Day 7 :: Ikea

(Source: http://www.aerialarchives.com/stock/img/AHLB4702.jpg)

In reviewing my day, I had a hard time coming up with something local I felt thankful for. I thought and thought and thought, then finally remembered that I ran to IKEA to get a couple bags of much needed frozen meatballs during lunch.

You see, last week we ran out and grabbed some off-brand meatballs during a Target run and Emily refused to eat them. The moment they touched her lips she announced that they tasted "weird" and then she boycotted her entire dinner.

So today I'm grateful for IKEA. Grateful they have meatballs my selective daughter will eat for dinner - days and days in a row. (Tonight after bringing these bad boys home she gobbled up 5 in as many minutes.)

(Source: http://getitwrighthere.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/ikea-meatball.jpg)

Thank goodness for those delicious, frozen, IKEA Swedish meatballs.

Day 6 :: The Dining Room

This is a late Sunday evening post, so I'll keep it short and sweet: I appreciate our dining room.

We have cute chairs. The petite table fits the room perfectly. And there's a hodgepodge fall centerpiece going on in there right now that looks really pretty by candle light.

 

Night-night.

Day 5 :: Our Backyard

Our yard is tiny, but we love it. We put in grass this summer - such a good decision. It takes a lot of water, but watching the girls play makes it totally worth it. (Now if we could just win our war with the local critters who keep trying to demolish it at night... Ah, the yin and yang of life.)

 

Anyway, today was the hottest day of the week, so our girls kept cool in their pool :)
 

Day 4 :: The Bay Bridge

(Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-11/sf-bay-bridge-gets-5-300-ton-delivery-from-china.html)

San Francisco is definitely known for its Golden Gate Bridge, but my hands-down favorite bridge into the city is the Bay Bridge.

{Funny story: When driving out here for the first time 13 years ago, my husband and I took Route 80 the entire way, which would have popped us right onto the Bay Bridge and into the city. But since I equated SF with the Golden Gate, I had him reroute our path over to the North Bay so we could enter the city via that bridge. See what I get when I decide not to go with the flow? Definite life lesson learned that day.}

Now why is this my favorite bridge? The views. The 2 spans. Midway across there's a tunnel through an island. And it lights up so pretty at night. But most importantly, it's the gateway back to my family each night. Yep, I love this bridge.

It's divided into 2 sections by all that greenery in the middle (Treasure Island), and one half was recently completely rebuilt. (In 4 short years.) Here's a peek at my morning drive.

(Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/magnificent-bay-bridge-re-opens-traffic-isn-pretty-article-1.1444995)

The new span on the left is BEAUTIFUL. You could never tell when driving on it, but now that you can see it up close that old one looks rickety. And ancient. The first day I drove across the new span, all I could think was that the old bridge looked just like a larger version of the buildings Doozers built (and Fraggles ate) on Fraggle Rock.

(Source: http://geekalabama.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/doozerconstruction.jpg)

Am I right?!

Day 3 :: The Weather

While I definitely miss the autumn weather this time of year, I must admit that I love having 80+ degree October days.

My older daughter loves wearing dresses, so our morning routine on cold days goes a little something like this:

Me: "Come on Ems, time to pick out your clothes."
Emily: "Can I wear a summer dress?"
Me: "Nope, it's too cold out today. You need sleeves and pants to keep warm."
Emily: "How about tights and a sweater with a summer dress?"
Me: "You can wear a dress, but the dress must have sleeves."
Emily: "But I want to wear a pretty dress."
Me: "Sure, you can wear a pretty dress. But you also need sleeves. Pick one out with sleeves. Come on, you have lots of dresses to choose from." (We stocked up for fall, so this is absolutely true.)
Emily: "But ..."

This goes on for a bit until I finally break her, and she settles on a dress with sleeves. (In her defense, I sewed most of her summer dresses, so they definitely are prettier than the ones with sleeves ;)

This little exchange is why days when it's warm enough for her go without the dreaded sleeves, are especially good days. For both of us.

Day 2 :: Santa Rosa

I traveled up to Santa Rosa for work today, something I haven't had the chance to do in a w-h-i-l-e. I used to make that drive all the time, but ever since my daughter (now daughters) came along, I've opted for the predictability of being in one place all day. Boy does the day fly by when I'm on the road though.

I took the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge over, and the views across are AWESOME. To make it even more of a treat: M83's Midnight City was playing on the radio as I crossed, which just might be the perfect bridge song.

Ok, I'm bound to talk more about bridges another day, but let me just say that I adore them. I know some people get anxious on bridges, but I love driving on them. The views are awesome, there's lots of fresh air all around, so even when stuck in traffic (which I often am) I'm content.

Now tunnels - they're another story. I get nervous in tunnels. I speed through tunnels. And if there's a traffic back-up and (heaven forbid) I get stopped in a tunnel, I have to immediately practice deep breathing to avoid a panic attack.

And while I'm veering way off topic, I must say that the inmates in San Quentin have AMAZING views. Actually, I don't even know if they get to appreciate them ?? If not, what a shame.

But I've digressed. Back to Santa Rosa.

 

As I was saying, it was a treat. It's beautiful up there - year round. But in the fall it's particularly gorgeous, especially to this gal who misses terribly the changes of foliage this time of year.

So my need to see real fall colors has been quenched (for now). But that small taste has me wanting to kick around some dried leaves and feel their crunch underfoot. Oh man, that's the best. 

Day 1 :: The Bay Area

 

Now I realize this is sort of a cheat, since I'm tagging an entire region, but my internal judge sees this post as setting the scene for the whole month, so she's allowing it.

 

The thing is I've lived here 12 years, and it's begun to feel.... heavy. I say that because I often focus on the tough part of living an urban life. My commute. Real estate prices. The square footage (or lack thereof) in our home. Public school lotteries (!) The mouse who's taken up residence in our bedroom wall. And on and on.

But I know the Bay Area is amazing and special, I just tend to overlook the awesomeness in my daily routine. (The coastal fog has quite literally clouded my view.) But for the month I want to make a conscious effort to start looking at San Francisco for what it is. A destination. A city full of culture, beauty, and charm. My home.

And while I live in San Francisco -  I work in Oakland, shop for fabric in Berkeley, frequent the Target in Colma, stock up on meatballs from Emeryville's Ikea. And we have friends scattered up and down the coast. So today I'm appreciating the entire Bay Area and all it has to offer. I mean, just look at that view!