san francisco seems to be the place where i grow, the same held true for my recent visit. i went there to participate in a floral design workshop (WFA) with the talented and famous nancy liu chin. i went on the basis that i was to help assist nancy and teach a little in exchange for free tuition. an opportunity i couldnt pass up! i took my assistant julia with me for some good times!
we drove, or i should say i drove which was fine jules would have if i had asked her to. but the last 3 hour leg of the drive left me with one of the most intense migraines i have ever had. when we arrived at the hotel all i had left in me was a hot shower and stillness in order to avoid all out chaos bursting from the brain. the morning brought some typical san fran fun and some non-typical. in fact most of the time we were there the weather was very non typical, clear and warm. it was really nice but i kind of missed the expected. in the morning jules wanted to go for a walk but we were in civic center area so i wouldnt let her go alone so i got my bum out of bed and went on a walk with her. first sight out of the hotel doors ... human poop on the ground. how do i know? well only a human would attempt to wipe with napkins, and only a bum would leave it all there. fun stuff. made us both dry heave.
then we got ready and headed out to oakland to do some temple work. next to sd t this is my fav. what a gorgeous place. amazing view. they were decking things out for the holidays. that was fun to see. i really needed a temple visit and it felt so good. we wandered the grounds and the visitors center after our session and visited with missionaries. i had told jules about the non member brides who often take their pictures at the pretty mormon temple ... and just as we were leaving she got to glimpse of this akwardness.
that evening we settled into where we would stay for the duration of our visit at jules good friend emilys place. a great house in a great area of san fran full of 6 single mormon girls. interesting place for me a married mom to be. but i adored these girls. emily was so fun and sweet and took us to some great places and showed me what icecream should taste like @ bi-rite. the best view of the city at night and so much more. non the less it took some strength to reach out of my comfort zone to be in this strange environment for a few days. it caused major inner reflection about where i am at in my life, why and where i am going. so good for my soul. so much gratitude for my life and experiences. its just so beautiful.
WFA started sat night with a cocktail party, that also too was akward. since i dont drink. and either does jules or emily. so .... not much to drink on our behalf. shirley temples do not rock.but it was a fun and interesting night.
sun was business day. and perhaps were i learned the very most. still overwhelmed with thoughts to implement into my business and ideas on how to make studio stems more successful in every aspect.
mon, tue were both floral design days at the best flower market ever! i so wish we had one of these. its just so different then how the flower wholesale industry runs here in utah. and soooo much cheaper. nothing in sf is cheaper then utah except maybe this! such an eye opening experience. full of new resources. working with nancy was so worth my time, she pushed even me and took special care to take the advanced version and push me individually. out of my box, out of my typical thinking and into something new. amazing growth artistically. and amazing knowledge.
we had a fantastic blog class thanks to stacie with the flirty bride that made me realize my co blog is not running the way it should.
kim and chu saylors nurses took me to dinner and the time just didnt last long enough. i wanted to visit with them for so much longer. makes my heart feel ways i cant describe. had mandarin pancakes and other yums. and cried and hugged. and cried.
visisted UCSF. expensive visit that came with parking ticket ..yeah! got to see tamara, jodi, bev, dr farmer, and of course stephanie. it was such a rushed visit that i barely was able to soak in the feelings. but i was overcome with how long its been. how much time has passed and how much growth has occured. i went to family house, not the same place, not the same people. let me let go a little. i needed to do that, it was the next step. sometimes i hang on to tight. but that all being said it looks as though we are going back very soon. and i cant wait!!!! study has put in for another follow up grant and saylor will be the first to be brought back.
all in all you dont want to read more and more do you? it was amazing. it made me stretch in every aspect of my life. i came home overwhelmed but rejuvinated, grateful and excited. and nate did a great job with the kids (with the help of our moms of course) but he really did fantastic. made it easier for me!
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