November 13-16th 2015
This summer, I really started thinking of Trav's Birthday that I knew was coming up.
This summer, I really started thinking of Trav's Birthday that I knew was coming up.
Turning 40 is kind of a big deal.
Ok, it's a really Big deal.
The closer I get to it myself, I realize just how crazy it is.
I remember my Dad being 40.
People in my ward growing up were 40.
Not us. Not Trav and myself.
We're not supposed to be those people with kids in High School,
Jr. High and Elementary.
But...... we are!
Boy, did that happen fast.
I'm not even there yet, and I find myself plucking gray hair out of my scalp.
The girl that does my hair has officially started adding "Gray Out"
to my coloring.
Anyway, this isn't about me. It's about Trav.
And the fact that he's turning 40!
And the fact that he's turning 40!
However, I think his gray hair is hot!
Anyway, I started thinking about what I wanted to do to celebrate his 40th!
I knew I would also be the one in charge of planning our Anniversary (we trade off),
and I realized it would be our 18th.
So, the 40th Birthday, and the 18th Wedding Anniversary.
I didn't want to mess this up.
I wanted to plan something out of the ordinary and special!
About the same time I started thinking about what I wanted to plan,
Trav came home from work one day and handed me $200 in cash.
He had received a Profit Sharing Check and
brought home some just for me to spend on myself.
I ditched that money away knowing I wanted to spend it on him!
Within a day or so, I received an email from Southwest Airlines saying they were having a
fare sale and so I started checking in to the sales they had from SLC.
San Francisco popped up and was super cheap.
I had been there for an afternoon/eve one summer about 22 years ago.
Trav had never been.
The more I researched and the more I talked to people I knew had been there,
the more I was determined to go.
I started pinching pennies and started saving every which way I could.
I knew that in order for this to be a fun surprise and a true Gift for Trav,
it would need to be paid in full, so that we weren't going in to debt to go.
To make a long story short, I saved enough and started booking things.
He knew we were going somewhere to get away, but he had no clue.
I planned this for about 4 months.
The morning of Trav's Birthday, Austy and I made signs to hang in the front yard.....
it was super windy.....so that almost didn't last through the day!
The night of his Birthday, I had wrapped up brochures about San Francisco
and had him open them up to find out where we were going.
We left just a few days later on what would be one of the greatest trips we've been on.....
at least I think so!
I'm not sure if it's because we hadn't been on a trip, just the two of us in so long.
We've been on trips with the kids to tournaments, we've been on company trips.....
but I can't really even remember the last time we went and it was just the two of us.
I didn't realize how much we needed this time together.
I truly fell in love with Trav all over again.
It was so fun just to be together and laugh, talk, explore the city....etc.
I loved it. Every single second of it.
We left Friday, November 13th.......early, early early.
We woke up about 3:15 a.m. and were on the plane by 6 a.m. headed straight for San Francisco.
We grabbed the rental car in Oakland and went to eat breakfast, so we could kill a little time.
One of my very favorite Young Women, Morgan Housekeeper is serving a mission
at the Oakland Temple Visitors Center.
I had made arrangements with her mom to take her a little package from home.
She was in need of a coat......it's been a little chilly there off and on,
and I was more than excited to be the one to take it to her.
Only problem was.......we had no way of knowing if she was on the morning shift from
9-3 or if she was in the afternoon 3-9.
I was crossing my fingers and praying really hard she would be there in the morning.
I knew we wouldn't be over by the Temple again during our trip.
She just had to be on the morning shift, if not.....I was going to have to leave her package.
So, we had one hour to kill til we knew if she would be there.
We ate some breakfast and then drove up to the Temple to look around the grounds.
It was beautiful. It sits up on a hill overlooking the Bay area.
We could see clear over to Sausalito, Bay Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge,
and all of the city of San Francisco.
There is a spot you can even walk up to a small roof line of the Temple as well.
We were up on that roof line when we saw a couple of cars pull in to the
Visitors Center. I leaned over the edge to see if I could see her.....
and sure enough......she was getting out of her car with her companion!!!
I was so excited, and so nervous all at the same time.
Her companion is obedient, and not very fond of visits.....another couple in our ward
had just stopped in a few weeks before us, and the comp didn't love that.
I understand it can be a distraction and a problem for some.....
but Morgan is LOVING her mission and is extremely happy and stalwart.....
so her mom and I felt it would be ok!
I wasn't planning to stay long at all either, we needed to get on our way as well.
We had a lot to do in a little time before we needed to get the rental car back for the day.
We walked in to the Visitors Center and another Sister
came to us and asked if she could help us.
I asked, "Yes! Is Sister Houskeeper available, by chance?"
She smiled at me and said, "Yes, she's just in the office, go ahead and go in there!"
I walked towards the office and stuck my head in.
There were 3 other sets of Sisters in there.
I said, "Hey Sister Houskeeper!"
She turned around and was so shocked!
She came running at me and said "Sarah!!!"
We hugged. We cried. We hugged some more!
The other sisters started crying and asking who I was!
I told them I was Morgan's old YW's President and was just hand delivering her coat!
It was such a sweet and Tender moment there with her.
What a blessing to see her so happy and thriving on sharing the Gospel!
We gave her the package from home, apologized to her cute
Companion for breaking the rules and off we went.
We were only with her about 15 mins and were on the road.
We drove North and over a bridge to the west to Sausalito.
We drove around that little city by the bay for a little bit.
Cool little place and we heard they have some really good food,
but we weren't hungry and we were anxious to get to the Redwoods.....
so we didn't stay there too long.
We drove to a little point, where we could get some pictures of the
Golden Gate Bridge before going to Muir Woods.
I wish we would have had more time in Muir Woods.
What a beautiful and almost sacred place.
Trav and I both loved it there and would have loved to explore there all day!
Pictures don't even do justice to the woods.
Pictures don't even do justice to the woods.
and got a cute vintage poster to hang in our basement one day.
We circled out of the woods and headed straight for the Muir Woods look out point.
I'm so glad we didn't miss this!
Gorgeous view of the coast! Loved it there.
We could see dolphins swimming near the shore.....
we just stood there watching them go down the coast for a bit.
We met a nice couple from San Francisco while we were there and they
gave us some tips on places to eat and things to do.
I really wanted to see the Painted Ladies and drive down Lombard Street
while we had the car.......but we had to hurry!
We came down out of the Muir Woods area and drove straight across
The Golden Gate Bridge!
I was so glad that Trav was driving!
Not a great shot of the crookedest street,
but it was busy and we had just come down it,
so I had to get a shot from the car window looking back!
We checked in to our Hotel and then took the car back.
We were so close to Fisherman's Warf,
we decided to explore a little and have dinner on the Pier.
I loved all of the sights, sounds and smells of the Pier.
So fun to walk around as the sun set.
We walked down the Pier a ways and came upon the coolest Street Performer.
Michael Jackson.
We were mesmerized watching him.....he was pretty good!
After a few minutes of watching, Trav made his way up to donate some money to his cause!
Trav was thanked with a very Michael Jackson Signature Move!
I could not stop laughing! Hilarious!
Eventually, we made our way down to Ghiradelli Square.
All the Candy and Chocolate you could want!
They had the place all decked out for Christmas which made it fun and festive!
We bought some treats of course, then took off to explore a little more.
We walked right past the Trolley Turn around point and I couldn't resist getting a picture.
I regret that we never rode one while we were there,
but they only go so many places and so we felt the bus pass was better
to get us everywhere we needed to go.
We were exhausted from our day.
So, we walked a few blocks to our bus stop and waited for our ride.
Trav was so good at figuring out where to go and what route we needed.
I planned the trip and he got us where we needed to go!
Our hotel was a little hole in the wall, but San Francisco is so expensive to stay.
I couldn't justify $350 or more a night when we wouldn't even hardly
be in our room at all!
So, I pricelined and got this hole in the wall instead, that actually
had great reviews and was not really that horrible.
We stayed for $120 night, which allowed us to put our $ in to other fun things!
It was in a great location.....close to everything and
our bus stop was a block away, which was an added bonus!
We woke up early the next morning to catch the bus to the ferry terminal.
We had tickets for Alcatraz and didn't want to be late!
It was a little chilly that morning, so the ride over was a little cold,
luckily it warmed up as the day went on.
We loved Alcatraz and thought it was so interesting!
When we arrived, they held an orientation for a minute outside.
They explained that on the island that day, was an ex-convict signing his book.
He waved to the crowd and re realized we were standing right by him.
After the orientation, he started to walk away to go to the Gift Shop
where he was book signing.
A couple next to us stopped him to ask his story for a minute.
Trav and I stood and listened as well.
Here was this little Grandpa with a walker......who once had been a hardened criminal!
He shared how he had been a bank robber.......he loved the thrill of it.
He was sent to Federal Prison, where he hurt a guard and tried to escape.
His punishment for doing so was......Alcatraz.
He was sent there and stayed for 5 years.
He said it cured him. The day he was released from Alcatraz,
he never looked back.
He found himself on the Pier the minute he got off the boat,
looking for work.
He found a man at the Pier and shared his story with him
of where he had just come from, and asked the man to give him a job.
The man took a chance on him and from that day forward,
he said he never told another soul (Other than his wife and children)
of his history or where he had been.
He changed completely and had lived a good life from that day on.
Eventually, he wrote a book and volunteers at Alcatraz every so often.
So crazy to meet him and hear his story.
Once inside, we were on a self guided tour with headphones to give us information.
Real ex-convicts and prison guards are the voices that share the info as we walked through.
There was such a creep, eerie, yet fascinating feeling there.
I cannot imagine ever being one behind those bars!
The bottom row of cells is solitary confinement.
We stepped inside......no bed, no seat, just a concrete cell,
where once the door is closed, was complete and utter darkness.
I can see how this place cured many of these men.
The showers.....
The cell of the two who dug the hole in their walls and escaped.
The Movie Escape From Alcatraz was made after their story.
They were never found or ever heard of again.....
Hmm.....shark infested waters may have had something to do with it.
The Courtyard where they would play games or sit in the sunshine.
San Francisco Bay sits directly across from there.....
many talked about how close Freedom seemed and that they could hear
the sounds of the city and would dream about leaving.
We walked to Pier 39 to shop around for Souvenirs for the kids and
to get a bite to eat for lunch. Such a fun, fun Pier. Loved it there.
I had remembered seeing tons of Seals when I had been there long ago,
so we walked around for a bit til we found them.
Sure enough.....they were still there.
We caught the bus to head to China Town.
We wanted to get in and out of there before it was too dark!
Such a cool little spot near the Financial District.
(My hair hates cities by the water! Ha ha!)
It was so fun shopping around there for Sis.
I could have bought her a whole store so she could have everything Chinese.
I was wishing she was there to speak Chinese to some of the shop owners.
Trav and I got her the cutest pair of pink silk pajamas, a fan and a hair clip.
We bought Austy a little Trolley Car Toy and a knitted Spider Man Hat.
He didn't take that thing off for days after we got home.
We walked around there for a little while, hitting up the Nike Store before leaving.
While we were waiting for us bus back down towards the Pier,
Trav was asked if he had a "Doobie!"
Now that's funny!
We went back down towards the Pier to shop around again,
and found a massive Tootsie Roll Pop for Austy.
Trav said No to that one.......to big of a mess!
Dang it! Hate when he's right, but I really, Really wanted to get that for Aust.
We hung around the Pier for a little longer before we
found ourselves exhausted again and took off for our Hotel.
I was excited to get to sleep so we could start the next part of our trip!
We got up early and while I got ready, Trav went to pick up the rental car again.
We checked out of the hotel and went down to a park by the
Golden Gate Bridge hoping to take a walk and get more pictures......
the wind was so crazy that morning, we only got out for just a second
and hopped back in the car and took off!
Unfortunately, we had crazy wind (30 mph) and a little rain the rest of the day.
That didn't stop us from seeing and doing all we wanted though!
We got in the car and drove toward Carmel-By-The-Sea.
I had never even heard of Carmel until I started researching things to do for this trip.
When I saw the pictures and realized Clint Eastwood used to be the Mayor there,
I knew we had to get there during Trav's 40th Birthday Trip.
I was so excited to see it was less than 2 hrs from San Francisco.
The more I got looking into Carmel,
I found a place still owned by Clint Eastwood called Mission Ranch.
It's a beautiful little Ranch right in the Bay of Carmel.
It used to be a full on ranch......Several little barns and a large field of grazing sheep.
The city of Carmel was going to sell the land to be developed for
Commercial property along that bay to increase tourism.
Clint Eastwood put his foot down and purchased the land to keep that from happening.
He then turned all of the little white Barns on the property into awesome hotel rooms,
and one of the large ones into a Restaurant.
The sheep still graze there during the day which makes it so quaint.
He still frequents the place from time to time so
I was hoping we would see him while we were there.
I would have been wife of the year had that happened!
Trav loves Clint Eastwood.
If I walk in to a room and hear the little tune
in the movies when Clint enters the screen.....
I know he's watching Clint movie and
I need to just go somewhere else so I don't make fun of it the whole time!
I looked in to staying there and
was so excited they still had one of the best rooms available for us!
We drove the two hours from San Fran to Carmel.....such a beautiful ride.
We couldn't check in until 3, so we took time walking around beautiful
down town Carmel.
So, So picturesque. Little Cottage Shops with tiled roofs and moss every where.
LOVED IT!
One of my favorites....Doris Day owns a hotel there....
we stopped by for a quick pic!
The Cypress Inn....
I could have stayed in Carmel forever.
Because we still had some time to check in, we drove down the coast a ways
to see all of the beautiful sights there.
I wanted to at least make it to Bixby Bridge.....which we did.
We stopped at Point Lobos Reserve.
I wish so bad it hadn't been so windy.
It was gorgeous there. We braved the wind and got out to walk the coast.
I don't know how anyone can witness Earthly Beauty like this and
ever question the existence of our Heavenly Father.
I was truly in awe. I couldn't take enough pictures.
We finally made it to the bridge and it was beautiful.
We saw a massive cloud coming in and
decided we'd better start heading back to Carmel.
As we pulled in to Mission Ranch, it didn't disappoint either.
It was everything I had hoped it would be.
We checked in, took our bags to our room and walked around the property.
We stayed in The Meadow View Triplex room.
We had our own little deck that over looked the ocean and the sheep meadow.
The sheep came right up to our deck to graze!
The view from our deck......
The sheep had little bells around there necks that rang as they walked!
We called the restaurant and reserved our table for dinner.
It was so beautiful inside.
They had a pianist playing and had candles all lit on the tables.
I kept hoping Clint would show up for dinner.....but that didn't happen!
We sat by the window to have a view of the ocean and meadow.
If it hadn't been so cold, we would have finished off sitting on the patio by the fire,
but even those out by the fire looked a little chilly!
It was such a special night and gorgeous atmosphere.
I loved every minute of it.
We woke up the next morning and went over by the tennis courts to eat breakfast.
While we were there, we purchased a picture of a cute drawing of Mission Ranch,
they had hanging in our room, so that we could
hang it in our basement some day as well.
We walked the property again, watched the sheep for a bit and reluctantly checked out.
I would have given anything to stay there longer.
On our way out.....we ran in to Clint's truck from the movie
Bridges of Madison County!
So cool!
We had heard about the 17 mile drive in Monterey,
so we thought we'd check that out before heading back to the Oakland Airport for home.
At first it was just a road winding through a bunch of higher end homes.
When it finally opened up to the ocean it was a beautiful drive
along the coast and Pebble Beach Golf Course.
It was super windy again, so we didn't get out of the car much,
but we LOVED the scenery!
The Loan Cypress Tree was worth the $10 and the 17 miles alone!
It was such a pretty setting!
We were sad to leave Carmel and Monterey but were excited to see our kids.
We dropped off the rental car, got on the plane, had a lay over in Vegas and
came home to some snow and colder weather.
I love this man.
The last 18 years have brought with them our greatest blessings.....
Each other and our children.
We have been through some extremely difficult things,
but there is no one I would have rather had by my side through it all.
This trip was one I will never forget.
I loved the time alone with Trav and
I loved exploring places neither of us had ever been before.
Happy 40th Birthday and 18th Anniversary my love!
Here's to many, many more!
but it was busy and we had just come down it,
so I had to get a shot from the car window looking back!
We checked in to our Hotel and then took the car back.
We were so close to Fisherman's Warf,
we decided to explore a little and have dinner on the Pier.
So fun to walk around as the sun set.
We walked down the Pier a ways and came upon the coolest Street Performer.
Michael Jackson.
We were mesmerized watching him.....he was pretty good!
After a few minutes of watching, Trav made his way up to donate some money to his cause!
Trav was thanked with a very Michael Jackson Signature Move!
I could not stop laughing! Hilarious!
Eventually, we made our way down to Ghiradelli Square.
All the Candy and Chocolate you could want!
We walked right past the Trolley Turn around point and I couldn't resist getting a picture.
I regret that we never rode one while we were there,
but they only go so many places and so we felt the bus pass was better
to get us everywhere we needed to go.
So, we walked a few blocks to our bus stop and waited for our ride.
Trav was so good at figuring out where to go and what route we needed.
I planned the trip and he got us where we needed to go!
Our hotel was a little hole in the wall, but San Francisco is so expensive to stay.
I couldn't justify $350 or more a night when we wouldn't even hardly
be in our room at all!
So, I pricelined and got this hole in the wall instead, that actually
had great reviews and was not really that horrible.
We stayed for $120 night, which allowed us to put our $ in to other fun things!
It was in a great location.....close to everything and
our bus stop was a block away, which was an added bonus!
We woke up early the next morning to catch the bus to the ferry terminal.
We had tickets for Alcatraz and didn't want to be late!
It was a little chilly that morning, so the ride over was a little cold,
luckily it warmed up as the day went on.
We loved Alcatraz and thought it was so interesting!
They explained that on the island that day, was an ex-convict signing his book.
He waved to the crowd and re realized we were standing right by him.
After the orientation, he started to walk away to go to the Gift Shop
where he was book signing.
A couple next to us stopped him to ask his story for a minute.
Trav and I stood and listened as well.
Here was this little Grandpa with a walker......who once had been a hardened criminal!
He shared how he had been a bank robber.......he loved the thrill of it.
He was sent to Federal Prison, where he hurt a guard and tried to escape.
His punishment for doing so was......Alcatraz.
He was sent there and stayed for 5 years.
He said it cured him. The day he was released from Alcatraz,
he never looked back.
He found himself on the Pier the minute he got off the boat,
looking for work.
He found a man at the Pier and shared his story with him
of where he had just come from, and asked the man to give him a job.
The man took a chance on him and from that day forward,
he said he never told another soul (Other than his wife and children)
of his history or where he had been.
He changed completely and had lived a good life from that day on.
Eventually, he wrote a book and volunteers at Alcatraz every so often.
So crazy to meet him and hear his story.
Real ex-convicts and prison guards are the voices that share the info as we walked through.
There was such a creep, eerie, yet fascinating feeling there.
I cannot imagine ever being one behind those bars!
The bottom row of cells is solitary confinement.
We stepped inside......no bed, no seat, just a concrete cell,
where once the door is closed, was complete and utter darkness.
I can see how this place cured many of these men.
The Movie Escape From Alcatraz was made after their story.
They were never found or ever heard of again.....
Hmm.....shark infested waters may have had something to do with it.
San Francisco Bay sits directly across from there.....
many talked about how close Freedom seemed and that they could hear
the sounds of the city and would dream about leaving.
to get a bite to eat for lunch. Such a fun, fun Pier. Loved it there.
I had remembered seeing tons of Seals when I had been there long ago,
so we walked around for a bit til we found them.
Sure enough.....they were still there.
We wanted to get in and out of there before it was too dark!
Such a cool little spot near the Financial District.
It was so fun shopping around there for Sis.
I could have bought her a whole store so she could have everything Chinese.
I was wishing she was there to speak Chinese to some of the shop owners.
Trav and I got her the cutest pair of pink silk pajamas, a fan and a hair clip.
We bought Austy a little Trolley Car Toy and a knitted Spider Man Hat.
He didn't take that thing off for days after we got home.
We walked around there for a little while, hitting up the Nike Store before leaving.
While we were waiting for us bus back down towards the Pier,
Trav was asked if he had a "Doobie!"
Now that's funny!
We went back down towards the Pier to shop around again,
and found a massive Tootsie Roll Pop for Austy.
Trav said No to that one.......to big of a mess!
Dang it! Hate when he's right, but I really, Really wanted to get that for Aust.
found ourselves exhausted again and took off for our Hotel.
I was excited to get to sleep so we could start the next part of our trip!
We got up early and while I got ready, Trav went to pick up the rental car again.
We checked out of the hotel and went down to a park by the
Golden Gate Bridge hoping to take a walk and get more pictures......
the wind was so crazy that morning, we only got out for just a second
and hopped back in the car and took off!
That didn't stop us from seeing and doing all we wanted though!
We got in the car and drove toward Carmel-By-The-Sea.
I had never even heard of Carmel until I started researching things to do for this trip.
When I saw the pictures and realized Clint Eastwood used to be the Mayor there,
I knew we had to get there during Trav's 40th Birthday Trip.
I was so excited to see it was less than 2 hrs from San Francisco.
The more I got looking into Carmel,
I found a place still owned by Clint Eastwood called Mission Ranch.
It's a beautiful little Ranch right in the Bay of Carmel.
It used to be a full on ranch......Several little barns and a large field of grazing sheep.
The city of Carmel was going to sell the land to be developed for
Commercial property along that bay to increase tourism.
Clint Eastwood put his foot down and purchased the land to keep that from happening.
He then turned all of the little white Barns on the property into awesome hotel rooms,
and one of the large ones into a Restaurant.
The sheep still graze there during the day which makes it so quaint.
He still frequents the place from time to time so
I was hoping we would see him while we were there.
I would have been wife of the year had that happened!
Trav loves Clint Eastwood.
If I walk in to a room and hear the little tune
in the movies when Clint enters the screen.....
I know he's watching Clint movie and
I need to just go somewhere else so I don't make fun of it the whole time!
I looked in to staying there and
was so excited they still had one of the best rooms available for us!
We drove the two hours from San Fran to Carmel.....such a beautiful ride.
We couldn't check in until 3, so we took time walking around beautiful
down town Carmel.
So, So picturesque. Little Cottage Shops with tiled roofs and moss every where.
LOVED IT!
we stopped by for a quick pic!
The Cypress Inn....
Because we still had some time to check in, we drove down the coast a ways
to see all of the beautiful sights there.
I wanted to at least make it to Bixby Bridge.....which we did.
We stopped at Point Lobos Reserve.
I wish so bad it hadn't been so windy.
It was gorgeous there. We braved the wind and got out to walk the coast.
ever question the existence of our Heavenly Father.
I was truly in awe. I couldn't take enough pictures.
We finally made it to the bridge and it was beautiful.
We saw a massive cloud coming in and
decided we'd better start heading back to Carmel.
It was everything I had hoped it would be.
We checked in, took our bags to our room and walked around the property.
We stayed in The Meadow View Triplex room.
We had our own little deck that over looked the ocean and the sheep meadow.
The sheep came right up to our deck to graze!
The view from our deck......
The sheep had little bells around there necks that rang as they walked!
It was so beautiful inside.
They had a pianist playing and had candles all lit on the tables.
I kept hoping Clint would show up for dinner.....but that didn't happen!
If it hadn't been so cold, we would have finished off sitting on the patio by the fire,
but even those out by the fire looked a little chilly!
It was such a special night and gorgeous atmosphere.
I loved every minute of it.
We woke up the next morning and went over by the tennis courts to eat breakfast.
While we were there, we purchased a picture of a cute drawing of Mission Ranch,
they had hanging in our room, so that we could
hang it in our basement some day as well.
We walked the property again, watched the sheep for a bit and reluctantly checked out.
I would have given anything to stay there longer.
On our way out.....we ran in to Clint's truck from the movie
Bridges of Madison County!
So cool!
so we thought we'd check that out before heading back to the Oakland Airport for home.
At first it was just a road winding through a bunch of higher end homes.
When it finally opened up to the ocean it was a beautiful drive
along the coast and Pebble Beach Golf Course.
It was super windy again, so we didn't get out of the car much,
but we LOVED the scenery!
It was such a pretty setting!
We dropped off the rental car, got on the plane, had a lay over in Vegas and
came home to some snow and colder weather.
The last 18 years have brought with them our greatest blessings.....
Each other and our children.
We have been through some extremely difficult things,
but there is no one I would have rather had by my side through it all.
This trip was one I will never forget.
I loved the time alone with Trav and
I loved exploring places neither of us had ever been before.
Happy 40th Birthday and 18th Anniversary my love!
Here's to many, many more!
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