6 things...

Please excuse this trip recap interruption for a quick update of my day-to-day life. Here's what's been going on with me:

1. Finished up my in-office gig. I really loved the office, staff, and work, but it's nice to be back at home after nearly 10 months of back-to-back fill-ins. It's my natural instinct to try to pile on the assignments, but I'm also trying to make more of a conscious effort to slow down, put the computer away, and enjoy life. See: cuddle time above.
2. I've been listening to the podcast Serial. It's about the murder of a high school girl and the conviction of her ex-boyfriend, who seemed like a stand-up guy. The reporter delves back into the details, and it's so enthralling! I listened to seven episodes over the past few days.
3. Back to cooking. The bonus of working from home: My procrastination breaks include simmering something on the stove. My mom's stoked. It's funny that in a city of over-achieving, career-driven people, a conversation with mom goes something like: "Hey, my article is going to be published in a book!" "That's nice. What you make Erik for dinner?" Old-school Chinese moms, man.
4. Getting adjusted to fall. After a few dreamy warm days, the chill set in and reality struck: Winter's around the corner. I've been extra sleepy and hungry…ready to hibernate!
5. But also getting excited for tropical climates. The silver lining is that I'm off to warmer weather soon. This weekend, I'm headed to North Carolina, the following I'm off to Maui, and then, in January, it's Costa Rica with the ladies.
6. It was the three-year anniversary of my dad's passing a few weeks ago, so he's been on my mind. He dedicated his life to taking care of his family, so I think the best way to honor him is to be happy, try my best, look after my mom, and appreciate every single day.

Spain/Portugal Trip Part 2: Road trip to Valencia

From Barcelona, we rented a car to drive explore the south of Spain. Truth be told, I was nervous about driving in a foreign country, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip! The roads were easy to navigate (though heavy on tolls), and the scenery was amazing: olive tree farms, white-washed villages, and craggy mountains. Even the rest stops had the most beautiful views and delicious food; we feasted on cortados and fresh sandwiches.

We arrived in Valencia around lunchtime and drove straight to the beach, where we met some rad new friends for paella and beers. Afterwards, Erik and I took advantage of the summer-like weather and jumped into the crystal-blue sea for the last rays of sunshine. After sitting in the car all morning, watching the sun set while floating in the Mediterranean was just…perfect.


From there, we headed into Valencia's city center, parked in the tightest spot imaginable (insert: me sweating and moving the car one centimeter at a time), and checked into our hotel (ideal location but nothing special).

We met up with the homies again for a leisurely tapas dinner and local walking tour around Valencia. The good thing about sight-seeing after midnight? Zero crowds. My favorite building was the breathtaking intricate marble cascade outside of the Palacio del Marques.


We had to hit the road by noon, so we woke up early and hit up the central food market. Talk about foodie heaven! There were aisles upon aisles of fresh produce, cured meat, fragrant pastries, and more. We ate empanadas with freshly squeezed orange juice, and bought some jamon and bread as road-trip snacks. On the way back to the hotel, we popped into the Old Silk Exchange, a fascinating piece of Gothic architecture.


…And that was our jam-packed 22 hours in amazing Valencia! When we were planning the trip, I thought that our stay would be a quick layover before heading onto Granada, but it turned out to be such a colorful, delicious, and beautiful experience.