Things aren’t quite back to normal. I’m still teaching from home as I work in a city with the most cases in our county. However, I was able to sneak away for the weekend. To be honest, all my friends and hiking groups have been posting pictures of Zion. I didn’t go last year because Angels Landing and the Narrows seemed to extreme. Spoiler: they’re … Continue reading Fall Road Trip: Zion National Park
Before you read, I did travel this summer (2020) and did so as safely as I felt comfortable. For everyone, this is different. My stance has been to not make judgments on others at least aloud. 🙂 Friday After leaving SLO and Paso Robles, I decided to skip Big Sur (Highway 1) and take the 101 through Salinas (see John Steinbeck). It shaved an hour … Continue reading 33: Carmel, Monterey, Santa Cruz, & Half Moon Bay
33 and life is getting better every year. My mom gave me money and I picked out my own cake (above). I have my shit more together every year. Actually, I just called to set up therapy today because I need to keep making progress. The first week was celebratory, but the second week has presented some challenges. Challenges aren’t bad, aside from the lack … Continue reading 33: San Luis Obispo & Paso Robles
January (and February) brought some new adventures – snowboarding, skiing, and lifting (“training”). I’m enamored by all the newness and I’m so proud of myself for saying ‘yes’ to going on the intermediate slope while snowboarding and ski lessons. February has slowed things down a bit and I’m a tad concerned about keeping up the momentum, mostly at work, but I know I’ll get through … Continue reading Winter in Big Bear & Mammoth (+ San Diego)
In 2019, I finished my 5th year teaching and started my 6th year. I spent 49 days out of town, which is actually less than last year! I traveled to 6 countries (Mexico, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, France, & Switzerland) I explored 4 states (Washington, Nevada, Utah, Arizona). In February, I experienced San Diego at its finest. Of course, I’ve been to San Diego before, but … Continue reading 2019: Best in Travel
Before you read ahead, here are the highlights: nami tsyonami, Harumi Sushi, Valley Bar, and Camelback Mountain via Cholla Trail. If you do nothing else, go to/eat/do those. Where I Stayed I stayed in a casita, a transformed garage, in a home and street that was very much Beverly Hills. It’s a 1920s Tudor style home owned by Fawn, a photographer, whom I spoke to … Continue reading Phoenix (and Scottsdale) City Guide
It’s November and thank goodness. I don’t put a hex on October because it’s notoriously challenging, it’s a fact – it’s a busy month without any days off! March is the other challenging month. It was a festive week and a short week too! Friday was student-free. Red Ribbon/Spirit Week My co-workers and I dressed up all week. I got in the spirit with my … Continue reading Kicking off November in the Desert (Idyllwild, Palm Springs, Joshua Tree)
In my last post, I recapped the first half of Liz & Julie’s Annual Birthday Trip. We met up in Seattle and hung around for 3 days before taking a train to Vancouver, BC. Where We Stayed Like Seattle, Vancouver was expensive. We ended up staying in an AirBnb outside of downtown. We had our own large suite and light use of the kitchen. The … Continue reading 3rd Annual BFF Birthday Trip: Vancouver
I met Liz my first year in college and we were inseparable. She was my first female BFF and continues to be one of my BFFs. We’ve celebrated 13 birthdays together and for our 14th birthday together, Liz picked Seattle and I tacked on Vancouver. Our annual birthday trip (my birthday is in July and hers is in August) began in 2017. We flew in … Continue reading 3rd Annual BFF Birthday Trip: Seattle
The Rhine We chose the Rhine Getaway this year with my aunt and cousin. We started in Amsterdam (extended our trip 2 days), Kinderdijk & Cologne, Marksburg, RĂĽdesheim, & Heidelberg, Strasbourg, the Black Forest, and Basel… but only for the morning. This was a big bummer for us as we hoped to see more of Switzerland; however, I expect it would’ve been expensive. Last year’s … Continue reading Rhine Getaway: Black Forest & Trip Recap
Julie in the World 