Memorial Day Festivities

How was your holiday weekend? Mike and I had a few busy days. Mike played tour guide to a friend from out of town. I took the camera with me so unfortunately there aren't any pictures of his adventures, but they went all over SF and spent an afternoon in Napa.

SATURDAY
I had the fortunate opportunity to see of couple of my greatest friends down in SoCal. On Saturday, I drove down to LA to visit with Kristen who flew to San Diego to stay with her good friend Nicole. We enjoyed a girls' afternoon/night with their former "Texans" friend, Ashley, who hosted us at her place. I'm starting to think I'm meant to be a SoCal girl...this cool or shall I say cold weather in SF is not sitting well with me now that it's June! I was definitely the only in jeans (yes, JEANS!) and the palest person in sight walking around Manhattan Beach. Who have I turned into? Haha


Beautiful Manhattan Beach.


The girls...don't they look so pretty in their sundresses? And there's me in my jeans...ha!

I can't let a store pass me by that's named after my sweet lil' girl, Bella.

I love how this guy popped his foot...such a poser.

The Boardwalk.

Me and one of my besties, Kristen!!

You know how I love sea turtles, so I had to take a picture of this tiny mural in one of the beach shops. And get this....the owner was from Fort Worth!

SUNDAY

My weekend continued on Sunday with a visit to another besties who lives in Bakerfield. Brittany and Drue welcomes a tiny baby boy named Xavier (Xavi for short) in April, and I was so excited to meet the lil' guy. He is only 5 weeks old and such a doll.

He looks so peaceful and precious in this photo. Quite the handsome future Aggie!

So, this is take two of this pose. In the first photo I looked akward, stiff and scared...haha! To say I have zero experience with babies is an understatement. Thank you to Brittany and Drue for hosting me for the night. I'm so thankful I had the chance meet lil' Xavi.

MONDAY

Mike and I spent the afternoon driving around Berkeley and the Berkeley Hills. The weather was nice (sunny and 60 degrees), so we had the top down, heat turned up and jackets zipped up!

View of the Bay Area from the top of the Berkeley Hills.

View of the Golden Gate.

In remembrance of those who lost their lives in our nation's service...Memorial Day.

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A Weekend of "B's"

A weekend of "B's" = Beach Blanket Babylon, Bay to Breakers and The Beach! Read on to find out more...

BEACH BLANKET BABYLON
We spent Saturday night at a local SF landmark...Beach Blanket Babylon at Club Fugazi. Beach Blanket Babylon is the world's longest running musical revue with comedic pop and policital spoofs and gigantic hats. It's been on our list of things to see in the city and fortunately, Mike was given two tickets to thank him for some wonderful work he did.


BBB has been an SF favorite since 1974.


The entrance to Club Fugazi.


This guy was one of my favorites! He's pictured above playing King Louis, but my favorite role of his was acting as Meg Whitman, Ebay founder.


Pictured above is one of the incredible, large hats worn by the actors. Amazing!


BAY TO BREAKERS
Hmmm, I'm not sure where to begin on this one. Bay to Breakers (B2B) is a 12K foot race held every May in SF and it celebrated it's 100th anniversary today! Tens of thousands of folks run/walk from the northeast end of downtown called The Embarcadero (the "bay" side of the city) to the west end of the city towards the "breakers" of Ocean Beach. The race features athletes, costumed runners and according to the official website "fun-loving folks" (which is a total understatement). The race starts at 7am and continues throughout the day. To put it nicely, B2B is like a gigantic frat party of 150,000 people on steroids. Loud music, dancing, drinking, costumes, naked people (yep, it's not illegal here), and a whole host of crazy is what makes up this SF tradition....quite a bit to take for a reserved Texas gal like me. :)


Me and my new friend, Kate, who's the wife of one of Mike's co-workers.

Look! It's Bevo!! Saw 'em off! (This is a Texas A&M reference for those who don't about our archrival UT).

One of the best signs I saw all day...obviously, it's referencing quotes from Charlie Sheen.

My favorite costume of the day....gnomes!

It was unreal how many people were on the streets....we couldn't get over the size of the crowd.

The normal peeps among the crazies!

Haha...look at that! I know it's a bit hard to tell from the photo, but these folks were carrying "1800s covered-wagons" and were dressed as cowboys.

AFTERNOON LUNCH/DRIVE ALONG THE PCH

After spending a wacky five hours at B2B, we decided to pack a lunch and take a drive down the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).

We stopped for our picnic in Pacifica...just south of San Francisco.

Looks like the street I need to live on!

Pescadero Beach

Taking in the beautiful view of the Pacific.

It was cold....54 degrees!!!

Pigeon Point Lighthouse

We took a quick video at Pescadero Beach....we love the sound of the waves.

National Kidney Foundation

The day finally arrived.....the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Kidney Walk was held this morning and we had a great time! As you know, Mike and I had fundraised for the March of Dimes organization for the past five years as a part of his company's Houston office. Now that Mike transfered to the SF office, he's a part of a team to help boost the cultural aspect of the firm. They made the decision to participate in the NKF Kidney Walk for many reasons. Team Hall raised $2,000 thanks to your generous support (THANK YOU!) and his company, Alvarez & Marsal, raised $12,000!!!


Toby and Bella joined us for their very first charity walk. Unlike Houston, SF is very pet friendly anywhere you go. So the pup duo wouldn't feel left out, we made them shirts like the ones we wore....$5 Hobby Lobby t-shirts, iron-on decals from Office Depot, a printer, and an iron were all that was needed for this lil' project!

Toby looks sleepy and Bella looks worried in this photo. I wish I knew what they were thinking...

Little Dog...Big City

Here's a shot of all of the teams who participated in the walk.

Team Alvarez & Marsal (minus a few folks)

Mike won a raffle prize...a children's bike, which he generously gave to a co-worker with a young boy. How come I never win raffles? :)

Team Hall

Glorious Sunshine!

MUIR WOODS
My brother, Davy, and I spent Saturday exploring Muir Woods and Muir Beach Overlook. The sun was shining and temps were in the 70s....absolutely perfect!





This picture features Davy standing next to a fallen Redwood Tree.

Wow, now that's a large tree trunk!

Being silly...I couldn't resist!

Muir Beach Overlook...breathtaking views of the Pacific!

Wa-hoooo!!!

NAPA VALLEY

Mike's been working non-stop, so we took advantage of the break in his project and visited Napa on Monday. While I don't drink wine, I still enjoy being the "DD" and taking in the beautiful scenery. Our first stop of the day was the famous Robert Mondavi Winery.

The vines have sprouted within the past two weeks according to the experts at Mondavi.

Check out the teeny-tiny grapes...so small!

First tasting of the day...cheers!

The roses were in full bloom all over Napa...so gorgeous!

This rose makes me wish I had a garden.

Second stop of the day was to Sutter Home. They didn't have a scenic property; however, Sutter Home was a hot spot for the tourists...an entire bus load!

Being that we're on a tighter budget while I'm in between jobs, we decided to pack a picnic of cheeses, meats and crackers and take in the beauty of Lake Hennessy.

Have you seen the movie "Bottle Shock"? Me neither. But Mike has and apparently all wine lovers have seen the film too. The movie is about the early days of California wine making featuring the blind Paris wine tasting of 1976. Wines from the Chateau Montelena Winery won the contest and the Chateau has been a landmark ever since. Scenes from "Bottle Shock" were filmed at the Chateau and in Sonoma. Here are a few pics of the property.

We can't visit Napa without a stop at our favorite winery, Castello di Amorosa. The tour/tasting is rather pricey (although fantastic and something we'll have you expereiece when you visit) so we opted for just a tasting. The fields surrounding the castle were BEAUTIFUL! Look at those gorgeous red flowers growing among the vines.

The property houses several animals including this peacock.

Our last stop of the day was to Castello di Amerosa's sister property, V. Sattui Winery. We plan to make this our next lunch spot when we visit Napa again. It has a wonderful deli with delicious cheeses, meats and prepared foods. Plus, they have plenty of picnic tables to dine the afternoon away on their pretty property.

SAUSALITO

I had an interview Tuesday morning but mine and Mike's afternoons were free, so we headed across the Golden Gate to the picturesque town of Sausalito.

This is us driving down our street (once we've popped up over the hill)...you can see the Marina District and the Bay.

If you're not in a driving mood, you can take the ferry to Sausalito.

View of the city from Sausalito.

Sausalito reminds me a bit of Charleston...it's a small, seaside community with waterfront dining, trendy boutiques and picturesque views.

We stopped for a sweet treat at Lappert's Ice Cream....delicious!!

I love how the homes dot the hillsides.

We really enjoyed walking along this path.

As you know, I'm a Christmas fanatic and love year-round holiday stores. I was in heaven when we came across this lil' gem called The Holiday Shoppe. They had a funky, colorful tropical theme in one of the windows. Aren't these mermaids hilarious?