Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest I feel most alive surrounded by trees and breathing in the fresh mountain air.
When I am not working you will most likely find me spending time outdoors, volunteering with my church and exploring this beautiful planet with my family.
This is my place to share my passion for life and to encourage you to take time to find the extraordinary in your life.
All tagged San Francisco
In all my visits to San Francisco I have never visited Land's End before. From the moment I laid eyes on this place I loved it. From the fresh sea air, to the window blown trees, and the beautifully rugged landscape. I can only imagine how spectacular it was to have a swimming pool right here. If I lived in San Francisco these trails would become woven into the fabric of my life.
When we go on a city vacations the food is always what gets us the most excited to get out of bed in the morning. The best part of traveling to a world class city like San Francisco is there are always more places we want to eat than meals in a day. Especially now that we have a perpetually hungry toddler, our city vacations go a little something like this: walk, eat, sleep, repeat.
Up until our most recent trip to San Francisco I had spent very little time in Golden Gate Park. Now, it is pretty much the one place I want to spend all my time when I visit San Francisco. There is so much to see and do in Golden Gate Park from the De Young Museum, to the Japanese Garden, California Academy of Sciences, Stow Lake and the Old Dutch windmill to name just a few. Golden Garden Park reminds me a little bit of Central Park largely in part because they both feel like a refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city. As you walk throughout the park there is so much to look at and enjoy from gardens, to fountains, pathways and even an ice cream truck here or there.
When traveling with children it is important to do three things: lower your expectations for the amount of ground you can cover in one day (one big activity per day is the goal), make the earliest dinner reservations you can (usually right when they open for dinner ie. 5pm) so you can eat at trendy/fun/popular/nice places without feeling like you are crashing the party. This way you never have to wait for a meal or worse yet roam around the streets looking for a place to eat. Lastly, make certain to give your children plenty of time to run around and be free. Once you have realistic expectations for traveling as a family and they have the freedom to be kids your trip will go almost as smoothly as those pre children vacation days.
This year for Christmas we did a little something different and went on a vacation just the three of us. We had a wonderful time exploring one of our favorite cities and soaking up as much sunshine as possible. Upon arrival, we made a quick stop at the farmer's market for greenery for wreaths, Britex for ribbon and CB2 for some twinkle lights. Within a couple of hours I was able to put together a simple, yet festive environment for our stay.
