Quick Note - Friend in Town!

We got to see an old friend in late July when Nicole Reese traveled into town from Houston for work... Although brief, we had a great visit at a little sports bar off of 4th Street in San Fran. Great to see you Nicole - looking forward to hangin' with you all sometime soon! We miss y'all sooo much!

Dates with Shay

Thankfully I've had a partner in crime during my play days off these last few weeks. Shay is a full time MOM and is a veteran at finding fun things to do in San Fran so we've met up for a few 'dates' to hang out lately. It's been AWESOME!

We checked out a new breakfast place called The Flower Market Cafe which happens to be (surprise - surprise) located beside a giant flower market! There are TONS of flowers...it's like a dream...every beautiful shade and type of flower you can imagine, if you can name it - they have it! These pictures really don't do it all justice but this gives you a bit of an idea of just how beautiful it is.

On another of our outings we headed to the San Francisco Zoo (I LOVE the zoo!) for a fun-filled day with Rhys and Myles. It was a blast... We got to see the new baby monkey that was born a few months ago (and his giant dad) as well as ride the carousel and train. It was awesome... Reminded me of going to the zoo when Iwas younger with daycare - I can remember going on a trip where my Dad chaperoned and ran around taking pictures of me at the petting zoo...just like I was doing with Myles and Rhys - haha! We really had a great time!

Darb - Not sure if you read my blog but if you do, the picture above reminds me of YOU...you know why! I miss you!

Shay has introduced me to several other fun places including Zazie , a super cute little restaurant where we had a delicious breakfast, located in the SF neighborhood of Cole Valley... Also, another fun restaurant, the Blue Barn had a killer turkey sandwich with brie, my absolutely favorite... She took me here AFTER introducing me to maybe the hardest workout I've ever done at...The Bar Method. This is like yoga/pilates times 10, using only a bar for balance and your strength to sustain energy throughout the pain and anguish which promises (and I believe) to deliver a much more toned body. Although super rough, I'm totally hooked - I'll be frequenting The Bar Method again very soon.

Enjoy the pictures - and thanks to Shay for being my new SFBF...more soon!

Sibling Love in San Francisco

So a week after we visited LA, Brother headed up north and flew in for the weekend in San Francisco. I have to say it was awesome to see him two weeks in a row, so much fun.

Our first day in the city we headed to Muir Woods, a National Redwood Forest and it was so beautiful! I can remember reading about Redwood Trees way-back-when and not really understanding the concept that a tree could be so big. All I could say - over and over again that day, was - WOW! These trees are gi-normous and so magical...I could have stayed in this forest forever, and we kinda did...stayed there a lot longer than we planned for anyway, haha. We decided to take the long hiking trail - and let's just say we got our work out for the day. =)

I propose we plant more Redwood's around the world - it makes people like me look TINY!...love it...hehe!

I'm officially a tree-hugger...literally!

On the way down the mountain, leaving Muir Woods, we pulled over to take a couple of pictures looking out at the bay. It is just so beautiful all around San Francisco - the sites almost make you forget about the weather...except for those giant gushes of wind that come through every 5 to 10 seconds. =)

Saturday morning we walked down to the Ferry Building with the pups - showed Christopher AT&T Park and the amazing Farmer's Market hosted at the Ferry Building every Saturday. See all those little tents in the picture below - imagine the freshest fruit, nuts, flowers, etc. that you've ever seen or tasted...it really is amazing.

This is some wierd fountain we passed while walking around - you can actually walk through the fountain...pretty cool. It's a kids dreamland!

Picture above is from one of Marc's work events we went to over the weekend. Our friend Shay took the picture in the middle of working - photographing the event. Such a good picture - thought I'd share.

Another of the fun things we did while Brother was here was go to the Golden Gate Bridge, minus one Marc Magnone. Marc's not big on heights - especially no big heights. So we went with the intention of scoping it out to see if he'll be going on the next site-seeing trip over it. Not sure I'll be able to convince him - especially after these pictures!

Not the most comforting sign to see as you arrive in the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge... =)

We had SOO MUCH FUN - I miss you Brother. Thanks for hanging with us and making me laugh and feel at home for awhile. It was so great - can't wait to see you in September!

LA-LA with my Favorite Brother!

YES - I know he's my only brother...minor details. I recently realized a ton has happened since my last update - figured I better get on top of things or I'm going to forget some of the 'awesome-ness' of the past few weekends. I was lucky enough to see my little brother two weekends in a row in July - so incredible. I really never knew growing up that one day he'd be like my best friend - we have so much fun together just being stupid and goofing off. It's great! Of course he still annoys me by being as sarcastic as possible and picking on me every so often but hey, he wouldn't be my brother if he didn't do those things - I expect them! He's become a great friend and has even taught me a lot about myself over these past few months...he lives 6 hours away from me in LA and I can honestly say I'm going to miss him even more when he moves back to Texas. He's pretty much the best brother - ever...just so we're clear.

So, back to my story - Marc and I went down to LA earlier this month for a long weekend visit with Chris, Kash and Tina - it was a blast. First of all, Kash is an old friend of Marc's who is pretty fantastic and an absolute blast to hang out with. He met a great girl (Tina, just so we're clear) and quickly scooped-her-up and they are set to be married in none other than HAWAII in September...yes, I'm jealous and sad we'll miss it but am definitely anxiously awaiting the pictures. Tina was off to her bachlorette party in Vegas for the weekend but we did get to sneak in one dinner before her departure.

Next day, Laguna Beach with Little Bro while Marc worked - so incredibly amazing...I wish I was there RIGHT NOW. In short - Paradise in CA.

The next day we headed to Malibu, close to where Kash and Tina live in Calabasas (sp?) for another fun filled day on the beach. What a great area - I'd move there immediately if given the chance...uhm...if I could change one thing - the RIDICULOUS traffic!

I like to call the picture above 'Palm Marc'

So lucky - hangin' with three studds on the beach... =)

We stopped for some scenic pictures including stopping off at an old movie set to take some fun pictures and 'check things out'. So cool - fun to play!

Headed out to Katsuya in Hollywood for the evening - had an amazing dinner with some pretty fantastic food and the company was perfect, of course. We really had soooo much fun!

And look who made a cameo appearance....JEFF! Jill's big brother was hangin' at the same restaurant, one table over from us - sooo random but great to see him and catch up for a minute!

This picture of Kash might be my favorite of the evening...we had so much fun that we almost missed our flight on the way out. Any excuse to stay a little longer! Thanks to Kash, Tina and Brother for being fantastic hosts - we can't wait to come back and also, can't wait for you to come visit us! Stay tuned for pictures from Brother's weekend in San Francisco...coming soon!

Sunday at Fort Funston

Marc and I decided since we'd been gone all day on Saturday that Sunday would be all about Maddie and Dex! We got up early and went to church, had breakfast at this great little place around the corner from our apartment - Brickhouse Cafe (www.brickhousesf.com) - and then loaded the pups up for their first trip to the beach!

We took them to Fort Funston which is, quite frankly, a dog's dreamland. Fort Funston is this giant strip of land with beaches, cliffs, forest, trails...it's an amazing place to let the pups run free (off-leash) and tap into their curiosity. They have free reign of the park and can run and play and investigate at their leisure while Mom and Dad take in the sites and get quite a bit of exercise hiking up and down hills and through the sandy beach. =)

Below you can see the pups were anxiously awaiting their destination...we were prepared with a sheet already protecting our seats pre-beach.

At first glance while piling out of the car, the views around us were just gorgeous...the pictures below don't do this place justice but hopefully you can get an idea of just how beautiful it is.

Fort Funston isn't only a place for pups to play, it's also a place for human folk to partake in some pretty crazy beach activities including......hand-gliding! Because there are so many cliffs in this area I guess it makes for a great place for hand gliders to come out and enjoy their favorite hobby.

As we began walking down towards the beach area from 'way up,' at first glance I was totally intimidated. I could envision me rolling down this steep sandy path and landing in the middle of the ocean below as Maddie and Dexter raced after me to lick my face - easy access when I'm lying face up on the beach..........BUT THANKFULLY, that didn't happen! =) It was totally worth the climb (down and up) because the pups had soooo much fun!

Doesn't it look like they're both smiling in the picture below? I like to think they're saying 'Thanks for bringing us here Mom - this place is awesome!' =)

Contrary to what you might think, beaches are chilly in San Francisco in July...I'm sure you can tell by our attire below.Marc (below) trying to get Dex to sit still so I can take a picture of how INCREDIBLY DIRTY he was!

Two happy Jacks (in pics below) enjoying their new, giant park

Action Shots! =)

Dexter fighting Marc (below) for the ball... Maddie was supervising.

These next few pictures are my favorite from the day...it was so beautiful out and we were able to get some pretty awesome pictures of the two of them. Some of these might be frame -worthy, I think... The first picture below I titled 'Where's Dexter?'

After lots of running and playing, the dogs weren't the only ones who were dirty...we got caught up in the tide coming in and were soaked from about mid-shin down! Hard to tell in the picture (below) but trust me, we were WET!

Remember I mentioned our climbing down and 'up'? Well, below you can see a picture of the trail we had to hike up with the pups after our adventurous day on the beach. My legs were screaming at me most of the way up. =)

These are looking back while on the path - catching a little bit of a breath and using the excuse, 'I need to take a picture'... =)

We had a great time and will definitely be heading back to Fort Funston soon. It was another peaceful day and so beautiful out playing on/in the Pacific. I am pretty sure that Madd and Dex have officially learned what the word 'beach' mean and will be begging to go back soon. We have some videos we took while we were out there that I'll download later...for now, enjoy the pictures!

Napa Valley with John and Shay

Saturday Marc and I made our first trip (of many....I predict) out to Napa Valley with our good friends Shay and John. We've been looking forward to taking advantage of wine country being so close and this was the first weekend we didn't have plans - so, we decided this should be our first 'road trip' out of the bay area. Wow - that's the best word to describe the gorgeous scenery of rolling hills, green fields and so many beautiful flowers that I just didn't want the day to end. It's almost overwhelming - your eyes don't know where to look because they want to soak it all in...we had SO-MUCH-FUN!

First stop on Saturday morning was at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars...we learned quite a bit at this winery. Found out that Stags Leap is an area of Napa and there are two Stag's Leap wine companies mutually exclusive of each other...the other is Stags' Leap Winery (notice different use of the apostrophe) which we plan to hit on our next trip out.

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars are known for their Cabernet and Chardonnay so we tried out several of their wines and learned a lot about the industry at the same time. Our 'Wine Enthusiast' aka server was awesome. He did a great job of educating us about different grapes and how which grapes are used to create certain flavors, the harvesting process and the history of the Stags Leap area.

Next stop on our adventure - Cakebread Cellars, a favorite winery around the San Fran area. This property was absolutely gorgeous as we drove directly into the rows of grapes to get to the main tasting area. Don't you just love that concentrated look on Marc's face as he tried to back up down a road while cars were speeding past him? Note to driver - don't miss entrance next time... =)

There were two parts of this stop that I enjoyed the most - (1) we got to do our tasting in a cellar with these giant barrels of wine around us... Crazy to learn about how much these barrels are moved around during the aging process and was really neat to be able to stand in the middle of them and take it all in as we were getting guidance from Martha - our favorite 'Wine Enthusiast' of the day!

...and (2) my second favorite thing, the Cakebread property had this gorgeous green and blooming garden that we were able to walk through. They grow many of the vegetables they serve on property in this garden...you'll see some of the veggies below. I want a garden like this one day! =)

That is Squash above and Broccoli below...kinda cool, huh?

Tomatoes growing on the vine (above) and GIANT sunflowers (below) were all over the place...these flowers are so beautiful, you can't help but look at them and want to smile. They make me happy! =)

Our next stop was Mustard's Grill where we gorged on giant cheeseburgers and consumed as much water as possible to wash away all the different tasting wine flavors...then, off for more site-seeing and one more winery.

I just love the picture above of this palm tree......doesn't it just scream VACATION AND RELAXATION to you? It did for me...

Our last stop for the day was at Domaine Carneros where we tasted 'sparkling wine,' not to be confused with Champagne, as I learned on Saturday that you are only allowed to use the word Champagne if the grapes come from the Champagne region of France. Most of you might have already known this but it was news to me and I thought it was really interesting! I am a big champagne/sparkling wine fan so this was probably my favorite tasting of the day. It's crazy to taste one after the other after the other and be able to pick out the suttle differences in flavor that make them really taste a lot different. Domaine Carneros has this gigantic balcony overlooking the Napa Valley and the hundreds of rows of growing grapes, not to mention the immaculately manicured lawns with so many flowers and rolling greens that I just wanted to stay there...well...forever!

Look closely and you can see the little green grapes!

I'm sure you can tell by how many pictures I posted and me going on and on and ON about it that we just had a blast. I can't wait to go back up there - this was such a relaxing day - yummy wine, good friends, great food and amazing scenery...can't ask for more than that on a vacation get-a-way day!

Giants Game

Marc and I finally made it to our first Giants game together last week - we missed them playing the Astros but did get to see them beat San Diego on a perfect Thursday evening at AT&T Park. Also got to see Tim Lincecum pitch, last year's Cy Young winner... He's amazing - crazy to watch his body contortions as he delivers strike out after strike out... We lucked out this time around as one of Marc's co-workers invited us to the suite they had for the evening - these suites are SWEET (no pun intended). And what a view - I can't get over how beautiful the scenery is at this stadium. If you've never been and are a baseball fan, it's totally worth a visit!


I think we'll become giant Giants fans...it's just too easy. The ballpark is two blocks from our house, we're huge baseball fans and the whole experience is just a blast. Looking forward to going back to the ballpark very soon!

Our First Visitors

The first week of July we had our first visitors in town. It was AWESOME - I can't explain how happy I am that we live in a place where we can have visitors who can *comfortably* stay with us...have their own bed/bathroom and enjoy themselves instead of being cramped up!

Marc's friend Chris came out for a few days so we headed into Oakland to see the Athletics play the Tigers... Very cool to go to an Athletics game although sorda sad. I remember the Athletics as this famous ball team with sell-out crowds way bay when Jose Canseco was playing... Since that time it looks like Oakland-ers (?) have lost all interest. I felt like I was at a college baseball game...much smaller crowd of fans than I would have expected. Regardless, I had a fun time (even in the blustering wind = very cold) and WILL GO BACK!

For July 4th, Mom and Dad Magnone came out for a fantastic visit - they arrived July 2nd which is Mom Magnone's birthday...we had so much fun! We went to dinner at a little Italian treasure of a restaurant we found - La Briciola ( http://www.labriciola-sf.com/ ) to celebrate and had a great meal including a delicious Tira Masu for dessert... The SURPRISE was that I'd made Mom Magnone's fav dessert for dinner back at home, CARROT CAKE! Most of you are impressed right now that I actually made a carrot cake...I'm not much of a chef, but I'm learning - and I am happy to report that THIS carrot cake was delici-OH-SO! And most importantly, the birthday girl approved! =)

On Friday, we became tourist in our new home town...first stop, a drive down Lombardi Street. If you don't know about Lombardi Street, well...look it up! Below is our first picture as Marc drove down Lombardi Street...

And the picture below is looking up after our very 'curvy' drive!

We made our way over to the cable cars and stood in a long line...but finally made it onto our first ride and it was TOTALLY worth the wait!

My family (above) and (below) my husband... Are we cute!??!?

These pictures are from our cable car ride up and down and up and down Hyde...so many beautiful views. It was so worth the wait - absolutely GORGEOUS!

On Saturday night Dad Magnone took us to maybe...possibly...the best Italian restaurant I've ever eaten at... Il Davide in San Rafael, CA. Be sure to check it out if you're ever in the area!

A few pictures with Mom and Dad Magnone's FAVORITE grand pups...

What a good looking family - we love y'all. Had so much fun during our short visit - come back soon! We're also looking forward to our next round of visitors - Brother, hurry up and get here!

Maddie and Dex - New Digs

Maddie and Dexter have settled into their new home quite nicely (as you'll see from the pictures below) and continue to be a constant source of entertainment in our household. We've been working with them a lot on walking 'off leash' and 'recall' as that's the 'california way' around here. There's a small grassy area behind our apartment where neighborhood dogs gather to run and play and...as maybe you suspected...there's no fence. This puppy Mom gets totally stressed out letting them off the leash and actually trusting them to listen to me...Marc is a lot better - he's been doing a great job working with them and they are listening to him well... As in NYC, they've helped us to quickly meet several new friends, the majority of which are dog owners...all super friendly and welcoming.

These two have turned into even bigger characters through this moving transition - we love to watch them play/fight/play and to see Maddie as she puts Dexter in check and reminds him who's really boss around the house. Maddie's even learned to pick up her water bowl and toss it across the floor when she wants more...their communication skills are really developing. =) Dexter has made himself a new hiding spot under the guest bed AND more importantly, the new couch. Funniest part about this is that once he's under there, he can't seem to squeeze out so we begin to hear low whiny tones (aka cries for help) coming from under the couch and we have to move the couch to get him out... It's constant fun here with the 'Maddie and Dexter Show'. =)

Below are a few pictures we've taken around the apartment as Madd and Dex have 'made themselves at home'.

This is normally how the day starts - see those looks of expecatation...like 'Mom, seriously when are you or Dad going to take us out for our walk???'

After morning walk and some play group time, they will crash for the majority of the day...lends to the question...who came up with the phrase 'working hard as a dog?'....I want that job...

Curious as always, they LOVE the giant windows and new furniture they can jump on to watch people (and cars and trains, etc.) all day long...lol...

The picture below is the sweet behavior that most don't get to see - all cuddled up together, cleaning each other and snuggling while they snooze...soooo cute.

After a day of walks and playing and napping, these are the looks I begin to get around 3 or 4 in the afternoon - along with a low and consistent whine BEGGING for attention, love, play with the tennis ball, etc...

Above is the new food bowls I got for them - LOVE THIS PIECE...we actually ordered it from www.etsy.com - what a great way to find a one of a kind a doggie bowl and holder!

Here are our munchkins after a long day of food, fun and play - so precious...recharging their batteries...nothing like sibbling love. =)

I think I can say that Maddie and Dexter are going to be great California Poochies and fit in quite nicely in their new neighborhood...now we have to get them some San Fran Giants jersey's so they'll really 'fit in'. =)

Settling In - Our New Apartment and Neighborhood

Marc and I have spent *MANY HOURS* getting our apartment together over the past month and this weekend, I'm happy to say, we're finally FINISHED!....well, sorda... If you know me and the way that I decorate, it'll always be a 'work in progress' but we're both happy with the outcome as of now. Take a look at where we started and how far we've come - it's slowly starting to feel like our home.

View from our apartment...

Our room - in the beginning...

Our room - after some serious work!

The extra bedroom - in the beginning...

The extra bedroom now - a.k.a. my new office!

Our kitchen - in the beginning...

Kitchen - all put together...

Living Room - in the beginning...

Living room NOW!

We've been out and about in the neighborhood as well, meeting lots of fun people - love to walk Maddie and Dexter down by AT&T Park and even went on a long walk last week to the Ferry building. The pups seem to be adjusting well and are loving their new-found freedom at the dog park behind our new place...they're making lots of new friends but of course miss their crew from the NYC Tate. ;)

AT&T Park

Bay Bridge

Front Entrance to AT&T Park

Yacht Club on the Embarcadero

We're definitely enjoying our new apartment and city - looking forward to lots more sight seeing and will post more pictures soon!

Andrew's Blanket

So for the past several months, amidst all the moving around and trip-taking, etc., one thing has remained constant: I've been working hard on little Mr. Andrew's baby blanket! =) This blanket is well traveled as it's joined me on work trips, cross-country car rides and multiple airline carriers over the last year - haha. I've always loved to cross-stitch due to my Grannie and Mom's influence growing up, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to make something for my new nephew/Godson. Marc and I did a great job of hiding it all this time so it was a surprise to Les and Bill and Drew......good stuff! Thought I'd share a couple of pictures - I'm so proud of it. Thanks to Grannie for helping me with the final pieces!

Les sent me this last picture of Andrew enjoying his new blanket...LOVE IT! Is he precious or what? =)