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our trip to san francisco. a dream

that was a long time coming. filled

with new experiences together

with precious and vivid memories

of the past, a perfect way to kick

off this new season of our lives.

first stop. Matt’s school on

green street. st. vincent de paul.

the memories were so fresh for

him. we even met a mom of one of

matt’s classmates. from 20 years

ago. amazing. beautiful. memories.

it was still there. the sub shop on

the corner down from the school.

unbelieveable deliciousness. the

sub and traveling back in time

with matt. the whole street was

filled with fabulous.

the most adorable shop called

meggie was where we picked up

a special item of clothing for the

future. a fresh flower shop was

followed by a pefect americano

from the roastery.

the presidio. this filled matt with

some of the sweetest and most

innocent memories of his childhood.

his home on kobe street. He built

forts in the “forest,” played

football with his dad, and it was

incredible to be with him as he

recalled it all again. . .

we climbed up to where matt

used to play in the woods. it’s a

community garden now, but he still

knew his way around. the smell

was incredible and was the main

thing he kept recalling. i am so

thankful i could go back with him.

our first view of the bridge was

in the fog and chilly weather, it

was surreal and awesome. we

went to the warming hut and

crissy field, then we went to our

hotel — which was fabulous, and

got ready for our first dinner out.

a piece of advice when traveling to san francisco. it’s ok to want to

save money. however, we would not recommend purchasing any coupons

for dinner. even though the actual restaurant, specchio, was great,

our path to get there was less than desireable. we were totally in a

questionable area. matt is an amazing protector and we were just fine.

this was a huge wake-up call to a part of sf that you hear about and

see in documentaries, but not in the famous photos. it made me sad. it made

me thankful. it also made me want to get out and give our money away.

mels was our first breakfast

of the trip. in a cute diner where

matt recognized the cardboard

cars that his kids meal used to

come in. it was a dear little place

on our way to the vineyard. the

atmosphere was vintage and

classic and the food was tasty.

preston vineyard. we had to visit

this farm and vineyard about

two hours north in the sonoma

valley. with the same last name,

we just had to make the trip. It

was a sweet, quaint, and adorable

vineyard. It was vintage-heaven. . .

on the way home, we stopped at

sonoma valley portworks where

we tasted amazingly sweet

ports. i loved this stop so much.

my love for sweet, dessert wine

was the reason. then we enjoyed

a sunny lunch in petaluma.

our night on fisherman’s wharf

started with a ride on the cable

car. we enjoyed the view of the

bay before the clam chowder in

sourdough bread bowls and a

ghiradelli hot fudge sundae, we

worshipped in the square led by

kevin toque. it was unforgettable.

pier 39. this was a day walking

on the pier thoroughly enjoying

the nautical scene and exploring

alcatraz, We visitted the presidio

again and walked on the golden gate

bridge, it seemed to be a perfect and

typical san franciscan day. .

alcatraz, the island was

incredible. the history, the

stories, the myths, the truth. it

was a mystery until now, and

even still one in so many ways.

learning about this crazy place

was a highlight and an experience.

our final day was beautiful. we

wanted to see the bridge again

with a clear sky. it was a special

final day just closing our trip.

eating lunch on the presidio and

saying goodbye to these amazing

four days. . .

goodbye san francisco. we leave

thankful for this trip to the

past. we leave thankful to begin

this new season together. it was

a timely trip to see a unique

place full of culture, variety,

and memories. we will visit again. .