Shredding the GNAR!

On Saturday I was lucky enough to go snowboarding at SnowBasin. Tons of snow had been falling since we got to Utah on Wednesday and I knew it was going to be fun. My future brother-in-law took me up to the resort in his big truck which gave us a chance to bond as we searched for the ultimate stoke.

At SnowBasin they use a gondola system that can hold up to 8 folks at a time in an enclosed chairlift. At first I didn't like them because you have to unstrap from your board but then suddenly realized that I was protected from the elements as we rode up the mountain. We were able to document our day without fear of dropping my iphone.

We also met up with the Bates-McMillan alpine ski team. Michael and Jeremy.

and Liz and Ryan. We ruled the mountain.

Here we are soul riding. The top is me and the bottom is Ryan. Not bad for a camera phone.

Liz got a new pair of skis and appeared to be having a great time.

Jeremy had to take a quick break from the gnar.

Unfortunately Ryan's strap broke on the top of the mountain and he had to board down without his front binding. I have experienced this trauma before and can tell you firsthand it's gnarly but Ryan was able to get down ok. We had to stop at the lodge for repairs before we could continue.

All in all it was a great day. My legs were pretty worked at the end of the day but I didn't wake up sore in the morning which is a good thing. Not like the last adventure with Ryan.

Welcome to the family bro.

White Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! It's snowing like crazy outside!

Our scooter

We realized yesterday that our only mode of transportation is the
scooter. Threrefore our new plan to keep it safe is to store it inside
our house.

Goodbye Maxima

Last Friday I was hit from behind on the freeway. It was pretty dramatic, looking in your rear view mirror to see a white Toyota with smoking tires and swerving out of control as you are breaking for traffic. Boom! I was spun around but since I was breaking for traffic did not hit anything or anyone else.

The damage to our car was severe but the car was drivable. I was lucky. The rear drivers side was damaged and our trunk was hard to close. But today the Geico representative told me it was going to be about $6000 or more to fix which is more than the car is worth.
So...
We are getting a new car!
I hope Betsy lets us get one of these! (You know, for field work)

Dear Maxima,
We loved your plush soft interior, your roomy comfortable seats, your sweet sound system. We're sorry the last few years of your life were spent on the streets of San Francisco, and that you had to spend 2 days in the scary tow yard this summer. We'll miss your reliable transportation and hope you end up somewhere nice. If not, let your body be recycled into a new car. Goodbye Maxima.
Love,
The Santos'

sometimes i make biscotti

My good friend Kat taught me how to enjoy and then to make biscotti. I never thought I liked biscotti until Kat brought some to work a couple years back and then I changed my mind. My favorite has orange zest, pistachios and chocolate chips. The recipe is here. It took me a few batches to master the process but these days a batch of biscotti is no problem! The nice part about the recipe is that it's a base for any additions you want. I omit the currants and replace the white chocolate with semi-sweet. Why does white chocolate even exist?

Oh Christmas Tree

Last weekend we decided to get a tree. Last year we drove one block to get a tree but this year we decided to brave suburbia and get our tree at Lowe's Hardware. I was trying to shop locally this Christmas season but I blew it right out of the gate first go. But the gifts I have bought so far have been from local merchants and I hope to get all my gifts from local merchants this year.

Anyway, since we do not own a car with a rack anymore, we had to use twine to secure the tree to the roof. Luckily the twine held and we made it home safely.
the good folks at the Garden Center put our tree in a large hair-net
that we had to remove before we could decorate. Our tree looks really skinny but plumped up when we put the decorations on.

Betsy is giving a good once over to my light and ornament placement.
I love our tree and the smell of pine in our home. It reminds me of camping in the mountains.
We just need to get some presents under there now!

It's a Christmas Miracle!

After nearly three weeks, this morning, in the midst of total outfit selection trauma, and super late to work, I found my engagement ring in my cute leopard print flats...

...which makes no sense because Steve and I literally took everything out of our closet and he looked in every shoe. Every shoe! It's a Christmas miracle!

It's official

I've lost my engagement ring. Ugh.
It went missing nearly two weeks ago and we've turned our loft upside down trying to find it and nothing. And the frustrating part is we're 99% sure it's in our loft! We'll probably find it someday when we decide to move. Until then, my new minimalist look will be wedding band only.

Poached eggs on toast

One of the many culinary things I learned from my mom is how to make the perfect poached egg. Anyone who has tried to poach eggs knows there is a fine line between underdone and overdone. And there is about a 15 second window called "perfect." Underdone means the whites are jiggly and a bit raw near the yolk. Overdone means the yolk has gone from perfectly liquid, to bordering on cooked through. The perfect poached egg means the white is 100% cooked and non-jiggly and the yolk is nearly all liquid. Perfect for mashing up on a piece of toasted french bread with butter, salt and pepper.

Look mom! You've taught me well!
Steve thanks you too!

Phantom Planet

It was Rebecca's birthday on Sunday so last night, we took her to dinner and she took us to the theater! In case you've been living under a rock, then you might not know Rebecca and I lived together for nearly four years before Steve and I were married. And the entire four years we lived about three blocks from a restaurant called rnm which we finally tried last night. rnm is on the corner of Haight and Steiner and has these really dark curtains that shield the inside from the outside to anyone passing by. It looks mysterious and hip and cool. And it was hip and cool. Circa 2000. It just felt a little dated. There were cool things but in a city where things go out of style in a matter of moments, this place just felt like it's hay-day had passed. This was confirmed when Rebecca excused herself to use the restroom and noted that all the news and review articles posted on the wall were from the early 2000's. Anyway, it wasn't horrible but it wasn't my favorite meal ever. They did have this upside down Christmas tree hanging from the ceiling which was nice and festive.
Steve and I had their "famous" mini-sliders. They were okay but I was sad that the fries were fat fries. I hate fat fries. I could tell they were from a frozen bag of fries.
Without a moment to spare we all hopped on our scooters and sped downtown to catch the preview night of Phantom of the Opera!
Steve had never seen it before but Rebecca and I had both seen it as teeny-boppers. Let me just say it was AMAZINGLY FANTASTIC!!! Rebecca and I agreed that we've always known the story and the music but seeing it as a 14 year old, you just didn't really grasp the tragic tale very well. So last night we were both blown away by the twisted sad love story that also has it's share of cool stage trickery and humor. The other thing I'd forgotten about this musical is that there is no faking those amazing voices. I was in awe. Our Phantom was especially magnificent.

Rebecca and Steve trying out their 2009 Halloween costumes.

Thanks for having a birthday roommate!

We went to the air show a long time ago

You might remember our Fleet Week and Fleet Week Part II posts that confirmed how excited we were about seeing the Blue Angels come to town. We picked up some lunch at Whole Foods and set out on the scooter, weaved our way through the gridlock traffic and found a great place to watch. Oh scooter, we love you so. You make city dwelling so lovely.




SO LOUD!!!!!!

Wedded Bliss

We flew down to Los Angeles a couple weekends ago to attend the wedding of our good friend Keith Paugh.

We flew on Virgin Airlines. Have you ever flown on Virgin Airlines? We hadn't but the price was right so we took the opportunity to experience it for ourselves. It was sort of ridiculous (awesome). First of all, you can chat with anyone on the plane you want! So for all you single folk out there, when you're getting on your flight and see a hot guy or girl, just take note of their seat # and then send them a little message mid-flight.

If you forget your ipod and headphones you can buy a new hot pink pair for $2.
In addition to Direct TV you can also play video games at your seat w/your personal remote control. One side is a TV remote, the other side is the video game controller.
Also, the safety video is a cartoon.
Also, disco lighting.
Our host for the night was Dave. Here we are at Swingers. I think that's what it was called. And I think Rebecca went there on her Keith Wedding LA weekend. I unfortunately didn't get a picture of Melissa but Dave let me, Steve, Melissa & Steve sleep over. It was a fantastic slumber party complete with Carrow's breakfast the following morning.
But after Swingers and before Carrow's there was wedding fun.
Jed and Shannon were there from San Diego.
Roommates reunited.
Friends reunited.
The Heron table was especially fantastic.
We only drank our beverages in this fancy manner.
It was such a great night and we're so thrilled for Keith & Leslie!