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| “The Golden Gate Bridge is red? WTF!”- My lovely sister Courtney |
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| Luckily you can’t see it in the picture but this was about 5 minutes after I dropped a chicken kebob on my skirt |
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| “The Golden Gate Bridge is red? WTF!”- My lovely sister Courtney |
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| Luckily you can’t see it in the picture but this was about 5 minutes after I dropped a chicken kebob on my skirt |
In honour (with a u) of my upcoming trip back to the Great White North, I have amassed some of my favourite Youtube videos that remind me of home.
The first time I watched this video during the 2010 Winter Olympics I sobbed. Hysterically.
And this video is just amazing.
True story.
Also, this:
One of the great things about being in this city, is there is something different around every corner. We are always looking for new places to eat lunch, it’s nice to get out of the office and spend time outside especially when the weather is nice.
Last week we were walking to get food, and we turned a corner and found this beautiful park beside the Yerba Buena Center. It has waterfalls, flowers and tons of beautiful green grass, and it is very peaceful, even when there are a lot of people around. It’s the kind of place that makes you wish you had a frisbee, or a book to plop down and read under a tree.
It’s a perfect little oasis in the middle of all of the brick and concrete.
I love my husband to death, and I have so much fun hanging out with him, but because of the way we moved here, and how we had been living for the past year, we have spent a ton of time together. Whenever one of us wasn’t at work, it was basically always the two of us together.
I think it has really brought us closer together, but at the same time, I think it’s really unhealthy for a relationship for the two people in it to only have each other, and not have outside friendships, relationships and hobbies.
In the last few months since I’ve started working and getting more comfortable with the area, I’ve definitely opened up more and really gotten to know some great people, especially some really great women. Women have always been a bit tough for me, the good girl friends I have are amazing, I would do anything for them, and they would do anything for me, but it definitely takes time to build those relationships, and it doesn’t happen with just anyone you meet.
As much as I miss my ladies being so far away from them here, I have met some really fun, friendly, ambitious girls in the last few months, and I’m having a blast getting to know them, and spending time with them, yes, usually over a glass of wine. We have a lot in common, being young and female and just getting started in the work force, and also not from this area, so it’s been really great.
I just got back from having a drink after work with one of my new favourite girls, and it was exactly what I needed after such a crazy week at work. I missed my bus stop and had to run almost 2 miles in the dark down rapist alley, but it was worth it. Sometimes all you need is a glass of wine and some girl talk to change your whole perspective.
Things that are making me happy right now:
This recipe for chocolate cheesecake that I am going to make for our company Thanksgiving potluck. I bought a spring-form pan to make Pumpkin Cheesecake for Canadian Thanksgiving this year, and ever since then I’ve been wanting to make a new cheesecake recipe every week, and then eat the whole thing myself.
I feel very accomplished when I pull out my spring-form pan, they only let you buy one if you are a professional chef. Probably. All I need now is a set of ramekins and I can basically open my own restaurant.
This Rose Gold Michael Kors watch I’ve been wanting for a few months now. It is soooo gorgeous but I always feel guilty spending so much money on an item for myself, because there are starving children in the world, still a girl can dream. Maybe if I am a good Santa will put it in my stocking?
The fact that there are only 9 more days until I get to go back to Canada to see all of my family and friends. So far on the agenda: perogies, a Grey Cup party, hockey games, a bachelorette party for one of my oldest friends, and massive amounts of cuddling with my niece and nephew.
The best part is, that one guy is finally going to get to see where I’m from, which is probably slightly overdue given that we’ve been together 3 years and are already married. He is from California, and had 1200 people in his graduating class alone, but I’m from a very tiny place, I only had 36 people in my grad class and that was considered a lot. It’s going to be lots of fun to show him my lovely little town.
And this picture, that I found on Pinterest with no link and no attribution. It looks like it was just painted on a wall somewhere, but I’d love to have it on canvas for my house.
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| Love Sick |
This weekend was perfect. I thought about buying a lottery ticket on Sunday because I felt so lucky, and I felt sure that anything I might endeavor to try this weekend was destined to succeed.
I got home from work early on Friday and cleaned the whole house, made quesadillas for supper, and watched The Five Year Engagement, which was actually really funny, and has re-awakened my hunger for hunting down every food truck in San Francisco.
I woke up Saturday morning to a spotless house, and instead of opting for my usual by-myself “healthy” Saturday morning breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast, I made myself two decadent slices of french toast with syrup and powdered sugar, and ate them with a big bowl of raspberries and tons of coffee, it was heaven.
Even though it was the first weekend in November, it was a balmy 80 degrees outside.
After breakfast I sorted though some of our wedding photos, then ventured out to the East Bay Free Book Exchange (yes, all of the books are really free!) and spent about an hour browsing the shelves.
I found some classics, (To Kill a Mockingbird, The Sun Also Rises), and some trashy beach novels, and also a book about digital photography, which I’m very interested in, and one about learning Spanish, which has been a goal of mine for years.
I took classes in university, but not enough to be fluent. I bought the book as a refresher course for our trip to Ixtapa next month, even though I have a sneaking suspicion that “tequila” is the same in every language.
On the way home I stopped in at Michael’s to stock up in supplies and creativity, and I’m very excited about some of my upcoming projects (also known as “covering things in glitter”) probably due to my recent success in the Halloween costume department.
I was supposed to meet that one guy in the city for the Ski and Snowboard expo, so I went in a few hours early, and roamed around in the sunshine on Haight street, popping in to check out all of the neat vintage clothing stores.
I bought my sister a birthday present, and myself some cookies from the Haight St Market, I don’t know what they put in them, but as I’ve been compelled on more than one occasion to walk from my office on 2nd all the way to Haight-Ashbury just to get one, so it’s definitely laced with something.
On the way to the expo we stopped by the Full House house, as a true ’90’s kid I had no choice but to document the experience.
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| The Painted Ladies, you can see these houses in the opening credits of Full House |
After the expo we went out for Mexican and margaritas. Perfect Saturday.
Sunday was equally as idyllic, I even got started on my Christmas shopping.
I was driving down the highway on the way to the mall with the windows down, wind blowing in my hair on the most beautiful day of the year, and then “Free Fallin’ by Tom Petty came on the radio. I was basically Tom Cruise, but taller and with less Scientology.
I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.
I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way
than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.
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| Love the bold colours against the rustic wood doors |
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| He is ok, I guess… |
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| Such a beautiful day for our wedding |
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| The best group of girls I could have asked for |
Our photos were taken by Awna Irish, at Inspiring Bliss Photography. She is extremely talented, and did a wonderful job of not only capturing all of the most important moments, but adding in her own unique creativeness to make the pictures extra special. You can check out her other work at http://www.inspiringblissphotography.com/.