Best of San Francicso (so far)!

We've had an amazing couple of days up here so far...we got in late on Thursday, so all we did was eat dinner (Chinese food in honor of the day being Chinese New Year) and go to bed. However, Ry Ry did get to wear his new (still kinda too big) pjs for the first time!

The next morning we were up and at 'em very early for a day at the San Francisco Zoo! Rich had to study...so although he hopped on the train to escort us there, once there, he quarantined himself in a coffee shop while Ryan and I had fun.

We got there before the zoo opened so we were the first people in line to buy tickets, to get into the gift shop (Ryan got a necklace with his Chinese New Year money from Grandpa and Grandma), and to get into the park!

We were also the first in line to go on the carousel...Ryan's absolute favorite ride in the whole wide world! Can you tell?

Later, we were one of the first people to hit up the "barn" so Ryan could do his fair share of work around the farm. He was asked to help clean the goats by brushing them...which he called "wiping the goats" and did with glee.

Someone just got told he also needs to till the south forty and he ain't too happy 'bout it...

And finally it was time to pick up all the equipment around the barn...

Once the farm chores were done we went to see the rest of the animals...my favorite? The lazy baby anteater that clung onto its mommy (or daddy's) back the whole time! Too funny! Uncle Joey keenly pointed out that the anteater looks like a freaky two-headed monster- on top is an anteater head, and below (its leg) is a panda head. Now that he mentioned it, it bothers me.

Somebody looooved the zoo (I did too, it's the perfect size and the animals were never very far away), but couldn't wait to run outside and meet daddy and Uncle Joey once he got off from work!

After the zoo we headed to the ocean so Joey could drive me along the 16-mile jog route he planned for me the next morning (through Golden Gate Park and along Great Highway).

That night we joined some of Joey's friends for okonomiyaki and ramen, and Ryan got dressed up in Uncle Joey's pimp hat and chain (which I REALLY hope were from a Halloween costume). I'm rather pleased to announce that he wore the chain all night long, but shockingly...did not get any digits. ???!!! Tough crowd.

This morning while I slogged through my run (soooooo nice to run in a long sleeved shirt and gloves!), daddy took Ryan to the park right near Joey's house.

After my run, I met them at the park. Soon after, I took a quick shower and then we hopped a train to AT & T's Giant Stadium for Fan Fest Day!

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Sidenote: Today's long run put all other long runs to shame! It was sunny, cool, breezy and took me past beds of tulips, a rose garden, waterfalls, a windmill, a field of grazing buffalo, the Pacific Ocean, under bridges, past hundreds of Victorian homes, etc. And best of all, probably half of it was on gravel! I soooo miss running on hard packed gravel!!! It was the best I've ever felt in recent history after a long run (even though it took me three hours to run it)...amazing what cool weather can do to a body!

It was a gigantic, confusing mess to get in (there were tens of thousands people there crowded around the gate entrances. At various points, the fire marshal would shut it down and then wouldn't let anyone in until tons of people left, thereby freaking everybody still stuck outside out. We stood in a looooong line of stampeding, irritated fans who were chanting and pushing to get in for about 50 minutes before eventually getting in.

We wanted Ryan to be able to run around the field, so we made our way down there...

And both boys got to stand on the pitcher's mound!

They also got to sit in the stands since Ryan really wanted to sit in the green chairs.

Later that evening we went back out to get dinner in town and stopped off at a few of Joey's favorite city night stops...

Ryan had a ball with Uncle Joey while we hunted down the one thing he really, really needed that I couldn't find in Kona...

...a thick, down-filled winter jacket for Iceland!!! Whoo-hoo!!! There was only one winter jacket left in the whole store, and it just happenned to be in Ryan's size, so it definitely felt like fate (though it would have been even better if it had been on sale)! We also got two matching swim trunks for Kenichi & Riki, so a third of our omiyage (gift) shopping is already done!

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We have big plans for the next two days since my brother is off from work! Tomorrow (Sunday)is apple picking, and Monday is the Children's Discovery Bay Museum in Marin! Can't wait.