THE UPPER RIGHT : DAY TWO

July 24, 2016

Hello Day Two of The Upper Right trip!

If you remember me mentioning a few days ago that we didn't get any sleep on the first night, well here is the continuation of that story.

After the first day's activities, and running on little to no sleep, we just wanted a good night's rest. Well! That definitely didn't happen. We woke up in the middle of the night freezing cold to our bones. The blankets the boyfriend was using as bedding weren't cutting it. So what do we do? We ditched the tent and took shelter in the car, I took the back seat and boyfriend leaned the driver seat all the way back. We only got about one good hour of sleep. Which sucked. We were pretty delirious until our first cup of coffee (which we didn't have until like 5 hours later). Thank goodness for grace and patience that morning because we were both having fits and we're DEFINITELY not morning people.

THE UPPER RIGHT : DAY TWO ITINERARY

- GET UP BEFORE THE SUN (AGAIN)

- WATCH THE SUN RISE FROM THE CADILLAC MOUNTAIN SUMMIT

- BREAK DOWN CAMPSITE

- FIND COFFEE (SOMEWHERE/ANYWHERE)

- ARRIVE AT DESTINATION #2

#WORTHIT

While boyfriend was catching up on much needed zzz's, I sat in awe of the sun coming up over the horizon. As the crisp ocean breeze gave way to the overwhelming warm hues, I snapped a few photographs while listening to Benjamin Francis Leftwich hummed through my earbuds. A mini stroll along the peak of Cadillac Mountain was all I need to get the blood flowing through my veins to take on the day.

Both refreshed, we headed back to camp to break it down and grabbed a healthy cup of joe before heading onward.

We took the back roads instead of the highway to our next destination. Through little towns along the coast and over vacant bridges with the windows rolled down, this was our perfect and we swore to always take the long way.

Then we finally made it...

PORTLAND

...wrong coast. But it'll do.

Although a quick little stop on our way home, it surely didn't disappoint and we hope we find our way back for a visit someday. We fueled up with a flight and food at Liquid Riot before exploring the town. Came across a few boutiques and an ice cream shop that is POTUS approved (Mt Desert Island Ice Cream. 10 out of 10 review). We tried to have a donut date at at The Holy Donut, but it was closed so we "settled" for affogatos featuring Bard Coffee espresso and the previously mentioned ice cream. With one flight down, we set off to Urban Farm Fermentory to flights two and three. I wish there were more places like this here in Philly. Who wouldn't jump to go to bar that offered flights of kombucha and cider?! We wound down the night with a few games of pinball, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Super Smash Bros with cocktails by names of Slimer and Falcon Punch in hand at Arcadia National Bar. Well in need of a bite to eat, we grabbed a slice and drove off into the night.

THE UPPER RIGHT : INSTAX

July 23, 2016

Happy Saturday! Here are some snaps from Day One of The Upper Right trip. Kudos to boyfriend for capturing my unicorn purple hair in all its messy windy glory.

RIP INSTAX WIDE 300
I'll replace you soon.

THE UPPER RIGHT : DAY ONE

July 22, 2016

So about those weekly posts!!!! My b.

A thing happened (more on that later, promise). To make up for it, I'll give you a daily update this weekend of what happened basically in the past month. So sit tight and.....

LET'S GO!

About a month ago (shortly after that lengthy entry) the boyfriend I went on a little getaway outside our normal hustle and bustle. We planned this trip at the beginning of the year and after deciding that we weren't moving to Portland this fall, this trip kinda carried more weight to it. Not that it was "second best" at all, it turned out to be an amazing trip that we won't soon forget.

So where did we go? Well I'm going to break it down by day because it feels like there is too much to write about for one post. Let's just call this THE UPPER RIGHT trip. (hint hint)

THE UPPER RIGHT : DAY ONE ITINERARY

- LEAVE AT UNGODLY HOUR AFTER NO SLEEP

- SHARED WAWA BURRITO (FIRST BREAKFAST)

- STILL HIT RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC

- FIND A DINER FOR SECOND BREAKFAST (6/10 NOT BAD)

- EAT TOO MANY CHOCOLATE COVERED ESPRESSO BEANS

- FIND A LEGIT TIM HORTONS STATESIDE

- ARRIVE AT OUR DESTINATION (AFTER DRIVING 10+ HOURS)

And that destination was...

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

Stoked.

After we rolled through town, we headed to Seawall Campground to set up our site. Which we did under 30minutes including the queue to sign in. For our first time, not too shabby! But let's just say, we were definitely not prepared for how cold it was going to get that night. Boyfriend forgot his sleeping pad so he ended up using the blankets as a mattress. That coupled with the abnormally cold summer night (and the campsite located not even 500ft from the ocean) made for another sleepless night.

But before before jump straight into day two, we did other things before trying to get in some shut eye!!

After setting up camp, we went on a short 3 mile hike along Ocean Path and the Great Head Trail. Then drove to Cadillac Mountain to scope out how long of a drive it is from our camp site and where we can set up the next morning. Let me tell you how it must have been destiny for us to arrive at the summit when we did. The sun was just starting to set over The Bubble Mountains with the sun reflecting onto Eagle Lake and the Somes Sound in the distance. That was bliss.

I'm not sure if you can tell, but took a few photographs with the D40x that day. It felt great holding that camera again after a 7 year break, BUT... I am in serious need (okay okay "want") for an upgrade. My plan is to give my brother the D40x body along with one of the lenses so I can get a new rig. I made a deal with the boyfriend that if I do this, he can buy a new guitar. It's pretty fair.

MMXVI : HALFWAY THERE

June 23, 2016

Hey. It's been awhile.

There has been a lot of changes going around. Some major. Some not so much. But I figured I would give you an update about how the year is going since we somehow the year is halfway gone. At the beginning of the year I made this list of INTENTIONS (like everyone else and their mom did) and well....

Life Happened.

Not that it feels like I've done much in the grand scope of things (I probably have). But that's okay. Nothing ever really plans out the way you think they would. Life is this beautiful adventure of windy roads and breathtaking moments. And instead of being discouraged, I feel motivated to accomplish more of what I intended to get done this year. Even a small step forward is a step in a good direction.

This will be a very wordy post. I'm sprinkling in some rando pictures to keep those visual-only people interested. But, it's my life and my journey so far this year. Anyways. You have been warned.

MOVE TO PORTLAND

This is one of the sadder things that I have had to come to terms with. Not that Portland is off the board by any means. Just not this year. It's probably the better decision, but it doesn't make the situation any less disappointing. HOWEVER, I will be moving out of my parent's home this fall, so that will be exciting and I am beyond eager for the next chapter in my life.

DEVOTE MORE TIME TO MORNINGS

Seriously morning people, how in the world do you do this? You early birds need to teach me your ways and tell me your secrets. Sleep is just too sweet. Although I do have to give myself some credit. I have figured out an efficient, 5 minute basic beauty routine that gets me out the door relatively on time. AND my road rage has been kept to a minimum since the beginning of this year. So, there's a plus.

GET BACK INTO PHOTOGRAPHY

Finally something that I actually have been actively working on. If you have been reading this lately, you will notice that in my LAST POST I have required a Fujifilm Instax Wide 300. And I have been using it a bit lately. If you ask anyone, they will tell you that instant film is super fun because 1. for its nostalgia and 2. the instant satisfaction without going digital. But for me, it makes me be more aware of what I'm photographing. There's only one shot and one moment, then it's gone, never to happen in the exact same way again. I guess it's more of a commentary of how I want to be living life. To be more purposeful and deliberate. That every action I make or word I say has an effect and a weight to it. There's responsibility in that.

Woah. Deep.

Anyways. This weekend, the boyfriend and I will be heading to Acadia National Park. I'm hoping to wipe off the dust from my 35mm and old (like really old, haven't touched it since sophmore year of college old) DSLR and put them to work. So that's fun. I'm thinking about getting a new digital set up later this year, but we'll see.

START LEARNING FRENCH

Yeah. This one I haven't even touched. I've used Duolingo in the past and all I know is how to say "le chat noir" and "je mange une orange" (nailed it). However, my best friend is moving to Paris for a year or two. So that's kinda french related. Kinda bummed about it because she'll be so far away, but I am super stoked for her and this new opportunity. Oh and another french related thing. I recently watched "The Steak Revolution" on Netflix (it's ace, you should watch it) and that's mostly french. Maybe I'll continue to watch french documentaries and just soak in the language (I know that's not how it works). Any one have any tips on how to learn a new language? Get at me!

SPEAK LESS, DO MORE

Alright we're weighing out the good with the bad as we go through this list! I added this to my MMXVI Intentions list because I felt like I was all talk without having anything to back it up. The laundry list of things I wanted to do kept piling up without getting any of it done. It was that type of scenario at the end of MMXV. So this year, I got out more. I went on more hikes and chased a few waterfalls. I started making more. Instead of leaving these ideas as figments of my imagination, I have created a few things that I can't wait to share with you when they're all done.

I could say that it is also because of this bullet point that you haven't really heard much from me. But that would only be partially true. I'll try to at least do weekly updates to the Fieldnotes from here on out.

SHOP SMALL OR SUSTAINABLE ONLY

In my effort to be more deliberate in all aspects of my life, I added this to my list. If I'm being honest, I haven't been shopping small/sustainable/ethical 100%. I currently am debating on these two tops from H&M I bought last week in a last minute buy. I'm trying to weigh out if they would pass the WEAR30 RULE (I'll probably be returning them). The only other things that I have purchased this year were a pair of UNEEK sandals by KEEN, sage toner and an exfoliating mask from Fat & the Moon, a dress from ASOS that is made from vintage fabric, another dress from Skargorn that's made in LA, organic cotton underwear from H&M's Conscious Collection, and pre-ordered my first pair of rigid denim. Which sounds like a lot, but for someone who used to spend too much on throwaway junk, it's refreshing that most of my purchases this year has been responsible shopping.

HIKE A BIT OF THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL

Although it wasn't as much as I wanted to. I guess I can technically cross this off my list. On the way back from a hike at Dingman's Ferry with my brother, we stopped by this little overlook in Bangor that we had to hike about 2 miles of the AT to get to.

VISIT ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

The boyfriend and I are leaving tomorrow! We are so stoked for this adventure.

CLIFF DIVE OFF PEACE ROCK

Summer isn't anywhere close to being over. I'm already making plans to cross this off the list.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

I'm not really sure how to measure this. I guess I can say that I have had more positive and good vibes this year. Being thankful for at least three things daily. Finding joy in every moment and stillness in the chaos. I'm taking care of my body and mind with yoga and healthy eating.

READ DAILY

Well lately I've been doing better with this one. Whether it's reading fellow blogs or slowly knocking off books from the READING LIST, I'm reading almost every day. I added another one of my favorites to the list: The Neverending Story. It's definitely helping me get back into the habit.

I'm looking forward to the next half of the year. I can feel it in my bones that there will be great big changes ahead.

WATER ON THE MOUNTAIN

March 30, 2016

MMXVI is for chasing waterfalls. In three months, I have hiked 24 waterfalls and it is just the beginning. Granted 21 of those waterfalls were along the Falls Trail at Ricketts Glen State Park over the past weekend.

Ricketts Glen State Park is located across 13,000 acres across Luzerne, Sullivan and Columbia counties in Northern Pennsylvania. Just a short, but scenic drive from where the Adobeau and I had a hearty brunch at Canteen900 in Forty Fort. (We highly recommend getting a fresh pressed orange juice and the protein smoothie bowl if you're ever in the area.) The park is named after Robert Bruce Ricketts, an American Civil War colonel who owned the land.

My research of the trail told me that it was a difficult trail to hike, but Adobeau and I found it pretty easy. However, it is pretty wet in most spots from waterfall mist and winter's melted ice so shoes with good traction will probably be your best friend. We took the seven mile hike is a loop down Ganoga Glen, a little downstream from Waters Meet and back, up Glen Leigh, and then back to the Lake Rose Trail Head through the Highland Trail. With so many waterfalls to stop and stare at, the 7 miles doesn't feel so long.

The tallest of the waterfalls in the park is the 94 foot tall Ganoga Falls. Robert Bruce Ricketts named the waterfall for what he thought was the word that meant "water on the mountain" in the Seneca language. But it ended up that "Ganoga" is the word in the Cayuga language that means "place of floating oil". Woops! Well, "Water on the Mountain" sounds more poetic anyways.

We will definitely be coming back with some friends, maybe even make it a weekend camping trip and hitting up the other trails in the park. Wonder what other goodies we will find before leaving the east coast for the PNW? Stay tuned for the next adventure. For now I'll leave the obligatory #yogiinthewild pic here. Vriksasana with happy sun welcoming branches. On a tree for added redundancy.

MMXVI

January 4, 2016

Oh Hello 2016. You're going to be a good one, I'm going to speak that one into motion. Into truth.

Last year was a meditative year. A year of figuring out what I really want in life, where I want to be, and who I want to be. I spent more time outside and created more, and I know I will continue to do that in the coming months, but with more passion. I've learned how freeing it is to know that many things just do not matter. And that what does matter the most makes life so simple. This past year, I started my journey of learning the importance of alignment, dominion, and that joy is a mindful choice.

Now 2016.

Long lost are the days of solemn introspection. Instead, I am trading it in by taking the year by its horns. I know this year has a lot of responsibilities ahead, thanks to a new title at my day job and just general growing up, and a lot of change of scenery. The latter is my main focus. I'm trading in my little slice of Bucks County for a place that stole my heart a little over a year ago: the Pacific Northwest. I am both excited and terrified for that move later this year, but there is much else I would like to get done. I don't do resolutions because it sounds so finite, so here are some intentions I'm setting for 2016.

MMXVI INTENTIONS

MOVE TO PORTLAND

DEVOTE MORE TIME TO MORNINGS

GET BACK INTO PHOTOGRAPHY

START LEARNING FRENCH

SPEAK LESS, DO MORE

SHOP SMALL OR SUSTAINABLE ONLY

HIKE A BIT OF THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL

VISIT ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

CLIFF DIVE OFF PEACE ROCK

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

READ DAILY

HMT

December 23, 2015

So today is fun hump day post, because it's a hump day that is basically a Friday, well semantics.

Over the weekend the beau and I made our way to Christkindlmarkt in Bethlehem, PA. It's a cute little flea with different vendors that his held all season long. It was cool to meet fellow makers, especially this witty and sarcastic candle maker behind Little House Candles. There were ice carvers and glass blower, whittlers, and ornament painters. It was quaint, and if you're in the North East Pennsylvania area this time next year, you should stop by.

But the real gem of going there is walking the Hoover-Mason Trestle (HMT). Just as the original Steel Stacks has been renovated and re-purposed to be an entertainment center, casino, and hotel, the HMT also got a new face. Think of how New York introduced the High Line to Chelsea to bring a new look to the overgrown abandoned railway, the HMT did the same. Originally it was a small half-mile long railroad that helped transport coke and iron ore to the blast furnaces. Now, it's this very short walkway where you you can learn a bit of history and enjoy the nice weather of December. There are little gardens and cute benches, along with a walking tour and small museum in the visitor center. Not to mention, it makes a nifty background for the new addition in my closet.