Happy Thanksgiving

I had every intention of sending out a Thanksgiving post within a few days of the holiday itself.  Needless to say, I didn't get around to it, we were just having too much fun with family and friends visiting from out of town.  I did come across these photos though which pretty much sum up the day.  Food, more food and fun with family.

It is so nice to be back near family for the holidays.

 

We have arrived! Portland

I guess since we've been here a few weeks it is about time I get a post going about this wonderful city known as Portland.  We are officially moved into our apartment in a beautiful neighborhood with tree lined streets and friendly people with Winter gardens.  We can walk to no less than 2 farmer's markets (1 of which goes all year long) and if we can't walk it we can ride our bikes most anywhere in the city we need to go. Most days I make it to a yoga class and teach a yoga class and then have time to wander aimlessly through town, there are over 100 neighborhoods here to explore- ours, Clinton, has a 5 way stop with a movie theater (they play Rocky Horror every Saturday), a few pubs, a few restaurants and a local coffee roastary.  I did not expect to fall in love with Portland so quickly but from the moment we unpacked our boxes it felt like home.

Bella making herself at home in the kitchen.

A typical commute in Portland, bikes everywhere!

Taking advantage of the sun and bike trails. 

Our living room, Bella and a working fireplace.

Finding a New Home

When we land in a new home in October we will have been traveling for one year.  12 months of living out of a suit case (more or less), working where we could and heading out to wherever the wind took us.  We had thought that Seattle would be our final destination but it appears the Universe had something else in store for us- we are headed to the mystical land of Portland.

This time in Seattle has been priceless- from Opening Day celebrations, time with family and friends, Bumbershoot, and everything in between- I will always hold this time in my heart.  We will back to Seattle often for visits and hope that we will have lots of visitors in Portland.  I am so happy that we are landing in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, as far as I'm concerned it is the most beautiful place in the world to build a life (yes, New Zealand, you are a close second, you are just so far away!).

We are moving in the beginning of October and I hope to spend the rest of my time here visiting with friends and family and squeezing every last opportunity I can out of Seattle while it is a short drive away.

And so in closing, Seattle- I want to offer this song about how amazing it is to live in the great PNW. My new favorite band from Anacortes, WA- the Lonely Forest's- I Don't Want to Live Here (take a listen at http://www.thelonelyforest.com/audio/):

I Don't Want To Live There :

L.A., you made me think
Too much gold and you sink
I don't want to live there, buy there
Or e'en die there
I don't want to live there, buy there
Or e'en die there

Nashville, you're much too safe
Quit weighing the pros and cons
Just create
I don't want to live there, buy there
Or e'en die there
I don't want to live there, buy there
Or e'en die there

Give to me miles of tall evergreens
And the smell of the ocean
And cool mountain breeze
Won't you please?

33rd's singing to me
Birds offer up perfect melody
I just want to live here, love here
And die here
I just want to live here, love here
And die here

Give to me miles of tall evergreens
And the smell of the ocean
And cool mountain breeze
Won't you please?

Hey hey (repeated)

Mexico!!

Here are some photos from our trip to Playa del Carmen for Rainna and Jimmy's wedding.  I'd write something but the photos pretty much say it all.

xoxo
Kaitlyn

Too Cute to Put in Words

Last weekend we went down to Portland for some much needed family time.  Eating sushi (home made by Jared, best sushi I've ever had), watched Portlandia, played with Kal and took walks through the park with Aquilla- it was a perfect weekend.  I could go on and on about how cute Kal is but I may as well jut show you... I love this kid :)

A Seattle Tradition

Every year Seattle celebrates opening day of boating season in a big way.  Crew races (go WWU!), parades, ceremonies, and yes, lots of cocktails.  This year Dad was the Admiral of Seattle Yacht Club so we got to join in on the fun. It was an amazing weekend- family, friends, food and booze... can't think of a better way to spend a sunny weekend in Seattle.

 

 Now that we've been here a few weeks we are starting to find a rhythm to our days, I've been lucky enough to be interviewing with lots of yoga studios and I'm starting to teaching a bit more this week.  I've missed teaching regularly and am so happy to get back to it.  Coming back to a classroom full of people is like coming home, I know I am where I want to be.

Thanks to Dad, Mom, Scott and Jackie and everyone who made it out to celebrate, it was a weekend I will never forget.

xoxo

Kaitlyn

Cultivating a New Life

The beginning

We've been back a few weeks now, looking for work, seeing friends, attempting to get our lives into some sort of order (but not trying too hard, enjoying this time while we have it).  Its been really great so far, its nice to be home.

While we were away we spent lots of time thinking and talking about what we wanted our lives to look like when we got back.  We wanted to garden, practice yoga, have time to be creative and have time to spend with one another.  Seattle seems like a great place to do that and that is one of the big reasons we decided to move back.

Our garden has been planted and now we check it every day, seeing if anything has sprouted, checking for things that don't need to be there (ie slugs, found 2 yesterday) and sending happy thoughts to the little seedlings to help them on their journey.  In many ways it is a microcosm for how we are living our lives, day to day, trying to cultivate just what we need and keep out all the extras that seem to make life so very confusing.  It feels good to start over and I am very hopeful that as things fall into place here Seattle will be the perfect city for us to live the life we want to live.

"May the beauty of what you love be what you do." -Rumi

Coming Home

We are back in Seattle (well, Kirkland to be precise).  I can't even begin to explain what if feels like to be back here and to have a place to call home.  It is big, scary, wonderful, overwhelming and full of hope all at the same time.  It will take some time to readjust to not only being in the same place for an extended period of time but beginning to build a new life in a new city.  I learned so much on this trip.  Stuff about myself, our marriage, what is really important to me and what I want my life to look like- I don't want to lose it all in the mix of finding a job and getting back 'real life.'  I know that what I learned will always be there, in my heart, and when I begin to get stressed out and feel like I lost it I just need to stop for a moment and it will be there (holy crap, does that sounds like Dorothy from Oz or what?).  I am trying to be patient (not my strong suit) as I know that in a week's time things may very well feel different but right now I feel like I am lost somewhere and just waiting to land.

I am eternally grateful to my parents for letting us crash until we get things figured out, and taking care of Bella while we were away- she is the fattest, happiest cat I've ever seen.  I am looking forward to catching up with friends and family and getting back to a regular teaching and practice schedule.  I miss our friends in LA and how well we knew our neighborhood but I know that will come again and we will find a great neighborhood in Seattle to make a new home.

I've heard it said before but I now understand the truth behind it- sometimes you have to travel all around the world to realize what it means to be home- family and friends (and good food if you are me). I went to a free show today with a band called "The Head and The Heart" and one of their lyrics stood out to me "Home is where you are loved."  I am home.

The Other Portland

Portland, Maine.  Home of  (one of) Sky's amazing aunt, uncle and cousin, lobster, great music and delicious food. We had an amazing time and can't wait to get back for more!

Back in the States

Well, I guess we couldn't just keep traveling forever- we arrived in New York City on March 21st and will be on the east coast until April 5th.  We've been staying with family and seeing old friends and getting adjusted to being back in the United States. 

While I miss traveling overseas and seeing new sights and learning bits of new languages there is no doubt it feels good to be back. 

Can't wait to see you all, give hugs and share stories.  If I learned one thing traveling for so long it is how much my family and friends mean to me, I love you all.

xoxo
Kaitlyn

Lots of Ice in Iceland!

Don't believe what everyone says- Iceland is not green (at least not in March) but it is beautiful.  We flew into nothing, there is no city within about 40 minutes of the airport and all you see is snow.  It is strange and beautiful.  Our apartment for the weekend is right in the middle of town- walking distance to cafes, bars (which don't get going until well after midnight), art galleries and amazing shops.  As seems to be usual for us, our time is short here, only about 2 1/2 days but we are making the most of it.

Friday night we spent the early evening wandering and enjoying the first snow we've seen in a long while and once the bars opened up we checked out a few local places.  Much of the music here is top 40 dance type stuff but we somehow wandered into a place called 'The Factory' and saw a performance by 'Of Monsters and Men.'  It was some of the best music I've seen in a long time.  They have a sound similar to lots of Seattle bands right now- 'Hey Marseilles,' 'Fleet Foxes,' maybe even a little 'Blind Pilot'- they were amazing (Jack if you are reading this you need to come here and sign them!).

Saturday we slept in and then wandered into a vintage kitchen shop and found the biggest collection of original Pyrex and french glassware I've ever seen!  As most of you know, I am a sucker for anything kitchen related so we picked up a few pieces to remind us of our trip once we get home.  I've been daydreaming of the dinner parties we will host once we get back to Seattle and get settled.

In the center of Reykjavik is a beautiful church up on a hill with a statue of Leif Erickson (a Norse Explorer regarded as the first European to land to land in North America about 500 years before Columbus) out front.  To get a better view of the city we took the lift to the top of the tower.  We also had some of the BEST fish and chips I've ever had, fried wolf fish caught out in the bay this morning and onion rings in a spelt and barley batter.

Sunday was a quiet day- we wandered through the National Museum and the snow covered parks, one of which has a geothermal pond to keep the geese and ducks of the city warm.  Iceland is such an easy place to travel to, only about a  4 hour flight from New York and I know we'll make it back here to see more, hopefully in the Summer when it is a bit warmer.

Our last morning we woke up early and headed to the Blue Lagoon.  The Blue Lagoon is an outdoor thermal pool set into a lava field out in the middle of nowhere.  We were surrounded by rocks and snow and swam around in the warm water for hours before heading to the airport to fly to New York City!!

It is a bit surreal to be back in the USA- catching up with friends and visiting with family. We'll be in New York for the next week, then heading up to visit Sky's family up north in Connecticut and Maine, then back to New York to take a train to Chicago to visit some of my family.  These are trips we have always wanted to take and I am so thrilled we are taking them now!

There will be more updates soon as we travel the eastcoast- miss you and love you all.

xoxo
Kaitlyn

Paris

Having never been to Paris, I was a bit worried that perhaps all the Disney and Hollywood images I had seen might have diminished my impression a bit but it was everything I had hoped for and more!

We were lucky enough to rent a studio apartment on airbnb.com (which is awesome) within walking distance to the Pompidou, the Louvre, the Seine, Notre Dame and an amazing street with chocolate shops, bakeries and cheese shops- oh and a few wine shops and cafes as well.  We only had 2 days so we didn't spend much time in museums and my favorite part of our stay was just wandering the streets and watching how people live here.

We walked as many neighborhoods as we could, Montmartre, Il St Louis, St. Germain, the area around the Eiffel Tower and had a delicious picnic on the Seine of baguette, some type of amazing cheese and salumi.  We drank wine, we ate pain au chocolate and all sorts of other treats, drank coffee at sidewalk cafes- it was everything I envisioned for our short time here.

I spent most of the weekend like this, a baguette in one hand and a treat of some sort in the other

Outside the Louvre

The best picnic of my life

crepe + grand marnier + nutella = drool

One of the coolest things we did here is visit the Catacombs.  Located 20 meters under the city the catacombs are home to the bones of about 6 million people dating back to the 1700s when bodies were exhumed from city cemeteries and moved there (mainly for health purposes).  The tour takes you underground, below the subways and sewers and into these rooms full of bone.  It sounds a bit eerie and creepy I know, and in a way it is but it is also fascinating.

With only 2 days in Paris we hopped the high speed rail back to Amsterdam where we will be until Friday when we fly to Iceland for 3 days.  After that we will be back in the states for the first time since October 31st.  A bit of a strange feeling but I am feeling ready to begin the journey home.

Love to you all,
Kaitlyn