LOVE

Sometimes I just can't believe where life has taken me.  Never in my wildest southern girl dreams would I have guessed this outcome.  Traveling the world with a Colorado boy.  My parents were wonderful role models, and they never pushed the idea that I had to get married one day, so I grew up with an indifferent attitude. 

I remember starting nursing school and being a nervous wreck on the very first day.  It was hard to believe that just about every student in the nursing class was in a relationship or already married.  We all made introductions and most classmates talked about their significant others.  I nervously talked about my ability to juggle.  It was a quality moment for sure.  I do remember seeing Aaron during the free breakfast hour.  I didn't dare eat a single bite for fear of stomach cramps, but thought the boy in the corner stuffing his mouth and his bag full of bagels was pretty shady.  How could anyone at Duke University lack such class?  That is what I thought.  Little did I know that I would fall madly in love with this bagel-stealing boy and that together we would journey the world.  Wow! 

We became friends early during the fall semester.  I got to know him through our good pal Amna.  I still thought he was quite shady sitting in the back of the classroom playing video games while I took impeccable notes.  We spent Thursday nights together filling our poor hungry bellies with wings and beer.  He would have us over to his house for dinner and really cheap wine parties.  Oh, he was such a nice guy, and I felt like I could tell him just about anything.   I loved hearing of his travel stories and being amazed that anyone could journey the world with a backpack and stay in hostels for more than a week.  During Christmas break he went to Finland, and I remember telling my Mom how much he meant to me as a friend.  When we met up again for winter semester he brought me the nicest gift of a bird themed wall hanging from Finland.  He didn't even mind that I had bird nerd tendencies.  Amazing!  I didn't know there were such men out there! 

And then Valentine's Day came around, which was always a little tough.  We had decided to get together as friends since everyone already had plans.  He wore his leather coat and I was in my best Mary Jane's, and he took me to a nice restaurant.  We sat down and the waiter explained the menu options.  Due to the special occasion there was a set menu with a price of seventy five dollars per person that included several courses and wine.  Poor Aaron, he just wasn't planning on spending this kind of money as a poor student.  He started thinking about Taco Bell as he gathered his belongings and put his suave leather coat back on.  That's when I immediately told the waiter that I would have the white wine.  Aaron was stuck and paid the bill, and that was the beginning of our relationship.  We discussed our feelings and decided to start dating.  The meal was superb.

Now, almost seven years later we are happily married and going strong.  Since that first date we have done so much together.  We graduated nursing school and struggled as new nurses together.  We journeyed to Kenya to volunteer and he proposed on an amazing evening in the African jungle.  Of course I said yes.  Since marrying we have become travel nurses and have followed each other across the United States.  We journeyed for six months across the world without killing one another, and we actually came home even stronger than before.  We have witnessed some of the most disgusting toilets around the globe, and he always eagerly listens to my horrifying squatting experiences with a smile.  We love to dine together and eat funky foods and drink fine wines as we talk about politics and world issues.  We adore beer.  I can't wait to see him when he comes home from work, and I love to hear about his day.  It breaks my heart to leave him in the mornings when he doesn't have to work and I do.  And at the same time we are fiercely independent.  We both know how important our alone time is to one another.  He loves his days to himself, and he never flinches when I have a girl day planned. 

Now I know that I make my marriage sound absolutely perfect, and it is far from that!  We are both stubborn and have quick tempers, which makes for some interesting times.  We can get awful mad at one another, and we both love to stomp around a bit.  But in the end we usually end up laughing about our disagreements and promising to remain pals.  Not sure why I wrote this post, but it just seems important to jot down.  I can't believe that our four year wedding anniversary will be this month.  Where has the time gone?  I guess that means we're having some wonderful times together!

A Fun Day Off

I have a great schedule this week.  I worked on Saturday and Sunday, and then I go back Thursday and Friday.  My days off this week have been very chill.  Monday was spent relaxing, going for a quick jog, taking Zuri to the beach, and drinking a beer at our favorite neighborhood bar in the evening.  Our favorite pub is called The Blackthorn, and thankfully it is just three blocks away from our apartment.  The afternoon crowd consists of mainly older men, and the evening clientele is more our age.  They welcome dogs with open arms, and there are always plenty of treats for Zuri to snack on while she makes her rounds collecting pets.  These days she really thinks she is something special, and she loves late afternoons at the bar. 

Yesterday I decided to get up early, so I made it out of bed by 5:30 to make Aaron pancakes before he went to work.  After cleaning the kitchen and waiting for the sun to come up, I went for a long jog with Zuri all through the park.  A morning run was what we were both needing, and we both arrived home in happy spirits.  I was in much need of a haircut, so I wandered down the street and found a Chinese hair salon that only charged five dollars for a trim.  Few words were exchanged, but the lady did a fine job and my hair is now a little bit longer than a buzz cut.  Poor Aaron, but he does complain any time I spend more than twenty dollars to get my hair done, so I didn't really have any other options!  He says that I look like a twelve year old boy, so I will be wearing plenty of blush and lipstick during the next few weeks while it grows out.  At least I am happy with it, which is all that really matters.

Following the haircut I caught the Muni and made my way down to Chinatown to wander the streets and find lunch.  Even though the Chinatown in NYC is my very favorite, the one in SF is quite nice as well.   Once you get off the main tourist street the neighborhood becomes much more authentic.  All signs are in mandarin (with no english translation) and there are very few non-Chinese faces in the crowd.  The markets have a wide variety of really interesting fruits and vegetables and some really scary looking meat products (especially the chicken legs that are dyed blue).  Some of the snack items include dried conch halves, conch rinds (similar looking to pork rinds), shellfish crisps and pickled chicken feet.  Wandering in this area is just like being back in China, and I love that feeling of being worlds away when I am only five short miles from home.

While walking around I passed a Catholic church and noticed a sign that advertised 'Tuesday Noontime Concerts.'  It was Tuesday and around 11:45, so I decided to walk for a little bit longer and head back towards the church to attend the concert.  I got to the church around noon and accidentally stumbled into mass.  Expecting to hear the cello, instead I got to hear the priest's homily.  Ha, the concert didn't start until 12:30, so I unexpectedly attended mass which is never a bad thing.  The cathedral was beautiful with high domed ceilings and colorful stained glass windows.  After the service, the concert began and consisted of a cellist and pianist playing pieces by Bach and Schumann.  The music was fantastic, and I especially enjoyed watching the pianist.  She played with such emotion and feeling, head banging and then swaying slowly at times.  The performance lasted for about an hour, and it was most certainly quality time spent.  I hope to make it back for another Tuesday concert in the near future.

Once I left the cathedral I found lunch at one of my favorite little noodle shops.  Then I made my way to the waterfront to check out the view since it was a clear day.  I walked and took a few photos before making my way back towards home.  Zuri was in need of a good walk.  She was very happy to see me when I came through the door and after running around the house with her duck for a good five minutes we left for the park.  I had thought about going to the gym, but it was just too nice outside, so we walked for a long time through the park.  It was such a nice way to wind down the day. 

Model for a Morning

This morning Aaron thought it would be fun to take pictures of me in Golden Gate Park.  He is trying to gain experience in portrait photography, so these days I frequently find myself looking into his camera lens attempting to strike a pose.  This morning I put on some bright pink lipstick and tried to be a good sport about the whole thing.  Our photography experiences are usually quite humorous and we end up arguing along the way most of the time.  We especially don't mesh well in cold and windy weather, so today was a challenge.  Here are a few pics from his photo shoot.

I suppose some of these photos are quite nice.  I did love wearing pink lipstick!  Aaron complained that I acted like a real diva as I grumbled along the way about the cold weather, the wind and my aching hunger.  Oh Aaron, you're a very lucky man! :)

Champagne and Sneakers

On Saturday at two o'clock in the morning my BFF came for a visit.  One of her friends was making the drive up from LA for the weekend to visit some friends, so fortunately Julie tagged along and we got to spend all of Saturday together.  Sadly, I couldn't get Sunday off, so we had to make the most of our one day, which we did a fine job of as we talked nonstop for about twelve hours straight!  I visited Julie in LA during the fall and we spent two days catching up on each other's lives while eating, drinking, and getting pedicures.  It was wonderful time spent!  Our friendship goes way back to high school, and we have managed to stay close through all the years, though since college we have been many states apart.  We never fought or competed during our younger years, and we just enjoyed each others company so much, and luckily that has continued through our adult lives.  So, a little bit about our big day together this past weekend!

After getting some much needed rest Saturday morning we managed to get out of bed around nine and head to brunch just down the street.  We decided to go trendy with Julie wearing her ultra sexy flats and I was sporting my extra chill Converse sneakers.  I think we both agree that it is all about the shoes (and maybe the purse as well).  Breakfast was lovely and we started in on some very important conversation pieces over our omelettes and mimosas.  Jobs, boys, our families, our thirties, politics, the Church...yep, we try to cover it all!  I even allowed for Aaron to join us, and he managed to get a few words in as well. He was pleasantly surprised to hear his voice!

After brunch we meandered on back to the apartment to change into less stylish, but much more comfortable sneakers.  Julie wore some fine bright white Asics, and I was wearing my very shiny Mizuno's.  Now comfortable and much less stylish in our sneakers and bluejeans, we made our way downtown.  We spent the late morning and remainder of the afternoon walking, chatting and drinking.  We strolled along the wharf with coffee and then found a lovely little bar along the waterfront.  Cheers over champagne and wine and our quality conversation continued.  Of course this was a formal little place and our sneakers were most certainly in the minority.  At least we were comfortable!  Our next stop was to visit Lohman's, which is a designer discount store.  Now this is a place where you can get into lots of trouble.  This is where the conversation died down a bit because we both had to focus all attention on our surroundings!  Fancy purses, funky jewelry, skinny jeans galore, sweaters, and a fantastic scarf selection... After an hour or so and three times through the checkout line we left with purses, wallets, shirts and a scarf.  In my opinion this was a very successful shopping trip, but I am not sure if Aaron would agree with me after seeing the bill!

After shopping we made our way to the Gold Dust Lounge (a famous little joint right near Union Square) to celebrate our purchases and our time together with a bit more champagne.  And once again our conversation went out of control.  While we chilled over our drinks this random man sitting beside us looked over and asked, "Are you lesbians?"  Fortunately Julie said yes, he lost interest, and the chatter continued.  Aaron even came and joined us for a round before we found dinner.  Luckily Lohman's was right near the restaurant we would be dining at, so we headed back for another visit so Julie could buy one more purse (for her Mom) before the store closed.  Jolene is going to love this purse!  Dinner consisted of teriyaki, sushi and saki, which was a fine way to wind down the day.  We then made our way back to the apartment and settled in for the night.  We had so much fun wandering the city in our sneakers and drinking champagne.

The next day I left bright and early for work and Aaron took Julie out for breakfast before she left.  We are very hopeful to take a quick trip to LA next month!!

 A picture from our wedding day.  Sadly I haven't taken any of us since then.  Maybe next visit!

A Few Days Off

The past couple of days off have been really nice and full of activity.  Sunday morning started off with a half marathon, which I hadn't really trained for but managed to finish.  The weather was sunny and warm with a nice breeze, which was perfect for the race.  The first half of the run was through Golden Gate Park and the second was along the coast.  I managed to pace myself quite well, so I never had to stop and felt pretty good along the entire route.  The only negative was that the finish line was closer to the beach than I had thought so I had to walk 2-3 miles afterwards to get back home.  I guess it was a nice cool down, but longer than I had imagined.

After taking a few hours to relax post race I made my way down to Palo Alto with Zuri.  My first stop was to meet up with a pal from Duke who has just moved here as a travel nurse.  We caught up over frozen yogurt, and throughout our two hour conversation we covered all kinds of important topics.  It was so much fun to chat about Duke, life as a travel nurse, and to hear about the adventures from her previous assignment in Los Angeles!  After saying goodbye and planning to get together again very soon, I headed over to another friends place for a Super Bowl party.  It was nice to catch up with some of the travelers I worked with at Packard.  Zuri made her way around the room looking for scraps of food, begging, and receiving plenty of pets.  We didn't stay for too long because fatigue had hit me around 6:30, so we made our way back to the city in the early evening and had a quiet night at home with Aaron. 

Yesterday Aaron and I had made plans to venture to Muir Woods, which is about ten miles past the Golden Gate Bridge just outside of the city.  The drive was just amazing as the fog was rising over the bridge and only an outline of the city was visible.  It amazes me that small town America lies just over the bridge.  It only takes five to six miles to leave the city behind and find yourself on winding two lane roads with no one else around but cows and horses.  We even managed to find a small fruit and nut stand on the side of the road, and we stopped and bought dried papaya and pineapple for our hike.   Once at Muir Woods we parked and made our way to the entrance station.  We were surprised at the amount of people out and about on a Monday morning, but once into the park the crowds were not bad at all. 

The main area of the park is made up of a flat trail along a small stream surrounded by beautiful redwood groves.  This walk leads you to the famous Redwood Cathedral.  The 'Cathedral' area is appropriately named because of all the many trees towering above.  There is kind of a Notre Dame feel to the area, and it is breathtaking!  After this religious experience, we made our way up to the Dipsea Trail, which leads upward through thick forest to an open area where you can see for miles and miles.  It was a two mile hike and half way up we found a bench to sit down, stretch our legs and eat lunch.  The woods were silent except for the occasional bird chatter high up in the trees.  It was great to sit quietly and absorb the beauty of this amazing forest.  After our short break we made our way to the open space, which provided a panoramic view of the hills, the coastline and the city.  Once again, we sat for a while just to take it all in, and then took some pictures before heading up the trail for another mile or so.  This part of the hike was flat and along the edge of this hills that drop down to the coast.  The views continued to be spectacular.  Around mid-afternoon we decided to turn around so not to get in rush hour traffic when making our way back to San Francisco.  It was so much fun to spend time outside of the city for an afternoon. 

For dinner we took the bus out of town to the Olive Garden.  We used the gift card we received as a Christmas gift, and we managed to eat like kings and queens.  A bottle of wine, appetizers, huge entrees, and dessert.  I guess it was well deserved after our long hike.  After dinner we made our way to Trader Joe's to pick up some much needed food items before making our way back home.  It was a perfect day!

This week I had to renew my clipper card for the subway and buses, which means we have been here for over a month now.  That seems impossible!  The past month has been so much fun, and the weather has actually been beautiful.  I was expecting much more fog and rain, but the sun has been shining brightly most days.  Aaron and I should probably make a list of all the things we want to do around the area so that we don't miss anything before we leave.

I recently found a 'meetup' group in the area for women who enjoy eating and traveling.  This past Saturday the group hosted an event that included brunch, sharing travel experiences, and then a stroll over to the local flowermart.  I always get nervous entering a room of people that I don't know, but it turned out to be well worth it.  The women were lovely and had some amazing travel stories to tell over a fantastic breakfast of pancakes and coffee.  Most of them were in their 40's-50's, but age really doesn't matter.  I heard tales about excursions through China, India, Europe and South America.  It was wonderful to be surrounded by strong independent well traveled women, and this was a perfect way to start off the weekend. The remainder of Saturday was rather quiet taking walks in the park with Zuri, and then Sunday we ventured out to catch The Black Swan before it leaves the theater.  We met up with another traveler and then went for beer and dinner afterwards.  I enjoyed this movie and think that Natalie Portman is an amazing actress.  I still believe The King's Speech deserves the Oscar though.  I so loved this movie and thought Colin Firth was amazing.  I cried through the entire film because it was truly beautiful, so it was a good thing I went solo.

I worked on Monday and Tuesday, and work is starting to get better with every shift.  At the beginning of each travel assignment I forget how difficult it is to adjust, and it usually takes me a couple of weeks to feel content.  Even though this is our sixth travel gig, my nerves still take over and I feel sick the first several shifts.   Luckily the nursing staff is warm and welcoming, and the managers seem pleasant, so it will be okay.  I really miss the Stanford travel group that I met last fall as we all got along marvelously well and went out all of the time.   This Sunday I am taking a little road trip to Mountain View to catch up with some of them and watch the Super Bowl.  It should be good fun.  Tonight Aaron and I are going on a date to the Academy of Sciences for their social hour!  Every Thursday the museum hosts an evening of music, drinks and displays, so tonight they're having an open exhibit on the Darwin Awards and on orchids.  Good times will be had!

This is how Zuri looks whenever we leave the house.  Pitiful!