Destination Dreams: Park City, Utah

In my professional life, the end of the calendar year brings great stress and panic. But in my personal life, I couldn't be more into it. The house is decorated (*as much as it will be, I ain't tryin to be no Martha Stewart...), the tree is lit up and the radio station is blasting non-stop Christmas music. I'm in the mooooood! I'm just so excited to spend the next month with the people I love. I really, really am excited for that.

Park City, Utah- Image VIA

But as elated as I am to spend Christmas at home, if I had it my way (or if I had won that stuuuuupid Powerball), I'd ship my whole family to Park City, Utah. 

Winter Wonderland- Image VIA

I have family in Utah, so a day-trip visit I have done. But the thought of spending 4-5 days with my Skis, my Family, my Camera and my Uggs in the crunchy Snow/Slopes in stunning (seriously stunning) Utah almost makes me salivate just a little. It sounds like the perfect Christmas to me... especially when I envision big family dinners in a huge cabin with a roaring fire. Le sigh...

The last time my Sister and I were in Park City. A) I hate our outfits-we look an androgynous mess. B) Nice trashcan and Liquor Store sign framework. C) I marked my Blog name on here so that no one would steal this award-winning masterpiece of a photo.

If you had to be elsewhere for the Holidays- where would you want to be?? And happpppy weekend!

 *All incoherent grammar is forever in jest. 

Southland Whiskey Kitchen: The South meets The West

Southland Whiskey Kitchen  debuted on my block but a mere month-ish ago. I wish I could say I did research on it (I did not) but from the aura of the restaurant and the vibe of the food- I'd say it's going for Country Western BBQ meets Southern Soul Food.  And on a sunny weekend, we felt very happy to head North on our street to visit the West & the South.

Ready to eat and ready to drink.

Walking on over to welcome the new restaurant to our hood.

The sign had been painted long before it opened leaving us waiting w/ bated breath for its debut!

Inside couldn't be more of a giddy-up, good time.

What you do between ordering and getting your food: pictures.

Various homemade BBQ Sauces to try.

Take a seat, pod'na.

Food and Spirits at your command.

The Boy's order: The Smokestack

My order: Buttermilk Fried Chicken Cobb

And topped it off with a 'Bourbon & Bubbles'- yummy.

Feeling very happy and very full.

From the yummy food to the inspired Whiskey-laced cocktails (from a girl who really never drinks the stuff), Southland Whiskey Kitchen can be assured that we will be back. I suggest Portland locals give it a try - but make sure you go on an empty stomach. You'll need all the room for food you can get.

[all photos belong to me]

Birds, Stuffing & Duncan

Here's the problem: whenever there is a puppy, kitty, friendly bird or anything that grows fur and will kind of engage with me - I can't pry myself away from it. I just can't. I love all doe-eyed, funny, spunky-looking, hairy beings who like to kiss me. I feel that it's crucial to point out that I'm talking about my taste in animal companions, not men- though I don't mind hair on either. Rawr. 

So when our Thanksgiving guests showed up with their loud, goofy, howling, floppy puppy- I pretty much spent the rest of my night laying on the floor, trying to get the dog to pay attention to me.

Meet Duncan. 5-months-old.

Cuter than cute.

And 12-year-old, increasingly grouchy Maddie acts the part of an amazing Hostess to our guests... haha

Wearing the same lipstick as Mr. Duncan.

Duncan wondering when he can walk 5 steps without me (or my Brother) picking him up against his will

Like Father, like Son: the men in the family prep the meats.

If you Diet on Thanksgiving, you are a sad, strange, little man.

But back to Duncan...

Gently telling him he's not allowed on the couch.

What a goofball.

And for Basset Hounds, I am thankful.

Thankful For...

 Thankful for... Uggs. I don't care how ugly or overplayed they are, on morning walks for coffee and newspapers or for a long plane ride, there is nothing better.

Image VIA

Thankful for... a chapter of my life with a friend. Time has changed our ability to talk every day, but there's never a time I'm not grateful for our reciprocal growth.

 Thankful for... vacuums, which provide instant-gratification cleanliness.

Thankful for... my camera, which gives me the gift of a Hobby. As I sit at a desk for 40 hours a week, this is vital to my well-being and peace of mind.

Thankful for...candles. For making my home into a relaxing little mecca at night... all the better to destress with my dear..

Thankful for... the floor-to ceiling windows overlooking a beautiful view at my apartment. It is just gorgeous (albeit always a bit colder).

Thankful for... over-the-knee boots. Though they make me hate every other kind that I own- over-the-knee just looks so sharp.

Thankful for ... mascara. Which helps me to not look like a demon when I'm tired (I'm sure everyone around me is thankful for this too). 

 Thankful for... John Hughes' movies. They usually make me teary-eyed, I just can't believe how well he captured teenage angst/emotions/experiences (and I love just a little that most of them take place in Chicago...). Not to mention the wisdom that comes along with it such as Ferris Bueller's famous quote below. Truth.

Image VIA

Thankful for...Anne Frank. Rereading her book as an adult has allowed for much greater comprehension of its contents and leaves me sooooo impressed by her fortitude and spirit.

Thankful for... Halloween & Thanksgiving, some of the best Holidays around if you ask me.

Thankful for... the family puppy. We've had her since high school and she's almost 13-years-old now, which scares me. I always get excited to see her when I go to my Dad's house.

Thankful for...  the people in my life. Enough said. I love you all so much.

I'm also thankful for you. Our interactions bring a great deal of joy to my life.

Happiest Thanksgiving to you all!

[my 2011 "Thankful For" HERE]

Lady in Waiting

I've been blogging slowly lately which affects no one, I know. However, I still feel the need to explain why. So consider this paragraph the equivalent to the stupid text you (or your ex) send to your ex (or they to you) after bumping into them unexpectedly: 'great to see you, sorry I was acting weird. Let's catch-up soon.". What a pointless communication...  but sometimes you just feel like it must be said.

Not being able to stomach the chore of my Blog hassss allowed me to focus on other areas of myself- such as waxing my eyebrows....

Such as this: for years I have fed all of my images through my own database albums. Well, that site has decided to stop being a feeder to my Blog (host sites do this if pageloads create a strain on the host site). So now, most of my old posts are pictureless. And I have the (very self-imposed) task of uploading all the images to a new host site and embedding them (again) into my old posts.  Not only does that in itself take 'FOR-EV-VER' (Sandlot anyone?) but I have to figure out which images they even were originally. Oy. I want to cry.

Until this is complete, the old posts have no images and I believe, look horrible and I just can't let that be. 

... and getting my shoulders ready for football season...

So please bare with me while I:

A) have a catalog of old posts that are as eye-catching as a white piece of paper.  

B) Am slow to post because after spending a lot of time fixing this issue, the only thing I want to do with my Blog is throw it off the balcony. 

Not my laptop, my blog. Which understandably wouldn't be possible but you get the drift.

However- I AM here, I AM queer (I'm actually not but those phrases just goes so well together) and I'm trying to get back into the swing of things! So before you write me off as boring, know that I'm trying hard to get back to the flow of things, once I undo the damage.

... and expanding my minds!

And yes, I did just kind of admit that my Blog NEEDS pictures to be slightly amusing (at best).

In frustration and anger today but hoping to be back this weekish,

From Sea to Shining Sea, You've Earned This

I think it's safe to say that all of America needs this weekend. As fantastic as it is that we can all freely share our views, it also means that we can easily be inundated with too much negativity. I don't know about you, but it begins to really affect my disposition around election season: from the President, to Measures, to Amendments... I think we've all had our fair share of opinions, elections and heated discussions.

Fishing in the middle of the lake- look how happy I am unplugged.

So now's your time off and all of the debating is (theoretically) over- go ahead and put your feet up, spend time with your family, walk outside, unplug from social media, read a book, take your dog to the dog park, forget the word "vote"- and get away from it all. 

Breathe.

You've earned this weekend.

Animal Farm

 I love animals. 

LOVE animals.

Last Saturday, my weight loss goals fused with my "avoid the gym on a weekend workout if you can" rule - and viola, an idea was born! Instead of Spinning, I'd head due West to Tillamook, OR and do the same hike that I did HERE with Juan... but this time I'd take Miranda.

We piled into the car in Portland and as we neared the Oregon Coast (where Tillamook is perched), we tried to ignore the increase in rain and fog. That was until we arrived at the forest and steadily made our way up the mountain to the cliffside where the hike begins. As we both grew quiet surrounded by evergreens and thick fog, Miranda said "Caitlin, are we going to be girls on the news?"

So after some laughs in the car, a healthy dose of fear and a decision to do only a small PART of the hike merely because we had driven all that way, we knew we would then have some more time to kill in Tillamook before heading back.

Enter Blue Heron- French Cheese Company, which sits just outside the main road which would take us all the way back to Portland. We obviously couldn't resist the opportunity to enjoy some of their handcrafted cheese, their homemade bread and to imbibe in a little wine tasting (you know, during my workout...) ... and unexpectedly, to feed their farm animals.  The moment I saw them all when we pulled in, I was beside myself with glee- especially because there were Rams, Shorthorned Cattle, Goats (my favorites, they are like dogs!), Llamas, Sheep, Donkeys and Chicken. For an animal lover, this is a jackpot.

Yes, that is me. Outfit explained at bottom of post.

Look at those beautiful eyes, what a cutie.

Mir and a Donkey SO cute that I can barely handle this picture.

"We can stay up late, swapping manly stories, and in the morning, I'm making waffles!"

Laughing at the Goat who is standing on two feet, walking the fence so Mir will give him food.

Big Man on Campus

My Heaven.

Gimme, Gimme More, Gimme, More

Please note that there's just a Donkey chilling in the background.

The formula for my happiness.

It was like a huge, slimy cat tongue.

I need to go back!

The Boys via Instagram - @caitielady08

So yes, I know I looked like Jafar. BUT- A) They were hiking clothes. B) It was rainy and misty. C) That scarf WAS around my neck until we walked outside to the animal pen and the wind was blowing my hood down- so I quickly smashed that on top to hold it in place (which worked mind you).

"Miranda, take a picture of me feeding them!"

"Okay, but you know you're still dressed like the Taliban, right?" 

Happiest Thursday.