If you're here, you likely received my holiday card. If you didn't, then you're probably snooping, and that's okay! :-) Welcome, all! 

The year began meeting a wonderful man who I now call my boyfriend. Hope you get to meet him, he's a pretty remarkable human being! 

I went to Peru to spread dad's ashes and celebrate his life. I went with my mom, my brother Erick, and my sister-in-law Rachelle. We had a memorable trip, and hope to return again sooner than later. 

In September, boyfriend and I went to Portland for the holiday weekend and explored the city. Check out the details and photos of our trip! 

November was a packed month with a trip to the Grand Canyon, and a wonderful quiet Thanksgiving together. Overall the year was packed with exploring a lot and showing Boyfriend the great places LA has to offer as far as food adventures. 

The year was sprinkled with a trip to Cambria and Connecticut/Vermont as well. We attended concerts, had fun with friends, kayaked, and overall had a memorable year. I continue to love my work family and still handle the photography for our holiday portraits. It's been a benchmark year, and hope to celebrate more milestones in 2025. I hope you have a great holiday and a thriving 2025!

Food & wine experience top the charts this year. I had a lot of fun cooking, exploring, and sharing fun moments with friends. Below are some highlights of where I went, and what I ate. 

Boyfriend had never been to the Grand Canyon, so we drove out the weekend before Thanksgiving and had a great time exploring the canyon, riding e-bikes, and enjoying a sunrise and sunset. We both have electric cars, so we left on a Friday night and make it to Needles, CA. The next morning we arrived to the Grand Canyon and took a Sunset tour on the back of an open-air Jeep. It was amazing to see everything and enjoy the sunset together. The next day we rented e-bikes and rode many miles through various lookout points in the canyon. For the sunset, we were able to drive out to a point where we climbed a tower and took photos very high up. It was a great 5 days in Arizona! 

Boyfriend and I headed to Portland for Labor Day weekend and had a jam-packed weekend. We explored the town by foot and bikes. We rented e-bikes and rode to waterfalls. We took a walking food tour and it took us through a lot of Portland's amazing food scene. Here are photos we took of our adventures!

After spending 7 years single, in late December of 2023, I made the decision to begin dating again. When my late husband was alive, he encouraged me to marry once again in the future. After enjoying the past years traveling, advancing in my career, and getting to a place where I feel whole, I started my journey to meet someone special. With the support of my immediate family, friends, and mentor, I embarked on a new path to welcome a partner into my life this year. 

I met my now boyfriend earlier this year. He is intelligent, kind, caring, funny, and has a huge heart. After traveling to Peru, all of my travels, experiences, and adventures have included him. We have traveled together and love exploring LA. We continue to get to know each other day by day. I am grateful for meeting such a wonderful human being and feel humbled that I received the gift of his presence in my life. Let's see where we go... 

​Before my dad passed away, he told us he wanted to have his ashes returned to Peru and spread in the village where he grew up, atop a small mountain that had a large cross. Once he passed, we knew that we had to take him home. We planned a trip to Peru and organized everything to make sure we would have no issue transporting his ashes internationally. 
We went to Peru in April: my mom, my brother Erick, sister-in-law Rachelle, and myself. The flight was smooth since it was during the day, and non-stop. We arrived to Lima at about 10pm and crossed the street to our hotel. We met with Maylin (No, not me. Our cousin). She came to our hotel and met us for a night cap (pisco sour) and had a short visit to welcome us. We toasted, then promptly went to our rooms to sleep. 
The next day began a 3 days journey to reach 13,500 feet in altitude, so the first day we made it to 6,000 feet. Our plan was to take a bit each day and acclimate to the altitude so that we would be well once we arrived to Vista Alegre, my dad's village. Along the way, we enjoyed some beautiful scenery through hikes, waterfalls, and rivers. It was a nice leisure trip to get to our destination. 
We arrived on a Tuesday and had the day to spend with family and even enjoy some Extreme adventure. Carolina lives in the village and runs an Adventure Company called Ninamachay. We ziplined and walked through a high bridge; it was so much fun! 
The next day, we had a mass at the hilltop for my dad, then celebrated his life with live music, and pachamanca. It was quite the celebration in his honor! I know he was happy with how everything turned out. 
On Thursday the 25th, we began our descent back to Lima where we were going to stay in the Miraflores district near the ocean. On Thursday evening, we had dinner at Central, which was named the number 1 restaurant in the world for 2023. It was a memorable evening with my mom, my brother, and sister for my 45th birthday. 
On Friday the 26th, my actual birthday, we spent the day touring Lima, and then met up with my cousin Maylin, her boyfriend and her mom. We met up at the Magical Water Circuit. We had fun walking around and getting wet! 
Saturday we spent time shopping in the morning and afternoon, then in the evening we had a food tour of Lima. It was amazing to try so many different foods. We are familiar with Peruvian food, but going to the top restaurants was a lot of fun. My mom and I returned home after 1 week; my brother and Rachelle stayed another week to explore more sights since it was Rachelle's first time to Peru. 
​Overall, we had a memorable trip, and feel grateful to fulfill my dad's wishes. 

Hello, and welcome. If you're visiting, you've probably received my Holiday card and Newsletter. If you want to read more about my trip to the Arctic, click here. If you want to ready about my trip to the east coast, click here. If you want to read more about my dad, click here.
I have compiled some highlights of 2023 and made a slideshow. Explanations are in the photo captions. Enjoy!

Hope you and your family have a wonderful Holiday season!

This year, I had the opportunity to go to the Arctic. I flew to Helsinki first, then took a chartered flight to Longyearbyen, Svalbard. From there, I boarded a boat with 100 passengers and toured Svalbard. From Svalbard, we spent 2 days at sea headed to east Greenland to explore the fjords and glaciers. Then we spent a day at sea to the north part of Iceland. We ended our trip in Reykjavik, Iceland. 

This was an amazing trip, and I don't think I have words to really express how phenomenal it was. Pictures will never do it justice! I made some new friends along the way, and hope to connect again in the future. 

My bestie Jane moved to Virginia this year and I was excited to visit her at her new home, and also to celebrate her birthday. Not to mention, 30 years of friendship!! We had loads of fun! Went to amazing restaurants, had a great time with friends, and explored a bit of history at Mount Vernon. Can't wait for more adventures with Jane next year. 

My dad passed away December 20, 2022 at 4pm. I haven't updated the website since then. It is difficult to put into words what this feels like. So I can only write up a tribute to my father the best way I can. With pictures.