Good Things in 2011 - August

August 1 - We got iPhones today!  I'm excited, but mostly it was fun to see how happy and excited Michael was.
August 2 - We won all three of our volleyball games tonight!  That always makes it more fun.  (Happy 3rd Anniversary to Jenni and Rod!  Love you guys!)
August 3 - Today is my "Friday" because tomorrow morning we leave for the cooler weather in San Francisco!
August 4 - Free hotel room upgrade!  Seeing "The Painted Ladies" at Alamo Square was my favorite from the day.
August 5 - It's hard to pick a favorite from such a fun day!  There were lots of good things today, but the best of all was spending the whole day with my sweet husband who let me take as many pictures as I wanted without complaining!
August 6 - I loved the Alcatraz tour today.
August 7 - Happy 1st Anniversary!  We experienced a lot of different modes of transportation today (cable car, ferry, cab, lots of walking/hiking, shuttle, city bus x3).  That along with all the twists and turns through the mountains to and from Muir Woods almost did my in.  Although it was a fun day, the best part might have been making it back to the hotel to rest before dinner.  I was thankful that I was able to eat dinner after such a long day!
August 8 - It's always good to be home!  On top of being home, we finally got our wedding DVD today.  We got to watch the video and eat our wedding cake topper...fun night!
August 9 - I made it through the first day back at work, and Stephanie cooked dinner tonight.  It was nice not to have to worry about dinner since we haven't been to the grocery store in a while.
August 10 - BOGOF dinner at Genghis Grill.
August 11 - My team won the company competition at Top Golf.

August 12 - I got two movie tickets for winning golf yesterday.
August 13 - RAIN!!!!!!!!!  Breakfast with Jack and Ma!  This was a special treat since we don't get to see them very often.  They were in town for Tyler's college graduation.  Congratulations Tyler!  We're proud of you!
August 14 - After a fun bachelorette party last night, I came home to a yummy brisket that Michael smoked last night.  Delicious!
August 15 - Lazy, relaxing evening at home.
August 16 - "Free" (translated: included in cost of wedding cake last year) anniversay cake from Delicious Cakes!
August 17 - Early bed time for much needed rest!
August 18 - After Bible study, we came home and finished off the last of our anniversary cake.
August 19 - So glad it's Friday!
August 20 - Free salsa lessons, concert, and picnic with friends.  Good times!
August 21 - Michael helped some friends unload a U-Haul into storage.  That left me the afternoon to finish laundry, do some chores around the house, work on the blog, and make mini chocolate chocolate chip bundt cakes.

What could be better than filling the bundt cake with carmel sauce?

Adding whipped cream, of course!

August 22 - Nice walk with Michael after dinner.
August 23 - Relaxing lunch spending time in Bible study...I love these kind of lunches!  It is such a nice, and much needed break from work.
August 24 - Bacon, parmesan spaghetti = delicious!  I think this is a new favorite at our house.
August 25 - After Bible study, I had a relaxing evening at home with the house all to myself.  Of course, I was glad to see Michael when he got home.
August 26 - Yay for Friday!
August 27 - Couples massage this morning!  This is what Michael gave me for a wedding gift, and we finally made plans to cash it in.  I love massages!
August 28 - Mike flew in today for a business meeting, and we got to meet him for a late lunch!  That is always a treat as we get to see Michael's family so rarely.
August 29 - Our A/C works!  We've had a freon leak that finally got repaired today.  Hopefully this is the last time we have to fill it up with freon for a long while.
August 30 - Bunco Night with Foundation Group...Michael won a stellar Michael Jordan wrist watch and wallet!
August 31 - Our stovetop burners were fixed today, which makes it a lot easier to cook!

The Gift that Keeps on Giving – August (Beer)

Shipment number three arrived last night!  Michael was at a concert, but he was excited to get home and see what was in the box.

He got 12 bottled beers...three each of four different brews:  Shipyard Brewing Co.'s India Pale Ale, Michigan Brewing Company's Nut Brown Ale, Shipyard Export Handcrafted Ale, and Michigan Brewing Company's Wheat Beer.

Three down, nine to go!

June – Hot Sauce ü
July – Ice Cream ü
August – Beer ü
September – Sirloin
October – Pizza
November – Peanut Butter & Jelly
December – Coffee
January – Jerky
February – Tea
March – Salsa
April – Lobster
May – BBQ Sauce

Michael will update this post with a review of each beer as he tries it.
______________________________________

Michael checking in...

1.  India Pale Ale (August 26th) -

2.  Nut Brown Ale (August 28th) -

3.  Wheat Beer (September 5th) -

4.  Export Handcrafted Ale (September 7th) -

San Francisco, Day 4

San Francisco - Day 4 (Sunday, August 7th)

We celebrated our first anniversary on our last full day in San Francisco.  Michael started out the morning by going downstairs to get my breakfast so he could serve me breakfast in bed.  He said he figured he better take the opportunity on vacation because he figured we wouldn't be allowed to eat in bed at home.  Smart man!  :o)  We didn't have anywhere that we planned to go until 10:00, so we ate and watched a movie (and I may have fallen back asleep for a little while!).

About 10:00, we left the hotel and thus began a long day of transportation!  We took a cable car to the ferry building, which was very neat.  However, since the cable car left about 10 minutes late, we didn't have time to look around.  We darted straight for the ticket booth and then boarded the ferry to Sausalito.

Sausalito is a little touristy coastal town.  It was primarily shops and cafes.  The original plan was to arrive in Sausalito and board a shuttle to Muir Woods.  However, there was no way I wanted to immediately get on the shuttle after crossing the bay.  Instead we had lunch, which gave me a little time to recuperate from the jerky cable car ride and the rough ferry ride.

After lunch, we took a cab from Sausalito up to Muir Woods.  The trails were not exactly what I had expected, but we got to see some of the tall redwoods, which was very cool.  (Watch our for bears!)

We also spotted a butterfly and a chipmunk!

After walking the trails through the woods, we took a bus (two actually) back across the Golden Gate Bridge.  We stopped at the bridge to see it up close and take some photos.  It was pretty clear (a rarity while we were there) when we first arrived at the bridge, and then the fog started rolling back in not long after we arrived.

We caught two more buses back to our hotel to rest (and recover from all the bus rides!) before getting ready for dinner at Neptune's Palace.  We had a nice anniversary dinner and then exchanged gifts to celebrate.  It was a fun evening!

By the end of Day 4, I think we were both pretty worn out.  It was a lot of fun, but we were both ready to get home and sleep in our own bed!

San Francisco, Day 3

San Francisco - Day 3 (Saturday, August 6th)

The main attraction today was our tour of Alcatraz.  We waited until about a week and a half before our trip to book these tickets, and we didn't think we were going to get them.  After a couple of days spent trying to get tickets, Michael was finally able to claim a few when another reservation was canceled.

We weren't scheduled to board the ferry until 10:30, so we walked out to Pier 39 for breakfast.  We'd had our eyes on a banana Nutella crepe that we wanted to try.  It did not disappoint!  We ended up also trying a breakfast crepe with ham, eggs, and cheese.  It was amazing!

The view at breakfast wasn't too bad either if you ignore the truck.  I don't even remember seeing it until I looked at these pictures later!

We enjoyed the view during the Ferry ride to the island.

The tour of Alcatraz this afternoon was easily my favorite thing we did.  It included an audio tour of the main cellhouse, which was fantastic.  It was narrated by four of the Alcatraz correctional officers and four inmates who served time at Alcatraz.  It was a fantastic tour!

One of the inmates mentioned that the worst thing about being held at Alcatraz was that the city was so close yet just out of reach.  He said that some nights when the wind was blowing the right direction (and every New Year's Eve) that you could hear sounds - laughter and music - from the city.  From the "bleachers" in the rec yard, you could look out and see the city.

Most of the tour focused on the prison aspects.  We even got to hear a guide open and close the cell doors, which was very loud!  Apparently this was how the term "slammer" came about.  I had never thought of the origin of that word before, but it is truly fitting!  Living in one of those tiny cells would be a miserable life.

By the time we returned, we were starving!  Michael had a fish sandwich, and I opted to return to the crepe place for a pesto turkey crepe with French fries.  Great choice!  We ate at a bar with a view of the boats in the harbor.

The rest of our afternoon included a tour of the USS Pampanito, a submarine docked at Pier 45 next to the Jeremiah O'Brien.  This was the first time I had been in a submarine, and it was crazy to see how cramped everything was.

Six men slept in each of the torpedo rooms, and the main bunker held 36 beds - 3 high with very small lockers for belongings.  In addition to these, there were the officers quarters, which were better, but still small.  There were 75 men on board with approximately two beds for every three men.  (One of the three was always on duty.)  During the war, the Pampanito rescued 73 British and Australian survivors at sea to add to the cramped quarters.

Torpedo Rooms - In the top right picture, you can see the springs of the bed above the torpedo to the left.  You can see the bed from the side in the left picture.  There were three beds on each side lined up end to end.

Main Bunker - The beds were stacked three high.  Yes, there is a third row down by Michael's feet.  On the wall beside the beds were small lockers for personal belongings.

Notice the broom atop the mast.  This is to indicate a "clean sweep."

For dinner, Michael had one of Boudin's famous bread bowls with clam chowder, while I opted for the chili in mine.  One location at Fisherman's Wharf had a huge bakery that you could observe.  Every time we got anywhere close, we could smell the delicious bread being baked.  I think they baked bread all night long!  They even did some creative alligator and turtle bread "loaves."

Another great day of vacation in San Francisco!

San Francisco, Day 2

San Francisco - Day 2 (Friday, August 5th)

We procrastinated planning the rest of our weekend until breakfast this morning.  We got up and headed downstairs for free breakfast and to plan our day, which ultimately was to include the Aquarium of the Bay, Ghirardelli Square, and Lombard Street.

After breakfast, we headed straight for Fisherman's Wharf to get tickets to the aquarium.  Thanks to our handy city guide, we saved $4 on admission!  The aquarium was small, but it was fun.

Our favorites included the jelly fish, herrings, starfish, and rays.

Did you know that some starfish apparently eat a lot?  We learned that they have two stomachs, and one can be extended to ingest pray that is too large to pass through the mouth.  We were told it usually takes about two hours for them to digest a meal, but it will likely take this first guy more than two hours!

After walking through the aquarium, Michael was ready for some of the seafood that he'd seen the street vendors preparing.  He decided on a whole crab, while I stuck with popcorn shrimp and French fries.

With full stomachs (but longing for dessert), we headed towards Ghirardelli Square.  This block was neat.  It consisted of several ice cream and candy shops, a wine tasting bar, and lots of souvenir shops.  In the largest ice cream parlor, they had the original machines that made the chocolate.  They were steady at work.  Plus, when you walked into almost any shop, they offered you a sample Ghirardelli chocolate square.  We got several caramel ones, which might be my favorite!

After admiring the chocolate, we opted for The Gold Rush sundae, which vanilla ice cream with lots of peanut butter and hot fudge (aka melted Ghirardelli chocolate)...YUM!  It was delicious!

With lots of calories that we needed to walk off, we headed up a STEEP hill towards Lombard Street.  One block of Lombard has eight switchbacks, and boasts the "crookedest street in the world."  Traffic was lined up forever waiting to drive down this famous section of the street.

Our next destination was to tour the SS Jeremiah O'Brien which is a Liberty Ship (fleet of cargo ships built by the US during WWII) docked at Pier 45, Fisherman's Wharf.  It is one of two surviving Liberty Ships (of 2,751 built) and the only surviving ship to stormed Normandy on D-Day.  Though it has become a museum/tourist attraction, it is still a working ship, and it sailed back to Normandy in 1994 to celebrate the 50th anniversary.

Before dinner, we took a cab to Chinatown.  We learned that this is the oldest Chinatown in North America, and it is the largest Chinese community outside Asia.  Of course, I had to stop in one of the convenience stores to buy some Hello Panda cookies!

From Chinatown, we headed to Little Italy for dinner at Trattoria Pinocchio.  Our fried calamari and pastas were wonderful!  We thought it was neat in Little Italy that the Italian flag was painted on the light posts at the corners.

Here are some other sightseeing photos from the day as we wandered through the city.

These are two of the many street performers that we saw in San Francisco.  Others included a guy dressed up like a giant dog with his puppies, acrobats/gymnasts, comedians, spray paint artists, and people playing horns, guitars, or a keyboard.