Category: san francisco

Batteries to Bluffs

IMG_4519IMG_4515IMG_4517IMG_4521IMG_4518IMG_4582

IMG_4520
The face of a tired but very happy puppy!

IMG_4446IMG_4516

Batteries to Bluffs is by far one of my favorite “urban hikes” in San Francisco. I love this hike for so many reasons. The views are incredible,  even on a cloudy or slightly foggy day you get beautiful scenes of the Golden Gate Bridge. On a clear day you can easily see the Marin Headlands & the Point Bonita Lighthouse. In the springtime the trail is lined with countless wildflowers that you can see in my photos. Another reason why I love this hike? STAIRS! With more than 500 stairs along this trail you’re guaranteed a good workout & pretty spectacular view for “leg day”. It’s also a sure fire way to tire any puppy out. Not only will you experience phenomenal coastal panoramas but there’s also plenty of history along the hike. These batteries were built in 1900 & designed to protect underwater minefields outside the Golden Gate. By 1943 it was closed & all the guns were scrapped. It’s pretty cool getting to walk literally on top of history where men before our time fought to protect our lives & now I’m hiking with my puppy across the same batteries they stood guard at, crazy! So if you find yourself in San Francisco wanting to try something new & off the beaten path (no pun intended) definitely check out Batteries to Bluffs trail. On the weekends the hike can get a little crowded but most weekdays you may only see a handful a people, another reason why I can’t get enough. Do you have a favorite urban hike? If so I’d love to hear about in the comments below!

Baker Beach Day

img_0084img_0080img_0081img_0078img_0092^^^ Happiness is a sandy snout – Juno spent a good portion of her time yesterday trying to dig gigantic holes in the sand! img_0086img_0088It feels like a lifetime but we’ve only had Juno, our black lab, for 2 months. It’s been so fun getting to explore San Francisco with our newest fur-baby.  Yesterday we ventured out to Baker Beach. The weather was so strange but when we got to the beach the sun was actually out. The cloudcover made for some pretty amazing photos, especially with that little bridge in the back drop. Baker Beach is an awesome mile long beach tucked beneath the Presidio Cliffs with phenomenal views of the Golden Gate Bridge & Marin Headlands. It’s hard to believe that a beach this beautiful can be empty enough to let my puppy run around! Yesterdays beach trip was the perfect start to the weekend! We’re off to the foot hills this weekend to let Juno explore the 4 acres my parents live on. Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

Wintery Weekends

IMG_9601IMG_9554

IMG_9557Chorizo & Potato Hash with sauteed mushrooms, topped with micro greens, cherry tomatoes & an over easy egg!  So.Nomz.

IMG_9535IMG_9586

Our Cheat Day Cheese Board

Slate Board & Cheese Knives : Williams Sonoma Here & Here

IMG_9380 

IMG_9479

 

IMG_9603IMG_9385IMG_9347IMG_9352

The first two weekends of 2016 have been pretty low key I’ve had to work all or part of the weekends so we’ve been just enjoying San Francisco Winter! Juno has been enjoying kissing / biting all the Christmas Trees good bye around our neighborhood, it’s kind of hilarious.

In terms of New Year resolutions? I’m sure ours are a lot like some of yours. I have a few for 2016 that I listed below. The last two years I’ve tried to step up my reading game. I fell short of my resolution last year to read 15 books, I managed to read 13 so I’m still counting that as a victory! My reading resolution makes the list again this year.

2016 Resolutions

  1. Read – I dropped my goal back down to 10 books for the year. Stay tuned for some of my favorites  & what books that will be making this years reading list!                                                                                                  [pro tip: if you want to try this I highly recommend choosing lighter reads toward the end, I was trying to finish a pretty dense & lonnnng book & ended up struggling the last two months.] 
  2. Consciousness Eating – This year I’m going to try to stick to allowing myself one cheat day per week as well as minimizing my snacking at work. The nursing station is littered with temptations: chips, donuts, candy, you name it, it’s there. 
  3. 10k Steps – I started the new year with a new Fitbit & I couldn’t be more excited for this resolution. When I graduated college I had one of the original Fitbits & I was really into all the tracking. Over time & two trips in the washer (oops!), it eventually died. I’ve been talking about replacing it for ages & courtesy of my husband I’m back tracking steps, flights, mileage & I love it. 
  4. 52 Week Money Saving Challenge – this is part resolution part challenge. If I just resolved to “save money” I’ll fail. I need specific, goal directed, assessable, realistic goals / resolutions. So using a simple week by week saving chart keeps me on track & motivated; The same way my Fitbit keeps me motivated to get active. Here’s the challenge I’m doing, thanks to the Stingy Saver! 

This past Sunday was my cheat day & earlier in the week I had decided I was going to try and make a Chorizo Hash for breakfast! Well it turned out even better than expected, it was so good I forgot to put cheese on it… that never happens! But don’t worry cheese came later in the day when Chris & I broke out our fancy Cheese / Charcuterie set & enjoyed pre – dinner appetizers & cocktails & started Making a Murderer (so good!).

Hope everyone is having an amazing start to the year! Do you have any awesomely attainable New Years Resolutions? If so I’d love to read about them in the comments section below!

What A Year.

When I scroll through 2015’s photos it’s hard to believe so much has happened in just one year! Here’s to all that 2016 will bring! Cheers!

IMG_8846.JPG

IMG_8712 - Version 2

IMG_1617

N_C_2 - Version 2

RIMG0271.JPGIMG_9455.JPG

IMG_9266

IMG_2437

IMG_2826.jpg

IMG_2741

IMG_2606.jpg

IMG_7024

IMG_4320 (1)

IMG_6885

IMG_7662

IMG_7666

IMG_7642

IMG_8674

IMG_0036

  
IMG_4664.JPG

IMG_4633.JPG

I can’t believe 2015 has already come & gone. It was quite the year, when I think about everywhere we traveled & all the milestones that have blessed us this year it’s hard to believe it all happened in the same year! 2015 marked the year Chris and I got married; I celebrated 25 in Kauai with my bestfriend; we watched many other friends say “I do”;  I opened, sold & profited on my etsy shop, tried out this bloggin thing, and we rounded out the year with the addition of our black lab puppy Juno. We spent Christmas in Texas, if you get the chance to spend Christmas with a puppy, do it! It’s bliss. We are beyond excited for the start of 2016 & can’t wait to keep blogging it all! Wishing everyone a happy, healthy & safe new year! I’ll be spending NYE working in the ER so I’ll be ringing in 2016 with my work family but please stay safe & stay out of ERs!

Tuesdays with Ocean Beach


  
  
  
  

My favorite time to visit Ocean Beach is mid week when you share the 3 miles of beach with just a handful of people. I swear there were more people in the water than on the actual beach itself on Tuesday. After living here for 7 years Ocean Beach just never loses it’s appeal, even when it’s foggy and cold I still think it’s one of the best / most beautiful places in the city. Tuesday was a perfect day to head to the beach in sweatshirt with a good book in tow. Above are some of the photos that were captured on this spur of moment beach trip. Hope you enjoy.

Wedding Card Keepsake

For those newlyweds out there trying to decide what to purge and what to save from the post wedding madness, this is a compact way to hold on to all the well wishes from your guests. All you need is a mini binder, a hole punch & about 40 minutes.

 

After our wedding there were so many odds & ends to handle, aside from changing my name, storing my dress etc. We had a pile of wedding cards from friends family that I couldn’t bring myself to toss. So they sat on a pile of other wedding leftovers that don’t have a home in our apartment yet…

Typically I am not one to save all my cards, I usually scan meaningful cards and incorporate them in the annual photo album I make, but for our wedding cards that seemed excessive. Instead, I purchased a small binder from Target & punched holes in the cards. There were a handful of cards that couldn’t be punched through because of their design so I added a small pocket on the inside of the binder to keep those cards safe. The binder found a home in the box holding onto the rest of the wedding mementos. All in all this project took me about 40 minutes & cost about $5!  

Napa Valley Bliss

There’s nothing quite like escaping San Francisco’s foggy summers, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, & enjoying wine country for the day. We did exactly this last weekend & stopped by one of our favorite vineyards. Keep scrolling to find out why we love Frog’s Leap so much.

IMG_0890

One of my favorite Napa spots is Frog’s Leap Winery, situated on gorgeous farmland, this laid back venue makes for an excellent, relaxing experience. My first trip to Frog’s Leap was nearly 5 years ago, & we’ve been going back ever since. This vineyard always earns a spot on our Napa agenda for the day, hopefully you’ll see why.

IMG_4320 (1)

One of my favorite parts about Frog’s Leap is the ability to explore the grounds. You can walk through the vineyard itself or explore their garden. They’re dedicated to organic farming, sustainable living & quality wines, what’s not to like!?!

IMG_0908

IMG_0861

If you aren’t into exploring the grounds, you can hang out on their awesome porch & enjoy the shade. I love that this Winery has so much outdoor space, there’s Adirondack chairs around every corner & they even have an outdoor tasting area. I love how low key & low pressure the atmosphere here is, there’s no pressure into buying a wine membership at the end of your tasting. Beside being low pressure, Frog’s Leap is very easy on the wallet. Their tastings run about $25 / person, with generous wine pours & delicious full bodied wines, even the newest wine fans are sure to find something they’ll enjoy here.

IMG_0995

These are just some of the reasons Frog’s Leap makes my list, do you have a go to winery? If so I’d love to hear about it!

IMG_4355 (1)

 Some Sappy Napa Newlywed Love…

IMG_4318

Garden finds…

IMG_0791 (1) IMG_0856  IMG_0965 IMG_0942 IMG_0918  IMG_0974IMG_0869 IMG_0929

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT

 |  San Francisco Based  |  ER Nurse  |  Etsy Shop Owner  |

Featuring photos of: San Francisco | Travel | Botanicals | Culinary Successes | Etsy Creations

& anything else my Cannon can capture.

Find me on Instagram: Nopa_Love

IMG_6036

IMG_6992          IMG_7555  IMG_7684