OREGON COAST

June 8, 2018

ONE YEAR MARRIED!

Holy cow that went by fast! And again, what a year it has been! (married/dog/bought house/moved to new state)

To celebrate, we decided to take it easy and do a weekend roadtrip trip down the Oregon Coast to explore more of what this beautiful new state of ours has to offer.

ASTORIA
Once I got home from work Friday evening, we piled into the van and set off west to Astoria! I've always wanted to go to Astoria - I mean because Kindergarten Cop and the Goonies, duh - but, also because I always hear about how cute it is. And well, yeah it was. I wanted to punch it a little. Steve was super excited to be back in VanLife.

We arrived just at dusk for dramtic views of the Astoria-Megler bridge which was literally next to our hotel! We stayed at this awesome, super cute place called the Atomic Motel which is as it sounds: Mid Century / Retro! Bonus: they even offer you free beer at check-in and there's a great little breakfast and coffee every morning. Would totally stay here again and would recommend! AND they are ESA pet friendly!

We didn't have much time in Astoria, but we made it to Fort George's Brewing, up to the Astoria column for some great 360 views, indulged in the most delicious fish 'n chips at the historic Bowpicker, and checked out Fort Stevens and the old ship wreckage. It was Steve's first time on the beach, so it was funny to see how he would act! It was so cute to see the sand between his toes! I think he liked it!

CANNON BEACH

From Astoria we headed south to Cannon Beach, another Oregon Coast town I've been dying to visit, and to see the Haystack in real life. And wow, it's so impressive up close! I mean just look at the scale of Danny & Steve! Our friend, Rachel, referred to Steve as a mini haystack. The beach itself is very popular, full of families, dogs, kite flyers, and beach bums. You can probably sit here all day and people watch. The town itself is also a very cute, cozy little village filled with cafes, local artisans, and bed & breakfasts. It is definitely a place I want to revisit and stay at soon.

CAPE LOOKOUT POINT

From Cannon Beach, we traveled a little more south to an area near Tillamook and Netarts called Cape Lookout Point, which is a National Park/Beach with camping and hiking trails. They offer traditional tent camping spots as well as yurts and car/van/RV camping - so, we appropriately van camped because VanLife is the best life.

We BBQ'd, sipped wine and beer as we walked along the beach at golden hour, and made dark chocolate s'mores. It was kind of the best, and so low-key. It was exactly what we needed.

Since hiking is one of our favorite things to do together, we woke up early and tried out one of the many trails Cape Lookout has to offer. Although we did take a wrong turn and ended up on a longer trail (the Cape Trail instead of the South), it was a beautiful time with beautiful scenery, cool weather, and kind people. Steve joined us again in his little backpack and everyone loved it.

I kinda started to get all gushy and sappy on our anniversary - thinking back on the events of our wedding weekend and all the feelings. Getting married is such a special time. I know it's not for everyone and that's okay, but having all your friends and family around in one place at the same time for a few days is truly a dream come true.

It was a perfect first anniversary and I am so lucky to be married to this man.
Happy Anniversary, Husband. xo

Wedding photos by Even Keel Weddings.

LIFE LATELY

May 30, 2018

It's been a minute. Life got really busy after Easter, and finding time to blog has been difficult. Here is what we have been up to.

PERSONAL
So, I guess the biggest thing that has happened was my change of jobs. I knew my first job in Portland wasn't the right fit since day one, and job-hunting for an ideal position similar to the one I had in Los Angeles was more time-consuming than I had anticipated. But, with patience, I landed a perfect position at an awesome company, and it's been even better than I imagined. I am so glad to be there!

OUR HOUSE
Word on the street is that home renovations always take longer than you wanted. Well, thats 101% true. Here we are, entering June, and besides my husband's studio project, putting a new toilet into our main bathroom, and painting one of the bedrooms, then turning it into an office, and now our bedroom, not much has physically has happened to our house. But, good news: demo for our stairs starts next week, so I will have some fun updates to share soon!

The backyard: We have been making progress on our garden! When you move into a home in late fall/early winter, in a place that actually has seasons, you don't know what you have growing in your yard until Spring! But, back in March, I got antsy and we went to the nursery to buy a peony bush (because I have a backyard now, damnit). So, I bought a Coral Charm because they are my absolute favorite and duh. We planted it and were excited to watch it grow. Little did I know, our backyard was filled with peony bushes! Within weeks, tons of shoots started to sprout. I couldn't believe it! If we would've known when we first saw the house, I would've said SOLD right away. Now, we will never have to buy overpriced peonies at the store again! And I have tons to share!

In additional to the peonies, our garden has also been sprouted tulips, four different color irises, tiger lilies are coming soon, and our apple trees are started to populate baby fruit for the Fall!

Last weekend, I also felt like we needed more color and foliage, so I headed back to the nursery, and bought some fancy rose bushes on a whim. I mean, I actually don't love roses, but this is Portland so it seemed like a must-have. Since our backyard shares an exterior wall with our neighbor's garage (with the window looking into our yard), I thought it would be a perfect place to plant climbing roses. I really wanted to bring in some more vibrant colors to pop on the blue paint, so I got Pretty In Pink Eden roses. I can't wait util they start blooming and getting huge! It's going to smell heavenly out there!

Lastly! We bought some cute patio lounge chairs from Ikea and it has made a huge difference! We love to sit outside and sip coffee in the mornings. But something was missing: A Fire Pit! So, this past weekend, Danny and I jumped in the van and picked up a ton (literally felt like a ton) of masonry stones and built our very own fire pit! Should be up and running soon! I'm so excited to spend evenings out there!

It's safe to say that our yard is turning into a magical garden.

EXPLORING
Travel has slowed down a bit due to house projects and my career change, but we have managed to get out and explore a little more of Oregon. Early Spring is tulip season and the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival is where it is at! From seeing photos on Instagram I knew it was going to be beautiful, but it was more stunning in person than we thought. Tulips of every color literally went on forever! I definitely recommend stopping by here if you are in Northern Oregon around this time.
Pro tip: bring your rain boots! It is VERY muddy!

Then, our friends from Vancouver, B.C., came down to visit us in April and we headed to an area of Mount Hood called Rhododendron. We rented this super charming cabin in the woods that was vintage but cozy. Scattered with many hiking trails near by, we chose to tackle the trail to Ramona Falls. Roughly about 3.5 miles each way, we were faced with crossing a river by shimmying over logs and trekking through tons of snow! It was a pretty challenging hike, but making it to the falls made it worth while! I hope we can visit them again in the future! Steve came along, too, but he chose the luxury route - in a backpack on Danny's back!

Look at these Canadian Cuties! And they are expecting August 2018!

As part of my birthday gift back in January, Danny wanted to take me to this Alpaca Farm about an hour from our house in an area called Molalla! And man did we luck out: upon arriving for our tour, it turned out the others that were supposed to join were no-shows, so we got a private tour! Oh my god, they are so freakin cute! It's so funny how each Alpaca is so different from another, all with their own faces and personalities. Not only did we get to admire and learn about them, but we got to feed them, walk them, and pet them! It was so special. Thank you, Marquam Hills Ranch!

And then somehow in the thick of things, Danny and I made it to Los Angeles for a weekend to celebrate his sister and dad's birthdays as well as Mothers Day. It was a quick trip, but we were able to pack in seeing our best friends and even went to my first metal show to see Behemoth. I am now a fan of metal.

So, with blog radio silence came a lot. Time moves really quickly nowadays, and I know it's only going to move faster soon. It's crazy to think about what we were doing last year at this time, getting ready for our wedding, or two years before just having gotten engaged, and here we are now living in Portland taking care of our dog and working on our home. A lot can happen in a short amount of time, and I keep trying to remind myself to slow down and try to document and store memories before I lose them. I am also excited and looking forward to seeing where we will be another year from now.
xo

THE BEST CARROT CAKE EVER

March 26, 2018

This cake is very special to me. It's a recipe that my Mom has been making forever. It's so good that she even had this recipe as her wedding cake. It's the cake I always make for my husband's birthday. I was first reluctant to share this "secret", but it's really too good not to. I know that all carrot cakes aren't created equal, but this one really takes the...cake. Plus, there's nothing better than a homemade cake... even if you're not really a cake person, like me.

Carrot Cake is wonderful because it's an anytime type of cake. It can be for birthdays, weddings, bbq's, or you can even have it for breakfast, if that's your thing. This one is a little different, but hear me out: PINEAPPLE. This is not a pizza, so don't freak out. A little bit of pineapple goes a long way and keeps the cake moist without overpowering. I also add a bit of coconut, which gives a subtle flavor with a little texture, since I prefer to make this without nuts. And lastly... The Orange Cream Cheese Frosting! Adding a splash of fresh-squeezed orange juice and a bit of orange zest is really the show stopper. You and all of your fellow cake-eaters will be hooked.

Now, this is a cake you should make ahead of time. Meaning, if you want to make it for a party, I recommend baking the cake layers the night before and placing them in the fridge or freezer. My theory has always been that cake tastes better the next day - plus, it's easier to frost when the cakes are firm. Don't worry, however, it can be made and devoured in the same day if you're in a rush.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED FOR THE CAKE:
2 cups flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups grated raw carrots (I like to use rainbow)
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
8 oz crushed pineapple, drained

Preheat oven to 350 and grease/flour two round nine-inch cake pans, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift flour. Add baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Resift. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat sugar, oil, and eggs.

Begin to mix in flour mixture slowly. Try to not over mix. Batter should be thick at this point.

Mix in grated carrots, coconut, and pineapple.

Evenly pour the batter into both pans and place into the oven.

Bake for 25 minutes and then check to see if the center has set and toothpick comes out clean. Depending on your oven, you may need a little more time but keep an eye on it. No one likes burnt cake.

Once set, remove and cool. Once cool enough, remove from pans and let cakes finishing cooling on racks.

Pro-tip: If you are making these ahead of time to freeze, make sure cakes are FULLY cooled before wrapping in plastic/foil and placing in fridge or freezer. Any residual steam will make the cakes soggy.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED FOR THE FROSTING:
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
1 package regular cream cheese, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tsp orange zest

In a large bowel, mix butter and cream cheese.

Add in vanilla and beat until fluffy.

Gradually add in powdered sugar, orange juice and orange zest and mix until well combined.

Depending on your taste, you can add in extra orange juice and zest.

Pro-tip: Before frosting the cake, I like to line my plate or stand with four strips of parchment or wax paper to keep things clean. Then I place the first layer on top.