I finished another tube of toothpaste out in the wild west this week.
It might seem pretty weird to measure my time here by a tube of dwindling cinnamon gel paste (the best flavor) but quite frankly, it’s the simple realizations like this that stop me dead in my tracks. It really takes a long time to get through a whole tube of toothpaste! (Unless you are Molly Billion, who always seems to have her toothbrush nearby.)
Two tubes of toothpaste and so much more has happened during 273 days under the warm California sun. ♡
They say that San Francisco is a city that will thrill you every minute of your stay and I'm here to say it is true.
Lately, I’ve been known for hitting all the emotions on my daily FaceTime calls home. Mom said she never knows if a close-up with the dogs will bring me smiles or tears and she’s never been more right. The homesick bug hits me hard some days. On Fridays, I’m usually wishing I was with my family for pizza night. Mostly because Dad pays. Just kidding... It’s because he also shares his beer with me :-) Actually, the most recent text exchanges between my dad and I consist of pictures of our beverages. "Wish you were beer!!" California, you seem to have it all figured out except you don’t have Yuengling and it's really not O.K.
Although lately, I’ve been even more known for calling home to share how much I truly love this happy-hearted city.
I'm keeping busy with some very cool opportunities at work right now. This week kicks off all things holiday. Tomorrow my team and I will start concepting for the Tiny Prints 2018 Holiday Campaign which is SO exciting to be a part of. I am also the designer for the Tiny Prints fall homepage (!!) Tune in to tinyprints.com on August 29th for that! There is no doubt that I am surrounded by very talented, inspiring, and most importantly, kind people at Shutterfly. I love going to work and helping to "share life's joy."
It makes the 5:30AM wake-up call to catch the bus... to catch the train... to catch another bus worth every second of my time. And yes, only in the Bay Area does it take an hour and a half to get 17 miles.
Up until November, I lived about 25 minutes outside of the city. So in January, I packed my bags and headed to the city. Freakin' pinch me, people!!! Since then, I fall asleep with distant boat horns from the bay and the dings from cable cars down the road - the ultimate white noise. A rooftop view of the Golden Gate Bridge and a ridiculously overpriced BOX-of-a-room await me here in my charming Nob Hill neighborhood. More to love about my new home is where it sits in the heart of it all. I love being near Little Italy where my mom and I ate approximately 90% of our meals when she visited. I'm 4 minutes from Swensen's - home of the best sticky peanut butter ice cream treats. If you ever find yourself visiting, this is where I would take you before anywhere else. Jogging the hills after work is another one of my favorite (sometimes least favorite) things to do as a city girl, especially with Swensen's around the corner.
I'm basically breathing dreams like air over here. Winging it as I go -- and I sure as hell have learned a lot.
"Every once in a while, somewhere on earth there occurs an event so extraordinary that it enriches forever the lives of all who witness it. San Francisco promises just such an experience!" And suddenly, I’m amazed by all the precious blessings I have been given through the wild of unknowns and twists of fate since I got off that plane, just 273 days ago.
Tomorrow I plan on picking up a new tube of toothpaste on my way home from work. I wonder how many more wonderful memories will squeeze out of this wild joyride!
