Girls' Trip

My mom and I took our first girls’ trip ever for just the two of us, and it was so much fun!  I didn’t realize how much more we could enjoy each others company when we didn’t have the responsibilities of children or husbands.  I am certain this will become an annual thing for us!

We flew into San Francisco and spent the first day and a half in Menlo Park, where Mike and I lived when we first got married and he was getting his Ph.D. from Stanford.  It was almost emotional for me to be back there, especially since it was the first time since moving to Texas in 2011.  We shared our first apartment there, I had my first job after graduating from college, started my personal training business, Amelia was born, we bought our pug Lucy, and Noah started preschool.  So many wonderful memories!  For the most part not much has changed, it was still as magical as I remembered.  It was fun to go there with my mom – because my dad was deployed during our first year there, she would visit us about one weekend a month, so she knew just how neat of a town it is.

 

Our old apartment, we had the second floor, all 700 sq feet.

Our dear friends, the Begovic family, were gracious enough to let us stay with them and feed us some amazing food and drink (Bakir even served us some 150-year old port)!  I wish I could have stayed longer since I didn’t get to see everyone I was hoping to, but that gives me reason to go back soon.

Cutest bunny ever.

Noah was so sad that I got to see his girlfriend, Azra and he didn't!

Laying by the pool at the Rosewood Hotel, a little slice of heaven.

 

1861!

First time my mom tried port.

The next morning, we headed up to Napa to see my friend Megan and her mom, Cindy.  Megan and I have been friends since 2^nd grade, and my Mom and Cindy meet the first month we moved to Utah in 1992.  They are the type of friends where you can pick up a conversation from where you last left off, no matter how long it’s been since you’ve last seen them.  Megan gave us a tour of Continuum, the winery of her father-in-law, Tim Mondavi.  There aren’t words to describe how beautiful it all was, which is why I’ve included so many photos.

The next morning, after a much-needed great night’s sleep, we woke up early and headed to Berkeley.  We went to one of our favorite restaurants, Rick & Ann’s; it’s in a beautiful part of Berkeley, right across from the Claremont Hotel.  Breakfast is, hands down, my mom’s and my favorite meal, so we indulged and ordered three entrees between the two of us.  After breakfast, we drove across the Bay Bridge into San Francisco.  I absolutely LOVE San Francisco!  Mike and I hope one day to move back there when the kids are older.  

I had a list of all my favorite shops and bakeries I needed to see during our one day there.  With all the walking we did, it was a good thing we had such a large breakfast.  By 11:30am, we were standing in line outside Tartine, the best bakery EVER!  I couldn’t wait to have the bread pudding that I had been dreaming of for the last four years.  After checking into our hotel, we headed to the Ferry Building to do some shopping.  Since I always pack way too many shoes when I go on trips, I had limited room on what I could bring back, but I still managed to find gifts for Mike and the kids.

Banana Cream Pie and Bread Pudding with seasonal fruit.

Golden Boys Pizza, Noah and my favorite!

Ferry building

View of the bay bridge from our hotel room.

On that last night, we met Megan and Cindy for dinner at a neat restaurant called State Bird Provisions.  I highly recommend trying it if you are in the area, but make sure to make a reservation well in advance.  The dishes are shared plate style, so we were able to try a lot of different dishes.  I even got my mom to try pork belly and steak tartare.

My mom and I were able to squeeze in one last breakfast in the airport before our flights left.  It seemed appropriate to end the trip with one last yummy meal together.  It was such a fun-filled weekend that I actually was able to fall asleep on the plane ride home . . . something that never happens.  I can’t wait until next time!

Trick-or-Treat 2014

This year we didn’t do a family costume theme – everyone just kind of went their own way, but I love how all the costumes turned out!  This was the first year Max really got into trick-or-treating.  He wasn’t so much into the candy, but he loved chasing his sister door to door and knocking.  Noah was a pug farmer for part of the night, but the pug mask was almost impossible to see out of, so he switched to a scary mask.  He had a great time trick-or-treating with friends.

The week before, we took the kids to Mike’s work for trick-or-treating, which they always love.  They had a face painter, a balloon guy, as well as yummy pizza and cookies.  The next night, Mike and I went to our friends’ party – I was dressed up as Ellen DeGeneres when she joked about being in Nicki Minaj’s video Anaconda; Mike was her hot gardener, Nick.

 

Our cul-de-sac had our annual pumpkin carving.  Thank goodness for the older kids helping with the younger ones, because all us parents seem pretty tuckered out. 

 

Amelia dressed as "Else" for her school Halloween party.

Noah dressed up as a greaser for Red Ribbon week.

And, last but not least, we enjoyed watching the San Francisco Giants become the World Series Champions once again!