Weekend Round-Up: All my Favorite Things

Oh my! This was a crazy weekend, even by my normal crazy weekend standards. Rob and I were lucky to have lots of visitors and lots of great food! This is going to be a long post.

It all started Friday night with a trip to The Matterhorn for fondue. Jill and Peter braved Critical Mass traffic and Nicole and Dave drove in all the way from Napa to join us. We had two kinds of cheese fondue, one meat fondue and two bottles of champagne, all completely delicious.

Nicole even brought a delicious chocolate cake for dessert. I am so glad that they could come help me celebrate my birthday!

Saturday morning started with a little bit of a fondue detox and a correspondence catch up. I wrote a big stack of thank you notes, while noshing on some fantastic homemade blackberry muffins and jam that our neighbor downstairs delivered. Margaret arrived from San Luis Obispo at 11:30 and we went straight downtown to Gump’s! I bought two sets of wedding presents and a candle for myself. Margaret bought the most adorable Christmas cards.

We boarded the N-train at 2:30 to trek out the Sunset and our facial appointments at Urban Beauty. We arrived early enough to get boba tea and the best avocado and bacon sandwich at a Korean cafe on Irving. We ran into the mayor (gelled hair) campaigning for a local candidate on the way to the salon. Our facial appointments were a definite “experience,” I couldn’t stop laughing the whole time. For $35 each, we had an intense facial from this tiny Chinese salon. I don’t know if it was the hair pulling, armpit massage, shoulder hickeys or chin slapping that I found funniest. Two hours later I emerged with a giant poof of hair and amazing glowing skin! I’ll definitely go back, but next time I’ll be prepared for the language barriers and other eccentricities.

Margaret and I had a greasy train ride back home where we met up with Jackie and Scott from Davis. We all went together to dinner at Thep Phanon, my favorite Thai place in the city. The sauteed quails (#49)and whole tilapia (#58) were really excellent. Back home briefly to change into our Halloween costumes. I decided at the last minute to go as Laura from Project Runway instead of a witch. In a black lace dress with red lipstick and a fake belly, I was a dead ringer:

Jackie and Scott dressed up as a bee and beekeeper. Margaret was a vampire and Rob was a baptist preacher.

We walked around Castro for a few hours taking pictures of other people’s costumes. About 85% of people down there had no idea who I was supposed to be. But the 15% who did get it were so excited! I got some really great compliments but was ready to stop being “pregnant” as soon as we got home.

On Sunday morning, Margaret and I drove out to the Legion of Honor for some museum time. Great art, great cafeteria! I am so excited for the upcoming Masterpieces of French Jewelry exhibit in February. Back home around 1:00, we rested for a bit and walked around the neighborhood. Margaret left at 4:00, exactly when my mom arrived to spend the night. I received the best birthday presents from my mom! A box of See’s candy, Chanel No. 5 perfume and a three string pearl necklace that belonged to my great aunt:

We had a Ethiopian dinner at Axum Cafe and turned in early because of daylight savings time. This morning we had breakfast at the Duboce Park cafe together. There were so many cute dogs out for their breakfast runs. She drove us to work before heading south to her meeting at Stanford.

Whew! That was some weekend! I managed to do all my favorite things with all my favorite people at all my favorite places. I’m exhausted!