A year living on the Central Coast...

The first few months was an adjustment period, being in this strange and beautiful new land. I couldn't quite get used to it and felt more like a visitor than one who belonged here. I was lost without my maps app. It was soooo cold all the time. I still missed my old job and volunteers. And I only had one friend close by!

Okay, there were many positive sides to being here too. It just took some time for me to adjust, to be able to navigate around town on my own, to embrace the cold and enjoy the quieter lifestyle. And then…the feeling weaved its way and settled in ever so slowly, and it finally felt like home.

A year (gasp! already?!) has passed, and I have come to adore this new place that I call home. I feel truly blessed as I sit and reflect on all the beauty, abundance, and amazing experiences that have filled my life over the past 12 months...

We live in a cute and cozy place on a quiet street in a quaint neighborhood--it's in the perfect location, within walking distance to downtown, Sean's work, our local state beach, and the walking/bike path along the bay. The kitchen is spacious and adorable, we often see deer in the driveway, and I sometimes hear sea lions from our living room. Such a pleasant difference from the noise, hustle bustle, and urban-ness of Southern California. I love the calm quietness and that I can see stars at night...

I get to enjoy breathtaking scenery every single day...

I've been able to experience and volunteer for some AWESOME things, like counting monarch butterflies, helping tag them for research, and teaching school groups about them. The tide pooling down the street from our house is great, and I've found some pretty cool creatures. I also get to help rehabilitate rescued sea otters, interpret about them at public events, and learn how otters in the wild are tracked for research. Sean and I have also volunteered at Esalen Institute's farm and garden a couple of times, it's so rewarding being outside overlooking the Pacific, doing physical tasks and working the earth.

I've been able to craft more often. I get to try new recipes, to bake and whip up home cooked meals almost daily. And I've been reading more lately, it's so nice to reconnect with my love for reading.

I'm so happy to have Big Sur as our stomping grounds. It's only an hour away and is easily accessible for camping, hiking, explorations and adventures... 

This day, last year...

I cried many times and said goodbye to so many people and things. Coworkers, volunteers, and friends dear to my heart. A place I started coming to during my high school years, when I was seventeen, and where I continued to volunteer and work at for the next 15 years. Almost half of my life was spent there, so many memories, and it was bittersweet to say goodbye to it all. I took this departing photo of my desk (the cleanest it had ever been!) just as a little reminder of the hard work that I put into a job and place I loved so much. This day last year, I closed one chapter of my life and started a whole new story...

Today, one year later, I was blessed with this gorgeous sunrise on a morning walk with an old friend. 

And I got to meet Bee, an African blackfooted penguin.

It's a very different life from the one I led a year ago, but such a wonderful one indeed. I'm grateful for it every single day! 

Morning Stroll

New discoveries in the neighborhood. 

Gratitude

Beautiful sunset walks.

Quote-o-the-day

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” ~Alan Watts

Home Sweet Home

Reasons I love my new home on the Central Coast...

2. Monarch butterflies flutter around in our yard.

Home Sweet Home

Reasons I love my new home on the Central Coast...

1. I can hear sea lions from my living room. Yes, from my living room. While sitting here typing this, I can hear them barking in the distance. How cool is that?

Happy New Year's Eve

December 31st. The time to reflect on the past year, make resolutions for the next one, and send well wishes to loved ones.

So much happened this past year, probably too much to recap here, especially since I had been out of blogging touch for almost two years now. And I have many resolutions for this next year, but I'll spare everyone from having to read the long list of goals. It's probably just better to share once I've actually accomplished them! So I'll end 2013 (and this very short blogging year) with this wish:

That 2014 brings you beauty, awe, and wonder, quality time with family and friends, abundance, hearty laughs, new adventures, and much love.

Quote-o-the-day

"Happiness takes as much practice as unhappiness does. It's by living that you live more. By waiting you wait more. Every waiting day makes your life a little less. Every lonely day makes you a little smaller. Every day you put off your life makes you less capable of living it."
-Sisterhood Everlasting, Ann Brashares

I didn't even know this book existed until a couple of weeks ago! The 5th (and most likely last) book in the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series was published in 2011. I'm a couple of years late in picking it up, but as a fan of the previous books, I'm glad I finally made the discovery. It was a page-turning and tearful reading experience. It left me a little heartbroken for beloved characters. And it also stirred something in me that had settled into the background of a busy life...my love for reading! Well, I've always loved reading. But how much I read doesn't stay consistent. Sometimes I can devour several books in just a couple of weeks, and sometimes I go months and months without reading anything. During those breaks, it often takes some kind of spark to get me back into the habit, a good book that reminds me how much I enjoy it. And here it is!

We have a cute well-stocked little library in my hometown that I've been frequenting quite a bit. I'm lucky enough to have plenty of free time to read right now.

New beginnings

"Celebrate endings, for they precede new beginnings."

-Jonathan Lockwood Huie

October was a month full of goodbyes...to dear friends who are like my family, an organization that helped me grow up and into the person I am today, a job I had wanted for a long time and worked hard to get, hundreds of volunteers I cared so much about, a wonderful city I called home for 14 years...it was hard saying goodbye, but it was full of celebrations and heartwarming well wishes. Leaving so much behind was bittersweet, but now, I'm on a grand new adventure! Yes, adjusting feels strange and lonely at times, but that will fade away as I make new friends, find a rewarding job, and fill my time with fun activities and hobbies. So far, this next chapter has been amazing in so many ways. Here are a few things I've been up to...

Morning walks along the coast. It looks different every single day, sometimes it's calm, serene, and mystical. Some days it's bright and cheery and other times it can look so wild and rugged. I'm always in awe at the many ways this coast can reveal its beauty. And the wildlife, so much to see! Seabirds, otters, dolphins, whales, harbor seals, a large male elephant seal. I'm thankful I get to live here and witness these things every day.

Hiking, exploring and enjoying nature. This is one of the things we were looking forward to the most, having the outdoors so close and accessible! It's incredibly beautiful and there's so much to explore. We've only been hiking, so I can't wait to camp and backpack soon too.

Taking some time to breathe, slow down, relax and reflect. To sit and read with a cup of coffee. Try new recipes and cook hot delicious meals. To volunteer, get involved with the community, and learn new skills. To be crafty and create gifts. To take in this wonderful new life!