Desert disposables (also my birthday!)

I turned 30 this year! And I'm stoked. I'm beyond ready for a more seemingly calm decade of life. That's not to say I don't have any spark or excitement left in me, but damn, it's nice to feel a bit more sure-footed and self-aware (not to mention financially secure). That said, I do not feel significantly wiser than I did at 29, nor do I have any profound words to share about the lessons I've gleaned from these past three decades – because as far as I'm concerned, what the hell do I know?

But! I do have pictures.


 lol, me
Let me preface by saying that both of my film cameras are currently out of commission and my digital camera is an ancient-but-well-loved relic that weighs more than I feel like carrying around. So as soon as we landed in Phoenix, Hoan and I headed to the nearest Walgreens so I could buy a disposable camera.

I'm not really sure how or when it began, but I have such an affinity for disposables. I know they're expensive as hell, incredibly unreliable, and sometimes you'll waste half a roll on accidental whats-in-my-bag shots. But there's definitely something to be said about the ease and innocence of simply pointing and shooting. Plus, I knew I wanted a way to document my 30th birthday in Arizona besides relying on my iPhone and shoddy memory.



 glimpses of our airbnb
Sorry to state the obvious, but Arizona is really, really hot – and that's exactly why I wanted to go. My pale-ass San Francisco legs were sun-thirsty, Karl the Fog was as relentless as ever, and I was craving a change in scenery. As far as how we spent our time, it was kind of a free-for-all. We bounced around between Phoenix, Sedona, & Arcosanti and were never short of things to see, eat, or do. Some highlights included: tacos, a hot air balloon ride, reuniting with one of my best friends at Welcome Diner, hiking / getting caught in the rain / washing it all away with a glass of wine in Sedona, wandering around strange-but-cool-but-mostly-strange Arcosanti, and getting one of the best tours in recent memory at Taliesin West.



 the view from on high

 
 arcosanti 



 taliesin west & sedona

As I mentioned, I got to reconnect with one of my best friends, Steph, while in Phoenix. When Steph celebrated her own birthday back in July, she had one request: she asked a few of her friends to make a list of what they were grateful for. While a seemingly straightforward and easy request, it's really anything but – and she knows this! So here I am, giving it a shot ten months later. I'll keep it simple.

1) The partnership, generosity, support, and understanding of the people I love who also love me back (I guess this is technically many things in one, but just give it to me, okay?) 
2) Knowing there is so much more of this earth to see & explore
3) Every new day

As I get older, I think these things get away from me a bit more and I've spent less time acknowledging what makes me feel fulfilled or quite frankly, lucky. And while I know the list looks different for everyone, I'm so privileged that mine looks like this. So thanks for forcing me to sit with this a bit more, Steph.

 Is this a cheesy way to end this blog?

👋

California, or rather, North-Central California

In lieu of the fact that I'll be moving back to Austin by the end of the year (fingers crossed), I've been highly sensitive and sympathetic to any potential "last moments," especially as they relate to nature, landscapes, ocean views aka the many number of things that are nowhere to be found in Texas or at least not to the same degree of beauty and awe. Don't hate me – you know it's true.

Example: it's 6pm and we're driving back home from the climbing gym on a route that takes us through the winding, foliage-lined streets of the Presidio and then along the Pacific coast on Lincoln Blvd. I'll be oogling that sweet, sweet, pastel-colored ocean skyline, so thankful for the view and the moment and the magic, but simultaneously want to burst into tears because "oh god what a sunset, are the sunsets in Texas this beautiful, I just don't remember but *surely* they aren't, you must relish in this moment, Katrina."

It's all very dramatic.

But I'll save my premature, San-Francisco-specific nostalgia for another post. For now, I'd like the opportunity to fangirl over this entire, beautiful friggin' state. I'll preface by saying none of these pictures do it justice – there is a magnificence and captivation that's impossible to capture in a photo. Or maybe I'm just not a good enough photo-taker.


 hoan at the edge of mendocino

 views on the way to pinnacles state park

 russian gulch bridge
One of the things I'll miss most about the Bay Area is how close and accessible nature is. And if nature is a spectrum, I'm talking about the things to the far ends of that scale, the things that make you feel tiny and insignificant, yet bursting with so much gratitude for all that's in front of, above, and below you.

For me, Big Sur is the utmost epitome of that feeling and is, without a gotdang doubt, one of the most magical places I've ever seen. No matter how many times I visit, no matter how often I pull over on the side of the road to take in that view, I'm always overcome with such genuine fascination. It is the gift that keeps on giving.

 big sur coast from the point sur lighthouse

 sun in garrapata state park

 fog in garrapata state park
Not included here are the numerous camping, climbing, backpacking trips we've taken that are documented elsewhere in my social media sphere, but all contribute to the many, many ways in which I will really, really miss this place.

So I guess... thanks for letting me be in you these last five years, California. What a friggin' ride.


 red roof on point cabrillo lighthouse