I have a print shop with images from Whidbey Island here!

This summer I got to travel to Whidbey Island, one of the few islands not too far from Seattle, Washington state. One of my cousins and her family live there and are currently renovating a home on the island they live on. It’s SO beautiful there. Life is slower, more peaceful, so much simpler, away from the chaos but close enough to drive your car onto a ferry and enter the city again if you’re ever feeling land-locked.

I met my cousin’s first child when she was a newborn, and then met her second child when they happened to be in Los Angeles when her second little girl was a toddler. Now both of them are a little older and it was so fun to get to them and their little personalities and catch up with my cousin. She’s so grounded and just connected to the earth, and is just the very definition of walking, peaceful vibes. It was nice to absorb that at that time in my life. I left for that trip not feeling like that like I normally do.

Her girls made me a “Whidbey Island to-do list” to show me around the island. We got to cross off almost everything. This island has good pizza, a great winery, and even better ice cream and sorbet. One beach we went to had berry bushes everywhere where you could grab berries and eat them. I also collected a ton of shells and rocks that you just don’t see here in Los Angeles very often.

Her girls are also in swim lessons right now so when we got to the lake, her oldest daughter and I ended up swimming across Lake Goss and back! She’s 7! She has Hayden blood even though her mother’s name maiden is Kozel. Her mother’s (my aunt) maiden name is Hayden. I think we have a strong adventure gene that’s very dominant. My sister has it, and her daughter has it. And we know I have it!

I love Washington state. I love Seattle. I love the rural parts in Mount Rainier, and I already know I what neighborhood I would buy a home in if I ever won the lotto. OR buy land on one of the islands and build a custom home. I love rain, it has never bothered me, I love the freshness and cleansing it brings and everything in that state is always so GREEN, which also happens to be my favorite color. The Pacific Northwest will always be one of my favorite places.