more Weekend please...

I almost forgot to share tomorrow's game day quote with you all.

And I almost forgot to share the yummy pictures of the Ginger-Garlic Pizza I got to make tonight.

Ah weekends...

Quick side note - I know, I know I haven't even started yet, how can I have a side note, but I got this lovely card in the mail from Kat today and well I love it wholeheartedly and thought it was a great way to kick off the weekend recap - because this is EXACTLY the way that yoga makes me feel.

Back to the weekend recap...

Saturday afternoon Cuppa chai and a glass of beer at Cafe Trieste.

Loverboy loves his coffee and he's just so darn cute drinking it.

And I love how beautiful coffee is.

Roof top parsley planting! I was having a serious hankering to play in some dirt this weekend. According to Sunset magazine, it's okay to start planting tomatoes inside right now --I told lover boy this and he suggested we hit up a local nursery- we couldn't find tomatoes, so we opted for parsley instead-I have not done much gardening in my life YET, but I have a feeling it's something I am going to fall in love with.

And one day when I do have a garden, I think it would be lovely to have lots of colorful pots!

Scallops in a yummy orange, garlic marinade with lots of fresh roasted veggies for dinner.

So beautiful I could cry....

Yes....I'm talking about Sweet Potatoes, mixed with spinach and red onions. I'm not kidding you people, this nearly had me in tears (okay so maybe I might be pmsing and a little extra emotional...but still, these colors are beautiful!). Tonight was the first night all week I have been able to come home and cook and move slowly and it was simply divine.

It's lovely to have a life full of wonderful things to do and people to be with, but it's also lovely to have nothing to do at all.

Quote of the day.

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” Khalil Gibran

--Tweeted by my college basketball coach today - I knew she was in my circle! Love her and love Khalil!

High, low - and a special treat at the end.

I'm craving a round of High, Low with the F4L right now. In high school we would often hang out in the "circle room" of Jenny's house - it was literally a little room with couches set up in a circle and the 11 of us would pile in and someone would shout out - "Let's play high, low!" and then we'd go around in a circle and every on of us would share our low of the day and our high of the day. How awesome is that?! It was such a great way to share something that's been a struggle and something that has been joyful--love it, love it.

So anyways, I'm wanting to share my high, low with the blog world today. I'll start with my low, because I like to end things on a positive - you know, kind of like how I can't leave the basketball court without making my last shot - you've gotta end on a make :).

Low = Losing our bball game by 1 point. It's kind of funny to me how much a loss still gets under my skin. I'm playing little situations from the game over and over in my mind thinking about what I could have done differently as a coach to have given my girls a better shot at winning. It's kind of funny though - as much as I hate the taste that losing leaves in my mouth - in a weird way it feels kind of nice to have this feeling again. As icky as losing can be, it's nice to have felt like you really poured yourself into something - even if it was just for 40 minutes and even if the outcome was less than ideal. This might sounds kind of crazy but in a way it's kind of nice to have something that you want so bad and are willing to wrk so hard for that when you do and the outcome isn't what you envisioned, it hurts. Is that crazy?

High = I have two.
1) Lunch time walk with Lindsey. I have two Lindsey quotes to share that just made my day

#1) We were talking about Avatar and Lindsey said something like this, "Sarah, I just kept thinking about how OUR world is just as beautiful!" I loved this perspective. I saw Avatar a couple weeks ago and was mesmerized by the beauty in this make believe world, but Lindsey's perspective reminded me that gosh, the world that we live in really is just as beautiful, we just have to remember to keep our eyes open to it - beauty really is all around!

#2) We also got into a conversation about the good that comes out of what might seem like a bad situation at first. And Lindsey summed up the conversation and walk saying something like this, "Wouldn't it be great if we could all just face life with the mindset that no matter what happens, it will be good for us." I LOVE IT! What a liberating way to approach life - makes me so much less afraid.

2) My phone conversation with Joe. I know, I know, super cheesy, but I just love getting to hear the thoughts inside his head and getting to share mine too.

So there you have it, my cliff note version of my high, low today. I really feel like my mind is reeling with life thoughts spurred by my high and low today, but I'm afraid I've been up since 5:30 am and am fading fast. Here's for hoping I get some time to revisit these things on a more alert brain soon.


Ooooooh and now for your special treat - A sneak peak of the boy (Lisa - this is for you - I promise there will be more to come soon!) . I hope the kissing isn't too much for ya!

just another weekend highlight reel...

All I have to say is I wish weekends never had to end. Here's a little list of this weekend's highlights...

1) Rosie's 8th grade play - ah-dorable and some seriously talented kids!


2) Out of this world Saturday morning yoga class. There was definitely some kind of special energy going on Saturday Morning -- deeper down dogs and more balanced half moons.

3) Book club/catch up session/clothing exchange with the girls. We just finished our 2nd book - The Help and I just cherished the couple of hours that we got to share our thoughts. I just love these girls and the ideas swirling around in their heads! Plus we got some good girl gossip/catch up in:). Next book = The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - so excited to start it!


4) Mojitos and Ropa Vieja @ Bodeguita del Medio with Joe for his good friend's 30th birthday. So excited to get glimpses into his world of friends!

5) Awesome post run massage courtesy of Joe:).

6) Eggplant and Zuchinni Lasagna.

Happy Start of the week everyone!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

let me tell ya - she is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside!

My fellow food lover!

I simply love the joy on her face here.

It's my Grandma's birthday today! She is 80 years old (sorry Grams I hope it's okay that I share this with the blogosphere). You'd never know it though - she has aged so gracefully and is sharper mentally than I am a lot of times!

I thank my lucky stars that I get to have a woman like her in my life. At 80 she is still so full of life, love and curiosity. I love that I can have a serious conversation with her or be a silly goofball with her. I love that when my sister and I were growing up, she would sing songs like "I'm a lonely little petunia in the onion patch" on car rides with us. I love that she once spent an ENTIRE day making family Sushi recipes with me the old-fashioned way. I love that she collects pebbles from different corners of the world and has them labeled in a beautiful display case in her bedroom. I love that I can't find a single picture of her anywhere without my grandpa by her side - those two are soul mates I tell ya. I love that she could stay up until 5 am playing Shanghai. I love that we get to cook together on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love that whenever I am home in San Diego, I can call 15 minutes before I arrive and she is always ready to hang out and feed me :). I love the way she values family. I love the way she finds beauty all around her. I simply love this woman's spirit and I hope to goodness I am lucky enough to inherit even a little bit of it.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

a little cooking and a little quoting...

So life is a little crazy, busy right now, which I can't complain about because it's crazy, busy with crazy, wonderful things - the only down side is the lack of time that this crazy, wonderful business leaves for cooking which is something that not only feeds my tummy but feeds my soul. The up side is that last night I got to spend some time makin' some Mushroom risotto and I think it made me even happier than usual on the inside!

Mushrooms, BUTTER, shallots and arborio :) - oooh and Saffron!


And don't tell the girls, but here is tomorrow's game day quote.

You know what's cute? The girls have been collecting each week's quote and tying them to their water bottles :). Love it.
We are playing a team with a bunch of BIG girls tomorrow, so I thought this was appropriate, because it's true you know - it doesn't matter how big you are in stature, what matters is how big your heart is.

Song of the day...

Hope this helps to get "Monday" off to a good start. Three cheers for 4 day weeks people!

Little Fire

by Emmylou Harris and Patty Griffin.

So I am totally bummed but this link dosen't seem to work so do yourself a big favor and go You Tube it!

Inspiration credit = Oprah magazine - yes, I am a dork and read Oprah magazine.
Direct quote - I love the image it conjures...
"Recorded in a Nashville house of worship, the harmonies echoing off old oak pews achieve a beauty that's close t0 divine."

Band of the day and a lot of sappiness.

Storyhill

Their music is simply beautiful. Sure, sure they were introduced to me by this boy that I have fallen head over heels for, but I don't think that has made me biased at all or anything...just go listen, their music really is beautiful. Try Boulder River or Charley's Cabin.

And you know what's even more beautiful? Kissing Joe while listening to Storyhill :).

You guys, YOU GUYS...I might as well go ahead and say it...I think I have done it, I think I have fallen for this boy. And you know what I am loving more than anything about it right now? All the little things I am discovering about him that are making me fall even harder. Oh brother, I warned you there was a lot of sappiness coming your way didn't I?

So this weekend, I have been busy falling in love with the boy's incredible musical side. Get this -- he keeps a harmonica in a little compartment on his dash so if a song comes on that he can play along with, he can bust it out and start playing. Now if that's not adorable beyond adorable, sexy and loveable beyond loveable, I don't know what is.


and, AND! Guess what else I discovered this weekend? The boy is a harmonizer!!! Yes, you read right! I just about jumped out of my own skin when he said that he likes to try to harmonize with the songs he's listening to because I love doing the exact same thing!

So that's a little bit of what's been going on in my corner on this lovely Martin Luther King 3 day weekend. Here are a couple more snapshots of the weekend...

Cutie flowers...cute, ha?!

Memorial Church on an overcast Saturday night. Love Stanford and all the beauty on the campus.

Sunday Brunch Mimosas.

Yummy Gummy Tummies :). Get 'em at your local Trader Joe's :).

Song of the day...

Inspiration credit once again goes to Lindsey from the Mini Road Trip CDs.

Songs of the day :)

I'm lovin' these today. (Inspiration credit = Lindsey's mini road trip CDs for our trip from Ventura to the bay). Happy Friday!

A few basketball things...

....that made me light up inside at last night's game....

1) Girls who have looks of determination in their eyes.
2) Girls who dive on the floor to get a loose ball.
3) Girls who are loud on defense!
4) Girls who sacrifice their bodies and slam into walls in order to save a ball from going out of bounds.
5) Girls who may mistakes but then bounce back with game-winning plays.
6) Girls who cheer for their teammates.

The girls sure did earn their Win tonight.

My world is spinning :) and I am forgetting to take pictures...

I blame the twitter patted feelings I've been experiencing lately for my lack of picture taking...dang it, I miss having pics to share at the end of a weekend - there were lots of lovely moments this weekend, we'll have to settle on a verbal highlight reel until I can get my wits about me again...

1) 11 hours of sleep on Friday night.
2) Thai chicken noodle soup with the boy.
3) Geeking out in 3-D glasses with the boy while watching Avatar at the Oakland Grand (awesome theatre - they even had twinkly stars on the ceiling-loved it!)
4) Frozen yogurt and night time lake walks.
5) Redwood Trail run with the boy.
6) A killer hill to end said run.
7) The boy reading a book on a bench waiting for me :).
8) Breakfast and coffee/chai tea with the boy.
9) Lots of good work on the offense at basketball practice with the girls.


Oh and before I close this weekend's updates, I have to apologize to my body for putting it through all this world spinning madness this first week back at work.
I am sorry body! - for not resting you enough, for putting in 12 hour days and then waking you up at 5:30 am to go running. I promise to work to be better this week and to give you a little break even when my brain is telling me to keep going so that you don't have to collapse into a exhausted, sore throaty heap of a mess come Friday. I blame the extra twinkly kisses I have been lucky enough to be getting lately - for my pseudo energy surge. But I know, I know body, kisses cannot fully substitute for sleep :).

Here's to making time for some R&R this week :).

Quote of the day..

"Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain."

Quote of the day...

"Come here," and he's on my side of the room in one stride and he claps my hands to his hips and kisses my mouth like I am the drink he's been dying for all day and I've heard girls say it's like melting, that feeling. But I think it's like rising, growing even taller and seeing sights over a hedge, colors you've never seen before."
--The Help

Yay for Game Days!

So excited for our first bball game today :).

You know what's really cute?

Boys who play the guitar.

Boys who grow herbs and vegetables on roof tops.

Boys who wear aprons to cook crazy, delicious meals with you.

Expect some sappiness for a little while people :).

NYE 09

So I have been seriously slacking on the picture taking since I've been back in the bay...so check out Kat's Flickr page if you wanna get a glimpse of what's been going on :).

Kat's Flickr Pics

The last few days of 2009 and first few days of 2010 have been great and I just have to share a few of the highlights of being back in the bay...

1) Kat's Thai bday dinner and Kara's cupcakes for dessert!
2) NYE kissing practice -giggle giggle :). (I apologize if this makes you throw up in your mouth a little.)
2) Ironside NYE dinner with the crew.
3) NYE Fireworks next to the Bay Bridge. I love that darn Bay Bridge at night---it's all twinkly and wonderful which was a perfect match for twinkly and wonderful NYE kiss :).
4) NYE leis and "noise-makers."
5) A beautiful hike in the Berkley Hills at Tilden Park.
6) Fried Chicken Sandwiches, molasses cookies and Mighty leaf mint tea on ironing board tables at Bakesale Betty's.

Yay!

Lessons from 2009...

I'm late, I'm late, I know! I usually have this New Year's reflection stuff wrapped up long before this hour, but I have to admit, I have been happily distracted by a pretty amazing boy as of late and have no regrets at all about this photo finish :).

Did you know I love this time of the year---the beginning that is. There's always a sense of hope in my heart that seems to come along with clean slates, second chances and opportunities to start fresh. I also love this time of the year for the way it naturally lends itself to reflecting on the past year. I'm a big reflector if you don't already know this- and while I love reliving life as I think back on it, I have to say that I am a little apprehensive about this year's reflections because geez louise this year was packed full of lessons, learning, sorrow, joy etc and I am not sure that I have the words in me to fully express the millions of feelings floating around in my heart and head about it. So for blogging purposes, I thought I would share a few of the lessons that I had the good fortune of learning this year and save the rambling for my less public, hand-written journal.

Here we go!

Lesson # 1: "The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain."
Mini-reflection: Kahlil Gibran is the man isn't he? These words have brought comfort time and again during challenging periods in my life and I am a firm believer in them.

Lesson #2: Breakups can make you feel like you are hitting rock bottom, but can simultaneously open your heart to a faith in the universe that you never before knew existed.
Mini-reflection: There have been so many positive signs all along my life path this year that I have absolutely no choice but to believe that things truly do happen for a reason.

Lesson #3: Relationships that you never dreamed would end, can in fact end, but in their place comes the kind of friendship that you've only ever dreamed of having.

Mini-reflection: Perhaps the biggest blessings of 2009 for me - My second family, Kat, Lindsey and Laura - 7 amazing people that I cannot imagine this past year without.

Lesson #4: There is nothing in the world like the support of family and friends who have known you all your life.
Mini Reflection: Enough said.

Lesson #5 and Mini Reflection: Resilience can be found in simple pleasures lists -I can remember one of the first things that I blogged about after the breakup was a Simple Pleasures list. It's hard to be sad about anything when you begin to open your eyes to ALL the wonderful things that surround you, gratitude, blog comments - Lisa and Sadina-your blog friendship has been such a source of inspiration for me this year-I love the community we have created!, optimisim and deep breathing- Yoga has become a vital part of my sanity this year and there are few things in this world as refreshing to me as a deep, sighing exhale these days.

In the end, I am so very thankful that life unfolded exactly the way it did this past year and I truly believe that as a result of all that happened this year, I am exactly where I need to be to move forward and grow. And so as 2009 comes to an end, I am heeding the words of a meditation one of my favorite Yoga Teachers shared during our last class of the year and opening my heart to all that 2010 has to offer. I am very excited about whatever 2010 has to bring and can't wait to see how this year of life will test, challenge and force me to grow.

Happy and Healthy New Year all!