#67 - Surf Somewhere New

While I expected to surf during this year's trip to Costa Rica, I assumed it would be at Jaco, where I'd surfed in previous years, especially after a rock had flown up at me on the highway, creating a small crack in the windshield of our rental car and thus creating a need to go Jaco at some point during our two weeks on Palo Seco. It turns out the process of filing for insurance coverage through my dad's credit card was, shockingly, a tedious one, so we didn't return to Jaco until it was time to return the car and head back to San Jose, where we'd spend a few days before traveling home to the cold.

Instead, the opportunity to surf came up a little more unexpectedly. My parents and I had over ten days at the house on Palo Seco, and I decided that was a bit too long without some adventure. I looked up areas nearby and suggested we take a day trip to Dominical, a small hippie beach town about twenty kilometers past Quepos, a small city we'd been to often. The day we picked to go, we delayed departing because it was drizzly, so there seemed no rush to get there. 

We arrived in Dominical, indeed a small hippie beach town, around 3pm. We found the local brewery, which was mostly open air but also strangely large for such a small town. Luckily, the weather had cleared up, so it was a pleasant afternoon to sit outside. I left my parents with drinks on the way and ventured down to the water... just to see. On my way to the ocean, I must have walked past at least six surf shops, which piqued my interest. When I got to the beach, I saw exactly what I'd been hoping to see: midsize waves filled with bobbing figures waiting to catch the next perfect swell.

The main stretch near the beach

Most of the surf shops were closed, and it looked like my last hope was closing at 4pm. I peeked in to ask, just in case, and no, she assured me, they were open until 5pm (with sunset being close to 5:30pm). Then, I learned renting a board for the day was just $10... American. And I just so happened to have a Hamilton right there in my wallet. She then offered to hold my stuff in their office, so I threw caution to the wind, texted my dad I'd be gone for about an hour, changed into my suit and rash guard (okay, maybe I did come prepared), and trudged out to the rocky beach with a nine-foot long board.

Honestly, my time at Dominical was probably one of the best surf sessions I've ever had, despite the less-than-ideal conditions. We were only an hour or so away from high tide, so the waves were breaking pretty close to a beach with very rocky sections that were not fun to land on or walk through on the way to deeper water and smoother sands. The waves were probably 4-5 feet. But I got up quickly and had some great rides, even feeling comfortable enough to go a bit deeper than I usually do and to really work on that intuitive feeling of dropping into a wave. 

Post surf marg

Plus, I've only ever surfed at beaches with vast stretches of sand that leads to a fairly flat stretch of land speckled with palm trees (and sometimes parking lots and vacation homes). At the break in Dominical, hills covered in jungle dive down to meet the beach, which was narrow at high tide, and people sat among rows and rows of palm trees. Beach goers, Volkswagon vans, and tents for camping were the only signs of civilization from the water. 

As I walked back to the brewery, happily exhausted from the waves, I also realized I was proud of myself for having such an adventurous spirit. I've sometimes been told I should be more careful as a woman moving about the world alone, especially in another country, but in both Barcelona and Costa Rica, I have had some of my best moments by shrugging my shoulders at those worries and embracing the opportunities in front of me. I think younger me would be really happy with that.

#12 - Practice Yoga 26 Times

Definitely going to do more this year, but a big THANK YOU to Stephanie for letting me know about the Down Dog app! It's such a happy medium for the type of yoga I like to do, while I look for a studio that fits what I want! I also love that I get to pick the length of time of the practice, length of Shavasana, and focus of the practice. Super happy to be back at it, even if it's taken me awhile to build up the length of my practice.

1 - 1/13/24 (5 minutes)

2 - 1/16/24 (10 minutes)

3 - 3/6/24 (60 minutes at The Ray)

4 - 3/8/24 (5 minutes)

5 - 3/25/24 (5 minutes)

6 - 4/3/24 (10 minutes)

7 - 4/12/24 (10 minutes)

8 - 4/15/24 (15 minutes)

9 - 4/26/24 (20 minutes)

10 - 4/28/24 (10 minutes)

11 - 5/30/24 (5 minutes)

12 - 6/10/24 (5 minutes)

13 - 6/25/24 (5 minutes)

14 - 7/2/4 (10 minutes via Down Dog)

15 - 7/12/24 (15 minutes via Down Dog)

16 - 7/15/24: (20 minutes via Down Dog)

17 - 7/18/24 (10 minutes via Down Dog)

18 - 7/21/24 (5 minutes)

19 - 7/24/24 (25 minutes via Down Dog)

20 - 7/29/24 (30 minutes via Down Dog)

21 - 8/1/24 (15 minutes via Down Dog)

22 - 8/3/24 (10 minutes via Down Dog)

23 - 8/8/24 (35 minutes via Down Dog)

24 - 8/14/24 (40 minutes via Down Dog)

25 - 9/8/24 (35 minutes via Down Dog)

26 - 1013/24 (20minutes via Down Dog)

36 - Get Another Tattoo

More than seven years in the making! Grace, Conor, and I finally got tattooed together!

Some things I find humorous about this are

• Grace and Conor had tattoos well before I ever did, and they both have more than me and bigger ones than mine. 
• At the same time, since around 2015, when I got my first tattoo, I've almost always had a next one in mind. (Still do.)
• It seems like they also almost always have a next one in mind.

So, there's been literally no resistance to this. It just took some planning. I'm so thankful that Conor booked us some time with his artist Joshua Blatchley at Wish Tattoo for a weekend when I was in town. Wish is a really gorgeous, peaceful space, and Conor even managed to get Josh to agree to fit us all in late on a Sunday, so I could fit in some surfing before needing to be out of the water for a bit. Brandon approached each of our pieces completely differently, based on our wishes for it, and I think we all ended up pretty happy with the result! 

Also, this week, just over two weeks since I got the new tattoo, I had someone guess incorrectly what it was. The convo went like this:

"Is your tattoo for Up?"

"Yes!"

...

"Wait... No! Not Up! It!"

I just heard a two-letter movie title and agreed.

But cheers to my new tribute to my love of horror and to two of the reasons I'm so thankful I did my doc program at USD! (That's you, Grace & Conor. Love yous.)

p.s. Also love to Windi for joining us for a delicious dinner at beforehand and keeping Grace & I entertained with PoGo trades and parties while we waited.

#23 - See a Concert at Ravinia

I can't believe I've never been to Ravinia before. 

For my Michigan friends, it's like the Chicago version of Pine Knob--except it's even easier to get to because here in Chicago, we have trains. It was just a (free) 30-minute Metra ride up to the park, letting us off right there.

Alicia and I went to see the Chicago Symphony Orchestra play a variety of Tchaikovsky (my favorite composter) pieces. We opted for the pavilion, though lawn seats (where you can bring your own or rent/buy chairs, tables, food, and drink) are a favorite. I'm kinda glad we did the pavilion though because I realized that for music I really want to pay attention to, I want to be able to see the artists.

They started with some of the Nutcracker movements. Then, after intermission we were treated to a concerto with a soloist on violin and then, the big finale: The Overture of 1812--with cannons. 

For a chunk of the performance, we were trying to figure out how the cannons came into play because, as you can see in the pictures, there isn't quite space for full-ass cannons on the stage. But, they were there! Just to the side of the pavilion. And they were loud. It was something totally different than any of the other symphony or orchestra performances I've ever seen before. Super fun, got everyone laughing and energized.

I had a great time and can't wait to catch another summer show there.

#5 - Run 101 Miles

January: 2.5 miles; 1 run; average 2.5 miles

1. 1/5/24: 2.5 miles in Uptown (2.5 total)

February: 0.51 miles; 1 run; average 0.51 miles

2. 2/20/24: 0.51 miles in Uptown (3.01 total)

March: 28.58 miles; 13 runs; average 2.20 miles

3. 3/1/24: 0.77 miles in Uptown (3.78 total)

4. 3/4/24: 1.24 miles in Uptown (5.02 total)

5. 3/9/24: 1.63 miles in Edgewater (6.65 total)

6. 3/11/24: 1.98 miles in Uptown (8.63 total)

7. 3/13/24: 1.43 miles in Edgewater (10.06 total)

8. 3/16/24: 1.68 miles in Pittsfield Township (11.74 total)

9. 3/18/24: 2.14 miles in Barcelona (13.88 total)

10. 3/19/24: 3.28 miles in Barcelona (17.16 total)

11. 3/21/24: 2.21 miles in Barcelona (19.97 total)

12. 3/22/24: 3.04 miles in Barcelona (23.01 total)

13. 3/24/24: 2.34 miles in Barcelona (25.35 total)

14. 3/26/24: 3.80 miles in Barcelona (29.15 total)

15. 3/31/24: 2.44 miles in Pittsfield Township (31.59 total)

April: 21.82 miles; 8 runs; average 2.73 miles

16. 4/5/24: 1.36 miles in Edgewater (32.95 total)

17. 4/6/24: 3.13 miles in Edgewater (36.08 total)

18. 4/8/24: 1.67 miles in Edgewater (37.75 total)

19. 4/12/24: 3.31 miles in Edgewater (41.06 total)

20. 4/17/24: 3.71 miles in Uptown (44.77 total)

21. 4/19/24: 1.68 miles in Edgewater (46.45 total)

22. 4/21/24: 3.06 miles in Uptown (49.51 total)

23. 4/28/24: 3.90 miles in Uptown (53.41 total)

May: 24.49 miles; 7 runs; average 3.50 miles

24. 5/3/24: 1.69 miles in Edgewater (55.10 total)

25. 5/4/24: 4.59 miles in Uptown (59.69 total)

26. 5/8/24: 2.06 miles in Uptown (61.75 total)

27. 5/12/24: 5.07 miles in Uptown/Lakeview (66.82 total)

28. 5/18/24: 5.32 miles in Uptown/Edgewater/Rogers Park (72.14 total)

29. 5/26/24: 5.85 miles in Uptown (77.99 total)

30. 5/31/24: 1.60 miles in Edgewater (79.59 total)

June: 15.83 miles; 7 runs; average 2.26 miles

31. 6/2/24: 3.22 miles in Uptown (82.81 total)

32. 6/9/24: 0.74 miles in Edgewater (83.55 total)

33. 6/12/24: 1.78 miles in Edgewater (85.33 total)

34. 6/21/24: 2.24 miles in Pittsfield Township (87.57 total)

35. 6/22/24: 3.64 miles in Pittsfield Township (91.21 total)

36. 6/25/24: 1.35 miles in Edgewater (92.56 total)

37. 6/28/24: 2.86 miles in Uptown (95.42 total)

July: 5.92 miles; 3 runs; average 1.97 miles

38. 7/1/24: 1.25 miles during an Orange Theory (Andersonville) class (96.67 total)

39. 7/3/24: 2.10 miles in Edgewater (98.77 total)

40. 7/10/24: 2.57 miles in uptown (101.34 total)

#39 - Help Someone With Their List of Goals

Curry fries at Wilde

I didn't even think of it until after the fact, but I got to help Grace with a few of her goals while she was in Chicago! 

First, Grace took me on one (or more) of her birthday dates for the year! I already posted about Kasama, which was also a foodie adventure, but we also went to "Clued In" at Second City, then Wilde, and then "Hitch*Cocktails" at The Annoyance, after the cast of Clued In invited us with a discount code. I was really bummed that Grace got sick, and we couldn't do as much as we wanted to do, but honestly, that Friday was a really, really good day. It was so much fun to take in so many delightful Chicago experiences, while catching up with my dear friend.

26 - Have a New Culinary Experience

I'm so grateful for my friend Stephanie, just in general but also for a great meal and great night at AJI Omakase.

I was trying to fit in some list items when Grace was in town, and when I was trying to describe what I meant by "new culinary experience," I used omakase as an example: a style of eating that I hadn't tried before. And Steph was like, "You've never had omakase?" And then, just a couple weeks later, she took me to Aji, and I learned the unsurprising lesson that I like omakase.

I love a meal when I don't have to choose, get to try a ton of different things, and each bite is different yet no less delicious than the last. 

I didn't get many pics of the space itself, but it's small, and there were just seven of us for the seating.

We had some saki and then started in on 15 courses.

It was fun to watch the board change, so we knew what we were about to consume, and to have Executive Chef Kristian Cho describe each course, while Sushi Chef Arnold Lee crafted each piece in front of us. Cho also answered our questions and pointed out special things about the fish or preparations.

Thank you for a super lovely night, Real Friend™!

#52 - Try a New Physical Activity

I didn't even realize I was checking off a list item until I was on my way to Barre 3 to do a Brawl class until I was on my way to meet Melissa, who generously invited me to be her guest to try it out! 

Brawl is a 50-minute cardio kickboxing class... at a barre studio, so there are some bar elements. Our instructor Sarah led us through a tough workout. She was fully of energy and spot on with her cueing, though many were very new to me. 

While I got a great workout and certainly broke a sweat, group fitness just isn't my thing, really. There are a few exceptions. I love love love the "right" yoga class--meaning there has to be some self-reflection and connection and there absolutely should not be any hand weights or other exercise equipment. I enjoy barre classes. I can get down with pilates. I enjoyed the one boxing class I went to and hope to do more.

I think perhaps I only want to take classes when I feel like I couldn't do those things on my own. I mean, I can do yoga on my own, but the type of yoga classes I like include "spiritual" or reflective cues and connection. And I don't have a barre, pilates equipment, or boxing equipment. 

Otherwise, I want to workout on my own, at a time of my choosing, for as long as I see fit.

But I'm glad I went, as it's cool to try new things and learn about myself!

Thank you, Miss!

(Oh, and no pics because we were sweaty and not photo ready.)

#25 - Experience a New Culinary Destination

When Grace told me she was coming to town, one of the first things we put on our to-do list was a visit to Kasama. 

Kasama opened in July 2020 as a cafe and later added a tasting-menu dinner. It was added to Michelin's Bib Gourmand list in 2021. It already had recognition and lines when it was featured on the second season of The Bear, which made those lines even longer. Then, in 2023, it became the first Filipino restaurant to earn a Michelin star.

When we arrived on Friday morning and saw the length of the line, I was skeptical. It's such a hike to get to the Ukrainian Village neighborhood that I was resigned to waiting as long as it took, but damn. That line was long. 

We figured out we could order online for pick up, but even that had an 85-minute wait. Grace went ahead and ordered us a breakfast sandwich and a ham-and-cheese pastry. The order came up when we still had a bit of line to go. We started with the sandwich, which was egg, cheese, and longanisa sausage. It came in an unassuming silver wrapping but wowed in flavor. The pastry was just a long, small pastry topped with some creamy cheese and fancy ham... and was definitely the surprise of the day. Something about the combination of that specific ham, that specific cheese, and that flaky, crispy pastry was shockingly good. After that, we were ready for brunch!

I took us between an hour and a half and two hours to get in, where we found a very small space and figured out that we just ordered at the counter. There are only seven things on the menu (and we'd already had the sandwich) and then a host of pastries, but it was still tough to decide. Grace got the Filipino breakfast, and I went with the chicken adobo. We also shared lumpia, which came out first, super crispy and wonderfully flavorful. There was just enough spice and the sweet chili sauce was the perfect complement. 

Then came the entrees. I don't know what else to say than they were both perfectly balanced. The chicken adobo was packed with flavor. The garlic rice was just interesting enough to be a welcome part of the dish and not just a throwaway side. The pickled slaw gave that great hit of acid. And I got to try tocino, which was a sweet pork rib that was also great.

Grace also ordered a bunch of pastries to go, and I have to say, while I'm always skeptical truffle-flavored things are worth the price, the black truffle croissant is one of the best things I've ever eaten. So funky and creamy and flaky. The chocolate croissant was great too, but I'm not as much into sweets. 

Overall, no complaints, only delights. I'm not sure if I'd wait in a line that long again, but I would order ahead, go hungry, and then, if the line were shorter, have my snacks in line and eat there again. If you're in Chicago, I definitely recommend getting some brunchy take out and getting there early enough that they're not out of some of the best pastries!

48 - Go on a Silent Retreat

When I added this item to my list (and kept it on the list for many years), I imagined heading off into the woods somewhere for a few days, maybe even a week, and living in silence amongst others doing the same. Perhaps we'd wear flowy outfits, do some yoga, drink juice, just general spiritual retreat vibes.

Then, a couple weeks ago, I Googled "silent retreat in Chicago" and found the Kadampa Meditation Center Chicago, which is in Wicker Park and offers extremely affordable workshops, classes, and retreats. they had a 3-hour silent retreat on overcoming anxiety and worry that was only $30, so I jumped on that, thinking it would be a great way to test out how I might do in a longer (much more expensive) retreat and because I can always use extra support in managing my anxiety.

What surprised me most was how quickly the 3 hours flew by. We also did three meditations, and even those were so much "easier" than when I meditate alone or with the Headspace app. I had forgotten how different meditation feels when doing it in community.

What also surprised me is how much talking there was in the silent retreat. The idea for this retreat is that we, as participants, would stay silent, but we had a teacher, who "lectured" (for lack of a better word) and led us through guided meditations. We were on retreat in that we had retreated from our homes, from our voices, and from technology so that we could reflect on this topic.

It was a really great experience, and I can see myself becoming a regular attendee at Kadampa events in the future. 

#88 - Eat Tapas in Barcelona

At Pinotxos
(a Jose Andres recomendation)

I admit: I added this to the list knowing we were taking a family trip to Barcelona and that it would be pretty hard to avoid eating tapas when we were going to be there for almost two weeks and all very much enjoy tapas.

While I assumed the tapas would be good, I really didn't know how consistently good they would be, pretty much everywhere we went. Sure, some spots were better than others, but I don't think I ever left a meal of tapas disappointed. 

I also rarely left stuffed. Knowing we could always order more meant that we generally either under-ordered or ordered just enough. Plus, these were Barcelona tapas portions, not American gigantic portions, so after a few tapas meals, we got the hang of about how much to order, which always ended up just enough to satisfy and never (I don't think) leaving food wasted.

The literal only downside to eating tapas with the Krones is that I'm the only one who can/will eat mariscos, bivavles, most shellfish, whatever you want to call it and the only one who will eat the small oily fish like sardines and anchovies. Luckily, I had some opportunities to order my own little thing and also got to enjoy a meal of paella and snacks with Maria and her family. I was so pleased when Pere asked if I liked seafood, and I got to answer, "Yes, I like all of it." So, in case you were worried, it all worked out ;) Plus, Maria and I had more tapas later in the evening!

I didn't take many pictures at my favorite spot, which was in Figueres, but this list item was about eating tapas in Barcelona, so I guess that wouldn't count anyways!

#96 - Go to a New Country

So, instead of giving gifts during the year for birthdays and Christmas, my family travels together. 

In December 2019, we went to Costa Rica. 

In November 2020, we were supposed to go to Florence, Italy. The thing is, November 2020 was not a great time to visit Italy, specifically, so we went no where. 

Then, in December 2021, we decided to go back to Costa Rica. We'd all been vaccinated. We'd have our own house. Nearly everything we would be doing was outside. And when we got there, we found that Costa Ricans were taking the pandemic and precautions much more seriously than Americans. So much so that we actually felt safer there than in the U.S. Everyone was masked, unless they were eating, including in outdoor areas. To enter a restaurant, even an outdoor one, you had to wash your hands. And none of us got sick. Interesting.

In December 2022, we went back to Costa Rica again because, well, we kinda love it there. 

In 2023, my brother wasn't available during our usual time of year, so we decided to go somewhere in August. That obviously limits options, especially as he wanted to stay in the Central or Eastern time zones, so he could work some. So we decided to go to the Finger Lakes. Found a nice house. Would find fun things to do.

Then, in May 2023, I got a call from my mom, who was at lunch with my brother and dad. She said, "Hey, instead of going to the Finger Lakes in August, do you want to go to Barcelona in March of next year?" 

Um... yes.

So we changed the plans. We spent almost two weeks in Barcelona. We rented an apartment in the Gothic Quarter and then just explored. My parents had been to Barcelona many times, so they had a few suggestions, and we had a few suggestions, but mostly we just kept it low key. 

I love a city that is very walkable and has great food and wine. That's definitely Barcelona. 

I went for a walk in the Gothic Quarter every morning, exploring all of the narrow streets and alleys. I ran most days, either heading to the beach or a nearby park. We visited markets. We went to La Sagrada Familia. We ate tapas. We drank wine (or beer or vodka). We went to the Picasso Museum. We rented a car for a few days and saw the coast and the Dali Museum. And I got to spend a really lovely day with my friend Maria, who lives here.

I'm so thankful we took this trip together and look forward to future trips to this beautiful city!

#74 - Visit a New UNESCO Heritage Site

I call this one "Where's Chris?!"
because my dad was worried, but
that's Chris in the background.

The only place I requested to visit while in Barcelona was La Sagrada Familia. It wasn't because it's a UNESCO Heritage Site, and I don't remember when I learned about it, but I just knew it was an incredible architectural feat and just art. 

Well, those teachings, wherever they came from, weren't wrong. Inside and out, La Sagrada Familia is incredible. The gothic architecture and attention to detail are striking. Outside, the towers and details are hard to take in because it's so much and so beautiful. Inside, it's like walking through a forest with colors popping through stained glass windows within white walls and fixtures. 

While I'm not religious, the intentional symbolism within the structure, inside and out, is incredible. There's just so much there. The pictures cannot do it justice. 

It wasn't until I heard a mention on a tour that it was a UNESCO site that I realized it could fit this list item. 

#55 - See a Friend I Haven't Seen in at Least 3 Years

I cannot articulate the type and amount of joy I felt spending time with Maria Trias Arraut again. It felt very similar to the joy I felt spending time together in San Diego: easy and sometimes deep and sometimes light and sometimes silly. I'm so pleased we spent time together, just the two of us and with her family. 

I'm also thankful for my first paella experience with Maria and Pere (so delicious) and for the opportunity wander around Maria's hometown, chatting and seeing neighborhoods and spots I never would have found on my own.

We both left San Diego in 2016, and I'm pretty sure I've never been to Barcelona before, though she has her doubts. I hope the next reuniting is well under 7 years because I adore this special human!