Spending so much time outdoors last week made me exponentially happier đ
Linley and I spent five days at the dog beach, including one morning at sunset. We also met some new neighbors on our block – both human and dog! – and enjoyed some lemonade stands along our afternoon walks. These kids are gets salespeople around here! Chasing Lin at the beach and watching him play with other dogs and kids was incredibly heartwarmingâand exactly what I needed đ
During Linleyâs and my road trip to Washington state last month, we passed through Montana. Iâve heard from a few friends who have been there how beautiful Flathead Lake, Glacier National Park and Whitefish are, but never expected to feel like I was back in Norwayâor even in a place like Alaska. Montana blew me away in natural beauty.
Linley being too salty to appreciate the view!Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park
What blew me away even more was the kindness of its residents. I stayed at three Airbnbâs (two heading west, and one on the way home to Chicago) and everyone was incredibly gracious. And yes, I know that Airbnb hosts âneedâ to be kind, but these Montanans werenât just hospitableâthey were true, âsalt of the earthâ people who treated you like family from the start.
My favorite Airbnb was our first one in Billings. Our hosts, Jennifer and her dog Izzy, were two of the greatest hosts Iâve ever stayed with (and Iâve been using Airbnb in Europe since 2014!). I enjoyed my time with them more than anything. It was especially nice after a LONG multiple-day drive without many people to talk with, excluding Linley who wanted nothing to do with my bad singing đ
The only downside of my trip is that I woke up with a nasty head cold the next day (not covid, thank goodness!). Jennifer was so kind and took Linley and Izzy on a walk down by the river because my head felt like a bowling ball. Again, reiterating how amazing and warmly I was treated there. â¤ď¸
This week has been a struggle: learning a new role in a new industry AND at a new company, my marriage falling apart, my happiness in Chicago fleeting, a major fight with my mom and resurfaced PTSD, a general sense of not being able to find my footing⌠itâs been draining to say the least. But Iâm grateful for my road trip memories and want to think about positive moments that have occurred recently. I hope to make and find more of these memories soonâŚ
If youâre ever considering visiting Montana â or are simply passing through â please reach out and I can send you my Airbnb info and travel highlights from Billings, Glacier National Park, Flathead Lake and Helena.
Linley enjoying our Airbnb in Billings!
Photos taken Tuesday, April 19 and Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Itâs only Tuesday and so many little odd things have gone wrongâŚ
For starters, yesterday was my first day at my new job. After going seven weeks without working, it has been extremely hard for me to focus. My dog also kept making noise during my only real meeting of the dayâmainly because our upstairs neighbors are moving out and also made a lot of noise. AND my travel Instagram account was hacked, and will likely be disabledâŚ
I. Am. Devastated. âšď¸
BUT me being me, Iâm trying to find the silver lining in it all. Perhaps this is a great way for me to live in the present; not the past (not posting throwback travel photos, etc.).
Until/if I can even get this sorted out, you can find my dog at westiepoo.linley on Instagram. His account is private â for now â but heâll follow you back, I promise!
It was a beautiful day yesterday, and here are some photos from my 6am stroll:
Linleyâs and my final destination was Washington stateâto spend quality time with our friend Bethany for a long weekend. We were graciously welcomed by her, the wilderness surrounding us, light breeze and warm sunshine every day of our visit.
Our weekend together was worth all the money for gas and Airbnbs, time on the road across numerous states and nasty head cold I caught along the way. Having Linley and Bethany finally meet in person was beyond touchingâand of course Iâd missed her immensely, too!
Until next time, Washington đ
Donât forget to follow us on Instagram:
@westiepoo.linley and @adventureinspades
Media taken Wednesday, April 20 through Sunday, April 24, 2022
In 2014, I saw some of the largest, most beautiful waterfalls in Asheville, North Carolina. During my most recent visit (I returned to Chicago with Linley late last night), I knew I had to revisit DuPont State Forestâand finally see Looking Glass Falls.
DuPont State Forest is a free, extremely large park with multiple trails and options for everyone to enjoy. Linley and I wanted to spend the majority of our time at High Fallsâarguably the most magnificent of the bunch. I distinctly remember this from my first time in Asheville nearly eight years ago, and havenât been able to forget it ever since. We hiked down to the river beneath the falls, found a great rock to sit on and enjoyed some quality time together.
Once Linley started getting antsy, we started to head east to get a better, closer view of the falls. The trek wasnât necessarily the safest, but Lin and I were able to practice some fancy footwork and find a good spot to enjoy the mist from the falls.
Once we were pretty covered in sprinkles, we headed north and hiked another hour or so to Grassy Lake Fallsâanother waterfall in the park. This fall is significantly smaller, but much more peaceful and tranquil, making it the perfect spot for a quick picnic. There was a big rock that seemed like it was made specifically for Lin and me. We munched on some cheese sandwiches and dog food, and relaxed before the next hike.
On our way back to the visitorâs center, we met a lovely couple and chatted with them for a bitâwhich is one of the many reasons why I love the Asheville area so much. Linley even started to fall asleep as we visited with them! We finally made it to the car, and headed north to Looking Glass Falls.
Looking Glass Falls sits halfway between Asheville and DuPont State Forest, and is one waterfall Iâve always wanted to see. Itâs not necessarily a âhike,â but it is a beautiful place to park your car, walk down toward and hang out for a little while. Linley and I sat in a âsandbankâ type area with the best view of the falls, people watched and enjoyed hearing the sounds of the waterfall and the creek flowing near us.
Iâm beyond grateful to have visited some of my favorite places with one of my best friends đ
Donât forget to follow us on Instagram westiepoo.linley and adventureinspades
Asheville, North Carolina has held a special place in my heart since December, 2014âwhen I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and built homes in the area. The mountains, people and unique energy pulled me in, so much so that I almost moved there in 2021. I accepted a position at a smaller company and met some amazing coworkers-turned-friends, but ultimately relocated to Chicago instead.
I know what youâre thinking: How can a city girl be so outdoorsy at the same time? Truthfully, my only reasoning is that Iâm a Libra and enjoy balance đ
In all seriousness, when I knew I would have a seven week sabbatical between jobs, I knew I had to visitâLinley in tow. One of my best friends, Carolina lives in the area with her boyfriend and dog, giving us the perfect excuse to come visit. Nature is beautiful and all, but thereâs nothing better than enjoying it with friendsâhuman and four-legged!
Linley and I drove through Chicago, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Western North Carolina on Sunday, April 10 to get here. Linley was great in the car, but I knew I had to make it up to him â and myself â with some major hiking the next day. On Monday, April 11 we decided to hike the Rattlesnake Lodge trails while Carolina was busy at work. The trails were roughly four miles and approximately four hours for us to hike, but the sun peaking through the trees and the light breeze motivated us to keep going. The views werenât as âopenâ as other hikes in the area, but it was still a great trail for us to start with. Between the hiking and long drive the day prior, Linley and I were so exhausted that we napped in the afternoonâsomething he often does and I rarely do. Carolina, Matt and I grabbed dinner and drinks downtown, watched some Impractical Jokers and went to bed.
The following day wasnât looking like a great day for hiking; rain and light thunderstorms were predicted for the morning, which turned into the afternoon as well. Me being me, I thought leaving around noon would be smart to avoid the worst of the rain, but Lin and I were disappointed when we arrived at the Craggy Gardens trail and were hit with quite a bit of rain (guess which one of us was more disappointed than the other!). We stuck it out under it became unbearable, dried off in the car then headed back toward the city of Asheville for better luck.
Well, we didnât have better luck at the North Carolina Arboretum, but we still made the most of it. After another rainy hike, we headed back to Carolinaâs place. Carolina, our friend Jes and I headed to downtown Weaverville for sâmore tacos and drinks. It was great to catch up with themâespecially a long day of not being able to do much!
Donât forget to follow Linley and me on Instagram @westiepoo.linley and @adventureinspades
Photos taken Monday, April 11 and Tuesday, April 12
This month has been *a rollercoaster* to say the very least. But Iâm incredibly proud that I lived by my core values in my actions and in my words: Empathy, Expression and Courage.
Now that I can breathe, let go of the past and dive head-first into my exciting future, Iâm proudly taking a pause from work until May 2âplanning some much needed and well deserved adventures for me and my wonderful travel buddy, Linley.
All things considered, Iâve had a really good month. I attended MerMagic Con with my best friends in Virginia and saw another best friend who lives in D.C. I also spent the weekend in New York City with my cousin/sisterâwhich was long overdue and insurmountably fed my soul. Traveling this much again and spending time with my best friends is something so sweet to me, I canât even put it into words.
The week I was liberated from my previous employer, I also landed a position at a company I deeply admire. What better way to celebrate than see one of my favorite indie rock groups in concert? Seeing Glass Animals was a total riotâDave Bayley certainly delivered and didnât disappoint! Live music is something Iâll never take for granted because Iâve missed it oh so muchâŚ
These moments and everything in between â including some nice meals, days at the dog beach and get togethers with friends â made March a wonderful month in the right direction for me.
Itâs only up from here! đ
Donât forget to follow my dog and me on Instagram!
My beloved dog-turned-best friend, Linley, and I are blessed to live so close to the most popular dog beach in Chicago.
Note: âCloseâ in Chicago terms means either ~an hour walk, or a ten minute walk plus two train stops followed by another twenty minute walk (Or an 11-minute driveâŚ).
Regardless, itâs nice being so close to what we love: Lake Michigan, the sand and the sun!
Iâm taking a little sabbatical from workâgiving Linley and I more opportunity for fun in the sun. Over the past five days, weâve gone to the dog beach twice. Watching Linley smile and make new friends, prance around the shore, get the zoomies in the sand and let the sun hit his face instantly warms my heart. I forget about all my problems when Iâm around him đ
On Monday, my friend Andrea met us at the beachâfollowed by a lovely stroll around Uptown, her soon-to-be new condo and an outdoor dinner. We ordered burgers (mine was vegan of course!) and I asked for a plate of grilled chicken for the little guy. Linley was such a good boyâper usual. Iâm also lucky that heâs great on long walks and the CTA trains.
Photos and videos taken Wednesday, March 16 and Monday, March 21
The obligatory, quintessential way to celebrate St. Pattyâs Day in Chicago? Checking out the green river!
Having visited Chicago several times before relocating here, I hadnât seen the green river since I was six years old. Fortunately, we are just a quick drive from downtown and we were able to stroll the Riverwalk when it was calmer from all the weekendâs parade shenanigans. Seeing this tradition without the rowdiness of the typical parade setting is a blessing in my book đ
The last time I saw my cousin in New York was summer 2017âfar too long ago. But all that changed last weekend as we finally spent time together in The Big Apple.
My flight got in late Friday evening, so we grabbed a nice dinner and a quick night cap. We went back to Katyâs placeâwhich was super cute and exactly what you would expect from a New York City apartmentâand got ready for bed. Being with her again meant the world to me!
We attempted to take a stroll that Saturday morning, but the weather told us otherwise. Katy found a cute little cafe where we mixed up our coffee orders (totally my fault!) and then made our way through Columbiaâs campusâen route to brunch in Times Square.
At Friedmanâs, Katy, her sister, dad and I had the best potato-filled brunch of my life. The gluten free chocolate chip pancakes and sweet potato fries were to die for, but the conversation and that feeling of picking up right where we left off were even better.
No matter how stuffed we felt, Katy and I were determined to make our way to her friendâs birthday celebration, which was full of crafting and watching Broad City. Iâm incredibly lucky to have met Katyâs high school, college and now grad school friendsâbecause we have always lived in different states and Iâm a few years older than she is. Katy and her friends are always welcoming, which was really nice and led to a fun, lazy day of candle making and painting. I definitely made everyone laugh when my paint exploded all over the table, but at least I can say that I predicted the future đ
Still full from brunch (no joke!), Katy and I grabbed dinner at an awesome vegan place called JaJaJaâwhere our bartender Mario called us twins and handed us each a free shot. One of many reasons why I love my cousin as much as I do is that we can go from the most profound conversation to laughing and joking around. Our meal was full of that, which is something Iâd missed very much and very deeply. We ended our night out with another drink at a different bar, playing a game of âWhatâs Their Backstory?â and me guessing one of our bartenderâs names on the first try.
As much as I love the city, my favorite moments with Katy are always the simplest ones. I cherished our night of listening to Leo P on the sax, hearing her tell me more about her partner Ben and drinking tea until we couldnât keep our eyes open anymore. And itâs truly all of those âin-betweenâ moments (taking the subway, walking to a destination, etc.) that make me love and miss Katy as much as I always do â¤ď¸
On Sunday, our last day together, we started at a gluten free bagel and sandwich shop, and a stroll through Central Park. It was coldâespecially with my iced coffeeâbut it was so worth it! Seeing people out and about because of the weather and our semi-decent coronavirus situation was something that didnât go unnoticed, and something we certainly didnât take for granted. We braved the cold until we couldnât anymore, so we relaxed at Katyâs apartment, enjoyed more tea and life/family-related conversation, then ventured off to find more delicious vegan tacos!
Our time together always flies by and feels too short. I wish Katy and I lived closer together because sheâs truly a sister to me. I donât know who or where I would be without her in my life.
Adventure in Spades 