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!

It has been a very relaxed day, which is nice since I have to go back to work for a three day stretch bright and early tomorrow morning.  I managed to get in a quick run around the park this morning.  Aaron and I met up with his friend from work named Jennifer around two o'clock.  She is from Dallas and actually spent a couple of years as staff at Duke, and now she is here as a traveler.  He met her on his last assignment during the fall, and I had met up with her a couple of times before now.  We met her for lunch at a great burrito joint and then gathered our dogs for a quick trip to the beach.  She has a funny little wiener dog named Piper, and then her roommate has an deaf American bulldog called Leila.  Zuri got along with both of them splendidly, and all three of them ran like crazy on the beach.  It really was good fun.

We then took Zuri home and cleaned her up a bit before heading back out to meet up with Jennifer once again for drinks.  We gathered at one of our favorite pubs on Haight St.  This little bar has an excellent beer list and they make killer Bloody Mary's, so it is definitely high on our list of places to go in the evenings.  Lucky Jennifer will be traveling to Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia in early March, so we loved hearing about her future travel plans.  Of course listening to her itinerary made us itch to get back on the road.  It's been way too long since we have stayed in a hostel!  Anyways, she traveled to several countries in Europe during high school with her choir, but this is her first big international trip free of a tour group.  I can't wait to hear about her travels in southeast Asia!  I have posted a few pictures from our trip last year just to reminisce about the wonderful times we had exploring this part of the world!

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Thailand Market

Looking Rough in Halong Bay, Vietnam

Halong Bay

Halong Bay

Hanoi, Veitnam

Market in Can Tho, Vietnam

Aaron Goes Vegan

For one night only of course.  I prepared this recipe one evening when he was on his way home from work.  He dove right in and then asked, "Where is the shrimp?"  My less than kind response was, "Keep eating and you'll find them.  I think they settled to the bottom of your bowl."  Poor husband, but it is good to challenge his palette every now and then. 

Coconut-Peanut Chickpeas and Vegetables

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp hot or mild curry powder

2 tbsp creamy peanut butter

1 (13.5 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk

3 cups cooked or 2 (15.5 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

3 cups fresh baby spinach

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crushed unsalted roasted peanuts, for garnish

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat,  Add the onion and bell pepper, cover, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and curry powder, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the peanut butter and gradually stir in the coconut milk until well blended.  Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, and spinach, stirring to wilt the spinach, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Simmer until how and the flavors are well blended, about 7 minutes.  Serve immediately, sprinkled with the peanuts.

I served this over rice, and it really was delicious.  Even though Aaron never did find the shrimp at the bottom, he managed to take the leftovers to work the following couple of days.  

Random Pictures

 Our sweet Z running on the beach

 Happy Dogs

Aaron, Jess, Lindsay, Scott

On the Golden Gate

A favorite building in Chinatown

The lovely coast just down the street 

An amazing evening

Adorable male nurses

Calories

Salt flats in Utah (from our drive back to Cali)

I got up really early this morning and left just after Aaron went to work.  Zuri and I hit the road for a nine mile run.  We stayed on the streets until the sun was shining, and then we hit the park to make our way to the beach.  Now it is only eight thirty, and I am getting ready to head out and meet some girls for the day.  I think we will wander the city and find plenty of scrumptious eats and drinks.  Good times! 

Update and Pics!

Over the past week and a half I have tried to carry my little camera everywhere so that I can snap photos whenever I feel it is appropriate.  There are so many little pockets of San Francisco that are so picturesque, and I just never know when I am going to stumble upon these areas.  It is necessary to always be prepared.

It has been a fine week once again, even though I have been bogged down by work!  Ha, I only spent three days in orientation, so it was really okay.  The hospital provides the very typical nursing orientation, where they encourage new hires to care and to appreciate diversity.  Overall, I think nurses do a fine job of these two things to begin with, but every institution feels the need to talk about these two topics in great detail.  The educator even discussed how to take care of gypsy families, so that should be an interesting nursing experience and a new one for my list when the time comes.  I met some fun fellow travelers, and as usual I got their numbers so that we can meet up in the next couple of weeks.  It is always fun and interesting to hear the stories other travel nurses have to share of their experiences along the way.  Lots of laughter frequently!

This weekend our friends from Duke, Scott and Lindsay, have come to visit from Flagstaff.  We are thrilled to see them and catch up.  It seems hard to believe that we said good-bye to them in Tucson a year and a half ago before leaving for our six month trip.  It is so nice to have a three day weekend (thanks to my super nice manager that I have only met over the phone) to enjoy their company and show them around the city.

Here are some recent pics of the neighborhood and surrounding area.

 Just around the corner where we wait for the Muni

 

 First beer consumed in sparsely decorated living room.

 

 The other side of the living room

 Home Sweet Home!

 

Golden Gate Park

Japanese Garden, Golden Gate Park

Golden Gate Park

Golden Gate Park

My hospital way in the distance 

Just outside of our front door

Funky colors of Haight-Ashbury

Home in Haight-Ashbury

Haight St.

 Fun and Narrow

SHE is conservative???!  What??? 

 Ha, just for fun!!