San Francisco

got and awesome gift/opportunity to visit SF while my inlaws watched the kid. so so thankful... my randoms :

SF could be renamed the land of skinny jeans.

All the stores by Fisherman's Wharf hocked sweatshirts. I bet they sell a lot of them too. Evenings were chilly.

Lots of people! Maybe I thought I'd get a slow paced, leisurely trip, but I was kidding myself. Well, it was spring break after all. So there were lots of lines/waits for everything. You kind of needed to have that walmart parking lot mentality. lots of times we had to stand on the streetcars but after walking all day you wanted to sit. :b

Pretty kid friendly town. 

3 categories of trash - trash, recycling and compost. it made me nervous..hahaha. i was afraid to mess up. i don't think of paper plates as compost, though. yeah, I couldn't sort quickly. at least there were people digging through the trash in the touristy areas. i think they were fishing out recyclables.

Many many Ghiradelli samples. Why buy when you can keep going and getting chocolate squares for free?

Red shirt story - my flannel shirt which was fraying... had also touched one too many airport bathroom floors and etc.. so i just left it in a bathroom in sonoma. the trash can was a big basket so i put it in the basket.. while sitting on a bench nearby, i watched a lady leave the bathroom with it.. and that just amused me. Wash it first!

Friday: travel to inlaws and get S situated, get back home.

Saturday: early start, travel for us. Fishermans Wharf, visiting the sea lions by Pier 39, arcade museum, in-n-out, ghiradelli sundae, walk to the crooked part of Lombard Street, Boudin bread snack.

Sunday: church in the mission, cherry blossom festival in Japantown, where we ate meat on a stick. Benihana lunch, walk through financial district, the gap, jamba juice, bubba gump

Monday: the hilliness of getting to Muir Woods, crossing the golden gate bridge, extreme pizza in san rafael, sonoma, my red shirt story, napa, accidental visit to Livermore (we told siri berkeley. yeah. quite a deviation. thx apple), ate at a taqueria in livermore and went to Berkeley, saw a little of the campus there and crossed the Bay Bridge. 

Tuesday: rode a cable car, Chinatown and Chinese food, Walked along Golden Gate Bridge, sat at starbucks, visited rob's cousin, we ate at a mexican place in the mission and had pie at Mission Pie

Wednesday: USS Pampanito, boudin, alcatraz, ate at westfield mall/sarku and starbucks to use up my gift card, muni to giants game, in-n-out

Thursday: Ghiradelli square, buy some food for the trip back at the uber walgreens, back home

some August

thankful for
-my will to live? that i haven't given up. maybe i'm stronger than i think? sometimes you see moments of sad, but you are glad you're a survivor. not explaining myself well :b
-new life and the 4 (at least 4) pregnant moms who are making it happen.
-a surprisingly nice time at a car show in sterling. nice family time.
-a dad's pride in his son - soccer
-sisters in Christ doing the fellowship thing
-beauty in color. fun time painting. SJ's baby born today. thankful for MOPS. you are a life saver!

thankful for sweet friends who are willing to hang out. thankful for S's reaction to shenandoah caverns and happy to see he likes fireworks. thankful that i've grown a little in mothering. it's hard to explain, but i'm not that lady who is crying every day.. honestly i can't remember when i stopped. that first year was tough, for sure. thankful for a thing called forgiveness.

thankful I can use some talents for another round of the MOPS consignment sale. thankful I don't always win the ebay auctions i bid on. thankful to see people smile when they've been down so long.
thankful for my dad. happy birthday! thankful for my husband and in-laws for being sweet people. thankful for Hilda - you blessed quite a few people in your 83 years. Hope you know that. Enjoy heaven :)

Tuesday 5/28 thankful for the boy sleeping in
Wed 5/29  i am thankful for antibiotics
5/30 thankful for friends willing to lend a helping hand
5/31 thankful that the rest of the family avoided strep.

6/8 thankful the parents got home safely after a month in other countries
6/9 hey i've dated my dude for 12 years today!
6/10 happy kid
6/11 nice to see some mom friends while kids play
6/12 boy has a great smile
6/13 thankful that very often the good outweighs the bad

thankful for VBS and the volunteers that do it out of the goodness of their hearts, thankful for that little bit of time and thankful for my husband. thankful for friends getting married and starting that new journey! congrats mel! i never call you that, but may your love be the gift that keeps on giving :) thankful that S is more responsive to teachers and drawing/writing up his own games. been reading "What Happens When Woman Say Yes to God" and it's very challenging (ain't gonna lie :b) but thankful to hear it.

sunday 5/19 happy to have made 4 more bucks selling my cubs pitcher.
5/20 we watched a recording of Mad Men, where most of the guys got an energy shot in the butt. Goofiness ensues. Thanks for the laugh.
5/21 thankful to see S blowing bubbles and really doing a good job (it's hard to explain how to blow. he was doing a fffff sound with his lips almost closed, which didn't always work out, but he is learning to open up.) happy for the MOPS leadership kick-off meeting
w 5/22 thankful for air conditioning. and pat myself on the back for vacuuming twice in one month.
5/23 happy R took S to school this morning. last day of school with all the sweet stuff that goes with that. thankful for the teachers that made this year so great. he's really sprouted in school.
5/24 thankful for fellowship with a few ladies this morning. i finally made that copy cat recipe of cracker barrel hash brown casserole. it is so good. so good.
5/25 summer kick off carnival in my neighborhood, with fireworks. we got a fabulous view and S loved them!
5/26 the pastor got to baptize his daughter and I bet that was awesome for him and his wife. he also sang with the band, which was a first. fun stuff!
5/27 Memorial Day! we went to six flags america since i won that auction for 2 tickets.  then ate at chili's with gift card. both things we haven't done since S was born. thankful for you all that serve!!

Yesterday we got to use one of R's birthday gift cards & go to Longhorn. Steakhouse burger, mmm.. Thanks for a yummy, food coma inducing lunch!

yesterday i was thankful that i could read a book while S ran amok at the bounce house. and for the flowers that have somehow managed to grow on our little plot of land.