A New Blog

I have (caving to popular demand) created a 2nd blog. I barely update this one, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Ella on ... well just about everything. Some of her Ellaisms are priceless and should be preserved, if for no other reason than to torment her when she's a teenager!

Enjoy!

4 Trips and a Wedding

It has been a while. I am aware of how big a blogging slacker I have been. Apologies all around.

Since March 12th I have been to Miami (2 days), St. John (10 days), Virginia Beach, and Vegas (5 days). I am now back. I am still recovering. Someday I may have it all pulled back together. Just in time for the next round of trips - Rehoboth Beach in May and Vancouver & Victoria in August.

All in all Spring has been a blur. Max's allergies are kicking all of our butts. I am ready for the pool to open. Some things never change.

Miami, St. John, Vegas

Busy, busy travel time coming up. Between March 9th and April 12th I will go to all of these places.

First up is a quick in and out trip to Miami Beach for pre-con planning for a work conference in 2011. We like to do our homework and plan in advance. Yes, we are overachievers. It will be nice to feel 80 degrees and sun on my skin for the first time in what seems like forever. SUCH A SUMMER GIRL!

I get back for two nights and then I am off for a little more than a week in St. John. Through unbelievably fortunate friend connections I am going to help house and doggie sit and with the full encouragement of my hubby! Yes, he is a saint and no, he is not joining me. Mr. Mom will be handling the kids while I am gone. I have called in many reinforcements and he assures me (usually) that he will be fine. I have a little twinge of guilt but mostly excitement. He is, hands down, the best husband possible. Thank you, honey!

St. John is my happy, happy place. I love it under any circumstances, but for virtually free and without wee ones. O.M.G...I might just lose my mind! I think I am struggling to accept that it is real life. Is this real life? Is this really happening? It seems a little like a dream! I haven't been to St. John without kids to sunscreen and strap into car seats and to put down for naps and share my lunches and dinners with since 2003! 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2009 with her and later her brother along for the ride!

When I get back there will be a week or two hiatus and then we are off (again without kids but this time with my lovely husband) for a 4 night getaway in Vegas. The longest we have ever been away from the kids since that St. John trip without Ella back in 2003! We've done a night or two here and there, but 4 days! Thanks, Gramma!!!

So I think March will be a blur and the next time I look up it will be mid-April. I am ok with that!

My Happy Place

1 week and 1 day

Perfect Wedding Shoes

So one of my favorite girls is getting married next month! Yay, its March, so yes next month is officially April! We are lucky enough to be joining them to celebrate in Vegas. I finalized my dress selection a few months ago, but the shoes...oh the shoes. I couldn't decide. I waffled. Back and forth. Something flashy. Statement shoes. No, something simple and classy. NO something fabulous and fun!

Last weekend I caught the tail end of the Nordstrom Rack shoe sale and happened upon the shoes that were meant to be. I like shoes. I am not, by any stretch, obsessed with shoes. Still, I was kind of hoping to find the perfect shoes. And did I ever.

Black satin heels. Stuart Weitzman. Regularly $298 for way less than a third of that on sale. The shoes literally cost more than my dress, but the dress was an extraordinary deal and the shoes make the outfit.

Now on to accessories....

3 Year Check-up

Max had his official 3 year checkup yesterday! I suppose he's offically 3 now. The massive snows forced us to cancel and reschedule his appointment and considering the popularity of his pediatrician its a miracle we got in before Summer! (I guess at some point we could pull the friend card!)

My little man is now weighing in at 45 pounds and measuring up at 41.5 inches. Tall and solid. He is still not on the chart, not the approrpriate one for his age anyway. Just like Ella is very proportional and all of a sudden has started growing these lonnnnnnng legs. My chunkster is no more.

As for attitude, it is as if someone pulled him aside at his birthday party and said little dude, you're 3 now, man up. Not that he was bad before but he realized hey I am a big boy now. The whining is pretty much gone. Clingy, gone. He is so beyond adorable!

Love you Max. Keep up the good work buddy!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! Ella and Hung picked out (searching high and low) this pink hydrangea for me this year. Hydrangea's are one of my favorite flowers in the world. NOW to keep it alive until I can put it in the ground. Thanks honeys!

Otherwise we've had a quiet, lovely Valentine's day. Our real Valentine's dinner was Friday night when our sitter did a sleepover for the kids she watches rountinely (our two plus 4 others - all about the same age). We went to Karma, our favorite Indian restaurant and then had planned on a movie but since we were running late and I had to work Saturday at 8 am we called it a night!

We typically have kept Valentine's day low key. Our long-time (pre-kid) tradition was to hit our favorite Chinese dive!

Re-Org aka Snow Fever!

My spring cleaning fever must have struck early or something but I have this overwhelming desire to organize my life. And by my life, I mean my house! I am pretty sure having my baby turn 3 is part of it, in that, I have more than 5 seconds a day to focus on something other than food, diapers, chatting and playing. FINALLY. Really! Whew.

Or.

It could be the 12 feet of snow outside with more on the way. Ok, maybe that is a slight exaggeration. We only have 2 feet with drifts of 3-4 in places. Too deep to even let the kids really play in it. We'd lose Max! He's tall but damn that is a lot of snow. Too much snow! TOO MUCH!!

Oh and we're getting some more tomorrow afternoon. UP TO ANOTHER 12-18 MORE INCHES. Of snow. I hate snow. Even if I liked snow, I imagine I'd be over it by now. I don't like snow. Did I mention that I even hate it a bit? It makes my whole body tense up. ICK.

Anyway, back on point. We recently had our fix it all friend, Paul install an additional washer and dryer in our basement, primarily for our tenant in the short term but for me in the long term. We inherited the washer and dryer from my mama when she moved and my dream is to eventually move the laundry facilities to the unfinished portion of our basement. No, I don't like trudging up and down an extra flight of stairs to do the laundry but the current situation IS. NOT. WORKING. Our mudroom serves as our laundry room. It is the main entry we use to get in and out of the house. It also houses the shoes, coats, gloves, summer stuff and other random crap that we have accumulated and need more than occasionally but not all the time. Oh and its the size of a shoe box. Can you say tight squeeze? It is the only room in my house that I not only don't like, I actually kind of loathe. It just doesn't work.

Add to this my love of laundry (truly not sarcastic) and you have a frustrated Amy! I would love to take the laundry crap out of there and install cabinets for each family member, shoe racks and generally just open up the space a bit. Washer/Dryer removal would help a lot! Plus, eventually I could give the laundry room the space and organization it deserves. I wasn't kidding about the love of laundry. Its so clean, so yummy smelling, so fresh.
So that is a major reorganization project that we have sort of kind of started. We'll leave it at this stage until the upstairs washer and dryer die or until I just can't take the mudroom anymore. We'll see which comes first.

In the meantime, we have also decided, after getting the nice flat screen tv downstairs, that it would be awfully nice to have one upstairs too. In preparation we have rearranged our bedroom a bit. The TV armoire moved down the hall to the guest room and a long, low dresser moved over to house our current old clunky tv. This move opened up an ENTIRE WALL OF BEDROOM, about 107 inches to be precise, for project #3: book cases.

I have a lot of books. Said books are currently piled and strewn and stacked all throughout the house. There's a little bookcase in the bedroom now chock full. My nightstand is packed with books, stacks adorn the desktop and lateral file in the office and there are cabinets in the living room crammed with novels, travel books, kids books, and so on. They are everywhere.

The plan is to put three large floor to ceiling bookcases with glass doors along the open wall. Thank goodness for Ikea. It looks like we can do a somewhat custom look for a reasonable amount of cash. Not dirt cheap but not a fraction of what having a contractor come in and install true custom work would cost.

So stay tuned. Lots of re-org (the good kind) coming up! In the meantime, excuse me while I run out to the store to RE-STOCK for SnOMG: Part II! Coming soon!

Snow-Stocked

BRING IT.

SnOMG

SnOMG!
Snowpocolypse.
Snowmaggedon.
Snowranasaurus Rex.
SnoWTF!

So the OPPOSITE of my happy place!

No matter what you call it I am SOOOOOOOOO over it. Done. Finished. Please make it stop!

Northern Virginia typically gets a few smallish snow storms a year. Last Winter I don't think we missed even a day of school. More typically, we miss a few but nothing crazy. This year we have already used all 3 of the built in school days + one. So now the girl will have to go to school on February 15th, Presidents Day. Oh and they have already cancelled school for tomorrow, so now April 15th is a school day instead of a teacher work day.

I am so very bummed because this means my mom won't be coming up tomorrow and we won't be going to Charlottesville to see Amos Lee. The only good news is it looks like they will be hammered there too and will postpone the show. Still, hating it!

Pre-Christmas we got a pretty good dumping of snow. 17+ inches. That is a ton of snow for an area that freaks out with 3-6 inches. A few days ago we got 4-6 more inches. School closed of course. Now, they are predicting a near 100% chance of snow, accumulating between 18-26 inches, starting tomorrow early afternoon and continuing into Saturday night. If this materializes, Northern Virginia will be paralyzed for a week! As it is the Federal Goverment instituted its unscheduled leave policy, schools are closed and most local goverments have closed or are allowing unscheduled leave.

My theory is that what makes this area dangerous is that there is such a mix of transplants from not only all over the US but from all over the world. Unlike Florida where NO ONE knows how to drive in the snow or Wisconsin where EVERYONE DOES, we have the wonderful mix of completely clueless and the overly confident. I know this exists to some extent everywhere, but I think it is at its peak here, making for exciting and challenging driving. I have never been really all that concerned about my ability to drive in the snow. It's everyone else that completely freak me out. Those 4WDs (I have one but I realize 4wd doesn't equal invincible) who go flying by like they can break on ice with no problem. Those super "cautious" folks who don't understand the concept of necessary momentum. I get visions of people sliding and crashing into me from every direction.

I hate snow. Did I mention that yet? I do. Really really really do.

I hit the store tonight at 10pm, thinking I might miss the crazies who hit it on the way home from work. No dice. It was an even more interesting mix of crazy. They were, of course, out of milk. So we are lactose intolerant for the weekend. Lactaid it is! I got the last two loaves of bread. Hey, Ella needs her PBJs. Wine was 30% off. A girl can't pass up a good deal! Frozen pizzas. Beef jerky for daddy-o. You know, the essentials! We will survive. And I only have 5 weeks from tomorrow before I am back in my happpppppy place. The best place on earth. St. John!

Maybe if I have tons of time on my house during our snowbound weekend I'll start packing!

The Military Brass has it Right, or Left

"No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me, it comes down to integrity – theirs as individuals and ours as an institution."

-Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen

Hopefully someday soon we'll see an official end to the longstanding "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy within the military. It seems like a no-brainer now that both the SecDef and the Chair of the Joint Chiefs are in agreement that it should end. I don't think anyone could say it any better or any more clearly with Admiral Mullen.

Rachel Maddow interviewed an air force pilot last night who was outed by a disgruntled former partner and is now facing separation from the military under DADT. He was the epitome of who I want defending this country. Spotless record, top notch pilot, well spoken, distinguished. Who he chooses to date is irrelevant!
It is still unbelievable to me that in this country we still so easily accept discrimination against a segment of our citizens based on nothing but who they choose to love. It is just repugnant and frankly, embarrassing.

Listen to him speak and then tell me do you give a rat's behind that he happens to be gay?!?!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Smarty Pants

About two weeks ago, I received an email from Ella's teacher requesting a meeting. Of course, my first thought was WE/SHE are in trouble! Then, two days later we received her standardized test scores in the mail. A-Ha. I began to suspect maybe that's why her teacher wanted to talk with us. (Verbal reasoning 99%, composite score 93%).

We've always known Ella was smarter than the average bear, but honestly, also were very aware that she is her own person, marching to her own little drum at times. We don't mind and probably, truth be told, encourage this. My nature is to freak out, but I have learned with Ella that everything comes in due time. When she is ready. Not a second earlier. The ONLY thing she did early was talk and was a full-on chatter box well before 2. I know she has an unusually large vocabulary for a 2nd grader (or for most adults to be honest), but I also know she was one of the slowest readers in her class last year. Writing was like pulling teeth. So with Ella, often we are not quite sure how others will perceive her. Add to that we are SO NOT the in your face my child is a genius and needs special instruction folks.

Back on topic.

Per her teacher's request, Hung and I had a meeting with her a couple of weeks ago. I adore her teacher. Turns out Ella is doing very well in school. The girl whose teacher gave up in the middle of the 1st grade, calling her little einstein and saying that she KNEW she was super smart but she was just not getting through. She's a tough case because she's such a nice girl and so obviously not stupid that the teacher just couldn't figure her out. Ella was Ella. She sized up the teacher quite quickly and did that which she was comfortable doing but didn't push the boundaries at all. THANKYOUVERYMUCHBUTNO.

At the end of 1st grade she was actually "reading" (reading is in quotes because what she was doing wasn't really reading) below grade level and pretty much not writing much at all. The bare minimum to get by. Of course my instinct was to freak out!!! But I know my girl. I took a very deep breath and had a glass of wine and reminded myself this is how she operates. Instead of freaking out, we took the summer off. No pressure, no tears because "its just so hard, mama", no mandatory reading list. Two weeks into 2nd grade whe was on grade level, two weeks ago she was above grade level. As for writing. At the beginning of 2nd grade it was like pulling teeth to get her to write two words on a page, now she is writing 3 page long stories. She gets it on her own timeline. Pushing her does NO good and when she gets it, she's got it 100%.

I know we are unbelievably lucky to have the teacher she has this year. I would venture to say that she takes figuring out what makes Ella tick as a personal challenge and, as a result, Ella is making serious progress. So much so, that her teacher is recommending her for Fairfax County's level 4 gt program. (I being the complete slacker mom that I am, didn't know what that meant! I learned a lot about the Fairfax GT program, now called Advanced Academic Program, or AAP). Did you get all that? No neither did I. I had to look it up online and follow the flow chart. Her teacher must have thought I was completely clueless.

Turns out the Level 4 AAP program means she would go to another school, a school where she would be in a full day, all gt kids program. What I gathered is the following:

Level 1 - everyone gets, and from what I could gather it probably exists because parents in this area are crazy and obsessed with their kids being GT. This lets everyone say their kid is GT. Welcome to Fairfax County, the capital of over achievement and helicopter parents! The teacher comes into the classroom and basically gives activities to assess/ID who should be at a higher level.

Level 2 - kids get pulled weekly into a special class period in their own school. Basically enrichment in one subject area for those kids who learn quickly. This is what I had back in the day!

Level 3 - a 1/2 day in-school instruction with special GT teachers and kids, and

Level 4 - which can best be described as a magnet all day, all GT program, in a different school.

Her teacher thinks she is Level 4 material and wanted to talk to us about the program and make sure we were on board. I knew from her CoGAT scores she was in the pool for consideration. We got a nice little letter from her principal giving us basic info, but we really still had no clue what that really meant. Did I mention I am such a slacker? I know people in Fairfax Co. who are talking about GT in kindergarten. I am the mom who thinks "they'll figure out that she's smart and let us know, right?" People have been saying to me forever that she needs to be in a gt program and I have pretty consistently said, "I am not pushing it." I know she is smart. I don't need the county or anyone to tell me that. I also am FULLY aware that she has her limitations. As long as she is enjoying school and is being challenged I am ok. I guess I would err on the side of MAYBE MY CHILD ISN'T THE GENIUS I THINK SHE IS instead of being that annoying in your face 24/7 mom.

So as you can see, I did not really know what all this entailed. I think her teacher found that super refreshing. Well, it means that her teacher has to put together a Ella's "package" (class work, a narrative about Ella, complete a GT rating scale, etc) and turn it in. We, as parents, also had to fill out a questionnaire and submit materials from home (art, projects, pictures, whatever) as part of the "package".

The whole thing kind of scares me, because though she's smart I don't think she's uber geeky, but whatever. I am also a parent who puts a very high value on social intelligence. I would SO rather her be kind and interesting to talk to and fun and engaging than a prodigy who can't make eye contact. Not that there is anything wrong with prodigies.

We are, of course, EXTREMELY proud of her but also I reiterated to her teacher we are all about what is best for Ella. It is so gratifying to have our philosophy and approach validated! The thing is she might not get into the program at all. Apparently 60-70% of those in the eligible pool do get into the full program. I think her chances are good but it is by no means a done deal. If she does get in, I think she will either sink or swim. She will either be completely overwhelmed and crash and burn or be completely in love with the program and will flourish. Either way the good news is if she doesn't get in (or gets in and struggles), she is guaranteed at least level 3 services at her own school.

And still Hung and I look at each other often and say, "Wow, imagine if we really worked with her! Like used flashcards and stuff!" lol. Our philosophy is simple. Figure out what interests her and expose her to it. Answer all of her questions. This one is becoming increasingly difficult though as mama often has to go look up the answers!

Happppppy 3rd Birthday Little Man

I can't believe that a year ago tonight I was just realizing, after a blessedly good first day with Max (who we really didn't know what we'd be dealing with once he got out, i.e. if he would be able to breathe on his own), he was being prepared for transport fom Alexandria Hospital to the NICU at Georgetown Hospital to prep for potential surgery.

Luckily, he only stayed a few days and was the healthiest kid in there. I felt such a mix of intense relief for us and extreme sadness for some of the babies we saw in there. We have had our ups and downs but our little 5% chance guy appears healthy and so very normal. Whew....I think I am finally starting to take deep breaths again.

And so, here we are, 3 years later. It has all passed so quickly and my little, sweet, soft, perfect baby boy has grown into a little boy. Max, I miss sitting with your little warm body against my chest, gently rubbing your little fuzzy head as you drifted off to sleep. You really liked that. Your favorite blankie is still around and that's just fine. We like that you love it. You are just the greatest little guy!

You have become a REAL boy who loves cars and goes to the potty on his own and gives me "THE BIGGEST KISSES" he can muster and high fives! You have grown up sooooo much. Just the other night you counted to 9, prompted by the car candies that went on your car cupcakes. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9! We looked at each other, um, did you hear that? Yep. He just counted to 9.

So today was party time and, of course, the dusting of snow predicted turned out to be more like 6 inches and is still falling! Poor winter babies! Still our friends, with very little exception, came in force some with their little people in tow and celebrated the boy that I just feel so very lucky to call my very own. We ate and laughed and had cake and opened presents and just generally relaxed and had a lovely time.

Happy Birthday, Max. I am so glad you are in my life. You are truly my favorite guy/dude in the whole entire world and even though I could not even imagine how in the world I would handle a B-O-Y, there is nothing that makes me any prouder than being your mama. I know it is my job to help you grow up to be a wonderful man and I feel we are off to such a great start - like today when you thanked a guest for your present with no prompting from me at all! SO sweet! I guess you may be a little more like your big sis than we give you credit for!



All my love forever,

Mama

Hiatus

Sorry guys. I have been chastized for my long lapse in posts, but I have many in the pipeline I promise and of course I'll be filling you all in on the little guy's big bash! Promise!

Coming soon:

1 Update on Ella's school progress
2 Max's 3rd Birthday!
3 Vegas plans

To the right we have CAR CUPCAKES for Max's school/daycare party. He was SO excited to help make them and to take them to his friends today!

VRROOOOM VRRRROOOOOOMMMM!!!! Today is my last day as the mama of a 2 year old! On to year 3!! Woot!

San Francisco Open Your Golden Gate!

I recently had the pleasure of a quick (4 night) work trip to San Francisco. Along with my partner in crime/coworker, I headed for the city and hit the ground running. Unlike the trip this report is unlikely to be super short because I am just wordy.

Warning: Heavy on Food and Beverages and light on culture! This trip was all about the food and drink of San Francisco. How much could we cram into 4 nights?!?!?!?!

Day 1: Getting there, The Parc 55 & John's Grill

My flight out of DCA was through Minneapolis. Just the breezeway from the airplane to the airport in Minnesota in Winter demonstrated by striking lack of cojones! I don't know those people survive! The flights were uneventful, if you don't count the part where I was patted down by the TSA. Happens to me EVERY time.

We arrived in the mid-afternoon, dropped our bags at our swank hotel, the Parc 55, and headed to work to get ourselves situated for the next day. The Parc 55 is conveniently located in Union Square. Very nice, very clean lines, nice linens, swank lobby and bar, great staff. I would highly recommend it.

Post-work commitments we decided to hit our hotel bar, Cityhouse, to have a drink and discuss dinner plans. It was here that the "Honey & Almonds" and I became friends. Wild turkey american honey, disaronno amaretto, fresh lemon juice and a splash of soda. Unbelievably yummy!

We settled on John's Grill, a historic San Fran haunt and a setting for the Maltese Falcon, for our first dinner out for two reasons. 1 - It's historic and we are all about the history and 2 - it was a block away. That was about all we could handle after being on the go for a good 15 hours!

We started with the special drink, being the tourists we were. Yummy but it has nothing on the Honey & Almonds!






Mmmmmmm sourdough. San Fran, I love you so.





We both had the steak as it was a steak house.



Post-dinner we decided to wonder around and bar hop a little. Hey, a childless mother has to make the post of her opportunities right? First we hit the 4th Street Pub and then quickly moved on to Johnny Foley's. Soon enough I was in my happy place. Both of those are not for me. I swear.





Day 2: Mel's Drive-in, The Stinking Rose and North Beach

We grabbed a great breakfast at Mel's Drive-in. Delicious yummy sourdough toast and the biggest omelet ever.



We headed to work to get things settled and then found ourselves with 2 hours to kill before the craziness began so we headed to Yerba Buena Gardens and enjoyed the beautiful garden in the center of the city.





We wandered along and discovered a cool sculpture garden. ooooooooooooo.





Before we knew it, it was time to get to work! Boo. So we spent the afternoon convening.

Post-work we hit the Cityhouse bar again (you can't beat two for one drinks) before heading out to North Beach for dinner at the Stinking Rose. I love the Stinking Rose. You have to REALLY like garlic to enjoy eating there. If you are a fan, it is SO good.

We started with the Bagna Calda (Garlic soaking in a hot tub Garlic cloves, oven-roasted in extra virgin olive oil & butter with a hint of anchovy served with focaccia bread.) I, personally, take the cloves and smear them on the bread. OMGOOOODNESS. No vampires were getting anywhere near us for the week.



Followed up with an entree of Spicy Prawns, fettuccine, pancetta, and onions in red pepper garlic oil. Religious experience! SOOOOO very good.



For those who do not know, North Beach is sort of (ok not sort of, but totally) the Red Light district of San Fran. Of course, I had not known this on my first trip there oh 12 years ago when my hubby and I were wee babes. I booked us in a guest house (affiliated with a hostel) in North Beach. Awkward. ;-) We survived and I was determined to find it again.

And find it I did. That's me pointing to the sign in the dark (this was right before my travel mate thought she smelled a skunk. It wasn't a skunk but instead someone toking on the corner).



Wow, what I was thinking back in the day. I can still remember it was $40/night!



A little more of the North Beach scenery



After dinner we decided to head to the Tonga Room. It was so funny, in the cab on the way, the cabbie was like "why do you want to go there?" Us: "we heard it is really kitschy and fun." Him: "It's really cheesy" Us: "Perfect!!! WE LOVE CHEESE!" lol. So we'd had a few drinks. At least Jana didn't ask this one where he got his hookers like she had the previous cab driver when she realized he was dropping us on a questionable red light corner. We are very good at holding our alcohol! Luckily he had laughed.

The Tonga Room is an institution. It is in the old pool complex at the San Fran Fairmont Hotel. There is a boat in the pool with the "band" in this case a pretty darn good singer and two dudes playing various instruments. She sang stuff from every genre. The people watching is classic and we were both bitterly disappointed when a gal who could generously be described as a cross between a Russian mail order bride and a prostitute left the dance floor shortly after our arrival! We had so much fun. We scored leis and a poolside table and enjoyed a couple drinks.

Tonga Time



For some reason when we got our fill of the Tonga room we decided it was a good idea to try to walk back to our hotel. The cabbie had said it was downhill. Helpful, no? Well we thought we could handle it so off we went. About 10 blocks later we were definitely NOT LOST in Chinatown when we decided maybe a cab would be a good idea.





Day 3: WORK, Samovar Tea Lounge, Dinner at the Crab House

With a full day of work ahead (unfortunately), we grabbed a quick bagel sandwich and a VERY large coffee and headed to the Moscone. Fun Times! We were able to escape for a quick lunch at Samovar Tea Lounge and we were so not disappointed! Delish meal and a great atmosphere. Very Zen.



I had the Chinese Duck & Veggie Stir-fry, Squash Dumplings, & Pu-erh tea (blood orange tea). Really really amazing!






After lunch it was back to work and then a little rest before heading to the Wharf and Pier 39 for dinner and shopping.

Did I mention I LOVE sourdough?



Cute little sourdough turtles



For dinner we settled on the Crab House for some dungeness! Another amazingly good meal. Yes, we were totally eating our way across the city.



Dungeness, in my belly! (Unfortunately in the middle of the night following this dinner I paid for this meal, I have been in denial about a shellfish allergy for YEARS. A mild one. Usually complicated only when ingesting alcohol in conjunction with said shellfish. Well, this time I literally woke up from a dead sleep itching from HEAD TO TOE. As Vicki said, "So you are telling me you were itching from head to toe because you had crab(s).")

It was OH SO GOOD though. Dungeness legs in garlic butter.



Accompanied by Garlic Fries.



My partner in crime



Traveling with coworkers can some times be challenging and can sometimes be a lot of fun. This girl is SO easy to travel with, as we have such similar styles. We basically want to see and do as much as we can, we like cheesy and classy equally well and we hit the ground running knowing we can sleep when we're dead! And we pretty much spent the entire week quoting "The Hangover" .... SO so so much fun!

After finishing dinner we headed from Pier 39 down along the Wharf.





Of course we hit Ghirardelli Square for some chocolate



This is the point in the story where all I can remember is the FOOD!

Day 4: Another full day of work, lunch at Green Papaya and dinner at Maya

After days of dealing with folks like this, my attention to detail was waning. Yes this was a professional conference I was attending. Not for my profession but one related to what I do.



We found a great Viet restaurant near the center and enjoyed a delicious meal. I am married to a Viet guy so I know my Viet food and the Green Papaya was probably one of the top 3 Viet restaurants I have been too. LOVE the Bun (vermicelli/rice noodles) thit heo nuong (with grilled pork and spring roll) accompanied by a cafe sua da (basically strong french press coffee with sweetened condensed milk over ice).



Re-energized I was able to face the afternoon of my final full day!

Dinner was at Maya, on the recommendation of our hotel concierge.

Some of the best guacamole I have EVER had, with a glass of red sangria.



Followed by chicken mole tacos.



My flight out of San Fran was the next morning, so I called it a night!

Getting home was uneventful other than again having the pleasure of a secondary screening and going in the glass box for my pat down.

I absolutely love San Francisco. This was my third trip, my 2nd for business and I find something new about it that I love each time. If you get a chance, I highly recommend visiting!

San Francisco, let me beat my feet
Up and down Market Street
I'm gonna climb Nob Hill, just to watch it get dark
From The Top of the Mark

Brother & Sister

2010

It looks like 2010 is shaping up to be a BUSY year. 2009 was strange as both of my big (as in require far travel) work conferences were in DC. So I only traveled a little for work. Vancouver for a site visit for the 2010 meeting and um...I think that was it for work!

2010 is another story.

January - San Francisco for a work conference

March - Miami for a site visit for work
St. John for a girls only non kid trip (yes, I realize I married a keeper!)

April - Virginia Beach for Easter
Las Vegas for a wedding

May - Reboboth for a long weekend

August - Vancouver for work and then the family is joining me for an extended trip

Holidays - Looking at a possible week somewhere warm, but nothing has been finalized yet!

Good thing I LOVE to travel! Bring it on 2010!

We have TREE