Trying it out...

Thought I might give this a try as a way to keep in touch and keep everyone involved in what we're doing down here, in addition to traditional ways of keeping in touch!

So, we've been here for almost two weeks now and are finally getting all settled in. The studio actually feels a lot bigger than I thought it would, and we managed to fit all our stuff into it, with the help of a big bike rack on one wall. (Thanks to GM&Co. for the REI card that helped us buy it!)

We joke that we actually have a bedroom, a tv/living room and a library/den - they are all just a foot apart from each other! :) All the windows in the bay window open, which makes it almost feel like we are outside when windows are open. There is always a really nice breeze here. (See pic of view out our window below)

I had my second job interview on Thursday and felt that it went really well. I have a good feeling about getting a job and am so antsy to have something secure in place. I would be enjoying my "vacation" a lot more if I knew I had something solid in the future that would earn me money! Neil started his orientation on Wednesday and has really enjoyed things so far. He's met some nice people already and seems to be excited to start classes and to get painting again.

We've been trying to get out and stay busy and have been doing a LOT of walking and biking. I'm going to be in incredible shape when we come home! The hills are like 45% grade around here... In other news, I have fallen off my bike twice in the last week - two days in a row actually. The first time, I was actually standing in the Safeway parking lot - not even moving... I looked down at my left foot, which was not clipped in to the pedal, and lost my balance towards my right foot, which was clipped in. Neil said it was like watching in slow motion - Noooooooo!!! That one didn't hurt - I just slowly toppled over. It was just very embarrassing. :( The next day, I was riding to Sports Basement (Charlotte - I found it and it is AWESOME!!) and went to turn left and cross the busy street. My glasses cause a "blind spot" and I didn't spot the car until I was about to ride in front of it. So I slammed on my brakes, didn't have a chance to unclip either foot, and bit it pretty hard. This one hurt both my knee and my pride - big time! (See photo of banged-up knee below) So I'm feeling a little gun-shy about riding right now. And of course we have a big bike-ride around the Presidio on the calendar for today! :)

Charlotte, you will be excited to hear that we have also discovered IT'S-IT! The most delicious ice-cream sandwich on the face of the earth. Too bad each sandwhich has more saturated fat in it than I am supposed to have in an entire day. :( We will have to bring some home when we visit. They are amazing!

The fog rolled in last night at dusk, and you could see it creeping down the hill from our windows, the city lights slowly disappearing. It was really beautiful and we felt cozy and warm in our place, watching it. I think we'll like it here... (Don't worry mothers - we will only like it here for two years!)