It's all over...

I can't believe it's over! I arrived in Boston last night and thouroly enjoyed my nice hotel room! I had a great last few weeks... A little less mellow than I thought it would be, but a great time! I ended up hanging out with friends we had met and went to a 30th birthday party where I was the only one that spoke english. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much! They also took me to a club where all the locals go, and it was crazy! It was in an old bull fighting ring! My friend took me to a few new beaches and saw another palace and really cool castle a few hours out of Lisbon. My last night my friends and I went to our favorite bar in Lisbon, and then we went to Kareokee...Love! might be the most entertaining thing watching Portugese people sing all our songs with their thick accents!
What an amazing experience, it really hasn't hit me! The whole trip was such an opportunity and I am so glad I took advantage of it! Now my US whirlwind begins...can't say I have a set date when I will actually be in Seattle for more than a week! See you all soon!

Just a quick update!!

Only a few weeks left and I don't think I am ready to come home! I have had the best couple weeks! Jill left a few days ago which was a bummer :( We have made a few friends here so we have been hanging out with them and they have shown us a lot of fun local spots! A friend from college was in town randomly over the weekend, so we went to a soccer game and then our portugese friends took us to a free concert in a park! It was so fun! there was an amazing firework show afterwards and it was beautiful! I pretty much have just been getting myself organized and cleaning the house and of course doing last minute shopping! I'll spend the next couple weeks working on my tan and relaxing before I have to go back to real life! Everything is fantastic though and I can't wait to start planning my next adventure!!

Tavira, Sevilla, Winery!!

Last week Jill, her sister Jenny and I hit the road again and went to the Algarve to a town called Tavira. It was a great time! We stayed at a great hotel with a nice pool although it did start raining later in the day but thankfully cleared. We had a great dinner at a place in town and met a really fun girl from London who was traveling alone. We invited her to have dinner with us and it was a great time! The following day we went to the beach which was beautiful but different from all the other beaches we have been too. There were massive waves which of course I enjoyed diving into! We left later that afternoon and drove to Sevilla. We arrived in Sevilla around 6pm and had a little trouble finding our hotel so we were very ready for food and sangria! We made our way to a few tapas bars. The following day we explored the city which is absolutely beautiful! We walked through the Parque and took a tour of the bull fighting ring which is so cool! We had lunch at a super cute tapas bar and wandered to the Cathedral which is incredible! Defintely glad we were able to make it to Sevilla since I have heard so much about it! The next day we headed home but decided to stop at this winery that Jill's friend had told us about. It is called Malhadinha Nova and is located in the Alentejo region of Portugal. It is absolutely beautiful! The grounds are incredible and the staff is extremely friendly. We started with lunch in their restaurant and then went on a tour of the entire place. They have a small hotel on the grounds, and grow all their own produce and have four lakes on the property that feed all the animals and water the grounds. It truely was an incredible place and I would love to go back some day! We of course loaded up on wine and headed back home. We were beat when we got home and have been spending the last few days at the beach!

Around Town...

We have had a great time since I have been back from Prague! I ended up spending last Saturday at the beach with Meaghan (our friend from California that lives here) and her darling family! It was a bigger beach that I hadn't been to yet, very beautiful! Saturday night Jill and I went out to the local club that just opened up for the summer...it is right down the street and crazy how many people were there! We got home around 4am and the line was probably 100 people deep...we couldn't believe how late/early it was! Sunday we were invited by Meaghan and her family to go swimming and their great grandmother Bisa's house. Meaghan's husband Vasco grew up in this area and his whole family still lives here. His Grandmothers house is incredible and sits up on the hill overlooking the ocean! I am really going to miss them when we leave! The kids are darling and so fun!

On Monday we took Jill's mom into lisbon for dinner. We did a little shopping first and then explored some new areas. We decided to check out this old beer hall that we read about. It was absolutely beautiful! It apparently was an old montesory and then has burned down twice, but been restored beautifully! All the tile walls are so incredible! We were having wine, when this family came in and we were watching them take pictures and have such a great time! They soon joined in with us and only the 15 year old daughter spoke English. They were celebrating their dad's best friends 50th birthday! They ended up buying us another bottle of wine and we hung out for a few hours...such a great family! When we were leaving the mom tugged on the daughter and told her to ask us if we would like to come to their house the following day. We ended up going on Monday evening!!!! We met them back at the place we had met the previous evening. They drove us to their cute apartment just out of the city. The house smelled fantastic and we couldn't wipe the smiles off our faces! THe mom Paula I believe...yikes! made us a traditional meal of chicken...which we found out she killed that morning :), and baclou (sp??) Which is shredded salt cod and potatoes. It was all fantastic! We looked at pictures of all the kids at their baptisms and truely enjoyed every second! They were so excited to have us there and kept asking if we liked their home and if they liked the meal! It was so hard with the laguage barrier to truely show our appriciation, but I can tell you my cheeks have never hurt so bad from all the smiling! We really are having such a great time and I can't even think about leaving! Jill's sister got here tomorrow and we just planned a trip to Sevilla!! Looking forward to it! Hope all is well :)

Prague

I just got back from four days in Prague! My friend Erica was in town and stayed with me in Portugal for a week and then we flew to Prague on the 1st. While she was in town we did a lot of lounging at the beach, discovered some new restaurants and had a nice relaxing time! Our flight was at 2 in the morning on the 1st...It was crazy! I felt like it was wrong to be flying at that hour so of course I was completely panicked! We got in around 7am and were so tired! Thankfully we were able to check into our hotel early and napped till about 2. Then we wandered across the Charles bridge and walked up to the palace and down the golden street...all of it was beautiful! It is a really cool city! We basically did a lot of wandering and then went to dinner at this place in Old town close to our hotel. We got a great rate at this place and staying in the loft area which was really cool and in a great location! so anyway for dinner the first night we noticed these wine glasses that were the size of my head so I had to go in and check it out! It turned out that they were flaming drinks...still not really sure but we tired them for desert and they were real yummy! The second day we woke up early and went explored the Jewish quarters! It was really cool seeing all the old synogagues (??) Very beautiful architechture...of course they won't let you take pictures! The cemetary was really interesting as well! After we explored that area we wandered into the new town and found a farmers market and wandered through that. The next couple days we pretty much just wandered around and ate a lot! It was a fun adventure and I would love to see the city in the winter! I got back to portugal around 3am on the 5th....super tired!! Jill's mom is in town and her sister gets here on Wednesday so more explorations to come!

Italia

The rest of our trip was just as injoyable as the first part! We were in Florence for three days and I defintely enjoyed all of the food and the weather was perfect! From Florence we went to San Giminagano and stayed at the cutest hotel right in the main square! There was some sort of midevil festival going on which was pretty interesting to watch. On our second day we took a wine tour through the Chianti region. It was absolutely beautiful and we tasted some great wines and met a fun couple from Australia! We ended up having dinner with them and had a blast. We spent one night in Siena which was nice. It rained however so it kinda gave us an excuse to be a little more mellow and rest up. We did however stay in an awesome place! It was an old montestary. It was absolutely beautiful! From Siena we went to Sorrento and spent a day in Capri. The grotto tour was not as cool as our Lagos grotto tour. It was a little hectic and long... very beautiful water and scenery though. We decided to go to Positano for a night because Jill really wanted to go to this restaurant she and her sister had gone too a few years ago. We again stayed at a great place that had an amazing veiw and a super nice balcony! We had dinner at La Tagliata, and it was definitely worth the trip! Such a fun place... WE never once saw a menu however had tons of food and more lemonchello! There was a 60th birthday being celebrated and the people involved were SO friendly! Didn't speak any english, but we all danced and had champagne and cake! It was too fun! The owner of the bar and his friend ended up driving us home on their scooters through the hills of Positano after the restaurant closed! It was quite an experience... All and all it was an awesome trip! Unfortunatly our last night Italy lost their eurocup match to Germany in a shootout, but we were happy we got to see all the games in the country! It was so fun!!! I can't wait to go back to Italy and am convinced I will be moving there! Erica got here the day after we got back so we have been laying at the beach and had a great night out in Lisbon last night! We head to Prague next week! Looking forward to it :)

Italy update one...

I am in love with ALL things Italian! Jill and I flew into Milan last wednesday. We spent the day wondering around and of course eating and drinking. The next day we went to Lake Como which is Unreal!! We took the bus from Como to Bellagio which was quite possibly the worst bus ride of my life! I am pretty sure I was green. We opted to take the boat back and what a great choice! Such a beautiful ride and great way to spend two hours :) We had a great dinner and then got up early the next day and headed for Venice. I had heard terrible things about Venice so I wasn't expecting much. I was pleasently surprised! We had great weather and had a nice time roaming around and taking it all in. The busses are all boats! So crazy! We had Belini's at Harrys Bar...yikes! £17 later..but I guess we can say we did it :) They say they invented them and it was just like the buena vista in San Francisco. WE met a great couple on their honeymoon and ended up going on the pub crawl that Rick steves suggests in his book :) So much fun!
Saturday we left for Cinque terra...we stayed at the CUTTEST B&B in Monterosso and I seriously never wanted to leave. The first day we were there we went on the hike...a lot more challenging than we were aware of but amazing and I would do it again anyday! I can't wait to get my pictures uploaded! Swimming in the Medditeranian may have been the coolest thing I have ever done! The water is so incredible and swimming out and looking back at all the towns is awesome! We were there for five nights...we ended up extending one day there because we loved it so much! We were locals in no time and made friends with all the lifeguards and our favorite bar employees! We also met a great couple from Sun Valley and some fun people from Australia. I was sad leaving yesterday but had a great first night in Florance so all is well! We ended up running into one of the Australians that we met in Cinque Terra yesterday and invited him to join us for wine and then ended up hanging out the rest of the day. I am sold on Australia now and can't wait for my next big adventure!
Not sure if I will be returning anytime soon! Just loving everything and meeting the best people!
Hope everyone is doing well :) More to come soon!

Rock in Rio

Saturday Jill and I ventured to this concert called Rock in Rio! We had been seeing signs around town but weren't sure if we could get tickets. It is apparently one of the biggest music concerts in Europe, and only happens every other year. I can't wait to see the 2010 lineup...I may need to come back! Anyway we took the train and were happy to easily get tickets. The amount of people was unreal! It was in a HUGE park and there were various rides and vendors. There was even a fake snow mountain people were tubing down...oh and a zip line going across the crowd! I think we were pleased most with the 3 euro beers that were huge! We wandered around the grounds and then got ourselve a good spot for the first preformer...Alanis Morrisett! She was awesome! Then of course the main event Bon Jovi! We had an incredible time and I am stalking the concert websites so we can go to more!

Off to Italy tommorrow... be back in three weeks!

Lagos

We got back from Lagos last night! What a beautiful place! The drive down it rained the entire time (or at least thats what I was told... I slept the whole way) so we were happy when we woke up on Saturday to blue skys! We stayed at a great hotel with friendly people and of course a good restuarant! We didn't venture out on Friday because of the weather. Saturday morning we got up and went on a long walk and ventured through town. Jill and I went to the beach and then noticed they were doing grato tours from the beach. After a few good hours of sun we opted to take one of the tours and had a very entertaining driver. They have names for all of the rocks ...what they look like. He also was able to snatch us a few beers from one of the party boats that passed by! The Grottos are absolutely beautiful! We couldn't get over the color of the water, although it doesn't come out too well in the pictures.

We had a nice lunch beach side then went back to the hotel for a siesta. We met back up with Jill's dad and had a nice dinner at a restaurant down the street overlooking town. It was very good and they were so friendly! After dinner Jill and I went to the hotel bar and chatted with our new friend Ricardo...he told us all the fun places to go so we ventured out on the town. We ended up being ussured into a bar by an australian guy in a cow poncho! It was pretty entertaining, but again we met a lot of very nice people and made it home at a reasonable hour :)

Sunday we were able to lay out for about an hour at the hotel pool, and then hopped in the car and slowly made our way back home. We stopped in Sagres and took some pics and then stopped for lunch in Vila Nova Milfantes...Loved it! Jill had found a restaurant recommendation on some website and we were very happy to get there just before they closed! So darling and the most friendly people! We all had excellent meals, Jill had some great wine, and after lunch they brought us figs and walnuts and little desert liquors. It was such a cool place I can't wait to go back! Jill's dad leaves on Wednesday morning and we are hoping for a few beach days before we head to Italy next Wednesday!!

A week in Lisbon

Jill's dad and girlfriend have been in town for about a week so we have been playing tour guide/tourists! There was a lot of the Lisbon area I hadn't seen yet so it has been really fun. The weather has been pretty crappy so we are missing the beach, but it has been nice for looking around town. We went to Sintra which is a very cool town! Very beautiful drives and we went up to the main palace which had incredible veiws. Again haven't updated pictures but will soon! Then we had lunch in town and wondered around... I can't get enough of the narrow streets that are bussling with people! I wish I could bottle it all up and take it home with me. On our way home from Sintra we stopped at the most westurn tip of Europe. It was very cool and at the same time very similar to the most southern tip of Africa.
We also took a day in Libon and went up to the castle which also has incredible veiws. We road the trolly up which was fun although very crowded and a little too much like a roller coaster for me, but fun :)
I think my favorite day was when we took the ferry over to the Cristo Rea statue. We found this great place for lunch along the water. We basically just wondered along the deserted fishing area and found Ponto Finale... we sat right on the peir and had an fantastic meal! Then after that we went back into Lisbon and wandered to our favorite area (the Barro Alto) and had pizza! Yum :)
Oh we also discovered an awesome sushi place! We have been there three times in the last week! A little sick of the heavy portugese food ...even though it is fantastic!
Tomorrow we are heading to Lagos in the Algarve region. We are hoping for nice weather so we can enjoy the beaches!
We also booked our flight for Italy... we are going from June 4th - June 23rd!!!!! I can't wait!!!

Road Trip

What an Amazing two weeks we just had! Jill and I packed up our little rental on Monday the 28th. We drove to San Sebastian and stayed at a cute little hotel and had a great dinner! We were pretty tired so after dinner we wandered home and went to bed at a reasonable hour. We wandered around the town on Tuesday morning and popped into a few shops and enjoyed the view...of course we had to get a yummy crousant and coffee as well at one of the bakeries! The food is definitely definining my adventure :) We headed out of town around noon and drove north to Bordeaux! Another very cute town! Everyone was very friendly and we found a very small place to stay in the heart of the town square. We were starving at this point and were sad to realize that everything is closed until dinner time and we couldn't get anything! We finally stumbled upon a place were we got some cheese and enjoyed a nice bottle of wine :) Unfortunatly were too late to go on a wine tour so we had to take ourselves on one! We ended up at a really cute wine bar where the lady was extreamly knowledgeable about the area and she basically created a nice little flight for us to enjoy. Of course the one that I liked best was virtually impossible to buy! She said you couldn't visit the winery, but that is the only place you can buy it so I guess I'm out of luck! We had a nice dinner at the Grand Cafe after our "wine tasting" Jill discovered Ratetoullie (sp??) which was incredible! She originally thought it was a meat, but low and behold it is vegatable dish! I went for the steak!

We left Bordeaux in the morning and drove to Paris. Driving in was a little hecktic but once we were settled and started to explore I was in love! What a beautiful city! When we got in we just wandered and then had an amazing dinner. The next morning we realized was a holiday so we weren't sure what would be open....absolutley nothing! We did walk the entire city though and saw everything! We went to dinner and thought that maybe the eiffel tower would be opened so we wandered over and made it just in time for the last ride up! OMG INCREDIBLE!!! I didn't want to leave! Right when we got to the top Midnight hit and all the lights twinkled... the whole thing was just so beautiful. You can tell we liked it by the amount of pictures!! The next day we went back to see the inside of lourve and Grace Cathedral, we also checked out the picasso museaum and the pompedu center. All of it was very cool although I thought I was going to have a panic attack in the lourve due to the amount of people! Throughout the Paris excursion we had a lot of incredible food, gelato and great sightseeing! Everyone was very friendly as well!

On Sunday we left our cute little place in Paris and drove to Amsterdam. Again so darling! I had seen pictures, but didn't expect it to be so darling! The canals and everyone out on their boats, I felt like we were in a movie! The amount of bikes parked everyone made us laugh, and we were defintely more affraid of being hit by the bikers than cars! We stayed at a darling bed and breakfast right on one of the canals and felt like we were staying at a friends house! We did some exploring of some of the old mansion which are beautiful and again wandered around! I think my favorite time here was our canal side picnic :) I was very surprised by the amount of shopping here as well! Jill has a friend (jesse) living in Hoorne, The Netherlands for the summer working on a sail boat. On Wednesday we went with him up to the boat and stopped in Alkmaar on the way. Another darling town with so much charictor! We just wandered around to see it and had a little lunch. Then we continued onto the boat. We were just in time for sunset! So beautiful!! The night they took us to the local Skippers Bar. It was so sureal! Definitely a great time... everyone was completely local and although one lady told me "Americans are Dumb" Everyone was extremely friendly and it was a highlight!

Thursday we hit the road again and drove through Belgium and Luxenburg, then stayed the night in Dijon France. We left early in the morning and made our way to Arles FRance. Right on the Rhone river, very quaint, but a little difficult to navigate! We were extremely happy to get a nice big room and have a quality shower! We wandered around and found our way into the city square which was very cute and had a lot of energy. We were very surprised by the amount of American Tourists! Another great meal here and then we headed out in the morning!

Sadly we were misguided and thought that our next destination was only 6 hours but ended up being more like 9 so we didn't get to enjoy it. We stayed the night in Toledo Spain, and we will DEFINITELY be going back! What an amazing place! I just wanted to get lost in the little streets, but was so exahasted we ended up just going to bed! We had to have the car back the next day so we had a quick breakfast and headed home. All and all a fantastic trip, but defintely happy to have a nice place to come back to! It is a little overcast today but perfect for us to rest up and get ready for Jills family that is coming on Saturday, and start planning our next adventure! We are thinking of Italy and Switzerland in June....any suggestions are always welcome!

Hope everyone is doing well!

It's sunny!!!

Everything is going well... we went into lisbon on Tuesday and figured out the train schedule, but then decided it would be cheaper and easier to just rent a car. We are going to head out on Monday and go towards Paris! Most likely stopping in San Sabastian and Bourdox (sp??) and then staying going to Amsterdam! Very excited about our first adventure! The sun is finally out so we have just been relaxing on the beach and laying low in town. Yesterday we went to the beach with Megan and her kids and were there until 7pm it was so beautiful and stays warm super late! I am going to steal Megan's kids! They are so cute and so well behaved! It is supposed to be in the 80's today so I am off to the beach but posted some new pics so I figured I'd say a little something as well! Looking forward to our adventure on Monday :)

Update - from Portutal

I've added the links to pictures on the left hand side...check them out! there are pictures of the Alhambra in Granada and also pics from Barcelona. Lisbon is awesome! Jill and I went into town on Thursday. It is about a 25 min train ride from where we are staying. We had a traditional piri piri chicken lunch which was awesome and I have been dreaming about it ever since! Jill accidently tipped over the tray of chicken on the floor and we wanted more but the language barrier was a bit much so I ended up shower the cute little waiter the picture after he tried to bring us the floor chicken in a too go! He giggled and brought us more. Everyone is SOOOO friendly and helpful! After lunch we accidently took ourselves on a little pub crawl because it was pouring outside! It is supposed to start clearing up on Monday but we decided this morning that we are going to get a 15 day Eurorail pass and go see some places before people start visiting! I am very excited.
Yesterday I locked myself out of the house and locked Jill inside! It was a little tramatic, but Megan (the daughter of the lady whose house we are staying at) came over with two of her kids and they helped us out! Her kids are adorable and I may just offer to be her nanny and stay forever! Venturing out today...we'll see where the day takes us! Loving every minute so far and nice that we don't have to stress time since we have plenty of it!

I've arrived in Portugal!

So I have been without a computer since Friday and now am using my friend Jills until I figure out what is going on with mine and can upload pictures. We have been doing a lot of fun stuff! Last thursday Mollie and I went to Granada... it was a two hour bus ride which wasn't bad. We went to the Alambra which was beautiful and I will defintely get the pics up as soon as possible! we were very excited about getting our first bocodillos and casually eating lunch under a tree. We didn't get to stay as long as I would have liked because we had to get back to our hotel since we flew out early the next morning for Barcelona. We should have taken all our stuff and flew out of Granada instead, but none the less it was a great trip.

Mollie and I got into Barcelona around 9am on Friday. We couldn't check into our hotel since it was so early, so we dropped off our stuff and wandered. We had coffee at a little cafe and wandered down Las Ramblas...it is crazy! (the sell Pigeons!!!) We popped into various stores and watched the street vendors then we had sangria and a little snack later in the day before heading back to the hotel for a siesta. (I LOVE THOSE!) That night we treated ourselve to a nice dinner in the Porto Olymico area...it was the first meal I really enjoyed. I had a grilled calamari with mushrooms and artichoke hearts mollie had a pallea that I enjoyed! Then we went out dancing and saw the nightife. We also explored the Park Guell which was awesome! then we went through the bari gottic area...we were there on sunday which was cool because there were so many people dancing outside the cathedral! It was great people watching. We went to the beach and then snuck into the ritz carlton for a few glasses of Champagne. We had a mellow dinner and then went out for a few drinks. All and all Barcelona was awesome! I am just touching on it right now because I want to head to the beach :) My last day alone was awesome.. I had a long lunch alone and then went to the park and read a book all afternoon before heading to the airport! It was the first time I really realized I am on quite an adventure!

I got into Lisbon at 9pm last night and getting the cab was interesting... No English...no Spanish! The cab driver and I were doing a lot pointing! I got to my new place and took a tour...it is darling! I woke up this morning to beautiful skies and and then Jill and I took a long walk along the water. I will get the pics soon I promise! I think I could get used to this! More to come...hope all are well!

Gibraltar

So things are going well. Sunday night we went out in downtown Marbella. It is a really cute town and it was very quiet, but fun to wander around. We had dinner at a really cute restaurant, but I wasn't a huge fan of the food. Mollie and I split the Pallela which was way too fishy for me...I'm not sure if it was just the place, or thats how it is over here. Blah! We had a couple great bottles of wine and then came back to the room to hang out and attempt to go to bed early since we wanted to venture out the next day. We had to catch an 8:30 bus which was a little painful and Mollie's alarm didn't go off so we ended up missing it and decided to rent a car. Your's truly is the only one who knows how to drive a stick so I was voted driver. I was a little nervous at first, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be!
We arrived in Gibraltar around 10am. We couldn't figure out why there was so much traffic, then realized everyone was waiting to go through customs. We decided it would be best to park on the Spanish side and then walk across the border...first smart move of the trip! We wandered around the cute town and had lunch at Gibraltar Arms. We sat outside, but then it started to rain and since we were there for two hours we opted to move inside! I think we are all having a hard time not worrying about time and realizing life is a little slower in these parts! We took a tour of the rock...we saw the Hercules pillars...from this spot you could look across the water and on the left is Africa and to the right Spain...it is pretty cool!

We also went into the caves which were interesting, but the best part was the amphitheater in the first one! Then we went and saw the Monkeys... I of course was terrified and just wanted to stay in the car!The views however were awesome! We were exhausted by the end of the tour so ended up getting back in the car and venturing home. We realized on the way home we had no idea what exit would get us back to our hotel so we ended up wandering around and saw more of the downtown area which is very cute! The weather is pretty mild, it rained a lot yesterday and is supposed to continue until Friday...I am hoping the report is lying. If not Mollie and I purchased some very stylish ponchos that I am very eager to wear again!

I'm here!!

Oh hello all! I am finally in Europe...it was an adventure getting here! After a great three days with Nicolette in New york I headed flew into Spain on Friday morning. On my way out of New York I lost my ATM card so I was completely frazzled and didn't know what I was going to do...Nicolette found it for me though so all is well. I flew into Madrid and had a short layover and then landed in Malaga just in time to hit the pool! The weather is great and I am already tan :)
Mollie got in around 5:30 yesterday and we had some cocktails and hit the town. I was a little shocked when I got home and realized it was 4:30 in the morning! Mollie and I always seem to have a good time together! We met a lot of people and danced the night away. Consequently we spent the day recovering at the pool. This evening we are going to a traditional Spanish restaurant downtown. I am looking forward to it since all we have eaten thus far is American food at the hotel. Tomorrow we are going to Gibraltar (sp??) I'll post more after that and I will definitely up date with pictures soon!

Last days in Seattle...for awhile

I only have a few days left in Seattle and getting a little stressed! I am pretty much completely packed but of course keep checking to make sure I have everything! I will be in NYC as of Tuesday afternoon and then off to Spain in exactly one week! Hope everyone is doing well and I will definitely be updating more frequently in the coming weeks!

Momentarily retired

So I said I was going to start a blog to fill you all in on my european adventure, so here I go! (be patient... I can't spell and I write like I talk!) I am back in Seattle for the month of March and already a little stir crazy...can't wait to have my own place, but things are good. The drive up was an adventure in itself! I detoured through LA and spent a few days with Erica in Santa Monica, and then went to see Mike and co in Redondo beach. A few pictures from the Redondo adventures... We went to a Kings game, went on a beach cruiser pub crawl, and Mike rented a boat and we went sailing :) all and all good times! Erica and I had a nice time being a little more mellow, (which is exactly what I needed) She was a hot valentine though!

I headed up north the following week and spent the weekend with Kelly Howell in Bend Oregon. She has a great house and fun roommates and a cute boyfriend! We went out to dinner a few times and I got to meet some of her friends. I mostly enjoyed our day skiing and wandering around the town! We had a great time on Friday night as well drinking wine and playing dominos :) Pics of that as well.

I got back to Seattle on Sunday. I am staying at my sisters house in Bremerton so it is very relaxing and I am spending time sleeping and working out! The mountains are beautiful and I miss the northwest a lot, but still sad I am not in SF. The weather has been decent and I got a beautiful welcome on Sunday with 65 and sunny skies, especially after my cross over the Oregon mountain passes ( I thought I was going to die for sure!) Thats pretty much all for now. I will update with more adventures as they happen, but pretty much I am in Seattle until April 1st.