The most successful book is that which inspires you to put it aside and create.

Thank you to my sweet, thoughtful husband who surprised me with Typography Sketchbooks, curated by Steven Heller and Lita Talarico.

This weekend, after a few months hiatus, we went hiking.

Since moving to California nearly a year ago, we’ve enjoyed taking advantage of the diverse geography (hiking, wine, ocean, etc), but without a car, and primarily public transportation at our disposal, hiking has proven to be slightly more difficult than when we had a car and were living in the south bay.

On Saturday we rented a Zip Car and headed down Highway 1 past Pacifica, to the McNee Ranch State Park. We were kind-of celebrating my birthday with this hike (I know, I’m a sick person to choose physical activity for a birthday celebration) so my husband allowed me to select the trail. A sad mistake for our bodies.

I chose a ‘strenuous’ trail (ha!) thinking it would be closer to moderate for us — we’re more in-shape than the average person, right?. Turns out, strenuous (defined as demanding or requiring vigorous exertion; laborious) was actually closer to difficult (defined as not easily or readily done), but the views were amazing. We hiked from sea level — literally from the ocean — to nearly 2000 feet in about 3.5 miles. It was painful, it was crazy, and it was beautiful. At one point, we were able to see the ocean and the East Bay at the same time and San Francisco was a glorious peninsula separating the bay from the sea.

We also enjoyed a beautiful Sunday evening along Embarcadero in the city. While the Golden Gate Bridge is the landmark of the city, I argue that the Bay Bridge (and surrounding area) is the most beautiful.

I’ve been collecting quotes on commuting that I find online, and they will slowly be finding their way into my designs for the next month or so.

This evening’s commute design comes to you from the 22nd Street Caltrain station and some guy named Gary Roberts. In our area, gas is nearly over $4.00 per gallon and even though we don’t need to fill our tank very often (thank you Nissan!), I still cringe a bit when we drive past a gas station.

I work in a really interesting part of San Francisco. It’s right on the bay and used to be a big shipping area, but that died off a while back. I was told that it’s only been in the past few years that Dogpatch has started to come back to life which makes for an interesting mix of old/grundy/trendy/cool. The neighborhood could seem a little scrappy for a first-timer, but I love it.

So rather than bring you some sort of foodie design this evening, I collected images of my walk from B’stro to the train station (i.e., a few benches under 280).

I ran across Accidental Mysteries on Design Observer this morning from their weekly recap email and love it! How did I not know about this?

The column is currated by John Foster and appears once a week.

From The Possibilities Are Endless

Claire Pestaille from Paul Stolper

Kurt Schwitters postcard to Hannah Hoch, 1921 on defacedbook

If you couldn’t tell yesterday, I’m using drawings that I previously created in my Sketchbook Project journal, taking a picture of the sketch I want to use with my iPhone, emailing it to myself, and adding digital elements.

It is quite the process and the picture isn’t always pretty, but that’s part of what I love about this project. Even the best designers don’t turn out 5-star designs every time they sit down in front of the computer (or sketchbook).

Admittedly, I started this design on my commute to work this morning. I already knew what sketch I wanted to use and didn’t want to wait. I love how the bag behind the journal is blown out — I think it adds to the concept. I also think you’d all probably agree, this should have been yesterday’s design.

And yes, I’ve got an addiction to bright colors. I’m sure it’s just a phase.

It was fun to experience yet another lovely weekend in the Bay Area. Vince and I enjoyed a fun afternoon / evening in San Francisco on Saturday and even had time for a hike in the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve this afternoon. Can you tell I’m loving my new home?

Enjoying the city before dinner and we found an art gallery with a neon sign show. Maybe I have a small neon sign obsession?

We enjoyed dinner at the Salt House. Yum!

Our spectacularly gorgeous Sunday afternoon hike.

Disclaimer: This is another post about me moving. If you’re tired about me blogging about our move, you can stop here.

Now that just my mom is reading, here goes. Lately I’ve been verbally dreaming about all of the great things waiting for me in California, but just today it hit me that there are actually a lot of things I’ll miss about Fort Wayne.

JK O’Donnell’s
Most people who know us know that we love, love this little Irish pub in downtown Fort Wayne. In fact, on any given Friday night, you could find us tucked into a corner or hanging out at the bar. We’ve met some of the most interesting (and most odd) people there.

Cheap cost of living
Where else can you rent a 1,000+ square foot apartment for a little over $600?

Lots of friends and acquaintances
After moving to Indiana less than 5 years ago, I knew about 5-10 people. And now, I can’t count the number of great people I’ve met.

My Aptera co-workers
I started off at Aptera as a lowly intern. A year and a half later, they took a gigantic chance and made me the web team lead. It’s been a fun challenge, but the best part has been all of the great people I’ve been able to work with.

Our nephews (and the rest of our Indiana family)
Who wouldn’t miss these adorable little guys?! Seriously though, my husband’s family graciously accepted this quirky Kansas girl into their lives. I’ve got amazing in-laws.

All photos by Jenna at Andy & Jenna Photo Design

With all of this said, after being apart for nearly a month, I’m really ready to spend some quality time with my favorite man. January 29 come quickly!

I’m gasping for air! The Alba Prat Synthetic Ocean collection.

Link found via Highsnobette

My little section of Indiana is covered in a thick blanket of cold, wintry snow, so I’m dreaming of a warmer climate. T minus 18 days!

Photo by Mayu on Flickr