Day 120 loves the beautiful leis

I love being home and being around all the fresh flower and lei on the island. Especially this week, there are lei all over Hilo and the smells are amazing. It's incredible that I didn't develop allergies growing up here, but once I moved to New York it was allergy central. Seems a bit backwards now. I'll miss all these lei once my trip is over. Le sigh.

Day 120 goes to a flea market in 1970

Going to a flea market is one of my absolute favorite activities. The one I went to this afternoon started selling bags to fill with as much stuff as you could fit in for $2! I love finding an item that seems as though it were made for me. Amongst today's buys: scenic desert stationary, a book published in 1962 called "Society Nurse," and a colorful braided leather belt. I saw this little mirror on a stand and when I turned it over I was surprised to see a calender from September 1970. This is a perfect gift for the person who wants to check the date. In 1970.

Day 119 appreciates the history

One of today's adventures was to Ha`ena, a protected spot on Hawai`i island with a lot of cultural importance and history. We got a chance to walk around, explore the area and here stories from the family that has taken care it for centuries. It was pretty spectacular. The highlight for me was seeing Nene walking the grounds. These endangered birds are gorgeous and I couldn't believe how many were there. Ugh, amazing!

Day 119 relaxes

Today I had absolutely nothing to do but relax and I took full advantage. Sleeping late, watching tv (not the royal wedding), enjoying a cup of tea. Perfection. Happy weekend everyone!!

Day 118 flooded with emotion

I've been sitting on some news the past couple of weeks, friends. I got a new job! I start on Monday and am very excited for a new adventure! Today was my last day at my current job. Leaving was more emotional than I expected. Tears, hugs, laughs, kind words. Feelings! The crazy rain delayed my goodbyes as the old roof of our building started leaking and we all rushed around grabbing pots, towels, etc. The leaky roof synced with my tears a little too closely. The angels crying for my departure, perhaps? Anyway, here's a nice action shot from the shoddy drain spout of our building. And yes, that's a scratch-off lotto ticket. I hope it's not a winner.

Day 118 feels the aloha

Have I really only been here for one day? Feels like I've already done and seen so much! The Merrie Monarch Festival (google this if you wanna see something truly amazing) starts tonight and you can feel the excitement. My halau traditionally wear these kid of papale (hats) and all the girls make their own lei to decorate the hats. It's one of my favorite sights (and smells). I'm so lucky to get to see some of my hula sisters in their gorgeous papale. Forgot the Royal Wedding, Hilo is where the magic is right now.

Day 117 loves the view

There's nothing quite like this view. It just brings an instant indescribable happiness and calm. I'll be blogging from Hawaii for the next few days. A last minute trip! Eeek! My schedule is a bit hectic until Sunday so please excuse any late or poorly written posts. But I will do my very best to be prompt. (I'm also blogging from my phone for the first time, not sure how it's gonna work out!) And now I'm ready for dinner and seeing some very dear friends! There's no place like home. :)

Day 117 goes green

My car turned green today. A very sneezy shade of green. I feel like I need gloves and a mask just to open the door. What's worse, this is the pollen that remained after a sudden downpour. My nose itches just looking at it. I really need to track down local honey as per the suggestion of our reader Amanda! I'm ready to fight allergies any way I can!

Day 116 scoots about

Today I spotted this fine business establishment in downtown Seattle. For some reason, when I read this in my head I pronounce the 'about' Canadian style... I'll pause for a second while you give it a try. All set? It just feels right, right? Also, umm... I don't see any scooters here (beyond the fence.......). Either scooters in Seattle were in popular demand today or there seems to be a tiny little inventory issue going on. I can't be sure. Either way, points for the catchy little name.

Day 116 in bloom

Isn't this tree in our backyard glorious? I have fond childhood memories of playing wiffleball (terribly) and using the tree as home base. Ah, nostalgia! I wanted to hurry up and take a picture of it in bloom before the first windy day blows all the petals away. There are already a few patchy spots here and there. With strong storms coming later this week by the weekend it will just be green and ordinary again.

Day 115 learned something new

The sis and I had to take a random trip to the flagship REI store today. FYI: this place has it's own rock climbing wall. In case the waterfalls, stone steps and trees in the store hadn't already convinced you that they're pretty earthy, they were like... you know what this place needs? A freestanding wall. Preferably one that our customers can climb. Ya know, if they're bored. So that was gonna be my pic, but as we were walking out I saw this and I was all "whuuaatt?". Time differences that aren't exact hours make my brain wrinkle. How can it be a 45 minute difference? What's up with that last 15? Where did that part go? Anyway, I felt it to be much more interesting than a giant rock wall and I thought you'd all agree. :)

Day 115 is delite-ful

I knew today was supposed to be warm but I didn't think it would be hot enough for me to break a sweat. What's the best cure for a surprisingly hot day? Ice cream!!! This was my first trip to Dairy Delite, despite it being about fifteen minutes from my house. I'm a sucker for mom and pop operations. Dairy Delite is cash only, everything is homemade and all of their signage looks like it's from the 1950s. Heaven. I had a cone of Mint Oreo and it was delicious. Luckily this week's forecast calls for more ice cream worthy hot days!

Day 114 is prepared

I'm going on another trip this week! This time I decided to pack earlier than I did for my New York trip. And by earlier I mean not 2 hours before my flight (2 days this time). As you can see, I've got the snack part of the packing covered. The clothes? Not yet. Toiletries? Still working on it. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.

Day 114 takes the cake

My mom and I went a little overboard baking/decorating this Easter cake. And I could barely wait until after taking this picture to have a slice. And it's going to take a lot of self-control to not devour the entire thing.

Day 113 went to the Spa

I made a super last minute appointment at the spa today for a little post-vacay pampering I was in need of. It was all kinds of lovely on a very gorgeous Seattle day. But as I was waiting, I noticed they had shot glasses and a pitcher of what I'm assuming was some kind of alcohol in the waiting area. I have a guess as to why they offer this (waxing services??), but it's still one of the strangest things I've seen in a waiting room. Strange, and yet thoughtful.

Day 113 dyed.

In preparation for Easter we dyed eggs! This is one of those traditions I will never grow out of. It involves two things I love: crafts and food. Maybe for lunch tomorrow I'll eat ten hard-boiled eggs.

Day 112 knows how to unwind

I had a lovely date night with my darling Nina this evening. We just spent 5 days traveling together and we still haven't had enough of each other yet! Ha! Lots of chatting, some eating, lots of wine, one of my favorite movies, and a very classy dessert of Reese's to go along with that wine. Today I learned that red wine and reese's are a delicious pair. I highly recommend you give it a shot when you can. It was some serious yum time.

Day 112 got a free cup

In honor of Earth Day Starbucks gave away free coffee to anyone who brought in a travel mug. I typically either drink coffee in a ceramic cup at home or in some sort of paper cup when I'm on the go. I had to search around for an appropriate travel mug. This is what I found. I have absolutely no recollection of buying this from the Franklin Institute but apparently I did. Check out that sweet view of the earth from space. Free coffee and discovering a badass Franklin Institute mug- happy Earth Day indeed!

Day 111 forgot something

It seems as though someone forgot their lunch snacks at the bus stop today. This lonely apple and bag of carrots (hard to see), were sitting on a newspaper stand without their owner. I happened to have been craving an apple when I saw this and seriously considered whether or not it was poisonous and if I could eat it without dying. Of course I opted to skip out on eating random fruit off the street (seriously, what was I thinking?) and just leave it there. Though I can report that I looked on my way back home and both snacks were gone. Were they poisonous or not? We'll never know.

Day 111, get out the Claritin

The sunny and warm weather today meant lots of yard work for my dad and other people in the neighborhood. That only means one thing- I'm due for an allergy attack. Every Spring I have at least one day where I am totally incapacitated from allergies. And I haven't had that day yet. Now that my dad mowed the front lawn I see Claritin, teary eyes and lots of tissues in my future...

Day 110 takes the long way home

Oh hey, friends. Have I mentioned yet how tired I (still) am? Cause it's true. I saw a fun show tonight at the 5th Ave theater and my post-theater high was quickly killed by the treacherous commute I had home. The commute is actually easy, it's the fact that buses/trains come about 3 times an hour that makes it a pain in the ass. Plus it was about 36º tonight (wtf Seattle). A temperature I was certainly not properly dressed for. All these things together = cranky and tired me. wah wah! Okay, I'm done complaining now. Just had to get that off my chest. :)

Day 110 is a pool shark

Tonight I went out for dinner and a few games of pool with some friends. It was a blast! Now, I'm not a very adept pool player. I won one game, only because my friend scratched the cue ball towards the end of the game. Impressed with my pool lingo? Yeah, I'm clearly becoming a pro. It won't be long before I'm hustling unsuspecting individuals at pool halls.

Day 109 is le tired

Traveling has completely knocked the wind out of me. Getting delayed for a few hours in NJ doesn't help matters much. The Seattle trio made it back (finally!) close to midnight tonight, which is 3am EST. My body is confused and not happy with me. So now... I sleep. But first- a pic of the "dinner" we had at the airport while we waited for our flight. Seemed like such a good idea at the time... Oh well!

Day 109 is a secret garden

My local produce store is transforming into Easter/spring headquarters. It was equal parts jarring and amazing to see all of the flowers and fresh herbs lining the entrance. Such happy lovely colors definitely made the rainy day more manageable!

Day 108 knows this view so well

When you live in this city for as long as I did, you start to know its secrets. Like where the cleanest public bathrooms are , what bars have the best happy hours, and the best place to grab a quick and cheap slice of pizza post-partying. And this one here... the best (secret) place in union square to sit, put your feet up and do some people watching while you relax. I love this view and this part of the city and was glad to get a chance to sit and enjoy one of my old fave hang spots for a bit today. But as nice as it's been to be back visiting friends and this wild town, I'm quite vacationed-out and ready for a cozy bed, a nice long shower and lots (and lots) of sleep. thanks for the fun, nyc!

Day 108 is why you're fat

My friend and I stopped by a pizza place for dinner tonight. Julio's is famous for their "steak in a pouch." I ordered the roast beef in a pouch with cheese. I'm fully aware that this is more likely to wind up on This Is Why You're Fat than a health food blog. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we were both disappointed by our dinner choices. As wasteful as it sounds, most ended up in the garbage. If I'm going to eat something bad for me it's going to delicious, dammit!

Day 107 is back to reality

The drive back to the city post-wedding was really just a continuation of the fun. I happen to love the two crazy west-coasters I traveled over with and we literally can't stop making each other laugh. We stopped off for ice cream on this marvelous day and it really hit the spot. Who says you can't have ice cream for lunch? Perks of being a grown-up!

Day 106 partied hard

Wedding weekend is officially over and I am quite le sad. The party and the awesome times with friends was virtually nonstop and it was incredible. Not incredible is how I forgot my camera cord in Seattle, wah wah! Here's the one pic from Saturday that I was able to get on my phone. It's from the after-party and it was quite the good time. Sorry for the late post readers!

Day 107 doesn't want to leave

You can see why I didn't want this weekend to end! This is the view from the deck of the beautiful beach house where we stayed. Now I'm back in PA, unfortunately getting ready to start the week. Blerg. Why can't my friends get married at the beach every weekend?

Day 106 got married!

This is why both Aislinn and I missed a day of posting. Oops! Sorry faithful readers (most of you were at the wedding anyway...). Better late than never, right? Congratulations to the happy couple!

Day 105 is ready to party, party

And thus begins the wedding weekend! The rehearsal dinner we just got back from was all kinds of awesome and now we're chilling and laughing and remembering great college stories all night. Perfection? Yes, indeed. Hooray for a great weekend with even greater friends!

Day 105 is a beach

It's officially wedding weekend! Most of us arrived late last night and now we're all just relaxing and getting ready for the events. After helping with some of the setup we came back to our beach house (which is beautiful by the way). But first Meredith, Adam and I took a very quick stop at the beach. Only quick because it was freezing and super windy. Stay tuned for more wedding weekend excitement!

Day 104 is back

Whoa whoa whoa. It feels so weird being back in NYC. Seriously. Bizarre is the only what I can really describe this. Bizarre, but also all kinds of awesome. Spent a great day/night with friends and the night is still young! Two of my bestest friends in the city recently got a gorgeous little pup and she is full of energy and love. Perfect! Ugh! Here's a little pic of miss Parker. Isn't she just perfect??! I know. She is.

Day 104 needs some good tunes

I'm almost ready to leave for the wedding weekend extravaganza, but wanted to post first! Since 90s on 9 has been letting me down recently and I don't trust nighttime driving while CD changing, I'm letting my iPod act as the soundtrack to my drive. Fingers crossed that I don't get lost!

Day 103 captured

Ah, people watching. Most beloved of hobbies. I took some fun shots of downtown Seattle tonight during my bus ride into town. My biggest fear is that someone will notice my taking their picture, run up to me, steal my camera (or phone), scream in my face, then run away. Seriously - I imagine this happening. It hasn't happened yet, but I did get a few angry faces from folks tonight. Oh well!

And now off to do some packing and perhaps even a bit of sleeping before this very, very early flight tmw. Can't wait for this vacay!! YAY!

Day 103 likes sparkly things

Tomorrow night I'm driving to South Jersey for my friend's wedding. This means dancing, board games, wine, laughs and general celebrating. This also means Aislinn and I will be co-blogging in the same place soon! In the meantime between work, errands, and life stressors I've been trying to sneak in some packing. Most importantly (besides snacks of course): jewelry. This is the part of packing I enjoy, especially because I discovered things I forgot I owned! These are a few pieces I have picked out. I will most likely wear the same pair of earrings the entire weekend, but at least I'll be prepared! Plus if anyone needs to borrow a sparkly item or two I hope I can be of help!

Day 102... Only...

Another addition to the "taking pictures at red lights" series! There's tons of construction happening on the road I usually take to get from work to home, so I've been taking a new, somewhat longer way this past week.... and that's about the most exciting thing to happen this week. I know, I know. You're on the edge of your seats. This new 6 minutes of my life have thus far been... ya know.... boring. BUT, it does mean some new picture opportunities so it's not a total loss.

Also, fear not gentle readers. This content will surely get more interesting once I've landed in that great little town called New York. Perhaps you've heard of it?

Day 102 is bummed

That sunshine yesterday was shortlived. This rain is sticking around at least until tomorrow night. Weather like this really bums me out. In addition, I've been tending to some family health stuff today. So I'm more than ready for sunny days ahead, literally and figuratively.

Day 101 likes a bargain

Cants are on sale you guys! Just 59 cents a pound. Bargain. Also.... what are cants?? Anyone, anyone. I've been struggling with this one. Cantaloupes, right? Or maybe I'm wrong. There are some truly strange produce options at this market, so you just never know. I was driving when I saw this and I just couldn't say no to this picture! Thankfully the light had just turned red so I had some time. Rebel.

ps. Katie, our posts are so similar(ish) today! Love it.

Day 101 does not want 2 for $7.

What a beautiful day! Nearly 80 degrees. In April. Thankfully it put me in a good mood before I let a "case of the Mondays" kick in. This afternoon my mom and I did a little bit of grocery shopping, including stopping by Whole Foods. These pineapples were right at the entrance of the store. I didn't buy any because our local produce store is way cheaper and by now you should know I love a deal. However, they were a nice reminder that summer is right around the corner!

Day 100 has some reading to do!

Remember when I said I needed to get away from the world of blogs and bad writing and start reading some real books again? Challenge accepted, friends. I hit up the library and got a ton of books. Fact: I was an über reading nerd when I was a kid. Preferred libraries to malls and could often be found still up at 4am devouring whatever I new book I was in love with that day. Oh yes, I was that kid. And now I'm getting back to my roots and couldn't be happier!

ps. WHATUP, 100 days of blogging!! Feels awesome! 

Day 100 makes breakfast

I love breakfast. I could eat breakfast food for every meal. This morning, however, I was feeling totally uninspired by my old standbys. Yogurt? No. Cereal? Boring. Eggs? Maybe. Toad-in-a-hole? Absolutely! I can't remember the last time I made one. Now, the name can be disputed. I've also heard egg-in-the-basket and bird's nest to name a few. As long as you have bread, butter, an egg, and it's delicious that's all that matters.

Day 99 found a piece of heaven

We walked into this restaurant and there was a live band playing real Hawaiian music, complete with ukuleles, falsettos and gorgeous lei. Heaven. There were "Aloha's" being thrown around, spontaneous hula dancing from the restaurant goers and a menu featuring their special "Portuguese sausage musubi". Seriously - it was heaven. I devoured their Kalua pork lunch special like it was my job. Greatest meal that I've had in a long time, mostly because it felt just like home.The only downside is that I ate so much food I haven't been able to eat anything else all day. That's how stuffed I am. Not complaining!

Day 99 is a Phan

Today was my second and last day of volunteering at the International Children's Festival. The weather was beautiful so all of the activities and crafts were outside. I got a little too much sun though, resulting in a sunburnt nose and left ear (random). But that's okay because the Phillie Phanatic was there! Look at this crazy guy! Naturally the kids went bananas. And the parents too for that matter. How can you not be completely joyful when the Phanatic is around? I felt like a kid too. Mostly because I was making pinecone animals all afternoon, but still. Wonderful way to spend a Saturday!

Day 98, officially creeped out

No idea what this is about, but it's super creepy, right? It was blinking and smiling at me from the wall as I was getting off the train tonight. I think it was an art installation...maybe?? I truly have no idea. There seemed to be words further to the right that I'm sure explained it, but I was too busy running away from this post-picture to read or care about what it said. Pretty much the last thing I want to see when I'm getting off a train is an electronic face staring back at me. Winking. Too weird.

Day 98 with bells on

Today I volunteered at the International Children's Festival on the UPenn campus. Despite the gross and rainy weather I decided to walk around a bit before heading home. After grabbing a coffee I headed back to my car. I saw these great bells in front of an apartment complex across the street from the parking garage. Just looking at them now I want to burst out into a verse of Philadelphia Freedom, which I did on the street. That's not true.

Day 97 just wants to breathe again

I swear by the neti pot. First time I ever used it I was convinced that I was going to drown myself. Or choke. Choking was a pretty real fear. I also didn't believe in it's magical powers. BUT THEN, after using it one time, it cleared my sinuses up in about .0004 seconds and I was a new woman. I get it though, it's legit scary to think about shooting saline solution up one nostril and watch it come out of the other (how was that visual? haha). Your brain is all.... "nope. that will not be happening today." But it's the greatest congestion fix I've ever used, so to me it is perfect. Congestion, on the other hand, is a little bitch and I hope it dies..... whoa that just got violent. Freaking congestion brings out the crazy!

Day 97 feels gloomy

This sad and gloomy weather put me in a sad and gloomy mood. All I feel like doing is having a glass of wine and watching TV. And I think I'll do just that.

(This time in exactly one week I'll be en route to south Jersey for Ashlee's wedding weekend - let's fast forward!)

Day 96 is a hidden treasure

This guy. This guy right here is awesome. I was at UPS tonight when I spotted whatever this is hidden away behind the wall of computers and scary looking equipment. For whatever reason it made a usually grey, boring experience kind of funny. A little thing that someone put there to add some color to their day. I really like that. And so I felt it to be picture of the day worthy. The end. :)

Day 96 got the ocular hookup!

Today has been one of those getting-my-act-together days. I'm talking errands, work emails, laundry, cleaning etc. Just when I thought I was done for the day I got a call that my contacts had arrived, so I ventured back out to pick them up. I love the place where I get my contacts/glasses. To supplement my six month supply of contacts, they gave me two free bottles of solution! These are things I get excited about at age 25. What excitement will tomorrow bring? Free samples of dish soap? Buying pantyhose? Adopting a cat?