Changes

It's the first day of a month-long break before I start a new job in July. I'll be leaving for the Philippines in a few days, but until then, I have absolutely no plans, no obligations, and no idea what will occupy my days. I do have a to-do list though, albeit short and vague. Whether or not I'll get around to everything is debatable, but here it is, in case I need it for reference.

• Bake a pie
• Finish off a roll of film from February (whoops)
• Visit Point Bonita Lighthouse
• Re-read books that meant something to me
• Find good flight music / books / games
• Sort through old photo files

Today, I tackled the last bullet point. 

I found pictures from over three years ago that were taken during my week-long Austin to San Francisco road trip with Hoan. In particular, there were some old iPhone photos from the Petrified Forest that gave me pause, mostly from nostalgia coupled with the acute understanding of how different my life was back then as an early-20s gal who was about to move in with her longtime boyfriend and start a new life in a big, scary city.*

But anyway. 

We had a pretty tight schedule – our goal was to drive 7-8 hours a day and spend no more than a few hours in each city. Unsurprisingly, we ended up exploring Albuquerque for much longer than expected, so by the time we made it to the Petrified Forest, we had about an hour until sunset. That said, the trip through the park was rushed, but efficient. Park the car, snap a few photos, take a moment to breathe it in, then on to the next stop. But even looking at these pictures, I can still remember being completely engulfed in awe and amazement and disbelief at the sight of it all.

I've had similar moments before and since, but this one is arguably the most vivid. I hope I'm due for another one of these really soon. Good for the soul, I think. 

*San Francisco is actually not big at all. I mean this in many regards, but in this case, physically.