Nine Years And Counting...

Happy Anniversary!

On February 9th, 2010 Samuel and I will celebrate nine years of marriage.  Like all couples we have experienced ups and, yes, even downs, but we are stronger for it and I am just as in love now as I was all those years ago!

If you know us well, 

you will not be surprised that our mini-getaway to the wine country, 

the Napa Valley,

centered around-what else?

Food! 

  

Our first stop was the Oxbow Public Market, the "go-to" spot to pick up fantastic gourmet items like these beauties from Kara's Cupcakes.  

  

 We opted for Organic Three Twins Ice Cream, because if it's organic it's fat-free, right?  Well, several extra fat grams is still cheaper than their $3,333.33 sundae, which is totally worth it if you call ahead for the cellist to perform!  Ha!

  

After some sightseeing and shopping we hit our new favorite restaurant, Neela's!  It's Indian cuisine, which is completely new to me, and I absolutely fell in love with it!

  

 The next day we headed north to St. Helena, California to visit the Culinary Institute of America (C.I.A.), where we had reservations for a cooking demo.

  

 I was in hog heaven and loved every minute of this experience!

  

 We learned how to make Italian Spinach & Ricotta Tortellini Soup with Meatballs.

  The highlight was seeing fresh pasta being made and seeing it stretch from a tiny ball of dough to strands and strands of long, thin, beautiful pasta.

  

You'll have to take my word for it, this soup was delish!  

I'll be sure and post the recipe on my food blog soon!

 

The views from the C.I.A. are stunning, or maybe I'm just biased because of the lovely "scenery"!

  

A moment I'm not proud of:

Plucking a "souvenir", a gorgeous lemon from the garden!

  

At the Greystone Restaurant we sat at the bar and watched the countless dishes being prepared at lightening speed by the talented chefs!

  

We had the good fortune of arriving as they debuted a stunning dessert sampler complete with a Lemon Curd Tart, Vanilla Panna Cotta, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream in an Almond Lace Cone, a Dried Fruit Tart, and...

...a decadent Chocolate Mousse covered in Dark Chocolate Ganache with an edible gold leaf!

  

 As you can imagine...

  

...we loved every bite!

  

 To round out the afternoon we stopped at the Castello de Amarosa, a stunning 13th century castle boasting, of all things, a torture chamber!

Be forewarned, the tours are pricey! 

 We opted to tour the open area on the first level instead.

  

Before heading home, we stopped at one final destination: 

V. Sattui Winery.

They have the most amazing deli and fine foods shop.  After sampling freshly made dark chocolate, artichoke & lemon cream cheese, and honey-dijon dip, we opted for the fresh tomato, basil, and mozzarella pannini, gnocchi in a velvety tomato sauce, and an assortment of olives, fresh mozzarella, and sun-dried tomatoes.

It was heaven on a plate, and the company was 4-star as well.  

I love my sweetheart, and it wasn't quite nine years ago that we picniced at this same winery.  We were newlyweds then, and I was 7 months pregnant with Isabella.  So much has changed, and yet so much has stayed the same.

I love you sweetheart!

8 Years Already?

The first weekend in February Samuel and I celebrated our 8th Wedding Anniversary in San Francisco!

We kicked off our trip at the place it all began...the beautiful Oakland Temple. On February 9th, 2001 Samuel and I were sealed for time and all eternity. It will always be the happiest day of our lives.

8 years later.
Not so fresh-faced but still so much in love!

After our session we crossed the Bay Bridge and entered the beautiful city of San Francisco. While I would never live here, I do love to visit.

We drove directly to Pier 39 and stopped for a quick to-go snack from a favorite eatery of ours, The Crepe Cafe. The Fresh Strawberry Crepe with Chocolate Chips is excellent, but this time we opted for the Turkey, Monterey Jack Cheese, Basil Pesto, & Avocado Crepe...yum!


We hit the road, crepe in hand, for Pier 33, where we had reservations for the 1:55 PM tour of Alcatraz! Neither of us have ever been, so we were excited to check it out.

The views from the ferry were beautiful, and we could not have asked for better weather! The sun was shining and the air was crisp and sharp! Sam was so happy he could get away with just wearing his t-shirt!

The island itself is gorgeous. And everywhere you turn, among the decaying buildings, are beautiful gardens.

The cell house is another story entirely. Very sobering. We each took headsets to take advantage of the audio tour, and I was so glad I did. The tour is narrated by former Alcatraz prison wardens and inmates, and it is chilling to hear them re-count what life was like there.


Our ferry docked just in time for dinner, and since we were headed back to Pier 39 we dined at the Crab House. I had read on "Yelp" that they are famous for their "Killer Crab" cooked in a secret garlic sauce. Sam and I love crab legs and we were not disappointed-especially considering we had a beautiful view of the sun setting behind the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. It was a perfect meal!

After dinner we finally headed to our hotel room to check-in. We were on the 15th floor in the Financial District, and we were surrounded by other high-rise buildings. By this time the sun had officially gone down, which means that much of San Francisco is just getting up! You'd think we would be exhausted, but all we really wanted to do was get out once more to catch the biggest event in town...

The 149th Chinese New Year Parade!

It's billed as the the 7th largest parade in the world, and it was all happening not two blocks up from our hotel! As we stepped out onto the sidewalk we heard the explosion of fireworks and music and we took off running-uphill!

As you can see, the floats were spectacular, but what really got us cheering was seeing Sam's former employer represented, "UPS"!
I had fun screaming,
"WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?"

The end of the parade route was about 2 blocks south of us, so unlike the thousands of people making their way for the firework finale, we were already there. We saw men with row after row of fireworks draped around their necks and hanging to the floor taking their position, and we knew we were in for some serious noise. And sure enough, when those fireworks went off it was as though an ocean of sound was erupting all around us!

Normally, I don't want to be wandering the streets of a strange city late at night, but the conclusion of the parade meant that Chinatown was officially open for business. Hundreds of people poured into shops for snacks or souvenirs, or they tried in vain to get an open table at the many restaurants that were overwhelmed with customers.

Of course after all the excitement Samuel and I had the munchies! We had already purchased souvenirs for the kids, and a bag of my favorite snack in the whole world, "Sourdough Snacks" (more on those later), but now we wanted some serious Chinese food. Luckily, a restaurant that was emphatically not taking any more dine-in customers, was welcoming take-out orders. And not minutes later did we walk away with spicy General's Chicken, Chicken Chow Mein, and my favorite, Egg-Drop & Mushroom soup. It was finally, finally time to head "home" for the night!

I include this picture as a lesson, to all those who would wake up at 1 AM, after two evening meals of "Killer Crab" and Chinese food, with the brilliant idea to down 2 cups of hot cocoa and a whole bag of "Sourdough Snacks". I woke Sam and simply said, "I am soooo sick."

He was not sympathetic.

The next morning we had our first day time view from our hotel balcony. In the distance you can see the Bay Bridge.

Sam was thrilled that he could look up and then down to make himself extremely dizzy. He did this several times before I told him to "get away from the balcony!".

Yes, that is my man.

We were several blocks from the famous Ferry Building Marketplace on the Embarcadero. What better place for breakfast than a building that houses some of the finest breads, cheeses, meats, and chocolate? From Acme Bread we purchased an a beautiful crispy baguette and from Cowgirl Creamery some of their signature Mt. Tam cheese. We rounded off the meal with some hot chocolate and a french pastry-voila!

Seriously, I could have stayed there ALL DAY LONG! It was that fabulous! But Samuel was getting the itch so we grabbed a couple of sandwiches to go, Sam's a meatball and mozzerella from The Golden Gate Meat Company, and mine a Cheese Sandwich from Acme (Mt. Tam cheese, fresh jam, arugala, & black pepper)...heaven!

Our next stop: Coit Tower!

Many years ago Samuel and I once got it in our heads that we would walk there. It looked do-able, especially considering you can see it from practically anywhere in the city. Needless to say, we tried...and failed miserably. And also got lost in the process! So this time, with map in hand, we were determined to DRIVE up and visit it properly!

The tower was built with funds from Lillie Hitchcock Coit, who left 1/3 of her estate to the City of San Francisco "to be expended in an appropriate manner for the purpose of adding to the beauty of the city which I have always loved". The tower, like so many building in San Francisco, is beautiful, and the murals in the rotunda-stunning, but the views from the top of the tower of the city are even more so.

When I told Sam that while I was glad we visited Alcatraz, I didn't think I ever wanted to return again, he replied the he could go back over and over.

Hence this shot of him kissing his favorite island.

A great shot of the "crookedest street in the world": Lombard Street!

After the tower we headed to the Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square.

How can you pass up Fish n' Chips and fresh Shrimp and Crab Cocktail?

Or Boudin's Famous Clam Chowder?



Or Ghiradelli's ice cream sundaes?

Yes, we came, and ate...and ate, and ate, and ate.

Our blissful vacation was coming to a close. Before we left we took the Scenic 49 drive through the Presidio before stopping at beautiful Baker Beach.

We had a wonderful time. But seriously, you could put us in a box and in 5-seconds we'd be laughing over something stupid. Well, maybe we'd be fighting if the reason we're in the box in the first place is something Sam did...but either way, being together is what counts.

I love you Samuel Dodge Elmer!
Here's to 8...80...800...800 million...infinity years to come!

And to all you other lovebirds, take the time to reach for your sweethearts hand.

Give it a good squeeze and count your blessings!