Reflections on 2012 and 2013 Goals

Well, hello there!

Happy 2013!!!

It's certainly been a busy time.  A lot has happened in the past year, the first half being extremely different from the second half.  But before I get going on details, let's review some unresolved goals from the past, shall we?

2011-1.  Get a full-time job that I feel excited and passionate about.
Well, the part-time job didn't become a full-time job.  I'm actually realizing that maybe having several part-time jobs is the way to go.  At this point, there's still not enough financial support for the things I want to do, and I'm not ready to go for creating an organization quite yet.  But, I have been hired for a part-time position in a place I love with tasks I wanted more experience in!  So, yay!

2012-1.  Seriously learn how to budget and handle my finances better.

Completely neglected.  Again.  I don't have much finances to manage, so, there's that.

2012-2.  Reach my 30th birthday at least a little lighter, physically, emotionally, and mentally - including learning how to lessen the busyness in my life.

This is both a point of pride as well as a laughable goal! I definitely did a great job at the physical, emotional, and mental lightness.  But the busyness hasn't stopped!  In fact, I was crazy in the month of December with so many social and work engagements!  I think maybe I just need to learn how to manage the busyness a lot better.

2012-3.  Visit the ocean even more than I did in 2011.

ACCOMPLISHED!  I went to the beach so many times with the man.  I went to new beaches, familiar beaches, cold beaches, and warmer beaches.  It was lovely.

2012-4.  Learn to cook and bake at least 2 new items.

I learned how to bake Buko Pandan Cupcakes and I learned how to cool Eggplant Parmesan!   This year, I'd like to tackle pies, frittatas, and quiches.

2012-5.  Make more music and dance more.

I am happy to report that I definitely danced more, with the help of the Dance Central game on the XBOX Kinect and the encouragement of my belly dance teachers.  I didn't necessarily make more music, but I did sing a lot more karaoke!

Honestly, 2012 was an amazing year.  I feel like I could feel how awesome 2012 was going to be, and I'm looking forward to a fun 2013 as well.

So, let's get to my 2013 Goals!

1.  Like, seriously do better about managing my finances.  Like, seriously.

2.  Keep in touch better both with people I care about and people I'm only acquaintances with.

3.  Take more trips.  The first goal is a long weekend in Vegas.

4.  Refocus on being healthy for myself, and not get bogged down by what others think I should be doing.

5. Refocus on building the kind of career I want.

Let's do this 2013!

California Christmas and Babies Galore

It had been a long time since I had been to Los Angeles, though I'm glad I at least got to see California in April.  But since I didn't get to spend Christmas with my family last year, I needed to see them this year.

Truth be told, this whole holiday season just crept up on me.  For the first time in a long time, I wasn't prepared with presents for all my friends and co-workers, and it was just really hard to get into the holiday spirit in general.

Regardless, it was awesome to be home.

Except that everyone is constantly asking me when I plan to move back.  It makes me sad to not have an answer, because I really want to have one that will satisfy them all.  But for now I'm on the East, and I'll still be bicoastal.

Christmas Deliciousness

My mom decorating the little tree with ginormous ornaments

We spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day up in the Bay Area with my sister, since she had to work that weekend.  My brother was in the Philippines with his girlfriend, so it still felt like an incomplete Christmas. 

But we did have our two doggies with us, since they're both a hassle to dog sit.  They're also a hassle to have in a car.

Charlie trying to be a lap dog.

Other than spending time with my family, one big draw for going home is to have some home-cooked Filipino food.  My mom cooked pancit, lumpia, and mechado over the weekend.  I was an extremely happy camper.

serious food coma for like 24 hours...

On Christmas Day, I visited a childhood friend and her 2 adorable babies.  It was great to see them, and to interact with her younger child who I had only seen as an infant.  It was amazing to see them both talking away and interacting with me like they've known me all this time.  Truth be told, these 2 kids would be a huge reason for me to move back.  I've always hated the idea that one of my best friend's kids wouldn't know me.  So it was comforting to know that they were so comfortable around me from the get-go.

Oh, she also fed me some delicious Columbian food.  I ate my way through Christmas.  It was fantastic.

Disneyland and California Adventure
How could I go to California and NOT visit a Disney park?  Seriously.

Occupy Disneyland

It was great to hang out with friends I haven't seen in too long a time as well as meet some new awesome people.

Unfortunately, it was CRAZY BUSY!!! I mean, it was packed.  I should have known better, I suppose, to have chosen a day between Christmas and New Years.  But, we still managed to hit up all the awesome rides, including Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, and the Hollywood Tower of Terror.

BEST RIDE EVER
so simple...yet the laughing and screaming are so fun!

And I got to feast on some delicious Mickey Mouse Pancake action.

I'm pretty sure it's more delicious because it's so happy.

It was definitely a highlight to finally ride the new Little Mermaid ride, though I'm personally of the belief that the ride could have been an awesome water ride.

*squee!*

 Then!!! I got to meet Ariel!!

She asked me about my outfit (which was clearly
all Little Mermaid-ed out). We chatted a bit about fashion,
as two mermaids would.

Gotta love that Princess pose...

How funny is it that the two celebrities I geek out about are redheads?  Those Gingers are awesome, what can I say?

It was such a great day, even if my poor legs were exhausted and tense for the next 2 days.  Good times all around.

Babies!
So, I had already talked about one of my best friend's babies and how awesome they are.  But I also got to meet two other friends' little ones for the first time.  One of them was about 2 months old, and the second one was about 14 months.

It was funny to me that this trip to California was like a baby tour.  But I'm so very proud of my friends who are raising mini-humans.  All their babies are beautiful, and I'm excited to see what their personalities will be like as they grow up and experience life.

*****

Leaving California is always hard.  Leaving the warmth and the love from my friends and family there is hard.  But I guess I'm just not ready to leave the adventure of the cold cold of New England.  Nor am I ready to say goodbye to my friends and adoptive family here.

Til next time, California.

Las Vegas Get-Away - October 2011

What Happens in Vegas...Gets Blogged About!
I'm not much of a gambler, though I can't say I'm very good with money to begin with.  But this trip to Las Vegas was something I desperately needed at the time, more so than I realized.

This trip was sponsored by my night job, and I was looking forward to hanging with some of the amazing ladies of the company.  It was guaranteed to be a relatively good time, though I didn't know what to expect as I hadn't been to Vegas in quite a long time.

In trips like this, where there are so many travelers involved, I think it's good to establish the different expectations from each travel companion.  I was lucky to already enjoy the company of my roommate/sister, but I still wanted to make sure we were on the same page. We both decided that getting some Vitamin D by the pool as well as seeing several shows were our main objectives.  I was excited for a chance to see Cirque du Soleil's "The Beatles LOVE" again.

Staying on The Strip
It's overrated, in my opinion.  I mean, I guess it helps to be a guest at one of the hotels if you plan on hitting up one of the clubs.  We found that if you are lounging by the pool, some promoter's bitch will be coming around handing out free "VIP" passes to all the ladies sitting around.  I guess that's a specific benefit when you're staying at one of the hotels on the Strip.

But, at the end of the day, the hotels are just a place to crash for the most part.

We were shacked up at The Luxor, which isn't one of the fancier hotels, but it's decent.

At the Sphinx

One of the main issues that I had with Vegas was all the indoor smoking.  Sorry if you're a smoker, but I just am not a fan.  It became so unbearable at times.  The smell stays in my hair, in my nostrils, in my clothes.  And I had some really cute outfits.  But I felt dirty all the time.

Pyramid and Palms

Another perk of staying on the Strip, and specifically at The Luxor (since I can't speak for the other hotels) are the specials you get just by staying there.  We got a different phone message every day for a different special.  One that we took advantage of was the cheaper spa packages.  These specials, coupled with another chance for cheaper entertainment, was definitely a BIG perk of staying on the Strip.

There's Always a Catch
On our first day there, we got roped into one of those timeshare demonstrations.  This was really the first time I had ever taken one of those tours, especially since I wouldn't even be able to afford something like that any time soon.  But there was a very specific benefit.

For $200, we got a bunch of vouchers.  We ended up with cheap tickets to see "LOVE" and "Menopause The Musical," vouchers for meals at The Luxor, and vouchers for the Nurture Spa at The Luxor.

It was great to get a massage for so much cheaper than the actual price!

But, we were at the timeshare demonstration for most of the day, which was alright since we were both pretty tired from the traveling.  My roomie ended up going for a timeshare, but then cancelled it later in the week.

Still, because of her short-lived purchase, we got a limo ride not only back to the hotel but to In N Out!!!  It was perhaps one of the coolest In N Out experiences I've had to date.

Buffet After Buffet
We had vouchers for 4 buffet meal at the Luxor as part of our travel package.  The buffet at the Luxor was fairly decent, with their "international" diversity of Mexican, Italian, Chinese, and American foods.  The best part of the buffet was the various types of dessert!! Also, if you got there a little bit before lunchtime, you got some of the breakfast options, which I was super excited about.

My roomie and I also used our meal vouchers from the timeshare demonstration to go to the fancy steakhouse at the Luxor called TENDER.  The meat was delicious, especially since it was free-range beef.  But it was nice to go to a fancy steakhouse, since I don't really get to do that very often at all.

A little Proseco action

Strange yet fascinating use of the horns

mmmm....meat...

Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee

I was even more excited about some of the other options that were available to me on this side of the country.

As the plane was landing, it was almost comforting to see the flat landscape of the Vegas desert.  But then it suddenly dawned on me that In N Out was in Vegas!  I'm pretty sure I let out a little squeal of joy.

I am also pleased to report that I was able to have a delicious sausage from Pink's as well as the ever-sought-after Orange Julius!  There was really too much deliciousness.  Just looking at these pictures makes my belly happy.

never been so happy to have a cup in my hand!

Sun-Soaking and Shows
Like I mentioned earlier, my roomie and I agreed that lounging pool-side and seeing several shows would be the main focus of our Vegas trip.

Sitting poolside was really quite nice, even when the desert wind got slightly chillier.  The hot sun was extremely pleasant, and it was difficult to hear about the snow storm that hit Boston the day before we were to fly back.

soak it up

Somehow, one of the lifeguards decided he was going to take a liking to one of the women in our group.  Then it suddenly moved on to me, though I tried to make it clear that I wasn't interested.  However, being the nice and naive person I am, I ended up giving the kid my number just in case he had some hookup to a cool club or something.  Well, that bit me in the ass, because he was soon trying to meet up with me for the rest of the week.  This child was 20 years old.  He wouldn't have been able to stand on the casino floor, much less take me out!!! And yet, he still offered to buy me...breakfast...Hahahahaha! It was sweet..but not really what I came to Vegas for.

Between the cheaper tickets from the timeshare demonstration and the shows that were part of our travel package, we literally saw a different show almost every night we were out.  Lemme break down all the shows we saw.

Sunday to Thursday

Cirque du Soleil's The Beatles LOVE
Utterly amazing.  The first time I got to see the show, I was with my family and I was sitting closer to the stage.  This time, we got seats that were much higher up, but the views were still spectacular.  Cirque du Soleil knows how to put on a damn good show, and they really did The Beatles justice with this one.  This show gives me chills every time.

rainbow walkway to the theater

posing with The Beatles

After the show, you can feel the love

the Revolution Lounge

It took way too much work to get this picture...
but it was worth it :)

Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity
Holy crap.  This show was absolutely amazing and super sexy.  There were so many hot bodies, hot dance routines, and lots of grinding.  It was orgasmic, really.  This is definitely another show I would want to see again and again.  If you sit close enough, you get to interact a bit with the performers.  If you're to close, you might get pulled into the acts!

I have only 2 warnings about this show.  If you are in any way closed-minded or not open to various and inclusive sexual acts, you will be squeamish - but you should still see the show!!!  After the show, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, suddenly looks super attractive and you just want to make out with everyone.

Consider yourself warned.

Comedy Show at Brad Garrett's Comedy Club
This show was included in our travel package.  The comedians were great!  There was definitely a lot of laughter, and I always have given comedians tons of credit for having the balls to get up there and recite a couple of lines.

But I also felt really bad for these comedians.  The group that I was with is a group of very out-spoken, very loud, and very proud group of women.  By virtue of being who we were, we often became the highlight of each of the comedians' acts.  At some point, I realized that we as a group had taken over the entire show.  While many of the women don't mind being the center of attention, at some point, I could feel the disapproval of the others in the audience, and I worried it would then translate to disapproval of the comedians.  Their job is hard enough without having a bunch of loud women taking over their show.

But overall, I had a great time and at least the comedians had a lot of material they could use on us.

Menopause The Musical
I had heard a lot of great things about this show.  Being that it's a part of the life cycle, I actually don't know too much about the process.  I was hoping to gain a lot more insight beyond the standard stereotypes I hear all the time.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Paige O'Hara was playing one of the main characters.  Do you know who that is?!?!?! Paige (mutha-flippin') O'Hara is the voice of Disney's Belle!!! As a Disney geek, I was beyond excited about this!  It was awesome to be so close to her!

When my friend and I first got there, we had a slight seating issue.  For some reason, these ladies in our row would not move down a seat, when clearly we all had assigned seats.  I don't know why they couldn't just lift their asses and move on over...it was pissing us off.  But the show started, and we still hadn't figured out our seating arrangement.

At first, we moved to a row behind the women but soon the ladies who had those seats arrived.  We explained our situation to the usher, who had this very deep booming voice.  Though he at first explained that those ladies should have moved, he then moved us to the front row of our section!  I wanted to turn around and be like, "YEEAAAHHHH, BITCHES!!!!" But I figured that would be in poor taste.

But back to the show.  It was incredibly funny, and the reworking of popular songs to fit the situations was great!  Some of the songs barely needed a change at all!  I highly recommend this musical comedy.  It's extremely insightful and honest and downright humorous.

Tournament of Kings at Excalibur
This final show was another part of our travel package.  I had never been to any of these Medieval Knights-style shows, so I was looking forward to this.  We were seated in the Spain section of the room, right in the center.  Pretty darn good seats.

that mead tasted a lot like Pepsi...

The show was a lot of fun.  We had to cheer on our country's King, and there were a series of games they got to play with each other.  I'm pretty sure many of these "Kings" also moonlight as private dancers in other clubs on the Strip.

It seemed like a decent night for dinner and a show.  It soon began to dawn on me that this was our final night.  I had barely done any gambling, though like I said in the beginning I'm not much of a gambler.

What Happens in Vegas...Should Be Considered Before Getting There...
We were in Vegas for a week.  A week!  Truth be told, you can do Vegas in 4 days max.  Have a plan for what you want to do in Vegas, be it seeing shows, visiting the different hotels like they were museums, soaking up some sun, or hitting the clubs.

I got to go to the two clubs at our hotel, get a couple of cheaper drinks, and dance a bit with some handsome French guy.  So I won't complain about that.  I even got to see Twista do his thing at the Luxor's LAX club.

Goodness..he looks far..but he was really close to us!
He even touched my friend!

I think I had a pretty well-rounded trip to Vegas.  I didn't get too crazy drunk, I only lost about $60 on the machines, and I'm pretty sure there aren't any really bad pictures of me floating around the interwebs.  I got to get a tan, see some amazing shows, and make some life-long friends with people I already considered my sisters.

Though I was glad to get the hell out of the smokey air, I was sad to leave the bubble of awesome that is created when I'm with those ladies.  I can see why they enjoy going on yearly trips with each other.  Next stop is London in 2013.  I'm not sure yet if I'm going, but I know I wouldn't regret it if I did.

Toesies of the Month - October and November 2011

Well, with October and November being what it is, I've slacked on posting my pedi's.  Luckily, I didn't slack on actually getting them done.

In the past 2 months, I've gotten pedicures as a mental preparation for some trips I was planning to take.

Designed by Kim at City Nails & Spa, South End, MA
Color:  OPI - Miso Happy With This Color & Essie - As Gold As It Gets
Occasion:  Las Vegas Trip
October 2011

close up of the detail

I really liked this pedicure.  I don't think I've ever gotten such a light pinky color on my toes before.  I have to admit, they looked pretty awesome amidst the palm trees in Vegas (I'll be writing about Vegas soon).

poolside at the Luxor

October's pedicure lasted a really good long while.  In fact, I probably didn't need to get another pedicure for November.  But, I needed to trade in my summer colors for a more fall color scheme.

Designed by Chan at City Nails & Spa, South End, MA
Color: China Glaze - Westside Warrior
Occasion: Thanksgiving
November 2011

These colors felt more appropriate for a trip to New York City for Thanksgiving (I will write about this soon as well!). It was actually kind of funny to watch this nail technician try to imitate her own nail design.  It seemed that she kept confusing herself because she tried to mirror what she had, but on my toes.

This is also one of the few times when I chose a nail color that was more matte.  I know I'm behind on this trend, but I've always liked the more sparkley colors.  But I love this shade of green, so naturally this made sense to me.

I actually realized as she was putting the color on that I will have to change my pedicure color to a French Tip for a show I'm going to be in.  I'm a little bummed that I didn't think about it early enough, but I'm not too bummed about another pedicure in a couple of weeks.

10 Day YOU Challenge - 6 Places

6 places:

I've decided to go the route of 6 places that are on the top of my list to visit.

1.  Brazil

2.  Iceland

3.  Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Fiji (and other Oceania Islands)

4.  Egypt

5.  The Great Barrier Reef

6. Mexico

Travels: (Flying Away From) The Dock Of the Bay

Saturday, April 23rd (The Night)
After my sister's show at the Pilipino Cultural Night at SF State, we were all starving!  I don't know what these Filipinos were thinking when they put together this 4-hour non-sequitur, especially considering that many in the audience were family members.  But my sister was awesome in the cultural dances.

We ended the evening at a greasy Thai restaurant near my sister's place called King of Thai Noodle.  It was kind of perfect for my exhausted sister and parents.

It was the first time in a long time that we as a complete family had dinner together.

siblings

This was my final night of sleep in San Francisco, and it felt nice to have spent it with my family.

Sunday, April 24th
I woke up a bit saddened by my final day, but excited to still be in the California warmth.  My parents and brother were driving back down to Southern California later that afternoon, so they wanted to have breakfast together.

We ended up at the Millbrae Pancake House, which has been in the area for over 50 years.  My dad, who is ever the joker, told our waitress that we had driving up from L.A. just to visit the restaurant.  The woman was totally taken aback and was honestly flattered that we had done so.  I didn't have the heart to tell her he was joking.

Being that it was Easter Sunday, there were a lot of families coming for breakfast in their Sunday best.  And then, there was this family.

I really have no words, actually...

After breakfast, we said goodbye to my sister and her boyfriend, and we went back into San Francisco to get pastries to bring back with us on our travels.  I didn't get any cake on my birthday, I realized.  So, I asked if we could get ube cake for me to take back to Boston.

My parents dropped me off at my sister's apartment, and we said our final farewells before they took the long drive back south.  It does make me sad that I don't get to see them as often as I'd like to.

I'm hoping to be able to visit Los Angeles and California again in July.

I had two more folks to see before I left, though.

I was excited to see a belly dancer friend of mine and her two adorable boys.  I met up with them in the Castro area, and we chatted about the dance teachers in San Francisco.  I ended up back at their beautiful home and then at another park to watch the little ones participate in some Easter Egg Hunting action.

I was really looking forward to hanging out with this friend and her family mainly because of all the hilarious things her kids say and do that she posts on Facebook.  Usually, at least with parents who are a bit more obnoxious, I can't really handle the saccharine.  But her two boys are just hilarious and she not an obnoxious parent.

It also made me think a lot about how neat it must be to raise your kids in such a free-flowing neighborhood.  While I'm sure the Castro is full of unfriendly people, I feel like it really instills young children with the idea of acceptance and open-mindedness.  I mean, granted some of the Castro events are a bit less child-friendly, but they're mainly behind closed doors.

After the Easter Egg Hunt, it was time for me to do my final preparations before flying back.  After a quick shower, I packed my belongings and called my sister to say goodbye and thank you.

As I had started my whirlwind of catch-up with friends with someone I knew from Boston, I also ended my catch-up with another dear friend from Boston.  It was perfect, really, since she needed to go to the airport to pick up a friend around the same time that I needed to be at the airport.

She took me to Emmy's Spaghetti Shack, in the Bernal Heights area.  It's a really cute little hole in the wall, and you wouldn't even realize what it was if you just casually passed by it.  My friend recommended the spaghetti with meatballs, since it would help me to get sleepy on my red-eye flight.  The "big meatballs" are no joke.  They're BIG!  The meal and drinks were delicious.

My friend and I were interns in the same place, and she's been one of the few people from San Francisco who I've seen the most.  She's such a super positive and bright and funny person, and it felt good to talk with her about all the troubles I've had in finding a job.  But I left feeling more encouraged.

**********

As I walked through the San Francisco International Airport (Terminal 2) to my gate, I started feeling anxious again.  It was like I was leaving home again, and yet I was excited to go back to the boyfriend and the kittehs.

I really consider myself extremely lucky to have a home base on both sides of the country.  Though it's been a difficult year, I love my life and the people in it in Boston.  But if it came down to it, and it felt like the right time to move I would definitely consider making a move to San Francisco, even for a little while.  Not because it's any lovelier than Boston or Los Angeles (though there is the California sun to consider).  But because I know that I have so many people who I love in that City by the Bay.

Yet, when I landed in Boston, hopping on the Blue Line to the Green Line back home, I'm found myself so happy to be home.

Oh, and my ube cake made it safe and sound through security and a 5 and a half hour flight right into my fridge and my extremely happy belly.

Travels: San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers In Your Green Hair)

Friday, April 22nd
There's something true about the idea that real friends can go a while without talking and just pick things up where they left off the next time they see each other.

My Friday was filled with these get-together's.  I was lucky enough to make several of those types of friends in my early 20's.  We'd gone through so many changes in life; moving across the country, getting married, coming to terms with our losses, growing into our identities.  But we still laughed as though were were still in the Porter College dorms.

I first went to visit my sister in the Union Square where she was working at the new Disney Store.  This was definitely an area where you could "accidentally" spend way too much money.

Monument for Admiral George Dewey's victory
 at the Battle of Manila Bay during
 the Spanish American War

The Disney Store is pretty awesome, really.  Tons of fun activities for kids, like a Magic Mirror and looking for Hidden Mickey's.  Since it was Earth Day, my sister had the lovely role of dealing with people hungry for free stuff:  She was charged with giving out Disney reusable bags for anyone who brought 5 or more plastic bags to the store.  People are crazy, and even more so when there's free things involved.  They would try to get more free reusable bags by bringing 10 or more (though it's 1 bag per person), or would come back later, or would make up something about their friend not being able to come.  It's a free bag, people...calm down.

After spending way too much time at the Disney Store, probably freaking out the staff over my excitement of completing a scavenger hunt/word search about Earth-friendly ideas, I met up with one of my undergrad roommates.

We went around the corner to the Burger Bar, where you're able to personalize your burger with some amazing ingredients.  The burgers were a bit decadent, some costing over $60 when black truffles were added, but delicious.  The milkshakes were also quite tasty.

Since we had a bit more time together, she then walked me over to the Sir Frances Drake Hotel for a special birthday champagne cheer.  It's a gorgeous hotel, and it was a wonderful place to kick off my birthday celebrations.

Ceiling detail

After a glass of champagne, my friend helped me find my way back to the Muni and I rushed to get home to shower and prepare for dinner and a show I was invited to dance in.

I met up with two people who I considered my best friends in undergrad.  We had some amazing adventures together and a bit of a falling out.  But it was mainly my own doing, and I'm glad that we're still friends to this day.

We laughed all the way to the restaurant where I would be dancing. Peña Pachamama, in the North Beach area, has organic South American cuisine and live entertainment.  The food was all delicious.  When we first arrived, there was a flamenco dancer.  The belly dancers would finish off the night.  Most of my friends from undergrad have never seen me dance, though they've seen me do other things like dye my hair green.

Saturday, April 23rd (The Day)
Because it had been so long since I'd seen these friends, I met up with them and another undergrad friend again for brunch.  We did some catching up before brunch, learning about all the happenings since we'd last seen each other maybe 3 years ago.

At Nopa, we celebrated not only my birthday but another friend's completion of his dissertation.  We joked about how this year would be the last year that I could do stupid things and blame it on my 20's.  Haha!  Genius!

Sidebar:  Nopa does not have soy or any other alternative milks available.  Quite unfortunate, really, considering that we were in flippin' San Francisco.  But the food and drinks were delicious.

The Blur cocktail and Custard French Toast with a side of Bacon

Obviously, with it being my birthday and a beautiful warm California day, I had to put on some sparkles and my favorite green dress.

Cheers!

As I looked around the table at my friends, there was definitely a moment when I though, "Hmm...I could live here, especially if it meant I would get to see these people more than every couple of years."

Nerds, when are you going to release that teleportation machine, huh???? C'mon!!!

When late morning turned into early afternoon, I knew it was time to part.  I wasn't sure when my parents and brother would arrive and we'd have to head to my sister's show.  So, we hugged each other ta-ta-for-now.  But it was really hard for me to watch them walk away as I crossed the street to catch a bus.

Bonus Birthday Toesies
I realized I had a bit more time before the rest of my family arrived, so I stopped off at the Castro to get my nails did.

I ended up right on Market St and Castro at Queenbee Nail Salon.  They had a small staff that day, so I got to spend an extra amount of time in the massage chair, which was so amazing that it discovered some serious knots in my shoulders.

Designed by Tee at Queenbee Nail Salon, San Francisco, CA
Color: Zoya - Gemma
Occasion: Birthday Sparkliness
April 2011

By the time the pedicure was over, my parents and brother had already arrived and settled down in their hotel.  Family time would be starting soon, and I had to shift gears a bit.

To Be Continued...
Next Up:  (Flying Away From) The Dock of The Bay