Travel Diaries Day 5: Playing Tourist in San Francisco

Welcome to my 2011 CA Vacation mini-series. ...Jon & I spent a week in San Francisco & Wine Country during September, and slowly but surely it is my pleasure to relive the memories & share our stories with you, one post at a time!


Thursday was our day to see the city!

It was also a day full of pictures, and I will let the pictures tell the stories, with a few captions here & there :)

Enjoy!

(Also: I am silly. Today is NOT the last recap day! Tomorrow I'll cover our last day in SF -- including Coyt Tower & an aquarium tour...)

Our morning began in Chinatown, taking in all the colors, sights, sounds & smells of a different culture...





... And continued with a trip to the Cable Car Museum. (It was awesome, but un-air conditioned... so we didn't stay overly long ;)....





... Lunch was enjoyed at U-Lee, a small hole-in-the-wall place in Chinatown that was recommended by one of Jon's co-workers (thanks, Justin!) ... They had "the best pot-stickers in town". ... We whole-heartedly agreed with the rave reviews...





... After lunch, we explored some more ...





...And eventually found our way to Lombard St. 'The crookedest street in the world'.





... After walking down the crookedest street and taking a bazillion pictures, we returned to our hotel room, for a brief rest and some map reading...



... And then we headed out again :)



Destination? ....Chocolate -- but of course!



(I think we need to take a moment here to pause in awe of the amazingness that is pumpkin spice caramel & milk chocolate. Holy. Goodness.)


After Ghirardelli, we still had a bit of time before dinner, and wandering farther still, we found a gorgeous park ....





... and a beach! We decided to sit & stay awhile.

(And here is where I stopped taking pictures, apparently.)

An hour or so later, Jon and I headed back to Pier 39 for dinner. We ate at Luigi's Pizzeria, splitting a BBQ Chicken Pizza and a pitcher of beer (a.. um, large pitcher as a matter of fact. Heh.) We had a breathtaking view of the harbor at sunset :) We laughed and talked long after our plates were clean...

...A perfect close to another lovely day in California ♥ ...

Wrangling: {Good Week}

(A weekly round-up)

Something that I've been struggling with since the beginning of the year, as I revel in the shining reformation of my blog, is this: striking a balance between the profound and the everyday. I believe that there is beauty in both, for sure, but truth be told (and remember, I'm all about the honesty this year) there are a lot of days when I am anything but eloquent, happily schlepping along in the glorious mundane of the every day. Not every experience I have or thought that races through this head of mine can be expounded and twisted and dissected into something beautiful. Sometimes life is just simple, and one word can be just as beautifully enlightening as a page of prose.

I've also been trying to figure out how to put my own spin on "ye old weekly recap" style posts. I want to keep record of how my life is moving forward week-by-week, but I want to do it in an Amy-like way. So here's what I've come up with: "Wrangling". Each Wednesday I am going to "wrangle" the past weeks' happenings into a post filled with pictures, lists & general tidbits about the past 7 days. Here is the first installment:

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(source)

Today is a good day. For no particular reason, really, though there have been many good and interesting things that have happened over the course of it. Aren't these surprisingly joyful days the best? Perhaps this day seems especially sweet after my roller coaster yesterday.

Yesterday was a frustrating day. Not because anything bad happened... actually, rather the opposite. Some days I get fed up and cranky because I feel like I'm going nowhere. So I stomped home after work & went for a walk with Jon, and came home renewed & refreshed; no longer "in a mood". Sometimes the best way for me to distract myself from my seeming "immobility" is to just get up and move. It reminds me that, even if I am in fact standing still, it's a damn good place to be.

... Of course, today was also good because of these delightfully whimsical (& delicious!) cookies:

I've been itching to write lately, and have been able to sit down to bang out some really good stuff. Really soul-tiring stuff, to tell the truth. I find that when I really open up and let the words pour out from the depths of my soul-- the rawest, most authentic kind of writing-- I am left empty, exhausted, and completely at peace. ...Unfortunately, I can't share any of it... at least not yet. I have these posts shelved, but I am excited to share them with you at some point, but for now the smartest move for me is to keep them tucked away. I promise that when the right pieces fall into place (and I am confident that they will!) I will reveal all...

...Love notes to myself...

(source)

I'm loving this fragrance right now. It's very warm & sensual & summery to me, with hints of gardenia. It just makes me happy to wear it.

Lately I've been aching for Carlisle (here, here and here). (Heidi... today I got to thinking, how cool would it be if we could be there at the same time again someday, and run the neighborhoods around Grandpa's house together? I think it would be awesome... although you might have to slow down a little so I could keep with you, hehe :)

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I'll be back on Friday morning with the next installment of "Love Letters" ... But for now it's your turn:

How is your week going so far, friends?

Reflections: Challenge Part II

How's this for honesty? I was in a horrific mood this morning. ...And it all had to do with those two dreaded words: Writer's Block.

Ugh... isn't that one of the worst feelings? (The best way to accurately describe 'writers block', in my own humble opinion, is to compare it to something that is rather untasteful to mention here... suffice it to say, a remedy for this common ailment involves lots of prunes. Heh.) There was so much that I wanted to say, but I just couldn't do it. Sometimes my writing strategy is to start completely raw and unfiltered-- to jot everything down "stream-of-consciousness" and pour through it later-- drawing out and highlighting the good (sensical) things.... leaving (or smoothing over) the rest.

But today? I couldn't even get started. I just stared at the blinking cursor for a while; typing a few words and then hammering down the "backspace" key, feeling progressively more dejected and more and more grumpy. ...Until finally, I did the only thing left that I could do. I got up and left. And you know what? ... 25 minutes later I had come back to life.

This is why :)

This is what's it's all about for me.

This is what inspires and drives me.

This is beautiful. And this is why I write:

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And with that said, I am pleased to announce to you that I am planning to do another 21 Day Challenge (Challenge Part II, if you will.) I've been reflecting about this a lot lately, and I've found that I really took a lot away from the first edition of the Challenge.

Now, I'm not delusional :) ... I am pretty sure that the quality of my photography did not improve very much (I have no idea how to manipulate light to my advantage. I don't know what terms like aperture and shutter speed mean, and my small but servicable point + shoot is at least 5 years old...) ... but I think maybe my quality of life did.

By challenging myself to find a single image (or sometimes when that was too hard, several images) to adequately capture the beauty, joy and complexity of my day, I began to see things differently. I began to really delve into the emotions that a picture provoked, and (though I like to think I always saw it it my heart)-- I began to see the beauty in the minutae with my eyes. And that was so valuable.

I am a girl who craves beauty. Like, I crave it to the very depths of my soul. I believe that each day has glimpses of the divine within the terrestrial and the mundane of the "routine" -- and that, in fact, routine has a unique beauty all its own. I believe that it may be key to my survival that I recognize and celebrate these good things.

I'm still young, and if you've been reading along with me for a while, you know that I am still trying to figure it all out. Who I am, how to live my life and all that ;) Well ... maybe it isn't as complicated as I've been making it (I am starting to realize that things hardly ever are) ... Maybe, like so many other realizations (2x4 moments?!) that have come to me in the past year ... my reassurance and my answer is right here in front of me.

I've always loved the passionate call to action behind the phrase "Carpe Diem!": Go forth! Seize the day & live life to the fullest! But I've always felt a bit paralyzed-- How can I make the most out of this life when I don't know where to step next?

Well... there's this delightful little principle called momentum. It states that motion breeds motion... and therefore, it comes to reason that, while it may not have been visible to me... I have been moving forward this whole time. Each decision, each tear, each prayer and each promise (kept and unkept) ... all these things propel me forward. And what's more: all these things matter.

...And needless to say, that was so much better and so much more than I could have ever expected. ...Let's see where it takes me this time :)

Spirit of Columbus 1/2 Marathon Recap

Hello, hello -- and happy Monday :)

I was trying to "save" this post until I had an official time to post for you (and, loyal blogger that I am, I have been checking the website all day ...) but, as of the time that this post 'hit the presses', results have not been posted. Suffice it to say, I was not "removed from the course", and my garmin (which, being caught up in the moment, I started late and stopped late) reads 2:57:46.

So... let's jump right in, shall we?

As a general rule, I never sleep well before races-- which, I believe, is probably caused by the overwhelming mix of nervousness & excitement that sets in the eve of "race day". Still, I did okay -- bouncing out of bed at 5:00 5:30am, bright eyed, bushy tailed, and ready to run.

Err... Right. Actually I was just really grateful that I had the foresight to set the programmable coffee maker the night before. 1 cup of coffee later (which I apparently did not consume quickly enough, as I carefully poured myself 1/2 a mug-full of creamer, and almost peanut-buttered Gracie, who had her nose in the wrong place at the wrong time... Gahh.. I couldn't make this stuff up, bloggies)-- things were looking up :)

Or, rather, down. These new socks were a joyful addition to my race day attire :) Fun socks are like fun underwear (sorry, Dad)-- no one but you knows that you are wearing them, but they make you feel a little extra special all day long :)

Breakfast was consumed (PB+J on toast .... and another splash of coffee), J was awakened... and we were on our way. (... after one dead car battery... which was handled with grace & minimal panic on both of our parts. Really, it was a blessing, as J's car does not have working air conditioning, and it was awfully nice to blast the air on the way home... but I'm getting ahead of myself :)

We arrived at the start line a little after 7am, and met up with my parents, who had come to wish me luck (my father also took on the duty of my personal paparazzi-- the next couple photos are credited to him!)

Then, since we had some time to spare, (and.. well, nerves, you know?) I decided I'd use the bathroom one final time ... which turned out to be a pivotal point for the entire race for me.

Now, lest you think I am going to launch into a diatribe about the evils of coffee (NEVER!) and how drinking a cup of coffee before the race was a mistake (which it wasn't, thank heavens :) -- I'll tell you standing in line for the porta-potties was a good thing not only for the obvious reasons-- but, even more so, for the woman I met while I was waiting.

(me & A. in the blue hat)

I can't remember who started the conversation-- and really, it doesn't matter-- the important thing is that I met her. We made a little small talk; I found out that this was her 1st half marathon, and inquired whether she had a specific goal. She told me that she was aiming for 12:30 splits. In a burst of uncharacteristic bravery (which, perhaps I can attribute to my mother's presence -- she's always been able to talk to anyone), I asked her if I could run with her for the first couple miles (my thinking being that if I could give myself a little cushion in the first few miles, I would be less likely to be eh-hem "booted from the course" later.)

And just like that, a friendship was forged.

I have to say... although I've always aspired to be a faster runner (remember my goals for a sub-8 minute mile, a 24 minute 5k, and a sub-2 hour half?!), being in the mid-back of the pack has blessed me immeasurably. I've found (and I wonder if it's like this at the front of the pack too... I just honestly have no experience :) that when you are not as focused on beating your neighbor to the finish, you have time to cheer them on. And that's incredibly wonderful.

I was able to stay with A. for 5 (!) miles-- and I am incredibly proud of that. We cheered each other on for over an hour-- sharing stories, goals, and encouragement. I didn't get a chance to meet up with her at the end, but J told me that he saw her cross the finish line. It was truly an honor for me to be able to run with her during her 1st half marathon. I only hope that I was able to be good company for her as well-- and that she might have an idea of what a difference she made for me yesterday.

Of course, after A. and I separated at mile 5, it was a bit of a struggle. It didn't help that the last 6 miles were a straight shot down S.R. 33 into the city (read: no shade)... and by the time I hit mile 10, I was hurting a little. But it was still good. Every step was a blessing. I chatted with the other women who were racing around me, I waved at the police men who were directing traffic around the racers, I yelled thank-you's to the volunteers, and (because I was one of the last participants in) I took 2 cups of water at each water station :) It was hot (HOT), and it was hard (and I have the aches and blisters today to prove it), but I am so glad that I did it :)

I actually beat my goal time (3:15 ish.... 15 min/mile)-- but J made it to the finish to watch me cross, and that meant a lot to me :) We drove home (in the air conditioned car-- hallelujah!), and I lay on the floor and contemplated the meaning of life for a while with Gracie (ughhh.... I'm not sure what the deal was... apparently I didn't fuel quite right and my salt/water/food ratios were off... I felt like I had the worst hangover EVER... poor Gracie didn't know what was wrong with her Mama, and hovered close by to keep an eye on me), before I showered and ate a mac & cheese recovery lunch :)

And today? Well, quite frankly, I had forgotten how much this stuff hurts :) My back and my ribs hurt, I have a blister between my toes, and I'm walking like a little old lady... but I'm happy, and I'm really proud to add this race to my list of races & life experiences.

What's next? A sub-2? An all walking half? A marathon? I have no clue. But I promise to keep you posted...

For now though, this tired girl is peeling herself off the couch and headed to bed...

Have a fantastic Monday night ;)

What is one of your proudest accomplishments?

Challenge Day #21: ....GO!

I did it!!

More details to come shortly, I promise :)

Challenge Day #20: Ready, Set...

Hi, friends - I hope you've had a wonderful Saturday!

I had big plans for mine, but actually it's turned out to be pretty low key. I got my hairs cut early this morning, did the "final" paint coat in the"former blue room" (I'll still need to do some touching up once the tape comes off, I'm sure...), and then (inevitably) napped with Gracie.

I've gotta say though, the nerves have definitely set in.

But, I've focused my nervous energies on preparing.

See for yourself:

I laid out all my race gear.

(...and Gracie approved. Here she's sleeping trying to sleep on my hat. She's really very sweet, even though she looks a little grumpy here :)

J & I took a nice little walk through our neighborhood.

...And, of course, I carbo-loaded

(Yes, in fact, that IS a beer next to my plate 'o' pasta. My father recommended it as a double threat-- to calm my nerves and load in a few more carbs at the same time :) Obedient daughter that I am, I took him up on his idea. Hehe.)

And now I'm loading my iPod with some fun, make-me-want-to-dance type songs to keep me moving tomorrow, charging my Garmin, drinking lots of water, and watching "Where the Wild Things Are" with J before bed. (I'm not sure about the movie yet, but I can say that I find it visually stunning.... just beautiful :)

I'll see you tomorrow for a recap!