more to come really soon. just downloading the pictures.
lets just start Thursday.
Jen and I got to Burbank and right before we got on the plane, we called David and Sarah, and got voicemail. I left a message explaining that we'd see them in a couple hours. We got to San Jose and started the ordeal of getting a rental car. fun fun fun. So a LONG time after we arrive, we're finally on the road to the hotel. We pull into the valet and as i'm speaking to the guy about where i should park, this guy comes out of the restaurant and points at me from about 50 feet away screaming "Hey I know you. You're my bother! SO i pop out of the car and with my head spinning i say back, "yes you are!... oh, no i mean yes i am" So it turns out i meet my brother David under the parking area for the Marriot. He and his wife Sarah are sitting down to lunch at the restaurant there... so i park the car and Jen and I run inside to join them. So we have a very strange lunch sitting with each other not knowing exactly what to say. I was nervous and my leg could not stop bouncing under the table. After lunch we checked into the hotel, and took a break for awhile just to get settled in. Vanessa (Grayson's girlfriend who organized the surprise weekend) called soon after and came over to the hotel to sit down with all of us and talk. We sat around for an hour or so just talking about everything we could think of. That night we went to Fuki-Sushi very close to where Grayson and Vanessa live. Great sushi and a cool little spot. We started drinking there and then got back to the hotel where we headed for the sports bar to continue to Yankees games and drinking. 6 pints of Guinness and a few shots later i was sick as a dog and soon passed out in the hotel room.
Friday morning we got up and headed to breakfast at ihop across the street and then drove into SF to walk around. We parked near pier 39 and walked around the warf. We were all dead tired by the time we ended up by ghirardelli. We sat down for a drink to rest and then headed back to the car. Now my knowledge of SF streets pretty much made the drive a gridlock nightmare. I know the Hill down California and Market Street, but other than that i'm lost. So it took us awhile to get out of the city and back to the hotel. We headed back to the sports bar to watch more Yankees and drink, and then we headed out to a mexican spot called Pedro's. Early to bed after dinner. No drinking tonight.
Saturday Jen and I woke up and headed out on a quest. We needed to find a couple bottles of Dom Perignon. So we headed to one liquor store the hotel had told us about. That guy didnt have anything but told us that Albertsons would have it. He gave us directions in broken english, but i kinda got the idea. We started in that direction and stopped at another store on the way. The lady there told us the same thing, but she just said it was a ways away. We kept driving, now miles away from the hotel. Jen's getting frustrated. But we find the albertson's. Well the don't have anthing. But there's a halmark store next door. So we pick up cheezy cards and wrapping paper for when we do get something. Then we decide to keep driving. We get another block and I spot a tiny store. I miss the driveway the first time around so i have to drive a mile around the block to get back. An indian woman working the store helps us out and has EXACTLY what we need. I can't thank her enough. So we head back to the hotel just in time for more Yankees and Drinking. After the Yankees win and the Indians loss we head out to Grayson's house to help Vanessa set up. Grayson is out with his cousin watching Serenity and will be tied up all day. David and I head out for a couple minutes to pick up Evan (Grayson's brother he grew up with) at the train station. Evan had been getting on a train that Grayson was getting off of and had to wander around hiding making sure he wasn't seen. We hang out at his house putting up lights and the movie screen and just having a good time. Then we get back to the hotel to get ready and head out to Stanford for the surprise at dinner. There's about 40 people meeting at buco de beppo. We have 3 huge tables upstairs and we sit there waiting for Grayson. David, Evan and I sit hiding way at the back of the place for the first surprise. So Grayson comes in and gets the first wave of people cheering at him and then we stand up to surprise him. We all spend dinner talking and having a great time.
We head back to his house for movies, cake and presents. In the process of the party I repeat the story of how Grayson and David both found me. Vanessa had a movie prepared of Grayson's life in pictures. All the classic cute baby pictures and some very very very similar looking pictures to my own life. We hang out at the party taking pictures until we're all dead tired. He head back to the hotel with David and Sarah, and i fall to sleep like a rock.
Sunday i wake up at about 7:30 and can't go back to sleep. I don't call Grayson til about 9 cause i know he's dead tired too. He's still in bed, so we head out to grab some breakfast. David and Sarah drive over to his house and we get a call to come over while we're eating, so we drop everything and check out of the hotel and get our asses moving. We take most of the day running around Stanford and Palo Alto. We visit the first Apple Store (our geek pilgrimage to mecca) and run around the Stanford Campus. We end up at the Palo Alto foothills park that overlooks all of silicon valley. Jen and I have a little time to hang out her and enjoy the view before we have to get back on the road and head for the airport. We say our goodbyes and hit the road, and drive through Cupertino on the way home :). We get to the airport and are sitting waiting for our plane when Jen spots Marie Claire. So a little small world event later we're caught up on what Marie Claire is up to. We jump on the plane and get back to Burbank quickly. We get home in 15 minutes.
I slept very well last night, but i know thats not going to last for long. I get the keys to the house tomorrow and I've got to start moving. Long days and nights ahead getting all my shit from one place to another.
thanks chris
From last weeks LOST. The tail of the shark swimming under Sawyer and Michael.
thanks Andy
The movers are here now and the place is almost empty. Soon we'll be off to new digs.
So jen and i run over to the house and start to unload. We tell the guys to drop ALL the boxes in the garage, and all the furniture goes in the house. That way we've got space to move thing in slowly. Friday night we run out to dinner at parkway grill with David Bob and Valerie, and then promoptly CRASH without opening the "bottle" we've been saving for a 5 years.
Saturday morning we wake up and have breakfast on the patio. THIS IS SO FUCKING WORTH ALL THE SHIT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH. Perfect morning and we couldn't be happier. So we then head over to Dennis and Andrea's for Emma's 3rd Birthday Party. We hung out there for a few hours having a good time watching the kids running all over the place. Then we headed back to the apartment to continue the move. We worked for the rest of the afternoon and then went to the Black Cow for dinner. Its a nice little spot in Montrose on Honolulu and it seems that everybody knew about it except me. So sunday we keep working and working and moving and everything and we finally get to open the bottle of wine we've been saving since we got engaged. But what the hell goes with a Rothschild? Yup that's right. Pizza! The previous owners left us a takeout menu for an itallian place on Verdugo, so we called in an order and were amazed by the pizza. So we sat on the patio drinking our wine and eating our pizza and just dreading going back to work the next week.
then when you leave the game, there's nothing like a dip.
one of my favorites so far is ...
Heat resistant cream of wheat
