Hike in the heat

This weekend was the hottest weekend so far since I've moved to the Bay Area. A whoppin' 94 degrees did not stop my gals from work and I from braving one of the un-shaded trails at Rancho San Antonio. Not to mention, we decided to go the "long way" extending the hike to about 3 hours in total in the hot blazing sun. Needless to say, we all made it to the top but it sure wasn't easy but it was all worth it. Even the encounter with random snakes was surprisingly bearable.

I'm a sucker for anything old and rusty! They make for great photo-ops, no?

Mr. Cow frying on the little farm we found along the trail.

Me & Linda during our quick stop at the farm.

Hello stinkies!!!

When you come to a fork, someone's gotta decide where to go. Rebecca leads the way.

Beautiful sunflowers!

And so it began, straight incline for who knows how many miles. Torture!

The view from the top. Although we didn't get to enjoy it much since it was burning and there was no shade, the view was pretty fantastic!

We all took baths in our own sweat. Pretty gross. I think I was the worst. I tend to be naturally sweaty. LOL!

This is Leslie preparing one of our rewards-ICE cold lemonade!

Linda and Jinmei are all smiles for the best part-FOOD!

Spring rolls, home-made guac, fresh banana cupcakes and watermelon. The perfect snack after a loooooooong and draining hike.

Despite the weather, this has got to be one of the most satisfying things I've done in a long time. It also was by far the hardest hike I've had to endure. Stay tuned for our next future adventure! I'm trying to push for white water rafting. : ) We'll see how that goes!

Semi-Lazy Saturday

I stayed home most of the day to just relax. That's a half-truth. I kinda did some chores and such while at home. One of them involved the painful task known as "the human shredder." See for yourself.

Poor folk can't afford real shredders,

instead, we use our bare hands.

That's MANUAL labor for you, friends!

I have to admit, we had a blast swimming in the pile afterwards. ;) Hope you all are having a great weekend so far! Tomorrow, I'm headed to the hills for some hiking and picnic-ing with some of the girls from work. Can't wait!

Ellabella's Big Day

This is Ella, better known as my 'partner in crime.' Today is her birthday. I miss her a lot! I dedicate this post to her as I present her with these virtual beauties. Friend, I hope you enjoy these gifts. I may not be able to afford them in this lifetime but it's the thought (are the thoughts?) that counts, right?

The Italian flag in honor of your strong desire to speak Italian and our future future future trip to Italy. Remember, we're counting on you to be our tour guide.

All the yellow shoes in the world whether cute or absurd, I know you'll wear them.

A paddle board set to whisk you away just as you wish, anytime, anywhere. It's like Aladdin's magic carpet but not really. Close though, very close.

A ton of macarons to satisfy those always-craving-something taste buds of yours. Although every flavor in the rainbow may still leave you lingering for more. By the way, I'm also counting on you to invent a macaron flavor that does not yet exist. Consider it a birthday challenge. I'll check back with you in June 2011.

Lastly, a trip to the beautiful islands of Hawaii to lay out on the sand, relax and read a book....from your Nook. Of course while sipping on a mouth-watering pina colada followed by a mai tai followed by another pina colada. Get the picture?

Have a spectacular birthday, Ella!

I cherish your friendship.....for realsies!!

: )

Love,

Alli

SFMOMA

Hello! Welcome to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. My name is Allison and I will be your tour guide today.

The Anniversary Show celebrates SFMOMA's 75th birthday. It features a host of drawings, paintings, photographs and much more.

One of my personal favorite installations was one featuring chairs of various shapes and sizes.

A gold-sculpted Michael Jackson and his monkey are displayed in one of the galleries.

It wouldn't be a modern art museum without some Lichtenstein...

...nor would it be so clean without these brooms.

The rooftop garden features a cafe as well as this abstract beauty,

and this towering sculpture.

There was a strict "no photographs rule" in the installation gallery so I opted for pictures of the building itself.

After all, wouldn't you consider the architecture, a work of art itself?

The skylights allow for more natural lighting thus creating a more 'green' building.

The outline of a stairwell can be mistaken for art.

I hope you enjoyed your visit! Please come again and bring a friend!

Sweet heart

Last night as I was getting ready to do my evening rituals before heading to bed when I got a call from the Marc.

M: Yogurtland-doesn't that sound good. Pick you up in 5....

A: Yeah, it's almost my bed time but...

M: Be ready, already on my way. I know you can't say no.

A: True, it's Yogurtland.

Five minutes passes, he calls back to tell me that he's out front. I couldn't help but laugh! Back when we were still dating,we both avoided getting out of the car and ringing the doorbell whenever we'd pick each other up. Come on now, isn't that what cell-phones are for?

We're married. We live in the same place yet we hardly see each other on the weekdays. On his way back from class last night, he picks me up and we each enjoy a cup of fro-yo. We end up chatting....about food. So we went to the grocery store to buy stuff for the dinner that I'm supposed to be making right now. Instead, I'm blogging. : ) But that's not all, we ended up marching right into a donut shop for more dessert! Late night eating=fatties. But in the end, it was all worth it!

Marc, you're the best! I love you! You can probably wake me up in the middle of my sleep by uttering the word "froyo."

End of random post.

Hanging out at SU

Recognize this?

Marc is contemplating sacrificing his life to try to get into their Ph.D. program. No more degrees, please! It's getting expensive! Haha!

One of the United States' most prestigious universities happens to be around our neck of the woods. In fact, it is not too far from where I work. The weather this weekend was so pleasant that it was hard to stay indoors. On Saturday afternoon, we found ourselves walking the grounds of the timeless Stanford University. The campus is a scenic treat all throughout and is on the large side. We plan to return to conquer the other 'half' of this world-renowned campus.

Shot taken from Memorial Court.

The pristine chapel.

We ran into about 4 or 5 wedding parties while moseying our way through campus.

Close up of the chapel.

Columns-a popular architecture form at Stanford.

Little 'forests' could be found throughout campus. They had benches and picnic tables-what better way to study/take a break than to be under a canopy of trees! Marc noted that it was at least 5 degrees cooler within these stealthy hideaways.

One of the admin buildings reminiscent of a museum.

The campus is just way too large!

The four-level bookstore puts B&N to shame! They even have a cafe inside and plenty of study space.

Hopefully next time we visit, we're on bicycles or something that has wheels. My feet felt like they were going to detach from my legs from all the walking we did. (Side note: Mostly b/c we got lost 2342340 times). I can't wait to have children so can I mold them into over-achiever robots turned Stanford scholars just so I can get a license plate reading "Stanford Mom." Not to mention, bragging rights to rub in the faces of all my Asian comrades! Thank God my parents are not like that. :)

Dad's Day

In his natural element, I present to you, my Dad.

This morning at church, I teared up as all the Dad's came forward for a special tribute. How I wish I could be home to celebrate father's day with my dad. But I do know that he's had an awesome day. I called him this morning and he was putting around the golf course before tee time. Father's day or not, weekend or weekday, I can always expect to find my Dad outdoors. Dad, thanks for all that you do and for helping me become who I am today. I love you and miss you so much!

A sunny day in San Francisco: Abridged

Union Square

Yerba Buena

BART station

Marc has been wanting to visit the SF MOMA and so we did. I'm saving the rest of the pics for another post.

Lombard St.

aka: crookedest street

It was a really hot day!

Chillin' at one of only 3 Coffee Bean's in the Bay Area. I really, really, really miss this place!

The view from atop Lombard St.

I absolutely adore this city on the bay! San Francisco has so much personality and overall is just a fun place to keep coming back to. I'll be returning soon and often especially now that I know that it's where I can find my favorite coffee shop. :)