Spring forward!

Like all of you, this morning we awoke to find that we had lost an hour. As annoying as it was that our day off had shrunk even by 60 minutes, it is exciting to think that it is actually spring! Who knew? It has been 65 degrees here for months....Now, though, we can look forward to the days growing longer, to the opportunity to take Mishka to the dog park at night and to evening walks and later sunsets.

Except that it has felt like our days have been shrinking for weeks now. It is almost like every day is daylight savings, each day springing forward, hours slipping into black holes. There is so much we want to accomplish, and we seem to get less and less of it done (especially with respect to the house). Maybe we're playing too hard...

So one of the things I have been meaning to do is update this blog. There's much to share! A few weeks ago, we went to Salt Lake City, Utah, for a fun skiing/snowboarding trip with a bunch of friends (including Sharon, Brook, Shane, Joyce and Greg). Geoff snowboarded a few days but then switched to skiing, which he grew up doing. He went with the boys (and Sharon) to shred the crazy back country powder while Joyce and I stuck to the safety of the greens. I got better at snowboarding (thanks to my excellent and patient instructor Gina) and managed not to maim myself. I learned to turn, finally, so now my quads don't burn out so fast from traversing the mountain on my heel edge (except when it gets scary steep - then I revert). I still look like a doofus, though. I haven't mastered the awesome nonchalance of the really good snowboarders yet, but I'm working on it. In the meantime, I'm planning on faking it by getting really cool gear. We are trying to go again one last time at the end of the month, so hopefully I'll get better.

Last weekend I was in San Francisco for my college buddy Sonia Bakkour's 8th birthday. That's right - 8. No, she isn't a child prodigy. She's a leap year baby!!! February 29 only happens once every 4 years, so I HAD to be there! I got to meet her wonderful boyfriend Chris and many friends I have known by name for years and only now got to meet. One such friend Sara (pictured to the right of Sonia in the photo by the ocean) graciously showed us around San Fran and took us to the hottest spots for brunch, including Boulette's Larder. Yummtastic (though the snooty lady informed me of their no photos policy...well excuuuuuuuuze me! I managed to snap a few before her big announcement, though). It was my first trip to San Francisco, so I loved seeing the city from across the Golden Gate Bridge and the views of Alcatraz, which I had recently learned more about in Surviving Alcatraz on National Geographic. I missed Geoff and Mishka, though. Turns out I really like my little family.

Meanwhile, all of the outside construction has been going on and finally was completed last week. We had our old patio and deck torn out and replaced, and now we are officially the party house of San Diego. Seriously, the open floor plan combined with the fact that we have at least five different places to eat makes us the ideal dinner party spot! We can't wait to get the outside furniture and start having everyone over...now don't you want to be one of our guests?!