Being happy makes me happy.

I've had this really ugly fog of crankiness following me around for almost a week now.  It comes and goes but today it is lingering big time.  The last time I felt like this big of a crab apple, I pulled some images from my Being happy makes me happy Pinterest board for a blog post and felt a sliver of light and relief.  Here's to hoping that pulling some inspiring images today will shine that same sliver light and relief!

Being happy makes me happy.

If you have a case of the Mondays, if deep down you are wishing you could rewind time 12 months and soak up the foggy + rainy mornings with your best friend.  If you wish it was possible to travel the  hundreds of miles to hug the people you know need hugs the most today.  If you long for just one more weekend afternoon spent with your better half + hot cider + miles to drive and hundreds of fall trees to ohh and ahh over.  If you are feeling slightly sad, slightly angry and slightly lost then I hope you enjoy this post with a few of my favorite things.  A few things that help me breathe a sigh of relief and for a split second help me get lost in the calm and ease of the photos.  

Happy Monday, friends.  We've got this.

All images are found on my Being happy makes me happy Pinterest board.  A little place where I collect images that for no good reason make me happy.

twenty thirteen.

In 2013, I

Didn't wear make-up more often than I did

Logged far too many hours browsing Instagram

Spent my grandma's 84th birthday with her

Became a Godparent { x2! }

Skied more than ever

often >>> Read in a hammock

Traveled more than ever

Juiced more than ever

Fell deeper in love with Hunter

Fell deeper in love with myself

Visited 18 states

Realized I make a shit freelance designer as my full time job

Commuted via ferry

Became someone who bakes her own bread

Kayaked

Paddle-boarded

Hiked

Road biked

Backpacked

Cross-country skied

Ran

Biked

Mountain biked

Skied

Practiced yoga

Lived on the ocean

Took a week long road trip in a camper van

Didn't take a proper shower for a week

Read 26 books in 4 months

Spent an entire week in DC

Missed the cherry blossoms in DC by an entire week

Chopped my hair off

Missed my 10 year high school class reunion

Designed Save the Dates for a beautiful woman I used to push on the tire swings in 6th grade

Shucked oysters

Hugged my sister for the first time in almost 5 years

Spent a week at Lake Powell

Drove a mack/plow truck

Re-established my independence

Welcomed 4 beautiful groups of visitors into our beautiful Washington home

Visited the San Juan Islands

Went wine tasting in WA, OR and CA

Fell asleep reading in a snowcat <<< often

Went 3 weeks without booze, caffeine, meat and dairy

Watched Hunter open a { successful! } brewery from ground up

Was asked to be a bridesmaid in a beautiful woman's wedding who happens to enjoy tire swing rides 

Wondered how I'd lived for 28 years without a steam shower.  

Or a hot tub

Fell in love with coffee shops all over again

Lived in a ski in ski out home

Found a way to spend birthdays with Jaime, Amie, Lindsay, Grandma Dorothy and Hunter { most across country! }

Didn't go sailboating in Washington

Did spent evenings on a friend's yacht

Practiced the art and patience of cooking

Rediscovered the magic of friendships

Went to my first job interview in 6 years

Got a new job

Moved to Steamboat Springs, CO

To my mom.

This is my most favorite photo of my mom.

I think it encompasses exactly the woman she is.  She is an expert gardner, cook and baker.  A wonderful nurturer and caretaker.  Kind yet firm.  She can take any lunch, holiday or really any day for that matter and make it one of THE best.  She has a gift of always seeing the best in every person and every situation.  She always makes sure you know how loved you are.  She does SO much and expects absolutely nothing in return.  Selfless to the core.

When I was in the 3rd or 4th grade, I rode the bus to school.  There was this girl who rode the bus with us and now looking back on it I can realize her family was quite poor.  J would ride the bus in dirty clothes, dirty hair and sadly, was the easiest target to tease on our 20 minute to and from school.  I remember one day I went home and was telling my mom how J was picking her nose on the bus, people started teasing and J ended up punching one of the girls.  It was pretty big gossip for us back then.  I told my mom the story and was waiting for her to start laughing, or shaking her head at what a bad kid she was and how good my sister and I were, but all she said in her kindest voice was "You know, Beth?  I feel sorry for J.  I don't think she has a very easy life.  Why don't you sit with her on the bus tomorrow?"

This story is exactly my mom.  Going against classic stereotypes and always resisting judgement on others.  ALWAYS wanting to find the good in people when it can be so easy to be petty and laugh along with others.  

My mom has reached out and taken in MANY of our friends who aren't as lucky to have a loving mother/father as my sister and I have.  She practices love and kindness at each opportunity that comes her way.  I am so very proud to call her my mother and friend.  If one day I can be half the woman, wife, mother, sister, daughter that she is, I'll know I have succeeded.

I love you mom!  Happy birthday!

It's ok to be happy with a calm life.

The Chic Type Blog gives me my daily dose of graphic design eye candy which can be a good break in all my vegan foodie + lifestyle blogs.  { I KNOW - who would have thought I would need a break from vegan food blogs?  Surely not me. }  Every Friday, they post Friday's Typographic Treats which usually gives me fun layout/type inspiration but today two of them { design + message } hit me square between the eyes.

Loooo-o-o-o-o-ove this one.  Life has undoubtedly taken a more calm turn the past few months.  I've written my fair share of blog posts { that are still hanging out in my drafts section } about adjustment, change, evolving blah blah blah.  Every time I go back to edit them for posting, they come off sooo whinny to me.  If I get annoyed reading them, surely you guys would too!  The gist of them all is basically Holy shit.  Life is so different today than it was a year ago.  Summers before were spent hopping from one friends' party to another { and I don't mean that in a bragging "OMG I have so many friends" way.  I mean that in a "OMG my friends really like to drink and eat" way. }  They were spent enjoying an early morning date in the park with friends, and late night laughing/venting sessions on various patios with family + friends.  I'll admit that it hasn't been the easiest having my closest friend in Bremerton be Kristy, who is the 80+ year old woman who lives on the 4th floor and lends Hunter and I her Hiking in Washington books { so cute, right? }.  Though the flip side of that is the ease, adventure and spontaneity that comes from getting to play house with Hunter.  I find so { maybe too much? } much happiness and contentment in cooking dinner 6x a week, and doing laundry on the regular.  Lame as it may sound, I do think it's what society calls Domestic Bliss.  Suffice to say I loved my crazy, busy loud life fully packed with too many happy hours and dinners, but I adore my calm, 9pm bedtime, fulfilling life, too.

Sighhhhh-h-h-h.  Thank you to whomever managed to take the words straight out of my thoughts and onto a gorge designed print.  I really feel like I've turned a corner the past few weeks.  When I think about how to explain this change I've felt, the only phrase/words that come to mind are I've finally woken up.  Sounds weird, I know.  I finally feel like I've woken up to the never ending beauty surrounding us here in Bremerton, to being endlessly spoiled with fresh, local and organic produce.  Woken up to having the means to go on the countless incredible adventures we've been partaking in week after week.  I truly have appreciated everything we've been doing out here, but it's finally registering with me the beauty of it all.  Something Danielle wrote in one of her recent blog posts really resonated with me.  She spoke of only being in this season of your life once.  I've heard that phrase before, but this time it really opened my eyes to how rare this opportunity is that Hunter and I have right now.  The opportunity to be silly, adventurous and crazy in love together.  Though those things are something that I hope stays with us our entire life,  it all seems so much more emphasized here.

Soooo-o-o-o {ok, why is that a thing in this blog post? } my attempt to share these designs/quotes with a few cheeky one liners on how relatable they are to me right now totally backfired.  I hope you enjoyed the long winded version instead. ; )

June Visitors :: Bob's Visit!

June kicked off the month of visitors for us here in Bremmer.  Sadly, our first guest has already come and gone - wahh!  We got to hang out with Bob { Hunter's dad } from Wednesday-Sunday and had a really lovely and enjoyable time.  It was incredibly comforting to have him here.  I thought a dozen times over in the days we got to hang out with him, that it really made what we are doing so much more real.  Having a familiar face around, one we lived with for 3 months, to marvel at the beautiful and easily accessible open water.  To comment on the dozens of eagles we saw while he was here, and the stunning green forest where we went camping { a direct quote from our camping trip "I really hate to repeat myself, but it really is so damn beautiful here."  It made me feel so much better about the repeating adjective that keeps popping up in my blog posts as of late : }.  To take in the weather and city the same way we took it all in a short month and a half ago.  To point out things that have gotten so regular to us lately, and remind us that where we live really is freaking incredible.  He said a few times "This is where you guys need to be right now.  You are doing it right.  It's so vastly different that where you were in CO or WY, and this is an adventure of a lifetime."  While he was here we rented a condo on the beach in Long Beach, WA.  Took our time picking the perfect camping spot while stopping for wineries and fresh local markets along the way. After exploring a new city; Port Gamble, and making it back to Bremerton we were able to show off some of our favorite spots in the city.  Der Blokken then later Anthony's for dinner.  Walking a quick walk across the bridge to The Boat Shed for brunch, then taking a tour of the Turner Joy a quick stones throw from our condo.  We walked and walked, watched the ferries come in and out.  Sat outside soaking up the sun and taking our time drinking a few beers at Bremerton Bar and Grill.  We spent a lot of time on our patio just admiring the view; I swear Bob could have sat there for hours on end just watching the boats/ferries drift in and out.  We ended our time together with a trip to Toro Lounge for some tapas, and an early bedtime for all.

It really is so very easy to get hung up on such small details while living miles and miles away from close friends and family, but having Bob here was such a fantastic and much needed reminder to embrace where we are, not only location wise but also in life, hold on to it with both hands and enjoy the stories and memories we are making to share for years and years to come.

On Friday {!!!!!!!} our dear, dear friends Ryan and Rou come until Monday!  Hunter and I have a few { actually just one big } tricks up our sleeve to really add some punch and adventure to their time here, but we'll be spending our days camping, kayaking/paddle-boarding, laughing, juicing and many things in between, I'm sure.  Then, the last week in June my parents come for a long weekend!  By then we will be tour guide masters!  We also get to celebrate their anniversary with them which will be extra special!

There are a lot of !!!'s in this post, and I'm quite alright with that.
Cheers, friends!

#olsonfieldbookclub

It's hard to say exactly how our Olsonfield Book Club got started, which was dangerously close to being called #methbookclub { sometimes Mary and I like to pretend we are a celebrity couple and combine our names.  Beth + Mary = Meth or Bary }, but didn't think that name would go over too well with the masses.  With my recent Bookworm Beth habits { updated post and books coming soon! }, and the fact that my BFF also happens to be a bomb.com librarian, it just seemed the most natural and organic decision to start our own long distance book club!  We are constantly bouncing books off each other...some major winners i.e. Cutting for Stone + Kite Runner and some have fallen rather flat i.e. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series and Life of Pi.  Ultimately though, Mary and I have a blast sharing the same love for books.

:: mary's instagram'ed #olsonfieldbookclub::

::my instagram'ed #olsonfieldbookclub::

We will alternate who picks the books, and since Mary recently read Gone Girl per my suggestion, she was up for the first book pick!  She went with And the Mountains Echoed which was such a polite choice because she knows how I love Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns when I have an inkling she realllllly wanted to pick something more along the lines of David.  It was so much fun reading the same book side by side your bestie and getting to chat about like chapters, characters etc.  We had a few hiccups along the way with schedules, audiobooks/Nook book but all in all it was most certainly a win!  I dove into the book hard and fast partly because the most demanding part of my day is making it to yoga on time { read :: I have a lot of down time } and partly because it really was that great of a book.  If you like his first 2 books, you will really love this one.  There were maybe 3 too many character plot lines to follow along with, but all in all I give it a solid 4.5 stars!

The next book choice was mine and we are close to both being finished with it, so I'll share what it was soon!  You are on the edge of your seat in wonder, aren't you?  Aren't you?!  You aren't.

SPOILER ALERT: It's the book above in Mary's photo.

Catch ya on the flip side.

We leave for a 3 night, 4 day camping/backing adventure this afternoon and it couldn't come in a more timely manner.  Something about the fresh air, wide open spaces, green trees for miles beyond miles while pushing ourselves/being each other's biggest cheerleaders with 30+ pounds on our backs always leaves me feeling more connected and centered with that man of mine.  

A couple of photos from our recent camping/backpacking ventures.  Have a great week!

p.s. RAWR!

Weewind Wednesday :: 1 in every 4,534.

There are so many hashtags on Instagram of #throwbackthursday and #flashbackfriday, and I was trying so hard { and by so hard, I mean I gave it minimal effort } to think of what Wednesday's was and after about 30 seconds of thinking....I gave up and made up my own.  We{r}ewind Wednesday.  

I've talked before about my new/old Paper Bird obsession { next artist/album you recommend Mary, I swear it won't take me 4 years to give in, listen to and love as much as you do }.  When it came time to leave Snowy the CD was in my car, and though I never intended to bring my car to WA with us, there was a little thing called 30+ inches of snow covering my car to the point you literally couldn't even see it/tell where it was.  Needless to say the CD is still in the car in Wyoming, and I'm going through se-rious Paper Bird withdrawals   I always have a hard time finding their songs online, and I'm not 100% sure of the name of the song I'm in the most love with so when the mood hits, there is only one direct way to scratch my itch.  Enter today's Weewind Wednesday :: Bedge and Mart's Craft Video from 2011!  For some really annoying reason, I can't get the video to embed in this post, so I'm resorting to including a screen shot from the video and trusting you little nuggets click here to watch three and a half minutes of love.

That Mary, man.  She really is as good as it gets!  It's amazing to me how her and I haven't lived in the same city for 6 months now, but I still feel like we live 1 mile apart because of the effort, time and love we have put into our friendship and staying in touch with each other.  I still feel like we are as up to date on our day to day happenings as we were 7 months ago.  Funny story :: The last time Hunter and I were in Denver packing up the last of my stuff, Mary, Hunter, Mark and I all went to a Nuggets game.  

:: photo on the right from Mary's Instagram!::

I had brought a few things of hers that I needed to return, but left them in the truck intending to give them to her after the game.  As we were leaving we realized we were both parked in the same parking lot which would make the exchange that much easier!  As we were walking to our cars, lo and behold, we were parked RIGHT next to each other!  What are the chances?!  Big big Nuggets game, dozens of lots to pick from, thousands of spots to park in, and we parked directly next to each other.  It was pretty magical if you ask me.  Mary later looked it up and there are 4, 534 parking spaces located on its grounds.  I call Mary my 1 in every 4,534 friend because her love, compassion and friendship really is one in every four thousand five hundred thirty four.  

I love you, Mart!

Pause? Nah - fast forward!

One would think....well at least I thought, that once we got settled into our condo we would take some time to kind of hit pause and settle into a quiet and calm routine of sorts.  Alas, in typical Hunter and Beth fashion, we've hit the pavement running.  We've explored the area to the max, taking every option of ferry/water taxi to new little towns that we have at our disposal.  We've made a weekend trip a few towns over to Olympia to see some wonderful family friends who welcomed us into their beautiful home with open arms.  It was a night full of laughs, some tears, lots of walking + an art walk, dinning on incredible grub but mostly hearing dozens, yet never enough, stories of Hunter's parents from high school to present day.  We packed up a few days ago for a weekend of camping and busted out the tent for the first time since our 14'er back in September!  We had simply the best time of exploring new parks { some amazing, some seriously over populated and annoying } and getting back into our camping groove thang.  It was a good little teaser for all the camping and backpacking trips we have in mind over the next few weeks/months!  Speaking of, this afternoon we will leave yet again for a 2 night, 3 day backpacking trip { enter squeals of excitement here! }.  This one is going to be really amaze, I can already tell.

I guess in a way, the non-stop-adventure-hit-the-pavement-running-any-and-all-days-off-spent-outdoors is our way.  And that I'm perfectly ok with.  

Oh andplusalso, we got a juicer and I like it midly.  I guess I like it ok.  I think I guess maybe it can stay.  I suppose I kinda like her { name: Lucy Juicy! } and use her sparingly { daily, if not a few times a day }.

That's a wrap!

Even I'm sick of my posts of "Oh my gosh, how has the time flown.  I can't believe it's over!  ::reflection::"  Rather, let's just non dramatically state that this is the last weekend of the ski season at Snowy and man did the time flyyyyyyyy.  It was so crazy waking up this morning knowing it was the last Saturday for a long while that I'd wake up to cars and ski boots crunching in the snow outside our bedroom window at 7am.  Though walking out of the bedroom still wiping the sleep out of my eyes, and the timing being spot on for the entire family walking down our hallway and Mark screaming "LET'S DO SOME SHOTS...!!!" might be something that won't be that hard to let go.  ; >

Cheers, friends; happy weekending!

seventeen year love.

At any given moment asking me what day it is, is extremely similar to asking someone who is color blind what color my shirt is.  Umm....Monday?...errr....a blue shirt?  Recapping a trip that happened over 2, close to 3 months ago might be a little difficult; but the good news is that I am obsessed with details, and that fact that all the memories are with my beautiful Am are working with us on a successful blog post.

When I moved from Denver to Snowy, I remember Mary saying "We don't need to worry about our friendship and feeling out of touch with each other, because we both have really good track records with long distance." So, so, SO much truth in that statement!  Mary has Karley, and I have Amie.  Amie and I haven't lived in the same city for 10 years, or the same state for closer to 8 years, yet I've never felt closer to her.  I've mentioned before about how she is my shoulder when I need a good cry, my cheerleader when I need a pick me up, and the fastest way to laughter when I just need to laugh.  A week with her in a new state, and a new part of the country I was used to seemed too good to be true.

So, what did Amie and I do on my week long vacation to New Hampshire?

We visited wine bars.
We stayed up giggling, crying, and swapping stories in bed until 2am.
We slept in.
We drank our breakfasts (my first time trying Shakeology!).
We gave and received countless Brodie Bear smooches.
We attended going away parties.
We fell down stairs (more me than Am).
We tried testing our core strength at 1am freshly home from the bars.
We ate chips and salsa (the best chips and salsa I've EVER had, and I'm not just saying that because I was 3 beers deep), and drank margaritas.
We laughed over past boyfriends, and marveled over current boyfriends.
We cooked breakfasts.
We ate out for breakfasts.
We got our nails done (always a staple when Amie and I get together.)
We tried countless different curling iron techniques.
We laughed ourselves silly until the tears running down our faces were the only words spoken.
We went to the ocean.
We ate fresh sea food.
We sat in a cold hot tub (still butt sore about this one).
We drank wine and took a painting class while shooting death glares at the o.b.n.i.x.i.o.u.s. farting east coast family behind us (yes you read that right).
We shopped.
We drank coffee.
We drank fresh juice.
We learned more about each other on a much deeper level.
We worked out.
We celebrated her golden birthday.
We spent hours on the website dogeared.com picking out our most favorites.
We drank wine.
We giggled at Andrew dust-bustering the house at 11pm on a Saturday.
We tried new beers, and got in an intense conversation with our bartender about sour beers.
We talked about our biggest fears.
Our biggest insecurities.
We took a day trip to Maine and I was able to merge together two separate friend groups successfully.
We oogled over puppies.
We oogled over beautiful old victorian homes.
Oogled over the beauty of the ocean.
We Instagrammed the exact same photo within seconds of each other.
We lay in bed in two separate rooms texting each other.
We got lost.
We got a liiiiile confused on our directions; Southwest vs North (still makes me pee with laughter, Am).
We ate at a restaurant featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.
We cooked!
We went through her belongings and I was sent home with several new treasures (Put this hat on!....AWWWWWWW!  Look at this purse!!!....AWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!)
We ate fish tacos.
We braved a winter storm together.
We watched Bridesmaids while I was spoiled enough to have her dye my hair and tweeze my eyebrows (another staple when we are together.  my eyebrows never look as good as when Amie gets her hands on them).
We overused the phrase YOLO!
We ate birthday cake x2.
We drank champagne at 2pm.
We played Song Pop.
We count out the years we've been friends; seventeen.

Pictures to accompany this post to follow.  

Nice little Saturday.

Hanging with that there guy, making a little of that there beer.

Insta Dump vol.2

Unnecessary for those of you who follow me on Instagram, *necessary for those of you who don't.

:: even the sidewalks were celebrating love day! ::

:: sups important drink decisions to be made at laundry in steamboat! ::

:: no better way to celebrate vday than free drinks, delicious dinner and a night spent at the hot springs.  yum. ::

:: my valentine's day gift - a martini from the martini making master! ::

:: beware of the beautiful ice ::

:: what else would i be doing on a tuesday afternoon than touring new belgium brewery with my favorite brewmaster, uncles x2 and aunt?! ::

:: and what else would my aunt and uncle from nd be doing than going down a giant slide? ::

:: mine. ::

:: on the road again ::
:: again, saving our mt ig's for the recap! ::

:: wyo roads trying to stop me from making it to my girls week in denver.  psch.  as if. ::

:: ikea is one kajillion billion times more enjoyable on a tues afternoon vs sat afternoon ::

:: watch out hunt.  you have some stiff competition with this dream boat! ::

:: my second, third fourth and fifth loves ::

:: hungover/tired/bored at the toyota dealership, praying no one can hear my Pussycat Dolls pandora playlist through my earbuds ::

:: hurrying from denver to snowy for a night, before taking off again to salt lake the next morning ::
:: again, slc ig's to be saved for recap ::

*slight exaggeration.

Insta Dump vol.1

Unnecessary for those who follow me on Instagram, *necessary for those of you who don't.

:: gorg steamboat sunset ::

:: obsessing with the stunning scenery i get to see day in and day out ::

:: obsessing over this girl ::

:: food, drinks, laughter and tears with my girl jaim ::

:: fake blues ::

:: obsessing with mary over brussels and wine ::

:: sunrise.  rooster. ::

:: pooping my pants over seeing my amie girl in a few short hours ::
:: also, i'm saving my nh ig's for when i recap that trip! ::

:: fly back to den.  land.  get picked up by hunt and immediately get taken to city o city  lucky girl ::

:: morning at the market! ::

:: amazing view from an amazing loft ::

:: shocking ::

:: hey there, cutie! ::

:: poor man's pho = success! ::

:: most successful and happiest first run after my pt ok ::

:: how i get in my creative zone post corporate hell.  green tea + mimosa ::

*slight exaggeration.