Massanutten 2019

We have reached a point in our lives where living is cyclical; we do the same things every year, wash, rinse, repeat. If you look back at the history of this blog, you start to notice patterns: every year a post about Massanutten, then our epic summer travels (including a trip to Kentucky), then Labor Day in the mountains, than the obligatory Halloween post, followed by Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I am writing this in April of 2020, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, which has finally given me the time and space to update this blog after nearly two years. One reason I fell out of the habit of blogging was the feeling of redundancy as I blogged about the same things over and over again, year after year. But this week we were supposed to head to Massanutten for spring break, and instead, we are trapped in our home, afraid to get within six feet of people, afraid to touch anything. Suddenly, when our tradition has been snatched from us, the repetition of our lives feels special. My backyard, where I'm sitting as I write this, is beautiful, but it's not the mountains.

How many years have we been married?

Michael and I were geniuses when we decided to get married right after Christmas. At the time, the reasoning was that we'd be on Christmas break (we were both still in college), and we'd have time off for our honeymoon. We didn't realize the true benefit of a Christmas anniversary: a built in babysitter for every anniversary date since we're already spending the holidays with our parents.

We spent this anniversary in Nashville, not doing anything special, but we did take a good photo!

Erin at 40

For my 40th birthday, I rented a cabin in my favorite place in the world: Chimney Rock. Mika and I enjoyed a couple of days by ourselves...



...before Michael joined us. It really was the best of uneventful birthday celebrations. I read a lot, watched some movies, sat in the hot tub, hiked to the top of Chimney Rock, walked with my favorite dog, and ate out with my favorite person.

Erin at 40 Years Old (er, technically 41 since I wrote this a year later after I'd already turned 41)

• favorite color: Is grey a color? I really like grey.
• favorite food: alfredo with broccoli and tomatoes
• favorite dessert: cheesecake
• favorite thing to do: watch Korean dramas
• favorite video game: Just Dance
• favorite subject in school: English
• favorite book you read this year: Born a Crime (2018), Beartown (2019)
• favorite music this year: Twenty One Pilots (2018), Sebastian Yatra (2019)

What is the meaning of life?

• “We cast a shadow on something wherever we stand, and it is no good moving from place to place to save things; because the shadow always follows. Choose a place where you won't do harm - yes, choose a place where you won't do very much harm, and stand in it for all you are worth, facing the sunshine.” - E.M. Forster, A Room with a View

What do you want to be when you grow up?

• Retired. I do not like working. Being a stay at home mom was the greatest job I've ever had.

What makes you happy?

• When my family spends time together happily without fighting. Also traveling.

What are you afraid of?

• I live in constant fear that something bad is about to happen to my kids. My life has been too perfect; I can't have the perfect life forever, right?

If you had one wish, what would you wish for?

• That the thing I'm afraid of never happens.

What is the funniest word?

• perspicacious

What is the hardest thing to do?

• be a teacher

What is the easiest thing to do?

• lay in bed all day and watch K dramas

What is the best thing in the world?

• chocolate

What is the worst thing in the world?

• people

What makes you mad?

• electric fences for dogs

What is the meaning of love?

• Being with someone who makes you feel like you're good enough the way you are.

If you had all the money in the world, what would you do with it?

• Finish fixing up my house, save for retirement and college funds, make sure my family has enough money to be comfortable, then start a bunch of non-profits or give a bunch of money to charity. 

California Summer 2018: San Francisco

By this time, Michael had used up his vacation time, so we checked into a hotel in San Francisco so Michael could pop into the Cisco office in San Jose while the boys and I played tourist for a few more days. We took a boat tour to see the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, checked out Chinatown, and mainly just walked a million miles (which is one of my favorite things to do).

California Summer 2018: Redwood National Park and Big Sur

We rented a cabin at the tippy top of a mountain in Redwood National Park so we could chill and hike for a couple of days.

Then we drove through more of California's gorgeously diverse landscape...

...to drive Highway One along the coast. If anything warrants a good photo dump, it is the beautiful Pacific coast.

I think in general that I am pretty good at taking landscape photos, but you don't even have to try in Big Sur. It's just that gorgeous.



We made a special point of stopping at Bixby Canyon Bridge so Michael and I could serenade the boys with Death Cab for Cutie. Also, I like this picture a lot because the scenery is so beautiful (combined with the angle of the shot) that it looks like the boys are standing in front of a green screen.

California Summer 2018: Los Angeles

On the last morning of our stay at Josh's, Michael and I woke up and said, "Maybe we should go to Disney."

Neither of us are big amusement park fans, but we were in California, so why not?

First, we endured the L.A. traffic so Rylan could see the giant telescope...

...and Michael could side eye the Hollywood sign...

We checked into a hotel, where I spent the evening figuring out how to survive and master Disney. Apparently, I became too good of an expert: We arrived bright and early, rode all the rides (some multiple times), ate Dole Whips, and by early evening, we were like, "Welp, guess we're done."

Michael's lack of amusement at amusement parks partly stems from his tendency to get vertigo. He takes dramamine on plane rides and is the designated driver on road trips because he gets car sick in the passenger seat, so picture him on an amusement park ride. On Star Tours, to be exact - one of those motion simulator rides where you put on 3-D glasses and stare at a screen while sitting in a box that shakes, rattles, and rolls but doesn't actually move anywhere. 30 seconds into the ride, I glanced at Michael to see sweat pouring from his face. He was gripping the armrests like he was about to pass out, and then he started dry heaving. I really thought I was going to have to get the poor teenage ride operator to stop the ride and let us off, but Michael made it through without vomiting on everybody. After that, he was done with rides, though.

The next day, Michael decided to play some poker while the boys and I explored Venice Beach. I had planned to spend a couple of hours on the beach before heading to our next location, but Michael had a major goof-up during one poker game that 1) made us wait for hours in the parking lot of the casino while 2) some casino head honchos debated whether or not they should give Michael thousands of dollars, which 3) forced us to drive through the mountains in pitch black darkness on the edge of a cliff for hours and hours. Remember that time I almost ran out of gas in the middle of Texas and reported that "I have never been quite so stressed out in my entire life"? This was more stressful.

(Michael would have to explain the whole situation about what happened at the casino. It has something to do with poker rules, so I tuned out while he was explaining it to me...")

California Summer 2018: San Diego

After Kentucky, we made a quick pitstop at home to reunite with Michael before catching a flight to California to see my brother. Typically on our epic summer travels, we load up my little Camry, but since Michael would be with us the whole trip and since driving out to California would make the trip too long, we decided to fly to San Diego and rent an SUV. The boys were in heaven about both decisions. First plane ride for all three of them, and sooo much more leg room in the rental car.

Of course, the first thing to do in California is take a trip to the beach. I really love these photos I took of my boys with Josh's crazy daughter Violet in the background.





Rylan and his cousin Tessa are best buds for life.




Josh looks like a crazy person when he goes to the beach - definitely doesn't look like he lives in San Diego!




We also took a fairy ride over to Coronado Island and spent the afternoon moseying around. The same day was some kind of Comic-Con, so traffic was insane. We spent forever trying to find a place to park, and then we definitely got our steps in that day.



And Eli and his doppelgänger Henry plotted to take over the world.