I want that for myself someday.

After awhile I got cold, and reluctantly left my bench to make my way to Starbucks for some hot chocolate to warm up with. But I looked back at the pictures that I snapped of the sunset over the next few days whenever I started to feel stressed, and remembered the beauty of this place I get to live in.

Recently (earlier today, actually!) a friend of mine who lives out of state encouraged me to start writing about places in and around Seattle that I like. He and his wife are planning a trip here later this year, and they wanted better recommendations of what to see and visit than generic guides had to offer. I thought his suggestion was a really great idea, not just to give good feedback about places I like but also to share them with my friends. So upon request, I introduce Places I Love, a new series of posts in which I will share some of my local favorites and hopefully convince others to try them out!
One of my favorite places to eat in Seattle is Dragonfish Asian Cafe. It’s a Pan Asian restaurant with a fun, relaxed atmosphere and some of the best Asian food I’ve ever had. I discovered it in 2008, the first time I came to Seattle on vacation. The restaurant serves dinner until 1am, perfect for a late dinner after taking in a show. What I’ve always done when I go there is order several different dishes to share around the table with the people I’m out with. That way, we all get a taste of lots of different dishes, and I’ve never had anything that I didn’t love. I always like to start with an order of edamame, and my favorite dish on the menu is the Dragonfire Chicken.
In addition to a great food menu, Dragonfish also does an awesome happy hour and they have a very fun and diverse drink menu. My two favorite cocktails are the Lychee Drop, which is simple but fantastic and made with lychee infused vodka and lemon, and the Confucius, a yummy tropical drink served up with a flaming sugar cube floating in it.
Even though I definitely get my fill of food at Dragonfish, I never leave there feeling uncomfortably full – the food is satisfying but not heavy. In fact, I’m always up for a dessert sampler after dinner. Really, who wouldn’t want a few bites of the restaurant’s decadent Lemongrass Creme Brulee or some Mango Upside Down Cake?
Not only is Dragonfish a great place to go for a delicious dinner, but the prices are reasonable so there’s no breaking the bank just for a night out, and the staff has always been incredibly friendly and attentive. I’ve never had a bad experience there, and I always look forward to going.