#16 - Taste Of Edmonds

Last Friday, my friend Dezi and I went to the Taste of Edmonds. Ever since 1983, the city of Edmonds has been hosting this popular festival. There are tons of food booths, live music, activities, and vendors. I can remember going to this festival as a kid, so there were many deja vu moments. I indulged in a snow cone and a chocolate-sprinkle coated ice cream bar. Mmmm! We also hit up the Washington Lottery booth to try our luck on a few scratch tickets. There were no winners, but that's gambling for ya! Although Dez seemed to enjoy scratching the ticket until there was nothing left to scratch, so she was content! Because I'm going to be out of state for the next few years, I may not be able to go to the Taste of Edmonds anytime soon, so I'm glad I was able to make the most of this day!

By the way, I am officially living in Orlando, Florida as of this morning! If you'd like to read more about this, visit my Disney College Program blog HERE!

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#15 - Do A YouTube Challenge

A YouTube challenge is a simple game that vloggers do with friends - in this case, the baby food challenge! All you need is a blindfold and an assortment of baby food. It works best if half the flavors are good and the other half, not as pleasant. Add some challenge to the game by including a baby food that contains multiple foods! Dez and I referred to this type as "a meal". One person is blindfolded while the other feeds them a spoon full of baby food. They then proceed to guess what flavor(s) it is. See, simple! This is also a fun game to play with friends considering baby food is very inexpensive.

Dez and I had 12 different jars of baby food and chose from them at random as we progressed through the game. Lucky me, I got stuck with a few of meat flavors while Dez's gag reflex got a good workout. To watch us do the entire challenge, click HERE!

And an update on my travel adventures: I am currently at the SeaTac airport in Seattle. My flight to Miami, originally scheduled to depart at 9:30, has been delayed nearly two hours. Luckily, I am a pretty patient person, and it gave me time to do a quick blog update! I will be sure to post again once I am safely in my hotel in Orlando tomorrow afternoon.

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Thoughtful Thursday | Comparison

Through most of my teenage years, I found myself constantly wishing.

I wish I was pretty like her. I wish I had a nice car like him. I wish I could drop a few pounds to look more like her. I wish I was rich like that celebrity. I wish my hair could look like that model's in the magazine. I wish, I wish, I wish...

I was never happy because I was too often wishing to be someone that I'm not. It wasn't until fairly recently that I realized just how grateful I should be, because I am me. If we spend our lives comparing ourselves to others, there will be no time to appreciate what we do have, and we will never be happy. So stop comparing! I know, it's hard - I still have trouble with it. Try this:

Right now, name five things in your life that you are grateful for. C'mon, just do it!

Good. Now list five qualities that you like about yourself. I know, this one can be hard at first, but it get's easier as you learn to love who you are!

Whenever you find yourself wishing, just think about five things. It will help, I guarantee it!

#11 - Messy Twister

Last week, we all gathered at a local elementary school. The paint was packed, the twister board was brought, and our clothes were far too clean for comfort. Once the classic Seattle rain died down, we set up the game and poured the paint.

"Right hand yellow."

Slap. Dezi was clearly excited to get messy, and paint splattered up into all of our faces. Let the games begin.

Mollie and I after game #1

If you don't know what messy twister is, let me explain. All you need is a twister board, a spinner, and a few bottles of paint that match the colors of the circles on the board. Pour the paint onto the corresponding circles, and have at it! You can even change up the commands to make the game interesting. Here are a few that we had to follow:

• Left ear yellow
• Forehead green
• Left butt blue
• Right forearm green

By the end of the game, we were plenty messy and decided to turn the board into a painted slip 'n slide. But to all my readers, learn from our mistake and make sure you have somewhere nearby to clean off! We couldn't get back in the car and had to walk all the way home, then hosed off in the front yard. The looks we got from passing cars were priceless. I think it's safe to say I've played enough messy twister to last me a lifetime!

View the rest of my bucket list here!

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#6 - Backpacking Trip

I love hiking, and there are so many beautiful destinations in the Pacific Northwest! Two of my friends had never been overnight backpacking before, so I took them on an easy 3-mile round trip hike last summer. It took a bit of preparation and planning, but we had a blast. This year, we decided to continue the tradition!

Pratt lake is located in the central Cascades, slightly west of Eastern Washington. It has an elevation gain of 1530 feet and is a whopping 11 miles round trip. There are tons of streams and bridges to cross over on the way to the lake, and a few amazing views. Once we got about eight miles in, the trail started a steep decline into switchbacks. The entire time down the mountain, I was thinking, "Crap, I'm going to have to climb back up this tomorrow..." Luckily, it soon evened out as we started walking along a huge rocky mountainside. By this time, we could see the lake, but it was only a teaser seeing as we still had another couple miles to go.

Finally, we reached the lake, and it was beautiful! We set up camp, explored the area, and then started making dinner. Little did we know, our box of noodles needed milk and butter, but water made a decent substitute. And let's face it, I would've ate anything after six miles of hiking! After devouring some s'mores and hanging all our food up in a tree, my warm sleeping bag was like heaven on earth.

Although the hike back up those switchbacks was grueling, it's worth it for the sense of accomplishment you feel when you reach the trail head once more. Time to start planning for next year!

Video coming soon! It's all edited, but I'm just hashing out some technical difficulties in the exporting process. Stay tuned!

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