Day One: We're Home!

After unpacking our U-Haul in record time (2 hours), we stepped back to assess the situation and DEFINITELY felt the walls closing in on us. There were so many boxes and just so little space (approx. 600 square feet) that it seemed hopeless! We even considered NOT unpacking and just starting over in the apartment search to find something bigger. The building was created around 1906 and has been beautifully preserved. Here is Dave in the lobby entryway of the building:

Here is our bedroom! Gorgeous bay windows and tall (9.5') ceilings. I have a HUGE (by our standards) closet and Dave has his own closet also (barely seen in this photo) that isn't too tiny either. We did, however, just realize on our first night when our friend Jaime came to visit that our bedroom doesn't have a door! It leads directly into the hallway (next photo). Dave called the landlord to see if they can add a door or not. It seems the last tenant just put up a curtain (yuck).


Next is the kitchen (first door on the right in the hallway image above). It is definitely petite and has the smallest stove I have ever seen, but for two people who cook on average four times a year, I think it will be just fine!

We did debate for about five minutes either having guests sleep in the bathroom claw tub or having the bar in there because it's so spacious (don't worry, future guests...we opted to make more space in the living room for an air mattress...you are safe). The living room has identical bay windows to our bedroom and almost identical size as well. Once we get the TV, sofa, coffee table, etc. (still have to purchase all of those items), it should all come together.


We have to cover 80% of our apartment floor space with either furniture or carpet as part of the lease agreement, so carpets are on the to-do list as well. More pics tomorrow with updates!

Where the Bleep Am I?

We are here! Home Sweet Home. You can click on any picture to make it larger...

2000 Vallejo Street
Number 8
San Francisco, CA 94123

Here is the front of our building as well as a side view.



This picture shows where we are in relation to the "hot spots" on Union Street and Chestnut Street is just four more blocks north (we are facing north in this picture).


And this is where we are in relation to the city of San Francisco:

Cruisin' Up the 1

We spent two days driving up California's coast and I can honestly say it is the most beautiful landscape I have experienced in my life. Turn after turn resembled a postcard, with gorgeous ocean views to the west and amazing mountains to the east.

I am posting just a few of the photos we took on the journey. It made me appreciate the state of California so much more than anything I had experience in the previous four years of living there. I am excited to explore more this year including Napa & Sonoma, Monterey, Big Sur and so much more.



At some points, the road was super-curvy and at others it just looked like the road would end over the next hill. The 4Runner did great, but that U-Haul trailer was quite the weight on back for some of those mega-hills in the mountains!


I did think this was harsh (but refreshing)....$1000 penalty for LITTERING!

In Carmel, we stayed at a sweet hotel...errr, motel called Carmel River Inn. I got it on Hotwire for $60/night. It's so interesting to see what website pics look like vs. the real thing!

We truly enjoyed the entire road trip (this coming from a self-proclaimed narcoleptic who struggles to stay awake even during Grey's). From dinner in Santa Barbara to antique shopping in Cambria to the beautiful scenery in Carmel, every mile was breathtaking!

Shedding Some Light...

Well, we are unloading our storage shed today! The dimensions of said shed are 10' deep x 5' wide x 10' tall. Our entire life contents fill this space which can be exciting or discouraging, depending on how you look at it.

We are back in our 2000 4Runner after a year away as well. Lindsay & Jon have kindly taken care of it for the time we were in NC, driving it once a week and moving it every Thursday for street cleaning (street parking only!).

Our Return to San Diego (temporarily at least)!

Is it really the end of January already? 2007 has already been an exciting year with the birth of Dino Pirozzi (of Meg & Marco fame...marcoandmeg.com) and a move from North Carolina back to California.

We have spent the last week in San Diego with Lindsay and Jon which has been great! We accomplished a few items on their wedding to-do list including their Save the Date and Lindsay's wedding dress! Their wedding date is 06.16.2007 in Charleston, SC. Check out their wedding website

The Beginning of a Blogaholic...

As part of my "time off" from corporate America, Dave suggested I try my hand at blogging in order to capture our SF experience. I am already in LOVE with it and have started to obsess about...well, everything. So welcome to my blog world and the excitement of the Bryand Family on the west coast!