The CHO girls an I went out for brunch for the first time in over a year. We met up at Nido’s Backyard for drinks and some delicious food. We had Stephanie over Zoom for part of the time too!
It was so nice to see everyone in person again after so long. It was also nice to eat at a restaurant with people again too!
My birthday celebration started early the week before when Ranee invited us to the winery at Jack London Square last Friday evening. It was a gorgeous evening with lots of sparkling wine to sip and taste.
Ranee also got us a bottle of sparkling rose to share. The kids played on the lawn all evening and we got to sit and unwind.
If that wasn’t fun enough already, we got to hang out AGAIN the following night!
We dropped the kids off at Jimmy and Eleen’s house (thanks guys!) and took an Uber to the city. We had tickets to see JANET!!!
We had purchased these tickets months ago and the Chase Center just opened a few weeks ago.
It was so nice to see Ishya smiling after the passing of her mom (my aunt).
Janet was awesome and sang what seemed like ALL HER SONGS.
The Chase Center was on their feet and he had such a good time.
The following week, we flew down to Cerritos to celebrate the actual birthday with Brother who turned 40!!
We had a family dinner at Lawry’s and then went out for dessert at David Chang’s milk bar.
The following night, we went to see Ali Wong at The Wiltern.
Interestingly, she had a strict no-device rule. We had to go through security at the entrance and lock our phones and smart watches in a bag that we carry around with us but can’t unlock until the show is done. It was a fun experiment and reminder of how things used to be when we were younger and didn’t have cell phones.
Ali was really funny and so was the guy that opened for her! Good show.
My last bit of birthday fun was the day after when we arrived back in Alameda. Just the 4 of us went out for Korean BBQ and stuffed ourselves silly.
Yesterday, we celebrated Jes’ birthday on his actual birthday. We took the day off work, sent the kids to school, and then went to Napa for lunch at Bouchon.
We started the meal with the salade lyonnaise and salmon rillettes.
Jes ordered the steak frites and I got a giant bowl of mussels in a garlic butter broth.
For dessert, they gave him a little package of their chocolate bouchons. So cute!
A trip to Bouchon would not be complete without stopping at their bakery next door. I wanted to get all the things but ended up with just a few goodies to share with kids later that evening.
Peanut made Jes a card complete with balloons, fish stickers, and his own writing. He chose to sign it “Peanut”.
The kids sang “Happy Birthday” and helped him blow out the candles on his lemon tart and chocolate eclair.
The next day, we had dinner at Ian’s house. He invited us over for some wagyu beef that he bought for Jesse.
What had also been planned was a surprise visit by all the guys at the end of the night.
They arrived with cakes and whiskey.
We were all in on it and he was indeed surprised. That was very cool of them to do that for him.
We had dinner at Utzutzu this evening. It’s a little Japanese restaurant in Alameda that’s tucked away in the upstairs “apartment” over a store on Park Street. It’s not marked and they seat only 10 people per night.
The menu consisted of a pre-planned menu that was a mix of small Japanese dishes with two hefty courses of sashimi and nigiri. The sushi chef quietly prepared all our fish dishes and it was so fun to watch from the bar.
Shishito Nibitashi
Fresh Oyster
Chef’s Sushi Selection
Asari Sakamushi
Snow Powder Watermelon
Chef’s Sushi Selection
We got braided fish! Haha.
I was also very happy when he brought out the uni. Yum!!!!
White Peach Compote with Crystal Nectar
After dinner, we stopped at HobNob for a drink before calling an Uber.
I’ve had the past two weeks off and it’s been nice to have some alone time to reflect and reset before starting a new job. On the first day, Holly called and said she was still in town so she brought the kids over for dinner and I actually had time to shop and cook for them!
On one of the days, Teresa got flexed off so we met up in Oakland to do some studying. Then I treated her to a sushi lunch to thank her for all that she’s done for me these past few months as I was deciding what to do with my life/career.
Much of my time, aside from doing laundry, has been dedicated to studying for my IBCLC exam. One day I couldn’t sit still at home so I made a pedicure appointment. It forced me to really sit down and read. It was very productive and relaxing at the same time.
One of the things I also wanted to do on my time off was volunteer in KK’s class at least once. I signed up for one of their Wednesday science hours and it was really cool to be a part of her class.
On one of my last days, I had lunch with Ranee. She was flexed off for the afternoon so it was perfect. We met up in Rockridge and had a fun Italian meal together.
I also had the chance to go out for a Mom’s Night Out with the neighborhood moms. Jes took the kids to Chipotle while I shared two pitchers of margaritas with these lovely ladies. It’s so nice to know that we live next to some really nice (and fun) people.
On both Fridays, I had lunch with Eleen and got to catch up with her. She’s always up for some boba so it’s great! Too bad I didn’t get any photos.
So, tomorrow is the first of two days of orientation. Wednesday will be my first official day at Kaiser and the schedule looks to be pretty easy – tours, getting to know people, getting to know the system, shadowing therapists in various roles. I’m also off on Thursday as my regular day off and it also happens to be my birthday. Perfect!!
Here’s what my typical work week will look like:
Mondays 7:30am-4:00pm (8 hrs)
Tuesdays 7:30am-4:00pm (8 hrs)
Wednesdays 7:30am-6:00pm (10 hrs)
Thursdays OFF
Friday 7:30am-1:30pm (6 hrs)
I’m a little excited but also a little anxious about this whole change. I know the schedule will be better for me and the family. I just hope it’s also a good step forward for my career as well. Wish me luck!
I ran my first 10K in 4 years today. A few months ago, I joined a running group that Teresa leads. They run every Saturday morning in different locations around the East Bay and also do a track workout on Wednesday evenings.
Teresa also registered for this race but she has gotten a lot faster than me.
I finished strong and felt pretty good about my performance.
I actually placed within the first 25th percentile of my gender and age groups. Not too shabby.
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