Where'd You Go, 2019?

pc: @katieiredalee

To say I've been neglectful of this blog over the past year would be a massive understatement.

Somehow I got down to single digit posts in 2019... only 7 posts all year! And there was so much I wanted to write about! I didn't get to post as much as I wanted about our wedding, my yoga teacher training, about another summer spent with Groundswell or, especially, about being pregnant...

The year just flew by and so far 2020 isn't much different. Take this post for example... usually I get my annual recaps up in the first week of the month. Yet here we are, more than halfway into January. I'll blame it on pregnancy brain while I still can. ;)

This year I want to get back to writing and connecting here more, especially as I start new chapters in my life, becoming both a mother and an entrepreneur this year. I have a (great) feeling this will be a wild start to this next decade and I can't wait for all of it.

But before I kick off all of the exciting adventures ahead, I do want to make sure I jot down a proper recap and farewell to 2019. So here goes...

Among the Wildflowers

pc: @megankobrien

Adding this to the things I love about San Diego: after a rainy "winter" in Southern California, we tend to get what's called a "Superbloom" around mid-March.

The first time I heard about this phenomenon was around 2016/2017 when I got to experience my first desert Superbloom in the Anza Borrego desert. And this year, our rainy season was rewarded with an entirely different Superbloom experience: the Walker Canyon Ecological Reserve poppy fields in Lake Elsinore.

Desert X 2019

A few weeks ago, my friend Megan texted me a link to an article about this year's Desert X exhibit, a biennial art exhibit that debuted and last took place in 2017, during our last year at Coachella. I remember meaning to check it out on the way to Indio that year, but the excitement of our #LastChella drove us straight to the polo fields to soak up as much of the festival as possible.

This year, Desert X runs from February 9 to April 21st and showcases 19 artists in a variety of mediums, all using the desert as their canvas. The pieces cover a range of environmental, political and social issues from immigration to climate change, and span across the Coachella Valley, from Palm Springs down to the Salton Sea, with a few pieces in Tijuana and Ensenada this year as well. 

Not wanting to miss it again, Megan and I hit the road, sand storms and Big Horn Sheep crises be damned...

Saying YAS to the Dress

With less than 6 months until our wedding now, planning is finally in full swing! And I could not be more excited.

Back in January I was tearing through wedding checklists like a maniac. But I quickly realized that this is the only time I get to do this. And I want this planning process to be fun and memorable and stress-free too (or at least as stress-free as it can be for a stress addict like me). I want to indulge in it a bit!

So when it came to shopping for The Dress, I decided to make a weekend out of it. Shanna, Makena, Bonnie and I headed up to Venice Beach the weekend after my birthday with a cute AirBnB booked and two dress appointments: one at Dreamers and Lovers in Torrance and the other at my bridal mecca, Grace Loves Lace.

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.

A Very Venice Valentine's

In my life, three neighborhoods have immediately felt like home each time I've set foot in them: my current (and likely forever) neighborhood of Ocean Beach, here in San Diego, Hermosa Beach in Los Angeles, and Venice Beach, also in LA.

I love, love, love Venice Beach. So when I had the chance to spend a day up there last week for a work conference, I took advantage of it and spent the night. And since it was a few days after Valentine's Day, I decided to turn it into a romantic Valentine's Day date with myself, complete with a walk on the beach at sunset, a fancy meal and... turtle racing.

As it turns out? Venice loves me right back.

Miracle in the Desert

The absolute best part about finishing my MBA this past December was getting my weekends back. Not just the time... but the feeling of freedom, the unpredictability, the infinite possibilities that accompanied no longer having looming homework deadlines or the suffocating guilt that I wasn't working on homework during every spare minute I had outside of my full-time job.

Infinite possibilities. Meaning that I could wake up on any given Saturday morning and decide to go on an adventure. So I did.

During the first weekend of January, my friend Makena and I wrangled the dogs into my car, stopped for some coffee in OB and hit the road to explore the Salton Sea.

I Love LA: 100 Things To Do In Los Angeles

This is how you know I wasn't born in San Diego: I love LA.

Every time I admit this to a true San Diegan, their response is usually a variation of "Ugh, why???" Which I totally understand because after growing up outside of Manhattan and having lived there for two years, I have the same response when people tell me they heart New York City.

But I really can't help it: I love Los Angeles. I fell in love with that city the moment I got off the plane at LAX. And while I know now that I would never want to live there, it does make for a pretty nice weekend getaway. Which is why for the past two years I've planned at least one weekend per year up there when I tackle a new bunch of items on my LA Bucket List.

This year I thought I'd sit down and actually write that list so that it no longer exists solely in my head. Partly to have a fun way to keep track of my adventures as I complete them and partly to get suggestions from Angelenos on what I'm missing.

Though I don't think I missed much. After all, I did manage to come up with 100 things to check off my list...

Rose Bowl Flea Market

Sunday mornings are a great excuse to lay in bed and scroll through Instagram for hours longer than you normally would. But it's even better if it's it the second Sunday of the month... because then you can stalk all the hauls from the Rose Bowl Flea Market. 

I am obsessed with the amazing stuff that people find at this flea market and I have been for years. The envy is real and if I had a bigger house and millions of dollars I would go every month. Hands down, that's not even a question. Which is why I kind of avoided it for a long time... the temptation is just too much. 

After all, the Rose Bowl Flea Market is actually the greatest flea market on Earth. 

West Coast Road Trip Part VIII: Portland to Crater Lake to San Diego

Our final adventure. 

I don't remember when I decided that Crater Lake would be the last stop on our great West Coast Road Trip. I think I was looking at a map trying to see if there were any significant parks or sights on the way home and I noticed a giant lake east of the 5 freeway. I had never heard of Crater Lake before and figured it was no more than a lake that you could drive up alongside, park and marvel at. 

So that was the plan: we'd pick up some lunch in Eugene and maybe have a picnic by the side of this big ass lake. 

I had no idea that Crater Lake just so happens to be one of the most gorgeous, surreal, picturesque bodies of water in the world.

West Coast Road Trip Part VII: Seattle to Portland

The last time I was in Seattle, I raced through the city in the 2 hours I had to explore it, managing to cram in the first Starbucks, the Space Needle, a drink at a speakeasy and a stroll through downtown during my sprint through the city.

This time around though, I had a whopping 6 whole hours at my disposal... and they were just as packed! We managed to fit in Bill Speidel's Underground Tour, Gum Wall, the Public Market and the Great Wheel on an easy Saturday with beautiful weather.

West Coast Road Trip Part VI: Yachats to Seattle

Looking back on our last day along the Oregon coast, I can't help but wonder if we rushed this leg of the trip a bit. Sure, there wasn't that much to look at and after a while all the large rock formations in the ocean can start to look the same. But Oregon sure is beautiful and next time I feel like I should take more time to appreciate its natural beauty... and its breweries. 

Shortly after we left Yachats, we stopped in Newport to have a little breakfast alongside the historic bayfront. This is the area we were supposed to have reached the night before to make a stop at Rogue Ale's Bayfront Public House. By the time we got there the next morning it was too early to stop for beer but it was the perfect place to stop for breakfast. 

The entire bayfront area felt super quaint and reminded me a lot of Maine, but with warmer weather and seals. For Oregonians, I'm sure it's the perfect spot for a lowkey weekend getaway. 

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 III: Santa Cruz to Napa to San Francisco

As soon as I first started planning our West Coast Road Trip adventure, I realized I could kill two birds with one stone off of my 30 Before 30 list. While the road trip itself was always something I'd wanted to do, going wine tasting in Napa was also on my list and this road trip presented the perfect opportunity. So after a night at The Dream Inn in Santa Cruz and an obligatory coffee stop, we headed north for a day of wine tasting. 

But first, we tackled another new experience for me: driving over the Golden Gate bridge. 

Dream Inn Away in Santa Cruz

Just a few weeks away from the start of our trip, I still hadn't figured out where we were spending the night in Santa Cruz.

The plan had been to camp anywhere we weren't staying with friends or family, which was the case for our stop in Santa Cruz. The only problem was that there didn't seem to be any camping options in walking distance of all the things we wanted to do: the Wharf, the Boardwalk, downtown Santa Cruz, West Cliff Drive and Natural Bridges State Park.

Well as it turns out, it's actually pretty hard to even find hotels that are close to all of those things. With one bright, shining exception: the Santa Cruz Dream Inn. Located directly on West Cliff Drive, the Dream Inn overlooks the Wharf and Boardwalk (not to mention the water!) and is walking distance to downtown, Natural Bridges,  and the Surf Museum, making it the perfect location for our night in Santa Cruz!

West Coast Road Trip Part II: Big Sur to Santa Cruz

After a quick stay in Big Sur, it was time to cruise on over to Santa Cruz! (Sorry, I had to.)

On our way there, the original plan had been to maybe stop at Point Lobos, a gorgeous state reserve great for hiking and whale watching, but one that is unfortunately not dog-friendly.  Since this was the first time we'd been in the area dog-free, I had thought that maybe we should take advantage of it. But parking was backed out onto the road and we'd already hiked once that morning and besides... I wanted to make sure we had enough time to stop at the first (but definitely not the last!) tourist trap of our trip.

What tourist trap, you ask? Well... I don't want to keep it too much of a mystery. Heh. Heheheheh.

Next stop, Santa Cruz!