As soon as we knew were moving here (and had a spare room to host people in) I started telling all my friends that they were welcome to come stay with us and explore the area. No one had taken me up on the offer until mid-April, when I had friends come for two weekends in a row! The first weekend was spent with a college friend who is having her first baby this summer (she was going to stay with me, but ended up staying with another mutual friend in the area which worked out really well because I get boring and tired at around 8:00pm each night). [Side note: They told me that they went out clubbing one night and I believed them and was so jealous! They laughed and laughed at the idea that my almost-30-week pregnant Mormon friend would go out clubbing in San Francisco late into the night and that I was gullible enough to think it actually happened.]

My two college friends and I drove down to Carmel on Saturday, which is one of my new favorite places because the light was stunning and the white sand makes for gorgeous pictures. I’d like to find the perfect spot (with closer parking) and come back on a regular basis.

The second friend that came is actually someone I met via blogging/my internet escapades! We’ve become really close over the years and I loved spending an extended period of time with her in this really intimate way. Meeting up with friends in person is so important because I think conversation flows in a different (often better) way than it can over the phone or via email.

On our first full day together she and I took the kids up to San Francisco. I wanted to ride the cable cars with T1 but I didn’t realize how insane the lines are on the weekends (and we had a big stroller and weren’t sure we could take it on with us). He was perfectly happy riding the streetcars, which he referred to as choo choo trains.

I didn’t realize that my friend is not only brilliant at her chosen profession, but is also a fantastic photographer as well! She volunteered to take some pictures of me with my kids over the weekend, and they are some of the best that have ever been taken of me. Of course the gorgeous California light helps as well.

Most of our second full day was spent getting ready for the beach (this takes a surprisingly long time when you’re taking young children), and we managed to make it down there in time to actually spend some time with our feet in the sand.

Me. My children. Beautiful light. Warm weather. I LOVE LIVING HERE.

I taught T1 to be “king of the mountain”. Now whenever he sees this photo he mimics this pose and yells excitedly about how he was king of the mountain and wants to do it again soon.

Dear friends who visited,

I loved having you here. You are welcome back anytime. I adore you both.

Dear other friends who have yet to visit,

Come soak up this California sunshine with me!