Monday Motivation

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Friday Roundup

Hi Friends! What are you up to this weekend? P and I are going to spend a romantic weekend-away in Portland. I'm excited to get lost exploring the city just the two of us. 

Here's your weekend roundup!

Adorable couples who have been together a LONG time.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Stuffed Cake Balls. Yes, you heard me right. Sounds divine. 

I finally got some of this and spent 45 minutes putting it on today, but it looks great for my weekend away! Also, this is insane to me. 

Yummy Valentine's Champagne Cocktail.

Kitty-made art. Also, famous ladies and their cats.  

Want to impress your sweetie this weekend? How to open beer with a piece of paper.

I'm dying to visit this crazy bookstore in Buenos Aires. 

25 super-duper foods

Loving this iPhone case but need to stop buying iPhone cases.

What do you think of this pick to play Princess Diana in an upcoming film?

Going to be in Seattle this weekend? Check out this crazy Valentine's Day version of the Underworld Tour.

PS. Isn't that picture of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone the best? I love them both. If you haven't seen it, 'Crazy Stupid Love' is a fun V-day weekend flick!

Jet Lag

As a child, when I heard the phrase "jet lag" I always thought people were saying "jet LEG". I assumed it had something to do with walking funny after getting off of a plane. When you think about it, it kind of makes sense, you do sit for a long time in rather tight quarters on planes which could result in leg cramps.

I was the sort of kid who chose to use her deductive reasoning skills (read: wild imagination) instead of asking questions when confused. Basically, I thought I was a lot smarter than I actually was. In elementary school,  I remember thinking the word "applause" said "applesauce" and wondered why we were all supposed to clap our hands when this gigantic neon sign flashed "applesauce" above a middle aged man dressed in tights at a school assembly. He was supposed to be a superhero who fought crime using math or something. Because 500 elementary school kids shouting multiplication tables stops bad guys, duh.

One time, my dad's friends visited from Kentucky. The only Kentucky I knew of was the Kentucky Fried Chicken down the road. I thought my mom was pretty strange to make such a big deal about these people coming from a place we passed every day on the way to my preschool.  My mom knew someone who's son worked at that Kentucky Fried Chicken and had heard a rumor that some of the other employees spit in the batter. I don't think I ate at a KFC until I was a teenager, but I definitely spent a few years thinking that my dad's friends were the batter-spitting employees and wondering why they only rarely left their restaurant.

The point of all this rambling. I'm home from my trip and totally jet lagged, which for me, means that I'm up at 3 AM remembering embarrassing things from childhood and posting them online for all to see.

(Photo: Me aged 6 with my dad and cute blonde sister. Yes, I had a mullet and wore glasses. Lets call me a hipster and pretend that I look cool, ok?)

PS. More fun posts with Africa pictures and such will be forthcoming. 

Traveling Light: The Perfect Piece of Luggage

With Jenny on her way home from Africa today I have air travel on the mind. This summer Patrick and I spent three fabulous weeks traipsing around Europe before making the move from Dublin back to Seattle. We booked a lot of our travel on RyanAir and were therefore confined to one extremely small piece of carry-on luggage each (10kg with maximum dimensions of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm). I challenge you to measure how small this is!! RyanAir measures and weighs your bag before you get on the flight and if it doesn't fit their regulations they charge you 40 euros to check it. 


It was sort of miserable trying to pack three weeks worth of travel items into one tiny piece of luggage, but guess what? I LOVED traveling light!  It was so convenient to have such a small bag while traveling on train, plane and automobile. I never had to struggle to get the bag up stairs or through a small door (okay, okay, who am I kidding? Patrick carried my bag most of the trip, as evidenced by the photo below). 


The tiny suitcase that I bought is one of my favorite things now. It's perfect for weekend or even week-long travel and it forces me to be very strategic about what I pack (lots of accessories to jazz up the same outfit!) 

This is P carrying all of our luggage in Amsterdam: his backpack and my mini-roller. 

Sharing earphones on the plane. 

Here is an adorable suitcase combo with packing list from Apartment Therapy. Also, their choices for best pieces of luggage. 


How to avoid luggage check in fees. 


This expensive collapsible Lipault orange bag is to die for. O Magazine even voted it the Best Soft Wheelie.


Great tips we used on how to pack for RyanAir.


Also, a hilarious must-read for frequent travelers, 12 of the Most Baffling Airplane Passengers.


PS. How I feel about seeing Jenny tonight:  

Heading Home

Today is our last day in Kenya. By the time you read this, I will be on a plane, soaring over the continent. I've heard about a place where you can feed giraffes and INSISTED that we go there today before our flight.

For now, here is our trip summed up in numbers.

3...Flights to get here.
2...Number of movies staring Ryan Gosling I watched on the plane.
10...Mosquito bites on me.
A TON...The best way to quantify the number of mosquito bites on Jason. He's my personal mosquito magnet. A quality I definitely recommend looking for in choosing a husband.
465 GB...Of pictures and video captured and there is still more to download.
64...Instagram pictures posted by Jason. Follow us on instagram! @jkoephoto and @jennykoekoe
80...approx. amount of Kenya Shillings that equal $1 USD.
2...Drivers we had named Edward.
13...Number of times my hair was braided by girls at Cura Orphanage.
2...Times we drove across the equator.
1...Huge cockroach, that I discovered hitching a ride IN MY BAG at the airport in Kisumu. I (calmly) flung him out and he scurried towards the departure gates only to be stomped on by a Kenyan who seemed unfazed by this giant bug running at him.
50ish...Soapstone carvings purchased from a fair trade shop that sells to places like World Market. I will be writing a full post on this place later.
30%...  Of the population that is HIV positive in Mbita, where Construction for Change is partnering with MED 25 to build a new clinic.
4...Recipes for things I've eaten here that will be tried at home and blogged about.
100,000...approximate number of farmers that will be served by One Acre Fund this year.
5...Clothing items that I lugged half way around the world only to carry in my suitcase and not wear once the entire time we were here. To be fair, one was a raincoat, something I would have been glad to have if the rainy season had started early.
83F...Temperature in Nairobi today. Perfect for us to enjoy our last day here!

(Giraffes on the mara photo taken by Jason. Picture of us taken at the soapstone place by our second driver named Edward, who was awesome.)

Monday Motivation

Some wisdom from Dr. Seuss for you today...

What cause do you care about? And what do you do to show you care?

Friday Roundup

HAPPY FRIDAY!! I'm very excited to see the sun shining in Seattle! After spending the whole weekend cooped up sick last week I'm planning to be outside as much as possible this weekend. Also, the Super Bowl. Which I am excited about because 1) it marks the END of football season! 2) yummy food and drinks (see below) 3) hilarious commercials!

What do you have planned for the weekend? Hope it's a great one!

Friday Roundup hot off the press:

Extremely cool rooftop.

Our First Lady is AWESOME. Also, this.

Hilarious "Brownie Burgers" for your Super Bowl Party.

Three more easy Super Bowl recipes from Smith & Ratliff.

This mirror, yes.

50 things you might not know about Africa.

Nail art galore.

Need a smile? Cat paws.

How to use the Internet ;)

My dream kitchen. 

Sh*t Girls Say about Money.

(photo is of the Beatles pillow fight, Paris, 1964)