The Whimsical Wandering Nurse: Back in San Fran

Oh my, it is so nice to be home. We really did have a fun month traveling and visiting friends and family, but I kind of missed my air mattress. Ha! After getting back from Finland we spent several days in Longmont with Aaron's folks. It was a pleasant way to unwind from the trip. We left last Friday for Flagstaff to visit our friends Scott and Lindsay. It was nice to see them and catch up. We enjoyed their company very much. It was especially fun to hike and rock climb with Scott one afternoon. We left Flagstaff after a couple of nights and spent time with Amna in Phoenix. She took us all over the place, and we really enjoyed her company. We ate all kinds of delicious foods from homemade Pakistani cuisine to sushi. She is most definitely a fine cook, and we always look forward to eating at her house. We spent the evenings in her living room drinking wine and just talking. I am so glad we have stayed in touch since nursing school.

We made our way back to Flagstaff for one more night before making the long drive back to San Francisco on Wednesday. The drive from Flag took us through such lonely and barren lands. It is so different from driving out east where there are lots of trees and towns every few miles. The land is quiet, desolate and rather uninviting. Living in Barstow, California would not be easy. Anyhow, the drive took about twelve hours, and we were very glad to get back to our little home.

Yesterday I relaxed and met up with several traveler friends for lunch and drinks. It was a beautiful day out, and drinking wine on the patio was just perfect. Today has been rather chill as well. We have spent time in our little Chinatown in the Sunset Neighborhood. I am making a Northern Thai dish tonight, so we had to shop at the Asian grocery store for certain food items. I will post the recipe if it turns out well. Also, I made beer bread today for the first time. It is cooling on the baking rack right now, but smells heavenly. Aaron once again is shocked that I am attempting to cook. I can't wait for our dinner tonight! We will be drinking a Pinot Blanc with the meal, which is an excellent wine that we recently bought in Sonoma.

Tomorrow my friend Greta comes to town. I am looking so forward to her visit. We will be enjoying the city on Sunday, and then we will drive down to Santa Monica for a week on the beach! Oddly enough, I will be ready to get back to work on the 14th. It should be a fun several months here in San Fran.

Here are a few pictures from the past month (a random collection):