Miki and Jackson’s 2014
An homage to those “what happened this year” letters our grandparents always wrote.*
*I (Miki) am writing this in my voice because otherwise the grammar was confusing, but Jackson obviously had a big part in this. All the photos are his unless he’s in them (then I took them), or I’ve otherwise noted.
First things first: We currently live in the Mission District of San Francisco, which means we eat a ridiculous amount of burritos/pupusas/tacos and we see things like this on a regular basis.
Our apartment is spacious by SF standards, and includes a large walk-in closet in the hallway, which we converted to a cozy “guest room.” We welcome anyone who’s thinking of visiting the city to take advantage of it!
January: New York City
Right after New Years we flew to NYC to attend my friend Adam’s wedding. We almost missed the big night after being caught in Detroit during winter storm Hercules, but made it just in time to enjoy this spectacular view and an incredible celebration. The Polar Vortex kept us in town a few extra days on the way back, as well, giving us time to catch up with lots of friends.
February: Las Vegas
Jackson’s aunt Linda was visiting his grandmother, Claire, in Las Vegas, so we drove down for a long weekend, including a picturesque hike in Calico Basin and a picaresque stroll down The Strip.
March: My Birthday
To celebrate my 32nd trip around the sun, we headed to Santa Cruz for a day of hiking, taking selfies with cows, and eating organic, vegan everything.
March: Left Union+Webster
After nine months at a fast-growing marketing firm, I said goodbye to this wonderful team and struck out on my own (for about a month, until Jackson and I decided to start working together again).
April: Jackson’s Birthday
In addition to a backyard brunch to celebrate Jackson’s birth, we hiked to the top of our favorite hill, Bernal (where we first kissed) to take advantage of a temporary tree swing. P.S. It’s cold up there when you forget your hat.
May: The Wedding!
Thanks to the generosity and incredibly hard work of my aunt Karen (who planned and catered the wedding), uncle Denny, and parents (who hosted), as well as countless other friends and family, we had an incredibly fun, beautiful wedding in Athens, Ohio, on the farm where I grew up. More photos here.
May: Mini-moon
After lots of work on the wedding and being gone for several weeks, we decided to save our big honeymoon for the fall and take a short camping trip instead. We spent two nights in the Ventana Wilderness near Big Sur with near-perfect conditions: 75 degrees, no rain, no mosquitos, few people and peak wildflower season. More photos here.
July: Started hosting EatWith meals
We now regularly host food events in our apartment through the startup EatWith, which allows people to sign up and pay for home-cooked meals. My favorite event is a Paleo desserts class, while our Mission-inspired brunch has connected us with several interesting organizations, including the Institute for the Future, who we are hosting in these photos. You can see more photos of food I cook here.
August: Maine Wedding
My cousin Laura’s wedding was the perfect excuse to finally take Jackson to Peak’s Island, just off the coast of Portland, Maine, where my family has been vacationing since before I was born. We spent two weeks there, biking, swimming, playing cards, and eating lots of lobstahs.
August: First official Job Portrait!
In May Jackson and I started working together full-time on Job Portraits, a storytelling service to help startups connect with job candidates who fit their culture. After several earlier iterations and at least three versions of a website, we got rolling with this portrait. See more of our stories here.
August: Colorado
When the chance to help facilitate and document a culture-building workshop in Denver arose, we took the opportunity to visit two of Jackson’s best friends, Alex and Mike, as well as my good friend Elise.
September: Rocky Road Party
Linda and David, close friends of my family, live in San Francisco and throw a party at their Petaluma farmhouse every year, affectionately known as “Rocky Road.” The festivities commence with a ceremonial parade where David sacrifices a fish head to the local yellow jackets (see below), after which food and live music carry us long into the night. This year we camped overnight and hiked around in the morning with Nick, a friend from the U.K. who stayed in our “guest closet” for several weeks.
November: SF Camerawork Auction
In May I joined the board of SF Camerawork, a 40-year-old SF nonprofit that supports innovation in photographic art. Our biggest annual event is this auction of more than 100 pieces of art. That’s me in the foreground pushing my homemade Paleo truffles.
Oct/Nov: Giants Win + Dia de los Muertos
When the Giants won the world series, we hit the streets near our apartment, the epicenter of the celebratory mayhem. Jackson, of course, had his camera. A few nights later was Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), celebrated throughout Latin America as a time to remember and celebrate the lives of loved ones who’ve passed away.
November: Seattle
On our way to Hawaii, we spent a few days in Seattle helping Jackson’s dad, Chuck, get the house ready for his grandma to move in. While there, Jackson took family photos for his friend Erica and we attended an 80th birthday party for Chuck’s good friend Bill.
November: Hawaii Honeymoon
Jackson’s aunt Linda and uncle Jim have been inviting us to visit them on Oahu for years, so our honeymoon seemed like a perfect chance to take them up on it. Thanks to their beautiful guest room and car for us to use, we spent the week pretending we were locals: visiting beautiful spots like this, paddleboarding, relaxing, and eating lots and lots of seafood.
We are so grateful for everything we’ve been able to accomplish this year and all the people we’ve gotten to spend time with. We are looking forward to an even better 2015, for you and your families too!
P.S. If you’d like to see more photos, you might enjoy our Instagram feeds.
