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Well, it's been over a week since my California trip and I am finally getting around to my recap!  I spent a total of 8 days in various cities of California. For those who don't speak airport codes, I traveled from Minneapolis to San Francisco to Sacramento to LA to San Francisco and then back to Minneapolis. Honestly, it was a lot to pack into one week.  The trip was a work trip, but I was able to take a day off at the beginning and then spend the weekend there as well, so I got to combine work and fun!  I only got to sight see in San Francisco, as I had a busy work schedule in Sacramento and the LA area, but I did manage to see 3 different bloggers!  Score!  My time with 2 of them (San and Amy) was pretty brief, but I got about 1.5 days with Kyria, which was awesome!

I really, really loved California - especially the Bay Area.  I don't see myself moving there, but it is a place that I could see myself living (if that makes any sense).  It was my first time visiting SF and I fell head over heels in love with it.

As usual, I will let a few bunch of the pictures I took do the talking!

The view from Coit Tower was STUNNING!  I would definitely recommend going to the top of Coit Tower as you get some awesome 360 degree views of the city!

I thought the sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf were adorable.  I loved seeing the 'puppy-pile' of sea lions all snuggled up together, and I loved watching 2 sea lions play 'king of the mountain'.

There is so much beauty in SF.  I would be crossing a street (as I am in this photo), look to my left, and see a beautiful view!

And of course, due to the proximity to the oceans, I had mussels a couple of times!!

San met me for dinner when I was in Sacramento!  We had some yummy thai and it was so fun to catch up face-to-face!  I also had drinks with Amy that night, but sadly we did not think to take a photo as we were too busy gabbing!!

I did not do any sight seeing in the LA area, but I did snap this photo of the Pier in Manhattan Beach when I was out for dinner with co-workers.

And before I knew it, I was back in San Francisco!  Kyria made sure I got multiple views of the gorgeous Golden Gate Bridge.  It's stunning in photos - but even more stunning in person!

We resorted to taking a self photo after the guy who took a photo for us didn't include the bridge in the background (what in the what)?

Another view of the beautiful bridge!!  It was wonderful to hear the waves crashing on the beach, too!

Can I just stay, "Full House"?  Gosh I loved that show - so much that I tried to change my name to Stephanie when I was in the 3rd grade.  I was OBSESSED.

So there you have it - a very photo-heavy post recapping my trip to this beautiful part of the country.  Besides seeing all these sights, I went for a trail run with Kyria and ate lots of yummy food!  Kyria was a fantastic host - we covered a lot of ground on Saturday and I really feel like I saw as much as I possibly could!!

It was a wonderful trip, but being gone for 8 days was a bit much for me and I was just plain worn out by the end.  Sleeping in 5 different beds over the course of 8 days is not really optimal and I missed my boyfriend even more than I missed my bed.  ;)

I know I was fortunate to have been able to take this trip, though, and it is an area I definitely want to check out again - I just want to return on a just-for-fun trip and not at the tail end of a hectic travel schedule!  I am in the process of writing a post about the realities/challenges of work travel as I think there is a misconception that IT IS SO FUN.  Well, the fact of the matter is that it's still work and it's really exhausting...

That said - luckily, this is my last trip for the year (I think, I may have to go to Charlotte next week), so I am trying to soak up my time at home!

Have you been to California?  If so, what is your favorite area?  So far, I'd say San Francisco is my favorite area, but I still have a lot more of the state to see so I may change my mind on that!