Abandoned...

...at least that's how I worried Dylan would feel when Shane and I ran away on a parents-only getaway to San Francisco last weekend. I did know that he was going to be taken care of and loved by pretty much all of Shane's family so I knew it was silly to worry.

Shane was in San Francisco for a conference for work. I decided to join him on Friday afternoon and take a quick weekend vacation. Shane did a lot of research so we could use our vacation time to the fullest.

On Friday night, we headed over to Fisherman's Wharf to head out on a night tour of Alcatraz. As soon as we got out on the water, it was cold and windy (which was a nice change from the Phoenix weather)... I love old buildings--I love walking through them, hearing about the history of them, and trying to picture what life was like for the people that lived in/used them so this was right up my alley. For the night tour, they close off some of the sections open during the day, but open other sections and have special programs before you head back to shore. It was definitely creepier at night time, as you can see from some of the pictures.

{There were just a few hundred people with us on the tour...}

{Creepy Shane in a high-security cell}

{I wouldn't go farther than the opening of the isolation cell...I was afraid it'd close behind me...}

{The hospital wing was opened for the night tour... Conveniently, they only lighted each room with a single lantern. This is Shane in the operating room. Can we say creepy?}

We ended the night at Ghirardelli Square. Shane got a Coke float and I got a hot fudge sundae. I meant to take a picture before I ate my sundae, but I got a little excited and devoured it... I didn't remember the picture until it was all gone :)


The next day we set out on a whirlwind tour of San Francisco. We started over at the Golden Gate Bridge. At first I thought I was sad that it was so foggy, but in the end it produced some beautiful views.





Then we headed to Chinatown and were able to wander through the Moon Festival celebration, see lots and lots of meat for sale, and visit a fortune cookie 'factory.'



Then we waited an hour to ride a cable car... We had to get on at the start of the line because they would fill up there so there wasn't any room to jump on later. Luckily we rode it almost to the end of the line (and up many steep hills) to Lombard Street.




Then we stopped in Fisherman's Wharf for some clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Very San Francisco... (In truth, Shane at clam chowder. I took one bite to be a good sport, but it's really not my thing. I had pizza made on sourdough crust.) Then we visited an arcade full of old games.



Then we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at The Stinking Rose. I got the braised short rib... It was oh-so-delicious! (Although I still tasted garlic while brushing my teeth in the morning...)

On Sunday, we headed over to Golden Gate State Park to pass the morning. We stopped at the beach, the Dutch windmill, and the Japanese tea garden. It was misting all morning, but it was actually quite refreshing. The Japanese tea garden was beautiful, and Shane was in bamboo heaven! I think we could've spent a lot more time there just taking in the views...










Then we hopped off the bus at Haight Ashbury... We loved looking at the old Victorian houses, but other than that, we felt very out of place there...so we just walked the length of Haight and headed back go our hotel and then to the airport.



It was short, but it was an awesome getaway!

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Oh, you want to know what happened to Dylan?

Dylan spent most of the weekend with the Mikos family. He quickly determined that Aunt Amy was the chief caregiving in the household and wanted her attention at all times. All three kids pitched in to help feed and play with him, and Uncle Chance took it upon himself to introduce new foods to Dylan's world (including cheetos).

{An old pic of the awesome cousins holding a tiny baby... Who is that baby??}

Amy blacked out the windows in the room Dylan was sleeping in, and he slept better for her than he does at home: until 8 AM (he wakes up around 6:30 at home) and 2.5 hour naps!

He was in bed at our house when we got home on Sunday night. Shane went to get him Monday morning and he was so excited... Then I peeked my head over the edge of the crib and he went CRAZY trying to get to me. He was very clingy the whole day, but I didn't mind one bit...