8 Years Already?

The first weekend in February Samuel and I celebrated our 8th Wedding Anniversary in San Francisco!

We kicked off our trip at the place it all began...the beautiful Oakland Temple. On February 9th, 2001 Samuel and I were sealed for time and all eternity. It will always be the happiest day of our lives.

8 years later.
Not so fresh-faced but still so much in love!

After our session we crossed the Bay Bridge and entered the beautiful city of San Francisco. While I would never live here, I do love to visit.

We drove directly to Pier 39 and stopped for a quick to-go snack from a favorite eatery of ours, The Crepe Cafe. The Fresh Strawberry Crepe with Chocolate Chips is excellent, but this time we opted for the Turkey, Monterey Jack Cheese, Basil Pesto, & Avocado Crepe...yum!


We hit the road, crepe in hand, for Pier 33, where we had reservations for the 1:55 PM tour of Alcatraz! Neither of us have ever been, so we were excited to check it out.

The views from the ferry were beautiful, and we could not have asked for better weather! The sun was shining and the air was crisp and sharp! Sam was so happy he could get away with just wearing his t-shirt!

The island itself is gorgeous. And everywhere you turn, among the decaying buildings, are beautiful gardens.

The cell house is another story entirely. Very sobering. We each took headsets to take advantage of the audio tour, and I was so glad I did. The tour is narrated by former Alcatraz prison wardens and inmates, and it is chilling to hear them re-count what life was like there.


Our ferry docked just in time for dinner, and since we were headed back to Pier 39 we dined at the Crab House. I had read on "Yelp" that they are famous for their "Killer Crab" cooked in a secret garlic sauce. Sam and I love crab legs and we were not disappointed-especially considering we had a beautiful view of the sun setting behind the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. It was a perfect meal!

After dinner we finally headed to our hotel room to check-in. We were on the 15th floor in the Financial District, and we were surrounded by other high-rise buildings. By this time the sun had officially gone down, which means that much of San Francisco is just getting up! You'd think we would be exhausted, but all we really wanted to do was get out once more to catch the biggest event in town...

The 149th Chinese New Year Parade!

It's billed as the the 7th largest parade in the world, and it was all happening not two blocks up from our hotel! As we stepped out onto the sidewalk we heard the explosion of fireworks and music and we took off running-uphill!

As you can see, the floats were spectacular, but what really got us cheering was seeing Sam's former employer represented, "UPS"!
I had fun screaming,
"WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?"

The end of the parade route was about 2 blocks south of us, so unlike the thousands of people making their way for the firework finale, we were already there. We saw men with row after row of fireworks draped around their necks and hanging to the floor taking their position, and we knew we were in for some serious noise. And sure enough, when those fireworks went off it was as though an ocean of sound was erupting all around us!

Normally, I don't want to be wandering the streets of a strange city late at night, but the conclusion of the parade meant that Chinatown was officially open for business. Hundreds of people poured into shops for snacks or souvenirs, or they tried in vain to get an open table at the many restaurants that were overwhelmed with customers.

Of course after all the excitement Samuel and I had the munchies! We had already purchased souvenirs for the kids, and a bag of my favorite snack in the whole world, "Sourdough Snacks" (more on those later), but now we wanted some serious Chinese food. Luckily, a restaurant that was emphatically not taking any more dine-in customers, was welcoming take-out orders. And not minutes later did we walk away with spicy General's Chicken, Chicken Chow Mein, and my favorite, Egg-Drop & Mushroom soup. It was finally, finally time to head "home" for the night!

I include this picture as a lesson, to all those who would wake up at 1 AM, after two evening meals of "Killer Crab" and Chinese food, with the brilliant idea to down 2 cups of hot cocoa and a whole bag of "Sourdough Snacks". I woke Sam and simply said, "I am soooo sick."

He was not sympathetic.

The next morning we had our first day time view from our hotel balcony. In the distance you can see the Bay Bridge.

Sam was thrilled that he could look up and then down to make himself extremely dizzy. He did this several times before I told him to "get away from the balcony!".

Yes, that is my man.

We were several blocks from the famous Ferry Building Marketplace on the Embarcadero. What better place for breakfast than a building that houses some of the finest breads, cheeses, meats, and chocolate? From Acme Bread we purchased an a beautiful crispy baguette and from Cowgirl Creamery some of their signature Mt. Tam cheese. We rounded off the meal with some hot chocolate and a french pastry-voila!

Seriously, I could have stayed there ALL DAY LONG! It was that fabulous! But Samuel was getting the itch so we grabbed a couple of sandwiches to go, Sam's a meatball and mozzerella from The Golden Gate Meat Company, and mine a Cheese Sandwich from Acme (Mt. Tam cheese, fresh jam, arugala, & black pepper)...heaven!

Our next stop: Coit Tower!

Many years ago Samuel and I once got it in our heads that we would walk there. It looked do-able, especially considering you can see it from practically anywhere in the city. Needless to say, we tried...and failed miserably. And also got lost in the process! So this time, with map in hand, we were determined to DRIVE up and visit it properly!

The tower was built with funds from Lillie Hitchcock Coit, who left 1/3 of her estate to the City of San Francisco "to be expended in an appropriate manner for the purpose of adding to the beauty of the city which I have always loved". The tower, like so many building in San Francisco, is beautiful, and the murals in the rotunda-stunning, but the views from the top of the tower of the city are even more so.

When I told Sam that while I was glad we visited Alcatraz, I didn't think I ever wanted to return again, he replied the he could go back over and over.

Hence this shot of him kissing his favorite island.

A great shot of the "crookedest street in the world": Lombard Street!

After the tower we headed to the Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square.

How can you pass up Fish n' Chips and fresh Shrimp and Crab Cocktail?

Or Boudin's Famous Clam Chowder?



Or Ghiradelli's ice cream sundaes?

Yes, we came, and ate...and ate, and ate, and ate.

Our blissful vacation was coming to a close. Before we left we took the Scenic 49 drive through the Presidio before stopping at beautiful Baker Beach.

We had a wonderful time. But seriously, you could put us in a box and in 5-seconds we'd be laughing over something stupid. Well, maybe we'd be fighting if the reason we're in the box in the first place is something Sam did...but either way, being together is what counts.

I love you Samuel Dodge Elmer!
Here's to 8...80...800...800 million...infinity years to come!

And to all you other lovebirds, take the time to reach for your sweethearts hand.

Give it a good squeeze and count your blessings!

White Babies!

My cousin Devan is far, far away in the great state of Alaska. There she has made a home with her husband, their beautiful son Charles Jacob Gable IV, and their two dogs. They are a military family, so we only see them on the rarest of occasions, but we love them so much.

It's funny because both my sister, Sophia, and my cousin Devan, are clearly not white. They both have beautiful dark hair, almond-shaped dark eyes, and creamy brown skin-all characteristic traits reflecting our Hispanic heritage. They both married white boys-like me!-yet their supposed "dominant traits" are no where to be found with their beautiful babies! Taylor is blond & blue-eyed, her sister Lola is a strawberry blond, and little Jacob here is a red-head!

We used to laugh and laugh when Sophia would get so mad at people at the store who would comment on the cute baby she was obviously babysitting!

It's really fun watching my sister be mad!

Pantie-man!

I love my little boy, and when I sat down to do my laundry, he came along to check things out. What did he take a liking to? Ava's panties. He was insistent that I put them over his pants, and would not take no for an answer.

Was one enough? Of course not. He found this blue pair next and wanted them on top of the pink ones too!

I love it!

Ultimate Down Time!

I don't know what it is about being pregnant, but it's the only time I really enjoy just sprawling on the floor. It always looks super-uncomfortable, and I can't do it forever, but for the few moments I'm down there it just feels so, so good. The best part? When my little rug-rats come and join me. This is the good life at it's simplest!

Veronica's Baby Blessing: A Beautiful Day

On Sunday February 1st our niece, Veronica Mae, was blessed.

Afterwards we held a family get-together in which everyone brought a plate of sandwiches-YUMMY, and we had family favorites such as Clista's baked beans and Aunt Patti's potato salad. The feast concluded with chocolate cake with a chocolate mousse filling-thank you for being born Veronica!

Just kidding. The food was fabulous, but it was a great day because of the special ordinance that took place. Houston and Elizabeth are great parents and we loved being apart of this special day for their growing family.

Our second-cousin Caleb!

Enjoying some sit-down time.

The twins...Sam & his dad, Gary.

Welcome to the family Veronica!

We all love you so much!

All Grown Up!

I am so fortunate to be in touch with my best girlfriends from high school! A few times a year we make it a point to get together to eat, talk, & laugh-usually with our collective kids running around in the background! We always have a great time, and I love the "catching up"!

Thanks for all the memories!

Piggy Tails?

On of the girls favorite hair-styles is the infamous "piggy tails"! Iris, whose hair is cut into a shorter angled bob, wanted a hair-do just like her big sister Bella's. When all was said and done, Ava pronounced they were not "piggy tails", they were "sprinkler tails"!

Letting go is hard to do!

For a bit of background, you should know that my childhood was a little...sheltered. My mom was super-paranoid and so we were never really able to do a lot of kids stuff like riding bikes on the side-walk or playing in the front yard. Now, being a parent myself, I totally get where she was coming from, but still, a part of me wishes we had been able to enjoy just a little more freedom, and I always looked forward to being a little more easy going with my own family.

Now, our new home sits really close to the girl's elementary and middle schools, and we could not be happier! The girl's can actually walk to school! But when push came to shove, it was really, really hard for me to let them go-even though I could literally watch them make their way to the school grounds. Well, a few weeks have passed and I've calmed down, the girls love it-they've even taken up riding their scooters to school too, and Sam's happy with my successfully cutting a few apron strings. Not surprisingly though, my mom shares a different opinion!

Happy Mothering!