Holiday Wrap-Up: Part II

So, back in San Francisco the Sunday after Christmas…we sign the lease for our new apartment. Our life explodes immediately.

The Christmas tree comes down, boxes are packed, parking rules investigated, grocery stores located, plan are made, bikes are ridden around the empty loft, head colds are acquired instantaneously.

I go back to work on Monday but Rob has the week off. He spends the vacation shuttling things back and forth across town. We pack at night. We are not sure where anything is anymore. He enlists two friends and a u-haul to move the furniture on Wednesday. Rob developes a love affair with the dishwasher and washing machine. We are scraped together enough for entertaining by Thursday. That has to be some kind of record!

A series of friends drop by New Year’s Eve to see the new place and share a toast. Margaret and Jackie arrive last and we pop open the champagne. Plenty of music and merriment!

At midnight, we walk a few blocks down the bay for the fireworks show. A very impressive sight with 250,000+ people along the water and a 20 minute extravaganza booming off the office buildings and framed by the bridge. Definitely a new tradition!

The next day is a bit rough. We regret the champagne. Mostly lounging about with coffee and snacks during the day. In the afternoon, the four of us walk up along the water to the Ferry Building, chase wild parrots, have a tea break and pick up groceries for dinner. Our first dinner party at the house is coq au vin with mashed potatoes and a salad. Pretty good considering we didn’t have any salt or pepper yet. Margaret leaves that evening and Jackie stays on for the night. We have a big breakfast the next morning:

Jackie and I go shopping for shoes and bread while Rob is at the gym with Matt. Matt and Amber and the twins join us for lunch at the apartment. The adorable little guys show their approval for the new place with prolific vomiting.

Everyone leaves after lunch. Rob and I get back to work. Although most of our stuff is at the new place, there is a still a lot of detritus at the old. We try a few runs back and forth but the elevator in our building goes out of service – inconveniently right when we have a fish tank with fish to carry upstairs. A quick walk downtown for errands and then an evening spent arguing with DSL companies on the phone. I watch Mrs. Miniver – a 1942 film about an elegant British woman keeping it together while everything falls apart in the war. Love it!

Sunday morning! This has been the longest weekend ever. We have a leisurely breakfast before another few loads between the apartments. In the afternoon, Rob and I pick up Margaret and Allison in San Mateo for a trip to Ikea. We explore the entire store, measuring options for the new den and office we have to outfit. Enourmous spicy dinner at Little Sichuan – my favorite!

And back home – It is amazing how much this apartment has changed things in just one week. I’ll post more on that later – but suffice to say, I love the open space, the quiet, the modern kitchen, the proximity to the water. It has been a good move!

You can see all my photos from Christmas and from the week of moving online. And welcome back! Happy New Year!