Week in review...

For a week I thought was going to be uneventful and slow, it sure has flown and been busy.  

Scott had jury duty this week so I got to see a lot of him which always makes for a great week. Wednesday he actually got called in and was about to be put on a 12 day trial but had a work trip planned so he got out of it.  But, that means he has to go again.  :(  

Tuesday was another great outing for the Ladies Who Lunch.  We headed up to Mill Valley for some lunch and Caroline came down to join us for a bit.  Such a cute town!!  We also did a little last minute birthday shopping for Kyle.  Hopefully he enjoyed his new fashions Chrissie picked out!  I thought they were great choices!  Kayla and Lola were troopers doing all of the shopping with us (we went to a mall where Lola was allowed in all the stores).  Sorry, no pictures...we will do better next time.

Last night Scott's niece Kristina came over for dinner and apparently a little dancing.  In case you were wondering, we were enjoying the Pointer Sisters "Jump".  

Apparently I could benefit from some new fashions.  This is an outfit for the books!

I was trying to convince Scott that dancing in the living room was fun.  I'm sure that my first living room dancing partner, Paige (I MISS YOU), can vouch for how great it is!

Definitely no such thing as too much fun!

We had a great time catching up with Kristina and hopefully we will get to see much more of her!  

And the Oscar goes to...

ME!

Ok, not really.  But I did manage to win the ballot game this year.  First time ever and I even set a record.

Allow me to back up.  Oscar night is my mom's favorite night of the year!  Every year she hosts a party and all attendees must dress up according to her specifications (usually as a character from one of the best picture nominees but sometimes she switches it up and you can pull from years past).  Her life size Oscar comes out for guests to be photographed with, and games are always on the agenda.  Of course, all festivities end as soon as the awards start and no phone calls are to be made inbound during the show.

A bit of a throw back but it is the only picture I have of Oscar.  Funny enough, Allie is actually pregnant now...no more need for pillows under the shirt!

This year my mom celebrated Oscar night in Colorado with Bobbi, Doug, Lauren and Jordan (long time attendees of these parties).  With a Mardi Gras theme each attendee was given beads for winning a category.  I sure would have cleaned up if I was there (can you tell I am excited about my big win).  

While they partied it up in Colorado, Scott, Lola and I headed over to the Strand household for some Oscar fun.  Of course Kayla was as cute as ever and even showed Scott her walking! 

Showing off all her teeth!

Kayla's hair looking good after bath time!  I think the mohawk might be her look!

After the littlest guest went to sleep we sat down with our Indian Food (in honor of Slumdog).  It was my first experience with Indian and I really liked it.  We will have to visit our local Noe Indian restaurant in the near future.

My ballot.  21 correct votes...only missed 3!!

We had a great time admiring all the Oscar fashion and festivities and give the new format an "A".  I may weigh in later on my favorite dresses, moments, etc... but I am about blogged out for today.  Back to real life!

Happy Birthday Kyle!

The busy weekend weekend continued on Saturday night with a birthday dinner for Kyle.  Rick and Caroline came over the bridge to join in the celebration. 

Guest of honor

The night (and yes, it was night-the reservations began at about my bedtime!) began at the Redwood Room in the Clift Hotel.  It is a bit of LA and New York thrown into downtown San Francisco.  

Caroline aka Lily Tomlin :)

After a few appetizers we headed over to Cortez in the Adagio Hotel for a family style dinner.  Well, dinner and drinks!  I note this because the night got fairly entertaining towards the end when Rick and Chrissie were deciding whose belly looked more pregnant, and the gifts for Kyle came out.  

  

Scott and me (with one of Kyle's gifts)

It's a kicker!!

Rick demonstrating how to use the perfect push up gift he gave Kyle (although he might need to borrow them-he only made it to 5)

Scott managed to do about 27...although we aren't sure that they were FULL push ups he was doing.  He begs to differ!

Caroline showing the boys how it's done.

Time to go home!!

Happy Birthday Kyle!!!

Belmont

Saturday Scott and I journeyed down to Belmont to visit some friends.  Belmont is also where Scott grew up so I got to see his childhood home and hear a lot of great stories.  It was great to see Cru, Jen and the boys...we hadn't seen Lucas and Logan since October-it is crazy how much they have grown!!

Scott's childhood home

While Lucas was snoozing after swim class Logan played fetch with Lola

Lucas woke up and joined us for a little fetch and shared his gingerbread cake he and mom baked...mmmmmmm

Off to Alexander Park for a little playground time

Two notes about the park:

1. As you can see I turned into a kid again.  I was trying to do all my old Highcroft Elementary acrobatics on the bar.  Apparently I am a little out of practice and it is funny how scary it can seem to throw yourself upside down now.  I also have bruises on the back of my knees from swinging around so much!
2. Scott had a run in with the law at this park at a mere 6 years old.  He thought it would be a good idea to bang his initials into the brand new metal slide!  Imagine his parents surprise when the police showed up at their door looking for their youngest son! 

Thanks to Cru and Jen for a great afternoon!  

A Lady Who Lunches

This pretty much seems to be the theme of my week (other than some deep house cleaning and job searching).  Wednesday I got to take my first trip down to San Jose to Broadcom.  For those who don't know, this is where Scott works.  It was very nice to see the office and have a visual of where Scott works every day.  I spared Scott the embarrassment of picture taking in his place of work so no fun additions for the blog.  

After a tour of the world's most silent office (a far cry from the rambunctious atmosphere of Crocs) we headed to lunch.  I should mention that Scott's office has great gym, cafeteria (the food looked pretty good), and apparently has basketball and tennis courts.  Not a bad place to spend many hours a week.  We opted to surprise Scott's niece, Aimee, at work at Piatti.  It was a terrific lunch (food and company) and I really wish San Jose wasn't quite so far away so we could do it more often.  

Thursday was Ladies Who Lunch.  Lola got to join us again this week for yet another trip to Pita Pit and Crissy Field.  The day was gorgeous but we failed to keep in mind that it had been raining for two days straight prior.  This led to one muddy trip to the park.  Lola was soaked (good thing she got that bath) and Kayla was covered head to toe.  

Kayla playing ball with Lola

Kayla letting the chubbies hang out after losing the muddy pants!

An interesting note about Pita Pit...Chrissie found this yesterday...

Sad :(  Glad we got our last visit in!

Friday, my week of lunching continued.  Scott had meetings downtown and I needed to pay a visit to DSW to get some good walking shoes for Scotland.  So, while he worked, I shopped (yes, mom, I know life isn't always this way-but I was emailing back and forth about a job lead!).  I settled on some nice green Nikes.  I think they will probably attract Prince Harry's attention best!

Scott and I grabbed a quick lunch and I was off to get my hair cut.  It is always scary to go to a new person but I took Chrissie's recommendation and headed down to Mercer Street Salon.  Whew...I LOVE IT.  By the time I finished, Scott was finished with his hair cut too so we stopped for happy hour at Left at Albuquerque's.  A perfect day and evening!

We finished the day by watching Vicky Cristina Barcelona.  We gave it a "B".  I like Woody Allen movies so it kept my attention but was a slow movie in general.  Penelope Cruz definitely kept it interesting and deserves to be nominated (Oscar) for her role...we will see if she wins!  

Busy weekend ahead, time to get started!  

The Punishment

Lola's punishment for running away!  Hopefully it doesn't make her flee more often!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

Not only is this a great book, but it is also very true of our night last night.  Although if I was writing the book I would rename it The "Scare Stephanie and Scott half to death" incident...

Last night, like any other, Scott got home and we were in the kitchen making dinner.  For some reason the smoke alarms started going off (strange because there was no smoke that I could see).  Well, Miss Lola HATES loud beeping.  Even the chimes on the washer and dryer send her hiding under end tables or behind the toilet (apparently very safe spots).  So you can imagine her panic when the smoke alarms went off.  Scott and I were at each of the doors in the house fanning them open and closed to try and make the beeping stop.  It did.

This is when things got interesting.  During all the commotion Lola disappeared.  No big deal, she was hiding.  No...not in any of her usual spots.  Strange.  So, I started calling for her...no little black dog.  So the hunt began.  Backyard...no.  Any nook or cranny in the house...no.  It is amazing how in a situation where you are starting to panic you look in places where there is no physically possible way something could be (i.e.-under the bar-about 2 inches high).  I think my parents once looked in the oven or microwave for me in one of these moments.

We quickly realized Lola was nowhere to be found anywhere around the house so the frantic search of Noe began.  I should mention this is BEYOND out of character for Lola.  All she ever wants is her people around and for her to run any further than two houses away was pretty much unthinkable.  I was sure she was just scared and hiding on a neighbors front porch.  Nope.

PANIC!  Yes, I absolutely started to move on pure adrenaline...mind racing about a million miles an hour.  You see, while we live in a very Suburban/Urban area, there is  A LOT of traffic and the J (public transportation) runs up and down the street about one house away from ours.  For some reason I never felt like I was going to find her hit...I just kept searching the side walks for her crazy little self to be going door to door in a panic.

This is getting long so I will wrap it up.  I got in the car and started driving.  No real agenda in mind.  Scott was still on foot and being a calm force in my insanity (THANK YOU)!  He told me to drive to the pet store (duh-clearly I wasn't thinking straight) and check there.  I felt like this was too far for the monster to go, but went anyway.  She wasn't in there but I figured I would give the woman my information in case they found her.  No sooner did I say, "My dog just ran away" that she said, "a little black one?"  My heart stopped as she handed me the number of the two men that had her.  Jose and Francisco!  My new heros.  

We called and called and finally got an answer and they said they were around the corner from the shop.  Turns out these men were border line homeless and I don't think I would have gone so far as to say, "she is in great hands" as the lady did at the pet shop, but there was my little girl...safe and sound.  She was shaking like a leaf and clearly panicked but she immediately began licking my face and Scott's as if to say, "thank you, I missed you, I'm sorry, let's go home". So, thank you to Jose and Francisco for scooping up our little munchkin!  I just want to squeeze her every moment and I am now an even more hyper dog owner than I ever was before!  All it takes is a moment!

Funny how these things happen.  Lola and Scott had just gotten back from a walk (the same route she took off on on her great escape) about 30 minutes earlier and I took off her collar with the comment, "Good thing I got her a new tag with both our numbers since she NEVER has it on".  Of course, that is the night she ran away.  

Well, time to go snuggle my Lola.  We are SO happy she is back and I think I am definitely still processing everything that happened.  Yes, she is a dog, but she is like my child and I can't imagine her not being here.  So here is to our psychotic little dog...we love you!

I'm sure I am imparting great wisdom on her during this discussion!

Who would play hand fight in the morning with you Miss Lola if you didn't come home?!

I think we need a more recent family picture!

Glad to have her home!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This year Valentine's Day was spent in Twain Harte.  Lola, Scott and I packed up and made the drive west to spend it with Scott's mom.  This was IDEAL.  I am pretty much a "ba humbug" when it comes to Valentine's Day and would really prefer that it not be a holiday.  They say people in a relationship love this holiday, but I beg to differ.  I just think it is silly (sorry to all V Day fans) and too much pressure is put on this day.  I would much rather have a romantic dinner and tell the one I love I love them on a day when it isn't "mandated".  Ok, enough of that rant...back to our trip.

We arrived to at least one and a half feet of snow.  It was very heavy and wet, making plowing through it a bit difficult.  We found this out the hard way trying to get in the driveway.  

Stuck...

Scott digging us out

Once we made it in we were able to relax and enjoy some Papa Murphy's pizza.  As mentioned in the previous post, Thursday was a bit of a big night so we crashed early.

Saturday we woke up to MORE snow.  We were probably somewhere around two feet at this point.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  Yet another reason to love Twain Harte.  There is something about it...as soon as we arrive it is immediately relaxing and just feels perfectly homey and cozy!  

The snow kept us holed up for most of the day (who can complain-fire, double sol, and good company), but we did manage to get the monster out for a 45 minute walk. 

While this is a bit far away you should note my stellar outfit.  So glad I have hundreds of dollars worth of fancy snow gear...in San Francisco (oops)...I'll remember it next time!

Morning snow on the deck!!

View from the middle of the deck

Saturday night we "celebrated" the aforementioned holiday with some steak, potatoes, salad (with Barbara's fabulous salad dressing), and champagne.  

After a wonderful Sunday morning breakfast (and a little more shoveling by Scott) we were headed back to the city.  Good news, Scott got to see some snow fall before we left...it seemed to keep coming at night.  I wish I had a picture of him staring out the window like a little kid waiting for Santa, or in this case, a few white flakes.  I guess I should have stuck around Colorado a little longer so he could experience that winter wonderland (although I don't think it would have been worth it...I can't imagine still flying back and forth and couldn't be happier every single day that I am here).

All for now...but stay tuned...I will be having a guest blogger this week (and no, I haven't completely lost it-Lola will not be sharing her thoughts with you).

Boulder comes to SF

After enjoying some Hanna wine at the Press Club on Wednesday night with an old Boulderite, Laurie, a few more Boulderites came to town.  

It was great to spend the afternoon catching up with Tia and Cindy (after a few wrong turns on the way-apparently my city driving isn't as stellar as I thought).  As the afternoon and catching up progressed we were joined by Scott, Tom, Joel, and a few other familiar faces.  

After a bit of a dinner dilemma we ended up at Hunan Henry's...this is a very long story that I will spare those that weren't involved.  

Here are a few shots from our top notch dinner:

As you can see, it was tough to get a table.  Tom managed to find a seat :)

Yes, "meat pie" was on the menu

Here it is...MEAT PIE!

A sampling of our drink selection...vodka/soda on the left (note it is smaller than our fancy cups), Top Shelf tequila (the glass to the left is the shot glass), and something a little less scary, Bud Light!

While I poke fun, the actual dinner food was pretty good.  Plus, the company was great and we had lots of good laughs.  (Although next time we are keeping our original reservations at Capannina!) 

The remainder of the night was priceless.  It was great to have friends around to catch up with and who could not find this entertaining?

In Scott's defense, this was Tom's fancy coat! (although I think I just threw Tom under the bus...sorry!)

I definitely miss all my Boulder friends and look forward to their next visit!

Ladies Who Lunch Installment 2

Yesterday Chrissie and I went back to college (and Kayla's first visit).  We decided to take a drive over the Bay Bridge to Berkeley and visit Chrissie's alma mater.  We had lunch at an old favorite of Chrissie's and enjoyed GREAT salads.  

Kayla was her normal smiley, fun self and even managed to show us how she can stand up and turn around in her high chair.  A fancy new trick she has picked up :). 

Chrissie and I walked around town and I got to see a lot of the area and heard lots of wild stories about the area.  For example, while Chrissie was there there was a hostage situation at a bar across the street from her apartment.  

It was great to see another town and compare it to my experience in Boulder.  Berkeley is definitely more diverse than Boulder (not hard to be) but they both have a great college town feel!  One thing Chrissie told me about were the "tree sitters" who sat in large Oak trees on campus for months to try and keep them from being cut down.  Definitely something I could see happening in Boulder in a heart beat!  One of the tree sitters:

After stopping to get Kayla a t-shirt to represent Mom's school we headed home.

Another great day for the ladies who lunch!

The Hunt Continues...

Before I dive into the job hunt for the day I wanted to give a quick weekend update.  Well, I guess I will start back on Thursday when Scott's friend from Chico, Steve, came over.  He was in town on business and joined us for a night of sushi down the street.  It was great getting to meet him and get more great stories that Scott would never tell me himself!! 

Saturday we headed to Napa for a few special wine club events.  Scott and I started at Far Niente for a Cabernet tasting in their caves.  

I LOVED the candles!  The hallways of barrels seemed to be endless and go in every direction.

 

Look, I actually do attend these functions!

It was a beautiful day in the valley.  We sat out by the pond and enjoyed our dessert wine, Dolce, and enjoyed the view. 

After Far Niente we headed to Nickel and Nickel for round two.  There we met up with Cortney, Tommy, and Paisley.  There is a picture for this one but it is giving me trouble uploading...might come later.  We had a great time tasting and again enjoying the great day.

Dinner was at the Boon Fly Cafe at the Carneros Inn.  We also enjoyed the patio at FARM.  It was a great day and I am looking forward to many more wine tasting adventures...after all it might as well be in our backyard!  

Last night we enjoyed dinner and the Grammys with the Strand Family.  Kyle made a wonderful stew and Chrissie did a great job with the corn souffle (thanks for the recipe, Cindy). 

I would give the Grammys a B.  This awards show is never my favorite and it didn't do anything to win me over last night.  The company far exceeded the show...I enjoyed the story telling and laughs 10 to 1 over the show!  

Busy week...lots to come!

 

Ladies Who Lunch

I have been a bad blogger this week but there hasn't really been much going on to blog about...I could ramble about my favorite TV shows, but you probably don't really care!  

So I will do a quick highlight of the most exciting part of my week.  Tuesday Chrissie and I arranged to get Lola and Kayla together (yes, I am setting up play dates for my dog!) for a little play time. Lola and I started the day with a little run to calm her down and then headed over to the Strand household.  Chrissie and I picked up some Pita Pit and went to Crissy Field for a picnic.  Lola and Kayla were both having a blast and Kayla conquered her fear of grass!  WOO HOO!!  She was crawling all over the place making new friends.  While making new friends, we ran into an old friend...Hank (I've actually known Hank for awhile from family ski trips in Tahoe so it was fun to catch up)!  We managed to convince Hank a stroll across the bridge wasn't near as fun as an afternoon with the "ladies who lunch" and he joined our afternoon of relaxing.

Kayla checking out the not-so-scary grass

While lounging on the grass I was discussing my frustration of not knowing where to ride my bike in the city.  I see people out all over the place but I am not all the confident about riding through the city and have no idea where to go once I make it across the bridge.  So Chrissie suggested a drive to Tiburon to show me a possibility (turned out to be perfect and I am excited to get out and try it).  We loaded up and and put in some rockin techno lullabies (Kayla is perfecting her glow stick twirling) and made it to Tiburon.  It was a gorgeous day and Hank suggested (or rather demanded) that we stop at Sam's.  Apparently Sam's is packed on the weekends and you could see why...TONS of outdoor seating, think the Office in Cabo, a nice view of the water, and plenty of drinks to go around.  On our visit we saw all of two other people out but enjoyed our drinks-Kayla discovered Ginger Ale and was pretty excited.  

"Why is Hank digging through your purse mom?"

It was a great day and it actually kept me out for about 7 hours!  That might be a record outing for me and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Stay tuned for the next installment of Ladies Who Lunch.