February trips

In anticipation of the dreaded gyn onc rotation (gynecological oncology--long, emotionally draining days), Adam and I took advantage of his 2 golden weekends and planned trips out of the city. 

The first was to the Phoenix Open, a huge golf tournament that his dad and grandfather are involved in putting on every year. It has become a family reunion of sorts, with many cousins and other family members coming in town, and Adam has been talking about it ever since he went for the first time back in 2007. However, this year was extra special--it was also Blake's bachelor party! (As I write this, we're 6 days away from the wedding!!)

Because of his late nights, we waited until Saturday morning to fly out (learned our lesson from cutting in close to Charlotte in September and nearly missing our flight to Cleveland for Thanksgiving). It was so much fun to arrive with all of the boys there and ready--Adam was promptly given the appropriate attire, some food and drinks, and they were on their way.

I got to hang back with the ladies and get settled for a bit. We drove out to the open and met up with them at the famous 16th hole. A few of Adam's friends from Amherst were also in town, and it was absolutely wonderful to see them and to be with family. What a change from the grueling 4:30am - 9pm days of gyn onc!

We spent all of Sunday hanging with family before our late afternoon flight back to SF. Though it was only overnight, it was a reminder that one day is really all you need--and we got two days! Adam said that he will be requesting the Open weekend off every year of residency so we can continue the tradition. I can't wait for February!

Only 2 weeks later, we were off yet again, this time to New York. I had a week off from school and Adam was told that he had a rare 3 day weekend at the time that we planned our trip. Though things did get a bit muddled and he had to do some switching, we managed to get quality time with many of the people we love and miss. 

We took a red eye on Friday night, had bagels and a much-needed nap, and then met friends at one of our fav Upper West Side brunch spots.

Walking across the park in the freezing NY winter felt incredibly natural, like we had never left. It really made me miss being so comfortable in and familiar with my surroundings, not to mention the ease with which we could fall back into a rhythm with our friends. 

We split up Saturday evening, and then I met back up with Adam and some of his closest med school friends for late night drinks. Unfortunately, this is the only picture I managed to get:

Adam had to leave early Sunday afternoon, so we met his best friend Sam at his girlfriend Lisa's apartment for a delicious brunch. Adam and Sam lived together for 3 years of med school, and we both miss having him in close proximity (though anesthesia residency at Mass General ain't too shabby!). It was beyond wonderful to spend the whole morning with the two of them, and it made us wish they would just move out to California already!

I spent a few more days playing in NY, and I even got to meet up with a former colleague and have ice cream with one of my students from Brooklyn East! It reminded me that I am a good teacher who knows how to build connections with students, regardless of what I was currently experiencing. Unfortunately, the time flew by, and I was back in California by Wednesday morning. While I wasn't too happy that the trip was over, coming back did feel familiar and more like "home" than expected. 

Our trip to New York truly showed both of us how lucky we are to have such great friends, regardless of where we live. A much needed reminder to get both of us through the challenges of day-to-day work in SF and realize that those connections are just waiting to be built here as well.

Holidays 2012

We spent Thanksgiving in Cleveland with the Tancer/Lewkowitz clans and had such a fantastic time, especially getting to know our niece Gabi (who was 6 months old then...and is now 2 1/2 times that at 15 months...). Adam was in the middle of night float and really enjoyed the break to relax with family.

Because he had Thanksgiving off, he worked Christmas, so I went to Baltimore for the week to be with my family (unfortunately, my mom has all the pictures!). Before I left, we helped our neighbors Noah and Julia decorate their tree.

We also participated in a White Elephant party with the interns. We became the proud new owners of a bottle of wine, some chocolate, and a beautiful picture of the baby Jesus:

Adam's cousins were gracious enough to let us borrow their Tahoe house for New Year's. We drove up and marveled at the change of scenery, from the water to rolling green hills to the valley to the high elevation and pine trees covered in snow. This is a picture taken on my phone while we were driving:

The house was perfectly located and so spacious. We read books and watched TV, finished a puzzle, and attempted and failed to light a fire pretty much every night. It was incredibly relaxing and just what we needed to reconnect after a week apart and months of hectic schedules.

We also spent the first day skiing...my first time in probably 15 years, and Adam's first time in probably 10. We were very glad to have rented ski pants, as it was fuh-reeeeezing, and I ended up spending plenty of time on my butt. We started with a lesson, which built up our confidence, but it turns out that I'm pretty terrified of going down a steep slick hill on 2 wedges of metal. Adam spent some time laughing at me, and I promised to come back to Tahoe...as long as he didn't make me downhill ski.

(this picture is for scale--you can see how tall the piles of snow are next to me!)

The next day, we tried cross-country skiing (my first time, and Adam had maybe been once or twice before). It took a while to figure out, (I may have fallen within the 1st 10 minutes...twice...) but we really enjoyed it once we got the hang of things. We did one of the beginner trails and got lost in the beauty and serenity of the pines covered in snow. It was quiet and peaceful but also challenging. At one point, we couldn't figure out how to get up a steepish hill, and after slipping backwards several times, realized we had to go step-by-step sideways. Adam had the camera, so I'm in all of the pictures from the day.

We stopped at Trader Joe's on the way home because we both had the rest of the week off (Adam's 2nd week-long vacation!), and we planned to have friends over and be as social as possible. The next morning, when I went into the kitchen to make breakfast, I noticed bits of the trail mix that Adam had opened the night before scattered on the shelf. When I asked him about it, he was confused, so I looked through the rest of our groceries. I noticed small holes in the wrappers, bits of chewed granola bar, etc. 

Yup...we left for 3 days and mice moved in. UGH.  It turns out that the community garden across the street was being completely removed, causing the mice to move into nearby buildings. We had to clean out e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. from the pantry and put what was salvageable in glass or thick plastic containers. Our loot (so sad!):

We recovered by lighting a fire and trying to relax after a fantastic week, despite coming home to new furry friends.

Playing Ketchup

I've been meaning to do this for months...and months...and months...and now it's already mid-August. How in the world did that happen??

I want to try to become regular with this, as we have had some wonderful trips and adventures since November, and this is the best (and easiest!) way to document them and to share pictures. So basically the next several posts will be pictures from the past several months, including:

--New Year's trip to Lake Tahoe

--Phoenix Open

--Spring Break in Yosemite

--visitors galore

--Adam's birthday in Mendocino

--anything else I've forgotten

It's about time we get back in action here in San Francisco! In the mean time, here's a cute picture of us in wine tasting (for one this time...) in Sonoma.

Anniversary Weekend

1 year = 1 graduation, 2 new jobs, 1 cross-country move, 1 new apartment, many new friends, countless laughs (and awkward moments...c'mon, you know us!), a few tears, and we are closer than we've ever been.

Over dinner on Saturday night in Sonoma, we talked a lot about what this year has brought, our highs and lows, and what we have to look forward to. It has gone so quickly, and yet we feel like we're in a great place, together in our marriage and in our new home on the West Coast.  We've definitely felt our share of challenges, especially in adjusting to new schedules every 6 weeks, San Francisco livin', and distance from family and friends, but we have also navigated these changes together, which has inevitably made us stronger. Cheesy? Absolutely. But so true.

We celebrated our anniversary with our first (of many) trip to wine country!  It turned out to be much closer than we realized, and we will definitely be taking visitors up north for a quick trip. It rained throughout the morning on Saturday, but it stopped by the time we parked in Sonoma for our bike tour. Best.Decision.Ever. Biking through wine country gave us a different perspective, allowed us to enjoy the gorgeous fall weather, and was much-needed after we were stuffed with wine and food. Highly recommended and a lot of fun!
(Ok...so we also had to break out the old rain gear/windbreakers. We liked to hink of these jackets as a throwback to all of the pictures with them from China).

Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, and he was able to answer any question we had. It was pretty relaxed, and there were 6 of us altogether. We rode from basically the center of town through the valley and a few hills. There was even a rainbow as we started!
(Note: I adjusted the picture so the rainbow is more easily visible)

Our first winery was Gundlach Bundschu. We shared several tastings and walked around a bit. We also got to go into the cave and learn about the aging process.

 

We then rode off to our next stop: Buena Vista Winery. This ride had a few more hills, but it was totally worth it when we arrived to find gorgeous fall trees (my favorite...oh, how I love fall colors! It's very strange not to have experienced leaves changing this year) with an outdoor picnic area and 2 beautiful old buildings that house the winery.

We were greeted with a lucky surprise--the winery was having a huge sale! We tasted a ton of different wines (gotta try the 2003 and the 2004 Syrah because you never know...!) and just couldn't resist: we left with 6 varieties!

Our tour had a delicious lunch spread above the tasting room at the winery. We also enjoyed a selection of Buena Vista's best while learning more about Sonoma and our fellow bikers.

It was slightly more difficult to get back on the bike stuffed with food and wine, but we managed to make it to the last winery of the day, Bartholomew Park. They had a museum that explained some of the history of California and Sonoma, and it was interesting to learn more about our new state. However, by the end, we were pretty "wined out." Luckily, the final stop on our tour was a cheese factory! It was a great ending to a fabulous day!

We were pretty exhausted and basically crashed at the B&B as soon as we checked in. There wasn't much time to rest...we had to get ready for an anniversary dinner at El Dorado Kitchen, a famous Sonoma restaurant! It was delicious and such a treat to get to relax and enjoy each other's company.

We stopped at one more winery on our way out on Sunday. Ravenswood was highly recommended by our guide. We really enjoyed the wines and the gorgeous views of the mountains.

We continued to enjoy the gorgeous views on our drive home. It was less than an hour, and we went from vineyards and rolling hills to mountains and water. The landscapes were unbelievable! I clearly had to get a few pictures in...

(Note: these were taken while driving, which actually enhanced them a bit!)

Finally, we ended a wonderful weekend with a little cake...wedding cake, that is! Adam thought it was a little gross, but I'm a cheeseball and love tradition, so I loved eating our 1-year-old cake. Yum!

After a very long post with a ton of pictures, I want to end with our favorite self-portrait:

Happy 1st anniversary to my wonderful husband!

Realization

I know that it's been a long long time...apologies. I realized that I struggle to post here or even call family and friends when I'm struggling. I think I just want this to be a positive demonstration (is that even the right word?) of our new lives in San Francisco, and when I'm going through tough stretches, I don't want to use this as a forum for complaining. So that's where I'm at, and that's why I've been silent on the writing front. (Ok, I really wanted to use an "All Quiet on the Western Front" pun, but that might have just been too nerdy!)

Adam started night float right after Mama and Papa were here, when I was mid-lice. Let me explain: he works from 7pm - 7am Sunday through Friday with Saturday nights off. That means he leaves at 6:45 and arrives home between 9:30 and 10:30am, sleeps all day, gets up at 5:30 or 6, and does it all again. It also completely messes with the weekends because he sleeps on Saturday until late afternoon and then has to nap again Sunday afternoon to prepare for work on Sunday night. It's insane, and completely messes with his sleep schedule (aka he can now sleep anytime and anywhere!).

It started off well because I was home in the mornings for the first 3 days (I had to take 3 days off from school! Crazy!), so we saw each other for a quick breakfast and late afternoon nit-picking date. So romantic! Cathy and Herman came that weekend, and it was really wonderful to have them (and Blake and Victoria!) here to relax and enjoy each other's company. Adam was in a semi-zombie state much of the time, but I know we both enjoyed seeing them.

However, the week after was rough. I mean, rough. We had parent/teacher conferences and Halloween, and in the midst of all of that, Adam and I rarely saw each other. We literally went from Tuesday to Saturday only seeing each other for 20 minutes. Basically, it sucked. No other way to describe it. School has not been going so well (another story for another day), and it was difficult to come home to an empty apartment and not feel like I could let it out or at least vent to anyone. That was 2 weeks ago. Then we had a great weekend with our close friend, Mike, who was visiting, and we got to enjoy gorgeous weather and fun activities in SF (Open Studios was awesome!).

Unfortunately, last week was even harder. Adam and I hadn't spent time just the 2 of us in several weeks, school was--and is--not improving, and I think the loneliness truly set in.

Instead of sitting around and moping (did that a few months ago...unsuccessful), I decided to pursue other things. Thus, I started leaving with Adam at 6:45 a few nights and heading to the gym. It felt good to work out a bit and not just sit at home thinking about school. Then, on Friday night, I went to a synagogue's "Late Shabbat" for 20- and 30-somethings. Totally bold move--I went alone! It was slightly awkward at times, but I pushed myself to step outside of my comfort zone, so I went up to a few people and introduced myself. I ended up staying at the Oneg (meal after services) until it closed down at 10:30. I was SO proud haha. I also drove 2 girls home, both of whom live near us, and we've been texting about doing something after Thanksgiving.  First SF friends? Check!

Adam and I got to spend last weekend just the 2 of us. Honestly, it was exactly what we needed. I relaxed and worked on Saturday while he slept, we met Aunt Cynthia for a quick hello downtown, and then had dinner with one of his friends from Amherst. Sunday, we walked to a new neighborhood for a delicious Hawaiian brunch (absolutely recommended--this place was incredible!), and then lounged and watched a movie in the afternoon. It was rejuvenating to just be us, if that makes sense.

The weekend led to a great start to the week (though the day off on Monday helped), though I'm still equally frustrated with school. Luckily, we have a special anniversary weekend planned in Sonoma. I cannot believe it's been a whole year already! One of my favorite pictures from 11/19/11:

M&P do San Francisco!

Last week/weekend, we had a great visit with Mama and Papa (Adam's maternal grandparents). Unfortunately, Adam had to work BOTH days of the weekend, but he was able to join us for delicious dinners each evening.

They arrived on Saturday late morning, and after picking them up from the airport, we returned to our neighborhood to see the apartment and have lunch. I was thrilled to show them our place; they're the first out-of-town visitors who have seen it since we've had furniture and stuff on the walls. We walked through the cute parts of our neighborhood to find a lunch spot; it was a gorgeous day, so we were happy to be outside. After a leisurely lunch, we went to what we thought was a plant sale near my apartment--there's a sign every single weekend advertising the sale. When we went in, we learned they they're selling outdoor plants that are native to California, so we declined buying anything. However, we walked around and learned that it's a community garden! There's a waiting list for plots, and you can plant vegetables, flowers, plants, fruit, etc.--we saw it all! I loved the idea of a community garden, as most homes don't have green space. What a great solution, and it felt very "San Francisco," which is probably no surprise :)

We relaxed at home until going to pick Adam up from work (shuttles don't run on the weekends = I'm his chauffeur!). The new rug turned out to be fuzzier than expected, so Mama offered to get rid of some of it. What an offer--she can come back anytime! Haha :)

We decided to go to a delicious little Korean place in our neighborhood, but the wait was ridiculous, so we tried out an Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurant nearby. Not our favorite (we decided none of us would be going back anytime soon), but an adventure in eating for sure!

On Sunday, we spent the morning reading (M&P) and working (me) before heading to Sausalito for the afternoon. It was a foggy, chilly day in San Francisco, and when driving over the Golden Gate, we couldn't see more than a few feet in front of us. However, as soon as we crossed over to Marin, it was suddenly bright, sunny, and clear. I could not believe it! Mama got a shot of foggy SF with her phone:

We drove around Sausalito, explored a little Farmer's Market, and settled into a Mexican restaurant that was a bit further away from the tourism of downtown. It turned out to be a great decision, as we had an amazing lunch!!

After resting at home for a while, we picked Adam up from work and headed straight to M&P's friend Kerry's house in Telegraph Hill for dinner. Kerry was Papa's student at Thunderbird at ASU, and she also worked for the San Francisco Opera for a number of years. She and her husband have a gorgeous home with an incredible view of the city; Adam kept saying "I want to live in a place like this someday!" Kerry and John were wonderful hosts, and we really enjoyed spending the evening together. Adam is going to join them for a party on Christmas (I'll be in Baltimore), and we're going to try to get together again in early December, once Adam finished night float.

Adam and I worked Monday, while M&P had a San Francisco adventure. They took the N Judah downtown, walked to Chinatown, went to multiple tea shops, and had Dim Sum for lunch. I would take that over teaching 6th grade any day! I met them after work, and we headed to the Korean place again, this time with a much shorter wait. Adam met us there and we had a fantastic dinner together. It was nice to relax and be together after a long day.

Our amazing air mattress had a slight snafu, so we set up the small single-air mattress (that needs to be re-pumped every few hours) and the couch as alternatives. M&P ridiculously thought that they'd sleep on those "beds," so I got a shot of them trying it out:

(after laughing hysterically, Adam and I took over those spots!)

I arrived home from work on Tuesday to a beautifully dressed M&P: opera time! I showered and changed, and after a lot of coordinating with Adam, we decided that he would take a cab and meet us at the opera house. M&P love opera and have been coming to SF to see it for years. They were able to show us around the opera house and explain its history. They also explained background and history of the opera, The Capulets and Montagues. I don't have very much opera experience, but I thought it was magnificent. The costumes and sets were beautiful and the singing was unbelievable. Adam and I are both grateful to have had such an experience and to get to share it with Mama and Papa.

We were sad to see them go on Wednesday after a great visit. Luckily, we're gearing up for 2 more weekends of visitors--Lewkowitzes this weekend and our friend Mike next weekend. How is it already nearly November?!

Getting' nitpicky

Coming soon...a fantastic visit with Mama and Papa! However, we interrupt the fun weekend blogging to ask the question...

Have you ever thought about where the term "nitpicky" comes from? Me either. Until yesterday...when we spent 2 hours picking nits (ughhh just typing that makes me cringe!) out of my hair. Yup, I had [have?] lice.

Backstory: about 5 weeks ago, there was a lice outbreak in one of my classes; 1 girl had it so bad that she was out for a week.  Then, a week or so after that, I developed a rash on my neck, so I made an appointment to see a dermatologist. In the meantime, the rash wasn't spreading, but it was very itchy, so I had Adam check my head for lice and ringworm (both ailments my students had around that time). He didn't see either, so we thought it was an allergic reaction or eczema. I also asked the office manager at school to check me, as she's the one who diagnosed my students. Nothing. On Wednesday, I saw an internist to get a referral, and she also missed it. Seriously?!

When the dermatologist told me yesterday, I couldn't believe it. 27 years lice-free, through the infestations that are so common in elementary and middle schools (I remember getting checked regularly--did that happen at all schools?), as well as 6 years of teaching. I immediately told Adam, who also couldn't believe it. How could I have had LICE without passing it along to him? Lucky guy :)

So I immediately went to Walgreens, picked up lice shampoo (ew), vinegar (home remedy), new hair ties, barrettes, combs, etc. I went home, threw out all of the old stuff, and did the shampoo treatment. That was no big deal, but then came the big guns--the nitpicker. EW. (Actually, Adam didn't find it gross at all, but it's all relative I guess. I spent the day writing personal narratives, while he spent the day on a gynecology rotation!) We didn't start until 9:30, when Adam got home, because he needed to be the one to actually use the comb to go through my hair. He slapped on gloves (ah, the benefits of being a doctor) and got to it...

...at 11:30, with my neck aching from hanging over the bathtub, and his shoulder aching from the back and forth motion, we could clearly see that we had been successful. And that's all I'm gonna say about that. (the bright side: there weren't like actual bugs, but just the eggs. Again, makes me shudder to think about it.)

I cannot go back to work until I've been checked by the doctor on Monday, so that's a plus! However, it's report card time, so I went in today--sadly, a teacher work day--to gather paperwork and lots of student projects to grade. I can't complain about 2 extra days of sleeping in!

Tonight, I tried a home remedy involving copious amounts of vinegar soaking into my head under a shower cap. Needless to say, I think salt-and-vinegar flavored chips are out of the picture for the foreseeable future. Then Adam got down to nitpicking round 2, but this time, we had it down to a science--it only took 1 hour! Go team!

Adam has been super helpful and adorable, and I'm so glad we got to spend this 11-month anniversary together [with a nitpicker].