Friday, May 27, 2011

Life Recently as Captured by My Iphone










1. Mirror Love Notes
2. Adam's Birthday Cake
3. Our Baby
4. Original Coca Cola Bottles
5. Root Beer Braised Pulled Pork Sandwiches
6. Birthday gift from Anna
7. Homemade Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles
8. San Francisco

Happy Weekend Y'all!

Song of the Day: We Turn it Up by Oh Land

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

25th

On our last day in San Francisco, I turned 25 years old. We celebrated by probably having the most expensive meal in the nicest restaurant I've ever been to. It also happened to be the best food I've ever had. I guess you get what you pay for? My mother had pre-told the wait staff it was my birthday, so every time I turned around I was being wished a happy birthday. And when I ordered dessert (vanilla bean creme brulee), it came with a candle on top. I don't really remember what I wished for but I'm sure it was amazing.

Honestly, I feel like last year I had a whole lotta reasons to be sad, but a half a million more reasons to be glad, and I choose to be glad and celebrate the abundance of good things in my life. And I have a sneaky suspicion that this year will be even better than the last.

So here's to my 25th trip around the sun, may it be even better than the last.

Song of the Day: Que Sera Sera by Doris Day

Monday, May 23, 2011

Winchester Mystery House





On the second day of our vacation, we drove down to San Jose (do you know the way to San Jose?) to tour the Winchester Mystery House. The Winchester Mystery House is a 160 room mansion built in the 1900s.  It was built by Sarah Winchester, who was heir to the Winchester Rifle fortune. So legend has it that after the untimely deaths of Mrs. Winchester's daughter and husband,  a psychic told her she was being haunted by all the people who had been killed by her husband's Winchester rifle. And to save herself she must move West, build a house for the spirits, and never stop building the house or risk being killed by the spirits. So that is what she did. The house is full of maze-like features with twists, turns, dead-ins, stairs to the ceiling, and a door inside the house that leads to a 13 foot plunge outside. All meant to confuse the spirits. The construction on the house never stopped until the day she died.

I first learned about the Winchester Mystery House on the history channel years and years ago. I've wanted to see it long before I even dreamed I'd be living in California. And we had so much fun at the house. Even if we couldn't take pictures of the inside (fooey). It was beautiful and odd and everything and more than I expected it to be.

Song of the Day: Defying Gravity by Glee Cast

Saturday, May 21, 2011

The San Francisco Treat

Hotel View

Hyde St. Pier

Me and a Boudin Sourdough Mini Turtle

Ferry Building

Peanut Butter Gold Rush Gharadelli

Adam on the Balclutha

Painted Ladies

Salt Water Taffy

Palace of the Fine Arts

Golden Gate in Fog
I always have the hardest time getting back into the normal routine after I get back from a vacation. As soon as the return flight touches down, I'm all like homework? What homework? What is the purpose of this homework? Oh and you have to feed you pet so they can survive? And walk said pet? All those tasks just seem so unimportant when I know I could be enjoying hotels with stunning views, good food, and seeing new things. Which is exactly what happened this week when we spent three glorious, although not very sunny days, in San Francisco with my mother and Stepfather.

This trip we spent hours roaming fisherman's wharf, stepping aboard the old ships at Hyde St. Pier, eating Sourdough Bread Mini Turtles from Boudin, and watching the fat and lazy sea lions at Pier 39 (which really, really reminded me of Sarah. No joke). We also got to do some things that we didn't get to do last time like see the beautiful painted ladies, the palace of the fine arts, Golden Gate Park, and  even spent some time in the charming town of Sausalito.  And can we talk about all the fabulous food I ate? Clam chowder in bread bowls, dungeness crab pizza, pecan danishes, peanut butter gold rush sundaes from Gharadellis, Salt Water Taffy in Sausalito, and Sea Scallops good enough to sell your soul for. Also I tried Baklava for the first time. The verdict? Delicious.

But by far the very best moment of the trip was the night drive I took with Adam across the Golden Gate Bridge. We decided to drive across the bridge spontaneously once we got back to the hotel after dinner by ourselves. I really love doing things spontaneously, but my spontaneous streak is limited. So when we decided to go, I wanted to use our GPS. But apparently Adam was insulted by that idea because he just wanted to drive toward the bridge and see if we would just stumble upon it. Say what? That sounded dangerous to me. What if we ended up careening off a mountain into the Bay? Then we would be live testing (not to be confused with live tweeting) the hypothesis of whether or not the Alcatraz Escapees could have survived in those frigid waters. Or what if we got lost and were kidnapped by Columbian Drug Lords? Both were likely options in my not so humble opinion. But because it meant so much to him, I agreed to forgo the GPS, and we took off toward the Bridge. And we found it!

We were insanely giddy driving over that bridge. And it was more breathtaking and detailed than I thought it would be. And once we got across the bridge we sat at the vista point for 20 minutes, huddling together for warmth, and enjoying the lights from the bridge and the San Francisco skyline. And it was just one of those moments in life that you are aware during that moment that it is going to be one of your favorite memories.

I really do love San Francisco. It is such a unique and charming city, and I would always jump at the chance to get back there. But if I never make it back to San Fran, I truly feel that I got to do all I wanted. You can see all the photos we took in San Fran on this trip over here.

Song of the Day: Sushi by Kyle Andrews

Friday, May 13, 2011

San Francisco Dreamin'

Polka Dotted Luggage
Tomorrow I will drop my dog off at the kennel, load the suitcases into the car, get to the airport, battle with the TSA, and board my quick flight up to San Fran with my husband, to meet my mother and stepfather for three full days in San Fran. And although I am currently overwhelmed with the fear that I will never finish my 7 page paper that is due before I come back home, that this MASTER master procrastinator managed to put off for a couple of weeks, I couldn't be more excited. I've been to San Fran before with Adam's family for a really enjoyable and quick day trip, but through a series of odd circumstances I never really got to see the Golden Gate Bridge. I typically don't even tell people that. It's just embarrassing. How can you go to San Fran and not see the bridge?!? I mean really. I will miss my return flight home this time if I don't see that darn Golden Gate bridge. Mark my words. That bridge will be my biotch by the time I come home. Other things on the itinerary include the Winchester Mystery House and dinner on the bay at a nice restaurant to ring in my 25th birthday!!!

I can't wait to share all about it when I get back home. Now its back to the writing the paper grind (ohh yeah right)!

Song of the Day: I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You by The Black Kids

Monday, May 9, 2011

Wedding Song Art

The last piece of art that I wanted to hang in the living room arrived this weekend. On this canvas, the lyrics to our wedding song are printed. The song is Feels Like Home by Chantal Kreviazuk. It is a song that has always resonated with me about how I feel about Adam, and there is no other song that I would have chosen to be our song. So I just loved the idea of having it printed up on a canvas, along with our names and wedding date. Adam says now he will never forget our anniversary! HA (Like I would let him anyway). I bought this canvas from Geezees Art.

Song of the Day: All for You by Sister Hazel

Adam's 27th Birthday






Adam's 27th birthday was Friday, and last year I threw him a surprise birthday, so this year we thought we'd do something a little bit more low key. So we decided to invite our friends Albert & Rianne over for dinner, and then we would go out for a movie. We had spaghetti and yellow cake with peanut butter icing. The cake was delicious (even if I did have to make it twice, don't ask), and I finally hit upon the right combination of ingredients for the best, totally non-sticky, and creamy peanut butter icing.  After dinner, we went to see Thor. I really enjoyed Thor although sometimes I had trouble following it. It was like a crazy mix of Hercules, The Sword in the Stone, Mythology, and Rip Van Winkle!

We all really had fun celebrating Adam's birthday, and in a week or so we get to do it all over again because it will be my 25th!

Song of the Day: Kiss with the Fist by Florence and the Machine

Friday, May 6, 2011

Oliver

On Saturday, I was sitting in the parking lot of the grocery store, when I glanced down at my iphone and realized I had missed several calls from Adam.  I let out a groan because he always manages to call me after I've finished checking out, and then I have to go back inside to buy the item.  ANNOYING. So I called him back, expecting him to tell me that he needed some Mountain Dew, and it was dire emergency! However, he told me he needed me to come pick up Sarah because he had picked up a small stray on the walk, and he was having trouble juggling them both. He was going to continue to try and locate the owner, but if he couldn't, he wanted to know if he could just bring the dog home.

I was, of course, totally fine with him bringing the pooch home. But I was pretty shocked by the situation because Adam has never been pro bringing another dog into the home. Heck, he wasn't even pro having one dog in the home. But I won the "Adopt Sarah" battle with my blood, sweat, and tears. OK maybe no blood or sweat, but there was a lot of TEARS. But  now he adores Miss. Sarah. Which just proves my point that I always know better.  I have to admit a small part of me was hoping Adam wouldn't find the owner, so we could bring that handsome little shih tzu home with us. Adam did ask around the neighborhood about him, but he had no luck and he brought him home. I started running through possible names we could call him, and originally I thought maybe Princely or Wills (because it was the royal wedding weekend after all). But those names just didn't suit him, so finally we decided on the name Oliver. Doesn't he look like an Oliver?
Sarah was fine with Oliver when Adam was walking with him, so I never imagined that she would care when we brought him into the house. But boy was I wrong. The minute she saw Adam bringing Oliver through the door, she went and grabbed her bone, and hid it on top of the couch. The bone she hasn't chewed in weeks. The bone we thought she had totally forgotten about. But apparently she hadn't forgotten about it, and she wanted him to know that bone was hers.

Even after the bone incident, I really assumed Sarah would be indifferent to Oliver at worst. I do I think she probably would have been unfazed by Oliver if he had greeted her differently. Oliver has yet to be neutered, and he behaved "amorously" toward Sarah several times, despite her incessant growling.  And God bless Oliver because Sarah must have looked like a lion to him, and yet he showed no fear. But for his safety and Sarah's nerves, we separated the two. We put Oliver in the kitchen, fenced in by a couch, a bunch of pillows, a fan, and Sarah's dog food. But he consistently tried to jump over it anyway, and Sarah kept hopping up on the couch to look at him,  and they spent a good deal of the evening just staring each other down as pictured above.
When it was time for bed, we decided I would sleep in the bedroom with baby Oliver, and Adam would stay with Sarah so she didn't feel jealous. It took him a while to settle down because he much preferred running around the bedroom and barking at dust balls underneath the bed to sleeping. But eventually he settled down, and slept as pictured above. Spread out like a human, with one paw flipped over, and a whole lot of snoring. How does such a little dog take up so much room in a bed and snore so loudly? I don't know the answer to that, but I can't tell you how adorable it was to cuddle with this little guy.

I believe that Sarah had forgotten all about Oliver by the next morning, because when I carried him into the living room she proceeded to hide her bone again. She would also not let us pet Oliver if we weren't petting her too. Major jealously. We really did fall in love with Oliver though, but for many reasons we knew we couldn't keep him. First, we just don't have the fiances for a second dog. Vet bills, Shots, Food, and Boarding, it all really adds up. Also, while I think Sarah would eventually adjust to Oliver, she is an older dog and would only be tortured by living with a hyperactive pup. She was just so unhappy about the whole situation, and I want her to enjoy a relaxing life in her "golden years."

We were both sad as we patrolled the neighborhood again, looking for the owner, and fearing that eventually we might have to take him to a shelter. We never found the owner, but I remembered our duplex neighbor had been looking for a new dog as a playmate for his labradoodle, Tequila. We thought we would take Oliver over there, and simply ask if he had seen the dog around the neighborhood, and see what happened. He asked if he could adopt him! We were so excited, he gets a new dog, and we will still get to see him occasionally. He even sort of kept the name we gave him, but he calls him Ollie. Although I have to admit, that little guy wormed his way into my heart, and I'm still a little sad that he couldn't be ours.

Song of the Day: Hummingbird Heartbeat by Katy Perry

Monday, May 2, 2011

May Day Weekend





 
1. I got all excited about the Royal Wedding. I just couldn't help myself. I had no intention of watching it live, but I was still awake when it came on at 2, so I ended up staying up till the final kiss.  I don't regret it, even though I was dead tired the next day. It was historical, beautiful, and I died over her dress. Why wasn't I born a Princess? Or why isn't Adam a Prince? Oh I wish I had been in England that day at the wedding, I would look so good in a jaunty, sideways hat. But the hats beg the question-How many people in attendance were mad that they were stuck behind someone in a huge hat? Or behind a tree for the matter?

2. Adam and I both went to the movies on Saturday. But we went to see different movies. This may seem weird, but I wasn't really interested in seeing Fast Five, and he could care less about Water for Elephants. Yes, I took a pic of the screen, and I snuck in food. I'm such a rebel. Water for Elephants was so good, though not as good as the book. But I have to wonder are we really supposed to believe that Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon are around the same age?

3. After the movie, we went out to get something to eat. Breakfast for supper is a tried and true Marten favorite. The owner of the restaurant caught me taking a picture of  these delicious Banana Nut Pancakes, and he made me promise to tell the Internet where I got the pancakes. So because I keep my word, I got these pancakes at Park Pantry in Long Beach on Broadway!

4. I finally got my iPhone this weekend, and I am obsessed with the app Words with Friends. I love, love, love playing this with my friends and niece. Although I have yet to win one, mostly because my friend keeps playing words like "ZA".  I don't even think that "ZA" is really a word, but she said she randomly put it together on a triple word score. I call SHENNIGANS. I'm open to playing with anyone, if you want to play my username is Brittanyhofo.

5. This little guy is Oliver, and Oliver is an adorable little stray that has been hanging out with us for a little while. But his story will be a tale for another entry. But I have to say, he is darn adorable. Even if Sarah doesn't think so....

Song of The Day: Somewhere Only We Know by Keane