Nature Archives - Blanket Fort Adventures

I Love To Stay Home on New Year’s Eve

HEALTH & WELLNESS - January 1, 2017

I love to stay home on New Year’s Eve and here is why!

It’s 6:00 pm on New Year’s Eve and I’m in yoga clothes getting ready to go to Whole Foods to pick up ingredients for a delicious dinner for Dan and me. The only alcohol I will be drinking tonight is from the classic kombucha Dan purchased me a few days ago, and I’ll be falling asleep by 10:00 pm with Star Wars playing in the background.

I love to stay home on New Year’s Eve because for the last 2 years Dan and I have woken up before the sun and head out on an early hike. We chase the sunrise up mountain trails and breathe in the new day, the new year. My favorite NYE before being with Dan was cleaning out my closet while watching John Water’s films. It was that year (2012), I decided I would no longer chase the New Year’s Eve dragon. Since I’ve been with Dan, he’s been on board about avoiding the NYE expectation monster. Instead, we have found our own way to celebrate the ending of a year, and have finally come to create a real tradition.

Rose Parade 2013

Our first NYE together (2013), we stayed at home and then woke up early for the rose parade. I grew up watching the parade on television and it was time us SoCal kids sat in the cold grandstands to watch the parade in real life. It’s basically a SoCal bucket list item. The following year (2014), I locked myself in my office all New Year’s Eve until 10:00pm when I finally finished the manuscript for a young adult novel I wrote with my sister. Dan was ready to stay in, but since the night was still young we went out to an event our friend was DJing at. Although we had a great night at the club, we also decided that it just wasn’t a scene we wanted to be a part of. So when it came to the start of 2015, we turned to our love of hiking.

Crystal Cove 2015

A few months earlier we traveled the country, hiking amazing trails in Utah, and never felt more alive than when we connected outside and in nature. Since we had rediscovered this love and made it a resolution to hike more, we started our year hiking in Newport Beach with coastal views. Then in 2016, we headed to Malibu. Now this year, we’re headed back to Pasadena to explore the foothills. I love our hiking tradition and now look forward to New Year’s Eve. In the past, the New Year’s Eve Expectation Monster haunted me and I sort of dreaded the night. Except, I did have one other great New Year’s Eve in San Diego ringing in 2010, but later that year my heart was ripped out of my chest by my new year’s kiss. So, I’m happy to hike and be asleep at midnight next to the real love of my life.

Charmlee Wilderness Park 2016

I hope you all have a wonderful new year’s eve and day, whatever you end up doing.

May 2017 bring more love, laughter, and light into all of our lives.

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CA: The End of #OnTheRoad1015 – Big Sur

ADVENTURES, TRAVEL - September 21, 2016

https://youtu.be/vS73OmCDepsOnTheRoad1015 was my second big road trip and the first time I did daily vlogging. It has taken me nearly a year to edit 10 days of footage, but I did it – the final vlog has been edited. The final folder of photos watermarked and color-corrected. Our first trip together 4 years ago was to Monterey and this 6-hour retreat from Los Angeles holds an incredibly special place in our hearts. On top of that Big Sur is one of the most beautiful places in the United States and Monterey is home to cute cuddly seals and otters. Did you see Finding Dory? Oh, the adorable otters could start a traffic jam.

I’m sorry if my storytelling is off, honestly, I’m just currently in awe of the completion of this project. I haven’t even completed writing about #ontheroad1014. It’s a strange feeling, completion. I’ve gone on these adventures, collected the stories from the road, filed it away in my memory bank and revisit it when I write these blog or edit the videos. But now this chapter is complete, like putting down a really good book. I don’t want to move on, but know I should. It feels good and sad at the same time. So at that, I transition into the cute adorable pictures of seals and stunning Big Sur scenery. Watch the vlog for our full recap of the day.