Hippy Heaven at Stern Grove

I felt initiated into San Francisco life today as we spent the afternoon at Stern Grove for one of their free outdoor summer concerts. We were celebrating Jaime's birthday and had a great place on the lawn in this large outdoor amphitheater. The bands played fun Haitian music and the crowd was undoubtedly "FREE SPIRITED"! There was dancing, swaying and jumping like we were at a Southern Baptist Revival...except I'm pretty sure this one had more to do with wine and pot brownies than the traditional holy spirit.

Keely and Eli came out in the afternoon and we snapped a few photos of this adorable handsome young one-year-old (click here for more!).

Settling In....

We slept in our new place last night for the first time!!! We only had our mattress (no "bed" or box spring, etc.), but it was great! We hit the hay about 11pm, exhausted...and a few minutes passed (most of you know that my head doesn't even hit the pillow before I'm asleep...if I'm awake in bed more than 30 seconds, I'm annoyed) before we were both like, "I can't sleep....it's so QUIET!". Our last place (R.I.P.) had the city noises of cars, cars, cars, trucks, kids stumbling drunk home, more cars, etc. Our new place is dead quiet with the exception of the fog horns blowing every 30 seconds on the San Francisco Bay. The fog horns will probably take some adjusting to, but it is MARVELOUS! We moved almost everything yesterday, with the exception of our TV, wine bar and little red sofa (temporary until we get our new sofa from Room & Board). We're going to pick up those items this morning, do a little spackling (very little...we hung up about 5 things in the last 6 months of that apartment) and then hand over the keys! I took today off work and will concentrate on unpacking as many boxes as possible.
Here is a quick glance as to the layout of our new apartment. Dave mocked these up in 3-D (yes, I'm serious). I know it doesn't LOOK palatial from the images, but at 650 sq feet, it IS!!!!

Blinded by the White...

Valerie's birthday party was yesterday, and we experienced several FIRSTS for us.
1) All White Theme Party: We had definitely never attended one of these before. I went to Target last week to look for an inexpensive outfit to wear and of course came out $200 later with a legitimate pair of shorts for the party ($18) and still have no idea what the other $182 encompassed... Girls, you know that with Target, you never do. Dave did his part as well by purchasing a new pair of all white sneakers (not at Target...come on, this is DAVE) that he was all too proud to wear. He looked like Fabolous with them on - such a gent! Here he is with Jaime on the ferry (see next point):

2) Ferry to Tiburon! I have never been to Tiburon, much less taken the ferry to Tiburon or Sausalito. Here is a map of where Tiburon and Sausalito are in relation to San Francisco. You can get there by either driving across the Golden Gate Bridge (which was not an option, per point #3) or taking the ferry. The ferry was fun because a) they serve beer on board, b) they cruise past Alcatraz so you feel like you took a tour without taking a tour and c) it's truly an enjoyable way to transport yourself across the water - very relaxing and you get great views of the city and the bridges.


3) Sam's Anchor Cafe and Electric Lemonade! We've been hearing about this place Sam's in Tiburon, where you can sit outside and relax all day while downing Electric Lemonades (Skyy Citrus and Lemonade). Valerie's party was at Sam's and it could not have been more convenient! It is located directly off the ferry, so we didn't have to walk or cab anywhere once we arrived in Tiburon. Our all white outfits were a hit and we were able to sit, drink, eat and have fun for hours. One electric lemonade and you're a little tipsy. Two electric lemonades and you're walking a little funny but in control. Three, you know you're gonna have problems and FOUR you are truly on the floor. Fortunately, I stopped at three AND religiously did my water-in-between-each-drink rule which allowed me to have a great time and still wake up at 7am feeling wonderful!


The bonus event of the day was that, on the ferry ride back to San Francisco, we sat next to this cute couple (Alex and Jen), who then ended up coming with us to a bar in the city, bringing their friend Heidi into the mix, and hanging out with us for the rest of the afternoon and night! They were super fun and I am grateful yet again at how easy and open it is to meet people here in San Francisco. There is no pretension, no huge expectations, just having a great time and seeing where it takes you.

Dave and I were finally walking home from the long day (9:00am - 9:30pm) last night and I told him that I can't possibly imagine being any happier with our life than I am in this moment. We have great families, great jobs, growing friends and now - as of Sunday - a great apartment to make it all full circle. Life is good.....

Gettin' in the Groove....

So I have now been with Symantec for 4 1/2 months. My contract was set to end Aug. 10th (three weeks from now) as the two women I replaced for their maternity leave are scheduled to come back in the next few weeks. On Friday, I had a meeting with my manager (who I adore - more to come later on that) and they have extended me at least through April 2008! I'll remain in the consumer marketing team and will continue to work on retail programs. It's a great opportunity for me and I'm definitely looking forward to it! Dave and I went out on Friday night to celebrate a bit at our new fave Thai restaurant, Osha. Their food is excellent and their prices are really reasonable, especially given the environment you're surrounded by. We like to sit at the bar and eat rather than a table, and the bartenders have started to get to know us which is always nice.

We each ordered a gin gimlet on this occasion, but I was feeling just too guilty that I was "cheating" on my normal Ketel One martini, so Dave was kind enough to drink both gimlets and I then ordered my martini. See? Marriage is all about give and take...compromise....thanks for taking one for the team, Dave.

I love the SF Farmer's Market!

We went last Saturday to the main Farmer's Market for San Francisco, in and around the Ferry Building. I have been there before, with Lindsay, but this was Dave's first trip. We went with Chris and Valerie and met up with Jaime and two friends from out of town.

Our first concern upon arrival was finding FOOD and we hardly walked 10 feet before being magnetized to this place. Check out their description of pancakes:

Now yes, you did read "organic", but that is par for the course out here and at least the sausage was "REAL" sausage, as in from a pig, and not turkey sausage or chicken sausage or any of that other BS out there! The final plate did not disappoint...and for the $7.00 price tag we also realized that next time we can actually SPLIT a plate and still be very full. Yippee!

I highly recommend a visit here to anyone coming in from out of town. San Francisco has several Farmer's Markets throughout the neighborhoods of the city and beyond, but this is certainly the main one (and the most posh, with price tags to go with it), full of great, quality food and plenty of people-watching to go around. As far as the posh factor, let's put it this way...they valet your car upon arrival. Ahhh, that's my kind of living.

To the Happy Couple, John & Monica!

This is a belated CONGRATULATIONS to my cousin John and my new cousin-in-law, Monica, on their recent nuptials! We went to Chicago for their wedding a few weeks ago and had a FABULOUS time. They held the weekend events at the Indian Springs Resort in Bloomingdale, IL, which was PERFECT. We didn't need to leave the property at all and guests could enjoy the pool, golf, mini golf and of course the bars!

My favorite part of the weekend was spending time with my extended family. I have two cousins, Hannah and Matt, whom I haven't seen in years and they are ROCK STARS! Here is Hannah playing air guitar with Lindsay and me on the dance floor:


At the wedding, I don't think we left the dance floor except the few times to eat the wonderful food. We were SWEATING during "Shout" and trying not to trip over one another during the "Electric Slide" (and oldie but a goodie - you know you love it!!). We were fortunate enough to spend lots of time with our aunt and uncle that helped raise us. For those who were at Lindsay's wedding, this is my famous Uncle Frank - who you may remember I noted during my toast as the one we used to up the price at our lemonade stand when he was walking down the street. Ha ha!


Monica and John were the perfect hosts, careful to spend time with each guest and truly made us feel welcome and appreciated for celebrating with them. They are a remarkable couple and I feel so lucky to expand our family with Monica in it!!! Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Kolconay!

Live Comedy for $8.50

Well, the tickets were $8.50/each thanks to Gold Star Events (a website that sells discount entertainment items - it's incredible). There was a two-drink minimum at Cobb's Comedy Club (which obviously was not a problem since we were with our friends, Valerie and Chris (you may remember them as the winos who we've gone to Napa with and are members at a winery or two up there)).

So I was all fired up to see this San Jose comedian named Anjelah Johnson. She got famous for her "Nail Salon" bit with millions of hits on YouTube. We saw her clip while at Lindsay's bach party in San Diego and I attempted to stalk her since. She only has a MySpace page though, so I gave up rather quickly until I saw that she was OPENING for this guy named Tom Rhodes (who we had never heard of). Cobb's is general admission and they serve food prior to shows, so we decided to meet Chris & Valerie at 6:45pm on Friday night, when the doors open, to grab a bite at the club before the 8:00pm show started. I assumed there would be a line to get into the club when the doors opened, so Dave and I actually planned to get there at 6:30 to get in line. Happy hour and Ketel One martinis beckoned us instead, so we nervously arrived at 6:45pm. We walked into the club to meet up with Chris and Valerie, hoping it wouldn't be too difficult to find them in the rather large venue. Uhhh, nope! We were the ONLY ONES THERE!!! Thanks to Dave's handy iPhone, here is a shot of our seats:



Nonetheless, people did start filing in and the place was full by the time the 8:00pm hour rolled around. Oh, and the 2-drink minimum? Valerie and I both like bubbly, so we decided to split a bottle of J. Roget sparkling wine/champagne for $27/bottle. I had never had it before and it wasn't exactly Veuve, but hey - we got it down just fine. Turns out Valerie saw it the next day at BevMo for $3.49/bottle and that answered many headache questions from the night before.

ANYWAYS, back to the comedy show! Anjelah Johnson did not disappoint and was absolutely HILARIOUS! We really enjoyed her and she closed with her now infamous "Nail Salon" bit. Tom Rhodes seems to also only have a MySpace website (HERE). Since we hadn't heard of him, we didn't have high/any expectations. Let's just say that Dave literally spit his beer out within the first 3 minutes. He's a quirky comedian that doesn't take himself too seriously. He doesn't seem too canned and is definitely human above all else. I highly recommend both comedians if you ever get a chance to check them out!

We had a great night out and it reminded us to do things like this more often instead of just heading straight to the bar (considering there is indeed a bar IN the comedy club - best of both worlds!).

Let It Flow....

That is exactly what our friend Cisco pinpointed as what was never quite right with our first apartment here in SF. And he was absolutely correct. We have been apartment-hunting for the last two weeks and Dave's stress level raised from a 0 to a 4. You may remember that Bed, Bath and Beyond puts him at a 2, so this was getting serious. Apartment hunting in San Francisco is a painstaking process that involves waiting in lines to see apartments, RSVP'ing to open houses so they know how many people to expect (and turn away), preparing KILLER applications that look impeccable (we're talking pre-printed credit reports, savings statements, bank statements, pay stubs, letters of intent on us wanting to make a long-term home, the works). We saw dozens and applied to 5. We even offered $50 OVER asking price for one of them and STILL didn't get it! But alas, we finally found and "won" a winner today!!!!!!!!!!!

It is a large, one-bedroom apartment in the Marina neighborhood. The living room is HUGE and the kitchen can be entered by the foyer (yes, we have a FOYER for the first time in our lives!) or the living room, so it's perfect for entertaining.

Here is a map of where we USED to live (south) and where we WILL live. A whopping .8 (that is POINT eight) miles away. The address is 3625 Fillmore Street (94123) for you Google Mappers out there. Here is also an overview of San Francisco so you can see where we are in relation to everything else (we are north, by Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge).



Our neighborhood is called the Marina, which SF's "Little Black Book" describes as, "It's not just a neighborhood; it's an urban singleton's Pleasantville. Mention the Marina or Cow Hollow anywhere else in town, and you're guilty on every yuppie count. Whether they're slumming it at the Gap [no offense to C & V], reading The Wall Street Journal at Starbucks...or hitting the Stairmaster at Gorilla Sports with the latest Us Weekly, locals have few reasons to leave this part of town (except to grab an ice blended at the Coffee Bean on the way to the crew's Tahoe pad). One needn't want for outdoor drinking spots, college deja-vu, or organized sports in this breeding ground for blindingly white-toothed and the jauntily J. Crewed. Golden retrievers, baseball caps, Range Rovers, REI gear all a plus. Drunken stumbling shambles down Lombard on a Saturday night practically required.... Oh, the glory of it all."

Gee, any takers for visitors? Because also for the first time in our adult lives, we can FIT YOU!!! I mean, you're still on an air mattress (let's not get totally crazy here), but you won't be pinned against a radiator and we won't have to step over you to get to the door. Can you believe it? It's like a mansion, but in a space of approximately 650 sq feet.

Pictures to arrive as soon as we move in, on July 23rd!

Sparks Flyin' - A Farewell to Our Humble Abode

Happy 4th of July!

We celebrated the 3rd of July with Mike, Adrienne and friends. Last night after work we went to their apartment which has a roof deck on it. We enjoyed beers and hors d'oeuvres before deciding it was just too cold and that we should head to a "real" bar to warm up. I played Buck Hunter for the first time, at which I thought I would be a natural pro on due to my Southern roots, but it turns out I am pretty horrible. Dave kicked my butt and I think we can expect him to wear full camo to our next family outing.

Today we laid low and just finished watching You've Got Mail (What? Don't give me a hard time.) If you haven't heard, we gave notice to our landlord and now have until 23 July to find a new apartment (yikes!). I did come to realize a few wonderful things about this apartment that we will miss.

1) We never have to raise our voice above a whisper in order to hear one another, throughout the entire place.

2) Tonight, there were two fireworks shows in San Francisco - one at Fisherman's Wharf and one at Fort Mason. Since we were in hard-core home mode, we didn't go TO the fireworks shows (1/2 mile and 2 miles away), but instead had the joy of viewing the show from our living room! Dave captured this photo during the display....

In whatever homes we have in the future, I hope these two perks always apply....may we never have to raise our voices and may we always have a view of something we find beautiful!