Peace and Love [tie-dye]
Don’t feel like shopping, but want to spice up your wardrobe? Channel those groovy hippies and tie-dye some clothes! Tie-dye shirts are great to make with a big group of friends, because the dye that has to be purchased is way more than enough for one person.
You can tie-dye any article of clothing, even socks and underwear! But the most common is a shirt. It is fun to dye them the colors of your school so you can wear them and be spirited. You can also dye cool shapes and designs into your shirt or other article of clothing such as a spiral or a heart.
I have mastered the spiral and the wave, but most of the time I just put my rubber bands wherever and see what cool design it turns out to be. The more random, the better sometimes!
You definitely don’t have to be artistic to do this activity, trust me. This is a fun way to spend the afternoon.
Make sure to do this outside or in a garage, or if you are inside, put plenty of paper or plastic on the floors, as sometimes the dye can get everywhere.
You can buy tie-dye kits at any arts and crafts store and the following video can lead you through the steps of tie-dye so you can create the perfect masterpiece!
Garden d’Lights
Another festive idea for the holidays: visit a light garden. There is one in Bellevue at the Botanical Gardens that is really extraordinary, the Garden d’Lights. There are thousands of Christmas lights hung everywhere. There are scenes set up, and, since it is a garden, there are very diverse trees of all different shapes and sizes that are lit up by colorful lights.
It doesn’t take too long to enjoy the entirety of the garden; it is well worth the time. The viewing is free, but they do accept donations.
This is a great idea for a winter date. Order some venti hot chocolates from the nearest coffee shop (probably a Starbucks, let’s get real) and sip on them to keep warm while taking in the beauty of the holidays. The setting is very quiet, which can be romantic.
Or this is a great place just for a group of friends. Bring a camera and try to fit in with the scenery; ether way you will enjoy yourself and enjoy the holidays a little bit more. Light gardens like these are only here for a month out of the year, so take advantage of it!
Make Your Own Fun Night!
This is an idea for the creative side of a person. Make Your Own Fun Night. This is a night that has to start with absolutely no expectations, and must be completely spontaneous; you can’t plan it a week in advance.
The rules of Make Your Own Fun Night:
- Spontaneously instigated by a person
- About 5 random goals are written out
- Get as dressed up or as dressed down as you would like
- Accomplish all goals before coming back.
- Do not tell anyone what you are doing.
The most important rule is #2: make up random goals. Now this all depends on where the area you are planning on having this Make Your Own Fun Night.
Some good ideas:
-As the note I just recently received: you can impersonate someone or something all night, such as a “she-wolf”. Not that there is any true definition, but it’s definitely fun to take on an alter ego while on adventures.
-Crash a party. See a bunch of people outside of a house, or a really long line to get into a door, but you don’t know anyone there? Make friends with random people or pretend you are a friend of a friend of a friend and by the end of the night everyone will think you fit in and are supposed to be there. Just don’t crash a State Dinner Party.
-Make a goal of how many numbers you can get. Whether you are a guy or a girl, you can go out and get numbers. So turn your charm on and get those numbers!
-Try to get someone to ask for your number (yes, I know this task is much easier for girls than guys, but everyone can do it). This one is a little harder than the previous rule, but the chase only adds something to the night.
-Convince someone to give you something that they are wearing. My personal favorite was when I convinced a guy that his sunglasses would look better on me that on him and he gave them to me. I wore them the rest of the night. A little disclaimer: this should not be stealing something of someone’s; they must willingly give it to you.
-Find a tree to climb; this is harder than most people think, depending on the area. See who can get the farthest up the tree.
-For those 21’ers: see how many drinks you can get purchased for you or make it a goal to karaoke to the most ridiculous song, perhaps the Spice Girls?
-Snipe Hunting: this works so great if one person can convince the rest of the group that snipes are real. Convince the group that they live in the water and then when no one is looking, throw something in the lake or whatever body of water and say it’s a snipe, and then get everyone in the water hunting for the snipe. A midnight swim can be unexpectedly fun.
There are tons of options and the sky is the limit for goals for a Make Your Own Fun Night. The fun part is trying to accomplish them and not let anyone know that you are on a hunt or on the prowl. So get creative and set the bar high! Make Your Own Fun!
Conquering Mountains
Hiking is a great way to spend a nice summer or spring day. There are easy hikes and there are more challenging hikes, but all hikes let you spend your day in nature, with no work to be done, and possibly getting your tan on. I know of many good hikes, but the one that I like the best is hiking Mt. Si in North Bend.
The hike is about 4 miles up and 4 miles down. However, when you get to the top, hikers who have the energy can “scramble” Haystack Rock to the tippy top.
There are extraordinary views of the land at any height at the top. On clear days you can see Seattle and Bellevue.
On the way up, it is full of very steep switchbacks that, on the way down, you can’t help from running along. There are plenty of places to pull over to the side for a quick stop for water or a munch on some trail mix. It is also nice, once in a while, to enjoy the scenery around you, because it truly is magnificent.
If you are thinking about hiking, Mt. Si is only about 40 minutes outside of Seattle and is well worth the trip. I have seen dogs hiking this and families. When done at your own pace, this mountain is very “hikeable” for all people who wish to conquer it.
For more information on Mt. Si, click here. And for more information on hiking in the Northwest, click here.
The Friendly Neighborhood Troll…
The Fremont Troll is a site to see when in Seattle. It has a “googly” eye and is clutching a VW Bug. The troll is unique to Seattle and I don’t think you can call yourself a true “Seattleite” until you have been to it, and perhaps climbed around on it. If you have never seen it before, you have to go now! The Troll is a public piece of art that actually won an award in 1990. It was even featured in the movie 10 Things I Hate About You. There isn’t much more to say about the Troll, you have to experience it yourself, but if you are itching to go somewhere new, that won’t cost you a dime, check it out!
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Anyone living in the Seattle area has to canoe in the arboretum at least once. You can rent a canoe (3 people per boat), and paddle around Lake Washington, across the Cut, and into the arboretum filled with plenty of wildlife, shade, and scenic paths.
I have canoed about 7 times since coming to UW in 2007. I have seen turtles, baby ducklings, herons, and a bald eagle on my adventures. I have gone on long journeys through all the different pathways carved out through the arboretum, or I have gone on a leisurely paddle to suntan on the water.
I’m not recommending it, and I have never done it, but a lot of people have jumped off bridges into the water around the arboretum, so that is often something fun to watch while paddling by.
A good idea is to pack some food before going on an epic canoeing adventure and parking your canoe on the side of the arboretum and set yourself up with a nice picnic in the sun.
I must warn you, however, that canoes are tipped quite frequently, so it is of the utmost importance that paddlers pay attention to the weight distribution. For safety purposes, I usually leave my cell phone and other important electronics on land, unless they are waterproof.
With a valid UW student ID, renting a boat costs only $5.00 an hour, and for the general public $8.50 an hour. For more info, visit the Waterfront Activities website.
So, the next time it’s nice and sunny and warm, go rent a canoe! You can bring your iPod speakers and bump the tunes, or you can sing rounds of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” with your friends as you paddle, either way, the trip will be well worth it.
OMG ROADTRIP?!
I had not even seen the entire episode of The Simple Life starring Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton where they work at the fast food restaurant Sonic and I knew the line, ‘Welcome to Sonic, B!%(#.” The very ridiculous, yet entertaining phrase sparked my friends and I (after we watched the whole episode. and season..) to take a road trip to Sonic. None of us had ever eaten Sonic before and we had never had a reason to go.
Well, even when we went we still didn’t have a reason to go. So, this kind of road trip is great when you need to get out of town. In my case, one of my best friends was kind of sad over one thing or another, but in any case, nothing could cheer her up. So that night, I made a mix CD of our favorite songs and walked over to her room and told her to put her shoes on and that we were leaving.
We spent the whole car ride (about an hour to the closest Sonic) singing at the top of our lungs and dancing. When we got to Sonic, we had to have the true experience so we ordered huge burgers, fries, and milkshakes.
We devoured every single bite of everything. Sonic is a fun place because it is a drive-in type restaurant and you get to stay in your car and eat. We did this, and continued to sing and dance. Needless to say, the people who worked at Sonic were highly amused.
So this is my challenge to you: think of the most ridiculous place that you and your friends have always wanted to go, get in the car, and go! You won’t regret the time spent with friends thinking and doing nothing but singing to songs and driving.
I have had friends drive from Colorado to Las Vegas just to go to an In-N-Out. So what will you pick?
