Oakland Temple Tulips

Pat and I are very lucky to go to church at the LDS Stake Center right next to the Oakland Temple, so we get to see this scene every week.

Soaring High in San Fran

This past weekend Pat's friends, Shaina and Ben, came into town because Ben bought a motorcycle near us. They were only here for a few days (Friday night to Sunday afternoon), but we definately made the most of their time here.

On Saturday we headed over to San Francisco on the most beautiful day! It was in the 70's and absolutely gorgeous. We ate lunch at Pier one...

Then walked all the way down the pier...

to the famous pier 39 with the sea lions. However, who knows how much longer this pier will be the most famous tourist attraction on the pier in San Francisco because last November the Sea Lions up and left! No one knows where they went or when they will be back, which makes me sad. Where did they go!?!? It was always so fun to go to the pier and just watch the chubby little guys lay there. You can read more here.

(Treasure Island)

(Alcatraz Island-Whenever the subject of Alcatraz comes up I always try to impress people by telling them that I have slept in a cell on Alcatraz Island. So without fail, this trip was no different. Ben and Shaina got to hear all about it.)

Then after walking forever on the pier in the swealtering heat of San Francisco (you don't get to say that too often), we made our way UP Lombard Street so we could go down the most crooked road in the world.

Lombard Street FREAKS me out. It is not the going down part that is scary, but the going UP! I started out driving up with tons of traffic, causing us to have to stop mid-hill all the time. I lasted about 10 minutes doing this but couldn't take it any more. I had to jump out and switch with Patrick, because I felt like I was going to roll backwards.

Even when Patrick was driving I got too scared so I Ben and I decided to walk up the hill and wait for Shaina and Pat to make their way up.

Then if the day already wasn't fun enough, we headed to a grass park to next to the Golden Gate Bridge to rest our feet and take in some scenery.

This shot should be Shaina and Ben's engagement picture. Too bad they are not dating. Maybe once they see this picture they will consider it.

Shaina + Ben

Patrick + Lindsay

Then the most fun event of the day—flying kites! A few weeks ago Pat had a dream about flying kite. The next morning we went and bought a kite to fly but there was not enough wind to fly it. Luckily there is always wind on the Bay.

Step 1: Assemble

Step 2: Launch

Step 3: Fly!

This is one of those days that I will forever remember. It doesn't get more picturesque than flying kites next to the Golden Gate Bridge.

I can't wait until Pat's next dream.

Lyla Rose's 1st Birthday

This past Friday, we all (Pat, me, my mom and dad) headed up to Sacramento to celebrate my nieces 1st birthday. She had a jammin' party full of food, family and friends.

Even at one she knew how to have fun on her birthday.

Grandma Smith

Another advantage to living at home is being able to see my Grandma a lot more. She lives less than a mile away and so I am able to see her a few times a week.

The thing that I love most about my Grandma is how witty she is. Even at 93 (soon to be 94) she is able to roll with the best of them and always keeps you on your toes. She cracks me up.

I thought since we are leaving to go back east soon and I wont be able to see her for a few year, I would take advantage and have a little photo shoot.

My grandma was a cracking me up during the photo shoot. She was coming up with all kinds of poses that really worked well. She could have been a model.

My grandma used to be a real hottie (and still is). I think this photo captures her youthful spirit.

With a picture like this, I can't believe she is 93 years old. Look at her kind eyes.

My grandma and mom really don't like this photo because the black and white effect really bring out my grandma's wrinkle. However, this is one of my favorites because I think wrinkles are absolutely beautiful–they are a badge of ones experiences in life that one should be proud to wear. As a society are so obsessed with looking young. Why would you want to hide the physical traces of experiences in life that make you who you are? I want to age with pride.

Muir Beach, CA

One of the best things about moving back to California has been being able to hang out with our friends, Doug and Mariah, EVERY weekend.

Last weekend we went on a little field trip to a quite little beach called Muir Beach.

I love the beach. There is nothing like looking out into the vast ocean and see nothing but beautiful reflective water.

I have been friends with Mariah for several years now. We have done everything major in lives at the same time, from our missions to marriage. Mariah is one of my best friends and it is so nice to be able to see her so often while we are in California.

I have been working a lot lately, so it has been nice for Pat and I to be able to look forward to something fun on the weekend.

Can't wait until next weekend!

New York Again

A few weeks ago Pat and I flew to New York. I have not formally announced the news because it seems like I plans changed from day to day, but I guess this is as sure as it is going to get. Pat has been offered a job at Ogilvy, NY. So we are moving back to New York City!

I am so excited for Pat to be able to have this opportunity, especially during this rough economy. He is so excited to go back to the city he loves, which makes me excited.

We stayed with our amazing friends, Nate and Ashley, for a whole week! That is a long time to put up with Pat and I, and we are extremely grateful to have such great friends that put themselves out for us. We had so much fun hanging out with them and being roomies.

We flew out to NYC to find an apartment, but had no luck. Pat is going to fly out again, mid April, to hopefully find a place that we will call home for the next few years. We are having a hard time because of my 2 requirements: 1) A bed room that will fit my king size bed 2) Laundry in the building. It just boggles my mind that these two things are extremely hard to come by in New York City, especially in our budget.

It is an exciting time, as our lives seem to change from day to day. But I am so excited for the opportunity that has been given to us — for Pat to build upon his amazing talent.

Pat's 27th Birthday

Pat turned 27 on March 3rd! I cannot believe we are getting so old. Birthdays are really important to Pat. Well, I guess it really isn't the "Birthday" that is important, but rather, getting presents that is the most exciting part about having your birthday. He is like a little kid, which makes it fun.

I told Pat since we had been buying a lot of things for him near his birthday (such as a new phone and clothes) that he wasn't going to be getting any presents to open on his birthday. But in reality I could never have him open NOTHING on his birthday, so I tried to make this day as special as possible.

Unfortunately, it was a little difficult to make this day special, since we were flying out to NYC on his birthday we did have much time to celebrate.

I made him breakfast in bed and then had him open his presents. He got a new set of scriptures. Mini ones that he had been wanting for a long time and

and a new sweatshirt.

I know it wasn't much of a celebration, but hopefully I can make up for it next year.

Book Review: The Help

I have seen this book around for quite sometime and really wanted to read it. I've heard good things about it but didn't even know what it was about. I finally got to around to reading it (which I haven't been doing much lately) and I was not disappointing.

Synopsis: (taken from here).
Set in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962, this book is about the black women who work as maids, housekeepers and nannies for the town’s well-off white families. It’s narrated by two of those women, Aibileen and Minny, as well as a Skeeter, an Ole Miss graduate who comes home to her family’s cotton farm and begins to see the injustices in the white-woman-boss and black-woman-employee system she’d previously accepted unquestioningly. As the book unfolds and we learn more about how the white female bosses treated their black employees. But this isn’t a grim or humorless book. Stockett respects her characters and allows them to gently tell their stories in their own voices as we discover and examine along with (most of) them our own feelings about race and skin color. In fact, this book led to one of the most spirited discussions my four-woman book club has ever had as we each talked about our experiences growing up Southern during the Civil Rights ’60s and how those experiences affect our relationships with those who look different from ourselves. We talked about what exactly it means to be “racist” and were so grateful we’d read a book that made us examine prejudices we maybe didn’t even realize we had. But The Help is more than a chronicle of the burgeoning Civil Rights movement. It’s a delightful and uplifting story of the power of friendship, the strength of maternal love and the power of women’s determination to make a difference.

Review:
Much like above taken from another blog, I LOVED this book. It was such a pleasure to finally look forward to reading a book and being excited to find out what happens next. With the book switching narration between 3 different women, I found myself falling in love with each one. With the continual exchange of narration the book easily kept my attention and longing for more every time the narrator changed.