A few weeks ago… errr… about a month ago, I used my JetBlue All You Can Jet pass to fly down to Tampa, FL to hang out with cousin Jason and his wife Alex. I knew they planned a full weekend, but I really started wondering what was in store when I was told to bring water shoes. I don’t actually own any water shoes.

The trip included a 4 mile kayak through mangroves and into the bay, dinner at a house turned restaurant, a stop at the most crowded Italian market and deli in Florida, gator watching, an indoor baseball game, a trip to the beach, breakfast at a Thai Temple, and a tour of the base where General Patraeus has his office. I had more food in a weekend than anyone should have in an entire week.

The food highlight had to be Wat Mongkolratanaram if for no other reason than the novelty of a Thai Temple in the Florida swaps with a bunch of old Thai men and women cooking food. The men did the frying, the women did everything else. And the old white men who had married in to the Thai families were trusted with little more than selling canned sodas and peeling vegetables.

The 4 mile kayak was definitely the highlight of the outdoor activities. For starters, a gator or a large snake swam right underneath me less than 5 minutes after stepping off the dock. Navigating the mangrove swamps, sometimes upstream proved to be quite a challenge. But afterward we were able to refuel with yet another huge and delicious meal.

The beach highlight was a tie between the beach we drove by to most of our activities and the beach we actually went to. The beach we went to had warm water, lots of shells, and the softest white sand ever. The beach we drove by had pickup trucks parked half in the water, BBQs, and the biggest concentration rednecks you’ve ever seen near the water.

The indoor highlight was watching baseball in a domed stadium for the first time ever. I’ve seen the Diamondbacks play but the roof has been open at the games I’ve been to. The Rays stadium had a whole different feel. The fact that they missed the playoffs and only a handful of people showed up may have also contributed to the different feel.

Thanks Alex and Jason for putting together a fun weekend packed full of activities!

One year and five months after getting married, we look back at our one year anniversary trip to Greece.

Taking advantage of empty planes, Jennifer used her miles to book a pair of First Class tickets from Boston to Greece. But there was one problem. We no longer lived in Boston! So, less than a week after moving in to our house in San Francisco, and before our stuff arrived in San Francisco from Boston, we flew to Boston so we could fly to Greece. Life’s tough when you’re trying to take vacation.

Our Greece trip started with a First Class ride from Boston to Newark then a redeye to Athens where we sat behind the only two people that stayed awake and talked the entire flight. On the plus side, I requested a glass of champagne from the flight attendant to celebrate our anniversary. She must have misheard my request because she came back with an entire bottle of champagne hidden away in a cloth napkin to take with us. Now that’s the kind of Duty Free I can get behind.

But we didn’t let the First Class transportation go to our head. After leaving our First Class seats behind, we rode the bus to our hotel in Athens.

Jenn and Nathan show off their bus tickets

After the challenges involed in finally buying our new place, the trip to Greece was just what the doctor ordered. We walked through ancient ruins and stayed in extravagant hotels. We didn’t eat dinner until 10PM most nights but we never went hungry.

Highlights include ATV-ing around Mykonos and Dolmades on the beach where the staff from our hotel recognized us and bought us drinks. Over the course of the week, I think we only paid for half of the wine we drank. The other half came at the end of various dinners, typically sometime around 1AM.

Now that's a view!

Check out more pics here.

The offer on our first house was accepted, but fell through. The second offer was accepted and now we’re in our new home.

We’re in Cow Hollow between Pacific Heights and the Marina. It’s the sunny part of the city and is packed full of restaurants. Today was only the second time I’ve made a return visit to a place I had already been to. Otherwise, I’ve been able to try new place after new place.

We can see the Golden Gate from our living room, so wine country is just a short ride away. We’d love to have visitors just as soon as we get some furniture. Though I suppose you could come now. You’d have your choice of sleeping arrangements. Our old moving boxes and bubble wrap can be combined to create any comfort level ranging from firm to super-plush.

We’ll post pictures soon. Stay tuned.

After our most recent attempt to buy a new place, we’re jumping back in and trying again.

We looked at over 30 places before we decided on a wedding location. Why should buying a house be any different? After all, a wedding lasts only a few hours. A new house lasts… well the one we put an offer in on was built in 1914. Though, on the plus side, it has a storage area in the basement that’s almost the same size as our current place.

Our offer was accepted, but this isn’t the first time we’ve had an offer accepted. But this time should be different. Stay tuned.