where have I been?

I haven't been on my little blog site in quite a while. It's not that I don't have stuff to share...I do! We went to Argentina and spent a weekend in Vancouver, B.C. I'm making a new quilt and have been dog sitting a lot. We did some awesome landscaping to our yard (including a fountain!) with the help of my generous Mom who flew in from Illinois to help. I hope to update this page with all that stuff soon.

The reason for my absence is that I've been working on a very special project called Rain or Shine Guides, which is a blog that focuses on everything there is to eat, see and do around the Pacific Northwest. I'm writing the site with my good friend, Kristina Knaus. We are both lovers of travel and of trying new things and getting out and experiencing life. We decided other people could benefit from our knowledge (we will eat for you!) and thus Rain or Shine Guides was born. We are very proud of our site and are having a blast writing content. We have a few other fun things in the works, which hopefully I can share soon.

I would love it if you checked out my new project. You can follow along by email (sign up at the bottom of the homepage), and we are also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! We also accept guest bloggers and would love for you to contribute to our site if you have a great idea or topic! You can email us at rainorshineguides@gmail.com!

haunted coke machine

My friend, Kristina, and I had some time to kill the other day, so we went and tracked down the mystery coke machine in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Some people like to joke that it's haunted because nobody knows who actually fills it. You also don't get a choice of your soda...hence the "mystery." We ended up with a cherry Dr. Pepper. Nicely played, haunted coke machine.

cat cafe

Last night I went with some friends to Wallingford's new cat cafe called Meowtropolitan (worst name in the history of cafe names). It's exactly as it sounds...a cafe...with cats. You have to have a reservation to get in, and you are limited to 1 hour with the cats. The shop regulates the number of visitors, so the cats don't get over stimulated. The best part is that only about half of the cats are residents where as the other half are from the shelter and up for adoption! I highly recommend checking it out whether you're in the market for a cat or not. 

Prepare to be bombarded with cat pictures!

Who wants to go back with me?!?!

raw power

Last Sunday, KEXP,  our local, independent radio station, held a concert at Pike Place Market to raise money for their new studio home and for the market expansion project. The concert featured four iconic Seattle musicians, Mike McCready (Pearl Jam, Mad Season), Duff McKagan (Guns n' Roses, Velvet Revolver), Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees, Tuatara) and Mark Arm (Mudhoney). The band played songs by Iggy Pop and the Stooges and played underneath the famous Pike Place Market sign,which has never been done before! We managed to score some killer seats in one of the offices overlooking the clock and felt so fortunate to get to experience such a cool event.

 Duff McKagan!

Anders and Barrett Martin

Such a fun night!

happy summer solstice!

It's a bright, sunny weekend here in Seattle and the perfect weather to welcome the start of summer and the longest day. I went to the Freemont Solstice Parade yesterday, which will forever be my favorite. Of course, the sun directly overhead makes for horrible pictures (I had the same problem a few years ago), so please excuse the overexposed, shadowy images.

 My favorite of the entire parade, was this "mobile wedding." "This couple was actually getting married as they walked the parade! Check out her veil!

i never fall apart because i never fall together

I love Andy Warhol. I think he is extremely interesting and I love his work, so when I found out the Seattle Art Museum was featuring him in a new exhibit called Pop Departures, I had to check it out. I only got 2 pictures taken before I found out that you can't take pictures (oops), but here is Warhol's "Elvis" and Roy Lichtenstein's "On." And if I can't have Warhol paint me a picture himself then the next best thing is to use the Pop Art photo booth in the lobby. 

mailbox

There has been a Washington hike on my bucket list for awhile now. It's called mailbox peak and it's the hardest hike in the Snoqualmie area (or so I like to believe).  If you travel via the old trail (which we did), you hike 3 miles to the top, straight up, gaining 4,000 feet in elevation. It's hard. Really really hard. In fact, it's so steep that it's considered vertical and it is unrelenting. However, when you reach the summit you are rewarded with not only a 360 degree view of beautiful scenery, but you also get to see the famous mailbox that was installed a long time ago. Turns out, a former letter carrier hiked to the top and installed the mailbox, giving the peak its name. It makes the climb totally worth it! Just recently, the Washington Trails Associated created a new trail to the top, which is less steep and much safer. However, it is 5 miles long, adding 2 extra miles to your journey. We ended up doing the new trail down, and we think it was safe move although the pain in my knees, quads, ankles and toes told me it felt no different. 

If you are ever up for an adventure (and some serious exercise), check it out!

 (it's all fun and games in the first mile!)

We added our stamp with a Pike Place Fish sticker and a Blink sticker (my work)

 Victory.