Happy Independence Day!

I now interrupt your regularly scheduled San Francisco tales to wish everyone a wonderful Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July!!!

I will be enjoying the day at a 4th of July celebration parade and relaxing to some music at the park with the bf, his parents and our brand new puppy Kara! Have a beautiful day full of friends, picnics, swimming and fireworks. Take a moment to remember the meaning of the day. What an incredible history of such a beautiful country. I'm proud to be an American. Here's to Freedom!!

San Francisco Day Two (the bonus story)

I have the most romantic and wonderful boyfriend ever. I'm even more in love with him after our San Francisco trip, it's crazy and incredible and beautiful all wrapped into one. We are both part Irish and love the meaning and symbolism of the Claddagh ring. I know that he looked at Claddagh rings for me once quite a few months ago. What I didn't know is that he never stopped looking.
While we were waiting for our table at the Pier Market for dinner, we went into this great little shop on Pier 39, Treasure Ireland. (doesn't the name just send a delightful shiver down your spine?) There were all kinds of beautiful treasures to browse through. One of the first things that caught my eye was the collection of Claddagh rings. The bf asked the shopkeeper to help me try them on. He showed us the special collection of rings. It was a perfect fit. The bf bought me the most beautiful silver Claddagh ring. I wear in on my left hand facing in. We're not engaged, not yet anyways. It's a promise ring. And it is absolutely beautiful. I keep my Claddagh on even when I'm asleep, I only really take it off to shower. I am the luckiest girl in the world to be in love with such a wonderful guy. He's perfect :)

San Francisco - Day Two

Saturday morning began beautifully sans alarm clock, which was definitely nice after a week of early alarms. We started with a great continental breakfast in the restaurant that is complimentary for Club Level guests. (we really enjoyed the Club Level perks) We set off down to the cable car turn around to get a 3-day Muni pass that let us hop onto any cable car or bus for three days. We took our first San Francisco cable car ride all the way down to Fisherman's Wharf. It was an absolutely beautiful day, lots of sunshine and plenty of warmth, with a hint of a breeze to keep things from being stifling. It's crazy to see them turn the cable cars around. I guess that's part of the charm. They roll it onto the circle platform and then the two guys spin it around and push it back onto the opposite set of tracks. It's all done by manpower...it's incredible to watch. I think being a cable car driver would be really interesting, but I think you have to be a guy to do it because those things take muscle and they definitely are not light. But I bet they meet so many different people and hear so many crazy stories. They probably see their share of freaky people too, which probably provides for some interesting dinner table
conversation. I can just imagine the stories.
We went all the way to the end of the line and then walked the last couple blocks to the wharf. It was gorgeous along the water. We explored all around, saw a submarine and some ships from WWII. There was a little museum type place that had all sorts of old fashioned coin operated games, a lot of which you could still play. It was a neat place. We wandered around Pier 39 looking at the various shops and places to eat. I love seeing all the street performers...they are definitely creative. We also saw the famous bush man! I was so excited. My cousin warned me about him before I went to San Francisco in high school, but I never saw him. He is a homeless gentleman who hides behind some branches that he's cut and scares people as they walk by. I saw him as we were approaching and got really excited. We got to watch him scare a few people, it was absolutely hysterical. The funniest part is that a lot of the people went back and paid him because it was so well done and to be honest, quite clever. There were also the standard silver guys that freeze in poses. We saw all kinds of interesting acts. The bf's co-worker joked that she was getting ideas to file away just in case for later, what with the economy and all.
We also got to see the famous sea lions that laze in the sun on the floating docks just West of Pier 39. I love listening to them, they're so cool. I got some great pictures of them sunning and playing. This one is one of my favorites because I caught several of them in their "proud" pose while enjoying the warm California sunshine.










We also got our first views of the Golden Gate Bridge from down along the wharf. Luckily the fog wasn't obscuring it, but rather sitting just below it which made for some awesome pictures. It's really such a magnificent and beautiful structure, and definitely a well known California landmark. We didn't cross it or anything on this trip, but I did get to drive across it in our bus on my high school trip up there. It was cold on the other side from all the wind. Cold but beautiful. We walked up to Ghiradelli Square on the recommendation of the bf's
There was incredible wine store there that had a port syrrah that the bf and I tasted. It was pretty good, but not as good as the price would indicate. We enjoyed tasting it though. The bf's co-worker and I both got ice cream from the Ghiradelli Ice Cream Parlour. She got some ice cream in a cup. I got Ghirdelli chocolate in a chocolate dipped waffle cone. It was intensely delicious. I finished that off as we headed back down the hill (there are seriously a LOT of hills there...just in case you didn't know) and back down to the wharf. We got clam chowder bread bowls from Boudin's Bakery Cafe. They were mouthwatering and very filling. Boudin's makes the BEST sourdough bread, I absolutely loved it. We got sourdough complimentary with nearly every meal we ate in San Francisco. We took a break to rest at the hotel before dinner. Dinner took us back down to the wharf to a seafood restaurant right on the water at Pier 39, I believe it was called the Pier Market. I got fish and chips which was so perfectly cooked. The bf and his co-worker got a sea food sampler that had calamari, fish, crab and I think shrimp. We all agreed that the food was wonderful there. We also had an incredible view of both the city scape and the bay from where our table was situation near the window. It was back to the cable cars for the trip back to the hotel. I got to ride on the runners, it was SO much fun! It wasn't hard at all either, you just have to stand on the running board and hang on tight (don't worry, the bf was nearby making sure I was safe, he's protective like that...I love him SO much!) Here's a shot of how steep some of the hills were. Just imagine the downward view...it was pretty exhilarating. I'll end my day two recap with this night shot of Union Square as we approached it on the cable car. Our hotel was just around the corner. Saturday was a fun filled and fabulous day. I
definitely slept well that night when I got to bed. I have to say, the beds in our hotel practically sucked you into them they were SO comfy.

San Francisco - Day One

San Francisco was absolutely incredible, I had such a great time. I only wish I didn't have to be home already. There are so many stories to share that I'm going to have to split it up by day so that I don't overwhelm you with one ridiculous long post. Instead I'll give you several ridiculously long posts. ;) I also took TONS of pictures. I'll have quite a few up in posts and many more will be up on Flickr! as soon as I finish sorting and editing. (they'll go up in waves) I'll hopefully get some new ones up later tonight. (Flickr! button on the right)
Friday was a whirl getting my little brothers to their camps, getting all of our stuff into the car, handing them and their things off to my parents and working all at the same time. It was fun though...really great to see my parents and to have gotten such an amazing week with my little brothers. Everything got done and the bf, his co-worker and I jetted our way up to San Francisco. It was a pretty pleasant flight, I got to sit next the the bf which was fabulous after barely seeing him the whole week. There was a little bit of turbulence at the end that I wasn't fond of, but I got to cuddle up to the bf so it wasn't quite so scary. It's been several years since I've been on a plane. I like the shorter hops where you don't sit for hours.
We had a nice trip through the city on the way to our hotel on Union Square. It was so neat to see all of the architecture. As we got closer to the hotel and deeper into the city, the buildings gave way to the stereotypical look and feel that you expect from San Francisco. It was absolutely beautiful to see. We got some great cityscape photos on the drive to the hotel and saw some incredibly clever architecture that the bf and I both really liked.
We got settled into the hotel and then headed out to explore and get some dinner. We headed into China town which was only a few blocks away from the hotel. There were a lot of really neat shops with lots of shiny things to look at. They had these cute little hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil monkeys sitting out on benches in various places along the sidewalk. It was a beautiful evening for a walk. We ended up walking all the way into Little Italy. We went as far as the St Peter and Paul Catholic Church. Isn't it beautiful? We were actually within probably 5 blocks of the harbor...we walked a REALLY long way. We might not have gone quite this far, but I saw the church towers and had to go see them. I have a thing for cathedrals, particularly gothic architecture. This isn't quite gothic, but it was still absolutely beautiful. I was enthralled. It sits across the street from a nice little park. The bf finally managed to get me to put my camera away so we could head back into China town to get dinner. There were so many people out and about and so many delicious looking places to eat. I kept thinking that I needed a month there just to try out all the delicious food venues!
We went back into China town to a restaurant that our doorman recommended. It was absolutely delicious, we all loved it. Their prices were reasonable and they gave you a ton of food. We did a family dinner that came with won ton soup (my favorite!), rip tips, beef and broccoli, house fried rice, sweet and sour pork and some other kind of chicken with veggies. That beef was so good it literally melted in your mouth. The fried rice had tiny little shrimp in it, which I surprisingly liked. And of course the standard hot tea they served was perfect.
The restaurant had a really great view of China town, we sat right by the window overlooking Grant Street. Our doorman was definitely spot on with this recommendation and we were sure to tell him so when we returned to the hotel.
Being up North, San Francisco definitely stays lighter way later than down in SoCal. We didn't get back to the hotel until nearly 10 pm and it wasn't quite all the way dark. It was such a fun filled first day there, I absolutely loved it. Our hotel was fabulous and boy were those beds comfy! I slept so well at the hotel. The room I shared with the bf's co-worker was lovely and had a great view of the street in front of the hotel. It was so wonderful. The feel of the hotel was just so unique, definitely not a cookie cutter hotel. The staff was wonderful as well. I would definitely stay there again.

A post about posting and other things

I meant to post this week...the week just got away from me. It tends to do that when you're having a blast with two amazing little boys. My little brothers are so great, it's been so much fun having them this week. They've both learned a lot and had a ton of fun at camp too. They both want to come back and do it again next summer. I hope it works out. And perhaps next summer I won't be going away the weekend right after so they can hang out a little longer and have some free time.

Speaking of, I leave for San Francisco this afternoon with the bf and his co-worker. I'm really excited..it's kind of surreal, I don't think I'll believe it till we get on the plane...maybe not even until we land. The timing of this trip is perfect, as it will distract me from my brothers going home. I'm really sad that they are leaving today, but I'm really excited for San Francisco. At least I won't sit home and be terrible depressed like I was last time my family stayed down for a weekend...I literally sat in my apartment and cried after they left, until the bf came over after work and just held me. (he was super sweet) I definitely find myself getting more homesick, which I think is kind of odd. But hey, it happens. So San Francisco will be a nice distraction, and a lot of fun too! The bf has all of Saturday to just sightsee and play around the city. I don't come home until Monday night, it will be a nice length trip for me. I will have tons of pictures to share, along with my pictures from various things this past week. I don't know if I'll get a chance to post while I'm up there this weekend, but you can be sure I'll be posting when I get back.

Also, everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Kara.
The bf's dad said yes and everything worked out with her current owners. They are keeping her until we're back from San Francisco. We're going to have a playdate with her on Friday, just to make sure everything works well with us. I'm SO excited! They just got her shots updated and had her fixed, so we're helping with those costs because we were going to do that anyways. I'm so excited to meet my little bat puppy. :) There will definitely be many more pictures of our beautiful Kara. :) I'll be getting around to catch up with everyone next week. This week has just been crazy! Have a great weekend!

Still Here

I haven't disappeared on you so soon...I promise I haven't. Just been busy and had a busy weekend. My parents brought down my little brothers on Saturday and we've been going to sail boat races, parks and summer camps. They're staying with me for the week while they go to summer camps here...one is in baseball, the other in swim. We are keeping quite the busy schedule...I don't know how my mom does this every day. I'm absolutely loving it, but it's definitely busy. Not that I didn't respect my mom before, but I have a newly heightened appreciation for everything she does.

I will have pictures from our jaunt up to the wineries in Temecula from Saturday and pictures from the sailboat race on Sunday soon, but they may be slightly delayed in being posted since I'm spending as much time as possible with my brothers while they are here. I don't often get to spend such extended periods of time with them anymore. I'm loving it, busy-ness and all. :)

Also...the bf's dad said YES to our bat dog. However, the family we were getting her from is undecided if they actually need to give her away, so we are waiting to hear. Yaya, I honestly do not know how you do it. I know that pets and children are vastly different in many ways (and I in no way intend to imply that I know how you feel, because I don't), but if this is just the tiniest little fraction of how you must feel...wow. Just wow. I REALLY hope you find out soon...and that the news is what you want to hear. You are in my prayers!

Already in Love

This is the photo the bf emailed me yesterday. Isn't she beautiful? I love her already. The nephew of a work friend has to give her away because they just found out that their daughter is allergic. She's ours for free if we want her. Which we absolutely do. We're both already smitten. We just have to convince the bf's parents to let us get her, since she'll have to live with the bf. (I'm not allowed to have puppies in my apartment complex) We showed her to his mom last night, I think we've got her. Now we just have to work on his dad. We think that if I ask, we just might get her. His dad's a big softie once you get to him. We want her SO badly. We're hoping to at least convince him to let us do a trial period of at least a month. That will give us all the time we need to get him sold on the idea. Especially once he meets her.

Look at her, I love her ears. She's my little bat dog. She's a blue heeler/yellow lab mix. She's 4 months old, completely house trained and will sit and shake on command. I want her SO badly, I'm absolutely in love with her. Hopefully we'll convince the bf's dad to let us have her. I don't know what I will do otherwise...I'm so absolutely in love with her and I haven't even met her in person yet. If you can, send some good thoughts and prayers our way that we get to keep out little beauty here. :)

Missed Connections

We've all received wrong number calls. They're not completely uncommon. I've even gotten the occasional wrong number on my cell phone. But wrong texts? Those are rare indeed. I've gotten one in the past, something about someone needing to reschedule a nail appointment. Not sure what that was about, but I let them know they had the wrong number. I was rather amused. Here's tonight's wrong texts from "Massimo":

M: Celeste is this u? Its Massimo
Jaina: Wrong number. Sorry.
M: Oh sorry to bug u
Jaina: Np

I much prefer wrong texts to wrong calls...wrong texts can be so intriguing and entertaining. To the two I've received (both within the last 6 months I believe), I've replied to both, letting them know they have the wrong number. The nail salon one realized they had the wrong area code. It was rather amusing. But seriously. I have to wonder about Massimo and Celeste. First off, the name Massimo makes me think of The Wedding Planner. Great movie. But that's beside the point. How did they meet? Why was Massimo trying to reach her? How did Massimo get the wrong number? Did Celeste meet him in a bar somewhere and give him a fake number to let him down easy? (not that I condone such action...because it's going to hurt the guy eventually and lying is not okay) I wonder what the real phone number is, if it's just a number away from mine. So many questions that will never be answered. I could write silly stories about the whole thing. Hey, that's not a bad idea. Maybe I should concoct stories about Massimo and the elusive Celeste.

Oh I feel a blog series coming on. Don't worry Gramma Ann, I may even get so into my story weaving as to take pictures to go along with it! Either way there will be plenty of pictures coming on here. :)

Sail Away - Photo Edition

I initially began this blog as a place to showcase my photography. Somewhere along the way, I stopped being so good about posting pictures, as Gramma Ann has mentioned on occasion. (see, I get it...eventually) I think part of it was not having a reliable internet connection on the computer that my photos lived on, but not entirely. Around the same time I got really into the actual blogging and community part of having a blog. What I forgot is that the two are not mutually exclusive. I can blog AND post my pictures. Novel concept, right? The lovely Mama Geek and Cecily do it AT LEAST once a week for Photostory Friday.

I can't guarantee that I'll get on top of things right away, but I'm going to try. I also have a shiny new camera that the bf bought me this weekend as a belated 1 year anniversary gift. (belated all thanks to Dell....I love my computer, which mostly makes up for the camera incident) So, in the spirit of getting on top of the initial purpose of my blog, here are some photos from my sailing excursion on Saturday. (they are taken with the bf's SLR...I didn't get my shiny new camera till Sunday...and the SLR is still better...even though mine is SUPER shiny and I absolutely LOVE it!)


This one is of another sailboat out a bit farther out to sea than we were. We stayed fairly close to the coast so the guys could practice coming about, which in sailing language means turning around and moving the sails. It was actually a pretty cool process.


This is a bit of an artsy pic to show the unusally cool ring around the sun. It was nice to finally see the sun! We hadn't seen the sun in nearly a week and a half. (not long compared to some of you out there, but for here that's crazy) Of course it's supposed to rain tomorrow, so we probably won't see the sun then either.



This is the Ocean Beach Pier from out quite a ways from the shore. I had the telephoto lens on for this one. This was one of the last ones I took before I realized that staring through the viewfinder in the wavy open ocean was making me a little nauseous and thus abandoned the camera in favor of sitting back and relaxing in the breeze and rolling waves.

Sail Away

You'll never guess what I did yesterday. I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't been there. I got to go out on a sailboat...and I steered the sailboat for a bit a couple times too! It was SO much fun. I've never been out sailing before, it was so neat.

One of the bf's friends wanted to race his sister's boat in the marina race next weekend and he asked the bf to be part of his crew. The crew is made up of some of the desert guys, so it's really neat. They did a test run yesterday afternoon and I got to go along. I took a bunch of pictures until we got out into the open water and looking through the lens started making me feel not so great...then I just enjoyed being out in the ocean. It was such a neat thing to do, I can't believe I've never been on a sail boat before. It's definitely an experience I recommend. :)