the san juan islands, wa.

i spent the better part of last week working in the san juan islands (rough life, i know...but someone's gotta do it).  the san juan islands are a cluster of islands off the coast of washington state and victoria, canada.  these hidden gems are breath-takingly beautiful and without a doubt, are currently ranked top 5 among the places i've traveled.  if you ever have the opportunity to visit, go.

when it comes to explaining this place, i won't even come close to serving the dynamic and diverse nature and culture justice.  nor will my photos.  so i won't even try.  instead, i'll share where i went, what we saw, and my overall experience.

 ***disclaimer: this is a pretty lengthy post***

flying to seattle from san diego is a short flight.  it's only about 3 hours, and direct.  in airline lingo, that's a dream.  once i arrived to seattle, i rented a car and my co-worker and i headed to pikes place market.  i had been there before but this was her first time experiencing seattle, so we walked around and took in the overwhelming sights, sounds and smells.  it was peony season in washington, and the scent of peonies and sweet peas wafted through the market stalls mixing with fresh fish, ripe peaches and freshly fried doughnuts.  we walked past flying fish and stopped to buy some peaches and rainier cherries for the ride north.  overwhelmed and not sure where to eat, we left the market and had a nice lunch at elliot's oyster house.

after an hour and a half drive, we arrived to anacortes, wa- our home for the next few days.  we stayed at the super-cute majestic inn & spa.  it's newly renovated and they can boast of a roof-top bar, freshly ground coffee grounds for the in-room french press, killer location and apparently, an amazing restaurant (we never had the chance to eat there...).  during our stay, we enjoyed meals at anthony's (unbelievable seafood), adrift, mary ann's kitchen (hands down, best breakfast) and a not-so-good option, secret cove (which was unfortunate since it came highly recommended from locals).

during our stay, we took the ferry over to friday harbor.  friday harbor is a quaint island that has the sweetest downtown, most gorgeous views, hikes and if you're patient, whale watching.  we basically did all of the above.  during our meetings, we were advised to drive out to roche harbor to see the beautiful celebrity homes and picturesque town.  we then drove west side road down to lime kiln point state park (it's considered one of the best places in the world to whale watch) and stopped to whale watch.  while sitting there, we wished we had packed a picnic lunch but then we were so excited to see whales that we probably wouldn't have eaten anyways!

after an hour of whale watching we drove south to the san juan island national historical park and went on a couple hikes through the beaches and meadows.  it was absolutely gorgeous (and again, we saw whales, making the entire experience so much more magical).

on our second day, we drove to coupeville, wa.  our day began with meetings at a local coffee shop and a drive south to fort casey state park.  then in the afternoon we headed up to deception pass state park- a mecca for hiking and stunning views.  we spent the remainder of the day lost in nature, hiking in the forest, along the coast and collecting photos along the way.  you guys, this place.  this place is a must do.

it was a whirlwind couple of days to say the least, but man-oh-man, was it worth it.  i'll be heading back in august and i seriously can't wait.  if you make it to the islands, i hope this helps you plan your travels and if not, i hope this inspires you to put this place on your travel bucket list.

our hawaii photo book.

many years ago, my parents took my sisters & i on a trip to hawaii over thanksgiving.  it was the coolest way to spend the holiday.  we went to a luau, snorkeled, danced in rain, and found some awesome local adventures.  of course, we loved it and ever since then have wanted to make another trip back to paradise.

then this past november, the scheduling gods finally aligned and after many years of wishing and hoping, we got the entire family to celebrate another thanksgiving in maui.

we were there for a week or sand, sun & fun.  many new memories were made and many photos taken.  when we arrived home, i didn't know what to do with the photos.  i had already added a few of my favorites into my project life spread and didn't think an entire mini book was necessary.  then i remembered about artifact uprising.  a friend of mine posted a sneak peak of her book on instagram & i was intrigued.

it was one of the best decisions i've made.  i chose the softcover 5.5x5.5 book and just dragged & dropped the photos from our trip into my preferred layouts.  the entire book building process took me about 45 minutes- or in my case, an episode of scandal.  90% of the photos used were from my instagram feed so to be honest, i was nervous about the quality of the images since i didn't change the resolution.

but any worry was in vain.  the book turned out beautifully and the quality fantastic.  i love the recycled paper & matte images and in about 20 pages, i packed in over 100 photos memories.   let's just say i couldn't be happier.  this is the perfect memoir for our once-in-a-blue-moon family vacation.

please note: artifact uprising did not ask me to write this post.  the views are that of a very satisfied customer and are all my own.

31 adventures.

last year, i attempted to go on and document 30 different adventures.  while i'd like to think i accomplished this, i didn't share any of these adventures and therefore, fell short of completing this challenge.  so, i decided to try this again.  i'm increasing the number (slightly) to 31 adventures to honor my 31st year.  much like last time, this challenge can include anything from day hikes to international travel.  as long as i'm exploring some place new or trying something new, it will count.

the mission of this challenge hasn't changed: get outside, try something new, and make some memories. how i'm presenting these adventures however, will change.  in order for the adventure to count, i have to document and share my experiences here.  this will not only help me take more pictures and hold myself accountable, but also get me writing a bit more.  i really want to have regular features on this blog, and i think this challenge could help.

also, to keep my one little word thriving throughout the year, i'm hoping that by embracing nature, travel, adventure & new activities this challenge will help me embrace where we live and all that i love (or think that i might love) to do.

i'm so looking forward to this challenge and can't wait to share all my adventures with you!

birthday celebrations.

yesterday was my birthday.  can you believe it?  part of me feels as though years have past while another part of me can't believe i'm already a year older.  it's the paradox of life.

this year, i spent my birthday in new york city.  it was a whirl-wind trip, but despite the massive amounts of travel, it was a great day.  some of my favorite people drove down from syracuse to join me for the night.  we had dinner at friedmans lunch- a trendy, urban restaurant and later settled in for the night with some cocktails, chocolate cake & catching-up.  there's no doubt, this was the highlight of my trip.

then yesterday, i went to a meeting in the morning and spent the rest of the day traveling home.  luckily everything was seamless and once in san diego, andrew and i met up with my mom & sisters for drinks and appetizers to celebrate the big 3-1.  it was a great trip, and while the day was very normal and low-key (in a jet setter kinda way), it still goes down as a wonderfully, memorable birthday.

anza borrego, ca.

one of my goals for february was to go on an adventure.  and one of our goals for 2014 was to go backpacking.  well, check & check.

andrew and i decided to get out of dodge and go on a much overdue backpacking adventure for a weekend in february.  backpacking is something that we love doing but for some reason, have neglected to make time for it over the years.  it is in fact, one of the first things andrew and i ever did together.

that being said, we opted to head to one of southern california's secret gems, anza-borrego.  anza-borrego is one of california's largest state parks.  granted, it's mostly a barren desert- but even deserts have their charms.

one of the coolest things about anza-borrego is that you could be walking for miles and miles in the sand & heat and as you turn a corner, you'll spy a palm tree...then another...and another!  soon, you'll be standing in a gorgeous stream surrounded by lush plants, smooth rocks & if you're lucky, little critters who make these streams their homes.  the diversity of the desert is amazing.

we backpacked for 2 nights and 3 days- each night staying near a stream so we had plenty of access to water (the less we had to carry, the better....water's really heavy!).  we woke to spectacular sunrises and heard coyotes in the evening.  we saw snakes & plenty of animal tracks.  we walked in silence & told each other stories by the stream beds.  it was wonderful to get lost in nature.  we loved every minute of it & can't wait to make plans to go backpacking again.

catalina island.

on saturday, before the sun was even thinking about waking up, a. woke me up and filled me in on a little secret.  we were heading on a surprise date.  he had taken the liberty to plan a day trip, packed us a bag and told me to dress casually for lots of walking and kayaking.

as we headed north on the 5, after much anticipation, he filled me in on his plan.  we were heading to catalina island.

the interesting thing about san diego for a. and i is, despite all the time we've lived here (cumulatively) we've never been able to explore this state as we have the others we've lived in.  so this surprise getaway was not only a much needed adventure, but a great way for us to start really exploring this new home of ours.

we left out of dana point and headed toward avalon, the main town on the island of catalina.  about 30 minutes into the ferry ride, we hit a huge blanket of fog that socked us in for the remainder of the commute.  when we arrived to avalon, the town was just waking up and the blanket of fog created a cold and cozy atmosphere throughout the sleepy town.  we warmed up over breakfast and set off to explore.

as people started waking up and filling the streets, the fog never really lifted.  instead, the sun stayed tucked away and the fog got thicker and thicker.  determined to enjoy everything catalina had to offer, a. and i rented paddle boards and set out for the sea.  this is when i wish i had known where we were headed, because a waterproof camera would have been amazing!  but alas, those few hours of still water, dolphins and seals, and the crystal clear depths of the sea will stay with us only in memories.

after a nice long lunch on descanso beach, we continued to explore avalon by foot and walked for miles up and down the streets of the small town (you can literally see the entire town in about an hour) people watching and window shopping.  we found a rocky beach where we searched for rocks and finally, still trying to beat the chilly weather, decided to head back into town to warm up over drinks.

the catalina brew house offered up some amazing locally crafted beer (from san diego and los angeles) & we sat there for the remainder of the day talking, and dreaming and hashing out some things we've been working on for the past month.  as we waited out the last hour on the island, the fog finally started to clear and blessed us with beautiful blue sky and a colorful sunset.

catalina is such a magical place.  so much so that we're already to make plans to go again before the year ends.  this spontaneous trip was exactly what we both needed.