Brian and I decided that we would like to take a little trip before Baby is born. We were originally going to go to Washington, D.C. but flights just didn't work out. We decided we'd try for the West coast instead. The Atlanta Braves made the final decision on where exactly we were going. "How is that?" you ask... The Braves were playing in San Francisco on Memorial Day, thus our decision was an easy one! ;0) (You should have seen Brian's smile when their schedule and our schedule matched up so perfectly!!!)
We flew out Sunday, the 24th, and spent the next two days sightseeing San Fransisco, attending the Braves/Giants game (of course), and going to the cemetery where a couple of Brian's extended family members are either buried or honored. (More on that later on.) It was so neat seeing where Brian's Grandma grew up and seeing such a great city.
Alcatraz in the background. Wish we could have worked out a cruise tour to see it, but the timing wasn't right.
We went to Coit Tower. The inside of the tower was completely covered with these murals based on the years of the Depression. So many talented artists were involved and their work was amazing.
Coit Tower with the statue of Christopher Columbus in the foreground.
Here's the "Crookedest" street. There was a HUGE line of cars waiting to drive down it, so we settled with just a picture! :0)
On Memorial Day, we visited Golden Gate National Cemetery where Bri's uncle is buried and his great-uncle's marker is (he was a pilot during the Korean War and was MIA). This cemetery was amazing. It was beautiful and the uniformity of it all was very breathtaking. This picture doesn't do it justice, it was HUGE!
Brian by his Great-uncle, Keith's, marker.
Bri by his Uncle Timmy's grave.
Later that day, Bri and I went to the Braves/Giants game. The AT&T Park is so neat and the location is amazing. We had seats in the upper deck so we could look out onto the bay. It was a beautiful day!
Can you spot me?!?
We went up to Pier 39. Besides finding the best fudge shoppe EVER, we spotted this store. Bri had to have his picture taken in front of it. :0) This store had knives, scissors, pens, etc. made just for left-handed people. It was pretty crazy.
One of the amazing churches in downtown San Fran.
Here are a couple pics from the drive from San Fran to Monterey. We took the scenic route and we weren't disappointed!!
We also made a little stop at one of the Redwood National parks in the area. Bri insisted that I be the one in this pic. He said, "You look small compared to the tree!" Thanks, honey!! :0)
Here are the stats of the largest tree in this forest.
I think if we come out here again, we'll have to make it a camping trip. These trees are absolutely beautiful and the camp sites were great. There were many trails and even a swimming hole there. The kids would LOVE it!!
We took this one for Paige and Austin to see. They thought it was so funny that Daddy was inside the tree!
We made another stop at the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. It would definitely be a great place to take the kids! Brian remembers going there when he was a little boy and loved it. The beach was crowded but nice. They had some awesome beach volleyball courts all along the beach and oh, how I wish I could have played!!!
This is what you see when you first go down Cannery Row in Monterey. I loved this place. The buildings were so neat and I loved finding more about the history of the place. Throughout the whole vacation I was reading "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck and it was fun trying to imagine this place in the 1930s.
Down by the Hopkins Marine Station there were so many harbor seals just lounging on the beach. They were so stinky that I thought I was going to puke, but they were fun to walk by every day we were there. :0)
Brian was down at this beach quite a bit when he was studying here for a quarter while we were engaged. It was fun seeing the places he went and some of the things he did while we were away from each other for 7 very long weeks during our engagement! :0)
We went to the Point Sur light station just south of Monterey. You can only visit this light station by guided tour. It was a very interesting tour and I'm very glad that we went. We had to walk up to it and I was a little worried being quite pregnant, but it wasn't bad at all. I wasn't even the only prego there. There was another lady there who was due only 6 days before me. We stopped many times on the way up to discuss some of the history, vegetation, etc. I would recommend this tour to anyone who's visiting the area.
At the top of the lighthouse. The only picture we had taken of the two of us without one of us holding the camera! Can you tell? :0) 
We were able to time the tides right and visit the tide pools. Brian had to teach me to look beyond the obvious and then I'd be able to see all the amazing creatures in the tide pools. He was right. I couldn't believe all of the crabs there. They are very smart and fast buggers!! ;0)
Do you see the seal?
I was so proud of myself for spotting these sea stars, which are actually bat stars. Who knew! It took us forever to find some, but I found the first one! ;0) Can you tell I was pretty proud of myself!?!?
We went to the Aquarium and this is when we were really wishing that the kids were with us!! We just kept saying to each other, "Paige and Austin would LOVE this!" These sea otters were so cute! I couldn't believe how playful they were during their feeding session. (This was before the feeding session and they just wanted to lounge around and relax!) :0)
A few of the jellies on exhibit. Much better in person, I must say.
Just a few sardines! These fish are what made Cannery Row what it was in the 1930s!
This little creature is called a weedy seadragon
The seahorse exhibit was so neat. You have to love any species that has the males carry and birth their offspring!! 
Here's the cousin to the weedy seadragon...the leafy seadragon.
This freshwater otter was so funny. It was trying so hard to find a comfortable sleeping position. This is when it looked like he was yawning. Trust me, otter, I know how you feel!!
The bay at Monterey. Here's a shot of my 30 week belly! It was pretty funny hearing some of the comments that were made to Bri and me when people found out that this was our 3rd baby. It was a whole different world out there when it came to opinions of family size and such.
It was finally warm enough to put on our swimsuits and go to the beach. Too bad it was only warm enough to last about 30 minutes! ;0)
We stayed at the cutest "bungalow-style" inn. The rooms were small, but oh so cute! When we come back, we'll definitely look into staying here again.
Here's another lighthouse, Pt. Pinos. We didn't take to time to go to this one, but it sure was beautiful by this golf course.
On our last day in Monterey, we decided to do the "17-mile drive" and see Pebble Beach golf course and the famous "Lone Cypress" tree. It was a beautiful drive and we couldn't believe the golf courses and houses, actually mansions, along the whole drive.
It took us a few tries to get Bri, myself, AND the Lone Cypress in the same picture! ;0)
This is the best we could do! :0)
