Posted onMay 2, 2013|Comments Off on My Last Day By The Bay (or Time To Head Back To Reality)
On my last day in San Francisco, my parents came up to have brunch with us (they were on their way to Lake Tahoe so they made a quick stop).
Before brunch, we went up to the roof of my brother’s place to check out the view.
We went to brunch (where I forgot to take any pictures, sorry), and then my parents had to head out to continue their trip.
My brother, Krystle, Anna, and I weren’t too sure what we were going to do for the day since I had to be at the airport that afternoon to catch my flight home.
We started off by heading across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito.
We walked around for a bit, checked out some shops, and checked out the view of the city.
Then after my brother and Krystle did some wine tasting and got some wine, we headed back to the city to drive down the most crooked street in the world.
Then we headed over to Pier 39 to check out the sea lions.
Sorry for the far away picture. It was very smelly close to the sea lions and we wanted to keep our distance!
After checking out Pier 39 a bit more, stopping at a bar for a quick drink, and heading back to the car; it was time for me to get to the airport to catch my flight.
My brother drove me to the airport, so I didn’t have the same adventure going back as I did coming in. My flight ended up being delayed so I had some dinner in the airport (nothing good enough to talk about) and got a lot of reading done.
I boarded my flight about an hour after it was supposed to take off, and then we got delayed again on the runway. I’m not sure how long we were stuck because I ended up falling asleep. I woke up during the drink service and watched us fly into LA (I love seeing all the city lights when I’m flying in).
After a long weekend, it was really nice to be home. I enjoyed my trip, but I knew that the next morning I had to go back to work and I wanted to be prepared.
Thanks again to my brother Ross and Krystle for inviting me out for last weekend and letting me stay with them! Unless they come out to LA for my birthday in August, I think the next time I’ll see them will be at their wedding in Hawaii!
Posted onMay 1, 2013|Comments Off on Burke Williams San Francisco (or Sharing One Of My New Favorite Places)
After the dress fitting and buying last-minute swimsuits, Krystle, Anna, and I headed over to the last part (and in my opinion best part!) of our girls day: the spa!
I had connected with some people from Burke Williams at the event I went to last month, and they invited me to come and check out the spa in San Francisco!
The San Francisco Burke Williams is located on the 5th floor of the Westfield Mall conveniently only a few blocks away from the dress fitting!
At the top of the escalators, we saw the spa.
We went though the main doors…
and seriously entered paradise!
(photo courtesy of Burke Williams and The Ace Agency)
We got to the spa the recommended hour before our first treatments, but I feel like we should have gotten there way earlier as there was so much we could do!
First of all, here is our before picture outside of the Ladies section of the spa.
Inside, there was the locker room area (with fabulous robe and slippers waiting for us inside). We changed into our swimsuits and robes, and headed to the women’s only whirlpool.
(photo courtesy of Burke Williams and The Ace Agency)
Besides the whirlpool in there, there was a cold misting room, sauna, and steam room. All of this was ladies only, so that was really nice!
We started out in the whirlpool, which was wonderful! There was cucumber fruit water right next to it, so we enjoyed that while we relaxed. Then we checked out the cold misting room next. It was a bit cold for us, but it would have been really nice if we had gone from the sauna or steam room into there. Next was the steam room. They had chilled wash cloths right outside, so we grabbed some and headed in.
The steam room was super hot (which is how I like it), and the 3 of us just sat back, relaxed, and put the chilled wash cloths on our faces.
After a while, we decided to head back into the whirlpool until it was time for our first appointments.
Just before 3pm, we headed outside of the ladies area into the co-ed waiting room. Krystle was taken back for her first treatment (Emilee’s Intrigue) and then I was taken back for my first treatment (Parafango Treatment). Anna didn’t have an appointment until 5pm, so she went back to the ladies area and hung out in the steam room and whirlpool some more.
My treatment was beyond anything I could have expected! First, I got a dry exfoliation. Then I had a salt scrub. After that, Parafango mud (similar to paraffin) was coated on my body on top of the salt scrub. Then I flipped over and had it done on the other side. Next, I was wrapped in a thermal blanket while I got an express facial! Once the mask was on for my facial, I was unwrapped, and escorted back to the ladies area so I could shower off all the mud and salt. I also washed my hair quickly since I was advised not to shower after my treatment was over. Finally, after showering I was escorted back to the treatment room where I was moisturized.
Seriously, my skin has never looked or felt so amazing! They recommend you get this treatment 4 times a year, and I’d love to be able to do that. Even now, several days later, my skin feels amazing!
After my treatment was done, I met Krystle and Anna back in the waiting room. Krystle looked so relaxed and calm after her treatment. I decided to use this break between treatments to dry my hair. Inside of the ladies area was a nice vanity area.
(photo courtesy of Burke Williams and The Ace Agency)
There were hair dryers, flat irons, curling irons, and tons of clean hair brushes to use. I quickly dried my hair (I styled it later when I was getting dressed), and went back out to the waiting area to meet up with the other girls.
At 5pm, Anna had a facial and Krystle and I got pedicures. I love getting pedicures and this was pretty fancy. We got heated blankets and neck rolls and the massage chair was so much better than the one at the nail salon I normally go to! It was the perfect addition to our earlier treatments.
After we were all done, we met up again and started to get ready to leave. I took advantage of using the flat iron in the vanity area so I would have to do it back at my brother and Krystle’s place. I had also packed some of my makeup to put on as well. That way, all I had to do to get ready for dinner that night was change my clothes.
Sadly, it was time to leave after that (we had dinner reservations). We all looked so relaxed on the way out.
I’m seriously considering becoming a member at the Burke Williams by my house. You get discounted treatments and a free treatment each month. Even though I try to pamper myself every once in a while, this was a whole different experience. I normally go for the cheap options, but I learned that sometimes spending a little more means getting a whole lot more!
I still have the free facial that I won to the Burke Williams by me, so I’m thinking of using that near my birthday. And Krystle and I have already decided that we are going to make going to Burke Williams something we do twice a year together (around her birthday and around my birthday which are about 6 months apart).
Thank you Burke Williams for inviting us to the spa so we could have an amazing girls day. This was the perfect end to the day that we had!
FTC Disclosure: I was given one free treatment and a discounted treatment by Burke Williams and The Ace Agency to review for this post. My guests also received discounted treatments. All opinions written were my own and were not influenced by Burke Williams or The Ace Agency
Posted onApril 30, 2013|Comments Off on Dress Fitting (or The Reason I Took This Trip)
On Saturday, us girls (me, my brother’s fiancée Krystle, and Krystle’s friend Anna) had a very busy day planned.
We started our day by walking a couple of blocks up the street for brunch. We went to Blackwood, which is a Thai restaurant that does some really good egg breakfasts.
I decided to get the spinach scramble. It seemed like one of the healthier choices. I was pretty surprised when I got my plate and it looked like this.
I’ve never had scrambled eggs that looked like an omelet on top, and in the middle it was all scrambled. Nevertheless, it was delicious!
Next, we headed over to a bus stop so we could ride the bus over to where the bridal salon was. It was a pretty nice ride. The bus wasn’t crowded at all so I was able to look out and check out the city. We drove through Chinatown, and then we were over by Union Square which is where the salon was.
Krystle’s dress is by Jin Wang. The store was gorgeous, but you weren’t allowed to take pictures of dresses that you didn’t purchase so not photos to show how nice the store was.
I did get this picture of the sign in the entryway.
And this photo of the dressing rooms where Anna and I waited for Krystle to come out in her dress.
Krystle’s dress is really pretty. I would love to post photos of it on here, but she doesn’t want my brother to see them (I don’t know if my brother even reads this, but knowing my luck this will be the first post he looks at).
So the only photos I can share are these cropped ones that Krystle gave me permission to put on here.
After the fitting was done, we headed over to where our next adventure would be: Burke Williams! But before doing that, we realized that we all forgot to bring swimsuits and we wanted to use the hot tub/steam room/sauna at the spa, so we made a quick side trip to Macy’s where all 3 of us bought new swimsuits.
Now, I have to say, I haven’t worn a swimsuit in forever. Before purchasing this one, I didn’t even own one in my size. So this was an adventure all in itself. I don’t love the swimsuit I bought, but it fits and works for now.
My mom’s goal for me for this trip was to bond with my future sister-in-law. Between going to her dress fitting and then trying on swimsuits together, I’m pretty sure I met that goal.
I’ll write all about the spa tomorrow! There’s so much to say that it needs to be its own post!
As I mentioned before, I was a bit nervous about my trip to San Francisco. There were a bunch of parts of it that I had never for before and that always makes my panic/anxiety disorder come up.
The trip started easily. I drove my car to LAX and parked it in the garage that I usually use (The Parking Spot for those who care to know). Took the shuttle to LAX and headed to the gate.
I had a minor issue at TSA. For some reason, the RapiScan machine saw something suspicious on my body. The suspicious thing was near my chest, so I’m guessing it was my underwire in my bra. So besides getting scanned, I got a pat down as well.
When I got to San Francisco, I first had to head to the tram that connects the terminals. Fortunately, the signs were pretty easy to follow.
I got off at the terminal where the BART station is (I think it was the international terminal).
Then I ran down to catch BART. Thankfully there was a train there when I got my ticket. I got a nice seat and tried to relax for the ride.
I kept stressing out that I would miss my stop. So I was glad I chose a seat with a good view of the map of the BART line.
Literally after every stop, I’d check the map again and count how many more stops I had to go.
It took about 40 minutes to get from the airport to the stop that my brother told me to get off at.
Finally, my brother met me at the station and drove me over to his place. It was a long journey, but I’m glad I did it successfully.
As soon as I got to my brother’s house, I had only enough time to change my shoes for dinner. I’m glad I didn’t travel in my sloppiest clothes. We went out for Mexican food that was served family style, so I got to try a little of a couple of things. We had carne asada tacos, enchiladas, something that was fried (and I didn’t love too much), and really yummy guacamole.
After dinner, we walked down the street to a bar that had tabletop shuffleboard. My brother and his fiancée, Krystle, played a few games, and then I joined in along with Krystle’s friend, Anna, for one game.
After that, it was midnight and I was exhausted. I headed back to my brother’s place before the rest of the group, got into my pjs, and prepared myself for a busy weekend!
Oh, and since I promised it, here’s a picture of me in my new skinny jeans. My legs look funny because of the way I’m standing (my front leg is bend and my back leg is straight), but you get the idea.
Posted onApril 26, 2013|Comments Off on Trying To Stay Calm (or Not Letting Panic Take Over)
Today, I’m heading out to San Francisco for the weekend. I’m going to be staying with my brother and his fiancée and the main event for the trip is my future sister-in-law’s wedding dress fitting.
This trip was planned back in August, so I’ve known about it for a long time. But over the past few days, I’ve been getting increasingly panicky about the trip.
I’ve talked about my panic attacks before. Many of them are caused by something that I don’t know. But besides going to the dentist, one of the main reasons I get panic attacks is traveling and going or doing something unknown.
When I travel to see my parents, I know exactly what the airport is like, where I meet my parents to pick me up, when I call them to get me. Everything is easy because I’ve done it so many times before.
But I’ve never flown into the San Francisco airport (I’ve once flown out of it). This time, I’m taking public transportation to meet my brother at a location closer to his apartment where he will pick me up and take me to his place.
These are all unknowns. I’ve done a ton of research on the public transportation from the airport so it will seem at least a little familiar to me, but I’m still freaking out. And I know that this feeling won’t go away until I do it (it will lessen a bit when I take my panic meds right before flying, but I’m waiting until closer to flying time to take them).
My poor parents have both already talked with me while I’m panicky (my mom got to deal with a long rambling phone call where I feel like I must have sounded drunk). I know that they are trying to ease my stress and fears, but I know from past experience that nothing makes this go away until I finish the task.
I felt the same way when I did the Hollywood Half 5K. I didn’t know the course going into the event. I researched it a ton online, looked at Google street view, but I was still so nervous and panicky until I crossed the finish line.
I’m starting to realize that maybe I should treat my panic attacks the same way I treat my eating disorder. I know that I will have my eating disorder the rest of my life, I just have to get used to managing it. I will most likely have panic attacks the rest of my life. Instead of trying to avoid them, maybe I need to accept them and work on overcoming each one as they come.
Even knowing that, I can’t wait until I can take my meds, get on the plane, and get safely to my brother’s place so this will all be over! Well, until Sunday when I have to fly home.
More Family Time (or Seeing All My Immediate Family Last Week)
