the sun sets on 2011

on the last day of 2011 i enjoyed a luxurious morning of sleeping in and reading. my friend and i ran some errands, gathering goodies for that night, picking up a few odds and ends. we drove back to san jose with just enough time for a quick stop to say hello to my parents and to make our last few stops before heading to the hot tub of wisdom for a final hurrah.

we started our celebration with pizza and catching up, and pretty soon after we hopped into the spa. we even put some cookies into a tupperware and discovered that they float in the spa! the tupperware was a great serving dish in the spa - we would just pass it back and forth and let it float around!

while snacking and relaxing, we reminisced all of the trials and joys of 2011, and boy was it a life changing year. relationship struggles, heartbreaking and momentous loss, beautiful new additions to our friends' families, all of the incredible things life brings. when the clock neared midnight, we prepared a special treat - dom perignon - purchased in honor of an amazing mother we lost that year. at the chime of midnight, we had a special toast to celebrate all of the gifts she shared with each of us. it was beautiful and heartbreaking.

after our toast, we took part in a new year's tradition a colombian friend of mine shared with me. in her family, every person eats 12 grapes at midnight on new years, and makes a wish with each grape. although we were ill-prepared (i.e., no grapes), we decided it would be a good idea to put a little twist on the tradition - and wish on 12 tiny shots of colombian wine (that's like grapes, right?). it was a fun tradition, but perhaps not recommended, as 12 shots of wine - no matter how tiny - do add up quickly.

we continued celebrating the closing of a tough year, and all managed to land safely into beds for a good night's sleep. well, a mostly good night's sleep for me, as i fought with my friend's beloved and giant bulldog for room on the bed. delilah! scoot over!

mid-holiday monterey

after celebrating christmas in southern california, i traveled a bit farther north for new year's.

i headed out to monterey, to visit my best friend. we met up for dinner at my favorite pizza place in monterey - giannis (YUM!). after a delicious dinner, we headed back to her place to relax and catch up. the next morning, after i slept in a bit, i met her down at the monterey bay aquarium, where she works. the aquarium was a bit too packed with tourists for me to enjoy myself, but my friend did take me up to the roof to see the green sea turtles who were not currently on exhibit. we watched them swim around in their rooftop pool, and although she wouldn't let me jump in and join them, i still had a good time :)

while she finished her work day, i wandered cannery row and walked down the bike and pedestrian trail heading towards carmel. i stopped at a bench overlooking the ocean and enjoyed some bayside reading. it was a beautiful place to read, relax, and enjoy the ocean.

after a relaxing (and chilly) reading session, it was time for happy hour at a fun and delicious hawaiian restaurant. YUM! we had a nice little group and decided to extend the happy hour fun for a game and cookie night. we ran a quick errand to the store for cookie ingredients and a couple of new wii games. i loved baking and taking my turn singing and dancing to broadway hits on the wii!