Goin' to the Chapel......Almost There! Bachelorette Time.

That's right - instead of sending Lindsay off with a dowry like the "good ol' days", we send her off with a hangover from hell and a thousand digital photos to prove what a "great catch" she is, such as this one:

Over Memorial Day weekend, 7 other girls flew in from all over the east coast to celebrate Lindsay's last few weeks as a Kolconay before she becomes a Rynearson. We had an action-packed agenda and it was a WHIRLWIND! Here is an overview of the highlights:
Wednesday: Abbie, Jennifer and I arrive into San Diego. We have a pretty relaxed evening in preparation for early Thursday morning and ARRIVALS.
Thursday: Airport arrivals which leads to early cocktails! We went to Fred's Mexican Cafe that evening, followed by dancing to a fab 80s cover band at Typhoon Saloon.
Friday: Early morning jog and walk, then a limo picked us up for wine tasting in Temecula! This was Mom's treat to the girls and we had a FABULOUS time! We went to Filsinger Winery, where we had a private tour of the winery including the preservation area and the bottling machines, followed by a tasting! Dr. Filsinger has owned the winery for several years and was so very pleasant in handling 11 women asking a barrage of questions. After the winery, we headed back to San Diego and relaxed with cocktails for the rest of the night after scarfing down some delicious hamburgers that Jon cooked for us.
Saturday: We started with another morning walk along Mission Bay, then (after several mimosas), headed into Pacific Beach for some shopping. The tricky part was that we only made it into one store before we decided we ought to take a shot of tequila to kick off the shopping trip. Well, one shot leads to more shots and next thing you know, we have met up with the entire group plus Dave, Jon, Aaron and our friend J who was in town from LA to see Dave (okay, and me!).

Saturday night was our big bachelorette night out, so we started with cocktails at Lindsay's apartment where the girls from NC brought all sorts of goodies for Lindsay to wear with her on the night out. Viewer discretion is advised. KIDDING! Come on...does Lindsay look like anything BUT a C-L-A-S-S-Y Southern Woman here?

And yet, how quickly the night can change once you bring Alabama Slammers into the picture (thanks, Traci!)

That's all I can include that is PG about that night, but, needless to say, we had a GREAT time! We danced the night away at On Broadway, a club in downtown SD that I have heard of for years but have never experienced. It has several different rooms available, each with different types of music (techno, reggae, 80s, hip-hop, pop, etc.). We, of course, stayed almost exclusively in the pop room, but I loved the atmosphere and Lindsay had a fun time.
Sunday: There is no rest for the weary when you're on a schedule! We were at Angela's for a lovely brunch at 10:30 the next morning. Smart girl that she is, she generously served mimosas and the best bloody mary bar I have ever seen. From the brunch, we headed to La Jolla's Farmer's Market for a quick stop. The girls made the most of their time and I think they hit every vendor in the short 20 minutes they had to shop-shop-shop! From there, we headed to a friend's boat who cruised us around the Bay and even into the ocean for a spin to see the sea lions.

Finally, we headed back to shore and grabbed some apps at Moondoggies in PB before going back to Angela's for a nightcap. Lindsay put together an amazing pinata to celebrate the girls' arrival, but we didn't have TIME to knock it open until the last night! Each night, Lindsay would raise it up before they arrived for cocktails, and each night, she had to take it back down because we were rush-rush-rushing out the door.

The final night, she had it up in Angela's backyard and gave birthday-girl Natali the first swing! It was pretty funny to watch (lots of whiffs - I think it's been awhile since these girls hit a pinata), then Sunita was up to bat and she too couldn't knock it down. It was Reba who beat the hell out of it and the candy came rushing to the ground. Lindsay put some special treats in the pinata as well, namely a pair of earrings made for each girl. It was the perfect way to cap off a fun, fabulous weekend!

12K=7.46 Miles = 1:37:21 = Record Timing

Okay, so we didn't exactly break any records, per se, at the Bay to Breakers race this weekend, but we had a GREAT time. I don't think I've ever seen so many nude people in one place in my life. We must have passed (yes, we did actually pass the nudists) at least 40 of them, running in packs of 10. And no, I assure you that these are not the kind of nudists that Playboy is calling to try and make a deal.

As I was taking the bus to the starting line where I was meeting Matt, I met a girl named Jessica on the bus. It was her first time running Bay to Breakers as well, so she ran with us for the entire time! It was great, especially as I was about to die by mile four, but I am jumping ahead.

As Jessica, Matt and I were lining up for the race, we see these "things" whizzing in the air above our heads. Next thing you know, they are whizzing by our faces and even hitting us on the chest! It's not a bird, not a plane, but a TORTILLA TOSS! Check it out by hitting PLAY below, even though it's a little hard to see!

And yes, we did partake. Hey, when in Rome.....

So we make our way through the tortilla section and start really looking into the costumes. We have "Girls Gone Breakers" (play off Girls Gone Wild topless videos), we have pirates and accompanying pirate ship (which held a KEG of beer!) and so many more. I know this picture is pretty small, but it was a mobile FLIP CUP Olympic Squad:

This was my favorite costume - a lifeguard stand. They had a rolling "lifeguard chair" with this girl on top and she was blowing the whistle at everything. The rolling stand served a dual purpose as - you guessed it - a stand to hold their keg!

At long last, we hit the start line. It was exciting, but we didn't exactly take off in a sprint as we fought for space with the other 70,000 runners (and I use that term runners very loosely)! They estimate 35,000 registered runners and 25,000 "renegades" as my dad calls them (unregistered runners).

Around Mile 2, we passed this group - "swimming upstream" - running in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION from the other 70,000 runners! They were all dressed as some type of fish. Hilarious.

We hit the Hippy Haight and couldn't pass up this picture of this man dancing on top of his van.

At Mile 5, I was ready to start begging for a piggyback ride. I definitely hit my wall here and struggled for the rest of the 2.5 miles. Matt and Jessica were chatting it up, always about 5 paces ahead of me. I was breathing great, but my legs just wouldn't go! I guess that's where that thing they call "training" comes in play?

At long last, we hit the finish line. The race starts at the BAY (SF Bay) and ends at the BREAKERS (Pacific Ocean). It was a beautiful finish, though I could hardly enjoy it from exhaustion.

I owe a HUGE thank you to Matt and our new friend, Jessica, for getting me through this race! Here is a picture of us afterwards, entering Golden Gate Park field where there were bands, food, beer and more (likely including the 40+ naked people):

Lessons learned:
1) Train
2) Spend the next 364 days finding a good, lightweight costume (and by lightweight I am in no way insinuating naked)
3) Train
4) It's not the time you finish, it's the process of getting there!
5) Did I mention train?

We saw this guy at the finish line and he was certainly an inspiration with his 38 years of participation. Matt suggested I make a tee for next year that highlights my "2 years and counting":

Thank you again, Matt and Jessica. I had a great time and we should do it again next year!!! Oh, and when did the Kenyans finish, you ask? 34:44. WOW.

Screw Cappa Napa

I went on my first trip to Napa this weekend! A group of 9 of us went to Napa for the day on Saturday and had a great time. Unfortunately, Dave wasn't with us as he was in San Diego for Jon's bachelor party. It was absolutely beautiful - here are the highlights!
1) Golden Gate Bridge: I drove over it for the first time! Well, I didn't drive, but was rather driven over it - either way, very exciting! Dave and I have been meaning to make the cross (it is all of 3.5 miles from our house - not far at all) and just haven't done it yet, so this was a good christening.

2) Mumm Winery: How could the day not start out right when we began with sparkling wine? Our friend Valerie is a member there, so we did a nice tasting on their outdoor patio. It was a gorgeous sunny day and just perfect.

This is me, in heaven with my "sparkling wine" taster:

3) Honig Winery: Our second stop was at a family owned and run winery called Honig. Valerie and Chris know this winery well and we were treated like VIP royalty upon arrival. We tried a sauvignon blanc, followed by a delicious cabernet. I went home with a bottle of the cab and can't wait to share it with Dave.

We were able to walk through the vines at Honig and relax on a back patio, as if we were in our own home. We met Michael Honig, one of the owners, and he was as gracious and welcoming as could be. Here are the vines and a picture of Valerie and me:

Fortunately, the rest of the group was as enthusiastic to make a quick return trip as I am, so hopefully we will go back in a few weeks!

Runnin' Runnin' Runnin' Machine

Okay, not so much a "machine" as I am a quite sad robot that is on very, very low batteries. I signed up for this 7 mile Bay to Breakers race months ago (when I was running almost every day and living the retired life) and all of a sudden - it is here! The race is this Sunday and I pleaded with our friend Matt to run with me. Now comes the hard part - actually running. I went out 4 miles yesterday (5am wake-up call!) and only about 3 miles today, but I'm hoping to make it up to 5 by Saturday so I'm semi-prepared for the 7 miles on Sunday. The good news is that this race is apparently a crazy-fest where everyone dresses up in wacky outfits and basically stumble through 7 miles, mostly while drunk. I don't think Matt and I will get hemmed up, but I'll definitely bring the camera with me to report on the San Francisco Crazies afterwards!

Sunny Tan Diego

We went to San Diego last weekend for a "wedding planning extravaganza" (read: Lindsay and I holed up in the apartment while going over the details of the hotel booklet, budget, itinerary, etc.!).

Dave flew in as well ($70 round-trip for each of us!!) and we had a GREAT weekend. While we were doing wedding "chores" (which were not chores at all for me - very fun), we had plenty of down time to just CHILL. The four of us haven't had a chance in a long time (probably since we moved from San Diego in Jan. 2006) to just relax. No extra plans, no agendas, just us. It was great!

Dave and I also got to visit with our friends Kitty & Colin. Kitty was our dance teacher when we got married and watched us tumble our way through Salsa, Foxtrot and a little Waltz. They are an absolutely wonderful couple and have become our surrogate parents for the west coast.

In other good news, my mom found an apartment in La Jolla! We didn't get to see it (yet), but Lindsay, Jon and Dave will hopefully see it and take photos & video next week (Dave is going back down for 10 days...apparently he needs even more relaxing and frying on the beach). It's a 2BR, 2 Bath and is in the heart of La Jolla Village, so Mom can walk to shops, restaurants, the beach, etc. -- all within about 4 blocks of her apartment. Perfect! She moves in around June 20th - the same day she closes on the house in Raleigh. Times, they are a changin'!

Are they Putting Platinum in my Petroleum??

I was stunned to see gas prices go over $4.00 this week here in SF. While I am chugging through a 1/2 tank per day commuting to Cupertino and back, I was forced to fill up at least partially in SF before I got to Cupertino and the promise land!

San Francisco Gas:


Cupertino Gas:

Best Ice Cream West of the Mississippi!

We went to dinner with some friends from BC to get some delicious burritos in the Mission last week. We hadn't been there since we moved and it's definitely the closest thing to a SoCal burrito in San Francisco! We are yet to find a true "California Burrito" in NorCal (burrito with carne asada, cheese, guac, sour cream, salsa and - wait for it - french fries IN the burrito - delicious), but these were great!



After dinner, Tom & Danielle took us to the BEST ice cream west of the Mississippi - Mitchell's. (Don't worry, you North Carolinians...I'm still holding a strong, lifelong vote for Goodberry's as best ice cream (custard) of all time). Mitchell's was very yummy and the perfect end to our night out. We will definitely be back!

Anniversary at Absinthe

Dave and I had a lovely evening celebrating our anniversary! We started with a bottle of champagne and a few hors d'oeuvres at home, then headed to Absinthe Restaurant for a wonderful dinner.


After dinner, we headed to Citizen Cake for dessert. We went there once before with Lindsay and had a very tasty chocolate dessert. On our anniversary, we ordered the banana split and it was nothing short of a disaster! We had to take a photo as it was so funky. Not a chunk of banana or a drop of vanilla ice cream in sight. Yikes. Next time, we'll stick with the chocolate souffle!

Three Years and Counting...

Today I am reminded (yet again) that I am the luckiest girl in the world. Today I celebrate three years of being married to the absolute best guy in the world. I could never, ever imagine a husband and a friend that is sweeter, smarter and more fun to be with than David Alan. I am honored to be his wife and I look forward to celebrating our Gold, Silver, Platinum and many, many more anniversaries together. Salud, Daveeeeed!

(Note: This is Eli, our friends' child. We did not have a one-year-old that I forgot to blog about). :-)