catch up

It has been a while since I've written actual content for this blog. Partly that is because I wanted to take a departure from my last blog and make it less of a diary narrative and partly because I just haven't been able to wrap my head around what it is I want the persona of this blog to be. I've never blogged with an audience in mind before but with this project I felt an unnamed pressure. Then I realized the reason I loved blogging is because I did it for myself. So I'm back! Writing has been sorely missing in my life and I need to claim it back!

So in that spirit:

FIRST YEAR IN THE EASY BAY!

2013-2014 has been a generally insane year for me. I planned a giant ass, 300 person / 4 day wedding, put a ring on Mr. Ñ, and moved to Oakland three days later. A month later, I travelled with my family to London and with Ric to Berlin, came home and landed an awesome job in San Francisco. Since last October the adventure has just kept on... keptin..on....?

Anyway, here is a brief recap of our year here so far:

Once upon a time... we moved to Oakland.

Let me tell you a little something about our neighborhood. We're two blocks away from Lake Merritt, the riviera of Oakland and the hunting grounds of human-eating geese (ok, the second part is a lie).

We've also had tons of friends and family visit and have celebrated tons of holidays!

At Monan's Rill (aka hippie commune) with Katie.

That one time all the San Francisco kids came to the lake.

 See above.

Alec, Mel and us at the lake.

Joaquin came to visit.

 Pacifica sunset... so beautiful.

Easter with the Wolfpack in Pacifica.

Did I mention Pacifica is beautiful?

Did I also mention that Elyse lived across the lake from us this year?

 Elyse hosted Passover. Afikomen!

I flew Venika up to celebrate her 16th birthday! What a lady.

 Obligatory Jumping Picture!

We went to many Oakland Athletics games...

I started to explore the Bay Area a bit more...

 Big Sur with Claire and Val.

Russian River

Ric relaxing at the riv.

River Selfie.

Tomales Bay.

 We went to Long Beach a bunch... but not as much as we would like. I miss it like woah.

 

Epiphany at the Nunez house.

Bianca keeeses.

Bianca and Tio Ric.

Amy's shower! Ok, technically this is in Paso Robles, but still, it's south.

Newest addition to Schorrville: Julian Reyes!

And I work with some awesome folks.

Moving Day.

 Working in my boss' kid's teepee. What?

So all in all, it's been a great year in Oakland and we are ready for the next adventure. Stay tuned!

Last month I went on an all-ladies Big Sur camping trip. I have been wanting to go to Big Sur for years and it did not disappoint. I'll have a full post on travel tips and where to go, but in the meantime, I wanted to share some camping essentials. Whenever I travel, I try to take things that can serve more than one function.

1 I love me some thick-ass Mexican-style blankets. These types of blankets do more than just serve as pretty picnic blankets. I used as an extra layer over my sleeping bag and to shield food in the car from the sun.

2 We learned the hard way-- buy a shit ton of wood-- more than you think you'll ever need. My great accomplishment of the trip was creating an awesome fire on our second night there. Once you get that fire going, you don't want to run out of wood.

3 A good book is essential-- I don't think I need to go into more detail about this. Take something that is a fun read. This year I'm giving myself permission to read more fantasy, more teen-lit, and sci fi.

4 If you don't have a headlamp, you're a big dummy. Having a hands-free light when you need to do dishes in the dark, need to find your way to a safe pee space in the middle of the night, and just for general walking in the dark safety. For some reason people think these are dorky...I think they're big dummies.

5 I always take a couple of good cotton scarves when I travel. They're good for sun cover, to cover your mouth if you're somewhere smelly or with a lot of bugs, and they're good for an extra towel in a pinch. I also use mine to cover my eyes when I sleep because daylight coming through your tent can be a pain.

6 Take more towels than you think you'll need, especially if you're doing a lot of "gourmet" cooking. We also used towels to wrap delicate dishes or food that needed extra protection.

7 Yes they are ugly, but you should take some sort of slippers or uggs with you. I got some fake uggs right before the trip-- they not only keep your feet cozy at night, but because they're higher up you can tromp through the campground without worrying about getting your legs dirty or rashy from poison ivy.