day one
Woke up at 3:45am, hit the road at 4:30, parked our car, caught the shuttle, got to the airport, found our gate, and flight delayed.
Then, of course, dealing with Evvie on the plane was the greatest task at hand. Or so we thought.
We finally landed, and realized that we needed a way to get to the hotel. Duh. We knew we would but thought it would be as easy as catching a shuttle. But nope. We didn't bring our carseat, and a shuttle that didn't require a carseat was around $50 per person. So we looked into the BART and decided against that as well because we'd have to be lugging our bags around while trying to keep Ever calm in the Ergo.
So we decided to go with a rental, figuring that would be the easiest way to get around town. Which it was, and I'm so thankful we decided on that route.
So we're in line to get the rental car, and Ever is SO tired. She starts crying. And screaming. and she won't stop for any of my tricks. And, of course, everyone is staring. All she wants is freedom to run around, which I totally understand, but what she doesn't understand is that there are many dangerous things in life. Not to mention I was SO not in the mood to chase her everywhere.
Anyway, we finally got our car and fought another good fight getting her in the carseat, and we were on our way!
Our hotel was the cutest. We stayed at this little hole in the wall hotel that Jesse found, complete with one of those super old and scary elevators where you have to close the door yourself. It was called the Calista Organic Hotel, and it was a pretty good deal, I think.. (Not entirely sure how much we paid, Jesse booked everything.) He booked it through Priceline. If you're looking to visit SF anytime soon, I would highly recommend this hotel. It wasn't luxurious or super fancy, but if character and history are your thing then this hotel is for you!
Ever took a much needed nap and I worked on my Kickstarter for Lilylily while Jesse went to Whole Foods.
Then, when she was awake, we got changed, took some pictures in the room, then headed out to Ghiradelli and around that area to explore. We thought it was going to be the best hot chocolate in the world, but it was definitely disappointing. The Ghiradelli at Disneyland is better.
WHAT I WORE
day two
We tried to pack as much in as possible on our second day, because it would be our only full day.
First, Sutra Baths. Second, Ever napped in the car while we ate burritos. Third, visited an old friend/boss who I nannied for before I got pregnant. Fourth, explored the Ferry Building. Fifth, had to see the Pink Ladies. Also, I wanted to go to Haight-Ashbury, so we did, and as we were walking Evvie was crying and some guy screamed at her, "SHUT UP YOU SPOILED LITTLE BRAT! I WILL PUNCH YOU!", and decided we had enough of that place and left immediately. Sixth, checked out the Golden Gate Bridge from afar. I'm pretty sure that's it. Again, Ever cried basically all day because it was in and out of the car seat and she HATES the car seat. But we got in a lot of exploring.
WHAT I WORE
day three
Our last morning before we headed to the airport. We had until about 4:30pm until we needed to drive to the airport, so, again, we did as much as possible.
But first, coffee. We went to Anytown Coffee and it happened to be their birthday! And they were giving away free coffee! Also Jesse entered the raffle to win a surfboard (he doesn't surf...), and he said he had a really good feeling about it.
He didn't win. But, it went towards a good cause.
Then we went to this greenhouse place, I wish I remembered the name. But it was gorgeous! They had a butterfly room and Ever was in awe (and so relaxed! It was crazy!).
Last, we drove over the Golden Gate bridge to this lookout where you can see the whole city. It was sooooo windy, and Ever was hiding in our shoulder the whole time, but talk about an amazing view!
We got to the airport a little early, and were able to get on an earlier flight (which was delayed and ended up making only like a 20 minute difference). And, get this, Ever was so tired that she fell asleep as we took off (7:50pm) on Jesse's shoulder while he was sitting (has never happened), slept the whole flight and through the landing, putting her in the ergo, walking through the airport, boarding a shuttle to take us to our car, transferring to the car seat, driving an hour home, out of the car seat, and through the rest of the night. It was a miracle.
Also, I posted about a little treaty that Jesse and I made before our trip (when we were both in great moods, haha). When we travel we get super stressed out over the tiniest things and most of the time those things are related to Evvie (because she won't calm down, she's crying, etc.), and that stress causes us to argue. So we agreed that if we could make it through the whole trip without arguing (disagreements are fine), then we each get something of our choosing. I chose a spa day, and man did that sound good. Jesse chose an Amazon FireStick but later changed it to a spa day as well.
We did great for the first couple days, but this trip was honestly the most stressful trip we've ever taken. Traveling with a toddler is hard, especially a toddler that hates everything that keeps her from running wild. So we argued. I lasted longer (:D), but, eventually, my stress got the best of me as well and we snapped right back. BUT, we didn't argue as much as we would have if we hadn't made that deal, and I learned that I have a lot more self-control than I thought, when I'm actually really trying to be patient and understanding. So we'll definitely be trying that method again. And hopefully succeed this time because I really need a spa day.