Pictures!!

So Dan keeps saying he is going to blog again soon...we will see. Until then, here are some pictures (for those of you who don't have Facebook)!
See you all soon :)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2994664&id=6818570&l=6dbafa8914

Stress and Sunrises.

Wow! We are getting really bad at keeping you updated on our California adventures...sorry about that.
As Dan said last time, we have both been very busy with work but I know that is not a good excuse!

Some of you may know that, instead of a wonderful class of little kindergarten-2nd grade students with Autism, I am teaching a hellacious group of misbehaving 2nd-5th graders with Autism and other behavioral disabilities this year. My classroom is a incredibly chaotic and anxiety provoking place to be and sometimes makes me wonder why I became a teacher..... After several weeks of being incredibly stressed out (a couple of breakdowns included) because of my job, I have realized that the best part of my job is the drive to work each morning (sad, but true). Not only is this a time where I am able to talk to family, thanks to the time difference, but it is also the most beautiful sunrise over the hills of California. Each day, I am motivated to wake up and get going for work in anticipation of what the morning sun will show me because it is different and somehow more beautiful each day. After attempting (and failing) to take pictures of this while driving, I have seriously considered hiring someone to wake up and ride to work with me to capture it in a picture but realized that, even then, it is not the same as seeing it in person. If you visit us and are willing to wake up before the sun, I would love to take you on the drive!!
In addition to my incredible commute each morning, I am also motivated by my amazing finance and his "pep talks" each evening on how everything will be ok (well, not always that optimistic, but still motivational). Also, each weekend I enjoy every minute I have to relax, from 2:30pm Friday to 5am Monday morning, which also helps the weeks go by.
On another note, some of you may not know, but I am starting to work on my masters degree through a program offered through my school district!!! This is a 3 year program and when it is over I will have my "Masters of Teaching Instruction".  The first "class" is this Saturday and I am really excited to be the student again instead of the teacher...wish me luck!

Until next time, I will try to remember the song I always sing to Dan when he is acting like Eeyore:
"Be optimistic, don't 'cha be a grumpy...when the road gets bumpy, just SMILE SMILE SMILE!"

Love, and counting down until we see you again!

Oh my...it HAS been a while...

Welcome back friends, we haven't forgotten about you! We have been incredibly busy lately, so allow me to take a moment to fill you in. Let's see, since I've been here last, we have had our first visiter to the area, my brother Josh. We had a great time seeing the sights, seeing a great concert, and eating an absurd amount of great food and indulging in drink from a local (read two blocks from our apartment) winery. I have also found myself a job! Yes, I am officially gainfully employed and attempting to make the transition into the "working" world.

For those of you who don't know, I am working for BigTray.com, a restaurant supply company. I am doing logistics/customer support for them. Exciting? Not really, but I am finally feeling like I am serving a purpose out here. I also have weekends off (effing awesome) to do whatever it is that I please. The office is filled with people who used to work in the restaurant industry as chefs, cooks, servers, etc., a very fun, welcoming, friendly crowd.

I have been getting to work at 7:30 am which I never ever thought would be possible for me, those who know me and my sleeping/staying up late habits know exactly what I'm talking about here. My office is only about twelve miles from our place, but due to the traffic, it takes about 35-45 minutes to actually get there. Every day, I have to drive over the bay bridge, which is something I have had to get used to, especially in traffic. It is somewhat unnerving to be in relatively slow moving traffic over the San Francisco bay for six miles or so. Once you are on the bridge, you are on until you arrive in the city more or less. Once again, definitely took some getting used to, but lately I've come to realize that if the thunder doesn't get you than the lightning will. Plus, if I have to be stuck in traffic, sitting watching the sun rise over the golden gate bridge is a pretty kick ass place to be.

In other news, this weekend, we are planning on going to Santa Cruz to check out a potential wedding venue. Pema Osel Ling is somewhat of a Buddhist retreat "zen" center if you will in the Santa Cruz mountains. They have a Redwood Amphitheater there, that looks like an absolutely amazing place to start our lives together "officially". We will definitely take some pictures of the venue and keep you all posted as things continue to develop here.

Until then, keep us posted on what is going on in your lives! We love and miss you all, and can't wait to hear from you and see you all soon!

Love!

We know, we know.

It has been awhile since we've updated this...Dan is going to blog this weekend! We have BOTH been busy with our jobs...yes, he got a job!!
Just a little preview; we are going to look at a wedding venue this weekend!

More soon, we have not forgotten you. xoxo

The first week.

First of all, I have to confirm from Dan's last post that I couldn't be happier! This was the first week of being engaged to the most wonderful man ever and, although it was also my first full week at school, it has been absolutely amazing! We spent the first few days of the week on the phone spreading the news so we didn't get to enjoy the little time we had together until the end of the week but it was worth it because I have received the best welcome from Dan's family and could not be more thankful.
I finally had 3 days off this weekend and it was nice to not have plans (although we missed the trip to Crater Lake to see my brother and Angela) because we were able to explore our area a little more, just like we did when we first moved out here. Our exploring has also gotten a little more productive to our health because we have been doing most of it on bikes!!! It really provides a completely different view and gives me a better appreciation of how wonderful this state really is.
Anyway, back to the engagement! I know everyone is impatient and wants to know when/where and how this is all going to pan out...well too bad. We are still working on setting a date and will let all of you know as soon as we get it. I will let you know, though, we have started looking at venues, colors, honeymoon spots, and all of the other good stuff and I can assure you it will be nothing short of perfect! I can hardly wait to officially be a part of the Pescovitz and Eagle families and, most of all, spend the rest of my life with Daniel.

On a side note...I have finally posted some long awaited pictures and also figured out how to read your comments so please leave some :)

Love love love you all!

Big Big news...

One of my favorite things my mom used to say while my brother and i were growing up was, "You must be growing up under a rock". This was a question usually posed to my little brother, an inquiry as to why it was that he was so pale in complexion. Other notable mother quotes and insults that were directed our way were frequently calling my brother and I vikings, savages, saying that something or someone was dumber than a box of rocks, I once heard her say fuck a duck which I got a pretty good kick out of, and once while I was lollygagging (another favorite of hers) during my freshman year leaf collection, I was even referred to as a "dildo". Yeah, I know. Anyway, while the expression, growing up/living under a rock was typically directed at my brother for being pale, it can also be used to describe someone who hasn't heard about our latest development.

What is going on in our lives right now you ask? Well, we have been going on lots of wonderful bike rides along the bay, and we have been teaching bailey to "say please" when she wants us to throw her ball. Pretty exciting right???? Well, thats not the BIG news. Those are all recent developments, but I suppose what you all want to hear about is that Michelle and i are now engaged! We haven't set a date yet, but the wedding will most likely take place within the time frame of June 1, 2011 and August 28, 2026.

All kidding aside, we really couldn't be happier. Well, I know that I couldn't be happier. I don't want to put words in Michelle's mouth, after all, this relationship is a two way street and she is entitled to an opinion on the subject as well.

For those of you that don't know the story, I will give you the cliff's notes: I asked and she responded with a resounding yes. End. If you want a little more detail, which I would think you would, here is that version. On Sunday August 29th, Michelle and I picked up some sandwiches and a bottle of wine and drove up to Inspiration Point in Tilden Regional Park, right behind Berkeley. We arrived at Inspiration Point had our sandwiches and a glass of wine before we took off on our evening hike. We had been remembering the early days of our relationship as it had been just over three years since we first met. We walked along the trail for a while before finding a "suitable" location to sit and take in the sunset and scenery. We were staring off into the distance with the Golden Gate Bridge and the city of San Francisco perfectly in view. As the sun started to descend, it lit up the sky a brilliant orange with shades of purple and blue on top of Mt. Tamalpais to the right of the bridge. Time for me was running out as Michelle was getting cold, and she had to get up early for work the following morning. Realizing that I didn't have much time to bullshit around, I had to capitalize on the situation, pulled out the ring and dropped to one knee: cue the waterworks. She was totally taken by surprise and much to my surprise ; ) she said yes! It was hands down the most romantic experience I have ever been involved with in my entire life.

Our families and friends have been so supportive and wonderful over the past few days, and we would just like to take a moment and thank all of you for your support.

We love and miss you all!

Rocks and Hard Places

Readers, welcome back. I have a sneaking suspicion that this blog is picking up steam, the number of readers may even be in the double digits now! Considering the fact that between Michelle and myself, we have eight parental figures who are "obligated" to at least feign interest in what their children are doing and going through, the aforementioned number of readers loses some of it's shock value. However, it is nice to know that people are interested (still) in what is going on with us, and we have received many wonderful compliments about this blog, so thank you all for everything and to quote Neil Young, "It's lots of fun to have you there".

Now let's get down to business shall we? I find myself at a juncture in my life, a crossroads if you will. "What are these cross streets I am standing at" you ask yourselves? The intersection I am stuck at (with a broken traffic light, I might add), is "What the f*ck do I want to do with my life ave." and "How in Gods name am I going to do it blvd."

On and off over the past few years, I have been pondering this issue with almost an unhealthy obsession (something I have become quite adept at). So let's take a short journey shall we? And for a short (hopefully) period of time, I will hire all (at least eight) of you to work for me at . Sound like a lucrative offer? Well great, let's embark.

We'll start back in high school with a math class I took. Now I know those of you that knew my in high school (Mom and Dad, looking your way here) will say to yourselves, "Math?!? You struggled with math for quite some time". I did for a while, but somewhere along the line, something clicked for me while studying geometry and came to a pinnacle while I studied trigonometry. I became damn good at trigonometry, and actually won an award in high school for it (senior math student of the year). I don't know what it was, but I felt a very deep sense of satisfaction being able to solve complex trigonometry problems. I really felt like I was accomplishing something there, it felt good.

The next point on this timeline will land between my junior and senior years in college when I packed everything I needed in a backpack and traveled Europe for a month. To this day, that experience stands out as one of the best things I have done with my life to this point. I mean, what an absolutely incredible experience. I remember landing at the airport in Munich and thinking to myself as I tried to read signs in German about what was are, "Oh shit.....What have I gotten myself into here". You know what happened? I made it! It was such an amazing experience, and it really taught me about cultural significance, and as an added bonus, I learned a very important lesson although I didn't know it at the time, and still to this day have a hard time putting it into practice. I know you are all on pins and needles waiting for me to divulge my secret, so I won't keep you waiting any longer. I learned that the best things in life are born of fear and anxiety and apprehension. I was terrified initially about Europe, and it turned out to be a quintessential life experience for me. Now, I know that this will come as a surprise to many of you, but in the months, weeks, and days leading up to our move to California, I was beyond terrified. Our families and comfort zones are back in the midwest. You know what though, I lived through it, and believe it or not, I've even managed to have a little fun in the process. That's not to say that this whole endeavor has gone over without a hitch (lack of employment), and devoid of anxiety (that first week i was a wreck), but we are here now, living. I do believe that this will be, like my travels in Europe, one of, if not THE best thing I have done with my life. I would still like to have a little occupational direction and more importantly, passion.

The next stop on the journey train will be at the creation of this blog. Before this, the extent of my writing was for research papers and a few creative writing essays back in school. I had never before written because I wanted to, and I have to say, I am really enjoying it. I feel comfortable and at ease. I enjoy sharing my point of view with folks, and it seems like people are enjoying it (even if they "have" to by the parental code of ethics).

Now these are certainly not the only things I enjoy. Good food, music, outdoors, golf, animals, spending time with friends, family and loved ones amongst others are all incredibly rewarding experiences as well. If you've been wondering where it is you the reader enter into this equation, it is here. You all, my newly hired creative department if you will, are going to be taking on the daunting task of somehow combining the previously mentioned passions into something that will actually earn me an income. And let's not have any half assed answers here like a traveling mathematician who writes about his experiences while eating a meal prepared be a three michelin star chef at the turn of the legendary Pebble Beach Golf Links. We need quality stuff here people!

Disclaimer: I don't want any of you to become to consumed with the task of helping me find my way. After all, I am only 25 and I'm positive (somewhat) that something will present itself to me in the years to come. But if you're bored and thinking about me, which I know occurs more often than not, let's collaborate for the greater good of society!

Once again, thank you all for your support and well wishes!

Love!

Back in the West from a weekend of love

It's been a while since we've updated this blog so I hope you're all still with us and along for the ride!

We are back in the bay (actually, we have been back for nearly a week at this point) after heading back to the midwest for the wedding of some of our closest friends, Matt and Jill Gilmer. The wedding was fantastic, and it was great to see friends and family, even though we couldn't spend as much time with some of you as we would have liked. Another long time friend of mine, Jon Turner got married as well last monday at the Cincinnati courthouse.

Jon's wedding wasn't "typical" wedding as it took place in the courthouse, but after all, the end result is the same, right? Jon being one of my best friends in the world for many many years now, I would have loved to stand there with him on (hopefully) on of the happiest days of his life, alas, that wasn't the type of wedding the two of them wanted, and this, as most (read: all) things often do got me thinking. Now I know you are just riddled with suspense right now asking yourself, "What did this get him thinking about? I'll be it is something really interesting!". If this isn't the thought that is going through your head right now, humor me. Let me believe that people hang onto my every word just dying to know what I'll say next. Side note: I'm really not that shallow, but everyone likes to feel important and interesting now and then. Back to pertinent subject matter, I was thinking about what it actually is that makes you cool.

I don't mean cool as in wearing the hip clothes, listening to popular music, and having people beating down your door to hang out all the time. I mean cool as in being comfortable and confident with yourself and whatever it is that you may be doing. This is something that I have always admired my friend Jon for, is not giving two shits about what other people think, say or do, and just taking part in the things that make him happy. Being cool, in the truest sense of the word means doing what the fuck you want to do, when you want to do it (within reason of course!). People (I) get too caught up with what other people think if you and become self-conscious and self-doubting. Do what you (I) want to do, be who you (I) want to be. Easier said than done as most things are. I feel like I'm well on my way though. I'm living in the city I want to be living in, with the woman I love, and right now, I'm doing what I want to be doing (except for looking for a job, I hate that). Now, you may be thinking to yourself that this paragraph of text seems like mindless dribble, and you'd be correct. I have been thinking lately about my definition of being cool and, if you'll allow me to toot my own horn for just a moment more, Michelle and I are pretty fucking sweet as far as I'm concerned.

This past weekend, Michelle and I went to the Outsidelands Music Festival in Golden Gate Park (pretty high up on the aforementioned coolness scale). There was a point in the afternoon, as we were sitting in the middle of a polo field listening to My Morning Jacket play an absolutely killer set where Michelle looked at me and just said, "I can't believe we are actually sitting in Golden Gate Park listening to live music." to which I replied, "Yeah, and we only have to travel about forty minutes to get home". Once again, pretty God damn cool.

The festival itself reminded me of "simpler" times. A time, for me, where one of my few worries was what concert I was going to go see next. It was pretty great to feel that way again. Sure we weren't rolling joints all afternoon or having profound psychedelic experiences as can certainly be had at music festivals, but you know what? We had a really good time (cool). Highlights were the Levon Helm band, The Pimps of Joytime, My Morning Jacket, and Further. Further, a band made up of some really top notch musicians, including Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, both of the Grateful Dead, played a really cool set. After all, the Grateful Dead lived in the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco so this was something of a hometown show for them. It was a neat experience to see the surviving members of the iconic band play a show, essentially where it all started. Another cool experience.

It's getting late here, and I am in need of some sleep. I caught a little bit of a cold from being outside in cold (yes, we've already become so accustomed to the weather here that 50's and 60's are considered cold). This is also Michelle's last week before starting school so we are bound and determined to enjoy it, damnit!

It was great seeing everyone recently, congrats to Matt and Jill, Jon and Ruth, and Amanda and Cody (they just had another baby girl). Until next time.

stay cool!!!

Comment!!

I have been trying to figure out how to get the comment box to show at the bottom of our posts but I guess technology has won.... you CAN comment by clicking on "# commments" at the bottom of each post! Even if you don't have a name to sign in, you can click "name/URL" after your comment and type your name in. Email me, parents, if you need more direct instruction :)
We would love to hear from all of you!

(Dan, yes, sharks are very close to us but the only one who enjoys swimming in the extremely cold Pacific waters is our little pig Bailey. I don't think they will be walking up to our door anytime soon!)

***After you write your comment and put your name in you have to click "Publish Your Post" at the bottom!!!

Sharks Motherf***er!

Isn't it cool when you are watching national television and you see things that take place where you live? Yes, yes it is. This week is the beginning of shark week on the Discovery channel, which, in case you have been living under a board for the past few years, is quite possibly one of the most awesome weeks of television all year. It's actually more enthralling and captivating than watching a bunch of no talent ass clowns make fools of themselves and the music industry in general on American Idol. Now those of you that know me, know I have very strong feelings about American Idol and I won't really elaborate on them now because, I realize I am representing the music elitist minority here and, well, not everyone cares what I think about it.

Back to the lecture at hand, shark week is highlighting great white sharks getting medieval on seals and sea lions, and much of this action is taking place a few miles off the coast of San Francisco

Here:

http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&rls=en&q=farallon%20islands&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

And Here:

http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&rls=en&q=farallon%20islands&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

You really should tune in to this series in the evenings as it is quite fascinating in that borderline terrifying kind of way. You will also get some wonderful views of where we live and the depth of nature within a stones throw of our apartment.

Disclaimer: The term "stones throw" is not meant to be taken literally. Neither Michelle, myself, or even Bailey can throw a stone from where we live to where these beasts are. If we could, we would most likely have very lucrative professional baseball careers.

On another note, we are preparing to head back to the midwest in a few days for a weekend of marriage and spending some quality time with friends and family. We are both incredibly excited to come home, see all of you, and eat some WONDERFUL food. Mom, even though I have been talking non-stop about how amazing the food is out here, none of it holds a candle to the culinary genius and grace in the kitchen you possess, so please, pull out all the stops, as there is absolutely nothing that compares to having a home-cooked meal.

We have also found out just how expensive this place is to live recently! 10% sales tax?!? Income tax almost twice what it was in Ohio?!? But I guess "you have to pay to play, right? The latter does not apply to me yet however as I am still unemployed. Parents never fear, I am resourceful, and feel like I am making diligent progress towards getting a job, and if not, Michelle is very marketable, and could easily land a second job while I loaf around and become a beach bum or something of the like! Kidding of course (mom, please don't yell at me for that comment?).

Alas my friends, the time has come for me to embrace sleep. My eyelids grow heavy and I long to be back in that wonderful dream state where I am a famous writer, engorging myself in dionysian pleasures, or perhaps a double agent...The possibilities are endless.

See you all soon!

Love!

Anniversary and Fearlessness

Happy Sunday! We have officially celebrated our 1 month anniversary of living in San Francisco (on Thursday) and have had many first times so far, and still many to go!! When we moved here one month ago, we both agreed that we would turn a new leaf and try new things, conquer our fears/anxiety, and be more outgoing when meeting new people. So far, I feel like we have surpassed all of our expectations of meeting those goals :)
In my opinion (and I think Dan will agree) this weekend was among the most substantial in "first times". As most of you know, Dan is a little obsessed with sushi and has been known to say "I would eat sushi everyday if I could". I, on the other hand, do not eat seafood nor do I like weird textures of food at all. So, living up to this new leaf thing, Friday we went out to a sushi restaurant and I decided to not order my usual fried rice. Instead, I didn't order anything so I would be forced to eat sushi with the others! So I tried it...and LIKED it! So much so, Dan and I went out the next night for more! What a relief for Dan since the seafood out here is unbeatable and I think he thought he would have to eat sushi alone forever.
On top of this amazing sushi discovery, we also took a trip to Half Moon Bay Beach for the day. This was one of the warmer weekends so it was about 63 on the beach (yes, that is warm for a beach here!). We quickly learned that a beach is a beach, you can still get VERY sunburned if it is 63 and overcast. On our way home from the beach, Dan decided he was up for driving on Highway 1! If you don't know, this highway is along the coast of the ocean and has a lot of curves and little between you and the cliff that leads to the ocean so it is very intimidating. Dan, very impressively, pushed all of his anxiety aside and drove up Highway 1 like a pro!! Along the way, we saw many incredible views and breathtaking scenery...it is hard to capture the experience in a picture but I tried.
After all of this weekend's productivity, I begin my new teaching career TOMORROW! Well, sort of, I get to meet my students tomorrow morning and have training Tuesday through Thursday! Lets hope this week goes as well as the past month has been for me...

Love, love, love :)

Dogs Dreaming, Congratulations, and moving music

Do you ever wonder what exactly it is that dogs dream about? I do, especially now with Bailey laying on the couch next to me running after, or away from something. Do they always have the same dream? Is it like the one we have where we feel like we are falling? When they wake up, how do they feel? Angry? Sad? Happy? or just sort of mediocre? These are the things that I am thinking about at 12:13 am on a Thursday morning, and unfortunately, I'm pretty positive my queries will go unanswered forever.

Moving away from my nonsensical dribble and towards a topic with a little substance, in case you haven't heard, Michelle got an amazing job offer as a teacher of autistic children (take that shitty job market!). If you know ANYTHING about her, you already know this is pretty much a "dream job" for her and I couldn't be more proud, excited, and grateful for her. In completely unrelated news, I have started planning for my retirement, which, due to the aforementioned shitty job market may be coming much, much sooner than expected. Parents and Michelle, I'm kidding of course......sort of......hopefully

Of course, this wouldn't be a blog about the San Francisco Bay Area and why we moved here if I didn't take a few moments to brag about some of the things we have been doing that, well, you...just aren't doing (sorry!). The most exciting thing for me over the last week or so has been the Neil Young concerts (yes, the "s" is supposed to be there, I went twice) we went to Sunday and Monday evenings at the historic Fox Theatre in Oakland. Let's just start off with the setlist shall we? My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue), Tell Me Why, Helpless (with a KILLER harmonica solo), You Never Call, Peaceful Valley, Love and War, Down By the River, Hitchhiker, Sign of Love, Leia, After the Goldrush, I Believe in You, Rumblin, Cortez the Killer, Cinnamon Girl, and an encore of Walk with Me. Un-effing-believable. It was really some of the most moving live music I have ever seen. This was a solo show as well, no band, just him on stage with a few guitars, pianos, an organ, and a harmonica. I was hoping for a little more audience interaction a'la the '71 Massey Hall concert, In fact, the only thing he really said to the audience was right before playing Leia. He mentioned this song was "for a lovely little thing, and if we weren't quiet and respectful, we'd scare the hell out of her". It seemed as though he decided to communicate through his guitars and timeless vocals. Definitely a little slower moving around these days, the man can play guitar like only someone of experience can. The huge sound of the guitars left vibrations in your chest like the two of you were sitting in a well insulated garage. Really, if he ever comes close to you, you NEED to see his show live. Yes, tickets will be expensive, but I promise it will be something you will not soon forget.

Goodnight all, Pictures of something will be up in the near future so stay tuned! Also, yesterday was Alice Eagle's 3rd birthday, so if you haven't already, wish her a happy birthday!

Love.

Correction.

Hi everyone! I have to correct Dan's comment saying that I've "retired" from blogging...I have not. I do, however, believe he is better at telling the stories of our San Franciscan journeys.

Anyway...we have had a busy couple of weeks going to county fairs, drinking wine, concert going, trolly riding...you know, the usual (also, still job hunting). It is really frustrating that, although we do something new and exciting almost every day here, our list of things that we want to do or see keeps growing!! It is overwhelming because it seems as though every time we turn on the TV, the host of a travel show or food explorer is somewhere in Northern California. We then look at each other and say "we should do that!" So we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place; we have so much time to enjoy all of these new places (rock) but we have that time because we are not working and, therefore, have no income (hard place). Hopefully all of that will change soon with the few interviews we have scheduled this week! Once we both begin working, LOOK OUT WORLD!

Until then...carpe diem!

New pictures are up, enjoy!
We send lots of love to all of you :)

Long time, no see...

Hello again compadres....it certainly has been a while. I think unfortunately that Michelle has officially "retired" as a blogger and accepted a new position as "picture poster", so from here on out, it will be my duty to describe to you all what it is that we have been doing and instill mental images while she is going to be responsible for actually showing you the pictures so you don't have to rely on my (sometimes meandering) words. Think of this as two people co-authoring a children's book with much better subject matter (save for the book about the caterpillar laying an egg on a leaf in the light of the moon).

Anyway, since we have been together last, many things have transpired. The most noteworthy things have been the Fillmore Jazz festival, a house party an Pacific Heights, and the Marin County fair on the fourth of july. Jazz is a tradition on Fillmore street dating back many many years. All of the jazz musicians used to hang out in clubs and even on the street itself collaborating with other artists making music with one another. This event, like many others in San Francisco, is completely free to attend, and is so rich with culture and music. Following the Jazz festival, we walked to Pacific Heights, only a few blocks from Fillmore street to see some friends play music at a party. Walking there was like walking through a post card. Mountains, ocean, sailboats, bridges, beautiful homes, steep roads, and a whole slew of other picturesque subjects. The Marin county fair was also a lot of fun. We got to see the The Del McCoury band play some tunes with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band out of New Orleans all for the price of admission. Michelle also satisfied her insatiable desire for fair food by eating a funnel cake. Shortly after doing so, she felt a little ill (surprising I know after eating deep fried batter), but I'm sure the next time a fair rolls around she will forget all about feeling sick to her stomach and back to NEEDING a funnel cake or cotton candy or caramel apples.

So here we are on Monday, taking a much needed day to relax (read not be hungover from wine anymore). We (or at least I) find myself with a new problem. No, it isn't "what am I going to do for work", or, "how many resumes can I send out today?" although we both do have promising prospects so parents worry not. No, the issue I am speaking of is where am I going to get a bag of fresh coffee beans. I know the general response will be, "go to safeway, or whole foods, or someplace like that.", however, i am a coffee snob in a city that will allow me to be a coffee snob so unfortunately, regular coffee simply wont do. Time for me to figure out what exactly I am going to do about my issues. Cheers all. Oh, and don't forget to tell Michelle you miss hearing from her!

Big ass trees....

hello again everyone! I hope that you all (or at least some of you) are still checking in on here, living vicariously through us, so that our ramblings aren't in vain. We find ourselves together again, just a little bit before 8:30pm (11:30pm for you folks back home). The coffee table has two empty wine glasses on it that not too long ago were filled with a wonderfully smooth red called prim'a. There is a wine.com retail outlet a block from our apartment, that I can only imagine we will become semi-regulars at. Michelle is laying on the couch next to me reading the first book in a series called found, and I am about to dive into John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley.

Tonight seemed like the perfect night for a little vino and a good book. We spent the majority of the day at Muir Woods which, if you haven't been there, is an absolute must do before you kick the bucket, if only for the drive alone. You begin driving up highway 1, then turn off into Mt. Tamalpais state park. You then continue your winding ascent through the beautiful California countryside eventually coming to your summit (not the summit of Mt. Tamalpais, just the highest elevation you will reach on this particular journey. Right before you start descending into Muir Woods National Monument, you are at a place like few others on the face of this earth. San Francisco's low settling clouds feel like they are no more than ten feet above your head at this point and, for me at least, was a very surreal experience. A lot of things hit you (or maybe just me) at this point in time. You become grateful and happy that places like this do actually exist and that you got to see it with your own eyes, make your own experiences with it. And then you look to your left at the road you now have to drive down and think......shit, now I have to drive down there?!?!?! Where are the guardrails??? But whenever you sneak a quick glance off into the distance and see the beauty of what is around you, fear and nervousness are strangely gone, or maybe just subdued for a little longer.

And now onto the Muir Woods National Monument itself. This place will really give you some perspective on how small you really are. Not so much figuratively (although it certainly can have that effect on you), but literally....those trees are huge! I had always expected these trees to be big, but nobody's description can even do these things justice. We quickly decided to leave the paved path for a little more rugged terrain to really see what this forest was all about. We decided to take the Fern Creek trail is at said "beginner/moderate; steep in sections". We followed this trail up a creek to another trail leading to Camp Elizabeth. This trail on the other hand was about a half mile of snaking path directly up the side of the valley. Eventually we made it, exhausted to Camp Elizabeth to sit down and share some cucumber salad we had made a few nights prior. After almost taking the wrong trail and possibly getting lost in the woods, we began our trek back to Muir Woods to call it a day. We were very tired and worn out by this point when it dawned on us, we only need to drive about forty minutes to get home! This is where we live! Wonderful!

Anyway, time to begin Travels with Charley. We love and miss you all. Here's to hoping things are as well for all of you as they are for us!

Before we moved to California, we knew our lives were going to change drastically but we weren't sure how. Here is what has changed for us so far...
-We have had at least one meal a day outside in the beautiful sunshine.
-We have done/seen at last one new thing a day (Jack London Square, Berkeley Bowl, Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, BART rides, haircut place, Berkeley Marina, the beach at the Pacific Ocean)
-We walk to most places we go (and are getting bikes soon!)
-We've met at least one new person every day
-Each time we go to the grocery, we have vowed to try at least one new food (because there are so many great, new, and interesting foods out here!) The last time we had "California-style bread", natural peanut butter, Pistachio ice cream, and milk from a local creamery.

I know that this excitement and time to discover new things will wear out soon but for now we are enjoying every second of it.
We have worked out a nice little schedule so we have time to look for jobs too (so don't worry, parents!). Every morning, we have been working on finding jobs and paying bills so in the afternoon we can get to know our new world. Keep your fingers crossed that we get calls for interviews soon so we can be a little more productive!

Pictures are posted: http://s976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/michellej0925/Branching%20out/

Enjoy! We miss you :)

Happy Fathers Day and Strawberries.

Good morning all! Before we get started here, I'd like to take a second to say happy fathers day! It's days like these that makes being 2400 miles away tough. Everyone likes to spend holidays with their family; enjoying a good meal, sharing in nice hearty laugh, and just overall good company. I guess I can thank Kroger for at least preparing me for this change. Over the past few years, I haven't really been able to spend many holidays with my family due to work, so at this point I'm pretty much used to it. On the other hand though, this is our official "first holiday away from home", and we'd just like to tell you all how much we love and miss EVERYONE.

I'd also like to thank Jenny, Tara, Katie, and Michael Eagle for the gift certificates to Whole Foods! We were finally able to make it to the grocery store the other day and our refrigerator is looking a little less bare. Eagle family, I will think of you personally every morning for the next week or so while I put the cream in my morning coffee! Among other things, at Whole Foods we picked up some strawberries that are absolutely amazing. Have you ever had strawberries that have no white on the inside? Strawberries so juicy that you have to carefully pick them up so you don't crush them? Strawberries so tender that they almost melt between your tongue and the roof of your mouth? Man, these are really fantastic strawberries!

If you haven't already seen the pictures of our new place, Michelle posted the pictures last night on here, so without further adieu...pictures of our humble abode! If you look closely at the pictures, you can see me being lazy laying on the couch in a few of the photos, and of course, Bailey was more concerned with something going on outside than helping Michelle take some pictures. Michelle was so concerned with giving you guys great shots, she was standing on the bed in the corner of our room, so make sure you appreciate the photos! Take care all, and fathers, have a wonderful day!

Our new home.

For those who are not on facebook:

http://s976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/michellej0925/First%20week%20explorations/

:) xoxo

Annnnd here we are.

Finally! We are now broadcasting live and direct from Berkeley, CA. Our new apartment is fantastic, pictures will follow, don't worry. We are slowly but surely getting settled into our new environment. The past few days have been somewhat tough. It finally hit me that we actually did move 2400 miles away from home. That, for me was, and honestly still is something that I am struggling with. However, day by day, it is getting much easier to become acclimated to our new surroundings.

Today we went out exploring our neighborhood for the afternoon to see what was around. We stumbled upon a really really cool area of town just a few blocks from our apartment. There is all kinds of unique shops restaurants, and people hanging out. There is even a "vivarium" there. Never heard of it? Well neither have we until we went in. It is a specialty pet store for reptiles. They have probably about a hundred different species of snakes, lizards, turtles, and other strange creatures. Veeeerrrryyy strange indeed. Fear not though, I vowed to bring anyone who visits us to that place because it is definitely an experience.

While in this area, we decided to grab lunch at a really great sandwich place right across the street from a Peets coffee shop. At the coffee shop, or rather on the sidewalk in front of the coffee shop, there was a full band just hanging out playing music. There really is nothing in the world quite like eating lunch outside in Berkeley while listening to a band play their rendition of "The Thrill is Gone".

Each day, I realize more and more that this is where it is all happening. So many big musicians come through here, and there are many more who are just getting their start. Neil Young is playing three shows in oakland next month which is just a 15 minute commute for us, and another show in Davis, CA. which is just about 45 minutes from here. The US Open is also at Pebble Beach this year, just about a two and a half hour drive down the Pacific coast from us. This really is the place. Come visit when you can, and don't forget to check the 10 day forecast periodically for 94710! Take care all, we love and miss you!

http://s976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/michellej0925/

http://s976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/michellej0925/Day%20Two-%20Lincoln%20to%20Rock%20Springs/

http://s976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/michellej0925/Day%20Two-%20Lincoln%20to%20Rock%20Springs/Day%20Three-%20Rock%20Springs%20to%20Reno/

Enjoy!

Pictures can't explain.

Tonight I find myself still trying to catch my breath and take in all of the beautiful scenery we drove through today. It seems unreal that places like this exist in our country! We have driven through Wyoming, Utah, and most of Nevada and were up close and personal with places that I have only seen in pictures (which, by the way, do no justice to how breathtaking they really are). I know we promised to keep you all updated with pictures of our daily adventures but we are struggling to find the time to fiddle with this blog enough to figure out how to put them up, sorry!
We sleep in Reno, Nevada tonight which is only a stones throw from the California border. As we plan for tomorrow, our move in day, I get more and more excited/nervous/happy/proud/scared/shocked about being a Berkeley resident. The reality of living in this wonderful place instead of vacationing has not set in quite yet but I am starting to realize just how far away I am from all that I have ever known and loved in the midwest. That being said, I am also realizing how incredibly lucky I am to have this opportunity to start a new life with a wonderful man and could not imagine going on this journey at any other time in my life or with any other person in my life.

These are the days we will remember forever.

Day Two: Lincoln, Nebraska to Rock Springs, Wyoming

Welcome back readers, friends, family, and proxy travelers. Today was another wonderful day of travel. We are starting to enter the "scenic" part of our wonderful country. From the beautiful rolling hills of western Nebraska, to the Rocky mountains of Wyoming.

Before I get into the nitty gritty of today, I feel as though I should touch on yesterday a bit. Yesterday, at least for me, was a particularly tough day. I said goodbye to my wonderful family in the midwest and as all goodbyes tend to go, it was very bittersweet. My entire family has been nothing short of fantastic to Michelle and myself over the past few years spent in Cincinnati. It was however, the first day of the rest of our lives as we embarked on the great journey west.

For me, today was a day of perspective. Of course what we are doing is incredibly brave, but as you are driving across you can't help but think about the legendary explorers who made this journey with a covered wagon, a weapon for food, and a lack of knowledge about what they will encounter on the other side of the Continental Divide, let alone whether or not they would return home safely.

Our journey is of course, much MUCH different, as we are aided by GPS devices, iPhones, a plethora of fast food restaurants for "nourishment", and most importantly, an understanding of what it is we are going to encounter on the way and at the end.

Each mile we get closer to San Francisco, i feel more and more energized. It is so very exciting to see and take in this part of our great nation. I have a wonderful traveling companion (I love you, Michelle), and her parents have been a huuuuge help to us on the way out.

Time to get some sleep. Another loooong day of driving ahead tomorrow, but at the days end, we will be within four hours of our final destination and our new lives together. Until then!

Thanks for reading all! Be well.

Maybe not.

So I can't figure out how to put more than one picture on here (any suggestions?).
Plan B: here is a link to the pictures on Photobucket:

http://s976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/michellej0925/

Goodnight!!

14 hours....800 miles

While driving from Cincinnati to Indianapolis to pick up my mom and Dennis this morning I thought it would be so great to blog and post pictures once we arrived at our first stop in Lincoln, Nebraska to update you all on our journey...unfortunately, after driving for 14 hours, through 5 states, totaling 800 miles, we are VERY tired (believe it or not) so I will post a few pictures to hold you over until we get more energy. Enjoy, we miss you all already :)

It's sinking in.

It has been so long...here's why;
We have had a lot going on the past couple of weeks including moving to Loveland with Dan's mom so we are able to sublet our apartment in Oakley for the summer (which has little to no internet connection which makes it difficult to update blogs, but is beautiful and surrounded by nature so it is ok!) Also, it turns out that there is a lot more "technical" and petty things to be done when moving across the country than we originally thought so we have been transferring addresses, making reservations, paying final bills and deposits for upcoming bills, servicing cars, quitting jobs, cleaning and organizing our lives, saying goodbye to loved ones...the list goes on and on!
This past weekend we made a visit to the beautiful capital of our country where my best friend and her fiance live. Most of the weekend was spent talking to two of my best friends (Jill and Katie) about Jill's upcoming wedding, Katie's new job, as well as our move to San Francisco. DC was a great time and brought this trip to reality for me. It is wonderful to be able to share our experiences of starting over with people who understand the excitement and fears of the unkown, which made me feel even closer to all of them. Although Dan and I are incredibly excited to start this new life in a new place, it will be very difficult to not be able to drive a few minutes or hours to see our closest friends.
3 days left as Ohians...

Welcome everyone. Friends, family, and anonymous internet relations! The "official" countdown for our journey is 16 days. The time is sure moving fast. Every day, our apartment looks even more barren and somehow more cluttered. I feel like every day I am stepping over something I haven's seen in months.

Why Berkeley? Why not. Who knows what we will find there. The unknown is what is so romantic about this whole situation. Packing our belongings in a car, throwing the dog in the back seat and hitting the open road with an open mind and no expectations. We hope to find that San Francisco is the "light at the end of the tunnel" so to speak. The possibilities are endless, however we would be foolish if we didn't consider the other side of the coin as well. We may find that like James Joyce, it is the "conflict" with our current state (of mind, being, residence, etc.) that inspires and harbors creativity and greatness.

So what will we find? Who knows. We are grateful to have you all along for our journey to "experience" with (or rather through) us the gamut of emotions as we begin writing the next chapter in our lives.

WELCOME!

Be patient!

We are thinking of the perfect way to welcome you to our blog!