Hey blogging pals! As I went through my phone for last week’s photos, I considered skipping this week’s blog post because we had a pretty low-key week. But sitting down and chatting with you all is always one of my favorite things, so I decided to post today with some random thoughts. 🙂
SF “summer”
The weather has been fog.com in SF…we’ve barely seen the sun in over the last 2 weeks! After 5 years of living here, I have to say, summers can feel quite grim. I definitely feel FOMO living in cold and fog while the rest of the country has summer vibes (and throw in wildfire season on top of that)…a big reason why Joe and I are inching to leave at the end of the month.
During the few pockets of sun we’ve gotten, Joe and I rushed out to take advantage of it. We went to our favorite neighborhood park for sunbathing and “working from park.”
We also went to the SF Botanical Gardens on Sunday for a little picnic. There’s one open field that is a pocket of warmth in the entire park…we like to go here as it feels like a local secret.
We even brought Ben outside on the leash. He enjoys our backyard, and we’re trying to get him used to different environments before the trailer adventures.
Vet appointment
Over the weekend, we took Ben and Ellie for a vet check-up. It was my first time going to the vet with them, and boy was it a feat! Between their nonstop crying, comforting them, and throwing up in the car, the whole experience completely drained us. Is this what having kids feels like? 😉
The cats were SUPER nervous at the vet. It seems like any new environment makes them very anxious. Ben was very vocal as he was hissing at everyone and trying to make his escape. Ellie, on the other hand, was very quiet and retreated into her carrier – she was definitely the easier cat to manage.
Nevertheless, we made it through and both cats are doing well! We are bringing Ellie back for a dental cleaning next week because her breath smells terrible…we’ve actually been calling her “Smelly Ellie” or “Smelly” for short ha.
Trip update
One thing I’ve made progress on is trip planning for my next chapter in Southeast Asia! I was putting this off for a while because a part of me was still processing my first chapter in Asia, while also trying to stay present here at home. I really needed time to recharge before thinking about what was next.
And so, with two weeks until my departure, I want to share my upcoming plans: my next stop will be Indonesia!! When I first started planning, I was a bit uncertain because I felt the typical backpacker trail for Indonesia didn’t really resonate with me…but after some more research and marinating, I figured out a roadmap that I’m really excited about. Indonesia is a HUGE country with over 17,000 islands, so it took a lot of thought to narrow down where to go. As much as I want to see the more tourist-friendly places like Bali, I’m actually going to skip these places altogether and head to more remote islands that are more off-the-beaten-path experiences which I enjoy.
Luckily, traveling in Asia will be a lot easier than when I first started in February because COVID restrictions have relaxed significantly. I won’t even need a single PCR test this time. 🙂
As usual, I’ll be booking places and figuring things out as I go, but it’s a relief to have a general sense of where I’m going. I feel like my uncertainty has turned into excitement. 🙂
I Run Like A Girl 