Of the Moment

Of the moment // 6.1.18

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It’s June, which means summer and sunshine and also my annual birthday trip to a new country! So! I’m flying out to New York City tonight, and squeezing in a SLT class and lunch with a friend before taking the red-eye to London tomorrow night. I’m staying with my girlfriend Renee (of Australian road trip, and USA road trip, and Puerto Rico, and Copenhagen traveling buddy fame) in Kensington for a couple of nights and I’m mostly looking forward to strolling through Notting Hill and Hyde Park, and splurging on afternoon tea at the Ritz! Then I’m hopping over to Slovenia for a few days of solo adventuring in a place that looks like a fairytale (there is a CASTLE IN THE MIDDLE OF A LAKE!). I’ll round out the trip with a few days in Paris (aka my favorite city in the world) with my friend Nevin (with whom I’ve celebrated my birthday before in Nice and in Turkey, and traveled with before to Corsica and Paris and to celebrate her wedding in Cambridge). And then because I made a million rookie mistakes in the planning of this trip, I have an overnight layover in New York City (which I’m kind of hoping might help with jet lag?) before coming back to San Diego.

There are a few posts scheduled for next week, but mostly: I’ll be posting a good bit on Instagram and Instagram Stories, so would love it if you could follow along there!

San Diego

My husband grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and I grew up in the suburbs of Sacramento, and nowhere has this difference in upbringing been clearer than in our attitudes toward waterparks. I was a season pass holder for much of my childhood and still love a good waterslide; David has really never been and doesn’t understand the appeal. As part of my turning-30 celebration, I had one request: visit Aquatica, our local waterpark! We went earlier this week, and I had SO much fun riding all of the slides and putting all of my waterpark knowledge to good use (aka: go early, and leave by lunch). The only downside was that we were mayyyyybe the only people there older than 13 and without children, and man, do preteen girls love to scream for no reason! My biggest question coming out of our time there: how is there no adults-only waterpark (or even an adults-only day!)?!

Shows

I know I’m super behind on this, but I’ve been binging the first few seasons of Silicon Valley and LOVING it. My first job was in high-tech PR in Silicon Valley and I work with a lot of clients in the Bay Area now, so it definitely hits a little close to home: I feel like I’ve had meetings and/or went to school with so many of the tech guy stereotypes portrayed in the show. Either way, it’s endearing and hilarious and I can’t wait to catch up to the current season!

Blooms

Jacaranda trees are in bloom all over in the city and I am OBSESSED. Almost makes up for not having peak cherry blossom bloom in So Cal!

Eats

I’m a very big fan of RXBAR products: they’re simple, delicious and filling. I always try to keep one in my bag whenever I’m traveling–excellent when a flight is delayed, or when I have meetings scheduled over lunch. They’re also great when hiking or for a light breakfast before a workout. Alas! They just released new flavors (I like the Mango Pineapple and Peanut Butter & Berries the most), AND nut butters. I’ve been putting the Vanilla Almond Butter on our overnight oats every morning and I’m obsessed with it: not ashamed to admit that I’ve also been eating it straight out of the packet. I’m packing a bunch of bars and nut butters for my trip, which will be a nice healthy-ish afternoon snack to have on hand.

Reads

Thoroughly enjoyed reading Little Fires Everywhere before bed this week: it’s been on my list for a while (Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington are starring in the upcoming movie adaptation!), and it didn’t disappoint.