So much life

Too much life has been happening too quickly to document it all. Since the last post some notable things happened (in no particular order):

• I threw a massive multi-tiered surprised weekend for The Boy’s (notable) birthday. It involved a private jet, 15 people visiting from out of town, multiple parties, 10 days of houseguests, and so much fun.

• On The Boy’s actual birthday we enjoyed an exceptional dinner at Chez Panisse (thank you World Series for allowing us to get last-minute reservations)

• We spent a weekend in Wisconsin marrying some of our favorite ski buddies

• I got a new bike! My road bike is too nice to ride around Berkeley and Public Bikes was having a warehouse sale. I got a gorgeous mixte with a Brooks saddle and front and rear racks for 45% off! I also met the founder who was super nice.
• We got Rocksmith and while we have gained both an electric and an acoustic guitar, I think we have lost some points with our poor neighbors who need to listen to us practice.
• We took a belay class at the rock climbing gym and spent an afternoon top roping, bouldering, and cultivating such an appreciation for the strength and flexibility of climbers.
• We have had such a full social calendar. As an example, last weekend we pledged to take the weekend off and intentionally turned down some social invitations so that we could recharge. In spite of our intentions to keep things low-key, we still had a friend over on Friday, went to a party in the city on Saturday, hosted a brunch for one set of friends on Sunday, and hosted another set of friends for the Steelers game on Sunday night. Safe to say we suck at taking it easy.
• We went on a picnic in Marin Headlands, toured the Point Bonita lighthouse (aptly named), and enjoyed some beach time in Sausalito. We saw seals and whales, and it was great.

I’ve been so fortunate that even the typically less glamorous parts of life (e.g. work) have been so rewarding recently. I spent a day in San Diego giving a well-received talk and adore my colleagues at Cal. Whether it’s the rare things (massive parties!) or the frequent things (loving my boys), my life in Northern California is so full and brings me so much joy.