Choose Your Own Adventure!

I survived!

2011-09-06T15:35:00.000-07:00

Welp...

It's official...

I survived summer!

Summer is my absolute favorite time of year... full of sunshine and activity and way too much fun stuff! But it is also the craziest time of year for me, and I can't help but celebrate a little bit today.

I realized recently that I have been away from home for more than 6 weeks since June. I am so blessed to have a life that is filled with fun, adventure and some really awesome people, but I am also grateful for this season where I can slow down for a little bit.

I am taking most of this week off... so maybe I will be ambitious and blog about some of my summer adventures. But maybe I will just unplug and sleep until noon every day.

Life beyond the Great Northwest!

2011-07-14T15:57:00.000-07:00

This is seriously one of my favorite adventures of my entire life! My dear friend Bekah moved out to Chicago a year ago to teach. Through her job she was offered a week at a condo at Breckenridge, Colorado and she was sweet enough to invite me along for the adventure of a lifetime. I am seriously in love with Colorado, and would welcome an excuse to move there!

I flew in a couple of days early to hang out with my good friend Abby who lives in Denver, and bright and early Sunday morning I picked Bekah up from the airport. Our good friend Melinda flew in as a surprise for Bekah, so our there was lots of tears and screaming and excitement when we met up with Bekah!

Over the course of the week we went on two beautiful hikes, one 19 mile Bike Ride (at around 10,000 feet!), ate amazingly awesome food, read some great books, took some relaxing naps, hot-tubed on the deck with a view of the sun setting over the mountains, saw some amazingly, ridiculously beautiful scenery, took a trip to Vail, met some interesting folks, and I was even proposed to (I hope poor Adam's heart has healed... poor guy)!

We had an amazing time! I am so blessed to know these ladies, they are seriously some of my favorites in the entire world, and I feel so blessed to have been included on this epic adventure.

In & Out or BUST!

2011-07-14T15:44:00.000-07:00

I have come to the realization that I am not a very good blogger. But hey, at least I make an effort right!? So, although these are all a little outdated, I figure the world deserves to know what I've been up to!

This whole thing started because I decided that there are things that I have always talked about doing, and never found the time to do. So this year, I am finding time to do all of these things! The first thing on my list was roadtripping to In & Out for only the purpose of eating some In & Out!

When I was explaining the whole premise of my year of adventure to some of the girls from church, they immediately staked their claim on this adventure. So... one day, we got in the car, and we drove... and drove...and drove....until...

This is Katie's first ever bite of In & Out burger! We were definitely excited to have finally made it! We at dinner at In & Out when we arrived (around 9pm)... and then the next day we grabbed it for lunch on our way out of town. I had this genius idea to pack an insulated container so that we could also grab dinner for our drive home. The problem was that food left in an insulated container for hours has a tendency to...well... lets just say it was sweaty. Which made for some nasty soggy burgers that we made ourselves eat as we made our way through Eugene.

What an awesome trip. What a bunch of great memories! What a fun time with some girls that I adore (2 of whom are taking off for college this fall!).

I am not sure how the only picture of all four of us is fuzzy, awkward and lame... but here it is! We spent the day in Redding and took a trip out to Whiskeytown Lake. What a beautiful place!

Yee- haw!

I heart sewing.

2011-04-27T22:08:00.000-07:00

It still cracks me up that this whole thing started in a quest for a little more adventure, and within my first "adventure", I have discovered what I am passionate about and love to do... and that thing is anything but adventurous. I love to sew. I love to refinish furniture, and I love to do crafty and creative things (why is there this part of me that is so embarrassed to admit this!?)

I have done a couple of small projects... but I saw a tutorial on how to knock off a Duvet Cover from Anthropologie, and I just had to try it! And I am so glad that I did! I couldn't be happier with my new bedding!

Constructing the top was actually pretty simple. I bought a couple of king sized sheets, cut them, knotted them, pinned them, and sewed them. Over and over and over and over.

At this stage, I was 1/2 way done, and felt so close to being done... but there was a lot more cutting, knotting, pinning and sewing left to be done!

Here is the final product! (well, kinda!). This is just the top (I hadn't put the backing on it yet). I had this realization at this point that I didn't HAVE to make it a duvet cover. I get so tired of fighting with duvet's, I always feel like they are bunching and need constant readjustment. So I set myself free! I made it into a quilt instead of a duvet cover. I bought some batting, and the cutest flannel you have ever seen (it is so so soft!) and I think it took me as long to figure out how to back the thing than to create the top.
My mom is the worlds greatest quilter, you would have thought I would have paid attention to such things growing up... but nope, I never thought it would come in handy. But she talked me through it, and continues to be the best mom in the world.
After I finished it, I had some left over flannel and made some super cute pillow to match the backing. Yay for new bedding! (in fun news... this whole thing cost me about $60... the Anthropologie version runs about $300! That makes this bargain hunter giddy!)

And in MORE exiting news (I know, my life is almost too exciting for you to handle, right!). I bought a ruffler foot for my sewing machine yesterday. I love love love ruffles! It makes making them so much easier. I had a project all ready to go and realized that somehow I have run out of both black and grey thread! I took the opportunity to do some long neglected cleaning and will get back to my ruffling later. yay!

I love OREGON!

2011-04-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about living in Oregon is showing it off! It is so beautiful, and I love getting the chance to show people all of the awesomeness that this great state has to offer! My good friend Bianca recently came to visit from Washington. She had never been out to the Columbia River Gorge, and I thought it was something that she should definitely see (everyone should experience the Gorge- it is breathtaking!).

We spent the day taking our time making our way towards Hood River where we had a late lunch... we even took the Historic Highway (I have always wanted to take that route, but I always seem to be in a hurry). We went to the Vista House, Multnomah Falls, and even stopped at a couple other falls along the way. It was an awesome day, and I am so glad that i had an excuse to show off Oregon.

Here we are at Multnomah falls! What a fun day!

~Crystal

I did what!?

2011-03-08T14:32:00.000-08:00

If you know me... this never happens! I have one chunk of time in my week that is scheduled. in ink. sacred. non-negotiable. It's what is commonly referred to as the Sunday nap.

I teach Jr. High every Sunday morning, and therefore, I rarely sleep well on Saturday nights. I am up most of the night going over my lesson in my head. Well, this week we did something different! We just wrapped up a series in the book of Judges, so I took the week before we started our new series to do a little boys vs. girls trivia over what we've talked about the last 6 weeks. I had all the questions ready to go, safely stored in a powerpoint presentation... and I slept like a baby! It was glorious.

The strangest thing happened. Church was over, and I wasn't tired. I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself... and then I remembered that this is my year for adventure, so I'd better get on that and find something to do! I knew I wanted to get my bootie outside and get some fresh air! I called a few friends, and we did a spontaneous trip to the Columbia River Gorge for some hiking!

We did a trail called "Angel's Rest"... last time I attempted this trail was right after I had a few nightmare-ish cortizone shots in my foot, and about 1/2 way up I was certain I felt bone on bone, and I had to swallow my pride and head down the hill by myself while the rest of the group went on. It sucked.

So this time I was a little scared when we pulled up... I was a bit hard on my gimpy foot at Jr. High camp last week and it is swollen up like a balloon. We sailed past my turn-around point from my last attempt! We didn't quite make it to the top this time... and I could barely walk for the next couple days, but it was totally worth it. It felt good to be outside with good friends!

After our hike we drove up to the Vista House. I have seen this a million times when I have been driving down 84, but never once stopped there! I was really excited!

Here is a view from the vista house! It is one of the most beautiful views of the Columbia River Gorge, so flippin' gorgeous! There is a historic building up there that you can go in, and go up to the roof for a more spectacular view! We walked up to the door at 4pm... on the dot, and got turned away!

I am pretty sure this is what I looked like! Words came out of my mouth to old-man-volunteer-who-closes-up-at-4-pm-on-the-dot (before i could stop them). They were 1000% more rude that I would have liked them to be. Maybe I will have to go back to get the full experience, and apologize for being such a brat.

It was a super fun day! I am so thankful for good friends!

Slightly Distracted!

2011-03-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

During the month of February, I may have gotten slightly distracted! It was not a lack of desire to continue on my quest for adventure... it was more of a lack of time. I spent 8 nights during in February in my own bed (hmmmm.... not in the dirty/inappropriate/wow, Crystal, you're a bad role-model sense). I had house-sitting gigs, kid-sitting gigs, camps, sleepovers galore during the month of February! It was slightly insane, but oh-so-much fun! Now that I am on the other side of it, I am ready to get back on track!

First though, here is an update on my prior post! The chairs are done! Well... Kind of. I am not thrilled with how the finish turned out, so I may end up stripping the finish down and starting over, but for the sake of my own sanity I have decided to let them be good enough for now. Here is a peak:

I added some pillows so they look a little less formally, these are just temporary pillows I had on there back when I took the picture, but the new ones are matching fabric with ruffles and bling! Super fun! All in all I am happy with the project!

It's funny that in my first adventure, I have rediscovered what I love to do! I have often had a hard time because I seriously don't know how to relax. I don't know how to spend my time so that I feel refreshed. But adventure #1 has started a string of crafty/creative projects that have reminded me that THIS is what I do to relax. I am not a sit-around and do nothing person... that just makes me more stressed. I am so grateful to know how to focus my energy in order to feel refreshed!

Here is a project that I worked on last week... I found this unfinished jewelery box at the craft store... it was $5 because it was broken:

And here it is after the magic of wood glue, mod podge, paint and a bit of bling!

I have done about 1000 projects this month in the little free time that I have had. But since this is an adventure blog, not a craft blog, I will spare you the details!

One Adventure Down, Infinitely More to Go!

2011-01-25T12:12:00.000-08:00

When I started this whole adventure scheme, my friend Laura called dibs on one of my adventures before I could even finish telling her my list! Laura has been a great friend of mine for a couple of years, and she owns an antique store in Lake Oswego. She has an eye for finding beautiful things, and couldn't wait to share her love of thrift store shopping with me.

Now, I know what you are thinking... is thrift store shopping really an adventure?! Well, to me it is. I will be completely honest with you, and tell you that this was HUGE for me. To put it bluntly, thrift stores kind of gross me out. Well, I guess now I can say that they used to gross me out!

This Saturday, Laura picked me up at 8:30am sharp, and I put aside my snobishness for a couple hours and embraced the idea of finding treasure in the midst of other people's junk. Laura took me to three of her favorite Portland thrift stores, and by the time she dropped me off so that she could open her store I was hooked! Here are my finds!

It's a cake plate! I don't know why, but I have wanted a cake plate for a really long time! This one was still in the box, and on sale for $9.99!!! The best thing about it is that it doubles as a punch bowl! I know... that is just too much awesomeness for under $10!

This lamp might be my favorite find! It was $7.99! I absolutely love it! My apartment has totally weird lighting issues, so this lamp in this strategic location has really helped! I seriously sit on my couch and find myself looking at the lamp instead of the TV.

These you may need to use your imagination on... picture them painted black, and reupholstered in something super fun! Right now they are a bit formal for my taste, but I think they will be awesome when I am done with them! My living room right now has just a couch... which means that if I have more than 3 people over, people end up on the floor. I have been looking for an inexpensive and fun option for a while now, and I think these might be it!

Here is a sneak peak at the finished product. This needs another coat of paint, but I already think it looks way more fun!

I would say that my first official day of this adventure project was a complete success. I was open to trying new things, and I am convinced the payoff was amazing. I had so much fun, and I can't wait to go back!

If you are in Lake Oswego, be sure to check out Laura's shop... Sixpence Antiques and Gifts. It's on the corner of 3rd & B. She has lots of adorable things.

Choose Your Own Adventure!

2011-01-16T08:35:00.000-08:00

It’s a new year! I love this time of year because it is a natural time for new beginnings. It’s an excuse to start over… to evaluate and restructure. I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions, but I will totally take advantage of a fresh start.

This year, I am choosing to live differently. I want to embrace life! I am going to find adventure! Life too easily becomes mundane, and before I know it another year has passed. I want to take advantage of this season of life that I am in, and fill my year with small adventures, hey, maybe even big adventures (I have some vacation time to kill!). This year I will be intentional about seeking out the things in life that I have always wanted to do, but have never followed through on. I want to see new things, I want to go new places and I want to do things that I have never done. I want some excitement, and I am on a mission to find it!

So in normal Crystal fashion, I can’t just do things simply…I have to make a game of this. Anyone who knows me well knows that I love games, and that I really like to win at them. This is one game that I am pretty darn excited to be awesome at!

Here’s where it gets fun! I want you to join me!I am calling this thing “Choose Your Own Adventure”… did you ever read those books as a kid? I used to love them! You would read to a certain point, and then you got to make the choice of where to go next. You were in control of the story. Similar to the books, you get to make a choice! If you will commit to joining me on one of these adventures, you get to choose where we go next! If you partner with me on something that is on my list, I will join you for something on yours! The sky is the limit! I will be on board for just about anything that you want to do. (I don’t do heights and I don’t do birds, so if you choose skydiving through a bird sanctuary I will probably no-show). The fun part is that I will document this entire process, this blog will keep you up to date with my adventures, and the adventures of my friends.

What is an adventure? It is that thing that you have talked about doing for a really long time, but have never gotten around to pursuing. It is something that comes with a good story. It is something that breaks up the mundane things in life. It is something that involves a risk. It is something that maybe you wouldn’t normally go for, but you have a desire to challenge yourself. They don't have to be earth-shattering or revolutionary.... just fun!

Are you in? Do you want to join me? Do you have a great idea? Let me know! Let’s do this thing! Here is the beginning of my list, it’s not exhaustive by any means, but it’s a good starting place!

Road trip to Redding for In & Out

Spend time in Canada

Shop at a thrift store

Go to Crater Lake

Explore some fun districts of Portland

Surf on the Oregon Coast

Go on a road trip

Go on a personal solitude retreat (this one is going to be super hard for me!)

Clear the wake (I have gotten SO close over the last three years, this is the year, I can feel it!)

Read through the entire Bible
Go to an art museum

Rock Climb

Go to Roseberry, Idaho