Update

I've been intending to write an update for quite awhile. I didn't intend to write it early Saturday morning, but the puppy is insistent on being awake. She's not making it easy to type, either, clawing at my arm and barking in my ear. She wants me to chase her around the living room; it is way too early for that.

My sister, Nikki and her fiance, Joe come to visit on Thursday. We're looking forward to the short week and long weekend. Neither have been to SF before, so we'll show them all of the must-sees. They're here from May 2-5, so look for pictures to follow.

It's been awhile since I've posted, but not too much has changed. Nick and I are both enjoying our jobs and exploring on the weekends. A co-worker of mine sent me a link to all the wineries on Silverado Trail in Napa Co. It's searchable by amenity, and he sent it to me originally so I could see all of the pet-friendly wineries. That will probably be our next adventure after Nikki and Joe visit, to go to the wineries. Since we can hit the pet-friendly ones, we don't have to worry about leaving Echo alone at home because it really is a full day adventure at the minimum. That will be a good way to get our bearings on the place and learn what other places we might want to visit when we have a puppy sitter. We also need to go to Tahoe, the Redwoods, Los Angeles, and San Diego. I've been seeing some great flight prices to San Diego, but I don't know if a 3 day weekend is really enough? Maybe since we're "close" and can go back, it is enough. Let me know you're thoughts if you've been there. I really want to see the zoo. It'll have to be later this summer. Luckily, a co-worker already volunteered to keep Echo for a weekend if we did that because she loves dogs, but doesn't have her own.

A couple weeks ago, I went with my boss and 2 co-workers to a Giants game after work. I absolutely love AT&T Park. You're overlooking the bay while you watch the game. It was gorgeous. The weather was warm when I was there, but I was told it's warmer to watch a winter 49ers game in Candlestick Park than a summer Giants game in AT&T Park. I think it's less windy in the football stadium. Nick isn't a baseball fan, but he wants to go to a Giants game, so we're looking at games to attend. Other activity adventures (instead of seeing new places) that we have been mulling over include kayaking the coast a little bit north, kite and/or wind surfing, and horseback riding on the beach. We have concert tickets to a show in June and are considering another concert in July. Some friends from Iowa are also coming to visit over the 4th of July, so we're really looking forward to that.

At work we got sit-to-stand desks. That means the work surface is robotic to adjust heights. These are ergonomically much better because each person gets their desk to the appropriate height. More importantly, studies are showing that sitting for extended periods of time causes serious risk. To mitigate that, employees are encouraged to stand while they work to break up the amount of time they're in a chair. I love this. The only problem was that when I was standing and put my headphones in, I found I was dancing while working. I'm sure this looked goofy, so now I don't use my headphones while I stand.

Echo has made this blog post a very painful experience. I have a mauled arm and a broken ear drum. Apparently this post is not important to her, and she requires running outside. I'll leave you with this thought: Echo runs 3.25 miles with me every other day. When we get home, she is still energetic. On the off days she plays fetch with tennis balls and a ball thrower that Nick has named Der Flinger. It's pretty awesome; it doubles the distance you can throw a ball and takes all stress off of your elbow and shoulder. That doesn't tire her out either. I am now contemplating "baby sitting" an 8-12 year old for 1.5 hours a day to play with the puppy and wear each other out. If you have an overly hyper child and need a small break, I'll be accepting applications next week. Must be a tough kid with tons of energy because Echo plays hard and mean. Must love dogs.