Ciao & Bienvendio

Two days before the new year, and one can’t help but think of goals to set, feats to attain, what can be made better, sweeter or remade completely. Writing will be one of the top priorities for me, as will doing cool sh*$# as often as possible.   It’s amazing how easy it is to be lazy after work— lay on the couch, watch some TV, maybe make some dinner and then go to bed.  It’s easy to develop the schedule of wake up, go to work, come home, and sleep which is not really the recipe for a memorable life.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely okay sometimes to just kick back and relax.  There is absolutely nothing wrong in my mind with indulging in laziness every now and again when your body needs it.  But it shouldn't be a lifestyle. 

(Exploring our home a.k.a. not being lazy)

One thing that I really want to focus on this next year is mindfulness.  Being aware of when my mind is wandering and where it goes, when I’m being unproductive or when I’m making choices that may not be the healthiest/smartest/ most responsible.  To help with that, I am going to use ChrisGuillebeau’s* model for a year-end review.  I think the best way to make things happen is to commit to them publically, so look for my review and my plans for next year to show up here shortly!  And if anyone else wants to participate, I’d love to do this together.  Natalie is already on board (we actually started doing this together last year), and  I really think having someone there to hold you accountable is the way to make projects like this successful— even when the project is really about making yourself better.  

(Hike to Table Mountain during wildflower season)

Okay, that being said and publically committed to, I’d love to look back before leaping forward, if you’ll be so indulgent with me.  With the holidays and the year wrapping up there is a lot to reflect on and be thankful for.  This year has been one of the most challenging, heartbreaking, growth inspiring, exciting times of my life.  This year was like riding on a dragons back— rough and terrifying at times, but gloriously beautiful all the same (because riding a dragon would be a kind of terrifyingly beautiful adventure, right?!). 

(Not quite riding dragons, but as close as I could get)

I started the year heartbroken and a little lost- Huck and I had broken up around Christmas and I was looking about wondering where my next steps should lead.  I imagined moving to Europe, I thought about starting a new job, I dreamed of buying a boat and sailing away, I even contemplated moving home (we all have our low points).  I had the best support system I could imagine, my family and friends built me up and showered me with more love than I thought possible for anyone to expend.  Thankfully, I saw the light and through a little maneuvering from our friends Jake, Roxy and Kyleigh, Huck and I re-collided and set out on a new path hand in hand. 

(Huck and I celebrating our 5 year anniversary in July)

I also decided to downsize my life, and when my year lease was up I moved into my 1978 RV lovingly coined the Huggy Hut (fun fact— I didn’t even name it the Huggy Hut; it came already christened with that awesome name, in the form of a massive sticker across the back).   The tiny house movement and minimalism lifestyle has been a huge inspiration for me this year, and moving into a 22 foot space was liberating.  Full disclosure though—  I kind of cheated.  Yes, I moved into the RV, but I also claimed a corner of my Dad’s garage to store by bed, a dresser, all my books, and some other things I just didn’t have the heart to get rid of…not yet at least.  I knew someday I would likely move back into a home, and that bed I’m sure will come in handy.  Also in the vein of full disclosure— I spend enough time at Huck's Dad’s house that he should really be charging me rent. 

(Ladies and Gentleman...The Huggy Hut!)

I had some really awesome state-side adventures.  I went to Vegas with a bunch of dudes to watch Huck's best friend fight in the UFC World Championship, and win.  This was one of the most exhilarating nights, the energy surrounding our friends and the after party and all of it was a whirlwind of buzzing, testosterone filled excitement.  It was my first time in Vegas as an adult, and I felt between laying by the pool all day and partying on the top floor of Mandalay Bay all night, we did it right.

(I know this is awful quality, but this is the only photo I took in Vegas!  Crazy, I know!)

I went on a familiarization trip for work to Wyoming and spent one night camping in the snow in Yellowstone, and three nights kayak-based camping on Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park.  I had similar feelings the first time (well, actually every time) I went to Yosemite, but the sheer beauty of the landscape we experienced made me never want to blink.  I literally had issues with dry eyes the entire trip (it may have been the extreme temperatures, but still).  I couldn’t hold steady conversations during the day or during the sunset or sunrise or when the stars would come out, brilliantly speckling the sky, because I would stand staring, mouth gaping, at the surrealness of the peaks and the light and the lake and the wildlife.  I would be talking to someone and break away mid-sentence because I missed looking at my crazy extreme surrounding.  I fell in love over and over again with the landscape, and kept having to remind myself that it’s my job to expose people to places like this.  And that I am exceedingly blessed.

(Jackson Lake, Grand Teton National Park)

(The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone)

(Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone)

I took Lateefah to Berkeley and San Francisco, and we explored my favorite spots on campus and in the city.  We wandered through the libraries and past silent stressed out students (been there), we weaved our way through China Town and up a narrow staircase, following our noses to lunch.  We encountered homeless men who thought Lateefah was gorgeous, and took BART and taxis and walked our little tushies off. She slept the whole way home and I knew it was a day extremely well spent.

(Lateefah at Sather Gate, UC Berkeley Campus)

(China Town, San Francisco)

I squeezed my way into a wetsuit two sizes to small and Huck and I discovered the intense difference between life above water and life below.  We dove and learned how to equalize our bodies to explore the depth unhindered and got our Basic Open Water Diver certifications.  I got hooked on the notion of diving with sharks, and we’ll be getting certified at a higher level here in January to enable us to go deeper and farther.

(My hot boyfriend trying out his scuba gear)

We celebrated two beautiful marriages that I’ve watched grow from seeds to full-fledged blossoms (that was tacky, I admit it).  Jake and Roxy tied the knot in the most perfect ceremony on the banks of a secluded lake with an inmate group of friends and family.  Huck had to talk Kyleigh into holding his hand down the aisle, and we partied almost until sunrise at Lake Alpine— and there may or may not have been some midnight swimming involved.  Michael (my friend since elementary school) and his bride Alaina threw the biggest party I’d been to all year, culminating in riding school buses to a dive bar with the entire wedding party, and there may or may not have been a stripper pole on board.

(Huck and Kyleigh at Jake and Roxy's Wedding!)

(The besties)

(Best friends since elementary school- Nat and Joey at Michael and Alaina's wedding)

And two of the brightest lights in the world faded away from us this year— Huck's mom passed away in the summer and Natalie’s dad just at the turning of fall.  I watched as two of the people I love most lost the people that they love most.  I won’t belabor this, because while I mourned alongside my boyfriend and my best friend, it is their story and not mine to tell.  But the cancer and the fight behind this colored our year in hues that will exist far into our futures.

And I fulfilled a lifelong dream of backpacking through Europe, spending seven weeks traveling by train through Italy, France, Spain and Portugal.  I learned that I am capable, and that navigating the world isn’t as difficult as I expected it to be.  I learned that to be afraid of a new place or new people is worthless, but to respect what you don’t know is imperative.

(Nick, Ericka and I in Camogli, Italy)

(OMGOMGOMG IT'S THE COLISEUM!)

With the holidays now past (mine was filled with family, friends, more changes, lots of cookies and plenty of libations), it kind of feels like we’re coasting.  Coasting into the next thing, waiting for the calendar to turn and life to move along.  2014 has been a cacophony of experiences and I’ve ridden dragons of all hues.  Today I am jumping off on a new adventure as we set foot into 2015 and move all our S*%#t down to SLO to start a new chapter.  Let the first few words on the page be filled with joy, hope and adventure…

(I think I'm going to miss this place...)

*If you don’t already follow the work of Chris, I would highly recommend his blog and his writings!  He’s a really awesome thinker and blogger, and is the person who coined the term “Travel Hacking.”