California Knows How to Party: Graduation Edition

It is no big secret that we love to go to The Golden State. It is home to some of our favorite things. Disneyland, the beach, and of course, Addi, Blake, Max and Jack. So when it came time to choose a place for a short vacation to celebrate graduation I didn't have to think for long, and thanks to Addi's keen bargain-hunting skills, we were able to get plane tickets for a steal. So Andy jumped on it and off to San Francisco we went! Day 1: we went to the California Academy of Sciences, which was a new place for us (our tour guides are always mixing things up) and we played around the whole day!

We saw the aquarium, which was awesome, and ate outside to let the boys play for a little while. I'm not sure if Andy or the boys had more fun at lunch... After lunch, we saw Max's "moon" movie. We finished off the day at the Academy with the Rainforest area. Max made sure that he knew all of our favorite animals before we left.

Addi dropped us off at one of the stores I always make an effort to go to in SF-MAC!!! Andy was nice enough to humor me and wait while I got my make-up done.

After Blake got home from a long day at school, we went over to Ghirardelli for some yummy ice cream!

Day 2: we went to Max's favorite park to play around for the morning, and Blake met us for lunch. Then I rode my first cable car!

I can't believe in all our trips to SF I had never been on one. So we rode to Union for some shopping!

We spent longer than Andy wanted, I'm sure, in H&M, but that store is just WONDERFUL! And thanks to some graduation gifts and an H&M gift card, I went on a bit of a shopping spree! Blake picked us up for a hike to Tennessee Valley Beach, which was a really pretty hike. However, it was a lot longer than expected! They said it was only 3 miles round trip but I'm sure that was not the case. And poor Max was still really tired and fell a lot, including into the ocean when a wave crashed on him. But it was worth it! Maybe next time we'll have to bring a stroller...for Andy! And I guess it was good 1/2 marathon training. Blake is always looking out for us.

After that, all we could think about was food. Max had his mind set on pizza for his belly. Addi picked up some CPK for Max and we went to one of our favorites, Pacific Catch, for dinner. I'm not sure, but I think that the hike before dinner made it taste that much better! We finished off the day with some Phase 10 and a movie before bed. What a great day!

Day 3: we started the day off how every day should be started in my mind, with Mama's-the best breakfast place EVER!!! Where else would you wait in line for 1/2 hour to get breakfast? I wouldn't anywhere else, but those Monte Cristo sandwiches are more than worth the wait! And it didn't disappoint. After breakfast, we tried to walk to Point Bonita Lighthouse, but it wasn't open! We did see a seal in the bay, though, so that was pretty cool.

And then for lunch, Blake, Andy, Max and I went to the Crawfish boil. Someone at the dental school does this every year, apparently, and we were lucky enough to be there at the right time this year! I held one for a picture, but I couldn't bring myself to eat any of it. My stomach was at its limit just watching the boys eat. They said that it was good, though!

Blake dropped us off at the house after so we could nap while he went to work for a few hours, and when he got home we went for some REAL food: In-n-Out Burger. That place is so yummy! It was everything I'd hoped for and more. We decided that we would have a quiet night inside to get geared up for Day 4.

Day 4: While the rest of the crew went to church, Andy and I took advantage of a Mother's Day deal-all of the museums in the area were free! So with some google maps and the trusty accord Andy and I braved the streets of SF. We've been to the Legion of Honor several times to take pictures with the Thinker statue they have outside, but we have never actually been in! It was fun to go and look at all of the art that they have to offer.

After lunch at the house, we went with Blake and Max to the Exploratorium at the Palace of Fine Arts and played around with awesome science experiments. This is another place that we have been to several times, but never inside. Andy thinks it's physics heaven. So if you are a small child or a nerd like Andy, you would love the Exploratorium. And we did by the way!

After a deluxe dinner that Addi made, we went for some dessert at the Bi-rite, another new stop on our SF tour. It's an organic ice cream shop. Can I tell you, it may even rival Fenton's as our new favorite bay side ice cream joint! You haven't lived until you have tried salted carmel and roasted banana ice cream. And it just so happened we ran into who we thought was a celebrity. When we saw such a magnificent stache we thought it had to be Tom Selleck. But it just turned out to be Max covered in organic, non-dairy, low fat ice cream. (yes he chose for himself. He wanted to make sure no one else wanted to share his cone...and it worked. But he seemed to like it.) Evan would be so proud. Add Max to the list of great men with moustaches. But I still wont let Andy grow one!

After Bi-Rite, we went over to do some virtual bowling. Someone misinformed Blake when he called to see how long they were open, so we had literally 10 minutes to do it! But we didn't let that stop us! Andy, Jack and I against Blake, Addi and Max. And, of course, Andy and I won with Jack's help. Our plan to have Max sabotage the other team worked like a charm! It was quick but absolutely delightful, as usual.

Then it was off to bed for our early flight home and the completion of our latest trip to SF. We're excited for July! Thanks again BAMJ!