MrAndrewBradley

Between 5.6 mile runs around my neighborhood, a trip to the gym and lots of work, I found some time to escape from behind my desk and enjoy being around friends. I started the week out with a BBQ at a friend's house, then while shopping for a new patio table I ended up at Lucille's BBQ for Happy Hour with my roommate. Beer, fried pickles, sliders and rib tips. On Thursday, I participated in a Beer Tasting for Fresh & Easy through Twitter . Although I did not get to try the Anderson Valley Brewing Company Summer Solstice (the store I went to was out), I did enjoy the New Belgium Rolle Bolle Summer Seasonal Ale and Shore Break Brewing Co. Hefeweizen. Today, after my longest run of the year and working since 4 a.m., I had the opportunity to go to Ruth's Chris Steak House for Happy Hour . It was my first time there and I will be back, New England Lobster Roll With Fries, Prime Sliders, Tenderloin Skewers and beer. It was a great way to celebrate a friend's bi...

Wednesday and Thursday were a little busy. Wednesday started out at 4 a.m. working for a client on the East Coast and then I was off to a meeting with a new client in Loomis . After the meeting I took the back roads to Lincoln for some new scenery before taking a friend to the airport . In an effort to keep going new directions, I headed north to the Woodland Costco for gas and In-N-Out for lunch on my way to Napa . Once in Napa I kept working and got ready for a late night photo shoot with Rex Gelert and Rystar Productions of The Meritage Resort and Spa's main lobby. By about 2 a.m. we had finished our main shoot in the lobby and a couple other quick pictures. Thursday morning we took his new helicopter out that was equipped with a GoPro and took a few aerial pictures of the resort in an effort to capture the scope of the properties 322 rooms, vineyards and amenities. On my way home from Napa I decided to stop at IKEA . In the last few weeks I was noticing that I was...

Mother's Day Weekend started out for me Saturday morning, although it wasn't with my mom. My roommate and I went to the Original Pancake House for breakfast. It was my first time there and wow, we had a 30 minute wait and it was worth it, my bacon pancakes were very good. They also gave us each $5 coupons to come in the next day with our moms, we didn't go again, but it was a thoughtful gesture. After a very filling breakfast I headed to my parents house ( Camp Bradley ). As we were watching the Giants beat the Atlanta Braves , we were also discussing the fact that I had never been to one of their favorite local restaurants, Pocket Bistro . We fixed that quickly, with a trip to the restaurant for happy hour where we enjoyed beef satay, calamari, garlic fries and a few adult beverages. I'll have to go back for some of their other specials (Prime Rib preferably). When my brother and his family arrived later on Saturday evening we enjoyed fajitas and I got to spend so...

It's no secret that I enjoy cruising and a cruise up the Pacific Coastline was just want I needed. It was planned well before I had even considered leaving my job and starting my own company , so there was some stress associated with how I would be able to take a vacation and be the only employee of a brand new company, but luckily my clients were all fantastic and I could still keep in contact via email. With 189 days to plan there was plenty of advance time to buy new shoes and pack, but the day before we left I was busy. Last minute client projects and meetings, then down to Lodi to pick up my grandma and run a few other errands (like picking up pizza , going to the eye doctor and getting my car washed ... who knew it would rain the day we got back?). My dad and I started day one of the vacation out first with a flight to San Diego , carrying a majority of the luggage (four checked bags and two carry-ons). We got the car and took the first load of luggage up to our h...

My week started off with a trip to The Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa . I was  there not only to check out the remodel of Crush Ultra Lounge (they updated the area behind the bar) and revamped the menu (adding dessert ... my new favorite is the gourmet root beer float), but to help film an episode of a travel show that airs on KRON in the San Francisco Bay Area, Days with Zahrah . We filmed inside the Estate Cave , out by the pool, inside Siena , Crush Ultra Lounge and Blend , Spa Terra , the lobby, the vineyards, inside a few rooms and in a few of the courtyards. One of my favorite scenes was a wine and chocolate pairing inside Trinitas Cellars . A must do if you're at (or near) the resort, it's fun and actually very educational. There were some other fun food adventures. Starbucks is becoming a new hangout with various business meetings, I'm trying to branch out with slightly healthier options than my typical Strawberries and Creme Frappuccino or white chocolate ...

It was a good week. I had one client in the Sacramento Bee and Boston Globe , while another was interviewed by both the Roseville Press Tribune and Sacramento Bee . I continued my trend of eating out . I went to Thunder Valley Casino-Resort , won $5.02 and ate at Fat Burger with a roommate. I also had an Ahi Burger at Yard House with another client . My family and I headed to the Bradley Lodge for the weekend. We raked and burned pine needles, plus celebrated my mom's birthday with some cake and cupcakes. In 11 days we will celebrate in style ... a Celebrity Cruise up the Pacific Coast .

  Week four of MrAndrewBradley Communications started out great ... with the knowledge that I would be getting my first client check direct deposited into my bank account (it was even better when it actually happened on Friday). On Wednesday I played soccer at Mahany Park for the first time in years. The weekly pick-up soccer game is $5 and you're assigned a team based on when you arrive. Games are 15 minutes and teams rotate. It's a lot of fun, but I realized that although I go to the gym everyday and can run six miles with relative ease, I'm not in soccer shape, sprinting is a lot different than distance running. Hopefully I will begin playing more regularly again after my upcoming vacation. On Friday my first check was deposited and I celebrated by heading to the foothills to go wine tasting with my mom, a friend we went on our last cruise with and her cousin. Our first stop was Bella Piazza Winery . It has beautiful grounds and has large spaces for events. Next...