Today, drove into SF for two reasons - to drop off boxes to our friends who are moving and to clean out our storage unit. As we drove in from sunny Berkeley, we were greeted by rain clouds in SF.
We saw our friends, had lunch with them, and then headed to the storage unit. We cleaned everything out and closed our account with the Storage place. Thanks for the extra space Public Storage!
When we got home, Evie and I went on a walk down to Strawberry park again. On our way there, we saw this peace mobile. hah
Here's the little creek that runs through the park...
Evie wasn't into the water today though
We saw this sign which could only mean one thing - Thackery Binx opened his own pizza parlor. Bahahaha. We looked into the windows of this place but couldn't figure out what it was. Looked like an arts and crafts center or something.
While we didn't have any Easter egg hunts or chocolate today, we still had a great Sunday!
We were talking about the Easter Bunny and were wondering how did this tradition even get started, how parents tell their kids that this giant rabbit will come to their home, and how kids even believe it!!
I mean really, we believed a 6' rabbit came into our house and left us baskets? Howwwwwwww.
I know it's all fun for kids and whatnot but it seems a little nuts. Santa is more believable to me than this one. haha.
Well, we aren't really doing anything over here for Easter. We aren't religious enough to go to church and don't want to brave the crowds for Easter Brunch. Soooo probably just chill at home, take Evie on a good walk, and go to our storage unit to clean it out in SF.
We also are hunting for a dining set. We love the look of a rustic table vs. store bought generic table.
I have been watching that show, Flea Market Flip, so maybe we will get inspired to DIY. We'll see.....
We keep joking that we are going to get this place in a perfect spot and then we'll move. haha. We still love our new place, the neighborhood, and the weather!!
This was so us on Saturday. We had a long list of things to do but we got through it.
First, we went to...Home Depot. Are you so tired of hearing me say that? I am so tired of going there! We went for gardening supplies, plants, and a toolbox. Mission accomplished.
Next, we went to Target and left with a microwave and a full length mirror. Our microwave stopped spinning so we had to get a new one but we found a good deal. I thought the mirror was only $14 but when we got to the register it was $30. The cashier played "let's make a deal" with me and offered it to me for $25 so we got it. Had no idea Target cashiers could give you that type of deal!
After Target, we went to the Emeryville Shops and had lunch at Rubio's. A burrito and salsa bar really does revive you.
We quickly ran into Barnes and Noble (yes, a real bookstore - I didn't know those still existed) and Banana Republic.
Finally, we stopped at the Nursery one last time and headed home. Whew. When we got home, Erik got to work gardening. He has a vision to build up this corner area with stone and plant the vegetables in there.
In this area, we will plant flowers...
She is not just smelling the dirt, she is EATING it.
We planted a lavendar plant, some flowers, and some vegetables.
We will have cucumbers, tomatoes, and strawberries!
Erik and Evie working together. I really just watched and Erik did all the work. ha!
After gardening, we made some pizza, had some wine, and watched Lincoln. Lincoln was pretty good!
On Friday, although my office was closed, I went to a women's networking event which I'll tell you more about in a separate post. This was one of my drives to Pleasanton but it was worth it. It was a great event AND I got to see my old colleague and friend, Jenn.
On Friday, Erik and I went to a local coffee spot so he could pick up some of his favorite coffee, Four Barrel. \
We also stopped by the local nursery so he could pick up some supplies. We have ample space to garden now so he is taking full advantage of that.
For happy hour/dinner, we went to Pyramid Brewery. This place was HUGE and it had FREE parking. We are still getting used to this whole free parking thing in the East Bay. We are conditioned to either drive around looking for parking or paying for parking. Not here. You just drive up and park! haha
We sat in the upstairs seating overlooking the restaurant. March Madness games were on and people were really into the Michigan game.
Huge menu of beers and food
I had a sampler of Hef, Wheat Lager, Honey Bock, Apricot Ale, and Rose Hip.
The Apricot was so gross. Erik said they use fruit extract in that type of beer and so it has a fake flavor. My favorite was the honey bock.
Erik had a burger and I had a turkey burger. Delish.
Work is super busy right now and Erik is super busy after work twice a week but we had a good week. I drove out to Pleasanton THREE times this week. The only good thing about this drive is I think I make almost $30 doing it thanks to expensing my mileage! Pleasanton has a small town vibe but is hope to some big companies. Check out their downtown - so quaint.
Erik had hockey this week and he is taking a fun guitar class at a local music spot/coffee house,
He is having a lot of fun with it and it's literally a 10 minute walk from our house so that is nice!
One day this week, Evie and I took Erik to our new favorite park - Cesar Chavez Park. It was a beautiful night out and so clear. We could see the Bay Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, San Rafael Bridge, and SF from the park. If you come to visit, we WILL take you there because it's awesome!
Here's a random shot of the week. Evie likes to come into the bathroom while I'm getting ready. She just stands there next to me. I took an extra bath rug that we had and put it down next to me for her to lay on. Oh Evie!
I also put together this piece from IKEA. I love it. I feel like we have a real living room (almost) and things are starting to come together.
We had these baskets already and they fit perfectly which is awesome!
I also organized more of "my" room. I really only have my scrapbook supplies, a little desk, and a book case in here. Erik's room has his surfing, beer beer making, and computer supplies.
Here's Evie lounging in the sun
We were both OFF on Friday so that was an awesome way to end the week!
Tuesday was a HAPPY day for us. We made our (fingers crossed) last drive to Mill Valley to the Sam's Clinic to see Evie's orthopedic doctor, Dr.Sams. We went for one final check up for him to check the healing of her knee. Of course, as we pulled in she started whimpering and panting.
We went into the office and they put us in a room where she behaved like this ---
Dr. Sams came in and then we went outside so he could watch her walk. We officially uncrossed our fingers because he said......
SHE IS 100% HEALED!!!!
Wahooooooooooooo. Here we were in August 2012
Here we are in March 2013
7 Months after surgery, she is 100% cleared. This was a MUCH longer recovery process than we anticipated. We thought after 8 weeks she would be good to go back to camp. At 8 weeks, she looked good but still had a long way to go. Even at 12 weeks, she was limited to what she could do and we couldn't go on long walks or run around. I don't think she really started being good ol' Evie until January-ish.
The recovery period wasn't THAT bad though. The worst was the week or two after surgery. I was picking her up everywhere - from the couch, from the bed. Ugh. I got a workout and she hated being picked up. She wanted to run and jump but we could not let her do so. I'm sure she was frustrated on not being able to walk that long outside, too. Her muscle tone in her leg was pretty much gone and we all know how muscular Evie is!
She is now back to her normal self. I will say though that she does have a little favoring of the leg when we go on long walks. I can tell she is tired. But, she can run and sprint around just fine.
I talked to the doctor about the risks of her doing this to the other leg, should we not let her do certain things, etc. He said that we can't prevent this from happening to the other leg. He does this surgery on big, active dogs but also small chihuahuas who live in a purse. Just in case, I probably won't be throwing her a ball to jump up & catch (since that is how she tore this one) but I know we can't control what happens. If we have to go through this again, we will know we are in good hands with Dr. Sams.
We absolutely loved Dr. Sams and his clinic. He is SO nice, patient, and transparent. He has such a calm demeanor about him and will answer any questions you have. He offers for you to call him after hours or on the weekend without hesitation. He knows this surgery is a big deal for people both emotionally and financially, and he understands that. The clinic was SO upfront about the costs providing us with a detailed three page sheet on her surgery down to how much the metal plate in her leg cost. We were never charged for follow up x-rays and appointments, even though her surgery only included 2 or 3 post op x-rays. I think we had five or six!
We also had the opportunity to spend time in Mill Valley every 6-8 weeks. It's a beautiful town and I think we both would love to live there. I mean, who doesn't want to live in a town with beautiful scenery oh and...Chef Tyler Florence!
I wrapped up my happy Tuesday by having dinner at my friend Andrea's house. She lives in the Rockridge area of Oakland which I realized is a mere 10 minutes from Berkeley. Yay! She made us this lovely cheese plate, a chicken pot pie, and cookies & fruit tarts for dessert. Yum!
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