July 30, 2015

California Summer Daze, Part 1

NorCal

I always find reasons to return to Northern California. After four weeks of Eastern and Midwestern America's thunderstorms, I felt like I was coming for the weather.


Landing in Sacramento was glorious. I walked down the steps of the plane, onto the hot tarmac, and looked around: blue sky forever! Finally!

I wanted to lay flat on the concrete and let that valley wind roll over me from each end of the giant blue sky that stretched in every direction.

But the main reasons I came to NorCal this summer were for work and my best friend, Tanya!

#MyFarmFriendTanya
I don't do nearly as many volleyball camps as I used to, but I love working my little Redding Christian camp. Why? The campers and parents are all so grateful that I come all the way to Redding and they welcome me with open arms every year.

This time I even stayed with one of my favorite RCHS families, the Johnsons. It's amazing to process that I met their daughter, Cheyenne, at NBC Camps when she was just 13 or 14 years old - and now she's going into her sophomore year of college volleyball!!! Her family and I connected instantaneously back then, and they were the perfect family to host me.

The Johnsons even lent me a truck to bum around town in, and that allowed me to meet up with several awesome old friends from my many days spent in the area (2-4 weeks of summer camp for 11 years, plus 2 years of living there).


Redding is still as beautiful as ever, and the mountains cut dark against bright orange sunsets every evening.

My three days of volleyball camp were bracketed by time with Tanya. Hanging out with Tanya in Orland is basically my version of the perfect time machine. We go back to the early 2000s, driving around nowhere, singing in the car, and lazing about the lake. It's perfect because we feel like we are in high school again, just without all the homework and annoying people.


She took me stand-up paddleboarding for the first time, and we literally had Black Butte Lake (say "butt" if you want to, but the correct pronunciation is "bute" with a long "u" sound) all to ourselves. It was the most relaxing and intense workout I've ever had!


The other rad place Tanya took me to was this crazy back road from Redding to Orland. There was no one out there for miles and miles. We did see another car, once. There used to be a boomtown out that way, but it only lasted until the railroad came and everyone moved to Orland.


Both of my days with Tanya were in two absolutely beautiful and amazing wide open spaces.

Summer had finally arrived. I just hadn't realized it was waiting for me in California all along.

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July 19, 2015

Forging Westward: Idaho

After my short stint in Madison, it was time to pack up again to head west to Boise.


OK, so while Wisconsin and Idaho may not make the average tourist's "bestseller state list," I could argue that's why they are so beautiful and enjoyable. So many outdoor activities, low-key airports, and genuinely kind people are ready to welcome you to their pretty corner of the world. If you have the chance: GO.

Wisconsin to Colorado to Idaho

I will never forget this arrival in Boise.

I never know exactly how somebody is going to pick me up from the airport. Sometimes it depends on the airport parking fee, or somebody might be running late, or that one time last year my in-laws had to page me over the Denver airport loudspeaker.

All I remember is looking up through the glass doors and seeing my tall best friend, Jenn, and I became one of the crazy people who try to run with their suitcase in tow. I mean, we didn't get too emotional, but it was just so so SO good to be together again.


I think seeing each other helps remind us both that we have people in our lives who really like and love us. That might sound a bit silly because we both have loving husbands, parents, extended family, etc., but it makes sense to us.

The friends I made in college and through NBC Camps have always been "my people," and no amount of moving around will ever change that.

I had to switch gears from older generations to a newer generation on this trip because...Jenn is my best friend with kids.


Don't worry, she knows about me.

But little 2-year-old Blake and 5 1/2-month-old Tenley are basically my version of my kids without me having to do any of the real or hard stuff.


I realize this doesn't make me their #2 Mom, but it definitely makes me Aunt Chevy (at least, that's what we think Blake said when we think he was trying to say my name)!


We caught up on all of the cartoon movies I haven't watched the last 10 years, took a few walks to park, and I probably had way too much fun winning every pillow fight. But Blake kept laughing and shrieking, and in my limited parenting experiences, that's usually a good sign.

Jenn threw a fun 2-year-old boy truck-themed birthday party the Saturday I was in town, and it was hilarious watching all the little cousins running around and trying to process that the new toys were only for Blake.

(I won't mention all the not-so-cute events, but they're just normal toddlers, so it just comes with the territory. I will mention that Jenn is still normal and her stern-ness vs. fun-ness is on point. I am very thankful for all of that.)

We did manage to squeeze in the exceptionally fun and cool adult activity of Paint Nite.

I loved all the art classes I took in school growing up. It wasn't because I didn't like my other classes, but art class was a chance to color outside the lines for a change. It was the only class where we could experiment with and interpret an assignment in a different way and still get a good grade for it!

Well, throw us into Paint Nite, and it was an opportunity to go crazy with colors all over again!

We did stay generally within the guidelines of our art instructor, but after staring at a big blob of red paint for too long, I just had to start putting it onto the canvas.


I don't know why adults stop doing things they enjoyed as children. Do we shuffle away those hobbies as "kid stuff?" Do we just chalk it up to never having enough time?

All I know is anytime I've gone out of my way to scrawl with my crayons in a coloring book, find a park with a swingset, or play with paint on an empty white canvas, I feel that fun freedom that comes when I am about to start something that will end up great no matter what happens. How can we think we are getting the same creative enjoyment out of running 3 miles and balancing our accounts?

Paint Nite encourages everyone from the confident sketch artist to the clumsy stick figure artist to let loose and create something fun together. It's a positive and open atmosphere, and even the guy sitting next to Jenn who painted like a 6-year-old was having a great time.


Paint Nite is probably in an American location near you. If it's not, contact Paint Nite and I'm sure they'd love to become a part of your community as well!

Boise is a great place to raise a family, with suburbs galore, a great downtown scene, and Boise State. I'm glad I have a surrogate family there, and thankful for Jenn who always makes sure I know Boise is cool.


Jenn: Boise is cool, because any place you are will always be awesome and I'm happy to visit you there for as long as we both shall live.

(The visits to the snow cone places help a lot.)

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July 10, 2015

Forging Westward: Wisconsin

My whole year has been spent mostly flying planes instead of taking trains. This is not a preference, but simply how the chips fell with schedules, prices, and distances. In all, since I landed in Amsterdam last August, I think I've flown on 19 planes (yes, counting the plane changes in the same itinerary), and I've got 4 more to go before landing in Amsterdam again on August 12th. It feels like a lot!


Part of our travel strategy this summer was that by starting on the East Coast, we could one-way ticket ourselves across the country to California. Marc and I split forces in DC, and we will reunite in LA in August. This plan was so much cheaper and less time consuming than picking a home base and round trip ticketing everywhere together.

My summer of 2015 has had so many states and planes! I've passed through New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, Ohio, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Idaho, just to finally get to California. That's 11 states (DC definitely counts) in 5 weeks!

How did it work and why did I do it?!

Washington DC to Ohio to Wisconsin

This was the trip of the utmost importance to me this year. When my aunt's job took her and my grandma away from Redding, California, to Madison, Wisconsin, my first thought was, "That's far and inconvenient." I was used to incorporating my fun little Redding Christian School volleyball camp with nearby visits to see them. I didn't know anywhere to coach volleyball in Wisconsin!

But their move gave me the perfect excuse to go to Wisconsin for the first time!


It reminded me of Ohio (which was fitting, since my layover was in Cleveland): rolling green hills, rapidly changing weather patterns, and no fences between houses. Their comfortable home had a large finished basement and there was a park with swings down the street. I was thrilled!

Aunt Denise took time off work to show me around Madison during the 3 days I was in town. Those University of Wisconsin kids have a sweet setup in the downtown! The only major drawback is the winter. But those beautiful homes and gorgeous school buildings all on the waterfront compliment each other well and tie perfectly into Madison's downtown scene.


We went "grocery shopping" at Brenner's, but it was a lot more like snacking on the delicious samples every aisle than actually buying anything! My aunt also made sure I tried the Wisconsin fried cheese curds at Culver's before I left.

Grandma Millie and I had so many smiles and laughs, sharing stories from our new lives and reminiscing moments from Shingletown together. It had been two years since I had seen either of them, and our time together was meaningful to each of us in different, but important, ways.


I'm entering a new season of life where my parents and most of my aunts and uncles are now the age my grandparents were when I was a child. To have the opportunity for a wonderful time with my grandma and aunt was very precious to me, and I'm so grateful the Wisconsin trip was able to happen!

Forging Westward: Idaho is up next!

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July 5, 2015

(East) Coasting in DC and VA

We had to shuffle around our itinerary a bit, and we ended up in the Washington DC area for two weeks!


We had only a few objectives.


The Mall. The fireworks. See friends and family. Relax and workout. Add in Marc's goals to see the Marine Corps Memorial, the Pentagon, and Arlington. Plus my hopes to be at the pool everyday and hang out in Georgetown.


The weather was so-so, and we are coming to understand that most of the USA is humid, unpredictable, and not actually very fun in the summertime. I was raised to expect the sky to be sunny and blue everyday from May to October. California really warps your mind, doesn't it?

Freedom is not free, and neither is good weather! 
We did fit in most of what we had in mind, focusing heavily on the "relax and workout" part. Turns out we still hate driving, and after loads of traffic, tolls, freeways, bridges, and rainy weather, we loved kicking back at Marc's sister's place while she was in Europe!

(It helped a lot that her apartment complex had both a pool and a fitness center!)

Hanging out at the University of Virginia. 
After Alex returned to America, we got to have our own version of the 4th of July! Best explanation is that it looked a whole lot more like Cinco de Mayo, sangria and all. We were a party of five (Alex, her best friend, Brandi, Marc, me, and our best friend, Tanya Schmidt! You may remember this Tanya from NYE 2014 and my trip around Germany?), all from California, but all currently with addresses outside of our home state.


We got to figure out the DC fireworks scene together, but I think we'll pick a better location next time. Blame it on the weather again, because we didn't want to go too early and set up camp if it was going to rain all afternoon! We watched from the hill above the Iwo Jima Memorial, and we could only really see the highest fireworks. Alex should live out there for a while, so we're banking on getting a second chance at this.


It was awesome, nonetheless, to be a part of the fireworks scene in our nation's capital city!

Attempt #1
Attempt #2
Marc and I consider the East Coast segment of our time in the USA as "our vacation" this summer. I have to put it in quotes because, no matter how much fun we may have here in America, we would just rather be in Europe. We both get stressed out by the intensity of America, and we dearly miss our lifestyle and routine in France. We know our moments in the USA are important to our relationships, but it gets harder and harder to leave our home(s) in Europe every year.


This next phase of #SwagVilUSA has Marc and I dividing to conquer as much ground as possible. I'm off to Wisconsin to visit my aunt and grandma, then to Idaho to see my best friend, Jenn, and her family. Marc is flying to Colorado to be with family and to work, then to Arizona for more family and friends. Eventually we'll reconvene in Southern California, then we'll be starting our next Europe adventure in Scotland, England, and the Netherlands!

Georgetown got me my Euro fix.
I've got another plane to catch right now, and the Wisconsin and Idaho parts of my trip will be on the blog next!

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July 1, 2015

2014-2015 Review: Get Out of Town!

It's like...we moved to the middle of nowhere, and, all of a sudden, I had so much free time that I was going everywhere!


Our "years" begin and end in the summer. Every time I've tried to do a "real" year-in-review at the end of December, I always feel halfway through whatever we're doing. I've just always been on a school year schedule; my parents were both teachers, and our life refreshed and restarted every summer.

I don't think I can really count all the days I went to Paris this year, but I blogged about most of them, and you can read about my museum and wander days here.

Marc may have been bored and unemployed in La Fère, but we took advantage of his free time and he went to two destinations he'd been wanting to see his entire life: Berlin and Athens. Berlin exceeded his expectations and Athens was a disappointment. But he's glad he got to decide for himself and now all he talks about is going back to Berlin!

The only travel plans I really had for this year were Spain for Christmas and I was hoping against all odds that I'd finally get to do my Iberian Insanity (#ibin2014) trip that I started planning way back in 2012. There was also a hint of "perhaps Morocco" when my college friend, John, moved there in the fall, but nothing was for sure, or even a priority.

These quaint little ideas ended up exploding into glorious travel dreams all over my calendar!

A Week in the Netherlands

Every August, I get to do a volleyball camp in the little, but well-connected, town of Wassenaar. Between coaching volleyball and eating strop waffles, I made it to the Mauritshuis museum in Den Haag, Corrie ten Boom's home in Haarlem, and a local castle in Voorschoten.

A Night in London

When the Eurostar train goes on sale, it must be bought! For 69 euros each round trip, we sped under the English Channel for a night out at the theatre. Conveniently, my uncle and aunt also happened to be in town (this has happened to us twice now, in London and in NYC!), and we enjoyed drinks at the Savoy after the show.

Two Weeks in Spain

It was only supposed to be about 9.5 days, but an EasyJet airline strike grounded our December 31st flight until...January 3rd! What began as our already grand trip of Madrid, Toledo, Granada, and Málaga, became all of those places plus Córdoba, Ronda, and Gibraltar! My Iberian Insanity trip was now only missing Seville and Portugal!


An Evening in Belgium

We chugged up to Belgium in the team minibus for my first European friends to finally meet Marc! It was the first time I'd been back since 2011, and it was wonderful to communicate in French with so many of the people who opened up Europe to us.

Four Days in Morocco

John's move to Morocco did end up working out for me after all! It's really nice having friends who live in cool places. It was my first time in Africa, my first time in a predominantly Arab country, and the most interesting trip of my life.

Four Days in Sweden & Norway

I'm now old enough that the teenagers I coached are studying their master's degrees abroad. Maggie was based in Sweden for 6 weeks, and we had sadly given up hope that we'd get to see each other. But a canceled practice and a plane ticket later, and #Swagandinavia was up and running!


Two Weeks in Portugal

My ultimate year in travel finished with my ultimate vacation destination. My time in the south of Portugal was pure and organic and perfect.


Our 4th Year in France

But how can I forget my adopted home?! Aside from my Paris jaunts, we cracked open an entire new section of France to us in the Picardy. I have to say that the best 3 things were castles: Château Mennechet, Pierrefonds, and Coucy-le-Château. We also were able to spend some time in Bayeux for our friends' wedding.


We don't know everything about where we'll be going next year, but we do have our return to Europe planned for a visit to Scotland! I feel like I definitely maximized my time in Europe this past year, and right now I think I'm ready for a more laid back travel schedule for next year.

I mean, I feel that way today, but I may change my mind come September!

Thankful for all the learning and mind-opening experiences that travel has brought me because of volleyball. These years have been golden and grand, and I know we will continue to shine wherever we end up!

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