A Big Year

It's been a big year around here.

I transitioned into a new job in March, got married to the love of my life in August, moved to the suburbs in September, and turn 30 today! Despite all these momentous occasions, I've not done a very good job of keeping up on chronicling them. Here's to doing better at that in this next year of my life.

After Molly and I wed in the hot summer sun that Chico guarantees in mid-August, we escaped to the cooler and beautiful climate of the Central California Coast, to Carmel. Molly will tell you that you know you've arrived in Carmel by the smell of the eucalyptus trees that line the streets. I'd tell you I knew we had arrived because the temperature gauge in the car suddenly dropped from the 80s to the 60s in a very short period of time! But what welcome relief.

We couldn't yet check in to our hotel room in Carmel when we arrived, so we headed to Carmel Beach to see the Pacific Ocean and take in the sights and smells of the coast. For Molly, it's also about the feel of the coast, that mysterious noise that occurs when sand squishes between your toes as you walk along the beach. It makes her giggle and is the reason your shoe choice at the beach should always be one you can quickly remove at the sight of sand!

On the other hand, I took this as an opportunity to start capturing the coastal scene. You'll notice the seagull accompanying Molly down the beach in the above image. He was different from these little guys, with their brightly colored beaks, that were just hanging out and watching the tide come in.

If you've never felt the need to head to Carmel, or even the beach generally, I plan on giving you some great reasons as I tell you about the sights of our honeymoon over the next few days, or weeks, or months. It all depends on how quickly I can return to the habit of blogging.