It's still summer. Thank god.

Today I had brunch with my sister and Christina.  It was a gorgeous day!

We went to Jacob's Pickles in the upper west side.  The portions make me want to do lunges as I eat. I didn't eat the grits.  There was a helluva lot of cheddar in the grits and that freaked me out.

I also didn't eat the bacon, but I repurposed them in my dinner. (farmers market tomatoes, basil and bacon with ricotta arugula ravioli). I can't believe my basil plant is still alive.

We went through a street fair afterward and stopped at a thrift store.  Apparently, buying everything in 3's really helps save money.  Plus my sister haggled with the vendors since she is still in Egypt mode. We bought three lockets and three dresses!

After my sister left, Christina and I proceeded to have real talk. This is where I basically give her advice she didn't ask for.  I give her advice because I know how tough it is to be in your mid-twenties.  I'm so glad my tumultuous 20's are almost over. 

Although, I'm quite fond of 29.  Maybe my thirties can wait. 

If anyone knows me, they know my cousins too.  After all, I'm Amy's maid of honor and she's mine. 

Our families all came to this country together and weekends and holidays were always jam packed with family.  We might be all separated now, but we keep in touch. We call for advice. We tell each other everything. We listen. It's nice. 

Here's an old picture of me and Amy.  Victor and Christina are there too. Apparently, we are having a blast.

I don't know if we were friends at this age  (age 7?).  I think our parents put us together in a room and hoped for the best.

James is on some hiking trip.  He is carrying everything he needs for two days on this back and hiking up mountains.  I wasn't invited and that's totally okay with me.  I'm not good with inclines.

Life in Washington State and Oregon

New York City had a heat wave while I was away. HA!
I was away in Washington State and Oregon for 3 weeks.

Two weeks was spent in the drier side of Washington State, Richland.  I was selected to participate in a science teacher enrichment program called Siemens Teachers as Researchers (STARs).

The program was pretty amazing.  I even received a small stipend for school supplies! Teachers get to pair up with scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and work on research projects. For two weeks, I got to work alongside a environmental geologist who is working on a way to store supercritical carbon dioxide deep in underground aquifers. Other teachers had similar project goals with their mentors but instead of hiding CO2 underground they were working on making molecules that absorb CO2.  Another super cool project was storing hazardous waste in glass a process called vitrification.  

Everything was ridiculously technical and the multimillion dollar equipment was highly complex. I kept thinking to myself, "Holy crap, these scientists are so smart. Or I must be kind of stupid. Wait no, I'm normal and these people are crazy smart."

Everything was paid for: lodging, food, and tours!  Tours such as the first nuclear reactor and the Wild Horse Wind Farm and Solar Facility.  I didn't think the wind farm would be all that interesting but it was!  I took some cool videos and got to learn more about how they work! FYI, they make you wear helmets and goggles on the tour, hence the geeky photo.

The hotel was right next to a lovely lake with a great running trail.  I ran almost every day at sunset!

I left dry and hot Richland for Portland, Oregon.  My roommate from the program, Amanda, was nice enough to drive me all the way there!  I met James, Amy, and Chris in Portland. James and I were on a mission: engagement photos for Amy and Chris!  James mostly photographs places and nature (on his website) but I think these turned out really spectacular.  Here's one of my favorites, an impromptu shot at the famous Multnomah Falls:

First of all, Portland was warm during the day but cold at night. It was July and I was freezing.  I was not prepared!
We enjoyed delicious meals and beer  flights at Andina (peruvian tapas), Deschutes (brewery), and Rogue (brewery), and the green machine roll with albacore at Bamboo Sushi (sustainable fish!).

We also waited in line for VooDoo donuts. (worth the wait!)

James and I eventually took off for Washington State but first stopped at Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park.  Its weird to go to a beach in July and be cold. The views were gorgeous and worth the stop!

Then to Olympic National Park for some hiking. This park has mountains, rainforests, beaches, and lakes!

We took the Mt. Storm King trail to get a view of Crescent Lake.  This trail was trying to end me. 
2.2 miles each way on a relentless steep incline. GAHHHH.  I can't believe James didn't freak out on me. I was being such a whiner on the way up.

"Whyyyy?"
"I can't move anymore"
"Make it stop!"
"I don't even want to see the view anymore!"
"I can't feel my legs"

We eventually got to sit and eat lunch overlooking Crescent Lake. Needless to say, I would not recommend this trail unless you like hiking on steep trails that hurt your legs.

Next stop, Seattle!  My friend Fauna moved to Seattle recently and has become an expert on it overnight!  We had the best food, the best being a urban Korean restaurant called Revel (carrot cumin pancake with roasted lemon yogurt and green curry dumplings!) and brunch at Portage Bay (get the french toast with breakfast bar and load up on fresh berries!).

Eat like you give a damn!

We got to spend time walking to different parks and neighborhoods. It's really green out west (literally, lots of trees but also lots of green people composting, recycling everything, banning plastic bags, and using reusable bags!)

Some park with astroturf!

Gasworks Park with Fauna!

I had a rough transition back to NYC. It's always crazy here. 
But I think this is where I belong.