Category: Travel

Botans + Dog Sitting

~ Crystle ~ 3 Comments
I’m finally home after dog sitting for my best work buddy Gabrielle. Her little critters behaved quite well, although we did have our fits of barking at the neighbors. I was not above participating in that activity. The pups kept me company while I watched true crime and scared myself silly. I watched Investigation Discovery almost exclusively. It definitely gave me nightmares.
 
I was sure to bring my favorite gadgets and comforts to make myself at home. I’m not going to lie, I brought my tea kettle, french press and coffee.  I can’t do without. I also made sure to bring my iPad for Thought Catalog reading and Pinterest pinning. Some things never change.
 Jay and I went to the Myriad Botanical Gardens in downtown OKC this weekend. It was my first time. I know, well shameful since I’ve been living here for 9 years. It was a rich experience! The air in a green house type environment is always so invigorating. It’s the kind of oxygen that creates superheroes.
 I cracked a joke about this being the butterfly’s paradise, a play on the Coolio song Gangsta’s Paradise. It solicited a sympathy laugh from Jay. He’s so polite. He even overlooked the singing of the parody song and the little dance that went along with it. That’s a true best friend, guys.
 Y’know, it was really sweet of the Urban Planners to name this bridge after me, but I really should call them up and correct them on the spelling. It’s Crystle with a -TLE, not the -TAL you’re used to. It’s OK guys, it happens all the time.
All jokes aside, it’s a lovely area to visit. The new Devon energy tower is going up right next to it. It’s truly a giant addition to the skyline!
 If any of you have the chance to visit the Oklahoma City metro, I definitely recommend the Botanical Gardens.
Have a great weekend!

Seattle Sojourn

~ Crystle ~ 10 Comments
This weekend I took a trip to visit my boyfriend in Seattle. I’ve been to there once before, but neglected to hit the tourist spots. That has since been resolved.
Over the course of the weekend, we went trail running, museum exploring, bar hopping, and site seeing. It was the most seamless, well rounded vacation I’ve (maybe ever?) had.
 A few things struck me as interesting; the shoreline in Seattle can be very confusing to a California girl. I had to keep asking why there is land on the other side of the water, is it trying to be like San Francisco? A tour of the harbor clarified all the land masses and explained the jumbo sized commerce ships docked there.
 Frank Gehry is one of my all time favorite architects. This was my only first hand experience with one of his buildings. I was mesmorized!
  The Holiday season in any downtown area is quite the site for sore eyes. Seattle was obviously no different.
 Point Defiance Park is where we went trail running, we took to some sandy and rocky terrain on our 5k loop. It was grueling (for me) but rewarding (for both). Did I mention it was cold? Very cold.
Guess I have to learn to be just Army Strong enough to keep up with this guy!
 I am a sucker for any and all aquariums. And in case you didn’t know, the life of the party at the aquarium is the sea otter. They won’t sit still for a photo.
 
How we ended up at some lady Madeline’s Karaoke birthday party at Hulu Hulu is beyond me. It was however, endlessly entertaining!
  Yes, that is me in the bottom square. I took to screaming in the designated scream booth at the EMP museum exhibit Can’t Look Away, about the lure of horror films. It was amazing! I was markedly bashful after seeing my silly photo up for all to see.
To avoid some confusion, do not try to plot the original Starbucks on your map. We had a laugh over this one. And still did not see the original Starbucks. My guess is that it’s exactly like all the other Starbucks in the country.
For those of you who have been to Seattle, I hope I didn’t miss any must-sees!* For those of you who haven’t been, you must go. The friendly Washingtonians only complement the immaculate skyline and seaside scenery.

*Go Oklahoma City Thunder!

Alumni Love

~ Crystle ~ 4 Comments

Okay, so it had been a few years since I had done the whole college scene of tailgating. I thought, why not revisit those days and drag a friend along in the meantime? Jordan is such a good sport. We walked up to campus corner to shop around and indulge in the festivities. As a U of Maryland graduate, Jordan was really caught up on the rivalry colors. She didn’t want to be dressed as an accidental Texas Tech fan! I pretended I knew what their colors were to quell her concerns. Still do not know. Confession time, Jordan!

I was an incoming freshman college guide, so I had all these historical pieces of information to contribute to our walk. Such as:

This fountain has indigenous rocks from every county in Oklahoma. That’s 77 counties, folks! Make a wish.

This man is wearing an Oklahoma jersey. Fact!

Jordan is pretty. Fact!

Food is delicious. Another well known fact.

Ahh, some friends and I had brunch at Blu. This salad was amazing.We all poked around each other’s plates too. Samples for everyone!

Jordan is totally guilty of planking! Now I need to try to get her to attempt Batmanning!

Cherokee Gothic architecture, so magestic!

Hey weeping willow, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t get all tangled in my hair. But let’s make it look fun anyways. This weekend was so fun. I love my friends, University and camera.

Boomer!