Some San Francisco Pics

Good-Bye Cali, Hello NY

My last day in San Francisco was nothing short of wonderful, as my previous days had been. Abby had her tennis lesson, and I went for my final run on the hills. Abby's friend, David, whom went to dinner with us last night, met up w/ us this morning, and joined me for the run. We went up the steepest hills I've ever run. Needless to say, I was not thrilled, as I'm constantly defeated by hills. However, after finishing the last one, I turned around to see a beautiful view of the city I'd come to enjoy.

Afterward, Abby and I went to a DELICIOUS breakfast @ Ella's. I'm pretty sure it's called Ella's. When I'd told Abby how much I LOVE biscuits, she decided we'd have breakfast there on my last day. Well, the biscuit was HUGE and amazing, as was breakfast. Gooooood food! Great call, Abby!

The rest of the day just kinda flew by. I finished packing, she drove me to the airport, and that was it...good-bye Cali, hello NY. There's always an element of sadness when leaving a place where new memories were made. I definitely felt that when I was boarding the plane. I went over the week in my mind for a short while, and then went about my reading. 5 hours later, I looked to the window on my right, and there were the lights of the East Coast cities. For a moment, I smiled my 'glad to be home' smile, but still felt the pang of having left San Francisco. Of course, once I hit the cold of NY, I was ready to fly 5 hours back to warmth. That didn't quite happen, though. Lisa was waiting for me, and it was just like I'd never even left...we went from the airport straight to the diner for 'dinner' and a complete catch up session.

As I sit in my own bed, comfy and content, I'm grateful for what I have, and where I have had the opportunities to visit. As I look around and take in my things, my pictures, etc., I know I'm glad to be home~~but I am also beginning to feel that home CAN be anywhere that you're happy.

Action Packed Days in California

I'm not quite sure where to begin. It's been a wonderful few days here, which is the opposite of how I felt when I first began this trip, only because of the rain. I suppose once we get acclimated w/ a place, we begin to feel more comfortable, and things just feel like home. That's how I finally feel...the day before I'm leaving.

Wednesday, Abby and I hit the gym and had the most relaxing night afterwards...dinner was definitely a joke w/ our popcorn and beverages, haha, but it made us happy! I've truly enjoyed getting to know her, and the chats we've had. I love making new friends and learning about them. Meeting Kimberly, who knows how many years ago (how many, Kim?), was a blessing in so many ways. She's wonderful,and we've maintained our friendship through the years. The friends I've made from my friendship w/ her have been amazing, as well.

I spent Thursday out of San Francisco and in the small town of Los Gatos (the cats, as Abby said this morning! lol), where another friend is from and currently lives. It definitely was a small town, but it was also lovely and relaxing. It reminded me of the Bronxville, Scarsdale areas...that kind of atmosphere, but w/ many more little stores, shops, places to dine, etc. I even went into a cute little bakery (big surprise, I know!) called Icing on the Cake. Their cupcakes reminded me of CRUMBS in the city, but they had cookies, loaf cakes, bday cards, gift, etc! I LOVED it! I was good and only bought a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie! I ate half before my trail run and the rest after! I enjoy a good cookie after a hard run! And the trail run I did was just that...HARD. Trail running is NEVER easy~~to me, anyway. It was peaceful and beautiful, and it made me wish there were more areas like this at home, which I'm sure there are, but not anywhere nearby.

Afterwards, I was shown the town, we went to a winery WAY up in the mountains, took a walk along the beach (where my sneakers and socks got soaked because I refused to take them off...it wasn't warm enough! lol), and went home for a nap before going to my first hockey game! This was DEFINITELY EXCITING! We saw the San Jose Sharks play the L.A.....team. ha. Everything moves so dang quickly that I missed EVERY shot they scored! haha. However, the excitement afterwards was awesome, the energy of the players and fans was contagious, and I am SO glad to have attended the game! Good times!!!

So, here I am BACK in San Francisco. After Abby picked me up from the train, I took her to work and went for another fantastic run. This time, though, I overcame my fear of the bridge and ran it! It was truly exhilarating! After that, I ATTEMPTED to go to Fisherman's Wharf, however, the parking didn't work out AND I got lost driving. Imagine that! lol. So, I came home, made lunch, and have been relaxing ever since... Tonight~Mexican dinner (and drinks!!) w/ Abby and her friend. That'll be a perfect end to my time here.

San Francisco Really Is Beautiful!

Although I haven't done the 'touristy' things, I've done things that I enjoy when on vacation. Such things include walking around, exploring the unknown (to me), appreciating architecture, and RUNNING. Today was the FIRST day of absolute sunshine we've had since I'm here....and I took complete advantage of getting a great run outside! I went down to the marina area, closest to the Golden Gate Bridge. I believe part of the area I was in was called Chrissy Field...it was once war grounds, so that was neat to read about as I ran through it. Everything about that area is lovely! The waterfront houses are breathtaking, the view over the water, w/ Alcatrez in the middle of it, the Golden Gate Bridge in front of me, the Fort Mason Center behind me~~ I mean, all in all, it was a beautiful view!!! I ran towards the bridge, through some fantastic trails, the fresh smell of the trees was amazing and calming, and I wasn't too scared, haha. I did run TO the bridge, which was cool, however, I could NOT bring myself to run OVER the bridge! Just couldn't do it! I'm SUCH a chicken, lolol. Still, the experience of just getting there was awesome! The views~amazing. I'm kicking myself for not running w/ my camera, but I didn't think to. The run was really mind clearing, which for anyone who knows me, understands what I'm saying. The peaceful view, the outdoor air, everything was amazing~~for a second, I didn't miss Central Park.

My afternoon was just as much fun, but in a different way. After coming home to clean up and such, I ventured on the T train to downtown San Francisco where I met Abby for a Vietnamese lunch that was delish! After that, we shopped a little, she went back to work, and I window shopped on Union Square and Market Street. The atmosphere definitely reminded me of home because of all the familiar stores, but it clearly was San Francisco, and I was glad to have gone there. I mean, me~~shopping~~even if it just window shopping~~very happy! When I spoke w/ my friend earlier, he noted how much happier I am today than when we met up yesterday. It's true~the change of weather, along w/ feeling a bit more secure w/ my surroundings, made all the difference in my trip =) I'm sure I'll be sad to leave on Saturday.

A Scavenger or a Hunter

Abby and I have decided that in the decision of whether or not the raccoon would've eaten the duck or garbage....the raccoon would NOT have eaten the duck! They are INDEED scavengers... I don't feel like such a DUH!!!

Out and About....Finally!

Well, I do have to say that I did have a mini-meltdown due to the weather. It hasn't just been raining~~it's been miserable! Rainy, windy, chilly, awful! When I spoke w/ Natalie this morning she reminded me that I AM on the other side of the country and rain shouldn't stop me from going out. Point noted, so after the gym I decided that I WAS going to go out. The question was.... where?!? I decided on Boudin Bakery...famous for San Francisco's sourdough bread. Okay, not the MOST interesting place, but heck, I LOVE bakery food, so why not? ha! Well, turned out that my friend was having dinner w/ his boss in the city, so we made tentative plans to hang out & tentative turned out to be definite. I'm definitely grateful that he came because I was about to lose it. I even text messaged some of my friends that I missed being in N.Y. At that point, I truly did. Maybe I just had cabin fever...not too sure. Anyway, my friend picked me up and took me to the Golden Gate Bridge! First of all, it was S U P E R windy. Oh my gosh, haha, there was no way we could walk across it, but we took pics, and he pointed out all the parts of cali and such. From there we did a little hiking, which is so up my alley! The smell of the pine trees was amazing~~for a few minutes I thought, "Yep, I could do this outdoorsy, country thing." Then I stepped on a bush that snapped up @ me, I screamed, we laughed and I remembered that I am, indeed, the city girl! ; )
From there we went to an art gallery that was closed~~sorry, I don't remember the name, but since it was closed, we walked around the water for a short while...we watched 'nature' at it's best... raccoons running from someone's property to the water/grassy/shrub area. Well, he thought the raccoons were going to eat the ducks... I stood for a minute, thought about WHAT raccoons eat...and said, "Raccoons eat GARBAGE." WELL...OH MY GOODNESS. Really~raccoons ARE scavengers, right? Yeah~NO! That's sooo not the rationale to my statement. Of course as I'm HYSTERICALLY laughing at what I'd just said, he's all~"I'm sure if Raccoons had their choice between garbage and ducks...they'd choose the ducks." I couldn't contain my laughter OR my embarrassment. Could we call that a city girl statement? After ALL that laughing, we stopped @ a bar for a drink. The view from there was amazing. I have pics that I'll post when I get home. I have to say~~ I had a wonderful, wonderful day!!

East Coast Girl in a West Coast City

The second half of my first day in San Fran was great! After chatting w/ Abby for a bit, we ventured out & she drove me around town. I got a glimpse of the sights I've read about, which was cool. It's always great to put a 'face to a name.' San Francisco is known for it's hills, yes? Well, my GOODNESS, did we drive down a HILL!! I was completely unprepared for the drop we took, and couldn't contain my surprise! Abby sure did laugh, and it was when we reached the bottom that I remembered exactly WHY I don't love roller coasters ; ) We did drive down the 'crookedest' street~I believe it's called LOMBARD. It was a brick road~just windy, really...I guess when I think of crooked, I think of corners. You definitely can not drive down this road fast, and there are stairs along side for pedestrians.

The architecture is awesome...something I've always noticed & loved since seeing buildings in NY & DC. Some houses look like the brownstones of NY, and others remind me of Spanish style houses from Puerto Rico. The drivers are pretty crazy, much like NY, and the people are kinda New Yorkish, but not sooooo much. They're def California, but 'city type.' All in all, I like it! We drove by some schools, and I wondered if I could do it...could I move out of NY and teach here, or anywhere for that matter? I think we decided I'm a New Yorker for life.

Not quite sure what tomorrow will bring...I'm still researching what I want to do. Abby will be working all day. It's supposed to rain in the morning, so I have to figure it out.... ; )

San Francisco Day 1

It's a rainy Monday in San Francisco! Right now, I've just finished breakfast, which consisted of MANY things~nothing unhealthy, though. Well, maybe the sugar cookie I started of with, but, that's it. ha =)
My flight here was VERY long, but I had company, which helped w/ the initial annoyance of the delay. Of course, my sinuses were acting up, I took a decongestant, and then had a runny nose for the remainder of the flight. Kinda funny, yet not.
I won't lie~the thought of the two flights that came down in NY over the past month had me more nervous than I'd ever been on a flight. However, prayers, the tv, and sleep got me through just fine!
Abby, who I know through Kimberly (my first Southern friend, who then introduced me to all of her SWEET friends), was nice enough to pick me up @ 1:30 in the morning~West Coast time, of course~~4:30 our time. We were both exhausted, but it was so great to see her! Abby and I have never hung out just the two of us. I'm eager to get to know her better! She stocked up on lots of fruit, pretzels, and other yummy snacks~~I feel right at home! My experience w/ the coffee grinder~~interesting...I MUST get one! haha!Today she's taking a half day so we can hang. She'll show me around so I won't be TOTALLY lost for the remainder of the week~~Thanks Abby!
Other than that~I saw Palm Trees, which I've always LOVED, and that's the update for now....more to come!

My school had it's annual 'winter' party. The parties used to be "Holiday" and "End of Year." The latter still goes on, but our "Holiday" has been "Winter" for the past two years. We LOVE to dance and have a good time! This past Thursday we did just that! Not many people came, but it was just the right amount from each 'crowd' so to speak, to have a fun night! We ALL danced, which is one of my FAVORITE things to do, and ya know, as I always say, the company makes the night. I'm glad to have spent this much needed night out w/ my friends.

A Blog a Month?

It seems as though I've been 'slackin' in the Blog department. My friend, Michelle, often reminds me of that. ;) So, on this lazy Saturday, as I wait for my clothes to finish drying, I thought I'd upload some photos and get a blog in.

Last month we celebrated my Godson's 5th birthday. He's so cute & smart! Seanie is a wonderful child who has a love for everything that comes his way. Being in his presence is enjoyable, even after I've been w/ my students all day long. I'm so proud to be his Godmother~~over the past 5 years, I've watched him grow into this little person who has such unique qualities. His smile makes my heart melt, and I love that he has a special name for me~~Drina (pronounced Dreena).

Although these pictures are a bit late, they still hold a special memory for all of us in the family.