Nob hill getaway

Last weekend Eric and I dropped the Q man off at Grandma's house and headed into the city for a little getaway. Lemme tell ya, I never understood why anyone would want to get away from their child(ren) for an entire weekend until we did this.

I personally rush home at the end of every work day so I can spend the precious few hours that I have with Q in the evenings and I look forward to the weekends when I can spend all day with my little man. So 'getting' away from him is not first on my mind. But there's something to be said about having an adult weekend away. You realize how different life was before you embarked on this life long journey of parenthood, and how much easier it was to just run down to the market, or wherever, without having to pack half the house, maneuver the carseat buckles then drag the stroller out of the car and fight the screaming toddler into said stroller because he's a busy body and just wants to run around. Bribery by way of raisins and cookies sometimes ensues and only once you're in the store do you realize you've forgotten your shopping list and you're brain is so fried that you can't remember why you're there in the first place. Ultimately you end up wandering around the store for a good half hour just for good measure and possibly escape with at least half of what you needed and only one new outfit for the now placated toddler.

Now I get it!

We stayed one night in the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill where we had an amazing view of the city from the 17th floor. We did the mosaic stair walk in the Sunset (Haight) district that I've been wanting to do for years, and ate dinner in North beach at a cute little ristorante. The next morning we walked down to the City Center shopping area and bought Eric his long awaited 'official' SF Giant's hat. (They were having a sale, so I ended up getting one too.) Then we headed over to Pier 39 where we ate some classic Hard Rock cafe and enjoyed the smell of the sea.

Did I mention that there's a Disney Family museum in the Presidio? Being the awesome wife that I am, and that it is officially 'The Year of Disney' I instigated the visiting of this awesome place, and was pleasantly surprised by it. While not a place to take the kids, it was a great place to learn all about Disney and his climb to Disney-dom. Did you know he went bankrupt 3 times before they hit it big with their current studio and Snow White?

After Disney we felt particularly nostalgic for our little bundle of energy and rushed home to swoop him up. The 'welcome home' greeting from my little man was almost as good as the weekend away.

Kelly

San Simeon - Part 2

The mansion. Oh my, how do I describe it? Breath taking, stunning, awe inspiring, humbling, saddening, maddening... the list goes on. But let's start with the good stuff; breathtaking.

Doesn't that just make your heart flutter? It was soooo much better in person too. The two tours we did took us all over the grounds and through all of the bedrooms in the main house. I even got to see the newly installed mom's room thanks to Quinn.

If you read about my favorite room over here then you've already seen it, but this one took a close second. The bed was on a raised loft type platform that overlooked the sitting room and sat directly above the bathroom. It had the cutest and tightest spiral staircase. What's that you say... no closet?!? Nope, at least not in the bedroom. The closets were all located out in the hallway. That way the housekeepers could press your clothes for you without ever disturbing your beauty rest. Lovely, eh?

Each bathroom we saw was decked out with authentic 1920/1930's apparel. You have no idea how hard it was to not reach out and take one of those stunning dresses home with me. They were simply stunning!

All of the knickknacks and decor throughout the house were left the way that William R. Hearst last saw them. This reminds me of a funny happening...

We had just started our more detailed tour and were walking a part of the grounds that we hadn't explored yet. There were a few seemingly random canons on the upper terrace. My sister asked the tour guide what the canons were for. Only she asked it like this: "So... what are the canons for? Encase he got invaded by pirates?" LOL! Everyone on the tour was cracking up. This was when we were informed that everything was left just the way it was when W.R. Hearst last came to his 'vacation' home.

These were a few fun shots of Eric and me in the castle. Me in my favorite room and Eric in the one and only doorway that he actually fit through. :)

It was a very humbling experience to be in a place of such richness. Rich in history and belongings. W.R. Hearst was a collector of many things; Fireplaces, Antique ceilings, people. And he had no qualms with spending a pretty penny to get it 'just right'. The floor of the indoor pool in the first set of photos is actually glass covered gold. It was a little sickening to see the frivolous spending that was done, but I guess when you're that rich you don't really think about the money.

Kelly

 Photos by Christy Warnick

San Simeon - Part 1

Last weekend's family trip down to San Simeon was a huge success! Thanks to my sister's excellent knack for finding great travel deals we got a steal on our accommodations. We 'casually mentioned' that we had a baby and were happily upgraded to a private duplex not too far from the swimming pool.
Since we were able to leave Friday afternoon we had all day Saturday and Sunday to go out exploring, and of course, to tour the mansion! I think I'll break this trip into two parts however, since the mansion was so freaking awesome, and the time spent as a family exploring was pretty awesome as well.

We fell in love with the cute little town of Cambria where we stayed in the Cambria Pines Lodge and enjoyed a spacious duplex with two queen beds, a faux wood fireplace, and the largest bathroom I've ever seen in a hotel. It had a separate shower and bathtub with an adorable telephone faucet. Quinn had a blast in the bathtub, he insisted on taking a bath every night.

Before our first tour of the castle we explored the beaches and the pier. Quinn is such an excellent walker now that he won't let us carry him anymore. He took a few tumbles on the uneven surface of the pier, but he loved looking out over the water and watching the waves crash on the rocks. Or maybe it was the two kids playing on the beach that held his attention... whatever. :)

Eric said that the downtown area of Cambria reminded him of Harry Potter. With places like The Squibb House and Seekers I can see where his mind was going. 

Kelly

San Simeon - Hearst Castle

I have much to share about our San Simeon visit this past weekend. However, all I have time for right now is this great desktop background I just made for my monitor at work. How cute is this little man?!? I just can't get enough of him!

More about San Simeon to come...

Kelly

The rest of New Zealand

It's taken a lot longer than it should have, but I finally finished uploading my photos of New Zealand (I think). If you care to see them you can find them here. 

Kelly

On my way .... New Zealand

I fly out for New Zealand tonight! To keep up with me and for regular updates click over here.

Kelly

The two minute blog entry

I have approximately two minutes to put something down, so here goes.

Eric took Quinn with him (all by himself) this weekend to Utah for Gavin's baby blessing. I know right?!? He said he got to the airport and was like 'what was I thinking?!?'. Luckily it all ended well, and if its possible I think he's an even better daddy because of it. ;)

Here's some pictures from the weekend.

Rylee in her pink dress and matching cowgirl boots

Gavin, chilling during the party.

Quinn, sweet snotty nose!

Quinn at the park, what a stud!

A little girl at church with the most amazing hairdo. 

Apparently her dad does her hair....enough said.

Kelly