2013: Year of the Friendcation

 As the year winds to a close, the memories I cherish the most over the last 12 months are the incredible places we've been, and the people we've been there with. 2013 truly was the "Year of the Friendcation". Here are a few highlights, and CHEERS to many more crazy-fun adventures in 2014!

 

January: Weekend in PDX 

With Britta & Erin

 

Unfortunately I don't have many photos from this trip, since I managed to come down with the flu shortly after we arrived. 'Twas a slight damper on the trip, but it didn't stop us from squeezing in some shopping on Mississippi Ave, checking out the Tristan Prettyman show at the Doug Fir, and brunching like champs. 

March: Okinawa Adventure

With Sophia, Tyler, & Kazu

 

The Inmans invited us to visit them in Japan. We happily obliged. This was an AMAZING trip! We got to go paddle boarding for our very first time in a amazing island cove with the prettiest tropical aqua blue water, thanks to Tyler & his friend/business partner Kazu's experience as SUP guides. Lots of ramen & beer were consumed. This was our fourth time visiting Japan, although our first visit to Okinawa.

April: Astoria Birthday Pub Crawl Weekend

With Sophia, Tyler, Britta, Eric, Ivy, Nathan, Lisa, & Matt

 

Since Henry and I were actually home for our birthdays this year, we decided to do a pub crawl in one of our fave NW cities. Since Lisa's birthday was a day earlier, it ended up being a triple birthday bash! And the Inmans had just moved back to the States, so it was a "welcome home" shindig for them, too. We ate cupcakes, drank delicious beer, checked out a few dive bars, and rode bikes along the river. I'm pretty sure a couple people have scars from this trip, proving HOW EPIC IT WAS.

May: Bottlerock or Bust!

With Andrea, Britta, & Eric

 

Ah, it's like we're in college all over again.... 5 friends stuffed in a car (with a box of wine in the back), hauling ass down to Napa, CA for a music festival. We all crashed in the same room, arriving sweaty and dusty each night after the music ended. On Sunday, we had the crazy idea to go have brunch in San Francisco before heading home. And we couldn't leave without doing a little shopping, right?! This led to a mad dash drive home, stopping only for quadruple-shot lattes at Dutch Bros. We arrived home around 3:30 AM, and guess who happened to have 3 midterms that morning starting at 8 AM? THIS GIRL. Ugh. Totally worth, it though! 

August: Orcas Island Camping

With Lisa, Matt, Ngan, Josef, Nhah, & Hazel

 

Matt chose camping at Doe Bay for his birthday trip. This was an interesting place. Us girls braved the "clothing optional" spa for, like, 15 minutes.....and ate a delicious vegetarian-free range-organic-hand harvested-foraged breakfast in the cafe, while being relentlessly attacked by bees. More bees greeted us at the ferry terminal, as we portioned out the meager rations left in our cooler while forced to wait 5 hours to get back to the mainland. Note to self: don't EVER try to leave Orcas on a summer Sunday afternoon. 

September: Conquering the Bend Ale Trail

With Lisa & Matt

 

Spur-of-the-moment plans were made to visit Bend for Labor Day weekend, since I kept hearing over and over how it was paradise for beer drinkers and dog lovers. Check, and check. We stuffed the pups in the Subaru and hit the road. Matt, Lisa and their two dogs met up with us the next day. Our motley crew of four humans & five dogs were welcomed at most of the city's renowned craft breweries, and we ate & drank & DRANK SOME MORE on their sunny patios. We also attempted to do a hike at the aptly-named Badlands recreation area, and got about a half mile in the scorching desert heat before we gave up and turned around. You'd better believe we cooled off with a beer afterwards! 

November: I Left my Heart in San Francisco!

With Lisa & Matt

 

Another impromptu trip made possible by insanely-cheap airfare....$125 round-trip, and I had 2 free hotel nights to redeem through my Marriott account. What we saved in travel costs, we quickly made up for in $6 beers and $10 cocktails. Ouch. Anyways, cousin Danny was able to meet up with us while we were down there, and we all went on a pub crawl and played drunken frisbee in the park. We also rode, er....hung on to a cable car which was ridiculously fun and mildly dangerous! 

So there you have it...2013's Friendcations in a nutshell. Now it's time to start planning some more....got a couple hundred thousand airline miles stashed away and a Subaru that can't wait to hit the road...where should we go???