Champagne and Rose Petals

Sunday was our actual anniversary. Which is why we went here. I wanted to show MS how easy he's really had it.

The water tower. Doesn't it make you thirsty? Or want a tetanus shot?

Leaving San Fran and heading towards the Rock.

I bet their mom's are proud.

This really makes my dorm showers look like the Hilton.

Tear gas cannisters. They were never used. Sort of wish they sold them in the gift shop...just to spruce up my cube.

I was ok with this until 'stewed fruit', which kind of makes me want to throw up in my mouth. Which kind of reminds me of stewed fruit. Chicken and the egg.

The wardrobe department.

Not just America's favorite pasttime.

Knife storage, with outlines to quickly tell when one was missing. No wonder all the stewed fruit. Who can cook under that kind of pressure?

We left and continued our romantic day at a local taco restaurant. Look who was waiting patiently for a chip? His name was Chopper- he was a French/English bulldog mix and he was almost kidnapped by moi. It made me miss the Grizz.

The tacos helped ease my pain. Fish tacos - one Nick's way - with a fried shell and guac. One regular. More things need to be cooked Nick's way.



If Chopper didn't make me miss Namath, as soon as we walked outside, this guy did.

And just down the street. Rub. It. In. Also, file this under 'things Namath needs to learn.'

We ended the afternoon with drinks at the Gold Dust lounge. We laughed when we passed it the first time, but it beckoned, as happy hour champagne often does.

The building has been around since the early 1900's, with the decor to match.

Cheers to the weekend...and one whole year of putting up with me. You are still the best thing that's ever happened to me.

Stay Golden

We made plans Saturday to run across the Golden Gate into Sausalito, eat lunch and ferry back over. Unfortunately for us, the city was installing a suicide net, so we could only run about 3/4 of the way down. I'm not a fan of suicide, but I am a fan of tacos, so I was a little dissapointed. Best laid plans.

We decided to run out and back and then head down and finish the run along the bay. Can you believe the sky? No wonder people deal with the 90 degree incline hills, public transit and ridiculous cost of living. High of 72, low of 55 everyday.

Up close and personal.

Cash money. The median home value in Marin county is right under a million. Or approximately the cost of Kim Kardashians engagement ring. Wonder which one will hold it's value?

Picture from the bay. I told you we took a lot of pictures of the bridge. There was a long running trail along the bay, which was a nice flat break from the massive hills we'd been walking. I just knew Dean Karnazes was going to run by. Alas, he did not.

Lunch plan B. No wonder all those people were running. It did not dissapoint. The burgers have a special sauce. We all know my feelings on special sauces.

The Golden Arches Zig Zag.

And then God made chocolate.

This lady was so excited about it she couldn't keep her top on.

I think I need a job where big vats of chocolate spin behind me all day.

Matt got the double scoop of mint chocolate chip. You could have fit a baby in that cone. I got the single scoop and it wasn't much smaller.

We finally decided to shower. I'm sure the people on the bus were thankful. For dinner, we headed to Chinatown.

Trip Advisor led us to Hunan House and their pot stickers. Seriously the best pot stickers ever. I could have made a meal out of them.

I think it should be noted I ate my entire meal with chopsticks. If I make a 30 before 30 list, that is so going on there so I can go ahead and have something to cross off.

Then the fortunes came.

Guess which fortune goes with who?

Big Trees and Big Reds

This past weekend we headed to the west coast to celebrate an entire year of marriage. Judging by Kim K's breaking news yesterday, a year is something to celebrate. So we did.

I took about 38 pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was so cool to see something in person you have seen your whole life in pictures, and more prominently, in the theme song of Full House.

We crossed the bridge our first morning on our way to Muir Woods and Sonoma.

MS navigated the Chrysler Sebring with style.

It was a beautiful drive. I can see why the 1970s era houses were all around 2 million. Thanks, Zillow app for the info.

Everyone told us it got really quiet when you got inside the woods. It definitely did - and very cold. We tucked inside this tree for a photo op.

It reminded me of an outdoor sanctuary. I could almost see how people become tree huggers.

These trees have seen a LOT of days.

We jumped back in the Sebring towards Sonoma. The drive was easy on the eyes.

After rave reviews on Trip Advisor, I knew we had to stop at Cline Cellars. They are known for big reds and zinfandels, my personal favorite. I couldn't wait to do some tasting and educate myself a little bit more about wines - since most of my experience revolves around the best label or the end cap at Publix. Also the reason we chose Sonoma over Napa.

Cline did not dissapoint. Our server, Joe, was so knowledgeable. The standard tasting is 5 wines. I think we tasted all 20 and were able to easily pick out a few favorites to take home.

Joe also told us about a great deli down the road that smokes their own meats. We grabbed a sandwich to go and headed back to Cline for a picnic on the grounds, where Joe poured us a glass of the Ancient Vines Zinfandel - my favorite.

Zin, San Francisco fresh sourdough and avocado. This was one of the highlights of the trip for me.

In the spirit of sharing the wealth, we decided to feed the fish.

I liked to throw it in the middle and watch them fight for it. Who knew fish could fight?

Absolutely gorgeous day in wine country.

We left Cline and headed down the street to Jacuzzi Vineyards. Jacuzzi also has an olive press and olive oil tasting room. I sort of wanted to move in.

We had another great tasting experience here. I was so glad we chose Sonoma. I'm not a wine snob by any stretch of the imagination, and everyone we met was so friendly and explained why each wine tasted different and why. I was glad we didnt have to swirl and sniff and make comments about tobacco and cherry notes.

On a tip from Jacuzzi, we headed down to enjoy a bottle at Gloria Ferrer. They are most known for their sparkling wines, but we went for a bottle of Pinot Noir. Breathtaking views - not a bad way to spend a Friday afternoon. I almost couldn't believe we were there.

This was probably my favorite day - ironic considering we almost didn't head north to Sonoma at all. It was a last minute decision, and the fact that I was going to skip wine and olive oil tastings are clearly the signs of an overworked brain.