Trail of Ten Falls

We are in Damascus, Oregon visiting Ron's brother Rocky and his wife Sue. They bought a little house in the country only 20 miles outside the bustle of Portland and have spent 3 years transforming it into a paradise. Rocky is a creative wonder at restoration and I can tell how much Ron admires and looks up to him more than anyone else in his life. I’m so happy we could come spend a few days before our big trip, and it was packed full of good eats, playing pool and darts (and being severely beaten at both), a bonfire on a cold drizzly night, late night swinging from an old elm tree, and of course copious amounts of laughter and of course bourbon.

We really both wanted to stay longer if we could. Enjoying the easy life with such great company. Rocky and Sue are one of those special couples that you know exist but all too rarely see. They totally complement each other and are so much in love, you can tell when they look at each other that nothing else matters more.

And to top it all off, yesterday we went on THE MOST AMAZING hike I've ever been on, the Trail of Ten Falls in Silver Falls State Park. I don't mean to scream but I’m going to...WOW! It was mid-week and raining so we basically had the trail to ourselves. The green moss covering every open space of rock and tree. The river gurggling . And the roar and soft spray of waterfall after waterfall after waterfall. There were 10 falls ranging from 27 to 177 feet and then many more impromptu run-off waterfalls that would be the highlight of any normal hike. But this was no normal run-of-the-mill hike. Some of the falls you could even walk behind and get to a space where you are totally surrounded by the sight and the sound and the spirit of the fall. Such a magical feeling.

Check out the video below that Ron put together. Hang in there, its BIG!

Read more...

Chez Panisse

Ron took me to Chez Panisse in Berkeley tonight for my birthday dinner. And let me tell you it was YUM. I've been wanting to go for years now and it might have been the end of our relationship if he didn't pull out the reservation this time. I joke. But only mildly. I've been dying to go and it didn't disappoint. We got the most romantic table right in the front window. And as I sat enjoying an asparagus tart shaped like a slice of pizza and spit roasted chicken with morel mushroom sauce, I realized that this would be the most expensive dinner I would eat for the next several years.

We have eaten in some of the best restaurants in the Bay Area, mainly for birthdays and anniversaries. There was the neverending dinner under the bigtop canapy at Fleur de Lys, the best crack-duck ever at Applewood Inn, the imprompu fireworks at Forbes Island, the proposal extravaganza at Julias Castle, the stoned waiters at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite, the talkative man dining alone next to us at Silks, and the all consuming all scrumptious lobster pot pie at Michael Mina. God, I love food. And we have been so lucky to live and eat in the foodie wonderland of the Bay Area.

But not all dinners have to be expensive, we've had a thousand amazing meals on the cheap, in dives, tacquerias, and taco trucks that have been just as good if only that they are simple and warm and under 5 bucks. I really can't wait for authentic italian pasta, fresh french cheese, indian masala, thai gang panang,....and on and on. Real food from around the world instead of food from around the world eaten in a mall food court. Doesn't quite compare. I'm sorry I don't mean to spoil your Yokohama rice bowl : ) eat up!

Read more...

Laptop

Check it out, my new laptop! It's an Asus Eee PC 904HA. Ron got it for my birthday so I can blog up a storm and stay connected to our family by skype via a built in webcam. And it's only 8.9 inches and under 2lbs so its mini-sized which is perfect for travel. It has 160 GB Hard Drive for our gazillion photos and a 6 cell battery which should last up to 5-6 hours of regular use.

So far I love everything about it except for the page up key is placed where the right shift key should be so as I write I end up the previous driving me crazy line and turning it into a jumbled mess. It's really I'm almost ready to just put everything in lowercase. See what I mean!

Edit: they no longer sell the version I originally bought but they have a new version ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-MU27-BK that is 10.1" display with a larger 250GB hard drive. It even comes in colors: pink, white, blue, black. All for less than $350, you can't beat it as a traveling companion, and you can always stay connected!

Read more...

Party Like a Rockstar

Last nite we threw a party in our loft to say farewell to our friends. It was a pretty good turnout, even a last minute surprise visit from a NY colleague, although a few notable exceptions were no-shows, you know who you are and we are mad. Mad I tell you.

We advertised it as BYOB since we are unapologetically being cheap and saving every dime for our trip. But everyone brought over so much beer, wine, and alcohol we need to throw another party to get through it all! Seriously if we drank it all we may never get through packing or just end up labeling every box incorrectly or incoherently like "odd socks make good puppets". Now that I think of it, I could probably use another Vodka-Rockstar right now...

Read more...

Travel Medical Insurance

I'm researching travel medical insurance so we are covered in the event of illness or in need of emergency evacuation.

The three front runners are:
1. IMG - Patriot International
2. Travel Guard
3. World Nomads

IMG is looking the best due to the ability of adding up to two months emergency coverage when we return to the US, as well as a competitive price relative to benefits. But I don't know, this is not really my forte. Reading the fine print of policies has not been the funnest part of the trip planning for sure.

Read more...

Relativity

I wonder how fast the trip will be. Not in actual days and weeks but in relative time. How a Sunday morning can seem long and luxurious or a Monday at work is dreadful and never-ending. Some weeks are short and some are fast. And different days feel different. I like the feel of Thursdays and Saturdays the most. So much hope and optimistic anticipation in those days.

But how will a whole year feel on the road? I don’t know how to measure a year. I can barely remember what I was doing last month let alone last year. It was probably a pretty typical drumbeat of: Work. Sleep. Work. Sleep. Work. Sleep. Work. Sleep. Work. Sleep. Dinner. Drinks. Movie. Chores. Rinse. Repeat.

Geez, that sounds rather boring, doesn't it?! But what makes life LIFE is what happens in between all that. The laughs, the pauses, the tastes, the shocks, the shivers, the snuggles, the sneezes, and the string of amazements that come outta nowhere. That is what you live for.

Read more...

Grande Cup of Change

I gave notice at work today. I could probably have spent my entire career there. But whether it's next week or 30 years from now I would have left the job eventually. Change is inevitable. I just so happened to pull the trigger a little early. It was really tough telling my boss I was leaving. My heart pounding, like I was breaking up with someone I still loved. I've had so much opportunity, to build a Fortune 100 eCommerce business from the ground up. They've nurtured me, and believed in me. It's been a great 9+ years but now, alas, it's time to hit the road. Time to forge my own path. No lattes delivered to my corner office where I'm going.

Okay, so no one ever brought me coffee and my office window looks out over a pretty unspectacular parking lot. A girl can embellish ; )

I have a feeling this is just the sort of change I need in my life right now, it will open up a thousand unimagined possibilities. Stepping off the treadmill to see that there are many miles ahead still and many more forks in the road to wander down.

Read more...