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Beautiful Waterfall Hike in Lytle Creek
In case you missed it, a few weeks ago California was hit with some unusual snow. The mountain communities here in SoCal were pummeled with unusually high snowfall. It was so cold and so wet here where I live that even the communities down here in the Valley saw snow. Real snow. Not just hail or flurries that melted once they hit the ground. Actual snow. (Not enough to do anything with, but having grown up in this area, it was a big deal.)
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Confession Time: I Obsess and Overthink Everything (Almost)
You see I'm the person that will write and re-write an email or a text over and over again obsessing over every word, even when it's not an important message. When someone takes too long to write me back I'll worry that my sense of humor or sarcasm was misread and literally have to stop myself from texting back to clarify (99% of the time I'm reading into nothing and logically I know that, but that doesn't help me). After I hang out with an old friend I'll replay the afternoon or the evening in my head worried that I may have done something wrong. And even when there is…
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How my approach to sun protection changed after my diagnosis
Because I grew up with my dad fighting melanoma, SPF and I have been BFFs all my life, but that doesn't mean I was perfect when it came to sun protection. In fact after my diagnosis last year I sat down and took a hard look at how I approached sun care and found several obvious ways I could do better. Easy changes, that I'm very disappointed in myself for not doing sooner, but are quickly becoming habits now!
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Hiking The Slot in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
This past weekend, my husband and I finally got around to hauling our butts nearly three hours down to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park to hike one of the best-known slot canyons in Southern California, The Slot. The Slot is a slot canyon hike (obviously) located in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, down in San Diego county. The trail is a 2.3-mile loop and is rated moderate according to AllTrails.
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Winter Camping In Joshua Tree & The Three Ps
We knew camping in Joshua Tree in December was a potentially poor choice. We knew it would be really cold, but it actually ended up being so much more than we ever could have imagined. We made it and it was an adventure, but we were in no way prepared for what we faced.
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Now I’m 32
31 was a year of major growth, lots of risk-taking, and a huge confidence builder. It challenged me, pushed me, and helped me realize that I can do hard things. I can believe in myself and I can accomplish a lot. I'm walking out of 31 and into 32 so proud of what I have accomplished and energized to keep pushing forward. Last year was just the beginning. Just a sample of what I can do, and an appetizer, if you will, to what I want to do.
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9 Instagram Accounts That Make Me Happy
Now don't get me wrong, I love Instagram! But I realized a few years ago that certain accounts left me feeling bad about myself or angry or a laundry list of other negative emotions. To counter this I began to unfollow any accounts that weren't healthy for me and started picking up some pretty great accounts along the way. By now I've made my Instagram feed a pretty safe place to be, filled with my friends, family, cute animals, sustainability tips, yummy food, and a handful of accounts that just make me feel good, and I want to share those accounts with you.
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First Hike Of 2023 – Hiking In The Snow
This past weekend I went on my first hike of 2023 and boy did it kick my butt! Not only was it my first hike of 2023, but it was also one of my first real hikes in months (with the exception of Joshua Tree, last month but that was a fairly level hike), a hike in pretty deep snow (a first), and at a pretty high elevation (we ended at around 8000 feet and climbed just over 1000 feet). We weren't prepared for this hike, but I am so happy we did it.
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I’m Back With 22 Things That Made 2022
I am back and although this wasn’t a fully planned break, it was much needed. My cancer diagnosis was a blow I wasn’t expecting and it really took it out of me – not physically, just emotionally. After processing that news I tried to get back into writing and posting, but honestly, I had a lot going on the last two months. The holidays are always crazy, trying to balance family and friends, everyone wants to do stuff, and on top of it all, the husband and I went on a very dumb but very fun camping trip. Also, I basically was sick from Halloween, until sometime last week. Don’t…
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I have cancer.
I wasn't going to make this a blog post, but as I've tried to work through this over the past few weeks, it's become really clear that I need to. One, because this blog is where I figure life out. This is where I go to share what I'm going through and work through it. Also, since getting this news I've sat down to write about other things, regularly scheduled content, and it just didn't feel important. This is all I've wanted to write about. And lastly, I've been searching the internet trying to find someone, anyone, to tell me it was ok to feel the way I feel and…
