Legion of Honor

My friend Erin from Boston gave us a very thoughtful wedding gift- a year long membership to two museums in San Francisco: De Young Museum and the Legion of Honor. I went to the De Young Museum back in October with my friend Lisa and as you can tell from its appearance, it is very modern. The Legion of Honor is the opposite- its exterior is completely classical and houses more of the ancient up to impressionist/post impressionist works.

Here is a view of the whole museum

As you enter the main courtyard, you are greeted by the Thinker reminding you to take time and truly ponder the art inside (or else at least look like you are doing some serious thinking)

It seems that they are trying to imitate the pyramid at the Louvre, but on a much smaller scale

I had only less than 2 hours to spend there so I only saw the special exhibit they have entitled "Marie Antoinette and the Petit Trianon at Versailles". The exhibit ends this upcoming weekend so I wanted to make sure that I was able to view it. I have been to Versailles twice, yet I have never had enough time to take the tours of the Petit Trianon and the Hamlet- I've only seen their exteriors. This exhibit had many of the artifacts from these venues as well as some of the history of their construction and usage. I didn't know that Louis XVI could only come to the Petit Trianon when Marie invited him and that this venue was initially created for the mistress of Louix XV. They had several videos and photos showing the layout of the articles in the rooms. What I thought was so ironic was that these were the "scaled down" versions of luxury and compared to the main palace at Versailles, I would say that they are, but they are still incredibly detailed and ornate. Particularly the room of Marie was in a garden theme and had intricate vines lining the chairs and golden basket weave around many of the items. Despite seeing this exhibit, I still think that I will need to go back one day and visit the actual sites . . . . but who knows when that will happen.

And some of the most beautiful views actually occurred outside of the museum. It is perched upon a hill and is surrounded by the ocean and the bay and has stunning views like this

And this is my favorite of the Golden Gate Bridge in its full glory

I will definitely be back several times to see the upcoming exhibit on the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as the permanent collection. I happened to walk through a room of Rodin and found that the museum owns over 80 of his works so I will DEFINITELY be coming back for an in depth visit with them. I really love this museum- it is definitely my favorite so far here in SF.

SF Ballet- Part Deux

I hardly know any French so I will limit my use of it to the title. Yes, for the second weekend in a row, I attended the San Francisco ballet. It was a different set of 3 performances and since their season is so short, I need to get all of the ballet in that I can :-) I discovered that the SF Ballet has THE BEST student rush ticket policy that I have ever seen. You call of the morning of the show and find out if they have any tickets available and they even have 2 price ranges- $10 for balcony and $20 for orchestra. And then they will immediately reserve you a ticket that you pick up at Will Call where you show them your student ID and you get the tickets! And unlike any program I have heard, you can also get a SECOND ticket, and they don't need to be a student! How great is this- you had better believe that I will be attending the rest of the seasons performances.

I also discovered something yesterday that I had not anticipated. In my previous post, I had mentioned about how William had accompanied me and my friends to several ballets while we were dating and engaged in Boston. I asked him if he was interested in going yesterday and the truth comes out. He said that the ballet is ok, but not his favorite, and I actually think that this is the really sweet part- he went so much with me to impress me and win me over. That is so adorable that he tried (and still tries) so hard to impress me. He said that he was willing to go with me if I wanted him to, but I said that I was fine going by myself. He truly is so thoughtful and considerate of my feelings- I really appreciate him ;-)

Since I was going by myself, I decided to sit in the orchestra and it provided me a completely different perspective than the balcony. Its not to say that I like one better than the other- they both have their strengths- but I am glad I had the floor for this performance. The balcony is better at seeing the overall patterns, staging, and choreography of the group dances while the floor allows for a better view of the facial expressions and interactions. The floor was perfect because two of the pieces had a smaller cast- with a maximum of 8 people on stage at a time- but with most of the time spent with only 1 or 2 individuals on stage. I had never seen any of the short pieces, but they were incredibly good- all 3 of them.

The first number was called "Filling Station" and was a fun, comedic piece set in a 1950s gas station and the unique characters who came in. This one dancer came in as a rich, very drunk woman and totally stole the show because she had to dance on point, yet look like she was very drunk so she had these unique moves to her performance. The second piece was choreographed in 2004 but to music by Bach. The set design was fairly basic, with an empty stage and everyone dressed in black, but it really allowed the choreography to speak for itself. It had a modern take on classical ballet and it perfectly fit with the music. The final piece was by Balenchine and it was a part of his Jewel series but they only performed one movement- Diamonds. All of the costumes were white with glittering "diamonds" and it had a larger number of dancers and was extremely graceful. I would love to see it paired with the other two movements- Emeralds and Rubies. All in all, I very much enjoyed myself, especially when the very tall man sitting in front of me for the first piece traded places with his wife for the last 2 numbers. And I didn't even have to ask :-)

Why California is the Most Populous State in the Union

So, I had never really understood why everyone raves so much about "California". I mean, I LOVE Disneyland- I've been there nearly every year of my life- and to LA several times and to San Diego and I thought that it was fun, but I wasn't sure what the big deal was about it. Now, I know. It's THE WEATHER. After having spent 5 years in Boston with "THE BITTERNESS" as I refer to it, I now understand just how great it is to be here in CA. I grew up in Utah where there is snow, but I never really understood the purpose of a scarf. I totally thought that it was just for fashion and then I moved to Boston and found out that it is a NECESSITY. Utah is cold, but its a dry cold and it never really felt bitter. Boston has bitterness due to the humidity- its the type of coldness that pierces your soul and makes you afraid to even walk from building to building with 5 layers of clothing.

The opposite is here in the peninsula of the SF bay area. The "winter" was just a rainy season. It rained most of January and there were a few intense storms, but it always hit 50 degrees during the day. It was so nice to not have to worry about shoveling, scraping our car, and just dreading going outside again. (We did get in some shoveling at my parents house when we were in Utah, so we had our fill for the year). It always made me laugh to hear people complaining about how cold it was because they had to wear a jacket because it isn't that cold to warrant complaining. This week has truly been PERFECT weather. Sunshine, blue skies and in the mid 60s- it truly just lifts your mood and makes you want to be outside when the weather is like this. It really is glorious, especially considering that it is FEBRUARY. However, the only drawback to this great weather is that a huge number of people have also figured it out and live here as well, greatly inflating the housing prices. We like to say that its a "Weather Tax" and I have to say that, at least for the moment, I really don't mind us paying it. I finally understand why William was so anxious to get back here after spending 3 years here and then moving to Boston for 2. I'm truly going to soak up the sun!

War Memorial House: Home of the San Francisco Ballet

Last Saturday, my friend Dyan and I went to go see the San Francisco Ballet. I am a HUGE ballet fan and I saw nearly every performance of the Boston Ballet while I was there. I LOVED the Wang Theater there- it is truly so spectacular that it truly is an event in and of itself to go there to see the beautiful architecture and enjoy the magical ambiance of the place. William was great to go with me to a few of these concerts, and I actually think he liked a few of them :-)

Unfortunately, I can't find where I put some of the photos of the Wang interior (they might be on actual film) but here are a few photos of me and a few friends enjoying some time in the gorgeous lobby (this photo really doesn't do it justice). Carmen, Amy, me, and Julia at the ballet.
William and I while we were just dating inside a portico trying to look like the donors behind us (hopefully, not quite as "distinguished")

But, have no fear- the good times at the ballet are continuing here in San Francisco! The only sad thing is that their season is only from Jan-May so they cram in a lot of ballets in a short period of time. I really enjoyed their "Program #2" where they did 3 choreographed shorter works. I LOVED choreographed by George Balanchine- a piece in the more classical style but with really unique and intricate formations that I was able to appreciate from the balcony :-) I also enjoyed the more contemporary piece by Mark Morris where the piano player was at the back of the stage and they danced around him- the pianist was kind of an organic part of the experience. It was fun because Morris added elements of surprise, like having the dancers make a grand entrance, only to then quickly exit off. I did not like the 3rd piece. It was based on a Russian fairy tale called the Firebird and the music is INCREDIBLE! Its by Strativinsky and is so moving and the story is really great too, but I felt that this modern choreographer did ok, but really didn't capture the full essence of the piece. It really could have been so much more powerful.

And just like the Wang, the War Memorial Theater is quite beautiful as well. Although, we had quite the hike up 5 flights of stairs to get to our balcony seats, but it was still a great view

I really love the designs on the ceilings

And this is the entrance to the theater with all of the patrons after the show.

Thanks so much Dyan for coming with me! And if anyone else is interested in seeing any of the remaining performances, just let me know because I will definitely be going some more

The Dentist

I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of going to the dentist (sorry Adam and Jonathon and those others I know out there who are dentists!) but this time wasn't so bad. I have always had the same dentist out in Utah for most of my life, even when I was in college and grad school. I would always schedule my appointments to be when I was in Utah. Since moving to the Bay Area, I was quite hesitant about finding a dentist, but I totally lucked out and found one super close to my house, covered by our insurance, and dentists that I like. Today was great- normally, I don't like the polishing or drill scraping but they had really great machines, especially the drill cleaner had water in it so it didn't hurt as much. And, the best part is that I had NO CAVITIES and no extra work needed to be done. HOWEVER, they gave me this new fluoride treatment that I now DESPISE with a passion. Last time, I got the foam trays which I actually don't mind so much because the fluoride gunk is liquid so it doesn't feel gritty on your teeth. This new fluoride they "paint" on your teeth (like fingernail polish my dentist said) and then you let it sit for 30 minutes. Easy enough to put on, but it GLOBS up like no other and leaves nasty chunks all over your mouth and teeth. I had to literally BRUSH my teeth after the 30 minutes to get it off, and still some remained in my mouth. It was so nasty. I'm all for innovation, but not when it is WORSE than the previous version. I'm definitely going to ask for the older treatment when I go back, or at least get some "study" results that show this method has TREMENDOUS benefits over the older version because I cannot stand the gunk again. At least it happens only every 6 months.

U2 in Dublin!!!

Alright, Alright. So, I did see U2 in Dublin, but let me clarify a little bit. I saw the U2-3D IMAX movie last Friday night with William in Dublin, California. Yes, there is a DUBLIN California that is about 45 minutes from where we live and one of 2 theaters in the area showing the film. William really isn't a U2 fan so I have to THANK HIM profusely for going with me to this. IT WAS AWESOME- the next best thing to being at a live concert. Basically, it is just a U2 concert with cool 3D effects like Bono reaching out his hand to stroke your face (Yeah, I melted). And then they also layer some of the footage so that you can see like both the Edge and Adam at the same time. It truly is exciting- and I got to notice some details like:

Larry had a glass next to him of a liquid that looked like beer :-) (So that's why he's such a great drummer!)
The Edge has an AWESOME sliver sparkly guitar
Adam and the Edge have an incredible number of different guitars
Bono is the only one who changes or wears different outfits at performances. They are mostly black based (sadly, no leather pants though) and he even has several different colored glasses too that he switches.

Their repertoire was great- they have had SO MANY great hits that there are so many songs they could have chosen. But, here's a list: Vertigo, New Years Day, Beautiful Day, Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own, Love and Peace, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bullet the Blue Sky, Miss Sarajevo, Pride, Where the Streets Have No Name, One, and for Encores- the FLY (I haven't heard this song live before since it was from Achtung Baby but it was great) and WITH OR WITHOUT YOU. I was getting really nervous that they wouldn't perform my favorite song of all time, but they saved the best for last- it was incredible. That song is honestly so magical- it just melts me. Oh- and during the credits they played Yahweh.

U2 is my favorite band of ALL TIME- they are all such true musicians who love to perform and each one of them is SO TALENTED. Just the best at what they do. And Bono truly is still so sexy. He really is a poet- the lyrics just resonate with my soul. What really hit me about the songs from this concert is that so many of them have political messages to them. That is probably my favorite thing about the band is that they truly use their fame to help CHANGE the world and make it a better place for EVERYONE to live. Rock on guys!

Here is a photo of me after the concert- just GLOWING from the experience. If you are at all a U2 fan, you do not want to miss out on this! And, while is still doesn't compare to the live experience, it is much cheaper and worth it.

"A New Year, A New You"- LITERALLY

So, our first enrichment activity for the year was entitled "A New Year, A New You". It was a night of nutrition, fitness, and make-up information to help us get the year started right. One lucky individual was going to get a makeover to be the model for the tips. I declined putting my name in because I thought that I wouldn't get picked, but later on, Sara Hurst, the one in charge of the raffle bowl, said that she was putting my name in. I said okay because there were about 15 other names in there and what was the likelihood that I would be called. I should have known that I would be the first one drawn. It was slightly embarrassing because I had to walk around the room and have everyone look at my "bushy" eyebrows because they were soon to be "shaped". They really needed them as I normally get my eyebrows waxed, but haven't found anyone here in CA to do it yet. Thus, I was the "guinea pig" as Katie put it and was her demo for nearly an hour. They would cut back and forth between us and the nutrition and fitness info but it was just amazing to me to hear just how healthy one sister in our ward is. She only places olive oil as a seasoning on her food- she grills and or steams all of her vegetables and meats and eats some peanut butter and ice cream occasionally. I was literally just amazed and she looked fabulous being over 40 and having a little boy, but I was thinking that there is NO WAY we could do that because William is not a fan of vegetables. I really have to try to get him to eat them so, maybe we will just try a little harder to incorporate a bit more "green" into our food intake.

Back to the makeover. She also put mascara on my eyes with liquid liner on top that she "squeegeed " (her term) into a straight line and then placed normal pencil eyeliner on my bottom lid, but ABOVE my lashes, so right on the crease before my inner lid. I've never done this before and it was kind of painful so I'm not sure that I will be able to do it everyday. She later placed 4 different colors of eyeshadow on and several layers of lip gloss. It was nice to know that I have GREAT eyelashes- I don't need to curl them, just put mascara on. This was a really involved makeup routine and it was nice to have done, but I told Katie at the end that I could not spend that long every day on it. But, I did pick up some new tips. And I had to walk around and model again so that everyone could see the difference. And, here are a few photos of the results.

Up close and personal- you can see the work she did on the eyebrows and eyes.

And finally, the overall effect. (William took this photo from a "high fashion" angle).

Up until a year ago, I never really wore very much makeup. I usually would just wear mascara, some foundation, and a little eyeshadow and chapstick. I started expanding my makeup while I was in Boston due to my good friend Jamie who helped me to become more aware of makeup, but it wasn't until last year in Las Vegas with my sister Sarah and my mom that my ability with makeup dramatically increased. Sarah and I both got makeovers from Clinique and the girl who took care of us did an AWESOME job. I FINALLY found a foundation that matched my skin tone perfectly and she taught me how to use a makeup brush to apply it. I will never go back to just the finger or sponge application again. I also used foundation, blush, and . . . . EYELINER. Yes, I discovered just how much I like eyeliner- and how it makes a difference- with the Clinique Navy Blue Quickliner. Some of the best stuff. My mom is a GEM and loved how I looked and so she bought me most of my materials and I am SO GRATEFUL, especially for the brushes. After this latest makeover, I am now doing liquid liner on my top lashes and will experiment with that to see how I like it. I'm making makeup progress- slowly, but surely :-)

The nice thing is that William really likes me WITHOUT MAKEUP! He keeps telling me that he just likes me how I am naturally (a sign of true love) and that if I want to wear makeup, that's great. Basically, it is whatever I want to feel good. He was really shocked by the above makeover because when I got home, he was like "What happened" and I asked him if he liked it, and in a smart husband way, he said "You're beautiful whatever you wear" and "Whatever makes you happy". He's learned well.