High and Dry

Our love for lonely and hidden places runs deep in our veins. This bike trail lined with majestic power lines has stood the test of time despite the constant sprouting of new shopping centers and apartment complexes in the city around it. Tucked in between pockets of suburbia, it was a quiet place to get away and collect our thoughts. Armed with comfy sneakers and cozy sweats, we explored this trail to our hearts content--the trains passing by only added to our adventurous mood.

Old Haunts

Realizing that San Francisco was only a train ride away from where we were staying, we decided to go into the city for an afternoon of fun in our favorite area, the Mission District. Once we got there, we stuck to Brandon's tradition of grabbing lamb and beef schwarma from Ali Baba's Cave. Whenever we're in a new city, we always set out to find a good coffee place to get our caffeine fix. We found ours at Four Barrel Coffee, which was also a cool space to hang out. After filling up on good food and drinks, we perused through some cool thrift stores along Valencia before ending our visit at hipster hill in Dolores Park--another place that we love to haunt when we're in the area. We really enjoyed revisiting our favorite spots in the Mission and keeping on with our traditions. We cannot wait to go back again hopefully soon.

A Merry Unbirthday

After getting our first tree together over Thanksgiving weekend, we have begun starting new Christmas traditions. On Friday, we played hooky from work and traveled to the magical world of Disneyland to celebrate Jasmine's 25th birthday. As fans of both Disney and Christmas, it was the perfect way to ring in our favorite time of the year. We arrived when the park opened, and immediately took advantage of the lack of lines and hit the big rides: Space Mountain, Star Tours, Matterhorn, and Big Thunder Mountain--all before 10AM! In between indulging in corn dogs and clam chowder, we managed to squeeze in 25 rides to represent 25 years of life. Our top three favorite rides were Peter Pan, Star Tours, and Big Thunder Mountain. We actually rode Star Tours five times in an attempt to visit all six worlds (we managed to get 5/6!). This Disneyland trip was the best one either of us had ever had and we cannot wait to go back together again!

Wild Wash Road

Waking up at 4AM and barely functioning until finding an open Starbucks was worth all the fatigue to catch this glorious view on the I-15N on the way to Las Vegas. That day we had one mission and one mission only---to drive far enough into the desert to catch the sunrise. After driving for over an hour and nearing the sunrise time, we decided to pull over at the nearest exit that looked like it would lead to an empty patch of land. Completely unaware of this hidden gem, we totally lucked out on this random truck stop exit that had plenty of boulders, bushes, and joshua trees for us to romp around and explore. Armed with our trusty parkas and boots, we braved the cold, morning air and relished in the majestically, unreal sky that was gradually emerging before us behind the mountains. We were excited to be bundled in layers for once and get a taste of what Fall should feel like. After playing in this natural playground until the sky was high in the sky, we continued our journey towards Sin City, where we gorged on the best onion rings we've ever had before the Rise Festival.

Sun Francisco

The word, lost, can mean so many things: no longer possessed, gone astray, ended in defeat, destroyed, etc; but intentionality can play a role in one's enjoyment of being lost. On this trip to SF, we found ourselves lost a few times. The first was during our trek to get clam chowder at Pier 39 wasn't so enjoyable; but the other times while exploring the Mission area, wandering aimlessly yet intentionally with our cameras, will be moments I will always look back on nostalgically. The quiet sunrise on our last morning there will be another one of those fond memories.