bring spring

hiya, gang. how's your pre-spring going? i've been focusing on a lot of different things lately-- but i've had very little time to sit down and think about any of it. i don't know about you, but i'm the kind of person who makes lists a hundred times over before the reality and weight of those written words actually sinks in.

i live in Seattle, which is a beautiful city, but it's very, very big. not counting traffic (which we have a lot of), it takes well over half an hour on the highway to get from one end of town to the other. while most cities have a downtown, 1/3rd of our 100+ neighbourhoods have their own mini version of 'downtown'. i've lived in the area since i was 12 (with spats of long-term travel or out-of-state schooling), and i've maybe seen half of what the city has to offer.

that being said, since me & d moved back to the city, we've been in West Seattle-- my favourite part of the city, but pretty isolated. in the last few months, we made the decision to move into somewhere in Central Seattle with a slew of (beloved) roomies. our requirements..

• biking has to be a viable option for all of us;
• co-ops or farmer's markets need to be nearby;
• clawfoot tubs (we're all Lushies-- what can i say?);
• an art room and an office need to be on the list of "common areas";
• an excellent kitchen with a gas range, because my current place has one and i'm spoiled rotten;
• lots of windows, because we all get the blues when there's not enough sunlight (and it's always dark in Seattle, so we need all the opportunities to see those rays we can get!)

we managed to find the perfect place last week. it's a few blocks up from the buzz of Capital Hill but not quite in the family-oriented Magnolia neighbourhood, nestled on a street of brightly-coloured Victorian restorations. it has a fenced-in yard for e's future dog, two feet of organic soil and a huge plot for gardening, mediation areas, an upstairs and a downstairs deck, and the kitchen is connected to a looming, gorgeous sunroom. it's affordable, breathtakingly beautiful, and seemingly ideal. we're going to look at it on Saturday (after multiple probably illegal drive-bys and google street-view stalking).

anyway, what prompted this was a very sudden change in d and i's normally reserved living situation. we've been living without roommates for going on two years-- partially due to my previously phobic attitude towards them after d's college roomies actively made my life hell when i first came to visit-- but were kind of growing listless with the fact that living anywhere other than our neighbourhood in Seattle is virtually impossible without 1. a small fortune or 2. lots of roommates. enter e: recently getting out of a gnarly situation after moving cross-country; unreliable housing situation; one of our best friends; we have a spare bedroom.. you get the picture. e moved in and it's been pretty great so far. i'm unlearning a lot of my fears and anxiety and realizing that the key to a good living situation is communication. we talk constantly-- about normal things, feelings, fun things, on and on-- but about chores, sharing, and expectations as well. we function more like a family than roommates, and as a result, everything goes pretty smoothly. we know we care deeply about each other, and so we don't do anything that'll hurt the other (like passive-aggressive sticky notes). 

enter ej&m. m was my intern for a long time, but we quickly became better friends than anything else. she is functional-smart-precise-funny-weird-quiet-sharp as a tack. her partner, ej, is just as funny and smart, but maybe a little more sarcastic. they're both huge nerds and are maybe one of the most lovable pairings you'll ever run across. they're both going thru big changes right now, and when the topic of this big family house got brought up, we all realized we'd be kind of ideal roommates.

even though we're all doing our best in the world and working hard to accomplish our goals and dreams, we're still all 20-somethings. i feel like such a grown-up with lofty plans in my head, but ultimately, this is still a very friends-esque living situation. i have a good vibe from all of it so far, though, and i'm very excited.

dream space. from here.

anyway, i made a list of goals for this year and i'm eager to lay out how i'm going to accomplish them all. this is what i have so far..

• a cute bike -- i'm thinking something like this
• upgrade my makeup (i'm so sick of my forever21 makeup brushes.. not throwing shade, but-- you know!)
• dye/cut my hair -- not sure what yet, but i'm thinking something like this
• incorporate eating raw into my life -- either raw till 2pm or raw two days a week
• get back into the music scene -- either thru making music or getting into house shows again
• move into a huge, cool house with my friends -- obviously outlined above!
• a really fun job that i adore -- i have two potential options lined up-- bookstore & vegan startup-- and i'd be happy to see either of them bloom
• lots more house plants -- which is now a viable possibility with the huge sunroom
• an updated wardrobe -- less "kind-of" love it & clothes i rarely wear; just less in general
• surround myself with radically positive people -- if i don't feel supported, loved, or like a healthy relationship is possible, i don't need those people in my life right now
• travel more -- once every 1-2 months, i'd like to travel somewhere, even if it's just back into nature
• focus on quality over quantity -- friends, clothes, dishware, water bottles, decorations.. applying this to every part of my life will lead to a lot of growth this year!
• a new laptop -- extravagant? yes. but d's getting pretty sick of me always using his computer, so it's something worth saving up for.
• going back to school -- i want to finish my degree in interior design, and only have a few classes left. i'm already transferring my credits and funding to a school downtown. i'm very excited to start in the fall!

i've been cooking a lot more too, after falling out of the habit due to stress. i always forget it's such a deeply therapeutic experience to make delicious food for your loved ones and get hung up on the small stuff, like menus and prepping, and wind up overwhelmed. in the interest of self-care, i'm making cooking more of a priority this year. here's some snapshots of my dishes when i've had the opportunity to take pictures before it all gets wolfed down!

i'm a huge fan of fatty foods (vegan ones, of course). that's kind of a weird statement, but often when contemplating avocado toast or a smoothie for breakfast, i'll just grab some salt and pepper and eat half the avocado instead. i love nuts and seeds, and add sesame oil to everything. so when i ran across this kale noodle bowl on A House In The Hills, my interest was instantly piqued.

it focuses on lime and miso, but most of all: AVOCADO! i subbed in some Trader Joes fresh rice noodles for a gluten-free option, and added my homemade baked tofu. it's so simple, and perfect warm or chilled.

1 bunch kale/2 cups chopped

1 package noodles (i used rice, but even whole wheat spaghetti works wonders!)

1 avocado, ripe

1 clove garlic, chopped (i used 3-- i love garlic!)

1 tablespoon olive oil (i've used spicy sesame oil with excellent results, as well)

3 tablespoons white miso

1/2 lime juice

3/4 cup water

toasted sesame seeds

cook your noodles; set aside. blend together your avo, garlic, oil, miso, lime, and water. add it to your noodles, throw in the kale, stir. dish up and garnish with lime slices and sesame seeds. EAT!

the new roomie e brought with them a sandwich press. i was suspicious at first, but have since fallen madly in love. my favourite sandwich is homemade artichoke heart pate, sprouted bread, slices of baked tofu fried up with just a dash of maple syrup, fresh basil, and some herbed cheese care of our local vegan "butcher". served, of course, with a glass of some swedish pear soda!

my favourite lettuce wraps! these are always a huge hit. my best friend had pf chang's soon after having my version and lamented that mine are much better. i don't know if i agree with such a compliment, but they are pretty damn good.

i vaguely go off of this recipe and fresh lettuce from the garden. definitely do baked tofu-- if you don't feel up to making your own, you can buy some at most stores that offer any variation in their tofu section.

i'm really excited to share more with you guys soon. so much is going on lately and i don't know how to more constructively word it. i think i'll be following up on this post with some thrift store finds and DIYs, but we'll see.

i'll talk to you soon.

xo