My week off from work is sadly coming to an end. It’s been SO nice to have a taste of the bohemian life, free of schedules, meetings and commuting. Sadly, while I was gone it was my managers last day at work. She decided to leave her job to travel the world with her husband for a year.
While I love my day job and am not planning on leaving, ever since I heard the news, it has made me think about a different type of life and how I can make changes in my life to un-tether myself from the 9-5.
While I already do some freelance design and brand work, it’s made me want to grow this business to have more flexibility in my schedule as well as where I live.
Have you changed your career to live a more bohemian lifestyle?
An important part of making a small apartment in San Francisco bearable is to get out of town on a regular basis. As part of my “stay-cation” this week we hightailed it out of San Francisco to wine country to get a little sun and R&R. Stop one on the way up north was in Sonoma at this amazing winery, Chateau St. Jean. Nestled against the hills near Kenwood, it was a beautiful place to start to unwind. We have a busy day planned today, and I’ll be sure to summarize everything in a larger post laster this week.
This weekend was a decorating whirlwind. My favorite part was checking out STUFF, an newer antique store in the Mission. My partner in crime (my Mom) and I spent around an hour walking around checking out everything. I love hearing her stories of things that have come back into style that she used to have in her house when I was young. I was mainly looking for pillows for my apartment re-decorating project which I’ll show you next week, but fell in love with a few other things. If ONLY I had a bigger place, it all would have come home with me.
Photos: Girl in the Fog
Mac and cheese is my boyfriend John’s favorite food. For him, it’s practically a food group. Not only does he LOVE it, he has become a serious connoisseur of the stuff, tasting and stiffing it like a fine wine. So when I took him to lunch in Oakland at Homeroom for his birthday this week, I was a little nervous that he wouldn’t like it. Boy was I wrong!
Being the mac and cheese traditionalist he is, he stuck with the classic with breadcrumbs which he said was amazing. I couldn’t resist the jalapeno popper mac which had just the right kick and flavor.
If you like mac and cheese and an adorable place with a great vibe, check it out.
Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese
One of my favorite things about living in San Francisco, and our neighborhood, is that there is a magical place just down the street, the Palace of Fine Arts.
Photo by girlinthefog
Built for the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition after the 1906 earthquake and fire, the Palace was one of 11 great exhibit palaces that was build to show the world that it had risen from the ashes. Widely considered the most beautiful structure at the exhibition, the Palace of Fine Arts was the work of California architect Bernard Maybeck. Like other features of the fair, the Palace was intended as ephemeral; at the close of the exposition, it would come down. But when the exposition ended, the Palace lived on — saved from demolition. And thank god it did.
Nowadays, the Palace of Fine Arts it is a mecca for tourist busses, wedding and engagement photos. We love to take long evening dog walks there. With the sun setting and the beautiful grounds there is a certain kind of magic wandering around the paths or standing under the rotunda. Not to mention, we find it hilarious to sit and watch everyone take photos of themselves in front of the palace. Some of the poses they get in are beyond funny.
Despite this, the Palace, especially after the crowds have left is a neighborhood park, full of families, runners and couples like us walking our dog. The redwood trees, giant ferns and amazing lighting in the evening make it a really special, maybe even magical.
What are you doing this weekend? We have several parties to go to, which is unusual for us, but I’m excited about it. But the celebration I’m most excited about is John’s birthday! Happy Birthday babe 
One of my favorite things to do on a weekend day is to jump in the car with our dog and head out with no plans. Sometimes we drive hours and hours and sometimes we just end up down the street. I love this quote by Mark Twain that reminds me that no time is like the present to explore. Humm, hopefully we can do this soon.
Photo via girlinthefog
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