San Francisco

A couple of weekends ago we went to San Francisco for one of my best friend's weddings. We made a real trip out of it, and invited the whole family along for the fun! It was an absolute blast! We drove through the night on Thursday and stayed at my aunt and uncle's house in the Sacramento area before heading out to the city by the bay with: the Mitchells, the Fosters, the Openshaws, and us! What a group!

When we arrived in SF the weather was perfect - a rare treat there and we took full advantage! We rented bikes (yes, all 15 of us!) and rode across the Golden Gate Bridge.
The two youngest were sure adorable in their little helmets. The rest of us.... not so much! ;)

Talk about a serious biker gang! Wow! You can imagine what the REAL bikers thought when they saw us coming! YIKES!

We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather and scenery!

Libby was as content as could be in her little trailer. Just munching away and loving life - sans helmet, but don't tell! :)

For a part of the trip I even got to ride on the back of the tandem with Mark. Boy was that an experience! Let's just say... he's cRaZy!

When Brad and I had to head back on the ferry for the rehearsal dinner, the rest of the gang hung around Sausalito for a bit. When they got back later that afternoon Libby got some beach time in! Here she is just loving her Uncle Eric - how cute!

The reason for the trip - the wedding! It was at the Flood Mansion right in the heart of the city and both the view and venue were incredible!

They had some really fun things at the wedding, too. This one was something I'd never even heard of before - an ice luge! I guess it's a drinker's dream come true, unfortunately we never got to try it out. They also had vuvenzelas for everyone (the loud horn things people blow at the World Cup). It was pretty hilarious to watch everyone blowing away on them!

Emily! I love this girl! It was so fun to share in this amazing day with her! I am so happy for her and Jan and was honored to be a part of it all!

On Sunday, we decided to hit up the Palace of Fine Arts before commencing the long drive home. Perfect weather again (man, are we lucky or what?!) for a trip through an amazing part of SF I'd never seen before.

On the long drive home, Libby got to stop and pick out a little pumpkin, just her size. I think it's safe to say that she thought the trip was a success. Thanks to all my family that made it possible! We love you!

She's Seriously Walking Now

Though this post is long overdue (almost a month!), here's a short video of when she first started REALLY walking. It's been non-stop since, let me tell ya! She went from a step or two here and there to full fledged sprinting! Toddler-hood, we have arrived!

Day Trip to Catalina Island

Thanks to Rosh Hashana, I had a random Thursday off of work the week of our anniversary so I convinced Brad to play hookie and spend a fun day together - just the two of us. My mom was nice enough to watch Libby all day, so we took full advantage and headed to Catalina Island. One of my former YW works for the ferry and got us free passes (normally $70 each!), so we couldn't pass it up! It was just what we needed! ;)

We left a very overcast and cold Newport Beach...
...and arrived about an hour and a half later in the city of Avalon. Wow! What a gorgeous day!

This is one of the many adorable little hotels they have in the city.

We rented some mountain bikes and spent all day cruising around the adorable little town.

We rode our bikes up to the Wrigley Memorial monument - a harder ride than we anticipated, but what a blessing gears are! We are so used to our own little beach cruisers with only three gears, that the concept of anything more than three was mind-blowing!

Brad the lion-lover.

We had lunch overlooking the harbor and it was fantastic! Good food, amazing view, and unbeatable company!

We rode over to Descanso Beach for a bit and actually got to fall asleep on the shore for a little while. Can't even remember the last time I got to go to the beach and didn't have to be on constant baby-alert. It was soooooo relaxing and wonderful!

Once we rode up to the Memorial, we decided to hike the rest of the way up to the top of the island. We reached the peak where we could see the water on both sides and enjoyed some little snacks we had packed.

This is the "far side" of the island. Pictures don't do it justice, but the water color was absolutely gorgeous down there!

From the top looking down on Avalon.

We finished off the afternoon enjoying some ice cream on the pier.

Regretably, we had to load back on the ferry at 4:30 and our day in paradise came to an abrupt end. It was the perfect day - if only it had lasted longer! We fell in love with Catalina and can't wait to go back and maybe stay a bit longer next time.

An Angels Anniversary...Again!

If you end up doing something two years in a row, does that make it a tradition? If so, we've started a new one. We took Libby to the Angel game for our anniversary. Very romantic, I know! But we did something romantic a few days later (I'll post soon, don't worry!). Romantic or not, it sure was fun!

Is she cute, or what?!
We arrived almost an hour late, paid for the cheapest seats possible (and with a buy one get one free coupon), and then headed straight to the field level good seats. What a way to do it! This is a shot of our pretty great seats - not bad if you ask me!

Two of the Angels' greatest fans.

Once the crowds started clearing out, Libby took over the place. She loved cruising our row and finding all sorts of treasures!

What a great night at Angel Stadium!

That's our cutie!

Baby Hawk

Though all the students at my school like to refer to the Freshman as "Baby Hawks", Libby showed up to show them the real deal. She's a little Hawk through and through!

Here we are at the first football game of the season. She was staring at "Johnny Hawk" during this picture...see below to understand the face.
My good friend, Annie is the Cheer advisor and decided to give Libby a personal introduction to Johnny Hawk. As you can see, it did NOT go well!

After some coaxing, and from behind his back, Libby finally "made contact" with Johnny. Even that was pushing it.

Once we were up in the stands, she relaxed a bit, but still insisted on serious faces for pictures. That little bum!

She sure loves her daddy, loves the great outdoors, and loves the crowds. She thought all those wild teenagers were sure interesting! We'll be back for more, I'm sure.

Some New Libby Favorites

Just a few random pictures of the cutest girl alive! No bias, of course!

Priceless!
We've been trying out some new hairdos now that she's a "toddler". Not much of a ponytail, but we're trying!

Libby loves the kitchen!

This is one of our favorite things she does now - it's her very own drive-thru. The kitchen gadget drawer is always her #1 choice, and now she's managed to combine it with her riding toy. Two favorites in one - what could be better?!?

Opening her birthday card from Lowell. What a cutie!

Bachelorette Party Weekend in Santa Cruz

One of my best friends all growing up, Emily is getting married in a month so a bunch of her HS and college friends got together for a weekend in Santa Cruz to celebrate. We rented a house just two blocks from the beach and had a blast. It was my first time leaving Libby overnight, so I was a bit nervous, but it was so fun and I'm so glad I went!

This was the EKO Bachelorette Party group. (It was "early" in the morning on our way for a little walk to the beach where we got to experience first hand the "Ukelele Club of Santa Cruz" - apparently the biggest one in the world!)
A picture of our darling little house! It was soooo cute! Quirky, but definitely cute.

My cute bed - my roommate, Celia and I had a great time together.

After getting cleaned up, we all decided to walk to the Greek Festival that was going on downtown. This is the LH contingent - friends since Elementary School - how fun to be together again!

I even managed to sneak in some one-on-one time with the guest of honor! I attribute it solely to the convertible my mom let me borrow (thanks, Mom!). We went for a little drive along the coast and cruised the boardwalk for a bit. I love Em and I am so glad I got to spend time with her!

Emily was totally embarrassed by my tourist-ness, but honestly, how could I pass this up?!?

When we got back from our little adventure, the troops were ready for the festivities!

While the rest of the group was hitting it hard (ok, not really, but compared to me), Joanna made me my own "mocktail" that was fantastic! Everyone was eager to try a sample and all thought I got a pretty good drink out of the whole experience. Thanks, Baby Jo - cocktail waitress extraordinaire!

The next morning we lounged around for awhile before I decided I'd better hit the road when everyone else went shopping. Julie joined me for one last cruise along the coast before I had to go. It was GORGEOUS weather and I totally fell in love with Santa Cruz!

I missed Brad and my baby girl a ton, but I can't wait to bring them back and show them around. It was super fun to catch up with old friends, meet some new ones, and enjoy some "girl time" that was totally different from my regular life. Can't wait for the wedding! :)