Browse Category: dog

The Fort is gone.

DSC_3256This morning, Jose, one of the maintenance guys that works for our building, came by to pick up our beloved couch and chair.  We bought it from a sketchy knock-off furniture store in Torrance 10 years ago and was made after a set that I saw in a Pottery Barn catalog.  It has been one of the most comfortable places for me to sleep and when I was preggo I slept on it every night.  After a while, I called it The Fort since I spent so much time on it.  When Kumquat was born, my mom slept on it for 6 weeks.  I’ve also taken numerous photos of Kumquat and Koa on that couch.  It has lots of sentimental value to me but it was time to get rid of it.  It was starting to show its age and I was pretty embarrassed of its condition when people would come over to visit.  This morning, I took one last photo of them.

DSC_3276Here is what our livingroom looks like now.  It’s nice to have more space but it’s kinda sad too.  We ordered a smaller leather sofa from Costco today and it should be delivered in a few weeks.  Until then, we will enjoy the extra space and Koa and Kumquat will have a nice view from the window.

Southern CA

IMG_4576We drove down to Southern California on Tuesday morning and the drive went rather smoothly for most of the way down.  On our way out of SF, we drove through the eastern span of the Bay Bridge one last time before it would be closed permanently the next day.  It’s kinda sad but really necessary to get rid of this section.

IMG_4578 IMG_4584Our car was also at full capacity with Kumquat, Koa, and my mom in the backseat.

IMG_4585We made a lunch stop at In N Out in Santa Nella instead of Kettleman City.  It looks pretty new and everything was so clean and empty when we were there.

IMG_4591At the 5-hour mark, we encountered some major traffic.  It was in the Grapevine and the sign said there would be an 8-mile backup with everyone merging in to the left lane.  We were at such a snail’s pace.  When I looked at our Google Maps instructions, it said to to exit Quail Rd and take some side streets.  Taking a desperate chance, we listened and totally won!  Part of it was a little sketchy with it being mostly dirt and rocks and a sign saying that we were leaving the maintained portion of the road.  We managed to by-pass 5 miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic and cut in line at the front when we got back on the freeway.  Thanks, Uncle Google. I will never doubt your instructions again!

IMG_4602

The drive took a total of 8 hours including 3 stops.  We were so tired of being in the car that we walked to Don Jose for some enchiladas and margaritas.  This is Jes’ Corona-Rita.

IMG_4626The next day was mostly for errands.  Before taking Koa to the vet, we stopped at Wahoo’s for lunch.  Yum.  Oh how I miss a good fish taco.

IMG_4623Then we took Koa to the vet in Irvine.  This is the place that we’ve always taken him since he was a pup and he was shaking as much as the first time we brought him.  IMG_4631He did surprisingly well during the examination and walked out of there with a bunch of shots.

After that, we went to Pish’s office for my long-overdue check-up and cleaning.  It had been 4 years since I had seen a dentist!! Thankfully, I had no cavities.  Yippee!

IMG_4636In the afternoon, I met up with Holly and Andrew for a little catching up before dinner.

IMG_4643For dinner, we met up with Johnny and Joy in Torrance for some izakaya and beer.  Boy, we had a very productive first day!

Too early…

I’ve had a really eerie couple days.  Two lives were taken away from us way too soon.

P1090022DSC_6703On Wednesday night, Smush passed away from a really unfortunate incident involving a neighbor’s dog in the hallway.  I’m still in shock about the whole thing and I can’t imagine what Susie’s going through right now.  Have a good time in Doggie Heaven, Smush.  Say “hi” to Pepsi, Doogie, and Cookie for me.

DSC_6782On Thursday night, my hula instructor and friend, Pua, lost his battle with cancer.  I knew that he was getting treatment but he was always in such good spirits.  It’s so surreal since I just bumped into him a couple weeks ago at Safeway.  Rest in peace, Pua.  You will be missed.

Days like these make me realize how every day is so precious.  Hug your loved ones a little tighter today.

Day off

I love having random days off.  I took one today since I had worked so hard all month.  IMG_3368The day started in Orinda with Ranee and Sophie.   Stephanie also stopped by since she’s still waiting for baby to arrive. IMG_3366 We met up at Peet’s and walked over to Republic of Cakes for a free story and music time.

IMG_3420The girls had fun and the grown-ups got to do some catching up.

IMG_3387Afterward, we stopped at Teresa’s house to drop off her birthday present.  She had the day off too because of her birthday so it was perfect.  Kumquat got to play with their dog Bailey and hung out with Aaron too.

IMG_3397 For lunch, we got home a little late and Kumquat was sleeping.  I was hungry and it was a gorgeous day outside so I wheeled her over to MoMo’s and I had a nice lunch out on the patio.  Aaah…

IMG_3410For dinner, we went to Paragon for an outdoor dinner.  All in all it was a fantastic day off and great way to kick off summer and my long weekend.

IMG_3411I other news, Koa has been having a great time with Jia this week.  She sent me photos of him at Half Moon Bay.  He even got to run off-leash near the water too.  Lucky dog.

Sunny Saturday

IMG_2789We had some really nice weather this weekend. Saturday started with a walk down The Embarcadero to the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market. Koa came along too and we all got some Vitamin D.

IMG_2790After Kumquat’s nap, we drove down to Foster City for the Wine & Arts Festival. It was pretty hot out there but a nice change from the SF fog.IMG_2792For dinner, we headed to San Mateo for some sushi.  We ordered omakaze for the table and most of it was good but I was distracted by an antsy toddler.

IMG_2808Later that night, Jia and Jason were nice enough to come over to watch Kumquat while Jes and I headed out for a rare night out.

modelSFMoMA is closing for a few years for renovation and expansion so they opened it to the public for 24 hours, had live music, a bar, and free admission!  The photo above is a model of the new building.  It was fun wandering the museum late at night and it was a lively party filled with the typical SF crowd.

IMG_6959It was a nice end to a fun-filled day.

Family Picnic

painted ladiesWe had a family picnic at Alamo Square with Baby and Dog.  Jes packed a lunch for us and everything!  We’ve lived here for almost 6 years and never actually saw the “Painted Ladies” until now.

familyIt was a gorgeous day but the wind picked up once in a while.

picnicKumquat had fun exploring while Koa enjoyed a bully stick on the grass.

IMG_6904

San Francisco is a pretty nice place to live.  Who really needs to go out of town for a holiday weekend when you have this?!