The spider’s web revealed by drops of dew

The final week of the year is always a good one because it often begins with Nik’s Birthday and ends with Christmas and days off of work. This year was unique because we chose to stay in San Francisco for the holidays and celebrate on our own for the first time. It was hard not to be with our larger families, but perfect because we got to spend so much time together.

Monday afternoon, Nik’s birthday, we took a walk along Land’s End to check out the rock labyrinth before beginning the process of building a Lego VW Bus. Nik has been talking about both the bus and the Mini for a few months, so it was only appropriate that he receive one of them for his 35th birthday! The bus is easily the most complex set he has yet, and it took well over 3 hours to complete with both of us working on it. We did have dinner reservations at Aziza, so we had to take a break to refuel.

Half way to 70

The coast line

On Tuesday, we rented a car and drove up to Tahoe to stay at Sorensen’s. It is a little slice of heaven near South Lake Tahoe in Hope Valley that we have been going to for the past 3 years. Each year we have rented a different cabin, and this year’s, Creekside, was the best. It is a single room log cabin with a small kitchenette and a cast iron wood burning stove. We had a hard time regulating the temperature because it got so hot and we could not resist throwing another log on.

Creekside

We spent two full days (Christmas Eve & Christmas Day) and three nights in Hope Valley. We played cards, cooked dinner, went skiing/snowboarding, put together puzzles, listened to throw-back CDs from my high school years, built sled runs, watched the snow fall, read books, failed at getting chains for the rental car and had a blast. It was the perfect winter getaway, and one of the best parts is that we came back on Friday and still have a whole weekend before going back to work.

The small one among giants

Lake Tahoe

2013 has already been an amazing year for our household. To make sense of it all, I give you a timeline:

Wednesday, January 2 – I was officially granted my Architect’s license from the state of California.
Thursday, January 3 – I decided it was time for me to get a full time job.
Friday, January 11 – I had an interview at a firm that I had been curious about, but didn’t think much of it.
Monday, January 28 – Nik handed in his letter of resignation after a happy year and a half.
Friday, February 1 – Had a 2nd interview, was quite impressed this time, and was offered the job. I accepted!
Friday, February 8 – Nik had his last day of work.
Saturday, February 9 – Monday, February 18 – Ten days of double unemployment bliss that included lots of celebrating and a much needed trip to Lake Tahoe.
Tuesday, February 19 – My first day of work as an architect, and Nik’s first day where he was able to focus on anything he wanted.

Honestly, we have been extremely fortunate, and we thank our lucky stars every single day. When the year started, Nik had already decided to leave his job, but we had no clue how long it would take me to find one. We worried about the awkward and stressful overlap where we were both trying to start something new without an income in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Granted, there is still a little stress associated with both of us starting something new, but it is stress brought on by excitement and anticipation of great things.

I am still getting used to the regular schedule. My work day starts earlier than Nik’s used to, and it is often later than his used to be as well. My body is also not as resilient to the long hours as it used to be, and working 40+ hours a week wears me out. I expect that this will calm down after my first big deadline on May 1, but then there will be another deadline a couple months later. It is an endless cycle in the world of architecture, but it is extremely satisfying work. It has been a while since I felt like I was part of a larger team that is passionate about the work they do, and I cannot wait to see what this group is capable of.

Home sweet home for a couple days

My fellow unemployed spouse

The Picnic Spot

Our first stop at the top of our hardest hill in the Presidio

Nik has been working nonstop since January 2, and has not had a single day off until yesterday. He spent the day at home relaxing and going stir crazy. But today, I had the day off as well, so we took a bike ride to Fort Cronkhite in the Marin Headlands. We rode through the Presidio, over the Golden Gate Bridge, and along the tunnel route out to the ocean. Our bags were packed with water, sandwiches and snacks so we perched above the beach with hopes of seeing whales or dolphins. As we ate, a large production crew filmed at the beach and several groups of middle school kids hiked along the path behind us. At least one kid in each group proclaimed, “I’M THE KING OF THE MOUNTAIN” as they stood behind us. We chuckled at their predictability!!

All told, we went about 20 miles, and we both needed the exercise because neither of us have been on our bikes regularly due to the cold weather and Nik’s schedule. It was a perfect first ride of the year, and I hope to do several more. Really, I want to rent a proper road bikes and do a super long ride up to Pt Reyes. Nik isn’t entirely convinced, but I think we would love it.

I will never tire of seeing the Golden Gate Bridge

From the bridge

My companion for life

Our picnic spot

Looking south towards the city