Thinking Out Loud + Life Lately {June 11}

Happy Thursday, everyone! Today I’m linking up with Running with Spoons for Thinking Out Loud Thursday! 

Don’t forget to enter to win a Zero G Gear Grabber!

1. Jurassic World comes out tomorrow. Needless to say, Ryan and I already purchased our tickets in advance. Last weekend we binged watched the trilogy to prepare. Jurassic Park is one of my favorite movies. Sometimes I feel weird because most women my age are super excited to movies like Pitch Perfect 2 and Entourage, and I’m just here like OMG DINOSAURS. 

2. Speaking of (kinda of) dinosaurs, Charlie has found all his toys from when we unpacked and is obsessed yet again with his dragon toy. It used to be a costume until he pulled a St. George and slayed it. I threw away some of his toys that we de-fluffed, shredded, and abused beyond recognition when we moved, but I didn’t have the heart to take the Nasty Dragon (we call it that for obvious reasons) away from him. He expresses his gratitude by pressing it against my bare legs when I sit down to stretch after a run or do Pilates. Dogs are gross.

3. Over the weekend we experienced a “heat wave” here in Seattle. My formerly Midwestern self momentarily panicked when I first saw the heat advisory, because back home, heat waves meant temperatures in the 95-105 degree (Fahrenheit) zone. Here? 75-85 as the high for the day, with mornings still in the mid-50s. This, combined with the fact that the yearly snow fall here totals about 1 foot while one foot of snow in Valpo was practically running shorts weather, makes me pretty sure I can never move out east again (east being anywhere east of the Cascades where’s there’s not perfectly temperate weather year-round).

4. Saturday had such clear and bright weather that we could see Mt. Rainer, Mt. Baker, AND the Olympic Mountains from Bothell (which, for some quick geography, is a northern suburb on the Eastside of Seattle—just north of Bellevue and Redmond). It literally made my day. I love mountains. I didn’t take a photo, though, because on iPhone photos the mountains against a blue sky always just look like clouds, so you’ll just have to come out here and see them for yourself.

5.  We went to the Pike Place Public Market and I learned my lesson: bring a cooler full of ice in our car whenever we go into the city. I wanted to buy every single last trout, salmon, shrimp, crab, and lobster from the fishmongers. And the fresh flowers? So beautiful. Lavender season is starting around here (there’s about five lavender farms just on Ryan’s commute to work), which makes me so happy (it was our wedding flower).

6. The only one who is more obsessed with being outside all day than me right now is Charlie. We’ve barely had any rain or cloud cover, and Charlie and I have started to spend our days basking in the sunlight on our porch. Ryan and I eat dinner out there almost every night, and on weekends we have every meal outside. The only downside are the puggle hissy fits that ensue when Charlie has to come back inside. 

7. We had authentic German food this weekend in downtown Seattle. I know it’s not the healthiest or most photogenic food, but I swoon over German food and German beer. Maybe it’s because I’ve got so much German heritage and studied abroad in Germany, but I must say it’s my favorite ethnic food. We went to Aldstadt in Pioneer Square, which had a great German bierhalle vibe to it. I had sauerkraut, cabbage, bratwurst (made with veal and pork) with grainy mustard, and pommes frites with a frosty Oktoberfest beer. I could eat sauerkraut by the pound (and it’s super good for your gut health with all those probiotics!). 

8. After months of loving everything pink for my running wardrobe, I’m obsessed with neutrals again. My mom shipped me some GapFit tops as a present and I repeatedly wear this Gray Motion Long Sleeve Top. I want it to be cold enough in Portland to race in this shirt. Also, I am constantly excited that it is June and I am wearing long sleeve shirts because it’s consistently 45-55 degrees in the morning. I love Seattle. 

9. I am never going to get tired of running on these trails. 

Questions of the Day: 
What summer movie are you most excited to see?
What’s your favorite type of ethnic food?
What’s your favorite piece of running clothing or item of running gear right now?