Buckle up folks because we’re in for a long post today!
Last weekend Shane and I took a quick weekend trip to California! It was my first time visiting that far west and we had so much fun. We went to surprise Shane’s aunt for her birthday and it went off without a hitch. If you want to see photos and fun videos from the weekend keep on reading.
The Earliest Flight Ever!
To get to California early enough for the party, we had to leave the Nashville airport at 5:30am. So we woke up at 3am, got dressed and made the drive from Clarksville to Nashville. Airport security was already busy but it didn’t take us too long to get through and on our flight. It was pretty early but I’d say Shane was excited to be headed to see family. I swear, it’s so hard to get a smiling photo of him so I just take what I can get these days.
California Dreaming!
We got to his cousin’s house at about 11am because CA is two hours behind us Tennesseans and the wait began. It was a little chaotic at first making sure his aunt, who was on her way to the house, didn’t see us. I really wish I had gotten photos of the surprise but I can do some great storytelling instead! So we hopped in the truck and headed to the grocery store to pick up some things for the party. By the time we got back, his aunt was upstairs getting a massage and we all hung out until it was over. We snuck out to the back patio by this gorgeous pool and waited for her to come out.
When I say she was excited, I mean she was EXCITED! She had no idea that Shane was coming or that one of her best friends had come from Texas just to surprise her for her birthday. After that, the party commensed! There were gifts to be opened, a pool to be swam in, food for days and an ice cream bar. We had so much fun celebrating not only his Aunt Pam’s birthday but also his since Shane’s birthday was on the 18th.
A Day in San Francisco!
Oh gosh this day was so much fun! We spent Saturday in San Francisco and it was a blast! I mean technically we spent Saturday on the edge of San Fran since we didn’t have a ton of time to explore but I still loved it. I’ve never been on a ferry before so riding the San Francisco Bay ferry was such a cool experience. I got to see a lot along the way and the first sight of the city was awesome!!
I let Shane take a couple photos of me and he didn’t do too bad. I usually hate photos of myself but I really like both of these.
Real talk….taking a selfie style photo with my professional camera is harder than you think.
First sight of the bridge!! I think this is the Golden Gate bridge but honestly we passed like four on the way there so I’m not positive lol.
Now this was cool! This place is called Angel Island. It was home to many thing but most notibly, it was an immigration station. About one million people entered and were inspected here before entering the United States. While this isn’t the most credible website to be citing, you can read more about the history of Angel Island on Wikipedia.
Alcatraz
We also passed Alcatraz on the way to San Francisco. I’ll be honest, I kept thinking Azkaban to myself as I was writing this and kept having to remind myself that I’m not in Harry Potter lol. Also home to many different operations during it’s time, it is most known for being a prison. It also houses the oldest operating lighthouse on the West coast and can be toured at various time. You can learn more about the history of Azkaban…I mean Alcatraz on Wikipedia or on the tour website.
My first sight of the city from the side of the ferry!
The ship in the right part of this collage is super cool! Apparently while Leonardo DeCaprio never stepped foot on it, it is were part of the Titanic was filmed! The film’s engine room was actually filmed in the engine room of this ship, the SS Jeremiah O’Brien. How cool is that!? I love the Titanic as do many people so learning that part of it was filmed there was so fun!
Officially on land!
We spent the entire day on Pier 39 in San Francisco, California and had so much fun! We got the most amazing fresh donuts from Trish’s Mini Donuts. The sealions on the dock were the next thing on our list. So cool! Other than aquariums, I’ve never seen sealions in person. Apparently sealions can be very mean if you get too close to them which I did not know. We also spent some time on the caroussel because WHY NOT!
These couple of photos below are iphone photos and one is extremely blurry because it’s so hard to get that many people in a photo but I love that I took it. It’s the only photo I got of all of us together and I love it. Included in the photo is Shane and I, of course, Shane’s mom, his cousin and her daughter, and his Aunt and her husband. We had a blast that day and wait until you see the photos from the ferry on the way back. The one of San Francisco as we left is my FAVORITE!
Would you look at that glow and sunset!! The city was so gorgeous as we headed back home for the night. We got the ferry at 8:40pm and the ride back before it got dark was so pretty!
Headed Home from California.
It was a sad Sunday when we got up and headed to the Sacramento airport to head home. We had a little layover at the Chicago airport and this part as we walked through to our gate was so amazing! The colors and lights were so cool.
The video below cracks me up so be sure to watch it! I called to Shane so he’d look back at me and he totally ignored me and threw his hand out to the side. I die laughing every time I watch it. He says he was just ensuring we took the right exit for our gate but I’m saying he ignored me on purpose lol. The last video is a lightning storm on our final flight back to Nashville. Weather was a little iffy and we had to fly between two storms. There wasn’t too much turbulance but the storm was really cool to watch.
Well that’s it for my California trip! If you stuck around this long, I sincerely appreciate it. I’m working on photography the things I do and just living life more fully lately so I really appreciate anyone who read this blog as I know it is out of the norm. I can’t wait to start updating you guys on other upcoming trips as well as tips to have your best wedding ever!
Have you ever been to California? Where will your next big trip be? Leave it in the comments below.
