Movin' on up to the east side...

... of the Bay, that is!

That's right, folks. In a mere 25 days, escrow will close and Shane and I will be signed, sealed, delivered home owners in the adorable city of Berkeley, California!

Can I tell you how amazing it feels to say that? Talk about an exhausting process -- house hunting could easily be a full time job! After countless open house tours, 3 offers, and 2 heartbreaks, it's all over! Third time's a charm, and we ended up with the home that is just right for us.

Feast your eyes on Casa de Harter!

Fave things about the house?

• Lemon tree by the front door (Fresh lemonade, on-demand!)
• Windows, windows everywhere (Let there be light!)
• Warmer weather (and less fog!)
• Proximity to BART (San Francisco is still just a 30-minute BART ride or 20-minute drive away)
• Compost bins and solar panels! (We're so Berkeley, I almost can't even stand us)
• And just a mile away from this incredible view....

We're now accepting reservations for guests at Casa de Harter in Spring 2014 ;-)

Happy Birthday to Archie!

Today is Archie's birthday and this year he turns 2! That's 14 in human years! My, how time flies....

I feel like just yesterday, he was this small:

And now he's all grown up: 20 pounds heavier, living in San Francisco, and howling to his heart's content!

Happy Birthday to our precious baby boy :-)

THE SF GIANTS SWEPT THE WORLD SERIES!

Perhaps you've heard?

Obviously, the entire fam was ecstatic:

Some San Franciscans got a little too excited.

Anyways, the news of their big win is many days old now, but today was the homecoming parade for our champs and yes, the entire city was there...

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi!

Willie Mays (blurry)!

Giants mascot!

UC Berkeley Marching Band!

The World Series trophy with Giants manager, Bruce Bochy!

And finally, the players come escorted by the SF Segway Tour Company!

Tim Lincecum

World Series MVP (and his trophy), Pablo Sandoval (aka Panda)! 

How sweep it is!

The aftermath.

Acorn Squash Soup

I promise I'm not going to become a foodie blog (I'm not that good... yet!), but we've been frequenting the Heart of the City Farmer's Market and getting the best produce, so lately I've been into experimenting in the kitchen! After some encouragement from my momma to try acorn squash, I picked one up (80 cents, thank you very much -- can't beat those farmer's market prices!).  I heard squash is really good with just butter, salt and pepper (and I have enjoyed this easy preparation for spaghetti squash) but I've also become somewhat of a soup connoisseur lately so I wanted to give it a try with the squash.  I sort of melded a few different online recipes together and here are the delicious results and the recipe!

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the squash in half on the equator and remove the seeds. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the squash cut side up. To one half, add a peeled shallot and to the other half add two peeled garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until very tender, approximately 1 hour. Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, remove the squash from the skin with a spoon. Reserve the roasted shallots and garlic with the squash.

In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat and add 1/3 cup raw diced shallots and saute until they are starting to caramelize, about 5 to 6 minutes. Deglaze with 1/4 cup of chicken stock.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and add in the reserved squash, roasted shallots and garlic and 1 cup chicken stock. Stir to combine, then puree. Add a pinch of cayenne, a pinch of white pepper, some thyme, and 1/3 cup of heavy cream and heat over medium-low heat.

Proof of my kitchen endeavor:

Wine Country with the Folks!

The Allees returned to California last week to spend some time in Sonoma Valley (aka wine country)!  My parents rented a house with their friends so Shane and I (as well as their daughter, from San Diego) had the pleasure visiting for the weekend to check out a few wineries and get out of the city and into the sunshine!

Our adorable accomodations

Isn't she radiant? That's my Momma :-)

Dad, constantly making us laugh :-)

Just wanted to show off my new photog skills, thanks to my new camera!
(b-day gift from the Parentals)

Total wine connoisseur now

Cheers!

The Allees Visit the City by the Bay

That's right, folks! My parents made the big trek from Pass Christian, Mississippi to the city by the bay.  They stayed for 4 magical days and saw everything (well, almost everything) that San Francisco has to offer...

Day 1:
My glorious boss allowed me the day off, so I was able to ease into the morning with coffee with my parents while Shane headed into work.  We met him for lunch at his office and got take-out grilled cheese to eat on Trulia's roof deck (his office rules, btw).  After lunch, my parents and I headed down to the Wharf to taste some delicious seafood and check out the Musee Mecanique (vintage arcade games, etc.).  On our way home, we realized we were near the Hyatt Regency where Mel Brook's High Anxiety was filmed.  Being Mel Brooks fans and curious tourists, we went in to check it out.  There wasn't much to see related to the film but there was a really cool installation promoting The Exploratorium, one of which used a two-way mirror to superimpose your face onto someone else's face (so hard to explain, but the pictures are pretty cool).

Day 2:
Off to another day of experiencing San Francisco, we headed to the now infamous La Corneta Taqueria for a delicious taco lunch.  After we practically ate our weight in carne asada, we headed back to the Wharf for a bay cruise! What a cool way to experience San Francisco -- you get to see everything and learn so much about the history of the city!  We finished off the day with a walk through Washington Square, then Chinatown and then a sushi dinner at home -- yum!

Day 3:

Happy birthday to my dad!  Birthday boy's pick was a baseball game: The Oakland Athletics versus The New York Yankees (his and Shane's favorite team).  It was an amazing game -- it even went into extra innings! The Yankees ultimately lost (boo!), but we had such a fun time!  Then we headed home for a relaxing evening in and Chef Shane prepared a tenderloin with mashed potatoes and strawberry shortcake for dessert! 

Day 4:

For my parents' last day in San Francisco, we intended to explore the Marina district but we stopped off in the Mission District for lunch and decided to stick around and explore that area for the rest of the day! We found some great little boutiques, saw a ton of colorful murals (that's sort of what The Mission is known for), and mom bought a cool painting! We didn't take very many photos :-(

Things on the to-do list for their next visit:

• San Francisco Giants Game
• Tour of Alcatraz
• Sausalito
• Japantown
• Haight Ashbury

Now doesn't this make YOU want to visit?? We're ready for you!!!