“Whoa, livin’ on a prayer!”

I’m telling you, it is absolutely insane to me that I am done with half of this assignment. Time has flown!

Upon reflection, there isn’t a single ounce of regret with how I’ve spent my time thus far. I have packed so much into the past weeks and am completely contented by it. There’s been some sightseeing, of course, but honestly, there’s been a lot more personal growth and milestones that I am much more proud of. Already, my time in California is going to be a time fondly remembered, but I look forward to adding to the memories.

One of my favorite things I’ve done so far happened Monday. After work, I went to a Giants game with my church small group!

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed watching baseball! The pacing of the sport, the atmosphere, all of it is great. I got a tour of the stadium from one of the group’s biggest Giants fans, learned that people will sit in kayaks out in the water to snatch up homerun balls, and managed to stay away from the peanuts and crackerjacks.

With Opening Day being this week, perhaps it’s high time for me to become a fan of a particular team! Who knows, it might be the Giants.

Wednesday, I took my first step in the life of using essential oils and ordered a Young Living starter kit.

As a healthcare professional, it can be hard to take holistic medicine seriously. The words “hoax” and “placebo” too easily come to mind, along with “unnecessary” and, sometimes, even “dangerous”. In the area of pregnant mothers, there’s often a draw to doing things as they used to be done, which brings increased risk to the already intricate process of growing and birthing a baby. Perhaps, it is for this reason that I can be skeptical of holistic medicine in the healthcare field.

Well, in the area of essential oil usage in my own life, I’ve decided that I can’t knock it until I try it.

Honestly though, I’m actually pretty excited. My interest was already piqued in the topic of oils, but I didn’t know what to do with them. I knew they smelled nice, but any other uses were beyond my knowledge. I’ve already leaned towards more organic products in other areas of my life (LUSH, anyone?), so it wasn’t too hard for me to give essential oils a shot.

So far, I’ve used oils to diffuse at night (which is, admittedly, heavenly) and to add to my water. It’s too soon to say if there have been any notable changes or benefits, but I have to say, I’m looking forward to exploring!

It’s so funny how dominoes fall in life, isn’t it? Due to my recent reclaiming of my nutrition and overall health, I am so much more drawn to healthy living!

Would I have given essential oils a try without the changes? Perhaps. Yet, once I got started loving on my body, I kept wanting to love on it, in any way I could! Partnering with a nutritionist, beginning CrossFit again, buying oils from Young Living, what’s next?

Saturday, I spent the day with Jen, my friend from Ohio who now lives in the area! We started off our adventure by eating some delicious Indian food!

Chicken Tikka Masala is practically always my go-to. This day was no different. The portions were perfect and the meal even came with a cup of chai and spiced sugar cubes! Such a win!

We then saw the new Wes Anderson film, Isle of Dogs, which was great! I absolutely loved Fantastic Mr. Fox, which was done in the similar claymation style, so I couldn’t wait to watch this one from the moment I saw the trailer. I wasn’t disappointed; it was lighthearted, charming, and had just the right amount of quirk.

Jen has an eye for photography like myself and even brought her DSLR with her! As I always have my camera in tow, we had ourselves a couple mini photoshoots sandwiching a Target trip. Here’s some samples of our work:

Gotta appreciate a friend that know how to work a camera, am I right?

The gift of friendship is such a meaningful one. Not only have I enjoyed camaraderie here in SF, but I’ve also been able to FaceTime/call several friends from both DC and Ohio. With moving so frequently, it sometimes feels like there is a rush to connect, to make the most of the time I have. Yet, without fail and in their own timing, new relationships always fall into place and old ones continue to grow.

I am so incredibly thankful.