I aint settlin' for just getting by

September was an amazing month. It was the first month, since moving, that I have not travelled back to the east coast. Sorry mom, I love ya, but the downtime was needed...especially after being away for two consecutive weeks in August.

Labor Day Weekend was spent at the beach - sunbathing, snorkeling, and hoping to catch the Green Flash at sunset. I watch a good amount of sunsets, and I've yet to see this optical phenomena.

The following weekend Joey's cousin, Cliff, his girlfriend, Jen, and their baby/our Goddaughter, Leia spent a long weekend. Having visitors really helped to move along the interior decorating process. With my busy travelling schedule in August our house still needed some TLC. Check out our family picture wall and other decorations in the 2.0 version of our home video. In case the link doesn't work, copy and paste this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYNVj5Azr3U).
Oh, and for the record - yes, I held the phone camera the proper way this time.

Come to think of it, Cliff seems to always be a part of the picture when I'm purchasing large canvases. If you have not heard the story of how I got my 50x50 inch painting that now covers our dining room wall you will have to wait. That's a story for another time.
But on the weekend that Cliff, Jen and Leia were visiting, while strolling the Ocean Beach pier, Joey and I couldn't help but stop to check out some artwork on display. Joey, who is generally not pulled by the outside world, was surprisingly intrigued by the paintings and even more so by the artist's reponse when I asked if he was scared of falling off the pier's ledge, which he was laying on. "Yes I am, but I feel like it makes my life a little bit more interesting."

35 minutes later I still wasn't sure what painting I liked best (I can be a bit indecisive), but I had learned that Mikhail Khodzhayants, the artist, was born in Leningrad, Russia, and moved to San Diego in '92 as a political refugee. Joey finally made the decision - we took them both!
His unique style, which I think just radiates positive energy and optimism, combines ultimate simplicity and expressivity. Check out our new artwork - Man on a Bridge & Yellow Flower.

With the warm (and humid) weather still going strong, Joey's birthday crept up on me. As if planned, it fell on his favorite day of the week, fish taco Wednesday. Fish tacos for dinner and a waffle icecream sandwich for dessert.

The following week was Rosh Hashanah (L'Shanah Tovah everyone), so I spent Sunday afternoon, in between the Pats and 49ers games, cooking my first brisket (with potatoes and carrots) and my second batch of matzah ball soup (I made this last new year). Everything was delicious.

Otherwise, not much happened this month. Ok I'm totally lying. The last two weeks were busier than the first two.

• Boating up to Newport with friends
• Being stopped on the boat by the US Coast Guard. My guess is they pulled us over out of boredom, so like any person being questioned by the Armed Forces does, I asked them to get in a picture
• Cooking with chicken thighs for the first time (#majoraccomplishment)
• Finding a Jewish deli with delicious homemade foods
• and hosting Meg for the week! 

We showed her the best of San Diego from fish taco Thursday {"But Amy, isn't it fish taco Wednesday?!" Yes, but break the fast was Wednesday night. --A side note of a side note: On top of the dozen bagels, round challah, corned beef, pastrami, lox, and half sour pickles from D.T.Akins, we made tuna salad and baked two kugels. No question, I am my Nana's granddaughter- we had food for the entire week.--} to the San Diego Zoo to everything and anything on and around the water: sunbathing, cliff walks, sunsets and dining just steps from the Pacific, standup paddleboarding (SUP), snorkeling, biking the pier and bay.

Like I said September was an amazing month. Here are a few more pics. xoxo, Amy