6 Months Later

Well, I have severely neglected writing posts so far the entire year of 2012. So much has been going on! I've very comfortably (and quickly to my surprise) settled into living in San Francisco and couldn't be happier with my new found home.

Six month re-cap in pictures:

Got a job at the Goog. Surreal. I'm working at the HQ in Mountain View, about an hour commute from the city, as a Program Manager in AdWords. I work with a bunch of über-smart Engineers, Product Managers and User Experience Designers (UXD). Hoping soon to get some experience working on the research side of UX. 

Family game nights with my roommates. That's Linden and Tyler above (missing Patrick and Andy). We have a house in the Inner Richmond that happily and comfortably fits all 5 (!!) of us. 

Mom, Dad and Han came to visit me in January. They rented a really sweet apartment in Dolores Heights through VRBO. 

Took a delicious champagne and cheese pairing class at The Cheese School of San Francisco with Garth. 

During SF Sketchfest, got to see a live table reading of Wet Hot American Summer with the majority of the cast. A huge deal in my book. 

Though I've been seriously lagging as of late, I joined the SF Center for the Book to finish my basic letterpress certification.

Some final products. 

Also taken a few classes at Workshop, like screen printing and mozzarella cheese making. Another cool extracurricular resource? Check out Skillshare. Classes in every city with just about anything you could want to learn.

Bought myself a bike. Before I got it, I could probably count the number of times I'd ridden a bike on one hand. Now it's two hands. Ha, maybe 3. I still have yet to feel really comfortable and confident, but I'm getting there. I practice with rides from my house, through the park and out to the beach. Stewart has been a very patient and encouraging bicycle partner. 

Gal pals. Truly couldn't have landed a better posse!

Visits to redwood forests.

An obnoxiously picturesque picnic. Still can't get over views of the bridge. 

Lynn came to visit! 

We visited the very cool/very eerie Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at the de Young.

And bounced till we dropped at House of Air. 

Ran in a mud run up in Sonoma with Hartley and Emy. It was NO JOKE. 

Another visit from Dad and Sam's family.

Witnessed the wedding of very dear friends, Emmy and Ryan in Knoxville, TN...

...and a month later, that of Brittany and Ben's in Hilton Head, SC. 

A third trip to the East Coast was capped off with a night with Han and singing, dancing Newsies. If you are a fan of the movie and love the ol' Brooooaaadway, check.it.out. What's not to love?!?

Rounds of bowling at the tres cool, Mission Bowling Club. Try their burger...it's too good. 

Stewart and I meet up for tennis after work every so often. The court is ridiculous -- it's high atop Russian Hill with views of the bay and the northern part of the city. 

Dolores Park offers free movie viewings all summer long. A couple weeks ago, we went to the sing-a-long of Mama Mia. 

Life is good here. 

2012

my intuition tells me that this year is going to be a fantastic one -- i've never had such an excited feeling about the beginning of a new year!

this winter vacation has been wonderful -- lots of family and loving on dogs and cats, a beautiful and snowy christmas in maine and frequent trips into new york to play with friends.

i head back to san francisco in two days and i have some very exciting things lined up in just the coming weeks! mom, dad and hannah are visiting for a week and renting a very cool apartment in the mission, two other friends are visiting around the same time, a thrilling job interview is set up for the 4th and several days of open studio time at the letterpress studio. 

chanukah latkes

welcome 2012! i'm very happy you're here!

{top photo from wine enthusiast}

christmas wreath gift decoration

i'd like to share this totally cute craft i just did to spruce up some of my gifts this year. it's very easy -- just takes a few to gather your materials and let the glue dry (i used rubber cement but a hot glue gun would be better!)

here's what you'll need:

glue the two paper circles together (so it's thicker) and once dried (only a minute), cut out the center to create the base for the wreath.

one sprig at a time, glue the greens around the paper circle, overlapping to fill in any bare spots.

add a bow using the red ribbon and fini! a totally cute wreath that's perfect for sprucing up a gift.

i also made a tree by using a tree shaped paper cut out and decorated with a few red berries. 

{inspired by this as seen on say yes to hoboken}

back east

i'm back on the east coast for winter vacation with my family in connecticut. on friday, hannah and i will drive up to maine to stay at our house on vinalhaven island and meet the parents who are driving up a day early. i'm so excited to be at the house again! on a remote island with close to no entertainment except for what you bring, who you bring and your own creativity, our plan is this: cooking, baking, eating, gift wrapping, lounging, gift giving, cooking, reading, eating, napping, strolling. hannah has already told me she plans to engorge herself to the point of discomfort with christmas day treats and meals.

it's my first time home since moving to san francisco and i'm happy to say that much is the same except for a few things: the cats, who used to be mortal enemies, are now boyfriends who spoon on the same bed and clean each other but still have their occasional hiss fits. zinnia is older than ever -- uber deaf, sometimes hobbles but still very much a part of what's going on. maddie will forever be a puppy, even at her age of 10 (!!). and hannah is now a vegan and a wiz in the kitchen.

{photo by charlene}

make your own ornament chandelier

so unbelievably gorgeous and easy to make for the holidays -- or year round! fill the clear ornaments with glitter, feathers, tinsel, sequins, funky dodads, whatcheveryoulike!

photos from and seen on you are my fave. chandelier by lexy

gift guide: for the cook (or the sir or ma'am who wants to become one)

1. no kitchen would be complete without a copy of martha stewart's cooking school. great for the beginning chef and the advanced! - $30

2. the ultimate santoku knife. there are many others out there that are cheaper that are just as fabulous, but if you truly want to pamper your chef-y friend, splurge on this - $80

3. cast iron skillets are an awesome addition to any kitchen or camp fire but i draw my hands to my mouth at the sight of these adorable mini skillets! {frolic!} blogger added these cute cards to put inside the pans. j'adorbs! - $4

4. a microplane grater - perfect for grating zests, spices, parmesan, the works  - $15

5. ever since i got into martha (12?), i knew that one of the most useful tools in a well-supplied kitchen was a silpat baking mat. tor, remember saying this aaaalllll the time?! it is indeed a fantastic gift for any chef: cookies bake evenly, sheet pan spills are easy peasy - $20

6. my absolute most favorite favorite latte bowls from anthropologie. they are the perfect size, come in a wide range of lovely colors and are the just right amount of funkyness for a bowl - $5 ** be an even cooler gift giver and include a set of these minis

gift guide: for the product junkie

1. the prettiest (and apparently fantastic-est!) makeup remover from benefit - $21

2. the clarisonic mia: every female member of my family has one and each gave me an astounding "yes!!!!!!" when asked if they recommend it! - $119

3. sephora's prestige brush set that includes everything you'll ever need - $125 ... a cheaper (but just as sufficient) collection here and here

4. beauty editors at instyle swear by this remington ceramic curling wand - $30

5. a gentle exfoliating peel by clarins - $24
6. organix moroccan argan oil moisturizing treatment - a delicious hair mask that hannah (a true product junkie) says is fabulous and smells great! - $8

7. oscar blondi's dry shampoo (my friend loves this product) - $19

ps. a great round up of beauty top picks!

lists are lovely

there's nothing like a good list to make me feel settled, organized and on track. sweet laura found this fun website, lists of note, all about lists written by randos and the famous. to set the weekend off right, here are my two favorite lists, one by johnny cash, the other by eero saarinen, architect of the gateway arch in st. louis.

johnny's to do

eero's love list to his wife

organization is sexy!

gift guide: for the cold blooded

i decided i'm going to try my hand at a gift guide. let the gift giving begin!

1. my favorite scent: archipelago botanical's petale soy candle - $25

2. w hotel robe from the w store - $125
3. cashmere blend socks from nordstrom - $18
4. tea infuser from crate and barrel - $4.95; loose organic masala chai tea from sf's samovar - $19
5. deliciously warm alpaca throw from crate and barrel - $169

tha man caine

love everything about this photo: michael caine's outfit, natalie wood's elegantly (and adorably) pointed feet, fluffy pup in the background and their effortless hold on each other. j'adore. 

{from old love via a cup of jo}

how to make almond (cashew, hazelnut, brazil nut...) milk

i've been drinking almond milk recently instead of cow's milk yet have never really done the research to learn how it's made. i just came across this beautiful video on victoria's blog about how to make nut milk! so cool and so easy!

night cheese

this sunday, hartley and i are taking a class at workshop, a really neat space that offers a handful of very affordable classes (beer making, cheese making, sewing, screen printing, quilting, etc.) to the public. we're taking a diy cheese class and learning how to make and stretch mozzarella! after signing up, we are now inspired to sing 30 rock's night cheese throughout the class:

love it. 

holiday season at 3rd and clement

i'm certainly one of those people who can get into the holiday spirit with full force -- but never have i gotten into it so soon into the month! i think it started while watching the family stone with friends after our hearty thanksgiving dinner.

the roommates and i decided it was necessary to get a christmas tree for our living room, and boy did we! we set it up and decorated the tree and the mantel, all the while listening to holiday tunes. thrilled to be living with these men who happily let me christmas-out and who also get into the spirit just as much as i do :)

it was the quickest set-up ever: andy had two boxes of christmas gear, complete with lights, ornaments, holiday décor and (two) tree skirts to choose from. we finished the night with a warm fire in the fire place and popcorn while we watched top chef.

the room smells fabulous.