Browse Category: friends

Fun with the Girls

On Saturday afternoon, the other bridesmaids and I threw Holly a lovely bridal shower at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica. We rented a semi-private cabana with wine, cheese, and other appetizers. We had a good turn out with lots of Holly’s friends who flew in from all over the place. Later in the evening, we got a little more dressed up and had dinner at Orso, an Italian restaurant near the Beverly Center. Afterwards we headed out to LAX, a bar in Hollywood, to do some celebrating. Holly had a great time and didn’t have to do anything too embarrassing. Overall, it was a fun night out with the girls.

Fish, Friends, and Cocktails

On Friday night we drove up to Hollywood to celebrate Patty’s 31st birthday at Geisha House. It was the usual Hollywood-ish crowd with some weird-looking geishas milling around the restaurant as if they were part of the decor. The dj was basically a girl controlling an iPod upstairs. We tried the Maguro Spicy Taru-Taru Crispy Rice, which was spicy tuna on top of crispy rice rectangles and garnished with a fried slice of jalapeno – pretty creative. Patty had a pretty good cocktail called a Miniari that was made with pomegranate juice, sake, lychee, and mint. It tasted somewhat like a sweeter mojito. I don’t really like mint but if I did, it would have been really tasty to me. Anyway, it was nice to see everyone together and the brother even stopped by. Happy Birthday, Patty!

Courtyard BBQ

For Memorial Day, we had a neighborhood BBQ in our courtyard. We’ve been meaning to do this for some time now and it’s taken almost 3 years to actually pull it off. We all know each other but this time we actually got to hang out in the sun and have some beers together. In fact, a new couple just moved in a few months ago and we finally got to meet face-to-face. One of them even happened to be a 1st grade teacher working in one of the elementary schools that we send students to for Kindergarten every year. It’s always nice to meet someone who actually knows what I do for a living. Instead of asking “What’s an occupational therapist?” She said, “You’re an OT? That’s great!” Anyway, Jes fired up some tasty carne asada, I made some guac, and our neighbors brought homemade chocolate chip cookies, and 7-layer dip. By the end of the BBQ, I had just enough energy to help put everything away and then crashed at 6:00 pm and didn’t actually get out of bed until this morning. All the sun/heat and a considerable amount of “fruit” really wiped me out. What great way to end a long four-day weekend.  Here are the photos.

Cinco de Mayo at an Irish Pub

scottLast night we went to The Harp Inn in Costa Mesa to watch Scott play. I’m not sure if it was because it was a Friday night, it was Cinco de Mayo, I was a little buzzed, or the crowd was extra rowdy but “Velicious” was sounding better than usual. The drinks were flowing and I think they turned down the volume on their lead guitarist who is my least favorite member. I had a great time considering there was no Mexican food, no Coronas, and definitely no tequila for me. I slept well last night and we didn’t crawl out of bed until about 10:30 this morning. I love Saturday mornings.

…

Oh yeah, I’d like to give shout out to Jimmy on his 31st birthday today. To another great year, old man! Cheers!

An Afternoon with The Brother

Last night we went to Agora Churrascaria for dinner with Dayantha, Thilan, and Ti. The sirloin and skirt steak were good. I didn’t care for any of the chicken. The meal was about $35 per person and I’m not sure I really ate my share. Afterwards we met up with Derek and Elise who were in town for the weekend. We ended up at Dave and Buster’s at the Spectrum. We had some drinks, played some games, and I came home with a million little erasers and a little stuffed penguin for Koa. Mmm…penguin.
…
This morning Patti came over to help assemble Holly’s invitations. We had to get them printed at Staples and I was happy with how they turned out. I’m so relieved that it’s all done. I suppose I could have done it all myself but it was a good excuse for the two of us to chat and catch up on things. It was great hanging out with you again, Patti!! And thanks for all your help!
…
Later the brother came over to do some shopping for his apartment. We first went to Costco and I got myself a knitting book/kit. I’ve had my eye on it for some time and decided to snag it this time. Jes and I almost got ourselves a Dyson but smartened up and left it for another day. When we got home, Jes went straight to bed for a nap while the brother and I continued shopping. The next stop was Target and then the grocery store. We also sat down for a couple episodes of Tom & Jerry, which were hilarious. We were laughing so loudly that Jes could hear us from upstairs while he was trying to finish his nap. We also prepared a yummy pork carnitas dinner with all the fixings. Jes was so confused when I told him to go downstairs for some carnitas because it usually takes 4 hours to prepare. Well, this was Chiembanchong-style cooking where it involves taking the pork out of the package, warming it in the oven for 15 mins, and then shredding the meat. Jes was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Haha…the brother and sister team strike again!!The evening was topped off by a couple games of poker. The cousins came over for a second time this week and brought friends. Ken had some crazy cards in the first game and took everyone out one by one. I lost with a King-high straight! What kind of luck is that?!

Going for a helicopter ride!

Huy just sent me a few photos from his helicopter flights. Apparently that’s it for him for now…it’s back to the classroom for a while.

Work still sucks right now but I’m starting to get over all the sh*t that’s still hanging around. Everyday is a new day and I’m going to keep doing my job. Besides, Jesse made me some chicken soup tonight and that makes everything better.