fiasco de bugs

Today is the happiest day I have had in San Fran. In part, it is because Ben and I are headed to Merced tonight for the 4th of July weekend. But also in part because our apartment is now bed bug FREE!

This is how it came to be . . .

Our first weekend here, I started to notice red bites on my legs. Ben never got any - we say that it is because the bugs were intimidated by his leg hair, but the Terminix guy said that it is quite normal for only one person to be bit or for the other person to just not react to their bites.

Anyway, I kept noticing more bug bites. And more bug bites. And it was always in the morning . . . so we put all of our observations together and concluded that we had bed bugs! Oh, and when I was washing our bedding, I saw one! It stuck its bum in the air and burrowed down in the blanket so I couldn't get 'em. It was sick.

So, we told our landlord who is awesome and called Terminix ASAP. The inspector came on Tuesday. On Wednesday while Ben was at work, our landlord helped me move almost everything out of our apartment and then the Terminix guys came and TOOK THOSE BUGS DOWN! Something like freezing them at -140 degrees and then vacuuming them up. They did our entire apartment and our luggage. I had to be gone all afternoon because of the bug treatment so when Ben and I got home last night (after a yummy Greek dinner down town!), we moved everything back in to our apartment and washed all of our clothes and moved those back in too.

And now, I feel clean! And my body will not look like this anymore:

I don't know, but today I just woke up with so much more happiness and energy! Probably because I wasn't having my blood sucked out all night long . . WOO!

I haven't exactly been loving SF, but now I think I can give it another try. Good thing, because Ben says that I need to want to live somewhere besides Provo, UT and Carmel, IN because that is just not going to happen right now.

:)

bed bugs named joe

Actually, there are no bed bugs named Joe. But Ben and I did go to an ice cream shop named Joe's last night. I met this fun girl in our ward on Sunday, Facebook-friended her and saw that she has a blog. Of course, I checked it out, and that is where I found out about Joe's Ice Cream. Someday when we're more friends than just acquaintances, we can be blog friends, but for now, I'll just read it in private. Maybe I'll find some more fun SF adventures?

Anyway, last night Ben and I got ice cream at Joe's. To make the bus that was going to take us there, we sprinted down the [steepest] hill in San Francisco. Lucky enough to snap a good picture!

Ben has "principles" about pretty much everything, and of course that includes a "principle" for going out to ice cream - to get something that you can't get from just the freezer. Totally fair, but I like my ice cream pure and simple. Ben got the works - vanilla with fudge swirls, mini M&Ms, a decorative wafer stick, and all of it in a waffle bowl.

I went for one scoop that was half classic mint chip and half maple nut. Mmm. Can't you tell that I liked it?

Then we froze whilst waiting for our buses on the way home. We were supposed to be making cold faces, but I'm not sure Ben got the memo.

And now, for the bed bugs. Do you want to hear about the bed bugs?

There are multiple things I could complain about living in this apartment . . the dirtiness . . the shower that drips constantly . . the lack of counter space . . and oven . . etc., but I'll just stick to the bed bugs for now.

I have THIRTY-ONE bug bites! I wake up with more every morning!

It is disgusting.

Does anyone know how to get rid of them? Or does anyone want to buy us a new mattress?

Do you think Ben will sleep on the futon in the living

room/kitchen with me?

This is so disgusting.

mon & tues

For our first San Franciscan Family Home Evening, Ben and I climbed 1,000,000,000 (exaggeration) stairs to the top of a beautiful hill to watch the amazing sunset.

Last night we met Dad, Doug, & Ty for a Giants game. We had a blast. What game is not complete without a hotdog and cotton candy? None, I dare say.

anniversary

June 18, 2011 = Our one year anniversary!!

This year has been the happiest (and quickest!) year of our lives!

How fun for us that we were able to celebrate by returning to the Oakland Temple and remembering the promises that we have made!

Then we celebrated with a dinner out to P.F. Changs!

Love. Love. Love.

We love love!

Also,

today is Ben's first day of work!

safe in san francisco

We have come to a close of our six week vacation (sad day!) and we are now safe in San Francisco, all moved in to our apartment for the summer!

I have already made best friends with R2D2, our heat for the summer!

"Heat for the summer" may sound like an odd phrase, but it has been said that "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." (Mark Twain)

We might have moved in and all of that, but Ben is headed to orientation and training in NY & NJ on Sunday, so I am headed back to Merced for the week! Then our SF summer adventures will really begin!