joining the husband in spain

photo found here

life has been crazy good to me lately. as you can tell from my lack of posts (whoops) i have had little time for this creative outlet we call blogging. i finished up the school year with a bang and have been working on little projects around the house ever since. i promise to share some of the results real soon. i even have a big surprise for the husband i have been cookin' up for our one year anniversary.

tomorrow i will be joining the husband in spain (that is if they accept my passport with my maiden name... minor details, people...doh) who is currently gallivanting around and educating some of his students on the spanish way. we will be traveling around spain and celebrating our anniversary there as well. a rendezvous with siblings in barcelona is even store.

more good times await. happy as a clam.

happy summer.

san francisco

"leaving san francisco is like saying goodbye to an old sweetheart. you want to linger as long as possible." -walter kronkite

spring break was a dandy time for both husband and i and quite frankly, not enough of it was spent in san francisco. we hit many a sight, but two days is simply not enough. through it all, husband and i are quite inspired and are itching to paint the exterior of our homes. i just swoon over the color combinations. 

we can't wait to go back, but will relish these photos in the meantime.

when we travel, husband and i tend to stray away from hotels. we prefer the comfort of a bed & breakfast (who doesn't like having breakfast included!?) or the casualness of staying in someone elses' home. we frequently utilize airbnb.com to find a well-reviewed private abode to park our luggage and rest our heads. if you haven't visited their site, run on over there right quick.

this go, we really nailed it. husband and i stayed at the chateau tivoli, a restored victorian mansion in the heart of the alamo square neighborhood. the keepers were gracious and hospitable, only to be outdone by the majestic interiors. best part about it....we paid $115 a night...breakfast included. this is a STEAL for san fran. we highly recommend it. below we have some of the beauty and character found within the walls of the chateau tivoli.

conservatory of flowers

visiting the conservatory of flowers in golden gate park was certainly a sleeper hit on our recent trip to san francisco. although not on our original agenda, husband and i were thrilled for the respite, beauty and history it offered after a somewhat long, chilly walk throughout the city.

the conservatory of flowers was built over a century ago and is the oldest wood and glass conservatory in north america. pretty impressive stuff. we highly recommend making a pit stop here if you find yourself in the area. just don't expect your hair to look the same upon exit...quite steamy up in there. we visited on a tuesday and were welcomed with free admission. please and thank you. 

here is some of the beauty that awaits you upon your arrival....

back from cali and back to reality

husband and i really took this whole break thing to another level. we truly did break away from our normal day to day and didn't touch school stuff (or blogging material) until yesterday. spring break we did... and it was glorious. 

having a vacation planned prior to our home purchase really was a blessing in disguise. husband convinced me that if we hadn't gone to california, we would have spent our entire break working on the house. as much as I would like to put a drop in that bucket, we needed to get away and relax already. thankfully, husband and i did manage to get a little r and r in.

we traveled to california for a short visit in monterey with some dear friends and managed to get in a short jaunt to san francisco on the way out. we ate too much, drank too much, and walked too much. as it should be, i guess. husband and i thoroughly enjoyed the monterey area....with carmel, big sur and a brief run-in with a redwood as highlights.

this vacation marked a first trip to san francisco for the both of us. we stayed in a marvelous b and b (highly recommend the chateau tivoli...super reasonably priced to boot!!) for a couple of nights and managed to hit up many of the sights and neighborhoods recommended by many. our only regret was not having more time there to explore.

here are a few of our favorite shots from the monterey area.

ready for spring

i said this earlier, and i'll say it again... you can never truly appreciate spring break until you become a teacher. tomorrow marks the first day of our break and it couldn't have come at a better time. not only has this school year taken its toll, this winter has been a beast and seems to be holding on for dear life. i am pretty sure punxsutawney phil doesn't know what he is talking about. on a lighter note, you can see from our new back porch view, the snow is just beginning to fade away. about damn time.

on a personal level, we are ready for a little husband and wife time that doesn't involve painting, grading papers, and unpacking boxes. thankfully, before this whole housebuying thing, we planned a trip out to california to visit one of husbands' childhood buddies. we are shipping out tomorrow and heading to monterey for a few days. after a brief stay, husband and i will finish our travel week exploring san francisco. neither one of us has been before, so a new adventure it will be. any dining/sights we shouldn't miss?

the blog may be a little light in the load in the coming week, you must forgive me. our camera battery charger is still mia (i am determined to find it for our trip!) and i really am making a promise to myself to unwind this break. i do however, commit to have some worthy content coming up real soon. house upgrades, new recipes and travel pictures galore.

have a happy easter and a marvelous spring break to all my fellow educators!!