Out of State Lovin'

September 1, 2012: Bridal Veil and Multnomah Falls, Oregon 

This trip was a beautiful new experience for me, full of some of the best memories, that I could only attempt to put into words (and I will try my best). I had only gone out of state once before to Hawaii with my dad and sister when I was 16 years old. Never with a boy! Let alone a boy I had met a mere 3 months before. And this was an 8 day trip (pretty long!) but I could not have been more excited. Excitement outweighs nerves any day. So on the night of August 31 we were off in my little Honda Civic with a 10 hour drive ahead of us to Bridal Veil.

A 10 hour drive without sleeping the night before can get pretty tiring, to say the least. We even had to stop and sleep in some random church for a few hours that I could not find again to save my life. If only we could be vampires who never needed to take sleeping, eating, and bathroom breaks. Although eating breaks can be quite fun, the other two suck! 

Early morning, August 1. The drive got much more beautiful when you could actually see everything!

Slight traffic means getting out of the car on the highway, running across the street, and picking your girl a great big pile of lovely weeds! Delirium had kicked in at this point and it made for a very fun ride.  I love how you can even see the roots.

WE MADE IT! Bridal Veil. The most gorgeous little stay I have ever had the pleasure of resting my head in. As much as I love being pampered in some fancy Hyatt with a jet tub and black out blinds, I would much rather be in a cozy little cottage surrounded by trees and such where I can look out my windows and just see green. It was breathtaking and I wish we could live there. 

Nothing is better than getting to the place you reserved and having it look just like it did in the pictures online that you fell in love with. Now I have my own pretty pictures that look even better than the online ones because I got to be there and experience it for myself. Ahh. It was wonderful. 

Getting our tired butts out of bed for some hiking! Because you can't be that close to one of the most gorgeous places and not enjoy it. Multnomah Falls is a sight to see. Hiking it not only provides you with wondrous views, it also feels amazing. The best walks/hikes are the ones that allow you to feel the perfect temperature no matter how vigorous it gets. And when it does get vigorous you get to breathe in cold air that just makes you feel like you could hike forever. I have been on plenty of hot, sweaty hikes in September where I just feel like suffocating and quitting. Not here. I could have stayed there all night. 

When we finally had to head down we were ready to eat, so naturally we stopped at the Multnomah Falls Lodge and I am so happy we did. We got to sit outside and listen to the waterfall. This is where I was brave enough to try my first prime rib. Yes, this may sound crazy. I was 22 and had never tried prime rib. It never looked appealing to me but like I said, I was feeling brave. It. Was. Fantastic. And I am glad I waited all my life so I can say I tried it in such a memorable spot. 

Back in our room, that I wish was our permanent residence, I got my very own handsome manicurist to paint my nails with "I Would Do Anything For You" by Foster the People on repeat. I must admit I got a good smile for 8 days every time I looked down at my messy nails. 

September 2-4, 2012: Seattle 

Sad to leave Bridal Veil (and get back into the car) but excited to finally get to the city, where even the car washes are adorable. Our first two nights were at Belltown where we got the luxury of being able to walk just about anywhere we wanted, even the market. Ahhh, the market. One of the most glorious places, in my opinion, with some of the best food and most beautiful flowers. I like to think that if given the chance of living there I would enjoy the market on most days and I believe it wouldn't be like the people who dream to live by the beach then finally move and never actually go. I would go. Farmers markets are the best and the residents of Seattle get that and so much more wrapped up into one little area of awesomeness. 

I am not kidding when I say we ate some of the best foods. And we ate a lot. This is a cinnamon roll that is almost bigger than my thighs together. And let me tell you, it was delicious. Oh, and a pumpkin cookie with frosting for breakfast. 

Beecher's. Oh my. The best mac and cheese I have ever had in my, now 23, years. I may sometimes be an exaggerator but not with this. THE BEST!

Okay, so let me move past food a little bit. I wanted to take a ride on this ferris wheel so badly but the line was about 50 people long and ain't nobody got time for that when they're trying to enjoy the city! Sadly, we had to walk away and he promised we would get to enjoy a ride before we left. Even if you aren't on the ferris wheel, this is not a bad view! Being by the water makes everything better. 

The gum wall! Just one of the highlights of the day. How is something so gross and unsanitary also so aesthetically pleasing!? It just is. 

So at night we were lucky enough to get free tickets to Bumbershoot cause my babes knows people. And who else do we get the pleasure of seeing but Big Sean. Ass, ass, ass, ass. This is hilarious because he couldn't imagine little old me at a rap concert but he just didn't understand my inner rap goddess after 3 months of knowing me, and I couldn't blame him. Needless to say, this night was a blast and will forever be remembered. 

We were totally sober. And no, those aren't stains on my shirt. 

This was apparently my best attempt at a "I'm at a rap concert!!" face. 

Getting outside for some fresh air was the smartest choice, where not only my kind of music was playing, but it also gave us the opportunity to run through the crowds while holding hands. I can always run the quickest with some drinks in me. People probably thought we were insane but it was the best.

The Space Needle

At night, the space needle looks magnificent. I wish I had something like that at home. 

We obviously had to buy tickets and experience the views during the day. And get this super corntastic photo. I cannot not laugh while looking at this. 

After taking that awesomely awkward picture, we got to head up to the top where we bought some red wine and thoroughly enjoyed the views from every which way. I even got to see that ferris wheel I had still been dying to get on. Since we have such wonderful timing we got to see the sunset from the top of the needle which could not have been more perfect.

"Take pikcha!" He is excited.

Dinner near the market where I got my all time favorite picture of the boy I love. The atmosphere of this place was great and just looking at this picture makes me sad. I wish I could not only teleport back to this restaurant, but back to September 3, 2012 as well.

Random things that made me happy: 

This cute little sign at an ice cream shop. 

Biscuit Bitch. Even reading their menu should leave you with a laugh, or at least a smile. 

Ermagerd berscurts! This sign was seen at our prime "ermergerd!" stage so we were a little excited when we came across it. 

Coffee! It had been years since he had had coffee, which I shamelessly drink every morning, and I am so glad he joined me in my delicious addiction during this trip. He now drinks it with me frequently. Yay!

<3

Not the greatest picture, but a whole shop dedicated to Chocolate and Wine? I found this to be just marvelous and, again, I wish I had one closer to me. 

And finally, video game themed window decorations made only out of post its. As we were staring up and commenting on them, some random guy who lived in the building came out and told us that the residents have picture wars, trying to make the best post it window on the street. Pretty cool. I think we would definitely partake in the war.

Sunsets by the water.

September 5-8, 2012: Portland 

Time for Portland. We stayed at McMenamins Crystal Ballroom which was very cool. Every room is a different theme and we got Liquor, Beer, and Wine.  My favorite part was the writing on the walls, and my least favorite was the european style bathrooms. Im not picky, but having to make yourself presentable, go out to the hall, and possibly wait to use the bathroom every time you have to pee while staying at a hotel isn't the greatest thing in the world. But you know what is? A sea salt heated soaking pool, which was a nice touch while we got to drink our chocolate wine.

FOOD! you're probably thinking we gained a million and one pounds while on this trip, which we didn't! Only like 5, alright, and it was totally worth it. My favorite part about Portland, and this is not a joke, was Tasty n Sons. Babes told me about this place before we went because he had it once and was dying to go back. Now I see why and I am beyond grateful he knew about it so now I know about it! It is something you want to know about. This is just their breakfast board which is already making my mouth water, dammit.

Voodoo Doughnuts, because how the hell are you going to make a trip to Portland and miss going to that? I don't usually eat doughnuts, but when I do they are here. (Okay, so I only went one time, BUT I haven't had a doughnut since). 

"Good things come in pink boxes" they weren't kidding. They were great! Even though I almost felt like crap afterwards. Almost. 

To be honest, everything but the maple bacon bar is a little too doughnut intense for my taste. But that maple bacon bar is heaven. annnd once again my mouth is watering. 

I love this picture. He had no idea what I was doing but I saw the crown above his head and thought YES. This is just perfect. 

Another staple Portland stop: Powell's Books. I find it very saddening that its rare to find a bookstore near me these days so this was quite nice. It was hot as all heck outside so walking into a cool, vast building full of books was an oasis. After skimming through many books and walking down countless aisles, I bought a Multnomah Falls magnet for my fridge, he bought some books, and we were back on the hot streets. (Yeah, I didn't buy a book. I regret this stupidity now but I am very happy with my magnet)

On our last night we drank some more wine and took a very memorable taxi ride over to another place he had been before and wanted to take me, Apizza Scholls, where we continued being fat asses. And it was wonderful.

Last day. Before our 10 hour drive we clearly had to eat again. We tried to go to Tasty n Sons but it was a very long wait, which we just did not have time for. So we found this little spot. Gravy. This place had nastily huge portions of amazing food. Slight conundrum. This doesn't do it justice but it is a gross amount of food. We sat at the bar area in front of the cooks and babes was determined to eat his whole omelette. Apparently that is a rare thing to do at Gravy, and he felt like it was his duty to take the challenge. Short story even shorter, he finished it and we were very proud. I didn't eat again for like a week and all was awesome. Except the depressingly long drive back home and the end of a beautiful trip. This was the longest trip I have taken to date and I miss the feeling of having it be the third day in and not having to be sad because you still have a week left to enjoy! Those are the best kind of trips, and also the rarest.

This vacation gave me over a week full of memories and allowed me to see so many things and places that I had never had the pleasure of seeing before. I know I would not have enjoyed it nearly as much if I didn't have my greatest adventurer with me, who loves the same things that I love. Nothing in the world is better than that. I could not even hope to portray every aspect of this trip so I guess this will have to do.