Our 1 Year Sacramentoversary

Yesterday one year ago was the start of a new chapter for our little family. We woke up in San Jose to walls and walls of boxes, got ourselves an early breakfast of donuts, and got to work helping the movers load up a truck. Box by box our whole life seemed to disappear into that moving van surprisingly quickly. Then we hopped in our cars (also loaded with boxes) and made the ninety minute trek to Sacramento, to a new home that feels as perfect for us today as it did one year ago, to a new chapter of Joe working from home instead of commuting, and to lots of unknowns. I remember feeling the normal moving stress, but also butterflies of excitement because it seemed like the best next step for our family.

Ez and Declan joined us in our new house exactly one year ago (after spending the night with my parents) and they immediately made the place their own, exploring every room, closet, and cupboard, tearing through bubble wrap and packing paper, and making their own cardboard box playhouses. We walked to the neighborhood park and let them wander through the backyard, and it's safe to say they were pretty happy with the new place.

Fast forward one year into living here and Sacramento has not disappointed one bit. It's been such a great fit for our family, with plenty of outdoor adventures waiting for us, lots of kid-friendly activities, amazing restaurants and farmers markets, and parks around every corner. It somehow strikes the perfect balance of being a city with a small town mentality. Clearly I can go on and on about all the reasons I love Sacramento, but, for your sake, I'll narrow it down to my top 5 favorites in a few categories 😉

Top 5 Restaurants

1. Coconut's Fish Cafe will always hold a special place for us, because not only is it delicious Hawaiian inspired food, but it's one of the first places we ate at here, and one we continue to go back to. 
2. Sai Varee has some of the best Thai food (we get the salmon fried rice every time) and we seem to find ourselves coming back here at least once a month. 
3. Bacon & Butter is tops for brunch, just ask the lines and lines of people waiting outside. Definitely get a bonut if it's on the menu (biscuit + donut) - seriously one of the best things I've ever tasted. 
4. Fox & Goose Pub is another one of the first places we ate at and continue to go back as often as possible. Any place with vegetarian chili automatically gets 5 stars from me. Also, the ollalaberry scone + Devonshire cream is amazing (and I'm not even a huge scone fan).
5. Baker's Donuts - it was really hard to narrow down just five places, and it's kinda weird to put a donut place on the list, BUT, Sacramento really loves donuts (they even have a donut festival) and I really love donuts, so onto the list it goes. (Fruity Pebbles is my must-have.) #basic

Top 5 Outdoor Spots 

1. Auburn is one of our favorite hiking spots, there are tons of trails, lots of trees (and shade!), and during the summer it's the perfect place to dip our toes in the river and cool off. 
2.  The Sacramento River was one our go to spots on the hottest summer days. It has some perfect shallow spots for wading, cooling off, splashing, and boat watching. 
3. Consumnes River Preserve is the perfect easy but still scenic nature walk, especially if you love birds. It's flat and easy for kids, but just don't go during summer when everything is dried out and most of the birds have moved on. 
4. Pena Adobe is new to us, but it's quickly become one of our top hiking spots. It's got cows, a tree swing, plenty of rocks to climb on, and a relatively easy (though hilly) path. 
5. UC Davis's Arboretum is mainly on this list because we once saw a river otter swimming around, and it was the cutest thing EVER, but also because we love wandering around and and all college campuses (Sac State included!). 

Top 5 Kid Activities 

1. Wacky Tacky is definitely top of the list if you ask Ez and Decky. This is an indoor playground that we visit once a week so the kids can run around for a few hours (yes, hours - they have boundless energy). This place has been a lifesaver on rainy days. 
2. Wading Pools - Sacramento (and Elk Grove) have SO MANY free wading pools just for younger kids. Last summer was definitely one of our best yet because we got to go swimming almost every day. Everywhere else we've lived the pools have either cost money and/or been super crowded because there were only a couple to choose from. 
3. Fairy Tale Town is one of those places that doesn't seem super impressive to me, but the kids go absolutely crazy there every single time and never want to leave. They also do a lot of fun holiday events (like trick or treating, or the Grinch + fake snow) so that wins them extra points from me. 
4. The Sacramento Zoo is not super huge, but they have giraffes and big cats, so that's good enough for us. Bonus points that we can see the giraffes from the street every time we drive by. 
5. The train museum is pretty amazing for kids, and even if you don't want to pay to go inside there are a bunch of old trains you can check out right by the river as well. 

Top 5 Holiday Events 

1. Old Town's Festival of Lights is a must see. Preferably several times throughout the Christmas season. We love the little bits of Sacramento history they work into the story, and, of course, the lights and fake snow. 
2. Bastaio Farms Goblin Gardens Pumpkin Patch. Halloween is the BEST time to live in a farming community, and this past fall we had our pick of corn mazes and pumpkin patches (we literally went at least twice a week all of October), but, our favorite was definitely Bastaio farms. The corn maze was the perfect size (big enough to get lost in, small enough to not take ALL DAY to get back out), the pumpkins were prime, and the giant tubs of corn kernels and mini tractors to ride were just icing on the cake. Ez still asks to go back weekly.
3. Fab 40s Christmas Lights - Ez and I have FINALLY found a town that matches our enthusiasm for Christmas. Yes, we've lived in other towns with neighborhoods that decorate, but, what sets Sacramento apart is the festivity of everyone wandering around looking at the lights. It's like an impromptu parade/party every night of December leading up to Christmas. Horse drawn carriages with lights on the horses, old vintage cars all decorated and driving up and down the streets, even Santa Clause riding a lit up bicycle. Not to mention the houses are gorgeous and so festive. Just writing this is making me miss Christmas all over again... 🎄
4. Noon Year's Eve at the Crocker Art Museum was the ideal new year's celebration for kids. It had all the classic New Year's Eve stuff: a ball drop, a countdown, dancing and a DJ, giant bubbles (if that's not part of your traditional New Year's Eve, then you're missing out), and, the best part? It's all takes place at noon. This past New Year's Eve was the first time we got to really celebrate the New Year with the kiddos, and we all had the most fun ever. 
5. Global Winter Wonderland was such a good way to extend the holidays a teensy bit for us. They had amazing light displays set up to look like various landmarks from different countries, some of which you could actually climb on or walk through. 

Top 5 Sacramento Memories 

1. Ez's first day at school is one of those milestones that snuck up on us all too quickly. Schools were one of the first things we looked at when we moved and after lots and lots of searching we finally found the perfect preschool for Ez, which he seems to love (most days). 
2. Mini kid-free staycations with Joe. As much as we love exploring with the kids, every now and then we love to drop them off with the grandparents and have a night to ourselves exploring the less kid-friendly aspects of Sacramento. Aka, drinking fancy lattes out of real mugs, eating at places that don't specialize in mac & cheese (HELLO sushi!), and wandering around without any real plans, just checking out new to us places and events like the governor's mansion, or the Sacramento Contemporary Dance Company. 
3. Garbage day!! It's basically a national holiday in our house, and this is our first place since the boys have gotten into garbage trucks where we actually put the trash cans out front (as opposed to the big communal trash bins). 
4. The hours and hours of backyard family time we've enjoyed. This is also the first really functional backyard we've ever had, and I don't know how we ever survived without one. From sprinklers and a wading pool during summer, digging in the dirt during spring, and splashing puddles during winter, we've already built so many great memories out there. 
5. Technically this would have probably happened anywhere we lived, but watching Ez and Declan's relationship grow this past year has been amazing. Maybe it's the space in this house for them to run laps, or the fact that we have five different parks within walking distance from us, but they love chasing each other, falling on the floor giggling hysterically for no reason at all, and sliding down the slide together, and wrestling...ok, usually only one of them likes that. 

Sick of hearing about my love of Sacramento yet? You guys have no idea how hard it was to narrow down our favorites to these few. And I didn't even mention the Capitol Building, or the Tower Bridge, or all the quirky little used book stores that have sparked a full on book collecting obsession in our house. One of our favorite parts of living here is that Sacramento does such a great job of fostering community, with tons of events and festivals all throughout the year, and we do our best to explore it all. If you're not completely sick of Sacramento yet, check out Lady Bird for a little glimpse into some of our favorite landmarks. Has anyone seen it already? How'd you like it? Also, what's your favorite thing about the town you live in? 

Our First Anniversary

Our first anniversary snuck up on us so fast. It feels like just a few weeks ago I was riding in a car with my sisters and my mom, screaming at the top of our lungs to get all our jitters out, on the way to marry the love of my life. It also feels like we've been married much longer than just a year, and in many ways we have. Time is a funny thing.

I really feel like I hit the jackpot in marriage. I found a man who loves big, works hard, never complains, and takes amazing care of all of us. I'm not sure what I did to get so lucky, but I definitely don't take it for granted. In honor of one year married, here are six life lessons I've learned from Joe, one for each year we've been together:

1. With the right perspective almost every situation has a bit of humor in it. 
2. Stay curious and keep learning.
3. The early bird really does get the worm.
4. Playfulness keeps you young at heart.
5. Time is the most valuable thing you can give someone. 
6. Family is EVERYTHING.

My parents offered to watch the boys over the weekend and we opted for a staycation. It wound up being 111 degrees, but we still managed to find ways to have fun and stay cool. We ate way too much good food, saw a movie at the historic Tower theater, visited not one, but two used book stores (where we stocked up on five years worth of reading), and finally caught up on the Game of Thrones finale and began House of Cards. We also visited the California Museum, somewhere we've always been curious about but didn't think the boys would like. It was so much fun and well worth the visit if you're in the area. The Unity exhibit was really interesting and interactive as was the health exhibit downstairs and we spent way more time there than we thought we would. 

On Sunday, our actual anniversary, we got brunch and did some shopping before we picked up the boys and ate our year old cake (still yummy!). On Labor Day we visited a local event called Chalk It Up where we saw some amazing chalk art before Declan decided he wanted to walk all over the art, and I got myself a new hula hoop and a mini lesson. All in all a perfect weekend, despite the insane weather. 

And maybe most exciting of all, we FINALLY downloaded our wedding video, which you can check out below if you're interested. 

Tourists in Our Town: Summertime in Sacramento

Downtown

 It's no secret we love Sacramento, and even though we've had some scorching hot 110 degree days, we've somehow still managed to get out and explore a bit. Back in late June while my sister was visiting we spent an afternoon wandering around downtown and old town. Even though I've been to the capitol building several times, I still manage to find a new little corner or statue or piece of art that I never noticed before. This time we came across the Peace Officer's Memorial which was sad and touching, with a statue of a mom holding a crying child. There were fresh flowers on the memorial and Ez walked along with Ray and I taking it all in and listening to some of the names and hometowns we read aloud. After the memorial we gratefully escaped the heat for the nice, air-conditioned capitol building. Unfortunately a lot of the legislative rooms were closed when we went, but there was still plenty to see. Afterward we went to old town for a bit of shopping, and so the boys could check out the trains (Ray included). Turns out boys never really outgrow their love of all things with engines ;)

Sunflower Field

Thanks to Instagram I started seeing all these gorgeous field of sunflowers photos floating around my feed, and since they were only about fifteen minutes away from us of course we had to go check it out. I remember having giant sunflowers like these in my backyard as a kid so they brought back fond childhood memories. However I don't think I've ever seen quite so many sunflowers all in one spot. These pictures don't do justice to the giant sea of yellow that field was, stretching back pretty much as far as the eye could see. Of course, Decky being Decky, he wasn't content just looking at the flowers from a respectable distance. He had to defiantly march right into the midst of field to get the up close and personal experience. He's my little explorer through and through. 

Sacramento River

We've done a few walks along the river since we moved here, but until last week we had yet to find a good swimming spot. Especially after all the rain we had earlier this year, the river was pretty deep and fast moving and definitely not kid friendly. And then as we were driving home from Target one day we noticed a bunch of people hanging out on a beach and made a mental note to check it out. When we went back we were excited to find a nice sandy beach with calm, shallow, clear water complete with gold flakes and tons of tiny seashells. It's the perfect spot for kids and we've already been twice in the past two weeks. 

Tourists In Our Own Town: Consumnes River Preserve

How many hearts with warm red blood in them are beating under cover of the woods, and how many teeth and eyes are shining! A multitude of animal people, intimately related to us, but of whose lives we know almost nothing, are as busy about their own affairs as we are about ours. Squirrels are busily laying up provisions and lining their nests against coming frost and snow foreseen; and countless thousands of birds are forming parties and gathering their young about them for flight to the southlands; while butterflies and bees, apparently with no thought of hard times to come, are hovering above the late-blooming goldenrods, and, with countless other insect folk, are dancing and humming right merrily in the sunbeams and shaking all the air into music.

Wander here a whole summer if you can.

~ John Muir

All this extra daylight has us itching to explore and we've already lined up a few more summer adventures in the coming weeks. We've lived here just under five months, but already we've found so many beautiful places that have quickly become favorite weekend spots. The fact that we can drive a few miles and be in the state's capital, or a few miles in the other direction and be surrounded by nature has made us fall more and more in love with this city and I know we've barely scratched the surface as far as discovering all Sacramento has to offer. 

This past weekend we visited Consumnes River Preserve for the first time. The hike was fairly easy - if you count keeping a certain two year old from running headfirst through the thorny blackberry bushes lining the path or toppling down steep banks into the river as easy. Once Declan was safely contained in the backpack munching on graham crackers it was a nice relaxing stroll along a mostly shaded path with water along one side and green fields on the other. Gorgeous scenery every which way we turned and it reminded me of wandering through a swampy area that you'd usually find on the other side of the country, minus the gators though (thankfully!)

Next up we're planning a beach trip, a lake trip, and lots more hiking trips (as long as it's not sweltering hot). What's on your agenda this summer?