I Run Like A Girl

Hello, hello! I hope you all had fantastic weeks! This was my first full week back into “real life” so let’s talk about that for a bit…

Last week, I had two days in SF between Thailand and Mexico. I was exhausted and dove right back into work, responding to hundreds of emails and hit in the face with responsibilities again…those two days were rough. I had MAJOR post-travel blues and was not ready to tackle real life again.

But coming back a “second time” felt so much better; I think Mexico really was a good cushion for this. I was so excited to see all my friends after a whole month and scheduled lunches/dinners/happy hours/picnics every single day (I tend to go overboard with making plans after my exam, to make up for “lost time” and whatnot :P). It was SO heartwarming to see everyone again, and I did NOT get tired of re-telling my travel stories ;). Jason even came all the way from New York to visit!

The cherry on top was that I had a really rewarding week at work…and by the weekend I really felt excited and grateful to come back to friends, a job, and my life that I LOVE in California.

Of course I will always miss the carefree days of waking up on a beautiful island and having nothing on my plate, but I know that I don’t need to be 1000 miles away to be happy – I’m so ready for a brilliant summer in California, with loved ones and all we have to look forward to, and with the newfound positive energy in me. ❤

Now let’s talk about the weekend!

Friday: early happy hour + sushi

On Friday, Anna and I both got off work early and decided to take advantage of the GORGEOUS, warm weather that hit SF this weekend. We went to our favorite outdoor bar in Nob Hill for happy hour. I had already seen Anna twice since coming back from traveling, so it didn’t feel like a mad rush to catch each other up…we just relaxed, enjoyed the gorgeous weather, and got pumped for our fun plans for the weekend ;).

Afterwards, Whitney introduced me to a hip, yummy sushi spot called Ryoko’s. After a year of living in SF, I was still on the lookout for a solid sushi spot, and here it finally was! Whitney and I caught up on our weeks and enjoyed the great quality (and affordable) sushi – I will definitely be back!

Saturday: Dirtybird BBQ

Saturday started off with 4 miles. Exercising for the first time in an entire month made me realize how fast you lose your fitness! I did a few 3-4 milers this week plus a yoga session…not gonna lie, the workouts whipped my butt. 😛

Then, it was time for the main event of the weekend, the Dirtybird Festival. Anna found this event and got our crew to join. Dirtybird is a deep house label and they were featuring a ton of artists in an outdoor concert in Oakland. What a perfect way to kick off our summer. 🙂

We started off with pregaming at Rene’s apartment.

Then, we headed over to Oakland. The festival completely exceeded my expectations. I was expecting a small block party situation but it took place in a super huge, open park with gorgeous views of the water/SF. I also LOVED the crowd: so real and unpretentious; everyone seemed to be there for the music –> one of the usual qualities of deep house/techno concerts that I love.

There was tons of space in the crowd to dance and enjoy the music (unlike a lot of festivals where it’s so crowded you can hardly move!). We had so much fun dancing away to the deep house beats.

We set up some blankets on the side of the stage and chilled over some cold beers.

Love these girls ❤

Sunset by the water ❤

The evening ended with grabbing a bite in Oakland (since we never really make it out there). The whole entire day was filled with such good vibes and seriously got me so pumped for this summer and all that we have to look forward to.

Sunday:

Sunday started off on the lazy side. I slept in, watched some TV, and then finally got out of my apartment to chill at my favorite coffee shop and catch up this blog. It was so heartwarming to have the baristas welcome me and ask about my travels/exam after not seeing me for over the month – I think I went to this coffee shop every day the two months before my exam, ha.

In the afternoon, I met up with Rahul and we went to the Kava Lounge, my secret spot :). I love showing friends kava tea for their first time and seeing the different reactions – Rahul had one of the best first experiences yet, even better than my first time, I was so happy!

In the evening, we headed over to a sports bar in the Marina to watch game 2 of the NBA finals with Whitney/Anna/Karan/Matt and his girlfriend who is visiting from Brazil. The Warriors are such a fun team to cheer on – we won!!

Ending this post with a few anniversaries:

1) Happy anniversary to my parents!!! 31 years of unconditional love, teamwork, laughter, raising 3 crazy kids, supporting each other’s careers, overcoming trials, all centered in Christ ❤

2) Happy 1 year anniversary of me moving to SF!!! I was blown away when I looked at the calendar this past week…I can’t believe a year ago I took a one-way flight to California with no apartment, no plan, and only knowing one person out here (Scott)…in one short year my life (and happiness) completely took a 180. This was the best year of my life, and I can’t wait for what’s to come, round two.

3) Happy 2 year anniversary to this blog!!! To say I am completely grateful for creating this blog is an understatement. It’s been SUCH a blessing to have this outlet to write, share, document my life, and best of all, meet some wonderful people who I would never meet if it weren’t for this blogosphere!

One thing I like to do is read past posts from the same month but a year ago, kind of to see where I was “this time last year”…it’s absolutely amazing to see how much has changed. Sometimes it makes me a little sad reading about some of the lower points in my life (6 months before I moved to SF I was WRECK). I wish I could go back and tell me to love myself, be patient, and have faith, since my life was about to completely turn around. To be able to read so vividly how far I’ve come is so special and inspiring…I so treasure this blog for that.

I sincerely thank you all for stopping by every now and then to read along – please don’t hesitate to say hi :). I LOVE hearing from you!!!