I love friends

So we had our first friend visit last weekend. We've hosted both of our families out here, but it was the first time a friend had come out to see us. It was very exciting, and we felt very grown up! Dave was Chip's friend in middle school. Then Dave moved into a house on the street next to my parents'. Dave and I met in high school and got to be good friends. Dave introduced me to Chip 7 years ago. The three of us have been close for years, through many life changes.

I left work early on Thursday to go get Dave from the airport. We made a quick stop at Target for deodorant (he forgot it) and beer. I forgot until he and I walked into Target that in California they sell alcohol pretty much everywhere...gas stations, grocery stores, Rite Aid, Target, etc. Dave's eyes went wide when he saw the wine next to the dog food (much as mine did one year ago when I walked into Safeway for the first time). So after the Target adventure, we came home, relaxed, ordered pizza and salad, and waited for Chip to come home from work. We hung out for a while and then did karaoke night with some work friends. By "did" I just mean "attended." We do not sing. But we did get our picture taken by a very drunk friend.



On Friday we decided to do 17-Mile-Drive. We brought Cal along and drove along the coast. Dave saw the Pacific for the first time and I brought my flip flops this time (last time I got wet socks and was miz the rest of the night). Cal clearly enjoyed the beach (and eating sand):








We finished the drive in Carmel and went to a dog friendly restaurant called Forge in the Forest. They have a heated dog patio where you can hang out and eat with your dog. They even have a dog menu. We ordered Cal the grilled chicken. Ignore the creepy eyes.



On Saturday the boys went "mountain biking." Let's just say that the first time Chip took Dave mountain biking, Dave threw up within 12 minutes. This time was not much better or longer, though there was no vomit. We had some very tasty Mexican food for dinner in town at Sinaloa's.

On Sunday we took Dave to San Francisco. We dropped Cal off with his bff Walter so we could enjoy the day dog-free. We got to the city and took a ride on a cable car, which I hadn't done since I was 13 and hating life on a "family vacation" with my parents and 9-year-old brother. It was actually really fun and it was a cool way to see the city.



Then we went to Muir woods so Dave could see some redwoods. He was actually very impressed, which I didn't expect. We hiked around for about two hours...it was beautiful for sure.



We had Thai for dinner at a really good restaurant in San Rafael called My Thai. Dave had never had Thai before and he really liked it, which was great.

We slept in on Monday and while Chip went to work early, Dave and I hung out and packed him up. He left on Monday at lunchtime. It was so great to see him and to be able to show him California. It was awesome to catch up and I'm so excited now to go home in May.