As promised, I’ll be finishing up my Blend recap today with some random thoughts from the trip, all #thinkingoutloud style! No idea what I’m going on about? Click here!
1. You know that feeling that you’ve forgotten something important that hits you when you’re all packed up and ready to head out the door for a trip? I get that all the time and it usually turns out to be a false alarm, which is probably why I didn’t think much of it when it hit me as I was getting ready to head to the airport to catch my flight to Utah. Unfortunately, I did end up forgetting something this time around — the lunch I packed for my trip. Luckily, my dad was driving me on his way to work and I was able to ninja his lunch. Thank goodness because it was pretty much the only savoury meal I had all weekend — it was all oats, nut butters, bars, dried fruit, chocolate, and yogurt. Fresh veggies were kind of hard to come by, and I heard the same thing from other people. The baby carrots I picked up from whole foods ended up being worth their weight in gold.
2. Speaking of Whole Foods, lookit what I brought home with me!
It was one of the few chocolate bars I came across that didn’t contain traces of peanuts, and thank goodness for that because it sounds freaking amazing. And deadly.
3. Another thing that made its way home with me was this mug…
My flight back home included a layover in Seattle, and you’d better believe I made a beeline for Bux as soon as I stepped out of the gate. One of these days I will make it out to Pike Place Market…
4. Can we talk about my last flight home for a second? The one from Seattle to Edmonton? It was on a plane that had propellers…
I’ve flown on smaller planes before, but this one definitely took the cake for being the smallest. Imagine my shock as I walked through the gate only to have to walk down a flight of stairs, out onto the runway, and up a set of stairs to my teeny, tiny plane. The flight itself was surprisingly smooth (if a little freaking LOUD), but the landing was a whoooooole other story. Thank goodness I’m not a nervous flyer.
5. It was wonderful to see these again, though…
My Rockies 😀 The mountains in Utah are different from the mountains we have here in Alberta… more gentle, less… well… rocky. Still a blast to be up in, though. I’ve been bitten by the hiking bug and was planning to head out to Banff or Jasper this weekend, but the weather is supposed to suck so I pushed it back until next weekend. Fingers crossed that the sun comes out!
6. The elevation in Utah, though… holy shitake mushrooms. Park City is 7,000 ft. above sea level — Edmonton is 2,200 ft. Let’s just say that breathing was an interesting experience… as were the constantly dry/burning lips and the dry/bleeding nose. I have no idea how people run in that air and on those hills. I was dying.
7. Speaking of dying… remember my fruit fly problem? Well, they disappeared for a little while, but I made the mistake of leaving a banana out on the counter while I was gone and there was literally a cloud of flies surrounding it when I got back. That’s okay — I was prepared. Enter a little bowl of ACV mixed with a few drops of dish soap. Let’s just say it really does work…
The only downside is that your kitchen smells like ACV, which I’m not a huge fan of.
8. I’m also not a huge fan of the fact that Justin’s almond butter apparently isn’t peanut-free anymore.
Imagine my disappointment when I hit up the Whole Foods in Park City all excited to finally get my hands on some almond butter, only to discover that none of the jars of Justin’s AB had the “peanut-free” label on them anymore. What gives?!?! They didn’t have the “may contain traces” label either, but I didn’t want to take any chances. I’ll have to e-mail them and ask. Actually, I think I’ll do that right now. Be right back…
9. Ok, back — keep your fingers crossed for me! Wait, wait… already got my reply (this is what happens when you sporadically sit down to write your post throughout the day). And the verdict isssss….
Success! Now I’m seriously kicking myself for not stocking up. Anyone wanna send me a jar? Or… 10? I wish I was kidding 😯
10. And because I really love you guys, and I know you guys really love Quest bars, I’m ending today’s post with a giveaway that I think you might like. Quest was one of the sponsors at Blend, and they hooked us up with our very own box of bars…
Awesome, right? Yes! Well… except for the fact that I can’t eat them because of my allergies #peskypeanuts 😡 But my loss is your gain because I’ll be giving away my box to one of you guys!
Up for grabs is a box of 12 assorted bars. The giveaway is international so anyone can enter, and I’ll be announcing the winner next Thursday, June 19th. Good luck!
No questions… just tell me whatever comes to your mind! 😀
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I used to be a nervous flyer, but when I first moved to Edmonton I got a job working in Labrador, and it was at a fly-in camp. I had to fly in small planes (probably much like the one you were in) every month, and let’s just say having to land in St. John’s in the wintertime can get pretty sketchy. It definitely helped getting rid of my fear of flying! The smallest plane I had to be in had one row of seats ONLY, and a little aisle to get through. They are crazy loud and cold!!
No food allergies here, and I’ve never tried quest bars but have heard great things about them!
I am not really a nervous flyer, but as I have gotten older I think about it more and sometimes get nervous especially when there is turbulence. A drink or two usually helps:)
I often think about how much more fearless I used to be as a little kid — ignorance really is bliss!
OMG that potato chip chocolate looks sensational / outrageous!!! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it. And how interesting about the Justin’s Almond Butter… smart of them to remove the label, just in case there was confusion between the jars and squeeze packs! And it’s the worst when fresh veggies are hard to come by, I bet those baby carrots totally hit the spot!
I’m surprised they didn’t have much veggies at Blend. Sounds like a lot of sugar!
I’ll have to remember that trick next time I have a fruit fly problem. I would rather my kitchen smell like ACV than have those annoying little buggahs everywhere!
Thankfully I have no allergies!! I used to break out in hives as a small child when I ate strawberries but I think it was more about how MANY I ate at a time 😉 Thankfully I don’t have that problem with them anymore! I always feel so sad for people with peanut allergies 🙁 It really is unfair!
Gotta say, that potato chip chocolate bar is AWESOME. I’ve also had the bacon one and the dark chocolate/orange. Both heavenly (but maybe not peanut free ?).
I don’t really get nervous about flying since I travelled a lot my whole life. The only time I get nervous is when there’s a lot of turbulence!
I love flying! I usually have no problem, but on a recent trip to Australia they couldn’t get the engines started. That was a bit of a nail-biter!
For your sake, I REALLY hope that Justin’s is peanut free. That would be so sad if it wasn’t 🙁 Also… that chocolate bar looks to die for. That is truly sweet/salty at its finest!
I don’t mind flying at all. On the topic of food, I can’t eat wheat because of celiac disease and I have several other food allergies (dairy, garlic, papaya, etc).
I LOVE TO FLY! I would be a flight attendant if I could
That is so weird they changed the packaging !!! I would be kicking myself for not stocking up too Justin’s AB is amazing. 🙂
Fortunately I don’t have any allergies but I am gluten intolerant – so Quest bars would be an awesome prize for me! No flying fears, I love being in the air – I’m not a big fan of takeoff though…
I love Justin’s Almond Butter! And also Quest bars! Great giveaway! I just linked up with you for the first time. 🙂 Thanks for hosting!
Ummm, so we totally need to plan a Banff hiking date. Seriously!! Except I’m a bit of a wimp, but I’m fun, so hopefully that negates the wimpiness 🙂
Would you seriously be down for it?!? Jo is running a half in Banff in two weeks (June 22nd I think?), and I told her I’d visit. We need to plan something!
I was going to run that – but I decided it would be a bad idea a few weeks after my crazy race.
And yes, I’d totally be up for meeting you in Banff on the 22 🙂
Ah Amanda!
Sounds like you had a ball at Blend Retreat!
To be honest, I actually only flew for the first time last year December! It was also just a domestic flight (read: 1 hour) but I did find it scary on the take-off!
Food allergies, none. Thank goodness not peanuts because OMG peanuts and peanut butter is my kryptonite! 😛
I don’t mind flying but my stomach gets iffy on landings. I am fructose intolerant and partially lactose intolerant, so annoying! But I love quest bars
I’m terrified of flying!
I am not a nervous flyer thank goodness…. but I do get motion sick. Thankfully I can take something to ease that awful feeling. And no food allergies-woohoo!!
P.S. I love the ACV/dish soap trick to get rid of fruit flies! I done it before and it works wonders!
I’m a super nervous flier but I think everyone already knows that 😉 I hateeeee propeller planes so I’m glad it was you rather than me! AND, as long as you pay for the Justin’s and the shipping, I’ll totally send a case your way. No joke! Send me an email – I have about 50 Whole Foods within a 10-mile radius of me here in Chicago.
Oh girl, you’re going to have quite a few people trying to get their hands on those quest bars! Me included! 😉 I don’t have a fear of flying, unless you count the fear that my flight will get messed up, like the time the hubs and I sprinted through the Miami airport like we were in the movies. Ah!
And no food allergies, thank goodness!
I am SO sorry you didn’t stock up on Justins because the allergy label was MIA. :o( :o( :o( Sad panda!
Thankfully, I do not have any allergies -which I’m aware of, anyway- so I can gobble up almost anything. And I do not have a fear of flying at all. I believe if you’re life is set to end at a certain moment, you might as well make the best out of anything and live without fears. (Aside from spiders because the way they move is NOT cool)
No to both of your questions. Sometimes if there’s a lot of turbulence I get a little nervous, but I do pretty well otherwise.
No food allergies, thank the lord! And I usually enjoy flying. As long as I don’t have to share half my seat, and I can have a window spot, I’m a happy camper 🙂
Totally with you on the window seat! I can’t imagine not being able to look outside.
I’m not a nervous flyer now, but I USED to be, when I was a kid! Mostly because I had horrible pain in my ears from the elevation:(
I am not a nervous flyer until it comes to taking off and descending. Those are the two worst parts about flying but otherwise I love it! I love hanging out in the airport and getting some starbucks ☺️ Also, seeing all the people always makes me realize how many people there are in this world that we just see one day and never seen again.. It’s crazy!
I also do not have any allergies but am so happy to hear Justin’s is peanut-free because it’s so good, especially the Vanilla Almond Butter! I’m in love
I’m not a nervous flyer at all! I love it! I’m actually flying to Sarasota, FL next Wednesday for a few days of fun in the sun! I cannot wait!
Luckily I’m not a nervous flier, the worst thing for me is my inability to sleep on planes. It makes 12 hour flights unbearable !
I am a nervous flyer. I took my first plane ride last year and dropped a couple of tears.
I’m not a nervous flyer anymore. But back then i was nervous because i used to get a quite painful pressure in my ear.
First of all holy shit there were so many comments to scroll through just now. So many that I forget the question I had to answer for the giveaway. Errrr… gimme a sec to think. Ugh I have to scroll up.
Okay so I am a sort of nervous flyer. It still blows my mind that planes can stay in the air?!?! Like they’re so heavy. Little planes do make me nervous, and propellers are pretty old school, so I might have had a panic attack on that plane.
I cannot even imagine seeing a cloud of bugs like that. omg.
How are those chocolate potato chip thingies? I see them everywhere and can’t decide if they’re worth the money or not…
I’m feelin’ you on the veggies at Blend. Ashley and I have never been so excited to see a big bowl of green leaves when we were at Cafe Rio on Saturday evening!
Ermagherd SO good. Perfect combination of sweet and salty. This might be a problem…
I’m less of a nervous flyer than a cranky flyer. waiting in lines all day then sitting around waiting drives me crazy!
Total Canadian problems with the lack of good almond butter and Whole Foods. Can they come here ASAP pretty please. My brother has a peanut allergy so I’m in the same boat with the peanut free life, well most of the time unless I’m on vacation, hehehe. Glad to see that you still travel though! Love the contest, Thanks!
That plane ride would have killed 😐 not a good flyer AT ALL
I’m not a nervous flyer at all–I think it’s so fun! 🙂
Thanks for the giveaway!
The rockies here are SO beautiful though – and great for snowboarding!! 🙂 🙂
#truestory Is it horrible that I’m already looking forward to the winter? 😆