San Francisco is SOUR!

So...I loved San Francisco. It was exciting and different. And weird. And there were nudists riding bikes. That was weird. There were a lot of street performers. Which I find fascinating. 

These robot man guys stand frozen until you pay them a little something.

This guy was NOT good. And I paid him a dollar. He did one tiny little thing.

But this guy was the real deal!

He gave Kassidy candy (and he kissed my hand.....*crickets* I am not sure what to think about that...)

Maybe I was just hungry, because I don't even love sour dough bread...but this was a GREAT little visit. 

I just loved this place. 

I loved the bread animals....

A basket of ADORABLENESS turtles!

I LOVED the man making bread.... 

the bread transporting in baskets on the ceiling.... 

I mean for reals? How cool.

We were in such a hurry seeing San Francisco that we never even had time for lunch. We grabbed bread and ate on the go. IT WAS GREAT!

I got cheddar and jalapeno bread. It was so fabulous. Really.

Sky, my 6'2" 13 year old nephew

Jason, my 6'2"  brother

Wendy, my 6'2" sister in law (love her time a billion after this trip)

My little niece Zoe. She had us laughing the whole trip.

Yes. A cat. On a harness. Sat there perfectly still like no big deal.

Roller coasterinit by the ocean. No big deal.

Yea...just sitting here watching Bachelorette with my brother. Kinda weird.

I am feeling like CRAP. I can't even swallow and I am worried it is moving into my ears. :( WHY!!!!!!!???? And I have a huge canker on my tongue and it is taking away my ability to eat fudge. Bummer. I am seriously fighting negativity about it.

I was able to get a ticket for One Direction!!!!! But I am so worried about feeling like crud through it. My brother and I both got some tickets. So we get to sit by each other. LOL. Wendy would not allow any of the seating to be rearranged (Jason wanted to sit by her) because "she has been planning this fun night with the girls for  a year!"

So this will be a short little post....

In Santa Cruz there is a little beach boardwalk with some rides and fun food. We went on the roller coaster and the log ride.

The roller coaster was a really great one. Wood. And for the first bit you were going in the dark. I loved it.

Waiting in line. Justine was terrified. It has been really great to get to know Zoe and Sky better. Zoe is "on" 24-7. She is very entertaining and very fun. Sky is mild and sweet. He's been mostly quiet. Zoe is filled with anxiety and is tons like I am/was. It is comical.

Happy DAY! We found dippin' dots. They were glorious.

My brother said garlic fries were VERY Californian. So I had to try some. They were delish. 

 So right next to the board walk was the ocean. It was such a fun atmosphere!

 

The log ride was also very fun. The cool thing about the roller coaster and the log ride was that when you were at the top of both rides you just looked out and stared out at the ocean and it was MAGICAL!  

Sky and Jason

I had to use little Zoe as a shield to protect me from the splash. Fun day!

Dear Seafood, I love you, too!!!!!!!!!

HI! Still here in California having a BLAST! Aside from a STUPID cold!!!!! I seriously only get sick maybe once a year. Why???? would it happen on the only trip I get in forever!!! If I knew how to do the "hashtag" thing, or what it even is... I would say seriouslyannoyedcoughingalldaythroathurtsruinginmytripexceptIrefusetoletitgrrrr

Here is sort of my feelings about traveling. Which I never do, but still... You should eat whatever is custom to the city. Juts like I ate earthworms when I was with that cousin who ate earth worms. I had too, right? And eating an earth worm isn't any more outrageous then eating what I ate the first night we were in California. 

The flavor was fine. I didn't like that it was cold. 

I think it is a personal challenge I have. To try food no matter what.

I really like seafood. But this place kept me challenged! And my girls? Traumatized! Ha Ha! but I really wanted them to see and try new things.

It was an Japanese and Hong Kong style restaurant called Tomi Seafood Buffet. 

It was mostly about sushi! I decided I preferred the partially seared sushi and I loved it on the rice. But to save stomach space I mostly ate it without the rice so that I could try it all.

 The little orange seaweed wrap was fish eggs of course!

My SIL Wendi and my hilarious niece (HILARIOUS) Zoe.

My brother and Justine

Jason teaching Justine the lo-down. We insisted they tried a few things that were "outrageous" to them. Justine tried eel and actually liked it!

Uncle Jason got to pick what Kassidy ate. He got her to try a jellyfish seaweed wrap. I tried it as well. It was horrible. After she ate it he confessed he never had!!!! Stinker.

Duck and bok choy with mushrooms (yum). And one of my favorit foods was also a slice of breaded acorn slice. Yum.

NOT GOOD.

Crab head with like noodles and eggs cooked inside with shrimp.

Raw oyster. I definitely don't enjoy those. I want to. I do. But I like them cooked.

My sweet Nephew Sky. Seriously Nice kid. Just nice like my Nathan is nice.

Sky loved the crab legs!

Owiee! But it had to be done.

The very next day we went to....

Duh nu nu nuh......

The world famous.....

This place had GREAT oceany atmosphere. The ocean was only a jaunt away. As we ate, birds kept landing to get crumbs. We ate in like a outside covered area and it was lovely. I always wanted to live an oceanly life style. It was great.

My brother said I had to order a seafood tomato basil soup called Cioppino. It was $22 for one person.

I adored it. It was so simply delicious.

I also got a crab and shrimp stuffed artichoke with a garlicky mayonnaise dip. It was YUM-MY.

Jason had a crab sandwich

Zoe and Justine had clam chowder. I love clam chowder so very much.

My mom had albacore sandwich and Kassidy had fried shrimp!

My girls are the sweetest traveling companions. And the complete opposites. Justine can't spend a dime. She is thoroughly grossed out about the food choices but would never complain. She is truly a little princess. I never say that. It just isn't my lingo. But she is. And doesn't that braid look like a mermaid tail or something?

Kassidy is so enamored by everything we have done. She is so happy and full of life. And full of love for life. First, she is never going to leave the Redwood Forest. Then she is living next to the ocean. Then she is never leaving San Francisco. Actually she is me. She loves it all! The world is her oyster! :)

 I am so lucky and blessed and thrilled that we went on the little trip before they leave my home. Don't even talk about it. I will cry. Kristopher! I don't like it, it's not okay, and I can't stand it anyway! I love them!

We are having so much fun I can barely stand it. For reals. It is almost too much. Maybe that is why I have a cold. To keep me from floating off the ground.

I have so much to share!!!!!!! See you tomorrow!