seattle: fall 2012!

it seems like it's become a tradition. for four semesters straight, i've taken at least one weekend trip to seattle. and every single time i love it more than the previous time (which i swear every time just isn't possible). i swear, i might be becoming a bit of a city person and while this thought terrifies me, it's easy to come to terms with. the pier? shopping on the ave? portage bay? starbucks on every single block? ferris wheel? molly moon's? bainbridge ferry? the clearance basement in urban outfitters? my family being downtown? the awesome crazy architecturally insane buildings (public library, for starters) that are literally next to an old brick building that stops me in my tracks? driving to the U-district and seeing the city from behind you? the many "Hunter" rainboots twins i had? i mean, i'm kind of infatuated with it. and i'm determined that at some point, i'll live there. whether it be a summer, graduate school, or for an internship, it just needs to happen. i'm still dying to find some gold mine thrift stores and venture outside of downtown, but that only means i have to keep going back. right!? right!?

we left missoula at 1:13pm on the dot with an estimated time of arrival 8:06pm. with three potty breaks (where pictures were taken, of course) and a construction stop over the pass, we managed to get in at 8:34pm. i knew you were trouble became the trip theme song. played on repeat, every lyric learned, the entire car vibrating with bass down the high way. i'm telling you, there's no better way to forced friendship than to be squished into a car for 8 hours with a group of people. i think one of my favorite parts of every trip to seattle is the moment the city sky line is in sight from the interstate. every small town bone in my body disintegrates and all of the sudden my heart is cheering for skyscrapers, real shopping, busy crowds of people, and noise.

it's become tradition on every trip to seattle that i start off my saturday morning with my uncle and his adorable kids. having them there and being able to see family so easily when i'm downtown is awesome. i love that my relationship with my extended family just keeps growing as i get older and that i get to watch my little cousins grow up. we ended up waiting for nearly two hours to get a table in portage bay but in all honesty, it was actually worth it. if you're ever in seattle LOOK IT UP. it's their favorite and their french toast is amazing. also, i ate an entire bowl of their fresh strawberries and it was amazing (for me to say that is a big deal.)

this trip was the trip of coffee and bathroom breaks. i had coffee three times in total. also, i recently started reading dillon's blog and if you don't read it, YOU SHOULD. i told him i would be in his hometown and he told me to have a cup of coffee for him. so i did so quite literally, naturally. and then i decided after telling the barista my name was Dillon that it would actually be an adorable name for a girl (sorry dillon! it's cute for a guys name, too, of course). i can't wait to come back to seattle again in the summer and be given a grand tour from him (THRIFTING PLEASE!).


in what was perhaps the highlight of the entire trip and best thing to happen ever in my life, i got to meet Elanor! Elanor has been a blog friend of mine for a while. we went through similar relationship woes this summer and it was awesome to feel like we were going through it together. she is so AWESOME ya'll and even though i feel like my spaceyness came out in all its glory around her, she was a trooper while my phone was dying and i was trying to navigate pike's (oh boy...) and find my friends and keep telling her to postpone what time she came into seattle on the bus because breakfast was still not happening. more about this will come later. i happened to forget my camera in the car so it was left up to her to take pictures.


my best friend laura was kind enough to give my new internet friend (ha... does explaining that get any less awkward, ever?)(EVER?) a ride to campus. thanks laura! afterwards, we got onto the ferry to bainbridge island where laura is from. i've never been on a ferry and let me just say... it was AWESOME. i was geeking out the entire time. the view of the sky line was gorgeous. i think i fell in love with ferries. we spent the night on the island in which i slept better than i have months. the extra hour in the morning was the true icing on the cake. we lazily got out of bed and had a casual breakfast in downtown bainbridge. i got a donut muffin and it was the best pastry i've had in my entire life. paired with a chai latte and i was in heaven.

we left seattle in the mid-morning, taking another ferry ride back, and made the 8 hour haul back to montana. seattle fall 2012 trip SUCCESSFUL. and i'm definitely more in love than i was before. i'll see you this summer, seattle.