Adventures in Wonderland

I have had a very enchanting extended weekend. It is great to be "funemployed".

It all started with Thursday, when I officially graduated from college. Finally.

Then on Friday Andrew had a day off because in Sweden it is "mid-summer holiday." In Sweden they take a few weeks/months off of work to enjoy summer. Since the company is Swedish, this means that they have graced their employees with a day off in honor of the occasion. We decided to take advantage of this day and do something touristy that would be a little less crowded on a weekday. We decided on the Muir Woods. It was incredible to say the least. We hiked up quite a ways, trying to get away from the masses. When we up a ways, were amazed at how breathtakingly large everything was, and at the same time, how the trees created a cathedral-like sanctuary from the wind and noise. The air was so still, and so quiet. It was a different kind of quiet than the Utah forests I have come to know and love. It was a neat experience.

Driving Across Golden Gate

Sweaty Selfie

On our way home we decided to drive on the 1 the long way back, to get some nice coastal time. Every time we saw a pretty view, or a few times at least, we pulled over to enjoy it. We got out and sat on the beach and watched the waves roll in a few times too. It was quite chilly, and really foggy, but I loved it. I am surprised how much I like fog. We also stopped in Pacifica for some dinner. We stopped at a random diner called Rockin Rob's. I don't know if the food was really good or if I was just really hungry. Either way, the meal was enjoyable.

Saturday our adventure continued. We rode Bart in to San Francisco to meet up with some friends. They took us out to dinner to a Mexican restaurant. It was pretty crowded (standing room only), mostly because it was also a bar,and it was a Saturday night, but it was so worth it. We had the most amazing fish tacos I have ever experienced. Afterward we walked around and enjoyed some great views of the city, and some great company. We also bought Andrew a new wedding ring to replace the two he's lost. We bought it for $10 from a man named NoNo who also engraved it for us. Hopefully this one doesn't run off with the others...

Monday I had the special treat of having my mom spend the day with me. I was so excited to have her here. It was nice to be able to spend some quality mother-daughter time. It has been quite a while since we've been able to do that. We rode Bart in to the city again, but this time I got us lost a few times. We got off on 24th Mission Street to find this chocolate shop I had looked up online that had great reviews. It seemed to be a sketchy part of town. We felt out of place walking along. When we finally got to the place that was supposed to be the chocolate shop, all we found was a parking compound. Oops. I was able to salvage the trip because google told me that a really great ice cream place, Bi Rite Creamery, was close by. We walked a few blocks more and had some really great ice cream. Seriously, it was very good. We got back on Bart, and rode further into the city, with the intent of finding the Fisherman's Wharf. After getting us lost again and taking us on a long walk in the opposite direction of where we wanted to go and a few bus rides, we made it. There we found a chocolate shop and some really good clam chowder. That night back in San Mateo we went with Andrew to try real live Ramen for the first time. All in all, it was an awesome day.

Really, it was an awesome few days. I am so blessed to live in a neat place, but even more blessed to have wonderful people to share it with. Specifically Andrew and Mom this time around, but there are many others out there who are equally as wonderful. :)