Since my mom’s move to Virginia with her husband, I’ve been wanted to get down there the visit, and see the Richmond my mom experiences. During our recent trip out east, 4th of July weekend feel like the first time to explore our new Southern headquarters. We arrive the day before the holiday, and…
On our first morning in LA, we went on a drive through Griffith Park, looking for a nice trail or scenic spot when we spotted the most amazing playground. As we go in, my daughter goes straight to the swings, and we notice a whole row of swings suitable for disabled children. As my…
Who doesn’t love toys? Dolls, trains, Shopkins and Legos are always lining my floor. So when we entered a history museum and saw an exhibit on toys of the 50s, 60s and 70s, we knew we had to go. On our quick trip to Richmond, Virginia we had a few hours and wanted to check…
In May, at 39 weeks pregnant, my sister finally went into labor, and gave birth to my darling niece. Born in the early morning, at 6 pounds, 5 ounces, she was the bundle of joy all could not wait to hold and shower with love. Of course, living on the opposite coast I had…
The idyllic Route 66 that leads out to California ends in the most picturesque location, out on a pier that overlooks the grand Pacific Ocean. Here you can watch the sunset on the water, smell the sea salt in the air, see the surfers on the waves, and understand why so many come to settle…
The whole trip to LA actually came about because we got to know that one of our family members we love getting together with, was going to be spending a week in LA to visit relatives and attend a wedding. We really wanted to see them, and instead of a flight away, they were now…
Hollywood, La La Land: where the sun is always shining and dreams of becoming a star come to life. I’ve lived in California 12 years, but have only been to the LA area 3 times in my life. I had never made it to Hollywood. When we decided to head to Los Angeles for Memorial…
After our visit to the John Muir National Historic Site, we intended to take the kids for a hike. But instead of the hills of the John Muir Site we opted for the relatively flat trails of the Martinez Waterfront Park. A large swath of land near the Martinez Waterfront has been turned into…
Living in the Bay Area, it’s hard to go anywhere without finding something with the name John Muir. John Muir, famous environmentalist who started the Sierra Club, and whose essays and books about the majestic wilderness are still popular reading, spent the last half of his life on the West Coast. He worked to preserve…
Every once in a while I get into a mood to take spontaneous, unplanned adventures. We had such a day. We were driving home after attending a picnic, when my husband said out of the blue, “The Jelly Belly Factory is not to far away. Want to go visit it?” A quick Google search showed…
We haven’t been somewhere tropical in a while, and we unfortunately don’t have any fun international trips planned anytime soon. While looking through TimeHop photos and pictures of others’ vacations on Facebook and in travel blogs, I am trying to quell my thirst with memories of trips past. Cabo San Lucas was our 2nd…
Wine. Castles. Chocolate. More wine. What’s not to love? When my mom was in town she wanted to go up to Napa. I had no ability to take a day off at work so we could go sans kids. That meant we had to go on a weekend and find a child-friendly winery. What a better…
When guests are in town, I love to show my guests the gems that make up the Bay Area. My mom was visiting, and since she’s been here a number of times, we decided to do something a little different. We set out for Old Sacramento, to introduce her to a different California, a California…
My children are NOT good in the car. Ever since my son was a baby, he could never handle more then 2 hours in the car-seat before he wanted out. So when we were planning a weekend trip to Legoland that included 16 hours in the car (not counting stops), I knew I needed to…
On March 8th we celebrated International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate the strong, amazing women who have made this world as it is. To the women before us who blazed the trail so we could achieve the goals and dreams we have and to the women today fighting so the girls we are raising…
