Neals at the Niners Game

Today Brian and I went to the 49ers game. He always seems to win free tickets from work, and this was no exception. The seats were great - fourth row - and particularly close to the Gold Rush Girls (as Brian so helpfully pointed out, as if anyone could miss them)!

I'm not complaining about fourth row seats, but it was HOT. That's the thing about Candlestick Park, you never know what the temperature is going to be. Though outside the park it was probably in the low 60's, I'd venture to say it was in the mid-70's if not low-80's with the sun beaming down on us. And someone didn't wear sunscreen...

So we moved up a bit, and caught the game from the shade, but an equally good view. Well, at first...

WHAT NOT TO WEAR. Ever. That's a Santa 49ers hat on her head.

You might think this was our reaction to her outfit, but in reality we were whooping and cheering. Guess the flash is a little slow...

Cheering because the 49ers beat the Jaguars 20-3. Even though Gramps Neal made us leave in the 3rd quarter to avoid traffic (ok, I didn't really care), we pretty much saw all the action.

As a side note, yesterday we saw Precious and neither of us can stop thinking about it. It was a great film, but one of those that really makes you feel thankful that your life is nothing like it. Tremendous acting, even by Mariah Carey (I had no idea she was in it). Anyway, check it out - and New Moon - if you have time.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (and the Great Pumpkin Flop)

It's the Day after Thanksgiving. Known as Black Friday to many. But to me, it's the first official day of the Christmas season.

For those who don't know, Brian always has to work on Thanksgiving. The day before is the last day of November sweeps, and since he does the 11 p.m. show, we wouldn't be able to fly anywhere until Thursday, and that would just be a really quick - and pretty stressful - trip home for Thanksgiving. Once we landed in California, we decided to embark on our double decker (both families) Christmas trips and just stay home for Thanksgiving. When we moved to San Francisco a few years ago, I started a little tradition that helps pass the holiday

(productively), even when he's not here.

I always cook Thanksgiving for two, and we have that for lunch. The good thing about Thanksgiving for two it that it's really easy to throw together (turkey breast only) and control portions! (No big families sitting around, talking, and just picking at the food - that's where I always get in trouble). Here's a look at what we had yesterday:

Turkey, stuffing (my favorite - Granny K's recipe with a few additions of my own), sweet potatoes (healthier than mashed, and we don't need both for two), broccoli (needed something green) and cranberry sauce (I LOVE the canned kind...don't judge).

Where was the pumpkin pie?

Can you see where the inside is all soupy? Yeah, it wasn't edible. My mom makes this awesome, double-layer pumpkin pie that you don't bake - it's graham cracker crust, a layer of cream cheese and cool whip, then the top layer of pumpkin, vanilla pudding, milk and some spices. In the five years or so that I've made this, I think I've only done it right once. This year? First I forgot the pumpkin and had to pick that up late Friday. The reason it was soupy was because I hadn't bought instant pudding (even though Mom had written that in all caps in the recipe...). I'm going to give it one more go - I will NOT be defeated by a pumpkin pie. But in case you're wondering, I'm a cook, not a baker. Good thing Brian doesn't really care for sweets!

But the main course - for me, anyway - is putting up the Christmas tree.

I wasn't sure if all these ornaments were going to fit, and it took about four or five hours from start to finish, but another part of my tradition is breaking out Love Actually for the first time of the season and watching that. Luckily Elf and Home Alone were on TV after, so I not only got my Christmas tree up, I also got in some good holiday movie time.

Since most of my shopping is done (thank you, Asia), the tree's up, and the other decorations are out, the next stop = Christmas cards. Be on the lookout for your card soon!

Brian and Katie: Political Visionaries?

Is President Obama following in our footsteps?

September 2009

November 2009

Did they have to shut down thousands of miles of the Wall just to take this pic?

I wonder if he also played Chinese hackey sack with the old ladies...

Or if he did this to the Merlion during his stay in Singapore...

It's probably classified information. We may never know.

Hiking Mt. Tamalpais

Remember when we went to the Jelly Belly Factory with LMB and Greg in January as part of our attempt to branch out and try new things in the Bay Area? Well, 10 months later, we branched out again. This time Brian suggested we hike Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Honestly, it's kind of embarrassing that we've never been after living in the Bay Area for 3.5 years and taking numerous visitors to the Marin Headlands for great city views. Not only does Mt. Tam have cool views of SF (look wayyyyy in the background), you can also see much of the North Bay (San Rafael, Richmond, Sausalito), the East Bay (Oakland and Berkeley) and the Pacific Ocean. This is the view from a little over halfway up the climb.

It was a really clear day with only a few clouds in the sky. With the sun shining on us, we both got pretty hot - especially on the steep shortcut/climb we took initially - but we quickly cooled down when in the shade of the forest. I'm pretty sure I'll be sore tomorrow after 3 hours of hiking, but that might be good for me after virtually no exercise in NY this week.

Here's the view from the West Point Inn, a great little place near the top. They have lemonade and granola bars on the honor system (both of which we enjoyed). So Marin County.

This is my artsy attempt at capturing the scenery of the awesome views and a great day. We got lost a couple of times on the poorly marked trails on the way home, but we made it back after not too long thanks to a few helpful bikers. You should definitely check it out if you have the chance.

Home Two Weeks

A lot of people have asked me what it's like to be home again. It's been two weeks since I returned from Singapore and I'm already back into many of my routines: long walks along the marina, big salads for (or at least along with) dinner, and countless errands that keep me on my toes. Obviously it's wonderful to be home with Brian.

Brian was extremely supportive of my Asian adventure and he was good at keeping things running around here...for the most part. I couldn't help but laugh when I got home, though. First of all, he lost almost 15 pounds while I was gone. At first this made me feel guilty, as if maybe my cooking isn't as healthy as I think it is! But when I got home, I realized that he had eaten literally everything except the condiments and a few cans of soup. He also kicked the cereal habit that fueled many late mornings and late nights alike. I guess you lose weight when you don't eat!

I also got home to two duffel bags full of mail. With the exception of rent and one other bill, all of our bills are paid electronically, so that wasn't a concern. And Brian said he sorted through it and pulled out "anything important." What he left for me to sort through were the pounds of credit card offers (16 from Southwest alone), stacks of 3-month-old catalogues, and thank you notes for gifts sent weeks before I left. He says he didn't want me to miss anything. Mm hmm.

What else is going on around here? I spent most of this week in New York for work, and it was great to see many remote members of my team as well as Sarah Fight. Unfortunately I came home to a smelly kitchen. Our fridge started going out earlier in the week and despite the fact that the building manager was here on Monday, it didn't get replaced until today (luckily the freezer was ok). I itemized all the food that spoiled in that time for reimbursement - which is exactly what I wanted to do after a 6-hour flight and a 4-day work trip - and somehow they found yet another "mini" fridge that fits just perfectly in our tiny wall cut-out.

The good news is that my Thanksgiving box arrived today. My mom always sends me the nicest gifts every holiday. The highlight of my Thanksgiving box was this adorable little trivet, though truth be told there were also some cute Christmas goodies (not to mention puppy chow/muddy buddies/sweet nothings/"crack").

If the weather's nice tomorrow, Brian and I may make a trip out to Mount Tamalpais in Marin County and do some hiking. I'll try to keep up the blog a little better moving forward - certainly not everyday or even every other day like in Singapore - but more than twice a month.

Finally, here are a few "grand finale" photos from Asia. Maybe someday I'll do a highlights post, but for now...

Singing karaoke at the KTV for Whitney's birthday with Ali and so many others not pictured here.

At my going away Winesday. What a fun night. I miss my friends already!

The Porter Novelli Singapore crew: Ed, Ranjeet, Terng Shing, Juley, Ahjay, Sam, Christina, Min, me, Fion and Anu.

In the Batu Caves just outside Kuala Lumpur with Jen. Completely amazing. Several Hindu Temples inside these limestone caves 272 stairs up. Amazing, just like so much of the rest of the trip.

What's Next?

I know, I know. It's been more than a week since I last posted. I'm happy to be home and I do want to keep up the blog. I still have KL and KTV highlights to post, not to mention holiday happenings in the coming months. If you're reading, bear with me. I've got a few things to catch up on in the City by the Bay, but I hope to be blogging again soon.