Celebration Pie

Tonight Andrew had his last class of the semester. It's hard to believe we've been in SF for over 4 months now. Time has flown by. 

We're also celebrating that Andrew got a job! He starts the beginning of January in the Business and Accounting offices on campus. Go Andrew!!! Since Andrew is 1/4 of the way done with grad school and he is now employed I made him an apple pie. 

I attempted to write "Congrats" in pie crust on the top. It's not the most beautiful pie, but boy, does it taste good! I use any excuse I can get to bake but I've been holding off on making an apple pie. I think us both being employed and Andrew finishing the semester with flying colors is a great reason for pie! :)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

I love the holidays. I love how families are brought together. I love how the lights on the Christmas tree make the house feel cozy. And I love having a husband who lets me decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving! :) 

Sadly, we don't have a fireplace with a mantle in our apartment so I improvised with our little bookcase. I decorated it with a couple lanterns we saved from the wedding, garland, lights, and a burlap garland I made (burlap is also from the wedding). 

Since I only had three days off work, we had a quick but great visit to Medford for Thanksgiving. We made the most of it and it was lovely to be back in Oregon. Lots of relaxing, catching up with friends, seeing family, eating lots of food, and shopping was done. It was great! 

We bought a Christmas tree to bring back to SF. Sheppie helped us tie up the tree. 

Then we put the tree in the car and covered it with a sheet in order to get it past the border inspection. Shh. Don't tell :) They only asked if we had fruit, which we didn't, so we didn't lie. We also brought back a dresser that my grandparents gave us. Yay!

The first thing Andrew and I did when we got home was set up the tree. Then it took a couple days to decorate because I wasn't done making the ornaments before we left and I've worked a lot since our return. Here is the finished product: our tree!

This heart ornament and the glass ornaments are the two I didn't make. I thought the star was really cute and the glass ornaments are the same green from our wedding so I couldn't resist. 

 Here is a close up of the tree.

I saw pictures of these ornaments on Pinterest and decided to make them for our tree. I also made the white yarn garland. I'm really happy with how the tree turned out. It's simple and pretty :)

With lots of left over burlap from the wedding, I've been putting it to good use. I'm almost done making a wreath! 

I also made eight more paper stars (like the tree topper) for decoration that are hanging throughout the apartment.

 I put the solid green star in the "Man Corner" since it goes with the Oregon theme :D

And here is one in the dining room, with Andrew studying for his final on Saturday.

If you can't tell, I've been busy crafting lately. It's nice to make the apartment feel more homey. We're enjoying ourselves here in SF but we're looking forward to being closer to family once Andrew is done with grad school. We are thinking the Portland area would be nice... :) 

Merry Christmas!

It's been 4 months already!

We've been married for 4 months! Woohoo!! Last week we went out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary. We went to a great mexican restaurant in the marina neighborhood called Mamacita. After dinner we walked down the block and got gelato for dessert :)

Last week was also the first week we received a CSA box. We decided to try an Community Supported Agriculture farm called Eatwell Farm. Along with the box of organic veggies and fruit every week we're getting a dozen organic pasture-raised dozen eggs. The amount of we receive is food is incredible and I've already had to freeze some so it wont go bad before we can eat it all. YUM!

Dan & Sarah Visit!

We had such a great weekend visiting with Dan and Sarah! The weather was beautiful for their visit, well, except for the last hour and a half that Andrew and Dan were golfing last night. I didn't take any pictures so I'm borrowing the ones that Sarah took :)

On Friday evening after Dan and Sarah got settled into their hotel we headed up to Chestnut St. in the marina neighborhood to find a restaurant. We ended up eating at this little Italian place called E'Angelo. While we ate, we watched and heard the waiters serve wine and talk Italian to a couple of waiting customers on the sidewalk. It's still amazes me to have such a variety of cultures in such a little space (geographically speaking). 

Saturday Andrew had class and I worked until the late afternoon so we had Dan and Sarah over for dinner and to watch the Giants play game 3 of the World Series. Sarah made a delicious smoked salmon fettuccine alfredo. We had a great sunset to go with the baseball and football games we were watching. 

Sunday morning we rented bicycles and rode through Golden Gate Park to Ocean Beach. 

On our ride back from the beach we saw the heard of buffalo that live in the park. Then we dropped Andrew and Dan off at the Presidio Golf Course so they could get their golf fix. Sarah and I went to a wine store on California St. then headed up to Chestnut to walk around and do some shopping. We went into this great olive oil shop called We Olive and tasted different olive oils and balsamic vinegars. I know where we're getting our olive oil when we run out! :) Sarah and I had lunch at the Tipsy Pig, a bar with great food and a huge outdoor patio. We also went into an open house for a condo for sale about two blocks north of Chestnut on Fillmore. It was a one bedroom, one bath condo with a very outdated bathroom and kitchen (our humble kitchen is larger and more updated) for $800,000. That doesn't include $350 a month in HOA dues and the fact that you keep your keys in the garage so that if your neighbor needs to move your car to get out they can. 

When the guys were done with golf we headed over the the Cliff House for an early-birthday dinner. We had a great dinner while we watched the Giants win the World Series. 

By the last inning everyone's eyes were glued to the tv, including the staff, who gathered around to watch :) It's fun to be in a city and have a local team win big. That doesn't really happen in Oregon. 

Our (too-short) visit with Dan and Sarah was so much fun and it was sad to say goodbye. Hopefully by now they're home safe on the farm :) 

I'm enjoying my first two-day-in-a-row weekend since I started work and it's wonderful! I'm still working full-time and Andrew is really enjoying his classes. We're enjoying the sunshine when it's here (they weather has been a bit sporadic lately) and we're looking forward to seeing my parents later this week! 

Andrew's 24th Birthday!

Last Wednesday we celebrated Andrew's birthday! I had the day off so we relaxed and Andrew spent some time working on a paper for his final. He requested homemade ice cream cake so I made individual little chocolate cakes with chocolate chip mint ice cream filling. They turned out super cute and delicious :)

This past weekend my parents drove down for a quick visit. After they arrived on Saturday we went down to the waterfront to watch the ships and wait for Andrew to get out of class. We had corn chowder for dinner that Andrew made in the crock pot before he left for class. 

Sunday morning they came to church with us and we went to lunch at a restaurant in the marina neighborhood called Squat & Gobble. We had a great time visiting with them and hopefully their next visit will be longer :)

Other happy news, WE HAVE INTERNET AT THE APARTMENT!!! After almost 3 months of commuting to campus in order to check our emails, we are happy to have the internet in our home. The internet came with basic cable and Andrew is ecstatic to have espn again! 

Andrew just started 2 new classes, Environmental Chemistry and Climate Change. He enjoyed chemistry on saturday and he's in his first climate change class as I write this. I'm enjoying work and getting into the routine of waking up between 3:30 and 6am everyday. I really like the morning shift and getting home from work by 2pm is great! 

Weddings, lots of Driving, Homework, and Work

Wow! The last couple of weeks have been so busy!

 I drove to Medford the last two weekends to visit my family and witness the marriages of two awesome couples. Both weddings were beautiful and wonderful and I'm so happy for John + Kati and Steven + Whitney! It wasn't fun driving for 12 hours two weekends in a row but it was definitely worth it. Andrew had to attend his Saturday classes so he stayed behind in SF but he got to watch football all weekend and eat cookie dough which I think helped the situation :)

While I was in Medford I went wedding dress shopping with Laura, our mom, and Sheldon's mom, Ver Dawn. Laura found her dress!!! It's beautiful on her and I'm so happy for her!

I am now employed! I started at Starbucks last week. Even though it's a really crazy store (underground between the Westfield SF Center and the Powell BART Station in downtown) and there's so many things to learn and memorize, it's going well and I like it. I was only scheduled to work 12 hours this week but I've picked up hours by covering shifts and I'll end the week with almost 40 hours. Woohoo! I work all of the coming week too, until Saturday, which I requested off in order to meet the TRF Youth Group at the Great America theme park. I'm so excited for Saturday! I've been taking the bus to and from work and it provides entertainment and annoyment. I'm thinking of adding "Things heard on the SF Muni" to the blog. Along with updates of our lives you can read entertaining stories of public transportation. For example, this week I overheard this conversation between a European guy and a cute girl:
Guy: (sits down next to girl and in broken English) "You look like movie actress."
Girl: (laughs) "Thank you, which one?"
Guy: "I don't know."
Girl: "Oh... okay..."
I sat nearby laughing to myself thinking, "That was a pickup line fail!"
That might have been funnier in person.
Anyways.

Andrew has been super busy with his classes. He had a final today, a 10 minute presentation in his Air Quality class. He spent all week researching and working on the presentation. His teacher and teacher's aid both told him that his presentation was great and his slide's were perfect! He also has a group presentation coming up next Saturday so he'll be busy this week working on that.

Go Ducks! (we're at campus watching the game)

Karen Visits SF!

Andrew had class on Saturday so Karen and I amused ourselves by walking around the Marina neighborhood window shopping.  

We started at the waterfront with a view of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge

The Rolex races were taking place! 

We had lunch in a restaurant on Chestnut St called The Grove, and walked through the Palace of Fine Arts on the way to meet Andrew at the Presidio.

 We had bread bowls at Boudin Bakery for dinner and went to Lombard Street.

Sunday Morning we had brunch then walked to the cable cars. We rode the car to the end of the rail at Market St so that Karen could get a glimpse of Chinatown and see the Financial District.

 

Karen enjoying a cable car ride. She waived at the other car going in the opposite direction, I think she was exited :)

Karen and I on a cable car on the return trip.

There were so many great views of the city! The Oakland-Bay Bridge is just visible in the center of the skyscrapers.

After the cable car we walked down to Alamo Square to see the painted ladies.

Great view of the city in the background! 

We then walked through Haight-Ashbury and through the Pan Handle on our way home.

We ended our day by driving to the beach after dinner to watch the sunset. We had walked everywhere and the beach is a little to far to walk to (more importantly, we were tired). Andrew counted the blocks on the map and we walked over 82 blocks on Saturday, over six hilly miles.

Grandma Lois! Recognize this house? We took a little detour on the way home from the beach to see 4141 Anza St. :)

Before Karen left for home on Monday morning we took a little walk to show her USF and to get coffee at the local Starbucks. This is St. Ignatius Church that is on USF's campus. 

We had a great weekend with Karen visiting and exploring the city! It was so nice to see a familiar face and spend time with family :)

Study Time!

On Friday nights Andrew realizes that he's spent the entire week putting off his homework that is due for Saturday's class. He then doesn't want any distractions so he can focus for the next four hours on completing the reading/problems. I try to be respectful of his need for quiet and I keep to myself.
This Friday I received a phone call from my good friend Nick a little while after Andrew started his study/CramBecauseIProcrastinated session and while I tried to be quiet (I even closed the door to the kitchen) this is how I found him when I got off the phone.

SF Aquarium (and a nightstand!)

 On Saturday we had the pleasure of seeing the Carpenters and going to Pier 39 and the San Francisco Aquarium with them.

 

Photo Credit: Tamara

Kaden had fun, I promise :) He had so much energy; he loved chasing the birds on the pier.

 

Photo Credit: Tamara

We had a great time hanging out with the cousins!

So many huge fish! And of course the trip to the Pier wasn't complete without a clam chowder bread-bowl for dinner!

Annnd we have a nightstand now!!! Tamara, my very talented cousin, refurbishes furniture and I scored this piece from her! I absolutely love it! It's super cute and perfect. Up until Saturday evening I had been using a cardboard box as a nightstand and it was beginning to break.We still need dressers but we're one step closer to a furnished bedroom!

More SF Adventures

We're getting to know and like the city of San Francisco. It's quite different than life in Oregon but we're adjusting well. We are in a great neighborhood with Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Safeway, and organic produce markets all within walking distance. If we walk north about 5 blocks we're in the Marina neighborhood which has streets lined with boutiques and restaurants. Andrew says the Marina is our neighborhood because it's so close but I think that's a stretch. It's a very nice neighborhood and I don't think we could afford to live there (Since originally writing this post we found a house for sale in the Marina neighborhood. It's an average house on an average street. It's listed at $14 million. HOLY COW!). The street our apartment is located on is the dividing line of three neighborhoods: Richmond, the Marina, and Haight Ashbury. We're blessed to be so close to great restaurants, great shops, and the hip younger neighborhood we haven't explored yet. 

Andrew has turned into quite the urban gardener. Our windows couldn't be more perfect for growing plants and they are flourishing. Andrew has taken to watering them with a teapot since we don't have a watering can. It works great! 

We have spent our free time seeing more of the sites. We drove down Lombard St. "The Crookedest Street" and I felt ridiculously like a tourist. 

Then we drove past the Painted Ladies, Victorian houses that were built in the 1800's. 

We also went to the beach! It was windy, about 50 degrees, and foggy. Except for the last few days of sunshine, the weather here sucks. I like sunshine and usually we only get an hour or two in the late afternoon and even then it's not warm. It's always foggy. It doesn't rain here, it mists. And it's always windy. When we were walking home from church yesterday Andrew commented on how hot it was. It was sunny and a very nice day. I checked my phone and it said 63 degrees. We've definitely adjusted to the weather. The rest of this week it's supposed to be close to 70 degrees. It's going to be a scorcher! :) I might actually get to wear a t-shirt!

Stepping off my soap box about the horrible weather, we also took a walk through Golden Gate Park.

We went to the rose garden and Stow Lake. We saw numerous doggies and wanted to take them home with us. It's weird not having any pets; we miss Jack and Shep like crazy. I'm close to becoming the crazy lady that wants to pet your dog when you take it on a walk. Andrew has joked about offering someone a dollar to be able to pet their dog- I don't think he was joking. It's that bad. But we'll survive, we go to the park and the waterfront to watch the dogs. 

Speaking of the waterfront, this past week the America's Cup World Series races were in SF. The ACWS is like the pre-season races for the America's Cup (the most prestigious sailing race, hopefully you've heard of it), the races take place in multiple locations around the world. Team Oracle USA won the SF World Series races! They are also the defending team of the 2010 America's Cup so it was great to see them win. Next September the America's Cup takes place here in SF, I'm so excited! It was amazing to see so many sailboats and yachts out this week in the bay!

San Francisco Life

In the few weeks since we've moved to San Francisco we've enjoyed getting to know the city and the neighborhoods around us. 

When my mom and sister helped us move we spent a day being tourists. We went to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, eating at Boudin's Bakery. We saw Lombard Street and went to the Presidio. 

We received tickets to a Giants baseball game from Peter and Sara (THANKS!). We had a blast and Andrew looked like he was in heaven. We got there early for batting practice and spent most of the time in the left field stands. Andrew was all about catching a ball. Sadly, it didn't happen. He still had a great time though (he seriously looked like a little kid on Christmas morning).