Cheers, 2018!

pc: Alex Monette

Writing these posts at the start of each year is one of my favorite ways to spend New Year's Day. It helps me to reflect on the year as a whole and gain new perspective on what I thought mattered... and what actually mattered.

This year was a big one for us. Ryan switched careers, his father passed away, then my dad got sick, and moved in with us for a bit, we planned a wedding, and we got married. And those are just the really big things. As I wrote this post, I realized just how much we packed into every month of 2018.

Thank You, 2017

There's been a meme going around the interwebs that goes something like this: "2016: Caterpillar; 2017: Cocoon; 2018: Butterfly." Cheesy? Yes. But also, accurate. At least for me.

2017 absolutely felt like a cocoon year. It started off with me still reeling from a rough 2016. I spent a lot of this year feeling vulnerable and apathetic, aimless and lost. I cried a lot on my way to work, I spent more time journaling than I have in years, I did a lot of going to bed right after I got home from work and I hunkered down for most of the year, not really having the energy or the desire to give much to others. I was just depleted... I couldn't "give" anything because I sort of felt like I had nothing left to give.

And for much of the year, what little I had left seemed to get exhausted by the news. Natural disasters, mass shootings, Trump's latest atrocity... there was never a time where it felt safe and so the cycle of vulnerability followed by my defense strategy of retreat and apathy continued.

But as I sat down yesterday reflecting, prepping this annual recap and looking at pictures from the year I realized that despite months of working through that depression, a lot of good stuff did happen in 2017. For instance, instead of deaths, there were births: 7 of our friends and 6 of my co-workers welcomed new babies into the world. Instead of poor health, there was self-care: unlike 2016 where I was constantly sick and stressed out and googling WebMD about my newly uncovered Lynch Syndrome, I don't think I visited WebMD once this year or had one health-related anxiety attack.

This was the year that Ryan and I began apart and ended engaged; the year that I recommitted to taking care of myself spiritually and healed so much through A Course in Miracles, surfing and solo travel; the year that I got involved by marching in protest, joining ACLU, making frequent calls to my representatives in Congress, donating when I could, making lifestyle changes and learning about important issues; and the year that I really learned how to let go of what wasn't serving me.

Ultimately, I'm thankful for 2017. It may have often been a dark one internally, but I see now how those dark spots were so necessary for what's coming up ahead. Here's a look back at everything that went into it...

Yellowstone National Park

Supervolcano. 

That was the caption that caught my attention when I was scrolling through Instagram photos from a former classmate's road trip earlier this summer. She was in Yellowstone and had just learned that the park was actually a supervolcano, something that was also news to me. 

A quick Google search from a lazy Saturday morning in bed confirmed that Yellowstone is, in fact, a supervolcano. And while the chances of its next eruption occurring during my lifetime are slim, it's still going to erupt again one day. 

And I wanted to be sure I'd seen it before it does and the earth plunges into volcanic winter.

The Ultimate West Coast Road Trip

Today is Memorial Day which means it's officially the start of summer. And the start of summer means... the start of road trip season!

I posted individually about each leg of the 8-day West Coast Road Trip I took last summer, but I wanted to put together a guide for the trip as a whole. And what better day than today, while I was relaxing around the house wishing I had a new road trip lined up for the summer?

Revisiting this trip (one of my favorites of all time!) today made me miss having a trip like this to research and plan out. And a 3000+ mile trip definitely requires at least a little planning.

On that note, I hope that this post not only inspires you to get outside and see some of our beautiful country this summer, but hopefully it helps do a bit of the heavy lifting on the planning front as well!

As for me, I'm ready for my next adventure. Any suggestions???

Super Bloomin'

Every year, we try to make it out to the Anza-Borrego desert at least once for a camping trip, usually at our favorite campground, Agua Caliente. But in all the years that we've headed out there, I've never once witnessed a Super Bloom.

In fact, I'd never even heard the term "Super Bloom" until last year, back when Death Valley exploded in a sea of color. This is because San Diego has been in a drought since I moved here almost 7 years ago. Now, after the wettest winter in years, we're finally out of the drought and we have our own desert wildflowers to prove it.

Thousands and thousands of them.

West Coast Road Trip Part V: Crescent City to Yachats

As we drove into Oregon on Day 5,  I couldn't believe that it had taken us four whole days to get through California. Four of our eight vacation days. There was math in there that seemed somewhat unfavorable given the itinerary ahead, but I willfully ignored it and drove on.

This day, the first day in Oregon, was meant for exploring coastline. Miles and miles of what I assumed would be cliffside or beachside driving. Instead, one of the very first things that I learned about the Oregon coast was that most of it would be hidden from the 101 by trees lining both sides of the road.

But behind the trees, it did not disappoint.

West Coast Road Trip Part IV: San Francisco to Crescent City

Even though I planned an entire day of the road trip around California's majestic redwoods and sequoias, I had a secret: I felt really guilty because I wasn't sure if I'd be too impressed by them.

Like most things in my life, I blame this on growing up in Connecticut. It's hard when you grow up in a forresty area to muster the same amazement for tall trees. Your formative years are spent taking them for granted because they're all around you. Plus, you're a tiny human then, so even Connecticut's comparatively short pine trees seem enormous.

But when I confessed this to someone before the trip, they assured me that I had nothing to worry about, that it was impossible to not stand in awe of these giants.

They were right.

West Coast Road Trip Part I: San Diego to Big Sur

20 months. That's how long it's been since I first shared my extremely ambitious 30 Before 30 list. Not surprisingly, 30 came and went without me crossing more than a handful or two of the items off. FYI.... 30 things is a lot of things!

This was hard for me to (not) do as a person who is pretty perfectionistic about the crossing off of lists. But instead, I bargained with myself a little: I amended my interpretation of 30 Before 30 to mean before my 30th year was over, not before it began.

So I turned 30 and with the generous time extension I gave myself (thanks, Bri!), I immediately set out to continue tackling the rest of my list. The most pressing of which?

Roadtripping the West Coast.

Tent Camping in Big Sur

Big Sur is a pretty special place. 

When we first went to Big Sur for a wedding in 2012, I was in awe the entire time. Dramatic cliff sides, giant redwoods, turquoise waters, dappled light, and purple sand. Every vista was breathtaking, every moment was special. And ever since then I've been wanting to go back. 

Not willing to let another year go by, I added a tent camping trip to my 30 Before 30 list, hoping that would help me make a trip back to Big Sur a priority. And it did. A few months after I made that list I suggested to Ryan that we celebrate our four year dating anniversary up there with the dogs and a couple of weeks ago we bought a tent, packed the car, and headed out on the 8 hour drive from San Diego to Big Sur. 

Motivation Monday: Hiking Big Sur

No less than two days after I proudly declared that I was going to start logging legit running miles each week...

I took a vacation.

Last Wednesday, Ryan and I drove up the coast for five days of camping in beautiful Big Sur to celebrate four years together. And while I had the best intentions of going on some trail runs while I was there, there is a motto in Big Sur that I had no choice but to respect: "Do nothing."

But seriously, yeah I did pretty close to nothing the whole time I was there. Nothing active that is.

Not that I didn't want to! There were plenty of cool, challenging hikes that we really wanted to take, but unfortunately, Big Sur trails are pretty much closed off to dog-faced wonders. Two of which we happened to have with us.

We did find one hike that was dog-friendly, so we threw the dogs in the car and drove up to the trailhead inside the parking lot at the Big Sur Ranger Station. The trail, Pine Ridge Trail, is a 10 mile hike full of redwoods and waterfalls that ends at Sykes Natural Hot Springs.

10. Freaking. Miles. And we hiked every last inch of it.

Road Trip Diaries Part IV: Aspen Mountain Wedding

During the last week in August, Ryan and I dropped the dogs off at boarding, packed up the Versa and embarked on a 5-day road trip through the southwest. Thousands of miles and 35 hours of driving took us through 5 states: California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Arizona. In Part IV, we continue our stay in Aspen and celebrate a beautiful wedding at the top of Aspen Mountain.  

Saturday was the big day! The impetus for our trip was my cousin Brett's wedding at the top of Aspen Mountain and what an amazing day for a wedding it was! The air was crisp but warm and there was hardly a cloud in the sky.

My dad picked us up at the campgrounds and we headed to his room at Aspen Inn to get ready, then we met everyone over at the entrance to the Silver Queen Gondola. The Gondola is in the center of Aspen and normally operates as a ski lift during the winter season. During the summer however, you can take the Gondola for a 15-minute ride to the top of the mountain for picnics, disc golf, hikes, or just to take in the ridiculous views.

The morning of the wedding, however, it was only transporting all of the gorgeous wedding guests gathered at the base of Aspen Mountain. And as soon as we arrived at the summit, we could see why it was such a popular place to get married.

Off the Grid at Agua Caliente

Days before Thanksgiving, the hum begins. It's pressure, it's excitement, it's stress, anxiety, joy, determination, loneliness, nostalgia, merriment, and sometimes fear. No matter what the holidays and the year's end bring, it always arrives in a noisy cacophony of emotions, mental checklists, and memories.

And yet, this past weekend, it was completely quiet.

Our friends Bonnie and Jason are camping pros and this year they decided to do Thanksgiving, turkey and all, out in the desert, at Agua Caliente County Park, about two hours east on the 8. While Ryan, the dogs, and I celebrated with Ryan's parents in San Diego on Thursday, we decided to camp out with Bonnie and Jason in the days following Thanksgiving.

I thought camping would be a good way to muffle all the seasonal noise that always seems to drown out the long Thanksgiving weekend. I just had no idea how good it would be.

Road Trip Diaries Part III: Ring My Maroon Bells

The view from inside our pashmina-curtained car camping set up

During the last week in August, Ryan and I dropped the dogs off at boarding, packed up the Versa and embarked on a 5-day road trip through the southwest. Thousands of miles and 35 hours of driving took us through 5 states: California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Arizona. In Part III, we are waking up in Aspen after a long day of driving through Utah.

When Ryan and I told people we were car camping for the wedding we were attending in Aspen, we got a lot of looks. Looks that said it maybe wasn't the best plan. And that might have scared me off the idea.

That is, if we hadn't done it before.

Similarly, the last time we road tripped to a wedding, we decided to camp. During that trip, to Big Sur in 2012, we also arrived at our campsite in the middle of the night, in pitch black darkness. So this time, just like before, we had absolutely no idea what we were going to be waking up to.

Endless Summer

Around here, it's been an endless summer in every possible way: the great, the meh, and the ugly crying. I haven't had time to sleep, much less blog, which is driving me nuts because blogging is all I want to do.

Yet every time I go to post and break the dry spell, I end up feeling overwhelmed with all of the things I want to write about. So this morning I decided to finally bite the bullet and just get something up to get back in the swing of things. As a result, I present to you a recap of the aforementioned highlights and lowlights of this summer:

The Great

• We spent an amazing five days in Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Arizona: a night on the roulette tables in Vegas, touching dino tracks in Utah, camping in bear country, attending a gorgeous wedding in Aspen, and watching the sunset over the Grand Canyon in Arizona. It was the perfect summer road trip and I can't wait to share!

• I sucked it up (read: got drunk) and finally committed to going on the Mermaid Yogis retreat down to Sayulita in November! Even though it is a big financial and time commitment and even though I am still working on becoming a better yogi and better swimmer, I am wayyyy stoked about this trip. Getting to go back to Sayulita, making new friends, and trying all kinds of adventures... I'm sooo ready to pack my bags. 

• Babies everywhere! Two of my friends moved back to San Diego with their baby and another close friend just had her baby recently. I still could not care less about random babies, but damn my friends' babies are. the. cutest.

• Pool parties, surreal sunsets, reggae shows at Winston's in OB, taking advantage of end-of-summer bikini sales, trying new restaurants if only to bask in their AC.... these are the things summer has been made of and they've been glorious.

The Meh

• Oh, work. Work has been ridiculous. I haven't ever had work permeate every minute of my life the way that it has this summer and it's been exhausting. It's sucked every last creative molecule out of my body this past month and has definitely been the main cause of this blogging dry spell. Here's to hoping I wrap some projects up and make things a little more balanced this fall.

• A total lack of exercise and healthy eating and a general feeling of ugh-ness as a result of the above. 

• School started up again and let me tell you, Business Strategy is not as fun as it sounds. I know.... shocker. 

The Ugly Crying

• We're moving. And it's too early on in the process for me to be excited about our new place in Ocean Beach, though honestly.... there's a lot to be excited about. But we love, love, love our place in Mission Hills. We've spent the past 2 years making it into a home and to have to move unexpectedly has just not been easy for me to handle. Our landlady passed away last year and her family just decided to sell the property to a company that specializes in upgrades. Rather than get kicked out at an inopportune time (like the holidays) and try to find a place to live with two decent-sized dogs, we jumped on a place in OB that's a block from the beach. The beach! I should be excited since I've wanted this literally my whole life. But instead I'm just a stressed out, depressed mess. My neighborhood is the only one I've ever lived in in San Diego and Ryan's lived there for the past 6 years. This will be a huge change for both of us and it's super unsettling, at least for me anyway. I just have to keep reminding myself that home is wherever Ryan and the pups are. Plus, I do love creating new Pinterest boards for decorating spaces! 

Car Camping Checklist

Yesterday evening we got a text from our friend Heather asking us to join her and some friends who were camping up in Carlsbad. The sun was setting and we had no plans for the evening so within about an hour we were dressed, packed and on the road with the dogs. Nights like these are part of why I moved to California: last minute adventures outdoors, winter bonfires on the beach...

I also was looking for an excuse to really put my new favorite tote bag, the Santa Fe Gold Tote from Fresco Towels, to good use. I'm pretty low maintenance when it comes to travel, so a giant tote is all I really need to pack for a night or two away. Here are my go-to essentials for an impromptu car camping trip:

-Pillows and blankets

-3-4 large pashminas to hang as curtains for privacy

-Phone charger

-Water bottle

-Flashlight

-Speakers 

-Toothbrush and toothpaste

-Deodorant

-Dry shampoo (I love Sachajuan Volume Powder) and a brush 

-Towelettes

-Toilet paper

-Hand sanitizer

-Food / snacks

-Wine and/or beer

-Wine key / corkscrew / bottle opener

-Fireball whiskey

-Solo cups

-Advil

-Beanie

-Sunglasses

-Duct tape

-Wood 

-Lighter / matches

-Book or eReader

-Camera

-Plastic bags for trash

-Dog food and bowls

It was actually my first time camping in Carlsbad and it was dark when we finally got to the campsite, so waking up next to these gorgeous coastal views was a bit of a surprise for me. But it was also a perfect start to the out-of-nowhere arrival of December (December?!), all snuggled up in the Versa with Ryan, Brewer and Banjo. 

As we were driving home early this morning, I thought about how grateful I am that we can do stuff like this. It's days like these that I remember you should never take your health or your lifestyle or your circumstances for granted. If you can, while you can... take advantage of your ability to drop everything and have a last minute adventure. Pack a bag, hop in the car and just go. Sometimes waking up with the person (and animals) you love somewhere new in the great outdoors is a necessary reminder of how beautiful things can be.