(My first pair were bought at DSW in D.C.) Just take a look at them and you will fall in love with them. They are brown leather in case the pictures make them appear black. They also had them in red suede; super cute.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Shoe Heaven
What girl doesn't love shoes?! I certainly do and when I find a deal I want to tell the world about it. And what better way to do that now then to blog about it. Saturday Romulo and I were at Marshalls' "just looking" and I came upon these cute Cole Haan's that were only $59.99. Okay so some of you might think that is still too much but the retail price was $120; so yeah 50% off not bad. They are your ballet style with edge and the best part is they have support. In the sole of the shoe is NIKE AIR (you can see the bubble) and it makes you feel like you are walking on air. Really! These will be my second pair of Cole Haan's that have the NIKE AIR in them and I love them. So I wasn't going to think twice to buy these. Plus they are perfect for walking in SF and touring my new town SR (San Ramon).
(My first pair were bought at DSW in D.C.) Just take a look at them and you will fall in love with them. They are brown leather in case the pictures make them appear black. They also had them in red suede; super cute.
(My first pair were bought at DSW in D.C.) Just take a look at them and you will fall in love with them. They are brown leather in case the pictures make them appear black. They also had them in red suede; super cute.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Top 10 List of San Fran
Okay, so I've been thinking about a top 10 list of San Francisco/East Bay Area and I don't know if this list is exactly the list I want but oh what the heck I will add on later.
1. FOOD - you can turn any corner of any street and find good smelling food. One area that Romulo and I feel in love with is known as Belden Place (aka Belden Alley, Belden Lane, or Belden Lane) - French Quarters of San Fran. Its this cute rustic tight alley that has what 8 restaurants nicely side by side each other and the food ranges from Italian, French, or Spanish. We've been to 3 of the 8 and haven't had one bad meal yet.
2. TRANSPORTATION - BART has to be the best thing since sliced bread. I mean any transportation these days that doesn't require us to pay $4.55 a gal for gas is great, right? We love BART and used it daily to get to work in the Financial District for our internship and Romulo uses it now to get into the city all the way out here from San Ramon. Its great.
3. FARMER'S MARKETS - Love the variety of local grown veggies and fruits here in CA. At Fisherman's Wharf my brother-in-law bought a bag of cherries and paid $11 some odd dollars for it. It was about 2 lbs worth of cherries; got to love the tourist spots. But man were they good. (FYI those prices are not typical everywhere else at Farmer's Market.) Picture below is of the strawberries at that same market at Fisherman's Wharf.
4. BUSHMAN - Speaking of Fisherman's Wharf, I couldn't go without saying the best thing there is the homeless man who goes by the name of BushMan. And he is a fan favorite, even David Letterman and Jay Leno loves him. He sits down on a bucket and hits behind a bunch of bushes he has taken and when tourists or group of people walk by he scares them. Its hilarious. I had a picture but Romulo erased a lot of my pictures last summer. That's a long story.
5. LOMBARD STREET - It has to be the most famous street ever. At least when I was growing up this was the street my mom talked about wanting to see before she died and the Painted Ladies (also in San Fran). Its a man-made street because of the steepness of it that zig-zags down. It is breath taking. We have gone down it twice and I still feel a rush. I think of my mom everytime. Here are some pictures.
This picture is from the bottom. See the zig-zag effect.
This view is from the top.
1. FOOD - you can turn any corner of any street and find good smelling food. One area that Romulo and I feel in love with is known as Belden Place (aka Belden Alley, Belden Lane, or Belden Lane) - French Quarters of San Fran. Its this cute rustic tight alley that has what 8 restaurants nicely side by side each other and the food ranges from Italian, French, or Spanish. We've been to 3 of the 8 and haven't had one bad meal yet.
2. TRANSPORTATION - BART has to be the best thing since sliced bread. I mean any transportation these days that doesn't require us to pay $4.55 a gal for gas is great, right? We love BART and used it daily to get to work in the Financial District for our internship and Romulo uses it now to get into the city all the way out here from San Ramon. Its great.
3. FARMER'S MARKETS - Love the variety of local grown veggies and fruits here in CA. At Fisherman's Wharf my brother-in-law bought a bag of cherries and paid $11 some odd dollars for it. It was about 2 lbs worth of cherries; got to love the tourist spots. But man were they good. (FYI those prices are not typical everywhere else at Farmer's Market.) Picture below is of the strawberries at that same market at Fisherman's Wharf.
4. BUSHMAN - Speaking of Fisherman's Wharf, I couldn't go without saying the best thing there is the homeless man who goes by the name of BushMan. And he is a fan favorite, even David Letterman and Jay Leno loves him. He sits down on a bucket and hits behind a bunch of bushes he has taken and when tourists or group of people walk by he scares them. Its hilarious. I had a picture but Romulo erased a lot of my pictures last summer. That's a long story.
5. LOMBARD STREET - It has to be the most famous street ever. At least when I was growing up this was the street my mom talked about wanting to see before she died and the Painted Ladies (also in San Fran). Its a man-made street because of the steepness of it that zig-zags down. It is breath taking. We have gone down it twice and I still feel a rush. I think of my mom everytime. Here are some pictures.
This picture is from the bottom. See the zig-zag effect.
This view is from the top.6. PAINTED LADIES - 6 beautiful restored Victorian homes that are on Haight street in San Fran. These homes I remember being little and watching specials on tv with my mom and her being in awe over them and saying that another one of her dreams was to visit them in person because she admired the details and beautiful painting. They truly are amazing to look at and to have the city as a back drop. Here are some pictures.
7. SHOPPING - Okay, so I had to put that in this list right. Union Square is the best place okay maybe the whole city of SAN FRAN is the best thing. It's been a really long time since I've lived in a city that has GREAT SHOPPING. I mean come on I grow up in DC and then moved to UTAH...wow that was like throwing a person into a cold shower and never turning on the hot water. I got moments of luke warm water when I would get out of Utah to visit my family in VA but no, back to the cold shower. :) SHOPPING IS FUN AGAIN. I have a huge Macys, Bloomingdales, Saks, TIFFANYS (YES. Not only is there one in the city but there is one closer to me in Walnut Creek. No excuses now Romulo.), Neiman Marcus, etc. And that was just major department stores.
8. AIRPORTS - We have 3 major airports we can choose from when wanting to fly; OAK, SFO, and SJC. That is better than the ONE in Utah. So now when I want to fly home to VA I can choose from the three here and the three there in VA. Oh I love big cities.
9. WEATHER - We love the Northern CA weather that barely rains 21 days out of the year (at least here in San Ramon) and the coolness of the Bay. I've always loved the layering effect of Fall/Winter and when I found out the weather and how you really needed to layer when being in the city I feel fast for S.F. We were made for each other. Sure there fog and it gets misty sometimes but hey we are spoiled here in the Bay. I'm in love with it and that's all that matters.
10. PWC - For me this list wouldn't be complete without Romulo's Job at PricewaterhouseCoopers. We wouldn't be here in this wonderful city/area if it wasn't for them offering him his job last summer after his internship. We count our many blessings for this opportunity and are loving every moment. So his building is hard to get a picture of from the Bay Bridge. But if you see the building with the American Flag that's Embarcadero 4 building and right behind it would be his building, Embarcadero 3, if you could see it in this picture. Nice, huh?
7. SHOPPING - Okay, so I had to put that in this list right. Union Square is the best place okay maybe the whole city of SAN FRAN is the best thing. It's been a really long time since I've lived in a city that has GREAT SHOPPING. I mean come on I grow up in DC and then moved to UTAH...wow that was like throwing a person into a cold shower and never turning on the hot water. I got moments of luke warm water when I would get out of Utah to visit my family in VA but no, back to the cold shower. :) SHOPPING IS FUN AGAIN. I have a huge Macys, Bloomingdales, Saks, TIFFANYS (YES. Not only is there one in the city but there is one closer to me in Walnut Creek. No excuses now Romulo.), Neiman Marcus, etc. And that was just major department stores.
8. AIRPORTS - We have 3 major airports we can choose from when wanting to fly; OAK, SFO, and SJC. That is better than the ONE in Utah. So now when I want to fly home to VA I can choose from the three here and the three there in VA. Oh I love big cities.
9. WEATHER - We love the Northern CA weather that barely rains 21 days out of the year (at least here in San Ramon) and the coolness of the Bay. I've always loved the layering effect of Fall/Winter and when I found out the weather and how you really needed to layer when being in the city I feel fast for S.F. We were made for each other. Sure there fog and it gets misty sometimes but hey we are spoiled here in the Bay. I'm in love with it and that's all that matters.
10. PWC - For me this list wouldn't be complete without Romulo's Job at PricewaterhouseCoopers. We wouldn't be here in this wonderful city/area if it wasn't for them offering him his job last summer after his internship. We count our many blessings for this opportunity and are loving every moment. So his building is hard to get a picture of from the Bay Bridge. But if you see the building with the American Flag that's Embarcadero 4 building and right behind it would be his building, Embarcadero 3, if you could see it in this picture. Nice, huh?
School Bus
So we all remember our first ride on a yellow school bus, right? Our parents putting us on the bus for the first time heading to school for our first day of kindergarten. At least that was my first time and there are a million pictures to back that up. Well anyways, my husband's first experience on a yellow school bus was actually the summer of 2006 when we were in Newport Beach, CA with my family for a visit. We were at the opening of the Newport Beach LDS Temple to take a tour before they dedicated it. And to get all the people to the temple they shuttled us from the Stake Center to the Temple in...you guessed it a yellow school bus. So, as we were standing in line my two younger sisters and I were talking about our memories on buses growing up and I turned to my husband and asked him. I don't remember exactly what he said but he took a while to say something I do remember that. But he went on to explain to me that in Brazil they don't have the same systems of transportation or means of getting the kids to school so they have to take public transportation. I was shocked. It was interesting to hear the stories he told me.
So here is a picture of my husband riding a school bus for the very first time at the age of 28. There is a first for everything...we have had a lot of firsts.
Here is a picture of the Newport Beach Temple when we took a tour inside of it before it was dedicated. It was an amazing experience to go with my husband, my parents, two little sisters, and aunt.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Buddy's coming!
So my best friend of 15 years (does that sound right, am I that old) called me tonight to inform me that she is coming to SAN FRAN next week to visit another friend of hers from college and wants to see me too. OMG!!! Buddies reunited.
Caroline, aka Buddy, and I first met in 5th grade when she moved in and was the "new girl". We instantly became best friends and then 2 1/2 years later she moved to Chicago where she has been since. And wouldn't you know we stayed friends ever since and let me tell you that was before the internet and emailing was in so we wrote letters and called long distance to stay friends. It wasn't until the summer we both were going into 9th grade I made my first trip to Chicago. And it seemed like every summer since then until I got married we saw each other; sometimes twice a year. It has been cool to have a friend who knows you and you can pick up no matter how long its been since you last spoke to them. Thanks Bud for being the bestest friend ever.
Did I mention that she is in Medical School at Northwestern and is almost done? Oh yes, that was the only thing I ever heard her say she wanted to be and its almost come true. Way to go Bud!
Caroline, aka Buddy, and I first met in 5th grade when she moved in and was the "new girl". We instantly became best friends and then 2 1/2 years later she moved to Chicago where she has been since. And wouldn't you know we stayed friends ever since and let me tell you that was before the internet and emailing was in so we wrote letters and called long distance to stay friends. It wasn't until the summer we both were going into 9th grade I made my first trip to Chicago. And it seemed like every summer since then until I got married we saw each other; sometimes twice a year. It has been cool to have a friend who knows you and you can pick up no matter how long its been since you last spoke to them. Thanks Bud for being the bestest friend ever.
Did I mention that she is in Medical School at Northwestern and is almost done? Oh yes, that was the only thing I ever heard her say she wanted to be and its almost come true. Way to go Bud!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Hudson's Baptism Day
Since I mentioned Hudson getting baptized in the last posting I should probably write about that and catch up on that topic. Hudson Daniel Johns is the oldest grandchild on both sides of the family. He was born December 9 1999 in Utah to my brother Thomas and his wife Molly Kay. He was the cutest little baby ever, auntie bias (at the time; still cute but I have other cute nephews now). Since he was the first and only nephew/grandchild he received too many nicknames. I couldn't begin to name them all nor spell them right: Hun Hun, Binkers, Lambie, etc.
I'm not sure on dates but they moved back to VA when Hudson was still a baby, what before he turned 1 or something, tell me MK if I'm wrong. Anyways, they moved back and the smothering continued and we loved it. I mean this kid meant the world to everyone. So, it was no surprised when he turned 8 everyone came for his baptism on our side of the family. And on the other side his grandmother came along with his one Aunt, Aunt Lisa and Uncle Tom and their two kids came from Washington to celebrate this time in his life.
I put together a "memory box" for Hudson where people who attended his baptism could write down feelings, thoughts, messages to him and then put them in the box for Hudson to reflect back on. Also inside, one could put pictures and little keep sakes from the event in it.
Father's Day
So, I found this picture I took with my dad in December when we were there for my oldest nephews birthday/baptism. Hudson or Hun Hun (just one of his million nicknames) turned 8 in December and was baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He was the first of the grandchildren to be baptized. It was such a special day. Back to my picture and posting.
I found this picture I took of my dad and I. I always thought I looked a lot like my dad but still thought I had some features of my mom in me but the older I get the more I think gosh I do look a lot like my dad and I love it. I mean I love my mom and think she is a beautiful woman but my dad is a handsome man too and who wouldn't want to look like their father if he is handsome! I'm proud to look like my dad.
I like the eye brows he gave me, dimples, chin, the smile, etc. etc. Thanks mom and dad! (I'll try to find a picture of me and my mom.)
801 Shout Out
Romulo coached a 17 year old girls club volleyball team for a few months and we miss those girls. The club's name was 801 VBC and the group of girls Romulo got had to be the best group ever. They just were so friendly, loving, and caring for one another. Romulo really meshed well with them and was able to teach them a lot about the sport of volleyball. For those of you who don't know Romulo played a lot of volleyball when he lived in Brazil. He played on a lot of club teams and semi/pro teams. When he was 16 his name was on the National Team's list. I'm not the best person to be writing this post because I get confused on how many teams and clubs and what not he played for but I know he played semi/pro. He played indoor and sand volleyball.
So this year when he coached these group of girls and they had tournaments I always found myself without my camera. It wasn't until the last time, at the teams pool party, I finally had my camera that I could take a picture of some of the team members.
Monday, June 16, 2008
New Town - San Ramon
San Ramon a cute town that we are still discovering and falling in love with the weather. San Ramon has about 58,085 residents and is about 30 miles East of San Francisco crossing the Bay Bridge. It lies between Danville and Dublin. In 2001 it received the title for Tree City USA because it truly does have a lot of trees and me being from VA I can vouch for that. San Ramon is described as lying in a valley with a boarder of hills. Romulo takes BART into the city for work and we are content to have a community of our own while the city is buzzing and we can visit when we want. Picture is of the "Painted Ladies" in San Francisco, CA.
*If you ever want to google the Painted Ladies I would use caution when doing so because you can get some interesting searches. *
IC - What's That?
***Information is personal and is kind of detailed about my health so if you don't wish to know this much about me then stop reading. ***
In December I was finally diagnosed with IC - Interstitial Cystitis. It's a condition that effects the bladder and causes painful, chronic, inflamed conditions. I started noticing changes to my health last August at the end of our internship in San Francisco, CA but didn't think much of it because I had a history of UTI's (urinary tract infections). Before heading back to Utah, I went to a hospital in downtown SF and that ER doctor told me he couldn't do anything for me and I walked out of an ER with instructions to take ibuprofen. Are you kidding me I was in intense pain? That's a whole other story and one that gets my husband and dad angry.
When we got back to Provo, Ut, so Romulo could finish up his BA at BYU, I found myself going to 2-3 different doctors pretty much every other week. They all seemed to treat me like a lab rat and put me on all types of medicines. It wasn't until I got in touch with a doctor I had gone to in VA and started emailing with her that things started to look more focused. She gave me good information and gave me direction to go on. That is were I found my God sent; Sue Dahl. She is at the Women's Clinic at Intermountain Health Care at Utah Valley Regional Hosptial in the office of Susan Steffen. Sue not only took care of my GYN but my IC problems. I'm not 100% cured from IC but have things stable and under control. It took about 9 months for my conditions to calm down and for me to feel "normal" again. December was when I was offically diagnosed with IC by another doctor; an urologist. And that experience wasn't too pleasing but I knew I could get through it knowing I would get an answer and not just an experiment.
So, my treatment now is taking Elmiron 3x a day, VESIcare (to help my bladder calm down) and doing other self-care treatments that Sue and I came up with on a trial and error experiment. (Elmiron is the only oral medication that the FDA has approved for my condition. Sad but true and it takes about 3 months to kick in. It took me 3 months to kick in but still its not a magic fix you still have conditions it just lessens the pain.) That's really what this condition is all about; try it for a week and see. I also try to control my condition by environment and diet. I only drink bottled water, I use dye free fragrance free soap, deodorant, etc. and wear 100% cotton under garments. Diet: I try to not eat acidic, spicy, and the list goes on.
Clothes are another issue, I have to be careful with the crotch area because if clothing is too tight I can get a flare up. I try to wear fabrics that are more forgiving in that area but most of the time I don't really know if it will mix well with my body until I wear it for half a day and not just trying it on in the dressing room. Sometimes I think I need the expert help of Clinton and Stacy from What Not to Wear. Because anyone who knows me knows I enjoy fashion.
In December I was finally diagnosed with IC - Interstitial Cystitis. It's a condition that effects the bladder and causes painful, chronic, inflamed conditions. I started noticing changes to my health last August at the end of our internship in San Francisco, CA but didn't think much of it because I had a history of UTI's (urinary tract infections). Before heading back to Utah, I went to a hospital in downtown SF and that ER doctor told me he couldn't do anything for me and I walked out of an ER with instructions to take ibuprofen. Are you kidding me I was in intense pain? That's a whole other story and one that gets my husband and dad angry.
When we got back to Provo, Ut, so Romulo could finish up his BA at BYU, I found myself going to 2-3 different doctors pretty much every other week. They all seemed to treat me like a lab rat and put me on all types of medicines. It wasn't until I got in touch with a doctor I had gone to in VA and started emailing with her that things started to look more focused. She gave me good information and gave me direction to go on. That is were I found my God sent; Sue Dahl. She is at the Women's Clinic at Intermountain Health Care at Utah Valley Regional Hosptial in the office of Susan Steffen. Sue not only took care of my GYN but my IC problems. I'm not 100% cured from IC but have things stable and under control. It took about 9 months for my conditions to calm down and for me to feel "normal" again. December was when I was offically diagnosed with IC by another doctor; an urologist. And that experience wasn't too pleasing but I knew I could get through it knowing I would get an answer and not just an experiment.
So, my treatment now is taking Elmiron 3x a day, VESIcare (to help my bladder calm down) and doing other self-care treatments that Sue and I came up with on a trial and error experiment. (Elmiron is the only oral medication that the FDA has approved for my condition. Sad but true and it takes about 3 months to kick in. It took me 3 months to kick in but still its not a magic fix you still have conditions it just lessens the pain.) That's really what this condition is all about; try it for a week and see. I also try to control my condition by environment and diet. I only drink bottled water, I use dye free fragrance free soap, deodorant, etc. and wear 100% cotton under garments. Diet: I try to not eat acidic, spicy, and the list goes on.
Clothes are another issue, I have to be careful with the crotch area because if clothing is too tight I can get a flare up. I try to wear fabrics that are more forgiving in that area but most of the time I don't really know if it will mix well with my body until I wear it for half a day and not just trying it on in the dressing room. Sometimes I think I need the expert help of Clinton and Stacy from What Not to Wear. Because anyone who knows me knows I enjoy fashion.
Alexander Troy Oliver
Alexander Troy Oliver was born on April 21 2007 to my oldest sister Sarah and her husband Troy. Sarah wanted her baby's name to be special and boy was it a struggle to come up with a name. They went back and forth on some beautiful, strong names but when they finally came up with Alexander Troy Oliver that was it, they knew they had it. The baby doesn't go by Alex, Troy Jr, Lil' Troy, or whatever else. He goes by Zander.
At first it was Xander but finally everyone switched to Zander. Another spelling story right?! Zander is Sarah's pride and joy and she exposes him to everything and expects him to remember everything. He is her "Precious" and is the perfect baby model for his photographer of a mother. She will tote him all over Loudoun County (Va) to get the right picture; and he loves it.
Zander is a good mixture of them both and in mid-December he will either have a brother or a sister because Sarah is expecting again. Congrads Sarah, we are so excited for you both. These pictures are a few that show off Zander's personality. Emma, my lil' sis, likes to sing that rap song "I'm a flirt" to him because he bats those eyes at you and smiles.
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