Mt. Townsend

Here comes another of many "hey-check-out-how-awesome-my-trip-home-was" posts--this time about our 8.2 mile hike up Mt. Townsend.

I will definitely admit that about 10 minutes into the hike I definitely had a why-did-I-ever-think-hiking-would-be-fun moment as I was already breathing heavily and sweating. It started off pretty steep right away; I guess a solid week of sitting around the campfire and drinking with my Dad and Lars was to blame. The hot weather might have also played a part (I mean I am definitely not out of shape or anything) but I am definitely NOT COMPLAINING about that--it was a gorgeous day to make that trek.

The view from the top was insane. To use the cliché--pictures don't do it justice. I have never really gotten such a good grasp on how insanely awesomely gorgeous the Puget Sound is. I have always loved it and appreciated it's beauty but this hike really put that love over the edge. We were standing on the outskirts of one mountain range (Olympics) and staring across the channels of the Sound at another (Cascades)...it was 360 degrees of ridiculous beauty.

That might of been the best lunch of my entire trip.
It was spectacular.

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the Puget Sound

I have been gone for 16 days. Gone on what most people call my vacation and I tend to refer to as an all too short visit home, that was filled with too much traveling, sleeping and shopping and not enough family time, relaxing or catching up with friends. I'm glad we went, but two weeks is just not enough. It went soo fast. Short but sweet, I suppose I can say. Bittersweet even. Let me repeat: two weeks is not enough.

But in those two, short precious weeks, I was reminded daily of a clever Norwegian phrase that reminds me oh so much of home:
Samma henn je ær i væla bære je ser mjøsa.
The phrase (is in the local dialect btw, so don't be discouraged if you can read some Norwegian and didn't have much of a clue there) can be translated to: It doesn't matter where I am in the world as long as I can see Mjøsa. And I get it. I am proud to live next to Mjøsa as well, and have most definitely fallen in love with it. I am sure you all have at least a crush on her from some of my pictures and adventure telling.

But the phrase of my heart goes a little something like this:
Doesn't matter where I am in the world as long as I can see the Puget Sound.

I love water, and I especially love the Puget Sound. Ever since I can remember, one of the best things I knew was a trip down to the beach to splash in those tide pools or jump off those docks. I grew up goggling at them, swimming in them, kayaking on them, and riding the ferry on them--I adore those waters and the surrounding landscape. ADORE.

There is nothing that makes me feel more at home or more nostalgic than those waves, the smell of those beaches and riding those ferry boats.

I ♥ the Puget Sound.
And I ♥ Washington State.

I am glad I got to visit her briefly now and am already looking forward to my next visit. Why is it that we miss things even more after we have just visited them?

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Turist in my Own Backyard

I feel like I took a vacation at home last week when Iselin came to visit me from Norway. Except I still worked. Hmm. Anyway, I picked her up late Monday night from the airport in just enough time to come home and get a good night's sleep in order to tackle Seattle the next day. We both bought City Passes so we spent $54 and received entry passes into quite a few of the tourist sights and saved a lot of moola!

The first day we hit up the Seattle Aquarium, Pike Place Market, the Space Needle (twice, once at day and once at night), Pioneer Square and lots of random sights and detours inbetween. We spent some qualiy rest time exploring and splashing in the fountain at the Center, and I can admit that I felt like a little kid again. I think we walked over 10 miles that day, back and forth between down town and the Seattle Center. By the time we got back on the ferry and headed home, we were absolutely exhausted.

But ready for another go the next day! The second attempt we handled some business first, checking out the Amtrak station that Iselin would be hopping on a train from the following Monday. After that we made our way back to the Market, met up with Melissa from PLU and explored the Experience Music Project. We had planned on checking out the Pacific Science Center as well but it was closed for some days (just while she was here haha). We weren't that disappointed, however, because it gave us just enough time to high tail it down to Pier 56 to get on one of the Harbor Cruises! Melissa, Iselin and I kicked back for about an hour and sailed around Elliot Bay.

We sadly said goodbye to Melissa and the biggest city in Washington and headed back to Little Norway once more. The bext day it was time to give our legs a break, so we sat our butts in some kayaks and paddled around the Puget Sound (after exploring the beach a bit, of course!).

We headed back, showered and ate and went into town so Iselin could meet Little Norway for the first time. I do have to say she thought it was pretty charming...which is lucky for her since she had to spend some serious time there while I was working. Luckily we were blessed with gorgeous blue skies and green grass that was begging for reading guests. :)

The next day it was Port Townsend for some more tourist fun. There was the annual Pt. Townsend Film Festival while we were there, but we couldn't convince ourselves to sit inside when it was such a gorgeous day outside. So we basically just wandered around (and goofed around). . . making lots of jokes and getting lots of strange looks from the Norwegian rolling off our tongues.

That night after I got off work, we basically had the best time of our lives. We went to see some live music and danced the night away! It was absolutely glorious and I think my face is still a bit sore from the smile that was plastered on my face all night. There was seriously so much goofy dancing that my entire body was sore the next day. (Might I mention, we found some serious hotties to dance with?)

Saturday, we made our way to Mill Days, a logging festival in Port Gamble. We listened to some country tunes, took down some coffee, watched some wood carving, rode some tractors, sampled fudge, checked out some old cars and tried our hand at the classic carnival games. Then after I got off work we stopped by my sister's 30th birthday party, headed home and called it a night!

Sunday, we took off to Sequim to see some zebras, grizzly bears and peacocks--OH MY! Yes, you guessed it, the Game Farm. I think my car still has buffalo slobber on it! We took it easy that night, reminscing on a great week and thanking each other for the company by sitting on the couch like zombies eating potato chips and watching movies on TV. Then it was up early the next morning to get Iselin on the train down south to San Diego.

I was sad to see her go. We had the best time, and I think I may have made a new best friend. I am looking forward to going back to Norway more than ever after having really connected with a Norwegian girl that I get along with well. I mean really, how do you endure a week as intense as that one, with language challenges without once being irritated with someone? That's gotta be a good sign!

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Sheila's Bay Cafe

I haven't posted ANYTHING about my job here in Little Norway, which is basically blashpemous seeing as how I spend most of my time there or thinking about how I have to go there. The place is Sheila's Bay Cafe, recently renamed Sheila's Portside Restaurant. The owner, besides being the coolest boss EVER, also is the owner of the Pub which is right next door. This means that even if I am having a slow night, I typically still have a lot of food orders as we feed the generally friendly neighborhood drunks. It also means I get to offer my customers on the cafe side essentially any drink they want from the full bar. I work evenings Wednesday through Sunday but get off at a decent enough time where it doesn't feel like I am robbed of all my fun on the weekends.

I am really happy with this place--I am the only waitress on at night--which is awesome because it means I get to do my own thing. There is no confusion about whose table is whose, or who is responsible for the side work. It is all on me. I work with one cook and one dishwasher, there is a bartender next door, and that is IT. We use paper tickets and I do all the math myself (which is in this day and age almost unheard of in the restaurant branch); the place is truly one of a kind.

The reason we have such a small staff however, because painfully obvious on nights like tonight. The restaurant is small, and the customer flow unpredictable. Sometimes I am busy, most times I am not. This can be frustrating when you are depending on those tips to make some money!! Luckily for me, when it's slow I have a great view to peer out at. Some of the sunsets this summer have been incredible. I really love working downtown!

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Fishing with Erik

Last week Wednesday I ventured out in a boat with a good friend of mine from PLU, Erik Gracey. We both had to work that evening so we got a bit of an early start...and were hoping to get lucky with some of that early bite, as the fishermen call it.

Erik is CRAZY about fishing. I remember many times in college when we were both stressing out about studying and finals and Erik would just be UNBEARABLE as a friend--touchy, irritable, grouchy as hell. And then he would take off--whether or not he had a big exam the next day, or a paper due. He just HAD to fish! And I will admit that whenever he came back, he was always a different person, (a person that I liked a heck of a lot more).

And now, after seeing him fish, learning from him, seeing how much he knows about that culture and is at home out there, catching and releasing some salmon...it all makes sense. Him and I also got to talk a lot about Norway (he is half Norwegian, and his mother currently lives just outside of Oslo) and it was nice to relate to someone about that part of myself as well.

Not to mention it was a gorgeous day. I feel like every day I fall more and more in love with the Puget Sound and the Pacific Northwest. I just love this place.

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