Fine dining.

Last night we put Michael on a plane back to the east coast. I then ate my sorrow.

And today we trekked to the coast again to eat at Duarte's Tavern.

Not quite figuring out how to draw/scribble but loving the experience nonetheless.

It'll be good for my waistline to get back to a more normal diet but it sure won't be as delicious as our days on vacation. It's been so nice to be "home" and visit all these favorite places and restaurants, as well as spend time with family and friends, obviously. Little babe is handling the crazy days pretty well though we miss her papa and it will be nice to get us all back on a normal schedule.

How do you spell relief?

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N. 

For reasons unbeknownst-to but ever so appreciated by me, our school gives us an entire week off for Thanksgiving. It's so crazy how time flies this time of year anyway but this whole week just seems to add to it. We have two weeks of classes when we return, then a week of mid-terms and then it's hasta luego until 2015. 

For now, I'm celebrating the weekend with this hound.

And looking forward to getting a driver's license, cooking, eating, resting, and rejuvenating our home in the next week.

Be well y'all!
xoxo, natty ♥

Greenery and sky.

xoxo, natty ♥

Caves and lines.

Today we attempted to check out some local caverns and much to our dismay there was enough of a line to actually deter us. 

So we drove around downtown/historic Luray and then got some ice cream.

Some relaxing at the house, hot tubbing, and basketball wrapped up a wonderful day today.
xoxo, natty ♥

Green trees and hills.

We had a wonderful first day here today. We're staying in a cabin about 30 minutes out of the national park {Shenandoah} and it's gorgeous. After a leisurely morning we drove in for a hike. 

The park is 100 miles north-south and the main road that drives through it is built on a ridge so that the trails that go off the main road all seem to go downhill. Which means we get to go uphill on out way back. I actually find the downhill harder {"oh my aching knees and calves!" say the new mom who hasn't really exercised since last August} than the uphill but no matter which direction is more painful, a nice flat trail would be nice.

But I'm not complaining by any means! The hike was beautiful and we saw some waterfalls at the end. Hanna Lu slept her way through her first hike which was OK since she'llhave plenty more in the years ahead.

An Italian potluck feast for dinner, some time in the hot tub and around the fire , and s'mores made for a lovely end of the day.

Here's to the rest of our time here being just as enjoyable!

xoxo, natty 

Cabin!

We're off on a mountain adventure!

Happy weekend to you all!

xoxo, natty

Pre-requisite temperature shot.

We're staying up a bit later than we had planned to because we got wrapped up in the BCS championship game. In other news...

1. Here's what I mentioned in the post's title:

 

I sincerely hope that those without a warm home are able to find shelter this evening and that people stay safe tonight. I am very grateful for our little apartment and the furry dog that helps to keeps us warm.

2. Is this nesting? I'm feeling some major motivation to actually get baby-related things done. Note the "baby-related". #ihatemultitasking

3. We all three made it home safely from Arizona; I always breath a deep sigh of relief upon returning home.

4. My dad and stepmom are safe after their brush with a large and unfortunate buck last week; this was a big scare and could've turned out much worse than the minimal car damage that happened and we're all relieved.

5. Michael, Guinness, and I had such a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful time visiting out families and friends in California and Arizona. We are so lucky that we had the time and were able to fly to those faraway {to us, at least} places to spend time with those who love us {and whom we love dearly!}. This was a true blessing and, again, we are very grateful. 

How are you today Reader? Wrangling with nasty cold temperatures as well? Happy to have had a bit of a respite over the holidays?
xoxo, natty ♥

This one's for you!

"you" being my dear friend Becs.

That's a tree full of grapefruit, the juice of which I've actually been enjoying granted it's cut nicely with some Sprite {or "Spite" as certain members of my family call it}.

We're loving our last few days of break and trying to soak up as much sun and warmth as we can. The weather here is actually toastier than it normally is so we're feeling especially grateful.

And I do have some 2013 recaping and 2014 look-aheading planned, it's just that we've been so busy with days filled like this:

Here's to a good rest of your week, wherever you are!

xoxo, natty ♥

There it went.

I was doing some work and just looked at the clock; it got late!

In other news...

1. It's supposed to warm up around here later in the week. Tomorrow's supposed to bring some snow flurries.

2. There's a smelly little dog on the couch with me.

3. There's a bit of a vacation on my horizon...yippee!!

4. I heard little girl's heartbeat this morning at my appointment; always a wonderful sound. And nice and strong!

5. There's some trash TV also going on around here {it starts with MT and ends with V} and as enjoyable as it is, it's time to switch off and do some reading.

I hope that you're enjoying the season and staying warm!
xoxo, natty ♥

Cape May.

Today was a lovely day on the southern shore of New Jersey.
We explored the little Victorian town of Cape May, lunched, enjoyed some beach time, learned about the flora and fauna a bit {so many crabs and turtles!}, ran, got frozen custard {yuuuuuuuum!}, and are gearing up for dinner. It's been wonderful.

Happy weekend!
xoxo, natty ♥

Still toasted!

We had another great day; we checked out what felt like almost all of San Diego and Coronado island.
Again, I'm having such a good time and so happy to be down here.
Happy Monday to you!

First Days of Vacation.

In my first two days of vacation I've continued to clean out my office, cooked some at home, had lunch out, saw a movie {finally!} and taken on some dog sitting. 
And I forgot to turn off my alarm clock - something that's changing tonight, that's for sure.
Happy Days.
xoxo, natty ♥

The National Museum of Natural History and pretty green trees.

I had a few days to wander all by my lonesome in Washington D.C. last week while Mikey was doing some important Mike Stuff. I found my freedom so much more enthralling than I had anticipated and thoroughly enjoyed taking the metro and hopping around the various {& free!} museums available.On Wednesday I even tried a bit of a run {one minute on, one minute off for 20 minutes total; I'm a beast} before heading out. I couldn't help but take a few furtive shots of the verdant foliage. I've talked before about how beautiful and varied green can be in Spring.

People around here don't have screened in porches like there are in other cities. At least I think so.

Aren't these homes cute?

I am enamored of the public transportation I was able to use. In San Jose there's not much available. Or rather, what is available isn't easy to use {in my opinion} since our light rail isn't very far reaching, neither is the train and buses aren't super direct. Maybe I just like my car too much. No matter what, riding the D.C. and Boston metros was delightful to me; it seems like everyone actually uses them! They go almost everywhere! How novel!
I took the red line to the National Mall and checked out the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. I had been to this museum several times prior to last week's visit but never before by myself. I had a great lunch of Maryland crab soup and set out, first perusing the gift shops. I didn't buy anything and actually rarely do in gift shops but I always feel a strong urge to look at everything just to make sure there's nothing I can't live without. I was able to find some stuff for my pops.

He has such weird interests. Good thing I didn't inherit any of that; HA.
Within the actual museum this massive Boa Constrictor was kind of a let down.

It's eating a giant lizard.

The exhibit seemed more cartoonish than informative. But in my desire to leave no sign unread, I still had to check it out.

There was a super interesting area all about our bones and the history they can tell. A great portion of it focused on colonial history {think Jamestown era} which FASCINATES me. I didn't take pictures, though, and I'll spare you any attempt at recapitulating anything else; Smithsonian does a much better job than I do. I will share these stuffed rodents.

So maybe I did inherit something from my dad.

Oooh oooh oooh I just remembered - there is one more thing I took a picture of. In homage to my hummingbird class I took in Arizona with my mother-in-law and Becs.

It's a swift and a hummer.

I'll explain the class later this month. I realize that "hummingbird class" may sound odd to the unsuspecting reader and that an explanation may be in order.
I also popped into the National Museum of American History as well but at that point I had been on my little feeties for WAY too long, school groups were everywhere and thus I could only manage so much. Three highlights, in no particular order.
Dorothy's shoes.

Archie Bunker's chair.

Pretty Art Deco jewelry.

I really do ♥ museums. I could wax poetic for days about these glorious places but, again, I'll spare you. I do want to state, for the record, that it's such an enjoyable way to learn; walking through a building and rooms that are chock full of juicy little tidbits of information. Images of dry and stuffy art museums may come to mind for some but there are so many interactive and engaging places out there. The greatest aspect of D.C.'s Smithsonian museums is that they are FREE. Add in that their curators seriously know what they're doing and this city is right up my alley.
What if you're not in or around the District of Colombia, you ask? Well, locally I love the Oakland Museum of California, the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose {a throwback}, San Jose History Park, The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose {mummies! lots of them! a walk-through tomb!} and the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Each is quite different from the other but I've spent many happy hours in my youth and young adulthood within their walls {or gates!}. And then there's the Musical Instrument Museum in the Phoenix area, as talked about in a similar-to-this-post HERE.
Please don't be intimidated by how hep and on-the-scene I am. Which museums make your heart sing? 
xoxo, natty ♥

Strikes & Gutters.

Mike and I are still in Washington D.C. though we have a heinous and gnarly day of travel ahead of us tomorrow. Had a direct Sunday flight home been several hundred dollars cheaper then this would not be our situation. Alas.
Our journey home coincides with my dear brother-in-law's birthday; happy birthday!!! To celebrate today, before we leave, we and some of his friends went bowling.
I bowled somewhere in the 30s. Mike, on the other {very adept} hand bowled somewhere in the 150s. 

We balance out each other.

There were some great pictures on the walls of our little alley. 

There are only two lanes but tons of fun! Our two teams played one round and our team almost won.
This has been a fabulous trip and like I mentioned a few days ago, if I were you, dear reader, I'd expect more details in the next week. I also owe a 101/1,001 update though since we're more than half way through the month I might just do a March/April combination.
Anyway, wish us luck getting back to the Bay and go Giants!

xoxo, natty ♥

Warmer days.

Today was lovely. We had a little breakfast and walked around the zoo some more; when it's a free zoo I could go every day!!
I especially enjoyed the small mammal house; the hedgehogs were a highlight for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed the statue out front of the building.

The lions were very focused on several little duck families that were floating in their moat {no rhyme intended}.

This gorilla was having a bit of a munch.
I feel very conflicted about zoos. Morally, I have some issues but going to the zoo growing up is one of my FAVORITE memories. My papa would take me to the San Francisco Zoo and I was so happy there. I still am; we go every year or so <3.
Then we went and saw The Hunger Games. I can do a bit of a review at a later date since I'm ready for bed now but it was exactly what I expected.
Happy weekend to you! We're bowling tomorrow and heading home on Monday.
xoxo, natty ♥

Lovely days.

Well we've certainly been enjoying Washington D.C.. We saw some great friends yesterday and did more exploring today. I'll have legitimate updates in a day or two or three but I will tell you that tonight, after grown up milk shakes, we had a private tour of the West Wing of the White House; thanks so much to our intrepid tour guide!!!

The lighting makes me look as though I'm missing a front tooth. I still have both of them in case you're curious. Good night y'all!
xoxo, natty ♥

Good Friday.

Today is a very solemn day in the Church. I'm observing it by being good to myself and family which means relaxing, pondering, feeling grateful and dyeing eggs to get ready for this weekend.
In other news I'm not 100% sold on my new blog look; I piecemealed it and I keep focusing on a few rough edges and things I don't love. But I am so completely on the chevron bandwagon {no matter how over used they might be} and the muted grey and yellow scheme make my little eyes sparkle so, for now, es ist gut.
To bring some color to our real lives and not just the virtual one, I bought some blooms yesterday.
I totally ♥ Trader Joe's flowers. Not to offend those of you with better taste out there in the blogosphere but I actually got almost all of our wedding flowers at Trader Joe's. My bouquet was a bit of theirs and some from the farmer's market. It was cheap and colorful, just like I am. Kidding. I'm only cheap. Kidding again.
They're pretty, huh?

I really wanted Easter Lilies but couldn't find any and was most definitely not going to go to another store.
I don't think I've mentioned it here what with the crazy turns our life has taken the past three weeks but the mister and I are embarking upon an East Coast Tour starting late Sunday night. A red eye flight {shudder} will deposit us {God willing} neatly into La Guardia where we will catch a flight to Logan. We'll spend a few days in Boston and then hop over to our nation's capital where my dear brother-in-law lives. Then exit stage home {California} on the following Monday. Wish us luck and I'm excited to visit a new state {Massachusetts!} and visit with not-nearly-seen-enough family and friends.
Also, I'll have a 101/1'001 update up by tomorrow. Since March was so criz-ay-zee I'm allowing justifying myself some leeway and will let some March be completed this April. More on that tomorrow and a happy and Blessed Easter weekend to you all.
 xoxo, natty ♥
PS
Let's go Giants!!! Come on Timmy!!!!!

THIS is what's happening.

Two weeks ago, or so, when we moved, we rented a U-Haul truck. We brought it back at the end of the evening {10 ish or so} and dropped our key into the overnight key-return box. It was cold and kind of dewy already. I walked with Mike to put in the key and noticed this:

...I really can't come up with any explanations or quips. Maybe later? I'll possibly keep you posted.

And these are panini that we made with our new griddler {it's a pimped up Foreman grill type thing}. I was and remain proud of them.
Yum!
I'm officially on vacation now...oh my goodness this will be the longest free-time I've had since July. August was chock full of wedding & school preparation and then we all know what September means in the life of a teacher.
Good weekend to you!
xoxo, natty ♥

The Mini-Moon ♥.

On Sunday we hitched a ride got dropped off at our mini-moon destination, the Hilton near the Gaslamp Quarter close to downtown San Diego and right on the bay that is also named for the city. 
We stayed here last summer for a wedding {that of the daughter of our hosts, actually!} and it's a really fun location. There are many boats in the marinas right in the bay and there's a fun shopping/touristy area within walking distance.
This is the view from out 17th floor room. The bridge connects to Coronado Island which isn't technically an island rather just a peninsula but it's easier to take the bridge than drive all the way around.The morning fog made for a scenic view.

We took the walkway from the Hilton to the aforementioned Gaslamp; the bridge is very futuristic looking. We walked along it.

We had a delicious dinner at a Chinese/Asian fusion place followed up by Pinkberry {which I normally disdain but they had this peanut butter & jelly concoction which drew me in and still has me wanting more [I actually did get some today after our 20 miles...that and an Italian sandwich and 4 tacos; HA!]}.
On Monday morning we went for a quick run along the bay and checked out the USS Midway. Brunch buffet at the hotel was followed up by a lovely nap, lounging by the pool and some perusing of the shops. This HUGE cargo boat was docked outside of our hotel the whole time we were there. 

This is Seaport Village which has so many funky stores including "The Little Viking" and one of those year-round Christmas shops {I LOVE those}.

Mike and I have a tradition {albeit rather new considering we started it just last year right after we got engaged} of getting a Christmas ornament for us as a couple. For 2010 we had a bride/groom one for us since we we saw a pretty one and a Hawaii one since we went there. We picked up a maritime Santa ornament that says "San Diego 2011" for this year. I'll put up a picture of him later maybe.
The day ended with another lovely dinner with our hosts and an 85 minute plane ride home. We had a fantabulous time on our little getaway and really enjoyed all the time with our hosts. Thank you so much to them again and to my Mr. Mikey for a wonderful weekend ♥.
Today we, as mentioned above, ran 20 miles in San Francisco. 20 is the highest distance in my training plan and we'll do it two more times in the next five weeks before we begin the taper that leads up to our early December marathon. I'll explain what the "taper" is as well as which race we're doing and why later this week probably; I'm sure it all sounds foreign unless you're cu-coo like we are.
Happy Saturday to you all!
xoxo, natty ♥

After "The Run".

When done running 19 miles, this señora appreciates nothing more than a good meal followed by an even better nap.
After I arose from the dead, as mentioned yesterday, we broke the fast with the family and friends of our hosts; it was lovely.
Sunday morning we all shared another meal, brunch. We walked to our original dining destination, right next door to the kindly sandwich shop. This place, apparently, is a staunch and rabid supported of October's main holiday {not Veteran's day, unfortunately}; Halloween was EVERYWHERE. 

Do you see the child being seated? He actually was excited about it all much unlike the other nearby youngins adults.

I kind of loved it.

I loved the creepy mummy army staring us down.

I LOVED this nasty gremlin/goblin creature. 

It's not a box-body, it's actually enveloping a tombstone.

Aaaaaand these things really did kind of gross me out.

  

There were even baby Freddy Kruegers hanging from the ceiling in one particular corner of the patio but I failed to capture them on film cellphone camera. Anyway, the establishment was deemed "too gory" for a late morning {proudly not by yours truly!} meal so we schlepped across the street to a less spooky place that had guavosas which are like mimosas but with guava juice and not oj...yum!
I snapped a picture of this place for my dad.

Day two in southern cali was lovely and we headed that night to the minimoon portion of the weekend...more on that mañana.
Also, not one nor two but THREE of our friends {couples making that six individuals in case you're counting} welcomed their first born in the past week {and all boys too!}; sooooooo many heartfelt and warm congratulations go out to them...way to go guys & gals, the babies are so handsome!
Peace Love and Friday.
xoxo, natty ♥