Cousins in the City

What the heck?  I cannot stand the fact that it has been warmer on the east coast than here!  And to add insult to injury, last night was the beginning of a 6 day straight down pour and highs in the 50's.  All I see on facebook are friends from home posting pics showing it being 80 degrees today and talk of tops down and sun roofs open.  How is this fair?!

Ok - that's my rant.  And since I am still unemployed, the good news is that I get to stay in bed on days when all you want to do is stay in bed, the bad news is that I am getting a little cabin fever.  Perfect excuse for me to do some writing.

So I have some big news to share...I am going to have... a family member living in SF!  My cousin Danielle has accepted an offer for her dream job and is starting before the end of March.  This means she will be moving from LA (Santa Monica, specifically) to the city of San Francisco.  I am so excited to have a girlfriend to hang out with.  And so is Greg... he might be more excited than me to have someone else here to keep me company.   :)

Danielle arrived in SF on Feb 27th - Monday afternoon - her big interview wasn't until Wednesday.  This was great because her project was mostly finished and it gave us some time to hang out and catch up.  She met me at our house and we talked and caught up before heading out to town.  We went to Horizons for some apps, wine, and views and found out that they are closed for renovations until April!  (Better be finished by the time Steph and Heather get here Easter Weekend)  So we went next door to Scoma's - a first for both of us.  We got a seat by the windows so we still had a view, ordered a delicious Red Zin and some warm mozzarella.  We weren't disappointed.  It was perfect timing when we finished because Greg was getting off the ferry from work and all three of us went to the Seahorse for some more food and drinks.  Like any night that involves wine, one thing led to another, I ended up spilling wine on Greg's suit and somehow a little bit of dancing to a piano player happened.  We came home and hung out some more before passing out.  From what I can remember, it was a lot of fun and I was happy that Greg and Danielle finally had a chance to get to know each other for the first time without it being an awkward family gathering or big party.

On Tuesday I had an interview with an agency in Oakland that lasted 3 hours plus the hour it took to drive each way and Danielle had to do some finishing touches on her presentation.  We met back up in the city at her hotel for dinner.  She knows the city well and recommended a place in the Marina called Tacolicious.  We each had the Marina Girl Salad with grilled chicken which has to be one of the best salads I have ever tasted.  And the Margaritas were delicious too.  One of the best parts about this place was the scene.  It was packed with people our age and the city vibe was something I had been missing in sleepy Sausalito.  We had so much fun.

Monday Sunset in Sausalito

Tuesday night in City

With all the change that has gone on in our lives in 2012 already, this is just another sign that things are moving in the right direction.  Always follow your heart and do what you believe is right for you.  Timing is everything.  Danielle and I had been talking about the possibility of this happening since last year, but life doesn't always happen like you plan it.  There were major challenges we had to face, but in the end, the path led her here and we will be living in the same city for the first time since...1999?! And who would have ever thought it would be in California.  Life feels right and I can't help but think Nani and Pop are making sure we are okay.  :)

And for an update on my job hunt... things are coming along.  I feel really lucky to have gotten the opportunity to interview for 3 really interesting jobs and with 2 recruiting agencies.  I am still keeping at it and have a couple more prospects in the works.  It really is an emotional roller coaster, getting your hopes up and then being let down, or not hearing back from places you know you are qualified for.  I just have to remember that when the time and job are right for me, things will work out.  I have to have faith and Greg's support has been amazing.  I also thank those of you who have helped me on my resume, listened to me on the phone, sent emails and messages, given me advice and sending positive thoughts from across the country.  I don't forget it and am so grateful.

xoxo

Mish-Mosh of Activities

I have a lot to report so I am going to try to keep to the point as much as possible.  I have almost 3 weeks and 2 weekends to share with you, jam-packed because I have an adventurous, can't sit still for 2 seconds, rambunctious roommate named Greg.  And thank goodness for that.

I will start with the weekend of February 18th.  Greg's friend from grade school was here to visit for a night and go skiing with Greg.  They woke up early on Saturday (President's Weekend) to head to Kirkwood, and I decided to stay home and take care of some errands.  Sunday morning we woke up, took Ronnie to some scenic Sausalito spots so he could take some photos of the Golden Gate and maybe see some seals, then drove to Sam's in Tiburon, which I mentioned in the previous post for some Bloody Mary's and Brunch.  We had a good meal in the sun by the water and drove back to Sausalito.  We had some time to kill before Ronnie had to catch his flight so we did a little wine tasting before grabbing a beer on the deck of the historic Horizon's.   It was then time for Ronnie to go, so we walked him to his car and said goodbye.  He is a traveling man living it up.

Three of us at Horizons (I know what you are thinking...I look amazing, right? Thanks) .

After all of that in the morning, Greg and I decided we should go hiking and camp in Point Reyes.  I was very excited for this since you can see the Grey Whale migration, Elephant Seals, and other amazing views from this place.  I was not so excited about the camping part, but what the heck.  So we went to REI, Greg's favorite store, and stocked up on some gear before taking the hour drive to Point Reyes.  We got there around 5pm, and were starving.  We went to a cute restaurant in the town and I decided to call the Park and try to reserve us a camp site.  Well, our spontaneity wasn't on our side because the whole park was full.  No vacancies for camping?!  Really??  Well it was President's Day weekend.  When we left the restaurant it was really starting to get cold and I was tired.  We decided to call it a day, head home, and come back the next day.  Yay for nights in warm beds and not tents!

We woke up early the next day and headed back to Point Reyes.  The first place we went was the famous light house.  The drive to this destination was so pretty in and of itself.  The views were amazing and there were elk and cows everywhere.

A few cows drinking from a watering hole right off the road.

We made it to the Light House, parked the car and took the long walk down the cliff to see the views.  There was a Park Ranger station right before the 300 steps down to the light house and they had some history and facts in there.  They had 3 whale sightings earlier that morning and I was really hoping I might get to see one or at least a spray from a blow hole, but there was nothing.  The view was amazing still, and I'm sure you saw most of the ones Greg posted.  If not and you are interested in seeing them, just let me know.  Here is one of my favorites:

After the tiring walk back up the 300 steps, we got back in the car and drove to the section where you could hike to beach with the Elephant Seals.  At this time of year, the seals come back to give birth, ween pups for 28 days, mate and head back into the water to feed and gain the weight lost during weening back.  We learned that the seal pups are left to fend for themselves after the 28 days and there was a section of the beach where the abandoned pups gathered.  We also learned that only about 50% of the pups will survive and be back next year to start the process themselves.

Seals along the beach

Males are protective of their territory and don't let other males join them.  This is a young male and was planning his attack.

After our fun time watching and listening to the barks of the seals, we took a walk to the other side and started another hike.  The views from this were breathtaking.  Again - Greg has many pictures from his iphone he posted to facebook, but here are some of mine:

An elk we were pretty close to

There were tons of pine cones on this tree.  Reminded me of Cooper's dad's wedding toast and Steve.

We started to leave and on the drive out we saw a sign for an Oyster Farm.  I knew Greg would want to try some, so we took a detour and came upon this little gem.  I just watched Greg shuck the oysters, make himself bleed, and eat his delicious creatures.  I am not ready for them to be delicious to me.  It was gross in my opinion.

Oyster Farm

Going to town on the poor guys.

Drake's Bay Oyster Farm

Starting our journey home...Clouds are rolling in.

Friday of the next weekend we had concert tickets to this revived and renovated historic venue in Mill Valley called SweetWater which is only about 10 minutes north of us.  Maggie told us about it because Vinyl was playing, one of her favorite bands.  Tickets were only $15 so we thought, why not?  Greg can tell you more about the coolness of this place because he was so transfixed by the history and ambiance being a classic rock lover.  Here is a picture and you can see a video of their awesome sound on Greg's facebook wall:

Here is Maggie everyone!

Saturday morning we slept in and decided to take the short drive to Stinson Beach - only a couple exits up the 101 from us.  Even though its so close, it feels so far once you start climbing the windy twisty roads of Mt. Tam.  I was getting so car sick.  Once we got there, I had to eat something or else I might puke.  We found this cute little cafe where we got breakfast and coffee.  We then went to the beach.  Here is the first thing I saw:

After a short time at the beach (it was pretty windy and chilly), we parked at the Stinson Beach Civic Center and found this trail.  We followed the Coastal Trail, but somehow managed to hike a total of 6 miles that day.  Greg is working up my endurance and strength.  It is fun, so it doesn't feel like exercise, but it does feel like something the next day.

http://www.nrdc.org/greengate/outside/adv3.asp

We made it to the top of the forest and walked out to this view!  The hills are alive.....yea you know the rest.

We kept walking up and around the steep hills on the narrow trail and came upon this old car!  Definitely not a good ending for the passengers. Very spooky.   There is a windy road above this point, where the driver took his last breaths.

Sunday morning we took a bike ride to Le Garage.  My pictures from my walk during the week convinced him to go.  We had a nice breakfast then relaxed on the beach and watched paddle boarders, kids, and dogs play in the water.   It was not "hot" at all - these people are crazy!

This little boy sat down next to me, started swinging his stick and singing songs.  So cute!!

As always - thanks for reading!