2022
a year in review
In 2022...
we started with an intimate New Years celebration—just the two of us. Nina made a delicious encrusted rack of lamb with braised radicchio.
January was a month of plumbing at we prepared for our trip. We replaced the sewer lateral, added a sump pump and helped our friend upgrade her kid's shower.
In February, we departed to Europe for couple of months at our friend's condo in Valencia, Spain—complete with a bedroom and two offices ready for remote work!
We had planned to go to Portugal first, but due to strict Covid regulations we decided to drop our bags in Spain, get a antigen test (easier in Europe) and then spend a few days in and around Lisbon and Porto—both beautiful cities.
La Vida de España!
At the end of 2021, our friend put up their condo in Valencia for rent for two months. We jumped in on the opportunity right away. The hardest part was Nina asking a permission from her office. Luckily, stars aligned and we were able to pack up to go live in Spain. It was challenging trying to balance work and our overwhelming urge to travel. We spent late morning to early afternoon exploring pockets of area before start working mid afternoon. Our PST lunch time coincided with somewhat typical local dinner time where we could walk the streets and get snacks. It was a dream to experience another culture while living in it even in a short time. Locals were friendly and accommodating. We love being able to walk everywhere and getting the best and very affordable fresh orange juice. Seafood was abundant and high quality.
Making Paella at "Home"
Joselito Jamón Ibérico con Vino Seco at 10pm (PST Lunch Break)
Razor Clams and Mussles for V-day!
Eating at the Central Market
Sending a Postcard to our Nephews
Nina's almost-Daily Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
Euro Street Food: the Doner Kabab
Having Coffee and a Meeting
Córdoba, Sevilla y Granada
Jeff accidentally booked a flight end of March to celebrate Nina's February birthday 🤦🏻 so we drove.
Roadtrip!
Falles
One of the highlights while we were living in Valencia was their week-long Falles Festival to celebrate Saint Joseph. Communities built topical (often political) statues. On the last night, all of the ninots were burnt.
Memorable Dishes from our Trip
Home is Where your Heart is
Spain was so epic that having to leave made us sad. There are many places that we did not have enough time to explore. However, we were looking forward to reconnecting with our family and friends back home.
Eating out with Nina's Architect Friends
Mooncake Making and Farm Tour in Sebastopol with our Friends
Out to Eat with Jeff's High School Friends
Jeff and Adrian out for Some Mountain Biking
In July, Jeff's sister, Annie, and her family came to visit California. We're grateful to be able to spend some quality time with them.
Cade and Cole Trying to Guess what a Pencil Sharpener was
Jelly Belly BeanBoozled with the Boys
We then flew to Austin in August to see Jeff's family. It was great to go see our nephews' basketball games and to see them being a part of a team. Aunt Margaret also came to join us and we had a blast taking turn picking old music to enjoy after dinner.
Aunt Margaret's Rapping to Gangsta's Paradise
A Night Out in Austin
Jeff's Parents Dancing to She Drives Me Crazy
In-Person Time with Family in Thailand
Visiting the Pakanant Cousins at her Cousin's Peaceful and Charming Bed-n-Breakfast in Thailand's Old Capital City, Ayutthaya
Shun Entertained by Uncle Jeff
Canoeing in a Mangrove
Jeff and Kynn Enjoying our Beach-Front Rental in Rayong
Nina's Mom Hanging Out at the Beach Front
The last time Nina saw her family in person was our wedding in August of 2019. Even though relation is kept strong through calls and facetimes, they are not the same as spending time together in-person. We had welcomed Shun in 2020 and we finally got to meet him. Jeff met up with everyone in Bangkok after a few works of working in Europe. Trips with family are much treasured as they allowed us to reconnect with each other. Shun was asking for us after we left.
History through Wallpapers
With traveling and work, we haven't been able to spend time on our house as much as we had hoped. Task like taking down wallpapers was something we could take on. Each layer represented a moment in time. Stories we tried to conjure up to explain reasons behind each layer kept us entertained throughout the messy process.
Lots of Mess
Intimate Holidays
We were looking forward to quiet and intimate holidays in California among ourselves even though we miss the festivities in Austin. Opening gifts via Facetime was not the same as being together in person but we appreciated the technologies helps keeping our relationships close.
Hot Pot with Chris and Lynn (and Mom)
Sneaked in some hiking between torrential rains
2022 -- A year of readjusting our lives and our relationship with Covid (kicking it to the curb). We are grateful that we have had opportunities to explore the world and connecting with loved ones.
Happy New Year!
Nina + Jeff