Catching up with friends in San Francisco: 6/26-6/29

When we adopted Nedy, we traveled with 3 other families who were also adopting children.  Our four girls spent their first year+ together before we met them in China.  Over the years, we've been able to meet up with 2 of the other 3 families fairly regularly, as they're also Midwesterners, and watch the girls reconnect.  It's always delightful, watching our amazing ladies together.  They're just...well, connected.  But one family doesn't live within "weekend trip" driving distance, and we became holiday card friends.

Earlier this Spring, Nedy and I were talking about the "Nanchang Gang", as we call their collective awesomeness, and Nedy said, "We should go see Charlotte."  Good idea, kiddo.  And so a few e-mails and a phone call later, and Nedy and I were  booked for a long weekend in San Francisco to meet up with our "missing links."  (Now, this is how tight you feel with people who were there in the same room with you while you were all joined with your daughters simultaneously:  We haven't seen this amazing family for over 6 years, and yet they would hear nothing of our staying at a hotel and instead invited us to stay with them in their home.  "You're like family," they said, including a hilarious, "like a 3rd cousin we haven't seen in 10 years" metaphor.  Love it.)

To say the trip was amazing would be an enormous understatement.  I'll admit that I expected some awkwardness.  And yet, there was absolutely none.  It was delightful, heart-warming, fun, and all sorts of amazing.  Charlotte and Nedy are peas in a pod, it turns out.  And watching them together was pure joy.  But I think the pictures say it better than I can.
   

Meeting!
"Wow, you're tall!" 
"Wow, you're not tall!" 
(Okay, they didn't say that, but I think they wanted to.)

5 minutes after meeting. 
(Sometimes you just have to get right down to business.)

 







Big sister gives a friendship bracelet tutorial.  This is serious stuff, people.



Exercising with chair arm protectors adorning one's head is CRAZY funny. 
In case you were wondering.

Farmer's Market!

Neighborhood party.

It's time for Pass the Nedy! 

Stewart and Jenn.  Just super great people. 
(And, yes, I most certainly did bring a Cheesehead gift.) 
(And, yes, Stewart most certainly did wear said Cheesehead
gift to the neighbor's party.) 

Sunday morning movie!  Inside Out. 



Dim Sum pile-up!

 

     



Venice Beach at Half Moon Bay
 

 

Some random red-headed human took this. 
And that's all I'm saying about that.



Yep, peas in a pod. 

 

 

  

Barefoot climbing.

 



Seaweed jump roping. 

Golden Girls!



Popsicle (organic, small batch, all-fruit models, of course--I love SF) with a view!

Redwood magic.  Beautiful, right?!

Peas.  In.  A.  Pod.

Nedy and Charlotte first bonded over the fawns in the yard the morning they met. 
So I got them fawns on our Monday adventure.  Sooooo cute.

 

Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park

 
 



Ummmmm...why do I have a comb-over, and perhaps more importantly,
why didn't the very fashionable Dane that took this picture tell me?!



Magical Japanese sodas with a glass marble inside that really pissed the gals off:
"Why would they make a soda with a marble that can't come out?! 
Don't they know children want to keep the marble?!"



Otter Pops.  Lots and lots of Otter Pops.

So there you have it!  An absolutely fantastic time.  Nedy and Charlotte have been Facetiming regularly since the trip.  Biggest topic of conversation?  Planning their next visit.