San Francisco - part 3

There are many modes of transportation in SF and we decided to take advantage of them all. We didn't bother with cab photos as those are too common. We also rode the BART to and from the airport - we were too loaded down with luggage to worry about a photo op in those instances.

Here we are hanging out at the Wharf waiting for our ferry. (See ferry pictures in part 1).

Here we are on a trolley...

This was my favorite. I laughed the whole trip. We got a ride from a bicycle dude and it appears he's sailing in this picture.

This picture turned out remarkably well - a clear one (mostly) of us and our driver while in our bike cart!

San Fran - part 2 (Tony 'n Tina's Wedding)

If you've never heard of this play, it's one of a kind. We had hoped to go to Wicked or Les Mis, but we were 2 weeks too early for Wicked and nothing else was playing that I had ever heard of. But at the last minute I came across Tony 'n Tina's Wedding. I had been to it in NYC years ago and it was so much fun. Marty trusted me and we went. Basically, the audience is a part of the wedding party and it includes dinner and wedding cake. It's a representation of a tacky Italian wedding and it's hysterical...

Here we have the lovely bride and groom.

This was awesome - Marty caught the garter and got all kinds of female attention for that.

I wasn't so lucky with the bouquet (thank goodness)...

Marty got asked to dance by some chic - and now he's on his way back to me. Check out that beehive behind him!

This is the wedding singer practically knocking me out of my chair with his pelvic thrusts! I seriously thought he would hurt himself...

San Francisco - part 1

Marty and I went on a much needed vacation to San Francisco in early January and had an absolute blast together. We had both been there before which was in our favor because we both knew what we wanted to do ahead of time. Marty hadn't been to Alcatraz yet so we made a point to go there. I always enjoyed it and didn't mind going again. I'm a nerd and love historical sites, but I also have a horrible memory so it was almost like my first time anyway.

More of Alcatraz...

One day we went to Sausalito thinking it would be this romantic little island. It turned out to be a spendy place for rich old women, but we still had a few good laughs, some gross fish and chips, and some good pictures. I loved the sunset behind the Golden Gate Bridge on our way back.

Christmas with Marty '08

In spite of our nations' economic crisis, Marty and I spoiled each other this Christmas. It was our first one together so back off. He got me some warm fuzzy boots (x2) and some running shoes. My favorite gift was a gift certificate to Anthropologie - my favorite store! I obviously got him some ties and dress shirts, but I also got him a DVD about the history of his favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys. Am I a cool girlfriend or what? I am. Merry Christmas, sweetie!

Christmas '08

Cute grandma and grandpa Anderson joined us for Christmas Eve this year...They are always so fun.

For the past 7 years or so my family has all contributed to a book that my mom puts together for all of us to read on Christmas Eve. We each sum up our year and include pictures depicting our experiences. This year was no exception. We got our books and proceeded to read. I have never been able to read the entire book ever. I get distracted with games (see our Monopoly picture) or other fun Christmas Eve activities and then just never get back to it. My intentions were always good, but I never completely finished a volume. Gregan was at my house helping me wrap gifts one night and asked me point blank if I have read everyone's stories every year. I have never been a good liar and sheepishly admitted that I haven't. For some reason this question came up again on Christmas Eve, but was directed toward everyone. I didn't want to admit it again and kept quiet, but Gregan kindly shared my secret and I was shamed into reading the entire book this year and even started on the '07 volume. There is a picture of me reading and that is the reason I posted it - for evidence that yes, family, I read all of your silly stories and they were worth it. Maybe I'll catch up on the past years when I should be reading my scriptures every night. We also had our traditional Christmas Eve program with singing, piano playing and lucky us - Jaron's joke-telling this year. Notice his attire. Never a disappointment. As for Kryn and Ava's picture, I just loved it.

Aubrey and Me

On a whim, Aubrey Bloom moved in with me in November to try out Utah. She is from Arizona and worked from home. We had a mutual friend, Calli Savage, who connected us. She had originally thought she would stay until Christmas and then move back, but she found herself really liking her living situation and we were becoming good friends as well. So she had decided to stay indefinitely and had even told her company about it. They were supportive and all was well. Tragically, while Aubrey was home for the holidays, her mother suffered a heart attack on Christmas night and her family decided to take her off of life support 3 days later. Aubrey had to stay in Arizona to take care of her mother's home and things. She was very disappointed that we could not live together anymore as was I. But my heart and prayers go out to her and her loved ones while they deal with this sudden loss. She was very close to her mother and I know this has been an incredibly difficult time. I can only imagine if I lost my own mother right now at this young age how indescribably painful that would be for me. Thankfully, both of my parents are still in good health and I hope to have them around for many more years. But Aubrey's experience has reminded me that life is short and unpredictable and I need to nourish my relationships as often as possible. Aubrey, I will miss your zest for life, your cooking, your wit and our friendship. I hope to see her again soon.