Browse Category: family

chaperones

DSC_3114Jes’ parents took the day off so they could spend time with their little granddaughter and to take her to see some fish.  We spent most of the afternoon at the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific and we all had a pretty good time.  Kumquat was with Jes’ parents for a good part of the trip and at one point Jes and I found ourselves seated on a bench just “supervising” all the activity.  When she was let out of the stroller, she ran free while both grandparents tried to corral her.  It was very cute.

IMG_8088By the way, this aquarium is as good as I remembered when we used to be annual pass holders the first year they opened.  Our favorite tank was still looking good and it brought back memories of us back in 1998.  Jeepers, that was a long time ago!

 

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!

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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!

Grandstands

On Saturday, the day after my surgery, I woke up in so much pain.  I had to take some meds and Jes had to push me up out of bed.  I couldn’t sit up and I couldn’t even roll onto my side!  It was U-GLY.  Once the meds kicked in, I was up and moving around again.  I’m so swollen that I looked preggo again but whatever…I didn’t care anymore.

That morning, my mom helped get Kumquat ready while we waited for Jason to arrive.  We had purchased grandstand tickets to watch the finals of the LV Cup so once he got to our house, we were on our way.

IMG_4511We left the house at 11 and it was supposedly when the special Embarcadero train would be running.  It didn’t arrive for a good 45 minutes!  Once we were on, it took us from our house all the way down to Fisherman’s Wharf. From there, we walked over Fort Mason hill and down to the Marina Green.  We had a gorgeous SF day and the wind was pretty strong.  IMG_8011We watched the first race up in the stands and it was nice to finally have a good view of the boats sailing over the water.  IMG_4518Unfortunately the meds were making me a little woozy and I had to put my head down.  Luckily, my mom brought some of her magical tiger balm and it totally made me feel better.

IMG_8015The second race was canceled due to high winds so we spent the rest of the afternoon at the beer garden.  Since my medicine included Tylenol, I didn’t get to enjoy a beer with the Masayas who were also there with us.  Oh well.

Happy Father’s Day

snuggles

We spent Father’s Day in town this year.  Last year, Jes celebrated his first Father’s Day in Cerritos so it felt almost like his first one all over again this year.  This morning Kumquat greeted him in bed and the three of us snuggled up together like we used to when she was very little.

IMG_3184Later we went to the Aquarium of the Bay, which is a small aquarium at Pier 39.  We’ve lived here almost 6 years and I was always curious about it.  Well, dads got free admission today and I had a 20% off coupon for my ticket so it was the perfect day to go.

fishThe best part of the aquarium was their underwater tube.  Schools of fish would swirl around and then zoom by like it was a water highway.

familyWe got a lot of outdoor time since we walked there and back.  We had really nice weather this weekend.

IMG_3196For dinner, we went to Hillstone for a fat steak for Jes and a surpisingly delicious and satisfying kale and chicken salad for me.  Kumquat also had her first taste of peanuts and I am relieved to report that she does not have Brother’s peanut allergy.  Yes!ninadaddyHappy Father’s Day to Jes and also to my Daddy.  And Happy Pre-Father’s Day to my brother!

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.

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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?!