Five Weeks Out: The Happenings

Oh holy moly. I'm starting to spaz out now, I think. Just over a month now, peeps!

From what I can remember of the past week, it's been a pretty good one. But these weeks are tricky things. Every day is a tricky thing because it feels jam-packed full of things and entirely too slow, all at once. Every night I go to bed exhausted, run off my feet, my head in a haze from everything I did that day. And every morning I wake up wondering why I'm still tired, because I really haven't been that busy, have I? (It's a fat lie!) Why is it that when I'm crazy busy my mind goes into defense mode and I really, truly forget everything I've done? Does that happen to you? So when push comes to shove, my list of accomplishments this weeks is pretty huge. You know?

Here it is:

-Work has finally slowed down. Eight hour days instead of 12-14. It's nice. (I hate my new cubicle, though.)

-I had a root canal on Monday. (So the tooth pain has stopped. Crown and fillings in two weeks.)

-My back and neck are well on their way to being better, thanks to my amazing Chiropractor/Bro-in-law, Dr. Eric Westover.

-I ordered a new lens for my camera, which will mean better travel photos during my trip. I'm pretty excited about this one, and you should be, too!

-I sent my passport off to have some pages added. I realized I had less than ten open pages left and that just won't do with extended travel. (Especially when some countries are page-hogs. Seriously, Egypt? Why do you need an entire page? I'm lookin' at you, too, Jordan!) Forty-eight blank pages, here I come!

-It is time to prep my big video editing computer to sell! That means transferring all files to my tiny travel laptop (and a hard drive) and doing a full wipe of said machine. (suffering from separation anxiety, big time)

-I designed my "blog cards" to match my new blog design and sent them off to be printed. I should have them next week and I'm really excited about them. They're super cute!!

-I found a great windbreaker on sale at REI. Added it to the growing pile of things to pack. I plan on spending most of my time in warm places, so I will not be taking things like a heavy jacket or hiking boots (or any closed-toed shoes save a pair of sneakers, for that matter). The windbreaker and a zip-up shell will be my go-to items for blustery days.

-Oh, I cut my hair. Again. Well I didn't do it. My stylist did, like two weekends ago. It's short. WAY short. And I love it! I've been working my way up from mid-back length hair for a few months, knowing I would need something easier to travel with. Here's what I ended up with:



Other news:
My uber-talented and altogether stellar sister went back to work for Apple
this week. Kind of amazing. She's loving it and I'm so excited to see
her so very happy in her job.

And here is what I need to do these days, but have completely managed to avoid so far:
-Complete an entire online course in five weeks. One that I suck at. Way bad.

-Sell the odds and ends that I've been putting off, vases, pictures, decorations, end tables, etc. (very time consuming)

-I'm also contemplating (finally) listing my Jeep for sale. Sadface!

-My list of other odds and ends:: replacing a rather worn credit card (wouldn't want it to stop working abroad), buy travel insurance. Insure my electronics. Arrange a safe deposit box to store my backup hard drive in case of emergencies. Switch all bills to paperless/e-bills. Deactivate local commute tags, pre-paid parking cards and other commute accounts (bridge tags, train passes, etc). Cancel my HSA savings account (to save the monthly fee). Talk to my offices' financial advisor about whether or not I'll need to transfer my retirement fund out of the office fund while I'm away...


And here is an entirely gratuitous photo of my nephew, Rhys, because, well, he's adorable and we had fun taking photos and playing with hats the other day.

What are you up to this week?

6 Weeks: Happenings

This was a big week... I mean, seriously guys, loads of, um, not much at all.
-I worked nearly 40 hours in three days.

-I stressed myself out so badly because of work (and after being hit on the head last week by a bookshelf) that I literally was unable to turn my head for two days. My amazing brother-in-law happens to be a chiropractor and he fixed me up. Well, he's been fixing me up, every day this week, because let me tell you, everything is so inflamed in my neck/back that we've had to work on it in steps. #imightaswellbeinaneckbrace

-I undertook a massive writing project three weeks ago. I finished said project one week ago. This week I redrafted said project when I wasn't working. Or sleeping. Or writhing in pain.

-I packed a box. One. Didn't want to over-exert myself, for crying out loud.

-Round two of my vaccinations happened. One more to go. And a few meds to pick up to have along the way. Antibiotics and anti-malarials and the like. All of those anti's. No one wants the pros, because believe me, there is nothing good about malaria or a screaming bout of the pharaoh's revenge.

-I realized that I have been WAY overstocking up on the things I use for my trip. That's what happens when you have too much going on and you think you're too smart for your own good by thinking that because you're going to be spending time in the South Pacific that you'll need to bring the contents of an entire makeup counter/feminine hygiene aisle/face wash case with you and you really don't, all you really need is enough for the two or three months you'll actually be IN the South Pacific... And wasn't that the most epic run on sentence ever?

-The office move I thought was happening last weekend is, in reality, happening tomorrow. Today I say goodbye to my lovely, quiet, spacious office, sadface:

And last, but not least, today I had my first monkey wrench thrown at me. Don't worry, nothing big enough to change my plans, but a wrench, nonetheless. (You can't plan to do big things without expecting these things to pop out at you from nowhere, because they just will!) I went to the Dentist for a cleaning and pre-trip check. I've had a feeling that I would need another (!!!) root canal sooner than later. (On the tooth next to the tooth I've already had TWO root canals on... Yah, I was hit in the head crazy hard with a basketball back in college, so hard my head rang like a bell for a couple of hours. The hit was centered on those teeth and they have been slowly dying ever since. #truestory). Well, root canal day has come! Plus I get the bonus of two cavities that need fillings, too. Am I lucky, or what?

Yah, that's $3k worth of dentistry that will come directly out of my travel budget. But honestly, it's a bit of a relief. I have a fabulous dentist, who is a dear family friend and I trust him to do a wonderful job. Had this happened in a few months, cringe! Picturing witch doctors and pulling teeth in the middle of a south pacific island... NOWAYJOSE.


So that's that.  
What are you up to?

Redesign: Sneak Peek!

I'm crazy excited for my updated blog design and migration to wordpress to go live! Until that happens, I thought you might enjoy a sneak peek of things to come. May I present, without further ado, my new logo and banner:

It will most likely be a week or two before you see this new look implemented and guys, there is so much cool stuff happening with this blog, I can hardly handle it! You're going to love it!

Meanwhile, check out the website of my crazy-talented web designer, Emily White, who has so far made what would have been a nightmare for me to do on my own, an amazingly fun, fast and seamless process. Thanks, Emily!

7 Weeks Out

Here's what's been going down this week in my preparations to leave the country:

Travel Vaccinations 
I started six courses of vaccinations for HepA&B, Yellow Fever, Japanese Encephalitis and Rabies. I've collected meds for malaria and some antibiotics for the occasional bouts of "Pharaoh's Revenge." And I got poked full of more needles for bloodwork to test my immunity to measles, mumps and rubella.
Fun stuff!

Not So Fun (har-har)
While I'm packing and moving everything in my home, there is also some heavy-duty restructuring and remodeling going on at work. Because of the new corporate structure, I have to move out of my beautiful, spacious, private corner office and into a cubical. This weekend. I'd make a fuss about it, but I'll only be there five weeks and I'll probably spend just as much of that five weeks working from home as I do in the office...
Nevermind, I'll make a stink about it. It SUCKS. Feels like a demotion, even though I've not been demoted.

Moving/Getting Rid of Home
-This week I took down all of the photos, vases and artwork in my house and stashed them in my garage. Most everything is being added to the garage sale pile.

Electronic Cleanup
-I've nearly finished cleaning out my massive photo collection and will begin migrating my photos from iPhoto to Lightroom soon. Next up: Cleaning out the iTunes music and movie libraries. What joy is mine.

All the Rest
-Only 5 more weeks of work! I can hardly believe it!

-The Blog redesign is well underway! I've seen the designs for my homepage and a variety of other things and am working with my fabulous designer on perfecting them. You're going to love them!

-There are a ton of other little things going on: writing projects, photography projects, packing projects, giving things away projects, craigslisting projects, work projects... I am literally deficient of several hours per day and making up for that by not sleeping. Not a great idea.

PS:
Between moving my house and my office, my sister just announcing that she and her husband will soon be moving, and my bestie also moving... there's  a whole heck of a lot of moving and shaking and changing going on! What the heck? (It's awesome!!)

Are you moving, too?

What are you up to these days?

Human Pincushion! Five of my six vaccination spots. Sorry, no go-go-gadget arm to reach the underside of my arm for the last. :(

Temple, 2.0

This is a post for all of my LDS people out there. And if you're not LDS, this could be for you, too, eventually.

Brothers and Sisters, go to the Temple!

For the past two years I've had the priviledge of being a Temple Ordinance worker in the Oakland LDS Temple. It has been such a joy to be able to serve in the House of the Lord. I wouldn't have thought that the Temple experience could be improved, but it has happened.

This week, the Church rolled out a new film as part of the ordinance work that happens in the Temple. I saw it this morning and still cannot stop myself from becoming emotional thinking about it.

It is a marvel. It is beautiful. It is touching. It has increased my testimony and knowledge of the fall of Adam and Plan of Salvation in spades.

So, go to the House of the Lord for the new, improved Temple experience. Serve therein and your life and testimony will be enriched.


Christy

8 Weeks Out

8 Weeks from today, I'll sail away from LA and leave behind the US for the unknown... which is only kind of true, because I know exactly where the cruise ship I'm leaving on will take me. ;) But beyond that... I have no clue, and I love it!

Postings will be scarce from here until I leave, but my bestie, Mary reminded me that I should post at least 1x per week just so I can remember what this time is like later on, so here goes. (Thanks, Mares!)


I've got zillions of things to do, for my upcoming trip and for life, in general:

-Vaccinations and medication (5 weeks out)
-Work, work, work
-Pack up what I'm keeping (a gradual process that will only be completed in the last week)
-sell my car (again, not doing that until much later... as  much as possible)
-Don't forget to eat, breathe, sleep, work out and brush my teeth daily.

I'm working 30-40 hour workweeks right now and the stress is crazy. When I'm stressed, my body responds in all kinds of whacked out ways. My spine alignment, hips and ribheads all go out. Way out. So far out that my chiropractor kind of freaks out and the ribheads press against my lungs, making it hard for me to breathe. In the past, I've mistaken this for panic attacks, but now I know all I have to do is see my Chiro. I usually go once every two weeks. But when I'm on vacation I don't need to go at all, even with all of the unusual activity, flights, bad beds... my back seems to love it! This week it was so bad that my jaw was even out of alignment!

I've already begun to miss my sister and her kids. I'm spending tons of time with them, whenever I can find a spare moment between working and packing. (So I'm not getting enough sleep.... I'll catch up on the boat!) I'm not sure it's a good thing, but I can't help myself. Technically I should probably be dialing down the number of visits to distance myself. That's just not going to happen. Love those faces!

Speaking of my sister, she will soon be returning to work (sadly, a necessity for their family, and pretty standard in California. Dual income families are the norm out here) and I'm excited to share her employment news with you all when it becomes official!

My blog redesign is well under way! I've just seen a preview design and let me say, I LOVE IT. It's really going to change the way this space looks/acts/feels/functions.

Happy Travels!

Yes, I'm Still Here

Hi there.
It's me. Christy, the girl who writes this blog.

Sure, you're probably thinking. Not so much lately...

Yah. It's true. I've been distant. It's not you. It's me.
'
Forgive me?
Okay, phew!

Now that we've got that settled. So much going on!

-Only 9.5 weeks until my grand expat adventure begins and I am officially a world citizen.

-Every summer I write about how crazy work is. Well, that's hit. Summer is officially the craziest time of the year for me at my job. (Think 60-80 hour workweeks and loads of scrambling to crank out videos for a ton of corprorate meetings.) I love it. I hate it. It's exhausting and elating. And it just is. Now.

-This blog will soon be entirely reconstructed. That's right. From the ground up. In the next week I begin construction with a fabulous designer who will make all of my blogging layout and design dreams come true. Wordpress, yo. I think you're gonna like it here when we're done.

-My house is still being deconstructed and that is pretty exciting and chaotic. It went from looking super comfy and cozy and lived-in to this:

 Yup. That there's my redneck sofa. 

(With my sister testing it out. She say's it's pretty comfortable, actually.) 

Be jealous, y'all... :{

But it's all part and parcel of my plans and ultimately, this is only a transition, so que sera and stuff!

-Other stuff is going on, too. And it's great. Except when it's not.

And that's about it for now.

Stay tuned for a new look, coming soon!

A Second Wind for California

I go through phases of interest while I'm in a place, whether visiting or living. Most people do, I would imagine. When I first arrive in a place I need to explore every inch of it. I want to see what is around me and know what's available before I make important decisions, like where my favorite hike is, or what my favorite pizza joint is. You know? When I first moved back to Northern California, more than six years ago, I was on fire for exploring this beautiful region. From Hearst Castle to Alcatraz. From the Martinez headlands to the Mt. Diablo foothills, and Mendocino to the Point Reyes seashore. Yosemite. Tahoe. The Lost Coast. I got around. I got out. I did stuff. (Not even mentioning the international and intercontinental travel I did in that time) Somewhere in the middle of those six years here, I grew complacent for touring my homeland.

Things become stagnant after a while, don't they? And, I've (re)discovered, it's not the place, it's ME wherein the problem lies. So last week I got in my car and drove down a street I hadn't explored, nor had I realized that I hadn't explored it. And what an afternoon! I drove from the tail end of Walnut Creek, down Danville BLVD, through Alamo, turning right and left into every little road that wasn't marked "private" and taking a gander at the beautiful homes, the gorgeous scenery and just enjoying the little life scenes that unfolded.

And then I happened upon the ultimate reward (for me): The loveliest hiking trail in all of the area. (Ringtail Cat trail off of Hemme) Seriously. It.Is.Perfect. A hiking photographer's dream. And it makes me sad that I've only discovered it now that I'm leaving in ten (TEN!!) weeks. Que Sera. Here's to exploration and continually finding the unexpected!

Photo from: http://www.examiner.com/slideshow/las-trampas-hike-beckons?slide=44266061#main

(I'll post my own photos soon)

What's the last thing you did to get out of your comfort zone and shake things up a bit?

The Great Photo Purge of 2013

Geezer moment:

I remember back when those digital cameras were nothing but a craze! A fad! Film was the only true medium and it was never going to go away. All those digital yahoos were in for a rude awakening soon enough...

End...

I resisted buying a digital camera long after they became mainstream. Prices were too high and quality too low. When I finally broke down and bought one back in 2002, it wasn't the greatest, but it was rugged and durable and even water/weatherproof, which was a must for my ocean-going, rough-and-tumble lifestyle. I wore that camera out, dropped it in bodies of water, rolled it around in sand, beat it against rock walls... and I reveled in not having to pay to develop film!

But the downside of being on the verge of a moment is that the systems you develop for storage and cataloging and general use become outdated very quickly. When iPhoto came along with my brand new mac laptop, I was exstatic to have an easy photo management solution. Being a creature of habit, I've stuck with iPhoto for far too long. And my photo library became a blob-like creature, growing exponentially, wild and untamable and perhaps detrimental to my (mental) health, recently reaching some 16,000+ images!

Streamlining my image library has long been on my to-do-someday list.  Given the fact that very soon I will be selling off my video-editing MacPro and with it will go all of my massive amounts of hard drive space, that someday became now four days ago. I broke down and purchased Adobe's Lightroom.

I debated long and hard between aperture and Lightroom and it was a difficult decision, both programs are solid and offer great features. But as much as I love Apple's hardware, being in the video editing industry, I've fallen prey to their flippant software product backing one too many times. (Final Cut Pro, when it switched from 7 to X, the complete discontinuance of Shake and Server...) Adobe, being solely a software company, seems to stand much more firmly behind their software, and that (along with the file hierarchy system of Lightroom vs Aperture) was the tipping point for me.

So for four days I've been purging my ridiculously over sized photo library. I'm only halfway through and I've deleted thousands of images. Thousands!

I'll be quite happy to load up my streamlined library on my travel laptop when this is all done, and especially happy to check off one more (unexpectedly large) to-do from my countdown to travel list.

My shrinking iPhoto library...

How do you manage your digital photos?

Anatomy of a Perfect 1st Birthday Party

For a *perfect* first birthday party:

First you take the sister's twins.
Add twelve months.
Add one adorable, pinwheel-themed birthday party.
Add chocolate cake.

Mix babies with cake until well combined.

Results may vary.

 Rhys: Hey, hey what's going on. What are those big things up there? I like 'em.

Avery: What's going on? Where are my clothes?

Avery: Okay, I kinda like this naked stuff. Ya KNOW?

Rhys: Heh.

 Both: Twin High Five! Cuz we're awesome!

 Rhys: This is delicious. If you don't want yours...

Avery: Someone feed me. I don't know what to do with this.

 Rhys: Sugar rush! Is the macarena back in? Cuz I'm totally doing the macarena!

Avery: Umm, this is yummy. I think I'll face-plant in it.

 Rhys: OHMYGOSHTHISISAMAZING. IMEANREALLY,WHYYYYYHAVENTWEHADTHISFORDINNERBEFORE,GUYS???

Avery: I've had... an apostrophe!

 Rhys: OHHHHHHHITSSOOOOOOGOOD.

 Avery: *Plop*

 Quinn: I want some, too! Hey this is fun!

 Cupcakes all around!

 One proud twins'mama, and my gorgeous sister, kellywestover

Success!

3 Months Out: The Careful Deconstruction of a Life

With exactly three months to go until I weigh proverbial anchor and sail away to the South Pacific to begin the next stage in my crazy life, things have (finally! at last! already??!!) begun to seriously progress and let me tell you, it's getting fun!

It's funny and amazing to me how, when things are right, they just work. I had planned on leaving for this trip two months ago in April, and going straight to Europe to begin my grand adventure. For some reason, December came around, then January, February... and I knew I should be packing/planning/buying airline tickets/selling my belongings, and yet, I just couldn't bring myself to do any of it. None. So I pushed back to September and things began to click, whir into motion and become really, really easy.

This past weekend, out of the blue, I began the (what I expect will be) lengthy process of getting rid of my stuff. It just seemed like the right thing to do. Things that I thought I'd need right up until I left, I don't (like wifi routers and cable modems, because my roommate had her own...) and I've listed them for sale online. My roommate has a couch in storage, so I'll start selling my furniture as opportunities arise (thank goodness for craigslist, right?). My car *may* sell (a lot earlier than anticipated) and I *may* have the use of a friend's spare until I leave... crazy, right?

It's all working. And it's really exciting, liberating, terrifying and at times a bit cringe-worthy. You know? Like getting rid of my stuff: the things I selected carefully, researched and meticulously placed in the perfect spot in my home. All of this same stuff that I'd see every time I'd come home from a big trip, sigh to myself and think: OHMYGOSH, WHYDOIHAVESOMUCHSTUFF???? IT'SALLGOTTOGO! Is there a happy median somewhere? I sure haven't found it yet.

It took a long time, six years, to create the nest I live in, and in the next three months I'll be entirely deconstructing that home and having less than the amount of belongings I went away with to college at 18!

Meanwhile, this is exciting stuff:

 You know, it's just a picture of my kitchen without a kitchen table. Because I sold it. Really, who needs a kitchen table anyway? Desks and ottomans are perfectly good alternatives for vagabonds like me. ;)

PS: If you know of anyone in the California bay area looking for stuff: living room stuff, kitchen stuff, a bed, maybe a 2007 Jeep Wrangler, send 'em my way!

Please Declare Your Destination

The following is based on the actual phone call I had with my medical provider today.

The phone call went something like this:

Kaiser: Hello this is such-and-such from Kaiser Permanente's travel department, I understand you'll be traveling in September and will need vaccinations and medication?

Me: True.

Kaiser: Your first destination is the South Pacific?

Me: Yes.

Kaiser: Where specifically? We will need a list of countries and cities, in the order you'll be traveling.

Me: That list doesn't exist.

Kaiser: Pause... Okay, when you get a better idea of where you'll be going, you should call us back.

Me: No, you don't understand, that's not going to happen. I don't have a list, I have ideas of where I'll go, but I won't know where I'm going until I get there. I can give you a list of the places I'm thinking of going. Let me pull up a google Map...

Kaiser: Uh,

Me: Okay, The South Pacific: New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Tonga, Tahiti, Fiji, the Marquesas...

Kaiser: Which cities?

Me: No clue. After the South Pacific, SE Asia. Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia.

Kaiser: Which cities? Will you be going to rural places?

Me: No clue, and maybe?

Kaiser: ...

Me: Then India, Parts of Africa, probably Kenya and South Africa.

Snippy Kaiser Lady: Well, we don't really work this way. I don't think we'll be able to help you, but I'll submit your request to our travel nurses and they'll contact you within four to five weeks of your departure.

Me: Great. Sounds perfect. Thanks for your help.

What I was thinking: This really is not all that difficult, lady. Put on your thinking cap and use your brain. I've done this before with Kaiser and it's never been this ridiculous. Oh great, I'm going to have to make a million phone calls until I finally get to talk to someone who is familiar with what I'll need in various regions of the world. Fabulous.

Okay, so most people actually know where they're going when they leave the house to travel. All I know is that in late September I'll leave the US. In late October I'll arrive in Sydney. Beyond that, I'll have six months to figure the rest out.

This trip is about spontaneity, about going wherever in the world the proverbial wind blows! Sure, it's probably important to have anti-malarial medication whilst traipsing around the jungles of Thailand, which is why I called Kaiser in the first place. And so far they're just not very cooperative with people, like me, who don't have a set plan. Maybe when I actually talk to a travel expert, it will be a bit easier.

In my experience, people who don't travel are always really, really resistant to even the idea of travel, so maybe that's what I encountered today.

So what would you do? Perhaps I'll make up a list of all the possible places you'd go? But I fear if I did that I'd end up with an entire suitcase just for medications. And that's ridiculous, just like the phone call was.

The Yearly Monterey Getaway

I started writing this post back in Febrauay. FEBRU-freaking-RARY.

For some reason it just got away from me? Back then, I felt like I was fighting for my life, practically. I caught a cold back in November and by February it still hadn't gone away. Waking up in the middle of the night on this particular trip to Monterey, drenched in sweat from breaking yet another fever from the sickness that wouldn't go away is what inspired me to finally go to an acupuncturist, and get well. And it worked.
I know, random. But it's important you should know this about me: I am random. Maybe. (?)


Original, unpublished post, written in February:
It's becoming a yearly thing, going to Monterey. And if you've been to Monterey, you'll know that is a really good thing.

I had one goal during this trip: I wanted my sister to have a restful, relaxing weekend. She's had a rough year, with a tough pregnancy which ended with an emergency c-section and was followed with thirteen weeks in a NICU (thankfully) tending to her twins. The twins are now a healthy 17 and nearly 20lbs and thriving. (June update: weights pushing 22 and 30lbs now!) And the emergency time is officially over. It was time for a little bit of relaxing and pampering. Sister's rock-star of a husband and amazing mother-in-law graciously agreed to watch the chilluns, allowing us to take off for a couple of nights.

Monterey is a little slice of heaven. Tons of people go there for the aquarium, which is very cool, but I haven't been in my past two trips; there is so much else to do in Monterey! Or not do, if you're in the mood to not do much.

I booked this year's hotels with mileage. I had to use two separate hotels as I had to split the mileage balances between two accounts, so we had a nicely varied weekend.

We started off near downtown, at Casa Munras hotel, a visually lovely property with a great, relaxing spa. Spa treatments, an easy walk downtown, amazing oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from our other favorite Monterey hotel, The Portola, (we stayed there during last year's trip) a long walk along the beach, and did I mention the spa treatments? Heavenly!

Overall, if you are looking for a centrally located, affordable hotel, Casa Munras is quite nice. But our beds were as hard as rocks and the walls were VERY thin, and neighbors NOT QUIET. Not a recipe for a good night's sleep. I'd pick The Portola over Casa Munras any day.

 Relaxation alcove at the Casa Munras Spa

 Outdoor bar and grill

--
 As nice as day one was, the absolute highlight of the weekend was our night at the Monterey Hyatt Regency. I've stayed at this property before, and had an absolutely lovely time and was really excited to go back and take my little sis. If you're ever in for a relaxing weekend in Monterey, stay here.

The Hyatt Regency is located about five miles away from the historic center/downtown area, which means you'll need to drive and park when you venture to the pier or cannery row, but this hotel is more of a destination in and of itself than simply a place to lay your head at night.

What can I say about this place? The pictures on Hyatt's website don't do it justice. And since I didn't take any photos the entire weekend (feeling sick as a dog hinders my artistic inclination, go figure), I can't either. (All photos in this post by Kelly Westover.)

 Wonderful, comfortable bed. I wanted to live in it. Forever.

 When I grow up I want a bathroom like this. It's just so... perfect in every way.

Think: sunrise over a perfectly manicured golf course. Fog rolls through the trees and across the green and the rays of sunlight filter through the clouds, creating an ethereal glow. Sparkling pools and hot tubs and fire pits beckon you to make use of the beautifully landscaped property. When you're tired, comfortable beds with crisp, white down comforters will lull you to sleep... I could go on and on and on. I could easily spend a week vegging at this resort and just enjoying the ambiance.

But I guess I'll have to wait until next time. To quote my sister as we drove away, "Hasta La Vista, Heaven!"



I'd count my mission a success.

Perfectly Portable // Packing Cubes

Product Review: Eagle Creek Packing Cubes

A couple of years ago, when I first began traveling with a backpack instead of a hard-sided suitcase, I had the brilliant thought that I should organize the sometimes difficult-to-maneuver interior compartment with camping stuff-sacks. I was fairly happy with the organized outcome, but felt that the shape of the stuff-sacks really wasted a lot of space.

When I switched to my current suitcase (a rolling frame-pack called the Osprey Sojourn) I switched up my organization methods as well.

While I was using stuff sacks, I thought that the perfect solution would be a soft, mesh rectangle. The shape and material would have enough structure to hold things efficiently and be soft enough to fold down if not fully packed. I really thought I was on to something! It could be a great idea! I could market it and take that flash of inspiration to the bank!

Apparently a bunch of other companies also thought it was a good idea long before me because they came up with Packing Cubes. I researched a few brands and decided to go with Eagle Creek's cubes as they seem to hold up a lot longer and be better made than some of the other (cheaper) brands.

I've been immensely happy with my packing cubes.


Cost: $9 - $30/cube, depending on size/features. Available on Amazon or at stores like The Container Store.

Products: Top, Osprey Sojourn 28"/80L Rolling Backpack. Osprey Pack cover (for flights, keeps the bag nice) and Eagle Creek Packing Cubes.

Hiking the Lost Coast Trail

If you like Backpacking and you're looking for an out-in-the-middle-of nowhere trail, check out the Lost Coast trail. About an hour north of Fort Bragg, California, off-road from HWY 1, you'll find Sinkyone State Park, a state park so remote that it's mostly left alone by the state, which means rugged, challenging conditions. Starting out at the Car-camping-friendly Usal beach campgrounds is a 22-mile long trail that is a backpacker's paradise.

 Just one of the gorgeous floral species along the trail.

 My travel-pal, Heidi, trying to hike through a blackberry bush that had taken over the trail-proper.

You Should Know:
-This trail is one-way. There is a shuttle service for hire that will pick you up at the end of the trail and deliver you back to your starting point, or you could just hike the whole way back.
-Depending on how fast you hike, plan on around three days to hike one-way.
-There are no established water sites and no trash collection bins, so bring a water purifier (there are creeks) and haul it out if you packed it in.
-You'll need a bear-proof canister to store your food in.
-Make sure you fill up your gas tank before heading off-road. It may only be six miles in to the trailhead, but driving that six miles takes about forty minutes. 4x4 vehicle recommended, especially in wet weather. (And this place normally has around 300 days of rain per year.)
-Pack for cool, wet weather and bring long sleeves and long pants. Even if you manage to avoid rainy days, the weather changes quite rapidly here and the trail conditions can be extremely overgrown with prickly plants.

NB: I seem to have developed allergies to Northern California this year. So if you're an allergy sufferer, do not, under any circumstances, forget your allergy meds like I did. This place set off my allergies like nowhere I've EVER been!

There Are Worse Places to Wake Up...

 ... Than an off-the-beaten-path campground on the Northern California's coast.

Even the Roosevelt Elk would agree, it seems, as they had no problem making themselves right at home among the campsites.

But first you have to get there:

California State Park's directions to our campground told us to look for mile marker 90.88 and turn. 

Well, the mile marker wasn't there, but after we drove too far, turned around and went back, we saw this spray-painted on the road.

 Six miles of dirt roads and forty minutes from hwy 1, and you'll find yourself at Usal Beach.

 This is what Jeeps are for.

 Home, sweet tent.

Usal Creek outlets to the ocean here, creating an amazing contrast of eco-systems and providing the perfect place to encounter gorgeous Roosevelt Elk. (The largest breed of Elk in the world, they can weigh up to 1,200lbs!)

These campers woke to a campsite full of Elk.

Seals play in the waves.

 Sunrise over the hills.

 The buck that decided to have a rest... about ten feet from my tent. He was soon joined by about eight friends.

 Hanging out in Usal Creek. Loving life.

It All Started With Jurassic Park

I studied film at University. I really enjoy the factoids and tidbits about movies and frequently read up on movie trivia on IMDB. One random day, a couple of years ago, I had followed a random wild hair of inter web surfing/playing movie degrees of separation and found myself reading all about Jurassic Park 2 and the fern canyon location used in the film.

(Pride & Prejudice>Sense & Sensibility>Mansfield Park [you may see a pattern emerging]... distracted by the oh-so-yummy Alessandro Nivola in Mansfield Park, leading to: Jurassic Park 3, which made me curious about Jurassic Park 2> Filming location. Bam!)

I was all kinds of intrigued to find out that one of the most beautiful scenes in the gore-fest/ dinosaur film were shot in Northern California! And more kinds of intrigued when I found out that not far from there (Fern Canyon) was a 20-ish mile coastal backpackers hike and a rural car-camping campground along a section of California's coast called The Lost Coast. It sounded brilliantly idyllic! And since that day I've wanted to go there, if not to backpack, then to car camp for a few days.

I'm not a fan of most of California's camping. You have to make reservations for most places months and months in advance (6 months) and when you get there, instead of a relaxing, solitudinous escape, you find that you, and a zillion other people have simply relocated everything but the kitchen sink out to the wilderness to "camp" in extremely close proximity to each other. No thanks. Not my cuppa'.

If I go camping, I want space. I want to explore without running into a ton of people. And I want a campground with no advanced reservations required because most people don't bother to drive so far out of the way, or off-road. So when I discovered the Lost Coast, is was just the ticket.

This past weekend, I found myself with some rare down-time. So I packed up my jeep and hit the road with my travel pal, Heidi and drove five hours north to the best camping spot I've ever found. Shhhh! Keep this one a secret!


Sunset over Usal Beach:

The Cleaning Lady in the Armenian Quarter

It was one of those serendipitous days that sometimes happen while traveling. One of those days where you just wander, going with the flow, going wherever a local may suggest and happening upon some of the most incredibly visceral things you've ever experienced.

Starting out in the Muslim quarter, another wander around the Pool of Bethesda complex and some introspective time. Next, the hunt for the stations of the cross we'd missed actually seeing for the entire two-weeks we'd been passing them (they're surprisingly difficult to find!) and then the search for the entirely passed-over Armenian quarter led us to the shop of one particularly lovely jewelry shop owner who invited us up to the rooftop of his shop and then gave us a tour and a history lesson of Jerusalem from that roof.

Afterward, he sent us on a quest to find the Armenian Upper Room. "You must look for the cleaning woman. If you are very lucky, she will share with you her story. She is..." he waves his hand next to his head, "...special, but it is very good."

Right on. Challenge accepted!

A Jewish man enters a Torah school on the fringes of the Jewish/Armenian quarters.

The Armenian quarter, though very small, is lovely, cheerful and immaculately clean.

Winner! We found the Armenian "Upper Room," which also boasts a few other historic things...

The woman on the left is the church's caretaker.

The Cleaning Woman in the Armenian Church was one of the most interesting people I have ever, ever met. As a schoolteacher she visited Israel many years ago. When she came to this church she felt the calling to leave her job and serve the church. So she did. She cleans and cares for the place and will gladly share her story, the stories of the miracles she has witnessed there and many other interesting facts with you, if you but give her your time. The locals think she might be a bit crazy and eccentric. I can't tell you if her stories are legitimate, but I can tell you that she is certainly convinced of their truthfulness. That, and the time I spent with her was wonderful.

So sit back, relax, and if you're a woman, don't cross your legs while sitting on the church pews, just your ankles. I'm still not sure why, but she will tell you "we must give praise to God."

She honored us by singing to us in Aramaic, to share the ancient language with us. It was quite beautiful. Enjoy: