Gardens and Ponds

Today we decided we would do some nature sightseeing, and what better place to start the day than at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco. The Japanese Tea Garden was originally built as the Japanese Village for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition. Today, it is one of the most beautiful attractions in San Francisco, featuring stunning gardens with original Japanese plants, various ponds, stylish bridges, and relaxing spots to sit and enjoy your day.

After we relaxed, talked, and strolled throughout this pretty garden, we made our way toward Stow Lake. We saw turtles, geese, ducks, doves, bluejays, crawfish, koi, and many other creatures that have made Stow Lake their home. We climbed the waterfall, walked on muddy paths, and enjoyed each other's company. The children were behaving wonderfully.
On our way home, we stopped at Treasure Island. I wanted Blerta to experience San Francisco from afar as well. She really appreciated it. We breathed the ocean air and shared childhood memories.
(Oops! I forgot I promised I wouldn't share another Golden Gate Bridge picture with you, but I just loved the colors in this one. Beside, the bridge is hidden behind the fog.)

The afternoon was spent picking up the kids, reading to them, cooking dinner, and doing laundry. In the evening, Blerta and I resumed talking and watching childhood movie clips on YouTube. It's fun having Blerta here with me.

Busy Thursday

Today, I asked Elijah to pick up the children from school, so Blerta and I could have the day for ourselves. We had planned a full program, and we didn't want to be in a hurry to get back. I was grateful Elijah was able to make it happen, because we truly had a grand time seeing the sights of San Francisco.

We started by driving up and down the steep hills of San Francisco. Going down was an adventure, but going up made us a bit nervous. It was fun, though. We decided to drive through the zigzag part of Lombard street, known as the most crooked street in the country. It was a sight to see, a minivan driving through the tiny and crooked turns of this street with people waving at us. It just goes to show you don't have to be college students to enjoy life. We were having fun, just like we used to when we were little girls. We stopped two blocks away to take this picture of the street. Click on the picture and you'll be able to see it better.

After this awesome experience, we drove toward Coit Tower. This is one of the most visible landmarks of San Francisco. The 210-foot high tower sits on top of Telegraph Hill near North Beach. After arriving there, we took the elevator to the top of the tower. The views were absolutely breathtaking. This landmark offers spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay as well as of Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, both the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge, and other city landmarks.

Our next stop was the Palace of the Legion of Honor, the most hard-to-get-to art museum in San Francisco. However, I think everyone would agree that it is located in one of the most beautiful parts of the city. On our way there, we drove through one of the most visited Golden Gate Bridge lookout points, the south vista point. Painted an International Orange, the Golden Gate Bridge is the world's most recognizable bridge, as well as one of the most popular, visited by two million tourists every year. We had to stop and park. You can't truly appreciate the magnitude of the bridge or the engineering genius of the architects who designed it without seeing this marvel up close.
We continued our journey toward the art museum, stopping often to take pictures of stunning views on the way. The following picture of the Golden Gate Bridge will be the last one for a while; I think you've had enough of my obsession with this bridge.

The Palace of the Legion of Honor mesmerized me right away. Its location was eye-popping, and the building itself resembled the Roman gods' palaces with their beautiful columns and beaux-arts walls. Right as you enter, you are greeted by one of Rodin's original sculptures, the Thinker. The inside of the building holds over 4,000 pieces of art history. We encountered works by El Greco, Rubens, Monet, and many others. My favorite art pieces were not paintings of these great artists, however, but the expressive sculptures of Rodin. His famous "Kiss" and "Shades of Hell" were among the most beautiful pieces there. We had some lunch and then drove back.
Before we left San Francisco today, we decided to pay a visit to the Palace of Fine Arts. It is another dazzling landmark of San Francisco with its beautiful color, columns, and surrounding lake. It was built in 1915 as part of an exhibition, and when the exhibition was over and the rest of the buildings were demolished, this one was left standing. It was refurbished in 1965, and later additional buildings were added to it, such as the Exploratorium, the science hands-on museum, as well as an 1000-seat auditorium. This place was so relaxing that a stroll around it was very refreshing.
We had to conclude our San Francisco tour with this spot. We needed to get back home. I had a parent-teacher meeting for James' s Pre-K at 7:00 p.m., after which Blerta and I picked up our friend Jennifer, who is investigating the church, so we could all attend book club. Elijah had made us some dinner, so as soon as we got home we grabbed some food and headed out. We didn't come home till 11:00p.m., exhausted, but happy.

Mr. Thornton and his most attentive fans

After taking the kids to school this morning, we got ready and headed for San Francisco. For a while now, I've been wanting to take my kids to Crissy Field, a nice beach close to the Golden Gate Bridge. The traffic going there was horrific, however, Blerta and I didn't mind since we were catching up with each other. We discussed life, reminisced about our childhood, and laughed at silly memories. We were having such a good time that traffic seemed to just be part of another reality. When we got to Crissy Field, I was pleasantly surprised. The weather was beautiful, the sand was warm, and the view spectacular.
James immediately took off his shirt and shoes and started to play in the sand and waves. Charlton found his favorite beach food without delay. Blerta and I sat on the blanket and talked for a while. I loved the warmth of the sand, the freshness of the ocean breeze, the monotonous sound of the waves on the shore, and the laughter of James playing with Charlton.We had to cut our outing short, since today was a short day for my older children. Reluctantly, we said 'goodbye' to the ocean and sand, then headed home.

The rest of the day was a typical day, with homework and chores to be finished, some reading, dinner, scripture study, and then bed for all of the children. This was the moment Blerta and I had been waiting for since dinner was done. Tonight, she was going to be introduced to Mr. Thornton, my favorite character of the great novel "North and South" by Elizabeth Gaskell. BBC has made an amazing adaptation of it with the very handsome Richard Armitage playing the role of Mr. Thornton. Those of you who have not seen this movie, stop now and put it on hold at the library or Netflix. If you have time, read the book as well. It's one of my favorite books of all time. One of them, anyways. Blerta and I had a wonderful time watching and talking about it. She had not watched it before, and although I had suggested it to her a few months ago, she had decided to share these moments of enjoyment with me. We had such fun arguing about issues the movie raised, and of course I would stand up for the capitalist Mr. Thornton and she would take Margarete's side as the compassionate and proud daughter of a clergyman. It is wonderful to make memories such as these. Next time, when I watch this movie again, I will always remember the jokes and comments we both made as we watched it, and no doubt I will miss my cousin. Next time we visit each other, this movie will travel with us.

I guess I'm not superwoman after all...

This morning I woke up sick as a dog. I hadn't slept well all night, my whole body was aching, I had the worse headache ever, and my throat was burning. I had no energy, but I couldn't stay in bed. I had to get the older children ready and off to school. When I came back from dropping them off, I took a quick shower, then took Charlton to his doctor appointment for his one year check up. The doctor said that Charlton is growing beautifully. As if I needed a doctor to tell me that; just a look at Charlton and you would have no doubt that he is growing beautifully. He did have to get some shots, and it always breaks my heart when my children get their vaccinations. One moment they are looking at you peacefully, and the next moment their faces are in shock and pain. I feel their pain. I hate shots myself. Well, Charlton did cry, I think mostly out of shock and anger, but after a few seconds he was himself again. He did have a bit of a fever, so when we got back home, I gave him some Tylenol and put him down for a nap. I gave James a bunch of books and coloring pages, and then dived into my bed myself with whatever strength was left. Elijah took a break from work to bring me some Gatorade and medicine. I took the medicine, drank some Gatorade, and went back to sleep.

You see, my cousin was flying in today from Connecticut, and was planning to stay with us for a few days. I really wanted to enjoy her stay, since I don't get to see her often. We grew up together and have many wonderful memories of our childhood. We are the same age, and although we have plenty of differences to keep our friendship exciting, we like a lot of the same things. Every time I'm on the phone with Blerta, we talk for hours--and half of those hours are spent laughing with all my heart. She is funny and smart, and I love her. I truly enjoy our friendship. I said a prayer while in bed to get to feeling better so I could have a good time with her while she was here.

I picked her up around 1:00p.m., and I still wasn't feeling well. After talking for a little while, I had to go back to bed. I really needed some more rest. She didn't mind. James kept Charlton busy playing in their room, and I continued my rest. I was so grateful to James for helping me today and not complaining or bothering me even one time. I was so humbled to see the goodness of James radiate through his actions. He knew his mother was sick and needed some time to rest, and he made sure I got it without being interrupted. Thank you, James.

I was feeling better about the time I had to pick Gillian and Jefferson. Gillian started Activity Days today alongside her friend, Mary. Amy dropped them off, and I picked them up. Elijah had made some lasagna last night, and I made some salad and bread, and dropped some of it off at one of my friends. She is in her last couple of weeks of pregnancy at the moment, and having been pregnant many times myself, I know that during those last days you just don't feel like cooking. After she gives birth, lots of people will bring her meals, and so I thought this would be a nice treat for her now. Thank goodness Elijah had made a delicious lasagna to share with others.

After we ate dinner ourselves, Blerta and I got to ready to attend Monica's birthday party at an ice-cream place. Elijah was surprised that I decided to go, but no sickness can keep me away from a good party!

I might not actually be superwoman, but I think I do have some drops of her blood in me...or I may just be plain crazy. Either way, I love life!