Rugby in Chicago

The night before Halloween, I flew to Chicago for the USA Eagles vs. New Zealand All Blacks rugby game. It was a whirlwind tour with family and friends.

Friday morning was spent with family before Tom and I headed downtown. Due to a mix of bad weather and laziness, Halloween costumes brought from East and West were never unpacked. Friday evening was spent watching the Bulls game and enjoying the night with friends.

Saturday was game day. We started at The Scout where we met up with Kelly, Lisa VB, and Matt (who first got us all excited about rugby given he's from Australia). It was the first time we had all been together since January 1!

After a few hours of drink and the biggest grilled cheese you've ever seen, we met up with our friend, Syl, and trekked to Soldier Field. As expected, the US team got annihilated 74-6 (each "try," similar to a touchdown, is five points, to give you a true sense of the beating). Nonetheless, there was great company and beer that had no problem staying cold.

What a beautiful city!

Sunday was a perfect fall day. It started with an early lunch of authentic Chinese where Tom and Matt eagerly devoured Peking duck and Kelly and I enjoyed it to the very best of our abilities. :) After lunch, we put in a few miles walking downtown and I finally saw the area of Union Station from My Best Friend's Wedding and Public Enemies. Next up, drinks in the Hancock Lounge on the 96th floor. What an incredible view!

In closing, more pictures of this beautiful city...

Well Bend Me Backwards and Color Me Happy

On the morning of Sunday, October 26, I was Bend-bound. In early 2015, Whitepages' annual trip will be to Bend, Oregon. Two Whitepagers and two amazing event planners from Nkilter spent two days scouting the area and finding ideal locations for our dinners, activities, etc. 

It was fantastic.

The weather was beautiful; the leaves were changing colors and the sun was shining. The people were incredible with an infectious enthusiasm and love for their city. Oh yes, and in the 33.27 square miles of Bend, there are 19 breweries. 19! Oregon ranks #1 in the U.S. for breweries per capita.

First stop: 10 Barrel Brewery! Less than 2 weeks after this picture, they were bought by AB. :(

One of my favorite parts of the visit: the hotel pool. One hour heated lap swim in this lane alllll to myself.

Top: Mt. Bachelor, Left: Our lodge against the river, Right: FALL

The road to Bachelor.

Our trips to Crux and Worthy Breweries deserve a special shout out of their own. At Crux, our tour guide, James, shared more beer knowledge than even I had heard in a long time. We also met the Brewmaster as we were tasting his selections.

Next up, James brought us to Worthy. We had a private tour in the back where we enjoyed samples and ran into the Brewmaster Chad, who happened to be down right hilarious. We continued the tour with his commentary, went into the cold storage, opened a brew, and made our way to their barrels. Here, I poured shot-size samples of the sweet sweet nectar into my fellow travelers' tasting cups. It was so smooth and delicious. What we tasted will not be given to the general public. This mixture will be combined with more beer and will then be distributed to the masses. Talk about an insider's view.

Bottom left: Crux, Top left and right: Upworthy!

If I end up moving to Bend and working in a brewery, I'll look back here and say I called it. 

Seattle: A Nice Piece of Glass

...weekend of October 10th...

After a long week at work, all I wanted to do was.. well, pretty much nothing. Plans spoke otherwise, but I wouldn't have changed a thing. I enjoyed the perfect blend of relaxation and beauty. From Pirate Radio paired with Amazing Mexican, to the dog park, a Bear's win, and finally, the Chihuly Glass Museum with a friend from home, everything was great!

On our way to the park! Meet Stout, Porter's [big] best friend.

Cheeeeeeeeese 

Handsome buddy 

Sunday evening, I was able to meet up with Kristin, a friend since second grade, who was in town for the weekend. We visited the breath-taking Chihuly Glass Museum, one of the items high on my to-do list! Feeling inspired, just a few days later, I signed up for a four hour glass blowing class. I'm sure my pieces will look just as incredible as Chihuly's, if not better.

Flashback to Fall 2010 at the same spot. It was on this trip that I first fell in love with Seattle. :)

Vantage Rock Climbing

You can't fall if you don't climb, but there's no joy in living your whole life on the ground. -Unknown

On October 4, I completed my first lead climb. One more New Year's resolution crossed off the list! It was a 5.5; not a difficult route by any stretch of the imagination, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Saturday morning, coffee/chai in tow, Kristina, Natalie, Hexar, and I began the 2.5 hour drive to Frenchman's Coulee. During our drive, we were, unfortunately, pulled over. Fortunately, we had the pleasure of meeting the FRIENDLIEST policeman known to man or woman. You know you just experienced something out of the ordinary when you leave a traffic stop and you're all smiling and telling the green-eyed officer to have a great day. Crazy enough, he made our day better.

Meet Miles, Natalie's dog, and our day-trip companion!

Once at Vantage, we met up with Sarah and friends. Sarah set the bar high with a kick ass climb.

Natalie going after one of her many climbs

Two amazing ladies crushing it

Oh yeh, I was there too. :) 

Kristina making it look easy! I'm on lead belay and Natalie's belaying Hexar, the talented photographer.

Natalie coming down from her first lead climb!

At the top of my first lead climb!

 Taking on the rock together. The climb on the right required a little jump of faith!

I daresay this trip may have changed Kristina's opinion of Vantage to a positive one!

My little buddy. :)

Hexar killing his final route of the day, a 10c.

Gorgeous view!!

About five hours later, I had five climbs under my belt, a few lead belays, another first-hand lesson on repelling, and my first lead climb. Pretty wonderful. Certainly, a day deserving of the good Mexican grub that followed!

Fair thee well, Frenchman's Coulee, it's been fun.

The End. :)

A Weekend Getaway

At the end of September, I was lucky enough to have my parents come in for a visit. Three travelers reunited, just looking for a nice, relaxing weekend with, may I say, excellent company.

First up, we had to try a new bar (obviously). Thursday evening, we made our way to Hale's Ales. Though I'd enjoyed Hale's beer before, I had never been inside the brewery. As usual, Seattle brews (and food) did not disappoint.

Prost!

I left work early on Friday and we made our way to Bellingham via the scenic route of Chuckanut Drive. Though the skies were overcast, they added a certain beauty to the drive. That evening, at a Hawaiian joint in town, we enjoyed some pizza that would be proud to call itself pizza in Chicago. Who knew! For a night cap, we stopped by Kulshan Brewery. I enjoyed the TransPorter (HA!) while my dad partook in the Dude Man Wheat Ale. 

Cool name, bro.

Saturday morning, we visited Whatcom Falls Park. So many beautiful waterfalls in such a short hike. If only Christina could have been with us! 

Next, onto the town of Bellingham to enjoy a farmer's market, Boundary Bay Brewery, and a nice walk around the beautiful town. One of my favorite stops was Mallard Ice Cream where I enjoyed root beer ice cream for the first time in, at least, 15 years. It wasn't as magical as my childhood remembered it to be, but it was still pretty darn delicious. :)

Dark beer drinkers at Boundary Bay. One of them may be root beer...

Rocking the Seahawks colors!!

A scenic pitstop on our way to La Conner.

For our last stop of the day, we traveled to the scenic town of La Conner. No need to tell you how beautiful it is, just take a look at the pictures!

At dinner on Saturday night, I got a fun surprise! Since I couldn't be home for my birthday, my mom brought the belated celebration to Seattle. Now I can say, I am officially 30. :)

Sunday was spent exactly as it should have been - watching the Bears game. Felt fantastic to bring some of Sweet Home Chicago to the Pacific Northwest!