Chinatown Adventure
We’ve been without a car for the past week and it hasn’t been too bad so far. Our first dilemma was this weekend when Jes wanted to make some Chinese food this coming week and wanted to go to 99 Ranch. That’s pretty much impossible without a car so we decided to take the bus to Chinatown and ended up having a successful and also adventurous shopping trip yesterday.
As we browsed all the food markets, we got hungry and found a hole-in-the-wall with a bunch of old Chinese people in a line out the door. We stood in that line and picked up two tasty pork buns for only $1.10.
They were HUGE and Jes said that it tasted just like his grandma’s. He even got super nostalgic and sent a photo of it to his brother. Aw shucks.
We found a bunch of different shops filled with fresh produce and lots of raw stuff that was both fascinating and gave me the creeps at the same time. You know…stuff like buckets of chicken feet, a whole shark on ice, and a bucket o’ bullfrogs. Yum. We went home with bags of veggies, three different types of pork, spices, and fresh noodles.
Tonight, I used the noodles and made a big bowl of Bamee Hang, which is a dry noodle dish that I LOVED as a kid. It has egg noodles that get blanched in hot water, then mixed with garlic oil, crushed peanuts, cilantro, bean sprouts, green onion, and sliced BBQ pork. Oh and don’t forget the fish sauce!
Unfortunately, the rope gave way and he was on the floor in no time.
Jes managed to repair it with his skillful sailor knot tying skillz.
Over the weekend, Jes went to Vegas to visit Kevin and his girls. The last time I saw them, they had just turned two. Now they’re four and rambunctious as ever. Jesse spent Chinese New Year with them and got to eat some tasty traditional Chinese food that is made every year by Kevin and his family. While he was there, he also had a taste of babysitting twin girls.
At one point, they were at the Venetian where Jes was stuck watching the two girls while Kevin and Karrie took care of some business. Sounded like he had his hands full.
When Jes got back on Tuesday, he handed me a box from the store Janie and Jack. Inside was the cutest little sailor outfit complete with a matching hat. It’s so appropriate for Daddy’s little girl. I’m sure Jes was thinking, “Now if only I had a boat.”
On Wednesday, I came home to find a huge box at my door. It contained the Stokke Xplory stroller that Kevin and Karrie so generously handed down to us. It’s a tank of a stroller that can be changed from back-facing to front-facing. Unfortunately, when we opened it up, it had been damaged during the shipping process. It’s a good thing Jes bought insurance when he took it to UPS. Hopefully, it’ll all get resolved before Kumquat arrives.
When I got home today, I was also surprised to find a package in the mailbox and then a big box at my door. The package was from The UCLA Store with no message. Turns out it was from Dayantha and Krissy. Isn’t it a cute little set?! Thanks guys! I almost drove myself to UCLA yesterday in hopes of finding something just as cute!
The big box was from Brother and Joy. They bought Kumquat a carrier and a pacifier that has a giraffe connected to it so that it lays on her tummy once it falls out of her mouth. I have mixed feelings about pacifiers but if she’s going to use one, it might as well be this one. Thanks guys!
We drove down to Cerritos on Friday afternoon and made it in 6.25 hours including dinner at In N Out and a gas fill-up. The purpose of this weekend was to 1) get the car fixed and 2) to return Jason’s car. In all the planning for the weekend, I couldn’t find someone to watch Koa. So, not only did we leave Jason’s car and our car but we also left the dog. It’ll be three weeks of no car and no dog. That’ll be interesting.
On Saturday, we got the new rim installed at Costco (at no charge!) and I got a good look at the crack in our old one. It’s pretty big crack. No wonder our tire kept going flat. Crazy.
On Sunday morning, my mom and a family friend went out to buy a bunch of food for the Chinese New Year altar. Unfortunately, it was very tempting to Koa. I caught him red-handed with the pork (bottom right) in his mouth and the plate falling to the ground.
Immediately, he was sent out to the backyard for some alone time away from the food.
When it was almost time to catch my 6:30 flight back to SF, I got a text message from SWA saying it was delayed to 10:05. So, I called Brother and Joy and made arrangements to hang out with them until my flight. Before leaving, I took this photo with my parents. Again, I look HUGE! I also said “see ya soon” to the dog, who seemed a little confused that he wasn’t following me and my bags into the car.
For dinner, we had Souplantation, which I had not had since college. I was so excited for the peas and corn and soft serve and it was so cheap!!
Later that night, I got another text saying that the flight was delayed even more and not leaving until 10:55! Yikes. So, after a bumpy flight through the SF rain and a crazy cab ride, I was home by 1:00 am. This morning was rough but I was pretty relieved that I didn’t have a dog to walk in the cold rain.
This week I’m at the 6-month mark. That means I’ve entered the third trimester! Whoa. Here’s a photo I took of my belly at this milestone. I can’t believe I’m posting this. As Jes would say, “I’m HUGE” and my belly button has also popped out. Sheesh. I hope I don’t get much bigger from this point on. This body doesn’t have anymore room!
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