Staycation

Sometimes you just need a break from your usual routine. I was lucky enough to get the chance at a mini staycation!

Originally, my thoughts were to go somewhere, ANYWHERE!!!! I think this has a lot to do with my personality and not being able to stay home or in one place for too long (don't get me wrong, I love the occasional do nothing days).

Which brings me to my amazing staycation where I forced myself to enjoy the time I had off from work. I had a whole 7 days off to do nothing (well not quite nothing, but pretty close to it!)

My weekend (Friday) started with my Professional Communication training course. I definitely learned some pointers when it comes to presenting and writing professionally in the work place. The class was great but a portion of it I had already taken in a previous class... so I can sadly say I was a bit woren out and bored! After a long class and a throbbing headache, I wanted to go home to my bed but nope....

I got out of class and jetted to my car! Sweet FREEDOM!!! And then I hit traffic (😭) on the way to see Tomorrowland in Roseville, CA (about an hour and half away) with my nephew and sister. During the holiday season they do free movie nights in Vernon Town Square. The surround sound could be heard all over downtown as we watched the pretty intense movie. I give the movie a 👍.

You wouldn't think that I could possibly fit in more to my week of nothingness BUT the movie was only the beginning...

Saturday was super eventful. It had been the first time in months that I got to sleep in past 8 am(anyone who knows me would be surprised because I do love my sleep and LOTS of it). But all things must come to an end. I had to make an appearance to 2 barbecues/Thanksgivings that night.

I seem to always be late on what we call Christine time... I went over to Joe's housewarming and met the rest of the security team for the company I work for. It was crazy seeing them not in uniform. What a difference!

Joe was such a good host! There was refreshments, alcohol, ribs, and his famous pasta. KC made vodka gummy bears that were so good that they hit you with a punch from the inside of your mouth and fought you all the way down your tummy. Man, were they strong! I had to have a chaser with them. I felt kind of lame having to leave early but onwards to event #2!!

Bianca and Mike had invited me over to Louis and Jorge's for the 5th annual Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving. It was a delight to be invited once again because I sadly only get to see them seldomly. I got there super late so I took them patron and strawberries for our traditional tequila shot with cinnamon and brown sugar on strawberries. Soooo delicious!!! I got to catch up and chat with people I hadn't seen for forever! We even got their tree decorated for the season.

Sunday came and I was planning to see Neha but things didn't work out with our schedules so May invited me over for Vietnamese crepes. They were yummy in my tummy!! May loves me so, so I took them wine and they sent me home with a doggie bag. We ended up catching up, babysitting, and watching movies. Sooo relaxing especially for the extreme food coma I was in. 

I finally made it home to watch a couple movies with the brothers. It's nice getting to spend time with them. I was exhausted but this was a great way to end the weekend..

Monday made its way and it didn't quite sting as much as when I have to head to work in the early morning...

Today (Monday), was spent running errands. I had to take my daddy to his Cardiologist, help out at my mall job, pick up some wine, make some calls, and head to the gym. I surprisingly was productive and wasn't tired at all!

We whined down the night with another movie and now I lay in bed trying to chase all these lingering thoughts from the day into a blog post... What to write next? I wonder who reads these?

My hopes of a continuously, ongoing  good rest of the week will have me fall into a wonderous sleep...

Goodnight...

Yet another conclusion to a great quickie! Short getaways are the best!!! Until next time..

DON'T forget to share and subscribe:)

❤always, Christine

About Me:
Yelp: http://FeedChristine.yelp.com
Instagram: RunAwayWithChristine

Stand up to Cancer Night Nation Run: Sacramento

I don't enjoy physical activities. I don't like overexerting myself. I don't run and most of the time I prefer to be a couch potato. BUT I definitely can walk for a good cause.

This weekend my friends and I did the Night Nation run for Cancer Awareness. People around me are affected so I walked for Amee and Meang.

Friday, November 13th, 2015
My sister and nephew live in the area so I went to pre-register for the event and hang out with them. I got to Sacramento Raceway and thought it would be a quick process so I thought about not taking my jacket. I rethought it and took my jacket just in case... Man was I glad I did! It was sooooo cold as I waited in line. Brrr!! Thank goodness it only took half an hour and I got a glow necklace with shirt and bib:)

Family bonding time consisted of watching Aidan's pick of movies. He's been wanting to watch the Charlie Brown movie. He was super excited to see it. The movie was cute, but I was so tired that I almost passed out in the midst of it. I loved the theme song by Megan Trainor "Dance". The moral of the story of loving yourself by being who you are was the best especially for my nephew and the life lessons I try to teach him. 

We got home and I didn't really want to go to bed just yet so I attempted to watch Star Wars episode II (still trying to watch all of them before the next movie). I love the special effects but I had to stop in the middle of the movie because I was getting tired.

Saturday, November 14th, 2015

My sister had to work that morning so I got to babysit the nephew (I think he was really babysitting me since I got to nap while he played his games).

We went to have a quick lunch with his mom at a nearby Chinese restaurant. The food was good for something quick and easy.

We headed to the playground where we attempted to climb to the top. Success was sweet! Yee!!

Headed home for a nap (my naps are usually a couple hours long) and then get ready for the run.

The Run

After parking in what seemed to be a 5K of it's own, we finally got in line to start!! There were DJs hyping the crowd to get us pumped. They sectioned out waves so it wouldn't be too crowded. Five, four, three, two, and GO!!! Some people ran while others (us), walked and danced our way to each checkpoint and selfie station. The route was on different terrain from little inclines and rocks on a path to asphalt. The 5K itself wasn't difficult and each stop had music that you could stop and take a break at. We continued on to get to the finish line due to the crowds and lines at the selfie stations. 

The surprise headliner was DJ Joy Willis or something. We weren't really a fan of his set so we left soon after. We danced our butts off, but wanted to beat traffic home. We didn't get to attend the after party at Social Night club, but there's always next year!

Our after party was at Dave and Busters in Roseville. I had never been before, but I think it is my new favorite place to get calamari! Thanks Choua and Ericson for taking us there:)

<Will add pic and video clips here.. stay tuned..>

I'm glad we got to do this walk for a good cause and the party at the end!

       Yet another conclusion to a great quickie! Short getaways are the best!!! Until next time..

DON'T forget to share and subscribe:)

About Me:

• Yelp: http://FeedChristine.yelp.com
• Instagram: RunAwayWithChristine

I left my heart in San Francisco

With my busy schedule, limited funds, and really busy friends with the same conundrums, it was so amazing to get a weekend away in San Francisco!!

Susie was attending a seminar called Posh Fest for her online app that focuses on sales. She invited us along! SOOOO.. Choua, Julie, and I decided to tag along and then do our own thing. Ding, ding, ding!! That's my cue to plan an adventure!!

Friday, November 6th, 2015

To make things easier for the drive in the morning, Choua and I slumber partied at Susie's. Every time we do this, we end up chatting the night away... not really a good idea when we wanted to leave around 5 am to miss the morning traffic to arrive there before 9 am. I think we all got barely 2.5 hours of sleep that night (especially Choua and I since the air bed we were on started to deflate- definitely a site to see- every time one of us would get off, the other would fall in, and I kept coughing).

She's too cute!

Saturday, November 7th, 2015

Finally, we get to the San Francisco Design Center for Susie's seminar. She looked so cute all professional. We decided to make a much needed coffee run before she left us AND of course (when you are with me).. a picture to capture the moment ;)

Susie at Posh Fest 2015

Choua and I waited for Julie to arrive so we could go to our first stop... the Sutro Baths. We picked up breakfast at Market & Rye. The food was really nicely put together and tasted good, but my stomach was on the frits!

Julie got to us soon after and we were ready to set out on our voyage!!! (I can imagine myself doing the captain pose with my finger pointed as I say "onwards"!)

The plans got strayed so we just made stops at each place instead of doing the entire hike (fewwwhh!). The walk down to see the Sutro Baths was already intense (for me.. I tire easily). The view was breathe taking! Even my camera and phone could capture a piece of how perfect the view was (definitely couldn't fully represent the experience of being there). 

Sutro Baths ruins

We continued to walk a bit of the trail. I got a few pictures of the famous "heart in stone" and pictures with the Golden Gate bridge as we progressed along the path. 

<3

We saw an older Asian couple doing cool Tai Chi stances with the Golden Gate in the background (they were super cute). They were nice enough to take a picture for us. We didn't get a chance to make it all the way to Land's End's Labyrinth, but I will definitely make a trip back just for the trail. I was definitely sad, but I'm sure it will be  and even greater experience to spend more time doing the trail on a designated day. 

The next stop before lunch was Seward slides. These are concrete slides that are hidden away in a little residential area. The sign said adults aren't permitted without children (we were a bit rebellious and went for a slide). At the top there was some cardboard that you can slide down BUT as I was sliding the cardboard got stuck and I continued on on my butt. It didn't hurt too bad (Choua just went down without it.. such a trooper!!). 

Alamo Square was squeezed in the midst due to the fact that it was on the way to lunch. We got to see the park and the Painted Ladies that I love seeing in Full House. 

Painted Ladies

We picked food at House of Thai 2 for lunch. The green curry was yummy and spicy (I can't handle spicy, but I will take the pain for a good dish!). The pad thai and fried rice were also added to make a good combo. We headed to check in to our hotel the Hyatt at Fisherman's Wharf. We got a great deal through my company's points system so our stay was only $175. The only sad part was that we had to pay for parking:( (but that's not too bad since you have to pay everywhere in SF!)

We picked up Susie and then headed to the MALL!! Susie had a great time getting to know all of her fellow sales/app people and networking. I think she definitely made some good contacts and it proved to be a beneficial experience.

We needed to find outfits for the night's Pub Crawl (We were on a time crunch... ready, set, GO!!) We rushed around Union Square to find something to wear. I finally found some pants and a top that wasn't too fancy for bar hopping, but cute enough for clubbing. 

We grabbed coffee to keep us energized through our shopping endeavors (no sleep totally took a toll on us). We also ate at a Korean place in the food court for quick cessation to our hunger, but the food wasn't too amazing (I got the shrimp ramen). 

Back to the hotel, all FOUR of us girls piled up into the bathroom and proceeded to get ready. I think we did really well considering that we had to get to the registration bar at 8pm sharp.  20 minutes for all of us to get ready... record set! We got ourselves together and used our FREE Lyft ride to get to the bar. We made it with 5 minutes to spare with the help of our awesome driver!

We met and registered with our host. Our host (her name slips my mind) said it was her first gig. She seemed excited, but we were way too tired to mingle with everyone. We got the tickets for the pub crawl on Groupon for $39 for 4 of us (PubCrawlSF). The first 2 bars were kind of boring and the drink specials weren't too amazing. The 3rd bar got us to ease up a bit and talk to a couple of people from the group. Overall, the crawl was a pretty good deal considering that we got Lyft coupons, drink specials, and entry into Infusion.

Apparently people from all walks of life come to San Francisco to party!! We met a doctor from New Zealand, a sales guy from London, and an traveler from Brazil. The last stop on the pub crawl was Infusion Lounge. I think this stop was definitely the highlight of the night (I wanted to dance!). We took more shots and danced the night away! 

We were so ready for the night to end so we called our Lyft driver to take us back to the hotel. We definitely had the munchies so we ordered pizza (I'm not really a fan of pizza so I got wings). The pizza was terrible! I don't even know where the pizza was from, but Susie agreed. I'm so glad that the wings were good because one large (not so good ) pizza and the wings came out to $50 bucks including tip. 

I slept really well that night! I'm sure that's partially due to the alcohol :) Three of us fit on the king bed (I love how we are tiny enough) and Julie had the roll away bed. 

Sunday, November 8th, 2015

Rise and SHINEEEEE!!! The plan for today was for Susie to Uber to her seminar and we would hop on a trolley down to Union Square to do some shopping and then meet up since we were in the same area. We decided to grab coffee at Starbucks and then Pho at Darren's Cafe (near Fisherman's Wharf). It was quite tasty. 

We purchased trolley tickets (they are actually called cables cars, but I want to call them trolleys!!) for $7 at the ticket booth on Bay and Taylor. We got on and set off towards Union Square. This was definitely something that I finally checked off my bucket list! I got some good footage from my camera with my selfie stick. I talked to a little family from Vermont that were visiting for a week. They asked me where I was from and they found it funny that I was only an hour and half away. I think I can be tourist-y anywhere I go. 

I had to use one of these due to my uncooperative tummy! Pretty cool!

I made some friends!

Through the ups and downs and sliding with the downward forces, we made it to Union Square. We explored more shops without the rushes of the previous night. We ended up in Macy's doing a bingo card to get free demos and samples. It was super fun since I'm not too into makeup. I got to be done up and fancy. I ended up with free samples and a new foundation:) 

Sometimes it's nice to feel pretty

We needed to get food, get Julie to BART and then head home, so we got the closest place that looked good to eat. Silly us...we ended up at another Thai place that wasn't really good:( I was sad with my pad thai and I found something not edible in it. We then got Julie to BART right in the nick of time!! Homeward bound!!

Bay Bridge 

Piece of Old Bay Bridge before demolition on Nov 14th, 2015

       Yet another conclusion to a great quickie! Short getaways are the best!!! Until next time..

About Me:

• Yelp: http://FeedChristine.yelp.com
• Instagram: RunAwayWithChristine

Halloween 2015: Clark Kent much?

I absolutely LOVE LOVE themed parties. I once attended an ABC (anything but clothes) party in bubble wrap.... Let's just say that everyone had fun popping my bubbles:)
(note: I had white clothes underneath)

This year's Halloween/harvest was looking to be a dreary one because I sadly had to work in the morning *tears*. This meant that I couldn't take my nephew trick or treating AND definitely couldn't party too hard. My initial plans for the night would be to continue marathon-ing Star Wars (trying to get up to speed before the new movie comes out....Eeeee!), but thanks to my best friends - I made an appearance.

Keep in mind, I had already planned what I would wear if I was indeed going to show up to a party.... I had pinterest-ed for months!!! I decided to be Clark Kent. The outfit was definitely simple, cute, and I could pull it off last minute because I had everything.

The Party

Anthony and Joe always throw the best parties!! They always decorate to impress!  The pulled pork and cutely decorated cupcakes made the table all too complete. The spider and strobe light gave the house a spooky appeal. I, of course, chatted it up with a lot of new people and learned a lot about random topics like MMA fighting and the current episodes of the walking dead. 

The clock struck midnight and I sadly had to leave like Cinderella because my outfit seemed to fall off of me even before I got home. It was the day of the time change so I got at least one more hour of sleep before I had to get up at 6am. (Zzz)

 I am very fortunate to have such great friends that love seeing me even for short periods of time. Good friends really make life even better.

Sometimes traveling CAN really be as simple as leaving your house.... the outcome is the adventure.

Yet another conclusion to a great quickie! Short getaways are the best!!! Until next time..

About Me:

• Yelp: http://FeedChristine.yelp.com
• Instagram: RunAwayWithChristine