San Francisco

Thank you, Robin & Kelly for an incredible trip to San Francisco!

With Eliza at the zoo.




In Golden Gate Park at the Japanese Gardens

Outside the science center

Shayla with brilliant and beautiful Robin the Great!

Muir Woods, enjoying the California tall tall redwood trees

Traci & Jenn give a San Fran Send off complete with flowers in our hair, building the Golden Gate bridge out of orange pipecleaners and yes - using dry ice to create "fog" in the bathtub! Dear Lord, thank you for these tremendous (and creative and funny) friends we don't deserve!

Within 24 hours of booking our tickets, we were on our way to the airport last week! A VERY generous "mom" from town called and said she thought it'd do us well to get away, so she gave us three airline tickets to go anywhere Southwest flies. Like she said the only catch was travel had to be completed by October 20th so we took off in a rush and yet it was a FABULOUS trip - great time spent together.

After we had the tickets and we talked about where we could go, I called one of the sweetest Christi supporters to see if she was still offering us a place to stay in San Francisco like she has offered so many times. She told us it was a small cottage without much in terms of furniture, but we were welcome to come. (Well, her description was quite inaccurate as this most amazing place was the same size as our home, it overlooked the Golden Gate Bridge and so much more!!) I had only met Robin one other time before, when we went to the Met together when she was in NYC for the day. Without a doubt, she is one of the most amazing, brilliant, compassionate and beautiful women I've ever met. It's no surprise she's a Professor; I could sit and listen to her forever! I simply didn't have enough time! Not only does she stock the fridge with fabulous foods, Robin is so inspiring and she knows so many different things including "must do's" while in San Francisco for a short period of time. (smile)

Taking Robin's recommendations we had a jam-packed schedule, just the way we like it: biking over the Golden Gate Bridge, seeing the Muir Woods (Those incredibly tall California trees) seeing Sausalito. We also enjoyed "the Exploratorium" (even though it doesn't compare to COSI) and the zoo - where we met sweet, sweet Eliza (a Christi Fan). We ate sushi and Thai food and toured Japantown and China town and of course had Shayne drive down Lombard Street. Shayla didn't care much for the Haight-Ashbury area, but she did enjoy Fisherman's Wharf and all of the seals sunning themselves. We ended our trip by taking a drive around Berkley on our way to the airport yesterday.

The days before we left were just getting harder and harder and harder. A trip was too good to pass up! Everywhere we turned there was a reminder of Christi. (Not that we don't want reminders, but it was making us so sad.) On our trip, we had time to relax, talk, walk and enjoy Shayla. It was great until we returned home and I saw the free CD rom "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" Christi had been saving up her five cereal box tops for arrived in the mail, ugh! I crawled in bed and then cried my eyes out knowing how much Christi would have loved our family vacation.

Today I made a HUGE move. I had to go get Shayla picked up from school for the first time. (I want to thank all of the sweet friends and family members who have been doing this for me as I knew there would be nothing harder.) I made it in the building, past Christi's 5th grade classroom and down to Shayla's room to get her. I knew I couldn't look at anyone or I'd start crying and I made it. The flood of tears didn't start until we were buckled in the car and it was time to leave the lot. It's so hard to believe this week will be the one month anniversary of her death. Thank you so much for your love and support and for seeing us through!! Thank you Kelly & Robin for this amazing trip!! We've been richly blessed!!