Hiatus

Hey, everyone! I was feeling burnt out so I took a hiatus from Shock Munch to regroup and recharge. I’m happy to have the opportunity to write a post again! What the hell have I been up to? Lots! I’ve been adventuring, managing our Airbnb, and had a brief stint working at a bicycle shop. I’ll tell you all about it!

Skiing
The last time I wrote you, roughly 2 months ago, I was nervously anticipating my upcoming ski class. Guess what? I loved every exhausting second of it! Dude, I felt tired after 20 measly minutes on the bunny hill with an hour of class left to go. I powered through the class and enjoyed my newfound hobby immensely. Kieran, on the other hand, ended up twisting his knee on the slopes. Poor guy had only been skiing for an hour when he hurt himself. Kieran’s knee still hurts on occasion, but luckily the doctor said no major damage was done. We look forward to more skiing adventures next season.

Vacation
Kieran and I flew to Ft. Meyers, Florida, for a long weekend to spend time with my family. My sister became ill during the trip so the poor thing went to bed early every night, but we still managed to sneak in some quality time. The best part of the trip was playing with my niece, Jada, and nephew, Jaxon. Jada and Jaxon are hilarious little cuties who fill my heart with happiness. Man, my family is a good time. We’re a drunken boisterous bunch who laugh, a lot. The trip was too short but I’m grateful for any time I get to spend with them. I miss them already!

Hiking
The Pacific North West was drenched with record amounts of rain this winter. This resulted in massive landslides throughout the area. Sadly, a few of our favorite trails were damaged or taken out completely. The people who populate this area are serious about nature so restore efforts are already underway to make the trails passable ASAP. Fortunately, we have hundreds of trails to choose from, so even though the rain has slowed us down this season, it hasn’t stopped us from hiking completely.

The coolest hike we’ve done this year is Beacon Rock which is a large 840-foot-high volcanic plug. A volcanic plug is created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano. In 1915 a man named Henry J. Biddle purchased the rock solely to build a trail to the summit. The trail to the top is 9/10 of a mile of almost continuous switchbacks, handrails, bridges, and ledges. Biddle finished building the trail, and in 1935 his heirs turned Beacon Rock over to the state of Washington for use as a park.

The Beacon Rock trail is not long or strenuous but the surrounding beauty of the area makes the trail worth hiking. I think the rock is my new go-to when we have visitors in town longing for outdoor adventure.

The Airbnb
We began renting our upstairs bedroom and bathroom through Airbnb roughly 2 months ago and it’s going well! We’ve met so many cool and unique people through Airbnb, the overall experience has been rewarding. We’re currently taking 3 weeks off from renting to enjoy our house to ourselves. Even though our guests have been awesome, it’s nice to get some alone time. We look forward to our next guest in a couple of weeks! Here’s a link to our listing: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/16926133

The Job
I was hired at a funky bicycle shop roughly two months ago. The staff comprised of punk rock art students in their early 20’s. I stuck out like a sore thumb being 40 with no tattoos or nose rings, like a dork swimming in a sea of cool kids. I wasn’t sure why they hired me exactly but I was thrilled to be chosen for the job. Sadly, it didn’t take long to figure out the company wasn’t a good fit for me for a number of reasons.

First of all, the company’s entire business was run on Gmail and Google Drive with outdated Chromebooks. I’ve never encountered anything so frustrating in my life. You couldn’t have more than 5 tabs open or the laptop would freeze or the screen would suddenly go black. To add insult to injury, my desk was on the opposite side of where the modem was located. The weak ass wifi signal caused the internet to lag on a regular basis. There were times it literally took me 20 + minutes to compose an email or update a spreadsheet. Fixing the computer system wasn’t a priority since the company had other pressing issues to deal with, like affording payroll. Hearing the company was barely above water was a major red flag for me.

Second, I didn’t mesh with the company’s management style. My direct supervisor was insanely smart, talented, funny, and adorable AF, but she possessed a major downfall, she was a powder keg. My supervisor’s mood swings gave me whiplash. We tried to work together but ultimately I grew tired of her nonstop negativity. Although my supervisor’s management style wasn’t my cup of tea, that young lady is going far in life. If she’s that talented at the age of 24, I can only imagine wonderful things for her as she continues to grow.

I’m in a unique position where I can be picky about where I work and whom I work with. I need to find the people who bring out the best in me, whereas this particular job made me feel stifled. I liked many aspects of the job and I adored the staff but I want a job that cultivates meaningful and insightful collaboration. I’m positive I’ll find it.

What’s On The Docket For Shock Munch
Dude, I made KILLER steak tacos this week – real shit. It’s the next recipe I plan on sharing with you!

Besides food, Kieran and I have been trying our hand at furniture making. We have this great big house that’s an empty canvas. We’ve been pouring through DIY videos and blogs learning how to make the furniture we want for our home. We’re in the process of making 2 console tables to go behind the 2 couches in our living room. It doesn’t matter if we fuck up the tables because each couch will hide the majority of them. It’s the perfect furniture project to get experience with!

We’re gearing up to make a coffee table, a bench, a different style console table for the office, end tables for the bedroom, and much more. The satisfaction we feel after a build is indescribable. I look forward to sharing our progress in future posts.

Our kitchen is still a work in progress which is why I haven’t shown you updates yet. We’ve run into some hurdles with the floor that set us back a little. Once we make some concrete changes I’ll tell you all about it!

Thanks for bearing with me as I took some time out for myself!

Thanks for stopping by,
Christina