Road trip!

So in March I needed to go to the American Counseling Association conference in San Francisco to give a presentation and show a poster.
(At a national conference!)
So some friends and I (Lindsay, Meghan, and Julie (aka Jules) (pronounced Hules)) decided to turn it into a week long road trip of fun and amazingness.

We drove through Oregon and saw some nice ocean views.

Meghan even got to touch the Pacific ocean for the first time!

And we illegally took a banana into California.
(Apparently you can't bring outside fruit into the state. They think they are their own country or something.)
Julie almost died with the guilt.

My favorite part of the trip was the redwood forest. 

It was so overwhelmingly huge and peaceful. 

Check it out. 

We also lived it up in San Francisco. 

We took a little trip out to Alcatraz. 

It was amazing to learn about the history and break outs. 

The audio tour is even narrated by inmates and guards. 

Saw China Town.

And Fisherman's wharf. 

I even tried lobster for the first time. (Thanks Megs!) (She actually does read my blog) (I think.)

And another special treat for me was taking my friends to see the Oakland temple.

I love temples and the gospel of Jesus Christ so sharing that with close friends is just such a special and sacred experience for me. 

This is also where my parents were married so it has extra meaning. 

It is where my family began. 

Oh wait, what did I go to San Francisco for?

Thats right the conference!

I did my presentation and here we are with our poster. 

I also met Irvin Yalom and he signed my book. 

So psychology nerdy of me. 

I also got soaked. 

Rode a subway for the first time.

And flew home with only the contents of this bag (see below). 

(Lindsay and Julie drove the rest of our stuff back.) 

Whew. What a trip!