Trip to CA

After Ashley and Gabe's wedding, Lea and I continued our whirlwind trip. We flew to Oakland. There we met my parents and had lunch. My parents were kind enough to loan us their car for the week.

We first dropped off our stuff at Lea's friend's apartment in Oakland. Heather and Lea went to Boalt together. Heather is also pregnant and her kid is due about a month before ours.

That night Lea and I saw The Flight of the Conchords perform in Berkeley. They were fantastic. We met up with Jeannie Lee and her fiance Brian after the show. (Jeannie and I worked together in Sacramento.) We also saw my former coworker Scarlett. It's a small world.

The next morning Lea and I made a quick run by Moe's and Amoeba in Berkeley. Then we drove to Santa Barbara.

Lea grew up in Santa Barbara. Her mom, Joan, and her stepdad, Bob, still live there. Their house is lovely. Their dog Bojo is great, too. He's a very energetic poodle. Joan and I took him for a walk to play in the park. I got to see where Lea went to grade school. That night we had a wonderful dinner.

The next day we spent around Santa Barbara. Joan, Lea and I checked out the chalk drawings at the Mission. Lea and I took Bojo to the beach. Some of Lea's relatives came by for dinner.

Overall we spent Tuesday through Friday morning in Santa Barbara and had an amazing time.

Friday we headed north to Sacramento. There we met up with my aunts and cousins for pizza. It was nice to introduce Lea to my family. (I'd already gotten the mass-introduction to Lea's family at the prior thanksgiving.) We spent that night in Woodland with my cousin Brian.

Saturday we headed to SF. We met up with Michelle, Lea's sister, and Cosmo, Michelle's fiance. Michelle is also pregnant and due only a few weeks after Lea. Matthew, Lea's brother joined up with us soon.

We spent most of the day at the Maker Faire in Mountain View. It was a bit like a tech show meeting burning man. Very fun.

That night we made a supply run to Trader Joe's. Then we ate Indian food at Pakwan in the Mission. Lea and I spent the night at our friend Liz's house.

Sunday we had planned a brunch/baby shower at Julia Kahn playground in Golden Gate Park. My parents came up and we put our bagels, fruit, coffee and other tasty treats. Friends and family showed up. We had a wonderful time. (Also, it was Scott's birthday.)

Unfortunately we had to catch a plane back to AK that afternoon in Oakland. My parents continued their generosity and gave us a ride to the airport. We'd had a wonderful trip.

PICTURES: http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.r.mckenna/TripToNMAndCA