Sunday, May 25, 2008

Loving California!

Yesterday afternoon we left for California!  It has been a long time since we have had a vacation, and we decided to combine a visit to see my brother (who is finishing his PhD. at Berkeley) with a little vacay of our own.  We have tried to visit my brother since he moved to Berkeley 2 years ago, so it was thrilling to earn 2 free tickets and finally find the time to travel. My mom and dad kindly dropped us off at the airport and are taking care of our four-legged little one while we are gone.  
We hit the ground running (well, rolling on the plane :) and started sight-seeing immediately.  It was 5:30 California time, 7:30 our normal time.  The first thing we did was drove down the crooked street in San Francisco.  I loved looking at all the pretty houses-SO different from ours in Texas!-and also enjoyed the huge incline we drove on to get to the top of the road.  I am still amazed at the drivers who have to park their cars on this ramp of a street!
The crooked Lombard street, view going down

Then we headed to dinner.  Jeff has a favorite restaurant that overlooks the ocean.  On the way to eat, we got a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset...

Dinner at the Cliff House by the ocean...


This morning we had brunch at a delicious little restaurant, Sunny Side Cafe.  I had the most amazing french toast with peanut butter cream cheese and grilled bananas on top, yum!  I would eat here every weekend if I could!  Delish!

This afternoon we walked around campus and visited the Sather Tower.  The view from the top was amazing, and we even got to hear part of a bell concert as we toured.  

View from the tower

Huge bells in the tower
We also got to tour Jeff's research lab and see some incredible microscopes.  This one is worth somewhere between 3-4 million dollars!  That just blows my mind!  I can hardly believe he gets to work with such amazing equipment--it is right up his alley.  Jeff will finish his PhD this year and then return to Rice/Baylor in Houston to finish his M.D.  He has worked so hard; I am so proud of him.  It has been such a treat to spend time with him and his precious girlfriend Sara.  We are so excited to see them again at the end of this week!

No doubt one of my favorite things all day was our visit to the Rose Garden.  I have never seen so many roses so beautifully displayed.  It was incredible!  We walked around and stopped to smell as many roses as we could...the fragrance was lovely.

Berkeley Rose Garden
A few of the beauties




Jeff and Sara
Clowning around
Tomorrow we leave for the valley to spend a few days in Napa and Sonoma.  I can't wait to see that part of the country!  Wednesday we are going to Muir Woods to see the ginormous trees and hike a bit.

Did I mention the weather here is incredible?  We left 90 degree temperatures and arrived to 60.  The day warms up a bit, and the nights are chilly.  We love cold weather and are savoring every bit.
  
As for the fitness challenge, we walked 5 miles today around Berkeley, so I think we are going to make it.  44 miles down, 6 to go!

10 comments:

Kelly said...

oh - ya'll are having SUCH a fun trip! I hope it continues..........
I love all the pictures!

Katie said...

Yay! I am so glad you were able to get away. It looks like you are getting the rest, relaxation and fun that you need.

BTW, I am loving your new, shorter hair cut (and of course, the bangs :)

Miss you friend!

Katie

Kim and Eric said...

Yes, love the hair. So glad that y'all are having a wonderful time on your much deserved trip! Enjoy each moment! Love and miss you, Kim

Jaime said...

I love the hair too...it's super cute! Glad y'all are having a good time.

Charla (SHar-la) said...

Sounds grand! My parents just got back a few weeks ago from a week long trip to San Francisco and they LOVED it! They are ready to go back! Wish we were with you!!!

A Konzelman said...

So glad to see you guys getting away and enjoying YOUR time! Aaron's parents were just in California last week and were raving about the temp. Have a great rest of your trip! love ya!

M & M said...

Sounds fantastic!!!
And what could be a better place to put in the rest of the fitness miles?!

I hope you post the rest of your pictures when you get back...these ones are great!

Chris & Amanda said...

Mama! Thanks again for the personalized pic. Can't wait to see you this summer. Love you.

Nicki W. said...

you are just looking amazing these days!

Rusty and Jennifer said...

Thanks so much for your comment! I have followed your blog too! It's a crazy small blog world!