To Chicago! And the beginning of Route 66.

War Correspondents Memorial.

You are here. At the Battle of South Mountain.

The Burnside Bridge. It’s a famous Civil War era bridge on the Antietam Battle Ground.

Walking towards Fort Ligonier.

Inside the fort.

The buildings were rather well maintained.

The raw wood beams are lovely!

I kind of want old glass windows in our house.

We took a short walk to see the place where General Braddock was buried.

And this is where he’s buried now…just a short distance up the hill from the other plaque.

One of a few Madonna’s of the Trail we saw on the trip.

Welcome to West Virginia!

In Moundsville, WV we stayed with friends for two nights. Moundsville is famous for the Grave Creek Mound.

And there’s the mound. It’s an Native American burial mound. The mound used to be higher, but humans are rude and sometimes don’t have respect for the dead.

The former West Virginia State Penitentiary. We actually toured the penitentiary but I’ll save that for a different post!

Be progressive!

National Road West.

There’s our travel buddy!

Don’t you want to play some corn-hole games?

I never really find the drive from Pennsylvania to Chicago all that interesting, but sometimes you come across things like this! And that makes the drive bearable.

Hey Indiana!

The Illinois and Indiana state border.

Welcome to Chicago.

I love Millennium Park in Chicago! You’ll see more of that soon.

A fancy lion in front of the Art Institute.

More Millennium Park! Water pours out from these fountains. The faces on the fountains also change every few minutes. AND the faces on the fountains are of Chicago residents.

The Bean!! It’s my favorite thing in Chicago! I did my art history research paper on the Bean during my senior year in college.

Seagulls on the Bean.

Can you see us in the reflection?

There we are!

The last time we were here was in 2008 and we saw someone buffing and shining the Bean.

Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

Clarence F. Buckingham Memorial Fountain. Chicago has really nice parks and architecture.

Vomiting seahorses!

The beginning of historic Route 66! And the fun begins.

Baby fun in Pennsylvania!

The main reason for my trip to Pennsylvania a few weeks ago was for a Baby Shower for my baby niece!  I surprised my sister and didn’t tell her that I was flying in to visit for a week.  I made her cry which was kind of funny, but then I felt bad that I made a pregnant women cry.  We spent time doing some shopping for the baby, organizing her room and sorting clothing by size.

Baby Keeley’s first baby book! I saw this and I knew I had to buy it for her.

There she is!

My sister, Krista, and my brother-in-law, Tim, put cute animal decals around the nursery.

Krista and Tim!

Pink and green.

I had so much fun checking out the baby’s room and going through baby clothing!

Little owls.

Tim made a cute little pig to decorate the room.

And this awesome bunny! The bunny rolls and that ball inside moves around too.

So many clothes! We spent a few hours taking tags off of them, washing them and then folding so many tiny onsies!

We went shopping the first night I was in PA and they found the little dress they’re going to bring baby girl home in!

AND I spotted these yellow pants and blue sweater. I’m actually pretty jealous of her. I want yellow pants and a blue sweater!

Baby book and baby belly!

Sister and sister!

I heard her! Not really, but I did feel her kick every day.

On Sunday we had a baby shower for Krista, Tim and baby.

Little pink flowers.

Gifts for the party guests.

Baby photos of Krista and Tim.

There were a few baby shower games too. I even won a game!

Look at that baby belly!

Krista and Tim were given so many cute and thoughtful gifts! The baby is going to be well loved when she makes and appearance.

Daddy’s little cupcake and Mommy’s new shopping buddy.

People made super cute blankets for baby.

I hope she’s a horse lover like I was when I was a kid!

I don’t have the patience to crochet, so I asked my sister’s friend, Ang, to make a hat with a little squirrel on it for the baby.

More handmade goods.

Krista and Tim were sorting the baby shower gifts that night and then we took more photos in the nursery!

So cute! I can’t wait to meet my niece!

Baby love.

Mama and Papa love!

Baby girl is going to be so loved when she makes an appearance.

All of those handmade blankets were presents at the baby shower!

The drawers are filled with diapers and blankets.

The clothes are also arranged and sorted by size.

Wishes do come true!

Everyone brought a book to the baby shower which they signed and wrote a note to the baby. Such a cute idea and keepsake for the baby!

Tiny shoes!

I had such a fun trip with my family!  I was of course happy to see Eric back in Seattle, but I was sad for a few days after coming home.  The first few days back for me are always the hardest.  You forget…and it’s sad…how much you miss family when you’re away from them for so long.  Krista and Tim now have a new computer so we can Skype!  I’ve Skyped with them a few times already.  Today I was talking to my sister and I could actually SEE the baby kicking.  OMG!  It was so exciting.  The baby is due the day of our wedding, but I’m secretly hoping she arrives early so I can spend a few days with her before the wedding.

Come on out baby girl!  I can’t wait to meet you!

Food, finds and some PA DIY!

I managed to snap a few shots of some of the food I ate while in PA.  In central PA, where I was staying, there aren’t many options for vegans/vegetarians if you want to go out to eat.  Luckily there’s the college town of Lewisburg that has a cafe with two vegan lunch options.  Cherry Alley Cafe used to have some amazing burritos!  Vegan and all!  I was really disappointed to find that they did away with awesome-burrito.  They did have some vegan cookies though.  I used to always get their iced chai tea with soy milk too.  The barista there was actually kind enough to tell me that the chai mix isn’t vegan.  Boo!!  I’m assuming there’s dry milk in it.  Make your own chai mix, Cherry Alley!  Some spices and some grinding and BAM!…chai tea.

My mom did take me to a grocery store to stock up on some avocados, tofu and refried beans though!  I usually live on bean burritos when I travel!

Travel food. Beans, avocado and hot sauce.

Root beer Italian ice! Rita’s is an east coast thing. I miss it!

Cherry Alley does have fun tables. I made that same face when I found out the chai tea mix isn’t vegan.

Tofu wrap!

And a grilled vegetable panini. The so kindly put cheese on this even though I asked for no cheese. They made me another one, but Cherry Alley kind of let me down! The birch beer in the background did not though!

More Italian ice! This time it was lemonade.

My aunt usually makes me something vegan when I’m in Pennsylvania visiting. This time she made me chocolate chip blondies and a chocolate cake with chocolate icing! I DID NOT eat all of that by myself. Although I could have.

After Eric picked me up from the airport we went to Bamboo Garden. We always go to Bamboo Garden after he picks me up or we pick someone up from the airport. It’s a nice little tradition.

Bamboo Garden!

There’s an antique mall/flea market that I love in Lewisburg, PA called, The Street of Shops. I squealed inside when I saw these lamps there! You might remember that I found a similar turtle lamp in a thrift store a few months ago. I wanted to take all of them home, but I knew I couldn’t. I snagged that little dinosaur lamp in the back. I didn’t have room to take him on the plane with me so I packaged him up as well as I could and my sister shipped him back to me. The package should arrive early this week and I’m hoping his little glass back didn’t break!

Remember my turtle lamp?

My dad and I had some time to work on a project for the wedding! I wanted to make some glass Ball jar cups so the wedding guests can take them home with them. I found bright yellow and white straws to put in these guys.

Dad punched a hole in the lid.

And I drilled the hole out! We then fished rubber grommets through the hole that the straws will later be placed in.

We made 36 Ball jar cups in about 45 minutes! Fun PA DIY!

I’m still here!

I’m here! And so is spring!  I’ve been gone, but don’t think I haven’t been doing exciting things.  Last week I took a trip to Pennsylvania.  I didn’t tell my sister I was flying in so she was quite surprised!  My sister is pregnant now so it was soo good to see her!  I felt the baby kick too.  It’s really exciting.  I can’t wait to be an aunt.  We spent quite a bit of time with my parents and my brother-in-law too.  We went out to eat, bought some Italian ice AND had a surprise baby shower for my sister!  I have tons of photos to share with you over the next few weeks.

Bright sun and blue skies!

October 16, 2011- Sun and fun in Central Pennsylvania!

Sunday morning I paid my grandparents a visit in Herndon, PA. I then went to visit my grandma and aunts in Sunbury, PA. My aunt Betty made me this! It's a vegetable tart in a whole wheat crust with kalamata olives baked in. Vegan and all!

She also made me a vegan blueberry and peach cobbler! Fantastic!

I'm not rubbing it in to Eric, but I had some birch beer while in Pennsylvania.

Birch beer!!

My grandma has fruit trees on the hill above her house. I walked to the top of the hill with my dad and sister. It's so pretty up there! Look how green the grass it!

This used to be the horse pasture. There are no more horses. So sad.

I found a wooly caterpillar.

Now we're at the tippy top of the hill.

Fall is my favorite time of year in PA.

The leaves are always fantastic in the fall in PA!

My sister is serious about pine cones.

I shimmied up a tree.

Look at that blue sky!

Sister and me!

Grandma Trometter is in the background. I'm holding the famous three-legged cat...Sherbert. Sherbie as we call him in an enormous three-legged cat. He was involved in a tragic accident a few years ago. Lucky for him my aunts found him and saved his life!

This dirt road that doesn't really look like a dirt road is called Witches Hollow. My aunts used to scare us by telling us that witches lived down that dirt road. When we were older we would go horseback riding down Witches Hollow. Rumor has it that some real witches do live in the valley, but not in Witches Hollow.

Witches Hollow.

Witches Hollow would be to the right of this photo. At the top of this hill are corn and soybean fields. My sister and I used to gallop and race our horses up that hill.

And this is the field at the top of the hill. This is one of my favorite places. It's beautiful.

So much blue sky!

If you keep going straight at the top of the hill you'll eventually come to this dirt road on your right. We used to ride our horses across the fields on this dirt road as well. I spent so much time at my grandparent's farm when I was a kid. We had such a great time too!

My aunt gave me some lottery tickets for my birthday. I won $5! I'll put that in my retirement fund.

That afternoon my sister and I went to Roller Mills antique barn in Lewisburg, PA. I found this awesome KISS puzzle there.

I also found these STD's. What a great deal on STD's!

Later in the evening I went for a walk with my sister. It was a chilly afternoon, but the blue sky was still around!

I also saw this friend.

That night I met up in Bloomsburg, PA with my best friend from college Becky!! She's Brugg to me. We chatted and visited a few of our old stopping grounds. We had so much fun when we lived together. I miss you Becky and West Main Apartment 3- dub!

Pennsylvania pumpkins and special visitors from Ithaca!

Ryan, Jaime, Arkaedi and Taviri from Ithaca, NY drove down to central Pennsylvania to visit with me on Saturday. They used to live in Seattle, but moved to Ithaca in 2010. Eric and I miss them so much! We saw them many times during the week hung out on the weekends. Ryan and Jaime have adorable children. We really do miss them and it was great to see them even if it was just for a few hours. I sat in the back between the car seats like I used to when travelling with Ryan and Jaime.

The Barker family!

Arkaedi picked out her pumpkin. We went to Ard's Farm Market in Mifflinburg for pumpkin picking festivities!

Taviri and I checked the pumpkins for holes and bugs.

It was actually a beautiful day for a hayride and picking pumpkins. It was a little windy though.

Here's my pumpkin!

Taviri inspected many pumpkins. I think he actually brought this one home with him.

My sister and brother-in-law Tim went to the pumpkin patch as well! Krista found a pumpkin too!

Jaime couldn't decide which pumpkin she wanted. She's so cute.

Mr. Barker was proud of his pumpkin.

Cute! I was happy that the kids still remembered me. They even drew some pictures. Taviri also grabbed my hand to walk through the parking lot. They make my heart melt!

Arkaedi was caught in a wind storm!

Here was our haul from the field. I sent my pumpkin home with the Barkers. I don't think I could have fit it in my carry on bag.

There was a massive inflatable slide at the farm. The kids of course wanted to go down it. I did too! But i did not.

Arkaedi wanted to go down the slide too but she wanted to go down with Jaime. Jaime didn't mind at all! Jaime and I were actually staring at the slide while Taviri was playing on it. I asked her..."I wonder if adults can go down it." At the same time we both said..."I want to go down it!!" Jaime looked at me and said..."I knew there was a reason we were friends!"

The kids wanted to feed the kids.

Taviri cuddled with me on the way to Cherry Alley in Lewisburg for some food and coffee.

Eric used to have his bookstore in that red brick building. The store was in the right side of the building.

I had spicy chai tea with soy milk at Cherry Alley.

I also had some called the "Hip-E-Rita." Dumb name but awesome food! It was a tofu burrito with beans, peppers, tomatoes and awesomeness!

Eric used to live in that tiny tiny apartment on the top of the other buildings. Super tiny but super cute!

The apartment had a great view.

That night I had chinese food with Krista, Tim and my parents. The folks working at the restaurant were super nice about checking ingredients for me. They told me what sauces I couldn't eat....which ended up to be all of them. But the cook did make me something special. "I make you something like we eat in China. Salt, pepper, water. Not too much but very good!" Very good it was!

Later that night I met up with Mandy, a friend since high school, and her husband Bryan!

I love her! It was great to see them too! I think it had been two years since I last saw them!

A rainy Friday in Pennsylvania.

I started out my Friday by going to Lewisburg, Pa with my dad and sister. The rain followed me.

We went to Cherry Alley for some coffee and tea beverages.

Cherry Alley has expanded their vegan options. Yay for you Cherry Alley!

See? Vegan baked goods.

I found this awesome teapot by a Michael Jackson glove at The Street of Shops in Lewisburg. Why did I not buy that teapot?! It was gone when I went back on Tuesday.

The Street of Shops is near the Susquehanna River. During the recent floods The Street of Shops lost 90% of their merchandise. You can see the flood line on the white wall here.

Obama Smartz! Here's your hope.

I found this fantastic block to a printing press. Again...why did I not buy it?

Nixon see?

Here's the Priestley-Forsyth Memorial Library in Northumberland, PA. That's the town I grew up in. And this is the library I went to as a child. This was built in 1820 and lived in by Joseph Priestley. He discovered oxygen they say.

My sister and I went for a rainy drive north.

Kitten sammich! That's Spook in the middle and my sister on the right!

We made vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

Goodnight Northumberland!

This is ASA. This is where I used to work. They are the largest youth football print shop in the country.

ASA.

I went to an art opening called "Cover of a Cover," with my sister in Bloomsburg on Friday night. Artists took and album cover and made their own version of it. My friend Brock and drawing professor Jason Godeke had pieces in the show.

Covers of covers.

This is Professor Godeke's piece.

Brock's piece is on the left.

Awesome!

Another piece by Brock.

I took a few close up shots for you so you could see some of the detail.

Scary.

The art show was right beside my old apartment. The two windows above the two windows with the lights on were in my room!

We made potato smiles when we went home.

Pennsylvania fun!

On my way to Seatac for a late night flight I passed the Space Needle. I love the city at night.

I'm ready!

Seatac.

Approaching Washington Dulles Airport.

Bump bump as we land.

While waiting for my connecting flight to Harrisburg, PA I saw this. It was on one of the pilot's bags.

Being above the clouds is so very awesome!

It was raining in D.C. and in Harrisburg. But not up here!

I stopped by my sister's place of employment to say hi. I of course had to pee. I found this in the bathroom. Who is Kin?

This is Kin!!

My sister does a little screen printing where she works too!

Fun thin frames.

Pudder! This is my first baby kitty. She was a kitten and lost in the winter. She slept by the chimney and eventually made her way to live on the back porch. And then she started to live in the house. My dad always said "no cats in the house." She showed him!

This is JJ. "JJ pretty boy. *whistle whistle*"

I found some chestnuts.

That's one cute raccoon!

Shoo fly pie.

The birch beer flows in Pennsylvania.

Here's Scooter!

She was rescued from the recent flood in Pennsylvania.

Just look at that cuteness!

She nibbled on my fingers!

Tickling her made me super happy!

Tickles!!

Someone gots a nut!

And I held Tazer the skunk!

grand view point ship hotel.

i found this postcard at the vintage mall this past friday in seattle. as soon as i saw it i knew i had been to this spot…or at least i THOUGHT i had been there. i purchased the postcard and after some investigating i found out that i was never actually at the spot where the ship hotel used to stand, but eric was there. i remember he had told me about the location and the ship. he had even sent me old photos of what it looked like. somewhere in my head i just stored that information away and apparently made myself believe i had been there.

the grand view ship hotel sat on US route 30 (lincoln highway), in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. it was built in 1932 and sadly destroyed by a fire in 2001. i found some info about the ship hotel and photos from this website…click click! the grand view point hotel was at an elevation of 2,464 ft. you could also see 3 states and 7 counties from this point.

the ship hotel became a popular tourist attraction until the turnpike was built saving motorists three hours by not taking the route where the hotel stood. the hotel was open for 50 years until ownership changed hands. the ship closed in 1987 and started to deteriorate. squatters took a liking to the hotel as well. the lincoln highway heritage corridor proposed to purchase the ship and restore it, but the owner would not sell it. they offered $40,000 but they were requesting $900,000. rather greedy, no? in 2001, fire took the life of the grand view ship hotel. poor little guy.

here are some interior views of the ship hotel.

here are the pictures from when eric was there in 2008.

adventures in pennsylvania land- the end of a great tale!

i have to say that this last trip back to pennsylvania was the best one so far! the weather was beautiful, for the most part, and i was able to see many great friends, some of which i hadn’t seen since moving to seattle last october.

monday, my last day in PA, was spent kayaking with my dad, hanging out at ASA, visiting with eric’s parents and then spending time with my sister, tim and my mom.

i really really really miss working at ASA. i think ASA should just move to seattle. they can bring all of the fun people there with them too. i wouldn’t mind. i love the people who work there. they’re real people, everyone knows everyone for the most part, and i think that’s what makes ASA work. I spent 3 hours hanging out with kelly, chris, joey, scott, brock and a few other fun employees. there was a girl who just starting working there this year inspecting jerserys…i don’t remember her name…but she was really fun! it was nice to meet her! i hated to say goodbye to everyone when i finally did have to leave. seeing some of those people made the trip out to be the best one yet!

but here i am, back in seattle trying to figure out what i’m going to do with life over the next few months. a few things are up in the air and i’m sure i’ll inform you of anything new and exciting that may happen!

thank you PA and my friends and family for a great trip. now come to seattle and visit me!!!