Adventures in San Fran

The best part about living in such a beautiful city is the weekend adventures I try to fit in. There are so many fun things to do, beautiful places to visit, and delicious foods to eat here. Every weekend is a true exploration of this not so big city after all :)...I welcome you to explore with me! Last weekend Gavin and I had too much fun and packed many activities into one small weekend.

Lets start with Friday...Gavin and I went to the "Art Murmur" in Oakland. All the art galleries opened up for one night of art appreciation, delicious foods, and interesting craft tables...oh and lets not forget the tribal dance parade through the middle of the street. We had so much fun exploring the art galleries, eating maple bacon sausages, and dancing in the street. After the galleries closed we finished up the night with some drinks at the bars in Oakland with some great friends. There is even a bar with a bocce ball course in it!

On Saturday Gavin and I went down to the water in San Francisco and spent the morning at the most amazing Farmer's Market. We bought all kinds of delicous fruits and veggies, and of course we had to have breakfast at the food stands!

From there we decided to go shopping and of course have some beers in the very unique Haight and Ashbury Neighborhood. We had so much fun looking at all the hippie stores, picking out gadgets, and meeting some friendly people from different countries. My sweet man even bought me the cutest Hello Kitty purse and we had to get his gift...a Munny! I was not too sure about this little figurine my honey had to have but its kinda cute!

Later that night we went and saw some friends of ours play in a band at a bar and danced the night away. Just as we thought we would sleep all Sunday away, we woke up to a gorgeous day and had to take full advantage of it. We started our Sunday morning with coffee and a beautiful hike along the beach up the coastal trail.

The view was amazing and of course, myself being a flower child, found so many pretty flowers along the trail.

The weekend was beautiful and we had so much fun! We finished off the weekend with a romantic dinner at a yummy Korean restaurant and even made it home in time for me to watch Army Wives. The best part about this...this is just one of my weekends!

Chapter Three...

So it has been a really long time since I blogged I don't even know where to begin. I feel like there are so many different chapters in my book of life: Chpt. 1...Sweet Sixteen,1 Chpt. 2...College Life, and now Chpt. 3 Career Girl! I finished college at CSUSB with my degree in Healthcare Management, and what seemed like forever went by in the blink of an eye. Upon graduation I felt a need for a new setting for Chpt. 3 and thus applied to many jobs in various locations. I sent out so many resumes and went on so many job interviews I was beginning to think I was going to be a professional college grad/resume submitter. Finally with days to graduation quickly approaching I got the call that changed it all...Accentcare. I was hired a few weeks later as the Field Supervisor for a personal healthcare company in....San Francisco! One week after graduation I sold most of my belongings, packed my little car, grabbed my dog, filled up my gas tank, and started on my new adventure up to the big city. (Granted this was not without a VERY tearful goodbye from my family...you would have thought I moved to another country versus 7 hours north!) Moving in as a single girl in the big city was a little overwhelming at first but I was so lucky to have met some great friends that to this day are FANTASTIC!

Within a few months and many nights of hard work (and some fun nights too) I was honored with the promotion to Client Care Coordinator of the East Bay Region. I, of course, accepted and embarked on yet a new journey to a new office/territory. I am still currently in this position and learn so much everyday! I feel like everything truly happens for a reason and that God truly guided me along the path to San Fran! In Concord, I met my twin that makes my EVERY day! I love her so much and I am so excited to have her in my life from this point on...yes I am talking to you BSING!

Finally, if you are still with me, I met the man that truly changed my life! Gavin <3 He is truly the man that makes my dreams come true everyday. He is so kind hearted, family oriented, my parents love him, and I absolutely adore him!

So that is the cliff notes version of the start to my Chpt. 3~

Walk Don't Run

So today as I was leaving the computer lab I was going through a checklist in my head of what I needed to do, "if I run to starbucks I can get coffee real quick, read a few chapters in my law book, and then run to class in an hour." Check, check, check!! Then as I stepped outside I noticed that the weather had turned from surface of the sun hot to PERFECT! There was a gentle breeze and it was still sunny as the day was ending, and I thought in that instant "No, I will walk outside to this great little bench under the tree and read, then walk to class enjoying the few minutes of perfection in today!" This brought me to a common theme in my life lately. I need to walk not run more often! Anyone who knows me, knows I am DYING to get married and plan a gorgeous wedding, followed by travel plans, a great job, and eventually kids (we all know I am a born soccer mom)!! Sometime I get envious of all the friends I have that seem to already have that all, and I feel the need to rush through this period in my life. I spend all day telling kids at work to walk not run through my store, and never had thought to take my own advice! As this is my last year of college, I take for granted just how perfect and on-track my life is! I have great friends I can go out with on the drop of a dime just because we can, I am in my last year of school where I love the professors and classmates, I work for a small company where I love my coworkers and although it doesn't pay great allows me to do just about anything I want! I have no "real grown up" responsibilities just yet, lets not count the car payment or parking tickets I get like they are going out of style :), and I really am so happy being just where I am. As I sat under that tree clearly not reading, but thinking, I vowed to take this next year walking! I vowed to enjoy every minute of being a college student, because as everyone knows all things end. Time will change soon enough, and I have no doubt I will have all the things I have rushed to achieve for so many years! As I was finishing up my promises to myself the sprinklers came on and I realized now is the PERFECT time to........RUN!

So many weddings so little time!!

Just a quick blog update on my summer, and I will write more later! This summer I took 3 summer school classes, and worked full time!! Needless to say it literally flew by...the only thing that kept my grounded this summer was the MANY weddings I went to. All of my days off so far this summer have been weddings to our beloved friends that we were so grateful to be a part of!! So far this summer we traveled to UCLA for Mr. and Mrs. Corral, Sac town for Mr. and Mrs. Jaimes, and Fallbrook for Mr. and Mrs. Strebel. All the weddings were so much fun and all the brides were beyond beautiful!! I am so happy for all our friends and loved being able to take part in their special days! Later tonight I will post pictures and explain more!! 2 more weddings to go!!

So Nice to Be Home

I just got home from a weekend with my mom and my grandma! It was so relaxing, and much needed because I miss my mom; however, I missed my home! I am cuddled up on the couch with a blanket watching Tool Academy (pretty sure all of my exes should be on there). Anyways nothing too exciting to blog about other than loving our house! Here is to another crazy week of school, work, and being back on a schedule! On a positive side I am going to get my scrapbooking table up and going, start a new book, hit the farmers market, and continue running with our dog! Nothing a little coffee and sleep wont help me accomplish!

L.A. Candy

Reading is probably my number one favorite thing to do! Does that make me incredibly nerdy....I like it so much I carry around a book in my purse at all times, and actually look forward to a night off so I can come home and read! Whatever, so i may not be the first one lined up at the club with a martini in hand (at least not most of the time), but I will be the first one in line at Barnes and Noble when a good book comes out. I have read a lot of book lately, and want to share some great ones. I think I already talked about Mitch Albom's Have a Little Faith. He is such an amazing writer, and this book brought tears to my eyes. Ya, those of you who know me know it doesn't take much; however, this book is one of my all time favorites. If you believe in God, or even if you don't this book will really intrigue you and your faith with some points. I just recently finished A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Houseini. It is a story about two incredibly strong women, and the hardships they face growing up in Afghanistan. I have never been so inspired in my life, or so determined to fly to Afghanistan and start a feminist movement! Finally, the whole reason for my blog today was the book LA Candy by.....Lauren Conrad (also known as LC on Laguna Beach and the Hills). Ok so she is not exactly Jane Austen, but if you are into the drama of the hills it is entertaining enough...I'm hooked! Granted she wont be making Oprah's book list, but it is not as bad as I thought it would be. Well I suppose that is all for now...anyone have any good book recommendations?

Keep on Keepin On..