This was one of those weekends you just feel good about afterward. Lots of time with just the two of us. Lovey smiles, sunshine, flip flops, music, windows open, a slow pace. We woke up around 8a on Saturday simply because the sun was peeking into our room; the dog let us sleep in! We leashed up the dog and moseyed over to Posh Bagel for some breakfast and coffee. We dined outside and then proceeded to stroll through the park. All the flowering cherry and plum trees were in full pink and white display and the sky was the perfect blue. In that one hour span of time, we saw three different people we know out and about. After saying goodbye to the third person, we looked at eachother and said, "Well, I guess we officially live here, don't we?" Then we ran some errands, laid out by the pool, planted cilantro and basil, I baked a coffee cake, and threw the frisbee. Saturday night we watched our friends' kiddo so they could go out for the husband's birthday. This pretty much consisted of watching a movie (Disney's Robin Hood, which is actually very funny and sweet as an adult) and playing Scrabble while the kid slept upstairs.

This morning I packed up my coffee cake and we went to the Littau's for breakfast before church. We enjoy their company so much, just chatting over coffee. And another day full of smiles followed.

I have a feeling in about ten years, when we've got kids, a station wagon, a house, and responsibilities, we'll reminisce about weekends like this one with a sigh and a smile.

The weather has been gorgeous lately! We have been taking advantage of it by going to the coast, planning doggie playdates, throwing the frisbee, reading on a blanket in the grass, and planting plants in the pots on our porch. My parents arrived Thursday night for a little visit and we were lucky enough to get to eat outside a lot before they left Saturday afternoon.

Jonathan kidnapped me this morning and took me to Half Moon Bay. The water was so clear I could have sworn I was in Hawaii. I think that the ocean and sand are my reset button in life.

Below is a video of Shinobi playing with his new friend Charlie. Charlie is only 4 months old and very playful. They were just starting to chase eachother so I turned on the camera, but Shinobi got camera-shy. Enjoy!

There is a fantastic little produce market that is a mere five minute walk from my work. I try to go there at least once a week during my lunch break and always end up leaving with a very heavy bag and rarely spend more than five dollars. Since this past autumn, I have been trying to buy produce that is in season more often because:

1. It is much less expensive.

2. It is much tastier.

3. It is more nutrient dense.

So, I was delighted to discover kale this week. It is very high in Vitamins K and A, as well as many other vitamins and minerals. It is a bit too bitter for my taste as a salad green, but I found two ways to sneak it into meals this week.

I attempt to get a fruit smoothie into our stomachs at least three mornings a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less. My secret recipe for a smoothie is:

six or seven frozen strawberries

a third of a frozen banana

pour orange juice into the blender until it reaches the top of the strawberries and banana

6 oz. vanilla yogurt

an optional glug of flax seed oil

Blend, blend, blend

But I have heard mutterings about sneaking kale into a smoothie and husbands barely noticing it. So, I threw a leaf in on Tuesday morning and, Eureka! It worked!

I knew it was meant to be when this recipe for Tuscan Potato Soup popped up in my RSS feed. I just made it for dinner and it was so rich and savory. I'm not particularly fond of obeying recipes, so of course I made some alterations. I used pancetta instead of bacon, 2 ginormo shallots instead of an onion, and half the recommended cheese. And, I definitely used the reserve pancetta grease :)  Also, I returned the pancetta to the pot just before serving instead of using it as a garnish. It made more than enough for dinner tonight, dinner tomorrow, and two servings to be frozen for a lazy night when I don't feel like cooking. You'll have to check out the recipe to see what kale and a blender have to do with it.

Now, time to enjoy a movie with the husband and doggie!

I went to the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade with my buddy Sakura this weekend. It was really fun. Here are two photos from my cell phone (I forgot my camera). There were tons of dragons dancing around and lots of lanterns hanging from above. It was three hours long! We took a break in the middle for some Chinese treats, of course.

I have had a very short attention span for computers lately, meaning not much interest in blogging. But I have been having a lot of fun reading and baking and playing frisbee.

We went to Santa Barbara for Valentine's/Presidents Day weekend. My family went in 2003 and I loved it so much I have always wanted to go back. For a Christmas gift, Jonathan said I could pick a weekend to go.

There was not a cloud in the brilliant blue sky and it was a comfortable mid-70's the whole time. We ate nearly every meal outside. It was so nice. And we stayed at a great little inn (shown below). I took a lot of pictures of the architecture because it is so beautiful; white-washed stucco, red roofs, black wrought iron, colorful tile, and flowering clinging vines and trees. When we have a house one day, I would love to have a kitchen that reflects the Santa Barbara essence.

We walked up and down the beaches and saw a lot of different birds. Jonathan's favorites were the pelicans. We walked to the end of Stearn's Wharf and to the end of State Street. We were strolling around by the harbor and heard a bagpipe playing in the distance and followed the tune until we got to the top of a hill overlooking the wharf. A woman was practicing her bagpipe so we sat and listened and took in the view. It was one of our favorite parts of the trip. 

It was such a nice weekend away after the busy weeks we have had lately.