palm springs countdown.

Palm Springs anyone? We are headed to Palm Springs for a couple days in December with some of our best friends and I am super excited. We rented an awesome AirBnB and the plan is to lounge around, eat well, and just relax. We will have Freddie (1.5 years old) and Nora (3 months old) in tow, and Sarah is pregnant with her #2 - so it will be low-key and easy...

I have started compiling a list of restaurants, stores and activities just in case we decide to get active, and would love to hear any and all suggestions...so bring it on!

double bind.

This NPR piece about the "double bind" that women face in the workplace is hitting close to home. Maybe because we have 12 days to go in an election that has demonstrated so much of this or maybe, now that I am a touch older and looking around, this resonates all the more....

travelogue ~ austin.

I was in Austin last week for work and what an awesome little city. Most of the days were spent on work-related meetings but we did get out and about a little and here are some quick recommendations in case you are going any time soon...

• La Barbecue - great food truck and the owner used to be the pit-master at the renowned Franklins - I can report back that this BBQ was legit - highly recommend!

• Ruby's BBQ - tucked behind a gas station with lots of outdoor space in the back - this place was Texas cool (though La Barbecue was no question better) - this was a bbq experience - and outside of downtown. 

• ABGB - awesome craft beer, long tables and great pizza - loved this place and apparently it is a go-to for local Austinites. 

• Odd Duck - small plates with a cool, laid back but upscale vibe -- this was highly recommended to us as a must-stop and as long as you get BBQ in first, this was a great place! 

• Gourdough's Donuts - holy smokes these donuts are big and good. If you are looking to go big - this place has personality to boot. 

• Frank Restaurant - I loved this place. Who doesn't love a hot dog and $6 dollar dinner with Texas charm and personality and a down-home feel right downtown. Money spot!

• Parkside - we had a big team dinner here and I loved this place. The food is great and the feel and aesthetic is clear but cool. Would highly recommend for a formal, low key meal. 

Basically, all we did outside of meetings was eat, so I don't have activity recommendations (besides a fantastic morning run around the capitol pictured above!) - so for the next time in Austin....

stooled.

Oh stools. We have an awesome kitchen island that we designed and had made soon after we moved into our apartment out here. The plan all along was to add two stools to one side for some seating in the kitchen and because I love a good stool seat with a big island. But we have dragged our feet and been generally indecisive about what we want. But then last week, I happened upon this picture in a Domino Instagram post and I can't get enough of these Blue Dot Hot Mesh Stools...aren't they awesome?

sun time.

We went over to Tartine Manufactory to grab lunch yesterday and while we were waiting in line, we ended up talking with the nicest couple and their son. And the woman was wearing the coolest pair of sunglasses, I couldn't help but ask her where she got them. Turns out they are from Sunskis. I came home, promptly checked out the website, and ended up ordering a pair of the Dipseas in Marine Slate. They are a reasonable price and I loved the blue color she was rocking. Here is a sampling of some of their sunglasses on their website...

sport it.

Maybe I am late to the party but JCrew now has a sports line and, while I will be the first to admit I am taken by anything involving stripes, color-blocking or polka dots, I am loving what they are putting out.

sweet sweet green.

This is huge! A Sweet Green (the DC started and based salad restaurant) opened in SoMa this week. SF doesn't have a lot of low-dollar, good food options and I also regularly crave the Harvest bowl, so I could not be more excited about this announcement. A little piece of east coast DC has just landed down the road from us!

election time.

28 days and election day can't come soon enough. If you are looking for a reasonable, level-headed, fact-based and largely fair profile of the candidates, this PBS Frontline piece, The Choice 2016, is actually really good. I keep falling asleep and haven't finished it yet, though that is no indicator of how interesting it is, but rather just a reflection of how pathetic I am past 9:30 pm....

paso robles.

The weekend flew by in a blur. On Friday, we drove down to Paso Robles with my Mom for two nights. It is wine country and about 20 miles from the ocean, so we got a taste of both the rolling hills and the coast. We rented this vrbo, drove to the ocean for a short walk, stopped in Cambria for a cup of coffee, walked through downtown Paso Robles, and grilled up quite a meal to celebrate my Mom's belated birthday. It was a great weekend (though a lot of driving!) and our first time we were south of San Francisco. Here are a couple pictures...

pattern play.

I just love tile so much. And the tile work and patterns in Bangkok at the Grand Palace and Wat Arun were gorgeous. I couldn't get enough of it and just love the way they layer patterns over patterns. I like to think one day in a dream house, I would be bold enough to play with pattern and color and shapes like this. Though my tendency is to end up in the world of simple, white subway tile!  I took so many photos of the tile work and this is my one and only outlet for them, so enjoy....

friday roundup.

It's finally Friday! My Mom is in town visiting and Ben and I are taking her away for the weekend for a getaway to Paso Robles. She loves car time and getting quality time with her kids individually and we figured this was the perfect birthday present for her this year. We are planning on cooking her a belated birthday meal and just enjoying her company with beautiful views and a new place for all of us.

And I thought I would also share a round-up of some interesting bits of late....hope you have a great weekend.

• This beautiful and tear-inducing piece in the NYTimes - A Letter to the Doctors and Nurses Who Cared for my Wife.

• Samantha Bee is the funniest person on tv right now and this segment - Maine's Personal Trump - hits a little too close to home!

• Loving this JCrew Toggle Cape and just waiting for it to go on big sale. 

• We can't wait to check out this new restaurant, The Morris, soon. And we are super excited about this indian place coming to the Mission soon!

• I am a sucker for old people and this just warms my heart - I hope it does for you too (hat tip to Ben!). 

trained.

I know I am late to the party on this, but I just finished The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. It was a perfect page turner for the plane. And now I am ready for the movie (who doesn't love Emily Blunt?!). If you need a beach/airplane read, this one fits the bill.

• NPR Review
• NYTimes Review

bangkok.

What a week. In a super quick trip around the world, I went to Bangkok for work on Monday and Tuesday. I was lucky that before my flight back on Wednesday, I could run around Bangkok for a couple hours. This was my first time back in SE Asia since I left Vietnam six years ago (six years ago, I can't believe that!). And while I had been to Bangkok twice before, it has always been super short trips, so I am slowly piecing the city together. The last time I was there was with Ben when we traveled around the region. It was early in our relationship and this Bangkok visit made me think the sweetest things about how far we have come since that trip and just how much I love him. And it was nice to swim in extreme humidity and heat for a couple days and to get to a couple sites that I had never been to. Here are some snapshots if you want to see...