loving life

And I'm back from the most epic vacation! Roadtripping through Spain and rambling around Portugal was incredible. I know that I'll hold onto memories from those two weeks for my entire life. Isn't that what it's all about? More details to come!

from wu to waves

Hello! Hope everyone out there had a lovely week. Mine was packed with lots of W activities: waves, Wu Tang, and words. On Saturday night, Erik and I went to a hip-hop show at the Barclay's Center. We watched from backstage, and it was fascinating to witness the behind-the-scenes dynamics. Watching the rush of entourage clamoring to get on stage made me realize that I never want to become a rap star; they must get pressed by so many people on a daily basis! Also, it was pretty amazing to see so many people wearing Erik's clothes. So proud of my hard-working and brilliant husband. On the opposite side of the spectrum, a fun swell hit this week. I dawn-patrolled at Long Beach with Sara; battled the dudes at Rockaway; and surfed the empty Gilgo beach break with Tom, Kim, and Sarah. For every awesome long wave that I caught, I ate it on at least three others. Ah, surfing, always so humbling! To round out my time, I wrote, edited, and repeated. Here's to a fun fall. :)

first anniversary!

I can't believe it's been a whole year since our wedding. We kept our celebration low-key, since we're headed to Spain and Portugal for our big anniversary-birthday extravaganza. On Saturday, we popped by the beach; Erik's first time! We got poured on, but he got to meet some of my surf pals and eat Rockaway tacos. Then we celebrated with a big dinner at Xixa, our very favorite fancier restaurant in Williamsburg. We were seated between two couples on their third or fourth date, both of whom held hands as they read the menu. Ah, those days. The smitten period was fun, but this still-smitten-but-comfortable-enough-hold-the-menu-with-both-hands stage is lightyears better.

Marriage is the best! Since we waited seven years, getting hitched didn't change our relationship drastically. But it did deepen it. Instead of "me and you," there's more of a sense of "us." And knowing that we're in it for the long haul makes us more apt to appreciate, support, and forgive one another. It also helps that I married the sweetest, funniest, and most loyal guy around. I'm the luckiest.

remembrance

The other day, I walked out of yoga class and spotted the towers of light shining from across the East River. They're so beautiful, so haunting, so full of emotion. A rush of emotions from the memories of that day flooded over me. I moved to New York (without a single friend!) a few weeks before September 11th and nearly moved home in the cloud of tears that followed. It was one of the toughest stretches of my life, but I'm so glad that I stuck it out. Like the city itself, I've moved forward from the darkness and grown stronger with each passing year. I love you, New York.

family vacation

…And I'm back! I've been preoccupied with work and enjoying summer to the fullest. A few weeks ago, I flew down to North Carolina to go to the Outer Banks with my mom and brother. We lounged on the beach, checked out the lighthouse, went on nature walks, caught a movie, took naps and ate fried seafood. It was good, wholesome fun, and so precious to spend time with my little family. I just love them.

a nice reminder

This pretty print from Minted.com landed on my desk last week. Lovely, right? It's a nice reminder that there's always room for growth, change, and new dreams, no matter where I am in life.

6 things...

…I've been up to lately:

1. I'm back in the office for another part-time fill-in gig. I'm happy that I signed on! I adore my coworkers, and I'm covering a lot of market work and events, which is a fun departure from the norm.
2. Hanging on rooftops, eating burgers and sipping frosty beers.
3. Surf surf surf. Since I'm not planning a wedding or running a marathon this year, I've focused my attention on getting better at surfing. I've been hitting the beach at least twice a week, and while I definitely still have lots of wipe outs, I'm getting more comfortable sitting in the dude line-up at the peak. The other day, I laughed to Erik that my surfing life is like an 80s sports movie: I'm determined to show up those bros who snake my wave because I'm a girl. [Insert sweaty Eye-of-the-Tiger training sequence here.]
4. Vacation planning! It's always a struggle, because I'm the active outdoorsy impulsive type and Erik is the artsy city intesive-research kind. But we always manage to book the best adventures, so it's all worth it in the end. This birthday-week trip may be our best yet!
5. Going on rambles. Most weekends, we carve out one afternoon to go on a walkabout or bike ride. There's always something new to see, and a joke to laugh about.
6. Enjoying summer. How is it already August? Although I've been working hard, I've also been enjoying life. If there's one thing my dad and his passing taught me, it's to find pleasure in the moment and treasure the people around you, because these are the things that matter the most.