San Francisco in June

I took off for a weekend last month
Just to try and recall the whole year.
All of the faces and all of the places,
Wonderin' where they all disappeared.
I didn't ponder the question too long
I was hungry and went out for a bite.
Ran into a chum with a bottle of rum,
And we wound up drinkin all night.

It's these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same.
With all of our running and all of our cunning
If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane.

-Jimmy Buffett, Changes in Lattitudes, Changes in Attitudes


I thought it fitting to start today's post with an excerpt from one of my all-time favorite songs, from my all-time favorite musician. Not only does the quote really fit our crazy lifestyle these days, but I was originally introduced to Jimmy Buffett from my Godfather...my Uncle Dirk, who we just happened to go and visit this past weekend. It's funny, but every weekend it seems like we have one crazy adventure or another. While I do remember being busy before we had Landon, it seems like our social activities have multiplied ten-fold since he's been in our lives. Life with a two year old sort of feels like you're just going all day long and the evenings (after bedtime of course) are for relaxing, recovering, and mentally preparing for what will come tomorrow. I will say that being a father has motivated me to new heights, as I feel guilty if I am not go-go-going with Landon all day long...and hell, at the very least it's keeping me in shape! I haven't seen my current weight since I was in high school, so I might as well keep on chasing him.

As for our weekend, the first picture shows Dirk and I at Sam's...it's a little bar that is literally right on the water in downtown Tiburon (the nicest part of San Francisco). Sam's ranks right up at the top of our list of favorite spots to enjoy company and a beer (with Bob Dobb's in Tucson a very close second). When the weather is nice, it's hard to beat the great food, people-watching, and scenery. Of course, it's not quite as relaxing and the whole experience is a little different with a two year old....

This was Landon's first time enjoying Sam's, and he really got into it. Unfortunately he wasn't all that keen to sit still, so Michaela and I had to take turns running around after him. He was really interested in looking at all the boats on the water, the birds that would land to pick up crumbs, and all the fun stuff to explore. At one point my cousin Danielle thought it would be fun to go get some ice cream, so she and Landon and I cruised over for a bite. This picture shows the aftermath of the ice cream (you can see the cone on the right). I do think he got enough in his mouth to actually have enjoyed it, but it sure looks like he just rubbed it all over himself. And when Aunt Siri arrived with the popcorn, Landon switched gears like a pro and started cramming handfuls in as fast as he could.

Saturday was mostly spent at Sam's and then we headed over to Dirk's neighbor's house (Tom and KT) for some swimming. Landon continues to love the water, and he had a great time swimming around with Mom and Dad. This time around we padded him up with swim vests so he would float without us having to hold him the whole time. It was really great and by the end of our pool time he was paddling with his hands and feet, as well as jumping off the sides of the pool! I think the picture here really says a thousand words, but I sort of think he looks like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man if he turned into a lifeguard (check the super cool whistle).

Saturday evening I headed over to pick up my buddy Dave who was in town for a brief visit. It took Landon all of two seconds to remember his Godfather (or "Uncle Dave") and we all proceeded to spend the next few hours playing and catching up. Between the trip to Sam's, the swimming in the sun for hours, the constant bouncing on Dirk's kid's huge trampoline, the fact that he completely skipped his nap on Saturday, and the rare opportunity to stay up past 9pm, Landon finally hit the wall. At that point it was a quick dip in the bathtub and he was out like a light. I wish we could get him that tired every night, but unless I put a popsicle at the far end of a treadmill, I'm not sure that's going to happen on a consistent basis.

That was about the time that the wine really started flowing, and several of Dirk and Siri's friends started to cruise on by to hang out. It ended up being a really fun night where we all stayed up too late and had way too much fun (if that's at all possible).

Sunday picked up right where Saturday left off. The first thing we did was head over to a local park to let Landon burn off some energy. It was a beautiful day in San Francisco and the park was right on the water, so it was sort of tough to want to be anywhere but where we were.

The park was followed by lunch and another dip in the pool. We hung out there up until it was time to get Dave on a plane back to Arizona. It was an absolutely fabulous weekend and our only regret was that Dave's girlfriend Danyelle wasn't able to make it...we're hopeful for the next time!

This week ended up going by pretty quickly, which is exactly what we needed. I am pleased to report that we have ZERO plans scheduled for this weekend, which excites me more than it should. I'm looking forward to getting the house back in order, relaxing, and just spending some quiet time with my family. I can already see the calendar booking up as we start to roll into July, so any free moment that we can stop and smell the roses is fine by me.

Normally I would have posted a picture or two of Landon from this past week, but he took a header at daycare and ended up with rugburn in the shape of a heart ON HIS FOREHEAD! So no, I didn't really want to take any pictures of that....to top it off, he ate it again yesterday and now has a black eye and a split lip to go with the rugburn...he looks like Rocky at the end of the movie...but what are we going to do? Boys will be boys!

I think that will be it for now. I'm hoping to watch my first ever soccer match this weekend when USA plays England in the World Cup. I am not a soccer fan, but thought I would give this whole "World Cup frenzy" a chance....go USA!

Have a great weekend, and remember...


So many nights I just dream of the ocean,
God I wish I was sailin' again.
Oh, yesterday's over my shoulder
So I can't look back for too long.
There's just too much to see waiting in front of me,
And I know that I just can't go wrong.

With these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same.
With all of my running and all of my cunning ,
If I couldn't laugh I just would go insane.

If we couldn't laugh we just would go insane...

If we weren't all crazy we would go insane!