Christmas Break: Part 2

Our trip out to San Francisco for Abby (Andrew's sister) and AJ's wedding went well. We weren't for sure if we would be able to fly out of Des Moines because they were in the middle of getting snow. Everything went smoothly for the most part and we made it there a little before midnight on Christmas Eve. AJ's sister Mandy picked us up and we headed to San Rafael, to where we would be staying close to the wedding festivities.

On our first day there we had a wedding shower for Abby in the morning and then went on a hike to the ocean. It was so beautiful and I was so sad that I didn't have my camera! After lunch it was raining but we decide to go to Muir Woods to see the Redwoods anyways. That evening we went over to AJ's apartment for a Christmas party and wonderful food. So bummed I didn't have my camera with me all day:(

Sunday was wedding day. I woke up early to help Abby with her hair. Anna did her make-up while I curled and then we styled it together. It turned out beautiful! Anna had made the headband and it looked perfect with the 50's style Abby was going with.

The wedding was so beautiful! AJ sang to Abby twice and they wrote their own vows to say to each other. I think there were quite a few tears shed, happy ones of course. It was so cool to see their devotion to God and each other. We are so excited to have a new brother in the family! Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Van Cannon! Andrew and I before the wedding...

Abby and AJ...
The sisters...

The men...
The Wiese family with AJ's dad and brother...
The next morning we went disc golfing at a really awesome course. It was out in the country, on the side of a hill, with wild turkeys running around. Afterwards we packed up and headed into San Francisco by Fisherman's Wharf where we would be staying the rest of the time. As we headed down to Pier 39 we had to stop and get a picture on a trolley (we didn't actually ride it.)
And of course we had to stop and eat and IN-N-OUT.
Andrew's family had never had it and we all enjoyed it very much! Anna and I...
Ben and Sherry...
And Dad and Mom Wiese...
After our stomach's were full we finished our walk to Pier 39 to see the sea lions. We were disappointed to only see 4 when there are usually 600:( The whole time we only saw less than four... they said that they had left to find more fish? Not sure?
Next, Dan and Anna, Ben and Sherry, and Andrew and I walked up to China town. This is what we saw a lot of and smelled a lot of... not too appetizing.
The streets were so crowded! It was quite the experience and we enjoyed stopping at all the little shops.

Next we walked back to Pier 39 and ate dinner at Bubba Gumps with the Wiese and Van Cannon families together. It was a great post wedding celebration and of course it had to end with ice cream from Ghirardelli Square.
We enjoyed it very much:)
On Tuesday we went disc golfing again. This time we went to Golden Gate Park. It was a really fun course too but there were a lot of people there. In the evening Ben, Sherry, Andrew and I took the city bus to Union Square to do a little shopping. We did get rained on but it was worth the trip. We topped it off with a little Cheesecake Factory after walking around in the rain trying to find a restaurant with a shorter wait. Cheesecake Factory is always worth the wait!
On our last day in San Francisco we were going to take a tour out to Alcatraz Island. We didn't realize that we should have booked way ahead of time because they were booked until Sunday. We walked to Pier 39 to see if there were more sea lions... nope...
and then decided that we would take a boat ride with some of the rest of the family. It went under the Golden Gate Bridge...
and around Alcatraz.
We did end up learning a lot of history and fun information about each one and also the city itself. On our way back to the hotel for a rest, we walked up what they say is the twistiest road. It was crazy how many people were in line to drive down it!
To top of the trip on our last evening together, all the Wiese family (except Dan and Anna because they had already left and AJ and Abby) went out for pizza. We came back and chatted and then went to bed.

Ben, Sherry, Andrew, and I left at 4:00 am for our flights back and we made it safely! We had so much fun but were so tired and glad to be home, kind of. We didn't actually go home but instead drove up to Ames to hang out with friends for NYE! We all met at Joel and Tori's to watch football, eat good food, and play games. Us with Tori and Joel...
and the rest of the gang... Pat, Liz, Marcus, Joel, Zac, and Cathy.
We had so much fun and were so excited to see everyone and catch up! Thanks Tori and Joel for a wonderful time and letting us all crash at your house.

The rest of our Christmas break (the weekend) was spent getting ready to go back to work!

We are so thankful for safe travels and wonderful family and friends!