Baby Boy's Birthday and Other Happenings

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I can't believe it....my first-born is seven years old today! I bought Toby almost seven years ago after the Christmas holiday while in college at Texas A&M. The minute you meet Toby he's already won you over....he's quite the affectionate lil' man. And let me mention that Toby wasn't the only puppy in the house....my roommates also had puppies...it was quite the household! Here are some highlights of Toby and I look forward to many, many more with my baby boy.

THANKSGIVING

My great friend, Brittany, and her husband, Drue, hosted a wonderful Thanksgiving for fellow Texans and Aggie California transplants at their home. Other than their generous hospitality and fantastic cooking abilities, the highlight of the day was celebrating the Aggie win over t.u. The Aggies finished the season as a ranked top 25 team and will be headed to a great bowl game in January. WHOOP! We have much to be thankful for this year....family, friends, health, and jobs....we hope you and your family had a blessed holiday.

PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY (PCH)

So, we thought it'd be a great idea to drive an extra six hours out of our way to experience the beautiful PCH. We left Brittany and Drue's house around 9:30am and did not arrive home in SF until about 7:30pm. In the end, the extra drive time was worth it! We stopped at various spots along the way to soak up the sunshine (in 50 degree weather), listen to the waves and smell the salt air (I LOVE the smell of the beach!!). We plan to make this drive again, but down to LA next time in warmer weather and with the top down. Here are a few pictures of our mini adventure.

Elephant seals sunbathing on the beach.

Check out Bella....I had just picked her up and she noticed the seals....I could not get Bella to turn her head around for the photo. She was so intrigued by the them!

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!

Have I mentioned I love this time of year? Yes, you say? I thought so. I've been listening to Christmas music since November 1st, the apartment is decorated and I've had many a fires in our mini fireplace (thanks to Duralogs). Here are pictures of our mantel and Christmas tree. Since I've changed the color scheme of our apartment to blue, white, and sand colors to reflect a more "beachy" vibe, I decided the tree needed an upgrade. So, I enhanced our "travel tree" (our travel souveniors are ornaments from everywhere we visit) with blue ornaments, blue lights and a white tree skirt.

Anytime I light a fire, Toby is sitting as close as possible to the warmth on the couch.

Look at Bella posing by the tree.

Christmas tree is up at Union Square! There's even an ice skating rink around the tree.

A Weekend of Beautiful Hiking

Last weekend Mike went fishing with his friend, Mike, who will transfer to his company's Houston office in a couple of weeks (really?? the one friend we have in SF is moving?? boo!). They spent 8 hours at sea fishing for rock fish and caught 20 between the 2 of them. I'm looking forward to Mike grilling some fish for us!

I'm a member of the Junior League of San Francisco (http://www.jlsf.org/) and spent 8 hours volunteering for the League's annual fundraiser called Home Tour "Into the Wood". Great timing because this was the day Mike went on his fishing excursion. This year, Elle Decor Magazine selected San Francisco for their annual home makeover project. I was assigned to greet guests at this home for half of my volunteer shift. The decor was amazing!! I even met a couple of the talented designers. The home will be featured in a spring edition of Elle Decor....be sure to pick up a copy!

SATURDAY

Mike and I tend to stay busy on the weekends...there's just so much to explore in here. We spent Saturday hiking the beautiful trails around Lincoln Park and Ocean Beach. This is an area of SF that tends to remain foggy, but the sun was shining and not a cloud in the sky and man, was it beautiful! I wish I knew about this gem when my mom visited a few weeks ago...next time she and other family/friends are in SF, we'll be sure to take you here! There is nothing I enjoy more than sunshine, sand, and hearing/smelling the ocean...what I refer to as my happy place. I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to live 10 minutes away from my happy place. Here are some pictures from our adventure.

SUNDAY

It was another warm, sunny day in the Bay Area so we hiked through Muir Woods. It's a forest just north of the Golden Gate Bridge and is filled with different types of coastal redwoods...some of the largest trees I've ever seen. After an afternoon of hiking, we drove to an amazing overlook point...check out the pictures below.