Moving, Moving, Moving

May was a big transition month. From the school year to summer, from our apartment to San Francisco, and from "we're engaged!" to "we actually need to plan the wedding now!"

The month opened with Sahar finishing her last round of finals, which called for a proper celebration: a homemade Earl Grey cake (yum), a nice dinner out, a movie, and then packing our bags to head to Glacier National Park with some friends.

Glacier was stunning. We spent a few days hiking, e-biking, and generally soaking in nature. The mountains, the lakes, and the weather all delivered. We'd highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't been.

After Glacier came the move. We packed up our apartment, shipped ourselves (and our suitcases) to San Francisco, and settled into our new budget-friendly home for the summer: a room in a shared house south of the main city hub. The room is small, the kitchen is shared and also small, but the roommates are nice and the BART makes getting into the city easy. We're adapting to the small space, as one does. We celebrated our arrival by... immediately leaving the next day.

On our way to France we had a long layover in London, which was just enough time for Sahar to get a scone, which she has been looking forward to for some time. Then it was France, family time, set against the backdrop of what can only be described as a wedding planning frenzy. So many phone calls, emails, visits, and a few tastings thrown in too.

We visited flower shops, wine shops, restaurants, and vendors of all kinds. We tasted beers, wines, desserts, and local specialties (for research purposes, obviously). A wedding website, save-the-dates, and invite designs are all in progress. It's coming together, slowly but surely. I may have dreamed about wedding logistics at least once.

The Sahar Scoop: Once back in San Francisco, Sahar jumped straight into her summer law internship and is enjoying some nice perks from the firm. She has her own office, a kitchen stocked with snacks, a coffee machine, a gym in the building, and free welcome week lunches at nice restaurants. Yes, I'm a bit jealous. It's a good setup, and while training week was a bit of a drag, the real work has officially begun and she's earning those perks now.

The Benoit Blurb: I've been commuting in with Sahar in the mornings and then finding a coffee shop to work from. It lets me see the city while still getting reasonable amounts of work done. I've also been figuring out running routes in the area, which is turning out to be a real workout given that we seem to be entirely surrounded by steep hills.

Now that we're getting settled into the new routine, there's plenty to look forward to. I signed up for a tech convention, Sahar has been scouring social media for the best restaurants to try, we've mapped out which museums are free on which days, and we're keeping an eye out for interesting events around the city. Looking forward to spending the summer here!