There's No Place Like Home!

As we drive into San Francisco over the Bay Bridge my heart just can't help skipping a beat. I'm home! I love to be engulfed by the blanket of fog--so long as I'm dressed appropriately. I told the boys that fog is San Francisco air conditioner to which Brycen replied "They have outside air conditioning here?" The 40 degree drop in temperature felt great. While I basked in my memories and love for San Francisco, Lance counted the hours until we are home again--all he sees is the traffic and the huge numbers of people. Although Lance does love reconnecting with our Bay Area friends.


We went to San Francisco to attend my cousin Christian's wedding. Chris and I were very close growing up even though he is 5 years younger than me. Chris and I were always labeled the nerds of the family by the other kids. A title we to this day our proud of! Chris may be Lara's Chris now, but he will always be my Chrissy! For their reception they wanted everyone to feel at home so they served comfort foods. Their appetizers included mini cheeseburgers and pizzas and for dinner they served, meatloaf, fried chicken, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. Instead of a cake--cupcakes of course. Very cute! I really wanted to get a great picture of the bride and groom but they never stood still long enough. The picture below was the best I could get.



We took the kids to the SF Zoo before the wedding because Brycen has been wanting to see real elephants for about two years now. We got in the gate and searched the map for the elephants, but we couldn't find them. Brycen asked a zoo employee who informed us that they no longer had elephants. Brycen was crushed and ready to leave! We had to work hard to convince him to stay to see the other animals. When our friend Tim later asked Brycen what he saw at the zoo he said, "NOT elephants!"






Brycen's favorite animal---the Seagull




Zac's favorite--the cotton candy!


Scott's favorite--the stuffed bear in the gift shop.


Cute boy, Cute Daddy!


For those of you who enjoy genealogy and believe in evolution, look carefully at the sign. At the zoo we were able to trace the Jones family back to the gorillas! Now that's a pedigree chart! I was even able to get the gorillas above to pose for a picture.

During the wedding my wonderful friend Karen watched our three boys, her three boys and her sweet baby girl. Her husband is the Bishop of the ward and he was gone for most of the evening too. Karen is amazing though she took all the kids to the park and even bathed them all before putting them to bed. However, five boys in one room make it hard for them to get any sleep. We got home around 10pm, but the boys stayed up chatting in their beds until after midnight.

Today we went to our old ward for church. It is so much fun to go back and see our friends. People still remember us and are always excited to see us. They make us feel like celebrities. I think they all feel Zac and Scott are part of their families. Everyone in that ward prayed for them so much and loved us during those difficult first years. They will forever hold a special place in our hearts! After church we went to some friends for dinner--it was a lot of fun to catch up with them and watch the kids play together.