Happy Holidays 2024
Dear Friends and Family,
2024 was a year of trying new things. Between different hair colors, new hobbies, and taking our first (and second) adventure in the bus; we had more than enough excitement.
Winter:
Calm before the storm
Our New Year’s Eve was uneventful. Jeremy had a ton of jobs in January, and traveled for work, while Loretta stayed home with the pups. We spent the next few months ramping up the pace on building out the bus for my upcoming sabbatical.
Trying something new
Loretta was going for purple streaks, but her stylist convinced her to dye her whole head, so she had purple hair for a few months.
A cabin in Longbarn
This year we chose to do a solo winter cabin trip up in Longbarn, California. We spent a few days playing in the snow with the dogs, reading, and enjoying the hot tub at night.
We drove down the mountain into Sonora to the Indigeny Reserve cidery where we hiked on their property and sampled some of the tastiest ciders we’ve ever had!
Spring:
A season of mixed emotions
Sabbatical in the Bus
It took two years, but we got our bus to the “MVP” state and made our maiden voyage. We traveled for 33 days across 15 states to visit friends and family.
Fun facts:
We traveled through 15 different states and stayed in 18 different locations, mostly state campgrounds and Hipcamps.
We drove about 7,000 miles (farthest east was Chicago)
We booked 5 Turos in different cities so that we could park the bus farther away and navigate around town.
We experienced all the weather: Snow, torrential rain, thunder and lightning, hail, high wind, and humid and dry heat.
Some of the highlights:
We enjoyed a man-made sauna in the woods and walked along the Deschutes River in Oregon.
We met my 3-year-old niece and 2-year-old nephew for the first time when seeing family in Idaho.
We soaked in hot springs in Bozeman, Montana.
We stayed at a brewery in Tensleep, Wyoming and sipped beers as the sun set over the mountains.
We hiked in the snow in Bighorn National Forest.
We visited with old college and work friends in Minnesota, Chicago, and Portland.
We visited Jeremy’s brother and family in Chicago.
We explored the latest Meow Wolf exhibit, "The Real Unreal" in Grapevine, Texas.
We camped along the Arkansas River and enjoyed a stroll past fields and pecan groves.
We walked down Beale Street in Memphis as a double dutch parade was taking place.
We spent Mother's Day with Jeremy’s mom in the Arizona high desert and watched the sunset.
We explored tide pools in Morro Bay.
A Tribute to Nana
My Nana, Marie Aspenwall, passed away in April, a month before my sabbatical. Earlier in the year, she was moved to a facility in New Port Beach, where she could get 24/7 care. I am comforted in knowing that in her last days, she made new friends there and had a more active social life, so much so that I rarely could get ahold of her. I was wracked with guilt that I hadn’t been able to talk to her more or didn’t have time to go see her before she passed. I kept putting it off hoping to see her at the end of my sabbatical and showing her the bus that we worked so hard to build.
What was even more painful was not having the opportunity to celebrate her life with loved ones at a funeral or memorial service. I didn’t get a chance to speak about how much she meant to me, so this is the only space I have to share.
My Nana and I had a special bond. Starting from a young age, I would visit her every summer by myself. We’d go shopping, and get our hair and nails done, and she’d always send me home with tailored jeans that fit me perfectly. She asked me about my life and showed genuine interest in my thoughts and feelings and acted as a safe space for me to be myself. As I got older, I called her every week, and went to see her when I had breaks between semesters in college. When I started working, my week-long visits turned into weekend visits. At the end of my visit, she’d cry and hug me tight, telling me how proud of me she was. As a kid I never understood why she would get so emotional, until now. It’s because she treated every visit and every phone call like it was the last time she’d speak to me, and she cherished every minute of our time together. She needed me to know that I was loved.
I feel her absence every day. I think about the unconditional love and support she had for me and how lucky I was to experience that. She funded my college tuition and rent and when I told her I wanted to pivot and pursue a risky design major at a new school, she trusted me and funded that too, even when everyone else in my life told me I was making a mistake. Had she not done that, I would not have had the successful and rewarding career I have today and I certainly wouldn’t have met Jeremy.
No one is perfect, and my Nana definitely had her flaws, but for me, I will choose to remember her thoughtless caregiving to everyone in her life, her kindness toward strangers, her bright laugh and shining eyes, and her love of yellow flowers.
Rest in peace, Nana. I love you.
Returning to work
When we returned from the sabbatical, Loretta was asked to join a brand new team to help grow the business. The early days of this team were full of ambiguity, but Loretta dedicated a lot of her time to hiring a new designer, and she’s very proud of foundational work she put in to help the new designer and director thrive.
Summer:
The season of trying new things
Adventures on
e-bikes
We bought e-bikes and spent the summer exploring Walnut Creek and Martinez. Jeremy fashioned doggy crates with beds. Zero loved the bike rides, but it took Darby a little longer to get the hang of it. He eventually came around.
Kayaking with Friends
Late in the summer, we went Kayaking with our friends Danielle and Lani on the Russian River. It was the most peaceful and enjoyable day on the water and Loretta is now hooked. We plan to buy fold-up kayaks and bring the dogs next time.
Trying cold therapy
Loretta has taken to doing cold plunges in the morning after her workouts. We started with ice packs in the icepod, and have upgraded to a chiller that keeps the water a balmy 56 degrees. Loretta hopes to work down to 45.
Jeremy’s Birthday
Before heading off to Oregon, we celebrated Jeremy’s 36th birthday with his family at our favorite Japanese restaurant, Izakaya An.
Working from Oregon
In September, we took a trip to Oregon in the bus with our new bikes.
We stayed at a campground on the edge of Florence and biked into town for showers and groceries. Loretta worked during the week and then we explored the town on the weekend. Aside from the car trouble we had at the beginning and the end of the trip, it was a great test on longer slow travel where Loretta works from the bus.
Loretta’s first Rennaissance Faire
We went with our friends Danielle, Laura, and Kip to the NorCal Renfaire and spent way too much money, but had a fantastic time!
Fall:
Travel and activities galore
Watching hockey
Naturally we needed to go see the Avs beat the Sharks at the start of the season.
Halloween with friends
Our dear friend Catherine came for Halloween weekend and we celebrated at Simantha’s house.
Loretta, being in her costume era, went as a mermaid/siren and won best costume!
Traveling to Spain
We spent 3 amazing weeks traveling around Spain (and France) by train, plane, and car. We visited Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Granada, Barcelona, Cadaques and Bilbao.
Hiking in the Pyrenees
We even drove across the Pyrenees into France and hiked the Pyrenees on the France side, stopping in Toulouse and Lourdes.
We feasted on Tapas, tried all the different kinds of Sangria, and explored the sites and architecture of each city we stayed in. By the end of the three weeks, we were ready to be home and eat dinner at earlier hours.
Jeremy’s Work:
It’s been a rough year for Jeremy for work. The whole industry has been slow. Jeremy is working hard to revamp his website and cut a new reel, refreshing his equipment to attract more clients. In the mean time, he’s been continuing to play and DM D&D; and, as always, work continues on the bus.
What’s next?
Next year we hope to travel to Denmark and Iceland in the Spring. We also look forward to more trips in the bus. As we continue to travel and explore the world and the US we are continually grateful of all that we’ve been able to do and see. Our friends and family are always in our hearts and we carry you everywhere we go.
Happy Holidays!
Love you all,
Jeremy, Loretta, Zero, and Darby
