Anna's Visit to The Bay Area

Anna is home from Africa for the holidays. She had the chance to visit us at the beginning of December for some fun in The Bay. We did all of the tourist attractions plus she accompanied us to the Stanford General Surgery Holiday Ball. We had a great time going out dancing in San Francisco, visiting Napa, and hanging out in Palo Alto. Here are some pictures of her trip.

At Stanford University

Everyone here rides a bike. :)

Anna in front of Stanford Memorial Church

Union Square in San Francisco

Love the Chirstmas decorations

A night in the city

Having fun dancing

Anna, Achal, and me

Napa Valley the next day

I love the beautiful fall-winter colors.

Anna in the vineyards

The Castle Winery

In the cellar

Wine tasting

Going to the Stanford General Surgery Holiday Party

Anna, me & the faux fur :)

Eric & some of his co-residents

Me, Kelly & Kristy

Driving into San Francisco

Waiting on the trolley on Market Street

On the trolley

Golden Gate Bridge- just before nightfall

Ghirardelli Square

Eating sourdough bread- a San Francisco treat!

Other side of the Golden Gate Bridge

I had to post this because this is the worst photos ever taken by another tourist. I don't think he understood that we wanted the bridge in the photo with us- too funny.

Heading into Sausalito

Anna in Sausalito

View on the way to Muir Woods- there is nothing but the Pacific Ocean for miles

It is beautiful!

Enjoying the California redwoods- We took this picture with the self-timer.

It turned out great!

Overall, I think Anna had a great trip. We did a lot of things. She also experienced Korean food for the first time and tried In N Out Burger again. Yum! We hope that she comes back to visit us while we are here.

Thanksgiving 2009

Eric and I had our first Thanksgiving as husband and wife. Unfortunately, we were not able to go home for Thanksgiving. However, we were able to start a new tradition. Also, this was the first time I have ever cooked anything for Thanksgiving. After a lot of researching and talking to my Mom, I prepared a great meal. Eric said that he was really impressed. :) It was a great Thanksgiving. We are very thankful and blessed.

Our homemade feast with Rita looking on

(Rita had the giblets that I baked in the oven for her.)

The bird

Eric carving the turkey- He did an excellent job since he is a surgery resident and a poultry scientist!

Eric's Adventure to Peru

Eric took a trip to Peru in November. He has always wanted to climb to Machu Picchu. He has seen many of the ruins in Central America, and now, he wanted to go to South America. (I am going to try my best to blog about his experience.)

Eric went with Matthew Ragland. They both enjoy hiking and speaking Spanish, so they were perfect travel partners for this trip. They flew into Lima, Peru and took a plane to Cusco, Peru- where they started the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The hike is around 28 miles long with the highest elevation at 12,000 feet, and the hike takes 4 days. Eric and Matthew were prepared, but Eric said it still was challenging with the altitude and uphill climbs. However, everything was worth it when he reached Machu Picchu, one of the 7 wonders of the modern world. The pictures are amazing! He also video taped their climb and experience on the trail.

Their group starting the trail

Matthew and Eric were the only Americans. The other members were from Spain and Switzerland. They spoke Spanish the whole time!

Eric and Matthew taking a break from hiking

The views are amazing!

Trying to stay dry

Look at the beautiful mountains!

Almost there...

Machu Picchu

Eric and Machu Picchu in the background

He is in the clouds!

What a trip!

Rita and the heater

The weather is getting colder in the Bay Area so I brought out the space heater. I used the space heater all the time at my house in Little Rock. I love it. Well, guess who also loves it? RITA! As soon as I turn it on, she is laying in front of it. It is so funny. She can be upstairs, and if I turn on the heater, she runs and sleeps right in front of it. Sometimes I get scared she is too close and will get too hot so I turn it off. Eric never had a space heater at his house in Little Rock. This is her first time to live with one. Rita is in love with the heater. It is going to be a good fall and winter for her.

Going Home

I headed home for the first time since leaving in June for Stacy and Chad's wedding weekend. I was so excited to see all of my family and friends, but I knew it was going to be a short trip. I went shopping with Mom on Friday. I had an agenda on my food preferences since we do not have the same restaurants here in CA. We got Sonic drinks on the way to Little Rock and had lunch at Chick-Fil-A. Yum! I have been craving both of these since I moved here.

On Friday night, we had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner at Lulav. On Saturday, we had the bridal luncheon at Vieux Carre. It was great to hang out with Stacy on her big day. She was very calm and excited about getting married. The wedding turned out great, and the reception was a lot of fun. Stacy looked beautiful! Congrats to Stacy and Chad!

Stacy and I at the bridal luncheon

Before the wedding

Stacy with her sister, Ashley, in the bridal room

Stacy and Chad at the reception

Pharmacists and friends- Stacy, Beth and me

On Sunday, my sister had just flown in from a meeting in Indianapolis. My whole family was able to have lunch together. Also, she is newly engaged to Nathan! I was able to see her beautiful ring and hear all about the engagement. Nathan even took pictures of the engagement with the self-timer on his camera. The pictures are great! They capture the surprise on Michelle's face when he was on one knee asking for her hand in marriage at sunset on Mt. Nebo. Too sweet!

I met up with my friends in Little Rock on Sunday night for dinner. Shea, Annie, Ashley, Kandace, Amanda, and Anna were all there. Anna is home from Africa for the holidays so it was great to see her. I loved catching up on everyone's life. Cheers to good friends!

At Cantina Loredo with friends

My flight was Monday afternoon. My Dad drove me to the gas station so I could buy lottery tickets before I left. Eric and I both didn't win, but as my Dad says, "It is for a good cause." :)

Eric trying his luck at an Arkansas lottery ticket

I was sad to leave my family since it has been 5 months since I was home last. However, I will be home for Christmas in a few weeks for a short trip!

Hiking

To prepare for Eric's upcoming trip to Peru, we decided to go hiking. Eric wore all of his new gear for the trip, and I wore what I had since I do not have hiking clothes or shoes. We hiked a 4-mile trail at Castle Rock State Park. It was a beautiful hike. (It was very rocky though so I think I need hiking shoes next time we go.) The view was amazing! You can see all of the evergreen trees that extend all the way to the Pacific Ocean. There are plenty of hiking spots in Northern California just like Arkansas, and hopefully, we will get the chance to go again.

The beautiful view

At the end of the photo is the Pacific Ocean.

Eric on top of a rock

Eric and all of his new backpacking/hiking gear

Halloween

The night before Halloween Eric invited some of his co-residents over for a get-together. Here is a photo of everyone's last minute outfit. Some people were wearing my aprons from the kitchen.



Eric and I went to San Francisco for Halloween. We went to a friend of Deepak's condo in SF. The condo was amazing. It had a view of the Bay. I was a cat this year in honor of Rita, and Eric was Edward from Twilight. Deepak was Edward Scissor-Hands, but he doesn't have his hands on in this picture. I wish I would have brought my camera to the streets of SF...lots of Lady Gaga. There were some interesting costumes. We are looking forward to planning our costumes for next year.