so we're still far from settled in Chicago, and California doesn't quite feel like home these days since we don't currently have our own place there.  nonetheless, I was stoked to visit after two months in our new city.

first stop: In-n-Out.  duh.  let's note that I'd eaten a full-sized Potbelly sandwich on the plane just an hour before landing, but we rolled in for burgers within 20 minutes of my flight touched down! that's how you know you're from Cali.  tastes like home.

after picking me up at SFO, Brian was on a mission for raw silk to use for a project for the Scottish Games this year, and had read good things about Britex Fabrics near Union Square, so off we went.  after five floors of pretty, my inner Project-Runway-er was all inspired.

a gorgeous day in San Francisco calls for outdoor time with The Bean! 

our 17-year old kitty has developed a new favorite nuzzly spot: underneath her kitty bed.  pick it up and move it, and she'll dart back into her little cave within seconds.  its the fastest she's probably moved in a decade.

coffee foam, coffee foam, I sure love you, homemade coffee foam

an awesome (and checked-bag worthy) haul of good stuff I'd been hunting for months...and these suckers were all on super sale.  boom.

pretty California poppy

after two solid days of eating all the things, Kel and I dragged ourselves out for a sweaty ass run on Friday.  in case you were curious, Chicago does not have hills and Pleasant Hill has many.  the weather was crazy, with April temps in the 80s.  hell, consistent weather without 40-degree day-to-day swings was a treat, so I soaked up the sun like a lizard.

this is Frederick.  on a trip to Costco to pick up goodies for Grampa's 85th (!) birthday party, I spotted this guy and texted every last detail to our in-house IT guy, who confirmed that it was a good deal for what I wanted.  I've been in the market for a little notebook for a while, and my laptop kicked the bucket riiiiiight before we moved.  Rob's been cool about sharing his, but this 11.5" notebook'll come in handy for flights and cafe visits.

Friday night called for a trip to Berkeley with Kel and her honey for pizza and beer at Jupiter brewhouse.  the place is legit.

  

pretty springy flowers and a birthday boy!  I got to see the facility that he's moving into this weekend, and let me tell you, that man will rule the place.  its just like a college dorm, and he's outnumbered by all the ladies, so I think he'll be a happy camper once he gets settled.

on Sunday, I headed down to the South Bay with Katie and John to meet up with Summer and Chambers for some ziplining up in the Santa Cruz mountains.  the weather was perrrrrrrfect.  

we had dinner that night with Sum's parents at Casa LG, and then swung by WholeFoods on the way home for port-worthy desserts.  

 Summer took Monday off and made epic brown butter iced banana muffins before we hit up our old stomping grounds of tastebud loves:

symphony in C at Barefoot

Strawberry Brazilian and Hot Lips at The Counter (their new cocktail menu rocks) 

hummus, pita chips, falafel and a banana shake from Falafel's Drive In

Strawberry Fields and Red Eye from Psycho Donuts 

we also accidentally stumbled upon the caloric intake associated with various alcohols.  that lil glass up there is about 250 calories.  we measured.  womp womp.

the week FLEW by and I was Chi-town-bound before I knew it, where I was greeted by a delicious homecooked meal. 

to sum up this post: my trip was rad.  I talk about food a lot.  I'm definitely a California girl.  I'm already looking forward to the next visit!

in which I whine

Monday marked my second full month of living in Chicago.

I'm loving this city; there's so much to do and see and eat and drink. but, if I told you it was easy to meet people and make friends here, I'd be lying. I find that I'm surprised by this, somehow. wherever I've lived, I've been surrounded by people I know, and have made a few random friends along the way. when I learned that we were moving here, I figured "oh, I've got blog acquaintances and there'll be a larger population of people our age, it'll be easy to make friends..." so far, not so much.

Rob's the social butterfly, and he's the one with the job. we hang out with his work buddies and their sig others a lot, which is great and they're young and fun and genuine. they're really cool, but I still sorely miss having a backbone crew of my own that I can see in person. of people that really get me. I haven't found anyone here yet that I can wander the aisles of Target with for no reason. or who know silly stories about me. or can read my expression well enough to know when I'm being sassy. don't get me wrong, I'm not shopping for Midwest versions of anyone out here, but I'm finding most relationships to be lacking something. everyone here is so damn nice, I'm still in search of a similarly sarcastic a-hole like me. sometimes, that gets old.

I'm fully aware that the power is in my hands. and that everyone I meet is a potential friend, and that I've gotta put myself out there and all that jazz. so what am I doing about it?! I'm working with two separate organizations as a volunteer, and I'm optimistic that something will come from it. firstly, I'm hoping that a relatively blank canvas will shed some light on learning about myself and what I want in a career. ideally, I'd also love to make some friends along the way. so aside from the warm n' fuzzies I'm getting by helping out, I'm trying my damnedest to introduce myself to people and get lost in those initially awkward 'getting to know you' small talk convos. my comfort boundaries are defintely being pushed upon, and I'm antsy for some results. that's where those two months come back in: am I being impatient? sure. did I think I'd be well on my way to friend-dom by now? yep. do I have any idea how to sit back and wait on things that are completely out of my control? ahhnope.

I know I have to give things time, and that it takes years to really feel like you're part of a community, but that's much easier said than done, amirite?!

hell, you can find anything in the world online...there should be a match-a-friend site or something. maybe it's my calling to create one...