Our Last Day in San Fran

 While I am a small town So. Utah Girl, I also love to travel.  Visiting San Francisco fed a "travel bug" I have had for the past 6 months.  I love the energy I felt here... something about being in the city make you feel so alive!

 On the last day of our trip, Rigby and Stockton had tickets to see Curry play at the San Francisco Warrior game so the rest of us took the hotel shuttle to Union Square.  

 We were grateful to see the Christmas decorations and even more grateful that the crowds had somewhat lessened since the week prior to Christmas.

It was fun to watch the people, see the decor and feel the pulse of downtown.  Seleck was our navigator- let's just say I am directionally challenged.  We had hoped to have a nice lunch at the Cheesecake factory, but the 21/2 hour wait list quickly discouraged us.  Even better, we grabbed some hot dogs at the sidewalk vendor and  shared two pieces of cheesecake under the Macey's tree.  It was a perfect memory.  We then hit Niketown... a little shopping for Madsen and Maleck and then we explored Chinatown.  It was so fun to watch the kids experience a "taste" of another culture.  I loved the architecture and Emma and Maleck enjoyed souvenir shopping.  

The view from the top floor of Macey's

yummy hot dogs

Love these guys!

The cheesecake was to die for...

The sights and sounds of San Fran...

Our fearless leader

homesick for Paris!

entrance to Chinatown

street musicians

fortune teller

             I left my heart in San Francisco....

New Year's Day at Half Moon Bay

Tiny toes in December dipped in the San Francisco sand....jubilant cries of joy- Happy New Year!

 Our New Year's Eve celebration was quiet... Rigby taught us how to play hearts, we ate snacks and watched movies.  Some of us made it until midnight while others fell asleep early (touring San Francisco can be exhausting).  

 Our New Year's Day was amazing.  We hit the prolific Highway 1 and enjoyed the view of the crashing waves.  Half Moon Bay not far from San Francisco welcomed us to solitude.  It was the perfect spot for Maleck to chase the waves and get his toes wet (it was freezing) while the rest of us hunted for shells.  

 I loved watching him take in his surroundings- true childhood joy.  His screams and shouts definitely made our New Year's Day outing.

 We spent an hour or two wandering and taking in the ocean air.  I feel it a must to head to the ocean at least once a year....In June we had dipped our toes in the Atlantic Coast at Virginia Beach and now 6 months later here we were at the Pacific.

 This trip was a spontaneous one, but I find those are the best kind- no expectations to be met.  I loved watching our "Fab Five" take in the surroundings and enjoy being together.

                                        Love my Rigby!

Good Bye Ocean... Happy New Year everyone from Barnwood and Tulips!