The most frequent complaint constructive criticism I receive from blog-to-real-life friends and long-time readers who have been with me and this blog since the start is that I rarely write about my personal life these days. Sure, my travel tales are usually first person—you’ll rarely see a round-up or SEO-targeted post around these parts—but there are very few details of my day-to-day San Francisco existence. That’s the thing when you decide to adopt a niche, isn’t it? You sort of have to keep your writing within those parameters.
Besides, it’s not like I’m purposely keeping anything from anyone—if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook or Flickr, you know my life is an open book—it’s just that, truth be told: I’m boring. Yes, you read that right: Nothing I do in San Francisco bears mentioning on this blog. Sure, I eat a lot of brunches and see a lot of friends, but if there’s anything I’ve tried not to do here it’s become one of those “here’s what I did/ate/saw today” bloggers. Not that I don’t love them—I do, I read plenty such lifestyles blogs—but that’s just not me. Still, for those of you insanely curious, I decided to give you a rundown on where I am in life at the moment. And for the 99 percent of you other readers, I’m sorry. I just hope you can make it to the end of this post without finding your head on your desktop in a boredom-induced slumber, the drool forming a pool on your keyboard. That’s no fun for anyone, least of all your poor keyboard.
On Career: I’m just wrapping up my second guidebook of the year (with a third possibly in the pipeline for late spring), and if you’ve ever written a guidebook, you know there’s very little time for anything else. Thus, my magazine writing took a back seat for the past few months while I toiled over Frommer’s California and Frommer’s San Francisco. That said, I’ve still been doing plenty of side writing, having written pieces for Budget Travel, The Nest, several for Sunset and Visit California, a story for The Daily Meal that made the lead story of Yahoo! and more. And I’ve still got a Redbook feature, a lengthy insert for Southwest’s Spirit magazine, a review for Robb Report and a feature for Breathe on my plate for the next week.
I get angry when people not in the industry try to tell me “the media is dying” or “there’s no work for freelancers” because, while it will always ebb and flow, I’ve been a bit overwhelmed with story assignments thrown my way of late (very few that I’ve actually pitched, too). The biggest difference is that whereas when I was making the transition from in-house editor to freelancer, I had regular contributing writer gigs to Newsweek, the Travel Channel and Forbes Traveler—great, well-paying gigs where I didn’t really need any other side assignments as they more than paid a decent salary—these days I’m writing more travel pieces for women’s, regional and other non-travel magazines, which I’ve found to be key to surviving as a travel writer. These publications all pay fair, top-of-the-industry rates and pay my bills. It also keeps things fresh and varied from my end—i.e. I get to play around with different writing styles, tones and formats depending on the magazine.
Date night to Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak…yummmm.
On Marriage: Yep, I’m still married. Ten long months later. Who would have thought? And loving every minute of it. So many divorced or anti-marriage friends tried to talk me out of ever wanting to tie the knot, and the truth is at one time I wondered if there was some validity to their claims. To each her own, but for me, I’m just glad I didn’t listen. Not a day goes by when SVV or I don’t look at one another and say: “you know what, I’m glad I married you.” I’d say with complete certainty it’s the best decision either one of us ever made.
On Home Life: Probably the biggest change of all is SVV’s. He’s in the middle of a career transition and, as of Dec. 7, works at home alongside me. I would tell you what it is he’s doing—and hopefully, I can in the future—but then I’d have to kill you, and for now it’s best I keep things hush hush. I thought it would be a huge challenge adjusting to having somebody sit across from me in the office all day long, but other than the fact that I can no longer blast The Bachelor episodes the following day on my computer, it’s been pretty nice. While I’ll never be the type to “nest”—and still spend a lot of nights at happy hour or dinners with my gal pals—the evenings we’re home, we’ve settled into a comfortable pattern of: puppy training, cooking then eating dinner while we watch Dexter/Damages/Big Love/Battlestar Galactica/whatever TV show we’re tearing our way through via Netflix that given night.
This is my home office a year ago. The difference today is now I have three Macs on my side of the room…and it’s a lot messier.
On Travel: My passport has sat collecting dust in my drawer since Oct. 7 and will likely continue to do so until this fall. But we have a lot of fun domestic trips planned. We’re heading back to Tahoe next week for a couple days, then to Keystone in Colorado to ski at the end of the month. In April, we’ll fly to Hawaii for two weeks(!) and get to see a lot of SVV’s family while out there. (It’s our first visit to the islands since cousin Gwen’s wedding in January 2007! A shame as it’s a relatively cheap and easy four-and-a-half-hour flight.)
Then, we embark upon a massive road trip, which I’ll detail in another post at a later date. Then we fly to Montreal at the end of June to spend a couple days before hopping aboard a cruise that goes all through Quebec and Nova Scotia and comes back down through New England. My parents, SVV’s parents and several of my parent’s friends from home will be going, as well. We’ll spend a few days in Boston and Providence before flying back to San Francisco. So, you see, even though we’re not leaving the country, we’re still embracing our joint status as “digital nomads” (much as I loathe the term) and logging a lot of air miles!
On Parenting: I never thought I would get so much joy out of a five-pound pup, but I’m obsessed with our pooch (as if that’s not apparent). She is hysterical, fun to train, at times naughty, super playful and there’s never a dull moment around our house. She’s another reason I’ve wanted to stay so close to home. I can’t even bear to think about leaving her for two weeks while we’re in Hawaii next month! We’re back in “Teen Spirit” classes with our favorite trainer Dianne, trying to counteract the “teenage months” rebellion that happens in every pup.
We call her The Lorax these days. Tell me she couldn’t pass as his twin.
On Health: Even though I stopped taking my pills a year and a half ago for the terrible auto-immune disease I was stricken with, I seem to be alright. No sickness, no lingering effects—shows you what doctors know; my GI told me I’d need to be on 14 pills a day for the rest of my life. I told him I could conquer this without medication, but with healthy habits and a strong will instead. I did go through some pretty serious allergy issues this past fall and, as a result, am on two daily inhalers and a nasal spray (they came with a bonus pocket protector, too…or should have for as big a dork as I feel like for the previous statement). One of the big factors in my allergies was living with a cat. SVV did one of the nicest things I can imagine anyone ever doing and gave up his cat—to our wonderful neighbors Laura and Herb across the hall. Everyone wins: I feel better, SVV still visits a few times a week, and Laura (who had lost her cat last summer) and Herb have a new fur companion.
On Fitness: Ever since leaving for Africa a year ago, my working out has been inconsistent (blame a lot of far-flung travels, a wedding, a honeymoon, a puppy, etc.). Some weeks I’ll run four times; others, not at all. Of course, we’ve done a ton of skiing this winter, which has been a workout all its own, but I’d like to get back into doing something every single day, whether a six- to nine-mile run, a Bikram class or the Dailey Method. As part of this pledge, I’ve started dragging SVV along on some of my runs; both to prevent the onset of beer bellies in either of us and take advantage of our prime location on the perimeter of Golden Gate Park. Oh! And I’ll also be running the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 9. I signed up with about 20 other blogger friends on the East Coast, and just in time, too, as the race is already sold out. Anyone else out there registered?
On Family: I’m lucky to have a family who travels, because even though we’re 3,000 miles apart, I see them more than a lot of my friends see their families who live in the same state. My dad heads a CPA firm, so December through April are his most treacherous months, and due to a shortage of employees who left on maternity leave, my mom is now working full time for him for the first time in 20 years. Full time in the CPA world means seven days a week, a ridiculous amount of hours a day. My dad was kind enough to give my mom a four-day break so she, my sister and my sister’s “bees knees boyfriend” Richard could fly out and meet us in Tahoe for my birthday. Speaking of CPAs, my sister graduates with a business degree this spring and will move to Charlotte to work at one of the Big Four. (For privacy, I won’t say which, but know that she’s a smarty and got offers at all four!) I’m still hoping one of these days she’ll have time to fill us in on the rest of her Semester at Sea voyage…
SVV working from home also means we’ve had more time to visit his parents in Sacramento, which has been nice. Plus, his family is dedicated to celebrating birthdays—and in a family so large, there’s at least one a month, except for May (Mother’s Day), June (Father’s Day) and November (Thanksgiving) when we see them for those reasons anyway—so we’re also able to see the rest of the bunch pretty frequently, too. I have friends who married into families where they didn’t get along with their in-laws and honestly cannot fathom it. Can you imagine not loving this crazy clan?
The VVs, in town for the celebration of my birthday and sister-in-law Vanessa’s (far right).
Aaaaand 1,900 words later (for real), I’m done. Happy now? Asleep? Anything you’re dying to know that I failed to touch upon? (Doubt that.)
Even though I’m lucky enough to see you semi-regularly and knew all this, I love it when you write personal posts!
You are one such “blog-to-real-life friend” I referenced in the first line =)
Ok, as a Canadian, I do have to point out that a) you need your passport, and b) we are a sovereign nation. Your reception on this side of the border might not be particularly warm if you don’t acknowledge point (b).
Fair enough. That was a bad metaphor; I more meant I’m not leaving the continent in the foreseeable future. I have been to Canada a number of times; I guess mentally I just don’t think of it as “international travel” much the same way as I don’t think of Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and other Caribbean isles as such. Though, that said, I have never been through stricter border control than I went through driving from Seattle to Vancouver three years ago; even though my friend and I both had valid passports, we were almost denied because her trunk was full of garbage bags (she was getting ready to move cross country) and I’m pretty sure they thought we were fleeing the U.S. to Canada (I’ve thought about it on occasion). It was only a good thing we’d dumped out all the needles before our trip—she worked for a cancer research company and, thus, usually hauled around loads of work material in her car. As much as the border control already didn’t like us, I have a feeling that REALLY wouldn’t have gone over well!
Nope. Not bored. I love these kinds of posts! And Colorado? Yay!
Thanks for the update! I love hearing about the mundane from time to time- and your mundane hardly counts as mundane
Yay! I love these kinds of posts! Glad to hear things are going well!
Loved this!
That’s all.
I love your travel adventures, but it was nice to see a peek behind the curtain!
1.) That puppy is too cute. TOO. CUTE.
2.) I didn’t know you live in San Francisco! That’s our absolute favorite city, and we’ll be spending a few days there sometime in late May. It would be fun to get brunch or a drink… or both, at the same time, in the form of strong mimosas.
3.) Johanna’s comment cracked me up. Those funny Canadians….
We’re actually leaving on our trailer road trip around May 17, but if it’s before then, than yes, definitely! I happen to know all the best brunch spots in town =) And if not, then maybe our routes will cross?
And re: the Canada comment, oof! I’ve been an advocate for Canada for years and gone all mental on friends who called it “America Junior,” so I think I just committed a serious faux pas with my passport comment. Whoops! Though as I said to her, a more accurate way of putting things would be “I’m not leaving the continent in the foreseeable future,” which is really what I meant.
That about wraps it up. Life goes on. Nice you’ll be traveling, even if in country. This Texas trip is about killing me. Wish I was in ZA instead.
Enjoyed this Kristin. Really appreciated what you had to say about the marriage part. Having been divorced, while it may not be for everyone, I still find myself in the camp of believing in the goodness and beauty of it in the appropriate context so I love hearing stories like this, despite my own circumstances.
That’s what I love about you: your optimism. I’m glad that all you’ve been through hasn’t managed to kill that!
So glad to hear you’re doing well, Kristin! I’m so glad we got to hang out last time you were here. I still have so many questions about freelancing to ask you – having come from the editor side, you’re my guru! xoxo and xoxo to your man and pooch!
Seems like you’re not doing too badly yourself–what with all the jetsetting you’re doing! Can’t WAIT for your Disney World wedding, though–I’m eager to see pics from that big fete!
I’m in love with your office!!
And lucky you having more ski days in the future… did you enjoy the weekend when they had that big snow dump? (I think I sorta remember you saying you were going to Heavenly — I could be wrong).
Anyway, where you are at the moment sounds like a really happy place. Enjoy!
Thank you! When we moved to Laurel Heights a little over a year ago, that was my big requirement: a second bedroom or dining room I could turn into a designated office.
And we had a great time in Tahoe–conditions were AWESOME–but were actually hit by a second, more serious storm at the end of that week, which cut our skiing short two days. There were 90mph winds on Heavenly Mountain and the majority of lifts and the gondola were closed. We ended up going to Heavenly for a morning, then Sierra for three straight days instead and are going to try for two days at Heavenly next week if the snow cooperates!
You and SVV watching Battlestar Galactica gives me the nerdliest of thrills. (I know it doesn’t have an “l” but I’m pretty sure real nerds would take exception to my use of the term. At best, I’m a nerdling.) GOOD HUNTING.
SVV and I barter our nightly TV episodes: I trade him an ep of that frakkin’ space show; he lets me watch an ep of Damages. Everybody wins! We’re currently on season 2 of both.
That was fun. And I must have that peacock dress. Holy gorgeousness.
ModCloth, “Ahead of the Flock.” Order up a size as it’s SUPER SHORT. I’m wearing a large above (I usually fit into all mediums), and you can see how it still wouldn’t even work without tights (or run the risk of going all Britney Spears on the fellow Bourbon Steak patrons).
Here’s the link: http://www.modcloth.com/Womens/Dresses/-Ahead-of-the-Flock-Dress
It’s great to hear about what you’ve been up to! I do also try to leave my personal day-to-day doings outside of my blog, but you’re right–I can see how some readers would really want to know who that is behind the curtain! I love that outfit with the black boots. The state of your writing is very motivating for me…with the wedding coming up, I have had to put writing on the side for a while. It’s all over in three weeks, and then it’s time for me to start pitching
You definitely get a bye during (and after!) your wedding! In fact, I’ve still been on a bit of a pitching hiatus since my own, but need to get back on the ball…soon…! =)
I love your workspace, even if it is messier than you’re showing
As someone in the biz, I also like hearing about the projects and assignments you’re working on. I still think I’d like to go the freelancing route some day so I can keep writing but have a slightly more flexible schedule. I know it’s hard work, but that’s why I like to hear about what kinds of things you do to keep being so successful.
As someone who is writing a central CA guidebook for a small (super small) publication, I understand how consuming it is. I did not realize this when I signed the contract.
But, I find it fun & interesting all the same(not jaded yet!) And I’ll be in Quebec/Montreal/Boston in the end of June too. A little family vacay for our family of three. Any tips/advice you have, please pass along…
Ooh, which company? I actually think the smaller companies are harder…mainly, because they don’t pay as well and also the big ‘uns like Frommer’s run like a well-oiled machine. I did a California book for a smaller company in the Northwest and a Tennessee first edition for a Connecticut publisher, and it was far more stressful than my annual Frommer’s updates!
I’m in the camp that enjoy these kinds of posts. It sounds like things are going great for you! As someone trying to get married soon it’s nice to hear your encouraging words about marriage! And I am very envious of your lovely workspace and the fact that you get to work next to your husband all day.
Yay to marriage! I am very PRO MARRIAGE, so if you need encouragement, you know who to come to =)
What an awesome update! It sounds like everything is going really well right now re: writing, traveling, health, fitness and I couldn’t be more delighted for you and SVV!!! What a gorgeous chandelier in your office. And I love your peacock dress! <3
Good for you, always like your sense of organization and yes, p-a-r-a-m-e-t-e-r-s:) – and no need EVER for you to apologize or explain those to the rest of the world. Too many travel bloggers (and writers) come off in their online blogs as if they’re interracting only with themselves and not the world. Yes, the personal first-person account brings it alive, but no we are not all so brilliant as James Joyce contemplating our navels (and in case you were never forced to read “Ulysses” in college, then lucky you!) BTW, if you haven’t observed it yet, I guarantee you’ll also find certain other patterns of interraction happening on the freelance front once you’ve been in there a while that you can blog about. . One of my “favorites”: the infamous last minute – meaning, a week before the end of the year – commission to write about at least one place I’ve never physically set foot in – is there a blog in this type of behavior from editors? Of course, what puts the cherry on the cake with same editor is that she hasn’t paid up on a previous article in oh….10 months. But I agree with what you’ve already discovered – freelancing is still out there – it’s just become a more complex and extensive hunt, kind of like going deeper into a galaxy beyond the 9 planets that were a guarantee for good finds until now. Some people like you and me and Spence are up for the hunt, other people will….well, just write about their navels:)
Congrats on all the freelance work! And I am so jealous of that cute pup…
I love this update! Sounds so happy and content!
It was so great to get this update in person (maybe I triggered the “I like hearing about your personal life” comments!) You are so inspirational to me in living my life on my own terms and creating a balance. This is where I twist your arm in trying to get you to come to Toronto before you leave for Montreal at the end of June. The NXNW festival is from June 13-19 in Toronto and Yvonne (@JustTravelous) will be with me at that time. You are also helping me with my goal of trying to comment more on blogs, blog and create that community. Good luck with it all and your travel friends will be here to support it.
Haha, would love to but I’m in Montana during that time! Our six-week road trip literally ends just two or three days before we fly out to Montreal! Thank you for the kind words, though, as always!
Personally I dig learning more about your personal life even though I do follow you on twitter (although all the brunches do make me jealous
)
I love that you are so happy and surrounded by friends!
PS Allergies are the debil!
I know, I know, I try! I just don’t have that much of a personal life to write about these days. Note to self: Do something interesting and worthy of personal post, frequently. Too bad it’s not New Year’s, as that would be an automatic resolution I’d fail to fulfill along with every other resolution I’ve ever *tried* to make! =)
I always love reading about you!
I hear you on the allergies. Mine have been awful the past two weeks. So proud of how hard you work and keep fit! You’re inspiring.
Thank you! And you are inspiring in your positivity and your constant encouragement!
Jesus, that’s some work rate! I’m glad your health is better, and you’re happy with where you’re at…
Ooh I’ll be back in Canada in June, hopefully we can cross paths in either Montreal or my family home of Nova Scotia.
So, I am still awake and really enjoyed your post
You have some nice travels coming up, Nova Scotia, Boston, Providence – beautiful and let me tell you that I am jealous as always… Not so nice to read about your health issues, but I hope that you are feeling good and continue to always do so!
Thanks for this rather personal post and now I am off to read about your diving experience
Viele Gruesse, Kristina
Thank you, Kristina! You’re always quick to say a nice word, and I really appreciate that =)
Thank you for sharing a little snippet of your life. Now I know which direction to head in on my quest to become half as badass as you!
(PS, that first picture? Fierce.)
Really enjoyed getting a glimpse into your personal life and thanks for sharing with us!
I too have found that writing for women’s, regional and other non-travel magazines ends up being more lucrative in the long run than traditional travel outlets.
PS: Love your peacock dress. So cute.
Thanks, Lola! I see your name often in random publications, both online and print, so I’m glad there are several of us making a living doing this =) I also feel like we’ve come out on the other side of the media downfall and that things are picking up for freelancers…hope I’m not jumping the gun in my optimism!
Thanks for the updates
And don’t forget to keep me updated about Boston!
Of course! I’m hoping you can rope Susie and Chelsea into joining us for happy hour, too. My three favorite Boston bloggers in one place would just make my trip =)
Definitely
You sound quite busy! Glad to see it’s possible to make a living as a writer.
And the dog… adorable!
Love the personal update mixed in with the travel talk!
If you need any tips about Montreal, let me know. It’s a fantastic city, with many, many (did I say “many”?) amazing places to eat.
And I feel for your dad – I’m a CA (the Canadian equivalent of a CPA) and had to quit working in public accounting because I just couldn’t deal with the insane hours, especially during busy season. It’s quite a slog.
I would never say no to recommendations from a local! I’ve actually been to Montreal before (though on a student budget then!), and sadly we’re only there this time for a very short 48 hours, but I’d love any highlights and, OF COURSE, delicious places to eat! SVV and my family haven’t ever had the joy of sampling poutine…do you have a favorite poutine joint in Montreal?
Thanks for the offer! And I don’t blame you for ditching the C(P)A world!
Go to La Banquise! It’s open 24 hours and is a classic poutine resto in the Plateau. If the weather is nice I like to bring my order across the street to Parc Lafontaine and eat at one of the picnic tables. If you want absolutely insane poutine, make a reservation at Au Pied de Cochon and order the foie gras poutine. That dish is a little too much for me, but APDC is worth a visit for their over-the-top takes on classic Quebec meals. And you have to go to Schwartz’s for a medium smoked meat sandwich with fries, a pickle and a cherry Coke. The best time to go is on a weekday evening when the lineups aren’t so bad… otherwise you can go to the Main across the street, which isn’t as good, but still a decent substitute if you don’t have time to wait. And buy some fresh Fairmount bagels (I prefer Fairmount to St. Viateur – it’s a bit of a rivalry in the city). There are also plenty of lovely restaurants in the Old Port (Holder is a classic, bustling French bistro)… I can go on and on
Aaaaamazing. You rock, my friend. Will keep these on hand for our trip! Oh oh! And I HAVE actually been to Schwartz’s before–but I definitely need a second visit to form a well-rounded opinion, wouldn’t you say? =)
Oh Kristin, I loved this post, thanks for sharing your news! I’m always impressed by how hard (and how much) you work. Props to you! I’m another gal who works her *ss off at a job I truly love. It’s a great feeling. So happy that things are going so well for you. I look forward to reading about all your coming adventures this year, cheers!