FiLoLi

Fight.  Love.  Live.

One of my very favorite places I've discovered in the Bay Area is Filoli.  It's a National Historic Site in Woodside, which consists of an elaborate (and huge!) mansion built in the early 1900's.  Eclipsing this lovely home are acres of spectacular gardens.  I discovered Filoli last year and have been back 3 times since then (most recently on April 13th).

After visits in April, June and August I've decided I most enjoy the spring flowers...bluebells, wisteria, tulips, poppies, irises. The colors are spectacular!

John Muir House and Miscellaneous Shennanigans

Our ongoing quest: to visit (in some cases) little-known tourists attractions in the area.  The stop this weekend?  John Muir House in Martinez.

First we met up in Pleasant Hill for some tasty Greek food at Daphne's.  Then we headed up to the house.  The house and surrounding orchards are beautifully preserved and I felt like we were stepping back in time.  However, the surrounding city creates something of a jarring backdrop to the pastoral beauty of the land.  Nevertheless, it was lovely (I carefully avoided the jarring angles in my pictures to preserve the fantasy).

It was something of a confused day - at one point it was simultaneously sunny and raining big fat drops on our heads as we explored the grounds.  But the temperature was warm and the showers were brief, so it didn't cause us much discomfort.  And the skies were lovely.

We did get a little goofy about halfway through and had an impromptu photo shoot along the way.  The subject?  Awkward (and/or stereotypical) high school portraits - including prom and senior pics.  We might look pretty ridiculous, but we had a great time!

Oh...and I pretty much loved this palm tree.  I really think I need one of these...

Local Travels?

A couple of dear friends and I have decided that while we're currently unable to plan extravagant trips to exotic, distant venues, we will explore the interesting, kitschy, and/or lovely sights in our own Bay Area backyard.

Here's a short list we came up with of some of the places we'd like to go:
-Golden Gate Park
-Monterey/Pacific Grove
-Hearst Castle
-Sacramento Old Town
-Sacramento Capital area
-49 mile scenic drive through SF
-90 minute walk through the Marin headlands
-Filoli
-Winchester Mystery House
-Coastal drive
-Colma (who doesn't love a city with more dead people than living?)

We already crossed one item off our list since brainstorming - the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose.

As a fan of all things Egyptian since a young age I can't believe it's taken me this long to visit a museum, dedicated to Egypt, which is so close to home.

It was a lovely day and we spent over 2 hours wandering through the 4 exhibit halls.  I found it fascinating and  was only a little creeped out by the cat mummies (somehow I found them more disturbing than the people mummies?!?).

Sarah...in a window (she's there...you just have to look really hard)

 Two Lisas in two windows...

What's next?

SLC and Temple Square

I know this is rather late, but I don't want to forget it.

I was fortunate in December to get to spend some time in Salt Lake City and specifically in Temple Square.  I had a wonderful time exploring every nook and cranny of the Square.  Although, I somehow managed to miss the Family History Library (which is particularly ironic if you know me...).

I took about a million pictures.  Everything was beautiful, under a blanket of white snow.

Here is just a small sampling...

 Even under a blanket of snow...

Reminds me of home (Oakland Temple Visitor's Center)

By far the snowiest nativity I've ever seen (and that's counting the nativity at the Frankfurt Temple)

 I love, love, LOVE the detail on every facet of the temple.

2012 Year in Review

So, at the beginning of the year I posted some aspirations for 2012 (I don't like "goals" I never seem to follow up on them...):

Here's a brief review.  Hey, I had more success than I expected, but I looks like some of these aspirations will be carrying over to this year...

Places I'd like to travel this year:

-England (for work and maybe some family history?) - check, July

-Washington DC

-Salt Lake City - check, December

-Seattle - check, September

-Alaskan cruise (I hope!) - check, June

-Alcatraz

Things I'd like to do:

-establish and stick to a regular exercise plan - I had my moments...but...

-attend the temple at least twice a month - well...on and off...

-visit 2 new temples - check (Freiberg and Salt Lake)

-complete Project Management certification - postponed

-take some formal training in genealogy and attend at least 1 conference - Conference yes, formal training no

-purge the storage in my room and get the rest of my stuff out of my parents' house - um...

-continue learning how to sew - check (I even have my own machine now!)

-explore new cooking adventures - still in progress, I think this will be an ongoing goal

All in all, not as bad as I thought.

And as I did last year, a month by month review:

January:  Awesome trip to Disneyland with Katy and Jessica where we stayed at the Grand Californian (I love, love, love that hotel!)
February:  Short, last minute trip to Germany which included a trip to the Freiberg Temple.
March:  We did a special trip to the Oakland Temple Visitor's center followed by  a meal at Fenton's.  I also experienced the Boiling Crab for the first time with the guys from work.
April:  Lost a good friend (Erin) and reunited with some other good friends (Monica, Sharon, Alexa).  Visited Filoli for the first time.
May:  Another last minute trip to Germany (I was gone a total of 96 hours...).  And a solar eclipse that was pretty sweet.
June:  Saw the opening night of Brave and then left for Alaska!  It was amazing!  Visited Filoli for the second time.
July:  Family history conference in Sacramento and Germany (most likely for the last time), England and 1/2 a day in Scotland.  An amazing trip (which I unfortunately have no pictures of...).
August:  Katy moved out :(  Lily (my "niece") was born :)
September:  Kate moved in :) and I got to travel to Seattle with my work guys for our "offsite" meeting.  Our condo was burglarized (this is how I lost the pictures from England and Scotland).  We decided to celebrate Christmas in September to lift our spirits.
October:  Halloweentime at Disneyland with my girls (Katy and Jessica).  And a new job!
November:  I got older again.  The election drove me crazy and I wasn't terribly happy with the outcome.  Sucessfully completed 30 Thankful days.
December:  I threw a successful white elephant gift exchange.  Christmas with the family!  And an awesome trip to Salt Lake City and Midway Utah.  So much fun...

Aspirations for 2013:

Carry over from last year includes:

-establish and stick to a regular exercise plan

-attend the temple at least twice a month

-complete Project Management certification

-take some formal training in genealogy 

-purge the storage in my room and get the rest of my stuff out of my parents' house

and
-Alcatraz


I don't have so many lofty travel goals this year; since I have a new job, I anticipate I won't be able to take as much vacation time.  But I'm hoping to go to a couple of trainings through work that will take me to some interesting locations (like maybe Disney World in Orlando?).

I would also like to add "learn to love 2 Nephi (Isaiah)" to my aspirations for 2013(Thank you for the inspiration awesome Gospel Doctrine teacher in Utah).

This seems like a rather short list, perhaps I should ask my friends for suggestions.  Hmm...

Day 30 of 30 Thankful Days

Ahh...the end in sight.  Finally...

Day 30:

In detail:
This was an exercise I entered into on a whim, when I saw a couple of other friends post.  But I'm very grateful that it was a whim I undertook and one that I didn't give up on.  It really did make November a better month as I spent more time each day recognizing the blessings I often take for granted and pondering which I wanted to share.

I hope to move forward with this as a lasting goal:  to apply what I learned in November on a daily basis and be better able to recognize and show gratitude for the tremendous blessings in my life, big and small.  30 days barely scratched the surface...

But as a last reminder, here's a recap:

30 Thankful Days:

Day 1: I'm thankful for my new job!

Day 2: I'm thankful for my old job and all the amazing people I had the opportunity to work with.

Day 3: I'm thankful for my comfy home that has everything I need and a lot of things I just want.

Day 4: I'm grateful for access to an abundance of healthy food, to the point where I have to exercise self control not to overindulge.

Day 5: I am grateful to live in California (where it was a balmy 76 degrees today).

Day 6: I'm grateful for the right to vote and those who fought to obtain and keep that right for US citizens.

Day 7: I'm grateful for all the amazing people who made it a great birthday for me!

Day 8: I'm grateful for quiet nights at home.

Day 9: I'm grateful for Friday and for all the possibilities the beginning of a weekend holds.

Day 10: I'm grateful for responsibilities that give my life meaning.

Day 11: I'm grateful for those who choose to protect our rights and freedoms through service in the armed forces.

Day 12:  I'm grateful that I've learned it's okay to make mistakes when I try something new and that I shouldn't give up just because my first attempt isn't perfect.

Day 13: I'm grateful for the education I've been able to obtain and the opportunities I have to continue to learn.

Day 14: I'm grateful for music.

Day 15: I'm grateful that I have an amazing view of the temple on my way home from work every day.

Day 16: I'm grateful for family history and the joy I get from working on my own and other's.

Day 17: I'm grateful for friends, especially the ones you feel at home with even when you don't see them every day.

Day 18: I'm grateful that each of us is unique with different talents, skills, and interests. Otherwise life would be so boring...

Day 19: I'm grateful for opportunities to be of service.

Day 20: I'm grateful for the small and simple things that bring me joy.

Day 21: I'm grateful all the amazing younger people I know and for hope in future generations.

Day 22: I can't even adequately express my gratitude for my family. We may be a little wacky and we're definitely not perfect, but we fit with each other. We've been through a lot together and no one can make me laugh as much as my family or make me feel as loved as my family. I love you guys more than I can say!!

Day 23: I have to echo one of my friends today, I'm grateful for sleep and that wonderful feeling when you're cozy in bed just before you drift off.

Day 24: I'm grateful for laughter; it can make almost anything better.

Day 25: I'm grateful for NyQuil, Kleenex, and good friends who bring me orange juice and chicken soup.

Day 26:  I’m grateful for the past and all it has to teach us and all the opportunities of the future.

Day 27:  I’m grateful for the modern amenities of life.  Even though the past fascinates me, I would really miss the conveniences of this generation.

Day 28:  I’m grateful for books and the ability they have to transport me to a completely different time or place, from the comfort of my own couch.

Day 29: I'm unable to express the depth of my gratitude for my Heavenly Father and for my Savior, Jesus Christ. I don't think I say it enough: my understanding of the plan my Heavenly Father has for me and the sacrifices my Savior has made to allow that plan to come to pass mean more to me than pretty much anything else in this life. And that has the power to get me through pretty much anything in this life.

Day 30: I'm grateful for this month, and this sometimes silly FB exercise, to reflect upon the blessings in my life. It has been a pleasure taking the time each day to recognize the blessings in my life.

Day 26/27/28/29 of 30 Thankful Days

I'm horribly behind in posting this.  But I'm determined that for once I will finish something.  I completed my goal on Facebook and now I'll complete my goal on this blog (the blog which I so frequently neglect)...

Day 26:

I'm grateful for the past and all it has to teach us and all the opportunities of the future.

In detail:

I love history.  It fascinates me. I can spend hours pouring over old newspapers.  Or wandering through a historic site or cemetery.  I love that people are (and were people) in every time, no matter the different circumstances the live(d) in.  It is astonishing to see how things have changed over time and how they've stayed the same.  And it is empowering to know that we have the opportunity to shape the future.  And to leave behind our wisdom and experience for those who study history in the future.

Day 27:

I'm grateful for the modern amenities of life.  Even though the past fascinates me, I would really miss the conveniences of this generation.

In detail:

As a child I was always interested in the concept of life in a different time or place.  In fact I used to dream of creating resorts where people could book a stay in an authentic medieval castle or old west town, or ancient Egyptian palace.  In my plans there would be two options - authentic rooms with the amenities of the time or “themed” rooms but with all the modern conveniences.  Even as a kid I realized I liked the benefits of modern technology. 

There are a lot of things I take for granted:  modern plumbing, or the fact that if I really had lived in ancient Egypt I would probably have been given some menial task inside since I would have been virtually blind without modern glasses or contact lenses, to name a couple.  So, as much as I’d love to experience the past, I am very, very grateful for the blessings of living in this time.

Day 28:

I'm grateful for books and the ability they have to transport me to a completely different time or place, from the comfort of my own couch.

In detail:

To go along with my last post, as I’ve said, I’m happy to live when I do.  But I also have a drive to understand and experience different places and time.  To understand the lives of others who live in different circumstances than my own. 

And I can – through books. I don’t often pick the “classics”.  I usually find them rather depressing.  But even in a fluffy fantasy novel or a YA trilogy, I can gain a new understanding of some piece of the human experience.  And I can do it all curled up on my own sofa.

Day 29:

In detail:

I hope it doesn't seem that I left my testimony as an afterthought in this month of gratitude.  In fact, I intentionally left it to the end, as a culmination of the things I'm grateful for.  Because after all, when I look at all the things I posted about earlier, so many, if not all, of them are directly related to my understanding of my Heavenly Father's plan for me and the blessings he's given me.  

I can't find a  post in this whole month that isn't a blessing from my father.  And I only wish I knew a way to fully express the gratitude in my heart for those blessings and for the understanding of their source.  I've said before to friends and family when discussing my conversion, subsequent inactivity and reactivation that I was perfectly fine and happy when not active in and focused on the gospel.  

But I've also said that the depth and breadth of my life at that time was nothing when compared to what my life is when it's centered on and founded in the gospel.  In fact there is no comparison.  Just unending gratitude and a desire to press on.