San Fran -our way in a lil' more then a day

Our trip to San Francisco was absolutely amazing.  Each stop was kinda surreal because of how long we have wanted to visit.  Sometimes I couldn't believe I was seeing things I've wanted to see for years! I'm not even kidding- even the "Full House" was mind blowing for me! haha- I'm such a 90's child.  If you haven't see it yet, here is the whole video of our trip: 

Cali 2016 from Expression Studios on Vimeo.

So we had a lot to fit in -- in one week -- so we decided to hit San Fran first!  We woke up early in our Campervan under the beautiful Redwoods at Samuel P Taylor State Park, cooked our breakfast over our open flame & started on our way to San Fransisco for the day.  

Our first stop, and in my opinion, the most important, was the different bridge viewpoints.  There are many ways to go and many different stops to make but let me share with you my favorite.

Yup, that place is real life! Kirby Cove Campground.  As we hiked up I was super pumped to swing.  Lets be honest, between pinterest & instagram I couldn't help but be inspired to find this unreal place. To my amazement, as I walked up, no one was around! The wind was out of control this day and tide was super high and the waves were crashing into the tree branches that you clearly needed to climb to reach this swing. Josh and Remy were standing a safe distance back as I climbed the branches trying to act as if I wasn't terrified for my life.  J wasn't too far back but his voice was still very distant because of the wind and waves. "Get back here!" he yelled "It's not worth it!" Just as I almost reached the swing (using my gopro selfie stick to reach it) a wave crashed into my face making me feel as if I had just done 9 bellyflops at once.  Just then Remy started crying very hard yelling "Mama!" I had to retreat. During this whole time a small crowed had gathered.   A girl went up to try and failed.  A couple girls decided to try together.  They worked together and got up.  Well, no one beats this mama! I popped off my boots and climbed the branches like a monkey. Popped up on the swing and threw all my fears away- it was incredible. You'd think a swing is just a swing.  This was so different- swinging out over the ocean while seeing the waves crashing into the mountains.  It was unbelievable! 

How to get to the swing: Park at the, hike 2 miles down the gravel road to Kirby Cove Campground and make your way out to the ocean.  Make sure you read about this place, so much cool history here!  You'll see the swing up on the tree. Make sure you don't die.  Remember as you're hiking down, you have to come back up :)

We loved all the viewpoints and someday would love to check out the other side of the bridge as well!  Such a cool experience.

Next we headed into town and asked what to do.  People gave us lots of cool suggestions but here is what we hit...

Pier 39  and all the other Piers :) :

Remy couldn't get enough of all the seals.   She was pointing and squealing every time they would 'bark'.  She loved running around and saying hi to strangers.  A kind stranger lady gave us free tickets and made her current dream came true to ride the carousel! 

Took the trolly:

To Union Square:

And Delicious Restaurants:)

The way our booth was sitting was so we were all three looking out into the restaurant.  We had the sweetest waitress who made our time so memorable.  There was a family that couldn't stop staring at Remy and played many games of peek-a-boo with her across the way.  Funny how sometimes she is so outgoing! Love seeing her giggle and enjoy herself.  The clam chowder I had was taste bud delicious and J had some perfect fish & chips. Yum.

We headed back to our campground but not without J drinking a coke on the Golden Gate Bridge- a random item written on his bucket list for whatever reason :)

The night before, we were able to see the outside of the "Full House" which we were tempted to buy!  I was dancing and clickin' away.  J kept asking if we could leave.  I also wanted to get on the steps but he said no. I guess he didn't want that to be a reason his wife goes to jail... but I feel like it would've been worth it, right? More info on this check this link out Full House. 

Later we hit Ghirardelli Square. You guys. You guys. Seriously people.  This place was heavenly! I want to eat this everyday for the rest of my life!  Although he won't admit it, I'm pretty sure J had a joyful tear running down his face as he ate each bite.  It was so cool to read about all the past history on the factory and house the chocolate was and is currently made. Way cool!

So many perfect memories made. Someday we shall return!

Come say hi on Instagram !

roaches won't get us down

Although I love planning and searching for new places to explore.... J's just better at it.  He is like a search google genius I swear.  Ok lets back up so I can explain.
J's brother TJ and his lovely girlfriend Bethany were coming to visit.  It always means so much when people take time off work and life to visit a few days.  So we wanted to do some fun exploring!  I looked up some new trails and places to explore.  I decided we should stay a night in a cheap hotel so we were close to our morning trail.  All were in with the agreement of "As long as there are no bugs". We got to our first destination, loving the trail and the waterfalls along the way!  Getting back out our hotel we were all a little unsure.  I'm telling you the place has good reviews! So we checked in, left our bags and headed out for a sunset view.  Getting back to our hotel TJ and Remy zonked out.  Getting nestled in ourselves we hear Bethany "There's a bug!" Oh if we only knew how those three words would change our night.  Let's wrap it up...
Found out it was roaches.
Heard a story about roaches laying eggs in your ears.
Tried ear plugs.
Trying a hose sort of thing over our face.
Being sincerely scared in the dark for the first time sense I was a child.
Thoughts of my baby being carried off by roaches.
"So the trail we were going on in the morning, it's closed." Josh says with his golden google fingers.  Mind you, I had been searching this information for weeks and saw no such warnings.
Also the hotel we were staying at had all great reviews.  Bethany "So why the HECK are we still here?"  Quicker than you could say "roaches suck" we were out of there and driving our hour and a half trek home.  We killed 16 roaches that night. We could have killed more but we were leaving so have your way buddies.... We slept great that night. 

It's a new day with roach egg free ears... Off to Sedona! 

The weekends almost here! Blessings!

Cali weekend

Uncle Teej and Tia Sarah came to visit their new niece! There was much relaxing involved, as well as some adventures..
off to Cali we went.
My husband, J, has a tendency to do random things in life... I have
come to love this about him very much because it creates many new adventures in our lives.. and this trip was no exception.
Booking a whale watching tour wouldn't have been
the first thing I would've thought about doing, or really 'a thing' at all... but somehow he knew it would be an awesome experience!
Other than this, we enjoyed some authentic Mexican food, laid out on beaches, surfed, and strolled down Hollywood Blvd.
oh and we also visited the hospital for J... this was after a run-in with a stingray while surfing.
All in all it was a fabulous trip

Remy's first time touching the ocean:)

Have a great week and stay blessed!