After over a year of dreaming and planning, we arrived at Gingerhawk in August to put the finishing touches on this beautiful retreat party. One of the biggest jobs left to do once we arrived was the exterior painting. Our contractor, Thad, hired an awesome painter named Oscar and his team to complete the transformation…

It’s been a long journey, but Gingerhawk is getting close to completion. At the end of August, we road-tripped from San Diego to Washington State to get things polished and ready for visitors. Honestly, things were not quite as finished as we would have liked. There’s still a lot that needs to happen to get…

Hey friends – As you may know, a year and a half ago we purchased a 25-acre property in Washington State that we hope to transform into a beautiful rental retreat called Gingerhawk. The last time we shared an update was way back in March – it feels like a lifetime ago with all the…

As a student of acupuncture and Chinese medicine, I love learning about herbal medicine and holistic healing. I still have two more terms in school until I graduate, and it will be a few months after that until I am a licensed acupuncturist. I’m excited about starting my career, but also nervous about how it…

On May 24th, we celebrated Hawthorn’s one-month birthday with a traditional Chinese Red Egg and Ginger Party. (You can read Hawthorn’s birth story here). My mom is from Hong Kong, which makes Hawthorn one-quarter Chinese. The custom of celebrating a one month birthday party dates back to ancient times, when many babies didn’t survive past…

From Jamaican jerk to Southern soul food, vegan breakfast sandwiches and authentic East African cuisine, check out these tasty spots featuring flavors from around the world: 1. Street Car Merchants – Family-owned and operated Southern chicken joint and bar in North Park. Image via Street Car Merchants 2. Surf and Soul Spot – Soulful comfort…

A few weeks ago we shared Part 1 of our plans to replace our grass lawn with drought resistant plants. We recently moved into a new house and discovered that the sprinkler system used to water the grass was a huge waste of water. So Adam spearheaded the effort to redo our landscaping. Let’s catch…

Before getting pregnant, I knew very little about babies. I’d barely spent any time around them, and I’d never once changed a diaper. I didn’t really think too much about giving birth in the early stages of pregnancy, but I actually started to get pretty scared and nervous towards the end. Fortunately, everything turned out…

We recently moved into a new home and are so excited to have our very own yard! For most of our adult lives, Adam and I have lived in apartments or shared spaces so we’ve never been responsible for maintaining a lawn before. Well we were in for a big surprise when we got our…

Me at 31 weeks pregnant. Photo by Lovers of Love Photography. It Begins For the most part, I loved being pregnant. I had dreamed of having a baby for years, and at 38 years old, I was so happy it was finally happening. But by Week 38, I was definitely ready for it to be…