Adventures with Bettie – Trip #1: Half Moon Bay

Today I should have cleaned the house, gone through cookbooks looking for new recipes, and done some laundry.  Instead I decided that since this was my first Saturday owning the new VW Beetle Convertible, I was going to take her for a spin.

My first stop was Michael’s, because what kind of Beetle owner would I be if I didn’t fill that bud vase right away?  I new I wanted a gerbera daisy, and I was hoping for a hot pink one, but they didn’t have much of a selection.  I settled on this one, and I really like it:

It’s the must-have accessory that I needed to make the car feel like my own.

My next stop was Radio Shack, to buy an MP3 cord so I could listen to my iPod songs while driving.  I have tons of songs loaded on my iPhone, just waiting for a long car ride.

I’d decided on driving to Half Moon Bay, which is one of my favorite spots.  What better place for a convertible than the beach, right?  Half Moon Bay is a lot easier to get to (even though it’s farther) than Santa Cruz, because on a hot Saturday, everyone in my city heads over the hill to go to Santa Cruz to escape the heat.

I thought I’d take a “short cut” that my parents’ friend had told them about – taking Hwy 84 through Woodside to avoid the traffic on 92.  Well, the road was beautiful and lined with redwoods on both sides, but it was a scary, winding path that had my heart in my mouth a few times.  Come to find out, it was no short cut at all because it took twice as long and brought me right to 92 where all of the traffic begins.  Still, it was nice to drive along a beautiful road with “Swoon” from the Silversun Pickups blairing on the stereo.  It was along this road that I though of the Beetle’s name – Bettie!  Bettie the Beetle Convertible! Don’t you love it?!

The ride to Half Moon Bay was so beautiful that I just couldn’t resist snapping a few photos on the iPhone’s camera.  I know it probably breaks tons of traffic laws, but there wasn’t much traffic, and we weren’t driving too fast, so I took the risk, and I’m so glad I did.  The pictures are fantastic.  A bit blurry in some cases, but so gorgeous.

Once I got to Half Moon Bay, I headed directly to Granada Beach, which is my favorite spot.  It is the spot I used to go all the time to just get away from my life and clear my head.  I used to write in my journal while sitting on a boulder along the ocean’s edge.  So peaceful and tranquil.  It also happens to be the spot where the love of my life propsed to me many years ago.  (We split up over 12 years ago, but I still think of him and wonder “what if.”).  The spot holds so many great memories that I love going there.

Afterward, I headed into downtown Half Moon Bay to get something to eat.  There’s a little cafe that I like to go to because it’s very quaint and easy going.  The food is good and the prices aren’t too high.  I ordered a BLT, and it was delcious.  I didn’t realize how famished I was (it was 2:30pm) until I started eating.  I guess I was so taken by my beautiful surroundings that I wasn’t paying attention to my grumbling stomach.

I left shortly thereafter because I wanted to beat the traffic out.  As I was driving I just kept thinking about how lucky I am to live this life.  I have my health, my wonderful friends and family, and now I have this new, dream car.  Sure, I would’ve loved to have a cute guy sitting in my passenger seat today, but that’s not where my life is right now, and that’s OK.   I feel so blessed, and I don’t usually talk that way, but that’s really the only way I can describe it.  I’ve worked so hard for so long and struggled quite a bit to get where I am, but now I feel like I’m leading a charmed life and I’m so grateful that I’m able to enjoy it.

To see pictures of Bettie’s first trip to Half Moon Bay, click here.

BTW, as I was eating lunch I decided that I’m going to make “Adventures with Bettie” a regular feature on this blog.  I’m not sure how often I’ll post new road trips with Bettie, but I’d like to shoot for at least once a month.  There are so many fabulous places within an hour or two from my house that I really do want to take advantage of it.  Plus, getting out in the car and driving is so much fun and so calming to me.

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A Day Trip to Napa Valley

I love wine, and one of my favorite things in life is discovering new wines and sharing them with family and friends.  Usually my wine discoveries take place at a local wine shop or at Trader Joe’s or World Market.  But yesterday I was lucky enough to get to spend the day in Napa with my parents.

As part of my birthday gift, we decided to take a day trip up to Napa to experience the wine country on a weekday.  As much as I love wine, I’ve only been to Napa two other times, which seems unreal to me, since it’s only about an hour and a half (2 hours with traffic) from where I live. My parents are experts on the Napa Valley, so I thought it would be fun to go with them.

We headed out and took the scenic route up to Napa, traveling along the Great Highway, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, and then heading into Yontville.  It was a leisurely, beautiful drive that took us almost two hours, because we did hit some traffic along the way.  But it was worth it.  We had a great time talking, joking, and laughing.  The weather was gorgeous, and sometimes it’s the unexpected moments in a car during a road trip that are the ones we rembember the most.

We had decided to go to Mustard’s Grill for lunch.  I had been to Mustard’s once before, but my parents hadn’t been, and since the owner/exective chef at Mustard’s was recently featured on Top Chef Masters, I thought it would be fun for them to experience her menu.  There was a 35 minute wait, but we didn’t mind, especially after smelling the heavenly aromas coming from the kitchen.  By the time we were seated, we were definitely hungry, and had no trouble figuring out what to order.  Since it was 2pm, we decided to have lunch.  My mom and I had the Grilled Ahi Tuna Sandwich, which had a basil aioli and housemade pickled ginger.  It was devine!  I always like ahi tuna, and this sandwich definitely didn’t disappoint. My dad had the BBQ pulled pork sandwich, which he said was delicious, as well.  We opted for iced tea over wine, since we were hitting the wineries after lunch.  I told my parents that I’d love to go back to Mustard’s for dinner, to truly experience the chef’s cuisine.

After lunch, we went to Cakebread Cellars, because I had been dying to go.  My parents had never been to this winery, so it was a new experience for all of us.  I’ve had Cakebread Chardonnay in restaurants before and loved it, and I knew their other wines would be just as good.  When we pulled up to the winery, we saw a sign saying that wine tastings and tours were done by prior appointment only.  Undeterred, we entered the winery and asked about making an appointment.  Luckily, they had room for us at 3pm, so we only had to wait a few minutes.  The really cool thing about this wine tasting was that they take you on a tour of the grounds (which were gorgeous).  At each stop you make, you taste a different wine and get to learn a bit more about the winery.  I really love this type of tasting because it seems much more fun and interesting than simply standing in a tasting room and sampling wines.  (Don’t get me wrong, I love doing that, too, but when you’re in the Napa Valley, it seems a shame not to fully experience the winery).

They started us off in the gift shop with Sauvignon Blanc, which I didn’t enjoy.  I don’t care for that variety at all, but my mom said she enjoyed it.  Next, we really began the tour, and they took us into the garden to sample the Anderson Valley Chardonnay.  This was absolutely delicious.  I liked it so much that I splurged on the $37 bottle.  The guide explained that this was made “in the French style,” and whatever they do to it, it is remarkable.  Then we were led deeper into the grounds and got to sample the Reserve Chardonnay.  I thought I would enjoy this wine even more than the Anderson Valley Chardonnay, but I didn’t.  Don’t get me wrong, it was really rich and buttery, but I liked the crispness of the Anderson Valley Chardonnay better.  Next we headed into the wine making area and sampled the Carneros Pinot Noir, which was really good.  We watched them bottle wine as we tasted my favorite wine of the day, the Red Hills Lake Zinfindel. By far, this was the smoothest, richest Zin I have every had in my life, and I would have definitely purchased a bottle, except for the fact that payday isn’t until Friday.  The nice thing is, I can order it online, and I definitely will, when I have some extra money.  Finally, we headed back out to the garden, to the outdoor bbq, and sampled the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

It was so interesting to learn the history of the family, the winery, and the development of the wine from Barry, our guide.  When we overhead the tour group behind us, we were even more glad that Barry was guiding us, because the girl on the next tour sounded like she should be at Disneyland rather than a winery.  I’m all for having energy, but her fake enthusiasm was a bit much.  I loved the relaxed nature of Barry’s presentation.

We left Cakebread hoping to hit another winery, but didn’t have enough time.  This is the one problem I have with Napa – they close the wineries too early in the summer.  Why not stay open until 7pm in the summer, since it’s lighter later?  Most of the wineries close at 4 or 5, making it difficult to get to many, unless you start out really early in the day.  Still, the visit to Cakebread was really worth it.

After the winery, we went to St. Helena to go to Michael Chiarello’s Napa Style store.  It was nice, but didn’t really have much merchandise out.  He has an amazing selection of spices and marinades, but other that that, I wasn’t very impressed with the wares.  The website and catalogue are so much more visually appealing than the store itself, which I find odd.  Also, we have a Napa Style locally, so I guess I wasn’t amazed because we can go to the store whenever we feel like it.

Then we went to Dean & Deluca, which was great.  I loved looking at all of the exotic offerings, and my mom picked up a bottle of Moroccan marinade that we said we were going to use on some grilled ahi of our own.

After the gourmet food shop, we got back on the freeway and headed to the Outlets.  What’s a trip to Napa without some outlet shopping on the way home, right?  My dad and I both found shoes to purchase, and amazingly, my mom came away without anything.  She’s usually the first one to find something to buy, but this time nothing struck her fancy.  The shoes I got are simple flats from Clark’s (un)Structured line, but they are like walking on pillows.  I think they’re going to become my daily wardrobe staple once school starts again and I’m on my feet all day.

Then we headed back home, but we ended up taking the scenic route by accident.  There was so much fog on the Great Hwy that I told my dad to take the wrong exit, and we headed through Pacifica, through Half Moon Bay, along Hwy 1.  It was absolutely gorgeous to see the ocean over the curves of the cliffs, but it definitely added to our driving time.  We arrived back at my parents house at 9pm, tired, hungry, but very happy.

It was a truly fantastic day.  Beyond the delicious food and the terrific wines, the best part of the day was being able to enjoy time spent with my parents.  I am so very lucky to get along so well with them and have the type of relationship with them that makes us savor the moments we share together.  They are two of my best friends, which is so special to me.

Here are a few photos of our time at Cakebread:

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Bath Time!

This week I was able to take a couple of long, luxurious baths using my bath “chill pills” that I got from Hydra when I went with my sister earlier this month.

The best thing about taking a bath, to me, is that it is the ultimate form of relaxation.  You don’t have to worry about all of the million other things you should be doing.  Once you hit the water, all you think about is that moment, enjoying the bubbles, the scent, and the warm water.  It’s good for the soul.

I also think it’s something really good to do for yourself.  It’s a nice way to care for yourself, giving yourself a few stolen moments of peace and tranquility.

When I take baths, I always do it at night, for some reason.  I guess because the pace of the day is starting to wind down, and things move at a slower speed.  The laundry list of “to do” items have hopefully been completed, and all that’s left to do is relax and enjoy the evening.  At least, I find myself choosing evenings when this is true.

Before this week, it had been literally 6 months or more since I’d taken a bath, but I think I’m going to make this a weekly ritual, maybe on Sunday nights.  I really can’t think of a better way to get ready for the upcoming weekly craziness than to take some time out and enjoy the quiet and calm a long soak in the tub brings.

In fact, I think I’ll take a bath tonight, after the Oscars.

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4th Street in Berkeley – A Sister Day

Today my sister and I are going to spend some time in Berkeley, and I can’t wait. We’re going to go to 4th Street which has a bunch of fun shops, restaurants, and lots of “people watching” opportunities.

The impetus for the whole trip (besides being able to spend some time together) is that one of LC’s favorite stores is closing. Hydra is a unique bath shop, filled with lots of fun things to make your bath time so much more relaxing, rejuvenating, and enjoyable. My personal favorite is their “chill pill” line of bath balls that make the bath water so luxurious. I recently saw that they have chill pill shower steamers, so I’m going to find out what those are all about. Since Hydra in Berkeley is closing, we thought we should make a quick trip to Berkeley to see what great sales we could cash in on.

I’m also looking forward to having a yummy sushi lunch. I don’t know why, but I’ve been craving sushi for a while now, and since LC loves sushi too, we decided that’s what we’re going to have for lunch. The fun thing about going to lunch with LC is that she is adventurous as I am when it comes to trying exotic cuisines. She’s probably even more adventurous in her tastes than I am. Since her hubby is more of a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, she always takes advantage of our meals together as a time to get her “fix” of more exotic food.

The best part of the day is going to be spending time with my sister. It’s been a little while since our last sister day, and I’m in need of some one-on-one time. It’s been a really crazy week at work, and nothing is more relaxing than spending time with LC. Our sister days are so good for my soul.

Can’t wait to see what kind of retail trouble we can get into.

__________________________________

Update:

We definitely got into some great retail trouble, but it was so much fun.  Actually for once LC spent more than I did.  She was definitely in the buying mood!

(BTW, we didn’t end up having sushi because the Japanese restaurant we found didn’t serve sushi.  We did end up at a really nice French/California bistro, which was really good).

A really cool surprise for the day was that there was a Chinese New Year celebration, complete with dancers, drums, and dragons.  They closed off a small side street and we were able to witness it all while we had lunch.

All in all, it was another wonderful sister day.  Just what I needed!

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America’s Song

I just finished watching yesterday’s Oprah show and was so moved by this song. I hope you enjoy it.

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Inauguration Poem

Today’s inaugural poem was beautiful, touching, and so deeply meaningful.  To me, Elizabeth Alexander could have done a much better job with the reading of the poem.  It’s strange, maybe she was nervous.  For who better to read a poem than the poet who wrote it? 

No matter what you thought of the reading of the poem, I find beauty in the power of the words, and cannot wait to read all of the new sentences that will be written. 

Praise Song for the Day
By Elizabeth Alexander

Each day we go about our business,
walking past each other,
catching each others’ eyes or not,
about to speak or speaking.

All about us is noise.
All about us is noise and bramble,
thorn and din,
each one of our ancestors on our tongues.

Someone is stitching up a hem,
darning a hole in a uniform,
patching a tire,
repairing the things in need of repair.

Someone is trying to make music somewhere
with a pair of wooden spoons
on an oil drum with cello,
boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son wait for the bus.

A farmer considers the changing sky.

A teacher says, “Take out your pencils. Begin.”

We encounter each other in words,
words spiny or smooth,
whispered or declaimed;
words to consider, reconsider.

We cross dirt roads and highways
that mark the will of someone
and then others who said,
“I need to see
what’s on the other side;
I know there’s something better
down the road.”

We need to find a place where we are safe.
We walk into that which we cannot yet see.

Say it plain, that many have died for this day.
Sing the names of the dead
who brought us here,
who laid the train tracks,
raised the bridges,
picked the cotton and the lettuce,
built brick by brick
the glittering edifices
they would then keep clean
and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle.
Praise song for the day.

Praise song for every hand-lettered sign,
the figuring it out at kitchen tables.
Some live by “Love thy neighbor as thy self.”
Others by “first do no harm,”
or “take no more than you need.”

What if the mightiest word is love,
love beyond marital, filial, national.
Love that casts a widening pool of light.
Love with no need to preempt grievance.

In today’s sharp sparkle,
this winter air,
anything can be made,
any sentence begun.

On the brink,
on the brim,
on the cusp –
praise song
for walking forward in that light.

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Holiday Cheer

This weekend I decided that it was time to decorate my house for Christmas.  Over the past couple of years I’ve grinched-out, not really doing much for the holidays, in terms of decorating around the home.

This year, I’ve been really in the spirit of the season, much earlier than usual.  I think it might have something to do with all of that online shopping I did last Friday.  🙂

I pulled out my holiday decorations, but didn’t find too much that I could work with.  Yes, I had some great ornaments, but I’d decided that I wasn’t going to go through the hassle of putting up a tree.  (Hey, I’m in the spirit, but not enough so to get pine needles all over the place).

Plus, I had these trees, that I bought on sale last year after Christmas:

In this picture you’ll also see the hurricane and candle I found yesterday at Michael’s, but I’ll get to that in a minute.  Aren’t these trees beautiful?  I took this picture with my iPhone, so the quality isn’t great, but I think you get the idea.

Once I started looking at the few decorations I had to work with, I asked my mom to come over to help me figure out how I should display things.  I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that my mom should be an interior decorator – she has impecible taste, and has taught me a lot of decorating ideas that I am so thankful for.

After surveying items I had placed around the room, she gave me her stamp of approval, but said that I should probably hit a few stores to get some items with a bit more color.  For some reason, all of the stuff I had was silver and gold – no red or green anywhere to be found (except for the trees).

So, I hit this great marketplace near my house that has lots of stores to fit my holiday decorating needs, including Cost Plus and Michael’s.

At Cost Plus, I found these adorable reindeer: They have little mosaic-like tiles of metallic material on them that glimmer when the candlelight hits them.

I didn’t see anything else I really liked at Cost Plus, which was surprising.  So, I headed to Michael’s to see if I could find a few more items.  Now, some people absolutely adore Michael’s.  I am not one of of those people.  Call me a snob, but I’ve always thought of it as cheesy, trite, and a bit too bargain basement for my taste.  Plus, I’m not all that crafty – creative, yes, but not very crafty.  But, boy was I wrong!  I found so many great things, and everything was at least 50% off; some of the items were 60% off or more. I got a set of 12 red and 12 green votive candles, a bunch of berries on stems to put in my Pottery Barn vases, and a red hurricane and two white pillar candles to go inside it (the 2nd one just in case the 1st doesn’t last too long).

After the marketplace, I went to Safeway to buy some poinsettieas, because my local nursery was already closed, and I didn’t want to wait.  Have I mentioned how impatient I can be?  I bought 1 variegated poinsettiea for inside the house and 2 small red ones for outside in my windowbox.

I think it all looks beautiful, and I’m definitely in the holiday spirit. In fact, last night I put on my Christmas music playlist and enjoyed a glass of red wine, while just taking it all in.

This morning my dad dropped by to put the lights up outside my house – something I’ve never done before, but makes such a difference!  I couldn’t wait for it to get dark today so I could turn the lights on and admire them.

One thing I’m sure of is that decorating for the holidays really does have a positive effect on me.  I’ve felt really happy and lighthearted all weekend.  There really is something to this holiday spirit thing!

Here are the rest of my pictures, enjoy!

The outside of the house, all aglow

The windowbox with the new poinsettieas

Living room wall, with candles lit

Close-up of candles

The variegated poinsettiea

My "mantle"/entertainment center

Pottery Barn vases with "berries" from Michael's

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Surprise! Winter Flowers in My Windowbox

About a month ago I had mentioned to my dad that I wanted to plant some winter flowers in my window box in the front yard, and was asking his opinion on which type to plant.  I don’t get a lot of sun, so the flowers definitely had to be ones that could take shade.  He mentioned that cyclamen would work well, and would last all winter.

I told him that when the time came, I’d love for him to help me.  You see, the window box is just far enough off the ground that I can’t really reach it without using a step ladder.  Since my dad is 6′ 3″, he can reach over with no problem.  He said he’d help me whenever we both had some spare time.

I had forgotten about the gardening until he called this morning, telling me that Home Depot had the cyclamen on sale, and since he was buying some for my parents’ garden, he wanted to know how many I wanted.  Was that the sweetest, or what?

We made a plan that my dad would call me when he was on his way over so that I could “help” him.  (Helping in this case would probably be handing him the flowers and bringing him a glass of water or something, since he’s the gardening expert).  I told him I had a nail appt. at 11am, but would be home by 12:15 or so.

I got home to discover that my dad had already been to my house and planted all of the flowers!  I have the best dad in the world!!!  The flowers look great, and really make the yard look happy.  Here, see for yourself:

In December, I’m going to buy some pointsettias to place in the window box, as well, just to give it that extra Christmasy feel.

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Ahhhh…a 4-day weekend

One of the perks of being a teacher is having long weekends and other vacations from time to time.  This weekend was one of those times.  Unlike so many of my friends and family who won’t be getting even 1  day off for Veteran’s Day, I got 2.

So what have I done with my glorious 4-day weekend so far, you ask?  Not a whole lot of anything.  Which is exactly what I needed.

It seems that for the past month, every day of every weekend has been jam-packed with parties, dinners, events, etc.  Which is all fun and great and everything, but once in a while it’s nice to just be at home doing NOTHING.

Well, not nothing, exactly.  So far this weekend I’ve:

• Completely reorganized my closet to move out my warm weather clothes and replace them with cool weather ones.  The problem with this is that I don’t have a whole heck of a lot of clothes that fit me anymore.  But this is a good thing!  It means I’m quite a bit smaller than I was last year at this time, which is exciting.  I have quite a bit of clothes that I’m thinking of swapping/giving to someone.
• Done a ton of laundry.  I had so much to do that the washer and dryer have been on for the past two days, practically without end.
• Finally finished reading American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld.  It was supposed to be my book club book that we were going to meet and talk about last Sunday, but since no one had finished it yet, we put off the meeting until this Wednesday.  The only probably is that now AM and I are the only ones who can meet. If you’re looking for a good, long book you can sink your teeth into, this is the one.  I absolutely loved it.
• Spent too much time and too much money on QVC.  I really don’t order things from QVC ever, but somehow I got on some list that sends me emails about when Bare Escentuals or Philosophy is going to be featured on air.  Saturday night happened to be when Bare Escentuals was on, and being such an admirer of their cosmetics, I had to tune in.  I ended up buying a great holiday collection of colors for a really good price.  And I ended up getting some Amazing Grace items as well.  (These weren’t featured, but I started clicking on QVC.com and, well, $70 later….).  I have to say, it’s DANGEROUS!  They make everything sound so good that you’re tempted to buy way more than you should.  Thank goodness for “easy pay” and for the fact that I’m smart enough to only buy products that I know I love.  Otherwise I could’ve gotten into even more trouble.
• Begun grading some essays.  Yes, I know, I said that with my new plan, I wouldn’t need to bring any work home.  Well, the plan has been working really well, but I have gotten a bit backed up with essays because I have an essay on The Crucible and then we also had a district-wide writing assessment in the same week, so I’ve had 6 sets of essays to grade.  I figure taking one day of this 4 day weekend to grade isn’t so bad.  Plus, it helps so that next weekend (the weekend before grades are due) I’m not so stressed.
• Almost finished Thin is the New Happy by Valerie Frankel.  I have mixed reviews so far for this book.  There are parts I love and can totally relate to, and then there are parts where I feel she has completely overshared.  And that’s saying something, coming from me.  I’ve been accused of “oversharing” myself.  Overall, though, I’m glad I’ve been reading it, and I’m equally as glad that I got it from the library rather than paying for it.
• Caught up on all my t.v. shows.  Last week was such a crazy week that I hadn’t really watched any of my normal shows.  I had episodes of Desparate Housewives, Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty, and Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style to watch.  Now, many of you may be saying, “you watch too many shows,” and you’re completely right.  But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop.  🙂

The plan for the rest of today is to finish grading, finish the laundry, go to the grocery store, and get in a workout.  Tomorrow I’m meeting my sister to go shopping and have lunch, since she has tomorrow off.

It’s been so nice to feel like I’ve had enough time to get everything done.  October was such a long, busy month that it’s nice to be in November, when we get two longer breaks.  Finally a bit of breathing room.

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Hiking Mt. Eden

On Sunday, I joined Cynn for a hike in the foothills of Saratoga, at a place called Garrod Stables and Winery.  It sits at the foot of Mt. Eden.

Cynn has been sending out emails about getting together to exercise, which I think is an idea that is fantastic in its simplicity.  She just turned forty, and as luck would have it, she was also in a really bad automobile accident just a few days afterward.  I think she’s decided that life is really too short, and it’s important to make the most of the time we have.  She wants to go on one of these hikes once a month, at different locations throughout the Bay Area.  I told her I’d love to join her, even though I hadn’t been hiking in over 20 years.

(The last time I hiked, I went with a friend of mine in high school.  She lived near Quicksilver Park and I had slept over at her house for a slumber party.  The next morning, she asked if I’d like to go for a “walk,” and I agreed.  I was completely unprepared for the hike, and had on espadrilles.  Not the footwear of choice when you’re running for your life from a bobcat, as we would later be doing.  Yes, we heard a bobcat near us, but weren’t sure where it was.  We head someone yell out, “Wow, that’s a big bobcat.”  And then we heard something in pursuit of us.  I have to say it is one of the scariest memories I have.  Literal fear for your life.  I thought this bobcat was going to tear us to pieces, and I vividly remember trying to run up this hill, in my espadrilles, and being so tired that I dramatically (but very earnestly) told my friend, “you go on ahead without me, I just can’t make it anymore.”  I thought I was done for, but somehow I gathered the strength to make it up the hill and we got out of harms way unscathed.  Looking back, I guess the bobcat wouldn’t have killed us, but being a city girl with no knowledge of wild animals, I really did think we were both going to die).

So, you can see why I haven’t become an avid hiker.

As vain as it sounds, my my concern about this hike was what to wear.  I had no idea what kind of clothing a hike required.  Cynn said I would be fine in jeans, a tank, and tennis shoes, which is what I told her I was thinking of wearing.  Even though the day was really warm (over 80 degrees), I was fairly comfortable the entire time.

I was also surprisingly physically ready for the hike.  Sure, there were times that it was hard for me and the thought of going up another, even steeper, hill made me cringe.  But I did it.  Mostly because I didn’t want to be the fat girl who couldn’t complete a simple hike.  But when I reached the top of the peak and saw an amazing view of Santa Clara Valley, I was so glad that I had done it.  I was proud that I’d not only completed it, but that I’d enjoyed it, and knew that this was another emblem of my weight loss efforts.

I’m not sure how far we hiked in distance, but it took about an hour to go up and about half an hour to come back down, so it was a fairly sizable hill.  It was nice to know that at the end of the “adventure” we’d be enjoying wine, cheese, and crackers outside at the winery.

All in all it was a lovely day.  A day filled with the celebration of life, of movement, of nature, and of friendship.

{As soon as I get the pictures that Cynn took, I’ll post them, because it was a breathtaking view.}

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Weekend with LC = Pure Bliss

It really doesn’t get any better than the day I had with my sister today.

As I wrote yesterday, we had a birthday dinner for her at my parents’ house last night, and then she spent the night at my place, since we had appointments for a spa day later this afternoon. Having a “sister sleepover” was so much fun, and I hope we get a chance to do it again.  LC said that not having anyone calling, “Mommy, mommy!!” was a treat in and of itself.  She was able to let her hair down and just take it easy this morning.  Even though she woke up at 6am!!!  Which was sleeping in for her!!!

I love sharing my music with LC, and I told her that since I had the new iPhone, I’d give her my older iPod mini so she could use it.  (I had given her my OLD iPod a few years ago, but it was time for her to upgrade).  I also told her she should look through my iTunes library and make a new playlist for herself of songs she wanted to take, and we could burn the cds.  Well, 331 songs & 18 burned cds later, she has a bunch of new music to groove to.  She was so excited about the new music, that it really made me feel good.

I was also able to give LC two of my dresses that are a bit too large for me, which is great. It helps her boost up her wardrobe a bit, and the clothes go to good use.  Plus, since she’s been losing weight herself, I’m sure she’ll be getting new clothes soon enough, too.

LC is one of those people that so appreciates any kindness or gift you offer her, which makes it so much fun to treat her to something special.  She’s a really kind, generous person herself, and it’s nice to be able to help her indulge a bit every now and then.  She certainly deserves it!

LC and I spent a good part of today at Burke Williams spa, and all I can say is that I feel so blissful right now.  I recommend everyone reading this blog makes it a point to get to a spa and get a much-deserved treatment soon.

We got to the spa around 11:30 in order to enjoy the steam room and some of the other amenitites before our services began.  LC was signed up for a massage, and I was getting a facial.  Both treatments were for an hour, which is the perfect amount of time.  Because it was her birthday, LC was able to get a free bath treatment, as well.  I think she chose a milk bath, which I’m sure made her skin silky soft, after all the toxins had been removed in the steam room.

Even the shower at Burke Williams makes you feel good!  Their shower stalls have 3 jets that hit you from all directions, maximizing the relaxing effect of the powerful sprays of water.

After we got dressed and ready to go, we had a wonderful dim sum lunch at Sino.  It was so nice to enjoy a great, exotic meal and just continue the fantastic conversations we’d had all weekend.

After lunch, we popped into the mall for a few quick purchases.  Nothing to write home about (or even blog about!), just a few things each of us needed.

Then, LC came back to my place to collect all of her belongings and head home.  I was so happy to have spent so much quality time with her that I was really sad to see her go.  But, I know she needs to get back home before it gets too late, since she has a lot of things to do to get everybody ready for school/work tomorrow.

My sister is amazing, and I’m so happy that she and I are back on track to being good friends again.  Not that we didn’t always love each other, because we did, but we did go through a period when both of us were under a tremendous amount of pressure in our respective lives, and we weren’t able to do things as often.  We sort of drifted apart, and it’s so nice to be back to being great friends, like we used to be in high school and college.  I was mentioning this to DRMK, and she told me I should definitely share these thoughts with LC, which I did, about a week ago.  She said she felt the exact same way and was so happy.

LC and I are planning to make more sister days/weekends as often as our schedules will allow, which probably means every 4-6 weeks.  We’re already thinking of a bike-riding trip in Half Moon Bay, a morning of yoga and a day in Berkeley, and a few other treats.  Can’t wait!!!

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It’s all about LC

Yesterday was my sister’s birthday.  LC turned 35, which is one of those BIG birthdays.  You know, one that ends with a 5 or a 0 is always a big one.

Last night she spent a quiet night at home with her family.  Her husband was going to cook dinner, and later my sister, my two nieces, and my bro-in-law were going to open her gifts.  What a nice night.

Today we’re havign a BBQ at my parents’ house for LC’s birthday.  My mom has a great menu planned, and the only thing I had to bring was some watermelon.  I chose some delicious, sweet Dulcinea melons, which just so happened to be on sale this week.  (Nothing wrong with that!)  We’re planning to take lots of candid (and I’m sure just as many posed) pictures of the family, because we gave my dad a digital picture frame for his birthday in June, and now he’s all about filling it with really recent shots.  I’m looking forward to a fun afternoon and evening.

After the BBQ LC is coming over my house to spend the night, since we have a fun “sister day” planned for tomorrow.  I’m really looking forward to her spending the night, because we haven’t had a sleepover in so long, since her kids are 1 and almost 6.  It’ll be fun staying up late gossiping, giggling, and I’m sure, fighting over the blankets, just like we used to do.

Tomorrow I’m taking LC to Burke Williams Spa for a wonderfully relaxing spa day.  She’s getting a combination shiatsu/Swedish massage and I’m getting a facial that includes a neck, foot, and hand massage.  We’re planning on getting there early so we can take advantage of the other spa amenities, like the steam room and sauna.  I love the way the steam room opens my pores and makes me feel like all the toxins are leaving my body.  I’m not much for the sauna, because the dry heat gets to me after just a few minutes.  After our spa time, we’re going to have a wonderful, late lunch at one of Santana Row‘s many restaurants.  I think LC said she wanted to go to Sino, and since it’s her bday weekend, her wish is my command. Plus, I love their dim sum, and they have a fabulous wine list, so we really can’t go wrong.

I’m really looking forward to spending some quality time with my sister (and the rest of my family) this weekend.  It feels so good to enact my new plan of not taking school work home with me.  I feel absolutely no guilt about things I could be grading, because I know that I’m going to be putting in 8-10 hours this week on grading, after school.  THIS is what leading a balanced life is all about.

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Fresh Flower Fridays

This week’s offering is another “summer sizzle bouquet” from Safeway.  $4.99.  Again, how can you beat the prices?

Taken with the flash

Taken in natural light (without flash)

I think next weekend I might go to one of the local farmers’ markets and buy a bouquet from them.  Just to change it up a little.

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Fresh Flower Fridays (Sunday edition)

Once again, I didn’t buy flowers until today.  But hey, as long as I keep the tradition alive and buy myself fresh flowers once a week, I’m still keeping up a great new treat for myself, right?

These flowers are called the Summer Sizzle Bouquet and were only $6.99 at Safeway.  Such a steal!!

I really do love this new, inexpensive luxury I’ve started for myself.  It makes the room happy, and it feels so nice to do something special for myself, even though it doesn’t cost that much.

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Fresh Flower Fridays

This week’s bouquet is a mix of astremeria and roses, all in a sunset hue. I think they’re gorgeous, and it only cost $5.99 – what a bargain.

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