I Run Like A Girl

This past weekend was one of my favorites in SF so far. Two major things on my SF bucket list got crossed off: a sunset bonfire at Ocean Beach and a party bus for a Napa day trip!

Ocean Beach

One of the first things I was told when I came here was that having a bonfire on Ocean Beach was a sort of “rite of passage” to becoming an SFer. Bonfires are one of my favorite things in the world so that jumped straight to the top of the bucket list. And so, I was beyond happy when Viggy (one of my Marina pals) got our Lake Tahoe group together for a fun evening at Ocean Beach on Saturday 🙂

We got there in the late afternoon and started right away with cracking open some beers and enjoying the warm-ish beach; it was in the high 60’s so definitely no swimming but still great hanging-on-the-beach weather!

These guys have really become my fam ❤

My favorites to third wheel ❤

I hadn’t seen Anna in an entire week and we had oh-so-much to catch up on.

As the sun went down, we lit the fire pit. Best part of any bonfire…S’MORES!

Me and Karan –> I’ve never met anyone who makes me laugh so hard. Karan is another Marina friend. Matt (my biking pal) is the third, and along with Viggy they are all roommates. (Sorry for the name drop – but figure I should stop calling them the “Marina guys” like the past several posts, ha!).

The sun setting was unreal…I had never seen the sun actually slowly going down on the horizon until that evening (if that makes sense)…pure heaven.

The bonfire completely exceeded my already high expectations. I loved everything about the evening: the open space, the smell of the sea plus the campfire, roasting marshmallows, being with friends I love so much, sipping our beer and listening to good music…just good vibes all around. I will DEFINITELY back!!

Napa day trip

The next day was another big one. Earlier in the week, Anna asked it I wanted to join a big group of her friends for a Napa party bus day trip…ummm YES?! I had heard so many fun things about these buses and was definitely excited to meet some more of Anna’s friends 🙂

We boarded the bus at 9:30am and got mimosas going right away. Our group had some eager beavers and by the time we got to Napa…we got through 8 champagne bottles #sundayfunday

The first stop of the day, Mondavi Winery! This was one of the best wineries I’ve ever gone to. We got a private tour and tasting which ended up being a hilarious hour of our group trying to keep ourselves together while our tour guide gently scolded us left and right. No shame 😉

The tour itself was actually super informative! One of my favorites yet.

It was ONE HUNDRED DEGREES in good ol’e Napa so we were struggling quite a bit with the heat.

The second stop: V. Sattui Winery. This was the complete opposite of the first. Crowded, not intimate…it seemed like they wanted to just shuffle people in and out of the tasting. Nevertheless, we continued the debauchery here and got some lunch at the deli while we were at it.

Last stop, Castello di Amarosa, or the “Castle of Love”. I had actually been here before on my first solo trip to California back in college. I didn’t remember it being too great, but the second time around definitely redeemed itself (the place is actually a straight up CASTLE –> #instagramworthy). Everyone was so inclusive and on the same page with our level of tipsiness; it made the whole experience super enjoyable.

I assumed the bus ride back would be for passing out, but everyone had so much energy that we kept the party going all the way to the final stop. By then I was POOPED and was so thankful for the cold shower that followed.

So many special moments this weekend that I am so grateful for ❤

This week will actually be on the vigorous side with work and studying. 2 weeks until my next mini-actuarial exam (boy that crept up quick…) and 1 week to the SF half!!! Lots to look forward to.