California

We spent a week in California. It was AWESOME! Here are some highlights from the vacation:

Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo was a mix of Six Flags and Sea World. We found out we have the same nausea level, so after a few of these bad boys (above), we enjoyed animal shows. We went to every show--elephant, seals/pirate, Shouka the killer whale, dolphins, bird show, but unfortunately missed the tigers.
The De Young Museum was a beautiful building located on a hill surrounded by views of the city, the Golden Gate Bridge, and a golf course.
Yes, we are standing in front of Monet's "Water Lilies" picture. It was spectacular.
The crowd that endlessly surrounds this stinky pier always amazes me.
Alcatraz (back right). We took a picture of some people, and in return they took a picture of us. The little girl may have also taken a picture of us with their camera.
Authentic Forrest Gump food minus the Dr. Pepper. DP is Forrest's favorite drink and they do not have it at Bubba Gumps. If you find yourself near this restaurant, eat.
"What is this picture supposed to be," you might ask. The bush man will take you by surprise every time.

We didn't want to spend that much on chocolate we could buy anywhere. So we bought a $9 Sunday instead. Totally worth it.
The Redwood forest in Muir Woods. The trees are unbelievably tall and think, it's really an incredible sight.
Half of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was sooo foggy, and of course, windy.

The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) was one of the best places we visited. There were so many interesting and creative works of art. It reminded me of my art class last year because we often talked about how art is what you want it to be. These artists took full advantage of that thought.
We detoured to the Oakland Temple on our way back to Roseville. This temple REALLY stands out--we saw it from the freeway. There wasn't anyone around to take our picture, so I set it on the 2 second self timer. Obviously that wasn't enough time for me to get to Andrew.
The temple was so peaceful and a wonderful contrast to the busy city we'd spend the day in.
Andrew's grandma lived 30 seconds from the lake. What a gorgeous view she had from her house! Lake Folsom is loaded with fools gold. It had the sparkliest water I've ever seen.
Our last day we spend hanging out with family and visiting the Sacrament Temple. My dad's parents and Andrew's mom's mom know each other; they were in the same ward when Andrew's mom was a little girl. It was so wonderful to be able to be with both grandparents. Ironically, my other mom's parents and Andrew's dad's parents know each other from Holladay, Ut. We have quite a few family connections.

Our trip to California was a success. It was a nice break to have before school starts. Now, off to studying, testing, homework, teaching, and one more year until my graduation! Hooraw!