I left my 20-something year old heart in San Francisco

I've been sitting on this post for two weeks now. My only excuse is this: I was on break for a week and a half. I came back to work for a day and then attended a three-day work conference.
I'm still not completely caught up at work.
But I was very thankful to be sent to this conference. My last company was so strict with funds. They ran a very tight ship. Extremely tight. I had to plead my case for quite a few career development workshops I attended and paid for my own career-related business membership while at my old organization. I admit, it was often times frustrating but I understand. The organization comprised of mainly fundraisers so what they did for one, they would have to do for all. They offered internal online classes as a alternative but it just wasn't the same. Now I work for an organization and boss who find and present learning opportunities to me. And there's a budget for this, for career development. I love it. I'm a perpetual learner and would be a student for life if someone paid me to do it. (Alas, it is not a legit gig.)
What was also wonderful about attending this conference is my work also OK-ed me staying at the hotel where it was being held. The hotel was not cheap so it was awesome to enjoy a nice hotel in the financial district. Frankly, I dreaded the thought of getting up extremely earlier to drop off The Bun at preschool and then fight my way through the Bay Area morning commute and city traffic.
Because I had no commute and The Bean has me waking up early no matter where I sleep, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and walk as the city was waking up:

Ferry Building.
(Not sure if it's just my computer but the photos are A LOT clearer if you click on them to view on full-screen.)

Walking along the Embarcadero.

My favorite bridge in the Bay Area because it holds so many memories.
Well, the island attached to it, to be exact.

The sun lighting up more of the Embarcadero.

I never grow tired of this bridge. I only wished I had caught the light installation.

Under the Bay Bridge. They are engineering marvels if you think about it, aren't they?

My attempts at panoramic. I just have no patience for it.

Forgive the excessive bridge photos. The sunrise was just so impressive and breathtaking in person.

My lovely yet overpriced room. Big thanks and a shout out to the J-O-B!

My second and last morning traipsing about the city. 

I liked the same path I took the morning before so I just did it again. That and it felt safe.

The other side of the Ferry Building. If the picture is too blurry, it reads, "Port of San Francisco". Or you can click on it to see it clearly in full-screen.

I know, I've got to get over this bridge! Well, I also liked how pristine the Embarcadero looked with its fanciful palm trees.

Another lovely sunrise.

In addition to needing my j-o-b's support, I also needed The Man's. He has to be at work by 7 AM so I arranged for The Bun to go to her former day care provider a little before 6 AM for two of these days. The Man didn't balk at all and got up super early to prepare himself and The Bun to get out the door by 5:15 AM. I'm very thankful to him for knowing how important going to this conference was to me and just making it work.

I try to not take things for granted. I know some people probably think, "What's the big deal? It was just a stupid work conference." But for me, it was so much more. It was my employer showing me just how important they think I am to the organization by investing in educating me. It was the educational benefit - I was surrounded by peers from universities who have triple to ten times the budget my little department of one has as well as college prep schools like mine who had much more established engagement and fundraising programs. It was an amazing learning experience! It was also my partner in life willing to be inconvenienced for a couple of mornings so that I could sleep in the city and not have to commute for three days in a row. It was having the opportunity to reunite with my old stomping grounds - a city where I used to go to go to school, live and work. It was all of this.

I could see San Francisco from the hills where I grew up. It seemed so exciting and metropolitan in comparison to the urban suburbs. SF was merely 45 minutes away from Hayward but it was a different world. A much more exciting and sophisticated world! I swore I would live there one day.
In my late teens and early 20s, I did. I attended university, had internships, lived and worked there. Even when I moved back to parents', I commuted to the city for my master's degree, more internships and jobs. I figured I would move back once I found a job. 

But then I fell in love with a boy who lived in the opposite end of the Bay Area. Literally. He lived 20 minutes away from the Gilroy outlets (if you live in the Bay Area, you know exactly what I mean.) I eventually grew to appreciate my side of the bay - in all honesty, because of convenience more than anything else!  I certainly loved it more than his section because I just never learned to enjoy it. No offense to South Bay lovers but, to me, it was really hot and had congested freeways. After graduation, I found a job on the Peninsula, and then the following job was based in the East Bay. With all of these factors, San Francisco just wasn't in the cards for me anymore. 

San Francisco represents quite a bit to me - a huge chapter in my life. When you live so close, there really isn't a good reason to spend the money to stay in the city.This is why it was so wonderful to be in a hotel for a few days as well as catch up with my friends during my conference breaks (I had three SF friends come out to see me for lunch and dinners and it was great!) My every day life keeps me so busy that it's hard to go anywhere other than work and home.  It was so nice catching up with old friends. And then it was nice to go home.

As lovely as my memories are of San Francisco, now I live in the 'burbs. I mean truly, it's a town. Despite not having any good restaurants in my town, I adore it. It's good for my family and close to my parents. My commute is now less than 20 minutes to my great job. I'm very happy. It's where I belong.

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