San Francisco Trip

Before we knew we would be going to Texas we decided to plan a fun vacation in San Francisco after Joe's wedding. If we had known we would have already been on a month long trip in a hotel, we probably would have been happy to just come home. As it was, we were tempted to cancel our reservations, but we decided to see it through and have a good experience. I am so glad we did. We had a lovely time.

When we woke up the day after Joe's wedding, Ross and I were both sick. So very, very sick. We had both been feeling the effects of a cold the day before, but had fought through everything that needed to be done with prayer, Emergen-C and plain old denial. On Father's Day morning, we could no longer deny what our bodies had been trying to tell us. In a way, I am glad. In the planning phase of this trip, we had tried to pack in everything we possibly could in our extra four days. Our inability to do anything without collapsing made those plans impossible. Instead of running around to all the tourist locations, we spent most of our time relaxing on the beach, which just happened to be steps away from our hotel room.

We had opted to stay in a hotel right on the beach in a smaller town south of San Francisco. It was amazing. Pacifica was beautiful and I want to go back! The relaxation was just what we needed, and I have not felt so peaceful or close to God. If I were a good blogger, I would separate all the pictures into different posts, but that just seems far too much of a hassle for me, so they are all here for your viewing or skipping pleasure.

 Since we were both sick, it was OK to be all kissy.

 This was the view from our room. So amazing! The hotel was old and there were no laundry facilities, but I would go there again in a heart beat!

 Sara got a stomach bug one night. We were nice and dragged her to the beach anyway. She said she liked listening to the waves and they helped her tummy feel better.

 I love him. I'm glad he's mine.

 Emma collected lots of rocks for Grandpa Jones. They got a bit heavy.

 Lunch friends...

 Jelly fish

 His diapers were amazing. So much sand!

 We wandered through the cute little town and loved the Christmas shop. We also saw these cool trees with spiky flowers. I tried to pick one and it attacked me. It took a long time to get all the stuff out of my hair.

 I never wanted to leave!

 We got dinner at a hole in the wall Mexican place that was amazing. Just down the street from there was this fishing pier, so we had to take a look.

 It was a bit chilly with the wind and we hadn't expected this adventure, so we all wrapped up in various blankets from the car.

 This boy loved that room service kept replacing this fun toy. I kept hoping they would catch a hint since I kept putting the box on the counter. Instead, we ended up with about 8 boxes of tissue to take home.

 We also made sure that all those tissues got used since Ross and I were both sneezing and oozing like crazy. We are environmentally conscious like that.

 This was a nice foot spa for me. Emma dug me a hole for my feet. When the waves went too long without filling it back up, Emma would take matters into her own hands.

 One day we decided to head to Pier 39. It wasn't a weekend, so we knew the crowds wouldn't be crazy. It was fun, but exhausting. This picture was as we were leaving. Emma got chilly so stole Luke's extra sweater. She also had to have that sticker from her new shirt.

 Sara's outfit was also something interesting. She had thrown up in the car ride down and her pants were soaked. The only extra bottoms we had in the car at the moment were Luke's too big church pants. Thankfully, Sara's little bum is skinny enough to squeeze into them. Our plan was to purchase some shorts or pants as soon as we could. We felt certain one of the souvenir shops would have something. We were wrong. Sara said she thought the outfit was cute even if it was uncomfortable. I am so glad our kids can just roll with the punches like that.

 Puppet display.

 Looking at Alcatraz. Emma thought is was Azkaban. I have done my mothering job well, thank you very much!

 We got lunch at the Crab House. It was amazing. It was the priciest meal of the trip since it was right off the pier, but it was a fun experience and the best crab I have ever had.

 Emma drew a picture of her favorite sailboat docked at the pier.

 The kids loved all these little guys.

 With everything we saw that day, this is what Jack loved the most. Funny boy!

 Here is an aerial shot of our hotel that I stole from the internet. It really was fabulous. I would recommend it to everyone. It wasn't new or fancy or even very nice inside, but the location could not be beat. We slept with the balcony door open and the screen closed so that we could sleep with the sound and smell of the ocean. I loved how isolated it was while still being within 20 minutes of all the amenities we needed.

The day after our pier adventure, we got in the car and drove home. It was a great trip, but we were so happy to be home and out of that blasted van. I love my family and I love how fun they are to travel with. That being said, I also love my home.