she truly is the best mom

two days after i landed back in california and into a new life, my mom hopped over to the bay to provide some back-up. oh man oh man, she truly is the best. i was in the midst of life-change-shock and a weird housing situation, and my dear mother swooped in and took care of me. it meant the world to me to have her here. she helped me so much, and we had so much fun, and each night we knelt to pray together and i felt an overwhelming surge of incandescent, grateful love for my beyond fabulous mom.

a lot of mom’s visit revolved around food. as soon as i picked her up at the airport we headed straight for thai food and yogurtland in downtown palo alto. then the next morning we headed up to the city and i took her to batter bakery/square meals for brunch:

ever since the new shop opened (operating in addition to the kiosk where i worked, and in partnership with an amazing personal chef), i have been wanting to try brunch, and both mom and i were blown away with the yumminess. we sat in the window and in the sunshine and devoured. it was fun to show my mom where i worked, and for her to meet my old boss and try the cookies i sold with such zeal!

next we headed to the ferry building – aka foodie heaven. as usual, the sights and tastes delighted. we were stuffed but made some room for a plethora of samples.

 

there is nothing on earth like the ferry building on a sunny saturday. every time i am there i am hit in the face with how much i love it.

our next stop was the de young museum in golden gate park. i love museuming with my mom because she was the one to teach me so well the value of creativity and beauty. we went to the tower first to see the views. if you look really hard, you can see the tip-top of the golden gate bridge in the first photo below, and downtown san francisco skyscrapers in the second photo below.

we saw such exquisite pieces of art! i loved sharing the sensual and cognitive delight with my mom.

 

we grabbed an “it’s it” (san francisco’s trademark ice cream treat) for lunch and went to the botanical gardens, which i love. the weather was so perfect! our favourite part was the succulent garden, which was even more spectacular than i remembered!

and – baker beach at sunset. it just can’t be beat. i wish the iphone could have picked up better what a glorious sight it was. we sat on the sand and decided on a restaurant for dinner. we settled on fancy new american cuisine in russian hill and woah nelly it was delicious. 

on sunday my mom came to church with me. it was such a joy to have her with me my first week in a new ward! afterwards, we went to palo alto foothills park, which is gorgeous and the perfectly clear, crisp weather gave way to stellar views! i looked around at my new home and felt good.

i also took my mom for a peak into my new office, and across the bridge to visit our relatives in fremont. i took her to the airport early monday morning and it was so sad to say goodbye! i wish she could stay forever. i love her more than i could ever attempt to express. she truly is the best mom.