Quinn's Train Bday Party!

The theme for Quinn's 2nd birthday party was trains.  As I've previously mentioned, he loves anything that goes.  My dad was an engineer on the railroad, so a train theme seemed fun.  We had his party in our hometown again, and we loved that our families could be there.  This time we had his party at the Masonic Lodge.  Quinn has a strong family history of Masons, so it was neat to have his party there.  He's growing so fast!  Quinn lights up a room with his smile, and he talks non-stop.  He makes us laugh and gives the best snuggles!  It was great to celebrate our little boy with the people who love him the most!

 Birthday boy!

 Sweet Annabelle

 Zoey Kay

Everyone singing him "Happy Birthday"

San Francisco Trip Part III

We stayed an extra day in San Francisco because I wanted to visit Alcatraz Island.  It's a fascinating historical site.  On the day we went, there happened to be a former inmate there.  He had written a book about his time at Alcatraz and was there to sign books, so I got one!  I read it immediately, of course, and found it really interesting.  He kept escaping from different prisons, so they sent him to Alcatraz which was considered to be an inescapable prison.  In fact, there are no recorded successful escape attempts although there have been some prisoners who disappeared and were presumed dead from the powerful currents of the bay.  

My conference was interesting, and I learned a lot.  This was our first time in San Francisco, and we really enjoyed it!  There is so much to do that we could definitely go there again and have plenty of new things to see.  Note to self for future SF trips: Remember to layer clothing because that was a lifesaver (cold in the morning, warm in the afternoon, cool in the evening).  Bring good walking shoes.  Take lots of one dollar bills for public transportation.  Revisit Pinecrest Diner at Union Square because eating there at least three times on our trip just wasn't enough.  :)

 Alcatraz Island

San Francisco Trip Part II

On the day that we took the buses, we went over to Golden Gate Park.  Mercy me, it was fabulous!  I can see why it is a local favorite.  It was huge and had a variety of things to do including a Japanese tea garden that we spent a lot of time at.  We also climbed Strawberry Hill in the middle of Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park.  Once we reached the top, we rested and watched butterflies while taking in the amazing views.  After we left the park, we went to Amoeba Music in Haight-Ashbury.  That was the most eclectic part of town that we visited.  We visited a couple other shops along the main street there as well. 

Golden Gate Park

Japanese Tea Garden

View from Strawberry Hill

 Amoeba Music