My blog lovelies, I’m finally leaving for my (almost three week) yoga retreat in Bali, Indonesia. I’ve been planning this trip since last November, so I can’t believe it’s actually here!
This trip is led by one of my favorite yoga teachers from Seattle, Jennifer Isaacson. I was in her class in November 2010 when she announced she’d be hosting this yoga retreat to Bali the next year, and I immediately knew I wanted to save to go. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect – I was upset over a botched trip with a friend to Thailand and not hitting my goal of traveling outside the country in 2010 because of said botched trip, and it was that night I stepped in Jennifer’s class and heard her announcement. It was a calling, I believe. That’s the hippie, yoga, fate side of me talking. 
I wouldn’t normally sign up for a “tour,” led by someone else, but the itinerary for this trip blew my mind and solidified my desire to go. Because Jennifer has relationships with locals in Bali (from her past trips), we’re going to enjoy a truly one-of-a-kind experience with local art, music, a purification ceremony, traditional Balinese massage, visits to a traditional Balinese healer, a Balinese cooking class, and more. You can read our itinerary here. Furthermore, I’m a “Type A” personality that has to research and plan everything myself, so it’s actually been really stress-free to sit back and let everyone else figure out the details for me.
I’m most excited about staying in the Lotus beach front bungalows on Candisdasa Beach (it looks absolutely breathtaking) and relaxing, while still challenging my body, in two daily yoga classes with one of my favorite teachers. I hope to come back relaxed, healthy and in even better shape.
Pictures and details coming upon my return. Until then, see you September 17th!
Currently Feeling: So nervous to travel for 24 hours to get to Bali! Just need to get over that mental hump.
Currently Anticipating: The minute I step foot off that plane and on Balinese soil.
Currently Reading: A choice of about 20 books I downloaded on my Kindle for this trip (excessive, much)? I hope to get through at least two or three and will report back to you on my fav! Tata.
Last weekend, one of my bestest girl friends from Seattle came and stayed with me in San Francisco for four days, and it was awesome.
As we get older and lives take each of us on our own journey, the more “busy” everyone becomes. Each of us are caught up in our own affairs – boyfriends, workouts, grad school, long work hours, different cities or states – and it all makes it difficult to see very much of your best friends. So, it was a true gift to spend four nonstop days with this particular BFF in my new city.
Thursday we had the ultimate girly evening – shopping at one of SF’s best clothing boutiques, Ambiance, fantastic sushi at Umami in the Marina, followed by a late evening viewing of The Help, which is so, so, good! As an avid book reader who likes to watch the movie version of the books I read, it was hands down the most satisfying book/movie combination I’ve ever seen.
Friday we picked up another one of our BFFs from college who was in town for one night and hit the city for a fun house party with my San Francisco girl friends followed by an 80s cover band and a late night slumber party with gossip and midnight snacks. (A novelty I haven’t experienced since college). Life needs more slumber parties with girl friends!
Pre-80s band night drinks at my Cait's with old and new friends
Saturday we enjoyed a fabulous brunch and Bloody Mary’s at a friend’s house, traveled out to Tiburon for my first COLD experience at Sam’s on the waterfront, and went on a silly scavenger hunt in the North Beach neighborhood of SF, which was hands down one of my the most fun nights and the most laughing I’ve done in awhile. We sprinted (literally, sprinted) through the streets of North Beach, dodging other teams trying to spray us with whip cream, and trying to find all the funny items on the scavenger hunt list (Snookie look alike, or an “off duty prostitute” and capture them with our iPhone. If you live in SF, you must check out CLASH (California League of Adult Scavenger Hunt) and sign up for your own scavenger hunt (they do them every weekend).
We had to cross "Sausage Fest" off our scavenger hunt list, so we found a sausage store and had a dance fest. Get it?
In between all those plans, we drank a couple glasses of wine, had lots of girl talk, went on many walks and worked out together. It was just such a special time for me to have one of my BFFs experience my new life with me and show her around my new city. I look forward to having weekends like this with her every year! Love you, Kristen! xoxo
Currently Feeling: Extreme relief after finishing all my work for both jobs and turning my vacation responder on – I’m a free woman for three weeks!
Currently Anticipating: A White Party at a winery tonight with all my Seattle friends and lovers.
Currently Loving: My new hair color and fancy straight style (temp). Love getting my hair done.
I read somewhere that local legend says “Napa” translates to “you will always return,” which is true! Since my trip with my parents, I’ve been to Napa Valley three times. I’m totally in love – with dozens of beautiful estate wineries, world-acclaimed restaurants, HOT sun and cute little towns only an hour away from San Francisco Bay, it’s my new happy place (although Maui is still at the very tiptop).
I thought I’d share two short posts about Napa Valley – first THE WINE (of course) and second THE FOOD (cause it’s seriously drool worthy).
The first day my parents and I were in Napa, we rented bikes at the popular Napa Valley Bike Tours in Yountville. We had a bit of a bummer experience, but I would still recommend using the bike rental place. Just don’t start your bike tour at 2:30 p.m., make sure you check what wineries are open or closed, and bike straight up and back on Highway 29 instead of using their bike loop maps. Despite the pitfalls we ran into, biking through Napa was so pretty and warm! I totally experienced one of those “life is grande” moments while peddling under the trees on a quiet side road with birds singing and views of vineyards.
The second day, we drove all the way up to Calistoga then worked our way back (a highly recommended approach). There are literally dozens of beautiful wineries to stop at along the highway that links Napa (the city) to Calistoga. It’s hard to make it to all of them, and hitting three to five in one day is a FULL day, so expect to visit Napa over and over if you want to visit all the wineries.
We went to Sterling Vineyards, which has a gondola you have to ride to the top to wine taste. It was really fun and something you won’t find at any other winery!
We also visited Chateau Montelena, the winery that put Napa Valley wines on the map when their 1976 Chardonnay won a blind taste test in Paris. This winery was my all-time favorite! They had a splurge-worthy Cab that was $135 a bottle, but was hands-down the best wine I’ve ever tasted. My parents picked up a bottle to save until their 30th anniversary in four years. I’m already marking that date on my calendar with a big red star so I can just happen to be home when they pop that bottle.
We also made a stop off at Castello di Amorosa – a huge castle winery, which was my dad’s fav. I’ve been told Sterling and Castello are “tourist traps,” but still think everyone should visit them once!
Let me know when/if you make plans to visit Napa, and I’ll share all my favs with you. By this time next year, I should be an expert!
Currently Feeling: That usual pre-vacation stress. Why is it so difficult to get ready for vacation?
Currently Anticipating: My first Girls Dinner (San Francisco edition) on Wednesday!
Currently Loving: My new homemade popsicles – post on them coming soon!
//via *jbird* on Flickr
Today is my three month “Move to San Francisco” anniversary.
Moosfversary?!
I swear I’ll stop acting like a 16-year-old girl in love for the first time, counting every anniversary. “Happy eighth-month anniversary baby! Heart, heart, XOXO, heart heart heart. What!? You didn’t get me a dozen red roses for our eighth anniversary?! I hate you. We’re broken up. Until tomorrow.”
P.S. Girls are crazy.
Anyway, the significance of this three-month date is that I didn’t start feeling like myself, literally, until this week. You see, I’ve been posting a lot of fun, happy updates (because I am happy and having fun), but I want to share with you the hard part of my journey too. Less sugar coating, more reality, if you will.
There’s something about moving away to an unfamiliar place, away from all your friends and family, uprooting everything you’ve known for years, that just shakes you to your core. A good shake – not like a death, divorce or layoff might shake you, but challenging still. I knew that it was going to be a bit of a battle, but I didn’t know I’d be walking around feeling like half of Jeanna for three months.
See – a lot of your environment, including the people around you, defines who you are. How you spend your time is a big one – the people you go to dinner with, the fitness studios where you choose to push your body to its limits, the grocery and drug store employees you see every week, the work environment you spend eight hours a day (or more) in. Take that all away – take away all the people and places you’re familiar with – and it makes you feel like a part of how you define(d) yourself is stripped away.
Molly of Stratejoy wrote a great blog post this week (funny timing, I tell yah), about her struggles with moving away from Seattle also (to San Diego) this past month. She wrote about how she’s homesick and misses the creature comforts from her familiar city, and how she wants to “stop procrastinating on some healthy and creative habits … and let go of some unhealthy crutches.” You can just click through to read, but Molly’s struggles with taking part in passive leisure (things that feel “nice” but require little thought, ability, or skill such as watching TV or surfing the net, ie: FACEBOOK) rather than active leisure (things that require you to engage, learn and create such as sports, creative pursuits, cooking for pleasure, learning a new hobby) are SO ME in the last three months.
While I’ve been having lots of fun getting to know my new city the last three months, I haven’t pursued my yoga practice since here, which has really bothered me. I’ve been overindulging (in adult beverages and rich food) with visitors and new friends. I’m not as connected or comfortable in the tech and social media scene in San Francisco as I was in Seattle. Sometimes I’m overwhelmed about how to get places, or where to go for certain necessities, and the need to research everything feels like a chore. I’ve slept late and sometimes barely interacted with people for an entire day (or showered for two) since I work from home. Not to mention the whole move has felt surreal, and sometimes I still can’t believe I actually left Seattle, and think maybe I’m just on an extended vacation. All in all, I’ve just generally felt disconnected from the hot-yoga-doing, healthy-recipe-trying, happy-hour-going, new-hobby-trying, business-networking-social-butterfly girl I knew so well in Seattle (and was really getting to love).
>But Jeanna’s getting her groove back. And it didn’t take a hot black man to do so (although that would have been nice too).
I started my week, feeling like I’m finally fully settled into the swing of my new life, and my new environment is starting to define a new Jeanna, whose new skin I’m increasingly more comfortable in.
I love working from home and making my own schedule, but still visiting an office a couple days a week for coworker interaction. I also feel really lucky that working from home (WFH) allows me to make my food fresh every day from scratch, so I’m eating more “clean” than ever before, avoiding unhealthy lunches out and fast food. I’m learning my neighborhood too – the little specialty mart that sells amazing organic fruit and my favorite handmade tamales, the new salon I walk to for haircuts and colors, the coffee shop that sells addicting breakfast burritos, the park with an amazing view of the entire Bay that I love to walk through, the secret places to park, and the fitness center across the street from me that has the best Balletone class. I’m back to feeling healthy, eating right, and scheduling workouts into my day, which is a big part of me feeling like the best part of me that I can be. And I’m even getting to know the bus schedule, how to pronounce the street names, and my way around the city when driving (without Google Maps).
I’ve also finally completed all those little annoying idiosyncrasies of moving that have been on one long to-do list for the last three months, preventing me from feeling truly settled in – getting a new license, hooking up Internet and TV, getting an extra key made, buying a parking pass, meter card, bus pass, and one of those entirely too large plastic boxes you have to stick on your car window with two pieces of Velcro, so you can drive through the fast lane across the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge (so many bridges here) without stopping in long lines of cars to pay your toll.
Except one of my new friends got in my car yesterday and said, “You MOUNTED your FasTrak?! Only the dorks MOUNT it.”
San Francisco Jeanna – getting her groove back, but still so far away from being “San Francisco cool.”
Currently Feeling: A little weirded out that a friend of mine now has a dog that shares my name (albeit spelled differently). Not everyday that that happens. (Isn’t the double thats always so awkward! Couldn’t figure out my way around that one).
Currently Anticipating: A trip to Napa tomorrow to see one of my Seattle BFFs who will be there on a family vacation! Wahoo 80 degrees and wine tasting (again)! P.S. Two blogs on my Napa trip coming soon.
Currently Obsessed With: Kahlua Keurig singles.
I thought it’d be fun to show my blog lovelies a peek inside my San Francisco apartment*! (Taken from my iPhone, which is the reason for the video shape):
Humble San Francisco Abode from Je on Vimeo.
After living with roommates my entire 20s (minus one year I first lived alone, post college), I knew I wanted to try living by myself again when I moved to SF. At first I was a bit nervous that I’d hate living alone as much as I did in my early 20s. I’m somewhat of a “social butterfly” and have always liked having someone around to chat with, make dinner and watch reality TV with, or be there if I’m sick or something goes wrong.
But over the past three months (!!!) I’ve been in San Francisco, I’m happy to report that I freakin’ love living on my own and am so glad with the decision I made. It’s not anything against my roommates in the past because I’ve had some great ones who I miss (minus the one absolute crazy roommate off Craigslist who owned more than 20 houseplants and a cat that rubbed its butt across the floor, collected antiques, left all the cupboards in the entire house open and only bought in bulk at Costco).
Ahem, tangent.
Anywho, there’s just something so nice about having your own apartment. I’ve loved decorating it just the way I want, and have gone on many “skies the limit” trips to Pier 1 (my favorite home store) and am constantly perusing Etsy for homemade decor.
I also love only worrying about my mess, and the couch and DVR is always mine! And I can buy flowers for my kitchen every week and play music loudly when I’m getting ready without worrying about someone sleeping, I never have to fight for the bathroom, or who’s cleaning it, and there’s no tempting bad food around to steal and then have to replace later.
My apartment just feels so special, and all mine, and is my own personal oasis to relax. Le sigh.
Do you live alone or with roommates? What do you like/dislike about it?
*You can see the before photos of my apartment here.
Currently Feeling: In love with lulu’s WunderUnder crops – I think I might love them better than the Groove pant now.
Currently Anticipating: A fresh new haircut, a meeting with a potential new (fitness) client, and the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah concert tonight. Great day!
Currently Loving: White peaches. Or summer fruit in general. Been devouring homemade fruit salads left and right.
Let me share my secret with you about what I think makes a house a home … special, one-of-a-kind items or photos that you pick up on daily or vacation travels. This is the secret to my “home style.”
Also, “home style” potatoes = Lousiana Cajun seasoning + cayenne pepper.
There you go! Now you know all my secrets. My work is done here.
In all seriousness though, I love picking up home decor to make my apartment unique from all others – just the right touches that remind me of the people, places or things I love. One of my new favorite places to treasure hunt these days is the Treasure Island Flea. Treasure Island is this weird little unoccupied island (seriously, no stores, no homes) that used to be a naval base and is just off the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. The beauty of it though is that it has a gorgeous view of the entire San Francisco skyline! It also houses the Treasure Island Flea once a month, and the Treasure Island Music Festival in October every year (where this year I’ll be able to catch two of my favorite bands, Beach House and Cut Copy!).
Top: Me in front of the SF skyline; Bottom: a panoramic view of the view from Treasure Island
The flea market is a combination of my two favorite Seattle farmer’s markets – Fremont Sunday Market (more flea market type items such as vintage finds and furniture + local artists) and the Ballard Sunday Market (homemade jams/sauces, fresh produce + flowers). The TI Flea also has some pretty darn good food trucks and live music too. Since both the Fremont and Ballard Sunday markets were favorites for my parents and I during our Sunday family days in Seattle, I decided to take them to the TI Flea when they were here last weekend. Luckily the once-a-month event landed on the weekend they were here! Fate, I tell yah.
It ended up being the perfect way for us to spend a Sunday together in SF, doing what we loved to do together in Seattle. Here are some of my favorite finds I’ve taken home from the July and August Treasure Island Fleas:
A new sign for my kitchen that I purchased, and my dad helped me hang. How perfect is this?! Reminds me of driving through yellow lights in junior high.
A ceramic butterfly planter with succulents I purchased for $10. My mom calls succulents "Hens and chicks," which I'd never heard before! I call them "unkillable plants."
This light switch cover is handmade by a guy who makes these from all
one-of-a-kind prints he finds. It makes me smile every time I turn on the
light in my room. Now if that isn't worth $10, I don't know what is!
I was looking for a fruit bowl (since I didn't have one), and I saw this just as we were walking out. It's a handmade, decopaged wooden bowl that's so pretty in person, this photo doesn't do it justice. I was afraid it was going to be $40 or more. Nope - $10! This is probably my favorite TI Flea find so far.
AND... after posting those last three photos, I realize I'm officially cut off from buying things for my house with butterflies on them. C'est las vie!
Currently Feeling: Awesome after my first "balletone" class at the gym today. Amazing workout! Also, even though the instructor "liked the boys," he was cute to look at!
Currently Anticipating: Girls dinner tonight at a new fancy place in San Francisco - Heaven's Dog.
Currently Listening To: Friendly Fires - just bought their CD because I'll see them live at at the TI Music Fest in October!
Last night my parents left San Francisco after staying with me for five days. We had one-bedroom-apartment campouts which included an air mattress on the floor of my living room and testing my hot water heater’s shower limits. Good news is everyone was able to sleep somewhat comfortably and keep clean, so it was at least one step up from outdoor camping.
Their vacation, and my staycation, was a combo of staying really busy with fun, San Francisco local treats (not rice) and making time for naps, peppered with a few adult beverages and many delicious meals. I have some fun pictures and stories to share from our time together, which I’ll be doing over the next week or so in a couple different posts.
Despite all the plans I packed into their five-day stay (including our first time in Napa!), it was really great to just be around my parents, doing regular stuff. We took neighborhood walks, grilled at my house, fixed a few things on my car, and talked a lot about everything going on in each of our worlds. My parents are so great; I really miss being able to share regular dinners and day trips with them in Seattle. But I look forward to us exploring SF together a couple times a year, and I’m working on convincing them to move to Napa wine country! Sneaky, sneaky…
Currently Feeling: So sad about Ben’s proposal on The Bachelorette finale. Man, that was brutal! I JUST caught the finale – what did you think?!
Currently Anticipating: A pirate pub crawl tomorrow for a friend’s birthday, and a barbecue birthday scavenger hunt in Sonoma on Sunday!
Currently Loving: Tamales! I’m obsessed now!
Have you all given up on me, yet? I swear I’ve had every intention of filling you in on all the FABULOUS things I’ve been doing this summer in San Francisco (and how equally fabulous the city is). But then somewhere between writing nonstop blog posts for multiple clients, I oftentimes give up on my own blog. I guess a friend of mine couldn’t have said it better:
I’m sure that getting settled into a new city seems much more exciting than sitting around writing about it.
True story! So, after that half-hearted rationale, here’s a recap of my first July in San Francisco:
I was super lucky to be included on a cabin trip to Lake Tahoe for the Fourth of July with a new friend of mine (and three of her long-time friends). The popular SF summer and winter destination is a gorgeous juxtaposition of snowcapped mountains and royal blue waters with temperatures around 80 degrees. Perfect! We spent most of the weekend relaxing, sunbathing (reading on the beach for me, of course), and grilling amazing meals. Peppered with a few adult cocktails, Drinking Jenga and laughter with new friends, it was a welcomed break from the city and a fun new way to spend my favorite holiday of all time (next to Halloween).
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I bought this silk screen printed poster last summer from a cute couple who sold them at a outdoor market in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle (That link is to their Etsy shop if you want the print too!).
I loved it for it’s optimism (in Seattle, at least) and because it epitomizes my love affair with the sun, which I talk often about probably far too often. I suppose I can’t help it… to me, there’s no happier feeling than a day of sunshine, toes in the grass, squinting your eyes, the glare off metal, the glint of hot pink toenail polish, the sparkle and shine it gives to the city, the trees, and the sky, sunroofs with a breeze, summer fruit, barbecued beef brisket and corn on the cob, sandy beaches, water logged bathing suits – all of it because of the sun, sun, SUN. Is anybody ever in a bad mood in the summer? There’s something to be said about this Vitamin D theory…
It took me nearly a year to get this baby framed and up in my house – I think it’s much more suited for my life in California, so it makes sense. But no matter the location, and whether the day brings grey or shine, I love the idea of waking up and shouting, “LET THE SUN SHINE IN!”
Currently Feeling: Ready to close my laptop and sign off for a 3.5 day weekend! Woot! Wishing everyone a fun and safe Fourth of July weekend!
Currently Anticipating: 85 degrees, my first tan of the season and my first Fourth of July spent at Lake Tahoe!
Currently Loving: Gummy vitamins. Those things are crack – can you overdose?! Oh great. That last sentence is going to bring in some interesting Google search traffic.
This past weekend I pumped up my bike tires out of the tired winter slump and bought myself a little bike basket! I’m so excited! Mostly* because the basket will fit my bag (with my laptop) or grocery bags (and Trader Joe’s is within bike-riding distance), meaning less driving my car and more exercise to get to coffee shops for work or to run errands. Win, win!
When I texted a pic of my new basket to one of
my BFFs, she called me a "Hippee." Ha!I accidentally bought too much at Trader Joe’s my first go at bike riding home with my goods. Like a 30-pound bag of stuff! It made the front of my bike “top heavy,” and my balance was all thrown off. It was a treacherous ride home! Lesson learned: bike riding my groceries home will not only be great exercise, but it will decrease my over-spending too! Yippee!
*Partially because I see more bike riding time in my future this year while living in a less rainy and cold city.
Currently Feeling: Great after burning k-cals on the elliptical tonight – I’m excited for all the group classes at the new fitness center I joined (across the street from my house).
Currently Anticipating: Figuring out my Fourth of July plans! Lake Tahoe might be on the horizon… it’s weird to try to make plans with a bunch of people you don’t know very well for such a big holiday! Normally I would have been the one planning a cabin trip or joining best friends at a lake house… oh comfort zone, you’re by-and-by.
Currently Loving: The seven-layer bean dip I made (with carrot chips instead of tortilla chips)!
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