Wish I Was Here...

In my dreams, San Francisco looks like this right now...in reality, this is a beautiful park in Sweden. It is now on my "must visit" list when I eventually make my way over to that part of the world. Oh and it must be fall, obviously.

Finally Fall and Finally Back to my Old Bean Self!

Fall has finally arrived, and with it I return to my very sad and neglected blog. All I can say is that my broken foot got me down, and I had no desire to blog about my summer as a gimp. Therefore, I start fresh with the fall! My foot is almost as good as new, and I am back at the gym, working on my fitness! So the Bean is back, and so is Autumn! I heart fall. It is my favorite season by far. I appreciate summer and all that comes with it: swimming, shorts, suntans; but I LOVE cozy sweaters, mugs of steaming hot cocoa, and tall boots. I love searching for that perfect pumpkin and all the kids in their costumes, leaves turning colors, and knowing that the rest of the holiday season is on it's way. SO, in honor of the turning tide, I had a Fall Festivus Celebration at my new abode in Bernal Heights last weekend.

The day began with a trip down the coast to the annual Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival. There Andy and I met up with my family, and I highly enjoyed all the pumpkin delicacies and multiple boothes selling all sorts of trinkets. I took my little siblings (Mason 11, Grace 8) through the Haunted House, where several ghouls and pirates attempted to scare the beer out of my hands. The weather was perfect, with just a slight chill in the air, and clouds in the sky. On our way back into SF, we stopped at one of the many patches to pick our pumpkins. Andy had to have a green one, which the pumpkin people advised us was delicious to eat, so I am sure in no time Andy will be seeing if its true. I grabbed a giant classic, which will be glowing on our front deck as soon as I find the time to carve it up. Once we made it back to our place, we watched the Giant's beat the Phillys, and enjoyed homemade lasagna and a lemon spice cake created by yours truly. I feel so lucky to have a home that I can share with my family and friends! This weekend I am headed down to my old stomping grounds, SLO, to visit with Valerie and the Neuschwander Family! Then its a quick getaway to Boston and NY, followed by my cousin's wedding...I cannot wait for all of the Fall Fun that is to come, I hope you all get yourselves some, and I think rhyming is a sure sign that this post is done.

Did you just say I broke my foot?

Picture this if you will. I am in a full out sprint downhill, trying to catch a bus. I am wearing these beautiful new, buttery lemon colored Frye Moccasins. The morning promises to be a good one. Its Friday, the sun is out, and I am moving in 2 days! Then I broke my foot. I fell running to catch a bus, and I broke my foot. How lame is that? My doctor assured me that its common in San Francisco. Devil hills. I knew they would lead to something like this sooner or later. Now I find myself in a cast that goes up to my knee. Its been 3 weeks, and I have atleast 3 weeks to go. Leave it to me to break my foot right as summer is just getting underway. No beach, no swimming, no biking, etc, etc. You get the point. Oh the horror! I did manage to pull myself together in time for our glorious trip to Chicago for the 4th of July. Despite my brokenness I managed to have a wicked good time. Pictures of the trip to come soon. Yes, I said soon. I know I cannot blame my VERY out of date blog on my break alone, because, truly I lagged way before this happened, but I figure it has to get me some sympathy points. Obviously, I am not training whatsoever for the glory that is Half Dome. My arms will be incredibly strong though from life on crutches, so bring on the cables. I leave you with these thoughts:

(1) I have become hyper-sensitive to spotting other people with casts. In the past 3 weeks, I have seen 2 other people. 2! Thats it?

(2) Said 2 people were both clearly under the age of eighteen. My first thought when they told me I needed a cast was "yay people can sign it!" My adult status has clearly been revoked.

(3) Never have I been forced to rely on others for so much help. I don't like it, but I am so greatful, especially to Andy. Not many men would put up with the type of mood swings this gimp status brings on.

(4) Do not take your body for granted. Showering on 1 foot is absolutely no fun.

Half Dome Challenge 2010

110 = The number of days that remain between myself and the beast which is Half Dome! ORRR better yet...110 = The number of days I have to turn myself into a lean, mean, bean climbing machine so I don't collapse on the way up Half Dome. Yes, that's more like it. On August 22, 2010, myself and a group of brave comrades will be venturing to the top of Hald Dome. I simply cannot wait. Given the insane amount of people that attempt to clime her Majesty HD every hiking season, Yosemite is now requiring hikers to buy permits for the day which they plan on making the climb. Without a permit, hikers will not be allowed to climb the final 425 feet of chains (bring it!!) to the very top. Permits are needed Fridays-Sundays, which is when most 9-5er's such as myself can make this journey. The chains go up for HD Memorial Weekend, and remain until late September. Already, almost ALL the permits are sold out. It is absolute crazyness. We managed to snag 12 permits for our impressive group making the climb on Sunday the 22nd. As the date approaches, I will update my blog with my process towards becoming an elite hiker, and keep a tab on the purchases I've made to aid me in taming the beast. I have my eye on a sweet backpack and some new hiking boots. Yeaaah, leave it to me to somehow turn this into a way for me to snag some new swag. So my friends, we begin here. 110 days and counting!!

loving on lululemon

It struck me as I was doing laundry this weekend that what took up the most space in the larger of my two hampers (yes I have two, my closet overflows with an abundance of clothes, its a problem...) was workout clothes. I stopped to think about this. I try to workout on average at least 3-4 times a week. Also, on most days, I rip off my work clothes as quickly as possible the moment I walk in the door and put on some lovely strechy pants. Thus I think I can safely say that I spend a large majority of my life in workout attire. That being said, I believe it is crucial that all women love their workout wear. On the whole, quite simply, I don't. Who wants to spend a bunch of money on clothes you are going to sweat in? Not I! I have more important things to buy, such as shoes and fabulous blouses. Yes yes! However, the one pair of workout pants I own that I actually like are none other than my precious lululemon groove pants I bought roughly 7 years ago. Thats right, 7 years ago. To this day, they still make me look and feel good when I am working up a sweat. Lululemon is the mecca of all things workout related. Their clothes are very well made, and the price tag reflects this. I argue that it is better to have 4 extremely well made pair of workout pants that last you 5+ years than a cheap pair that was on sale that you despise putting on and has holes after 6 months. I just pulled the trigger and went on a crazed shopping spree on their fabulous website, and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my new lululemon attire. I cannot wait to do away with all the other sweaty, and entirely too worn out half priced crap that overflows from my hamper. I suggest you do the same!

First Things First...The Origins of Bean

Allow me to introduce myself. Most know me as Brienne, daughter of Timothy and Adrienne, and proud San Franciscan. However, to those that really know me, I am Bean, and answer to several variations of that word. How did this begin? Well, it all has to do with my given name, Brienne. Its pretty tricky don't you agree? Well, my cousins sure did, and they quickly assigned me a name that was much easier for your typical 6 year old to master when I was still in diapers. The name stuck, and I rather like it. Having said that, thank you for checking out BeanHeartsBay. I will use this as a platform to share my work with those of you who care to read it, and it will also serve as a way to let you in on some of my adventures in this great city by the bay.