instant film + san francisco = instant happiness

i've been meaning to scan in my polaroids from san francisco ever since i got back, but if i didn't procrastinate, i just wouldn't be myself. anyway, my scanner is old and not the best quality, but you still get the idea. i don't care what any techie says, film just can't be beat! i love its soft, nostalgic quality, and the fact that you have to wait for it to be developed (whether it develops instantly or in a few days) makes it like a little surprise every time!

the first is from the beach, second is at the palace of fine arts, third is in the rose garden at golden gate park, fourth is at the conservatory of flowers, and the fifth is again from the palace of fine arts.

i didn't really do much planning today for a blog post as most of my day was spent getting a closet organized. i kid you not, there was a mountain nearly up to my knees of chris' "play clothes" that had accumulated to the point that we couldn't walk in our walk-in closet. i started sorting yesterday and got that part done, but today i did load after load of laundry from the closet floor, vacuumed our closet so it looks like new, then put back only what really needed to go in, and the good news is, our closet floor is almost bare! of course my nesting instincts come into play since my time of the month is rapidly approaching, but that closet has been bothering me for a long time now! glad to have it behind me.

also, this is going to be pretty nasty, but since i had to see it, you have to hear about it. yesterday afternoon chris and i had to go to the dreaded mall because he needed new work shoes (his poor old shoes exposed more of his feet than they covered). as we were walking out of the door, there was a van parked by the curb with the mom and two children by it. the girl, who i imagine was 8 or 9 not only picked her nose in that public spot, but then proceeded to eat her finding. i thought my japanese hibachi lunch would end up on the sidewalk. seriously, booger eating, to me, is just as nasty as a fingernail coming off or puss coming from an open wound. i can't handle it! so my question is this: why do kids eat their boogies? i never remember even touching on that in any of my developmental psychology classes, and i'd really like to know the answer (so i can be sure it doesn't happen when i have a child).

how has your weekend/labor day been?

i'm going to san francisco!

aaaahhhhhhh! i'm so excited! it's my favorite place on earth, and i'll be there in less than two weeks! auntie amy and i are going for a few days just to have fun and non-stop girl talk. on my list of things to do: walk around telegraph hill talking to the wild parrots (but that one is obvious), go to haight-ashbury and get vintage clothes, and if we have enough time, we're driving down to carmel and monterey for the day to take in its beauty (but that's really up in the air as there is so much to do in san francisco we may run out of time).

images from we heart it and google search.

here's my one problem with traveling: i'm too cheap to check my bag, and i have a really difficult time fitting everything into my carry-on. since california weather is SO different from the weather in virginia, i know i'll have to bring extra clothes so i can dress in layers, so i'm thinking about using lauren's idea from when we all met up in june and basically shrink wrapping everything in ziploc bags so it takes up less space! she's a genius!

i know the city is huge, and there's so much i haven't seen, so if you have any suggestions for food, shopping (keep in mind i'm a cheapskate) or anything else, let me know! i don't require much sleep, so i like to try and cram in as much as possible on trips!

have you taken any trips this year? do have any planned for later in the year?

back to the san francisco pics

So far, I've uploaded about 150 pictures to facebook and I still have quite a few more, plus videos! I promise I won't obsessively share all of those on this blog, but since I always like to see what others are doing, I figured I'd share as well. Also, do you ever wonder what the person behind the blog/shop/computer looks like? I know I do, and now you know what I look like (in case you're as curious as me).

From the top: looking down (all the way down) from the Golden Gate Bridge, and me at the Golden Gate Bridge.

From the top: looking down the Greenwich steps. If you've ever watched "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill," you'll remember that Mark Bittner lived in a cottage on these steps! The next three pictures show a wild cherry headed conure and her baby (you can tell the baby is only a few months old because of the lack of red feathers). Lastly, Telegraph Hill is my absolute favorite place in San Francisco. Not only is it beautiful because of the view and lush landscaping, but the parrots make it absolutely magical. We saw about 50 parrots and got close enough to touch them, but I didn't, I only took pictures (and they're the main reason I want to go back so badly)!

From the top: Lombard Street is so much more beautiful than I would have thought, and the landscaping inside of the curves is just gorgeous! The last picture is of Amy and I, she's Mr. Dinosaur Toes' aunt, and she was nice enough to take me on this girl's only trip!

"san francisco sick"

I'm back home, and I must admit that while I'm happy to see my beautiful Flojo and Mr. Dinosaur Toes, I'm not happy to be back in my hometown. I've never been the kind of person to feel sad or lonely upon returning from vacation, but I think it's because I've just never been to the right place. Until now. It's like that city was made for me, and I'm determined to go again ASAP! Here are a few pictures from our trip. I have LOTS more, but they require stories (especially the wild cherry headed conures), so they come later!

From the top: Golden Gate Bridge from the top of Telegraph Hill (my favorite place in San Francisco), Me on Telegraph Hill, Coit Tower.

san fran, here i come!

A homebody to the core, I'm never big on vacations, and when I do go, I like to stay somewhere within a few hours from home. So San Francisco is going to be a big change from Virginia! My husband's aunt is taking me, free of charge, for a short trip packed full of girl talk and sightseeing! I'm super excited, and I'll start packing tonight since I know I'll switch the outfits no less than three times. Mr. Dinosaur Toes has been trained in the art of packaging and next I'll show him how to list items in my store, so he'll be taking over for a few days. I promise to share lots of pictures when I'm back home on the east coast!

Invisible Colours postcard set (taken in San Francisco) from idathue on Etsy, $4.