Soakin' Up San Francisco

Thursday, Aug 8th - bedtime On this eighth day of the eighth month this year, I'm overcome by gratitude. My summer has been jam-packed so far with adventure, I've shared it with countless friends, it has allowed for plenty of relaxation (i.e. lounging in the Santa Monica sand with Mom last Thursday) , and there are still exciting plans ahead. Because of this, I thought the least I could do was splurge a little on some overly-fancy cards to make my gratitude known (teaser below): Friday, Aug 9th (my half-birthday) on my lunch break The gratitude continues to an insane extent. I am exactly halfway through my twenty-fifth year on this Earth, summer is in full-swing, and I'm surrounded by friends, family and brand new acquaintances who continue to bless me with generosity and unconditional love. What did I do to deserve this? [Friday] morning, Honda of Woodland Hills (across the street from my new work) graciously took my car in for an oil change with about...

Ahh, how I've missed my MacBook Pro. It's been at least two weeks since I sat like this, drafting up a packing spreadsheet to ensure that I was prepared for a week-and-a-half of adventure, relaxation, exploration and celebration in New England. Now, I'm paralyzed with disbelief that the trip has come and gone. I'm glad that I decided to invest in my iPad mini the day of my departure for my trip. It was a handy tool, that I definitely didn't even maximize, for a bit of reflection when I had down time at Jill's or a relatively early night in with one of my many hosts. From the Marriott courtesy of Em and Nick, to Jill's in DC, to Jake's in the East Village, to the other Marriott set aside by Bram and Sarah (thanks Aunt Betty), to Mom and Dad's sofa at the same hotel, to Bram and Sarah's couch in New Jersey, I was very much blessed and treated with hospitality, comfort, convenience and almost cosmic perfection when it came to how smooth...