Fall trips!

I was pretty spoiled with a plethora of trips in the fall. I know I rounded out my last post by telling you about my trip to Nashville for the weekend, but I had two other trips during the autumn as well! I was pretty psyched to get to go visit Casey in Florida, and then to California to see Caitlin, Mel and Matt, and then finally to Arizona to see my family. Let's go chronologically through these trips, shall we?

Florida, Florida, Florida.. what a time I had on this whirlwind of a trip. Casey is a near and dear pal, and I was so excited to get to spend time with her for a weekend down in Fort Lauderdale. I hadn't been to Florida since I was a kid, and naturally I was eager to check out the unique microcosm that is Florida through my adult eyes. Plus, I was just excited to visit Casey, who's been ever so kind to visit me in Portland and Spain already!

I left early on a Friday and arrived around 2:00 in the afternoon to Florida. Casey picked me up, we had some lunch, I put down my things at her place, and we pretty quickly headed to the beach to catch some vitamin D and waves before the sun was to set. What a novelty it is to be in warm ocean water, as I typically have found myself at the Pacific, or northern Atlantic in recent times! After playing in the waves we headed back to her place, and I got to meet Casey's boyfriend J! The three of us jived so well, so quickly, and then we headed out for the evening to meet up with their friends to go to a really fun gay bar for a night of dancing! Day 1 went by faaaar too quickly! 

Greetings Atlantic!

Gal pals!

Casey and J giving me the evil eyes!

Drag shows are always fun!

Then came Saturday. We all slept in, which was much needed after being out til very late. We honestly had quite the lazy morning, before finally venturing to the beach. En route to the beach we made a pit stop at a fancy resort to have a drink seaside, and we all felt very classy! Then we headed to meet one of J's and Casey's friends to attempt some kite surfing. Their friend is a bit of an adrenaline junkie, and he invited us to join him for an afternoon of kite surfing, and god was I horrible at it! I mostly just lounged on the beach with Casey and their friend's pups. Kevin instructed us to try out the kite surfing on the beach first, which now that I know makes total sense! If you're rubbish at kite surfing you don't want to be out in the ocean flailing around right away. Turns out I have no upper body strength, and the kite just drug me across the sand, all in good fun though. The afternoon concluded with a swim in the ocean and god was it fun! There's definitely a reason that people live near the sea, and when it's warm I definitely don't want to leave! We headed home, made some spaghetti and just spent the night doing a whole lot of relaxing, it was splendid!

Morning views from the balcony of Case, the pups, and the palm trees!

 Nugget and Falcore and Case and the beach!

Trying our hand at kite surfing..

Oh and we met a pretty bird too?

Friday we vowed to wake up early to make the most of sleeping our way through Saturday night. I was meant to get in a long run in preparation for my half marathon, so Casey took me to the beach for a jog. I got in my long run, and then we got breakfast and showered. Post showers, we headed to the Everglades for an air boar ride!! I was so excited about the air boat, and we snagged a groupon deal for it and everything! We headed to Sawgrass Recreation Park, and took our hour long boat tour through the swamp lands and we spotted SO many alligators, it was so neat! The park was also coupled with an exotic wildlife exhibit, so we wandered through that at the conclusion of our boat ride. The takeaway is that I highly recommend an air boat ride to all, and alligators are pretty sweet!

A decent view for a run.

Eye spy an alligator!

Then we headed into Miami, which I was eager to check out! I had a lot of preconceived notions in my head of what south Florida would be like, and to be honest, some were accurate, whereas others not. We headed to the artsy district, Wynwood, and checked out the insanely cool street art. The art, however, was coupled with a plethora of street cameras, but daytime is fine for wandering. We stumbled into an art fair, and found another place for a drink before we were to head out. We headed back to Fort Lauderdale and rounded out my last night in town at Casey and J's friends house. We had a really fun night hanging out by the pool listening to music and dancing all while enjoying the warm breeze! I had to head back early on Monday morning, and I didn't want to leave. Casey surely showed me up in being a good hostess, and I can't wait to hopefully go back sometime soon!

Wynwood

We have fun

A month later was already Thanksgiving week, time flies! I was really excited to be able to visit California for a few days prior to heading to Arizona for the holiday. I headed out to California on the Friday before Thanksgiving, arriving around midnight. Caitlin picked me up from LAX and we headed down to Long Beach. Matt and Mel were at Zion for the weekend, but they graciously let Caitlin and I stay at their place while they were gone. After staying up chatting til late, we finally called it a night. 

Saturday we woke up to sunshine and the smell of the sea! We headed to a fun breakfast spot near Matt and Mel's and we filled up on eggs and coffee. After our leisurely breakfast we decided to wander off to town to indulge in shopping and getting our nails done. After spending a few dollars on ourselves, we ventured back to make some food and get ready to go out. Caitlin recommended we go to this speakeasy type of bar called the Edison. The bar is aptly named, as it is "crafted from the architectural artifacts of LA's first private power plant." It was a lot of fun, as there was a burlesque show, fairies walking around with drinks, and a good dance atmosphere. 

Friends!

Burlesque babes

Then Sunday was a lazy morning of having breakfast in the backyard and soaking up more Vitamin D! Matt and Mel had boarded their new pup, Oscar, but asked if we could pick him up on Sunday before they got home. I was so excited to meet their fur ball, and Oscar was as handsome and well behaved as Matt and Mel had assured me. Caitlin and I were smitten with the pup, and spent some time with him in the yard. Eventually we wandered our way down to the beach for an afternoon of laying on the sand. After getting our fair share of sunshine, we headed back so that I could go on my long run. Post run Caitlin and I went shopping so that we could make dinner for Matt and Mel upon their return. Friends meeting friends is always so fun, and I was so pleased for these three to get to know each other. 

Hi Oscar!

Left coast running views!

Then on Monday morning everybody headed off in their different directions. Caitlin headed back to Pomona (where is in med school), and Matt and Mel off to work. I was not upset about having an afternoon with the pup and sun. I got some stuff done that had been lingering on my to-do list, and enjoyed some alone time. Matt and Mel got home and we naturally went out for tacos at Hole Mole, the infamous quarter taco shop! The night was followed with more chatting til bed time and playing with the pup. 

Mondays aren't for working, they're for sitting in the sun with Oscar!

Tuesday went much like Monday, with a run added in the mix. Upon Matt and Mel's return they generously made me dinner, and they also took me to the Vans store to get my fix! Eventually Mel and I headed into LA so that I could catch my night Greyhound bus. But first, Mel and I checked out a cool bar nearby. LA is such an odd city is always my takeaway, patchy with randomly dispersed fun things. All the same, I had SUCH a good time visiting these gal pals (and Matt and Oscar), as seeing friends really does recharge the soul! Oh and I suppose seeing the ocean doesn't hurt either.

And Tuesdays are for putting your feet in the sea with the pups!

A gal and her pup!

I took a night bus from LA to Phoenix on Tuesday night, waking up in Phoenix on Wednesday morning. The bus experience was fine, and thankfully I spent my sleeping hours on the bus. I woke up to a great sunrise over the desert mountains. There is something soothing every time I enter back into the southwest. 

Sunrise over the valley

The time in Arizona was good and relaxing. It's always nice to go home, especially after having not been in almost a year. There was lots of good food, plenty of time with the pups, and a handful of good movies thrown in the mix. Thanksgiving Day was pretty low key, with our typical Mexican themed meal, as is seeming to become a holiday favorite. Thanksgiving night was a fire in the chimenea, and the pups are never sure what to make of the glowing embers haha! We also saw the movie Legend in the theatre on Saturday night, and that comes highly recommended! We had a lively family discussion about the movie afterwards, but then again we can have lively discussions about most topics if given the opportunity :-) Saturday was rounded out with some good Indian food, a swell Saturday night!

I'm thankful for these dinguses!

Thanksgiving fire.

Then it was already time to fly home on Sunday morning. My trip was just what I needed, and I was so grateful for the sunshine, friends and family. It had already gotten quite cold and bleak in Indiana before the trip, so this really was just what the doctor ordered. I can't wait to head back west soon enough! 

It's back thataway!

So there are my autumn trips rolled into a post. I am so lucky to be able to do the traveling I do, this I know. As it is already 2016 when I'm writing this, I hope this year is equally as filled with fun adventures, and it didn't start out too shabby with my travels to England, that blog post to come soon!

Autumn in Indiana

Fall time in Indiana is always the best. I know I've gone on about this before, but it's the truth. It's something about those Midwestern colors that just does it for me. And while this year Dave wasn't here to snap lots of photos of the magnificent foliage, I assure you the colors were spectacular. 

My time in Indiana this year can be summed up into basically admitting that I just hang out with people all of the time, it's great. I think that since coming back to the States over a year ago now that I can say I've definitely made up for my lack of social life in Finland. I'm not trying to throw myself a pity party, no no, but I simply didn't have the funds nor the social circle to really be going out quite like I do now when I was in Helsinki. I am so grateful to be back in Indiana for this reason alone, there's something to do every night if I'm so inclined, and most of the time I'm inclined. 

On Thursdays any number of us try and go to a jazz bar called the Chatterbox, where there is always free jazz music, cheap drinks, and good company. One Thursday this fall there happened to be free (silent) films also being played on Monument Circle, so a sizable crew went to see the free films, followed by the Chatterbox. This particular Thursday as well, Erin happened to be home from Colorado, and that's always fun :)

Silent films on the Circle!

Even when skies are gray!

Chatterbox Crew!

Other happenings also included a long time pal of Katherine, Alex's and mine getting married this summer. We all went to high school with Pete, and he and I got close being a part of our high school cross country team. Pete moved away to New York City after college, and he hasn't moved back since. He met and fell for a lovely lady named Sarahana, and now they're married! Katherine and I were bummed we couldn't make it to their NYC wedding, but they did have a second celebration back home in Indiana. We were excited to celebrate their joyous occasion with them! And maybe we can weasel our way into an invitation to their Nepali celebration they're likely to have in the future (Sarahana is from Nepal). 

Cheers to love!

Other typical autumn happenings included trips to the apple orchard, obviously. There were plenty of trips made, many an apple cider slushie had, pumpkins picked, and apples consumed! I know I've said it before, but why not say it again, this place truly is my happy place. Bliss is an apple orchard in autumn.

Kate, Cricket and I with some pumpkins!

Apple orchard smirks.

Pumpkin fields!

Our friend group, as are a lot of millennials, is exceptionally hyped on Bernie Sanders. With it being an election season we've all gotten jazzed on the message that Bernie Sanders is preaching, and have all congregated around his momentum. This mostly means that whenever there is a debate that we all get together and watch it. For the first democratic debate one of the bars was hosting a viewing party, and that was a lot of fun to watch the candidates in a setting like that! I'll be hopeful that 2016 plays out like I want... #feelthebern

Bernie!

On the work front, there was a workshop held in Gary, Indiana, which is less then an hour from Chicago. This was a great excuse to then also have to go up to Chicago for a weekend, which I'm always pleased about. The workshop was about access to transit, and there was a local reporter who came to do a story about the event. I managed to have my picture in the Northwest Times :) The trip to Chicago was also lovely, with visits with family and friends, as well as finally seeing one of my uncle Joe's gigs! Joe is a drummer, and I've always wanted to see him play, and I finally got the opportunity, it was a lot of fun!

2 seconds of fame!

My favorite skyline!

Neat street art.

Knucklehead!

He even did a cover for me!

Then came Halloween! My favorite holiday of the year (tied with Fourth of July)! I could go on and on about why Halloween is so cool, but basically it boils down to carving pumpkins, which you have to go to the apple orchard to get, scary movies, and costume parties! We watched more then our fair share of scary movies at our house, almost nightly to be honest. We also had a night of carving pumpkins, while watching the Shining, my favorite! Then there was a show at a bar where Alex and Craig were to play a gig - that was a fun night. I dressed up as Shakira because I was fresh out of ideas, and a good time was had by all. Alex and Craig killed it with their horror punk band, and I hope they can reunite next year! On the actual night of Halloween we had a house party, that was a fun time as well.

My pumpkin is the one smack dab in the middle, with the cheeky grin!

Shola was some kind of bloody leopard?

Craig crowd surfing!

Alex also had another gig with his buddy David. They'd been practicing some cool post rock type stuff, and put on a really cool show one day this fall. It's always really wonderful seeing family and friends do the things they love. 

Holy Oath.

Then came November, which brought election day at the first of the month. I had never voted in Indiana, only in Arizona, and so it was a novelty to vote back in my home state.

Yes we can!

Fall time saw me, aside from spending time with friends, doing lots of running as well, as I'd decided to sign up to run another half marathon. This time I'd decided to run a half marathon with Liz down in Nashville - it was a perfect excuse to have to go and visit. After we finally agreed upon a race, and a few weeks of training had passed, Liz found out she was pregnant. Liz and I have been trying to run a race together for a few years now and we can never seem to time it right haha! Nonetheless, it was really good for me to have something to motivate myself with during the fall, and I got consistently good autumn light, especially on Saturdays for my long runs. Oh and congrats to Liz and Ryan! ;-)

My hometown :)

Hummel Park in Plainfield, where I actually grew up running.

Spades Park, right by our house.

Then came time for the trip to Nashville. I was so excited to spend the weekend with Liz and her little family, and also to test myself again, as it'd been just over a year since my last race. I got to Nashville on Friday after work, and Liz and I walked around their awesome little town of Franklin, a suburb of Nashville on the southwest side. Boy oh boy is there some money in this part of town, and it shows haha! Liz informed me of the countless country music stars who live in Franklin, and then it all made sense. It's a great place for Liz and Ryan to be because it has a great school system for Gabe, as he is a kindergartener this year! They grow up so fast!

Then Saturday morning was the run, and it was the best I've ever felt during a race to date! I was so pleased with feeling good, and the weather was just lovely, and it was a perfect storm. The course itself wasn't the most entertaining, going through another suburb of Nashville, Mt. Juliet, but I put on my headphones and fell into my zone. I clocked in at exactly two hours, and I couldn't be more pleased with that. Pacing myself isn't exactly a strong point of mine, not that I'm bad at it, but I'm also not exactly sure how to best monitor my splits, and somehow I managed. Also, and then I'll quit talking about this dang race, there were quiiiiite a few hills, as Tennessee is hilly, and I killed them! I'm not used to hills, and I was impressed with how I coasted through those :) And to top it all off I had Liz at the finish line cheering me on! 

After the race we had an awesome lunch with Ryan and Gabe, and man there is something to be said for southern cooking. I had cheesy grits with cheesy mashed potatoes and asparagus for dinner and I was so excited! I know, I know, that's a lot of carbs/starch, but when in Rome! You can't find cheesy grits unless you go south, and so I just had to. After chilling out a bit, Liz and I then ventured downtown so that I could get my full honky tonk experience, and I love Liz for her energy and eagerness to go out and about. She's my friend that is truly always up for an adventure, even while pregnant and miserable. So we bar hopped along Broadway, to see some of the classic spots and then called it a night relatively early on behalf of everyone feeling a tad exhausted. 

Sunday kicked off with brunch and then was followed with a trip to a cute little country town to the west of Franklin called Leipers Fork. It was one of those places where you felt like you went back in time a bit, and I always like those kinds of places. Then we took the long way back and gosh is the south beautiful with its rolling hills, I was lusting over the landscape pretty hard. Sunday afternoon was very relaxed, and Liz took me on another driving tour to show me some of the other parts of the area. She took me out to the Belle Meade Plantation, which is in another neighborhood called Belle Meade, and dang talk about money. I always knew there was a lot of money in the Nashville metro area, but wow! Finally we went for a snack in the neighborhood of 12 South, a very hip little neighborhood near Belmont University and Vanderbilt. After that we called my tour a success, and we headed home for a relaxing evening of Netflix. And then Monday morning I had to head home already. I can't wait to see Liz and Ryan soon, and to meet their babe soon too! 

Pre race, and Liz did the 5k!

Medal for finishing!

Right on the money!

Honkey Tonk was all around!

Gabe driving the ladies around Leipers Fork.

Foggy sunrises in Nashville on my way home.

Then before I knew it Christmas things started happening. I know I skipped over Thanksgiving and what not, but I'm smashing that trip with my trip to Florida together in a fall adventures post, so hold out for that. And while I know Christmas is technically in winter, the pre activities actually fall in fall, so here they are. Mostly I just wanted to acknowledge that my friend Shola and her husband bought a house this autumn, and that's been really exciting (they even trusted Katherine and I to help them paint their walls)! As a quasi house-warming party, they had an ugly sweater Christmas party, and I love me a good ugly sweater party. Katherine and I used the excuse to go to Value World and we stocked up on some real gems. I myself adorned a snowflake turtleneck with a denim Christmas jumper, and neon blue tights pretty cool, I know. 

We exude glamour.

Best friends forever :)

Roommates!

And that about does it for fall. I promise to recap my fall adventures, and my winter adventure before too long. Fall was great, as always, and winter has me feeling like blech, but as I write this we're already a month in, so only two more to go. Positive mental attitude is key to my happiness, so I'll end on a happy note. I know I don't always speak the most fondly of the animals I share my house with, but I will say that Winnie is the prettiest cat maybe ever. She also loved Katherine's Christmas decorations, and you could often times find her posted up next to the electric reindeer sitting very still, it was so stinkin cute. Cute animals make for a happy heart.

Winifred loves Christmas!

And just another one of Winnie for good measure!