The PNW

Hey girl! If you're anywhere near the Pacific Northwest, particularly Washington State, you simply must spend a weekend in Leavenworth. A German-themed town, Leavenworth, Washington is a gorgeous little Bavarian Village, which certainly has its charm: the snow-capped mountains views, the lush surrounding trees that turn into breathtaking fall foliage in Autumn, the little shops with endless places to drink wine or beer. But to be completely honest, I personally find the town itself somewhat of a tourist trap, with all the real wonder just miles outside the[...]

Hey girl! If you're looking for that perfect Instagrammable moment, look no further. During the spring, people flock to the region of Skagit Valley to view some of the largest and most memorable tulip farms in the state. That's because the tulip festivals in Washington are unmatched, boasting 300 acres of colorful rows and bringing in over 1 million visitors each year! Quick side note... Skagit Valley has easily become one of my favorite regions during my short two and a half years living in Washington. Particularly, the outdoor beauty is unlike nowhere els[...]

Hey girl! It's officially summertime — aka, time to hit the beach, am I right? Well, the Pacific Northwest is home to its own little paradise known as the San Juan Islands. It may not be your typical sip-a-mai-tai-in-the-sizzling-hot-sand type of island, but I mean, it beats just about anything else nearby. Just a couple hours northwest of Seattle, the San Juan Islands sit east of the Canadian border. And it's just across from the city of Victoria (which I heard is amazing BTW). Although we were just a hop skip away from Canada, I didn't venture over the[...]

Hey, girl! Can I just say, Oregon is pretty damn beautiful. Even more so, skiing in Oregon is pretty freaking awesome too. I'll lead off by saying that I am in no way an advanced skier, or even mediocre for that matter. But since my boyfriend Aidan is an avid and quite experienced lover of the winter sport — and because he's the only person in the world that can get a gal like myself to try something as "active" as skiing — I'm currently learning to flail down snow-covered mountains with the hope of not hurting myself. Thank goodness we live in such a[...]

Hey girl! Want to know a secret that blew my mind? When Washingtonians aren't sipping coffee in one of the billions of cozy coffee shops around the area, their favorite hobby is actually getting outside the city to the great outdoors! That's right, being "one with nature" and doing things like hiking the best Washington trails are super popular here. Maybe your jaw just dropped hearing that, like mine originally had. But it's true that I've been on more hikes here and in more mountains than I ever dreamt of doing in my lifetime. (I should mention that this is[...]