This is the new face of my blog, all red and yummy with a hint of freedom. I’m definitely not done with all the details, but I’m loving it already!

Lately I’ve been very busy and lots of great changes have occurred in my life!! What’s new? Well, I’ve been working on this blog (and having a lot of fun with it), I quit my job and I’m looking at new inspiring directions and yesterday, my Dad became a U.S. Citizen.

So let me inaugurate this new blog, with pictures of this long awaited day and well deserved status.

The official ceremony took place at the Nob Hill Masonic Center. I’m so happy to have had an opportunity to go inside this formerly mysterious building.

Why mysterious? Well because of the not so clear happenings/role/existence of the Freemasons. It just seems like an underground highly influential “brotherhood” which is very spooky (in my world)… but wikipedia describes them a bit better… But the Masonic Center itself turns out to be primarily a performing arts/concert hall…what does it really hide?

There were many people at the ceremony! Exactly 1,234 future new Americans from all over North California, and their families and friends. All the applicants were on the bottom floor, and we got to see everything from above. 91 countries were represented and were individually called, asking everyone of the called country to stand up. Of course a big standing up human “wave” happened when China and Mexico were called.

After only about 2 hours of speeches, videos, singing, more speeches, translations and official document hand out, we all got out with a smile, the sense of relief ( it’s been almost 6 years since he applied) and a great hunger!

A quick picture to immortalise the happy day and off we went.

We changed our shoes (pretty shoes hurt!) and cabbed down to fisherman’s wharf hoping to get a glance of the Queen Mary 2…of course, we didn’t know it was already gone.

That’s OK, we had a wonderful lunch at Boudin Bakery’s upstairs restaurant which had excellent food and great service!

Post lunch we zoned in the extremely overwhelming mega-packed cheap jewelry store accross the street. Too much to look at, so we rewarded ourselves with a little square of Ghirardeli chocolate.

Nothing’s too much to celebrate new beginnings.

Congrats Dad!

(photo credits to Justin! …beautiful as always)