Idaho! Surprise! Home Sweet Home

The Tetons probably couldn't have looked more beautiful that Friday afternoon. My dad and I decided that for my Mom and I's birthdays that we'd surprise her with me!! It was tough keeping the secret but with the exception of telling Dan that morning we were pretty sneaky. I can't decide who was more excited and shocked to see me. Josh, who was wondering "who the heck is driving the gas truck" when Matt and I pulled into the yard with me driving the gas truck for the first time ever. I was so excited, I can't believe I never realized what I was missing until now. Eric (the one rolling dough in the kitchen), when I walked into the Racin Station to see Eric...his eyes almost came out of his sockets. :) Or Avery...because I am in the lead for the favorite aunt position and I am really good at spoiling!!

Matt, Josh, and I have never been too good at taking a decent picture...mostly because they are too busy teasing and tickling me...but we do so love one another. :)

Up Next....

My next fun adventure will be coming very soon...wait and see! :)

Berkeley!!

Berkeley has so much to offer! My friend Ben, is a Berkeley Law student and offered to let us experience Berkeley in its fullest. We started by experiencing Indian food (Shalece had never had it before). It was by far the nest Indian food I've had, I even liked the curry dishes. From there we went on the Chocolate Factory tour and yes had multiple samples. Ben basically won all praise for this portion of the day! Chocolate, dark Chocolate no less always will win me over. :) The factory tour would explain the hair nets you see on Meredith, myself, Ben, and Ben's roommate Alex. I think we all have high potential in the food preparation industry just by the way we pull the hair net look off! From there we tour a FRAT house that was originally built for one of the owners of Proctor and Gamble. I don't think I'd rent my old, hand-crafted house out to a FRAT, but they keep it well maintained. It was an experience seeing all the FRATS for the fact that besides Ben, we all went to one of the BYUs where FRATS weren't allowed. We then saw the "Treefolk". Basically a bunch of hippies who don't want UC Berkeley to cut down trees to extend their Stadium have been living in the trees for 9 months!! It was great!! If anyone wants for details or funny stories about that, feel free to ask! :) Ben also took us to this cool rose garden. It reminded me a bit of the gardens at BYU-I, but with less PDA! :)

More Berkeley stories will follow at the end of the month when we attend the "How Berkeley Can You Be Parade"....Good times will be had!

Oakland Temple

The Oakland Temple. Shalece, Nicole Wood (Blond hair), Meredith Bergin (Brown hair), and I. The Oakland Temple has some of the best views of the Bay and of course is very beautiful. That and it helps that it has easy access from the Freeway!

The Wharf and Boat Tour

Shalece, my friend and tour guide, Jeremy Gove, and I at Fisherman's Wharf. Shalece got to see and experience the Bush Man. For those of you who haven't seen the Bush Man, I'm not spoiling the surprise so you'll just have to come visit and see it first hand! We went on this $10 boat tour of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Fran Bay in a fisherman's boat that was about twice the size of Dan and Pat's boat. At first when Shalece mentioned the idea I was thinking yeah right, $10 and on a small boat. But it was completely worth the $10 and the slight smell of fish! I've never seen better views of the Golden Gate Bridge and we also were in a prime spot to watch the wind surfing. It just shows that there are even more things yet to experience in the Bay.

Outside the San Francisco Exploratorium

So beautiful! In all the time I've lived in the Bay and played "tourist" I've never been to this part of San Francisco. It was perfect for Shalece to draw and for me to "people watch". Both skills take beautiful scenery and effort! :)

The Best Part of my Day in San Fran!!!

The Yankees and the Mariners co-existing. Yes that is right! This is mostly to show Jonathan that there might just be hope for us to co-exist, maybe! Story behind the picture. So I saw the father and son as we were walking across the Golden Gate Bridge, and immediately knew that I had to document this momentous occasion otherwise Jonny B wouldn't believe it. What kind of freak walks up to a couple of guys and asks to take a picture of them because of the baseball caps they're wearing? Well, that freak has to be completely nuts about the Yankees so I walked up and told them about the current "friendly" bet Jonny and I have on the two teams and that I just needed a picture. They were great sports! The best part is this: The son really isn't a Mariners' fan, he just lost his other Yankees' hat and needed something to wear. Hahaha, I guess that just proves Jonathan that I have the better team! :) Looking forward to the Seattle trip I'm about to win!

San Francisco --- Golden Gate Bridge under FOG

Shalece and I at the Golden Gate Bridge. It was really foggy in the morning, but Shalece got to see it later in the day up close and personal. It took much effort but I did get Shalece to play along as a tourist!

Stanford Art Museum

The Gates of Hell by Rodin. One of Seven moldings in the World and it is 5 minutes from my house. Rodin's display at this Art Center is considered the largest in North America. All his work is quite impressive and detailed. While Shalece is definitely the art buff, I am gaining quite the appreciation for a little art culture in my life. It will balance my Idaho culture out just a bit. :)

Stanford Art Museum

I'd like to see Grandpa Erickson ride this horse!!

Shalece, posing as "Merlin the Wizard" Shalece isn't much for modern art...but I taught her that there is more than one way to enjoy artwork. That is why you bring a camera and me! :)

Stanford Art Museum

My Future Husband:

Possibly this wax "David" could be as close to an obedient guy as I'll ever find. He looks so real too. At least he could handle family gatherings well. :)