Brooklyn's Blog

Cal, I Love It When You Melt Down....

2010-12-13T20:50:00.000-08:00

So I had this great idea to surprise Dave with a "family date night" tonight - a Holiday Trolley Tour throughout San Francisco! I thought we'd get to be tourists in our own town and enjoy a night out together ("night" in parent-talk = 5:00pm-6:30pm tour).

I packed roadies for us (spiced apple + Makers Mark for Dave and latte + Baileys for me), tons of food for Cal, jumped on the bus to meet Dave by his office and we were off. They gave us Santa hats when we got on board and started with the carols and truly HORRENDOUS singing by Santa-the-trolley-driver!

All was well when we began...Cal had a great time watching the sights, hearing the ridiculous loud (and did I mention horrendous?) singing and checking out all of the people on board. We cruised through downtown, along the Embarcadero, through the Marina and just when I was checking my watch to realize we were only 45 minutes into a 1 hr, 30 min tour, Cal started fussing.... No, not fussing...m-e-l-t-i-n-g! If Dave and I weren't looking at each other in ever-so-slight boredom (between passing Cal back and forth, we clearly couldn't get to our roadies enough) and then - for the first time - we thanked Cal for freaking out in public. We were just cruising up to Pacific Heights and the trolley dropped us a mere 4 bocks from our apartment!!

"A for Effort" in trying something new, but lesson learned that we aren't holiday trolley peeps (at least not with a squirmy 1-year-old)!

Ella Kirsten Rynearson is HERE!

2010-11-27T12:09:00.000-08:00

Drumroll please.....my lovely, beautiful, sweet niece has arrived!!!

I flew down to San Diego on Thanksgiving evening to visit my adorable 2-day-old niece and WOW -she is sweet as can be. I am so glad I went down and I get to see her again at New Years when Dave, Cal, Dad & Carolyn are all in SD!

I did a full blog post on my "work" blog: http://blog.brookebryand.com and wanted to share a few more of the personal photos here:

Nana and me each taking our turn with Sweet Ella

Ella hanging out by Daddy's architecture/client plans...and Riggs taking a rest by his little sis

Riggs and Mommy Hanging Out

Riggs deciding on whether or not to kiss Ella (he didn't at this moment, but did earlier!)

Family photo of the brand new Rynearson Family (except for Jack & Reokie!)

I love you guys!! Thank you for giving me such an incredible, beautiful niece. May the spoiling begin!!!

Lots and lots more photos in the family gallery:

After His Daddy's Heart...First Pair of Shoes!

2010-11-11T06:28:00.001-08:00

Cal turns 1 this Sunday (!) and all 5 of his grandparents are coming to town! Dave's parents arrived yesterday from CT and we took Cal to get his first pair of shoes. He's not quite walking yet, but is crawling all over the place and I realized recently at the playground that I'm not winning any mother-of-the-year points with a barefoot child on a public playground (duh).

Dave's first pair of shoes was from Stride Right, so we wanted to get Cal on the same path of shoe-obsession as his Daddy (and apparently his Mommy...more on that later). Check him out getting measured, etc:

Proud grandparents!

Dave's parents ("Grandma & Grandpa") accompanied me on the adventure and the shoes were a gift from his Great-Nana & Great-Grandpa (Dave's g-parents in CT)!

I should also mention that I got myself a present for Cal turning 1 (no need to judge me until you survive your first year of parenthood...this stuff is H-A-R-D!!!). Yep, mama got her first pair of "grown-up shoes"...Christian Louboutins. I got a "push present" when Cal was born (my new Canon 5D Mk II camera body), and then I decided I deserved a present for making it through Cal's first year...the most amazing, wonderful, emotional and certainly challenging year of my life to date. Our girlfriend, Monica, accompanied me to Barney's for my big purchase (thanks, M!) and I think Dave is still in shock that I (arguably the most frugal person east of the Mississippi) would throw down $ for shoes. Here they are, along with Cal's new shoes and a pair of Dave's favorite shoes that I see him "sunning" daily.

Pumpkin Patch!

2010-10-12T16:51:00.000-07:00

Cal and I went to Half Moon Bay to see their famous pumpkin patches today. We met up with Shelley and her friend Heather and of course all of the kiddies. WOW. What an operation! We were there for about an hour, mostly coaxing Cal and Joey to hug a pumpkin or look at the camera, but there was a petting zoo, train ride, mini-tractor-things that the (older) kids could play on, and so much more. I barely escaped without buying a $1 slice of "the best" pumpkin pie ever made. Somehow, I resisted (but only after I succumbed to a Nathan's hot dog!).

Here are a few pics from the expedition!

The boys were much more into their bottles than the pumpkins!

Happy (almost) Halloween!

Brooke Bryand Photography on Daily Candy Kids SF!

2010-10-05T20:05:00.001-07:00

I am so thrilled to share that I was included in Daily Candy Kids SF this week! Check out my blog post on my "work" blog:

http://brookebryand.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/brooke-bryand-photography-in-daily-candy-kids-sf/

Baby Food 101

2010-10-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

So....most kids start eating "solids" (i.e. anything other than bm or formula) around 6 months. Cal started...then promptly stopped about a month later. Since then, we've been feeding him 3 meals a day and he may or may not eat a single bite of whatever it is we serve. To say it's exhausting is an understatement.

Then...tonight...I had a thought. Cal loves to drink water out of a real cup...he gets a total kick out of it and loves to blow bubbles and chug-a-lug...so why not throw some baby food into a cup and see if he'll drink it?? Like our very own Jamba Juice, I added a little water to Cal's baby food and he chugged away!

Granted, he also made a total mess while dunking his cracker in and flinging it over himself, but hey - I'll take it!

(and yes, that's my Dukes of Hazard cup that I grew up with!)

First Haircut!

2010-09-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

Cal's days of modeling for "Hairclub for Men" are officially over...for now. He had his first real haircut (as in Mama paid $19 + tip (!!!!) I am clearly still shocked by it...and possibly his last haircut at that price...looks like I better get some safety-protected shears!)! He went with our friend Henry (JB and Alex's son, who is 4 months older than Cal) for both of their first chops.

Henry was a rock star throughout his haircut...smiling away and even posing for the camera!

Cal was....okay. I wish I timed the actual chair-time, but I would guess about 5 minutes total. He wasn't scared of the clippers, but he definitely was not into having someone up in his grill and messing with him! Here are a few pics from his experience:

Before and After...

It eventually took two women to "pin" Cal down as he was clawing at the poor lady!

Exhibit A of aforementioned discomfort

Exhibit B with both ladies in action

My favorite of the day...

Cal is now 10 1/2 months old...crawling, climbing and fake-walking everywhere (with assistance). He eats puffs and o's, but that's about all he'll accept for his culinary adventures for the moment! His favorite spot in the world is on his daddy's shoulders, getting a tall perspective of the world and playing "horsey" with daddy bouncing him around as mommy gasps in horror. :-)

"I'll Show You Who Is Boss" - Balloon Part 3

2010-09-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

Because we are now parents, these things amuse us. Never before would I imagine posting not 1, not 2 but 3 videos on the same $4 balloon?!?!?

xo

Boys in San Diego!

2010-09-08T21:36:00.000-07:00

As we prepped for our big getaway to Los Cabos, the Grandmas flew in from TX and CT to take care of the boys for the weekend! We had a great time getting them settled in and ready to be on "mommy-duty" for 5 glorious days (ahhhhhh).

Riggs and Cal took a ride in the wagon Grandpa Rolf gave Riggs!

Riggs looooves to "water the plants" - so cute!

Cal got in on some of the action too...

Jon and Dave took turns helping Cal play soccer!

Daddys served the boys dinner outside....

...while Mama cooked in the kitchen!

Cal and Riggs both enjoyed corn-on-the-cob!

Grandma Tammy and Grandma Sue both arrived on Monday and started duty at 5:00am (!) on Tuesday morning!

We left today (Wednesday) for Cabo and have been enjoying nothing but quiet R&R for our first 12 hours of vacaaaaaation!

Fool Me Once...Shame On You....

2010-08-30T15:26:00.001-07:00

...Fool me twice, shame on me!

You may recall Cal's "lime video" from when he was just a wee lad of 7 mos.

At 9 mos, he is older and wiser, right??? We thought we'd put him to the test:

Love ya, Cal!

And one more for good measure:

FINE! Fine, fine, fine....one MORE! I can't help it that he's adorable?!?!

Revenge on the Balloon

2010-08-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

All in (two) days' work.

Being the stubborn mama that I am (and, let's be honest, hating the thought that I wasted FOUR WHOLE DOLLARS on a balloon), I kept reintroducing the balloon-from-hell...similar reaction each time, but Cal got more and more confident that he could take this thing down.

This morning, Dave whipped out the real camera (oh how I love our 5D MkII) and shot this quick footage. It makes me never want to take another video with the iPhone, though the iPhone is just so darn convenient!

Get it, Cal!

Latest on Cal (and us..who?)

2010-08-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

Cal is now 9 mos!

9 mos means that he crawls all over the place, loves to pull up on things, can say "mama" (and actually mean it towards ME) and is overall a happy little guy.

Well, happy until his mother (apparently) tortures him with a balloon! I thought I was being sooo clever yesterday when I bought a "fancy" $4 balloon at the grocery store...thinking I was buying myself some free time while Cal stares at this fascinating object. In the store, he was full of wonder and amazement (so far, so good). We got to the check-out and he pulled the string, making the balloon come down toward him, and all hell broke loose!!! He was terrified!!! Poor little guy. I, still stubbornly thinking I could count on his 30-second memory to pull through and still turn this thing around, still bought the balloon and put it away until the next day (thinking that after he slept, surely he would be once again enamored).

Hmmm....not so:

Nonetheless, I put the offensive object in our bedroom (for now...until I finally give in that my $4 and genius idea were both a bust) and Cal was back to his happy self:

Dave's birthday is tomorrow (!) and we're heading to Napa for the day to do wine-tasting like the "BC" days ("Before Cal" as my friend Daniel says...Cal is staying home with his babysitter). Looking forward to it!

I'm baaaaack! Running my tooshy off

2010-07-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

I had my first post-baby race today! The San Francisco Half Marathon - yahoooooo! I have been training with my friend Mary (her first long race!) and it turns out that pushing strollers while training REALLY gives you an edge when you are actually running the race and have NOTHING to worry about but y-o-u! We had a great race...didn't win (2:20 time...11 min miles), but felt awesome and could have gone on and on for at least another 4-5 miles.

Running toward Dave at Mile 4 in the Marina with Mary and Julia

Post-race with Mary's two bambinos

Post-race seeing MY bambino!

Cal was so cute and excited...it's like he's surprised every time he sees me even though we spend all day every day together! Dave is now a complete pro at being a race spectator and we saw him at Mile 4 and again at the Finish Line. He came equipped with champagne, donuts, choc chip cookies, Gatorade and more - fantastic! There were four of us running (also Trent, not in these photos) and we all celebrated in Golden Gate Park after the race.

So....next question is...what's next? Mary and I are considering a sprint triathlon in September (the one that I did two years ago), and I'm starting to think about doing another full marathon in June 2011 (San Diego Rock'N'Roll)...we'll see!

07.19.2010 - Cal giving High Fives

2010-07-24T16:36:00.000-07:00

I thought this video of Cal we took the other day was adorable (aren't they all???). Dave was giving Cal "high-fives" while feeding him dinner and Cal was cracking up:

Cal Tastes Lime...Eek!

2010-07-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

Needless to say, he was not a fan:

Cal is Crawling!

2010-06-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, so perhaps "crawling" is an aggressive word, but he has learned how to get from Point A to Point B!!!

Check him out - he just got up on "all fours" on Thursday morning for the first time and is now slithering along!

Ahhh, the days of immobility are behind us. YIKES!

Cal is Famous!

2010-06-04T08:04:00.001-07:00

We have been doing work with Plum District for the last month and are so excited that they have LAUNCHED! They are a daily deals website geared toward MOMS. Think Groupon, but targeted. Every day there is a different deal, with the goal as finding ways to make moms' lives easier. That could be in providing a deal for a "mommy & me" class or a massage for her or a dinner for the family.

Today's deal is 50% off a posh and super-cute store in San Francisco called photograph&frame. They needed a photo for the offer and - voila! - we have Cal!

I am of course a proud mama AND have a duel role because photograph&frame currently has an offer up in their store with ME! They are offering their customers $100 off my full session rate and they get an 8x10 frame FREE when they come in to frame their photos from the session. Very cool. More pics are on my Facebook fan page (you don't have to be on Facebook to see the pics).

And, while we're at it, because Dave has been doing their web work...they needed a "404" page...basically the error page you get when you go to a page on a site that doesn't exist. We thought a baby pic would be cute and Dave put up this one! I think it's hilarious!

Go, Cal, go!

Sitting, Solids and...well...the other word for Poop.

2010-05-30T21:26:00.000-07:00

Yep, we've taken the plunge into SOLIDS! Cal turned 6 mos on May 14th, just after Riggs' bday, and he's growing like a weed.

1) Sitting: Just a month ago, I found myself at a mom-friends' house and she was practicing sitting with her baby. I told her it hadn't even dawned on me to do that, so I started practicing for a few minutes a day with Cal and was pleasantly surprised that nature helped him along since his mother-of-the-year certainly didn't plant the seed. :-) He has been sitting up for longer and longer and now has no trouble staying up for really long periods of time and exploring everything around him.

2) Solids! I knew that 6 months was a milestone where many people start solids. Our doctor gave us clearance to do it even earlier, but she didn't pressure us to start - just said "whenever you're ready". Well, Dave and I put it off and off due to 100% laziness...feeding "real" food just seemed so time-consuming and messy!!! Then, a week ago, Shelly and Nicole visited from NC and Nicole (mom of two) spoke up when I said that Cal had bizarrely been waking up at 4:30am for a few nights and she exclaimed (seriously..."exclaimed" is the right word), "Y'all are starving him! The boy needs more food!" Oh. Right. That.

Even though he's 90% weight at the doc's office, she was right (I think) - he just wasn't getting full enough on the bottle alone to take him through the night. So we started on solids and it's been a blast! We don't have a high chair, so we use a bumbo with a tray around it and set it on our coffee table with a pool towel underneath (it sounds ghetto, but hey - it's a 700 sq ft apartment and it works great!). Cal dives toward the food and it's now a highlight of my day (along with bathtime where he goes nutso).

Which leads us to...

3) The other "s" word...poop: Poop has most definitely changed. Where I never minded to take care of a dirty diaper, I find myself hoping that Dave claims to notice first these days. I walk in when Cal wakes up from a nap and there is no mistaking what occurred during dream time.

Alas, it was after naptime today that I then brought Cal into our room and hung out singing songs (I do a rockin' rendition of Itsy Bitsy Spider) and I snapped a few pics. So here is the little cutie-patootie!

Riggs Turns ONE!

2010-05-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, Riggs is officially ONE! May 11th was his birthday and we headed down to San Diego to celebrate with Lindsay, Jon, Mom, Dad and Carolyn!

Lindsay decided to be Martha Stewart this year and created a homemade cake...chocolate BLUEBERRY which is actually delicious even though your mind wants to fight it!

We headed to a beautiful San Diego park for the birthday party and Riggs had a great time hanging with his pals.

Riggs and his homies

Riggs trying his cake (he loved it!)

Cal and Daddy Dave goofin' around

Pops & Carolyn hanging with their grandsons!

Cal rockin' out at the only activity he's old enough for at the playground...the bucket swings!

My favorite series....

Sliding with Daddy Jon!

What a WONDERFUL year it has been!!! Riggs turns one, Jon and Lindsay just moved into their very first HOUSE and...well...who knows what other delights 2010 may bring the Rynearson family??? Hmmmm..... xoxo

Cal Gettin' Clean

2010-04-27T21:52:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know it's not original. And yes, I know every parent videos their kiddo taking a bath...and every kid wants to kill their parents at how lame-o they are, but seriously. Cutest kid.

We originally got Cal a Fisher-Price infant tub that is supposed to last 6 months, but worked well for us during the first...two months. Trouble is, this kiddo is huuuuuge and now at 5 1/2 months, his legs hang over the side. Our friend Shelley sold us and every other mom in our crew on her tub-of-all-tubs, the Primo Euro Bath. I used some of my stored Amazon bucks (thank you, Symantec!) and it finally arrived today. Cal got to check it out and apparently LOVES it!

Without further ado...get ready to agree with my that my kiddo is adorable for the next 17 seconds.

The last 2 seconds say it all!!

In other news, our apartment has been taken over by baby-land. We added an exersaucer to the mix yesterday and Cal totally digs it! He spins around in it and (of course) slobbers on anything that comes in his way. Here are a few pics I snapped of him while I was (gasp) making dinner (okay, so it was a soup that had a 5-min prep on the recipe, so 15-min prep for me...even I can handle that once a month).

We are gearing up for a flight to San Diego next week to celebrate Riggs' 1st birthday (May 11th)! Dad & Carolyn are flying in and we can't wait to hang with the full Kolconay family on Mother's Day! xo

Happy 5 Months, Cal!

2010-04-14T19:59:00.000-07:00

Cal turned 5 months today! I know, I know...I always thought it was annoying when parents counted in months...and still do (except for my own of course!).

Cal was with Autumn today (the sitter we hired to watch him on Wednesdays from 9am-5pm while I work), but we whisked him to the park as soon as she left and had a nice mini-afternoon together before bedtime! Quick video of him on the swing.

Updates on Cal these days....

LIKES:
- Peekaboo!
- Singing (us singing to him...no matter how awful I am...he hasn't exactly started to belt out tunes yet)
- "Airplane"
- Horsey
- Bathtime
- Drooling (gallons, people...gallons!)
- Getting undressed
- Rolling onto his belly
- Red Sox (the kid has no choice...his grandparents and CT friends have provided an entire wardrobe!)

DISLIKES:
- Getting dressed
- Not being able to roll OFF his belly onto his back (he is stuck like a turtle right now)

Oh...and another major "like"? Daddy. Kiddo can't get enough of him. He lights up at the sound of Dave's voice and cracks up with ANYTHING Daddy does!!! It's really sweet.

We're going to start going to Storytime at the library soon too. There are a bunch in SF, so my friend Mary broke it down for me on which ones are ridiculously crowded, which ones are ghetto, and which one has a great hippy-guitar-playing singer (surprisingly, North Beach, the "Little Italy" of SF). Maybe I'll even learn the proper lyrics to "The Wheels On The Bus" since my version includes cows on the bus, coins on the bus, ducks on the bus, old ladies on the bus ("go yack-yack-yack...yack-yack-yack....yack-yack-yack"...hey, I'm not so far off, right?).

Happy 5 Months, Cal!

What I Learned About Riggs Last Week....

2010-04-09T22:25:00.000-07:00

I surprised Mom & Lindsay two weeks ago in SD and we had a blast! So much so that we stayed an extra 5 (!!) days! Lindsay & Jon worked while I got to do Auntie Duty and spend as much time as possible hugging on (aka CHASING) my active, active 11-month-old nephew! My favorite things I learned about Riggs while there:

1) He's a chatterbox (with only one word). Aside from "mama-mama-mama" and "dada-dada-dada" (which are used completely interchangeably), Riggs first official word is "JACK" (their beloved dog). If you ask, "Where's Jack?", he'll point to where Jack is and say, "Jack. Jack. Jack. Jack." It's absolutely precious. I couldn't believe Lindsay didn't TELL ME that Riggs was saying that! I told her she was the worst aunt on earth. So there.

2) He is the tidiest 11-month-old you have ever met. He came into the bedroom where I was hanging with Cal, took a shoe out of the diaper bag, put it in his mouth (obvi), then proceeded to put it BACK IN THE BAG and crawl away. He is his mother's son!!!

3) He loves to help Cal. It's freakin' adorable. Cal uses a pacifier...Riggs does not. Riggs would crawl over, attempt to claw Cal's eyeballs out and then find the paci and try to put it in Cal's mouth (or ear, but who's counting? point is...my nephew is a genius). Nana had her hands full watching both of them!

4) He's a looker. He could stand and look outside this window forEVER. Lindsay & Jon have a small ottoman/stool in front of the window and Riggs loves to climb up and look outside. It's soooo cute.

5) He gets his grub on. Favorite food is probably yogurt. Mommy and Daddy sneak in tofu and all sorts of other crap that Riggs, being the neat-freak that he is, politely takes out of his mouth and hands back to you. He'll even put it back in the container (I tried to mix the tofu into the yogurt...he would eat the yogurt and put the chewed-up tofu back in the yogurt container until I could trick him into eating it).

6) The kid loves to laugh. Riggs' middle name is after my aunt & uncle in Chicago (so it's Riggs Brady Rynearson). The Brady's decided that a simple middle name wasn't enough credit, so they made this shirt for Riggs (if you can't read it...it says, "r.B.r. (just call me BRADY"). So cute!

7) Bath time is AWESOME. Check out this video we did for Dave (Dave came several days after me, so we inundated him with videos and texts and emails every day!!).

8) Bedtime is one of the sweetest things. After his bath, Riggs gets into his PJs and then typically Jon takes him around the apartment to say "goodnight" to all of the things in the apartment. "Goodnight, painting...Goodnight lamp...Goodnight window...." When they get to the front door, Riggs opens and closes their peephole door about 10 times. I swear it's the highlight of his day. So darn adorable!

9) Cal is transfixed by him. He loves to watch Riggs crawl all over the place! Ahhh, the jealousy of being mobile. Cal just learned to turn over consistently (as in every two seconds), where he quickly gets stuck and cries until you flip him back over...and then repeat. He is like an upside-down cockroach...it's sad and adorable at the same time.

10) He loooooves his mommy and daddy. I mean ADORES them. His face lights up when they walk in and it just melts my heart!

Mommy and Riggso

Family Photo (and Riggs looking nothing like what I claim in #10, so you'll have to take my word for it.

I loved every moment of our trip. We stayed with Lindsay & Jon (they generously gave us their bedroom while they slept on the pull-out couch) and it was wonderful to be able to wake up in the morning (6am comes mighty early) and really maximize our time together! We get to go back next month for Riggs' 1 year birthday!

One more quick video of our sweetie-pie. He just started really giggling last week and it's awesome! Here is Dave while we're across the street from mom's new digs (downtown San Diego...she is LOVING it! valet parking, huge workout room, swimming pool...ahhhhh).

Sleep Training 101

2010-02-25T08:01:00.000-08:00

I didn't know what Sleep Training was before Riggs was born, but Cal is 3.5 mos and we are READY! After our friend Jen gave me a 20 minute pep talk, we started sleep training on Monday night and.........it's going well!!!! The gist is that we're attempting to teach Cal to self-soothe (hands to mouth, rolling around, whatever keeps him calm) and removing one night feeding at a time. So if he typically wakes up to eat at 12am, 3am, 5am, we first eliminate the 12am feeding. And yes...for us, that means letting him Cry It Out (CIO). The first night he cried for 45 mins, the second night about the same, and last night only 20 mins and it was a really light cry. Hopefully he is getting the hang of it! After he masters sleeping through that 12am feeding, we'll do the same process to eliminate the 3am feeding, etc.

Per Jen's recommendation, we bought a video monitor. BEST INVESTMENT EVER!!! It is such a relief to be able to SEE Cal in his crib and know he is okay (i.e. he isn't stuck in the corner or have something wrapped around him). We got the most basic one ($80 on sale at Babies'R'Us) and it's just perfect. No need for anything fancy, just something that works!

Anyways, wanted to share this excitement as I feel like my sanity will return very soon now that sleep is (almost) here!

Cross Country with Cal

2010-02-25T05:21:00.000-08:00

We did it! We took the little guy to CT and Charleston to visit family...and survived the flights! We had a full rig set up with his mobile. During the last few weeks, he's been totally enamored with this one particular "guy" on his Stim-Mobile. We dubbed him "Big Boy" because he looks just like the Big Boy Hamburger image. For whatever reason, the mobile (which we typically have above his changing table) will spin around, then when it gets to "Big Boy", Cal starts CHEESING so hard! He'll then follow that particular circle around and just keep smiling, smiling smiling. So cute!

Here was our rig for the airplane. The flight attendant said that never in her 25 years of flying had she seen anything like this - ha!

This is Cal's reaction to his BFF:

Anyways, we got to CT first and Cal saw his first snow! He was not very impressed, but we thought it was beautiful. We had a fantastic week visiting with Dave's family (all 2,000 of them!). His parents even took Cal overnight...twice! The first night I was a wreck (crying as I left him...I mean COME ON!!!) and the second night I was running out the door! How quickly we adjust. Our plan for the first night (Dave and I were staying at the neighbors' house two doors down who don't live there during the winter) was to go out BIG with Dave's sister and cousins, who are all about our age. We get a great start with martinis, then had a wonderful dinner at Luce's in Middletown. While we were discussing which bar to hit first after dinner, it was 9:45pm and all I could think was B-E-D. I haven't had a full, uninterrupted night of sleep since November 14th and I just couldn't pass it up! Fortunately, Dave's sister and hubby were heading home too, so I hitched a ride and was asleep before my head even hit the pillow!

Here are some pics from the week in CT:

SOME of Dave's cousins!

The Bryand Men

The onesie says, "My Dad Is Rad" - love it!

Grandma hanging with Cal and Cal meeting his GREAT-grandparents!

And then here are some pics we took of Cal one morning when we woke up....

We had an AWESOME trip to the east coast. It was so wonderful to be with family, family, family! After CT, we headed to Charleston and loved introducing Cal to the Dirrrrty South. He had his fill of beautiful Southern women, accents and foooood! I'm not sure why, but we hardly took any pics in Charleston! Here are a couple from a delicious dinner at Rue du Jean:

Can't wait to go back (minus the 6-hour flight...5 of which were spent with one of us Bjorning Cal and pacing the aisles!!!).

Mama Dianne and Dionne

2010-02-23T08:05:00.000-08:00

Oh yes. It happened. Mama Dianne (aka Nana) came up to SF at the beginning of February for THE concert. We planned it months ago - DIONNE WARWICK WAS HERE!!!! Yes, THE Dionne Warwick. "Say a Little Prayer"..."You've Got a Friend"...and about a million other huge hits. And yes, Whitney Houston's aunt. She was OUT OF THIS WORLD. We splurged and got 4th row seats (thank you, Mom!) and just loved the theater (Castro Theater...in the Castro, which is known as the largely gay section of SF). The crowd was totally pumped about Dionne, including a 10 MINUTE standing ovation! Here are Mom and me outside the theater:

Mom also cooked over the weekend (yummmmmm) and generally just held Cal as much as possible! Uncle Jon & Auntie Lindsay sent Cal this cute hat, so we snapped a few with him in it:

So grateful for family!

Cal-i-licious Updates

2010-02-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

Yes, that is what I've become. Or rather, what this blog has become. Updates on a human that can't walk, talk or do anything of "substance", yet captures our complete attention and hearts. But who could resist this little guy??

Elizabeth in Raleigh drew on this diaper for Cal - so cute!

Dave rocked a few pull-ups with him last week too. Whoever invented the Bjorn is a godsend!

I/we hosted the mom's group today that I mentioned in the previous post! It was absolutely great to have everyone over today (although a weeeee bit crowded with 30+ women + babies in our apartment!). I've never seen so many carseats and diaper bags in my life!!! I just started thinking...what do we do when they start CRAWLING in a few months??? We'll adjust.

While they were here, I decided to snap a few pics of the kiddos and used Cal as my test model. I just love that smile of his! He is giving us more and more everyday, which is a blast to watch.

I took two classes with Cal last week...one was about SLEEP (how to help babies sleep through the night) and the other was called PLAYFUL PARENTING (what to do with babies when it seems they can't "do" anything). Both were great! We have been trying to put suggestions into practice (routines at night, napping in his crib, etc.), but it's easier said than done as that means we have to be HOME for those items to occur. Instead, we're going about normal life and integrating when we can. Fingers crossed!

That's all from here for now, though I did want to share this video of my adorable nephew, Riggs. He's been crawling since 4 months (is about to be 9 months in a week) and is a MINI-JON!!!

Rewards....

2010-01-15T18:16:00.000-08:00

Cal is SMILING!!! Not the "we got lucky because we take 4,000 pictures a day" smile, but REAL smiles!

We did a quick 30s video last night at the end of one of his smile-fests. We are overcome with how darn CUTE this kiddo is!

Things are going well. B-feeding has improved DRAMATICALLY (as in, it actually works now and is (gasp) a pleasant experience for all involved!) and Cal and I are finding a groove of our day-to-day activities. I went to my first Mom's Group with 19 other women (!) and loooooved it! We are meeting once a month with the big group, then we have smaller groups that are closer to our neighborhood. All of the babies were born in Nov/Dec/Jan and there are actually 72 women (!!!) in the group that live in SF, but "only" 20 made it this week. Upon meeting these ladies, I definitely found several that I'm scoping out as new-friend-material...very exciting!

PS - one more video...because I'm completely obsessed!

New Years Eve...It Ain't What It Used To Be....

2010-01-04T22:19:00.000-08:00

Nope, it ain't what it used to be.... As in, I was ready to fall asleep by 8:00pm! We have Lindsay, Jon, Riggs, Dad & Carolyn in SF for New Years this year. It has been GREAT! On New Years Eve, we have just two traditions. One is resolutions and the other are OYSTER SHOOTERS! They are absolutely disgusting...we cringe every year...we always say we can't do it again...and here we are!

Oyster Shooters:

Note that Carolyn asks, "is this vodka?" at the end, as if she has never done one before!!!

Here are some pics of the fun activities we've been doing in SF this week:

Grandpa hanging with Cal

Cruisin' in Pac Heights

Lovin' on the cutest little boy!

Riggs' first time in a swing! He was...confused

...so we put BOTH boys in the swing!

After a walking tour of Pacific Heights Mansions, we took a breather on the steps for a pic

It has been awesome to be a tourist in my own city and to get to know San Francisco better and better! There are FREE walking tours from SF City Guides. We did the Pac Heights one and one for Chinatown so far! I think I've found my outings for the rest of maternity leave....

As is tradition, we all wrote our New Years Resolutions to present to the family. Dave mentioned (and I agree) that this is his favorite tradition. We all look forward to this time of year because Dad gives us our resolutions from the previous year and then we go around individually and "present" what we accomplished (there are no rules...you can glaze over all of the things you didn't accomplish!),then share what we'd like to do in the next year. Again, there are no rules, but we tend to break the goals into various categories. Here are some of mine for 2010:

Body:

Get to pre-pregnancy weight of 145 lbs by July 1, 2010!
Complete La Jolla Half Marathon in April 2010

Love/Family:

Visit CT & Charleston at least once each
Join one Mom’s Group to connect with other new mommies

Work

Find a fulfilling way to pursue a career AND balance "mommyhood"!
Redo Brooke Bryand Photography website with new portfolio pieces
Start BLOG for Brooke Bryand Photography

So there you have it! Keep me accountable to rock out in 2010. The weight goal kicks off on Monday with a 50 DAY CHALLENGE with my "personal trainer" (i.e. DAVE!). He loves workouts by Ross Boxing and I know it is going to KICK MY BOOTIE!!! I am ready to start fitting into non-maternity jeans again, so goodbye pints of Ben & Jerry's (I'll still eat the goods...just won't eat the entire container! Ha ha!), hello ME!

Visit from Santa in San Diego

2010-01-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

Santa was very good to us this year!!! As if he knew it was Christmas, Cal woke up at 5:00am (okay, so he always wakes up at 4:00 or 5:00am right now), so we waited until 7:00am and decided it was time to wake Daddy up too:

Riggs, Lindsay & Jon spent the night at Mom's house too, so Riggs had the Pack'N'Play (he can crawl...Cal is still a lump of adorable sugar). So we did it the old fashioned way...in one of mom's drawers!

Cal and Riggs were of course adorable...we decided Cal needed a little accessory:

Cal's bow accessory

Riggs enjoying some Daddy Time

We also took a long walk along La Jolla's waterfront to show Cal & Riggs the seals as well as where their mommies trained for their sprint triathlon (which feels like a lifetime ago):

Mama Dianne made a kick-a$$ Christmas dinner...everything to the Nines as usual!

Family Photo in front of Mom's Christmas Tree

The next day, Mom, Lindsay and I took the babies and were at Anthropologie at 7:00AM!!! Wow. We shopped/strolled for several hours and enjoyed ourselves, but left as soon as the real crowds came in - PHEW!

Lindsay and I goofing off at the mall's photo booth

We went to Stone Brewery for lunch and enjoyed learning what life is like taking two babies to a restaurant and attempting to avoid the stares. Lindsay & Jon did a LOT of walking around/bouncing/stroller-ing to make sure Riggs stayed entertained. Cal...well...he slept.

I love this pic of Riggs...it was from another brewery we went to and Jon was just messing around, holding Riggs up high. So cute!

Fantastic Christmas!!! We loved every moment.

Family Guy: Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!

2009-12-26T01:09:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite shows is "Family Guy". We saw a commercial today with a clip from Family Guy that seems SO familiar (when we were kids) and, sadly, I think karma is about to be a bi#ch for all of us new parents in just a short time!

Our friend Tim is a new dad and was saying that he thinks of this episode of an old TV show ("Dinosaur"?) where the baby calls the dad "not-the-mama". The premise is that, no matter how great the dad is and no matter that the baby can SAY the word "daddy"...he father is always called "not-the-mama". Ever since he brought it up, I can't keep it out of my mind! So cute.

We are enjoying parenthood, and as I type this at 1:00 in the morning after feeding Cal and putting him back to sleep, I am reminded to really enjoy this brief, brief time with him...he is so sweet and tiny - I even was able to Bjorn him for our Day-After-Christmas shopping today...heaven!

Santa Baby

2009-12-25T13:48:00.000-08:00

Cal and Riggs went to see SANTA yesterday!!! Lindsay and I grew up going to Marshall Fields in Chicago and seeing Santa was a VERY big deal. We wore our Christmas outfits (in order to impress Santa and hope he'll bring us our favorite gifts) and were mesmerized by the Winter Wonderland where Santa "worked". Since this was my first year going since we were kids, I expected a similar experience for Cal and Riggs. We went online and discovered that Santa was at Macy's in San Diego and Lindsay and I (gasp) trudged to the mall on Christmas Eve for their first pictures! Well, times have changed. At least this Santa HQ is nothing like when we were kids. Instead of a Winter Wonderland of moving elves, snow, giant presents, etc...Santa lives in...a hut. Just Santa, a bench and a photographer. Hmph. Alas, we got the kids all psyched up (okay, so we got all psyched up) for our visit. Photos were $25/each (!!!!), but the good news is they let you take your own, so I went Paparazzi Crazy during the 3 minute visit.

We were the 10th people in line...ready to go at 8:30am for the 9:00am opening!

Ready for Santa!

Flying like the reindeer

Riggs, typically a super-smiley baby, was so confused by Santa that he just kept staring at him (instead of the camera). Cal was, well...a 5 week old...i.e. a sack'o'potatoes (but an adorable sack'o'potatoes!).

Cal did seem to like his moment alone to shine:

Hilarious experience!!! Well worth the $25 for entertainment value alone. Lindsay and I had a great time at the mall regardless and I'm so grateful we got to share this Christmas experience! Thank you Grandma Bryand for the adorable outfit and Kitty for the super-cute "Santa Baby" hats!

I did shoot a quick video (13 seconds) of the experience to demonstrate the chaos...and this is while they are just 1 month and 7 months!!! I can't imagine when they are 2 or 3.

This morning we woke up at 5:15am (oy) to feed Riggs & Cal, then spent the morning enjoying champagne (our family tradition), opening gifts and awaiting "The Christmas Story" to start over on 24-hour repeat (Dave & Jon's request...Lindsay & I have made it through life without actually SEEING this movie and they claim it's a cardinal sin).

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

CAL...ifornia

2009-12-21T09:51:00.000-08:00

Many people have asked about the origin of Cal's name. He was indeed named for this Great State in which we live! Moving to California in 2002 completely changed our lives. We became more physically active, more mentally engaged and more positive about life overall. We have been fortunate to meet incredible people here and have been inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit that is alive and well. Because of this move, our lives are richer and we find ourselves enjoying life to the fullest! We've learned a lot about ourselves and we hope Cal becomes a man that has the best of these traits in him and helps bring out the best in others. I know, a bit serious for a blog post, but we are passionate about it!

Cal also has significance as he shares part of my grandfather's name, Kalman Kolconay (people called him Kal). I never met my g-father, but love hearing stories about him. One thing that our family always cracks up about is the pronunciation of "Kolconay". Anyone reading this blog that has known me for more than 5 years would say, "kol-KON-y". However, ask my cousin John in Chicago and it's undoubtedly "KOL-son-ay". And my g-father, Kal, went with "kal-SONE-y". My Dad describes the root of the discrepancy from trying to fit into their Italian neighborhood in Chicago...the thought being their Czech last name would blend in much easier if it sounded Italian...and it stuck (sort of...thus, the discrepancy!) That family story is what I think about when I think of Kal Kolconay.

Cal's middle name, Rearden, is a character from Dave's favorite book...Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I must admit that I have only made it halfway through the book (dude....it's loooong!), but completely love the spirit of Hank Rearden through and through.

Cal is smiling more and more and we're excited for his first airplane ride on Wednesday! We are heading to San Diego for Riggs' and Cal's first Christmas!

Cal and Daddy after his bath last night. Thanks to Auntie Meggie & Uncle Marco for the great onesie! It says, "I don't understand girls" if you can't see it in the pic.

What a Difference a Month Makes...

2009-12-14T13:09:00.001-08:00

Last month this time, we took this photo at 6:30am on California Street:

Two days later, we were here!:

Cal Rearden Bryand was born on Saturday, November 14th at 2:18pm. He weighed 7lbs, 14oz and was 18 inches long.

The labor experience was actually - gasp - awesome! I should rephrase...the labor experience once I got the drugs was awesome! It was so much different than either of us expected. Our vast experience included seeing TV shows and movies where the woman in labor is screaming at the nurses, sweating, cursing, blaming her husband, and general chaos ensuing. Instead, I started labor at home around 4:00am, when I thought I had a stomach ache. Then...it hit me. The pain jumped from "hmm...that feels a bit uncomfortable" to "holy F...there is an alien trying to escape my stomach and the beast ain't happy." Needless to say, I then woke Dave up and we realized this was indeed labor and started timing contractions! I was already about 5 mins apart, so we called the hospital and they told us to come on in. We walked around there for 45 mins until the pain was unbearable and I resembled a banshee wailing as I gripped the hospital walls and asked for the 10,000th time when I could get the epidural. I couldn't manage to sit through a contraction so they could get an IV in me, so they gave me a pre-epidural drug (can't remember what it's called, but I later told Dave I wanted to write the inventors of it a thank you note). Needless to say, the drugs were a lifesaver and from then on (about 9:00am), it was smooth sailing! My mom came to the hospital and the three of us hung out as the contractions came and went...me not feeling a thing, but loving hanging out with Dave and Mom as we watched the monitor. Next thing we knew, the nurse said it was time to push and it was just a few pushes after that when the doctor came in to pull Cal out! All in all, I had about 10 hours of labor, but only 5 of them were painful and both Dave and I thought the experience was amazing!

Fresh into the world...

Sound sleepers in the hospital

We were in the hospital for two days and then grateful to come home to our own space. Cal seems to take after his mommy in that he is narcoleptic (we have had 3 stretches at night of 5 hours of sleep straight...go ahead...be jealous!) and he is a solid eater. Breastfeeding has been the biggest learning curve, but we're finally getting the hang of it and things are coming along. I changed the 2nd diaper of my life (Meg forced me to change Dino once...which was an awkward experience to say the least and I think Dino still holds a grudge because it took me about 20 mins to do it). Dave did all the diapers for the first 5 days (bless that man). Before Cal was born, we did a parenting class called the McMoyler Method (amazing, amazing, amazing...if you've got a bun in the oven and live in SF, you must take this class). In that class, the instructor is very clear that the mom's job in the first two weeks is to feed the baby. The dad's job is...everything else. And she means everything. Changing the baby, feeding the baby, feeding the mama, getting mama pillows, and on and on. We took this to heart and Dave was my saving grace as Cal & I worked on learning to breastfeed (dude...it's not as easy as it looks...at least not for us) and I learned to try and keep my hormones in check (also not as easy as it may seem!).

Cal turns ONE MONTH OLD today! Life has obviously changed dramatically. Bedtime is as close to 8pm as possible for me (okay, so maybe that isn't such a huge change!) and staying in has a whole new meaning.

Here are a few pics we've snapped over the last month:

Cal and Daddy his first days home

Our smiley guy...is that a DIMPLE we see?

Proud Nana and her grandsons

Sisters bonding in a whole new way

Grandma & Grandpa Bryand checking out their grandson!

I snapped a couple of him yesterday...at a month old. His cheeks are chubbier (so cute!), he makes eye contact and he gives us many more smiles (and NO, it's not gaaaaas! at least not all the time...or that's what we tell ourselves).

Oh yeah...and his lungs work. Really, really well.

So that is the update! We have been loving every moment of getting to know Cal. He is a JOY and such a good baby! Now...who wants to babysit???

"Motown Madness" = Motown Sadness

2009-11-10T08:21:00.000-08:00

First of all, no baby yet. Due date is a mere 2 days away and it doesn't seem Baby Bryand has moved an inch. In the meantime, Mom is here and we're taking advantage of freedom while we can!

Growing up, we had four types of music in our household: 1) Classical (Dad), 2) Beach Music (Mom), 3) Jazz (Compromise) and 4) Motown (Mom). As I think I've mentioned, Lindsay and I grew up not on "The Wizard of Oz", but on "The Wiz"...the version with Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. Sure, we have seen the original our fair share, but the go-to VHS tape (taped off television of course) was The Wiz. So imagine my delight when my beloved Goldstar (half-price tickets to various activities in SF and other major cities...tours, shows, restaurants, etc.) highlighted a show called MOTOWN MADNESS in SF?!?!?! It was described as a musical that would take the audience through the ages of Motown. I could hardly click "PURCHASE!" "PURCHASE!" "PURCHASE!" fast enough. Dave agreed to give it a shot, so we got 3 tickets for Dave, Mom and me.

That was 2 months ago. Last Saturday, the day arrived to see the show and we went down to Fisherman's Wharf (which Dave won't let me live down as that should have been our first clue that this would be a total dud...Fish Wharf is the #1 tourist destination in SF...so sad as it is AWFUL...but I digress). We got our tickets at will call and were pleasantly surprised to see we were FRONT ROW! Well, then we entered the theater and saw that our compadres were all of 40 people (in a theater of about 250 or so) that spanned the sophistication plane from "I HEART SAN FRANCISCO" shirts to Fanny Packs to stark white Air Force Ones (not the cool kind either). Dave gave me "the look" and immediately asked for a free pass to get a cocktail to help him through the next 90 minutes. Mom joined him and we spent the next 45 minutes smiling politely at the performers on stage (who kept making real eye contact, which is rather creepy when you're in an audience and just want to be incognito). There was one singer that was certainly the highlight of the performance and we could listen to her all afternoon. Other than that, there were cheap costumes (which is kind of kitch, but just didn't work for us) and moderate vocals at best. Needless to say, at the intermission, we bolted. We felt a tad guilty, wondering if the performers would notice that 10% of the audience disappeared, but at the same time, as Dave pointed out, we didn't want to use up any of our last moments pre-parenthood doing anything but be happy doing what WE wanted!

Mom and I took a moment to pose outside of the theater. The plus side is that we got to listen to our favorite music...the downside is that Mom & I may have been able to karaoke better than them (which is scary since I have only done karaoke once...wasted at a wedding and if I have any true friends, they'll never let me do that again).

So, we came home and decided we were grateful to have some time back in our day to just relax at home. All was not lost - Mom got to see Fisherman's Wharf and got to get GREAT people-watching in during our walk to/from the car (mostly consisting of, "Y'all! Do you see that man over there? His fanny is hanging out of his pants!" and "Brooke! Look at that woman's dress! I think she is a pros-ti-tute!" (drawn out with Southern accent).

Fortunately, Dave and Mom did forgive me for my misjudgment of the performance. Mom and I are going to see MJ's "This Is It" movie tomorrow afternoon and hopefully that will help us get our music fix!

Baby news to follow soon (???), but all is well here on the homefront.

Proud Auntie...Riggs is CRAWLING!

2009-10-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

No offense to the parents out there, nor to my yet-to-be-born child, but in my 100% unbiased opinion, Riggs is gosh darn the CUTEST BABY!!!! I just want to eat him up. Lindsay & Jon just sent this video, which means I'll hit replay about 1,000 times today:

I mean, check out that mega-watt smile at the end! I told Jon that, while he gets to take credit that Riggs is a MiniMe of him, he also must take credit for the large dome that forces Riggs to topple over while he's crawling commando-style.

OMG...It Happened....

2009-10-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

So I was walking to the bathroom the other night (I still only do 0-2 trips per night...from what I understand, most preggo women are closer to 4-5 visits per night) and...it happened...I realized I was WADDLING. Whaaaaat? How did this happen??? I don't want to be a "waddler"!!! I have gone through this pregnancy escaping almost all of its downsides...my bladder is intact, I have taken approximately 10 Tums in the last 9 months (some women are at 10 Tums per day for Acid Reflux, Heartburn, Nausea, etc.), I just realized I have the slightest, slightest Sciatica (not even enough to be called "mild"...more like a touch of it a few times in the last couple of weeks), etc., etc. My point is, I have actually really enjoyed being pregnant. I kept waiting for the really hard part to hit me and it just hasn't! I have 3 weeks to go, so I don't want to get too cocky, but I can't imagine it all goes downhill from here. Now labor, that's a whole different story. But pregnancy, I have enjoyed!

So here we are - 37 WEEKS! Here is what The Bump has to say about 37 Weeks:

Your Pregnancy: Week 37
Today brings two beautiful words: full-term. Now, whenever baby's born, he's likely to thrive. Also thriving? Your nesting instincts, which are behind those sudden urges to bake, clean, or embroider a onesie. (Feminists, take your issue up with nature, not with us.)

I read this to Dave today and he started laughing and asked me to give him the heads up when the "nesting" kicked in. Hmmm....I hired a housecleaner, bought a bag of the premade cookie dough and I won't even touch the "embroider" concept. I attempted a grilled cheese twice this week and burnt it both times. What can I say? I guess I am just not the nesting type. I am, however, looking forward to my mini-retirement that starts in a week! My last day of work before Maternity Leave is next Friday (Oct. 30th) and then I am looking forward to a couple of weeks of nothingness before Baby Bryand arrives!

Here are a couple of pics Dave snapped today of The Belly:

THREE WEEKS TO GO!!!

One Month from Today...

2009-10-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have been MIA. Beyond MIA...I have dropped off the blogosphere roadmap.

BUT - I do have reason! One month. One month from today, Baby Bryand is due! Granted, I realize he will likely take his sweet time and arrive a week later so he can be greeted by his Aunt Lindsay, Uncle Jonny-Cakes and Cousin Riggs when they arrive to SF for Thanksgiving, but I am still counting down the due-date weeks with the expectation of ONE MONTH.

-- One month from now, we will get used to being awoken by baby wails rather than drunken party-goers.
-- One month from now, we'll hit the realization that we can't both go work out at the gym at the same time.
-- One month from now, we'll wish we did more date nights.
-- One month from now, we'll come to grips that it's no longer all-about-us.

Though I think all of these updates will take their toll on us, we also realize that:
-- One month from now, we'll have a bundle of joy in our arms...that we made.
-- One month from now, we will be a Mom and a Dad.
-- One month from now, we'll wonder what life was like before this baby existed in our lives.

In short, WE ARE EXCITED!!!! Today is October 12th and Baby Bryand is due to enter this world on November 12th. So where have we been for the last couple of months? We have been doing everything on our lists that we know are about to become luxury tasks in no time at all!

* I went to Raleigh for a Girls' Weekend where they threw me a fantastic baby shower. I ate Goodberry's every single day. DELIGHTFUL!
* Dad & Carolyn took a road trip from San Diego to San Francisco! We had a few days with them and it was AWESOME! I love having them here...next trip is New Years when the baby is here!
* We went to Connecticut to visit Dave's family, then went to Rhode Island to spend Labor Day celebrating two of our dearest cousins' 30th birthdays.
* Mom, Lindsay, Jon and Riggs came to SF for Riggs' first visit! Our fantastic SF girlfriends threw an awesome baby shower here at our place and didn't allow me to lift a finger. They surrounded us with love and we spent a wonderful weekend fawning over my smiley nephew!!!
* We took Babymoon Part 2 with Jaime & Jess to The Four Seasons Punta Mita (yep, 'cause we are that fancy). We had a dream trip and were pampered beyond belief.
* We spent a week in my favorite place on Earth...Lake Tahoe. The first weekend included a rental house with a dozen of our dearest friends in SF, the second weekend was celebrating the nuptials of one of the most beautiful brides I've ever seen (aka my manager and one of the sweetest, smartest women I know), and the week in-between was in my version of heaven....Jon's grandparents' house on the lake. Dave and I stayed in the guest cottage...approximately 300 square feet of perfectly laid out space that gives you everything you could possibly need and more. We had fires each night, remarked at how crazy it is to sleep in such quietude and just had a fantastic, relaxing week.
* Finally, we came HOME to San Francisco. I have been doing photo shoots, starting the "nesting" phase of pregnancy and just settling back into "normal" life (does it still count as "normal" if you spend more time in the abnormal than the routine??? not sure).

Regardless, we are thrilled to start in on the final month of my pregnancy! I have done my duty of eating daily ice cream, walking a lot and trying to fight off the "crazies" of crying for no apparent reason (reading a sweet card from a friend, doing laundry, hearing an excruciating birthing story...anything can set me off these days in a tear-fest!). Dave has done his duty of nightly footrubs, getting me aforementioned ice cream, and allowing the words, 'yes, dear' to become his favorite vocabulary terms. Tonight we are heading to the hospital for a tour and next week we take two classes on Infant CPR and breastfeeding...life has already changed!!!

Oh...and I almost forgot...also one month from now?? A HUGE Ketel One Martini with one olive and one onion for MAMA!!!!!

More posts to follow, I promise!

Best $49 Fried Chicken of My Life

2009-08-26T22:03:00.000-07:00

There's only one place notorious for their $49 fried chicken in NorCal...none other than Ad Hoc of Thomas Keller fame (the dude who also created French Laundry and Bouchon). Ad Hoc is known for their $49 4-course meals...the concept is that guests don't know until the day they arrive what will be served. So while it's not for the unadventurous eater, it is for foodies all around. Mondays are the exception to the mystery-meal in that every-other-Monday they serve FRIED CHICKEN!!!

Keeping in mind that Yountville (Napa) is about 1 1/2 hours away from SF, six of us made the journey on Monday night up there to experience a little bit of Fried Heaven.

First course: Watermelon with cole slaw
Second course: Fried Chicken, Mashed potatoes with mushrooms and roasted veggies from their garden
Third course: Cheese deliciousness with pluots and nuts
Fourth course: Lemon tart with raspberry yummyness on top

Meals are served family-style and you can ask for more of anything. Our goal going into the evening was to get seconds of the famed fried chicken, but we disappointed ourselves in filling up on all of the other courses and unable to down even one more gloriously salty bite.

The Famous Chicken...

Cheese course...

The crew...

The dinner was a birthday celebration for Davey (turning 31 this Friday). Thank you, ladies, for such a terrific night!

26 Weeks - Cucumber?

2009-08-06T08:37:00.000-07:00

What a lame-o description. I mean, I love cucumber as much as the next gal, but I don't quite get how the baby can be a cucumber this week and a cauliflower next week:

26 Weeks

27 Weeks (next week)

Regardless, I look forward to my weekly updates of what the baby is doing! This week, BabyCenter told me about the baby's increased hearing capabilities amongst other things. I feel him move a ton and it's become a nightly ritual for Dave to feel the baby kick while we are relaxing in the evenings or heading to bed. I love sharing it with him!

And...drumroll....pics of me. I have not yet become the size of a house and am feeling really, really great! We went to AQUACISE twice this week (yep, Dave the trooper came WITH ME!!!). It was us, 1 "portly" young woman, and 4 geezers who basically chatted it up for the entire hour...it was really cute! Yesterday's class I even had to stop and just walk in the shallow end - it was too intense!!! Who ever thought that Aquacise could be too intense??? Hey...don't knock it 'til you try it!

6+ months in and just 3 months and a week until the due date of November 12th!!!

Babymoon 2009...aka "Our Last Hurrah"

2009-08-03T22:59:00.000-07:00

The end is near, y'all! With 3 1/2 months to go before Baby Bryand arrives, Dave and I decided to take what is called a "Babymoon" (honeymoon before the baby arrives) to Hawaii! We went for one glorious, amazing week and didn't want it to end!

We spent 4 days on the Big Island and 4 days on Maui. We thought the Big Island was just okay but we l-o-v-e-d Maui! I have to give a huge caveat as our goal for the trip was to do...nothing. So part of the highlights of the Big Island are the volcanoes and the coffee plantations...we visited neither! Here is a slight recap:

The Big Island: Marriott
Thanks to the company I work for, I won an award last year and it paid for our ENTIRE Marriott stay of 4 nights!!! Awesome. Our bill when we left was a whopping $150 for coffee, room service, etc. YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!

Our first stop was of course to hit the BEACH!

Try to not get too blinded by our whitey-white bods!

We each had our treats...Dave's was poolside beers, while mine was ice cream in bed!

Dave jumping the kids in line to go down the slide

Haagen Daas...yummy!

We rented a car on both islands...a Mustang Convertible for both of them! We loved having the flexibility to cruise around the island and check out different beaches and restaurants.

I love this pic of Davey...so cute and "island-y"!

I also loved our matching-ish hats that we rocked...so fun!

...and that giant waxy flower in Dave's mouth fell from a banana tree...whacky!

Next, we went to MAUI!
Maui: Sheraton in Lahaina
We loved the beach feel of the island, the lush GREEN-NESS (the Big Island has a LOT of volcanic remnants, making it very black and brown). The hotel location was great for us and we enjoyed every moment.

The Sheraton had a cliff where people jumped off...so Dave had to check it out:

Jumping and Diving

We walked to dinner two nights (Leilani's and Hula Grill) and I looked forward to seeing what flower Dave would pick for my hair...yep, life was pretty easy!

Dinners were fun and delish. We had lots of fruit and fish every day (and ice cream...did I mention ice cream??? ahhhh). We stayed in two nights during the trip and had dinner and a movie in the room - loved it!

Heading to dinner one night while catching a luau

Outside of Hula Grill

We went snorkeling at Molokini one day, and debated the famous Road to Hana for another day. We decided to only go to the first stop - waterfalls - and were glad that we vegged out at the hotel as we later found out what a loooong day the Road to Hana is. The waterfall hike was moderate and beautiful...and Dave got up with the 16-year-olds and jumped!

Casually walking as if we have paparazzi with us...the usual...

While we did those few activities, most of our time was spent at the hotel beach & pool.

Dave checking out Paddle Boarding for the first time!

I spent 90% of my pool time reading...4 books = heaven!

Dave swimming away!

Thank you, lovey, for such an amazing trip together!!! I love you more than I can possibly tell you...and am so grateful for all that you are.

Here are a few more pics from the trip....

Riggles Update!

2009-08-03T07:46:00.000-07:00

Riggs is already 2 1/2 months old!!!! Time is FLYING by and Lindsay and Jon are doing great!

How ADORABLE is he???

We went to San Diego for the weekend (July 10-12...I'm just late!) and have been thinking about my sweet nephew ever since. He was just starting to learn to smile (not quite on command...more like we just got lucky here and there) and is just too cute!

Who could say no to this face??

Oh, I get it...easier to say no when THIS is the face!

I still can't get over how IDENTICAL he looks to Lindsay yawning here. I wish I had a picture of her yawning for a side-by-side comparison...I'll work on it!

Riggs...after his narcoleptic auntie's heart

Miss you, Riggs!

xoxo
Auntie B

21 Weeks!

2009-07-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

Baby Bryand is chuggin' along over here! I am now 21 weeks - over halfway!

I can feel lots and lots of kicking now, which is really fun (and reassuring)! The body is definitely changing...I am more out of breath, my old bras laugh at me and I finally discovered the joy and magic of MATERNITY JEANS!!! I haven't worn my own jeans for well over a month now and went to Old Navy and H&M to check out their maternity section. I wish I took a picture of each as they were a JOKE. I was so excited and we went out of our way to go there, only to find that each store had a mere CORNER of maternity wear. Old Navy had a total of 8 pairs of jeans...not 8 styles, but 8 pairs. They had one Size 8, so I snagged that and ran before anyone else could grab them! I am officially in heaven and understand why women have such a hard time giving up these pants post-pregnancy.

The new apartment is coming along great and I will post photos soon of the new digs!

The New 'Hood...Pacific Heights

2009-06-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

We are leaving the Marina and venturing 1.5 miles south (towards downtown). Dave was mentioning to a girlfriend of ours the other day that we'll likely start saving a lot of money on eating out since we "don't have anything" in our new neighborhood. The response from the friend was, "You're moving to Pac Heights - not the DESERT!"

And by the way...when Dave says there is "nothing" around...here is the Google Maps view when you type our new address and then type "search nearby restaurants":

Red Dots = Restaurants...that is Dave's equivalent of "nothing around"

Needless to say, I have a feeling we may not starve to death. Plus there is a Whole Foods, a Mollie Stone's (another small market) and a Safeway (giant grocery store) all within walking distance.

I also pulled up my trusty "BlackBook Guide to San Francisco" for their witty description of the new 'hood:

Clipped hedges, maids in uniform, and chauffeured Bentleys say it all. Just in case you were wondering how the other half lives, Pac Heights is here to show you.... Here we've got the Spreckels Mansion, home to Danielle Steel and her fashionista brood rocking the Proenza Schouler and Chanel couture. There we've got the usual private-school brats cutting calculus and brown-bagging it on the Lyon Street Steps. Upper Fillmore is the boutique strip, drawing tank-topped yoga hotties to the sundeck at Int'l Orange and blueblood playboys in crested blazers swirling their Pernods at Florio.

I'm not sure I completely agree with the description (seriously...it's a pretty chill neighborhood). Yes, it's well-off (for those who OWN...then there are us RENTERS-4-LIFE, but it's not snooty like the description says. Just people enjoying their lives...from a Hefeweizen beer on the sidewalk at The Grove to several clothing resale shops (granted, they sell Prada and Gucci), I for one, am looking forward to the change!

The big move is on Sunday. Mom arrives this morning and I am concerned she may have a heart attack when she walks into our apartment and sees the 2 boxes that we have packed thus far.... But hey...we are basically pros at moving at this point in our lives! I counted this as our 7th move in the last 9 years (yikes). We've got this process down pat!

Anything for The BOB...Stroller, That Is...

2009-06-22T07:01:00.001-07:00

My how life is already changed.

This weekend, with our girlfriend Jenn in town, I found myself doing a "photo shoot", but this time with ME as the subject. There is a stroller called The BOB that is super-popular. They hold a contest every month where they give away one BOB stroller and I was determined that this could be "my month".

The topic changes every month, and this month was, "Best Workout Outfit". I hiked up and down the Lyon Street Stairs while Jenn snapped away on the camera (on a tripod), then Dave did PhotoShop magic and here is the final submission!

"How many times do I have to do this???"

Entries are posted on their website for the month. Check out #16 on there now - Lindsay has entered too! She already has a BOB, but was a team player to get an extra creative entry in with ours.

Lindsay and Riggs Gettin' Buff

Fingers crossed!

The Proof Is In The Penis....

2009-06-15T07:20:00.000-07:00

We're having a BOY!!!!!

We had our 18-week ultrasound on Friday and got the fantastic news that Baby Bryand is a BOY!!!! No more worries of how I could suffer through hours of playing Barbie Dress-Up (considering at 31-years-old, I just emailed two dear friends to help me shop for a purse because I can't even do that myself), and excited to substitute that with teaching Baby Bryand how to properly throw a football and dunk on his daddy.

We have some pics (these days, they burn a full CD of the ultrasound images - very cool), so here are the pics where the technician labeled what you're looking at, and we took a quick (40 second) video of the experience!

Profile of Baby Bryand

The Proof

We haven't thought of names yet (we had a few girl names lined up, but no boy names), but are open for suggestions! Well, I shouldn't say "no" boy names...Dave has offered up the name "Aristotle" (as in the superhero of philosophy), but I shot that down when he barely got out, "How about Ar....". :-)

The other fun news in 18 weeks was that I finally felt the baby!!! As our friend Jen described, it's like POPCORN! Very, very cool feeling and rewarding to finally FEEL something! Now I get to feel the popcorn every 5-10 minutes and absolutely love knowing there is a little moving pomegranate-sized boy in there.

xoxo

The New Pad (can you keep up?)

2009-06-10T23:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are moving again!!! This will be our 3rd apartment in less than 3 years in San Francisco, but this one is here to stay (at least for the next 4 or so years we think!!!).

A friend-of-a-friend lived at our new abode for the last 6 years, leaving only because they decided to buy a home and therefore are moving to the 'burbs. We jumped (i.e. did everything but accost the property manager and owner) at the opportunity to apply for the apartment. Let me expand on the features:

* 2 BR (we are in a 1 BR now)
* Dishwasher (and I don't mean the elbow grease hands we have now! a REAL one!)
* Washer/Dryer (that we share with 1 other family - and NO QUARTERS!!!)
* Garage and therefore PARKING (whaaaaat? We have done street parking for the last 7 years - this is the true vision of luxury! No more parking tickets! No more racing around reading the Street Cleaning signs to determine if we are going to be towed that day from 10am-12pm! Yessss!). Although very, very tight space, we can hang our bike (we only have 1) from the ceiling...no more storing it in the living room, then rolling it into the bedroom when we have people over!
* Living Room AND Dining Room (they are separated by pocket doors...as in, there are two separate rooms that we can open as one or separate!
* Private Deck! It's on the south side and appears to get all of the sun - it's HUGE!
* Side area for storage and - gasp - our own grill! We've had one of those travel-grills (the kind that fit 2 burgers comfortably or 4 if you really crowd them). Now we have room (and can legally use) a real, grown-up grill!

Here are some pics:

Front door...2-unit building

Living Room

Dining Room

Private Deck!

Nursery...awwww!

As you can see, this is a complete dream in San Francisco apartment-land. The process was slightly stressful (it always is):
1) Get email from friend-of-friend stating they are going to move and the apartment is not yet on CraigsList!
2) Contact friend-of-friend immediately and set up time to see the apartment that day (giving little to no consideration to mom-group that was over at apartment at the same time...not worry, I'll just crawl over the cute little munchkins)
3) Fall in love and contact property manager the next morning via phone and email to get rental application Word doc.
4) Submit application the same day including "extras":
-- Bank statements (savings & checking)
-- Credit reports
-- Salary history
-- References
-- Personal plea as to why we are fantastic tenants, referencing stories from previous apartments where we "saved the day" by working from home and being available to deal with building crises.
5) Wait.
6) Wait.
7) Wait.
8) 9 days after submission: Get call that we were approved for an INTERVIEW!!!! Nervously stumble through interview with owner and property manager, again emphasizing how much we are looking forward to making this a true home for us. We are asked if they may come to our current apartment to see it. This was new to us, but refreshing that an owner actually cares who his tenants are!
9) Send link to photos of our current apartment within 10 minutes of arriving home (thank you, Blog!)
10) Wait.
11) Wait.
12) Panic.
13) Wait.
14) 2 weeks and 2 days pass and it's the last day they say they will make a decision. Gather confidence and CALL to find out status. Voicemail.
15) Receive call back within 10 minutes - WE ARE IN!!!
16) Freak out and celebrate for the next 24 hours, toasting water, champagne and everything else that arrives in a glass.

So, we are leaving the Marina (our current neighborhood) for Pacific Heights (equally as yuppy, but closer to mid-30s rather than early-30s for age-range...strollers abound). We move on July 1st!

Brooke Bryand Photography: Updates!

2009-06-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

Could I be more grateful for a husband who is a fellow photographer AND website designer AND graphic designer??? I am beyond words of gratitude for Dave's work on my kick-a$$ brand spankin' new Brooke Bryand Photography logo and business cards!!!

Check it out - logo (ignore the border around it)!

And the business cards - 6 different designs featuring the various types of photos I specialize in...and that is Riggs in the upper-left! And Lindsay's belly in the maternity one....

I am donating a photog session to a silent auction fundraiser and needed some print collateral, so Dave stepped in and I love them! Next steps? Postcards and my very first print advertisement (for www.thebump.com)!

One to Grow On....

2009-06-08T08:17:00.001-07:00

I am 17 weeks and some change! In fact, it will be 18 this Thursday...time is flying by!

We have taken pics each week, but they really aren't that dramatic of changes yet. I think the ice cream is catching up with me, but the growing baby is also the size of a pomegranate this week, which makes me feel a little better about myself (since it's all about me, right?).

15 weeks and 17 weeks

We find out on June 15th if it's a BOY or GIRL - can't wait! Our last check-up was about 1 1/2 weeks ago...the quick 5-minute appointment where we get to hear the heartbeat and head home.

I still don't "feel" pregnant (other than the demonic look I get in my eyes if I don't have ice cream each day...but that's normal, right?). My normal running routine of 3-4 times/week at 4.5 miles each time has cut down to...well...nothing. I attempted a run a week ago and was exhausted, so I ran about 20% and walked the rest of the route. I have been doing more Bar Method workouts. They even let you do a 1/2 class (and pay 1/2) for preggo-girls. So you get the arm, leg and butt workout for the first 30 minutes, then smile broadly and say, "see ya, suckahs" as you stroll out early.

The no-drinking thing has actually been not-so-bad! I can't say "GOOD" because it would be a lie if I didn't admit I'd love a Ketel One Martini any day of the week, but I definitely look forward to my 2-3 glasses per week that I'm allocated and treasure them like liquid gold. Dave got on the sobriety train with me over a month ago and that has been AMAZING. It has been such a tremendous help to have him go through (at least part of) this with me. He has some "freebies" thrown in, such as whenever we go to Napa or if he's with my bro-in-law, Jon, or a few other key events. All in all though, it's been the best gift he could possibly give me...truly.

I do listen to two podcasts that I should pass along for anyone else in my boat. One is Bounty's Preg Podcast and the other is Pea in the Podcast (both available FREE on iTunes). They are a week-by-week 5-minute recap of what is happening to the baby and to your body. I love them because they are so quick and I look forward to hearing them every week!

TAL: "Bad Bank"

2009-05-20T08:53:00.000-07:00

On non-baby news, This American Life (TAL) has put out another great podcast about the current economic situation. They break down what's up with the banks in a way ALL OF US can understand. I found it really interesting. As Ira Glass (the show host) mentions, if you think you're going to just sit on the sidelines for this news story and not actually get involved, you are mistaken.

Check it out here or download on iTunes.

Riggs' Flow Chart

2009-05-17T09:18:00.001-07:00

In the spirit of being a brother-in-law after my own heart, Jon has done the most adorable thing...he actually made a FLOW CHART of Riggs' "activities" in order to better read the mind of a 6-day-old that can't yet truly communicate.

It was too cute not to share:

xoxo
Auntie B

Riggles Wiggles...Day 4

2009-05-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

He's just so darn CUTE!!!

Lindsay & Jon & Riggs came home from the hospital yesterday! They are adjusting (to say the least) and are still on about 3 hours of sleep over the last 4 days. Dave is concerned that my narcoleptic butt won't be able to hang with this kind of schedule when our baby arrives and I have a feeling he is right! Poor baby...wake me up when you're 18.

Lindsay, Jon & Riggs with his first baby gift in the hospital...thanks, J!

When my girlfriend, Elizabeth, started her baby blog two years ago, I remember her posting a video of her son sleeping. As the non-parent, I laughed out loud as I kept watching it, waiting for something to happen! Finally, I GET IT!!! Here I am, doing the same exact thing...finding myself in awe of Baby Riggs doing...more or less...nothing. I could stare for hours.

Without further ado, I present..."Riggles Wiggles":

(Don't say I didn't warn you...it is literally Riggs being...well...a 4-day-old!)

I'm such a loser...but here is a 10-sec clip of Riggs yawning...he looks EXACTLY like Lindsay!

xoxo,
Auntie B

Riggs Update: Day 2!

2009-05-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

I know I'm biased. But seriously. He's the CUTEST!

Here is a quick video we got last night. Riggs is just getting comfortable and fussing a bit, but in his first 36 hours, he has been a great, active little boy.

We celebrated with some Mumm sparkling wine and "Big Daddy" IPA brewskies that Lindsay & Jon bought in advance. YUM!

We also dropped off a framed 8x10 photo and a little starter "brag book" of photos from yesterday for Lindsay & Jon to enjoy while they are in the hospital. Lindsay and Jon both look slightly more rested today, though even during my two 30 minute-visits, they must have had 10 visitors...a constant flow of in-and-out for food, vitals, updates, etc. Wow. I mean, don't they get that I'm trying to shoot VIDEO in here??? Some people....

Here are the proud parents checking out the goods:

xoxo
Auntie Brooke

Introducing...RIGGS RYNEARSON!

2009-05-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

Well, he took his sweet time entering this world (due May 6th, arriving May 11th), but we are SO ELATED he is here!!!

Lindsay & Jon welcomed their first son, Riggs Rynearson, this morning at 9:45am. It has been a long, long 36 hours for us, the bystanders...so I can only imagine what it's been like for Lindsay & Jon!

On Saturday night, Mom, Tammy (Jon's mom), Dave and I went to Lindsay & Jon's where we played cards and hung out. Lindsay's stomach kept getting really tight and - this is where you'll realize how absolutely new at this we are - we said to each other...scratch that - CONVINCED each other that the "tightness" must be what contractions are and that Lindsay just deals with pain better than the average woman. The contractions didn't hurt at all, just had a tightness in her belly for 15-30 seconds, then went away. Silly, silly sisters...how wrong you were.

About 1:30am, Lindsay got a taste of the REAL contractions. She and Jon were up all night timing them and they continued every 5-15 minutes until 7:00pm Sunday night, when they finally headed to the hospital!

Backing up a moment, Sunday (Mother's Day), Lindsay & Jon came over to Mom's place for about an hour in-between bouts of pain, where Tammy & Mom opened gifts and Lindsay even got one a little early from us:

Riggs' First Superstar Outfit

Then...the real fun began (for Lindsay at least...Mom, Tammy, Dave and I spent the afternoon shopping and reading in the sun). The contractions continued throughout the day and they held out until they were 5 mins apart and approximately 1 minute each before going to the hospital at 7:00pm. The doctors and nurses were all proud of them for holding out the appropriate time. She was 5cm dilated, which was "perfect". Mom, Tammy, Dave and I went down to the hospital to wait it out, holding out hope for a possible Mother's Day birth. Again, how very wrong we were! 9:00....10:00...11:00...12:00...the clock seemed to be frozen. Dave and I went back to Kitty's house and slept in a real bed from 1am-6am, then came back as Lindsay was finally ready to push! 3 hours and 45 mins later, Riggs FINALLY arrived!!!

We (of course) snapped some pics as we bombarded their room about an hour later and were all overjoyed at this amazing creation they made.

And a slideshow of about 14 pics from the event....

Weighing in at 9lbs, 3oz and 21 inches, I was astounded that Lindsay could a) carry this being to term and b) could get it OUT of her when the time came. I am in complete awe, and slightly scared of what my November due date is about to bring us!

Riggs is absolutely precious and I promise more photos very, very soon as proud Auntie!

Riggs Watch 2009 Continues

2009-05-08T07:59:00.000-07:00

Lindsay & Jon's son, Riggs, was due earlier this week. Dave and I flew down to San Diego on Thursday morning "just in case" and figured we'd work from here Thurs/Fri and SURELY he would make his appearance the moment our plane touched the ground.

Clearly, this is LINDSAY'S son...coming in his own sweet time and not held to the Almighty Google Calendar that I adhere to (our baby better arrive on November 12th and not a moment later...I plan to have a Ketel One Martini delivered to the hospital and if that kid makes me wait one extra moment...well, let's just say, Dave might have to strap on the Man-Boob from "Meet the Fockers" for the sake of the development of our child).

So the GOOD news, and most important, is that Lindsay is feeling great! She's been swimming at the Y for the last few days and loves feeling a little lighter in her loafers. She rocks a bikini (which is amazing that she can still FIT in a bikini, but I guess that's what happens when you limit yourself to just one ice cream cone a night...perhaps I should consider learning from her and put down the chocolate chip cookie in my hand...naaaaah) and I'm sure she gets some interesting looks from the other swimmers (little did the 80-year-olds also swimming at the Y know they could be a part of a surprise water birth at any time), but she just floats along (with flotation device assistance)...I mean she is 9 1/2 MONTHS PREGNANT, Y'ALL!!!

Jon's mom arrives today from Texas. I wish everyone could meet her...seriously one of the neatest women I've ever met. One of those people that just makes you feel GOOD by standing next to her (well, except that - at 31 years old - they will ask her if I'm her older sister because she looks so fantastic...and I'm not exaggerating). Can't wait to see her!

In the meantime, in case you haven't had the pleasure of seeing this, I have decided to ditch Baby Einstein for our child and instead put this on...over...and over...and over in hopes that our child can rock some serious rhythm by the time he/she is 6 months old.

I mean, the little red-head SLAPPING HIS OWN A$$?!?!? HILARIOUS!!!! I love these kids. And I love their parents for exposing them to the real American culture at such a young, impressionable age. I might have to write them a fan letter for this stroke of genius, as they are my new idols.

xoxo,
Anxiously Awaiting,
Auntie Brooke

We're Having a BABY!!!!

2009-05-02T13:32:00.001-07:00

Yes, we've done it. We are giving up our nights of Jaeger Bombs and 2am Dance Parties and trading them in for 2am Diaper Duty and Friday Night Movies! I am 12 weeks pregnant and due November 12th!

We had an ultrasound on Friday (also our 5-year wedding anniversary) where the doc gave us the all-clear to finally share the news with the world! Here is a short video of the ultrasound (yes...I do realize this is exciting only to us, so feel free to skip the clicking...but it is cool to see it kick even though I don't feel a thing!):

Things have been going really well...no sickness, I can continue running (until I can't see my feet, says my doctor) and - this is the biggie - I can take down 2 glasses of wine per week. PHEW. The doc even blessed sushi (which I had heard was a no-no...but that's basically if you eat it off a street cart...as long as you know it's from a reputable place, it's as safe as anything else). I successfully made it through the "Crazies Phase" without too much carnage (on Dave's behalf...though, he is a saint...let's admit it) and am now feeling much more awake and myself again!

More to follow soon with the shenanigans (or lack thereof) of a Sober Pregnant Woman. 3 months down, 6 1/2 to go!

With our anniversary yesterday, Dave also surprised me with special Alton Brown blueberry & banana pancakes on a new griddle he got us and he covered the chalkboard with pics of us through the years and a sweet note! We watched our wedding DVD (it's about 5-10 mins...we edited it ourselves back in the day) and had such a great day! We cancelled our fancy reservations at Acquerello and opted for a solid 8 hours on the couch watching TV/movies instead with dirty take-out Chinese food followed by an It's-It. HEAVEN!

I am OFFICIAL, y'all!

2009-04-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

I did it. Took the plunge. Pulled the plug (as my sis likes to say). I launched my very own website for photography!

Welcome to.....Brooke Bryand Photography

CHECK IT OUT!!! *
http://brookebryand.com/

* Caution: Music plays!

I am so very excited to make this "professional" step. In the past, I have emailed photo samples to people who wanted me to take pictures for them...very antiquated for the wife-of-a-website-designer! At long last, my very own.

Lindsay's Lookin' PREG-NANT!!!

2009-04-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

Lindsay is due in just a couple of weeks (May 5th, 2009) with their first baby...a BOY! We are all beside ourselves with excitement and ready to jump on a plane at any moment!

Dave and I flew to San Diego a couple of weeks ago for her baby shower and I got a chance to take some maternity pictures of Lindsay while we were there. Here are a few of my favorites...she looks absolutely fantastic!

Their dog, Jack, snuck in for one too

We went down to La Jolla Cove for a second shoot

Sis and Me Hammin' it up

Can't wait to welcome our nephew into this world!!!

Where For Art Thou, Blog-a-log???

2009-04-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure exactly WHAT happened that caused me to be MIA for almost two months, but I am finally BACK! The funny thing about the blog is that if I don't document it, it's like it never happened....my memory is that of a 90-year-old, so this helps me remember and appreciate all of our experiences!

So - where I left off....the annual SF Chronicle Wine Tasting!!! It was at the end of February and we went out with a BANG. We decided that prior to the 3 hour wine-tasting, we better pre-party at our place with a champagne bar (thanks especially to Adrienne for providing amazing melon bellinis!).

Pre-Party Action

Quite Possibly My Fave Pic...Rollin' Deep with Solos to the Wine Tasting

At the wine tasting, we dove into the food tastings...major caterers and SF restaurants showcase their skillz and we were happy to try as many as possible!

Jess & Jaime Checkin' Out the Food

The Scene

As you can see in the above pic, there were thousands of people and several rows of wines to taste. In three hours, we made it down just ONE ROW!!! We tried to start a second row and got about 5 wineries deep...aka NOWHERE! We were having way too much fun being goofy.

Davey and I Outside of Fort Mason

Group Photo!

We then decided it was a great idea to come back to our 700 square foot apartment with all 20 of us and rock out to L-O-U-D music (Dance Party USA, included), eat whatever scraps we had in the kitchen (and I do mean scraps...Dave and I don't cook, so Monica scavenged some 8-month-old-frozen tater tots to serve guests...ridiculous), and finally ordered pizza which we immediately devoured.

Finally, around 10pm (this started at 12pm), we headed to a club (111 Minna...aka "Triple Sticks") for an 80s party. I love this picture of Monica against the club backdrop of celeb pics:

Monica, Being the 80s Pop Star that she is

Dave and I Giving Mad Love to Redman

We had a fantastic time and were once again reminded of how grateful we are for our friends here in San Francisco! xoxo

Skiing in Tahoe!

2009-02-23T12:59:00.000-08:00

We went to Tahoe last weekend for our one and only ski trip of 2009! There were 9 of us in a rental house (thanks to Jen for organizing!) and it was a beautiful weekend!

Jen & I worked on Friday while Dave and everyone else skied (Jen is pregnant, so no skiing for her this year!)

Heidi, Monica and Dave starting the day off

Dave filming Heidi at Squaw

I made Elizabeth's famous yellow cake batter cookies on Friday and, although they were flat as pancakes due to the elevation, they were still delicious!

On Saturday, the entire crew (sans Jen) skied and we had a great day! We were at Alpine and it was really fun.

Dave and I at the top of Summit Six

The Crew during our Lunch Break!

Dave Skiing at Alpine

Jen made a fantastic chicken dinner (with sous chef hubby Alex), followed by a heated game of "Celebrity" that left us all in tears laughing!

Dave, Ali, Monica and Clayton also made use of the hot tub. We have a "tradition" that snow angels need to be made while in our bathing suits and Dave and Clayton decided to relive their 2007 induction. I thought this was HILARIOUS!

Dave and Clayton Making Snow Angels

We drove back on Sunday...it took us 3 hours to get to Tahoe early (4am) on Thursday morning, but 6 hours to get back to SF on the return! Well worth every moment.

It is weekends like this that make me so grateful for our fantastic friends! More photos can be found here:

Raleighwood, Baby (literally...lots of them!)

2009-02-14T14:42:00.001-08:00

I had a much-anticipated long weekend in Raleigh last weekend and it completely lived up to expectations!

I arrived on Thursday and we had a "Girls' Dinner" that night at one of the favorite little Italian cafes...Bella Monica.

Half of the table...ahhh, nice to be "home"!

On Friday, we had a kiddie "photo shoot" to let me get extra practice, especially with my new "grown-up" lens (which I'm terrified of).

We started out with fun-fun-fun....

Natalie & Caroline going down the speedy slide

But then....

Sweet Dino BROKE HIS ANKLE!!!

Meg rushed him to Urgent Care and we had a series of less-serious injuries over the next hour until we just gave up altogether!

A few highlights from our playtime:

Rives...."On The Case!

Nay & Caroline...precious!

Emerson & Sydney...chillin' amongst the chaos!

Friday night, Nay & Natalie had us over to their house for an adult/kiddie get together. I was amazed and shocked when, one by one, each of the kids walked out to the living room with THESE SHIRTS ON!!!

Seriously? I melted.

Adorable!

On Saturday, Meg and I headed to a baby shower for Lindsay. Her girlfriends did a fantastic job of planning it and Lindsay looked fantastic!

The three moms-to-be...

Mom, Lindsay and me...

Meg and I departing...wine in tow!

We hit the town on Saturday night with the crew...no kids with us this night!

Elizabeth wore this shirt Meg found...a joke from their August trip here to SF

Just getting more and more ridiculous with each other...

Lindsay & Sunita came out with us and pregnant Lindsay was out until 2am with the rest of us!!! She is such a trooper - I certainly hope I am like her someday!

Sunday was pretty low-key. I got to spend time with my cousins who live in Raleigh, then hit up a rooftop bar with Meg & Nicole, then laid low back at Meg's for my last night in Raleigh.

I caught this very quick clip of Meg's son, Dino (the one with the broken ankle...poor thing...) getting kisses from Marco!

Dino swapping kisses with Daddy Marco

THANK YOU, girls, for not just this weekend, but for being the fantastic women of my life. I love you! xoxo

Biking, Wine Tasting and Running...Oh My!

2009-02-10T07:40:00.000-08:00

Our friend Katie visited us from the east coast a couple of weeks ago and we had a GREAT time! She and Dave grew up in the same town and then she and Dave were "reunited" when the three of us all went to BC together.

It was her first trip to Cali and we were super-excited for her arrival! She flew in for 72 hours (!), so we had a lot of ground to cover!

Checkin' out the SF Bay

We had amazing weather for the entire weekend she was here and we took full advantage!

On Friday, Kate and I had the day to ourselves. The three of us got coffee together in the morning, then Kate and I biked across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito...

Checking out the GG Bridge Tourist Center...this is the actual width of the cables!

Loving the view from the Bridge!

Ferrying back to SF from Sausalito

After we got back to SF, we biked to Ghirardelli Square. This is about 1 mile from our apartment and I had never been, so I was really excited to check it out! We didn't see too much as we got sidetracked by the first wine tasting place we saw! Two hours later, we finally got on our bikes again and headed home.

On Saturday, we headed up to Napa for the day! I love this picture of Dave & Katie together:

Katie listening intently to the description....just POUR, lady!!

Mustard season just kicked off -beautiful yellow all around!

Dave enjoying my favorite dessert wine of all time...Honig Late Harvest Sauv Blanc

Sweet nectar from the gods....

The doggie at Honig...so adorable!

Sailboats all over the Marina/SF Bay

On Sunday (aka Super Bowl Sunday), we had a big RACE that morning! Dave & Kate ran the 5K and I ran the 1/2 marathon! Our friends Heidi & Beth also ran the half and it was awesome!

The running crew...

Having fun around mile 8....

I was thrilled with my time for the 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles). I ran it in 2:07:34....for comparison, I ran the La Jolla Half Marathon in 2008 in 2:45!!! A huge improvement (mentally and physically) over last year (which, at the time, was the furthest I had run in my life). What a difference a year makes!

Short clip of the race...beautiful ocean background!

After the race, we had some friends over to watch the Super Bowl and gorge ourselves on food. I knocked out multiple beers, wings, pizza, various dips, more chips than any human should be allowed to consume, and so much more. And that was just "lunch". Ahhh, it's nice to run 13 miles and then eat like it doesn't count!

I was just warming up with this feast....

More photos can be found here.....

Thank you, Katie, for coming out to SF for a visit! It was great to have a piece of "home" out here with us. xoxo

Doin' It Up, Laundry Style

2009-01-27T07:43:00.000-08:00

At long last, FRENCH LAUNDRY was last weekend! We have been waiting (as you blog readers know), since last SPRING to get a reservation at this Yountville establishment. Let me start by saying, it did not disappoint!!!

We headed up to Napa on Saturday afternoon, checked into our hotel (Silverado), then hung out until about 4:30 when it was cocktail hour (for us at least) in the main bar of the hotel. We enjoyed a glass of bubbly before our fancy "taxi" (black sedan - I felt very celeb-like) arrived.

Dave's adorable bowtie Dad picked out from Ben Silver in Charleston

Chris, Valerie & Us Outside the Restaurant

Our reservation was at 5:30pm and it was perfect (especially for my self-diagnosed narcolepsy at all the wrong times). The servers were extremely knowledgable without being snooty. In fact, I think they were all around our age, which made it easier to relax!

The sommelier was very helpful in helping us select each wine. We each started with a glass of "something" (all over the board). We brought a very special bottle of red with us that a dear friend gave us and we enjoyed every last drop! We then ordered two more bottles that the sommelier picked out for us (we had to give a price range as the CHEAPEST bottle on the menu was about $110 - somehow, my "frugal" self played it cool, though!). He did not disappoint and we absolutely enjoyed ourselves without getting crazy tipsy (remember, we were at this meal for 3 HOURS!).

The food, the food, the food. This ain't your mama's mac'n'cheese, y'all! Here is the menu from that night (changes daily):

After two delicious "Amuse Bouche" tasty creations, we started with the 1st course - "Oysters and Pearls". They were delicious and the perfect taster to lead us into the second course - choice of salad or Foie Gras. I had the salad, while the three of them upgraded to the Foie Gras and it was DIVINE! One of my favorite courses, for sure. The only comparison is like the richest peanut butter you can imagine (minus the peanut flavor) that just melts in your mouth, on a warm brioche...YUM! 3rd course I had Tuna Tartare which was done to perfection, then for the 4th course - wait for it - Maine Lobster "mitts" that, as I understand it, are the tiniest part of the inside of the claw. Each piece was about the size of a half-dollar and was heaven in the mouth. I agree with Valerie - I could eat an entire vat of just that! 5th course was a delicious Quail and we had to take a break after that! We went outside into the garden area and even though it was chilly, it was a perfect intermission to get some fresh air, let our delicious wine and food settle, and get right back in to enjoy the remaining courses. For the 6th course, I had the Lamb Ribeye which was coated in some type of bread crumbs and when you put your fork down on the meat, it just sinks in from the tenderness. Ahhhhh. The 7th course brought a perfectly paired cheese selection, followed by a sorbet for the 8th course, and then we finished our 9th and final course with dessert. Oh, dessert. I had the chocolate mousse with banana ice cream that was out of this world, Chris had the pineapple, and Dave & Valerie ordered "off the menu", requesting some folkloric "doughnut holes & coffee" that Valerie had heard about. Wow. Their choice was amazing - a fresh-fresh-fresh gourmet doughnut hole accompanied by a semifreddo coffee of sorts...it was divine! After all 9+ courses were over, they then brought additional sweets (an entire tower of them, actually) and we devoured those as well!

We finished the night with a kitchen tour. It was a symphony of activity in there. I recalled my days waitressing at The Ground Round while at BC and - well - let's just say it was nothing like that!

Taking our Kitchen Tour

Quick Kitchen Tour...Serenity!

The four of us - good times!

Until Next Time...or I should say, "Until We Hit the Lotto", French Laundry!

Thank you, Bryand-Clark Family, for making this all possible! More photos from the adventure can be found here.

We stayed the day in Napa on Sunday, having a glass of sparkling at Mumm, then meandering back to San Fran. After having "the meal of our lives", what kind of dinner could we possibly follow that up with? Oh yeah...we are klassy-with-a-k. We had Lucky Charms & Soy Milk at home. BALLERS!

We've Got Wings.

2009-01-23T16:11:00.001-08:00

Not Buffalo Wings (quite possibly my favorite food of all time), but rather YOGA ANTI-GRAVITY WINGS! We tried a new class today at Crunch and it was so fun! Very different and at times bizarrely uncomfortable, but so unique and definitely a fun workout.

Here is their video on YouTube which hardly does it justice:

Dave and I were FAR more awkward than the people in the video, but we more or less held our own for first-timers!

House of Prime Rib....A Carnivore's Dream

2009-01-21T22:29:00.000-08:00

Being as frugal as I am, you can guess that I am a HUGE fan of Goldstar, a site that offers half price discounts to tons of activities in various cities (plays, comedy, tours, music, etc.). If you haven't checked it out, you're sleepin'...there are great deals on there!

Before the holidays, we saw that a play called Santaland Diaries, written by David Sedaris, was being performed at a small theater downtown. Our friends Jen & Alex are Sedaris fans and we got our $10 tickets to see the show. The show is about Sedaris' experience one holiday season working as an ELF at Macy's. It goes through some pretty funny scenarios, though I must admit would be much funnier if performed by David Sedaris himself. Alas, it was nice to see a live performance. Afterwards, we were all in the mood for some red meat and Jen & Alex suggested this place called The House of Prime Rib. We had seen this place on Van Ness (a major street in SF, clogged with rather tacky storefronts) and figured it was a really old tourist trap. Just goes to show our IGNORANCE as we walked in to a Carnivore Mecca! The interior design is classic and tasteful. We were there on a Sunday night at 5:30pm, expecting the crowd inside to be just us and blue-hairs. Instead, the place was PACKED and we had to wait an hour until our 6:30pm reservation had arrived!

I should start by saying the service is phenomenal. These are professionals who not only do a fantastic job at "serving", but have wonderful personalities and immediately bond with your table, making you feel like you are the only VIP in the house.

As for the menu, there are basically two choices....Prime Rib four different ways, or seafood. That's IT. Sweet and simple! Also included is a house salad, baked potato and a choice of creamed spinach or creamed corn (you might be able to tell from this description that this is definitely NOT somewhere to go if you're on a diet or don't want a heart attack to hit you...though that might be worth it because the food is so darn good).

We took a short video, which in no way captures the joy in our hearts. I think we were all stunned at the slabs of delicious cow before us, but know the excitement is deep within!

My coworker, Matt, goes to House of Prime Rib ("HOPR" as I will now affectionately name it) for his Guys' Night a few times a year and I honestly never got it as to why they picked this place. I assumed it was some type of dirty hole-in-the-wall where "men can be men" and eat more prime rib than should be allowable by law. I have now SEEN THE LIGHT. For those of you in SF that had the same misconception, stop what you're doing and find a special occasion to go there NOW!

Although Santaland Diaries was a bit disappointing (Jen, Alex and Dave all had to be nudged to stay awake during portions...surprisingly, my narcoleptic self was not the issue...once), we have now dedicated HOPR as an annual holiday tradition for the Bauer/Bryand households! Jen is pregnant with their first child, so I am publicly calling DIBS on the baby's leftovers!!!

Dad's Day!

2009-01-20T21:48:00.000-08:00

Although belated, I wanted to share one of my favorite days of the holiday. For Dad's Xmas present this year (technically last year), we created "Dad's Day". We wrote clues (aka cheesy poems) that led Dad through a day-long scavenger hunt!

The first clue instructed him to meet us at the front door at 10am with exercise shoes on. We started with a family walk around their neighborhood, then came back and he discovered Clue #2 in the mailbox, which led him to find a jump rope hidden in the garden. My dad has always liked the CONCEPT of jump roping, but I wouldn't say he's entering a competition anytime soon. Dave and I have been the family jump roping "connoisseurs" for the last several years because we got such great experience when we were taking boxing classes in San Diego.

Here's a recap of Dad's Jump Roping Skillz (yes, with a "z"):

The turnaround is my favorite part

And just to give some perspective, check this out (48 seconds long):

Can we acknowledge the huge GRIN on her face???

Clue #3 led the guys to a "Man Spa" in downtown Charleston called Gents (try not to judge them on their horrendous website). It's pretty much a man dream...you walk in and are asked if you want a beer to get the treatment going. On the coffee table are issues of GQ, Maxim, even Playboy! You are then led to your treatment of choice (old-fashioned shave, haircut, massage, facial, manicure, pedicure, etc.) where there is a beautiful bombshell woman awaiting you. No happy endings here (this is my DAD, people!), but definitely a great way to get your man to enjoy a little pampering of his own.

The guys post-Gents

After Gents, we grabbed lunch and headed back to Mt. Pleasant for a few hours before Cocktail Hour took place and (thanks to our Designated Driver, Pregnant Lindsay), we then went back to Charleston to eat at Slightly North of Broad. None of the "kids" had ever been there, so we were excited!

SNOB

Clue #5 led us to have "the best" coconut cake in all of Charleston, at Peninsula Grill. We intended to just grab a slice or two and eat standing up in the bar area (if you've been there, a rather small/narrow space), but we were instead pleasantly surprised as we were ushered into a semi-private drawing room where we had our own waiter and everything! I must say, the coconut cake was DIVINE!

Royal Treatment at Peninsula Grill

Our final clue was leading the group to High Cotton for some live jazz, but we were all POOPED and had to give up after the coconut cake.

What a great day for ALL of us! I'm not sure of my favorite part, but I can put a strong vote behind the jump rope "competition"!!

New Years in Charleston, Y'all!

2009-01-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

After almost a week in Connecticut, we spent a week in Charleston visiting with Dad & Carolyn! Lindsay and Jon spent Xmas in Texas with Jon's parents, then met us in Charleston as well which was perfect!

Dad & Carolyn moved into a new house last spring and it was the first time any of us "kids" got to see the new pad! We all fell in love with it and immediately felt at home there. The neighborhood is wonderful and the house and yard allow them the space they have wanted after 10+ years in downtown Charleston!

On New Years Eve, along with Resolutions, we had a Twisting Contest (I debated posting the video, but fear incriminating those of us who perhaps are not Professional Twisters???), Vodka Oyster Shooters and a Fireworks Tank Contest amongst other things! It was a great night...here are some of the highlights:

Festive Hats Set the Mood!

The Guys' Skimmers are Also a Tradition

I'm not sure who invented the concept of Oyster Shooters, but the should be forced to listen to Barbara Streisdand music on repeat in a padded room with no windows....HORRIBLE!

The TANKS! Yep, Fireworks are LEGAL in SC! Gotta Love the Dirty South

The Group...

New Years Day brought us to Sullivan's Island where the annual Dunleavy's Polar Bear "Take the Plunge" Swim takes place every year! Last year we participated, but this year it was just TOO COLD!!! Miraculously, thousands of others did not share our opinion and dressed for the occasion! Me? I decided champagne was a friendlier companion than the frigid waters....

The Ambush to the Ocean

You can see by our clothes how COLD it was!

More to follow on the Charleston trip, especially "Dad's Day" (our gift to Dad this year for Christmas). So fun - we miss everyone already!

Christmas in Connecticut!

2009-01-08T07:34:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas this year in snowy white Connecticut with Dave's family and it was great! We got to see almost everybody on our "wish list" and had a great time.

On Christmas Eve, the Bryand side of the family came over to the house - so fun!

The Bryand Men...

...And the Ladies!

We also had a night to go out with "just the kids" - a first for me. I've known Dave's family since we were 19, but it's taken 11 years for me to go out socially with his cousins - what a blast!

Dave and the Ladies

Dave's Hottie Cousins

It's always hard to leave the family...especially when we know it will be several months until we see them again! We had a fun time though and it was on to Charleston from there! More to come...

New Year, New Me!

2009-01-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

2009 is heeeeeere! I am several blog posts behind, so we'll be out of order, but wanted to acknowledge that it's January 7th and New Years Resolutions have certainly kicked in!

Our family has the tradition (from my Dad) to create New Years Resolutions every year and present them to each other to kick off the new year. Last year I shared them publicly on the blog and it helped me stay accountable for my goals. I am posting an update on what was accomplished last year and what I'm "recycling" for 2009!

Brooklyn's 2009 (and a few 2008!) Resolutions
Mind:
* Refresh and Relearn Spanish with a Rosetta Stone Course
* Take a Photoshop course (1st Qtr 2008)
* Take Advanced Excel course (1st Qtr 2008)

Body:
* Maintain average weight of 140 lbs!
* Complete one Int'l Triathlon (note: completed SPRINT triathlon in 2008...this will be 2x distance!)
* Complete Kaiser San Fran 1/2 Marathon in FASTER time than La Jolla Half in 2008
* 20 (boy) Push-Ups! (YES! I can do this now, but need to keep it up in 2009!)

Love/Family:
* Take at least TWO trips with the love of my life...(DAVE...not my other love, CHOCOLATE)
* Spoil the HECK out of my new nephew!!!

One of the resolutions will be knocked off the list on February 1st - the Kaiser SF Half Marathon! I am running it along with Beth, Heidi (tri partner in crime), and two friends from our BC days - Brian & Abbey! The highlight of that day and weekend is that our friend Katie is flying in from Connecticut!!! We got to visit with her and her hubby Paul over Christmas and she booked a ticket to visit us at the end of this month! She will be running the 5K with Dave (his agreement with her was that if she came to SF, he would run a 5K with her...little did he know she would take him up on it!!!).

Route for the SF Kaiser Half Marathon

And since I am slightly out of order for the blog, here is a picture of us visiting Katie & Paul last month at their house. We had great wine and snacks while we also got to see her brother Keith (Dave & Keith grew up together), Keith's stellar wife, Nicole, and their adorable baby boy, Jake.

What's better than mid-day wine tasting??

So let's go, 2009!!! As Oprah says (yes, I am quoting her...don't judge me), "LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE"

xoxo

Pass the Vino!

2008-12-31T14:34:00.001-08:00

In lieu of a traditional holiday party this year, we decided to get together with a few friends for a wine tasting party at our apartment. All of us head to Napa/Sonoma with every chance we get, so we have all accumulated several bottles of delicious wine that we always seem to be saving for a "special occasion". What better occasion than making one up for ourselves???

The Wine Selection...

A few bites to nibble on...

Some of the Crew

Dave, The Ladies' Man

The Full Crew

We are so grateful for our SF friends. They have made our first two years in San Francisco completely and totally amazing. Our lives are enriched ten-fold because each and every one of them are in it - thank you guys! xoxo

Giving Thanks....

2008-12-31T11:31:00.000-08:00

You'd think I'd rock a Christmas post right now, but I can't pull the trigger on that until a proper Thanksgiving post is "live". We had such a great time and I don't want to miss a chance to capture it! We headed down to San Diego to see Mom, Lindsay and Jon and had gorgeous weather for the week! I enjoyed running through our old 'hood in La Jolla.

Dinner this year was - GASP - cooked almost entirely by Lindsay and me. The guys did the turkey and my Mom did the gravy and biscuits, but Lindsay and I managed to cook everything else! It was enjoyable and relaxing...even for a novice like myself. We weren't stressed out at all, though I was grateful it was just the 5 of us as our timing was slightly off...the turkey was done on time but Lindsay and I weren't done cooking for another 2 hours. Ha ha!

Lindsay and I as Chefs

Mom's look is priceless...Lindsay and I forgot to bake the sweet potatoes! Oops!

What? Isn't this one of the perks??

Seriously Delicious Vino

Dave Officially Carving the Turkey

Mama..Wine Pourer Extraordinaire

After dinner, we headed to the beach (about 3 blocks from Mom's place) and let Lindsay & Jon's dog, Jack, run along the sand/ocean. It was a gorgeous day!

Jon and Jack...two peas in a pod

Ahhh, Thanksgiving! Why, oh why, don't we have turkey more than once a year???

Very Sweet Video

2008-12-16T12:04:00.000-08:00

My friend Natali sent this link to me of this amazing author named Kelly Corrigan who wrote a book about her experiences with her girlfriends and the support they provide her. Warning, you will definitely, definitely cry....but it is so wonderful and made me so grateful for the ladies in my life.

Cheers to girlfriends!

Babies'R'Not'Us...

2008-12-12T07:32:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving down in Sunny San Diego this year with Mom, Lindsay and Jon (and Baby Ryno, in Lindsay's belly!).

Lindsay, Mom and I hit up Babies'R'Us for L to register and get a starting idea of what she'll need as a mom-to-be. Not surprisingly, the word overwhelming doesn't even begin to describe the feeling all three of us had as we embarked on the journey.

Lindsay apprehensively scanning

I mean, is it really necessary to have 5,000,000 choices of a bottle that the baby will use for 6 mos-1 year?? Seriously? And who knew that jogging strollers have MP3 holders and PEDOMETERS on them?!?! So cool! Though, then we learned that if you get a jogging stroller, you STILL need a "regular" stroller, I guess due to the monstrous size. Hmph.

Mom picked out her favorite bib...

"I love my Nana" bib

...and had to put her glasses on to read up on the 20-types of Baby Bjorn-type things (front only? back only? front and back? Kelte?).

We had a great time strolling the aisles and picking out fun goodies. Lindsay's bump is showing a little bit and we are all super-excited for May 2009!

Home Improvement 2008

2008-12-10T09:52:00.000-08:00

Dave and I went on a home improvement spree last weekend! What started it was receiving a dresser Mom had down in La Jolla (from the Raleigh house) that she generously offered up to us. We have converted it into a bar, which forced us to actually assess our bar (and especially wine) situation with new eyes.

WOW.

So here is the "before" picture.

Yes, that is wine on the floor

I feel like it was one of those situations where we didn't even realize how out-of-control it was until we realized how much better it could be!

We hit up Ikea for a wine storage solution that could fit in our hall closet and are THRILLED with the outcome!

New wine storage solution in the closet - yaay!

The new bar is just perfect for us! We love the piece, as well as the lamp she gave us and the new plant we bought this weekend too.

Ahhhhh....much better

We can finally serve a drink from the bar!

And let's play "eye-spy"...we have some of our favorite spirits on top of the bar in the picture above. Maker's (my dad's fave), Tanq (regular and 10...for Dave), and....what's that in the back? Only the BEST alcohol ever invented (I know...big statement). It's Sweet Tea Vodka, made by Firefly out of Wadmalaw, SC. The drink tastes exactly like sweet tea! We add a little Simply Lemon lemonade to make an Arnold Palmer and voila - delicious. It isn't widely distributed yet, so Dad and the NC Girls have been kind enough to keep my supply flowing by bringing bottles with them every time they visit! I feel like they are drug dealers, but I get all worried if our supply gets low! Yes, it's that amazing.

We have more improvements, such as a new nightstand for me from a neighborhood furniture store where Dave has been dubbed (by me) as their #1 Window Shopper (we look and look, but have never purchased anything). We also bought a new lamp and a new beautiful handmade rug from India. We have to wait a few weeks for that one, but we are thrilled with the new purchases! One final improvement is that Dave, poor guy, never had a dresser in this apartment. He's been living out of a half of our hall closet with this weird cabinet that was included with the apartment (we think it used to be a kitchen cabinet). We never realized we could REMOVE this piece - we thought it was a permanent part of the closet. We took it out this weekend, got Dave a real dresser to put in the closet and he is a NEW MAN! For those of you who are apartment-dwellers, you can appreciate how creative you have to be to "fit" into the space you are renting. No knocking down walls, no removing fixtures...heaven-forbid you paint anything...so these minor improvements are major to our life! The only things left on the honey-do list are a new dresser for me and a new console for the TV...eventually!

We love this apartment and hope to be here for a long time ("long time" is a relative word when you are a renter...anything over a year is considered retirement-quality!). We are 1 1/2 years into this one...I came across this mock-up that Dave put together when we first moved in:

700ish square feet of bliss

"Thank You. Your Reservation has been Confirmed."

2008-11-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

Miracles do happen, people.

Okay, so I'm not sure the word "Miracle" is quite accurate, but it certainly did feel like a "gift" was bestowed upon us this morning at 10:00am when Dave finally got THROUGH on OpenTable.com for our (soon-to-be) beloved French Laundry reservation and the words, "Thank You. Your Reservation has been Confirmed" appeared before us!

Ahhhhhhhhhh

As you may recall, French Laundry has been playing hard-to-get with us ever since we started attempting to get a reservation back in May. My first attempt involved hitting "redial" 162 times and not getting anywhere (May 19, 2008) and my next major push was in July with over 300 calls (July 28, 2008). Last week, in desperation, Dave even put his programming skills to work in order to develop an application that would alert all 4 of us (Dave, Chris, Valerie and me) when OpenTable opened up with a reservation (the system would check online, on that particular page of OpenTable, every 30 seconds and alert us via email and text). No, I am not even kidding.

So imagine our SURPRISE - as if we won the LOTTERY - when Dave scored a reservation on his own this morning via OpenTable! The date is of course exactly 2 months out to the date - January 24, 2009. It's a Saturday (at 5:30pm no less!) and we'll look forward to 9 courses of divine cuisine. Valerie has already vowed to start fasting now so that she is adequately prepared to devour the Thomas Keller dishes come January.

Thank you, Chrissy & Jon and Mom & Dad Bryand, for giving us this opportunity with our fantastic birthday gifts!

Economic Turmoil Explained by TAL

2008-11-21T11:27:00.000-08:00

No, TAL is not a friend of mine. Well, they are MY friend, but they don't exactly know I exist. You see, "TAL" is actually an NPR show called "This American Life". I couldn't very well put the initials NPR into my headline as I know some of us were tortured as children, forced to listen to NPR on Sunday mornings while our parents read the paper and we scoured cartoons and coupons. Okay, maybe obsessively clipping coupons and reading the want ads for my dream job at McDonald's was just MY typical Sunday as a six-year-old, but I digress. Prior to this show, I considered NPR to be a curse word worse than the F-Bomb. Yep, it has changed my podcast life.

So, what is "This American Life"? As they describe it on their website, "There's a theme to each episode, and a variety of stories on that theme. It's mostly true stories of everyday people, though not always." I realize this isn't the best description, so you're just going to have to try it out for yourself.

For the two episodes that I am "pitching" today, you'll have to either listen from your computer (free) or pay the big bucks ($.99) and download them to iTunes so you can listen from your iPhone/iPod/iEverything later on. I love to run and listen...for example, today I got through 6 miles by listening to one episode (1 hour in length). In essence: perfection.

The show is not always about money...it covers a variety of topics from being switched at birth to winning the lottery to having a job so ridiculous that you go to a room in Chicago's school district to just WAIT all day...and get paid for it. For the purposes of this pitch (I swear I don't know anyone who works there - I am just a passionate listener), I suggest starting with Episode 355, "Giant Pool of Money", which describes in easy-to-understand, yet factually fascinating, terms of how we find ourselves in this financial crisis, specifically focusing on the Mortgage Industry and their contribution to getting us here.

Episode 355: Giant Pool of Money

I also HIGHLY recommend downloading/listening to this other episode which enlightens us on the Billion Dollar Bailout and the forces around it/what it means to us as individuals.

Episode 365: Another Frightening Show About the Economy

That's it - I am off my pulpit. BUT, I would love to hear your comments with what you think of TAL. I seriously love it (obviously) and look forward to automatically downloading (FREE) to my iPhone every single week. I hope you will too.

Subscribe to the free podcast here.

Skype: Best. Invention. Ever.

2008-11-13T19:45:00.000-08:00

Although Dave uses Skype daily for phone calls and occasional video conferences, this was my first foray into attempting to video chat with my girls in Raleigh and all of their hubbies and BABIES!!!

It was fantastic. I felt like I was there! I loved seeing the expressions of each kiddie - so much different than me stalking their individual blogs and receiving still photos!

Dave captured a few moments of our fun, specifically when Natalie was showing off her daughter Caroline's undies....WOLFPACK! So cute.

Video Chat with Raleigh!

By the time Baby Ryno (Lindsay & Jon's baby) arrives in May, I am going to be installing a camera at that kid's crib so I can video chat whenever I want! Ha ha, just kidding, L&J!

I (Heart) Technology!

Gary Danko....I could live this life!

2008-11-10T19:02:00.000-08:00

The NC Girls came to San Francisco back in August (you may recall "Welcome to Cougarville") and we had a FANTASTIC time. As if them being here wasn't a tremendous gift enough, they were kind enough to send us a gift certificate to the #1 restaurant in all of San Francisco - Gary Danko!

We made the reservation the requisite two months in advance...to the day...and still got a 9:00pm reservation for Saturday night! Not to worry, I napped that afternoon and didn't face any narcolepsy - even in finishing dinner at 12:15AM!!!

We brought a fantastic bottle of wine with us that we had been saving and saving ($35 corkage) and we were SO grateful to have had it! Not only was it worth the wait - absolutely delicious - but the GD wine list is not for the faint at heart. Starting "cheapo" price was $90 and went upwards of $1500 (Harlan Estate).

Ahhh, Wine and Gary Danko = Bliss

We started the evening with a little bubbly at home, then a fantastic (and generous!) Ketel One martini (up with one olive, one onion for me, thank you). Before we knew it, we had been at the table for 45 minutes and hadn't even glanced at the menu yet. The waitstaff was superb and didn't pressure us in the least to rush us into ordering. Alas, after an amuse bouche of some type of delicious soup, we decided to take the plunge.

Ketel One Pre-Appetizer

The menu is set up without a la carte pricing...they offer 3-course ($66), 4-course ($83) or 5-course ($98) options, where the guest can pick any combinations to make up those courses (i.e. you want 5 appetizer items in larger portions? no problem. you want 1 entree and 4 desserts? anything.). We opted to each order 4-courses and split them entirely, so we each got to try 8 items altogether which was amazing!

I can't do the exquisite cuisine justice, but here is a recap of the amazingly superb food we enjoyed:

1st Course:
-- Foie Gras (delicious)
-- Roast Maine Lobster with Potato Puree (amazing)

2nd Course:
-- Pancetta wrapped Frog Legs (our first time!)
-- Lobster Risotto

3rd Course:
-- Roasted Leg of Lamb
-- Stuffed Quail

4th Course:
-- Chocolate Souffle (need I say more?)
-- Roasted Pears with Gingerbread and Nutmeg Ice Cream

Are you KIDDING me??

Every dish was completely divine and I felt like a movie star every moment we were there (including our own version of paparazzi....even if it was us snapping the pics).

Cheesin' for the Camera

Pure Bliss

Want to know the ultimate kicker? When we (finally) left just after midnight, they magically had my personal coat (there is no coat check ticket - they just know), but also our mini cookie leftovers AND a pumpkin bread goodiebag that they send home with people "for breakfast the next day". What an amazing a final touch?!?!

Meg, Tanya, Nic, Eliz and Mary, THANK YOU so much for making this Cougar feel like a princess. A short video for you to share in the experience!!!

Thank You, Girls!

A Night to Remember!

IT'S A BOY!!!!

2008-11-05T07:53:00.000-08:00

No, not MY Baby Boy, but Lindsay & Jon's!!!!

Yes, you read that right - they are PREGNANT!!! I am going to be an Auntie and couldn't be more excited!!!! The due date is currently May 6th, which makes her 14 weeks and 6 days pregnant as of today.

Lindsay shared the news with us the day before SHE RAN A MARATHON (!!!!) but we've been sworn to silence until the first ultrasound took place, which was yesterday!

Baby Rynearson, the size of a LEMON

I have, of course, been stalking WebMD and any other baby website I can find to figure out what is going on with the baby every week (can you tell we're just a wee bit excited??) and thought this one was the most interesting.

Jon says the baby can start to HEAR now and they are going to put Miles Davis at the top of their list. I am fully supportive of that, but don't you worry - Auntie Brooke will definitely be sneaking in some hip-hop when she comes to visit in a few weeks! Gotta make sure my nephew has RHYTHM!!!

Congratulations, Lindsay and Jon!!!

Marathon Results!!

2008-10-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

After committing to this one particular race some seven months ago, the marathon FINALLY took place on Sunday, October 19th!!!

We had an entourage of 27 people in our crew....11 of which were the brave (or just plain crazy?) runners that were planning to run 26.2 miles with the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco.

The festivities kicked off on Wednesday with Dad & Carolyn arriving, continued Thursday with Lindsay and Jon getting in, then the floodgates opened and the city of San Francisco was taken over by fellow North Carolinians (current or ex-residents). It was fantastic!

Some of my fellow Flamingos at the Nike Expo

A recap....
FRIDAY:
We had the group over to our apartment on Friday night prior to going on a night tour of Alcatraz that was really cool! I decorated the chalkboard for their arrival.

"Run Like A Girl" was the Nike Women's Marathon theme

Lindsay and Dad lining up for the tour

The Alcatraz Tour is really one that is not to miss on a trip to SF. It is a self-guided tour with headsets and has narrators who either worked on Alcatraz when it was a prison or ex-prisoners of Alcatraz telling their stories, along with sound effects that really make you feel like you were there. You take a ferry over to the island, so it's an extra bonus that you get a boat ride along with the tour...with gorgeous views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge the entire way.

Lindsay and Tracie Heeding the Warning...

Lindsay and me showin' some love to Dad

Dad & Carolyn enjoying the weekend

SATURDAY:
On Saturday, we were heading to the Farmer's Market, but Dad & Carolyn had a special treat for us first. We went to Prague back in 2003 and, while we were there, we went to a restaurant called KOLKOVNA. To us, it seemed crazy-close to KOLCONAY and it has since represented our last name from "the motherland". My Dad made marathon t-shirts for all of us with our KOLKOVNA "logo" on it!

Team Kolkovna

Saturday night, we had a team dinner at Figaro's Italian Restaurant in North Beach. The food was great and the nerves started to kick in for the race the next day. Our beloved coaches, Malena and Geri, prepared these table settings for all 27 of us!

Flamingos, Flamingos Everywhere!

As a team, we decided to create a gift for Malena and Geri that would commemorate their experience in San Francisco and be a small token of our appreciation for ALL of their support over the last six months. We decided a photograph was the most appropriate gift, so Dave and I did a night photo shoot of the Golden Gate Bridge and framed a print for each of them. The team then wrote individual notes to each of them which we adhered to the back of the print.

SUNDAY:
At long last, it was RACE DAY!!! Dave and Jon drove us to Union Square to meet up with the team.

Lindsay and me, all geared up for the race

We took a quick team photo and then headed to the massive, massive 20,000-person-starting-line!

Fast and Furious Flamingos

Starting Line - It's Still DARK Outside!

The 11 of us quickly separated (with 20,000 runners, it was hard enough just to cross the START line together...much less the FINISH line!). I randomly was running next to Tracie (who I have known since Lindsay's college days at Greensboro) and we got extremely lucky as we were the exact same pace and ended up running side-by-side for the next 20 miles!! It was absolutely amazing. I just assumed I would be running alone as none of us trained together and would undoubtedly be all different paces/comfort levels. Tracie and I were a perfect match...she's a left-side runner and I'm a right-side runner....we stopped to stretch every 4-6 miles, grabbed liquids at every station and before we knew it, we were at the halfway point - 13.1 miles.

Tracie and I at mile 4 feeling strong!

We didn't see many other team mates throughout the race, but our fantastic cheerleaders took pics for us!

Lindsay Feelin' Good at Mile 4

Tracie and I didn't see our cheerleaders again until Mile 16, at which time we were VERY ready to see them (and to get the energy gels they were holding for us!!). Dad, Jon, Dave and Carolyn were contending with following Lindsay and me through the city, parking the car, then doing it all over and over again! It was a stressful day for them, but they were ALL SMILES for us!

Dad & Jon with Team Kolkovna Shirts

Dave met up with me again at Mile 19 and ran with me through Mile 23 (around Lake Merced in SF). It was perfect timing as I really needed the moral support for the fabled "wall" that I hit around Mile 20. It was so nice to see a familiar face (Tracie and I had missed almost every cheering station of our friends & family) and running with Dave was FUN! Another team member, Anne, caught up about that time which was a perfect time for Anne and Tracie to run ahead while I trotted behind.

By the time Dave left me at Mile 23, I wasn't sure how I could possible go another 3.2 Miles by myself. I stopped to stretch every mile from 20-26 for 30 seconds at a time. Dave appeared at Mile 25 and I was in a slightly demonic phase where I was using every ounce of energy and concentration putting one foot in front of the other.

Mile 25...I am begging God to run me over with a car and put me out of my misery

At Mile 26, I could finally see something that looked familiar....was it a mirage??? Did I have one too many energy gels??? No, it was the FINISH LINE!!! As I approached, I couldn't help it...I was bawling like a child. The overhead race announcer even mentioned it on the loudspeaker, "Those are tears of joy, ladies and gentlemen...here comes Brooke!" (I had my name on my shirt...he didn't know my name because I rocked out 1st place or anything!). Dave met me the moment I crossed the finish line (well, first I practically tackled the tuxedo-wearing fireman that was holding the Tiffany necklace) and I cried and cried and cried. It's hard to explain the feelings I went through without getting completely cheesy, but in finishing the marathon, it was as if all of the doubts I put on myself disappeared...all of the times in my life I told myself that I couldn't do something....that I wasn't a "real" runner...couldn't possibly run 10 miles much less 26.2....couldn't even dream of finishing....all vanished. All of the months and months of weekday 5:45am wake-up calls and Saturday morning 8am long runs were over...and were the very things that made me achieve this dream. All of that and then my next thought was - where the hell is the CHAMPAGNE????

Celebrating...after I stopped with "Cryfest 2008"

Dave and I were at the finish line to cheer in all of my fellow Flamingos (except Anne and Tracie who were speed-demons and finished earlier!) and it was so completely rewarding to be able to celebrate with each of them as they crossed that line!

Lindsay was as emotional as I was

The firemen I tackled...sorry about that!

Tiffany Necklace

Looking back, the marathon was an awesome, awesome experience. The moment I finished I said I would never, ever do one again. Then, about 24 hours later, I thought - well...maybe. Now, I'm about 75% committed to the San Diego Rock'N'Roll Marathon May 31, 2009!!!

My time goal was under 5 hours, but I wasn't sure if that was even humanly possible. Turns out that by running alongside Tracie and just not even thinking about time, I was able to finish in 4:43!!!

Finally, Matt, a "Flamaniac" (what the Flamingo cheerleaders were called), created this awesome video to commemorate the experience. Thank you, Matt!

Truly, thank you to our coaches - Malena and Geri - for being crazy enough to talk the other 9 of us into this adventure so many months ago. Thank you to my Dad & Carolyn for flying in from Charleston to cheer us on and see us at the Finish Line. Thank you to my amazing brother-in-law, Jon, who kept me calm, made me laugh, saved me from a mental breakdown the day before the race (I was crying my eyes out walking back from the Apple store...why? because I forgot my wallet at home. Normal? I think not). Thank you to my sister for being completely amazing...without you, I would not have even dared to dream. Thank you to the Flamaniacs for making the sacrifices to cheer us on, from the race course or from home. And thank you to the best husband in the world for being so completely supportive...from listening to me diagnose every blister to continually bolstering my confidence that I CAN DO THIS. I love you all!

Okay, now that I officially sound like I just walked on the moon or am running for President of the United States, I am ready to get back to normalcy! More pics from the weekend of festivities can be found by clicking here.

A final word of congratulations to our friend Katie, a new runner who completed her first 5K the same weekend!!! I remember being so incredibly nervous in my first 5K (with Lindsay) a few years ago and I could barely make it through. I'M SO PROUD OF YOU, KATE!!!

xoxo,
Brooke...a marathoner.

Marathon? What Marathon?

2008-10-23T14:06:00.000-07:00

Well, even though I don't yet have a post up about the AWESOME, AWESOME marathon that took place last weekend, I thought I could at least whet your palates with a teaser from SomeECards. They are genius!

Not appropriate for kiddies!

Post about our marathon experience to follow!!

Triathlon Results!

2008-10-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, Heidi and I competed in the See Jane Tri Triathlon in Pleasanton, CA (aka East Bay...aka Suburbia). To say I have been nervous would be a complete understatement to the pure fear that I have been experiencing for the last month leading up to the race. We did a practice tri about a month ago where we went through all the motions of what we'd experience on the day of the big race, and ever since then I have been completely freaking out.

In my head, the swimming portion was equivalent to putting me in a tank of sharks and then cutting my legs off for them to chase a trail of blood while I flailed as best I could. Yes, I'm serious. That's how terrified I was of swimming the equivalent of just FOUR FOOTBALL FIELDS!!!

The sprint triathlon included:
* 400 yard open water (lake) swim (1/4 mile)
* 11 mile bike
* 5K run (3.1 miles)

Lindsay and Jon were in town for the weekend and they, along with Dave, were much-needed cheerleaders through every transition! The race started at 8am, so we left the house around 6am (1 hour drive to aforementioned suburbia), packing up the bikes, triple-checking our gear and then piling in the 4Runner where Heidi offered up fresh bagels with delicious homemade honey and jam. The car ride was abuzz with chatter...so much so that we drove 15 miles PAST the exit! It was about 7:45am when we finally pulled into the race location and we hustled to check in, get our gear in place and work out the nerves.

My set-up....#99!

Official Tri Marking...one on the arm, one on the leg

Pre-Race with the best Cheering Squad Ever!

When Heidi and I were walking up to the transition area pre-race, I was shaking and repeated to her (over and over), "Heidi, I can't do this. I can't do this. Seriously. I can't f'ing do this." She, dealing with her own nerves, showed great patience and restraint by saying, "You damn well better do this...you're the one that talked me INTO this f'ing hellhole event!" - Okay, she didn't say that, but I'm SURE it's what she was thinking. Instead, she was completely supportive and encouraging, saying that I absolutely can make it through...and the next thing I knew, we were lining up in the sludgy brown lake water for the 30-34 year-olds to GO!

Me, departing the lake after the swim...I MADE IT!

Turns out, the swim wasn't even that bad!!! I was so relieved that it was OVER that I then took FOREVER in my transition to bike in changing my clothes, putting my shoes on, etc.

Heidi was off on the bike where she started her run of terror in KICKING A$$!!!

I eventually left for the 11 mile bike which was, again - strange to say this - lovely! I had a smile plastered on my face for all 11 miles. I recently purchased a bike after borrowing our friend Jen's for a month and being on a road bike vs. a mountain bike made ALL the difference! I was pumping hard, but flying by the poor mountain bikers...

Returning from the Bike

I then had the - self dubbed - fastest transition in triathlon history. Okay, that may be an exaggeration, but it was awesome! My paparazzi cheerleaders captured this fun moment on video:

Transition from 11-mile Bike to 3.1-mile Run

And yes...I did toss a "peace out" to my peeps.

At long last - the run!!! Keeping in mind that I'm training for 26.2, the 3.1 miler was certainly not a concern. The route was definitely hilly, but was mostly on trail (friendly to the knees/impact) and it was great!

Heidi kicked butt and our photogs captured both of our finishes:

Finish Line!

THANK YOU to Lindsay, Jon and Dave for being such fantastic supporters! And thank you to Heidi for not letting me quit before we even began!!!

Team Bryand-Rynearson

Heidi and me....the TRIATHLETES!!!

So how did we do? Actually, not so bad!!! Heidi got 5th in our Age Group (30-34) and 49th Overall with a time of 1:06, and I got 14th in our Age Group and 109th Overall with a time of 1:09. Yahoo!

Official Results, Highlighted

And now how do I feel about the swimming? Let's put it this way - I am ready to sign up for another triathlon!!!!

For more pics from the event, click here....

T-Minus 9 Days Until the Marathon

2008-10-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

Wow. Did I just type that?? How can it be?? Yet, October 19th is creeping up around the corner when Lindsay, me and 9 other "Flamingos" will compete (compete? well, hopefully complete) the SF Nike Women's Marathon...RUN LIKE A GIRL.

My coaches sent me this link today for a movie that I'm waiting to come out either on the big screen or to NetFlix called "The Spirit of the Marathon". It just makes you want to RUN!!!!

For the first time in my life, I actually feel ready for this race. I have done all the training, I have followed the advice (plus added some of my own...why didn't the coaches prescribe daily doses of chocolate ice cream bars on the nutrition list? I don't get it.) and am R-E-A-D-Y for October 19th to arrive!!

"Don't Vote" Video

2008-10-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

I'm not political, but did like this video. Get a move on, people!!!

I can't help it - I love this!

SNL Skit on Sarah Palin/Katie Courie Interview

Running, Biking and Hangin' with Dave...

2008-09-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

I kind of feel like my entire life revolves around my running schedule these days. The marathon is 5 weeks away and, as my running coaches say, I am encountering the "Rundroms"...the state where you're just simply bored of running so damn much! I typically save my long runs for the weekends, so I ran with the Nike Running Club Saturday (thank goodness for them) for 16 miles. I did 16 miles myself the previous week, but stopped for about 20 mins at Panera to visit with our friends 1/2 way through the run. This time, stopping wasn't an option or I'd be completely lost in my own city and have to call (beg, plead) Dave to pick me up at some random location. The run was absolutely beautiful, through the Presidio and Golden Gate Park (two of SF's largest parks...miles long each). A good portion was along the route of the actual marathon, which is really helpful and sets my mind at ease (as much as that's possible with me completely freaking out that the marathon is an add'l 10 MILES from what I did Saturday). After the run, I showered, took an hour nap and then ate - wait for it - an ENTIRE box of Mac'n'Cheese (one of my favorite meals of all time). God bless those folks at Kraft.

All last week, I was looking forward to my "date night" with #1 Hubby in the World and we left around 6:30pm on Friday to take the bus to a random bar called Route 101 (Dave read about it on Yelp as one of the friendliest bars in SF). It did not disappoint...random dive bar with a friendly bartender and locals that aren't all aggro about yuppies from the Marina on their turf.

Dave waiting for the bus, Greyhound in-hand and then spotting Fern Drive; the street he grew up on in Meriden!

Last week, another big update was that I got my own BIKE! I have been borrowing our friend Jen's bike to train for the triathlon at the end of this month (2 weeks from now) and decided that I liked biking so much, I would get my very own. My beloved CraigsList came through for the millionth time and I ended up buying a road bike from a kid and his dad who both work at a bike shop in the South Bay. It's awesome! Check out my new baby.

Road Bike...took me an hour of searching on CL before realizing a "10-speed" is now called a "Road Bike" b/c there are more gears now...sheesh

Speaking of bikes, Saturday night was an event called "Twilight Criterium" that took place in our 'hood. Pro bikers race - at nighttime - around a 4 block radius in the Marina (i.e. these are city blocks = very short. The goal is to make as many loops as you can within 1 hour. The street corners are even padded with bales of hay in an effort to protect bikers who crash at the super-sharp turns. It was amazing! Lots of people turned up for the event, many with roadies from home in tow (we had a Greyhound to keep us company). Check out a short clip which somewhat gives the feel of the speed whizzing by you!

Twilight Criterium Racing in the Marina

It was a fun, relaxing weekend! We are looking forward to more of the same this upcoming weekend...we have a new location in mind for Friday Date Night too...this time we're going to hit up a well-known SF dive-bar-brewery called Magnolia's - yum!

Launching into Space

2008-09-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

My job at Symantec is to develop new marketing programs for the US and Canada...from a "back to school" theme to a movie promotion, to - my latest venture - a program to launch our new 2009 products called "Blast Off with Norton". My team has launched this program that will give a chance for consumers (i.e. YOU) to "experience zero-gravity" in a chartered Zero-G Flight, and then - ultimately - a chance to go on a sub-orbital flight. We're talking space camp and the works!

So, not to totally geek out, but I wanted to post this video our PR team put together to promote the contest:

And, quite possibly the best part? The US hosted a launch party in San Francisco last night at a fun club called Templebar starring.....The Jabbawockeez!!! If you're not familiar with them, they were on "America's Next Top Dance Crew" and they are SICK.

After they performed, they came up to the "VIP Suite" (where Dave and I were hanging...you know how we do) and we quickly snapped this photo - I was in HEAVEN!

Chillin' with the Jabbawockeez

Norton Launch Party Sizzle Video

*** Warning: Major plug coming: ***
Stop what you're doing and go REGISTER for the Blast Off contest. It's free, easy and will take you just a couple minutes (no purchase necessary). If you are already a Norton customer, you'll be amazed at the difference with the new products. They are FAST, LIGHT and you won't even notice they are there. Email me if you need any product! You know I've got a Friends & Family (major!) discount!

I Stand Corrected....After 30 Years, Turns Out I DO Like Rock (???)

2008-09-08T22:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, I learned something new today. For 30 years I have not liked rock. Actually, to say that I simply didn't like rock would be an understatement...I could hardly stand to be in the same room if it was playing. For some reason, the music just turns my insides and makes me feel the opposite of good....the opposite of what my beloved Hip Hop makes me feel.

That is, until tonight.

My husband has helped me see the light...and I owe it all to someone I only previously knew from some random reality show on MTV...Travis Barker.

Check out this awesome rendition of Flo-Rida's "Low" with T.Barker kickin' in drums. It's SICK and may change your perspective on either Rock or Rap...depending on which side of the fence you are on!

Travis Barker Performing "Low" on Drums

There are other fun T.Barker videos if you're interested in more...they will show up after you watch this one on YouTube.

I am a changed woman! (Well, I'm "changed" in that I totally appreciate rocker-drummer-dudes who love hip-hop music now...not quite sure I'm ready to take on my first Rock Concert or anything until T-Pain is opening!).

Lordy, Lordy...Dave is.....Thirty!

2008-09-01T22:22:00.000-07:00

We had a full, full weekend in SF! Lindsay and Jon flew up from San Diego and we made the most out of every minute!

Thursday was Dave's actual bday. He woke up to the "Chalkboard of Dave" where he could enjoy a walk down memory lane...thanks in large part to his Mom & Dad sending me pics from home!

Dave's Birthday Chalkboard

And in case you can't see the details, I wanted to call out a few of the "gems" (sorry, Dave!!!):

Dave as a baby

Really, Dave? Thank goodness you were SAVED from that last pic!!!

Alas, he survived until that night. I picked up Lindsay and Jon after work and, straight from the airport, we went to Toronado, a brewery that we've heard about for a few years but had never actually visited. My Dad surprised us with $50 to "buy the first round" and then, when I called him, he asked if $50 could even cover one round of drinks for 4 people?? Fortunately, it can at Toronado. The great thing about this place is that there is a SAUSAGE HEAVEN next door called Rosamunde Sausage Grill. Two words: Life. Changing.

On Friday, Lindsay and Jon when to the Chihuly exhibit at the DeYoung Museum and said it was fantastic! That night, we had Jen, Alex, Chris and Valerie over for cocktails, then walked to Umami...Dave's favorite Sushi place (so far!).

Gearing up for Sushi at Umami

The Crew Demonstrating Dave's "Oldness" with the Big 3-0

Attempting to Behave....this was obviously BEFORE Sake Bombs

AFTER Sake Bombs, but we're still standing!

On Saturday, believe it or not, Lindsay and I resumed our marathon training with a 14.6 mile run!!! It was a beautiful day and we cruised around the city...past Fisherman's Wharf, along the Embarcadero (waterfront), past the Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building, to the AT&T Ballpark, then back home...almost to the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a really fantastic run and we both enjoyed ourselves (believe me...I used to think it was impossible to believe the words "enjoy" and "run" could coincide in any way).

We rewarded ourselves with lots...and lots...and lots...of Pink Lemonades at Sam's Anchor Cafe in Tiburon where the BDay celebration continued! We took the ferry over, where we met friends and relaxed in the sun all day.

Having Lunch at Sam's

Sam's is one of those places where you start out stone sober. You are relaxing, laughing, having a great time while sipping on lemonades and other "delicacies". Then, you stand up. And it's all over. The lemonades hit you like a ton of bricks and it's GAME ON from there!

Jonny Cakes (my bro-in-law), Feelin' the Love

Red Headed Sluts...aka The Beginning of the End (thanks, Ben!)

The Crew at Sam's

Lindsay and Jon, enjoying the view

Our friend, Ben, has to come incognito to Sam's because, well, let's just say it's not his first time to the rodeo and he has to slip past the host-nazi to make sure it's not his last. He rolled up in a full-fledged wig DISGUISE! It was awesome. By the end of the day, Jon had to try it on for size....

Dave, Ben and Jon getting on the ferry back to SF

We went to Kelley's Tavern (KT's) where we had a fun time tasting several cocktails (well, we did have to make sure their Red Headed Sluts were as great as Sam's, right?? It's practically our DUTY).

Dave and Jess at KT's

On Sunday, we rallied and headed up to Tomales Bay for some roadside oysters! We were lucky to be joined by John, a friend of Chris & Valerie's, who we met at their wedding in May and absolutely adore! "Our" Jon, unfortunately, was not so lucky in the Health Department that day...he was...under the weather, as they say. I think one too many vodka-tonics will do that to you sometimes. But, alas, he was a real trooper and came with us on the field trip anyways! We had a great time and the oysters from The Marshall Store were delicious!

Best Oysters and Best Atmosphere...The Marshall Store

Enjoying the Scenery at Tomales Bay

Gosh, I love this man...

Chris and John had to take the "backedy-back" on the ride home...it was a rough one!

After Tomales Bay, we took Lindsay & Jon straight to the airport to catch their flight back to San Diego. It was such a fun, fun weekend and a great way to celebrate Dave entering Middle Age (just kidding!!!!).

Happy 30th Birthday, Dave! I love you so much!!!

For even more photos, check out the gallery.

Living it Up in La La Land

2008-09-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

We visited our friend, J, in LA last weekend. You may recall before he moved into his current house, we visited over the winter ("Why I want to be J...for a day"). This time when we visited, we were in for quite the treat.

Thursday, we went to Culver City straight from the airport which was shockingly adorable! We ate at Ford's Filling Station (apparently, the restaurant of Harrison Ford's son). It was DELISH!

On Friday, Dave and I worked from a bar down the street from J's house, followed by an awesome dinner at a new place called The Stork Supper Club. They make their take on a pitcher of mojitos and, on round two, J requested they "add double the amounts of alcohol and half the amount of sweetness...I don't care what it costs." Well, they certainly delivered!!! Put it this way...I was home by 12am that night!

On Saturday, we went to Manhattan Beach, which Dave and I had never visited, and spent the day lounging in the sun and ocean.

Kickin' it in Manhattan Beach

That night, we went to comme Ca for cocktails and then to Ago for dinner.

Bartender at comme Ca

Lovin' the Fruity Tooty Drinks at comme Ca

J and Dave at the Bar

We ended up at Crown Bar (after waiting outside for the required 20-30 minutes while the bouncer considers our story. Dave and I danced our butts off until closing, while J attempted to close his own deal with the wide selection of beautifully collagened ladies at the club. :-)

On Sunday, J and his roommates hosted a house party on behalf of a mutual friend who is launching his own clothing line. Dave and I changed our return flights in order to witness this mayhem, and mayhem it was! Here are a few pics and a video of the...experience.

J and me at the Party

The ladies of LA....one of a kind...or is it one of a dozen??

Short video of the party

Thank you, J, for a great time over the entire weekend! LA is certainly one of a kind!!

Happy Dirty Thirty, Dave!!!

2008-08-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

To the man of my dreams....

I love you!
xoxo
b
*** Part Two ***

Well....I couldn't stop there. So I emailed a big group of friends this morning and attached an AWESOME photo of Dave and asked them to post that photo as their profile picture for Facebook for the day.

Here is a portion of the outcome (status updates for you non-Facebook-ers):

And here is the fantastic photo they each posted. HILARIOUS!!!

Love you, baby!!!

Dave's Brotha' From Anotha' Motha'

2008-08-27T13:58:00.000-07:00

Meg started dating Marco around our Junior/Senior year of college. I remember it was around Valentine's Day because the first time I saw a picture of him (which she had to physically send me in the mail to Boston since we didn't have digital cameras yet!), he was standing in her UNC house on Pritchard Street and I thought I was staring at a picture of MY boyfriend instead (Dave)!!! It was absolutely bizarre. Well, little did we know then that 10+ years later, we'd still be with these twins!

Tomorrow is Dave's 30th Birthday and I sent out an email reminder to our friends re: the weekend plans. With that email, I included a photo of Dave from when he was a youngster, which started the long email debate amongst our NC friends as to whether Dave and Marco's moms/dads really did "interact" between the states of CT and NY (where they were each born). It's UNCANNY. Marco then responded with "evidence" as to why he is/was the cuter baby. I'd say the jury is still out on that one considering all of us pee our pants every time we see this photo of Marco.

I submit it to you, the Blog Audience, to decide.

Who is who??

One observation from Kevin C:
"Nick Nack (FYI: Herve Villechaize) v. Goggle-Face McGee Death Match? Marco would win by stabbing Dave with the imposing 4" collar points on his bandido shirt, purchased on sale at the Clothing Corral."

Eeek...harsh.

And who is Hervé Villechaize, you may be asking? Dave's other twin...or his father? Again....it's a mystery.

Hervé Villechaize...aka "Tattoo"

Oh, and here they are "today"....

Marco and My "Ethnically Ambiguous" Hubby

This whole thing would be over except that now our friends won't let him live any of this down for even a moment.

Such as these rebuttals:

Courtesy of Jess...suggesting what Dave could ride to Sam's on

Courtesy of Ben...click on it!

Dave had to defend himself against Marco's "attack", so he showed Marco how he hasn't changed a bit since the 70s....

Marco: Then and Now...

And Marco countered with this....just priceless. And now they all have them as their Facebook Profiles...amazing!

Dave: Then and Now...

Oktoberfest in San Francisco...Chug-a-lug!

2008-08-17T16:26:00.000-07:00

Chris' birthday is tomorrow (Monday) and a group of 10 of us went out last night to Suppenkuche, an awesome, fun German restaurant in SF. This restaurant is the Mullet of German festivities...business in the front (with casual yet loud communal tables) and party in the back (where they put large groups to basically wile' out). The scene is a la Oktoberfest...or at least how I imagine it. The back room fits three groups, which was filled to the brim with three birthday parties including ours.

Scene in the back room of Suppenkuche

Suppenkuche has multiple beer size options, one of which is a 3-Liter "man-size" that each table embarked upon (for those of us not fluent in metrics, 3 liters = just over 6 pints or about 8 1/2 cans of beer).

Birthday Boy Chris tackling a 3-Liter of Beer

Before you know it, we've decided that the three groups need to compete in a chugging contest of the 3L beer. The girls of our group were automatically eliminated for our lack of chugging skillz (yes, disappointing but true), so that left our five guys to fend for the team.

Our Team

Dave's Successful Quest to Ruin his new Barney's Shirt with Beer

Finally, the contest began. We unfortunately lost...horribly. You can see the 1st place winners in the back left of the screen (even though it's super dark). So sad.

Complete Mayhem in the Back Room

Jen and Alex Celebrating their European Heritage

Dave and me loving every moment

Happy Birthday, Chris!

Nonetheless, we made friends with the table next to us (the 2nd place team...yes, we were undoubtedly 3rd place) and decided to continue the party at a bar down the street. Our group didn't last long and Dave and I decided to continue our own dance party at Gravity back in the Marina. We don't often go to a dance club solo, so it was a lot of fun to just get down without knowing a soul around!

For more pics of the festivities, check these out:

To the chugging pros of our lives...Meg, husband Marco, bro-in-law Jon...don't judge us. Some of us weren't chugging from the womb and we can only hope to achieve your level or professionalism in life. xoxo

Welcome to Cougarville, Y'all!

2008-08-12T22:01:00.000-07:00

I am a little surprised that my brain cells aren't completely dead and I can write this after the weekend we just had. Five of my closest girlfriends from North Carolina came in and ALL of us have lost our voice from laughing (okay - we're women....so perhaps some drunken screaming and I'm pretty sure we didn't let 30 seconds of silence pass in the 4 1/2 days they were here).

They arrived on Thursday afternoon and sweet Dave picked them up from the airport until I was home from work. Four out of five of the girls are moms, so the theme of the weekend was, "Welcome to Cougarville." I rearranged the chalkboard accordingly (with pictures of their kiddies and hubbies).

Chalkboard for their arrival

Starting off the weekend with some champy. From left, we have Nicole, Mary, Me, Elizabeth, Tanya and Meg

We went out on Thursday night, literally ran into my friend Ben who went to high school with all of us, and thus started our quest to rid San Francisco of all its liquor.

Friday morning we got up early. I worked from home, but figured they could manage for the day with shopping, eating, manis and pedis...somehow they would survive. We walked up to the Golden Gate Bridge that morning (our only exercise for the weekend...these girls even forced us to take taxis in our neighborhood which is just sac-relig).

Posing like rock stars on the GG Bridge

Elizabeth posing as Kimmie Gibler at the street from Full House

Friday night, it was game on and we were ready to rock. We started with a photo of our weekend theme....

Cougars, Baby

On the dance floor, where - at the time - I was pretty sure I could throw down in a dance-off with Janet Jackson

Saturday, we were up and at 'em early again. We figured that we slept approximately 10 hours over the course of 4 days...no time to rest when the six of us are together!

We took taxis to Tiburon (across the Bay) to Sam's where we indulged in just a few of their famous pink lemonades.

The Girls enjoying the sunshine...we were all lobsters by day's end

Meg had to keep a life preserver handy

...And then she became Captain Meg

We took the ferry back from Sam's to SF and decided sushi and sake bombs were in order next.

Sake Bombs...the beginning of the end...or the end of the beginning??

Meg's hair size and alcohol intake is famous for corresponding exactly to one another

...and after sake bombs, Eliz wanted to hit up karaoke, so we headed to Silver Clouds where she and Meg quite possibly sang the worst rendition of Dancing Queen....ever.

No time to rest on Sunday morning as we had a 9:30am (!!!) appointment for a tour to Alcatraz. I had never been, so was really excited to finally see this "island" that is just over 1 mile from our apartment.

The Girls checking out one of the cells...wondering if they can escape San Fran before ending up in one of these due to "loud and obnoxious behavior"??

After Alcatraz, Dave was sweet (and patient!) enought to chauffer the six of us to Napa for the day!!! We only made it to two wineries...Mumm (for champy) and Del Dotto.

Hanging in the sunshine at Mumm

Dave hung with us at the first tasting, then ditched us for the next tasting, which took us over two hours to complete! Elizabeth smelling the "bunghole" of a wine cask

Seeing a theme here? "You can take a Girl out of Cougarville, but you can't take the Cougar out of the Girl."

We hit the town on Sunday night, and finally had to say goodbye as the girls left at 4am on Monday to go home-sweet-home. I was reminded at least a hundred times how grateful I am to have these five girls (and the ones that couldn't make it!) in my adult life. I hear that it's pretty rare to be BF with girls from high school (and middle school!), so I am beyond appreciative that I have these women (cougars, if you will), that I can turn to with anything at anytime. We've known each other for 20 years and it just gets better and better! xoxo

Oh Yes...We are Runnin'!

2008-08-05T06:17:00.000-07:00

Well, that would be the "royal we" as I am hitting the pavement on my own latetly! I ran a really hilly (but great...and beautiful) 6 miles on Sunday in CT and then actually ran 11 yesterday! My marathon team (the Flamingos) asked if I would write a little something about the course, by running it in increments between now and October, as I am the only one that lives here (the rest of my team is flying in from mostly the east coast). I gladly accepted! Here is my first installment:

Nike Course Map...all 26.2! Small green dot on northern part of map is our apartment

Link to full SF Nike Women's Marathon Course

Hello Fellow Flamingos,
I am pleased to bring you the first report from your local San Francisco Correspondent. Today, I ran miles 1-6 and let me tell you - the best word to describe those first 6 miles are FLAT-FLAT-FLAT! I know you hear about San Francisco's hills (and we've heard rumors that our SF Marathon will bring us 6 tough ones), but the good news is that only ONE of them will hit us in those first 6 miles! Here is a recap of the first quarter of our journey:
Starting Line: We will find ourselves in Union Square...the heart of San Francisco's shopping mecca! It is full of the hustle and bustle of locals and tourists alike, and is a perfect location - full of energy - to start our journey!
Miles 1-2: We will run through downtown, east toward the water where we'll run (flat!) along the Embarcadero...one of my favorite areas of San Francisco. We pass the Ferry Building (where our farmer's market is located and is a MUST on your visit to SF) and run along wide sidewalks, accompanied by plenty of pedestrians, bikers, cars and trolley cars.
Mile 3: As we enter into Mile 3, we'll run along the famous Fisherman's Wharf area, certainly one of SF's most popular attractions. Locals do not go here, so this is a good opportunity to see what it's like and keep on truckin'! As we end mile three, we'll pass Ghirardelli Square and then bend around Aquatic Park, where locals swim along shore daily (in the cold water!) and kayaks depart. Enjoy the scenery now, because Mile 4 is a doozy!
Mile 4: Here comes that hill I mentioned! The hill is rather short (takes about 2 minutes) but quite steep. Biciclysts often walk up it, but runners can take it slow and keep their posture up and glide by. At the top, you will be rewarded with a beautiful view of Fort Mason Park (large grass area) and - as we all know - what comes up, must come down! The rest of mile four is flat and your view will become a postcard once you depart Fort Mason Park (about 3 more minutes).
Mile 5-6: For the remainder of this leg of the race, you will have water views of the San Francisco Bay including Alcatraz to your right, the Palace of Fine Arts to your left and the Golden Gate Bridge straight ahead! If you recall Geri's birthday video, this is the exact area I was standing when wishing her well. This area (end of mile 4, beginning of mile 5) is exactly where Dave and I live, so we can be sure to expect a cheering crowd here as we depart the Marina and enter the Presidio!

This photo from Flickr has a great perspective of where we run; especially visible are miles 3-6. Look on the left side of the photo and we follow the water from the top of the photo to the bottom. The photo has captions when you roll over it so you can see the various areas. The only place I didn't mention in the recap is the "famous" Marina Safeway. The Marina is the neighborhood where we live and is best known for it's yuppy class of residents. The Safeway grocery store is nicknamed the "Marina Dateway" because of all of the pick-ups that happen there. Ladies, look your best and SMILE!

Stay tuned as I will continue to run portions of the course and let you know what we have ahead of us. As I found today, the first obstacle is getting TO the running location. I had to run 2 miles (through Little Italy and Chinatown) just to get TO the starting line in Union Square! Then, at the end of the 6 mile race course portion, I had another 3 miles to get me home for a total of 11 miles! It was a great excuse for me to get in the mileage I needed this week and to experience what we'll see in October. Miles 7+ to follow soon!

A Letter from Moms & Pops....

2008-08-04T00:22:00.001-07:00

Dad & Carolyn emailed Lindsay and me on Saturday with this message regarding our running plans towards our October marathon. Dad is a three-time marathoner (NYC, Chicago and New Orleans) and knows the importance of prepping enough. I was so touched at their thoughtfulness, I wanted to share:
*************************************************
Email Subject: MARATHON MILES
Email Message:
I'm concerned that you girls are not putting in enough miles for the 10/19 event!

So Carolyn and I would like to "sweeten the pot" and help you increase your mileage and build more enthusiasm. We are willing to contribute 50 cents a mile for every mile you each run, beginning today and including the marathon. This money will be contributed to the charity of your choice.

Some rules:
1. You both keep track of your day to day mileage. (Dave and Jon will be my watchdogs.)

2. Each week let us know what your total is for the week.

3. According to Hal Higdon (running coach) at either the "novice" or "intermediate" running level, you should be running 30 miles per week now through marathon week (Google "marathon training.)"

4. Although you should be doing some cross-training, running miles is the only thing that counts in the payout.

5. Just in case you get too enthusiastic, we have a 400 mile cap on the payout.

6. Carolyn and I will be happy to write checks to the charity of you choice (the Rynearsons or Bryands are not charities). The top potential amount is $200 each.

7. Payout is at the celebration after the marathon.

Good luck, stay healthy; it's time to hit the running trail.

Love,
Pops and Carolyn

See Jane (and Heidi and Brooke) Tri...

2008-08-02T04:41:00.000-07:00

I did a sprint triathlon with my sister, Lindsay, and bro-in-law, Jon, a few years ago in Long Beach, CA. It was SO much fun and it felt great to accomplish something new. Sprint triathlons are intended for either a) beginners or b) people who wan to go wicked fast. We were obviously part of Group A (well, except maybe Jon, but he is a freak of healthy nature that is the kind of person who can enter a race on a whim in the morning and then just, well, win it).

Anyways, my Dad has us write New Years Resolutions every year and then we all read them out loud to each other on NY Eve (Dad, Carolyn, Jon, Lindsay, Dave and me), either in person on the good years or over a conference call when we can't be physically together. We discuss our goals and what's to come in the next year. I LOVE this traditition and always learn about some new interest from everyone in the family (including Dave!). Ever since that first tri, I have had another tri listed on my resolutions and haven't come through with actually doing one. Until this year!

I begged and pleaded with my girlfriends and finally got ONE to agree (Heidi, our world-traveler-extraordinaire) and we are on our way! We signed up for "See Jane Tri", a sprint triathlon that will take place in September in the East Bay. It consists of:

* 400 yard open water (lake) swim (1/4 mile)
* 11 mile bike
* 5K run (3.1 miles)

As we are still in Connecticut hanging with Dave's family, my brother-in-law, Jon, volunteered to swim the lake with me yesterday! We weren't sure how far across it was from the house to the beach at Lake Beseck, but (of course) it didn't "look" too far. Just the same, I begged Dave and his mom to paddle the kayaks along side us (combination irrational fear of wild-and-crazy fish attacking me and of boats hitting me). They generously complied and we were off!

Lake Beseck and Our Journey Across...yes, it's a rather small lake that is 1/4 mile across and 1 mile "long"

The swim wasn't THAT bad. I was never on swim team or anything, but can certainly swim the necessary strokes (freestyle, breast, sidestroke...not butterfly...who swims butterfly in everyday life??). The swim experience was an eye-opener to me on the importance of form. Dave kept laughing at me because I'd swim 10 strokes of freestyle, look up, and be swimming completely crooked, almost perpendicular, to where I was supposed to be going. I'd get back on track again and do the same. Finally, he suggested I point my body to a location FAR to the right so that, when I started curving, I'd end up where I was supposed to be. Hopefully I can rectify this before the Tri in September as it could be quite embarassing to run into the water when the shotgun starts, then find myself swimming left when everyone else is right...or the ultimate taboo...find myself swimming in a circle. :-)

Thank you, Jon, for being my swim-mate! We are planning to attempt a "mini-biathlon" tomorrow with running + swimming...if I can make it across again.

Happy Birthday, Dad, Aunt Rita & Justin!

2008-07-31T04:56:00.000-07:00

My Dad, his twin sister Rita & Justin share a birthday - July 31st! Though they aren't exactly sharing the same NUMBER each year, it's cause for celebration just the same. Shout out to the birthday boys!

Birthday King, Daddy-O

If I had to pick out ONE fantastic quality about my dad (it's hard to narrow it to just one - believe me), I would say it's his optimism on life. He doesn't live with his head in a cloud by any means, but he is always slow to make judgement...on ideas and people. I love that I can come to him with ideas and we can talk through them to figure out, together, what the best course of action is. I love his compassion in doing this with me, and an in all aspects of his life. My dad is truly an amazing man, one I try to be more like every single day.

Aunt Rita and The Girls

My Aunt Rita (Dad's twin) is one of the greatest firecrackers of all time. When I was little, hearing her laugh from far, far away always made me smile and run towards the action. She always had a story to tell and her personality a magnet to draw people in. We got to see her last summer at my cousin John's wedding in IL and she is as sweet as ever.

Birthday Boy, Justin, in Boston last week

If I had to pick out ONE fantastic quality about Justin, I would say his ability to play A$$hole. Just kidding (although he is a helluva-playah')! Justin is a great listener and is great at looking at situations from multiple perspectives. He grew up in a family of 7 (5 kids, 2 parents) and I imagine he learned from an early age that it's not "all about" him. This skill has transferred to his adult life and we love talking until the wee hours (well, until about 10pm in my case...much later in Dave's case) about life issues.

We love you, Dad, Aunt Rita & Justin! Happy Birthday to you all! xoxo, B&D

Beantown, Baby!

2008-07-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

Dave and I are in Connecticut this week, visiting with Dave's family and getting ready to celebrate his cousin, Althea's, wedding this upcoming weekend. During the summer (as long as they can possibly stay), Dave's parents stay at their lake cottage at Lake Beseck. I love it here and find total peace in lying around, looking at the water, watching the boats go by and even running here and there.

Hanging with Dave's parents and their BFs, the Doolittles, on Friday

Another set of Dave's cousins (he has LOTS - huge extended family), Justin and Diane, treated us to see the Red Sox vs. Yankees game in Boston last Saturday. We had SUCH a blast going "back to the homeland". We haven't bee back there to visit in a few years, so it was great to spend a quick under-24-hours there.

Red Sox shirt? Check. Greasy Sausage? Check. Full Beantown Experience? Check.

Oh yeah...forgot one. $8 beer? Check. (Thanks, Dave!)

Thanks to trusty Facebook and - you know I'm going to give a shout-out here - the beloved iPhone and new Facebook App available, I was tooling around, looking at Facebook updates during one of the innings. I saw that my friend, Laura, had a Facebook update that SHE TOO was at the Red Sox/Yankees game! So, as the true wanna-be-geek that I am (perhaps I am now beyond wannabe and am considered full-fledged? not sure if I've "made it" yet), I texted her (she thinks I'm in California) and said that the iPhone had a new Google Maps app where you can look at a particular seat within Fenway, so asked her to text me her section/row/seat so I could try it out. Ha ha! She fell for it and texted me her stats (but did question whether we should be concerned that Apple and Google perhaps are becoming entirely too "Big Brother"), and then Dave and I snuck up and texted her to "look left". It was awesome!

Laura and I enjoying a Fenway surprise together

Gift for my Mother-in-Law...says, "Jeter Drinks Wine Coolers"

We ate at Kingfish that night (where Lindsay worked long, long ago when we lived in Boston in 2000-2002) and then headed back to the hotel.

The crew enjoying dinner at Kingfish

We had breakfast the next morning, then headed back to Connecticut where we had a full house for the afternoon with our "friends-with-kids" that came over to visit! It was so fun and we enjoyed every moment.

Don't be alarmed that the child in the last 1/2 of pictures (Cole, our friends Gary and Kim's son), looks just like Dave. I swear, we were across the country when he was conceived...I think.... :-)

Dave and Cole...his son-from-anothah'-motha'

Biking and Fishin in Mammoth (Part 2)

2008-07-30T07:13:00.000-07:00

A week or so ago, I wrote a post about the exciting times we found in Oakhurst, CA on our way to Mammoth Lakes, CA to meet up with Lindsay and Jon, Doug and Dan.

Dave and I had the chance to drive through Yosemite on our way and were blown away by the beauty. It was our first time through Yosemite and we snapped a few pics along the way.

Drive from Oakhurst to Yosemite

Yosemite Beauty

We stayed in a condo in Mammoth Lakes that was perfect. It slept 8 and we had 6 + 2 dogs (Lindsay & Jon have a dog named Jack). We played a$$hole (yep, kickin' it back to the old school with games), read, walked around and just relaxed in general. On Saturday, we went to breakfast and then the guys left for biking and Lindsay and I took off for a day of fishing with the dogs.

Friday Night...stumbling distance from the condo

As for the biking, they took the ski lifts to the top of the mountain and then biked down. Jon and Doug are both avid bikers and Dan is right behind them, but it was Dave's first time. He said he LOVED it, even after flipping over his handlebars!

Guys on top of the mountain

Jon riding down the steps - apparently it's what the "cool kids" do

Dave and Jon together on the mountain

Jon taking in the beauty

In the meantime, Lindsay and I purchased our two-day fishing licenses (which turned out to be quite the waste considering all we caught was a few pieces of seaweed, but I digress).

Proud Fisherwoman

Chuwee and Jack, anxious for treats

Me, acting like I'm doing anything but losing lures...and more lures

Lindsay looking like a pro...but still catching nothing

That night, we had fajitas at the house and enjoyed our last night on vacation.

Dave enjoying a bevvie on his way to the hot tub

On Sunday, we were up early and decided to give this fishing thing one more try. I managed to lose 3 lures within 4 casts...Jon was very patient.

"I think I got something! Oh wait...that's just another rock 'eating' my lure again."

Yep...I'm now in cold water searching for my MIA lures...to no avail. Partially because I didn't find them and partially because I'm deathly afraid of fish. My triathlon in September is going to be FUN, huh?

"Oh, F-it...I'll just drink instead."

We then packed up and drove back through Yosemite "home" to San Francisco. It was such a fun weekend and a great treat to meet up with Lindsay and Jon on an "unplanned" visit...usually we plan our visits months and months in advance (yes, we live in the same state...but they are a good 8 hour drive away, so it's not like we can just pop over all the time!), so this was fantastic! We can't wait to see them again in August for Dave's big 3-0 birthday in SF.

Play "I-Spy". Can you see the rock climber in the photo?

I Failed. Again.

2008-07-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

As you may recall, we attempted to get into French Laundry a few months ago and failed...miserably. This time, I called 300 times (nope; not kidding...hit redial during a car ride), and STILL didn't get through. It's amazing how many times you can dial in a 45-min timeframe.

Calling French Laundry...again.

I swore I wouldn't give up and started calculating how many reservations they could actually take per 30-minute period...figuring that each reservation probably takes 2-3 minutes for the hostess to take the credit card info, give the schpiel on cancellations and their $50 corkage charge, etc.

Why do you hate me? Yep, that says 99 calls.

So, defeated, I gave up on my French Laundry Quest for this week. My Google Calendar has each the dates set aside with reminders two months in advance of each available Saturday from now through the end of 2008. BUT, the next time a 2-month-out date is here (likely a week from now), we are going to try and go TO French Laundry to make the reservation in person and then go wine tasting...we'll either be celebrating our "good fortune" of being able to spend our $500+ on dinner or we'll be drowning our sorrows by wine tasting at neighboring wineries.

Oh, an next option? People apparently sell their reservations on eBay. Nice.

An Interview with...Heidi, World Traveler Extraordinaire

2008-07-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

While in Tahoe over 4th of July, I had the opportunity to sit down with famed world traveler, Heidi…consultant, surfer, writer and yoga extraordinaire. This is our first official "Brooklyn's Blog Interview"...you must be on the edge of your seats. You may recall that Heidi was doing her own version of a sabbatical, as reported a few months ago. She spent three months traveling through Australia, Vietnam, India and Africa. We are certainly grateful to have her back in SF!

Brooke prepping for the interview

[Brooke Bryand]: Thanks for joining us on the show, Heidi. And welcome back! I have a few questions for you based on your fantastic experience over the last three months that the rest of us have followed on your blog while you were away. Let’s get started. What was your favorite moment in each of the major locations that you visited? Let’s start with Australia.
[Heidi]: In Australia, surfing, oh god the amazing surfing, and then learning to scuba dive in the Whit Sunday islands. In Vietnam, sailing in Ha Long Bay. In India, besides downward dog 4 hours a day it was certainly the art of Neti…clearing out my nose in the Ashram way. And in Africa…besides snuggling with Monica? Truth or dare in Zanzibar with strangers and reaching the top of Kilimanjaro…climaxing if you will.

Our audience has no idea what is coming...

[BB]: What is the #1 thing you learned about yourself?
[HI]: I discovered more fully the type of person I want to be and how lucky I am to have my life.
[BB]: How did the trip change your perspective on your life in San Francisco?
[HI]: Yes, it made my life in SF more important to me.
[BB]: What did you miss most while away?
[HI]: Uhhh, toilet paper.

Heidi recalling a particularly memorable aspect of the journey

[BB]: I’m sorry…your accent…can you tell me exactly where you’re from?
[HI]: Ohhh, you must be referring to my world-famous international accent. But of course. I can’t help it! I just mimic whomever I am speaking with. Who knows, my kids someday might be speaking eight languages because of me.
[BB]: And a follow-up question…what percentage of the trip was spent speaking with aforementioned International Accent?
[HI]: (without missing a beat) 95%. No question.
[BB]: How many bags were with you on this three month trip?
[HI]: This would the least amount of shoes I have ever had with me at one time. For THREE months I only had two SMALL bags, plus one more with a Sherpa. And I only lost one thing – my sunglasses. Well, and the visa for Vietnam, but who is counting?

Heidi getting serious about her answers...this is a Live Audience after all

[BB]: Finish this sentence…”I will never again…”
[HI]: “…clean out my nose with an instrument as I did at the Ashram.”
[BB]: Word Association. Say the first thing that comes to your mind.
[BB]: Skree [HI]: Misery.
[BB]: Yoga [HI]: Poga.
[BB]: Crocodile Meat [HI]: Swampy.
[BB]: Zipper (sleeping bags, tents, etc) [HI]: Cringe.
[BB]: Diarrhea [HI]: Monica.
[BB]: And let's get down to the nitty gritty. Did you utilize the one condom you brought? If so, what country?
[HI]: What?! What condom?! I was condomless in EVERY country! This was a SPIRITUAL journey, not a hedonistic one. Ahem.
[BB]: And another…. “After this trip, I now know I can…”
[HI]: “…go three months without being hedonistic.”
[BB]: Final question. Where is your next trip?
[HI]: Amsterdam!
That's all the questions we have for you, Heidi! Thanks for joining in on the first ever (and quite possibly only ever) "Brooklyn's Blog Interview". Fueled by vodka + grapefruit and lots of friends, I'd say we did okay!

To keep up with Heidi on her adventures, check out The White Chameleon.