Bay Area Summer Trip

Almost two weeks ago, we packed up and drove up to the Bay Area. It's strange to think we only made it up north once this year. Obviously, we had good reason, but usually we head up at least twice, and we've never missed hitting the delta. Next year we'll be able to bring our little one-year-old out on the boat, but for this trip we settled for family time, a celebration, and a very successful first road trip for the little guy.

We practically had to wake him up halfway there to feed him, and on the way home he slept five hours straight. 

We chose this particular weekend because two of our very close friends were having an engagement party!

Congratulations to Matt and Amy, an incredible couple with a beautiful future ahead. We're excited for the wedding...whenever it may be. :-)

The party was so fun and lovely, but it was certainly different from the old days. The party was at 3, and Marshall was cluster feeding, so I ended up feeding him twice while we were there. Normally I just feed him with a nursing cover wherever we are, but it ended up being easier to hang out in a bedroom with him. So I felt that my time celebrating the couple was a bit shorter than I would have liked, especially since we left fairly early (around 7) to put the little guy to bed. Add it to the list of changes that come with parenthood!

The rest of the weekend was busy, as well. We arrived early Friday morning (we decided to leave whenever Marshall woke up for his first feeding, which turned out to be 2:30 am, so we left at 4), and we hung out at home with my parents and waited for my brother and Ashley to arrive. Once they did, the dogs got to meet Marshall!

A scene of chaos: cleaning spit up off Marshall's face, trying to keep the dogs calm, and introducing furry friends to an infant)

My mom took me to a farm stand, which is a permanent farmers' market. Certainly I should be able to find one of these in LA, right? We used to go to one in my hometown, too, when I was young. I love the idea of supporting local farmers without having to wait for the weekend for a farmers' market!

Tons of fruits and vegetables, plus fresh pie!

My parents cooked a typical delicious meal--short ribs, corn, asparagus, and rice.

Hanging out with daddy

And on our way home we stopped to see two of our best friends, Brian and Winnie, so they could meet Marshall. Fun fact: Winnie went into labor that night! How crazy, right? Congratulations to the new parents of baby Keston! We couldn't be happier for you!

It was a great trip, but I'm already looking forward to a much longer stay next time. That 48-hour turnaround just doesn't work as well with an infant.

Also, I thought I'd share some fun I'm participating in this September:

• The Larabar #SimpleRealJoyful photo-a-day challenge on Instagram. Each day has a theme, and you post a photo that fits the theme (per your interpretation). My photo for "Simple" was:
  
  
  
• Gina's September Sweatfest Workout Calendar. I've been feeling SO much better (and more like myself) lately because we're finally getting more consistent in our workouts, so I'm going to use Gina's awesome calendar as motivation to make sure I'm more accountable. After that, I hope to be back to posting my own workouts again! 

Hope you're enjoying a great start to the short week!

Are you doing anything fun this month? Any goals or challenges?