Cool Baby Clothes: Unexpected Bliss

Two days before Christmas Brian came down to the bakement while I was busily working on yule logs and threw a thick envelope in front of me, with a grin. It was a gift from his boss and when I opened and read it, I was brought to tears. A week in California - 3 nights in San Francisco and 3 nights in Sonoma, flight and accomodations at high-end hotels PAID for. We were both in disbelief over the generous gift, not to mention overwhelmed with excitement! We both LOVE to travel and it had been quite some time since we'd had a nice getaway, just the two of us. The timing couldn't have been more perfect and we were anxious to book our rooms and tickets.

Three weeks ago that time finally came. Up until then I wasn't totally convinced this was all for real. I am the queen of traveling on a shoestring...we always manage to pick really charming, quaint and economical spots to stay. As we did in Italy and in Costa Rica, we like to stay at places with a small kitchen so that we can save a few bucks and cook in (which I do enjoy), and I'm always pinching pennies while planning activities (if it's free, we're in!). Let's face it, traveling is expensive! But this California trip, we SPLURGED and loved every minute. The gift of a surprise vacation was the perfect opportunity to enjoy some fine dining and lots of rest and relaxation.

And we did!

Our first night in San Fran. It helps to be a nightowl when you head west - I had no problems getting onto Cali time. We stayed at the historical Fairmont Hotel, beautiful both inside and out!

Our first fine dining experience was at the legendary Boulevard Restaurant. This was the first of many amazing meals...huge buffet breakfasts at our hotel, Pacific Catch, Il Fornaio, Kokkari, Cha Cha Cha's, just to name a few!

A stroll through China town...I had to take some pics of the cakes I saw in the window. Pretty impressive Great Wall of China Cake!

Above: seen looking down "the curvy street", Lombard Street

Below: in the Haight - the clock that always says 4:20 (clearly

I took pictures of only the most important spots in the city)

Brian was very excited to stand where his idol, Jerry Garcia once did (seen in front of his home).

The rain didn't keep us indoors. We walked the whole city by foot each day. I pulled a calf muscle. This was our nice view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

So this is the part of the trip when I got a little homesick. It was rainy and really cold, we were hungover and maybe a little jetlagged having had a late night with friends till 1:30 (that's 4:30 at home!). Those things didn't help.

And then I saw a dog party. It was apparently a bulldog club...everyone frolicking around with their dogs on the beach. awwww. It made me miss Crockett a bit, but nothing close to how I yearned to hug my baby girl....

And then I looked over to the right and saw a family with 2 young toddlers splashing around in the water (fa-reeezing, by the way!). I knew that sweet Isabelle was in good hands all week with her grandparents, but I sure did miss her! Hearing that sweet voice over the phone made my heart "pang". We were having a blast, but ooh I missed my little girl so much!

The Painted Ladies. Or better known to me as the scene I remember from the beginning of every Full House episode.

Love the dogwalkers! There are everywhere.

And now for our unforgettable close encounter with death. As we were walking down the street Saturday morning on the way to the market, all of a sudden we heard a huge bang and saw a flash of fire just a few feet away from us. A gas explosion sent the lid of a pothole up 20 feet in the air and it landed just yards away, breaking into pieces! It could have split my head in pieces!

Phew, the dangers of big city life.