Pizza & Concert Saturday

We woke up on Saturday expecting it to be pouring rain outside and it was sunny! However, we had a ton of laundry to do and cleaning in the house. I feel like things just pile up all week because there is no time to do anything other than work, eat dinner, and go to bed. Evie was happy to go out and pee in peace, without getting soaked. She was absolutely miserable on Friday night when it was pouring out but she HAS to go the bathroom!

Anyway, we got all of the laundry done and I went to get my hair done. My hair takes for-ev-er. I was at the salon from like 2-5. Grrrrrr. A necessary evil, I suppose.

For dinner, we went to Little Star pizza. Then, we went to the Walkmen Concert at the Independent. I have no idea who the Walkmen or know any of their music, but we went. I think Erik had a good time but I really am not a concert goer. I don't know why anyone would want to be forced to stand up for 2 hours to listen to music. I'm more of a have music on in the background and do something else person. Or, sit at a table with friends & drinks while music is playing at a bar. Or, a Madonna/Rihanna/Britney show stopping concert where it is entertaining and not just watching people sing with a guitar.

Speaking of concerts, the Beach Boys are going on tour this summer for their 50th Anniversary! And, DMB is going back on tour. Haven't been to one of their shows in ages. Maybe Erik and I can find a band we both enjoy for our next concert :-)

The Violets of March

Just finished my third book in about two weeks - The Violets of March. I think I read this in three days. Another book that I LOVED. How exciting it is to find one book after another that I truly loved reading. You know how sometimes you find that one book that is great and then can't find a good follow up? Well, these three did not let me down.

This is a great book about an intertwined love story that actually spans decades. When Emily's marriage ends in NY, she heads west to Bainbridge Island to spend time alone and with her Aunt. She discovers old family secrets and meets new friends in order to heal her heart and perhaps broken hearts of decades ago.

So so so good. I almost missed my bus stop reading this!! I can't wait to read Sarah Jio's next book...Bungalow. I also want to visit Bainbridge Island after reading this book!

Foodie Friday

After coming home from Ohio on Wed, the rest of the week was super busy at work. On Friday, we got a lunch that we have been talking about for awhile - brown bag lunch from Cotogna. On Fridays, they sell a brown bag lunch with one chosen meal. This week was fried chicken sandwiches!

The lunch included a fried chicken sandwich with a cabbage slaw, a potato salad, and a cookie. The fried chicken sandwich was a disappointment. Too much bread & I didn't care for the cabbage slaw dressing. I didn't eat the cookie but I have to say the highlight of the meal was the potato salad. I do not like potato salad but this was delicious! It was large chunks of fingerling potatoes, thin strips of spinach, and a lemony sauce that was soooo good! Typically, I think of picnic potato salad with a lot of mayo and eggs but this was the exact opposite.

On Friday night, Erik & I met Amy out at Harry's Bar. We all got the veggie burgers, based on Erik's recommendation. We were all pretty disappointed! The veggie burger seemed like it was a frozen patty or something. Pretty blah. Good thing there was good beer & company to make the meal a success!

It was POURING rain out on Friday night. The wind was blowing and the rain was whipping around. We were totally soaked just walking to and from the car! It was nice to get home back to the warm house and hop on the couch!

Read-A-Holic

The Kindle is really an awesome tool. I love love love it & can't stop reading. I read The Lost Wife & finished that last week. Such a wonderful story. I just read & finished When We Were Strangers. Loved it.

This book is about an Italian woman who comes to the US, in the late 19th century via boat. She arrives in Cleveland to meet her cousin, but when she can't find him, she must survive on her own. I loved hearing the story about how she fought to get where she was, the people she met along the way, and how she found the confidence to believe in herself and move forward with life.

She moves through the US and eventually comes to San Francisco, which was fun to read about. She talks about the different neighborhoods and how a friend "works for Mr. Levi on Battery St". Well, Levi's corporate is still on Battery St here in SF! Highly recommend both of these books!

The next book I'm going to start today is....The Violets of March. Has great reviews on Amazon! The only bad thing about the Kindle is that I think my book spending is going to increase about 75% this year. haha

Momocho!

Today was a pretty easy day for work. We had a meeting for part of the afternoon and then I had dinner with a Client in Cleveland. We went to a great place called, Momocho, which has been featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives!

This was an awesome "modern mexican" restaurant in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland. We had a great guacamole sampler with:

guacamole / jicama / pineapple / chile habanero + mint

guacamole / garlic confit / bleu cheese / chile verde

guacamole / pickled corn / crab / chile chipotle

For dinner, I had:

tinga / sixteen spiced grilled chicken skewers / pico de gallo

served cazuela style / chile rajitas / warm corn tortillas + salsa verde on the side

steamed white rice + lime

It was a nice dinner & good food. Check out the video from Triple D!

SFO>ORD>CLE

Bright and early Monday morning, Erik, Evie, and I got up for two drop offs. We dropped Evie off at camp and then me off at the airport. I headed to Ohio for work meetings and Evie went off for two days of fun!

My office was technically closed for MLK day on Monday so I was definitely less than thrilled to be traveling. I also connected THRU Chicago so that I could arrive at the airport the same time my boss was arriving(since he flew in from another city). I was so tired when I arrived in Cleveland that I went in search of coffee in the food court. Can you believe what I found?

I wanted to cry when I saw Dunkin Donuts because I was so happy. haha I got my coffee and then waited in baggage claim for my bosses to arrive.

After a quick dinner at the hotel, I settled into my hotel room. It was great just to relax and finally go to sleep. I feel like I haven't been sleeping well because my mind is racing with work stuff and wedding stuff (4 months to go - how did it get here so quickly!!). Last night, I actually slept well in the hotel which must be a first.

Anyway, the weather here is crappy - gray, cold, rainy. We are leaving on Wednesday and I PRAY we it does not snow or delay us getting out of here.

Massage Sunday

Today, I went for an hour massage at Dryad Bodywork and Massage. I was actually sore from those sprints on Saturday so this was a perfect day to go. Siannan was the massage therapist and was great!

After the relaxing massage, we went to...IKEA. I know. Can you believe we actually went there again? I'm convinced that store is out of stock on things so that you are forced to go back 800x before you have everything you need. For example, we had the top of Erik's new desk but went back today for the legs. We purchased an ottoman but they were out of the cover that we wanted. Grrrrrr. I am done going there for a loooooong time!

Evie and I are all packed up tonight because we are going away tomorrow. Unfortunately, I have to go away for work but fortunately for her, she gets to go to camp. I really hate traveling for work. Even if they sent me to San Diego or the Caribbean every time, I still wouldn't like it. TOmorrow is also a holiday & my office is closed but I will be traveling. :-( 

Anyway....here's to a good week!

Wedding Registry

After I hit the track and Erik went surfing, we moved on to our big task of the day...completing our wedding registry at Macy's. We had an appointment at 2pm with our consultant and we did not leave Macy's until 5pm. Yes, 3 hours in Macy's.

It was actually a really good experience to meet with our consultant because she showed us a a lot and helped us quite a bit. She helped us pick out dishes, serving plates, wine glasses, and flatware. We had no idea how complicated this could be. We had no idea what the difference was among the plates so we were grateful that we had some help.
She also pointed us to her favorite towels, sheets, and bedding which was great.

At one point, we took a break for a snack in the Macy's cellar where are there are a bunch of places to eat. When we left Macy's, we were SO tired. Who knew picking out dishes, towels, and sheets would be so difficult & exhausting!

We came home and crashed. We had dinner and then watched a good movie called Bottle Shock. It is a film from 2008 that showcases the rise of Napa Valley and California wines. We both really liked this movie and can't wait to go to the winery featured in the film.

Back at the Track

On Saturday AM, I biked over to the Kezar Track to run. I wanted to try sprints to help train for my 5K on February 5th. I haven't run on a track in so long. It's different running on a track than through a neighborhood. You can see what lies before you and how much more you have to run.

Ready to go in my new sneakers. Love this color combo this year of light blue & orange!

I ran a few 400's and it took me 2:30. In HS, we had to run two laps under 4 mins so I definitely would have failed that yesterday!

 Then, I ran a few laps of sprint the straight aways, jog the curves. I can tell you that I feel those sprints in my quads, hamstrings, and abs today. Wasn't expecting that but happy to have worked those areas! Then, I ran another slow mile around the track. It was my first time running outside in awhile so I wanted to just see how I felt. I also timed myself running a 100 yd and it took about :20. I used to run this in the 14's back in HS! Oh well....

The weather was amazing yesterday! Sunny, in the 60's, and I was out running in a tank top. I was HOT. I had fun down at the track and will definitely go back next week. Also, biking to the track was an added bonus and easy way to get there and home.

Fly Bar Friday

Friday was super busy at work. Don't you hate when that happens? Everyone loves slow Fridays at work where you can just catch up and chit chat. That didn't happen this week. After work, Erik and I went out to Fly Bar. We had some chicken nachos and beers, which was a great end to the week!

After the bar, we came home and relaxed. It was so good to be home and hanging out after a busy week!

Wine & Burgers

On Thursday night, Nicole and I went to a wine bar near our office called Barrique. I have walked by this bar a bunch of times so it was great to go in and try the wine. Barrique is an interesting wine bar since they make some of their own wines and have them in barrels at the bar. From their site:

Barrique is America's first private‐label wine establishment dedicated to serving world class wine through our proprietary Cask Delivery System®.

We source all of our own wines for the barrel selections; they're hand-picked with the upmost care and craft. The constantly changing portfolio provides a solid commitment to the particular fruit, while highlighting lesser known varietals and modern winemaking techniques.

After Barrique, Sarah picked me up and we went to dinner. We went to Roam for burgers, which was great. I don't think I have been to Roam since sometime last year. I had a turkey burger with mushrooms which was delish!

Then, we went next door to Brickyard for a beer. After that, we were spent and went home.

It was a fun night getting to spend time with friends!

Cute Collars & Good Books

This week, Evie got a new collar! I got this for her on Etsy from the store, Collars With Color. It is orange with white polka dots and looks so cute on her!

She got to go to camp yesterday which was great. She fell sleep in the car on the way home which is always funny & she was totally worn out.

Work has been pretty busy this week. I am still heading to the gym in the AM to run on the treadmill which is good. I just need to figure out what time is best to get there/home so that I can walk Evie/get ready, etc. I think I need to be home by 6:30/6:45 which means being AT the gym by 5:45. Ahhhhh!! The treadmill is definitely helping in feeling what a faster pace is like....

I am also reading a WONDERFUL book, The Lost Wife. It is another WWII/Germany story and I cannot put it down. I absolutely LOVE my Kindle and am just reading like mad. I can now read on the bus, standing up, which is awesome! Makes the bus ride go by so quickly. I'm a little sad for this book to end because it is so good. 

The weather here has also been great. We are in the rainy season but have no rain! This also means no snow for Tahoe, which is really probably upsetting the economy over there AND travel plans for many. But, I don't mind the sun!

Sunday Pilates and Lunch

On Sunday, Erik and I attended our friend Shannon's Pilates class at Spring Pilates in the Noe Valley section of SF. I have not done pilates in forever and am also THE most inflexible person in the world so it was interesting. I bought four classes for $25 so I can go a few more times though!

The class went by pretty quick and we focused on different areas of the body. We also did a section with light weights. This really could help my hips since they get SO tight especially after running. 

After Pilates, our friends Tiffany & Kelsey(and her two boys) came by for a visit. Tiffany GAVE us her old bed frame which is super nice of her AND amazing that they drove over the bridge to bring it to us. That is a much better experience than we had with that new couch. hah.

We all went to lunch nearby at Bean Bag Cafe. Erik clearly entertained the boys with his iPhone and they loved hanging out with him.

 Erik, the Entertainer

 

Tiffany, Me, Erik, and Drew at lunch

 In terms of Evie, she is feeling better. She does have an ear infection and is on anti-itch pills and ear drops. She looooooves getting the ear drops. Not.

 

We also had a wedding meeting to go over some things that have to happen this month. We can't believe that we are getting married in five months. It seems like it's coming up so quickly!

Great weekend!

Slackline Saturday

Saturday was a great day! It was sunny and in the 60's which means EVERYONE was outside enjoying the sunshine & warmth. To start the day, I biked to the gym and worked out while Erik worked out at home. Then, we met our friends Andrew & Shannon for brunch at Radish! Yum!

After lunch & doing some laundry, we took Erik's Slackline and headed into the park. We brought some snacks and drinks with us to chill in the park. And....Evie came with us! We tied her to a tree so she could be with us without running away. 

 Slackline is basically a tightrope. You need to have some core strength & balance to walk across this thing!

 It was like the circus in the park. We were slacklining, a guy was juggling, and someone else had a big swing tied to a tree and were giving out rides. haha

 After spending over two hours in the park, we came back into the house. Evie climbed on the couch & passed out since she hadn't had her nap that day. I joined her until Erik woke us up for dinner.

 We used Erik's new pizza stone for dinner. This was one of his Christmas gifts from me to him.

 Evie, cuddling on the couch. 

 We made pizza with mushrooms, red pepper, and basil. Soooo delish!!

We also watched Appollo 18. We both didn't think it was very good. Anyway, it was a great Saturday!!

Back In It

Well, we are back to work and regular life. We are still enjoying our new couch every night, so that is awesome. I think Erik said, "Buying this couch was the best thing we have ever done" haha.

On Wed night, Evie started shaking her head like crazy. She kept it up on Thursday so this AM, I dropped her off at the Vet. They are going to take a look at her ears and see what is going on. It could be wax or something like an ear infection. We'll see...I just called to see if she was ready for pick-up and they said the Vet was looking at her again so of course, now I'm nervous to hear what the problem is. :-( I hope she is OK.

Tonight, we are planning on seeing the movie, "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" I am trying to get into the book(and hoped to finish by today but that didn't happen).

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Last Vacation Day

Monday was our last vacation day. It was a glorious ten days off that we soooo appreciated. It was relaxing, we got a lot done, we got to see friends, hang out, and have a great time. I took Evie food shopping with me and then we stopped at Golden Gate Park and walked near Spreckles Lake.

 

 Thanks for waiting up for me, Evie!

After the park, Evie hopped on the couch with us to watch some TV. What a baby!

We also cleaned out our closets and donated four bags of clothes yesterday. I also dropped off two bags of books for donation. Glad we could clean out & hopefully benefit someone else.

For dinner, I made turkey chilli which was delish! Then, we watched more of Dexter. The 2nd episode we watched was REALLY freaky & the end was so hard to watch. I think I dreamt about it & I can't stop thinking about it!!

I think Evie is going to miss us now that we are going back to work. She had a lot of fun just hanging around all day. Or, maybe she will be glad we are gone so she can sleep!