You Used to Sit in the Cube Behind Me

Here comes the bride

2011-08-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

After a fun-filled wedding weekend and a luxuriously long honeymoon in Europe, we are back and looking forward to a year of exciting new challenges. With that said, we realize there are many important people who did not get a chance to witness our wedding ceremony in person and also a few who did attend who may want to watch it all over again (I am obviously talking about our parents). Luckily, my great friend Adam recorded video throughout the weekend and captured many wonderful moments from the wedding. Here is our ceremony, which he very beautifully edited. Oh, and I should mention that we have this video shot in HD but the file size is a little too big for here so it's just regular ol' video down below. Enjoy!

(For those of you not familiar with using Vimeo, be sure to click on the arrows in the shape of a box just to the left of the "vimeo" sign in order to make the picture bigger).

Cala Sant Vicenç

2011-07-15T01:59:00.000-07:00

My brain is a little sapped right now from all the fun in the sun but I thought I would throw up some pictures here from our time in Mallorca. We stayed in a little beach village on the opposite side of the island from the airport and really preferred the quaint and often quieter coves over the the Ibiza-like party scene of Palma.

I wrote a ton in my little travel notebook while we were there but I will save the stories and lavish descriptions for when we return and I have the time to write a proper post. Here I will say that the postcards and pictures from the web did not disappoint. The sea was a clear blue varying from shades of turquoise to cobalt and the water temperature was like stepping in to a refreshing bath, especially nice when you are used to the freezing Pacific. In addition to doing plenty of nothing, we enjoyed meals high atop cliffs with views of the Mediterranean that went on for miles and stayed at an adorable little hotel that fed us the most delicious Spanish breakfast every morning on our terrace. We also enjoyed a few great restaurants--the sea-salted Mallorcan quail at a restaurant called Modesto was to die for--but noticed there were probably a few too many places catering to the awful tastes of the German and British tourists that dominated the island. At least for the cuisine, we were happy to get back to Barcelona and the delicious offerings of an international, foodie city. Oh, and I lost count of the number of times Chris referenced The Odyssey while we were there but I think he will enjoy teaching the epic having now swam in the great body of water.

And, now we are off to enjoy our last night in Barcelona with a little dinner and wine on the roof top of our apartment where we will say "adios" to the Mediterranean for now. Next stop, San Sebastian on the other coast. Then, Paris and London.

La Barceloneta

2011-07-07T15:45:00.000-07:00

Just two days in Barcelona and we are smitten with the city. Chris and I had a conversation on the way to dinner tonight about whether there is an American city that has the wonderful blend of beach town and city life that BCN offers and we could not think of a single place that could even hold a candle to it.

We are fortunate enough to be staying at the apartment of my best friend Monica, one she shares with her fiance Ewan. It is in the neighborhood of La Barceloneta, a tiny peninsula that juts out from the city into the Mediterranean. That means that it is surrounded by beaches and yet still nestled at what feels like the entrance to the city. We are incredibly gracious for their generosity. It is so pleasant to return to an actual home after a long day of travel rather than to a sterile hotel room, and we couldn´t ask for a better experience. From their roof we can just about see 360-degree views of BCN and, better still, we can see whether or not the beachfront is crowded. This afternoon, after a nice long siesta, Chris and I decided to shake the sleep out of our eyes by taking a dip in the sea. It probably took us longer to walk down the stairs from their fifth-floor flat than it did to get from the building´s front door to the water´s edge. ¡Que fantastico! Even getting ready is an experience: my husband has taken to playing classical music on the radio at just the perfect volume, and I often forget this and think the sounds of a string quartet are wafting in through the open windows.

Dusting off our Spanish speaking skills was a bit intimidating at first, but the people here are wonderful and it is actually quite fun to try to communicate and converse in a language other than your own. Still, each time we enter a new establishment, whether it´s keeping up even a short conversation or ordering successfully from a bakery, we get a little thrill and our abilities improve by the hour.

We are in love with Barcelona and continue to fantasize about what it would be like to live here. And, even after checking out the main tourist attractions--La Rambla, Parc Guell--our favorite moments so far have definitely been sitting down to relaxing meals that start with ensaladas, end with cafe con leche, and always include wine. Equally as enjoyable has been popping in to bars and devouring an assortment of tapas (I particularly liked the place we found that was playing Frank Sinatra Christmas music in the background). Either way, the Spanish lifestyle of relaxing, resting, and eating is appealing to say the least.

Tomorrow we are off to Mallorca to enjoy the sun and, hopefully, lots of sangria. More to come...

*I take absolutely no responsibility for any misspellings or general bad writing during this trip as I have written this after enjoying an entire bottle of wine with dinner.

Just married

2011-07-07T11:19:00.000-07:00

We got hitched! On July 2, 2011, we were officially married and enjoyed a fabulously long weekend with friends among the Redwood trees. We will detail the whole event, complete with photos, soon, but first we have to enjoy a nice long honeymoon in Europe. Keep a look out for mini-posts and pictures of our trip as it unfolds...

Showered with love...and pasta

2011-06-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

Last weekend two of my best girlfriends—and the masters of all parties bridal—Sara and Lauren, threw me a wonderful bridal shower. After the blowout bachelorette weekend they orchestrated in Las Vegas it really wasn't necessary, but I was glad to be thrown a shower attended by some of my favorite women.

We tend to be an original bunch and our weddings and parties reflect our personal interests (see summer camp-inspired wedding for more on this). Me being the foodie and want-to-be cook that I am, Lauren and Sara decided to teach me and all in attendance how to make pasta from scratch. And I mean scratch, the way they do it in Italy. No food processor. No electric mixer. Hands. Knife. Table. What more do you need?

This idea stems from two key facts: First, after Lauren graduated from college she was lucky enough to move to Italy for six months with the sole purpose of learning how to cook Italian food. Second, when Chris first met Sara and Lauren, Lauren taught us how to make pizza (again from scratch and yes, the way they make it in Italy). To which Chris responded: "Can't we just go out for beers or something?" No Chris, we can't. He soon learned that my friends (our friends now) don't ever just do anything. We attack life with style and spunk, and a bridal shower or meeting someone's new boyfriend is no exception.

Now, I'm never surprised when the girls come up with something wonderfully fun and original because I've known them too long and they do great things like this often. However, I am always really amazed at how lucky I am to have them in my life. After we had my nearly 80-year-old grandmother and my good friend Shelby cranking out linguine and my mom and others cooking up sauces, we were left with a delicious meal. So, naturally we ate and drank wine and enjoyed the fruits of our labor.

Here's to good friends, good family and good food, and to doing it all again in less than two weeks!

Year One Done

2011-06-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it! I successfully (or so I think) completed my first year as an English teacher. It's taken me a week or two to actually post something about it because I'm not quite sure what to say.

I learned that teaching is a marathon. You start the year with all this hope and energy and lots of grand ideas. Then, somewhere around November you're thinking maybe your training wasn't adequate enough for the task at hand; you're thinking maybe you are not cut out for this. Then, you get a break and, with it, a second wind but those last six weeks are seemingly impossible. Your friends and family keep telling you "You're almost there! Keep going! You can do it!" but the finish line seems nowhere in sight. Alright that's an awfully bad metaphor for just saying that teaching is hard, plain and simple. And teaching kids that have been set up for failure--be it by the system or society or their own parents--is even harder. I have a newfound respect for those who have been successful educators for decades. Did I say it was hard?

I discovered how discouraging the day-to-day grind of this job can be. For instance, when you have spent an entire week reviewing how to write clear, concise thesis statements only to have a 16-year-old look up at you on Thursday and say, "What's a thesis statement?" It's hard not to take it personal. However, with that I also realized that sometimes you have to remove yourself from the daily routine in order to see what your students are capable of and the impact that you're having on their lives. Like when I chaperoned the biology department's annual trip to the aquarium and saw a true sense of wonder and exploration in their eyes. Or when I explain to them how to use the word paraphernalia correctly and they started using it to refer to their skateboarding gear.

I'd say I am proud of the curriculum that I created and the way I taught writing and reading. I'm really proud of my 10Th graders' state test scores (up by 17 percent!). But more than anything I am really happy with the way I built relationships with my students. They started the year hating me simply because I'm an adult (It's easy to forget this, especially for those of you who don't see me up at the front of a classroom everyday, but now I'm THE MAN). They ended the year begging me to return and to teach juniors so they would have me again next year. I don't think this is because I'm a push over or a buddy-buddy teacher but because I invested in their success and they knew I was rooting for them to do well. I'm also hoping that at some point during the year each one of them enjoyed a poem or a story and that they realized that literature can be awesome. Yeah, I'm a nerd. But as I tell my students, "Nerds rule the world."

Here's a video some of my students created in order to thank the teachers and--who are we kidding--to make us look like fools:

Is it July yet?

2011-05-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

While Chris and I have obviously been busy planning our wedding weekend, we've also been getting ready for the trip of a lifetime. Our honeymoon plans have us heading to Spain, France and England for a luxuriously long three weeks. Most of that time will be spent cruising around the cities of Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, and London to eat, drink, and lounge at cafes. That being said, we have built in a nice little chunk of time at the beginning for some beach side time at a really beautiful and secluded port in the middle of the Mediterranean. Our Lonely Planet guide said of Cala Sant Vicenc on the island of Mallorca, "There's not much nightlife or much for kids to do," which to us read: Yay, no kids and no twenty-something party-seekers! Here's a sneak peak of what we're expecting.

Spring time

2011-05-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a lovely few weeks here in the Bay Area. Last weekend my mom joined Chris and I for a day in Alameda, a small island in the bay next to Oakland. We went for the antique market to gather kitchy decor for the wedding but ended up enjoying the main street as well. Alameda is the kind of Northern California dream community I would give my right arm to live in--lots of tree lined streets, adorable pre-war bungalows, and a downtown full of book shops and cafes.

The antique market was just as great as I'd always heard and, after reading about it on Design blogs for years, I finally had an excuse to visit. It takes place on the island's old military base and is flanked by views of the San Francisco skyline and the port of Oakland. Add 80 degree weather, gourmet food trucks, and shabby chic furniture and I was in hipster heaven. We picked up several things for the wedding including some vintage table cloths, milk bottles (to be used as vases), and an old window pane that will serve as the wine menu. We capped off a beautiful Spring day with a trip to the bookshops and a little lunch downtown before heading back to the South Bay.

We spent the day before chaperoning the carnival and charity soccer tournament at my school. Somehow I was assigned to the grafitti booth, where I ended up choking down spray paint fumes for three hours. The plus side being that I got to see my students tag things like "We heart Lugea" and "English is awesome." Even if they just did it for my benefit, it's nice to know deep down they sort of like me.

On that note, I'll say it's been a pretty gratifying week at work. I found out that my students scored 15 percent higher on the high school exit exam that I prepared them for than the previous year's class. They also out performed the state average among Latino students by 17 percent!) Whether or not it was my doing, it felt pretty great to know I helped my students achieve their potential. In addition, we had our student staff dance off competition this week. I'm hoping to find video of it and post later. The students won by one point and it was great to see them really support each other as a community. It was also nice to hear them say things like, "Ms. Lugea you can actually dance" with shock in their voice. To which I replied, "Duh."

Big things coming up: Mother's Day BBQ at my mom's house, Chris' bachelor party in Boston, more weddings, summer vacation, my bridal shower, and more. July 2 will be here before we know it!

What happens in Vegas ends up on this blog

2011-04-23T09:34:00.000-07:00

Well, it wasn't exactly "The Hangover" but the girls and I certainly had fun at my bachelorette party in Las Vegas this month. Thanks to Sara, my maid of honor, and six other fabulous friends, I experienced what ended up being a 48 hour dance party in Sin City.

We started the weekend with Alison, Lauren, Shelby, Sara, and I hopping a plane to LAS and meeting Kelly (who flew from Seattle), and Robin & Brittany (who drove from L.A. with a car full of Baked Cheetos and booze). Brittany's parents graciously let us stay in their time-share condo on the strip. The dance party started immediately with us all getting ready and heading out to an ultra lounge bar. Of course, I was not allowed to leave the condo without wearing some sort of bridal paraphernalia and I quickly learned that wearing a faux veil in Vegas means you have a target on your back that says "pay attention to me" and "attempt to get me drunk." Somehow our older selves managed to survive the night and had a blast at the same time.

The next day, we all woke up (mostly unscathed) and headed to a dance studio for a private dance lesson. We all spent the afternoon learning a choreographed dance routine and barreling over with laughter at how ridiculous we looked at times. However, we did get a video of all of us performing the routine (to be posted once Sara sends it to me) and were shocked at how in sync we looked when the lesson was through. Bravo girls! Then, we spent the afternoon showing our only first-time visitor, Shelby, around some of the better hotels before heading back to the condo to prepare for another fun night out.

For our last night, Sara had arranged for a hostess to take us from dance club to dance club in a party bus. We got to skip all the lines, the cover charges, and, most importantly for anyone who has spent time huffing it through the endlessly long walkways from casino to casino, we never had to walk anywhere. Many of us were wearing very, very high heels and were terribly grateful for her forethought. Again, we had an incredible time dancing away, looking fabulous, and, well, getting "Congratulations" and the playful "Don't do it!" yelled at us all night. Again, as proven by the picture below with a weirdo, we were a target for the strange and ridiculous. That guy had a beard that was truly to be feared. By the end of the night we ended up on the top floor of Mandalay Bay enjoying our view of the entire strip and dancing (yes, were still managing) to "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."

We were endlessly joking about how we had become too old for this town, which was proven by the following actions/statements said throughout the weekend:

1. Thinking about the consequences of drinking before drinking too much.
2. Saying phrases like "She's a tough cookie" and "They were lolly gagging"
3. Staying on schedule and keeping our entire entourage together each time we had to board the party bus.
4. Complaining not of hangover symptoms but of aches and pains caused by dance moves.
5. Getting 8 girls ready to go out in under an hour.

Old or not, we had a great time and my friends made me feel incredibly special. They sure know how to spoil a girl (I literally bought a sandwich and a cab ride during the whole weekend). That being said, I'll end the post with this exchange between Lauren and I as we boarded our plane back to SFO:

Me: Do you want the aisle seat?
Lauren: You can have it; you're the bachelorette. Soak it up cause once we land you're not getting any more special treatment.

I love them.

It won't be long now

2011-04-04T07:49:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Chris and I revisited the camp where we will host all things wedding come July. Even our memory of it did not do it justice. It's a place that is so naturally beautiful I couldn't help but take a deep breath and enjoy just being a part of the space.

After perusing the grounds once more, we met with the chef and talked about the menu. My smile as well as our appetites got bigger and bigger as we talked about seasonal produce, antipasta, sun-dried tomato stuffed chicken, pastas that pop with flavor and color, and a french toast brunch among other nosh that had the California foodie in me beaming.

We then had the pleasure of taking up residence in a cabin nestled high up in the tree tops. In July, we'll have the entire facility and grounds exclusively and our guests will stay in these cabins, which are all attached with Ewok village-like pathways. Later, we spent the evening reading and relaxing and imagining how fun the weekend will be with all our guests. Waking up to the view of the giant Sequoia trees and the sound of a babbling stream wasn't too shabby either.

Below is a video tour of both the cabins and the lodge where we will host our reception. We're still saving plenty of surprises but we hope this will get you pumped for the big weekend.

Breaking News: Jim turns 70!

2011-04-03T17:06:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago, March 15th to be exact, Jim Hutchison turned 70. We spent the past year fondly repeating what seemed to become his catchphrase—"I'm damn near 70"—and chuckling right alongside him.

Below is a video Scott created for Jim's surprise birthday party. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I think the world of Jimmy. I know it's because of his example as a loving husband and father that he raised two boys who treat their girls (and one day will their kids) with the same love and respect. And if you don't believe me, just listen to how his kids talk about him.

Time (off) well spent

2011-01-03T09:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday marked the end of our shared winter break (Kelley's back to work today, me not so much), and before "life" resumes in full we wanted one last stroll through what was a thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable couple of weeks...

We left town about as soon as possible—Kelley's semester ended on a Friday afternoon, and we were in Chicago by Saturday evening—for visits with family and various friends. Kelley always comments that these December trips to the Midwest are great because she gets the experience of winter without the reality; she can watch for a week the cute and glistening white flurries from the warm side of the window, and not have to mess with the daily shoveling and scraping and mushy gray muck. This was neatly encapsulated in the evening we drove out to Karl and Kristen's home for dinner. A storm whipped about and dropped four inches of snow in the span of a few hours; the drive was a bit perilous—visibility low and tires' grip poor. While I drove and, before the return leg, defrosted and deiced the car, Kelley sat comfortably and toastily watched it all unfold. Of course, the weather was secondary to the company: it's a great joy to catch up with an old friend and to see how he and his wonderful bride are getting on.

We later met up with Anne in the city and coursed through Evanston and the surrounding towns in which she grew up and now works. The attraction for Kelley was the chance to see and strike a pose in front of the house from the "Home Alone" movies. Me being me, I was less giddy, and when a car pulled up and parked behind us I was sure that out would step some annoyed neighbors to tell us to get. Instead it was a trio of teenaged tourists from (presumably) Germany there to take a snap of the house, too. So perhaps it is something to see. After that we stopped in at the place Anne was housesitting—or rather, mansionsitting. Eight bedrooms, seven bathrooms, wallpaper that matches the upholstery that matches the carpet in that creepy old manor sort of fashion. I asked why such a family would have all this but skimp on the television sets; the ones I'd seen were of average size. "You haven't seen the basement yet," Anne replied. She guided us down the stairs and into what looked like the front room from "Silver Spoons"—a vast space full of games (pingpong, pop-a-shot, foosball, air hockey, as well as the more modern video-game consoles) and a second kitchen. Still, the TV was pedestrian. Then we entered a side room to find, in two rows of four, brown leather recliners facing a movie-theater screen, the sort of thing that likely measured in feet rather than inches. "Oh, right," I mumbled. We could have stayed there for hours, not just for that but to be with such a gracious and fun-loving friend. Knowing Anne is right up there with my degree as the best thing to come out of my time at college.

Then there's my family. (sigh) I do so love my family, and seeing them this time of year is bliss. We go out to dinner, we catch a movie, we sit around the house and chat—being around them is the best, and doing nothing is as good as anything. Christmas Eve saw the Hutchisons and Wiedemans and Hartlers together for a scrumptious dinner and some present swapping. The Kindle and Giants World Series DVDs and ornaments and Jon's magic red manila folder were all lovely. These people, though, are the real gifts. I am lucky to have been raised and be loved and supported by such a group.

We flew back to California on Christmas night, and this past week spent loads of time with Kelley's friends and family. I joked about staying in one night after our return to rest, and Kelley chided me: "Don't you know this is my favorite week of the year?!" With so many from the old Sunnyvale crew now working as teachers, these school breaks are the only extended periods during which they can get together. And, boy, do they have fun. On Monday evening we gathered at Alison and Adam's new place to eat well (yummy lasagna, Kevin!) and play a few games (nice drawings, Scott). While we're on the subject: the hybridization of Pictionary and the telephone game is ingenious and fall-out-of-your-chair hilarious, and recommended to all. Tuesday night some of us bowled (badly), and then on Wednesday we caravaned to Napa. This day trip is fast becoming a tradition: the scenery and the wine cannot be beat. Like last year, Peju was the most fun (with the most-fun pourer), but no matter where we went, there were stories and snapshots and laughs. It was a real, er, corker.

The topper tends to be New Year's Eve, once again hosted by that dapper chap Michael at his place in San Francisco. Kelley and I went up early to dine with Shelby at a place called Park Chow. At the party, there were drinks (including the same champag—I mean, sparkling wine the Giants celebrated with), food (including Rice Krispies treats made with Kix cereal instead), more games (Ten Fingers, or See Ya, Sara), and, for a brief time on the television, the entrancing moves of NKOTBSB. The night did not end till 4am, after a maddening time trying to hail a cab to Lauren's place across town. Five hours later Kelley and I were up and heading to Oakland for a day of college football and meat and sloth with Chris and Tiffany and, in from Washington, TBall. Michigan was garbage, but the mimosas and sausages and ribs and RichRod/Groban weirdness were terrific. This past week we were all too aware that we do not see this array of close friends nearly enough. If ever there was a resolution for 2011...

On New Year's Eve, Eric shared his notion that 2010 had been his best year—he and Kim were married, and the Giants won the Series—and reckoned that 2011 would be mine. The Cubs surely won't fare any better than fourth in the division, but he is nonetheless correct. After all, in July, barring an arrival at her senses, I will wed the most loving and beautiful and fun and selfless and just darn cute woman in the wide world. Wait ... July ... that's only a few months away—and there's much work yet to do. While Kelley resumes the teacher's grind, I have a comparatively light semester ahead and will be doing my best Franck Eggelhoffer impression. It promises to be a great weekend, and indeed a great year.

Here we go.

Giants Win It!

2010-11-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

I've had almost a week to let it sink in and I still can't believe it: the Giants won the World Series!!!

Even though Chris and I managed to always go to the game before the big game, it was still incredibly fun to watch this team of misfits (as they were branded by the national media) bring San Francisco its first championship since the move from New York. Not sure how two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum and the guy who will surely be the rookie of the year, Buster Posey, add up to misfits, but I don't really care either. And while I wait for my orange World Series Champs tee shirt to arrive in the mail, I have this perhaps-not-suitable-for-grandmas video to watch over and over with a huge grin on my face.

Here's hoping it doesn't take another 56 years to win another one (yes, I see your eyes rolling, Cubs fans). But even if it does, I think we'll have lots of memories of the torture that felt so good, the beards that were feared, and Brian Wilson's "Machine" to keep us smiling.

Of work and 'torture'

2010-10-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

We weren't the best bloggers even when the going was easy, so imagine how truly crap we are at it when we're busy. Oh, right, you don't have to imagine, as our last post was three months ago. Much as I love looking at that picture of us in the moments after engagement, you're due an update.

Alas, it will be brief. Kelley's working insanely hard in her first year teaching at a charter high school not far from our place; some days she's in the classroom with kids till 5pm, and most every night she's planning or tweaking or grading or stressing or thinking in advance of the next day's lesson. The bloom is off the rose in that sense—it's a tough gig!—but I observe she's still motivated and engaged in her work, and I know she's more than up to the job. Meanwhile, I've been in my credential program two months now, absorbing—no, constructing—all sorts of knowledge with regard to second-language learners and educational psychology, observing teachers and students, and tutoring kids in English and, bizarrely, algebra and geometry. And in just six days I'll be up in front of thirty-odd seniors attempting to teach the personal essay. Lord help me. And them.

We don't get to travel ... at all, but we have been swept away by the Giants' postseason run. We made it to the ballpark for a couple of games in October (both losses, both the day before they clinched a spot in the next stage of things), and are terribly excited for the World Series starting tomorrow. The video atop this post is of Kelley's reaction to her team's winning the pennant. It's always a treat to see her smile so.

She said yes

2010-08-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

The weather above looks ominous but the moment was rather glorious (and unbelievable): that when Kelley agreed to marry me.

Let's start from the beginning. We left the second week of July for a two-week jaunt to New York City, Washington, and Chicago for a friends' wedding, some touristing, and a visit with my family. I had packed no plans to propose during the trip; I was set to resume ring shopping once we returned. But on one of our days in New York Kelley took us to a vintage jeweler in Chelsea she had wanted to see. After about five minutes I begged out to the sidewalk, but when she emerged later gushing about a certain piece, I took us back in to have a look. It was indeed a handsome ring, from the 1920s, we were told, with a round diamond in the center and smaller stones sprinkled along the Art Deco exterior. Suddenly the thought sprang to my mind: buy this ring, dummy.

Indecisive twit that I am, I revived the subject of the ring a couple hours later at lunch in an attempt to make sure she did like it—a move I was sure tipped my hand. Still, I proceeded in secrecy, asking one of Kelley's friends to cook up a girls outing the following morning, during which time I could make the purchase. Sara (and Lauren) did their duty, and rather than wait with me for Shakespeare in the Park tickets, Kelley went with them for breakfast and some illicit knockoff-purse-shopping on Canal Street. After it was confirmed there was no hope for those tickets—the line was already six blocks deep when I arrived at 7am—I headed back to Chelsea and bought and pocketed the ring, thus beginning perhaps the most stressful and worrisome week I can recall. First off, I had to carry a ring box in my pocket the rest of the day. The bulging cube was more than a little conspicuous, despite my attempts to casually park my hand in front of it, and I was sure Kelley would immediately ask what the heck it was. That evening, in Central Park, we were sat on a bench when Kelley yawned and went to lie down with her head on my lap—just inches from the ring. I about wet myself.

And so it went. I did not want to propose in NYC and thus appear to upstage the wedding we all were there for, and I did not want to propose in Washington because the city has no special meaning to us. Chicago made sense: it's where I am from and where my family still is, and we could celebrate together. I just had to make it through seven days. Fortunately there was much to distract me: the endless wonders of New York City; the grandest wedding that either of us have been to (congrats again, Kim and Eric!); the many sights and the oppressive heat in D.C. (get better, TBall!); the comfort of being "home" again in Arlington Heights (love that "True Companion" video!); and the joy in seeing the wonderful new home of friends Karl and Kristen (take care of that basement by football season, Karl!).

Finally it was Friday, when we planned to head into the city and when I planned to propose. We dumped our bags at my brother's place and met up with our friend Anne for a walk around lovely Hyde Park. I was so eager I almost burst; I did begin to leak, to my parents and a few others, what was on my mind. Once we finished on the South Side I suggested to Kelley that, after so much time spent in the company of others, we sneak off for some alone time. We scooped some wine and picnic fare and headed to Olive Park, a little tree-lined pathway and green space that extends out over the beach and offers beautiful views back onto Lake Michigan and the city skyline (thanks for the tip, Anne!). I was not nervous about whether Kelley would say yes—I never was, as we'd talked about this sort of thing many times before—but about whether I could ask her before the raging thunderstorm that was forecast began. It had been sunny all day, but the gray-black clouds were slowly gathering, and as soon as we set foot in the park we felt the first fat drops. "Uh-oh," Kelley said. "****!" I thought. I pushed us forward, and the rain fell harder. "We'll get under a tree and it'll be fine," I wished aloud, thinking there exists a tree that blocks all rain and attracts no lightning. The skies, perhaps unable to take it any longer and laughing to the point of tears at my desperation, burst open and quickly drenched us. Those who had been in the park and on the beach scattered. Kelley said, "We are not having a picnic in this." I knew it would be difficult to argue. So I set our basket down on a bench and, half-defeated but also half-buoyed, said, "Yeah, no picnic, but I'm not leaving here until I do what I came here to do." I reached into my pocket for the ring, dropped to one knee, and asked the woman I love and my best friend to marry me. She said yes, we hugged and kissed, and someone was kind enough to stop their fleeing and snap a picture of us. It was better than I could have scripted.

We ducked out of the rain and into a Starbucks within a grocery store (I know, how romantic) to gather ourselves, and then celebrated that night with Scott and Jeni, and a couple days later with my parents. (And in between, we saw the Cubs actually win a game!) Reality dictates we immediately thrust ourselves into wedding planning, which we have to some extent. But permit me, please, to linger here a while longer, and to remember what is easily the happiest moment of my life.

There will be ties on heads

2010-07-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

Nearly two weeks have passed since our friends Brittany and Noah were married in San Diego, and here I am just getting around to blogging about it. The truth is I am in a summertime haze. Every day floats by with nothing much more on the agenda than watching a soccer match or reading a book. It is both a blessing and a curse: I feel rejuvenated after a long academic year but also dazed from the endless nothingness.

Our little trip down south was just the break we needed from, well, nothing. Chris and I spent a few days prior to the wedding wandering around downtown San Diego alongside some of our best friends. Again, there was plenty of soccer: MEX-FRA at a cantina with plenty of Mexico fans, USA-SLO in our hotel pub on the edge of our seats with this guy, and ENG-ALG at a very cool English soccer bar called Shakespeare's, where every Brit was desperately screaming "C'mon, Rooney!"

In addition to the fútbol, we managed to squeeze in a baseball game at Petco Park. Neither Chris nor I had ever been, and we were curious how the new stadium stacked up to AT&T Park. Simply put, it didn't. The place is more like a mall than a ballpark—completely sterile and void of any personality. It's coolest feature is a grassy knoll out in center field where you can sit for $5. It's weirdest? A sandbox for kids whose parents seemingly want them to be beaned by home runs.

After a few days of sports and lounging poolside we put on our party clothes and headed over to Balboa Park for one of the most beautiful wedding settings I've been fortunate enough to see. All the little touches were very Brittany, and I love a party with personality. The lavender blossoms on the trees in full bloom combined with the colorful Spanish tiles made additional decorations virtually unnecessary.

Once the "I do"s were said, we wasted no time getting down SV-style. Ties on heads and choreographed routines were in full swing. (Even Chris got in on the "Single Ladies" dance moves.) These pictures say it all—we enjoy each other's company.

Next up, we are off to New York City to see two more great friends be wed before traveling on to Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Then it's back home and back to the grind as I will begin teacher training at my new school. Oh, did I mention I managed to get a little thing called a job in 2010?!? Let the adventure begin!

See more pictures here and here and here and here (In lieu of a speech, Brittany's dad sang an original song, which can be heard on this slideshow).

Family and footy

2010-06-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

Four years ago, my brother and I began what we hoped would become a little tradition of bridging the two thousand miles between us and getting together to enjoy the World Cup. In June 2006, he flew out here and we made our way around to various establishments, watching two or three games a day for a week, and gorging on beers, ice cream and "Vindaloo." Unfortunately, the United States was crap, letting in three goals inside of twenty minutes in the opener and going on to finish last in their group.

How much better things went this time round! First, Scott brought along our dad, and second, there's a Kelley now. The four of us met up in San Francisco, and although I was frustratingly sick the whole time (shivering-cold in 80-degree weather?!), we had a blast, taking in the California Academy of Sciences, a Giants game—and the soccer. The highlight, of course, was the U.S.-England match. We'd been anxiously anticipating this one since the draw in December, and on the day we settled in at Mad Dog in the Fog a good five hours early, around 6:30am. The place was packed, of course, and fairly evenly split between American and England supporters, though the latter group had a clear edge in songs. The match itself got off to the worst possible start, England scoring in the first five minutes. But we hung in and eventually drew level thanks to Robert Green's blunder. From there it was squeaky-bum time indeed, but we got the point and celebrated—and some of us got "overserved." There was plenty more to the weekend—hanging out with our friend Shelby, meeting a lovably racist (?) old-man bartender, enjoying cream puffs made (we all hope) with love—but let it suffice to say I hope we can do it again in 2014.

That all was a week ago, and since then the U.S. team and its fans have been on quite a ride, with a furious comeback from two goals down before a disallowed winner, and this morning ninety minutes of agony (not to mention another curious call) before stoppage-time ecstasy courtesy of Landon Donovan. With that, the Americans have won the group and are through to the knockout stage. Who knows where this will end, but no matter what, we'll have had a hell of a time* getting there.

You can find more pictures of our entire visit here.

* Though not nearly as hell-of-a-time as our friends the Grandpeases and TBall, who've actually been in South Africa for all this. Do read their stories here.

School's out for summer

2010-05-29T07:47:00.000-07:00

Oh dear. Things have been rather busy round here the past three months, and we neglected the blog. Shame on us. We can—and we must—do better! Now then, where were we...

Buried under books, was it? Yes, that's right. From January through to this past week, Kelley busted herself teaching at one of the nearby high schools. The first-time tasks of daily lesson-planning and holding the attention of dozens of teenagers, of digging around for that angle or activity that might just help a kid get it, were all-consuming. (Not to mention the fact one of her classes, a lot of badly-behaving freshmen, was described by a fellow teacher as the hardest challenge on campus.) On more than one occasion, Kelley confessed, "This is the hardest I've ever worked." Still, she was undaunted, began every day anew, and on Friday came home beaming about the kind words and going-away gongs from her senior class:

In comparison to Kelley, I've been on a beach drinking cocktails these past five months. Still, I'm going to go ahead and pat myself on the back, because on Friday word arrived that—only 14 years after Dad dropped me off at the freshman dorm—I am a graduate of the University of Kansas. For anyone who long ago stopped caring, a bit of background: I left school in the summer of 2000 for an internship at the San Jose Mercury News, a decision made in no small part because it made easier the job of telling my folks I was a dozen or so credits short of graduating. The internship became a job, but that incomplete was still hanging out there. Phone calls home routinely included my mother politely asking, "When are you going to finish your degree?" and my bothered response of "Soon, ma" or "I'm on it" or some other fib. Finally, for reasons I can't recall, in July 2004 I wrote to my old journalism school adviser, inquiring about resuming and finishing my studies. I must not have liked the work outlined in her answer because I did not write her again until June 2005. (I still have these emails; gosh, they are pathetic.) I enrolled then in a Spanish course via correspondence, but not long after the materials arrived, including a blank audio cassette onto which I was to record myself speaking for the instructor, I set them—and the project—aside and chose instead to concern myself with more fun things.

The next year, 2006, I met Kelley, and it took her only two years to convince me to get back in the classroom. In June 2008 I wrote again to my KU adviser about completing my studies from a distance. It must be said that this adviser is a saint: for six years she put up with my infrequent and untimely replies and my inane and repetitive questions and guided me to where I needed to go. And so, in the fall of 2008, I started up this final leg of the journey. Now, after three classes of Spanish and, to offset the excess transfer hours, three classes of English, after some 46 essays (including one en español), it's done. Mom is typing-in-all-caps excited, and admittedly, so am I. Again, this was not a Herculean feat: six classes spread over two years. But picking up the backpack again after eight years in a job, trying to pick up a foreign language at age 30, sussing out Shakespeare and the giants of American literature without any lectures or discussion, writing all those essays (you should know, I loathe myself when I write), and then at the end making sure everything was in its right place—for me, at least, it's something.

So, then, what's the future hold? Well, Kelley is right back at it, interviewing and aggressively searching for jobs, and I'm in the middle of a career shift to teaching. (Santo is much the same, although he did receive a ball-on-a-string toy from Aunt Becky that he goes absolutely backflipping bananas over.) But there'll be fun, too. As Kelley wrote in our last post—which I'm sure you remember—we've weddings in San Diego and New York City with all of Kelley's friends, the latter trip also including stops in Washington to visit our pal TBall, and then Chicago to see my family and the Cubs. Before that, my Dad and brother traveling here to share in the start of the World Cup, and Monday sees the start of Kelley and Chris' Summer Book Club (first up: Huck Finn).

Oh, and more blogging. Definitely more blogging.

Where have we been?

2010-02-22T13:37:00.000-08:00

Buried under books and binders is one possibility.

As you can see in the picture, our kitchen table and apartment are littered with teaching materials and papers to grade. The lack of blog posts is partly due to our busy schedules and partly due to our boring, hamster-in-a-wheel-like routine that would not make for great reading. If you're curious, my week goes like this: teach in the morning, reflect on my lessons, grade papers, go to credential classes, lesson plan, lesson plan, lesson plan, rinse and repeat. Chris has even less variety: read Shakespeare, write about Shakespeare, take placement tests.

As mundane as it all may sound, I am really enjoying teaching. I have a class of seniors who are mature and love to discuss philosophy, and a class of freshman English language learners who love to aggravate me. ;) It is enormously challenging, not to mention emotionally draining--worrying about 60 students and their fragile teenage state can be overwhelming (I can only imagine what it will be like next year when I have 150). However, the highs are very rewarding. Just today, I introduced the themes of Romeo and Juliet with an activity, and the freshmen ate it up. They could not say enough on the topic of whether your parents should be able to choose who you date. Plus, teenagers are great entertainment. They constantly inspire me to create new ways to hook them on literature and writing.

I mentioned that Chris has been busy reading and writing about Shakespeare, with a side of English literature competence testing. He is almost finished with his KU correspondence classes (hence the Shakespeare), and has really thrown himself into studying so he can finish by May. It is a lot of work because he essentially has to teach himself some of the greatest and toughest literature ever written. Luckily, he is very smart (if I do say so myself) and has aced just about every one of his writing assignments. In addition to that, he has been taking a series of competency exams to show he is knowledgeable in the subject he wants to teach. Again, he has passed all tests so far with flying colors. Needless to say, I am very proud of the application he brings to his work--and that he is just a plain ol' smarty pants. I mean, c'mon, look how cute he is?! (This picture was snapped while we were at Ocean Beach in San Francisco on the way to a friend's bday)

On occasion we have managed to break free of the routine. We went to see Michael Pollan give a talk, attended a few friends' birthday bashes, and I just had a week off from school. Even though I spent a significant portion of it gearing up for the teaching weeks to follow, Chris and I did get up to Berkeley/Oakland to see our relocated friends Chris and Tiffany. They live in an area we absolutely adore, so it was extra fun to check out their new digs and sniff out the local bars/restaurants/shops. That's me on cloud nine at the Berkeley Bowl, an ultra-crunchy grocery store with a produce section to die for. It seemed like they had every variety of apple in existence and plenty of exotic fruits and vegetables that I couldn't identify. It is culinary heaven.

Santo is his usual self--cuddly for three-quarters of the day, rambunctious for the other part. My aunt brought him a new toy when she visited a few weeks ago that he goes crazy for (thanks, Aunty!). Otherwise, you can usually find him at 506 adorably sleeping in his bed or trying to nudge his way into our laps despite the books in his way. He is great company and we love that he greets us at the door no matter if we've been out for five minutes or five days.

For now, it's back to the grindstone. I have a big performance review to complete in order to secure my credential (sort of like passing the bar or boards of teaching) plus all my usual teacherly duties, so I will probably be once again on lockdown until spring break. I keep looking toward the summer as the time I may be able to catch my breath. We have lots of fun things to look forward to in the months ahead--weddings in New York City and San Diego, a visit from Scott and maybe Jim & Carol, travel, baseball season, time off--as well as plenty of scary unknowns--job search, bleak economy, applying to a credential program during a budget crisis, possible relocation. Even typing it makes me a little worried. But it's a lot easier to go through the curveballs of life with someone who has your back.

2009: Going Out In Style

2010-01-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

It's not a bad little Wednesday when you can leave your house around 9 a.m., meet up with your best friends, spend the day wine-tasting in Napa Valley, and be home in time for dinner. This is exactly what we did one day before New Year's Eve.

With six of the seven of us being newbies to the whole wine-tasting excursion (me, Chris, Robin, Scott, Kim and Eric), we let Michael lead us around from winery to winery and tell us how to cleanse our palates :) He was a great tour guide. We visited five wineries -- plus a great burger place in the middle of it all -- and had a blast.

I think most of the gang agreed that Peju was our favorite place. The tasting there included five wines that everyone loved, including a very refreshing Sauvignon Blanc and a unique red-and-white blend that Chris and I picked up.

We caught sunset on a beautiful deck at Mumm's, known for their sparkling wines, and enjoyed a spectacular view of their vineyard just steps from our table. As we headed home, we took a recommendation received in one tasting room and made a final stop at the Trefethen Family Vineyard. It was hard to resist going with a name like that, which we then proceeded to repeat over and over. Their wine was great and the view of the hills behind the vines was a perfect way to end the day.

We rounded out 2009 with a party at Michael's fabulous new apartment in the city. Great friends and great fun. Here's to 2010!

It's A Wonderful Life

2009-12-27T18:27:00.000-08:00

Chris and I had a pleasant, low-key holiday season this year. No shopping malls, parking nightmares, or travel hassles. Instead we opted for good cooking, friends & family, and a holiday movie here and there.

A few days before Christmas, I hosted a little dinner for my family (Mom, Ken & Brian). We all crammed into our tiny apartment and had a yummy prime rib roast with lots of seasonal trimmings. It happened to be Ken's birthday, too, so along with all our holiday food I made a cake. The nosh was delicious and the company divine. I wish we could do more family dinners, but everyone is always so busy and a two-hour drive seems to be a big enough gap to keep these affairs rare. Still, it was nice to use the holidays as an excuse to get together.

Chris and I then spent Christmas Eve at a showing of It's A Wonderful Life at a beautiful, old theater about a block from our apartment. The atmosphere of the place is absolutely spectacular. Before the film, they have a musician playing Xmas music on a Wurlitzer organ, and the space itself gives off a grand feeling. It was also nice to see a movie that the two of us have watched nearly all our lives on TV, on the big screen. It made me realize what a great movie it is and why it remains a classic. I think if we're around here for Xmas next year, we will make it a new tradition.

Christmas Day was spent lounging in PJs, watching BBC specials, and heading downstairs for an afternoon showing of It's Complicated. We both enjoyed the movie and I spent the two hours drooling over Meryl's fictional Santa Barbara home and garden. Add to that a small ham dinner, a few new toys (wine opener, Lost DVDs, cookbooks) and a few games of Bananagrams and you have a picture of our relaxed Christmas.

We'll spend New Year's Eve as usual with some of my best friends at a small party. In years past we've always opted to celebrate somewhere that we can all stay over and avoid the dangerous drunks on the road (Lauren's Santa Cruz beach house or Adam's Tahoe cabin). This year's spot is Michael's apartment in San Francisco. Should be good people and good fun! Pics to follow...

Gobble Gobble

2009-11-30T20:37:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is upon us and, boy, are we ready for it! Chris and I have just about hit our limit of reading and grading and planning and on and on... So when Wednesday rolled around last week, I was ready to do nothing but eat, drink, and be merry (in my pajamas) the next day.

My mom hosted a small but beautiful Thanksgiving dinner this year and, while I love to cook and host stuff, sometimes it's nice to play the kid role and let your mom make everything. The weather in Big Sur could not have been better. We spent the morning reading in the sun, and later ate dinner outside on a picnic table. Then, in true California fashion, the sun went down and we rushed inside to sit by a cozy wood-burning fire.

Dinner was yummy, the company was great, and we could not have asked for a more relaxing weekend in the woods. Just a few more weeks of school and teaching and it's time to do more of the same. Bring on the holidays!

27

2009-11-14T11:15:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, this girl is 27.

To celebrate the start of my "late twenties," Chris and I headed to San Francisco, where he had planned a weekend of mini-surprises. The first stop was eating at a little take-out soul food place I'd been dying to try, Little Skillet. We devoured brisket and fried chicken in a quiet little alley, and oh, was it yummy!

Next, we checked into our home for the night, the Good Hotel. As soon as we walked in to the lobby, Chris knew he had made a good pick. There was a ReadyMade magazine vending machine, a vintage photo booth, and plenty of kitsch to make me smile. Needless to say, I was very happy with our accommodations and Chris' thoughtful choice. He has my style pegged.

We started our evening eating and drinking great food and wine at Mission Street Food, a weekly non-profit dinner prepared by chef Tony Myint. The dishes were delicious, the wine plentiful, and all the proceeds went to feed the hungry (Groceries for Seniors, to be exact), which made us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

After our dinner, we hurried over to a bar called the Makeout Room for a show, although there may have been a little making out. The show, Mortified Live, features incredibly entertaining adults reading their often hilarious, embarrassing journals and diaries from when they were teens. The combination of fantastic comedic delivery and the angst-ridden entries had the whole audience laughing from start to finish. Chris thought I would find it extra-relevant since I am currently reading much of this adolescent writing now. He was right. I already want to see the next performance.

I thought that was it for all the birthday treats but there was one more little surprise. Chris led me over to a brunch place in Cole Valley known for making really great Eggs Benedict, my favorite breakfast dish. As we were waiting for our table, I spotted two of my friends walking down the street. Chris had invited a few of my besties who live in or around the city: Shelby, Eileen, and Sara.

It was so nice just to get away for the weekend and escape a bit from lesson-planning and reading. On my actual birthday (Monday), we met my mom and Ken for dinner and cake. Food, friends, and fun ... not a bad way to kick off 27.

What happened to October?

2009-11-08T21:15:00.000-08:00

As you may have assumed from our dormant blog, October and the beginning of November was pretty much non-stop busy for us. Chris has been going full speed ahead with his English and Spanish requirements, while I just finished my first week of student-teaching.

I am teaching juniors in an American literature class at a really large high school (3,500 large). So far I am really enjoying it and the students keep me laughing all day. But it is also completely draining. I teach only one class, and yet I feel like I'm lesson-planning and grading all day afterward. Needless to say, it has given me a tiny insight into what is to come when I have upwards of 180 students next year (pant, pant, pant).

I'm also learning a lot about what it is to be 16 in 2009. This week I learned from one student what "MOB" music is (money over bitches) and that they will not hesitate to answer formal questions with "IDK" (as in "I don't know"). When I asked them to silently line up in order of birth date to put them into groups, the only sound was someone's cell phone ring playing Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA." They teach me something about teen culture everyday and it is both completely amusing from a human standpoint and completely frustrating from a teacher standpoint.

So what did we do during October besides study, teach, and lesson-plan? Mostly there were a lot of pizza nights, with some babysitting sprinkled in here and there. But there was also a visit by Scott that we neglected to de-brief. I think that in the semester ahead, when I'll be student-teaching practically full time, we may just pop up photos here and there if we just don't have time for the words. With that in mind, here are some photos from October...

SV in LA

2009-09-24T16:03:00.000-07:00

Hello, out there! Sorry we've been away so long, but I think it's pretty obvious by that fact that our blog has been abandoned for about a month that we are SUPER busy! Chris is reading, reading, reading, and I am in full lesson-planning mode (and let me just say it for all those naysayers out there: Teachers do not work from 8-3!). I am really loving it, though, and can't wait to get into the classroom. I'll be embarking on my first phase of student-teaching in the next couple of weeks and am equal parts terrified and excited.

Even with all that, we (sorta) managed to get away last weekend for our first annual baseball trip with all my Sunnyvale besties. After growing a little tired of Las Vegas, we decided to start a new tradition: Every year we will meet up in a city TBD for a Giants game. This year the planning got off to a late start, and so to keep the cost down we opted to stay at our friend Robin's house in Burbank and catch the Dodgers-Giants rivalry series.

It was just what we needed. Nothing expensive or fancy, but a lot of fun and laughing with friends. On Saturday we suited up in our orange and black (except Robin's Dodger-fan husband Scott) and braved the notoriously rowdy Dodger Stadium packed with their uber-classy fans just waiting to yell, "Giants suck!" Unfortunately, on this day they were right. The Giants lost big, 11-1, but we still had a great time basking (or baking) in the L.A. sun and noshing on some Dodger dogs.

The rest of the weekend we spent lounging by the pool, stuffing ourselves with Chinese take-out, and playing "The Beatles: Rock Band." Now, for the most part Chris and I are video-game illiterates. We don't have a Wii or an XBox; and, unlike most of our generation, we have no idea what to do when someone hands us a controller for the latest version of "Halo." That said, we were all about this latest game, in which you sing and play along to a nice selection of the Beatles' catalog. I got in on some drums and guitar, and our team really needed Chris to sing the more obscure (read: drug-induced, psychedelic) tracks. The animation is really awesome, too, taking you through all the famous Beatles spots--the Cavern Club, the Ed Sullivan show, the Apple Corps rooftop.

Somehow in all this fun, we also managed to craft some T-shirts to commemorate the weekend. We deemed it "SV in LA" and put nicknames and the year on the back. It was such a great time, I think everyone is hoping this new tradition takes.

And now, I'm gearing up to handle two Hutchison boys at the same time. Scott lands in T-minus three hours, and we'll be hitting up Berkeley and San Francisco and catching a Giants-Cubs game. Pics and an update to follow... if we ever get a break ;)

312

2009-08-25T10:54:00.000-07:00

I'll give you one guess where we spent last week ... Chicago! And what a fun week it was (all photos here). Trips to Michigan Avenue, dinner overlooking the lake, a party at Wrigley Field, shopping in the neighborhoods, Wrigley Field, movies with the folks, deep-dish pizza, Wrigley Field, a quality wedding, oh yeah, and there was that party at Wrigley Field.

Let me back up a bit. The trip was inspired by an invitation to a friend's wedding (Karl Shibayama), but we spent a good amount of time visiting with the family in Arlington Heights, too. Lots of yummy dinners, nights at the movies, shopping, and just catching up with Jim/Dad & Carol/Mom (a nod to how they sign cards to us). I especially liked looking through Jimmy's 50-year high school reunion book filled with classic '50s photos of a skinny, teenage Hutch (sound like anyone you know?). This prompted us to watch one of Chris' high school home videos made for an economics class. He is so adorable, I had to bring it home. If I knew how to make a VHS into a YouTube video, I would post it here.

After a few days with the parents, during which time they managed to escape photographic evidence, we headed to the city to meet Chris' college friend Anne. She lives in the great little neighborhood of Lincoln Square, which like many of the great neighborhoods in Chicago is tree-lined with a lovely fountain in the middle of a Euro-like plaza. Just fantastic! I came to find out that Anne and I have similar tastes, and it was so fun perusing design shops and bookstores with her. She took us to the old Swedish neighborhood, Andersonville, within walking distance of her apartment, where we were in and out of antique stores and modern print shops all morning. Chris and I picked up some great maps that will fit right in with the other prints in our apartment. Anne went out of her way to be a great hostess and we had a lot of fun thanks to her (Thanks, Anne!).

The two-day Shibayama wedding extravaganza started with the rehearsal dinner at, oh, just a little place called WRIGLEY FIELD! Initially, when we headed off to Chicago, Chris was understandably bummed that the one week we're in town, the Cubs are out of town. So we figured at most we might drive by Wrigley just so he could shed a tear or kiss the sidewalk or whatever the sacred ground at Clark & Addison call for. But instead, we got a semi-last-minute invite to the rehearsal dinner being held there. It was quite the experience having dinner overlooking one of the best baseball stadiums, although it was eerily empty. I also got to meet some of Chris' childhood friends and listen to them talk about Da Bears. And he may have been more than a little jealous to find out the wedding party got to run the bases and hang out in the dugout before the other guests arrived. Dinner was delish and so were the adorable little cupcakes for dessert.

The wedding itself was at a restaurant on Michigan Avenue, Spiaggia. From our table we had a view of Lake Michigan and the food, again, was so good. My favorite dish: the veal & fennel filled pasta ... mmmmm! Chris reminisced with his buddies some more, constantly updating everyone via iPhone on the the Bears' preseason game going on just a few miles away, and we got in more than a few dances (Lionel Ritchie and 80s music in general seemed to be the crowd favorite). And just as the clock struck midnight and my feet started to scream from the spectacular but high heels I was wearing, we scurried down to our hotel and slept like babies.

Breakfast with Jim & Carol the next day was a nice send-off, and then we made the trek home to San Jose. Good family, good friends, and a good vacation. What a fantastic way to cap off the summer.

Friday night is now date night.

2009-08-17T00:09:00.000-07:00

In the nearly three years we've been dating, Friday night was anything but date night. With Chris' unconventional schedule we had the perk of catching a midday movie, but the trade-off was that Saturday night dinner parties or Friday night concerts in the park were out (or me going solo). So when I discovered that a local non-profit Shakespearean theater company was putting on a free play in the park, I jumped at the chance to join in with the typical nine-to-fivers and have our first official Friday night date.

I packed us a couple of Spanish-inspired bocadillos, fruit, and a bottle of Shiraz and we headed to Memorial Park in Cupertino for a picnic and a play. It was so nice. The summer night was perfect and the play, a circus-themed "The Comedy of Errors," kept us laughing throughout. Partly, I think we both were very excited to finally have the chance to partake in "normal schedule" activities. Surely there will be many more in the year to come.

Now we head to Chicago for much fun with the family, some exploring of Chicago's many neighborhoods, yummy food, and a sure-to-be quality wedding (and reception dinner at Wrigley Field!). The only downside is the separation anxiety I feel leaving Santo, who by our estimation is one year old this week. Of course, we're leaving him in good hands (thanks, Will & Lisa) and will return with photos and stories soon enough!

Summer Lovin'

2009-08-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

There are many reasons I'm excited about a future in teaching. But one that should not be downplayed is that we will always be able to enjoy my favorite season -- summer. With friends both visiting and moving away soon, we were a couple of social butterflies this week.

We took in a Giants game at AT&T Park. Couldn't resist the $5 view reserve tickets, not to mention the fact that my team is "in this." I'm only half-joking when I say Giants playoff tickets are an "unforeseen cost" projected in our budget.

There was also a night out with the Grandpeases, who will soon be moving to the ultra-cool neighborhood of Rockridge Oakland (about 45 minutes up the east side of the bay from us, and directly across the water from SF for those non-Bay Area-ers). We ended up exploring a few bars in downtown Campbell and discovered that in three years they had never used the light rail. We will miss them living just two blocks away, but surely there will be visits. I mean, who else can you count on to hang out with until four in the morning? (Yeesh, that was a late night.)

In addition to those fun times, my good friend Eric is here from New York City and can also be called a baseball/summer enthusiast. I gathered up a few of the local gang (Michael and Monica are on the right side of the pic) for a San Jose Giants game on Tuesday, where the five us enjoyed the tasty BBQ. Yum!

There was a lot of squinting as the summer sun went down but I can't remember the last time I've seen so many homers at a minor league game. Surely it didn't hurt that San Francisco Giants infielder Rich Aurilia was in the lineup that night rehabbing an injury.

The same crew gathered the next evening for a game of kickball. Yes, you read right. My friend Michael is in an adult kickball league (WAKA) and we were able to join his team for Wednesday's game. I can't tell you how much fun this was. It's the perfect mixture of sport, competition, and summer without really needing any serious skill or knowledge of the game.

And adding to the enjoyment, we went into extra innings and ended up being part of the team's first win! Go One Kick Wonders!

Unfortunately, Chris missed out on the game, but he joined us afterward at the team's official bar where there was no shortage of silliness (see below).

As of Monday, we have two weeks until school resumes, and we're taking full advantage of every remaining day. There is more baseball, a day trip or two, Shakespeare in the Park, and a week in Chicago still on the agenda. Life is good!

All I could wish for

2009-07-31T08:02:00.000-07:00

Without any of the ponderousness of the one before, we marked my 31st birthday on Monday with breakfast (and cake), a good movie, and an evening at my favorite bar with many of my favorite people. Thanks to Kelley for orchestrating it all, and to all those who came out. I have better friends than I deserve.

Courtesy of the folks at Flames.

Courtesy of Kelley.

Alison, Kelley, and Monica.

Jack McCahill, everyone.

Irish, folks, dancing?

2009-07-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

It's been about a month since our last update and a week since the events of this post, and it's terribly early (for me) on a Sunday, so out of rustiness and the recognition it's already been said better, we point you to the Grandpease's account of July 6, when two guys and a girl from Ireland met up with four sacks from San Jose and proceeded to hold a boa constrictor, turn tricks, play the Minute Game and do other things not so susceptible to immature innuendo. Suffice it to say, bhi sé go hiontach.

(Above, that's me doing what appears to be the Scott Hutchison, and below that's Kelley doing the Kelley, neither one to this song or that on their recommended playlist.)

From Garden to Table

2009-06-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

On Monday night we hosted Monica and Alison at our apartment for a mini-dinner party. It's no secret that I love to bake and entertain, so this kind of get together -- and the preparation involved -- makes me giddy.

I ended up baking a lasagna using some fabulous cheeses (fontina, gorgonzola, gruyere, parmesan, and ricotta) and added a layer of artichokes and prosciutto just to make it interesting. That dish and the olive-and-rosemary bread seemed to be enjoyed by all, which of course made me smile. Add two great wines to the mix (supplied by the girls) and some wonderful company, and our mini-dinner party was quite an enjoyable evening.

We also visited our garden earlier in the day. After failing to bring the camera along on the last visit, only to find the plants flourishing, I made sure to bring it this time. I'm still surprised (and pretty proud) of our ability to grow anything, let alone quality veggies. Truthfully, up until that first zucchini came in, I was sort of subconsciously believing that we would just keep watering a patch of dirt with little or no results.

So far that looks to be far from the case:

The zucchinis keep coming in every week and grow until they look like fat cucumbers. I did indeed make zucchini bread with the last giant one but am in need of some creative uses for the upcoming constant stream of produce that the garden has begun to spit out...

From the looks of the tomato plants, which are brimming with tiny green fruits, we'll be up to our eyeballs in tomatoes come July. Some of the little guys are even turning red...

Bell peppers are sprouting, too. These are the sweet red variety but I think they have some time before they start to turn that color...

We grew these radishes from seed and they are already pushing their tops up from the ground...

These green beans started from seed as well, and if you look closely you can see the tiny beans hanging from the bush...

Our neighbors have some pretty enviable crops as well...

Word on the "street" is that there's a ground squirrel problem. We noticed some nibbling on the edges of our cabbage, but for now we're satisfied that they haven't feasted on our other crops. Once more things are ready to be picked, we'll be looking for more ways to get the most from our harvest (making spaghetti sauce is one idea). Either way, local friends should prepare themselves for baskets of veggies. After all, there's only so much two people can consume :)

Los Angeles

2009-06-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

So after a great couple of days in San Diego, we loaded into the rental car and headed north to L.A. We checked into this cute boutique hotel in the Fairfax district called The Farmer's Daughter and prepared for a couple of days running around this sprawling city.

Kelley: On the first day we hit all the tourist spots just to check them off the list. We drove through Beverly Hills and had a poolside drink, then continued down Sunset Boulevard and into Hollywood to see the walk of fame. It's one of those things they say you have to do but really, just don't. It is crawling with the worst kind of tourists. Chris was not having it, so we left after a couple of pictures and headed to Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles. The fried chicken definitely lives up to the hype. So yummy!

Chris: Hollywood Boulevard is indeed a nuisance, down there with Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco and Chicago's Navy Pier. And the walk of fame becomes a joke when you see some of the names and realize it must only take a publicist and fifty bucks to get on it. Still, plenty of folks are smitten by it all, including the teenage girl who was camping out across the street from Grauman's Chinese Theatre ahead of the premiere of "The Hangover" that night.

Kelley: Next up, I wanted to see a movie at one of the state-of-the-art theaters, so we headed over to the famed Cinerama (now Arc Light). The sound system and digital picture were good but I wasn't blown away. I guess we have pretty good theaters in San Jose.

Chris: They weren't showing "Up," so we went with "Angels and Demons," which didn't help the experience any.

Kelley: After a day of being in the car, Chris and I realized L.A. really is a town of drivers. Unfortunately, it was driving us crazy (no pun intended). So we opted to walk the two or so miles to Barney's Beanery, a bar in West Hollywood with a lot of history. It once was the last stop for travelers on Route 66 and a hangout for old movie stars such as Clark Gable and Clara Bow and, later, for rockers Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. More important, it was very un-L.A., and after a day of valet parking and an "are you on the list" type of a scene, it was exactly the place we needed to unwind.

Chris: I forget the details, but the bar's collection of license plates purportedly began during the Depression. If a customer could not pay for his meal, he left the plate as a sort of collateral. Now, a cup of chili was probably a nickel, and car considerably more, so I'm missing something. But it was all very interesting. And the three-dollar home brew very tasty.

Kelley: The next day we headed to Venice Beach. Of all the places in L.A., it is the only neighborhood in which I could see myself living. The beach is just a few blocks away and the houses that run along the canals are full of charm and character. The beach cottages are great, but some of the modern architecture is just spectacular. I think some of my Dwell magazines have even rubbed off on Chris.

Chris: I had no clue about Venice, and what a surprise! Kelley definitely has opened my eyes to the world of design. I often still don't know what I'm looking at, but I like what she likes, which certainly is good for all involved.

Kelley: From there we decided to take part in one of the current local trends: the Kogi BBQ truck. L.A. is known for it's taco trucks, but this one is getting a lot of attention in part because it serves great food but also because every day it sends out its location via Twitter. We began following the trucks' feed and decided to hunt it down using the GPS on the iPhone. We found it in Santa Monica with a line about 30 minutes long ... but it was so worth the wait.

Chris: Korean short rib burrito = soooo good. Listening to two studio dorks in line behind me gushing about how some new script is "so Aronofsky" = less so.

Kelley: Later that night we went to the hipster-esque neighborhood of Silverlake to grab dinner at The Kitchen. Then off to bed for an early morning of hiking Runyon Canyon.

Kelley: Runyon Canyon is in the Hollywood Hills amid homes owned by the young and famous. We thought this might be the spot we would spy our first credible celebrity, but it didn't happen. Instead there were dogs everywhere (accompanied by their celebrity dog walkers) and young wannabe actresses sprinting off those last two pounds. We had no idea it was actually a heart-pumping, sweat-inducing trail, but the views from the top were worth it and it was nice to escape the concrete jungle for a few hours.

Kelley: After the hike we cruised Beverly Boulevard so I could peruse the design and furniture shops before ending up at Barney's again for the first game of the NBA finals.

Chris: We passed on Scott's offer of $175 tickets to Game 1, in favor of watching among the Lakers fans. The crowd was largely into it, though not as much as I expected, with a few folks interested only in being seen; and after L.A.'s easy victory broke out in chants of "Olé Olé Olé!," apparently the custom. Also, it is here I spotted our first celebrity (such as he is). Gregory Smith was familiar from the Mel Gibson movie "The Patriot" and, more so, from the old WB series "Everwood," which, at the risk of opening myself to ridicule, I used to enjoy. (I remember stumbling upon it in the UK, where it was less imaginatively titled "Our New Life in Colorado.") Still, as Kelley reminds me, I've not seen a "real" celebrity if I have to immediately follow the name with "you know, the guy from...".

Kelley: Friday we said goodbye to Hollywood and hello to Burbank, where most of the big studio lots have been since the 1960s. This was the day I had been anticipating the whole trip: Conan Day! I absolutely love Conan O'Brien and, even though I'll admit he hasn't hit his stride yet on "The Tonight Show," when he does there is no one funnier on late night. I always wanted to see "Late Night" in New York but never scored tickets. So after a long wait in line, we entered the new set and I nearly (read: actually) sweated right through my shirt. I couldn't believe Conan was so close to us. It was basically my version of seeing a rock star in the flesh.

Chris: Yeesh, Kel. Get a grip. I, too, am a fan, and this was much more fun than (and without any of the cringing of) my only previous stint as a member of TV audience, at the Jerry Springer show. Conan was good, but we also savored the breaks between segments, when the inner workings of the show were revealed: the powwows about jokes, the hair and makeup touch-ups, and, best, the guy who made sure that Conan had enough Diet Coke in his coffee mug.

Kelley: The rest of the weekend was spent with our good friends Robin and Scott. They are both teachers in Burbank and were nice enough to let us stay at their new home. On Saturday the four of us went to a baseball game at Dodger Stadium. I'll admit that their stadium epitomizes L.A. in the '60s -- very mid-century modern with palm trees. But their fans are absolutely the worst. I've never seen so many people escorted out for unsportsmanlike behavior. I mean c'mon! If you can't handle the competition and opposing fans in next seat, you really aren't mature enough to attend a game.

Chris: You might think Kelley's opinion is skewed by her being a Giants fan. But I'll pile on, too. Certainly the fans' preoccupation with smacking beach balls and looking for fights is annoying. Worse, though, was the sense that any ribbing would be misconstrued as some sort of affront. I've been to Boston for games between the Yankees and Red Sox -- perhaps the biggest sports rivalry in America -- and while there was plenty of trash talk, it was for the most part good-natured. Their fans seemed to realize it's just a game. No doubt there are socio-economic differences that I am too dim to expound on, but Dodgers fans, at least those with us in the left-field bleachers, were much more territorial and less willing to let someone have a go at them.

Kelley: Those Dodger fans definitely left a bad taste in my mouth, but all was forgotten after going to see the absolutely hilarious "The Hangover." So funny!

Kelley: By Sunday we were ready to get home. We'd been away for over a week, and while the pet-sitters' updates on Santo were much appreciated, they made us miss our kitten. We happily said goodbye to the traffic and the push-button-to-start (?!) rental car, and we certainly won't miss their fans. That said, it was a great time cruising around SoCal.

You can go through all our pictures here.

The Taste of Success

2009-06-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

We went to our garden today half-worried our neighbor might have forgotten to water it for us and everything would be dead. Turns out, the vegetables are thriving! The tomato plants are bearing little green fruits, the bell peppers are sprouting little peppers, and the zucchini--well just look at the picture! The one we picked today is nearly the size of Santo.

I can't believe how rewarding it feels to actually produce something we will eat. Plus, we still have plenty of space to put in some late herbs and fall crops like squash or pumpkins.

Now I just have to decide what to do with that monster zucchini. My first thought was to slice and grill it (yum!), but I think I may just make some zucchini bread on account of its ginormous size.

San Diego

2009-06-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

We're back from Southern California and ready to share stories and pics! We had such a good time with family and friends and have so much to tell that I think it is best if we break the posts up by region. Starting with San Diego...

Kelley: The big highlight of our time in SD was seeing Scott and Jeni run the Rock & Roll Marathon. Chris and I got up bright and early to scout out a spot downtown, right around mile 7. We had our eyes peeled for our two as plenty of runners in Elvis costumes and other silly get-ups ran. Soon enough Jeni comes by all smiles and with plenty of positive energy. We snapped some photos and away she went. Not far behind was Scott. He flashed us a quick thumbs-up but kept on going.

Chris: Before stopping, Jeni navigated her way through the crowd and into their hotel (which was right at this spot) for a bathroom break. Scott blew us off for photos, but then initiated an exchange of text messages. I suppose these both are examples of thinking on your feet.

Kelley: From there we headed to breakfast and then on to camp out at mile 24. We were sure they would need our encouragement that late in the game (neither of us having run a marathon, we could only imagine what their state of mind would be) and not long after our arrival we saw a pretty fit man begging his wife to let him quit. But pretty soon here comes Jeni, still all smiles and upset only that her time wasn't up to her own high standard.

Chris: We took the trolley over near Old Town, which annoyed me in its resemblance to Disneyland's Frontierland. After a short walk to the course we were eager to spot Jeni, but it proved difficult to accurately pick anyone out of the heedless river of runners. Indeed, we first misidentified six or seven women (and, in my case, embarrassingly, one man). Sorry, Jen.

Kelley: After she goes by, we start scouring the crowd for Scott. His goal time was a little slower, so we're thinking he can't be far behind. Ten minutes pass, then 20, 30, 40. Then a juggler goes by, and we snap a photo with the idea of teasing Scott later on about his slowness. Then an ambulance goes by and I start going over worst-case scenarios in my head. Finally, around noon, at least an hour after Jeni has passed, we head to the finish line... where we find Scott. All the while we were expecting Jeni to be first, Scott managed to pass us and get the better time!

Chris: Scott was slightly less than a gracious winner. When he got Jeni on the phone and found out that his time was quicker than hers, he shouted something along the lines of "Yeeaaahh! That's what I'm talking 'bout!". Thirty-six, Joe. You're 36.

Kelley: Then after they had run 26.2 miles (!) we all went out for burgers and beers, first on Coronado Island and then downtown. We had such a good time just hanging out. But it has to be said how impressed Chris and I were by their absolutely positive attitudes. Well done, guys.

Chris: I was impressed as well by Scott's wolfing of another burger, this one from Wendy's, before retiring for the night.

Kelley: The next day we capped our visit with breakfast at Hash House A Go-Go, a breakfast place in San Diego I had heard great things about. The recommendation was right -- it was delicious -- but the portions were enormous. Chris ordered a Snickers flapjack (that's right) the size of huge frying pan and we all had a bite. If you can't recognize my giant-sized dish, that is eggs Benedict.

Chris: "A bite" = yum. A second bite = ick.

Kelley: After we said farewell to Scott and Jeni, Chris and I stopped at beautiful Balboa Park before heading up the coast. We hit the beach in La Jolla and Torrey Pines Golf Course as well, and then it was on to the beach town of San Clemente for dinner with our friends Brittany and Noah. Their apartment sits over a bunch of surf shops and is a short walk from the beach. Absolutely charming!

Chris: Balboa Park's campus of attractions is bountiful and diverse -- museums of art, anthropology, local history; a botanical garden; the famous zoo -- and there are many spots for just lazing about. The mix is really quite clever. And I'll echo Kelley's thoughts on San Clemente. It oughta give Seattle a run for its money, you two.

View all the pictures from this leg of our trip here. And have a look at Scott's version of events here.

Next up: Our adventures in Los Angeles!

We're Off!

2009-05-29T22:37:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist posting this adorable picture of Santo sleeping in my suitcase. Looks like he wants to come with us to SoCal -- and stunts like this sure make it hard for us to leave him for over a week.

Sorry, kitten, but this time tomorrow we'll be in San Diego (and, later, L.A.), where the question "What do you think Santo is doing right now?" will surely be asked multiple times.

Memorial Day and More

2009-05-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

On Memorial Day we headed up to the city with the Grandpeases for some day baseball (and our first major league game of the year). At $9 a ticket, we couldn't refuse. AT&T Park is unique in that the nosebleeds also come with a beautiful backdrop of the San Francisco Bay. From our third deck seats behind home plate, we could see clear across the bridge to the Oakland seaport and take in the many sailboats drifting by. And to top it off, the Giants won!

From there we headed to the neighborhood of North Beach, hitting a dive bar first and then on to dinner at a little Italian joint. Good company and good food made for a great day but we were all pretty tired on the long train ride home.

On Wednesday, we met up with the McCahills at a little Latin bistro for some mojitos and to give them the key to our apartment. They are nice enough to look in on Santo while we are on vacation. Lisa being a former vet tech and Will being the other half of a household that manages to take good care of five pets, we have absolute faith that our little fur baby will be in good hands.

The highlight of the night had to be when baby Jack somehow managed to miss his diaper completely and covertly spray his dad with a poop bomb. We're still trying to figure out how this happened exactly but, nevertheless, it gave us all a good laugh. Who could be mad at such a happy baby for a thing like that?

Now we're off to San Diego and L.A. for a week of relaxing, eating well, and trying to be worry-free (Pictures and updates to follow of course). Unfortunately we're finally feeling the effects of the recession so this may be the last get away the two of us get for a while and we are going to soak it in!

How does our garden grow?

2009-05-13T17:18:00.000-07:00

Being new to the world of gardening, Chris and I both agreed early on that if our garden produced one vegetable we'd consider this season a success. However, a trip to the plot this week seems to suggest we set our expectations a little low. Both the tomato and zucchini crops are flowering, a sure sign that vegetables are to follow, and many of the plants we started from seed are thriving as well. If you glance at the initial pictures of our plot and then back at these more recent shots, you can really see the growth.

Next up for us: Finals this week and a trip to Southern California in two.

Good times...and photos to boot

2009-04-24T16:54:00.001-07:00

Only a few more weeks until the semester is over...I can feel it. We're in the home stretch. That being said, we haven't had much to blog about but we try and squeeze in mini-breaks here and there. I just uploaded the grab bag of photos taken over the last month or so and I thought, even though we don't have a single fabulous event to blog about, some people (read: parents) may want to see these pics. So here they are with equally bite-sized explanations:

This week temperatures reached into the 90s. So it was only fitting to put on some sunscreen and head to the local minor league ballpark for some BBQ and baseball. We were in good company with Will, Lisa, and baby Jack joining us for our faux summer night.

With a kid this cute and happy around, we found it a bit hard to focus on the game. On the other hand, Jack's presence also made us super aware of fly balls (yikes!).

Also, things are cropping up in the garden (I think this is a pea):

My friend Sara had a birthday party before heading off to volunteer in Peru:

I made a strawberry short cake...she loves strawberries. We forgot the candles and had to improvise with a piece of paper.

Otherwise, we've been reading, reading, reading, and going to class. Only about three weeks to go and then we can breath! Until then, we'll be here with Santo ;)

Spring Break?

2009-03-30T21:49:00.000-07:00

This past week, I was on spring break from my English classes and Chris was on furlough (the newest alternative to layoffs at the paper). With all the reading we have, I feel like we barely have enough time during a regular week to keep our heads above water, so we took this time to get ahead on some projects.

One such neglected project was the community garden plot we nabbed back in November. We went on the waiting list more than a year ago, when I actually had time for a hobby. So it was only fitting that we would be awarded one right in the midst of being full-time students (and, kinda, full-time adults). Fast-forward five months, and we naively arrive ready to sow some seeds only to find our 300-square-foot piece of land completely overgrown with knee-deep weeds. Chris quite adorably said, "How did these weeds get here?" as if someone had snuck in and planted them just to spite us. The thought of turning and running crossed both our minds, but instead we spent the next two days digging, uprooting, and composting, and another day putting veggies into the ground. The pictures below chart our progress.

First impression: "How did these weeds get here?"

Day one: A few hours of work, and half the plot is visible.

Day two: Woot, woot! Our plot finally looks like what we expected to find.

Day three: Tiny plants and seeds are in the ground.
That last picture is a bit anticlimactic, but you gotta start somewhere. This whole venture began with us wishing we had a bit of land to grow fresh veggies, and I'm looking forward to making some yummy summer salads with whatever the garden yields. Currently, we have tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, cantaloupe, beans, lettuce, radishes, and basil growing just a short bike ride from our apartment. I hope to get some carrots, sweet potatoes, and a few others in the ground next week.

On top of all the work we put in at the garden, and reading ahead for school, we spent a day tooling around Palo Alto. Spring really has sprung here, as you can see in the pictures of blossoming trees and sunny skies. We took a look inside Stanford Chapel and then walked around the campus before heading to the Old Pro for the KU basketball game. Aside from that loss to Michigan State, I'll say it was a nice week spent catching our breath.

Short Skirts & Shorter Fuses

2009-03-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

Liza Machete, Nancy Drew-Blood, Golden State Warrior, and Mexican Jumping Bean (my favorite name) are just a couple of the roller derby girls we watched duke it out last night. Now, roller derby isn't something we would probably gravitate to on our own. But my friend Sara works with a couple of the players and it sounded interesting enough sooooo... on a Saturday night we found ourselves watching the San Francisco ShEvil Dead get rocked by the Richmond Wrecking Belles 164-66.

Chris and I agreed we expected a few more elbows to be thrown, but I have to give it to those girls for taking some serious tumbles that made the crowd of a few hundred yell, "Ohhh!" Most unexpected was the random halftime show in which some crazy parents thrust their child dressed up as a rabbit out on the floor to perform magic tricks. I couldn't stop laughing as he ran by.

This all took place out at Fort Mason, an old army base near the Marina district in San Francisco. Before it got dark, we had clear views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.

The night was pleasantly capped when we discovered the after-party bar was also a sort of KU dive. The owner was decked out in Kansas gear, and I forced Chris to take this picture with one of the many Jayhawk signs on the wall. It's a shame we didn't know about this place sooner, but now that we do, I'm sure will be back.

Lazy Mondays

2009-03-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

While our friends and fam seem to be doing way more exciting things than us, like traveling to Egypt or even Florida, Chris and I have been chipping away at the classes. However, it's hard to pout over our current stationary status when we get so many laid back days like today, which we spent having morning coffee, breakfast, and sharing the New York Times crossword before diving into some (albeit required) reading.

Oh, and to continue on the thread of friends doing exciting things, we met Jack McCahill (baby of Lisa and Will)! He is absolutely adorable, although just through reading their Facebook updates and e-mails, parenting sounds EX-HAUST-ING. I'd say the most entertaining part of the visit was seeing the terrified look on Chris' face when he got to hold Jack. He looked like he thought he might break him :)

Then we came home to our own little baby (the one with fur), and he made sure to remind us how cute he is, evidenced by the fact I can't stop taking pictures of him...

This one looks like he's in kitty prison but he's really just spying a bird outside.

Ha!

2009-03-01T17:57:00.000-08:00

Great sign inside Allen Fieldhouse today, and a great win by Kansas over Missouri (not that CBS, the jerks, let us watch the end of the game). I still think a repeat title is beyond the realm, but these supposedly rebuilding Jayhawks impress the hell out of me. Rock Chalk!

Update: Er...

CH + KL

2009-02-15T20:59:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day with their sweetheart. Here at 506, we kept it low key although nonetheless schmoopy. You can see, I decided to embrace the cheese-factor of this holiday with the pink and red decor and the sugary treats (Sweets are always a hit with Chris).

Today also marks one year since we started up the blog. This is the 80th post and (doing a little quick math) that is about one every four and half days or so. Not bad considering every now and again we get caught up in life and neglect to update it. Given the response from the few people we know who actually follow regularly (read: our parents), I think we'll keep it up. I like that even though we might not live near one another or have time to constantly fill everyone in on our daily activities, this provides a way for us all to feel better connected. If nothing else, I hope that's what comes out of this public display of our affection. ;)

Surely you don't mean me

2009-02-14T14:32:00.001-08:00

Catching up on our Osgood today, this piece elicited several knowing chuckles from Kelley:

Watch CBS Videos Online

Hm. Rather than defend myself, I wish to thank my dad for turning us on to "CBS Sunday Morning." It is our favorite thing on TV (when a certain island-based show is away, that is).

30 Love

2009-02-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

Hello, everyone! Remember us? Well, you can probably tell from our absence on the blog that school is back in full force. Chris is back in Spanish with a side of American Lit, and I'm taking so many English classes at once that I don't have time for much more than reading around the clock (although admittedly I really enjoy most of the novels). So this may explain why we haven't had much time to do anything blog-worthy lately.

However, Monday night we decided to put down the books and join our friend Chris Grandstaff for a little tennis at the SAP Open. We ended up seeing Pete Sampras play an exhibition match (better action/game pics over at the Grandpease blog). It was a good way to spend a few hours, but I tend to need some competition in order to stay interested. Chris compared the event to the Oasis concert he saw a few months back in that both were things he loved as a teen and here he is 30, watching them past their prime with a bit of sentimentality.

Oh, and our friends Will and Lisa had their adorable baby, Jack, on Sunday. Congrats to them and we can't wait to meet him!

Besides all that, we've just been keeping things low key... having nice dinners at home, fawning over our adorable (and sometimes crazy) kitten, and reading, reading, reading!

Parents, I know sometimes you visit our blog to see some recent pictures. With that in mind, here are some recent (albeit random) ones:

More busy than the laboring spider

2009-01-23T21:27:00.000-08:00

School's back up and running for us. Kelley today hustled and secured a spot in three classes at San Jose State to go with the couple she's taking online, assuring herself a harried semester. Meantime, I'm still churning on my American Lit course, and Spanish 2 starts next week. One of Kelley's classes is on Shakespeare, a subject I, too, will be tackling soon. So, in anticipation of those moments when we might want to throw up our hands, a reminder of why we should read the Bard:

70 and Sunny

2009-01-14T20:30:00.000-08:00

We're having a bit of a heat wave here this week and so with the temperatures climbing well in to the 70s, we hopped in the car with our friend Sara and headed up the coast to Half Moon Bay.

We cruised the beach, observed the brave surfers (the water is always freezing), and soaked in some sun all while noting how nice it was to be able to enjoy the outdoors mid-day on a Tuesday in January. Before heading home, the three of us grabbed lunch and the local brew at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company (also oceanside). Needless to say, life is good here.

The family table

2009-01-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

A week or so after the holiday, and we are still loving our table (thanks again, Ken!). Obviously it's great for a bit of breakfast, unfurling the newspaper, or doing a puzzle. But I find what I enjoy most is having a place to sit that's away from the television, from which I can look out on this spacious studio apartment and see the sofa, the pictures on the walls, the (sorta still-) color-coded bookshelf, the kitten going wild for his unexpected favorite toy, and, if it's early enough, Kelley asleep all splayed out; a place from which I can take measure of the wonderful changes of the past few years, and daydream about what's to come; a place from which I can see Home.

2009

2009-01-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! This week we said so long to 2008 and welcomed the new year with a friendly gathering of food, games, and lots of Rock Band. My friends have always kept New Year's Eve low-key and celebrated at someone's apartment or, when we're lucky, beach house. Just the most important people, a table for beer pong or card games, lots of food, and this year, a rotating crew bringing down the house with the songs of Bon Jovi and Journey.

2008 was a good one for us, but there's always room for improvement. Here's to a fantastic '09!

Crafty Christmas!

2008-12-26T23:46:00.000-08:00

So last year, after being a little sick of all the superfluous gift-giving and shopping just for the sake of it, I proposed that next time we get creative and make all our gifts. This was before I decided to go back to school, though, and as crafty Christmas approached and with my mind on finals, I started regretting my suggestion. But it ended up being really fun.

Actually, Chris and I cleaned up. We've been dreaming of replacing our useless kitchen island with a rustic farm table. But after seeing that custom-built ones were selling for anywhere from $1,500 to $8,000, we thought it might not happen anytime soon. To our surprise, Ken built us one using reclaimed wood from an old bridge outside Big Sur. (Legal note: The bridge was to be removed after being damaged in the fire. No trees or state property were harmed in the making of our table. Phew... Ken, you're safe.) We ate Christmas Eve dinner on the table, and it looks awesome! Chris is looking forward to Sunday mornings with the paper spread out on it, and I can't wait to outfit it with some mid-century Eames chairs to give it our eclectic modern touch (examples here and here).

Some of the other crafty gifts included a custom wine rack, Cubs-themed stuff, a personalized cookbook, bath salts, and original photography. Not bad for being homemade, and everything meant way more than if we'd just braved the stores and bought some DVDs. But it was also a lot of work, so we may go back to the traditional way next year. Or (if I have my way) call off all gifting until there are children.

We had a yummy holiday dinner and spent time watching Xmas movies and decorating cookies. Note the amoeba-esque gingerbread creations a la Chris in the pictures below. When I asked about his "art" he joked, "you wouldn't get it." :)

After a couple of days in the woods, we had to rush back to our little fur baby... and my new Kitchen-Aid mixer, which was Chris' gift to me (OK, so we can't go completely without material possessions). Looks like on New Year's Eve our friends will be the lucky benefactors of all the baked goods I'll be making this week!

Finals, Xmas, and our curious kitten

2008-12-18T22:04:00.000-08:00

We've been really busy this week, which contributed to the lack of blogging, but I just wanted to post some pics of our nutter kitten Santo watching the rain and update everyone on what we've been doing.

Chris and I wrapped up our first semester back in school this week. Finals weren't too stressful, just time-consuming, and (fingers crossed) I think we may have aced our classes. For anyone counting, that's one of three Spanish classes down for Chris -- and a few out of many for me! It will be nice to have a bit of a breather and read something for pleasure before diving in again come January.

The kitten is happy, healthy, and feeling right at home here at 506. He recovered from his cold nicely, got neutered (ouch!), and had his first vet check-up all in the past two weeks. He went from being a bony three pounds when he first came to live with us to a whopping five as of Monday. The cold weather kicked in big time this week and he's been curious about the raindrops falling down our windows. He's very fun to watch, very snuggly, and we love having him. As I say to Chris all the time, "Best birthday present ever!"

Also this week, Chris and I quietly celebrated the anniversary of our first date. Two years ago, I met up with a cute boy wearing Converse and sitting on what we think of now as our Fourth Street bench. On Sunday, we had a nice breakfast (with cake) and made googly eyes at each other all day. It was good stuff.

So now we're in full holiday mode. We sent out care packages today to (hopefully) arrive by the 25th, and I'll be baking and crafting all weekend. To everyone in Chicago, we'll miss seeing you but will keep you posted on our holiday fun here with the west coast fam. More Xmas pics and stories to come...

Take Me Away

2008-12-05T10:29:00.000-08:00

For two hours Wednesday night I was 16 again, going with my brother on midnight runs to Tower Records in search of the latest singles (whether by way of Japan or in a faux Benson & Hedges box) by our favorite band, Oasis. Liam, Noel and the rest of the band who are not Guigsy or Bonehead visited Oakland, and Chris and Tiffany and I went to catch up with the boys from Manchester.

It was a rollicking good show. The old songs--"Cigarettes & Alcohol," "Slide Away," "Supersonic," "Don't Look Back in Anger"--sound just as good, and the new ones--"Waiting for the Rapture," "I'm Outta Time," "The Shock of the Lightning"--are up to the task. And Liam, more than decade removed from the peak of his fame, seems as arrogant as ever--taunting the crowd; standing at the front of the stage like he's just dared you to take the first punch; and, when it's not his turn to sing, simply leaving the stage. I see how this can be annoying, but to a fan, it's brilliant.

My lone nit had nothing to with the music (though I could've done with an hour less of opening act Ryan Adams). As I scanned the crowd of thirtysomethings and above, I noticed that this was the first my concert where the act was neither of the moment (Coldplay, 2003; Dave Matthews Band, 1996) nor delightfully under the radar (several shows by the Freddy Jones Band and the Samples). I'm aware that in too many posts here I've whined about feeling old in this, my 30th year. But the similarities to, say, a man of my father's age going to see the Rolling Stones were too apparent to ignore. And that's an especially apt comparison, as Noel says the bands are in the same league. (Video from the show below.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T13:07:00.000-08:00

With Chris having to work today, I decided to cook us a mini-feast yesterday. I figured it would be nice to prepare my first turkey when there weren't any guests or real pressure to make it perfect, and it turns out making Thanksgiving dinner isn't that hard.

I'll admit, I did cheat a little on the cranberry sauce and rolls (both pre-made), and since it was just the two of us I only made the staples. But it all tasted "just like Mom makes."

We're both so thankful for our wonderful family and friends and wish everyone a great turkey day. Hopefully, in some small way, seeing us here enjoying our own Thanksgiving dinner will make it feel like we're there with all of you!

Big Game

2008-11-24T21:59:00.000-08:00

On Sunday Chris and I joined my friend and UC Berkeley alum Sara for the "Big Game" between Cal and rival Stanford. It's one of those unique-to-the-Bay-Area sporting events that Chris has always wanted to attend and it ended up being really fun since Cal crushed 37-16.

We went up a bit early to take in the pre-game scene, which in NorCal fashion ended up being wine and snacks on the campus lawn in the place of a beer and BBQ tailgate. Then it was on to Memorial Stadium for a couple hours of college football. Chris and I started out in our assigned seats, which had a good view of the entire field, but we quickly moved to the young alum seats with Sara. There we sat about four rows up and watched three Cal touchdowns unfold right in front of us.

After the game, the entire student and alumni section rushed the field. We waited until it was safe (I didn't want to get trampled) but ended up joining just to see what it was like to be on the field for the celebration. It was a great, sunny day in Berkeley made even better by insider and huge Cal fan Sara as our guide and ticket in.

Meet Santo

2008-11-18T21:54:00.000-08:00

He's about a dozen weeks old, a Snowshoe, we think, and named for the Cubs legend. Very chatty and affectionate, and mellow, but that last one might be a consequence of the cold he's fighting through. Thanks to Kelley's mom, who introduced him to us and is helping to get him better, and, in advance, to Kelley for practicing moderation in ohmygawdhe'sjustawiddleburby posts.

Disneyland postgame

2008-11-14T20:57:00.000-08:00

Now that we're back in "Adultland" I can share all our pictures and memories from my birthday trip. The four of us (Chris, me, Mom and Ken) kicked off the celebration with a little fondue pre-party in Big Sur before climbing into the car the next morning for a looooong drive.

Once we reached Anaheim and Disneyland Drive, some of my best friends (Robin, Brittany, Noah, Scott) met us for pizza in Downtown Disney. Then we crammed in a couple of rides before I was so tired that I felt sick (26 is tough!). One of those first rides was one I couldn't wait to take Chris on: An Indiana Jones jeep adventure that takes you through twists and turns dodging tribal darts, snakes and that huge ball from Raiders of the Lost Ark. It is super fun.

The next two days were a blur of fantasy and fun and plenty of good food, including a Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues, dinner at the Blue Bayou (super cool for those who know Disneyland), and lots and lots of ice cream. I think Chris really liked Main Street, the drag leading into the park lined with City Hall, a firehouse and old-fashioned soda shops. He also marveled at how clean everything was.

So now our Netflix is full of Disney classics, and Chris has checked off one more California must-do. A successful trip, I think.

View a slideshow of all the fun here.

Update: I almost forgot to write about the best part of my Disneyland B-day. When you go there for the first time, or it's your birthday or anniversary, they give you a button to wear all day proclaiming just that. So for all of November 9th, strangers and Disney employees all day wished me a happy birthday. And they were so sincere, it was awesome--although Chris felt a little snubbed every time because it sort of overshadowed his "First Visit" button.

Disneyland here we come...

2008-11-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

This weekend Chris joins my fam and I in another California "kid" tradition: Disneyland! If you're raised in California it is definitely a must to visit The Happiest Place on Earth at least every couple years, and each time I find the desire never fades... even when you're turning 26 (or 30).

We're leaving NorCal just in time to miss the first heavy rain of winter and heading to the O.C. to soak up some sun and do our best to avoid "growing up." I can't wait to take Chris on the Indiana Jones ride and watch him revert to being a 10-year-old boy. Pics and stories to come.

Yes We Cake

2008-11-04T22:10:00.000-08:00

We had a bit of fun over here watching the election returns with Super Bowl-like attention--and what a night it was. I think Chris and I both were inspired by (President-elect!!!) Obama's acceptance speech, and I know I'm incredibly proud of our generation for making our voice heard. To critics who regard him as nothing more than a great speaker, I argue that his speeches motivate people to action, and that is an important part of being a leader. I just hope the under-30 crowd that turned out in droves will continue to participate in the political process and make things happen in their communities.

Update: Ahhh...

Another update: My cupcakes were posted at the blog Yes We Cake, along with other delightful treats :)

We Like to Eat

2008-11-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

And specifically, I'm becoming quite the baker. However, I'm not the best at finding recipes for two or a few and usually end up with a surplus. Luckily, Chris doesn't consider having a dozen cupcakes or a batch of cookies a problem.

While I'm doing my best Martha impression, Chris usually is watching me juggle three dishes, and he has this very appreciative look of awe when I somehow pull it together in to what looks like dinner. Don't get the wrong idea: Chris is very helpful and tries his hand at a little cooking here and there. But the juggling part, that is another story.

A week or two ago Chris thoughtfully decides he is going to make dinner while I'm at class and have it ready for when I get home. 'Sounds good to me,' I think, and off I go. When I get home a few hours later I walk in to the apartment and a smoky kitchen, and poor Chris just looks at me and says, "Help." It was the cutest thing. The cooking method he chose for the chicken wasn't exactly easy or working, so we scrapped that and vowed to work on his multitasking skills. Turns out that while I was making dinner for myself in college, Chris was buying Subway sandwiches, so he just needs a little practice. But we'll practice together.

He Talk Funny One Night

2008-10-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

Monday night saw Kelley and I join the literary and hipster crowd for a reading by David Sedaris at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. Beforehand we met Kelley's excellent friend Shelby for dinner at Farmer Brown, a soul-food restaurant that makes a fine pulled-pork sandwich, and prodded her to join us for the reading. Add another of Kelley's friends, Alison, who was there as well, and you have four people who rather enjoyed themselves.

We made our way up to the balcony, and Sedaris began with a piece about undecided voters. I'd yet to get around to it, but Kelley had read this one, and her doubling over in laughter at a seemingly innocuous point of the story had me at first confused but then braced to join her (the literal side of the when-she-is-happy-I-am-happy coin). Indeed it was a good passage:

To put [undecided voters] in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”

To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked.

In an interesting sidebar, he told us the original version put it as "human shit," but an editor at the New Yorker thought that inappropriate. The next time, at work, that I am haggling with a writer about an empty athlete quote or statistic, I will recall with some longing how much more fun the job can be.

Sedaris went on to read some unpublished material--about how Americans dress when flying ("It's as if the person in the seat next to you had been cleaning a pig before suddenly deciding, Fuck this, I'm going to Los Angeles!"), looking gay in Costco, and his adventures while on a book tour--and to take a few questions. Kelley and I could not recall an hour and a half passing so quickly or enjoyably. (For a sense, watch this video of Sedaris on the Letterman show reading Kelley's favorite story.)

We stayed over at Shelby's, and the next day bummed around the Sunset neighborhood of the city, eating a crap breakfast and ducking into a bookstore or three, before heading for the Museum of Modern Art. We had always seemed to be in the city on a Wednesday, when the museum is closed, and so were eager to finally have a look around. Alas, it was a bit underwhelming. The Frida Kahlo exhibit was gone, but it turns out now it's at the San Jose Museum of Art, and Kelley already has us going. (sigh) The things I do for ...

Hot Date

2008-10-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

Midterms are in full swing for me, and with Chris on vacation this week we were in need of a break. So we went over to the old Stanford Theater for the 50th anniversary showing of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. The theater is this great, old building--red curtain, balcony, a guy playing the organ as you come in. It's awesome, especially if, like us, you're a couple of old souls trapped in young bodies.

There were a few drawbacks. Namely, the windbag Stanford film smarty-pants who spoke FOR-EV-ER before the film. Also, upon emerging from the movie, we learned that we had missed a great baseball playoff comeback by the Red Sox. Even so, we had a fun night and I think we'll be back. For anyone in the area in a need of a little nostalgia, I highly recommend going. Although, with the way the economy is heading, it might be a little too familiar.

Is it April yet?

2008-10-10T15:50:00.000-07:00

So it's been almost a week since the Cubs (How would Chris put it?) wet the bed and he's back to thinking "Wait until next year." Poor guy. That first 24 hours post-loss, Chris was all sort of melancholy (listening to sad song about the Cubs, reading depressing blogs about it). I'd hate to see him deal with an actual break-up. He would be in sweatpants, eating ice cream for a month.

I will give him credit for accepting it so quickly, something that surely comes after repeated disappointments. Now he's rooting for the Red Sox to win the playoffs, again trying to forget the pain of heartache by sleeping around ;)

I was pretty disappointed too having experienced my first Cubs heartbreak and found myself wondering how I got tricked in to liking this team in the first place? My Giants never promised me the world and then swung at every pitch like a girl in little league. Humph.

On the bright side, our lives lack any credible sadness so I guess the Cubs serve as an important outlet. Is it April yet?

AC0063100

2008-10-04T22:14:00.000-07:00

Andy at Desipio might have a better one.

Going for: boyish optimism

2008-10-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

Let's get some runs. And hits. Hell, how about some patience at the plate. And definitely some defense. All of that. Quickly. Please?

Busy Bees

2008-09-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

So maybe some of you have been wondering where I've been for the entire month of September since I haven't been blogging. Well, it's partly that Chris and I are so busy with work and school. But even more than that, we just haven't had time to do anything blog-worthy.

But I'm happy to report that some of that hard work is paying off. Chris got the highest grade in the class on his Spanish test (brag much?), and I'm really loving all my English classes (haven't had any tests yet, so nothing to gloat about).

And with all that work we decided to have some fun last weekend, starting with a very carnivorous dinner in Palo Alto--the place (Pampas) specializes in serving 14 types of Brazilian meat. So basically, you sit down for dinner and the waiters bring around these huge skewers of tri-tip or filet mignon or leg of lamb and then they saw it off on to your plate. This goes on and on: they bring the meat, saw it, you devour, and then they bring on another. It was really fun, but the whole thing made us feel pretty gluttonous. At one point the waiter came around with something we'd already sampled, so he asked "Any special requests?" And I replied "Yes, we'd like the turkey wrapped in bacon." I mean, what could be worse (or better) than meat wrapped in meat? It was then we knew we had to stop before overdoing it.

Also that weekend, we ventured up the peninsula to San Francisco for a visit with my good friend Shelby. She just moved to the city, so we wanted to check out her new digs and grab a yummy brunch at this restaurant called Foreign Cinema. Fun place, and Shelby noted there were lots of adorable gaybies (translation: many cute gay couples and their adopted infants). She is a fantastic person and so thoughtful that before I left she gave me a kitchen utensil specifically for pitting and cutting avocados! I tested it out and it works wonderfully. So now I can go back to eating them without having flashbacks of the knife disaster. Chris loves the new device, although he still winces a little at the sight of an avocado.

Coming up: We'll be watching the Cubbies kick butt in October and seeing a David Sedaris reading in the city. There is still much of the semester left, but I hope to be better about updating the Cube.

Here!

2008-09-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

Been a while, for the blog and for me in a classroom. But here we are, and there I was last week, squeezed into one of those lefty-unfriendly desks and announcing myself present for the first day of Spanish 1A and the beginning of the end of my college career (when it's been going on for 12 years, career is just the word).

Much is different this time round. There are still chalkboards and projector screens, but also a 40-inch flat-screen television hanging from the ceiling. Lil' Wayne shows up out of nowhere when a phone rings. There is finally an alternative to grabbing your ankles at the bookstore, with far better deals to be found on Amazon. (A result of this, however, is that no one actually has the textbook for the first three or four classes.)

What's also new is my determination, the sum of being a bit embarrassed plus being the one who's paying. And there's this: on two of my three days a week, when class is dismissed I walk outside and meet a pretty girl, give her a kiss and sling my arm around her, and in that moment I am the Big Man On Campus instead of the Old Man at City College.

The learning theme continued Monday with quiz night at our favorite bar, Trial's. First time out, and Kelley and I came second. We would have won had she not written "Little Shop of Horrors" when she was thinking "Rocky Horror Picture Show" and had I just put down "Carl Lewis" instead of insisting that, because we boycotted the Moscow Games, no one could have been on the U.S. Olympic team from 1980 through 1996. Ah well, we shall keep at it.

Miss Lew-hey-a

2008-08-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

This week I've been dabbling in a little substitute teaching, in an attempt to test the waters before jumping in with a credential. So what are the two things I decide to "rip off the band-aid" with? Foreign Language and Boys' P.E. (What?!?) As if teaching high school kids isn't scary enough, I had to go and pick something where I'm teaching in a foreign language and/or to rowdy 15-year-old boys. But let me back up a bit.

So I show up on the first day of school with the ever-ambiguous job description of teaching foreign language classes for "Teacher A." I'm thinking to myself, "They can't expect me to know every foreign language. How bad could this be?" It ended up that I was to teach Spanish 1 to a bunch of adorable intimidated freshmen, with one Spanish 3 class sandwiched in between.

And I really enjoyed it. Aside from the fact that everything was chaotic, it being the very first day of the school year, I really had a great time teaching these kids. It was such a relief to know that standing up in front of teenagers and making somewhat of an ass out of yourself isn't all that terrifying. And by making an ass I mean I contemplated singing the silly songs I learned in Spanish 1 to help me learn the South American capitals or days of the week ("Lunes, Martes, Lunes, Martes, Miercoles, la la la...."). Thankfully, I spared them and myself the humiliation and stuck to less-mortifying activities.

I picked up a Boys' P.E. class today, which in the first week of high school translates to taking attendance and making sure they don't kill each other before the period ends. On a side note: Teachers of core subjects - English, math, science - definitely have their work cut out for them. Their work in the classroom is challenging enough, and then add on grading papers and tutoring and mentoring and on and on. P.E., on the other hand, is a cake walk. Gym teachers do exactly what you see in class: take attendance, wear visors, walk the track (or not) and leave at 3 p.m. or earlier. They have the easy life figured out.

So there you have it. I survived my first week as a sub and actually had a little fun at the same time. I'm sure teaching your own classes comes with a whole new set of perks and challenges, but nevertheless I think I learned a few things. Namely, how to think on your feet when you're thrown in to a classroom without a lesson plan, classroom management, and just generally interacting with that age group. And now I'm even more excited about my choice to pursue a teaching credential.

Drama Queen

2008-08-22T22:44:00.000-07:00

Alright, so yeah, yesterday I fainted. In the middle of Bill's restaurant and I was a teensy bit embarrassed.

I was a little hesitant to post anything about it, since between this and the hand stabbing I'm beginning to feel a little dramatic, but since Chris went ahead and posted the hilarious clips below I figured some people might want a few more details.

I guess looking back it started with the fact that we slept in late and then didn't eat or drink anything before biking in hot weather to a restaurant for breakfast (at lunch time). At the time I thought nothing of it but in retrospect I was probably dehydrated from the day before.

So as soon as we walked in to Bill's, the room started spinning. Now this is the place where, if you so choose, they'll serve you free tequila shots at 9 a.m. but I hadn't remembered having any so the dizziness was unexpected. I quickly walked ("not well" is how Chris put it) to the bathroom grabbing for anything sturdy on my way.

Now, I've never fainted or had a spell like this before so I didn't really know what to expect. I'm thinking I'll splash a little water on my face, get my bearings, and be eating waffles in no time. Nope.

I guess I was with it enough to know you don't want to lose it alone and fearing I might hit something on the way to the floor, quickly left the bathroom. So as I'm walking towards Chris, my tunnel vision goes from barely being able to see my path to pitch black. Luckily, Chris guided me to a chair just before I went limp and it seemed like I was sleeping, dreaming even, for like 10 minutes. Thirty seconds is more like it according to Chris, but as soon as I snapped to, I was completely embarrassed and thinking "Do we have to leave the restaurant now? Because I really want Eggs Benedict." Thank goodness no one seemed to notice (other than the helpful manager).

Some much needed water was downed and I seemed to come back to life but it was the strangest experience. And of course, it was another one of those things that had Chris and I thanking our lucky stars and recognizing what a shambles either of us would be if something happened to the other one. "Nothing is allowed to happen to you," Chris likes to remind me in these situations. Same goes for him.

F-A-I-N-T

2008-08-21T23:35:00.000-07:00

A ride to Bill's for some late breakfast this morning did not do well with Kelley, who once inside the restaurant made like this:

It was a fright, but brief and comparatively mild. Before long she was enjoying her Eggs Benedict (if not also spelling "alopecoid"). What did we learn?

Reading Rainbow

2008-08-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Saying that Chris likes books it a bit of an understatement. I believe the hierarchy of things goes books, Cubs, me (well, OK not seriously. Cubs trump of course.) So it should be of no surprise that even though we added an entirely new bookcase to our apartment, we actually already had enough books piling up on the other shelves to completely fill it.

And really, I just wanted to post something about it because, to the dismay of Chris' OCD, I think it looks pretty arranged by color. How's that for girling the place up ;)

Hello, Goodbye

2008-08-13T17:45:00.001-07:00

Hello new sofa.

Goodbye ugliest couch ever.

Alright, in all fairness the old couch served us well and, before that, served the Grandstaffs well, so it really has reached the natural lifespan of a couch. When I moved in, the apartment--aside from a bed, bookcase, and lounge chair--it was basically an empty box. We needed a place to lounge around and read the paper (and snuggle) and the we were happy to take it off their hands when they got a new sectional.

But since then our relationship with the beige monstrosity has soured. It began when the cushions started ripping for no other reason than they had one (or fifty) sits too many. Now shredded, stained, beaten up, and lumpy, the thing is (sniffle, tear, cheer) ready for the dumpster.

And in its place, sits our new sofa and just like the beginning of every relationship we are smitten. The cushions are perfectly firm and comfortable! the fabric is clean! The modern lines are divine! We couldn't be more satisfied with our new piece of furniture.

However, it wasn't the best first date. After a stressful trip to IKEA that had us searching high and low for all the correct pieces and a color that wasn't hideous, we returned home to assemble the thing. Everything was going smoothly until, in true Chris and Kelley fashion, the very last step. We had screwed the arms on, covered the pillows, and successfully attached three of four legs. Then came that damn fourth leg.

The combination of a bad bolt and an Allen wrench that applied the same amount of torque that a three-year-old might posses left our beautiful new sofa incomplete and the two of us fuming with sour thumbs. So we slept on it and marched ourselves down to the hardware store in the morning.

Of course, the hardware store did not have the right size bolt nor did it have a more powerful tool in which to replace the Allen wrench. So Chris and I, along with this old hardware store guy named Norm, began sorting out our debacle. At one point Norm was trying to convince us to buy a hack saw in order to devise a better tool for which to adhere the leg with.

Chris and I do not hack.

Judging from the intimidated look on our faces, Norm decided it would be best if he broke a little company policy and did the hacking for us. And you know what? It worked! Thanks to Norm, the new tool was just what we needed to get that last leg in place.

Now the sofa is complete and we are ready to be couch potatoes.

Woo Hoo!

2008-08-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

Today is a great day! I just received a letter saying the hospital has taken pity on my uninsured butt and waived my ER bill! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! So good.

Summer Mayhem

2008-08-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

Nothing is quite as nice on a summer day as catching day baseball and eating ballpark food, which is exactly what we did on Wednesday. My good friend Eric is in town from New York City and, along with Sara, Chris and I, spent a whopping seven bucks a piece to enjoy the game from the upper deck behind home plate.

Chris had to leave early to go to work but the rest of us spent the night eating Southern food and hopping around the city. In this time Sara managed to fix two toilets at two different establishments, a feat we later chalked up to being a good Samaritan. Eric was productive in another way and drank quarts--you read that measurement right--of beer until he was composing songs. Sara and I couldn't help but crack up during the car ride home as he found a way to work the lyrics "metaphorically speaking" into some sort of chorus.

Juicebox!

2008-08-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we headed down to Big Sur to celebrate Chris' birthday with my family. Sometimes its nice to get away to a place where lazing around in the hammock and playing with the dogs is about as busy as we get.

We spent our time eating my mom's homemade cheesecake (made specially for the birthday boy), BBQing, and playing with the new mutt, Ivy. Chris had hopes the new pup's name might be an homage to Wrigley but it turns out she has a white spot on her back that looks like an I and a V.

The next day we hit the neighborhood pool for another lazy day. There was the cutest little girl swimming with her older brother. The brother kept trying to convince the timid girl that her water wings would allow her to float and that, should they fail, "he wouldn't let her drown." This didn't really comfort her and she continued to cling to the wall. Chris and I found it pretty entertaining to listen to this adorable exchange, especially when the mom asked if they wanted a juicebox and the girl sprung out of the water, fist in the air and delightfully cheered "Juicebox!" Oh, to be the age when a juicebox was enough to make your day.

Made From Scratch: Almost as good as the box brownies

2008-08-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

I'd like to start blogging a bit more about all the things I'm cooking here at #506 in part because I'm a little obsessed with food blogs. But more so because in the last year I've really taken to cooking, and more specifically baking, from scratch. So much so that I sometimes daydream of getting a shiny, new Kitchen-Aid mixer as I'm trying to whip egg whites into stiff peaks by hand (and if you know anything about baking, you're aware that it is no easy feat).

So on that note, I decided to bake some brownies the other day. Now, brownies are one of those things that somehow Betty Crocker and Pillsbury and every other cake mix company has managed to perfect. But the way they do this is by adding a whole bunch of stuff I can't pronounce and therefore, try and shy away from ingesting (thank you Michael Pollan for making me afraid of processed foods).

So I rounded up the ingredients and got to chopping and melting the chocolate, mixing the pastry flour, and popping them in the oven (sounds easy, eh?). Well, they look beautiful but, I have to admit, the box kind tastes better. These came out a little too bitter for my taste--I want a sugar rush! So it's back to the drawing board. I'm not giving up on my "from scratch" recipe but it may take some tweaking and several tries to get it to taste like the box. Poor Chris, he'll be swimming in baked goods until I get them just right.

Almost-as-good-as-the-box brownies

1 1/4 cups unbleached pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl and set aside.
Place chocolate and butter in large bowl. To melt it, heat butter and chocolate in large microwave-safe bowl on high for 45 seconds, then stir and heat for 30 seconds more. Stir again, and, if necessary, repeat in 15-second increments until smooth but make sure it doesn't burn. Whisk in sugar and then add the eggs one at time. Whisk in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three parts, folding with rubber spatula until the batter is completely smooth.
Transfer batter to 13 by 9 baking dish lined with aluminum foil and spread it into corners of pan and smooth surface. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. When they're done, cool for about 2 hours, then remove brownies from pan by lifting foil.

Phew!

2008-07-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

So in all the birthday and vacation excitement, I seem to have glossed over the details of the meeting of our parents (dun dun dun). The anticipation of this meeting worried Chris right up until everyone in question parted ways. I think he must have been imagining some disastrous scenario straight out of the movies like Meet the Fockers or Father of the Bride--or worse. Turns out everyone got along splendidly. We met in downtown Carmel and ate at this very cute restaurant, followed by a bit of shopping. Here are a few of the sillier highlights:

-Chris was quiet for most of the breakfast, presumably because he was holding his breath until the whole thing was over.

-At one point the conversation led everyone to tell their own personal story of the time a wild animal was loose in their home and how they removed the creature.

-The term cougar may have been applied to my mom ;)

-Chris and I got our first taste of parental marriage harassment--in Tiffany's.

-Everyone had a good laugh when they noticed I had splattered raspberry sorbet all over my white top.

Overall, Chris and I were just relieved that everyone got along and--dare I say it--enjoyed one another. It's nice to know we won't be that couple that dreads the co-mingling holidays!

This is how his birthday really went...

2008-07-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

So I don't know what Chris is talking about in the post below but nothing even remotely close to any of that happened on his birthday. Perhaps, he was screaming "Why God, Why!?!" internally, but neither his parents nor I knew it. Instead the four of us spent Saturday shopping in the Marina district, seeing a show, and having a late dinner at a fabulous restaurant.

The show, Beach Blanket Babylon, is a San Francisco staple and pokes fun at pop culture and current politics in such a flamboyant manner it could only be from this city. By this I mean they somehow perform jokes about the upcoming election and celebrity gossip all while balancing the Transamerica Pyramid, Golden Gate Bridge and Palace of Fine Arts atop their head. It was good fun. Plus, there was the added bonus of subjecting the parents to some real, crazy (tranny?) San Franciscans sitting a few rows up, one who later was referred to in conversation as the Cruella de Vil looking lady.

After, we walked down through North Beach and over to the Financial District for dinner. Bix Restaurant is a throw back to the supper clubs of the 1930s and is situated in this very cool alley. The inside is even better. As you walk in you have a long mirrored bar with four or five tuxedo-clad bartenders mixing martinis and highball cocktails. A sweeping staircase leads up to the second level where guests dine in old school booths overlooking the whole restaurant with a dance floor and jazz trio down below. Art deco fixtures and painting of musicians really make you feel like you're in New York City circa 1932 or at least on the set of Mad Men. The food was great--tender steak, scallops, salmon--but the atmosphere was perfect. The whole place was alive and I hope Chris liked it.

On Sunday (his actual birthday), we drove back down the peninsula and had one last lunch before saying goodbye to Jim & Carol. We had a really great time all week and thanks to their generosity felt like we had our own little mini vacation right along with them.

Drinks with the Grandstaffs at Chris' favorite bar in San Jose completed the big 3-0 night. Now it's back to life as usual...only now I'm dating someone "in their 30s". I think he's taking it pretty well though. No sports car or other lavish purchases yet and he already has the 20-something girlfriend ;)

Yep, I think the thirties might just be a good time.

What More Can I Say?

2008-07-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

It was a week of excellent distraction. Other posts detail the good times had by all, but now the folks are gone and the fact remains: I am 30. How did I ring in the occasion?

No.

Closer, but c'mon. All that changes is you can't wear jerseys. Right, Scott?

Now & Then

2008-07-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

As I snapped this picture Chris and his mom on the beach in Carmel, I couldn't help but remember the one of the two of them on another beach off Lake Michigan. We'll be celebrating his 30Th Birthday this weekend and it seems only fitting to reflect on the past while anticipating the future.

Happy Feet

2008-07-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

So it has become a bit of a joke that Chris and I take schmoopy photos of our feet on the beach or in various other notable locations. We're pretty secure in our schmoopiness so we encourage the teasing--if we weren't I don't think we would have a blog about all things lovey dovey--and the photos have been parodied a little in recent months, the most recent being Carol & Jim's feet together on Carmel beach. I take it as a good sign that a lot of people we know are lucky enough to have someone to make happy feet with and that makes me even schmoopier.

Jim & Carol at Carmel Beach

Scott & Jeni in Aspen

The one that started it all (Chris and I in in Big Sur)

I say bring 'em on! If you have someone you love so much you want to take pictures of their feet (yeesh!), snap away.

Peanut Navigator

2008-07-24T17:53:00.000-07:00

On Monday, Carol and Jim (Chris' parents) arrived in San Jose for their visit with us and ever since we've been living the good life in vacation mode: Eating in great restaurants, shopping, sleeping in wonderful hotel beds, seeing shows, and having an all out good time.

We followed their trusty GPS navigation as she--she being the British sounding voice they named Victoria--guided us (or misguided us) down the coast to Monterey where we shopped and ate without a care in the world.

After venturing in and around Monterey, we made the short drive over to the neighboring beach town, Carmel, and walked down to the beach. The trip down the street to the beach descends along a quaint street of shops and amazing homes and once you get there you have Pebble Beach golf course to your right, the Big Sur coastline to your left, and the blue-green surf dead ahead. It's fantastic! I've lived in this area my whole life but sights like these never get old.

We drove back via Highway One, which winds along the coast up to Santa Cruz before cutting back through the mountains to San Jose. They replaced the GPS system with my local knowledge and I gave directions from the back seat, prompting Carol to (lovingly and with good intention) give me the new nickname of "peanut navigator." If you haven't noticed, I'm tiny ;)

Fridge Art

2008-07-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

Just opened an e-mail to find that these good lookin' kids are on the refrigerator at Chris' parent's house (better known in these circles as 307). Also, in the mix is Chris' birthday present from the fam (Scott, Jeni, Jim, and Carol), a photo of the miracle shot that kept KU alive in the NCAA championship, sending them into overtime where they would win.

I love the photo for what it reminds me of: Chris' face turning from hopeless despair to all out joy knowing his team was still in it to win it. Just not quite sure where it will, er, "fit" in apartment with the limited wall space. After all, we don't have a room designated for sports gear and color coordinated for the Cubs just yet :)

Coming full circle on the fridge thread, our refrigerator is similarly decorated with the usual suspects. It may be shocking for those that have painted me as a shutterbug that this is the only place in our apartment with photos of us. That being said we'll be sure to make more memories this weekend with Jim and Carol coming to visit and the big parental meet-up (gulp) about to commence. Stay tuned.

"Yes, yes, I see you tennis champion."

2008-07-17T17:49:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to see Serena Williams in a tennis tournament at Stanford. Chris had us believing it probably wouldn't last long and when we saw her opponent was some 15-year-old girl named Michelle Larcher De Brito (who?) we figured it would be a pretty quick match.

Not so though. The little girl gave Serena a run for her money--or at least her appearance fee--and treated us to a nice night of competition. Plus, it came with the added bonus of a bit of celebrity spying (I kept wondering if the girl sitting next to Daddy Williams was indeed Venus but she was too far away to identify).

Serena Williams (USA) d. Michelle Larcher De Brito (POR) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

The Cube 2.0

2008-07-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Anyone who reads this with regularity may notice the absence of our previous header, which has been replaced with our new and improved one. The old banner, a picture of Chris and I in Chicago, somewhat bothered Chris every time he called up the blog and I always thought it looked kind of out of place. Really, it was a place holder until we could come up with a better solution.

And now we have it! After seeing her illustrations on some other design blogs and Etsy (a sort of Ebay of handmade goods and art), we enlisted artist Rebecca Horwood to come up with the new piece. We are delighted with the results. Her drawings are so full of whimsy and I love how she managed to balance our personal effects--the Cubs poster, books, baseball, mid-century modern furniture--with her signature style--a jar full of goodies, a sweet songbird, and bubbly script. Even more impressive, she did it all via e-mail descriptions because she lives in Oxford, UK, a fact that Chris (being the anglophile he is) loves.

I hope everyone enjoys the new artwork and I definitely recommend her work. If you're looking for a personalized illustration, check out her shop and blog for more info.

The original sketch is being sent in the mail and will most likely be framed and proudly displayed on one of our walls. I like to think that years from now when blogs are a thing of the past, it will be a nice reminder of ours.

Diary of Yosemite: Day 4

2008-07-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

Our fourth day at Yosemite begins at 5am. After a less than ideal night's sleep (the zipper on the tent had broken, and amid cries of "black bear!" a few hundred feet away and as a formation of six rangers marched through the grounds, we'd had to hurriedly fashion a half-assed door from the rain guard), we groggily fill our packs with granola bars, peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches, a couple apples and about six liters of water and head out for the foot of the trail to Half Dome.

It starts innocently enough. The trail begins going uphill immediately, but not so much that you wonder what you've gotten into. A couple miles in is Vernal Fall, and soon after comes a choice: continue along the John Muir Trail or take the so-called Mist Trail. On our first night, at the campsite outside the park, we'd been advised to take the longer, flatter Muir on the way up, then opt for the shorter, indeed mistier (when it runs along Vernal Fall) Mist on the way back for a bit of refreshment. Always two for listening to strangers, that's what we do.

We settle quickly into a routine: navigating the switchbacks, pausing for water (and for short-legged Kelley to catch up) and marveling at the ever-shrinking sights below. After about four miles we came upon Nevada Fall. We could hear the waterfall before arriving, but not until standing on the bridge just a few feet behind the crest do we fully grasp its force. Kelley and I step down to a lookout point for a different view, and others around us are lying on the rocks for a picnic or a nap. It's a gorgeous spot.

And it's there that the beauty seems to stay. The next few miles are more like a desert, schlepping through sand, and then a dilapidated forest. It's all very brown, and a small rattlesnake slithers across our path. We exchange small talk with fellow hikers and continue to take our water, and Kelley makes repeated trips behind a rock to pee. The last couple miles curve and climb until -- almost suddenly -- near-360-degree panorama of the Sierras unfold before our eyes. The only thing blocking the view is the back of mighty Half Dome.

It's almost noon, and we sit for lunch and to think about what is ahead of us. The ascent of Half Dome, we knew, is a two-parter: the first bit you climb unassisted, but the final 500 feet are too steep for that and require the use of cables as handholds. We chat with a woman in her 60s who says she made it as far as the cables before turning back. Kelley scurries off to pee for a fourth time; I've gone in my pants.

Before setting off, we reckoned there was a 40 percent chance we'd be courageous enough to do the cables. How little prepared we were for how harrowing the first bit was. The face of the rock is set at about a 45-degree angle, and a staircase etched into it has eroded some under all those hiking boots. After each switchback you can step off and lean back on the rock to rest -- and try to avoid the vertiginous views. Kelley is careful going up and I am absurdly deliberate, at times nearly crawling. There are people going up and down around us, and we are constantly shaking our heads at the speed with which they do so; kids all of 10 are doing it like they're playing hop-scotch. Unbelievable.

We continue to inch along, and then I hear someone say, "Here's where the stairs stop." Kelley and I look up and see that just to make it to the cables we would have to deal with a flat face of granite. In hind sight, it's not that terrifying; the surface was not slick. But at the time, it is final straw. We are a bit afraid of heights, and so remind ourselves we'd done well to get this far -- again, "close enough" -- and head back down the rock as carefully as we'd gone up.

The return leg of the trail is easier -- until the start of the Mist Trail. It may well be a mile or so shorter than the Muir, but it is much more vertical. First along Nevada Fall, then later Vernal, we have to descend almost straight down a pile of rocks. Early on a ranger came barreling past us, saying he had to get to someone who had broken their leg. Later, a couple told us they'd seen a man almost fall down the side of the waterfall. The scenery is beautiful, but the rocks are slippery from the misting and we are so focused on not falling that we can't fully appreciate it. (I am often nagging Kelley to go slow.) Not until the Mist rejoins the Muir, and we know there's just a mile or so to go, do we begin to reflect on what we've done and smile. True, we did not get to the top, but that doesn't much matter: the getting there was pleasure and achievement enough.

After 10 hours of hiking, we were filthy. We dumped our six empty water bottles, got back in the car and drove to Curry Village, where we paid $5 apiece for, it was decided afterward, the greatest shower of our lives. The day ended with dinner and beers and the two of us grinning ear to ear.

French Toast and Omlettes

2008-07-14T17:15:00.000-07:00

I love breakfast and ever since Chris and I started dating we've been searching for a place downtown where we can read the Sunday paper and order some eggs and bacon. Well, one of the many downfalls of downtown San Jose is that a place like that doesn't exist.

But today Chris surprised me with what might become our new breakfast place, Bill's Cafe. It's a short bike ride away from our apartment to it's Willow Glen neighborhood location and fits just about all our criteria: has a large breakfast menu, looks like a diner, and has a laid back enough atmosphere to promote our morning laziness. Plus, afterwards Chris can browse the selection at the cute, independent book shop down the street.

Ah, simple pleasures.

Disappointing show

2008-07-10T17:56:00.000-07:00

Last night, Chris and I, along with friends Sara and Brent, thought it might be a good idea given the 100 degree weather, to partake in the outdoor movie screening in downtown. The movie being American Graffiti, it seemed fitting to watch outdoors even without the drive-in or car.

So with the combination of a perfect summer night, a couple of milkshakes, and a flashback movie, what could go wrong? Apparently, everything. The screening was terrible. Between poor lighting, not being able to see what was going on, and everyone talking over the flick, we could barely wait until it was over. Such a shame really because it sounds like such a fun idea. They say the kinks will be worked out next week but based on our experience, we may find it hard to coax our friends out for another attempt.

Diary of Yosemite: Days 2-3

2008-07-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

So after no sleep the night before, we "wake" up at 5 a.m. and head to Yosemite Valley with the hopes of snagging a site at Camp 4, the only walk-in site in Yosemite and one known for being a favorite spot of bohemian rock climbers. We end up 10th in line and when assigned the new site at 8:30 a.m. are so relieved/excited to have become a resident of Tent City and not have to return nightly to a site that is 90-minutes away.

After retrieving our gear, we spend the afternoon at the Mariposa Grove, a collection of some of the tallest and largest trees in Yosemite (and the world). The schmoopy side of us particularly like the two trees growing together named "The Faithful Couple" but there are some so impressive in size I appear to be invisible when photographed next to them.

A few miles of solid hiking and we head back to camp to set up--again. This time we have a better idea of where we misstepped with the tent but that only makes it more frustrating when we can't bend all the poles into place (Note: we are weak). After giving up when the last pin refuses to pop in to place, we decide the trip so far can be summed up in two words: Close enough.

I can say however that I built a pretty good campfire that night and very quickly I might add. As we're sitting around it a couple of 19 or 20 year old rock climbers staying in our camp decide to join us. I ask one named Mason (how convenient that he is a climber named after a rock) how high they climb and his answer is "Anywhere from 15 to 3,000 feet." This leaves us wondering how do you decide between 15 and 3,000? That is a pretty significant gap. It's also the first moment I realize I'm not one of the kids anymore when they surely identify me as a working, er, an old stiff and not a a college student. Chris adds to our reputation as squares by saying "We went bouldering one time at an indoor gym around the corner from our apartment." I'm sure Mason is very impressed by this.

That night a bear is spotted in our camp and in the morning two cars on either side of our rental have been smashed into. I was happy to have been zipped up in our fairly large tent. Mason slept outside in a sleeping bag reading a copy of American Psycho.

The next day we decide to treat ourselves to breakfast at The Ahwahnee Hotel. It was built in 1926 and seems to keep up the upscale lodge facade one might associate with how 1950s Liz Taylor may have done Yosemite. So maybe I shouldn't have been so shocked when the waiter came to take our order and asked Chris "What will the lady be having, sir?" I was and I had the eggs. The dining room was pretty impressive though and we had a nice window view. Afterwards we wandered around rooms with reading areas and fireplaces the size of the wall but Chris commented that it looked like they were trying to inject Indian cultural decor "The way a white person would."

Later, we visited waterfalls and improvised our own path, getting intentionally lost along the Merced River in order to leave the crowds behind for a while. We get back to camp early enough to leisurely prepare dinner, our first attempt to cook on the propane powered stove my mom and Ken lent us. This is where we stumble. Propane is gas and gas--at least in the movies--explodes. So I'm not so confident when I have to hook it up, light a match, and hope the thing will heat the grill.

Here's where you have to picture the situation again: I'm on my cell phone (yes, in the woods) being talked through the process by my mom and Ken. As they calmly tell me it's a very controlled substance and I'm going to be fine, I'm thinking I don't want to blow my hand off and asking questions like "Is the flame supposed to be blue?" At the same time Chris is throwing matches into the grill to try and light it but he's doing so from such a distance so that they either don't make it to the stove or blow out when they get there. Against the advice of our cell phone coaches, we decide to go eat pizza.

Close enough indeed.

The Days of Summer

2008-07-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been those I live for--baseball, pool parties, BBQ--really anything summer related and I'm there. I suppose it's a product of growing up in California but hanging out with my best friends poolside or beachside or anywhere in between on a Tuesday at one in the afternoon just makes you feel like you're 17 and without a care in the world.

On Monday night we paired up with good friends Will and Lisa and headed to the annual Cubs v. Giants duel. Admittedly, I've become quite attached to Chris' beloved Cubbies (especially the current crop) and find it pretty hard to seriously root against them. But what kind of San Francisco fan would I be if I just up and abandoned my Giants in their time of need?

Having that said it was pretty easy to be entertained when (at least in my case) both the teams you root for are out on the field. The Cubs crushed 9-2, with those last two Giants runs scored in the final inning. Plus, Chris made sure I had an excellent view of Derrek Lee's bottom, which is very niiice.

If that wasn't enough fun, yesterday we spent the day lazing around the pool with some of my oldest and dearest friends. And on Friday we're prepared to celebrate our nation's independence with BBQ and brew. (Sigh) It's rough out here.

Diary of Yosemite: Day 1

2008-06-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

Excited and ready for an adventure we pick up our rental car (with extra damage insurance) and hit the road.

View Larger Map

After about four hours we reach Wawona, the southern end of the park and are excited even at just the sight of the hotel among the redwood trees.

My paranoia regarding bears (which soon became our paranoia) meant I had done plenty of research on how to protect ourselves and our food from their paws. So right away we rent a couple of bear cans, repack our food, and continue on to Yosemite Valley.

Driving into Yosemite from the south entrance is amazing. As you curve around hills covered in tall trees you reach a tunnel, carved into the mountainside and left rugged and rocky on the inside. When you emerge there is the most awe-inspiring view before you. On the left is El Capitan, on the right Bridelveil Falls and framed in between the two is Half Dome in the far distance. I think both of our jaws dropped open and I had to remind myself to concentrate on driving.

This sort of natural beauty continues for the last few miles of the drive as you descend on the Valley: waterfalls, a couple of deer, a rushing river, 3,000 feet of sheer granite cliffs all unfolding along the road.

When we get to the valley floor and Yosemite Village, we orient ourselves with the visitors center, general store, and grab a bite to eat before heading to Camp 4 (our desired campsite) to hopefully snag the only walk-in campground in the area this time of year. After talking to a ranger, we find out we may be able to get a site if we show up at 6:30 a.m. and wait in line, something we're willing to do to save the 90-minute one way trip from our campsite to the part of the park we'll spend most of the trip. Yosemite is the size of Rhode Island so it's not hard to drive two hours without making a dent.

This is when we realize the rental keys are missing and it hits out of nowhere just as this sentence did. Of course I feel responsible because I was driving and should have them in my possession but somewhere between the snow capped Sierras and gushing bodies of water, I lost my brain and the keys went with it.

I begin imagining the worst. What does one do with no campsite, no gear, no car, and no way to get anywhere come nightfall in the wilderness? Luckily we didn't have to find out.

Due to my total lack of a memory in which I last had the keys, I think "Maybe they are in the car?" So we get someone to break into the car and they are there dangling in the ignition (Phew). Crisis averted.

By this time it is much later and darker than either of us had wished to be setting up a tent in let alone driving. 90-minutes later we enter our abandoned looking campsite (other than one family), get out the gear, and start attempting some kind of set up. Only thing is neither of us know exactly how to set up our borrowed tent.

Now this part you must picture: We put the tent poles into the canvas and then have no idea how to make it pop up. Chris gets underneath the middle of the canvas attempting to stand it up but ends up just looking like he is wearing the thing like some sort of tent monster. Frustrated and exhausted we ask the neighbors, two burly guys that show us the step we were missing to make it three dimensional and (voila!) in a few minutes had a shelter.

We chat with the two guys about our plan to get up early and go for the site we really want. They tell us they prefer the solitude of our current campsite to the one in Yosemite Valley referring to it as "Tent City."

We hit the sleeping bags with the intention of rising at 5 a.m. Only problem is in the woods it gets very dark, and very quiet, and there are bears. Chris falls asleep while I stay awake for most of the night. The few times I drift off to sleep, I am woke by a rustling noise outside followed by the feeling that my heart will jump out of my chest. I really want to move to Tent City.

We survived

2008-06-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

We're back from Yosemite and have plenty of stories about our trip, the characters we met along the way, and the adventures we encountered. There is a lot to tell so we'll be writing a post for each day but first here are most of the photos. Details of our hectic first day, hiking Half Dome, and bumbling our way through camping to come...