Mt. Rainier Camping Weekend

Long overdue.. but for my friend Brittany's birthday we headed to Mt. Rainier to do some adventuring around. I have never felt so small, like I felt standing in front of Mt. Rainier. We have a beautiful view of the volcano from our back porch at home, however standing right in front it was overwhelming.

girls in front of the mountain

those little black dots are hikers!

looks like the Sound of Music

glorious

morning bloody mary's

the falls

like kids in a candy shop.

breathtaking.

Etsy Updates!

Recently I have been VERY busy with Etsy orders! My hope is to continually grow the site. Here is a little preview of some new creations! The stamps make perfect gifts for weddings, birthdays or just because. 


Beer, Bluegrass & Birthday

This past weekend I spent my time in Frisco, Colorado with my lovely beau, Mike. This weekend I turned the big TWO-SEVEN! Hard to believe that at a young age of 8, I thought being 27 meant marriage, babies, house, career, grown-up etc. HAHA Crazy how things change! Frisco and Keystone were full of beer, bluegrass, hiking, biking, eating and quality time. 

Keystone Resort - Home of Beer & Bluegrass Festival


We made pretzel necklaces to be sure we had snacks to go along with our beer tasting ;)

Schmitty, Jason, myself and Mike.. thoroughly enjoying ourselves

Frisco Sunset

The bike paths in Frisco are so beautiful!

Birthday Hike - Mt Royal 10,500 Feet

Frisco is all dried up!

boyfran and me

Andrew Bird - Lusitania


Discovery Park - Beach Day

Beach day in Seattle = burnt day. I forgot how white I turned once I moved to Washington, therefore I got purty burnt! However, I definitely enjoyed the company of my sister-in-law and friend Jesse. We walked about 1.5 miles to get to the beach to enjoy some vino and sunshine! An absolutely lovely way to spend a Sunday. 


Jesse, Jessica and I (photo taken by sis)

relaxing by the smelly water

my new dead friend. i love these lil nuggets.

Beckler Peak - Day Hike

Beckler Peak's highest elevation point is at 5063 ft with a 2263 ft elevation gain. On Saturday the 28th, we started out on the trail around 10:30 AM. The start of the trail is pretty wide and roomy, but that doesn't last long. Just when it starts to feel like the hike is getting pretty intense you come to a wide opening that gives you a view of the beautifully surrounding mountains. Taking a break at this point revives you to keep trucking on, up the mountain. The weather was absolutely perfect for this hike. The sun was shining and it was perfect for shorts and a tank. We ran into a few snow patches near the top but nothing that required gators or pants. Once we reached the top of the peak there were 360 views of the surrounding area. Absolutely breathtaking! We cracked a beer and enjoyed. I could have sat there all day. There was a family that made it to the top and one of them was wearing a University of Michigan t-shirt. Happy to see Michigan represent at 5063 feet in Washington. Since we only had one beer to share between 3 of us, we got pretty thirsty for more and decided to head back down for beer and burgers. On the way down we had some fun with snowballs fights and building snowmen. Check out the fotos: 


Hope you weekend was as amazing as mine!


My brother from another mother (jesse) and I at the top of Beckler Peak.

Top of the peak

jazz hands are always acceptable in nature.

one of the views on the way up.

chugging beer, dino-style.

this makes me happy.

path on the way to the top of the peak.

our snowman, johnny 4-balls.



stoned sperm whale. 

Mount Forgotten - Day Hike

Today's hike through Mount Forgotten has been the prettiest hikes I have done since moving to Washington. The views on the way up are absolutely breathtaking. Only the first two miles you are hiking through tall trees and brush without being able to see above until you come to a wide opening with clear skies. The trail becomes much steeper and heavily covered in lose rock. There are three waterfalls to make it over/through in order to continue the summit. The first waterfall isn't very deep to get through but the current is moving fast so you definitely have to move swiftly. The second waterfall proves to be a bit more challenging. The water gets deeper and is moving very fast. Gators and waterproof shoes are definitely a must! The third waterfall is where people on the trail told us they turned around due to the deep current. We scrambled around the bend a little ways to fit a shallower route in order to cross and continue on. After making it through the challenging waterfalls we decided to have lunch upstream in the dry river bed. After lunch we decided to do a little off-roading to get back through the waterfalls. Although very challenging with a dog in tow, we had so much fun jumping and scaling across the rocks and moss to make it back to the trail. On the way down the trail we took our time and enjoyed the views around us. We passed around 4 couples on our way up and down. A very quiet trail minus the roaring sounds of the waterfalls! 



the moss throughout the trail is gorgeous!

waterfall #3

Sister-in-law Jess and brother, Cody, crossing the waterfall


Cody, crossing the waterfall with Scarlotte


we did it! 

Annette Lake - Day Hike

Saturday, July 14th the day began at 8:30 am heading from Seattle to Annette Lake in the Snoqualmie Pass. The trail was slightly crowded with families, dogs and children. The 3,600 ft summit with a 1,400 ft elevation gain was perfect for my first real hike since ACL surgery. The switchbacks through Humpback Creek Valley didn't last long upon reaching Annette Lake, which lies between Humpback Mountain, Abiel Peak, and Silver Peak. There was a trail that only went half way around the lake with small inlets to take a closer look at the water and the surrounding mountains. The weather was absolutely stunning and so were the views! 





Etsy Shop Updates!

My 'Love & Luck' Etsy shop has gone through some updates lately! I've been consistently getting orders in weekly so I thought it was time to add some more items and hope for more business! Gotta pay off those student loans somehow :) Check up the newest stamps: 


Custom Name Stamp Bicycle Stamp
Perfect for envelopes, notes, gifts, etc.

Custom Name Hearts Stamp
Accentuate your next card with the name hearts stamp.

Original Smith Family Address Stamp
Looking for a gift for newlyweds or recently engaged? 

Custom Address Stamp Cat & Dog
Address stamps are also perfect for your business. 

Leavenworth Love

Leavenworth for Memorial Day was one to remember. Mike, my 7th grade boyfriend and best friend of a few years came to Seattle all the way from Frisco, CO to visit for an extended weekend. We enjoyed a Mariners baseball game where I was actually given the game ball by one of the pitchers, Shawn Kelley whom played baseball with my brother in college at Austin Peay State University. The top baseball game moment, I have to say. The next day we took a little road trip to a little quaint place called Leavenworth where we visited Mike's homeboy from college Matt (Grody), who is living the life in Leavenworth. Mike has told me many a stories about Grody but it all came to life when we pulled up his his humble abode.. 


Grody's porch. When we pulled up there he was, sitting outside drinking out of a bottle of wine, loving life. And our adventure begins! After hitting up the local taco truck we adventured into the mountains. Leavenworth is surrounded by the Wenatchee National Forest and a beautiful forest it is! Mike and I ventured off to get some mountain views. I wouldn't consider boat shoes and sandals the proper hiking gear but we gave it a whirl. This was my first 'hike' post- ACL surgery! It felt so good to get back in the fresh air and the high mountain tops. 


After a day of travel and tourism we decided to call it a night with semi-cold Rainiers in the camper. The next day we had headed to the water. Grody works for LMS, Leavenworth Mountain Sports http://leavenworthmtnsports.com/ so we were able to take our some kayaks and paddle boards to head down the Wenatchee/Icicle River. Gorgeous day with some gorgeous views...








Needless to say, this weekend was fantastic.