pictures from the san franne trip are up and the link is over there ---> somewhere. great fun! can't wait to see anne again.

i left charlotte at 6 am, praying that that screaming baby i had seen/heard near my gate wasn't on my actual plane. sigh...she was, and she was sitting right behind me. are you kidding me? thankfully, she was precious for real :)

got on a bigger plane in atlanta

this plane was huuuge and came with the neat little screens at each seat. flight of the conchords was the only thing i was interested in watching (and i knew i would look ridiculous watching that by myself) so i opted to play games...for like 5 hours with no interruptions. it was cool.

when i got to the san francisco airport, i followed the signs and the "purpladora" trail to the "escaladora" to the train only to discover that anne and i were going in circles trying to find each other :) but i had fun making up spanish words. i think the dramamine does odd things to my brain.

berkeley is a neat place. we went to a pharmacy that was "earth friendly". if i remember correctly, the "testers" were called "experienced" or something like that. we also went to trader joe's...there is one at home too and i was curious to see what they were like. i'm a little fuzzy on the details though... we also went to a mexican restaurant...amigos or compadres...something like that. we had talked about going to see pinepple express as well, but i was tired.

on saturday, we went to monterey to "sea" the aquarium and uh stuff. we saw a lot of stuff during the mile and something walk from the parking garage to the aquarium! shops and the ocean and seals. it was weird heading south with the ocean on my right. the aquarium was a bit crowded but had a great selection of critters. anne was disappointed that the really big sunfish had died, but the little one was cute. it was feeding time for the giant octopus...it's fascinating to watch them move. stopped for coffee and then hiked back to the car. we left monterey in time to get to oakland to see anne's friend max in an improv show. "the emergency is in my pants..."

on sunday it was lazy morning, brunch, and pedicures. then we went to the mall and wandered until it was time to see pinepple express. i don't smoke pot, so i probably missed some of the humor, but i still thought it was funny. a bit violent, but funny (in that silly way). zachary's pizza for dinner.

on monday, watched idiocracy and did some baking (chocolate bread from boston and chocolate chip cookies with dried cherries). snuggled with penny :) then we drove in to the city to walk the golden gate bridge. it was very windy and chilly, but it was a gorgeous day. we parked at the north end and then walked across (found a gift shop...heck yes) and then walked back. about 3 miles i think? drove to sausalito and walked around...found a neat little jewelry store that i know anne will go back to visit. dinner at alex's house! he grilled steak and we sat on the patio and ate and talked. it was nice to meet him. dessert was the cookies and bread, which was served with pears and brie (yum). watched a bit of the movie brazil, but then it was time to go. early flight home...

the trip home was pretty uneventful...just long. i was so excited to see the girls! it's always good to have a break from being mom, but it's just as good to be home again :) thanks anne...thanne!