Californian Vacation!

In late June, we headed out west to California!  The trip was prompted by my friend Jodi's wedding in Lodi, CA on June 30.  Jodi and I attended graduate school at UT Knoxville together, and we have remained close ever since. I knew I did not want to miss her wedding, and it was a great excuse to plan a long vacation with our in-laws. 

We started our 10-day trip with a week in San Francisco. We had a great time and got to see a lot of the city sights, including Alcatrez Island, Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, Chinatown, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the list goes on.  We rented a flat in Nob Hill for the week, and it happened to have a cable car stop right outside the front door. It was very convenient for getting around the city!  While Memphis was experiencing a heat wave with temperatures breaking 100 each day, we enjoyed perfect, sunny weather with highs in the 60's.

At the Memphis Airport ready to get this trip started! Much to our surprise, Logan was really good on all of the flights. We did not think he could sit still that long! While I won't say he sat "still," he did not ever cry or cause too much trouble.  He may have climbed over the seats two dozen times switching laps, but other than that he was very good!

 Logan and me at Fisherman's Wharf

 The three of us at the Wharf- such beautiful views!

 My wonderful in-laws

Logan leading the way

A foggy view of the Golden Gate Bridge  

The awesome view from the bay window in our flat. At home, Logan spends time jumping on his bed after baths. In San Francisco, this is where he chose to jump. We spent lots of time here after baths and otherwise! 

Logan and me after one of our many rides on the cable car

Brian enjoying some awesome Vietnamese food.

The San Francisco Bay. We actually found some grass! 

Logan loving Ghiradelli Square 

The three of us on the cable car 

Navigating San Francisco 

My sweet, happy boy 

You cannot do a post about San Francisco without showing the Golden Gate Bridge! Here was one of our pictures. 

Date night with the hubby. We went to First Crush in Union Square. So yummy!

From San Francisco, we headed to Lodi, CA for the weekend.  Lodi is in the wine country near Stockton.  It was a beautiful drive, and we enjoyed our weekend there. It was a much slower pace than San Francisco, and we enjoyed it after a busy week!  The wedding was at a vineyard and was absolutely beautiful. Here are some pictures from the wedding:

The beatiful bride, Jodi Middleton Kennedy, and me!

Jodi & David's first dance

Brian and me

Upon Jodi's insistence, Logan joined us in time for the reception!

All dressed up for the wedding!

Ha! They had a photo booth and Logan loved playing with the props.

He was one happy boy. He got to play with the "girls" and run around outside.

Having a ball!

We ended up spending the last night back in San Francisco near the airport to catch an early flight. Before heading to the hotel we spent an afternoon in Half Moon Bay, CA, which is on the coast just outside of San Francisco. It was so cool we needed jackets!

Logan was very upset that the sand was on his feet. He kept saying, "Dirty!" 

My sweet boy.

We had an awesome time and made many memories! Logan's memories from the trip that he still talks about are riding the elevator (we rode dozens), taking a shower (the flat had a huge walk-in shower), and riding the bus (cable car).  If you ever take a toddler to San Francisco, I strongly recommend bringing a jogging stroller. Those hills are pretty tough with an umbrella stroller!