Spotted...A Christmas Tree for Grandma & Grandpa's House

There's no such thing (at least in my mind) as too much Christmas Spirit.  After conquering our living room last weekend, this weekend we helped my parents (aka - soon-to-be Grandma & Grandpa) get into the spirit...

We ventured out in the rain and after walking past a whole bunch of duds, we finally found a great tree for their living room.  After almost losing it on the way home (Travis may or may not have forgotten to tie it TO the car...no big deal), we made it back successfully...tree in tact...thank goodness. 

Here are some images of our adventure!

Belle was very excited to join us for the tree gathering

Little Momma (aka - Grandma! or Reindeer...)

Actually a true statement...

We finally found one!

We were working very hard too...

Belle got a little soaked...

On our way back to their house

Our New Baby!

OK, OK...so Abby hasn't arrived early.  I'm not referring to that baby...

I'm referring to THIS one...the one I mentioned on Monday in Spotted...

Isn't she dreamy?  

She's also safe, reliable and dependable (or so we hope)...now we just need a car seat for the back and we'll be good to go...

Happy Friday, everyone - stay bundled!

Spotted...A New Car in the Driveway

Exciting news!  

Travis and I bought our very first new (used) car this weekend and we couldn't be more excited about it!  The safety ratings are fabulous, the gas mileage is much improved from our last car, the price was right, and let me tell you...it is one GOOD looking vehicle...no frumpy Mommy car here! 

What is it, you ask?  A 2003 Lexus RX 300...and it's so beautiful...and I am sad to say that I didn't have a chance to take pictures of it this weekend...so you'll just get to wait and see what it looks like! 

For now, I'm going to post this picture that has absolutely nothing to do with anything!  Enjoy! 

Spotted...The Holidays are Here!

It's official...the Holidays are here and Union Square is kicking things off in a festive fashion with their Holiday Ice Rink.  Yahoo!

I'm not sure if Ice Skating is permitted at 7 months pregnant, but if it is, you better believe I'll be out there twirling around attempting not to fall! 

Enjoy - it was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL morning for a walk.

Spotted...Giants Fever!!!

With only one win needed for the Giants to clinch the World Series title, did you really think I was going to "Spot" anything unrelated to the Black & Orange today?  I think not...

As you all know by now, I walk through Union Square every morning and this morning I was pleasantly surprised by the hard-to-miss Giants support splattered all over Macy's - I even managed to capture a Cable Car just in case you needed a little extra San Francisco spirit!  

There's a buzz about the City and it's truly magical...this is OUR YEAR! 

Are you wearing your black and orange today???

GO GIANTS!

Spotted...HealthTap in the San Jose Mercury News!

OK, OK, so I may not have Spotted today's post on my walk to work this morning...and I can't even take credit for spotting it (thank you, Travis)...but it is most definitely Spot worthy!

Last Wednesday I announced that I will be joining the TapMommies crew over at HealthTap (yay!), a blog that "helps pregnant women and new moms make better decisions about their health and well-being."   And yesterday morning while we were enjoying a delicious breakfast at my parent's house in Redwood City, Travis was flipping through the Sunday Business section of the San Jose Mercury News and all of a sudden looks up and says, "Hey, HealthTap is mentioned in this article..."

The article?  Get ready for the decade of Gamification by Chris O'Brien.  It's a great piece that examines how "Gamification" (which "developers believe...will make the dreariest of tasks more fun and engaging") will not only become more and more commonplace, but it will soon become expected in the consumer online experience.  

HealthTap, therefore, is on the cutting edge of the internet trend - people want to have engaging experiences online...and not just engaging experiences, but fun experiences.  If HealthTap can channel this desire and create a positive, educational, and health-promoting experience all at the same time, then I feel like they're truly tapping into (pun intended - I crack myself up...) something special.

As stated in the article, "Ron Gutman, founder of HealthTap, a valley startup that's in early development, said his team is trying to figure out how to use gamelike tools to motivate people to share their health concerns, find treatments or providers that can help them, and then take better care of themselves. 'If you can get hundreds of millions of people playing a game like 'FarmVille,' what can you learn from this kind of engagement?' he said. 'And can we deploy it in a place that it will do good? Like helping people lead healthier lives?'"

I must say, not only was it fun to read about HealthTap in the paper (and to understand more about the significance of Gamification), but I'm proud to be a small part of such a positive initiative. 

Spotted...I Love You

Another wonderful feature of walking to work?  

On certain days (and I have yet to determine how they decide which days to set up on, but I'm guessing it's weather related), local artists set up shop in Union Square.  

I love it because I get to enjoy the art just as it's being unpacked and put on display.  I also love it because it's quiet, not crowded at all, and everything seems so peaceful.  

What I love the most, however, is one particular piece of art.  It catches my eye every time the artists come out to show off their passions.  I've also seen a mini-version of this particular piece in a window that I walk by every single day on Polk Street.

Needless to say, someday I envision it in my home...displayed beautifully...as a simple yet powerful reminder of San Francisco and the Love that I found here...

Find more of Douglas Brett's work here, at Modern Life Designs.  The only downside is that the 5" version of this is going for $450.00...makes me wonder how much this version is...

Have a wonderful Monday, everyone!

Also, I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to The Girlie Blog for the shout out on Saturday...you made my day!   

XOXO,
7x7xMommy

Setting up shop in Union Square

Spotted...The Heart of San Francisco

I may walk by it every single day, but there was something about today that made it stand out...(probably the fact that it was absolutely gorgeous outside at 8:00am...shining sun, perfectly blue skies, happily chirping birds, people singing and dancing instead of walking and talking...ok, maybe the last one is a bit of a stretch, but I've always wanted to live in a Musical, so that's what I envision on perfect mornings...)

Anyway, today I stopped to admire it...I've nicknamed it "The Heart of San Francisco" and I repeat that phrase to myself each time I walk by it.  It resides in Union Square and more often than not, tourists are climbing all over it getting their pictures taken.  Heck, I'm not even a tourist and I kinda want to climb all over it and have someone take my picture.

In my opinion, there's something about this Heart that truly embodies San Francisco...there just needs to be a little fog engulfing half of the Golden Gate Bridge...then it would truly embody all that San Francisco is...

And today I learned something new about this Heart...something that makes me love it that much more.  According to About.com: San Francisco, "Hearts in San Francisco began in 2004 as a fund raiser for the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation. Like the famous painted cows, the painted hearts -- created from uniform molds and painted by individual artists -- decorate the city in areas like Union Square, until they are auctioned off at a benefit for the charity. New hearts are unveiled each year."

Pretty cool stuff.  If I had the $$$ (or a giant, empty room to fill some "fascinating" art with), I might just bid on it!  But since I don't have either of those, I'll just have to continue enjoying The Heart of San Francisco like the rest of the tourists who roam through Union Square. 

And if you happen to have the $$$ or the space, you should buy it and invite me over to admire it! 

Spotted...Oracle OpenWorld 2010

No. It's not juicy gossip...

And it's not sexy lingerie...

But it IS something techies throughout Silicon Valley look forward to ALLLLLLL year...

Oracle has officially taken over San Francisco with Oracle OpenWorld 2010!!! (the exclamation points are my attempt at coming across super excited...how did I do?)

Only in San Francisco would one of the City's busiest streets be shut down for "the world's largest information technology event dedicated to helping enterprises understand how to harness the power of information."  Sounds like fun, right? Well, it sounds like San Francisco where companies like Twitter and Yelp are located a block or two away from this massive event which began emerging from the ground last week (there are literally huge white tents engulfing the streets). 

And while I might not be the most excited about this particular event, I do appreciate the value it adds to San Francisco (and the fact that Technology is keeping San Francisco afloat in these trying economic times).  Plus, it's also Technology that keeps both myself and my husband successfully employed.  And for that, Technology, we thank you (that was me channeling Tosh.0...but I digress).

One thing is for sure - as long as we live in this City, little Miss Abigail will forever be on the cutting edge of all things technology related...and to be honest, I think that's one of the coolest aspects of living in San Francisco.  Who knows, maybe she'll grow up frequenting events like these and wearing backpacks like this...

 

 

On a selfish note, my commute to work is going to be a pain this week due to all the foot traffic in my usually traffic-free zone!  Sheesh...I think I should get some free products from Oracle for this inconvenience...

Have a great Monday...and if you live in San Francisco, stay far, FAR away from 4th Street in SoMa (unless, of course, you're attending the event)!  

Spotted...Nearly Naked Mannequins

I have a ton of time to think in the mornings...being that my walk to work is nearly an hour long (and for some strange reason, it seems to be taking longer these days...), I have time to reflect, plan and daydream. It's my morning walk where I typically come up with most of my Blogging ideas.  And this morning was no different.

As I walked from Russian Hill through the Tendernob (at a much faster pace for reasons that those who live in the City understand), I pondered what to write about today...and as I entered Union Square, I had a light bulb moment.  I live in San Francisco, an extremely vibrant, colorful and unique City...a City where I can walk 2.5 miles and see everything from a homeless man begging for change to the most spectacular Louis Vuitton window display this side of NYC.

And while I'll be the first to admit that San Francisco is nowhere near the size of NYC (and nowhere near as magical - there's something about New York that has me spellbound), it does have a whole lot going on in its 7 square miles.  

Long story short, in honor of tonight's Season Premier of the show that adds to my minor obsession with NYC, Gossip Girl, I'm happy to introduce "Spotted..." - my Monday Post about all things San Francisco.  

Whether it's something that catches my eye, something that's changed, something that raises a few questions, or something that simply boggles my mind, I'm going to take a picture and share it with you...

Today I'm going to start off with something that caught my eye: the brand-spanking new window display at Macy's. 

For the past few weeks, the window has been decorated with mannequins decked out in GLEE gear (there was even one mannequin sitting in a wheelchair - no joke - that's what I like to call attention to detail).  Today I was quite surprised when the GLEE cast was replaced with this (and no, none of these mannequins were in wheelchairs)...

It was actually this visual that inspired "Spotted..." - inappropriately dressed mannequins on display for the world...very reminiscent of the inappropriately dressed (and oftentimes questionably behaved) "high school/college students" on Gossip Girl.  And don't get me wrong, I LOVE the show (especially the wardrobes), I just think it's funny that Macy's has jumped on the risque bandwagon after a month of squeaky-clean GLEE gear...

I personally think they've gone a little too far here when you take into account the audience who walks by this display day in and day out, but maybe I'm just old-fashioned (although this also makes me a hypocrite being that I'm promoting a show like Gossip Girl, but at least I'm honest!). 

What I'm looking forward to is when the Holidays roll around and instead of nearly naked mannequins in the window, there are little kittens on display...

But what's your take on the current window display?  'Over-the-top' or 'Of-the-Moment'? 

Stay tuned for next week's Spotted...

XOXO,

7x7xMommy