Busy, busy, busy!

Were did June go?! So much has been going on the past few weeks! David was in San Jose for a week on business and I joined him there briefly before heading off to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, which I’ve wanted to see for years and years; I had previously seen their kelp cams online and felt so excited to see kelp in person for the first time! I had a fantastic time touring the place, catching feedings of penguins and giant tuna, watching presentations on deep sea fish, sharks, and jellyfish, seeing harbor seals, sea lions, jellyfish, etc. It was a great day.

We’ve also spent lots of time with family — we met up with my uncle at the No Name Bar in Sausalito before heading over to San Francisco for Dungeness crabs! We’ve also seen my cousin Julia so many times this month both in San Francisco and up here in Santa Rosa (see pictures at right)! We even got to catch the preview of the play she’s been working on at the San Francisco Mime Troupe. We’ve had such a blast! And the family keeps coming: both my aunt and mom are coming for chunks of July and David’s mom is coming for the first week in August!

Other than that, we’ve been busy working for our respective jobs (I’ve even been adding some exciting new web design projects to my plate!) and getting to know Santa Rosa. We’ve been trying all sorts of restaurants and enjoyed the best sushi of my life recently here in town (oh so smooth and tasty and they even had gluten-free soy sauce!). We’re still running every day at the parks across from our house and going hiking with friends. I’ve been making weekly trips to our local library and we are both reading up a storm. I’ve been cooking a lot more recently and it has been so much fun. We’ve seen a string of movies: The Lake House (suspend your disbelief and enjoy it!), Cars (loved it!), Over the Hedge (just okay!), A Prairie Home Companion (good if you’re a fan), and the Da Vinci Code (liked it better than the book). So many good things going on!

Coming up this weekend David gets a four day holiday that coincides with our wedding anniversary and his birthday! Plans currently include brunch at our favorite spot in Glen Ellen, touring around San Francisco with Julia, dinner at Cafe Japan (sushi!), seeing Superman Returns, and a picnic at the beach. Mainly I just can’t wait for four days straight with my best friend! Now that is a treat.

Beach trips


Yes, there have been more trips to the beach. Pictured above clockwise from left to right: Christana and David, cousin Julia, aunt Deborah-Miriam, and windblown David and Carrie.My trip back east feels like it was ages ago. I had a fantastic time in New York and New Jersey: got to see many friends and family, eat at some awesome restaurants, stay up late watching episodes of the West Wing, and spend some time in The City with Aida! It was a total blast. Since then, Julia and Deborah-Miriam visited us (above!) and we had a whirlwind and super fun trip, we spent time with Christana at the beach and drove down the coast, and I got to meet many of David’s coworkers at a rocking office Hawaiian-themed party at a nearby winery! We also now have California plates on the car and have seen movies in several theaters in town (X-Men 3, Da Vinci Code). Next up: An Inconvenient Truth at the independent movie theater near our house, hiking trip tomorrow, and lots of time poolside.

Hello. Goodbye.

Hello from California! We’ve been here two weeks and already love it!

David REALLY likes his job: all sorts of interesting, challenging things to learn, and he especially likes the people that he’s working with. They have been so welcoming and supportive!

Our apartment is great: marble fireplace, kitchen bar, large open living room, and beautiful grounds at the complex. The best part though is the location. We live on the edge of town just a hop skip and a jump from David’s workplace and directly across the street from a City Park adjacent to a County Park adjacent to a State Park. Every evening we walk over to the parks and hike/walk/run around the lakes and in the hills. It’s been so great! What a beautiful spot! As for our place, we still have tons of stuff in boxes, but my desk is finally set up (a la apartment therapy) and I think we’re about as unpacked as we are going to get for now.

We’ve have lots of social time: cooked dinner with our friends from Silver City Christana and Richard twice (they threw us a welcome to California dinner at their beautiful farm house in Healdsberg), headed to Berkeley to see my high school friends Kenny and Yuni who are getting their PhDs there, met lots of people at the pool/hot tub in our apartment complex, and went out with one of David’s coworkers and his wife for dinner last week at a fantastic Italian place near the downtown area.

We’ve also visited the beach (twice!) and seen all sorts of wildlife, headed to Sonoma and Glen Ellen (the later we especially loved), and enjoyed our afternoon in Berkeley (Kenny gave us a great tour and we hit a fabulous bookstore). Next up: Muir Woods, Point Reyes, and Napa. We also have yet to visit a winery; we’ve just driven by dozens!

It’s been great seeing friends and meeting new people and discovering new places. Northern California is really starting to feel like home and we are so happy.

This week I head to New York and New Jersey for my Mom’s graduation (she’s getting her masters degree from Rutgers) and I can’t wait to see friends and family. Despite David staying behind, it should be a great trip–it’s my first time back in over a year and a half.

Last Day.


Views of my gigantic office with its glorious wall of four windows.

Friday was my last day of full-time work. It was a bittersweet and long day, and a rather momentous event in my life. Slowly I am unwinding and already feel less stressed and sleeping better. I am wondering how long the vacation feeling will last before I start itching to begin work again, and if our plans go through I will be telecommuting part-time from California. In the meantime, let the packing continue and the partying begin!