2014: A Year in Review

What a dismal year for travel this was. I was basically tethered to school in Seattle during the school year and over the summer I was working non-stop to help alleviate the burden of hefty student loans. But Noah and I did go on some adventures together and I keep reminding myself that school is just temporary. When I graduate (next summer!) I’ll be a free woman again! 

Where I Was

Spring  | seattle

Summer  |  seattle, vancouver BC

Fall  | seattle

Winter  | seattle

1. Vancouver

For my birthday, Noah treated me to a weekend getaway to Vancouver, BC. While not exactly exotic, crossing the border does make it feel a bit more special. We had an amazing sushi dinner at Tojo’s (food was amazing, prices were definitely ridiculous) followed by a stellar performance by Cirque du Soleil.

2. Heather Maple Pass Loop

I had to at least try to match Noah’s birthday weekend in Vancouver, so I planned a fun weekend away to the Cascades for his special day. We camped at Diablo Lake for a few nights and hiked the Heather Maple Pass Loop. Probably one of my favorite hikes I’ve done ever! On the way back we hit up Cascade Farms for their u-pick blueberries and definitely bought home enough to last us the winter. Or two…

3. Sequim

For Christmas this year we headed over to the Olympic Peninsula to spend the holiday with Noah’s parents at their new place in Sequim. They had recently moved down to Washington from Alaska and it’s great to have them so close by. We ate good food, drank lots of wine, gifted presents, and set off sparklers to bring in the new year. 

My Year In Numbers

Countries visited  |  2

united states, canada

New countries visited  |  0

States visited  |  1

washington

Plane rides taken  | 0

Different sleeping situations  | 4

airbnb: 3

apartment: 353

camping: 4

family: 5

My Year In Feels

This year has been pretty mellow. School, as I have mentioned time and time again, has been quite challenging and demoralizing at times, but I’m pushing through and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

The big news for this year, though, is that Noah and I moved in together! He had been living in a really amazing studio in West Seattle that had incredible views of the city, but it was really tiny and super far from my school. I was living in Ravenna with three other roommates and while I loved them, the house, and the location I was itching to have my own place with Noah. 

But believe me when I say that we had an exhausting time trying to find an apartment in Seattle that fit our budget and our standards. Most places were way out of financial reach and the ones that were, were dismal, small, and dark. I was ready to move into a house with a few roommates, but Noah was totally against that. 

Finally, I found a cute place on Craigslist and asked Noah to send an email. Turns out that the landlords work with Noah and that is really, truly the only reason we got the place. They said that they had people coming to them with professional rental portfolios complete with references, salaries, pay stubs, etc… that’s how crazy the rental market in Seattle has become. I’m super grateful that we landed this place, but I’m a bit jaded at how cutthroat Seattle has become. 

What’s In Store For 2015

I’m graduating! I. Can. Not. Wait. Grad school has been an incredibly arduous journey and I am over the moon that it is coming to an end. This doesn’t mean that I haven’t enjoyed the journey, I’ve enjoyed many aspects of my program and I’m happy that I took the plunge, but truthfully I’m not sure how or where I fit within the nutrition industry. So that is something I’ll be exploring in 2015. Noah and I also have some fun adventures planned like a trip to Mexico and a wedding in Flagstaff. Stay tuned!