So I'm Kristen. I live in Bellingham, Washington. The City of Subdued Excitement. (That's seriously what it's called. For reals.) My crew consists of Ben the Boyfriend and Addy the Kitten. I grew up in Seattle, Washington with two brothers (both younger), two parents (both older), and some assorted pets of the hamster/guinea pig variety (and an ill-fated cat).
In June of 2008 I graduated from Seattle Central Community College with an Associate of Applied Science in Apparel Design and Services. Essentially, I learned to hone my sewing skills and utilize production manufacturing techniques while making clothing, accessories and soft luggage, as well as pattern making (accurate to within 1/32 of an inch!), tailoring, alterations, specification packages, technical drawings, color theory, and fabric designing. I did my internship at R.E.Load, which is a custom messenger bag company that used to have a location in Seattle. I had so much fun cutting and sewing bags and accessories! The sewing machines they use are super duty, and those things shook an entire room (there was usually five of them going at once)! Anyway, one of the things R.E.Load taught me was to not be intimidated by fabric. We sewed through layers and layers of cordura and vinyl on machines that made the loudest noises EVER, and I survived. Whew! After I graduated I couldn't decide if I wanted to search for work in the apparel industry in Seattle, of which the bigguns included Nordstrom, Eddie Bauer, and Tommy Bahama (in addition to many smaller indie ventures). Not ready to quit my bartending gig at a popular spot on Capitol Hill, but also not wanted my sewing skills to slack, I started teaching myself how to quilt. I figured it would keep me occupied until I figured out what I want to do with my life.
In October of 2008, I got into a pretty decent (um, bad) car accident. After that, I decided I don't want to be afraid to try new things. I don't have to master one thing before I start something new. Life is just too damn short. And eventually it became my tagline, "I'm Into Being Into Things". It's not like a motto or a mantra for life, I don't (usually) have commitment issues or anything, I just changed my thought process and therefore my way of going about things. Not easy to do for some (especially me...creature of habit, this one!). But progress rather than perfection. I guess, if anything, that's my mantra.
In late 2009, Ben and I moved to Bellingham from Seattle with no real expectations, no jobs, and no kittens. We're still working on some of those things...we got a kitten though, so check that off the list! And now here I am, doing stuff and blogging about it. It's a good life up here. We are making plans, taking steps into action, (progress) and figuring it out as we go (not perfection!!!).
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy every minute!
In case that wasn't enough for ya, here are some random facts about yours truly.
I love coffee. This may have an affect on my tendency to be a night owl and not a morning person. I can be a snob about my coffee, too. I'm not the biggest Starbucks fan (which is generally what people think when I say I love coffee and I'm from Seattle). I generally prefer smaller roasters like Stumptown and Tony's. Hmmmm. Coffee. My drink of choice: Americano. I usually drink it iced, even in the winter. Something about not having to wait for the hot coffee to cool off. 2 Splendas, no cream. Perf. (perf is to perfect as vacay is to vacation.)
One of my favorite things is leaving the hair salon with "that" hair. You know, that totally-unattainable-at-home hair that only happens when someone else does it for you. Sigh. Plus, the head massage during the shampoo....to die for! I just had my bangs trimmed today but splurged on a shampoo and blowout so I totally have "that" hair right now. Yessssssss.
Both of my grandfathers led very unique lives in completely different ways. My mom's father was a magician, singer, and entertainer aboard cruise ships. Seriously. He had a top hat and belonged to a magician's society and everything. I grew up wanting to be a magician's assistant so I could wear sparkley dresses and play with bunnies. My dad's father was a senator in the Kennedy era. In fact, he was very close to JFK and worked as his right hand man. He was known as the "Silent Senator". Any Kennedy buffs out there? Well, Google it. He even has a Facebook page (which is creepy when he shows up in my recommended friends, because he passed away almost 20 years ago!).
My kitten is named after a Battlestar Galactica character. This is my boyfriend's fault. He desperately wanted her to have a rank, so we settled on Admiral so I could call her Addy (and pretend she was named after Kate Walsh's character on Private Practice, Addison Montgomery). This wasn't enough, so he gave her the full name Admiral Bill Adama from Battlestar Galactica. If you don't know the show (and people, I do not know the show nor claim to), this is apparently Edward James Olmos's character, and the same show they say "frack" instead of the eff word.
I'm a bit of a tomboy at heart. Growing up I played with the boys (especially when I could convince them to play Barbies, which usually involved a wedding with GI Joe). I still hang with the dudes. I just never related to the girly girl thing. Right now I'm probably as girly as I've ever been.Meaning, I wear dresses and skirts without an occasion, I'm not afraid of pink anymore, etc. but I'm still happiest in my jeans and hoodie.
After being a bartender in Seattle for a few years, I decided I wanted to try a new field when we moved up here. So I got a job working in a dog grooming salon. I had no idea how much I would love working with dogs! Now I really want one of my own. I love my kitten to death, but she def needs a playmate. Right? Cats like dogs, right?? =) (btw, that's not me in the picture. it's my lovely former co-worker and general manager of the bar I used to work at. super cool picture tho, huh?)
I have a HUGE sweet tooth. One of my favorite treats is ice cream. One of my favorite flavors is super embarrassing to buy at the store. It's called "Take the Cake" from Dreyer's and it's basically birthday cake flavored ice cream. A close second is cookie dough, followed by Butterfinger, and anything with peanut butter and chocolate. My boyfriend says when it comes to food, I have the palette of a kindergartener. Whatever, dude! So what if I only like things that are YUMMY??!!
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