Yesterday was the first Saturday, in over a month, that I was able to sit at home, in my bed, and marathon watch Criminal Minds. This is what I typically do every Saturday morning. But for the past month, I haven't been living my typical life. I have been traveling. And as much as I love to travel, it is nice every once and a while to wake up on a Saturday morning and realizing that you can lay in bed as long as you want. After about hour 3 of criminal minds, I thought I would make myself useful and start blogging about all the great experiences I've had the past month.
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA (AUG 25 – AUG 29)
My travels started on August 25th. I was in Palo Alto, California for a week of work. I went to help with an XXUX event at the Groupon PA Office. I love visiting the PA office. I have so many great friends there. It is alway reenergizing to see these amazing people. There is such a difference in the office culture there, even though we all work on the same team for the same company.
I had the pleasure of sitting next to our VP of Design, Elissa Darnell, for the week. I have always respected her but during this week I really came to understand how amazing this woman is. Let me be clear that sitting next to the VP isn't all fun and games. About 3 hours before the event, Elissa turned to me and asked if I would live tweet the event for that evening. Our design team's twitter account hasn't been active since 2012... and no one even knows the password. So I was tasked with starting a new account. Somehow I am now responsible for tweeting for our team. Please follow us so I can look super twitter savvy. @Groupon_Design
In addition to hanging out with co-workers, walking around Palo Alto, and schmoozing with some pretty cool Bay Area women, I was able to catch up with a high school friend, Leah. Leah is recently married and it was so cool to catch up with her and try one of the best burgers I've ever had at Refuge. I also got to play Exploding Kittens with Leah and her husband Pearce.
An evening stroll through Stanford's Campus
I mean, people go to college here!
The amazing Elissa Darnell
Jay teaches us how to design for the Apple Watch
Sebastian gives some pointers on mobile design
Jamie, Janet, and I pose at the photo booth
(a picture of a picture of a picture. so meta)
OREGON (AUG 29 – SEPT 1)
My business trip to PA actually came at the perfect time. Loren and I had planned a trip to The Pacific Northwest for the following week so instead of flying back to Chicago, I flew straight to Portland!!
I was able to spend the night with my friend Rachael. Rachael is the founder of The Paraders. She was the first person to give me an internship. She is such an inspiring person and it was so cool to catch up with her and see Portland through her eyes.
The next day, I picked up some doughnuts from Blue Star then got Loren from the airport. We got lunch at Pok Pok and some ice cream at Salt & Straw. We headed to our Airbnb on Mississippi Ave. The first day we walked around then watched Jurassic Park at a drive in underneath The Ross Island Bridge!
Flying into Portland
Jurassic Park Drive In
Day three we hopped in our rental car and drove to the coast. Loren downloaded an app that showed all the Goonies film locations. We started at the Haystacks then drove up the coast to Astoria. When we got back to Portland we went to a Ducktails show at Mississippi Studios. The opener was The Parson Redheads, which if I'm being honest, was much better than the headliner.
Outside the County Jail and Oregon Film Museum
Inside the jail where they filmed The Goonies
Astoria! That bridge goes to Washington!
Day four we explored Portland. We hit up Voodoo Doughnuts, Powell's Books, and Laurelhurst Park. Later we went and saw Straight Outta Compton at the Hollywood Theater. Which I will say, I got some creepy vibes in the bathroom. That theater has got to be haunted.
The pond at Laurelhurst Park.
The next day we packed up our stuff and returned the key to our Airbnb. Before we left, I had to throw my gray Keds away because while we were at The Haystacks a big wave attacked us and since then, my shoes had let off an offensive odor. We left them at the corner of Mississippi and Shaver. I know if sounds irresponsible and borderline littering, but there are shoes all over the sidewalks of Portland. So we wanted to contribute.
We hopped in the car and drove to Over Easy Bar and Breakfast, a bar featured on Bar Rescue! It was ok. I mean I could see why they needed to be rescued. You go their because it was on tv, not because the food is actually good, but those biscuits were great!! However, the bathroom was not great. In hindsight, I should have walked across the street to use the gas station bathroom. After a breakfast we hopped in the car and drove to Seattle!!
SEATTLE (SEPT 1 – SEPT 4)
We drove into Seattle, dropped off our stuff at the Airbnb and returned the rental car. We grabbed dinner at Spinasse in Capitol Hill. We walked around, stopped in to a record store and a few other shops. We grabbed some ice cream at Molly Moon's then stopped by Capitol Cider where we tried a ginger flight! On our way home we stopped by a Trader Joes to grab some groceries to make some meals for the next few days.
Seattle! We have arrived.
The next day we learned that only tourists use umbrellas when it's raining. Luckily it only lasted for about 10 min. We met a crotchety old bus driver (who knew math— 2x2.5 is $5!!) as we headed to Pike's Market. After walking around the market, we saw the aquarium and took a boat tour. Then we headed to Gas Works Park to watch the sunset. Once it was dark we headed up to the observation deck at the Space Needle. We took a Lyft home and of course, our Lyft driver was Mormon who had spent his college years in Utah where he "had some friends from Logan."
No trip to Seattle would be complete without a trip to Pike's.
Hanging out with the Octopus
I love these little guys!
And I love this little guy!
View from a boat.
Playing at Gas Works
Sunset from Gas Works
Sunset reflecting on the city.
View from the Space Needle
The next day we started at The Space Needle. We bought a city pass that included two trips to the Space Needle, a boat tour, the aquarium, the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, and the zoo. Since this was our last full day in Seattle, we decided to visit the rest of the sights on the pass. After The Space Needle, we checked out the Chihuly Museum. Then we went to this amazing Caribbean sandwich place called Paseo. We then walked up to the zoo where we fell in love with the Japanese River Otters. We then went back to Capitol Hill where we check out Montana Bar and then got some pie at Pie Bar. We headed back home to pack for our departure to Vancouver!
View from the Space Needle during the day
The Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum
View of the Space Needle from Chihuly
Best sandwich I've ever had!
Ginger monkeys grooming each other
Japanese River Otters
I am so happy it's apple pie season.
VANCOUVER (SEPT 4 – SEPT 7)
The next day we headed to the Amtrak station for our train to Vancouver. When we arrived, an employee at the station said that our train was actually a bus. After a 2.5 hour bus ride we arrived at the border where we went through customs. About a half hour later we arrived in Vancouver where Loren's uncle met us at the train station. He took us to the Olympic Village where we looked at the bay and some of the art and parks in that area. We then went with Loren's uncle, aunt, and cousin to Jericho Beach to watch the sunset.
View of the Bay from Olympic Village
Steps into the harbor at Olympic Village
Loren on a rooftop at Olympic Village
Drift wood at Jericho Beach
View of the mountains from Jericho Beach
View of downtown Vancouver from Jericho Beach
Jericho Beach Sunset
Loren taking a time lapse of the sunset
The next day we borrowed Loren's uncle's car and drove up highway 99 to get to Whistler Mountain. On our way, we stopped at Shannon Falls. Then we took a short walk to the Sea to Sky Gondola. (Kudos to their branding and great user experience, both online and in real life). We took the Gondola to the top of the mountain for some great views of the sea! We took the gondola back to our car then continued our journey to Whistler. after searching for parking for about an hour, we took the Gondola to the top of Whistler, checked out the views, then headed back down the mountain via Gondola. We went back home and hung out with Loren's awesome family.
Shannon Falls
Loren and I checking out the sea
Great views from the sky
Loren snapping pics from the Gondola
Gondola ride up to Whistler
Me posing for a pano on Whistler
On top of Whistler
The next day we started by going up to the Capilano River Hatchery. This is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. This is a place where salmon swim upstream every year to lay their eggs. The eggs hatch at the hatchery and then the fish swim downstream to the ocean. After about 4-7 years the fish return to the same hatchery to lay their eggs. I got a video of the salmon swimming up stream. It is one of the most inspiring acts of perseverance I have ever witnessed. Check out the video below, some of those fish are literally flying!
After the hatchery, we went to the Capilano Suspension bridge. They charged like $40 to go to the bridge but after we entered the park it was more like an educational Disneyland. They had people dressed up in period clothing, tour guides telling stories about the family who built and own the bridge, and you got to go on the suspension bridge and a cliff walk. The cliff walk was a small walkway suspended from a cliff. I do not like heights. I did not think this was fun. After Capilano, we went to Granville Island. The island is underneath the Granville bridge and is full of art galleries, food markets, local shops, and large seagulls. We had dinner along the bay and walked around the shops. We got a bay tour on one of the water taxis from the Island. After Granville Island, we went back to Jericho Beach to watch the sunset for our last night of vacation.
Totem exhibit at Capilano
I am pretending this is fun.
Loren didn't even need to hold the railing
View from the restaurant patio on Granville Island
View of the water homes from our water taxi
Jericho Beach at dusk
CHICAGO (SEPT 7 – SEPT 15)
The next day we flew back to Chicago. I loved Vancouver and I would absolutely live there. (Depending on how next year's election goes, that may be sooner than later...)
Two days after I arrived home, my sister Hollie, sister-in-law Ashley, and my nieces Haili and June came to visit me in Chicago!! I love having visitors because I get to see my city as a tourist. We mostly just had really good food and checked out the local parks, rode the water taxi, and walked around the neighborhoods. I really enjoyed my vacation but being able to tour my city the same week I got back made me realize how lucky I am to live in such an amazing place!
Haili's first subway ride
June's first subway ride
Haili enjoying some Lillies Q
June stealing some Jeni's ice cream
Haili playing at Groupon HQ
The girls on State Street (Chicago Theater in back)
Hollie getting some cupcakes from the Sprinkles ATM
June patiently waiting for Loren to come over
Walking past Sears Tower
Toddler cone from Scooters Frozen Custard
THE BEAN
Playing at the new playground at Millennium Park
Buckingham Fountain with Baby June
At the fountain with Haili
The Signature Room! It looks like June is the only one who had something to drink...
I closed on my first home on April 3. I've taken the last few weeks to move in and make the place my own. After a lot of painting, numerous trips up three flights of stairs, and many many uber rides home from Home Depot, I am officially ready to reveal my new home!!
I thought it would be really fun to show before and after pics. The before pics are the ones that were used to list the property when it was on the market. The after pics were taken with my little iPhone 6 camera… So please bare with the amateur photography.
So let's start with the Living Room!
Now the Kitchen!
Here's my bedroom!
And the spare bedroom / my office!
The Bathroom!
And of course, the deck!
There are a few things in my new home that came with the place and other things that I purchased. I just wanted to show them off!
Shower Organizer from Target
Custom shelving installed by yours truly and Loren! from Home Depot and Ikea The tallboy dresser is from the Randolph Street Market
My matching set of Lane side tables from Furniture Underground
Sleek laundry hamper from West Elm
Shelving came with the place and various prints from Brika.com and Grunt Monkey.
Origami Curtains from Target
Awesome inverted shelves from Ikea.
Key holder clock from West Elm
Dish drying rack from Ikea
My succulent stand from West Elm
This whole process of home buying was amazing, scary, exciting, frustrating, and awesome. At the end of the day I have so many people to thank for helping me get through this process!!
My amazing realtor Stephanie Sullivan. Call or email her if you start looking to buy in the Chicagoland area. She is nothing short of amazing. I can't even start to express how grateful I am to her.
My mortgage agent Jeff Coole. He helped me with so many rookie questions and helped me understand more about the mortgage approval process. He was there for me every step of the way… even when my closing day was the same week his first child was born.
Miss Megan Russell. This lady sat by me every day at work and answered all my silly little questions! Not only did she refer me to the best realtor in the city of Chicago, help me find home owners insurance, and give me a kitchen table, but she was just there when I needed someone who understood what I was going through.
Loren's parents Phill and Mary Olsen. The talented Phill Olsen slaved away two weekends in a row changing locks, removing shelves, repairing shotty workmanship, installing bathroom cabinets, and making the living room curtains look perfect. Mary was there day one helping me unpack all the boxes and organizing my kitchen. These guys can't even imagine how helpful they were. That being said, Phill does some great work. Handy man is an understatement. If you need anything repaired in your place, let me know and I will pass along his info.
Then there was Linzi South and Sam Stivers. Both of them let me use there cars to make Home Depot and Ikea runs. Letting me use their cars for just a few hours saved me hundreds of dollars in rental fees.
And most of all, my amazing, patient, strong, and incredibly understanding better half, Loren. He went on almost every single apartment showing with me. He held me when I got frustrated with the buying process. He helped me make lists of pros and cons so I could decide which place I liked more. He moved my whole apartment up three flights of stairs. In one day. He was excited for me the day I got the keys and is still excited when I talk about how much I love my new vacuum. This process would have seriously sucked without him.
Home buying is a crazy yet super rewarding process. If you have any questions about the process, please let me know. I would love to help you out!
The house warming is in a few weeks and I can't wait for everyone to see the place!!
It's been a while sine my last post, but I've been busy with a few projects that I will be updating the blog with this week.
The first project I wanted to share was my new Etsy!
In my last post, I showed off some of the t-shirt pillows I made as Christmas gifts. I got such a response from these pillows that I decided to make more and sell them on my Etsy shop Britty Jane.
I am so excited about the amazing progress the shop has made in the last month. My pillows are being added to many Etsy users' favorites and added to curated Etsy collections. I've actually even sold a few!
I was also approached for a feature in the blog Design Feast.
While I love the attention my shop is getting, I just love so many things about doing this project.
1- I love that it allows me to be creative in a different way than I am creative in my day job.
2- I have found a way to preserve unused t-shirts.
3- I finally have found something to use my sewing machine on!
I hope to add more pillows soon. That being said, if you have any t-shirts you would like made into a pillow, please let me know! You can contact me at me@brittany-campbell.com for any custom orders!
Last year, I attempted a DIY Christmas and it proved to be a huge success!! So this year, I tried it again! It was a bit harder than last year but was just as successful!
For Mom + Dad (and my married siblings):
Earlier this year, I did some design work for one of my photographer friends Kristi. (Check out her amazing work at kristialysephoto.com.) Instead of charging her for my work, we did a trade! I designed her logo, business cards, and website in exchange for a family photo shoot. She did my whole family and my married siblings' small families.
Then I printed the family photos, framed them, and gave them to my siblings.
My Teenage Sisters:
I have to admit, the teenagers were the hard ones this year. I was inspired to make their gift one Saturday a few weeks before Christmas while cleaning out my closet. I had these awesome t-shirts that didn't fit me anymore but I couldn't build up the courage to just throw them away. So I was thinking about ways that I could recycle these pillows and give them to my sisters... That's when I thought about pillows!
I just cut out a square section form the t-shirt, turned it inside out, sewed around the edges, stuffed with cotton stuffing, and sewed up the stuffing hole. It only took about 10 minutes per pillow!
Here are a few more pics of pillows I made for kids I babysit and my boyfriend! The best part about these pillows are how soft they are.
My Whovian 6 year old sister:
My 6 year old sis is OBSESSED with Doctor Who! So this year I decided to create her a screen printed TARDIS poster.
A few years ago I created a London is Calling screenprint. I wanted to reuse one of the layers form this screenprint to create the TARDIS. Unfortunately, once I printed the TARDIS layer, it didn't line up with the London is Calling layer... so instead of just scrapping the project, I hand painted the missing layer. Then I framed it!
The Tweens I Babysit:
I've been babysitting Sarah and Natalie for over 6 years!! Last year I gave them home made aprons and they LOVED THEM! So this year I had to do something better. I knew that these girls had a few family vacations planned this year so I tried to think of something they could use on vacation.
After lots of thinking, I decided it would just be best to give them travel bags of just fun things. I should have made the travel bags but I found these ones and thought that they were just too perfect!!
I filled their bags with fuzzy socks, hair chalk, nail polish, candy, and home made hair elastics!
I have a few more gifts that I made so I will be posting more soon!! Enjoy!!
Tonight, while babysitting, as I was trying to get 9 year old Natalie to fall asleep around 10:45pm,(an hour and a half past her bedtime) she suddenly turned over and exclaimed, "I have an idea!" I asked her what her idea was. She explained that she could start a cupcake bakery and she could call it "Natalie's."
In an effort to get her back to sleep, I said, "That's a great idea! Let's sleep on it!" But that wasn't good enough for this rambunctious preteen. She got up and started searched her book case. I asked what she was doing. She replied, "I'm looking for a notebook. I have to draw a logo!" While I really wanted her to go to sleep, I thought this was rather hilarious and I wanted to see what she could come up with.
Just then I heard the downstairs door opening. Her parents were home. Busted. It was 11:00pm. Natalie was to be asleep 2 hours ago. I come down the stairs and explain to the parents that Natalie is indeed still awake however, she is in the process of creating a new cupcake brand and she shouldn't be disturbed.
Natalie runs down the stairs after me and hands me a paper. All while telling her parents that they are not allowed to see what the paper is. I look at the paper and find a logo for Natalie's cupcake business.
So, once I got home, I thought that this logo was so cute, I decided to actually make little Natalie's logo come to life. A half hour later and this is where I landed.
Definitely not the world's best logo, nor my best design work, however, I think it's good enough for 10 year old Natalie's bakery. I dunno, we'll have to see what Natalie says.
Needless to say, I've been busy. I ran my first half marathon in May and this weekend I will be running the 2014 Chicago Marathon. Training in and of itself takes up a lot more time than I would have ever imagined. I needed to run 3 times during the week (at least a 40 min run each time) and a long run on the weekends. This run started at 6 miles and increased all the way to 20 miles. It was hard work but really, really worth it. Not only am I spending all this time training but I'm also running for an awesome charity called Back On My Feet. It's a great organization that gives hope to those struggling with homelessness. This organization teaches people how to run and in turn helps them establish skills that will translate into other areas of their life.
There are so many people to thank that have helped me in my marathon training. It has been a journey that I seriously wouldn't have been able to do without so many people.
First and foremost, my amazing and wonderful boyfriend, Loren. When we first met, I told him that I was training for a marathon. Instead of being a distraction, he has ran almost every single mile of my training with me. He has stood and cheered for me at every 8k and half marathon. He has nursed me through injuries and encouraged me to keep running when I felt I couldn't. He has kept me on track for a healthy runners diet (except for that one Oreo milkshake). He has cooked me meals when I was too tired to cook after a 12 mile run. He has helped me bake and deliver pastries for Rise and Run, my main method of fundraising. He ran the twenty mile race with me even though it was just hours before one his best friend's weddings. He held me while I fell asleep at 8pm every Sunday night. He comforted me when I cried about injuries and training stress and whatever thing was wrong at that moment. He has honestly been the biggest support. I am so lucky and blessed to have him.
Carmen has been my next biggest support. She's the one who had the big idea of training for a half marathon and the even bigger idea of training for the full marathon. She trained with me and when she was able to build a faster pace she still encouraged me daily to keep training. We ran the same races, she cooked amazing carbo loading meals, and was my partner in crime with Rise and Run. She was aways available to talk about training, express concern for my minor injuries, and even if she didn't know it, she inspired me to do my very best in every run. I am so lucky that I met her when I did. Her friendship and inspiring example has changed me and helped me through a pretty rough time in my life. I can't wait to see her at the finish line!
The next biggest support isn't really a person but a big group of people who have donated to my fundraiser and those who have asked me on a daily basis how my training is. These are people I work with, friends I haven't seen in years, family, and Facebook friends! While your questions and donations seem like small tokens of support, they help in more ways than you can imagine. Running, at any distance, is mostly mental. While my body may be ready, I need the support of all of you to help me push across that finish line at 26.2 miles.
This journey has been more time consuming and emotional than I could have ever imagined. I have found a new respect for anyone training for a marathon but most of all I have found a new respect for myself. While I have not lost a single pound in my training, I have gained more self esteem. I don't look at my dress size or the number on the scale. I look at how far my body can run and how healthy I feel.
There is not a feeling in the world that can make you feel more powerful than running. While I was on a 15 day trip in Europe, a man in Berlin assaulted me on a busy street at 11 in the morning. I felt so helpless and afraid. The incident really effected the way I saw myself and I didn't think I could spend the rest of my trip alone. The next day I woke up and did a 15 mile run along the Berlin Wall Trail. I felt strong and empowered. That man didn't take anything away from me. I had the strength to get up that morning and face a 15 mile run. Running doesn't only make you physically strong, it makes you realize your potential for all kinds of strength.
My training has let me see amazing parts of Chicago and so many other places around the world. At first, running a 15 mile run on vacation seemed like the worst thing to do while I was trying to relax but it ended up giving me one of the best vacation experiences of my life. While training is the hardest part, it was also the best part.
While I am nervous about Sunday, I can't wait until I am able to see that finish line and run past it. Thank you to all of those you have supported me in one way or another these past few months. See you at mile 26.2.
