Mr. Sun

We've been spending a lot of time w/ Mr. Sunshine these days. I'm not going to lie, living in California is pretty darn nice. Actually, I'm really starting to love it. Hot summer weather in May? I think I'll take it. At this rate I think I'll be buying stock in suntan lotion and swimming diapers because we are definitely going through those like the speed of light.

And yes, of course, another swimsuit. I must thank one of Ms. A's friend, "K", for passing down this ladybug hat. It's adorable and matches one of the suits Ava already had. Now, she has the entire gymboree ladybug ensemble as one of her pool suits.



After I posted this picture I realized how LARGE Ms. A's feet look. I don't think they are big. She's in a size 5 shoe. Is that big for a 2 year old toddler? I have no clue. I guess the croc type shoes she have on are a little big for her feet ...

San Fran & Baseball Game

Another one of our mini excursions recently was to San Francisco. We did a few of the touristy things (as usual since we're still newbies in the city) but also managed to see a baseball game as well.

AT&T Park was beautiful. I must admit, even better than Safeco Field in Seattle. The ball park is nicely tucked into the bay, with water views along the back side. There's a perfect view of one of the marinas.





And, on the opposite side, is a cove like bay where kayakers, boaters, and people on rafts sit in hopes of catching a home run ball. I was amazed to see how many people were floating out there for the entire game. The stadium is on the right hand side of the picture. You can just see the sidewalk/edge of the stadium.



The baseball game.



One of the new stops we made in San Fran this time was China Town. It definitely worth the stop,too! I found a few $5 pashminas and a few other finds as well.





As for the touristy things, yes, we drove over the Golden Gate bridge and saw the city from afar.





As usual, San Francisco was a treat and we'll be back again soon!

Muir Woods National Forest

Another one of the beauties in life - Redwoods and Sequoias. Although we haven't made the actual trek up to the Redwood National Forest yet (the Chef family wants to drive through a tree) we did make a pit stop to Muir National Forest. A redwood is a redwood is a redwood and man are they HUGE!

The trees overpower the land, the shrubs and the little ferns growing underneath.

Vacation Part #3 - Monterey (the last one in this series)

I had to come to a close with our mini vacation series because we have already returned from another mini vacation. haha. Go figure, right? I'm still working on finishing posting photos when we have already gone on another trip. Time to finish this one up.

After finishing up with the 17-mile drive, we headed to Monterey. Probably one of my favorite parts of our trip. Actually, this entire trip was one of my favorites, but this town just had such a "beachy" feel. Plus, we had a corner hotel room and had a little view of the ocean, so I can't complain too much.

We visited the Monterey Aquarium, which was fabulous (and also cost $30/ticket --- seriously??), enjoyed the beach, walked around town, shopped, had great meals, visited Dennis the Menace playgroup, watched MSU basketball games, and had a blast!

Now, time for pictures.

Santa Cruz - Vacation Part #1

I'm going to document our little vacation one post at a time. Otherwise, I'll have the longest post known to man kind. Okay, maybe not that long, but it would have been my longest post to date.

The first stop on our vacation was Santa Cruz. The actual location was not our favorite. In fact, I do not think we'll ever vacation to this destination again. It wasn't that the beach wasn't pretty, the area just was not our cup of tea.

The water in the bay at Santa Cruz was actually the warmest water on our vacation. Many people were swimming in the ocean and laying in the sun.

Ms. A LOVED the water and enjoyed splashing her feet around in the small amounts of water in the sand. After our long car ride, running around at the beach was exactly what she needed.









One cool thing to highlight about the area - the surfers! The Chef family hasn't been exposed to much surfing throughout the years. However, in this picture you can see lots of black little dots. Can you see them?

They actually aren't just dots, they are surfers! They are waiting for the waves to arrive. It was absolutely crazy. We saw a few cool waves come by and later that evening the winds picked up a little bit. I've never seen so many people waiting for the waves to surf. It was seriously an amazing sight to see.



I know it's hard to see, but if you look near the point, you'll see little black specks. Yup, surfer dudes (and possibly dudettes).

The Santa Cruz area is also know for their boardwalk and the amusement park area along the beach, which can be seen below.

Another Tour ...

For the Iron Chef's birthday celebration, we didn't just visit the Jelly Belly Factory. We most definitely visited another California destination and had another round of sampling, too. Where did we go? The Anheuser-Busch Factory Tour - Budweiser Brewery. Jelly beans and beer go together well, right? Apparently we thought so.



I found it fittingly appropriate that I was touring a Budweiser plant for the first time as well considering I have (in a former life, of course ;) ) been a Bud girl in a parade or two. Sorry I don't have the pictures to prove it, but yes, I most definitely have budweiser paraphernalia to prove it.

Ms. A tagged along with us for this mini excursion, as this was old news for her as well, since she has already been on the authentic Miller Tour in Wisconsin. Aren't these all things a one-year-old needs to have crossed off their list? I guess the beer tours are up there on her list of places she's visited ... along with the Harley Davidson museum, too. :) Our daughter is so cultured. hehe.

Here are a few photos from inside the plant. LARGE vaults full of beer in the making.





Finally time for a little tasting. If you are wondering, Ms. A enjoyed a non-carbonated lemonade with pretzels to cleanse her pallet. She found her tasting to be absolutely delightful as well.



I definitely found my new favorite adult beverage (when it comes to beer). Have you ever tried Wild Blue? Seriously, this beer is delicious and tastes like a sweet piece of fruit. I never knew a beer could taste like this. I was pleasantly surprised.



Cheers to Budweiser for a great tour and wonderful samples.