So far my life in California has consisted of rocking my sweet baby and keeping my crazy dog as sane as possible. It’s a big change from last January, when I was working multiple jobs, braving a Detroit winter, writing a dissertation, and wondering why I felt so nauseous all the time! I’m so unstressed right now that it almost makes me wonder if I’m forgetting to do something complicated and important. But nope, ten weeks of pseudo-vacation means low stress and pretty much zero pressing plans.

Because our time in California is too short to settle in but too long to be just a trip, we decided to stay in an Airbnb. That means we’re a family of three plus a dog living in a bedroom in someone’s house, but it also means I don’t have to clean the bathroom or remember to pay utilities. Plus, the people we’re staying with are pretty great.

Another perk of living here is the hiking! We love our Phoenix hiking, so we were glad to find that Kern County has a lot of cool hiking trails. In our town, there’s a park with walking trails that run down the side of the bluffs to a river walk. It’s an awesome place to explore!

During this rotation, Ben gets to come home early in the afternoon, even though he’s technically on the clock til five. He has to stay in his button-up and tie, and he has to wear a pager, but so far, he hasn’t been called back to the hospital. Best rotation ever!

Today, when he got off, we decided to go hike the bluffs. We were quite the group! Ben was in his work clothes, and I was in sweat pants with a hoodie-clad Little Man strapped to myself. And you can’t forget the Kito, who was euphoric because of the new trails and myriad of small wild animals. We let her off leash for a while, and she went nuts. She earned herself a bath after careening through standing water and crashing through the bushes after squirrels.

Tomorrow is Saturday, so we get to explore more! We’ve joined a hiking club and have our first excursion with the group in the morning. Life is good.