cercelata: summer

Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts

Birthday Pictures!

First of all, thanks for all the love! All the well wishes via facebook, twitter, email, my phone, the mail, blogs, etc. made me feel way less nauseous over turning 30. And it turns out 30's not so bad, anyway. ;)

My dear friends came out to celebrate with me at the Lake Chalet last night, and we had lots of fun! I highly recommend Taco Tuesday. You get to sit on the water, drink 1/2 price margaritas, and enjoy plentiful $2.50 tacos. Sweet!

the venue

me and Diana: one of my favorite people in the world

Meagan and Amanda on the lake

me and Doro: almost birthday twins! (she's 8/13, I'm 8/16)

table on the water + tacos + margaritas!

Timmy and Trav: a stand up pair

thank goodness for Cari--no idea what I'd do without her.

(p.s. she is mama to Milo and Jude, regulars on this here blog)

a contemplative Raul surrounded by margaritas

neighbors and friends: Diana and Adam (plus Crouching Claire)

Mani and her handsome lil Mateo

flanked by twins: PJ on the left, AJ on the right

We had a blast, although I wish my faraway friends could have been there as well. Yay for celebrations and drinks and friends and flowers!

Two more things:

1. Please keep my dad's horrendous beagle, Ignatius, in your thoughts/prayers. He has a suspicious lump and I am sick with worry.

2. Speaking of pleases, please check out my friend Annie's new blog, Tough Little Cookies. She's finally started a blog about raising her three hilarious and adorable daughters in San Francisco. Please remember how it was when you first started blogging and go show her some love!! :)

The Very Last Week of my 20s.

A week from today, I will be 30, and I'm sorta petrified.

I know better than to let the "norms" get to me, but lately, they've started creeping in. Aren't I supposed to have gotten married by now? Had a kid? Bought a house? Saved some money? Maybe that last one would have been possible had I not decided to move to the second most expensive city in the country.

The scariest part is that the other day, I remembered a conversation I had with a co-worker at Balboa several years ago, and it felt like yesterday. We were talking in my office, and I said, "Sometimes I just feel like I want to up and move to Argentina or something!" He laughed and said, "How old are you?" I said, "25." And he said, "Yeah. You're so young. That's why you feel that way."

1. OMG how was I just 25 what feels like yesterday? How on earth have 5 years passed by in the blink of an eye?
2. I still feel that way, sucka.

Here's how I've spent my summer, for the most part:

With some travel, visitors, good exercise, lots of time with Milo and Jude, and puzzling out a relationship thrown in. Oh, and wasting a decent amount of time playing Tiny Tower.

I'm not a "bucket list" kind of person in the least. I kinda feel like all of life is an adventure, and I have continuous goals/dreams/etc. that will span out my whole life . . . and they can't be diminished to a checklist of things I want to have accomplished by a certain age. And yet, somehow, this coming week is shouldering a lot of pressure! Last week of my 20's! Anyone want to go to Vegas?

All You Need . . .

to make the most delicious summer pasta (sauce) is this:

well and this:

Credit goes to my friend Anna for the development of this delicious sauce!

Steps:
*Get thyself to the farmers market. Buy the sweetest, smallest, thinnest-skinned cherry "sunburst" tomatoes you can find (doesn't work with thick-skinned or unsweet tomatoes).

*Wash them and remove the pesky little stems (I used one pint for this sauce).

*Chop up a good bit of fresh garlic (your discretion--I use a lot!).

*Saute minced garlic in olive oil on low for a few mins. Then add the darlin' little tomatoes.

*Patiently stir/watch 'em cook until the wee tomatoes start to burst. Stir stir stir. Sauce begins to develop (orangey in color with garlic flecks and some whole/partially whole tomatoes).

*Add salt & pepper to the pan.

*When done (takes at least 20 minutes, sometimes longer), pour over angel hair pasta, or in my case, fresh, handmade garlic-parsley pasta from the farmers market (though honestly, angel hair might be better).

*Top with parmesan.

Voila, your new favorite dinner:

I Left My Heart in Cabo San Lucas: Beach Pics

I'm sitting at Peet's (coffee shop, for those non-Californians among you) working on lesson plans today, daydreaming about being back at Capella. Here are some pictures of our time in Cabo from Cari and JJ's camera. Feast your eyes on the beauty & preciousness (of Jude).

*you may have to enlarge these since I can't figure out how to make pics bigger on my blog.

Jude and me upon our arrival in Cabo

Cari and Milo in the Capella lobby. Check out his scrunchy face.

JJ and Milo having dinner at "The Office." So sweet.

Judebug with our butler, Victor (aka guacamole master)

plunge pool on our patio, overlooking the resort & the Pacific

I got the boys shirts to match their eyes :)

me & my piggies getting some sun

view from my elliptical in the fitness center

(totally untouched iphone photo)

who wouldn't work out every day if this was the view???

me, Cari, and the boys

infinity pool numero dos: on the beach

terribly grainy picture of me and JJ
before a debauched night out starting at Cabo Wabo
(you don't wanna know where it ended)

just a pirate ship, no big thang

Cari and JJ: on our patio pre-date night
(side note: I fell in love with that dress but it didn't fit me so I got it for Cari!)

oh Capella, how I long for thee
(another unedited iPhone pic taken from patio)

If you're even thinking of going to Cabo, I can't recommend Capella highly enough. Just click on that link and you'll start salivating. I'm sure you can imagine how hard it is being back home after 8 blissed out days there! Only regret: not getting pictures of the cute waiters/resort staff.

Here's to being able to return in 2012!

What I'm Workin' With

The idea of leaving Capella (our resort in Cabo) is downright depressing. So I just won't think about it. The physical beauty here is astounding: our back patio, complete with a private plunge pool, overlooks the resort and the Pacific, which rages onto the beach day & night. The water is teal-clear. We have a two-level white couch covered in colorful pillows. We each have our own bedroom and shower (that's not entirely true; I'm sharing with Jude). :) Our butler makes us homemade salsa, guacamole, tortilla chips, and decadent meals.

When we started to run low on Corona, another case was delivered promptly. Today Jude woke up with swimmer's ear, and a doctor came to our condo and had antibiotics delivered within half an hour.

And the staff. They run around with towels and bottles of water in bins of ice. They are so friendly (and some of them very cute!). I wish this could be real life. Here are some pics:

view from our back patio

one of the three infinity pools (the adult pool with swim-up bar aka my favorite one)

Cari enjoying our newest discovery:

the spicy mango margarita with chipotle salt rim

More pictures to come. All of these are just iPhone pics--totally unedited. Cari and JJ have a really nice camera, so I'll share more pictures when they upload those. In the meantime, I am happier, tanner, and more well-rested than I've been in ages. Trying to figure out a way to move here . . .

Quiet Time

It is damn near impossible for me to sit still.

I should ask my mama if this has always been true, or if it's a (bad) habit that I've cultivated over the years (and through an increasingly technology-dependent world). If I am being honest, I will admit things like:

1. I don't really like to go to the movies because it requires me to sit still (and with decorum) for two hours, and

2. I get anxious during massage/acupuncture/anything like that--we're talkin' even LUX SPA TREATMENTS HERE--because I have to be motionless and quiet. So mostly, I don't do these types of things.

Same goes for meditation. I've tried it, repeatedly, as I know it would be so good for me & my restless soul. And yet, my mind gets the best of me every time. I can't stop thinking about the next moment. Right now, I'm sitting on our incredible patio in Cabo San Lucas, looking across our private plunge pool into the rowdy Pacific. I'm in a loose tank top and drinking a really good glass of red wine (that JJ shipped here from San Francisco). This should be the most calming environment EVER, right?

I'm pretty calm right now . . . in Claire terms, anyway. But still, my mind races with these thoughts:

~should I put on my cardigan or not?
~can't decide if I want to read blogs or read my book (Little Bee, btw)
~I think I left my dish in the sink & it's rude to leave it for the mayordomo
~tomorrow, would I rather run on the beach or go to the fitness center?
~I should be lesson planning

Etc., etc. I'm not sure that I've ever just been IN THE NOW for more than two minutes. I literally bob my leg up and down when I am sitting. Constantly. CANNOT BE STILL.

Anyone else have trouble with this? Specific ideas for overcoming this incapacity for calm?

Hope you're somewhere as beautiful as I am right now.

hola de hermosa Cabo San Lucas!

Hola from Cabo! Suffice to say, it is breathtaking here. I can't post pictures yet, because we haven't loaded any from the camera, and I can't email them from my iPhone lest I receive an otherworldly phone bill. But here's how it's gone down so far:

~we were greeted at the airport by a friendly gentleman who packed us into a van and handed us Coronas with lime for the ride to the resort

~upon arriving at the resort, a very friendly staff showed us around the grounds (teal ocean, infinity pools, restaurants on the beach) and took us to our villa. . .

~ . . . in which our sweet butler, Victor, had tamales, guacamole, and pico de gallo for us on the dining room table!

Can't wait to walk down to the beach today. Though the view from my room is almost as exquisite as the view from the plunge pool on our balcony. ;)

Only regret: abandoning my Spanish when Jaime and I broke up. I had actually been getting good, and then just quit cold turkey. I hate thinking that I could be fluent by now if I'd kept it up!

Pictures coming soon, but for now, this is where we're staying. Seriously.

Alive and Well in Georgia!

Hi everyone! I'm back from a totally unintended blogging break, which was the result of accidentally leaving my backpack (including my laptop) in San Francisco! I had it all packed as my carry on--laptop, books, work, phone charger, etc . . . and left it in the car when I got out at the train station. Thus, I've been sans internet for a while . . . can't wait to catch up on all your blogs!

As soon as I got home, my mama, sis, and I headed to Tybee Island for a little beach trip. It was good, redneck fun. ;) I'm really grateful to have had time to spend with them--we never get time just the three of us! Plus, the overcast weather led to much Sons of Anarchy watchin.' :)

We drove back on Saturday for my cousin Stevie's wedding:

my beautiful cousin, Stevie, and her new husband, Josh

Mama, Kate, and me at the wedding

the bride with her two sisters (we're all girl cousins on my mama's side!)

sisters: Aunt KK, Aunt Pat, my mama

uncles ;)

Daddy and me

The wedding was beautiful and fun, and the next day I got to hold this sweet baby (my cousin Jennifer's half-sister's brand new daughter):

Emma Kate: 6 lbs 12 oz of CUTENESS

Today, after accompanying Jason, one of my bffs, to his radiation treatment (he has testicular cancer; he's gonna be fine, and he has the most incredible attitude about it), we stopped for brunch at Social House, where I had the southernest of breakfasts:

fried green tomato crepes, cheese grits, sweet tea

And then I spent the afternoon with my 91 year old grandmother, who advised that instead of seeking romance and passion, I begin to look for a man who is "rather dull."

Off for a ride on my dad's Harley . . . so grateful he's willing to feed the obsession!

Busy Weekend in Pictures

Why did I think summer would be so low-key and relaxing? I had visions of spending my days lounging on my back porch with a Blue Moon, big sunnies, and some books . . . and yet, not so much how it's turned out. Working a lot on my curriculum, meetings, babysitting, social engagements, stalking motorcycle clubs, visitors + travel = one busy girl.

Here's what I've been up to this weekend:

eating lots of these

dinner (Delfina Pizzeria) and drinks (Double Dutch; my fave)

with my dear friend Monica

p.s. anyone know how to get the iPhone 4 to take better pics in the dark?

p.p.s. check out the awesome boombox on the Double Dutch homepage

p.p.p.s. go to Delfina Pizzeria and get the broccoli raab pizza stat.

sunny days at the pool with this guy & his impish brother

immersed in my new book

p.s. the co-authors, Keith and Kent Zimmerman,

teach creative writing in my unit at San Quentin

a beautiful San Francisco Sunday in Freeman's back yard

Tomorrow I'll be missing Leeann, who was supposed to be visiting this weekend, until I dropped the ball and took too long to email her times (the airfare sale ended) :(. No doubt we would have torn up the town. Instead, I'll be BBQing with friends during the day, and teaching at San Quentin at night. Normally I wouldn't teach on a holiday, but I'll be out of town the next two Mondays (here I come, Georgia! here I come, Cabo San Lucas!), so I'm sucking it up for the greater good. Needless to say, my students don't have any other plans. ;)

Fittingly, I'll be teaching this poem.

Happy 4th!

Girlfriends, Good Food, Wine, and Jax Teller

How lucky am I that Micaela, Marianne, and Jessie chose to spend vacation time here with me in San Francisco last week? And let me just say that our trip was everything we dreamed it would be.

four girls in Napa

Marianne is the sweetest person I've ever met. And she's incredibly beautiful, loyal, and says the cutest things. ♥

Jessie can party like a rockstar. She's a hot & hilarious bad ass with some amazing stories. She and I could get into some pretty serious trouble if we lived near each other.

And Micaela is my girl. I feel closer to her every day, and am so thankful this trip gave us so much time together. This woman could fill oceans with the love she has to give. It's pretty unreal.