Family Vacation #4 - San Francisco

Okay! To continue on our awesome family vacation...San Francisco!!!! This post is a bit picture happy (And thanks to my friend Meesha for teaching me to save with lower pixels..it didn't take ALL day to upload!) Ben grew up mostly in Northern California, so this was his trip to introduce us to all the places he had visited as a child. It was so fun to hear the memories his family had made in this beautiful area. After a delightful sleep and a lazy morning, we started our day with the Golden Gate Bridge. We toured Fort Point that was under the bridge before making the walk across it. (Okay...only half way...but still, pretty good with a toddler and hungry parents!)

I edited this in hopes to paint it...we'll see how that goes...

Here we go!

The following shots made my heart jump every time Traegon moved. I just love how he gets closer...closer....and closer! Ah! I never understood why my mom would get so freaked out when us kids would dangle our feet over the edge of the Grand Canyon.....that is...until now! Yikes!

This was also Ben's birthday week! I had surprised him with this Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives book for one of his birthday presents. We got to try out some delicious recommendations in the SF area! Thanks Guy Fieri! This particular lunch was some Corned Beef and Cabbage that was DELICIOUS!

Traegon had fallen asleep in the car-seat while Ben went to get our lunch. He woke up and wanted out, so I let him play in the back seat...and then...it was quiet....and I turned around and found this:

Too cute! I was worried about when Traegon would get naps during our trip, but he obviously figured out a way. Our next stop was the famous Victorian Style houses shown in the opening song of Full House! I absolutely loved that show when I was little and it was so fun to go see them. Quite a popular spot. Thankfully the park right across the street was awesome. My favorite thing was the shoe planters.  There were old shoes, new shoes, little shoes, big shoes....well...you get the idea...all with plants in them! Awesome! :) Ben loved the trees, as you can see, and Traegon loved the jungle gym/swings!

Need a flower pot? Don't worry, use your shoe!

Some crazy Victorian houses!

The above picture just makes me laugh. This is what I found when Ben was 'swinging' Traegon...One push...and nap time for Dad-da. Poor guy, all tuckered out after playing too much! :) I was also worried about how our 96 Chevy Lumina would make it on our trip....it was probably not the best idea to go up those steep streets! Luckily, the Lumina worked well and we made it safely to all our destinations. (Good job, Blue Goo!) We drove down classic streets like Haight-Ashbury and saw the famous cable-cars. Unfortunately, we didn't get to ride on one, but it was still fun to see. We ended our first day with a short hike to a scenic view of the city just in time for sunset. Beautiful!

Our second day in SF we decided to visit the Oakland Temple. We toured the grounds and Visitors Center. Ben's parents were sealed in this temple and came often while they lived in this area. The kids would babysit each other on the ground while his parents did work inside. Ben told many funny stories about walking through the fountain, playing in the stake center, sleeping on the cool granite benches. It was so lovely and peaceful, a nice change from the busy city.

This is where our trip gets a little ironic. We started the morning by going to visit the temple, a place of spirituality, families, and peace to then spend the afternoon visiting Alcatraz, a place where convicts were sent because of the severity of their crimes/murders. Hmm...anyone else find that funny? :) Traegon enjoyed the boat ride and watching the waves. Alcatraz tour was very interesting. I found it bizarre that tons of people walked around with the audio tour, but when you stood still and stopped the audio, it was extremely quiet and all you could hear was people shuffling around. A little creepy. Traegon wasn't a huge fan of this either and was quite fussy during our tour.

I love sail boats! I've been on one, and hated it, but I love to look at them! To end our day, we went to Pier 39! I absolutely loved the atmosphere here. We bought some souvenirs, walked around, and ate at Bubba Gump's for the most delicious seafood dinner!

For Katie!!! And you other left-handed people too!

Before leaving SF we had to drive down Lombard street! So awesome! Next up, Mendocino to relax :) On our way there, we passed many places Ben had lived and he had lots of memories to share on the drive. One of which, was the city he was born in, Rohnert Park!!!  So fitting since it was his birthday week! :)