It's only 9:20?!

Hello, All!

After much provoking, Brian FINALLY posted about his week (you can check it out right after this post!)  He left a lot out, but suffice it to say, he had a great time!  Google took the new hires out for a bike tour, had a social at a local bar and grill, and had an awesome scavenger hunt; which Brian's team won!  He came home everyday so excited about the new things he was learning and would send me texts all day about the cool benefits we get...this has been such a blessing to our family!

Week 2 of work for him has started, and he's still settling in.  Luckily for him it's a short week (Thanksgiving is Thursday and he gets Friday off...woot!)  I'm really excited for him because he's meeting up with some old friends this week for meals...but I'm also insanely jealous! LOL!  In Kansas he got it easy...he became friends with my friends' husbands and I did all the socializing 'work'.  Out here...it's all him (at least for right now).  Lyda and I were talking about this and it's so true.  For now, I have to put my trust in him that he will make some friends with wives that I can befriend...he just needs to get on that! :)

The kids and I are starting to feel boxed in to the apartment.  950sqft feels very small, very quickly when you are all in the same room all day!  We've explored some of the local parks and have found one that we love...but it's 15 miles away.  Not a big deal since we don't have too much to do...but gas is expensive!!

Luckily for us, we get a FANTASTIC distraction today...we are getting the keys to our new home!  The landlords called yesterday and asked if we would like the house early since they had moved out. Yes, please!  The main bummer is that we can't get our belongings delivered yet.  We are trying to work on getting the move date moved up, but that's easier said than done.  Either way, it will give us space to run around, projects for me to do, and some sense of permanency!  Wahoo!

For Thanksgiving we are incredibly blessed this year...Nam and Erin are coming to visit!  It's going to be the ultimate FriendsGiving!  They are coming Wednesday and staying through Saturday so they will be able to see the new home!  We are all looking forward to seeing some familiar faces; especially on a holiday that you spend with loved ones :)!!

There had been a minor hiccup in our move out here...I am still looking for an OB.  It's been 5 weeks since my last appointment and thank God Vera moves a lot, otherwise I'd be worried sick!  We had initially signed up for BCBS of California...and it was awful trying to find an OB around here.  Apparently Kaiser is the insurance provider of choice.  So I convinced Brian to switch.  We had received some recommendations from our realtor (his wife is an OB/GYN up north and has an OB/GYN in Milpitas she still goes to).  I'm praying that this all gets figured out quickly.  Kaiser has been a lot easier to work with and I did some research on the doctors that were recommended to me last night and found a hospital.  Hopefully things start falling into place with the insurance!  It's a foreign world to me having issues with insurance.  I've had close friends battle with insurance before, and I never envied them...and I hope this is all the battling we have to do!

Google has a holiday party on the 9th of December...Brian is so excited!  I just need to find a dress that will look flattering on this ever increasing body of mine!  Vera will be here in just a few months...which means a visit from my parents!  So excited (about both things:))!

I'll let you know how our walk through goes today...I'm not anticipating any problems and I can't wait to see the house again!

Love you all!
Jen

[Guest Post] Werk, Werk

Pretty incredible, but I have finished my first week of work at Google.  Monday through Friday went by fast, but it was also jam-packed full of stuff.  On Wednesday, I could not believe everything that had happened in just those first two days!  All-in-all, Google has been everything that I had heard - a great atmosphere, fantastic people, awesome perks ... it is quite obvious why it is near the top of every "top-employer" list.  I think every employer tries to make things orientation fun and exciting, but somehow they don't turn out quite as much fun.  Like, we had a scavenger hunt on the main campus, looking for different landmarks, displays, activities, etc... Even the security guards, the retail store casheirs, and the off-site bartenders got in on the fun!  There is just something different here...

So, what were the best things from the week?  I really can't say enough about the people.  I had read a lot about the Google culture, and how even as a big company, they try not to lose themselves in "corporate-ness".  How does this manifest itself?  One noticeable thing was not only was I introduced to all of my peers in the same organization, but also all of my manager's peers in the organization on the very first day.  I then had introductory meetings with the director of my organization on the very next day!  Plus, everyone knew who I was, and had been actually planning on meeting me.  It is a great feeling that everyone knows everybody else, and the entire group is comfortable talking face-to-face, up and down the chain.  It inspires transparency, and definitely made me feel at home right away.

I am also car-less for the first time in a long time.  My car in Kansas was getting up there, and also was scheduled for quite a bit of work, so we cut ties before driving out.  Now, I am a public transportation guy, but the shuttle service is pretty convenient.  Right now, the shuttle picks me up just a few hundred feet from my front door, and I can completely ignore the massive amount of traffic on the way there!  After we move, the bus-stop will be closer to 2 miles away, but Milpitas is a small town with California weather - it should work out just fine.  I am currently riding one of the not-quite-top-of-the-line shuttles, but the coolest thing is they all have wifi available.  Some are double-decker, and others have all leather seats!  Another great thing about using the shuttles is that it helps keep me on a good work-schedule: always up early, and always home for dinner.  With a car, it is much easier to try and finish one(-hundred) last thing(s), and it up missing out eating with my family.  I am sure I will need to work some evenings, but at least I will be at home to do it!

In general, Google is awesome because it lets me do what I love to do (engineer software), and takes care of literally everything else.  I don't have to worry about food, traffic, making a name for myself.  Meals are provided, they drive me to work, and everyone already knows me and whats to see what I can do!

It is very exciting, can't wait for my second week!

Thank God for friends!!

Hello, all! Hope you haven't missed the rowdy Relphs too much!

Sunday was Brian's 28th Birthday!  Holy crap, he's an old man! I can say that for 6 more months...then 28 will be the new 21 :)!  We spent the day relaxing before his first big day at GOOGLE!  I had asked him the night before what he wanted for his meals and this is what he asked for/got:

Breakfast: French toast from an actual french bread loaf with maple sausage
Lunch: Italian sub with Kettle cooked BBQ chips
Dinner: Tacos (and the kids even partook in this one!)
I also made him his favorite cake: yellow with chocolate frosting :)

Yep...Suzy Homemaker over here ;)  As long as he was happy on his birthday, the mess was all worth it!

Surprisingly, he actually got some sleep Sunday night and early Monday morning we all hopped in the minivan and drove Brian to work.  He had to be there at 8 and didn't know the bus situation yet, so it became a family affair!  It was awesome to be a part of his first day and to wish him luck as he walked into his first day of orientation!  There was a lot of cool things he learned, but I'm not sure which I'm allowed to share, so I will make him write a blog at the end of the week about his first week :)!

It had been about 3 weeks since the kids and I had a whole day together without "Daddy" to run to...so it was finally time for Mommy Bootcamp!  These kids needed some of their structure back and they made it very evident that they did not like the idea :).  For example...they didn't play the IPad the whole day because neither of them could stop yelling at each other.  It also took them over an hour to fall asleep for their nap (which was REALLY irritating because I wanted to sleep!!)  I got to talk to my sister via Skype for about an hour (Yay!) and that pretty much filled up our day!

Around 5 I texted Brian and asked if he wanted us to come and get him.  He did (he must have missed us :)) so off to Mountain View we went!  We got to talk about his first day and we went to Red Robin to celebrate!

We got the kids to bed WAY too late (9pm) and passed out ourselves.  We had an early day planned for Tuesday (today) and had to be on the road at 7...good luck!

I couldn't sleep well so I got up at 6 without a problem and walked the kids out the door at 7:00.  Then I decided to go to Starbucks (thank you Crystal and Joe!) but I SWEAR there isn't one anywhere with a drive through!  Now, I really am not THAT lazy; but when you are in a hurry and have 2 toddlers with you...the LAST thing you want to do is find a parking spot for a minivan and schlep the whole family in to get coffee.

I did it anyway.  Then we were finally on the road to...COPPEROPOLIS!  I am so lucky to have a friend who lives pseudo close to us (120 miles) from Kansas!  So the kids and I went out to see Courtney and her little man Ronan!  We had a great time at the playground with her Mommy group and  then some yummy Mexican food at a local eatery!  We headed back to her house and tried to lay the kids down for a nap....that didn't work so well :).  So, the kids came upstairs and decided to wreck havoc!  By the way...have I mentioned how GORGEOUS Courtney's house is?  Here's proof:

This is the view from the front of her house...for real.

The front door.

Panoramic view from the LR

View from the back porch

Part of her wrap around porch (it's two levels :))

And the kiddos making a MESS!

At the end of this visit, Elijah had a fat lip...but it was all worth it!  Thanks, Courtney, for opening your home to us! Can't wait for your visit in December!!

On the way home (2.5 hrs) I got to talk to my Dad, Austin, and Lyda!  It was awesome being able to catch up...the kids even said Hi to Lyda!

Tonight has one priority...JAYHAWK BASKETBALL!  ROCK CHALK, BABY! GO KU!!

We found a home!!!

Ladies and Gents...after searching for just a few days, we have found our new home!  We are so excited!  Here are some pictures:

The front of the house.  The landscaping is GORGEOUS!

This is the 4th bedroom, or as I like to call it:
My Craft Room :)!

Laundry Room

Downstairs.  This will be the kids' play area!  All to themselves!

Still downstairs.  There is a built-in desk and bar area...
this home is beautiful!

This is the eat-in area in the kitchen that we will use
for the kids' school area!

Updated Kitchen overlooking the backyard :)

So excited I don't have to give up my gas stove!
The owner's Son-in-law is the Realtor...he's awesome!

Living room with Bay window.  Cannot WAIT
to put a Christmas Tree front and center!

Another shot of the LR

The first level of the back deck (yes, first level...
there are 4!)

View of more levels!

Our new lemon tree!

There are already some GIANT lemons ready to be picked!

Bottom level of deck that connects to the kids' playroom level!
This is going to be perfect for them to play outside anytime they want!

Myah's closet.  All of the closets
have cedar flooring!

Myah's Room

Elijah's Room

View of master from door

My closet!  Brian has his own and won't have to
step over my things now:)!

Another view of the master

Another view...that area to the left will be
where Vera stays!  It's a great 8x8 area!

Gotta love the pink bathroom!!

Vera's "Room"

After talking to Fabian (the Realtor) we found out that the home had originally been listed for $3000 a month...WAY out of our price range...like, not even close!  He had talked his father-in-law into dropping the price...just in time for us to see it on Trulia!  When we viewed it, there were a few family members there painting the home and getting it ready and they told us a little about the owners, their situation, and the area.  This home has been a one owner, family home for the past 28 years...and you can tell!  You can instantly feel the love in the house; there is even markings in the garage of children's heights!  I instantly fell in love with this house...even though it's a side-to-side split (those who know me well know that I have been SO over split levels!)  The family is moving to be closer to one of their daughters...the family is very close and that is awesome!

When I called the next morning to tell the Realtor we wanted to put in an application, he informed me there were two other applications that he had and he would present ours with the others that afternoon.  My anxiety instantly rose...this house had been calling my name and we might not get it!  After writing a letter of why we loved the home and who we were and filling out the app, we sent it on.  Just a few hours later Fabian called to say congrats!  The owners loved the letter and chose us!  We felt so incredibly lucky and blessed that they had chosen our application over two others!

We went by today to drop off our deposit check and meet Fabian...he is awesome!  He told us more about the family and the area...this place reminds us a lot of Olathe...very suburban with all the shops you love!  The town is right at the base of some mountains (the people here call them hills...LOL!) and there is a park down the street!  We also found out that there is a national park and golf course just a few miles away in the "Hills"!  We signed the lease for 18 months and could not be happier!

Ironically enough, we sold a lot of things in our garage sale, and now we will have to buy furniture to fill the house!  I'm still in astonishment at how everything has gone so far.

Oh!  Fabian's wife (the owners daughter) is an OB/GYN and can tell me who to go to out here!  Seriously...who gets this lucky?!

I hope you guys are having fun travelling along with us!  Brian's birthday is tomorrow (a VERY OLD 28) and he starts at Google on Monday!  Lots going on and we have just started!

Love you all!

Homeward Bound

After eating breakfast at the lovely (not) Best Western, we were sitting in our hotel room twiddling our thumbs.  We had reached the point in our journey where we were ready to be a little more settled and get some stability back (ok...I had reached that point a while ago, but now the rest of the clan had reached it with me!).  We weren't allowed to check in to our new apartment until 4:00 pm...and it was just now 8:00 am.  Wow...we had a lot of time to kill.

We decided to pack up and ship out...I couldn't stay in that crappy room any longer!  I mean, it was bad. The bathroom door hit the toilet and had to be slammed open and shut to get past the stool...ugh!

We contacted our moving liason and asked if we could move in early. She said she would get back to us...turns out, we couldn't.  So we had A LOT of time to spare (it's the trend for the day).  We drove to our apartment complex to see where we would be living...and it's GORGEOUS! THANK YOU GOOGLE!!  It was only 10:30 but we were hungry, so we went to In-N-Out Burger...Brian and the kids' first time!  Brian loved it, the kids refused to eat, and I still don't see what the big deal is.  Yes, the burgers are fresh...a lot of places have fresh burgers.  Maybe it's because I don't eat the thousand island dressing....I don't know...but I'm not begging to go back anytime soon.

I don't know about most of you, but I know that when Brian and I have a plethora of time on our hands, we tend to spend money...so we try to avoid that at all costs.  But today was a fun day to do that!  We headed over to Best Buy and decided to join the rest of the world in owning an IPad 2!  Woot!  Brian and I are just as excited as the kids!  It took a while to get everything situated at BB.  We asked them to apply the invisible protection shield for us...and that took 30 minutes.  So Brian and Myah decided to try out the PS3 Move and play ping pong.  Let me tell you...there is something about preschoolers that just click when it comes to electronics.  Or maybe it's just my dorky family :).  Anyway, Myah BEAT Brian on her FIRST TIME playing the game.  He says he let her win...but I watched...not quite the truth.  He needed to redeem himself so he played her again and won (dad of the year!).  We finally made it out of BB in one piece and it was time for the kids to nap.  Since we had no home yet and the kids sleep well in the car, we decided to head to Google Headquarters to check it out!

I have to say I am SO EXCITED for Brian!  The HQ is HUGE with tons of amenities!  While we were there we saw about 25 people on Google bikes on a tour of the campus.  Brian guessed it was a new hire tour...so he'll be able to do his on Monday!  Yay!  There were bikers, hikers, runners, dog lovers, etc all on this campus enjoying the weather.  I hope the job is as relaxing as it seems...this is going to be a great opportunity for him!   

We went back to the hotel and played soccer with the kids for a little bit until the apartment was finished.  When we finally got in, it was a huge relief!  Finally a place we can stay in longer than 2 nights :).  The apartment is just under 1000 sqft. and is fully furnished!  We feel so blessed at how well Google is treating us!

After unloading the van, we started to unpack and do some domestic necessities.  I am not one to love, enjoy, or even like cleaning...but I could not WAIT to do laundry!  After over a week without a washer and dryer, it's the little things that make you happy!  It took about 13 loads, but we finally finished laundry!  Since we had a kitchen we wanted to stop eating out and have some home cooked meals....so off to the grocery store we go!

First let me say this: I usually love grocery shopping.  BUT 5:30 on a Monday with 2 kids and a husband who is on the phone and not helping is NOT FUN!  Not only that, but I wanted to pay attention to the prices to figure out differences, figure out what we needed for essentials, and try to navigate a brand new, and overpacked, store.  I have to say the stress got to me and I shut down.  Luckily Brian decided to take over and make some decisions.  We got ready-made dinner there (sandwiches and chicken tenders) because it was 7 by the time we left, but we finally had food to eat at home!

I had my first overwhelming moment of the trip.  I've always prided myself on being adaptable to new situations, but I think right now is too much new.  I have been having a tough time acclimating myself to everything; traffic, people, new prices, new streets, new home...gosh...is that enough??  LOL! And on top of that, we still need to find a more permanent place to live...in 29 days.  Oh, and I'm pregnant and need to find a new doctor and hospital.  I guess it's easy to see why I'm a little overwhelmed.  If I didn't have my faith in God and great support from friends and family, I would be a mess!

I had myself a good cry, pulled up my big girl panties, and now I'm fine.  God wouldn't put anything in our paths that we couldn't handle and I just need to trust in that...and take it a day at a time!  

Living in this apartment has been great! The kids have their own room, we have cable and internet (finally!), and the kids have toys to play with.  Feels much more normal!  

The plan for today is to start driving neighborhoods and see if we find any houses we enjoy.  I have been looking on Trulia for some homes and have contemplated paying a property management service for a list of their homes.  Wish us luck! 

Being a native...

Not to start off this blog being negative...but we are having trouble adjusting to the time change.  We daylight savings time expiring, it's like a 3 hour difference for us.  So we've (the kids and I) been waking up around 5...starving!  Brian, not being pregnant or a toddler, doesn't understand our need to eat as soon as we wake up, but I finally strong arm him into taking us to IHOP right down the street.  Yep, another great local spot :).

After a filling breakfast, we went back to the hotel to decided what we wanted to do that day. Since we were a day early and we wanted to do touristy things...we had a lot of options!  We decided that the most touristy thing we could do would be go to the Fisherman's Wharf and see the Golden Gate Bridge!  Luckily for us it was a Sunday and the weather was great, so it wasn't too overwhelming!  After finding a parking garage ($28.00...yep...ridiculous), we grabbed the kiddos and went to the wharf!  The Bay is gorgeous!  You can see Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, and lots of other great places!  San Francisco is a beautiful place!

The first thing we did was find 2 WWII ships that had sailed.  They were humongous and very cool to see up close!  Eli got a little scared when the boat started swaying in the water, but it was awesome to see how massive these things were!  Walking back we saw they were doing boat tours of the Bay and around Alcatraz...like I said, our purpose was to be super touristy...so we HAD to do it!  Plus, the kids were free :).  So we bought tickets for an hour boat tour of the bay...so glad we did!

The tour was awesome!  I love history, so listening to the tour on the headset was definitely a highlight for me.  The kids did fantastic on their first boat ride, as well!  There was a moment when Eli and Myah got a little nervous: after passing under the Golden Gate Bridge the boat comes to a complete stop to turn around...which makes for a VERY rocky few minutes.  Cups, tables, and people were flying around...easy to see why he was scared :).  He told me he was done after that and wanted to get off the boat, but we still had 30 minutes left of the tour, so we played I Spy with boats in the Bay...distracting toddlers is so easy sometimes!

We shared the tour with about 50 Japanese tourists. I only mention this because all 50 took about 10 pictures, EACH, of my kids.  I don't really care if people take pictures of my kids...I think they are gorgeous and enjoy when other people do as well (what mommy doesn't?!).  However, it got old after a while and the kids even stopped smiling and started hiding their faces in our stomachs.  You know there are a lot of people taking pictures when your kids start getting uncomfortable!  I just hope these pictures aren't used for anything public or inappropriate!  I was talking to Brian about why they were taking pictures, and he likened it to going to Africa and us taking pictures of the beautiful African children.  That made more sense to me, but being tourists ourselves, it was funny being seen as a 'native' :)!


Seeing Alcatraz up close was something to remember!  I can't wait to go back and actually tour the facility (without kids).

After the tour it was lunch time.  There were the most amazing smelling restaurants (huts) all around the wharf, but being pregnant and already having my share of fish for the week, we had to avoid those and go somewhere else...which is a MAJOR BUMMER!  If you know ANYTHING about me, you know I appreciate good seafood...I'll just have to make another trip after Vera is born :).  In any event, we decided we would go to Rainforest Cafe so the kids could see some more fish.  I don't know if you sense a  trend here, but my kids LOVE fish!

After the cafe we went back to the hotel for naps :) YAY!  We had nothing planned for the rest of the day, so we thought we would catch a movie with the kids.  We had seen this really cool shopping area that morning called "The Shops at Tanforan".  It was beautiful, but most importantly, it had a TWO STORY TARGET!  That's right people...two stories!!  It was awesome! It even had tracks for your cart to go up and down while you rode the escalator...super cool!  I needed some additional maternity clothes, so we picked up a few things. It was also dinner time, and you can only eat burgers and fries so many times, so we got smoothies and some Auntie Anne's pretzels....yum!  We decided not to bring the kids to a movie...they had been sitting too much this whole week.  The mall was closing in 30 minutes so we went back to the hotel.

Did I mention they put us on the second floor?  That wouldn't be such a big deal except we bring about 10 different full sized bags in with us when we stay for longer than a day...yep...that's a lot of hauling crap up and down stairs.

Bedtime came and went and we spent the morning breakfast time at their cafe eating a complementary breakfast :)...

Keep following along and read the next blog to see what we do next!  Also, I will load up pictures later today!

Are we THERE YET?!!!

Hello friends! It's been quite a while since I posted, so I've decided instead of one SUPER long post, I'll split it up by days!  Get ready, ladies and gentlemen...it's gonna be a bumpy ride!!!

Leaving Utah was a bummer.  The hotel was gorgeous, we all had a great night sleep, a fantastic dinner at Olive Garden (my personal favorite!), and it was sunny and beautiful when we left!  However, on the other side of this trip is a casino calling my name...so on we go!

Utah is truly a gorgeous state...here's some more proof:

We had to stop multiple times...Myah had to pee...TWICE!  We knew it was going to be a long day at this point.  The kids were getting a little stir crazy being in the car two days straight...but we were going to power through if it killed us!

We finally made it to Nevada...with 5 more hours to drive...ugh.

We stopped and ate at Wendy's and then went acrossed the street to McDonalds to use their play place. It wasn't quite as awesome as the one before...but Eli loved the slide!  It was at least 15 feet high!  Myah refused to go down...I think we know who is more like Brian and who is more adventurous like me :)!

We had looked at the weather report before we left and knew we would be driving into some snow...but THIS is what it looked like while we were driving...quite ominous...

It was a long drive and my back was definitely regretting driving two days in a row...but we finally made it to the hotel!  It is, BY FAR, one of the most beautiful places we have been to!  The staff is amazing, the rooms are great, and the scenery is to die for!  When we arrived we received a s'mores kit with two sticks for the kids to roast at their fire pit by the lake...so cool!  They had a heated pool that you enter from the inside of the hotel and swim under a plastic wall to get to the outside...very smart!  Brian took the kids to go swimming while I had some 'me' time and got ready for the day.  It was a treat to be able to shower and blow dry my hair without being in a rush!  I even got to put make up on!  Whoa!

The next day, Brian wanted to take a tour of the lake.  He has been talking of taking me to Lake Tahoe since 2004 when we went with his fraternity on the Journey.  All I kept thinking about was the fact that we had just spent 8 hours in the car the day before and now he wanted to 'sight-see' around Lake Tahoe in a car, an easy 2 hour trip.  I told him my concerns about the kids and how we would be in the car all the next day as well, but he was too excited to relent...so off we went!

It was beautiful, albeit cold!  The lake is something to see at 6000 miles high and 72 miles around...absolutely beautiful!  The concierge gave us some great pamphlets and we learned some really cool information (yep, I'm a nerd :))!  Did you know that Lake Tahoe contains enough water to cover the entire state of California 14 inches deep!?  That's a TON of water!

Emerald Bay is one of the most photographed spots in America...so OF COURSE I had to get some pictures!  The bay is famous for having a green (emerald) tint to it while the rest of the lake in view is still blue.  Unfortunately, winter time isn't the best time to see this...but it was stunning nonetheless!

I'm telling you, the views on this lake are spectacular!  I'm excited it's only a 4 hour drive from our future home...summer camping trips!!

Eli passed out pretty quickly...

Myah was pretty cranky...she wanted to see fish!

We found a river along the way and got out so the kids could see some salmon!  We were told to watch them floating upstream...a very cool thing to watch!  The kids loved it and it didn't hurt to get out and stretch our legs a little bit!

Our final destination on the trip around the lake was Heavenly, NV known for it's super touristy shopping!  It reminds me a lot of Freeport, ME, without all the awesome outlets :(.  We wanted to eat some of the local cuisine, so we stopped for the super authentic NV Applebees (yep...total sarcasm :)). But it was really yummy!  Yep...I actually went to Applebees and enjoyed it...go figure!

When we got back to our hotel we did my favorite thing in the world....take a nap!  When we all woke up, I decided to look up the weather.  We were supposed to get less than 1" of snow that night...until now!  They were predicting 7"-12"...WHAT?!!!!!  That will NOT make for a fun driving situation down this winding mountain tomorrow.  I suggested we leave ASAP to San Francisco...so we checked out and drove to San Fran...JUST IN TIME!  The weather we drove through was awful!  We didn't breathe easy until the weather warmed up a little bit and we knew the roads weren't frozen with ice.  Since Brian was driving, we sat in silence for about and hour and a half...he had to concentrate on the roads...I'm really grateful we didn't wait any longer to leave NV...I can't imagine how much worse it would be!

We needed to stop for dinner and I suggested we eat at a Jack-in-the-Box.  I haven't eaten there since I was 5 and living in Fort Worth, TX, so I was super excited!  It was Brian's and the kids' first time going...and I have to say it was a success!  

We got back in the car and headed toward San Francisco.  It was too dark to see the landscaping, so we had no idea what it looked like!  Something to look forward to in the morning :).  We stayed at the Best Western and went to sleep (by the way, don't ever stay at a Best Western...they are gross).

Check out the next post for our San Francisco adventures!