East Bay Redwood Adventure

This past weekend I woke Betsy up really early to go for a hike. Since we don't have a Golden Gate Park next to us we had to go to Redwood Regional Park instead. We decided to do a quick 4 miler. Our hike was a combination of about 4 different trails to form a loop. Our loop brought us close to the majestic beauty of the Sequoia sempervirens, more commonly known as coast redwood.
Betsy was once again delighted to showcase her belly in nature (not like she has much choice...look at the size of that thing!).
I was equally excited and hugged a tree. That's just what Humboldt State graduates do.

Once again Betsy displayed her patented tightrope technique for hiking down the steep sections. She did very well and didn't slip or fall. The tightrope technique never fails. Well, it actually almost failed once so we bought her some hiking shoes the next day at Sports Basement to prevent future near falls in her running shoes.
I really enjoy the fern understory which is characteristic in this type of ecosystem.
Betsy is a good sport and puts up with my science lectures but I think she'd have to admit that even she was starting to feel the strong bond with nature that one often feels while immersed in a redwood grove. She told me she really felt a connection with the baby and felt One with Mother Earth (OK, I'm making this part up...a guy can dream). We did also notice some fauna, a banana slug. This is about the time Betsy lost said connection with Mother Earth.
After a while we left the forest and moved into an Oak/Chaparral mixed ecosystem. There is a thicker understory of shrubs and small trees. I was excited. I mean, wow.
I decided to try out Betsy's tightrope technique for myself on an uphill section. I did feel a bit more secure. Good technique, Betsy.
When we reached the top of the hill, Betsy was pooped and we decided to rest on one of the many benches on the trail. Apparently her belly was sore but I think we really stopped so she could try and regain her connection with mother nature.
Betsy looks so cute pregnant. I love her belly. Of course this photo would have been better if I had remembered to bring my camera. The iPhone camera isn't a bad sub.
I'm excited Betsy and I found this hike. We love to get up early on Saturday and go for a stroll. Usually when we are done we get breakfast at a cute cafe and relax. We decided to get morning buns at La Farine on College. So good. The sun even came out.

I can't wait to go back and try another loop.

The bump: 33 weeks.

Here I am this morning in all my tubby glory. The boy is growing at an alarming rate. If babycenter.com is trying to freak me out, they're doing a fantastic job. My 33 week update from them compared his size to a 4lb. PINEAPPLE this week. Seriously babycenter.com? Seems like just yesterday he was a little lentil.

This guy...

Happy birthday to my favorite guy in the world! Esteban Paulo!
I love you babe!!! Happy birthday!!!

510!

We made our big move across the Bay Bridge to Emeryville this past Memorial Day weekend. This was the aftermath of our move...total chaos. But exciting chaos. The unpacking part is fun. Initially. Then after three days of it, it get tedious. We're both back at work today...a five minute commute for me (two of my 5 days/week) and Steve can now scooter to work in 10 minutes! The apartment is coming together nicely...it never ceases to amaze me how much $$ you spend moving. The most awesome/dangerous part of this particular move is the fact that we now live a 5 - 10 minute drive from IKEA, CB2, Target & the Crate & Barrel Outlet. Oh man...that Crate & Barrel Outlet is going to be the death of me. Well, my pocketbook at least.

The Bump: 27.5 weeks and counting

Here's mini-Santos at 27.5 weeks along. The bump is finally getting a little bit bigger which is fun. I swear, this is the first time in my life I've had people comment on how "small" I am. At 5'10" and not-scrawny, I've never been referred to as small so it's been a little bit hilarious. I'm fully aware though that they're talking specifically about my baby bump. These pics were taken a week ago yesterday.

I call this one "The Soccer Ball."

The latest happenings in Utah

Steve and I went to Utah a couple of weeks ago and got to spend some quality time with the Heywood/McRae/Taggart clans. For whatever reason, every time we go to Utah lately, even if it's May, it's snowing. It's freezing. I don't know why the bad weather has been following us there but it does! It's okay though b/c the list of activities planned for the weekend was lovely.

Event #1: Communal. Communal has been open now for a while and Steve and I still haven't been! So we finally made our way to my brother-in-law Joseph's amazingly awesome latest endeavor. It was so delicious. We're so proud of Joseph & Colton!!!

After dinner we even got a tour of their pantry area downstairs. These guys blow my mind with their coolness.

Event #2: The Man Date. My sisters threw me a little family baby shower on Friday evening so the guys decided to have a man date which included Clash of the Titans and Cafe Rio. Notice my dad and his special movie drink cup. You pay $11 for that thing then you can use it forever at the Cineplex and fill it up for $1. Score one for Utah.
Event #3 (AKA the least photographed event of the weekend): My baby shower! Seriously, there are no pictures because I'm usually the one that takes the pics and I was busy being the center of attention. It was such a great, casual fun evening. Thanks everyone who came to celebrate! You can see some pics on my sister's blogs here and here. My mom and my sisters are the best ever.

I literally have no pics of during the shower but I have some afterwards being cute and silly.
Emma & Allie
Steve displaying his favorite gift from my mom!
Suzy recuperating (see why an evening of partying with the ladies has her so tired here).
Amanda showed up right as the party was winding down (and luckily our resident photographer was back from Clash of the Titans).
Event #4: Sophie's Baptism! I can't believe Sophie is 8!!!
Parent practice.

Brothers-in-laws.
Event #5: Chuck-O-Rama!!!! Somehow, Chuck-O-Rama has become the venue of choice for post-baptism lunch. We always let the guest of honor choose and sure enough, Sophie followed in the footsteps of her big brother and her big sister and we all geared up for a smorgasbord of hearty goodness. This picture perfectly captures the essence that is Chuck-O-Rama. Ryan's plate includes the following: Fried chicken, spaghetti, garlic bread, mac 'n cheese, and mashed potatoes.
Not to be outdone by Ryan...Steve followed up his multiple lunch plates with this lovely sundae.

My husband is so cute. I love this picture.

Thanks family for another fun-filled Utah weekend! We love you!!!

Marketing!

A couple of weeks ago our friend Michelle graced us with her presence here in the city. We decided to meet her at the Ferry Building for the world famous breakfast sammies and some fresh fruit. Little did we know we were going to be caught up in a marketing blitz.

Our day started off innocently enough when we ran into Michelle and Shasta several stops early which is always a delight; running into someone on the Muni metro. Michelle caused quite a commotion at this chance meeting! She calmed down enough for me to document our ride.
So if you know Betsy, she is always talking up the breakfast sammies at the Ferry Building. They are super yummy unless you're a lactose intolerant vegetarian... The sammies never disappoint.
Afterwords, we went out to Justin Hermon Plaza and were excited to see that British Colombia had invaded. They wanted you to come to their fair country and apparently they travel by zip line or something. They did have this cool chalk photo.
Unfortunately the effect doesn't work when tourists walk through the cliff. But clever marketing campaign British Columbia!
And what trip downtown isn't complete without a stop at the Gap Maternity? We were again pleasantly surprised to find a free photo booth at the entrance. What a great marketing ploy.
As you can see the first photo took me by surprise but I quickly got the hang of it.
Well maybe not right away but some of them turned out OK.
We took three turns in the booth and got our photos in seconds. It was a fun time for sure.
Michelle and Shasta took off and we headed home on the train to relax and admire our photos. Luckily there was no major marketing campaign on our way home. SF is great because you never know what you're going to find when you head out and about. I love that about our city. Most of the time what you find kind of smells bad but sometimes its fun.

Also, please come back and visit Michelle. Its always fun to have you here.