Tenth anniversary...San Fran style

After much discussion, AJ and I decided there's no better first time to go on a trip sans kids than our tenth anniversary. We have done the beach/cruise thing several times and really wanted to experience something new together. We have never been sightseeing or to the West Coast, so we decided on San Fran. We are so blessed to have our family to take such good care of our babies while we are gone. Without further ado...

Day One
Top tourist attractions

We got up super early, at 3:20 am, to catch a 6:15 nonstop flight from Nashville to San Francisco. I was running on Starbucks and excitement after only getting 3 hours of sleep the night before. We arrived in SF around 9:45 after a 4 hour and 50 minute flight. Thank you, time change...we still had the full day to explore! We booked a rental car because it ended up only being about 9 dollars more than the bart transport from the airport, and I'm so glad we did! I highly recommend doing this. We were able to drive all around the city and see all the top tourist sights. First up...full house of course! AJ was too cool to take his pic with the house. I read somewhere that the creator of the show has purchased this house to remodel to look like the inside of the set so people would be able to tour the inside. I don't know if that's true or not, but it would be pretty awesome if he did. There are signs up that say "please remember that people live in this neighborhood and be quiet."

Next up, Lombard Street. The perk of having the rental car is that you can actually drive down the 5 mph street. I was in awe of all the architecture and hilly streets. The views in this city are amazing.

                  

After we visited Lombard Street, we drove across the Golden Gate bridge. We went to the Marin City Hub and purchased a shuttle pass to take us to Muir Woods to see the California Redwood trees. But the shuttle never came like it was supposed to. Womp. Womp. If I'd planned ahead and knew we would have had time to do this, I would have purchased a parking spot pass for the park in advance, because all the times were sold out when we actually decided to go. You can't just drive to the park, you have to be shuttled in or have a time slot reserved to park there. After waiting an hour for the shuttle that never came, we drove to Bakers Beach. This is a must-see. The views are breathtaking and it's the most serene place you could be. The water was frigid, but I can now say that my toes have been in the Pacific. 

Our last stop before returning our car was Alamo Park and the painted ladies. This is the iconic row of houses in the intro. of full house. You know, the one where they are having the picnic and baby Michelle runs and plops into Danny's lap? Did I mention that SF is windy? And as the sun goes down...it's cold! Brrrr!

We ended the evening with dinner at Pier 39. We ate at Pier Market Seafood and dined right on the bay with some lazy sea lions. After dinner, we had our eye (and by our, I mean I) on some of Trish's mini donuts. Isn't everything better when it's miniature? These donuts were no exception. Oh. My. Word. 

We finally made it back to our hotel around 10:30 (12:30 am central time). 21 hours after we woke up. Didn't know I had it in me. Vacation is not for rest. 

Day Two

Alcatraz. 

This island is so rich with history, facts, and information. You can do a self-guided audio tour throughout the prison and hear voices of former prisoners and guards. You are also subject to some of the best SF skyline views the city has to offer. This island was originally used as a U.S. military fortress to guard the city, then as a penitentiary for some of the most dangerous criminals, then Native Americans claimed it as their land, then the government reclaimed it and declared it a national park. 

View of Alcatraz island from the boat

Standard Cell

The yard used for recreation

The hole:  used for inmates who don't behave

Famous Inmates including Al Capone

The most desired cells in the prison because of the natural light.

Standard guard uniform

The three prisoners ever to successfully escape Alcatraz used a spoon to tunnel out behind the grate. They made models of their heads using soap and newspaper. By the time the guard did the count, they were already long gone. They are still on the most wanted list until 2020, when they would be over 100 years old.

After Alcatraz, we explored Fisherman's Wharf and took some trolley rides through San Fran. At Pier 39, you can see loads of Sea Lions basking in the sun. 

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The biggest LGBTQ pride event in the country is in San Francisco and it just happened to be on Sunday when we were flying out of the city. There were rainbow flags flying everywhere. According to our lyft driver, anything goes and the police just let people do their thing. He said after last year's parade, he cleaned glitter out of his car for a month. 🤣

To transport around the city, you can use public transportation called MUNI buses, cable cars, or trolleys. We did a combination of the public transport and Uber/Lyft. We debated buying the three day pass for the public transport for $33/ person the first day, but didn't think we'd get the value out of it. We just purchased single MUNI rides and a one day unlimited trolley pass for $22/person. After all our transport costs, we should have just paid for the three day pass because it would have come out a little bit cheaper. You live...you learn. Here's my advice, either stay within walking distance of Pier 39/Fisherman's Wharf, or buy the three day transport pass. 

That evening, we ventured down to Ghirardelli Square to eat dinner and enjoy a $14 sundae. Yes, you read that correctly. FOURTEEN DOLLARS! Ghirardelli originated in this area. 

Day Three

Golden Gate and Sausalito. 

We used a Groupon to get a discounted rate on a full day bike rental. Biking across the Golden Gate was a bucket list item for me. It was exhilarating and amazing and beautiful. And a little bit scary. Those lifestyle cyclists are SERIOUS about some cycling and you better get the HECK out of their way. There's two side lanes on the bridge. During the week, bicycles and pedestrians are allowed to go together, but on Saturday bicycles are restricted to one side and pedestrians are restricted to the other. We biked about 10 miles altogether. Once we rode into Sausalito, we ate at Napa Valley Burger Company. Wow. Probably the best burger I've ever had. We were able to ferry back to SF with our bikes in tow. 

Arriving on the ferry from Sausalito

What an amazing trip. If going to San Fran isn't on your list of must-sees, you should add it. It's a city full of history and culture and breathtaking views throughout. I'm adding it to the top of my favorite places list.

2016 in review

January
We started off 2016 with a humongous snow...snowmageddon '16 if you will. All of AJ's family came to our house and we got to sled and have a lot of fun! Definitely a perk of living on a hill.

Mommy celebrated turning the big 3-0! I was a little apprehensive. I felt like all of my exciting life milestones are over...and my kids are just getting older. Debbie Downer...I know. But I've moved on! One of the things I wanted to do for my bday was an escape game with some friends. Wish granted!

February
We had lots of fun indoor playtime to help pass along the cold, dreary winter days.

March

The sign of sunny days ahead and celebrating our risen savior. I absolutely LOVE Easter. When Cora got to participate in palm Sunday, it brought tears to my eyes. Another plus is that it's the only time of the year AJ will wear whatever I pick out for him. He actually agreed to a bow tie this year! What will I come up with next?!

April

We started of the month with taking a quick Spring Break trip to Great Wolf  Lodge. We had SOO much fun. And we learned Owen is as much of a thrill seeker as big sis! He would go down the water slides on his belly. We were so surprised!

We were so excited for Cora to play her first organized sport. Welp. That quickly fizzled. Turns out, Cora liked the idea of soccer more than actually playing soccer. She was even on a team with several of her best buds! We eventually had to ban all family members from coming to games because she just wanted to sit on the sidelines and watch with family instead of being watched by family. We won't be playing soccer anytime soon. But she did look super cute in that little uniform...pouty face and all. 

Also in April, we attended Daniel Tiger Live. This was Cora's first public performance and she did great. She's never been interested in sitting still for very long, she prefers to be doing something...so that's why we waited so long for her to attend something like this. She's a pro, now! In case you aren't familiar with Daniel Tiger, it's a show on PBS that is an animated version mirrored after Mr. Roger's neighborhood. It's so cute!

May

I got to celebrate Mother's Day.We always attend church and get together with our families. Here's a picture outside Rafferty's Restaurant where we took Mom out to eat for dinner. 

June

This was a really exciting month! We made lots of memories and were busy, busy, busy. First off, Cora reappeared as flower girl for the 2nd time in my cousin Cory's wedding. We were so excited for her to be apart of this, Cory and I were thick as thieves growing up and he's like a brother to me. 

June 7, AJ and I celebrated eight long loving years of marriage.  😂 I joke, but I couldn't imagine doing this life without him. We make a great team and he works so hard to provide for our family. He's a better Daddy than I could have ever imagined, and our children think he hung the moon. 

 

Next up, my cousin Brynn got married in Omaha, Nebraska. This was Owen's first long road trip. It was a LONG drive. BUT, I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I've never seen Brynn so happy in my entire life. Cora was supposed to be flower girl for the third time, but she wasn't feeling it. Luckily, there was another flower girl! 

While we were in Omaha, we visited the Henry Doorly Zoo which is among the top zoos in the U.S. It was incredibly hot which means my gorillas children were not cooperative for a cute picture. 

We also walked along the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge which was pretty cool because right in the middle is the Iowa/ Nebraska line and it hovers the Missouri river. Owen thought the boats were neat. And it was a tad windy. This is where I got a picture of AJ walking with the kids for his cute Father's day gift. 

Going home from Omaha to Bowling Green, you drive straight through St. Louis. We spent a night there and went to the Magic House. There were lots of different hands on things to do. The kids really had a lot of fun.  

Father's Day we celebrated by spending time with our families. Here's picture of my dad with the kids outside Mariah's Restaurant where we took him out for dinner. 

Finally, we finished up the month with our first trip to the beach in 4 years! Being able to witness my children see something as wondrous as the ocean for the first time is something I hope I never forget. Cora warmed right up and Owen took a little bit. Owen loved to play in the sand and Cora loved to play in the ocean. It was hard to get her to come inside because she loved it SO much!

July

We celebrated the 4th with our friend fam. Cora and Owen loved the fireworks and even got to do some by themselves!

A summer tradition we started several years ago is an annual trip to Holiday World. Cora and Owen love rides of all kinds!

August

While the appearance of school supplies causes my heart to do a little flip, it always makes me so sad to say goodbye to lazy, sunshine filled days with my kiddos! I started my 9th year of teaching!

Cora and Owen got back into their routine of attending preschool 2 days a week. Owen in the 2 year old room and Cora in the 4 year old room. 

September
We didn't have a lot going on this month, but I remember snapping this shot of Owen loving on Wrigley. He's such a loving child. He has very good manners and will be so sweet. Don't get me wrong, he has quite the little temper, but that's only when the toddler monster takes over. One of my favorite stories is how I was rocking him one night, and he leaned up and whispered in my ear "I Wuv You" which in turn caused me to melt in my chair. By the way, this relationship is completely one sided.

I got to relive my middle school years with a spontaneous trip to Louisville, with my sister cousin, Kristen on a school night {gasp!} to see the Dixie Chicks in concert. I even made it to work on time the next day. {Go me!}

 Cora started her dance mix class at Starz Elite. After her first class she said "that was so fun!" During her 45 minute class, she does tap, ballet, and tumbling. I'm hoping she'll get to have a recital in the Spring of '17!

October

Cue the start of a VERY busy season. We started off this month with a Fall Break trip to Gatlinburg with our friend fam. There were 8 adults and 8 children ages 4 and under in the same cabin for 4 nights. We had a lot of laughs and fun, but naps and bedtime were miserable interesting. Haha! I love my village. We didn't get ONE picture of the entire group...only one of the kids...and this is as good as it gets with 8 yahoos. 

We always take a trip to Jackson's every year. It's not Fall until you've had an apple turnover and an apple slush. My little Picassos got to pick out pie pumpkins from the pumpkin patch.

Cora loves watching Peppa Pig, so when we found out Peppa Pig Live was coming to the Skypac, we had to get tickets. We had a mommy date night with a couple of her gal pals. 

For part of Cora's upcoming birthday, she was surprised with a trip to Nashville to visit the American Girl store, indulge in some Cheesecake Factory, and see Disney on Ice Princess edition. 

 October 30 my big girl turned 4 years old! I can't believe how fast these years have flown by. We celebrated her birthday Frozen style at Cheerville and she played so hard! All her little friends had a blast!

Finally, {October Continued,,,shew!} we trick-or-treated and trunk-or-treated and accumulated enough candy to last an entire year. I will always let my kiddos choose what they want to be dressed as, and this year Cora wanted to be a skunk. Strange request, I know. However, she saw a skunk in the field by our house a couple times and there was a Wild Kratt skunk episode which started a slight obsession. She was the cutest little skunk I've ever seen. And an added bonus is that she doesn't stink. And I was really proud of how her costume turned out. Owen loves all modes of transportation, so we thought he might like to be a pilot. AJ really impressed me with his costume fabrication and made Owen an airplane after seeing a picture I found online. Too bad it was like 110 degrees on Halloween and Owen could hardly wear any of his costume. {womp womp}

November

On November 1st, we celebrated Daddy-o turning 31! We had a fire and roasted marshmallows but for some reason I have no pictures of this night. #mommyfail 

I live for holidays because I love food spending time with family!! For Thanksgiving, we always have lunch with AJ's family and supper with my family. Did I mention I love food spending time with family?! Seriously, how cute are my little turkeys??

December

We kickoff this month with my little guy turning 2! This kid...he has this momma wrapped around his itty bitty pinky... with those long lashes and that sweet little grin. My favorite part of his birthday are the pictures taken while we sang Happy Birthday to him. Little ham. 

The following weekend we traveled with my family to Illinois to see my cousin Katie get married. [2016...the year of cousins getting married 😉] We were overjoyed to get to spend time with this side of my family. Everything was absolutely magical and everything you imagine a wedding to be. Owen proved yet again that he is all boy and determined to make me completely gray. In our hotel he tripped and landed on an air vent along the bottom of the wall. Unfortunately, his nose broke his fall. We immediately thought he broke his nose, and still aren't certain that it's not. He felt awful and slept through the whole reception. Illinois was not kind to my little buddy, but he took it like a champ. 

A Christmas tradition we started several years ago was Breakfast w/ Santa at Chaney's Dairy Barn. It's become one of my favorite things we do. Plus, added bonus, it's delicious. Cora wasn't a big fan of Santa last year, but this year, she was singin' a different tune. We tell her that this is just a pretend Santa and that she will never see the real Santa because he is magic. As for Owen, I'm not sure he'll ever like Santa. He's not too fond of strangers. But that makes for a classic picture. 

Another tradition is that my high school girlfriends get together every year for an ornament exchange. We all buy an ornament and then play dirty Santa. We've done so for the past seven years and this was the second year I was the hostess. Our group has grown by a number of tiny feet since the first one. 

Last, but certainly not least, Christmas. Everything about Christmas is magical. I used to think Christmas was amazing, and then I got to experience Christmas as a parent. There aren't even words to describe the joy that I get from seeing the light in my babies' eyes. My favorite quote comes from Miss Cora upon seeing their 'big' Santa gift (an outdoor trampoline) "How did he even get that down here??" I love being able to tell our children about our Savior being born and how that night changed the world. I love singing silent night at church on Christmas Eve, and I love the season of advent leading up to the big day! 

As I sat here composing this blog and reflected upon this year, I don't know what I did to have such a richly blessed life. I certainly am not deserving, However, I'm so grateful to God because he is the reason for it all. I pray to grow in my faith throughout the coming year, to utter words of positivity every single day of the year, to build up those around me, and to serve as many of my brothers and sisters in Christ as I can manage. Here's to 2017 and all it has in store.