NorCal Day 4: Wedding!

(Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 if you missed them.)

Our last full day in Cali was spent celebrating Marina and Nate at the gorgeous Ravenswood Historical Site in Livermore. I laughed (when the ring bearer, Marina's dog, came down the aisle), I cried (when Marina came down the aisle), and I ate some bomb comfort food.

Ice Cream: Day 4. It had to happen.

Marley, the guard dog/ring bearer

Mom & Me...we ditched the heels pretty early in the day.

Still can't believe this actually happened! 

We may or may not have cried together a little.

And like that, our trip was over. Well, not exactly...first we had to drive back to the airport the next morning, which took us across yet another bridge. Then we flew back to the Midwest. I put my hair back into its usual messy bun and started planning the next reunion (which hopefully happens much sooner than five years from now).

NorCal Day 3: Livermore

(Day 1 and Day 2 if you missed them.)

Being in Livermore felt surreal, yet totally normal. Mom and I went for a walk downtown to start off our day, checking out the sights Marina had pointed out to us the night before. We did a little thrift store shopping, lots of window shopping, and imagined what it would be like to live in a climate where we could wear our hair down and not worry about neck sweat (maybe that was just me).

Once it got closer to noon (we're classy), we went to a local winery for a tour and tasting. Wente Vineyards is one of Livermore's oldest family wineries, and I was especially excited to check it out because they recently changed their name from Wente Bros to Wente Vineyards thanks to their female CEO, Carolyn Wente. You go, girl!

It smelled amazing in here.

The tour was, sadly, disappointing. After a lot of hype (beautiful grounds, stunning views of the vineyards, elaborate tasting room), following around a curmudgeon named Jerry while he rattled off a bunch of jargon and warned us against pretending we knew more than he did wasn't the best way to advertise this award-winning winery. Luckily, the tasting was great--I'm not a wine connoisseur by any means (I like my wine to taste like juice), but I'm game to try new things and Jerry warmed up considerably once he was behind the counter pouring el vino. (Sidenote: if anyone from Wente reads this, I could totally be your tour guide. I'm great at ice breaker jokes and I have an awesome memory. Hire me!)

Back in town and well overdue for lunch, Mom and I checked out Lemon Grass Thai. After I convinced Mom that she might actually like Thai. The conversation went like this:
"I don't like Thai."
"How do you know?"
"I don't know. Okay, let's try it."
We did and we liked it. Especially the fried banana and coconut ice cream. (If you're following along, yes, we've had ice cream every day so far. The trend continues tomorrow.)

Friday night was Marina and Nate's rehearsal dinner, and we were graciously invited over to Marina's parents' house to join in the celebration. I've either met or heard lots about the friends and family gathered, so it was nice to reunite before the craziness of the big day. I learned all about Bay Area traffic, the California grind, and that the current weather was considered "humid" (I laughed out loud at that one). More importantly, I learned that five years and 2100 miles isn't too far to lose something truly special--Marina and I met at just the right time and place in our lives to ensure that. 

NorCal Day 2: San Francisco and Bay Area Traffic

The sun wasn't quite up, but we were. We grabbed a quick breakfast from the motel's lobby and headed back towards the city, back across the Golden Gate Bridge. Spoiler alert: it's just as majestic at dawn as it is at dusk. I know some people drive across it during their daily commute, and I'm sure it feels like whatever to them, but man was it hard to keep my eyes on the road and not on the views.

In San Francisco, we parked for the day and headed out on foot. Our agenda looked like this: Notice something interesting. Walk towards it. Repeat. We also let food be our guide: Do you smell donuts? I guess it's mid-morning snack time.

This looks interesting... (Chinatown)

Verrrrryy interesting... (Transamerica Pyramid Center)

We noticed the sign said "Don't Touch" after the picture...but c'mon, that hand was made to be held!

Port of San Francisco

Bay Bridge

Pier 39

Yes, we got the donuts.

Hmmm...what's that? Looks interesting!

These were just the stairs leading to The Stairs.

A view from one of the tops (my quads are in GREAT shape).

Coit Tower

City View

Water View

All of those cars are driving, not parked on Lombard Street.

Of course we had to walk to the top!

Rewarding ourselves with Mama's

When we got here (at about 2 pm), that's where we were in line (can you see Mom standing way back by the chairs?). Worth the wait!

By four we were ready to head to wine country (and take a nap), so we joined everyone else leaving the city and got a certified Bay Area rush hour cultural experience. Eventually we got to Livermore, checked in to our home for the rest of the week, and waited (eagerly!) for Marina to pick us up for dinner! It was a reunion five years in the making, and I love that it happened in the parking lot of a motel. Typical.

And yes, that picture is hanging sideways.

For our very first meal shared in America (our very first time doing anything together in America, besides playing phone tag or texting or missing each other), Marina took us to First Street Alehouse for some comfort food. And ice cream after, of course!

sweating, holding food...sounds like us.

To be continued...and if you missed it, Day 1.

NorCal Day 1: Two Flights and a Drive

Our Mom and Daughter vacation is complete! As I get back into my Chicago routine (sleep, sweat, eat, sweat, work, sweat, repeat), I'm also looking back to a wonderful week on the west coast. Getting there was easy, despite all the steps it took.

Bye, Chicago!

Mom and I met at O'Hare (she came from the north, I from the south), and boarded our plane to Los Angeles. We had a short layover there before our connecting flight to San Francisco, but unfortunately saw no celebrities. :( Maybe next time! Once in SF, we got our rental car and drove to our motel in Mill Valley--a strategic choice which took us on a driving tour through the city and across the Golden Gate Bridge to the quiet and scenic North Bay.

Airport Life. Planes?

We had dinner at Pizza Antica (Naples-esque thin crust; I was in love) and asked a few kiddos running around outside where they got their ice cream cones so we could get some dessert as well. After a short walk around the area while we ate our ice cream (and the temperature dropped considerably), we decided to take a drive. Our little Chevy Spark worked hard to motor up the hills, but once it did we were rewarded with stunning views of the Bay and its surrounding cities.

My ride for the week!

By the time we got back to the motel, it was almost 9...which felt like 11. Both Mom and I decided to give in to jet lag, even if it meant we'd wake up before dawn on Day Two. Success.

Our quiet hideaway