I Got to Go Back to the Bay Area

My niece Sarah East got married to Cameron Christesen in the Oakland Temple on May 30. I was able to fly out there - all by myself - and enjoy a weekend with family and friends. I even had my rental car to myself. Trust me, this was a big deal and whenever I told anyone about my trip, I mentioned the car thing a lot. This was going to be a real treat.

The only downside was that Keenan had to drop me off at the airport 4 hours before my flight, but I still made the best of it. I took an hour walk around the various terminals and then took a nap. I was really tired. On my walk, I noticed a couple napping in the perfect spot. As one walks down the terminal, there are windows on either side of the corridor. On the left side, there are potted plants about 4 feet away from the wall of windows. No one walks there. I saw a couple sleeping there and decided to do the same. I found the same set-up in another terminal and took a nice little hour-long nap. I really needed the nap to be rested for my day. You see, I got in to San Jose at 1:30 and I wanted to enjoy my day.

Made it. When we deplaned in San Jose, I was walking to my rental car and was walking by a man who said "it's nice to be home, isn't it? I agreed with him. As I thought about it, I came to the conclusion that I would feel the same arriving in Utah. So, I guess I have TWO homes - Utah and California.

I love the bustle of downtown, probably because I don't live and work there. This was during rush hour, so it was especially busy.

 So, I got to San Jose and drove into San Francisco. I was the only family member to arrive on Thursday. I planned to spend a few hours in the city, then head to Maria Trump's house, where I was staying for Thursday and Friday nights. I went to a museum and got done around 5:30. I decided to brave the traffic and just head to the east bay. It would just get me to my destination sooner. Mel was very proud of me for using Google Maps on my phone. I plugged in every destination and made to each location like a boss.

The one thing I really wanted to do was go to the Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio. It was a nicely done museum. Here is a replica of Disneyland. I didn't really learn anything new since I've read a biography of Disney, but it was nice to walk around. I wore my cute California t-shirt that I got from my student. The employee at the museum commented on it. I told him I was on vacation ALL BY MYSELF. He told me to enjoy myself. 

I saw both the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz from the museum. The weather was absolutely gorgeous!

Me, with my California shirt, in my car.

So, basically, I spent Thursday flying, in SF, at Kristen's house, then staying up way late, talking with Maria. We had plans to spend Friday together as a family at Kristen and Doug's house. They were even hosting us for a BBQ. I cannot express how much I love Doug. He is a fabulous brother-in-law. If I call and Kris isn't home, Doug and I have a rather nice conversation. He acts like he loves it when I visit. I don't know if it's true, but I feel like he does.

Allison East DeVuyst, the shoe diva, admires her new pair that arrived just in time.

DIY manicures and pedicures - Debbie and Karen

Jen, Deb, Sarah and Karen

Allison, Dad, Mom, Hunter and James

Ok, I love this one. Allison and Karen went to get their eyrbrows threaded. James drove and Jen and I went along for the ride. James is a very good sport. 

Kristen even had a special treat waiting for me. Maria Trump commented she was happy I wore my shirt so I could find my way. I had actually not planned to go to Kristen's house until Friday, but stopped in on Thursday on my way to Manteca for a couple of hours. We had a fun visit and she fed me yummy stir-fry.

And...This is what waited for me at the Trump Hotel (aka John and Maria Trump's house). Hand-dipped chocolates made by their friend Alice. I had a blast staying with Maria. Yeah, we stayed up until almost midnight on Thursday and Friday, just talking. I got a leisurely start on Friday, which was nice. We went for a walk and just visited until I had to head to the East's. You see, the rest of the family wasn't gonna be around until around noon anyway, so there was no hurry.

The wedding was early on Saturday morning at the Oakland Temple. Dad performed the sealing and did a great job. His counsel was that we can only take our family, our character, and our covenants with us. Something to think about. It was fun to see all of Doug's family. We enjoy being with the Easts.

Saturday morning. Girls at the temple. Karen, me, Debbie, Allison, Carolyn, mom and Jen

Val and Carolyn came from Halcyon

I wouldn't let Kris keep all the flowers from the centerpieces. They were beautiful, but the stems were so short, there was really nothing to do with them, so I promised I'd take a picture of a centerpiece. Isn't it pretty?

Debbie, Jen, Karen, me, Kris and mom. Hunter in the back. Wasn't Kris a lovely mother of the bride?

mom and dad were just talking. I thought it was so cute, so I snapped some pictures.

My favorite - Hunter and grandma. This is currently Hunter's profile pic on facebook. He's so cute. 

When pictures were done, we went to a boathouse on Lake Merritt for a really nice lunch. I had delicious chicken. It was just fun to sit and talk. We left around 4:00 and headed to Kristen's house. At Kris' house, we recovered. Well, Kris and Doug recovered. We ordered pizza for dinner and just chilled and took awful mom selfies.

When the whole day was over, I went to Kim Rose Cassetti's house where I was spending the night. Jen came too. We stayed up WAY TOO LATE talking. I think we went to bed around 1:30 am. Kim woke me at 9:00 and we continued our talk until 11:00 when I absolutely had to get in the shower and on the road to catch my flight. Kim is a dear friend. We never skip a beat. We get together and just pick up where we left off. She's struggling with the normal stuff of raising kids, keeping her house running, etc. She's an excellent mom. I really admire her dedication to her family.