this thanksgiving.

I loved Thanksgiving this year. We fit 10 people in our little apartment and had quite the feast together. No one at our gathering was from San Francisco, so we were all away from our families and normal traditions. Spending the day in each other's company was wonderful and fun, plus I thoroughly enjoy throwing a little party. Everyone pitched in and brought awesome food. During dinner, people were spread about our apartment - some at the table, some on the sofa, and a few troopers even ate in camping chairs. The meal was superb and after we ate, everyone sat around the living room and talked for hours. Thankfully, the wonderful Carly Mask took some beautiful photos of the evening. Have a look if you'd like!

Cool Things About Our Thanksgiving:

1. My cousin Nick, who I've spent pretty much every Thanksgiving with for my whole life, actually moved to SF this year too. He joined our festivities and while our families ate together back in NC, we spent the day together 3,000 miles away. Life is funny.
2. These friends can cook. Oh my goodness the food was insanely good.
3. A few of our guests were Belgian and this marked their first Thanksgiving ever! Describing the historical conception of Thanksgiving and how it relates to our modern traditions is kind of hard. They had a good time nonetheless. Of all the new foods, they liked the green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole best. 

4. I am so thankful that we have friends to spend a Thanksgiving with. Hallelujah.

. . .

milestone.

Today is my last day with Lululemon, the yoga clothing company I've been working for over the past few months. I'm transitioning to a new and very exciting job with ZeroCater, an awesome startup in the city that focuses on people and good food (literally two of my favorite things). I'll be working in a people-centric role, which is exactly what I've been looking for and they have an office dog, which is a pretty gigantic bonus in my opinion. Everyone I've met there is intelligent and warm and their office space rules. I start next week!

Kelp, the office dog!

I am thankful for my time with Lululemon. The relationships I made while there have made the city feel so much more like home, which has been invaluable. And this new position actually came as a result of a happenstance conversation and connection with someone at Lululemon. It's crazy how often treasures lay in unexpected places. My timeline of finding a full time position like this did not look at all how I expected (remember this?), but isn't that always how the good things come to us? Not like we imagined at all.

I'm getting my weekends back you guys! Hooray!

. . .

camping for food.

We are at another First 100 Chick-fil-A Campout today, racking up free food. This time, we're with a big group of people and it's so much fun! We have our own little tent city and the weather is chilly but sunny, perfect for being outside all day. The boys are playing the most intense game of 4 square I've ever seen, literally. That's Finn on the bottom, I'm not even sure how he even got like that. 

And I'm thoroughly enjoying myself because:

a) I like the people we're hanging out with. Everyone in the group is from North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, or Texas and it's just fun to be around people from the south. Living out here, it's a rare occurrence. 
b) I'm using my ultra-cute new Little Mermaid pouch (shout out to my mom). 
c) I packed lots of snacks.
d) I love tents. They're basically forts for adults.

A year's worth of free Chick-fil-A shall be ours tomorrow morning! We just have to weather the cold night ahead, which should be a breeze (I've got wool socks galore). It's a good day! 

. . .

this week.

( A little mix of photos from my week )

1. Found this little elephant finger puppet mixed in with my craft stuff. What a cutie!
2. I really want to buy these handsome man boots for Finn.

3. Twinkle lights are up.
4. And pumpkins are out. Everything feels cozy.
5. This pretty jar was a gift from Nicole. Finn & I began using it to collect small and funny memories we might otherwise forget. For example "today our drunken neighbor was stuck in the elevator and was yelling "let me out, let me out". And when his wife let him out, he told her she had a big mouth". Some are funny, some are nice, and we'll read them at New Years. I like to watch it fill up.
6. Anniversary sweetness from our friend Fe. There were two cupcakes but, well, you know.
7. We are a mirror writing family.
8. Best of all, my husband is home.

Have a great weekend everybody! 

. . .

surprise dessert.

Finn was in NYC for work this week so as a little surprise, I had some fancy cheesecake sent up to his hotel room the night of our anniversary. I coordinated with his co-worker/our friend Johnny to get their room number, sneakily called the front desk, picked out his favorite dessert from the menu, and had them write a note too. I wanted to surprise and bless him and felt pretty good about my idea. The hotel they were staying in was pretty nice too, so I envisioned the cheesecake arriving to his room looking something like this: 

I imagined a service cart, a fancy tray, or even just a plate.  Maybe the note 

would be written on some hotel stationery. Not too big of a stretch, right?

Well folks, this was the reality of its presentation:

A crumpled brown paper bag with the cheesecake in a tin to-go box, WHICH was on its side inside the bag so everything was looking pretty rough. And my note? Receipt paper taped to the outside. Crookedly no less!

Being the visual person I am, I wanted to know how they had delivered it and when he texted me a picture, I laughed so hard. We both did. The contrast between what I'd envisioned and what was in front of him was comical. And although it didn't go exactly as I had imagined, he still liked the gesture (and the cheesecake!) nonetheless. And best of all, he was surprised. It was so fun hearing a knock on the door, then him saying "who is it?...who?...oh, one second...hi...thank you!..what is this...?". I was smiling so big into the phone. And to be honest, I think I like this memory more for the fact it went awry. It will be more fun to remember.

. . .

super duper burgers.

  Super Duper Burger is a San Francisco burger place that we've come to love in the past few months.  

                                                             Why Super Duper is Great:

                                     - Natural beef from Niman Ranch        - Fresh & local ingredients

                                     - A long list of topping choices              - Classic and superb fries

                                     - Homemade pickles                                 - Totally compostable packaging

                                     - Great burger alternatives for the non-beef-loving population

                                     - Organic ice cream, milkshakes, or dip cones (my favorite) for dessert

One of their 5 locations is just a few blocks from Finn's office so we get to stop by pretty often. It's one place I like to take visitors because it's a restaurant that is only located in SF and it's just so delicious, especially after a few hours of walking around. If you love a good burger and get to visit SF anytime, go here!

. . .

a fall recipe.

You guys, this recipe is really good.

Although the weather doesn't change much season to season in San Francisco, I got to spend time back east this weekend and loved the cool nights and changing leaves. If you are someone who gets psyched about this time of year and enjoys food, then you should try this recipe. I just made it this weekend. It's a total winner.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Ingredients
3 1/2 Cups Unbleached White Flour
3 Cups Sugar
4 Eggs, beaten lightly
16 oz cooked or canned pumpkin
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
2/3 Cups Water
Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips (as few or as many as you'd like!)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Grease 2 large loaf pans (or 4 mini loaf pans). I recommend also tossing some flour in the pans after you grease them. Helps the bread not fall apart.
3. Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl
4. Mix wet ingredients together then add to pre-mixed dry ingredients
5. Stir in as many chocolate chips as you'd like. I think semi-sweet work best
6. Bake 60 or 70 minutes (for large loaves) and 40 minutes (for small loaves) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
7. Consider having a close friend or family member hide some of the bread for your general well being. I am kind of not kidding.

Happy Fall everybody! 

. . .

sailor songs.

On the first Saturday night of every month, you can sing sailor songs and drink hot cider aboard a three-mast tall ship from the 1880s. Awesome, right? The evening is called "Chantey Sing" and is hosted on the Balclutha at the Hyde Street Pier. For several great reasons (a) cider, b) a rad ship, c) singing history-rich awesome songs, d) it's free), we were excited to check it out. So the first Saturday of this month, we went and convinced our SF friends to join. We all met for dinner first at Bodega Bistro and to get us in the spirit, I brought pirate and shark tattoos for everyone to wear. We applied them at the dinner table, dunking napkins in our glasses of water. Everyone was tatted up and looking great by the time we left the restaurant.

Carly is a classy pirate.

Jess, Finn, Bashir, Al, Me, and Carly is behind the camera. These are our best friends here!

We arrived to Hyde St. Pier not knowing what to expect as the vague online description only read, "8 pm to midnight, wear warm clothing and bring a mug for hot cider". 

Photo compliments of Mrs. Carly Mask.

Carly also took this great picture of Ghiradelli Square from the boat. Everything looked so pretty all lit up.

Behold the Balclutha! 

What We Envisioned:

I think we all imagined some version of a rowdy pirate celebration where everyone, huddled together on the upper deck, would be clinging mugs and swaying together, singing jolly tunes that would be projected for everyone to see. I feel that Pirates of the Caribbean and Muppet Treasure Island can be held responsible for my inaccurate expectations.

What Actually Happened:

In reality, the event was held below deck in a seated semi-circle formation that had the somber feel of a clandestine church service. There was no projection of lyrics and no handouts, which made singing along difficult for us. By the time we caught on to the chorus, the song had ended. Most people knew the words and some participants even led songs! We were very out of place. Laughter resulted in glares from the regulars and I didn't get to cling glasses with a single stranger. Also, the cider was not free flowing out of busted barrels (again with the slightly unrealistic expectations) but served only once by a grouchy lady. 

We tried to hide in the back. 

Of course, we still had a really fun night together. After 6 or 7 songs were sung to which none of us knew the lyrics, we quietly exited and went to a different part of the boat where we could talk and laugh sans glares. We must have sat there for 2 hours sharing funny stories from childhood. I'm thankful for the friends we've made here, they have the x-factor we love in people which is the ability to make weird things fun.

. . .

B44

B44 is in the upper tier of my top 5 favorite restaurants in San Francisco. It's a delicious "Catalan Bistro" with tons of tapas and a great atmosphere. As a very special treat, we went last night for dinner with Davy & Fe. The restaurant is located in the romantic Belden Place, a little alleyway filled with European-esque dining, strung up sparkly lights, and tons of outdoor seating. To be honest, I think you could feed me a bowl of dry cereal in Belden Place and I'd be ecstatic. It's just so beautiful, I love going there.

When you arrive, it looks like this...

And by the time you depart, it looks like this!

I was snapping away photos last night, thinking how much I'd love to share a little B44 with you all here. The restaurant has very low lighting so, unfortunately, many of the photos turned out looking like I took them inside a dark room/tanning bed/spaceship. Drat. I managed to salvage some...have a look if you'd like!

Doesn't it all look delicious? Their menu is full of good eats. We were also very pleased to find that Davy, being the charming Belgian he is, has won over the manager of B44 who apparently now throws in a freebie or two when Davy visits (which is often). Last night, a tray of champagne was brought to our table on the house! I think I said thank you like 8 times (rapid fire gratitude is a great way to seem classy). It was a fun night!

. . .

3 hours at home & a campout.

For the first time in August, both Finn and I were home in our apartment last night...for about 3 hours. I picked him up from the airport around 12:30 am, we arrived home after 1, made it to bed by 2, woke up at 4:15, and left SF at 4:30 this morning for San Jose. We're currently camping out in a Chick-fil-A parking lot for their Grand Opening First 100 event. We arrived sleepy-eyed at 5:30 today, will camp in the parking lot for 24 hours until 6 am tomorrow along with 98 other participants, and will all receive 52 vouchers for free Chick-fil-A meals. That's 104 meals between the 2 of us...not bad. I like sleeping in tents and Finn loves free food so this is sort of an ideal situation for us.

Photos from this morning. It was misty & dark - not an optimal waking up environment.

The day has been fun. So far we've managed to nap, read, and eat oreos. We are skilled in the art of relaxation my friends. Perhaps best of all, we happened to set up camp right beside Jeff, a guy from Chapel Hill who knows Nick Dantonio, one of our favorite friends. What are the chances! We have been chatting it up with him and his friend Sean all day. It's fun having campout friends! Plus they brought nutella.

The view from our tent.

Haven't really changed my clothes since yesterday. Don't hate. 

This time tomorrow we'll be 104 Chick-fil-A meals richer and will get to be 

home together for more than 3 hours. This week is shaping up all right.

. . .

home sweet home.

Literally! Look at this cake my sister made for me, just because. I feel so loved.

The days are flying by. It's so wonderful to see family and friends and enjoy the parts of NC I've missed so much. I'd hoped to keep up with posts along the way but I overestimated the amount of down time I'd have. My days have been filled to the brim with people (and dogs) I love with little time left over for internet things, or sleep for that matter. I may be able to stop in a few times over the week, but I'm guessing things will be very quiet here until I return to SF next week. Until then, I'll be soaking up all the fun I can and enjoying my cake!

. . .

susie cakes.

Susie Cakes is a superb old-time American type of bakery in the Marina district of SF. Their delicious sweets are all made from scratch and they always have samples. My friend Carly learned I love their treats while visiting our apartment last week (it was written on our bathroom mirror, naturally) so when we were out doing errands a few days ago, she kindly treated me to a parcel of their mini cupcakes! How nice is that? 

Sure enough, they are as delicious as they are cute. So far, the vanilla one is my favorite. I'm telling you, it's shockingly good. And apparently they do catering too...I'm tryna to get invited to one of those parties! 

. . .