The Jelly Belly Factory

We woke up on Monday morning in San Francisco and didn't really have any plans, but then Jake suggested we go to the Jelly Belly factory and I screamed...and jumped up and down. I've been wanting to go here for over a year and it isn't too far away, but I decided that I needed to go on a weekday to get the full experience. They give free tours all week long, but the factory is only in operation Mon.-Fri. Seeing as how we both work Mon.-Fri. I thought that we'd either have to take a vacation day or wait until next summer when I work part time. Luckily we didn't have to do either!!

It was definitely everything I'd dreamed of and more. Unfortunately you're not allowed to take pictures inside of the actual factory, but I definitely snapped away inside the store.

They have a new flavor that you have to try immediately. It's mango chili and it's amazing. It definitely has a kick to it!

Alcatraz at Night

All I can really say is: if you ever want to tour Alcatraz, GO ON THE NIGHT TOUR. It was amazing. Our ship set sail at 4:30 (not actually a sail boat, but you get the picture) and it wasn't dark yet so we had some wonderful views and arrived at the island with plenty of time to see the outside of the prison. I'm sure you get to see some additional outdoor sections of the island if you tour during the day, but the awesomeness of the night tour makes up for anything you might miss. The pictures are pretty self explanatory, but as far as the tour goes, they provide info during the boat ride over and then give you a short tour leading up to the main building with a couple of stops along the way to tell stories. Once you make your way inside you're given a headset for an audio tour. After that you have your choice of a few additional guided tours. We chose one that focused on attempted escapes. The entire thing was so amazing. I want to go back now and actually listen to more of the audio tour. I was a little preoccupied with taking pictures and might not have paid really close attention to everything that was said. Shame on me. But look at the awesome pictures!

Potty break

The following 2 pictures were not converted to black and white. It was just that creepy...

I had to go too

Come back tomorrow for a tour of the Jelly Belly Factory!!

San Fran Weekend

Jake turned the big 2-7 yesterday and we celebrated with a weekend in the big city. We left on Sunday morning and stayed the night. On our way down we stopped right before the Golden Gate Bridge and took pictures. There are numerous stops up a long a winding road where you can park and get out to take pictures. We stopped at all of them, but I won't bore you with too many photos.

At the last stop there was a point that you could hike up to and the views were spectacular.

After the bridge we checked into our hotel and then ventured out to Fisherman's Wharf because 1.) our hotel was in the area and 2.) we like to do touristy things.

We stumbled upon the coolest street performance I've ever seen. It was a group of 4 people doing circus type routines.

(nobody is holding the ladder at the bottom)

(the guy is standing on a ball trying to keep his balance)

We then made our way down to Pier 39. The following picture is probably one of my favorite from the entire trip.

After Pier 39 we headed down to Pier 33 to go on a night tour of Alcatraz. It was amazing. I'll post pictures of that tomorrow.

Can't stop eating these....

RED HOT CHILI PEPPER!

These things are amazing.

I made the mistake of bringing an almost full bag and a new container of hummus as my lunch today.

Last week was the first time I'd ever seen them at the store and if they aren't there when I go back then I'm probably going to cry.

I found them at Safeway (that's Tom Thumb to you Texas folks, and Vons to the Las Vegas crowd).

Go get some NOW, but leave a few bags for me. Thanks.

Things I'm Excited About:

1.) Jake's birthday weekend. We're going to San Francisco to do a night tour of Alcatraz!

2) An unexpected entire week off for Thanksgiving. I was originally only going to be off Th/Fri, but my boss accidentally made my schedule to include an entire week off. I then had the option to work the first 3 days and be paid by time card (as opposed to my regular salary), or take them off and not be paid. I had every intention of working, but then we planned Jake's b-day weekend to carry over to Monday (his actual b-day) and I decided to be lazy.

3.) An entire week to start and (hopefully) finish Christmas craft projects.

4.) Thanksgiving-an official day of not eating vegan food.

5.) My first Christmas at home since 2006! We won't actually be arriving until around 9:00 pm on Christmas day, but I can't complain. The tickets were free ;) Unfortunately one of my best friends is leaving for a trip to London and Paris on the same day and won't return to Texas until after I leave. I will complain about that.

P.S. I really want these Christmas decorations

World Market

World Market

Pretty Skies

I rushed to get my camera when I got home from work the other day because the sky looked so beautiful. It's so fall like outside!

I'm really more of a spring time person, but the past couple of weeks have been so gorgeous. I wish we could hang on to this a little longer, but I feel winter creeping in. Even though we're in the 60s-70s during the day, the nights are freezing. The trees and grapevines are starting to get bare and that makes me sad. What will I take pictures of once all the prettiness is gone?!

On Saturday we were driving home and stopped to catch these next couple of shots. The pictures don't do them any justice. It was much more beautiful in real life.