Happy Brithday Betsy!!!

Happy birthday babe...


I hope the world pauses and remembers the most important part of Halloween is that you were born and the free candy is just a bonus.


Love you.

Miles for Migraine

Our good friend Emily is a migraine researcher and is putting on a fabulous event called Miles for Migraine. She has been working hard to start a new non-profit organization to raise awareness and funds for migraine research. I had no idea it is the most common neurological disorder for women under 50 and can be completely debilitating. Migraine affects more than the number of people who are effected by asthma and diabetes combined and yet it gets less than a tenth of the money for research than either of those disorders. When migraine researchers pleaded their point with NIH-- NIH responded by saying that the public didn't care about migraine. This is a grass roots effort to show that we do care about it and want to do something about gaining more funding for migraine research.

Emily and her team are putting on a 5K and 10K race and 2 mile walk in Golden Gate Park on Dec 7 at 9 a.m. and would LOVE to have you there. Steve and I are registered! Spread the word and register here!

The Hills

On our way to Cabo San Lucas we had a quick layover at LAX. When we were in line to buy a magazine and a pack of m&m's at the newstand I realized these two were in line in front of us...Heidi and Spencer from The Hills! The most hated couple on "reality MTV!"

Even though I looked like I'd been asleep for two hours (because I had been) I worked up the courage to ask for a pic. I used my nicest voice and said to Heidi "I'm a huge fan, would you mind taking a picture with me?" She was actually super nice and chatty...took the pic no problem. These two want to be famous...they're not going to turn down an opportunity to draw attention to themselves. Like I said, Heidi was super nice, Spencer, not so much. Steve was mortified.

Remember

Remember when we all lived at home...close by each other? Remember when we use to watch Simpson's, X-Files and Twin Peaks at the Neil's every Sunday night and Greg's mom would make us treats? Remember when we all use to play Mario Tennis at my ghetto apartment every night until way past bedtime? Losing friends is a terrible thing but one small silver lining is remembering all the good times we've all shared together and with Zach when he was here. I'm so lucky to have such a great family, such great friends...old and new and now I feel so lucky to have such an amazing husband. I'm so blessed to have the life I do. And I'm also blessed to have a renewed perspective about what really matters.

Steve and I cut our Mexico trip a few days short to make it back for Zach's memorial service. It was such a beautiful experience to be there and reconnect with his family and lots and lots of old friends.

Zach's sisters Haley and Tiffany...adorable as ever and so great to catch up with them.


After all the services and gatherings had ended, a few of us went back to Dave's house and hung out...just like old times. His parents were out of town and everything. One thing we'll all remember about Zach is his love of Taco Bravo. We use to tease him that the gross lady behind the walk up window with the mustache, greasy hair and a mole was in love with him (in the end, Asia won out). We all decided what better way to end the day than a meal together at Taco Bravo. It was just like old times (plus a couple of spouses and one baby).













I found this picture of Zach when I was looking through all my old stuff...a majority of my pictures of Zach pre-dated the digital era but I thought this one of him and my nephew Jacob about 7 years ago was particularly touching and I thought I'd share it. It's how I'll remember him.

You can read more about Zach on Dave's blog here.

Zach

We are all better people for having known you. We'll miss you friend.


Artwork of Zach T. Cox.
Remembrance.

Viva la Mexico!

Just a little taste of our trip. More to come!

Fleet week part II

I also grew up watching airshows at Travis AFB, the more superior air base (compared to Moffett field). We would go every summer and watch the air show. By the time I was 6, I wanted to be a pilot. At the air show we could walk in and around the planes and sit in the drivers seat. I was hooked! I wanted to be a pilot soooo bad!

Those dreams were crushed in the 2nd grade. For show and tell, or career day, (I can't remember) an air force pilot came to talk to us and that was the day I learned you needed perfect vision to fly. My hand shot up in the air in disbelief and I remember badgering the poor guy to tell me it wasn't true. What a crushing day that was! There was no LASIK surgery back then.

Oh well, I guess biology isn't such a bad second choice.

Fleet Week!

Fleet Week starts today! I work downtown in the Financial District and I can hear the Blue Angels practicing outside right now! I wonder if we'll be able to see their shows from our roof deck.



When I was a kid we'd freak out when we could hear the Blue Angels practicing for the shows they'd have at Moffett Field which was near our house.

Donuts, Doughnuts, Fried Deliciousness

I'm putting it out there right now that the next big thing in the city is going to be/needs to be upscale donut shops. Remember a couple years ago when cupcakes became all the rage? It's time the donut was represented in an equally cute and adorable way. Right now we mainly have gross 24-hour creepy/dirty donut shops and in the suburbs there is always Krispy Kreme. You watch...pretty soon you'll see one of these cute, hip, gourmet donut shops pop up on Union or Fillmore. Mark my word.

I've been craving donuts so I decided to take matters into my own hands recently by making my own donuts at home using store-bought biscuits in a tube and it was so easy and so delicious! I used the smallest one of these to punch out the middles.

I didn't have an oil/candy thermometer so I just turned the pan on medium heat for a while.
They only took about a minute on the first side...
Then I flipped them with a chopstick and voila!


We even made donut holes! We dipped them all in cinnamon sugar and devoured them with our neighbors Andy and Emily in no time flat! This would be a fun activity with a big group of people and lots of different toppings including chocolate and rainbow sprinkles!

Vegas, Baby!

You may remember that my puzzling posse and I thought we were so bad (rad) that we'd have no problem with a 2000 piece puzzle of the Vegas skyline titled "Vegas, Baby!" Well, it posed a bigger challenge than we ever thought. It took us over two months...sometimes we'd take a week or two off but we basically worked on it a night, maybe two each week. It was slow going and I was getting tired of not having a dining room table anymore so last Monday we had the whole posse over and the goal was completion. Liz & Jeremy brought crepe batter and turns out Jeremy could be a short order cook at the busiest diner if his PT career ever gets boring.

Jeremy manning TWO crepe pans at the same time.



Emily, Liz & Shawn, all hardcore puzzle posse members.


We also celebrated Robyn's long past birthday. As one of her presents Steve gave up his favorite red rolly chair.


Steve is getting so good at puzzling (be proud honey) that he can do it up-side-down.


Unfortunately we didn't finish...I was heartbroken...Liz & Jeremy even stayed til 11:30pm but it was all in vain.

BUT...I'm happy to report that Steve and I finished (minus the two lost pieces!!!!)! In your face Vegas, Baby and your 2,000 (two thousand) pieces! You're finished! It's been a long, long, long road to get here:


Steve only does puzzles so he can destroy them, watch this!


Puzzling is officially on hiatus until at least Christmastime.

Happy October!

I can't believe October is here! I love the fall! Look out Steve, I'm pulling out the Halloween decor tonight!