San Francisco Weekend

As a bonus to the Alcatraz Sharkfest, Susan and I were able to spend a fun-filled weekend in our country’s most beautiful city! It’s hard to believe I lived in San Francisco for two and a half years...it seems like a lifetime ago. I love so much about the city, so it was very fun to be back with Susan and go to all of my old favorite places.

Our first stop as soon as we landed on Friday morning was Redwood City, a suburb of San Francisco. There’s a restaurant there called Sancho’s Taquiera and it serves THE BEST fish tacos!! Sanchos was a “must-do” on my San Francisco weekend itinerary, and fortunately, when Susan and I landed from the East Coast we were both starving, so
it worked out as a first stop!Love the double order of fish tacos…yum!

We then made our way into the city via Highway 280, which is just so beautiful! It’s so much better than Hgwy 101. We had the top down on our rented convertible and it was all sunshine, music, trees, hills and reservoirs….beautiful!

Our first stop in the city was my old office, where I had my wetsuit delivered. We popped in for a few minutes, where I said hello to a few old colleagues, but we were out of there in a flash. My #1 priority for Friday was making sure I could fit into the wetsuit! We checked into our hotel, I summoned my courage, and I folded my body into the wetsuit!It wasn’t pretty, but I got in it. Phew! The first challenge of Sharkfest was accomplished!

For the rest of the afternoon, we headed over to the Marina neighborhood, where we got manis and pedis from my favorite place - $25 total! – then we wandered up and down Chestnut Street to do a little window shopping.

We were both knackered from the travel and work week, so we decided to call it an early night. We went to Boudin’s for dinner – the best sourdough bread anywhere! – and then hunkered down in the hotel for the night. I was light’s out at 9pm, which unfortunately resulted in a 3am wakeup. Annoying!!

On Saturday morning, I rallied out of bed at 6am after laying awake for two hours and pulled myself together to go and meet Ann Christian, who is one of Amalia’s very good friends. Ann agreed to do the swim with me and she roped in three of her friends, so there were five of us total in our group. We traveled as a pack to get our registration information, get ready and board the ferry to Alcatraz Island. I have to admit that I was so grateful to have Ann with me. She and her friend, Karen, have done a few open water swims, so they were able to share some tips with me that were invaluable. Plus, it was just so comforting to be with someone while walking to the ferry, riding over to the Island, jumping into the Bay and beginning the swim. The swim was a major challenge for me and something I wanted to complete for my 40th birthday. I’m so proud of myself for having done it and being able to check it off my list. And, now I know that I NEVER have to do it again!

After the swim, Susan and I headed back to the hotel, where we slowly rallied and made our way out for lunch at The Tipsy Pig, a new restaurant in the Marina. We split a yummy hamburger and salad and got a chuckle out of this little guy painted on the wall beside us:This is basically what I felt like after the swim…totally hammered and out of it!

After lunch, we headed down to Union Square, where we had to run a couple of errands – I bought a new charm for my bracelet and Susan bought a necklace at Nordstrom – and then we decided to go on a little road trip to take advantage of our convertible.

From Union Square, I drove down Geary until we hit the Great American Highway and the Pacific Ocean, which was a lot of fun. Then we drove into Land’s End and over to the Legion of Honor museum, which was unfortunately closing right as we arrived. Then we drove through the Sea Cliff neighborhood, which is one of San Francisco’s most spectacular neighborhoods and then into the Presido, where we stopped to take some pictures. None of them turned out great because we were taking them ourselves, but you get the idea!

From the Presido, we headed to the Golden Gate bridge and drove over to the Marin Headlands. Unfortuntately, the road leading up to the Headlands was closed for construction, so we spent $6 to drive the Golden Gate Bridge, which was perfectly fine with both of us! We had the top down, the sun shining, music blasting and the best city in the country off to our side. Perfection!

Once we got back in the city, we headed to North Beach for the best pizza around…Tommasso’s! It doesn’t get any better than this!

To complete our food tour of San Francisco, we ended the night at Ghirardelli, which always reminds me of Grandma and Grandpa Shelden. It’s a total tourist trap and a hot fudge sundae sets you back $9, but it’s a San Francisco experience and it was Susan’s one request.On Sunday morning, we both woke up pretty early and decided to rally with a walk / run over the Golden Gate Bridge. I’m so glad we did this! We were only able to get about 30 minutes in, but it was so fun to walk over the bridge and take in the city from a distance. Plus, it gave me a good vantage point to see the distance between Alcatraz Island and Aquatic Park…it’s far!!After getting dressed, we made our final stop at the Ferry Plaza Building, which unfortunately wasn’t open yet, but we bought some items for breakfast and then headed to the airport to drop Susan off. She was so bummed to be leaving San Francisco, so we made a promise to come back next year for another weekend, if not sooner.

I had a couple of hours to kill, so I drove down to Menlo Park to see Karen Castagna and her four girls. They’re getting so big! Courtney is 11, Marissa is 8, Nicole is 6 and Alexa is 2. As a treat, I took the three oldest on a drive in the convertible, which they seemed to love.
It helped that I had some tunes that they liked, although I cannot believe they know Lady Gaga, Kesha, Pink and others. They seem too young to be listening to “Your Love is My Drug”!!

Karen and I were able to sneak out for an hour for a quick sandwich, which was fun, but we really didn’t get much quality time. We talked about running a 10k together in November, so maybe that’ll be my next athletic challenge!

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend with Susan and I achieved a long-held challenge of swimming the San Francisco Bay. Thank goodness I can now go back to the City and know that challenge is behind me!

Success at Sharkfest!

I did it! I successfully jumped into the San Francisco Bay this morning and swam 1.56 miles to Aquatic Park as part of the 19th annual Alcatraz Sharkfest. I participated in the race as a 40th birthday year challenge, and it was absolutely a challenge! In fact, it was downright miserable and I never need to do it again.

I jumped into the water at 8:40 a.m. and got out at 10:10 after swallowing salt water, fighting intense currents and vomiting four times. We boarded the Blue & Gold Ferry at Pier 41 at 8:10, and we arrived at Alcatraz Island 20-30 minutes later. We were among the first to jump into the water, which helped me get acclimated to the water temperature (thank goodness for the wetsuit!). Before I knew it, the horn sounded letting us know the race was beginning. I couldn't believe how intense the water currents were! It was so hard to keep my line of sight on the shore line - it actually felt like I was swimming in place half the time! What made it really fun was that I got charley horses in each calf! Miserable!!

When I finally entered the pool at Aquatic Park I was D-O-N-E! This swim absolutely kicked my trash to the curb.

I'm incredibly glad I did it as it's been on my "bucket list" for three to four years, but it was one of the most difficult things I've ever done. I'd honestly rather run a marathon that swim that 1.56 miles again. Too intense!

Fortunately, I did the swim with Amalia's good friend, Ann Christian, as well as three of Ann's friends: Patrick Mercer, Karen Mungie and Karen's daughter, Jenn. It was so great to do the swim with other people! It just was so much more enjoyable to get ready, ride on the ferry, jump in the water, begin the swim and end the race with familar faces who were in the same boat as me (no pun intended!).

Now, on to the next athletic challenge!

25 Random Thoughts & Life Developments

#1 I’ve recently discovered Deadliest Catch on Discovery TV, a show about a fleet of king crab fishing boats in the Bering Sea. It’s completely addicting and makes me realize I have a cushy job! I make good money and don’t risk losing limbs, enduring violent sea sickness or suffering a wallop from a 1,000 pound crab pot.

#2 I made fudge for the very first time this past weekend and it worked, thanks to Amber’s grandmother’s recipe!

#3 I’m convinced I’ll be able to complete the Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim on Saturday. I can finish 1.5 miles in a pool in under an hour, so I think I’ll be able to do it in open water in 75 minutes. Here’s hoping!

#4 Having a man around makes everything much easier! I’ve had Amalia and Gordon staying in my home for two months and the help he’s given me with grocery shopping, home and car repairs, basic errands, gardening and other household tasks makes me realize that having a man around is fantastic. And that’s not even mentioning the “fun” stuff!

#5 I’ve been trying to wrestle up the courage to call a plastic surgeon about a rhinoplasty consultation (why does a nose job need to be called “rhinoplasty”??? It’s such an awful word), but so far I’m all talk, no action.

#6 I really don’t enjoy picking crabs. I had fun last night at Gordon’s party, but I’m too high maintenance. I really would rather spend $20 for an 8oz container of lump crab that’s been picked for me.

#7 I love getting mail. Love it. I love hearing and seeing it come through the mail slot and I love seeing what I received. Of course, it’s usually bills and catalogs, but it’s still fun for me.

#8 Unlike 700 million people, I’m not on Facebook and have no plans to join. I don’t get the appeal of having faux relationships with people from high school, college and early professional years just so they can see via my online profile that I have a lot of “friends.” In my world, if I want you as a friend, I call you. I don’t “poke”, “like” or “tag” you online. It’s weird.

#9 I cannot bake or cook anything from Martha Stewart. Whatever the recipe, it never turns out as promised. I’m convinced she omits a step in her recipes just to ensure she’s always more perfect or capable than her devotees. Ina Garten? Now, there's a woman I can get behind!

#10 I bought an ice cream maker last weekend. It’s fun and I’ve made two good recipes, but I’m not sure either rivals Baskin Robbins Jamoca-Almond Fudge.

#11 I helped Ama and Gordon unpack some of their belonging this weekend in their new home and I got a little excited every time I unpacked a Tiffany & Co. blue box. It’s crazy how those boxes just instantly pique my interest!

#12 I wished my brother a happy Father’s Day yesterday and learned that Sawyer gave him a homemade key chain with a drawing on it. Allen called it “the best father’s day gift ever.

#13 I want to learn to sew. I don’t know why because I have nothing to sew, but I’m convinced that if I learn, I’ll find plenty of things that need sewing!

#14 I don’t like sitting in church by myself. With the ward split, I’m more often than not sitting in a pew by myself. Nothing feels lonelier than sitting in church by myself.

#15 I’m craving a pair of Luchesse cowboy boots. There’s a beautiful pair that I saw a couple years ago in Vail and I’ve been thinking of them every since. Maybe for my 40th birthday!

#16 I had microderm abrasion on my face last Saturday and I can’t tell the difference. It’s supposed to smooth out your skin and get rid of age spots and blotchiness. Of course, I’ll probably try it again in a few weeks.

#17 There’s nothing better than my bed. I love falling into freshly laundered sheets and collapsing into my down pillows and covering myself with my down comforter. It’s like sleeping on a cloud.

#18 Gardening can be fun. My garden is totally blooming – flowers are out, lettuce is growing, basil is bursting, vines are crawling – and it looks beautiful. We even pulled some lettuce from the garden last night and enjoyed it in a salad. Very yummy!

#19 A hornet nest isn’t fun. Thanks to a keen eye from my visiting teacher, I discovered a small hornet nest developing between my front and screen doors. Not good. What am I going to do about it? See #4.

#20 I want to go to Europe. I haven’t been in two years and that’s two years too long.

#21 I have a sweet tooth that has a mind of its own. I want to stop with just one cookie, but the tooth beckons and forces me to eat more!

#22 I want to try Pilates. I’m nervous because my yoga experience of 12 months ago scarred me, but I think I’d really like Pilates.

#23 I want to redo my bedroom. Well, that’s not accurate. I want to do my bedroom. I painted it a café au lait color and that’s been it. It’s crying out for some decorator TLC.

#24 I love my family, even though they make me crazy. Susan and I were hysterically laughing on Saturday night as we remembered various stories about our childhood. None of them are appropriate to share as we come off as racist, bigoted, or abusive, but they are poignantly funny.

#25 I need to come up with my next challenge or bucket list goal. Assuming I survive the Alcatraz swim, I’ll be looking toward my next achievement.

A Crabby Birthday

Tonight, Amalia and I hosted a 38th birthday party for Gordon that featured an entire bushel of Maryland blue crabs. We piled them high on the dining room table, handed people a mallet and let them go at it for an hour. While Gordon and Amber tied for the prizes of best crabber, Jill and Susan tied for most disgusted. They simply couldn't get past the shells, goo and gunk that you have to wade through to get to the meat! I think everyone had a great time - but we barely made a dent! I now have 7 1-gallon ziploc bags full of crabs in my freezer!

Update on Sawyer

My favorite three-year-old seems to doing much better, one week later. Allen and Jocelyn felt secure enough to send Sawyer to a half-day of school on Friday, where he was asked to dress as a bear.I'm thinking this is perfect ammunition for a snotty 16-year-old or a wedding video!

Then, this weekend, Allen and Sawyer have been enjoying "Man's Weekend" since Jocelyn took Walker to Wisconsin for a quick trip. Allen took Sawyer for Krispy Kreme's for breakfast, which was a huge hit, followed by a day at the zoo. I mean who doesn't love a hot Krispy Kremes and animals??I'm so thankful that this little guy appears to be on the mend and back to his usual spunky self. Love him!

Will Our Family Ever be Healthy?

I checked in this afternoon with Allen to see how my favorite 3-year-old is faring and learned that he's improving bit by bit each day. On a scale of 1 to 10, Allen puts Sawyer at about a 6 or 7. He's running around, playing with toys and neighbor kids, but he's still a little wobbly on his feet. Allen said he basically looks like an uncoordinated kid. We're all hoping he's out of the woods by Monday and back to a 10!

Meanwhile, Mom announces today that she actually has blood clots in her lungs that have been there since the surgery. While she was in the hospital, they did an x-ray of her chest and discovered pneumonia, but last week they did a CAT scan (that's two CAT scans for the Shelden family in five days!) and discovered a series of blood clots. TERRIFIC!! The doctors now have her on medicine to break up the existing blood clots, as well as a blood thinner to prevent the development of new clots.

I hate not being in Denver while she's going through all of this. Susan talked to her on Sunday night and she told Susan that she's been lonely..."lots of time in the house by myself"...so I may head back out to Denver to see how she's doing.

I'm ready for this family to be back to tip-top shape! No more hospitals, doctors, or medicines!

Update on Sawyer

Allen called this morning to tell me that Sawyer doesn’t have a virus, or at least doesn’t have a virus they tested for. Hmmm….

They took him to his normal pediatrician, who also thinks it’s a virus that’s working its way through Sawyer’s system. Apparently, this is a form of cerebral ataxia (Allen told me not to Google it), which can be a symptom of encephalitis, cerebral palsy and a host of other awful things. It’s also a symptom of influenza, so that’s what we’re hoping it is.

Sawyer is doing better today – he’s eating and describing all of his favorite superheroes – so we’re all hoping that he’s back to normal within the week.

Medical Scare with Sawyer

I knew something had to be wrong when I emailed Allen from the Nascar track and told him to tell Sawyer about his cool aunties driving race cars. By 10pm, when I still hadn’t heard back from Allen, I had a bad feeling. Turns out I was right.

After church this morning, I called Allen to check in and he said, “Well, we had an adventure yesterday, but it wasn’t as fun as yours.” Oy. Apparently, my cutie nephew woke up yesterday and couldn’t stand up. Every time he tried to walk, he’d stumble around like a drunk person and fall to the floor. Eventually, he started to vomit, so Allen immediately took him to Childrens’ Hospital to figure out what was happening.

The doctors gave Sawyer some medicine to stop the vomiting and in the process ruled out a concussion. They also gave the little guy a CAT scan – it freaks me out to think of little Sawyer on a CAT scan machine! – but that also came back negative for any abnormality (thank heavens!). The doctors eventually settled on a virus that was either working its way through his system or was invading his system and causing him to lose his equilibrium.

Allen and Jocelyn made the call to keep him in the hospital overnight for observation, so he and Allen bunked down. They arrived back home this morning, and Sawyer has been playing all morning with his toys and eating his breakfast. As Allen told me, “if you didn’t know something was wrong, you wouldn’t know something is wrong.” They’re still waiting on Sawyer’s blood work to confirm it’s a virus, but that’s what we’re all hoping for.

As for me, this has me totally freaked out and makes me realize how much I love the little stinker. It breaks my heart to even think of him being sick or hobbled by something abnormal. He has the most darling personality, he’s so much fun to be around (except for when he pulls attitude!), he’s so bright and he’s been the best addition our family has ever had! No one will be able to bear it if something is truly wrong with him. I just hope this is only a virus with a terrible symptom that’s working its way through his system.

New Calling

Bishop Sampson called me into his office today to extend a new calling: Visiting Teaching Coordinator. When I told Amber and asked what it entailed, she wrinkled her nose and said "you're basically a nag for the Lord." Yippee!

I've had the church's best calling - Relief Society teacher - for more than a year and it's been great. I have to step up to the plate once a month to teach for 30 minutes...easy breezy.

Now, they want me to put together visiting teaching companionships, make assignments, oversee the supervisors....do actual work! Shocking! It'll be a good calling and it'll be good for me...but I'll be honest, I'm going to miss teaching!

Ladies, Start Your Engines!

A few months ago, Amber Emily, Susan and I bought a half-day NASCAR experience at the Richmond International Speedway. Talk about a fun morning!

We showed up at 8am for a quick lesson and then we were shuttled over to put on racing suits and helmets. All four of us were FREAKING out, but as soon as we started going around the track, we each settled in and had a great time! It was such a rush to flip around the track at 100 mph!
Susan crawling into her car.I enjoyed my drive, but it took me a few minutes to remember how to drive a stick shift!

Is it Wrong....

I came into work this morning and filled my treasured gumball machine with M&Ms (the greatest candy ever invented!).Is it wrong that after inserting three pennies into the machine and eating those small piles of candy I UNSCREWED the lid and helped myself to an entire handful?

I have a problem!