In Closing...

Today is D-day, Judgment Day, el Finale Grande, the End -- today we hurtle home towards mountains, red rocks, family, school and ski slopes. Life in San Francisco has become so normal and natural (well, maybe not natural -- what in San Francisco is natural besides the food and recycling?) it is interesting to think we have another life in another place.

Toby ate his "last meal" this morning.

And he...


along with his babe of a taxi driver...

(Excuse my appearance, I am never quite put together in the morning)

traveled to work for the last time...


Looking back at our two months in "The City," I smile thinking of all of our crazy experiences. What a remarkable place with a remarkable personality. I become nostalgic with each move Toby and I make (back to Utah makes#6), so to wrap up our grand adventure, I thought I would make a list of the things I will miss most in San Francisco.

1. Oh, the places you can go! We've been to ball games, plays (Wicked!), movies, restaurants, beaches, outlet malls, boutiques, forests, gardens, parks, luncheons, raspberry patches, wharfs, bridges, golf tournaments.... I could go on and on and on.


2. The culture and the personality. In the witty words my sister Camie once wrote me "this deserves its own bullet point, nay, its own paragraph." San Francisco's personality involves aggressive bus drivers, cranky pedestrians, men feeding fried chicken to their pet parrots on the bus, Victorian houses, naked cowboys, a Starbucks on every corner, bike taxis, party buses, cable cars, hippie neighborhoods and groups of men playing frisbee naked on the beach (thank you, Stephanie, for that story). I can think of no other place in the world like San Francisco.

3. The driving. The thrill, the passion, the drama that is experienced while driving through San Francisco. After my two months training I daresay I could be a taxi driver -- I am that good.

4. Good friends. With no previous planning, we ended up being in San Francisco with some dear friends -- Daniel, Stephanie and Brighton Webb (Daniel is an investment banker in Palo Alto), and Chris and AnnElise Guerisoli (Chris is attending dental school at UCSF). Daniel and Chris are both from St. George and grew up with Matt. Throughout the last 3 1/2 years, Toby and the St. George boys have been a huge part of my life. As each of the boys has gotten married, awesome girls are added to our posse. We have known each other while single, dating, married and now as parents (in the case of Daniel and Steph). What wonderful friends who we will dearly miss back in Provo. What a great opportunity to share our experiences with such dear friends. It is sad to think they will not be back there with us at the Y. The posse is shrinking each year! (We are glad you are back, Derek and Mary!).

The Webb's

(So, I totally stole this off of Facebook. Brighton is the CUTEST boy. Uncle Tobe and Aunt Ann will miss him).

The Guerisoli's
(Again, Facebook -- this is obviously not California)

5. The food. Oh heavens. We had lots of visitors this summer and with each weekend brought new culinary adventures. With each new arrival of family and friends, we had the opportunity to experience food from every part of the Bay Area. (Because of this I was also unable to reach my goal weight for the end of the summer -- DRAT!). We are so happy the Kuhni's, Tobler's, and Ray and Dani came to see us!!

6. The bus. I love the bus -- LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. I still love the bus even though bus 30 cut me off this morning. Each step aboard the muni affords a new adventure. I have never experienced greater thrills, greater fear, or greater joy than when I am riding the bus. Thank you and farewell San Francisco Municipal Transportation -- 'til we meet again.

7. Ann and Tobe's daily lunch at Costco. Each day, I would drive into the city, pick up Tobe and head to the Costco parking lot. We would eat our packed lunches, fill each other in on the day's adventures, and arouse serious curiosity from our fellow Costco shoppers. You cannot beat the free parking or the occasional Costco hot dog. Many laughs, good stories and stresses (Annie's near driving misses/bus mishaps) were shared in that parking lot.


8. And finally, being able to experience this all with my very best and dearest friend. I am so grateful for the opportunity Tobe and I had of being together in San Francisco. It has been the greatest experience for us to be here and figure out the in's and out's of city life. What a wonderful person I have married who laughed, smiled, joked and comforted through all of our adventures. I dearly love my husband and I am so grateful for him and all that he is.

So now I bid farewell. Farewell, 2000 Broadway, 100 1st Street, Buses 10, 41, and 45; Farewell, taxis, Chinatown, rush-hour, the Embarcadero, and Fisherman's Wharf; Farewell, San Francisco -- see you through the years as Tobe and I sit down and say, "Remember that one day, long ago in 'Frisco?"

Oh, what a summer.

This is Annie Tobler, signing off for the last time from 2000 Broadway St. #204 San Francisco, CA. See you under the shadow of the Y.