girl's night

so, i just have to say that it's probably the most girly thing i have done in months, but i am SO excited to get caught up in all the hype and go see the sex and the city movie tonight. it's going to be a fabulous girls night, complete with dinner and cocktails before, then the movie.

SO EXCITED. i just had to share.

architecture [nerd]

yeah yeah yeah, i am an architecture nerd but i embrace it. we are trying to figure out a space plan for the nursery, and so i decided to have some fun in handy dandy autocad and draft up the initial idea. things might get changed around with the addition of a toy box (from our childhood), which might delete another piece of furniture (namely the ikea storage unit, which would actually be okay if we actually installed some shelves as i've shown on the elevations...don't mind me, i'm thinking this out as i type). actually, it might be fun to customize the old toy box...we'll see how adventurous i get. i get creative leave from work, right? to implement the nursery?

anyway, the plan...

north elevation (i actually have no idea which way is north, i'm just going off north being up on the plan that i drew)

east elevation (going around the room clockwise)

south elevation

west elevation

it's not exactly set which walls will be painted, or if all of them will be. it also hasn't been decided which wall the "mural" will be on, although currently i'm leaning towards the wall behind the rocking chair and the cub station (east elevation). we'll see! the bedding arrived and is very cute (i have yet to see it in person) but i think the blue is going to be a bit too bold to paint the entire room, so it's going to be the challenge to find the right shade/saturation of the color to paint. also, i know some of the walls look a little bare, but keep in mind there will be a rocking chair in the corner (which i didn't extend my nerdiness to attempt in elevation), books and things on the shelves, and a mobile above the crib to spice things up.

bezd

this weekend was (finally) our trip to bend, or to see the mates of state, the decemberists and death cab for cutie. we had an amazing time! we took off friday night after work and drove up to redding, where we spent the night (and that is where the rain began). the next day we continued on up through california into oregon--it was so beautiful! i love the urban and cities, but occasionally it's great just to see such beautiful natural landscape. we saw snow-dusted mountains, valleys, forests, it was just amazing.

we arrived in bend, ate, checked into the hotel, and then got bundled up for the concert (although not enough). mind you, most of this time it was raining. and we were going to an outdoor concert. we arrived at the gates a little before 4:30 (when they opened) and as i was grabbing blankets from the car i see a flash and then hear the following kaboom! rumble rumble....that's right, a nice thunderstorm. while i love thunderstorms, i prefer them from an indoor, safe spot as opposed to outdoors in the open. it was interesting attempting to stay dry, but the thunderstorms did pass, and about an hour later (when the first band finally started) the rain ceased and we spent a wonderful (muddy and freezing, but wonderful) evening listening to amazing music! colin meloy even traipsed through the crowd and ending up walking right by us (and stepping on brandon's foot). the concert did not disappoint!

on sunday we woke up around 9, packed up, hit dutch bros. coffee and then got on the road....again. we made the trip back in one shot (broken up by a stop at a pizza parlor and a driver switch). it was a long car ride but not as bad as i had thought it would be. it was a whirlwind trip, but well worth it!

and now, some pictures...

learning to embroider in redding

the rain

the crew

the scenery

"and all the stars were crashing 'round as i laid eyes on what i found..."

the mountains

and home

drumroll please....

after waiting and waiting and waiting, the results are finally in. tonight we had dinner as a family for the big reveal. my mom and i each were handed one of these:

containing this:

so, i admit i was wrong...my very first instinct upon finding out my sister was pregnant was that it was a girl, but then i had thoroughly convinced myself that it was a boy. we are very excited for baby [girl] smith and can't wait to meet her!!! i can't believe i'm going to be an aunt...it all seems so much more real now! most importantly, however, things seem to be progressing how they should be and baby smith looks very healthy (and active apparently...the technician for the ultrasound and at her previous heartbeat appointment both commented on how active the baby is).

heat wave and cats on youtube

so, i went to the giants game last night and sat in a t-shirt and jeans until 8pm, at which point i put on a long-sleeved t-shirt because there was the occasional chilly sea breeze. this may not sound remarkable, but for san francisco it was a miracle. i loved every minute of it! this morning i walked out of my apartment at 8am in just a short sleeved summer dress and sandals without a sweater. it's amazing! it's so nice to have a small taste of summer, although i know it will be taken from me and replaced with a biting chill and fog. i am just taking advantage of this while it lasts...

and on a side note, i got bored with imovie the other night and made a first (quick) stab at a little video. i still have a lot to learn, but i still had fun...

sara tribute
stu and the major

enjoy!

such a mom

i know, i know, i'm such a mom with my cats, but hey...my sister hasn't had her baby yet...just wait until THAT happens...anyway, i couldn't help myself...the kitty cats were hanging around, snuggling up on my lap on mother's day and i re-discovered the close-up setting on the digital camera. i really need to take a class like i've been meaning too so i can get more educated in the photography world...for now, some shots of "the boys"...

first off, we have ben

and then stuart

i know i'm a partial "mom," but i do think they are quite pretty cats. it's not quite as evident from these pictures, but typically it seems the consensus is that ben is "prettier" and stuart is "cuter"...they have been such fun to have, although frustrating and naughty at times...

he's back!

just wanted to say welcome home, mark! after his amazing experience in cameroon, my brother-in-law is back in the united states. we're glad he remained safe throughout his experience, and i look forward to visiting with him and hearing about his time in africa. if you want to read any of his tales, again, his blog can be found here.

wedding invitations

well, i've had a few people ask about weddings/my wedding invitations recently, and i realized i had never documented them, so last night i decided to take some pictures of them. brandon and i designed, printed and assembled them all by hand--truly a labor of love.

first, our save the dates...we took the picture in golden gate park, near where brandon proposed.

next, i got the [insane] idea to do envelope liners. time consuming, but so pretty! thank you, martha stewart, for the how-to...
and then for the final product, the actual invitations. the names have been blurred for privacy, in case that was a point of confusion--no, we didn't have gray smudges on our invites. on the left is the invitation how it would come out of the envelope--folded up with the band around it. on the right is the unfolded invitation. the left side had a pocket which held the rsvp card and map/directions/additional information card. we also decided to "splurge" and purchase custom stamps from zazzle.
and now for the invitations:

overall, they were extremely time consuming and stressful at times, but i think we enjoyed making them, and at the end of the day i was glad we customized ours so much. i really feel our invitations represented us, and i like that there are no other invitations out there exactly like ours.

*note: if you'd like to see better resolution of any of the photos, please let me know!*

official [almost]

after months of dragging my feet and getting used to the idea, i finally felt ready to make the big swap and change my name. i got together the proper documents and application, and headed over to the social security office this morning. after waiting in line (i'm glad i got there early), going through security, and getting checked in, i was welcomed with an announcement stating that the computers (supposedly nation-wide) were down, and therefore they were unable to process people. they said they'd do as much as they could, but anything involving the computer was impossible. i was one of the first people called, and they took my application and filled out the remaining details, and said that when the computers came back up i'd be processed. then they'd send me a receipt letting me know that everything was changed. that was a little frustrating, especially because i wanted to just get it done. of course the day i go is the day the computers go down.

anyway, it was extremely strange to fill out the form with my "name to be shown," and i sort of felt like i was renouncing my family, but despite my hesitations, i am excited to finally make the change and share a name with brandon. it's like another new beginning for us, and the official start of our family unit.

i won!

so, i rarely win things. i feel like i don't have great luck most of the time. i enter contests and drawings in vain, just thinking that maybe my luck will change and i'll actually be a winner.

well, that day came yesterday. i got an email with the subject "CUB spring promotion winner!" i opened up the email and the first line said "Congratulations! You have won a free CUB White Station by participating in our CUB Spring Promotional Event." um, excuse me? i never win things! and this isn't any old thing that i won--this is a very nice piece of furniture. i had an ear-to-ear grin, but the annoying part was that my sister was in a doctor's appointment when i found out, so i had to wait and be patient which is not one of my strengths. when i did tell her, however, she was quite giddy.

yesterday morning my sister and i were discussing baby furniture (as we do most days) and we were trying to kind of make a choice on a crib. we finally decided that if we were going to go with a modern crib, it'd most likely be the cub as it was the most reasonably priced. we weren't 100% (and of course josh had to be consulted), but that is the direction we were leaning. it's well made, non-toxic finishes, made with formaldehyde-free mdf, and is nice and compact. to have that discussion and then get this email? that made the decision easy--cub crib it is, and now we have the matching changing station!

so now, the proposed nursery scheme can be unveiled with the furniture pretty set...so as not to confuse, we do not yet know the gender of the baby--my sister has loved the little prince since she was young, so it is a little prince-themed room, but that does not mean boy. there will be plans to follow, and things may be changed/swapped out as research is done and plans are drawn up.

and so, the scheme in it's current state:

conversations

i got a good laugh out of this one:

[on getting a hotel room in bend, or for a concert we're going to over memorial day weekend]

sara: did you book our room at the ritz yet?
me: not yet
i was going to do that today
i was debating between ritz, w, and the 4 seasons
sara: oh, maybe try the w
i'm so sick of the ritz

oh, if only...instead it will be more like the best western...

cookies & kitties

although i enjoy it, i rarely bake--mostly due to the fact that i have zero self-control when it comes to not quickly devouring my entire batch of baked goods. yesterday, however, i got an excuse to bake some cookies. i baked some of grandma's recipe oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies (for this batch i left out the raisins). because of the spices in the recipe, and the fact that i normally have them at the holidays, i felt like it was christmas in may! it was the first time i made them, and i was pleased with the results.

here is the dough:

and the finished product

while i baked the cats decided to hang out and snooze a little. call me the cat lady, but i just couldn't resist taking some pictures.

stuart lounging

the boys snuggling (ben is in the the one giving bedroom eyes)

overall, it was a nice way to spend saturday afternoon. i think i might have to make more of these soon--they were delicious (in my opinion).

two things

first, i'd like to share that on april 30, brandon, sara, chris and i went to see colin meloy at the fillmore. can i just say...amaaaaaaaaaaazing. absolutely incredible. what talent! and then hearing about his 2 year old hank...it was almost too much. colin, you can sing to me/around me anytime. i know i'm kind of gushing like a teenage girl, but i really don't even know what to say other than he blew me away. to pull off mariner's revenge alone in an acoustic set...well, that just shows how great he is. i was really excited that he sang grace cathedral hill, as it is one of my favorite decemberists songs. o, valencia didn't disappoint either...well, every song made me happy and excited, so i'll stop there. sufficient to say i wouldn't hesitate to see him again. and again.

second thing:
i walked home from work yesterday. as in, the whole way. normally my commute is cable car to light rail, light rail to my office. yesterday i got out to the platform for the t (my light rail line) and saw the next train wasn't coming for 28 minutes. i waited a few and the time wasn't decreasing, so i thought to myself 'hey, i can make it to caltrain (by the ballpark) in 28 minutes...i'll just walk.' good thing i did, because no trains passed me by in the entire walk. i got up to the caltrain platform and looked at the time ticker. another 20 minutes. i was meeting brenna at union square, and i thought well, who knows if it will actually be 20 minutes, and then i have to get on the train, which will be packed, and ride it which will at least be another 20--i might as well walk. i walked to union square, and then once there brenna and i decided to walk home instead of take public transit. overall, i guess it wasn't that long of a walk--only 3.7 miles, but if you know where my office is (out in the boondocks), it seems like quite a feat. it was a fun little adventure, but i wouldn't want to do it every day. i'm curious what the hold-up was with muni as well...

here was my route:

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