I'm baaack!
We've traveled up the coast since my first post, and are staying at a hotel overlooking the water in the Berkeley Marina. It's a beautiful place, and as we judge hotels on the quality of their continental breakfasts, this one is certainly up there with the best (made-to-order omelets ensure a positive review).
Yesterday was mainly dedicated to travel, although we did fit in some time, and naps, by the water, and later indulged in a seafood dinner at Spenger's Restaurant. Sasha and Faziah went particularly hard and each ordered "The Big Pot," which is literally a big pot full of everything on the menu, one probably being enough to feed a family of five.
Today we made the trip to practice at Eve's high school in Palo Alto. The school and basketball court are beautiful, and we got to see Eve's 2007-2008 league MVP banner hanging up in the gym. After practice, we went to the nearby Stanford mall, where most of the shopping was done for our annual Secret Santa exchange...gag gifts (the more inappropriate, the better) are given anonymously throughout the week, and one night toward the end of the trip we trade the real gifts and reveal who has who. It's always a lot of fun and another excuse to get--and give--more presents.
The Zelingers hosted us for a huge barbecue dinner after shopping (we really do eat well on these trips). It's always wonderful to meet the families and get hilarious details on each other's lives before Dartmouth. After the meal, we all gathered in the living room to watch No. 1 Baylor take on No. 2 UConn (some inspiration for our game on Tuesday, perhaps) amid conversations about Eve's early years. Apparently she locked a babysitter out of the house once...classic. The night ended with homemade apple crisp and lots of hugs as we boarded the bus back to the hotel. Tomorrow we'll take our first shots in the Cal-Berkeley gym, and many of us will also get to cross something big off our bucket lists...I'll update with a post soon.
*7 days til Christmas, and only 2 til the first night of Channuka! Happy holidays!*
Nicola
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Great to see the Secret Santa tradition lives on!! Was hoping I could be there for the Berkeley game as I'll be in San Fran fro Christmas, but the timing is not going to work out. Good luck - have a blast! These are the trips and memories you'll remember for a lifetime.
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