What a January! Even when it seemed quiet it was a busy time (busy in a good way, though). And the fact that it was 70 degrees on the last day of January reminded me why I love living in California. Here's what's been going on this first month of 2015:
Travel & Friends: On weekends I hit up San Diego, which was a little chilly, and then Tahoe which was unseasonably warm. It was only my 2nd time visiting each location and I got to explore more in each area, but what made the trips great was getting to spend time with some awesome people.
Alumni Events/Volunteering: Historically I've only gone to a few area alumni events a year but a whole bunch of them were going on in January. For my undergrad, there was a volunteer event at the food bank, which I'd been wanting to work at, since California is known for having such awesome food and fresh ingredients readily available,yet lots of people still have to go without. There were a bunch of young alumni who volunteered, and we then decided to do a follow-up happy hour a couple weeks later, and everyone brought friends. Then my grad school, for which I serve as an 'alumni ambassador', hosted its annual Bay Area reception which served as a nice reunion for people in the area. I host current students at my office every year and this was probably the best visit yet, in terms of getting the right mix of students/employees together and being able to show off the newly renovated office. Finally I co-hosted an admissions reception to meet people from the Bay Area just going into business school. My advice to them was a) take a little time off between working and going back to school, and b) business school is not easy, so expect to be overwhelmed in the beginning but know that everyone they know with an MBA got through it, so they could, too. Overall I like these events because they keep me connected to places that helped shape me.
San Francisco: I checked out these places for the first time:
Monsieur Benjamin - Another reason to love Hayes Valley, and French food! Sit at the marble communal table and check out everyone else's orders :)
The Square - Made me realize I don't go to North Beach enough and I should fix that in 2015.
Liholiho Yacht Club - It just opened but, to quote my husband, it feels like it's been there a while, in that it seemed like a comfortable, solid spot that wasn't trying too hard.
Other free time:
One of my fave sayings of late:
Travel & Friends: On weekends I hit up San Diego, which was a little chilly, and then Tahoe which was unseasonably warm. It was only my 2nd time visiting each location and I got to explore more in each area, but what made the trips great was getting to spend time with some awesome people.
Alumni Events/Volunteering: Historically I've only gone to a few area alumni events a year but a whole bunch of them were going on in January. For my undergrad, there was a volunteer event at the food bank, which I'd been wanting to work at, since California is known for having such awesome food and fresh ingredients readily available,yet lots of people still have to go without. There were a bunch of young alumni who volunteered, and we then decided to do a follow-up happy hour a couple weeks later, and everyone brought friends. Then my grad school, for which I serve as an 'alumni ambassador', hosted its annual Bay Area reception which served as a nice reunion for people in the area. I host current students at my office every year and this was probably the best visit yet, in terms of getting the right mix of students/employees together and being able to show off the newly renovated office. Finally I co-hosted an admissions reception to meet people from the Bay Area just going into business school. My advice to them was a) take a little time off between working and going back to school, and b) business school is not easy, so expect to be overwhelmed in the beginning but know that everyone they know with an MBA got through it, so they could, too. Overall I like these events because they keep me connected to places that helped shape me.
San Francisco: I checked out these places for the first time:
Monsieur Benjamin - Another reason to love Hayes Valley, and French food! Sit at the marble communal table and check out everyone else's orders :)
The Square - Made me realize I don't go to North Beach enough and I should fix that in 2015.
Liholiho Yacht Club - It just opened but, to quote my husband, it feels like it's been there a while, in that it seemed like a comfortable, solid spot that wasn't trying too hard.
Other free time:
- This was a very busy month, work-wise, and while I tried keeping up the physical activity, I was letting it slide this past week. (Note to self: schedule upcoming work outs now, and stick to them!)
- Besides weekend breakfasts, I remember cooking twice this month: making a bolognese sauce right after the holidays, and a shrimp/pasta/veggie dish last night.
- Kindle-wise, I have been reading Lean In, which I think I actually started over a year ago, whoops.
One of my fave sayings of late:
