Monday, October 31, 2016

October

October is one of my favorite months!  It has been super busy this year, but I have taken some time to enjoy the beautiful leaves and changing season.  Nothing big happened this month except that we moved!  More on that later.  Here are some of the little things.

I have had a couple of days off of work lately for random reasons.  They've actually been really good for me!  I even convinced Bailey to get work off early one day so that we could go to Olive Garden for dinner with my mom.
MY HAIR IS GETTING SO LONG.

I miss Chanel!  She's doing great though and it has been fun emailing her and sending her packages.  She sent me a drawing!

Speaking of Chanel, look who Kess ran into at the Provo temple!  Jealous!

After I quit working at Thanksgiving Point earlier this year, they needed some help with the equipment I used to run and payed me in Gardens passes.  Unfortunately the gardens close for the season soon - so I took some of my family out and we had lots of fun wandering around and then eating Costa Vida!

I just love my little friend Ayla!  She is the most smiley baby ever.

We love Evans Family Farm!  The owners are good friends of ours.  I took the kids that I nanny to enjoy the daytime activities, then a few days before Halloween Bailey and I went back to get some pumpkins!

The six of us had a hard time deciding what adults do for Halloween when they're too old for parties but not old enough for passing out candy.  Eventually we decided that having a sushi party would be the right thing to do!

Saturday, October 22, 2016

San Francisco Day 3: Japantown

We slept in a little bit today and checked out of our hotel.  We considered spending the morning at Golden Gate Park, but decided that we weren't interested enough (people who have been there, were we missing out?)  So we headed to a destination we were greatly looking forward to.  Japantown!

We looked up how to get to Japantown via bus, and found the correct stop to wait at.  The wait was about 20 minutes or so.  Eventually the bus showed up, but stopped way before the actual stop.  A bunch of people got out and we assumed that the bus would stop at the actual bus stop to pick us up... but no... it just left.  We could have waited a half hour for another bus, but we instead opted for the half hour uphill walk!

It was a long walk, but I'm actually glad that we took it.  We got to see people's cool apartments and some really interesting buildings.  And some guy's window that had recently gotten shattered on his super nice car.

We were intrigued, but not surprised, how everything started to look nicer as we approached Japantown.  People's yard's were more tidy and their houses didn't have layers of grime on them.  Hobos were nowhere to be seen.  It was super clean!  Bailey and I decided that if we were ever to live in San Francisco (which will most likely never happen - we love Utah too much) we would live in Japantown with all those respectful, tidy people.


We came to Japantown with little knowledge of what to do.  We only know one person whose been there before (thanks for the suggestions Alli!) and she said to go straight for the food!  We accidentally walked into Japan Center, where I thought we could get some info but no... we had walked into a mall!  Full of everything Japanese!  I was in heaven!  The restaurant we wanted to go to wouldn't be open for a little while, so we walked around and visited some shops .

Shopping in Japantown is way better than shopping in Chinatown.  The prices aren't quite as low (though still super reasonable), but the products are generally higher quality.  And there's much more of a variety!  I fangirled over all the Ghibli things we came across, and Bailey had to tell me to turn away a few times while he did some of my Christmas shopping haha.



Finally it was time to eat!  We were so hungry for some tasty Japanese food!


I have never had authentic ramen before.  It has been my dream to taste some!  So we ordered some ramen (and some gyoza... and some sushi...) and oh my.  Best meal of our trip!  And the cheapest too!


After stuffing as much as we possibly could in our stomachs, it was time to hit the best store in the world.  Now you see, I was unaware that this was the best store in the world until a conversation with Chanel a few months ago.  She loves Daiso and went there in Japan as well as California!  She made it sound amazing, and I told Bailey about it and we proceeded to look up YouTube videos of people who went to Daiso.  We got so excited!  It is basically a Japanese dollar store.  In America everything costs $1.50, though, which is understandable.  They have the cutest and best stuff ever!  I went crazy over the stationary, the dishcloths, and the washi tape.  Bailey found a fountain pen he's so excited about, and loaded us up on bento box supplies.  We spent $50 there and I actually wish that we had spent more!  Their products are surprisingly high quality, and they seriously have everything!  I hope to make it back to Daiso ASAP.


After the dollar store, we finished up looking at pretty much every store in both sides(!!) of the mall before we went back outside.


Online I had found a mochi stop that I wanted to visit.  We found the shop, but all they had by that time of the day was mochi with bean paste in it!  I would have tried it if I didn't already know how much I dislike bean paste.  It is so nasty!  Bailey hadn't tried it though, so he bought some green mochi with bean paste and really didn't know how to feel about it.  He said he didn't like it but proceeded to eat the whole thing.  The consensus was -  the mochi itself was AMAZING (I tried it, so I can attest) but bean paste can ruin anything.

He's so cute!!

My goal for the day was to find Milky candy.  It was my favorite candy growing up, but about three or four years ago they stopped selling it in Utah or something because I can't find it ANYWHERE near home!  I didn't see it in any of the shops in the mall, so after we hit the mochi shop we stopped by the nearest grocery store.  And we found Milky candy!!  I was so excited I bought three packages!  A successful day indeed!

After that we got a bus back to our hotel to pick up our luggage, then it was off the the airport for us.  Bailey has bad memories of missing a flight in a foreign country (he missed his first flight home from his mission) so we were sure to go super early to make sure neither of us would stress.  We had a lot of waiting time, but enjoyed getting dinner and hanging out together!

So that concludes our San Francisco trip.  Unfortunate, right?  I wish we could have stayed for the rest of the school semester, but I guess real life has to proceed.  I'm so grateful for the opportunity Bailey and I had to go on our second honeymoon.  We've truly been blessed to have the means to travel.  We really believe that the Lord has blessed us richly for paying our tithing!  I love that husband of mine and can't wait for an eternity of adventures with him!

Friday, October 21, 2016

San Francisco Day 2: Finishing Up Fisherman's Wharf

After we got back from Alcatraz, we devoted the day to finishing up whatever was left to see on Fisherman's Wharf.  Because at least 3 of our friends suggested it, we stopped by Boudin Bakery for some soup in bread bowls for lunch.  Oh my gosh - cheapest food so far and quite possibly the most delicious!  Sourdough bread bowls are a gift from the heavens!  And it was so fun to see all of the animals and things that they made out of bread.  It was super busy there, though!

We also checked out Ghirardelli Square and we really don't understand the hubbub about it.  There were a couple of chocolate shops that gave out free samples (which were DELICIOUS), a small display of how they make the chocolate, and a few ice cream places.  I was strong and refrained from buying myself chocolate, but I did buy some pretty tasty ice cream!  Not any more tasty than I can get at home, though.  Maybe I just got the wrong flavor.  But yeah, we didn't spend very much time there and were soon off to bigger and better things.  Like going to the Maritime "National Historic Park" on Hyde St. Pier!

It was kind of something we just came across, and we didn't know exactly what it was, but we decided it was worth the entrance fee and ended up being super right!  They gave us entrance to three historic ships.  There were hardly any people there, and the ships were so cool!


My favorite were these big pirate ship looking things.  I felt like I was in a movie!




The ships are super old, but they let you climb all over and touch everything which I thought was crazy.  But awesome!


Sleeping where the sailors slept!


We couldn't believe how big those ships were!  They could fit a serious amount of people and cargo.  Nonetheless, I don't think I would be able handle a long voyage on one of those ships very well!  Even with all of this food!


The cargo ships were my favorite, but this old ferry was pretty cool too.  It was full of old cars which I think is kind of random, but Bailey totally loves that kind of thing so we enjoyed it.


Luckily we had some quarters to use the telescopes on the pier!  We checked out Alcatraz and could see people walking on it.  We also spied on people on other piers, but they were just on their phones so we didn't catch anything suspicious.  We spent the following 10 minutes watching some sea lions lounging pretty close to us.  I think it is hilarious how they just lay in the sun and roll around all day.  What a life!


We were kind of out of things to do on Fisherman's Wharf after that, so we rode a historic street car to a random place and then walked around to find some dinner.  We wanted a simple meal of fish and chips from a highly rated food truck, but they closed earlier than we could get there (what kind of food truck closes at 5?)!  So we looked for more fish and chips, and ended up at a subpar restaurant whose fish and chips were $20(!!) a plate.  We were bummed but at least our stomachs were full!


San Francisco, like any city, is kind of sketchy at night.  Not all hobos are as nice as the one who hides behind a bundle of leaves and scares people (love that guy) because he's "just trying to make your day!"  So we called it a night early and caught the (right) bus back to our hotel!


Our hotel (The Park Hotel, if you're wondering), by the way, is from the Victorian era and so is their, in my opinion, super sketchy elevator.  It was a pretty nice place though, considering the price!

San Francisco Day 2: Alcatraz Island

We got up early this morning to catch a bus over to Fisherman's Wharf.  Catching buses is no easy thing - it takes a lot of asking random strangers questions!  Eventually we decided on bus 30, which everyone said would take us to Fisherman's Wharf.  But we must have missed the stop or something, because we got confused, pulled up a GPS on our phones, and realized that we were moving away from where we wanted to be!  So we jumped off the next stop and took a half hour speed walk over to Pier 33.  We made it to Alcatraz Landing with time to spare!

We got early morning tickets (we bought them weeks in advance, which I highly recommend doing) so that the island would be less crowded.  That was a good idea!  Bailey bought me a muffin and a banana on the boat (my mom suggested that I eat some potassium after I was up for part of the night screaming in pain because of my legs... I guess my body isn't made for biking!  But Bailey gave me a blessing so I was perfectly fine by morning) and soon enough we were landing on Alcatraz.  We were so excited!


After a brief orientation, we were to walk up a hill to the cellhouse to get our audio tours.  We took our time going up, admiring all of the cool (and surprisingly beautiful) sights.


The audio tour was so awesome!  It walks you right through the whole cell house, as well as through the administrative building, dining room, and even outside a little.  It has sound effects and true stories, and it was way more interesting than just reading plaques would be.  We paused a couple of times to take pictures or to look at an area a little closer.  They let you touch everything and walk into lots of the cells!  So cool!


The cell below is one of the "isolation" cells that they put the hardcore bad guys in.  They would keep them completely in the dark!  I can't even imagine!  But the wall colors are cute, Bailey says that we should paint one of our kid's rooms like that.


In the audio tour it said something about the beautiful view outside - how, by looking outside, every day the criminals could see what they were missing out on.  I could definitely see what they meant - it was the best view of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge you could ever imagine!  And the fog was settling in over the ocean and across the bridge, I guess we should have gotten a picture.  It was pretty magical looking.


This is how I would visit Bailey if he was a criminal on "The Rock"
 After our audio tours were over, we returned them and went back to the cellhouse to walk around some more.  It was just an amazing sight!  And to be walking on the same ground where the criminals walked, and where some were murdered.... I don't even know how to describe it.  It was eerie and special at the same time.




We also ventured through some of the gardens.  They have the most gigantic and amazing succulents there!  We checked out the recreation yard, though it was mostly just a field of dirt surrounded by a wall.

Another nice thing about the Alcatraz Cruises system is that you can take any ferry back to San Francisco.  We were about to catch a ferry when we noticed a few more buildings outside that we hadn't explored yet!  Like the laundry room and the industry building where they put the inmates to work (which I think is a pretty good idea - if taxpayer money goes towards giving criminals free food and housing, shouldn't they have to give back to society?).


Eventually we did return to San Francisco.  But really, go check out Alcatraz if you are ever in the area.  It was definitely a highlight of our trip!

Thursday, October 20, 2016

San Francisco Day 1: Buses, Bikes and Broken Lenses

I have the best husband ever!  A few months ago I was sitting in our room dreaming of all the places I'd like to go for fall break, assuming that Bailey would think I'm ridiculous wanting to go somewhere when we have both a Mexico and a China trip in the near future.  But I told him of my dreams and he said, "Okay.  Let's go somewhere!"

I could hardly believe how lucky I am as a wife, and we both started looking up where we should go.  We considered Philadelphia, Washington DC, Quebec, Montreal, and finally decided on San Francisco.  We figured it is short enough of a plane ride to make the most out of our fall break, plus we knew that public transportation would be super convenient there.

So early this morning we woke up, having slept in his parent's living room, and drove on over to the airport.  And when I say early, I mean early early, like 3:30 am, and when I say we drove, I mean that Bailey's angel of a mother drove us.  Oh my gosh we were exhausted!  But we slept through the whole plane ride (which is a good and bad thing, considering we missed the free pretzels and drinks) so we weren't too tired throughout our first day in San Francisco!


We were able to drop our luggage off at our hotel, then we promptly set off to find some breakfast.  We ate at a cute little diner, then we were off to Chinatown!



Chinatown was seriously only a 7 minute walk from our hotel.  And, having been to China, let me tell you - it's pretty China-like.  Lots of people, lots of smells, and lots of shops that are super fun to look in (though I suppose in China they're usually just stands)!


After a while, one realizes that all the shops are pretty much the same.  However, only one of the shops had a communist stuffed panda bear which we found pretty entertaining.  So, after buying a few things (a postcard for Chanel, a magnet for Bailey's mom, and some pearl earrings for me), we decided it was time to move on.  But how could we move on without a way to move on?!  It was time for us to learn the bus system, starting with locating the Chinese produce market that sells MUNI passes.  But oh of course, the market only takes cash so you have to go find an ATM then walk all the way back...


In the end, though, we got our passes and were off to Pier 39!  It was super fun to walk through Pier 39, but we didn't go in very many shops because that's not really our thing (unless they focus on a certain country or have lots of candy or sharp objects, our attention won't be drawn).  We found a delicious place to eat, though, and I'm still salivating over the clam linguine I devoured for lunch!


We didn't have a set itinerary, just a list of ideas of what to do on our trip.  We considered the weather and hit a bike rental place.  We ended up spending $92(!!) on bikes for the rest of the day, but I'd say it was worth it!  We rode across Fisherman's Wharf, over the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito, then caught a ferry back to the other side.  Oh my goodness it was gorgeous!



We did get slightly lost and suddenly found ourselves under the bridge.  That was a little unsettling, but it was a cool sight to see.



I'm glad we got lost, because we came across an old Civil War fort which we got to explore for free!



It was super cool!  We probably would have spent more time there if we weren't paranoid about our bikes getting stolen (it's a fear we have after Bailey's bike got stolen right out of Seiji and Kylie's backyard).  Also unfortunately, my memories of the fort are not too fond because right after I took the picture of Bailey on the staircase, my camera lens broke.  So freaking sad!!  And of course it was to happen on the first day of our trip!  So the rest of our trip pictures are taken via iPhone, which is sad.  But fortunately our phone cameras are decent!

ANYWAY.  We finally made it to the bridge, and I was so bummed about my camera lens that I only took one pic while on it.  Well, two pictures - one right after another.  AND BAILEY'S EYES WERE CLOSED IN BOTH OF THEM.  Not cool!


But it was so beautiful up there!  And also kind of overwhelming because cars are loud.  We eventually made it to Sausalito which is seriously the cutest town ever.  We would have stayed were we not paying for our bikes by the hour!  We went straight to the ferry (and enjoyed the ride quite a bit), returned our bikes, skipped dinner because we were still so full from lunch, and called it a night.  We were pooped!  But it was definitely an awesome day!