Hockey Night in SF

Last night, I decided to go to Erik's hockey game with Betsy. I haven't been to a game in soooo long but I went because it was at 8pm and a lot of those guys are coming to the wedding so I wanted to say Hey.
Afterwards, we headed to the bar for a beer.

This week is dragging for me. My last week at work and I really am not doing too much. The weather is crappy this week being in the 50's and foggy. Very different from last week when it was in the 70's!

Our family arrives in less than a week for the wedding so that is very exciting. This is our LAST weekend before the wedding. Ahhhhh!

Nike

Today I signed up to run the Nike Women's HALF Marathon in October with Team In Training! I did a half marathon with TNT back in 2008, when we first moved here. It was a great experience - I met some great people, learned how to run that far, and completed the half marathon. I have been thinking about doing another one for a few years now and decided to Nike because it is right here in SF! No travel, which is perfect.

Training starts in June which will give me a long time to train for this thing. I'm excited!

DJ and OTB

Monday was super exciting because we had another meeting with our DJ about our wedding music. It was fun to sketch out the ceremony and also scary to realize how fast the night is going to go by. We keep reminding ourselves to just stop and take it all in. I did have a complete giggle fit when we got to the point where the DJ asked how we wanted to be introduced into the reception. When we said "Mr and Mrs.....", I was giggling and turning red. I don't think we have really said those words very much and it was really real to hear them out loud. It is still so unreal to us that we are getting married. Some days we just do not feel old enough to be doing this!

Anyway, after the meeting, we went to one of my old favorites for dinner - On the Border. I was so excited. Ordered the cup of Queso. Got the burrito with Queso on it. Then, felt soooo full and had a stomachache. I guess I can't eat that stuff like I used to!

Erik and I were talking about how ironic it is that our first real date was at On The Border and now here we are eating there again after a wedding meeting. Things have truly come full circle!!

So, here we are...in two weeks, we will be on our honeymoon in Mexico. SO crazy!!!

Sunday Copy Day

On Sunday, I did some house cleaning and then picked Erik up at the airport from his trip to Vegas. He was reallllly feeling great. Not. haha. That just means he had a really fun time so that is great!

As for the rest of our Sunday, my goal was to get some key elements printed for our wedding including something fun we are passing out at the ceremony, menus, and table numbers. I went to Office Depot and that copy center sucked. The one guy there really had no clue, and not a lot of paper options. I took a break from that and took Evie up to the Presidio to run around.

What I wouldn't give to let Evie off the leash to run like mad in this grass!

I laid in the grass while Evie sniffed and rolled around near me

This is her dog show pose

View from the grass. It was so nice to stop & just feel the sun and breeze

Before heading home, we stopped at Office Max to talk printing and they had a great set up. They have a whole Copy Center where you sit down and the guy goes over everything with you. I got 2 out of 4 things printed which was a success!

For dinner, we got take out Little Star Pizza and we watched Friends With Benefits. The movie was actually pretty good and funny!

A day of errands

Evie and I were on our own today and I had so much to do. We left the house at 8:30 to go to Target to get a bunch of stuff we need for the wedding. Then, we went to Michael's to return a bunch of paper and get some table number holders. Then, I had to go back to Target because one of the frames I purchased there was broken. Ugh!

After that, we went home and I got the car cleaned and then went to get a spray tan. I have been thinking of getting a tan for the wedding - a LIGHT tan to make me look sunkissed via airbrush. Some of you know how I used to go to the spray tan place where you get in the booth and get sprayed. Yah, that really is a hot mess and this type of tan I got is applied by someone with a sprayer. We'll see how it looks tomorrow!

After tanning, I went to storage and then to Old Navy to return something and to Macy's to get something else. WHEW. I was so glad I drove to do all of this so that when I was ready to get the heck out of downtown SF, I got in my car and easily got home versus waiting for the bus with shopping bags.

Anyyyyway....I'm pretty sure Evie and I are in for the night to watch a movie with takeout. Tomorrow, we will try to get some more stuff done before Erik comes home!

Engagement Photos

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Erik and I had an engagement session with our photographer, Allison. We decided to do it near the water at this great park called Land's End. We both grew up on the water, we love the beach, Erik loves to surf, and we love hiking Land's End. It was a perfect setting! It was SUPER windy that day but we made it work!

Everyone knows I am anti-engagement photos because they always look so posed and strange but we really wanted to do these to get comfortable with Allison before the big day and also get some good pics of us in the mean time. I think we accomplished both and we both left that day saying that we had a good time. She didn't make us do any weird poses, either!

Here are some shots:

I think she captured us perfectly. We were laughing and having a good time. She didn't put us in any akward poses which was awesome. She also captured some in-between shots or times when we didn't think she was shooting which I think are some of the best pics.

Health Orecchiette With Sausage, Broccoli Rabe, and Garlic

Last night, we had another yummy dinner with a new recipe. It is not as good as the one from the other night but it was pretty good. We tried something new by adding chicken sausage to the dish rather than ground turkey or chicken. The sausage had a lot of spice in it and definitely livened up dinner!

Here's the recipe -

Ingredients

• 1 (1-pound) box orecchiette
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 links Italian sausage (about 11 ounces) (We used chicken sausage)
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water; reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Add broccoli rabe during last 2 minutes of cooking; drain pasta and broccoli rabe and return to pot.
2. While pasta cooks, heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Pinch sausage from casing in 1-inch pieces and roll into balls with clean hands, placing meatballs directly in pot. Cook meatballs until browned and cooked through (8-10 minutes). Stir in garlic; cook until fragrant and toasted (2 minutes). Add pasta and broccoli rabe mixture, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground pepper, and reserved pasta water; cook, tossing, until pasta is coated with a thin sauce (2 minutes). Divide among 6 bowls.

Almost 2 Weeks To Go

We really can't believe we are about two weeks away from the wedding. Soooo exciting! I think we are getting excited, antsy, and nervous about everything. It's a lot happening at once!

Erik is heading to Vegas this weekend to have a little Bachelor weekend with his brother Jaime. In honor of this trip, we watched the hilarious 80's moving "Bachelor Party" with Tom Hanks last weekend. Tom Hanks is pretty freaking funny in this movie.


While Erik is away, I have my *hopefully* final list of things to do and get. Our goal is to be done with wedding stuff by next week so that when our family arrives, there are just a few things to do with them but no more errands to the stores. I think we can do it!

In other big news, my last day at my job is next week since I have taken a new opportunity at a new company. The new company is so awesome and is letting me start AFTER the wedding. I will truly be relaxed for our wedding & vacation with no emails, projects to worry about, or colleagues calling me.

With only a few weeks to go, I keep singing wedding songs to Erik and of course, am wanting to watch "Father of the Bride" Such a good movie! I hope neither of our Dad's goes to the grocery store and rips apart hot dog buns! haha

Must Make Dinner

Last night, I made a modified version of a Rachel Ray recipe called "Creamy Saffron Tagliatelle with Corn". It was DELICIOUS. I literally cannot wait to have leftovers for lunch today because it is going to be so good. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 healthy pinches saffron threads
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound egg tagliatelle, such as Delverde  (I used shells, because we had them)
• 3 ears corn
• 2 tablespoons EVOO
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 fresno chile pepper, finely chopped, or 1 tsp. crushed red pepper (Didn't use, but used some red pepper flakes)
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 3 - 4 cloves  garlic, grated or chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup white wine
• About 1/4 to 1/3 cup heavy cream
• A generous handful grated parmigiano-reggiano, plus more for topping
• Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, for topping
• I also used 1 red pepper and a bunch of asparagus to increase the amount of veggies in the dish

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring the chicken stock and saffron to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer to reduce by one-third while you continue cooking. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving a ladleful of the cooking water.
2. While the pasta is working, place a small bowl upside down in a large bowl. Set an ear of corn on the small bowl and, using a sharp paring knife, scrape the corn kernels off the cob, collecting them in the large bowl. Repeat with the remaining ears. In a large, deep skillet, heat the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Melt the butter into the oil and when it foams, add the corn. Cook the corn until browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the chile, shallots and garlic; season with salt, pepper and the thyme. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the flour for 1 minute; add the lemon zest. Pour in the wine to deglaze. Stir in the saffron stock and bring to a bubble. Stir in the cream, a couple of slow turns of the pan, then lower the heat to a simmer.
3. Stir the cheese into the sauce. Add the pasta and toss with the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes, using a little of the reserved pasta cooking water to mix. Top with more cheese and the parsley. 

Weekend Update

This past weekend was full of wedding to-do's but we knocked them out and we are done with a few more things. The wedding is less than 20 days away and we are getting so excited!

On Saturday, we went out to visit with our Wedding Planner for our last meeting. We chose hor's de ouveres (sp!), table set ups, and talked details. After meeting with her, we headed back into SF to go to the jewelry store where we picked up our wedding rings. Unreal!! I cannot believe we have wedding bands.



On Saturday night, we met up with our friends Mike and Jane at Southern Pacific Brewery. We have been hitting up this spot a lot lately!

The Brewery

On Sunday, we went back downtown to look for a vest for Erik to wear with his suit. He did not buy a three piece suit but wanted to get a vest after the fact so we headed back to the store to find one. It was a pretty painless stop except you have to battle all of the people milling about downtown. Good thing we know how to get in & out of there quickly. After that, I think we all took a nap. haha

Things are all falling into place and last minute details are being handled for the wedding. We are so excited to see our friends and family in a few weeks!

Don't trust this face

This sweet little girl can eat. Let me tell you know we know. On Saturday night, we had pizza and had bought two small pizzas. We had dinner and left the boxes (with pizza in them) on the counter. There was even a plate on top of the boxes.

We went out for my friend Andrea's birthday at Blackbird for maybe two hours. We came home from the bar to find quite the surprise.

Evie apparently jumped up on the counter, pulled the pizza boxes down, broke the plate, and devoured all of the pizza. We are talking a good 6 slices of pizza. Then, she went into the recycle bin and ripped apart a milk carton or two licking them clean.

When we walked in the house, she was wiggling around like a madman because she knew she was in trouble. I didn't even have to say anything and she knew to go in the bathroom (where I put her when she is bad). We cleaned everything up and I was just so mad at her. What bad behavior for a 6 year old!!!

She also punished herself by eating all of that food and probably had the worst stomachache the next day.

Note to self - Do not leave ANY food out, EVER!

Pickles and Pictures

Last Saturday, Amy and I headed out to Livermore to meet with the hairdresser for my hair trial. The woman was a little nuts but my hair came out fine. We stopped for lunch at a great sandwich place called, Mr. Pickles, which was delish. It was sunny and warm out in Livermore so it was a nice time to be out there. After the hair & lunch, we headed back to SF because Erik and I had to great ready for our engagement photos!



Yes, we have been engaged forever but we wanted to wait until closer to our wedding to do our photos. This way, we have a fun time with the photographer closer to our wedding date. We did the photos at Land's End, a great park/trail near Ocean Beach. We both love the water, the beach, take Evie on hikes on this trail so we thought it was perfect.



It was SUPER windy. I will show some photos when we get them. It was fun to do the photos. We got some great shots and had a good time. Our photographer is super nice and laid back. It's going to be a fun time at the wedding, that is for sure!!

Post Bachelorette

After the Bachelorette, we drove home on Sunday and promptly took residence on the couch. We were tired and a litttle hungover. haha I think Erik left us to go surfing and watched a Sex and the City marathon.

We also went to dinner at Beach Chalet. It's a restaurant right on the water which is nice.






Kimmy flew home on Sunday night to end our super fun weekend. Only a few more weeks until we see her again!

Napa Bachelorette

On Saturday, we packed up the car with our overnight bags and plenty of snacks, picked up Amy, and headed to Napa! We met everyone at the hotel we were going to stay at and we were on our way. 

Kimmy arrived on Thursday night to start the fun weekend. On Friday, we went to pick up my wedding dress, hit up the craft store, and Target. We spent a lot of time picking out paper in Michael's to make table numbers. Then, two days later, I realized I didn't want to make all of them. Haha. I will be returning most of it.

On Friday night, we took Kimmy to the Southern Pacific Brewery for some beers. Then, we came home to make pizza and hang out. We had a big day ahead of us on Saturday in Napa. To set the tone for the day, when I saw my friend Cristin who I haven't seen in over a year  - I cried! Yep. I was so so happy to be with everyone and was ready for fun. Also, it was about 85 degrees up in Napa that day. WHEW! Good thing we started with champagne in the limo!

First up, we stopped at Black Stallion Winery. Delcious wine. Fun first stop.

 Kimmy, Cristin, Sarah, Amy, Me, Tiffany & Kelsey

 Next stop, was Luna Vineyards. How fitting! We had our own little seating area which was great. Loved the wines AND the Luna merchandise. Evie got a new collar out of that stop!

After Luna, everyone was having a LOT of fun. haha The car rides were getting more and more loud and fun in between each stop. 

 Our last winery stop was Rutherford Grove - where we got engaged! The same wine server was there serving us too, how weird!

 Here's me trying to tell everyone the engagement story. Yeeeepppppp!

 

 

 The winery tour ended and we stopped at hotel bar, then had dinner, then went back to our hotel with a pool. Oh there was also a Taco Bell run late night. 

Yep, a very fun day and night. I am so grateful for having wonderful friends out here and for Kimmy coming to visit. It was such a great day!!

Marriage License

We got our marriage license! We went the weekend Kimmy was here to get it. Getting closer......

Napa Fun

What a fun weekend we had. Kimmy was here on Friday and we did a lot of wedding stuff. Saturday was my bachelorette in Napa which was reallllllly fun. I also realized I never posted about the Shower and Bach in February in CT so I will do that one too. Very fun. Can't believe we are getting married in a month!!

Boulevard Dinner

Last night, I went to a work dinner at a great SF restaurant - Boulevard. This restaurant is a SF staple, very well known, and consistently on the Top 10 list for SF. I haven't been to it yet but it is on my list so I was excited to try it. Bottom line, everything was awesome & I would definitely go back.

To start, we had:

AHI TUNA ITO-ZUKURI
"Ribbon-Cut" Ahi Tuna Miso Ginger Aioli, Fried Hodo Soy Tofu, Schichimi Pepper
Yellow Turnip & Seaweed Salad, Sherry-Soy Vinaigrette
Wild Rice & Shiitake Furikake

BRUNO DEL ROSSO TOMATO & BURRATA SALAD
Star Route Organic Lettuces with Fines Herbes
Lemon, Anchovy, Caper & Chili Flake Relish
Toasted Levain Croutons & Taggiasca Olives

Pan Seared Salmon for entree

For dessert, we had the BANANA CREAM PIE
House Made Hazelnut Puff Pastry, Vanilla Pastry Cream
Hazelnut Praline Cremeux, Banana Caramel
Chocolate Ice Cream Profiteroles

OMG. Everything was cooked perfectly and was SO delicious. The dinner was also with two fun women we work with at a partner company so dinner was delicious AND fun! The prices are no laughing matter though so I'm not sure when we will be back for dinner. My salmon entree was $36... 

It was a really great dinner!

In other news, Kimmy is arriving tonight because this weekend is packed with wedding plans and my bachelorette in NAPA!! WOohoo. Cannot wait!!

Goodbye Bingo

Last night was my last night doing Bingo. I brought the ladies cupcakes and they gave me some Russian chocolate. They really are so sweet.

Of course, last night was a long night - we played 12 games plus one round of blackout. Usually we play 7-9 games and blackout. But, it was my last night so oh well!

They were so nice and told me how they would miss me. Most of them cannot speak English well so they were saying things like "Hope everything is good in life" and "Have a good life."

Of course, Miss Sunglasses - the feistiest one of them all, who often gets yelled at by the other ladies - won the jackpot at the end of the night. She is annoying/hilarious because she is mouthy & gets told to be quiet. When she wins, it really makes everyone else mad. haha

Well, I'm grateful for two years with them but it is time to move on. до свидания!

Marshall's

When I was downtown on Saturday, I stopped into Marshall's to check out their work out clothes selection. I know Marshall's and TJ Maxx offer name brand work out clothes for a discount, which is awesome but I never seem to go there to check it out.

This time at Marshall's, I found great items! I got four things and everything was about $15 each!

 I got an Under Armour tank that looks like this...

 I love these shirts from UA but didn't see any but now I will make it a point to go back and look!

An Adidas top similar to this one. Plus, a pair of workout capris and a sports bra.

I was pleasantly surprised to find so many great items and great deals!

Now I just need to get some new headbands to match:

 

If you need workout clothes, go to Marshall's!