life's adventures lately

it's a hazy monday here in Taipei, good for sorting through photos and making new plans. I thought I'd take a few moments to share what's been brewing around here lately...

family vacation in the Pacific Northwest

first - I need to ask for some help! my parents are spending a few weeks traveling around Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, and Eugene at the end of April, and I'm flying to the US to join them. my dad already has a long list of things for our itinerary, and my mom has booked us some adorable airbnbs [can you see where I get my travel bug from?] but none of us have been out that way before. I'd love to hear about your favorite things to do in the area - hikes, waterfalls, museums, food, whatever!

getting stronger + feeling better

the main reason for my early arrival in the US is that I'm planning to see a food allergy specialist. the last year has been quite a trial for me with all the new allergies and then a bacterial infection in my guts, so I'm hoping to get some clear [or more clear] answers on what exactly my body wants to be eating. that being said, my health continues to improve. and Husband has convinced me to go to the gym, so I'm putting back the muscle mass I lost. this is a good thing. I'm feeling stronger and healthier with each week that goes by. I even did my first weighted Turkish Getup with a kettlebell the other day!

making travel plans

since I'm going to be in the Pacific Northwest in April, I'll be heading east to Michigan in May. I should be hopping down to Austin for a few weeks to spend time with Husband's family before we head back to Michigan together, and then eventually depart via Chicago. in total we will be taking 12 to 16 different flights, depending how the connections work out. BUT we will have a chance to see all four of our nephews this summer, as well as other family and friends. I didn't visit the US last year so it's been a while and obviously I am really excited!

Taipei adventures

in the past few weeks I've been getting out and about more - I've wandered Dongmen with the lovely Geneva of A Pair and A Spare, climbed Elephant Mountain at sunset, ventured to Long Dong Bay for a picnic on a rock by the sea, and took a complicated route up to Yangmingshan for a solo hike. since I only have nine weeks left in Taiwan [until after summer] I've been making a list of things I'd like to see and do before I go. I'm hoping to cross off at least one adventure per week until then.

plot twists

among all this, I've still been working on my novel. sometimes it goes really well, and sometimes it's pulling fingernails.  a few weeks ago I hit a snag with my plot. to fix it, I made a pretty substantial change to the workings of my universe - which unfortunately requires me to rewrite quite a bit - but the story will be better for it in the end. I'm doing my best to just keep writing through it.

we have managed to spend a few lazy afternoons on the couch binging netflix, but overall, life has been busy but good. [and it doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon.] I hope that life is well where you are, and please do let me know if you have any Seattle/Portland recommendations!