A Day in the Bay : January 2019

Here is a summary of the last 2 months of 2018 that should probably be split into a few different posts, buuttt what can ya do?

Tiffany and I's jack-o-lantern this year.

Brittany and I's Halloween costume this year. Napoleon Dynamite and Pedro.

With the whole group. Kip, Deb, Napoleon, Pedro, and Uncle Rico. The day before Halloween we decided that this was our plan and we pulled together our costumes with the help of Goodwill. Halloween eve has got to be their busiest night.

On Halloween night we walked around the notorious Halloween streets of Palo Alto. These people put on crazy displays and decorations. This year included a haunted maze, a Zombie olympics display (just actors doing olympic type things in zombie costumes) and someone even had a live band in their front yard. These people go all out and there are thousands of people who show up for it.

Then we went to a YSA house/dance party.

Then it was the day of the dead. We decided to go to the Mission District in SF to watch/walk in the Day of the Dead parade and see the festivities.

We all dressed for the part.

The parade was cool. Eventually everyone joined in and ended up at a park with all of the ofrendas and memorials.

It was a fun atmosphere, but it was also very touching at the same time to see all of the ofrendas and notes that people had left for those who have past on.

One Saturday we hit up the huge Old Navy sale, and we went big.

We went to the flagship store in the city and it did not disappoint.

Brittany did some serious damage.

Our purchases took up the whole trunk of the car.

It was a successful shopping trip followed with La Taqueria Burrito's and Bob's Donuts. Not a bad day.

THANKSGIVING:

I have no pictures of this extended weekend. But I went home, ate dinner at the grandparents, saw Wreck it Ralph 2 with the fam (followed by a Costco dinner/shopping trip), got my hair cut and colored (though whether or not it was actually dyed continues to be a mystery), and watched the BYU v Utah football game.

Then it was CHRISTMAS SEASON

We went big with all of our Christmas celebrating this year. Though many of these events don't have any pictures. So I will sum it up here:
-We had a ward brunch, and a RS Christmas party. Both of which events included Tiffany and I making a breakfast casserole at midnight the night before.

-There was a Seinfeld "Festivus" themed party which included an "airing of grievances" and wrestling. Yes. we watched our friends wrestle each other. I don't know why, but every 20 something aged boy is obsessed with Seinfeld.

-I threw a bridal shower for Tiffany

-There was many a Christmas movie watching, and on some nights, the movie watching included a cozy fort:

-Walking around to see Christmas lights in San Carlos

-A delicious roommate pot roast Christmas dinner

One Sunday we prepared homeless kits, and then the following Saturday a group of 20+ people went and handed them out in the city. That night we also rode the cable cars from Union Square to Ghirardelli Square and got dessert (not a cheap ride, and definitely not a cheap dessert). I shared a Ghirardelli cookie sundae with three other girls. But because we are not stupid, we also ordered a brownie on the side, broke it up, and added it to the sundae. It was amazing.

We sang Christmas songs all the way to Ghiradelli square, and I think our cable car driver hated us.

Spotify kindly informed me that I had spent, SIXTY TWO HOURS listening to Michael Buble this past year.

I honestly don't know how that even happened.

December also included me leaving Google. I was sad to leave because I truly loved the people and my team there. But I took a better opportunity at a startup, and don't regret it. Google opened my career up to so many new possibilities and I feel lucky to have worked there!

Team lunch for my last day

my sweet, dear, hilarious, kind, co-worker left me this on my last day.

The desk on the right is mine. I loved my huge window. I got to know that neighborhood pretty well. (garbage day is Thursday, school gets out after 3pm, the blue house has a white truck that isn't at home right now, etc etc)

Then to Utah I flew for Christmas and also for....
Tiffany's wedding!

Always fun to see the college friends

A Christmas wedding if I ever saw one.

Tiffany was a lovely bride-which was brought to you in part by me. I was the hairdresser. Crazy that Tiffany trusted me with that responsibility considering I have no experience with hair and occasionally can put my hair in a ponytail. But somehow we made it work.

What can I say, that I haven't already said in multiple past posts?? We're best friends.

The venue was very Christmas cozy

I just truly love these guys. Glad their new home is just a 15 min drive away.

Wouldn't you know it, I caught the bouquet. It does help when the bride turns around and deliberately tosses it to you.

Christmas Day:
I can't not mention the great Christmas morning dance party of 2018. At one point during our morning, the Humphries and Jon Jon Chen (?) busted into our house in their PJ's and some music and started a dance party in the middle of our living room. About 15 minutes later, they made their departure. It was random, but I loved that moment so much.

Christmas night, Rachel, Makenzie, and I also decided that we wanted to go see the new Mary Poppins movie. So we did.

We went sledding with the nephews and this may be my favorite picture from the whole trip.

Makenzie and I finally used our gift cards for Waffle love that we got 1.5 years ago. It was delicious.

The whole time I was home, Makenzie refused to act like we were in the middle of winter.

New Years Eve Makenzie got her ears pierced. It was casually brought up as something we could do to pass the time as we waited an hour for our table at Texas Roadhouse. Next thing you know, we were in the mall and Makenzie left with some new hardware.

The next day was my last day at home, and also Rachel's last day before her mission.