Browse Month: February 2014

Team Tiger Happy Hour

With Teresa out on her maternity leave, I haven’t been able to really hang out with her much lately.  So, we made plans for a Happy Hour this past Wednesday.  We were all set to go until T got stuck at the West Oakland BART station because of some police activity in the city.  So, she headed home and we had to postpone it to Thursday.  On Thursday, she was able to hitch a ride back to SF with me after I got off work so it was go for Team Tiger HH!!  We picked up Kumquat and we headed over to Pedro’s.  They were closed for a private party so we went to Pete’s instead.  IMG_0442Happy Hour was still going so we ordered some wine and appetizers.  What fun!  It was almost like old times – the only difference was a third wheel named Kumquat.  IMG_0449Luckily she was well-behaved and it was fun watching to her try her first mini corn dog.

IMG_0451Ah…good times.

Family Weekend – Part 2

IMG_0304 On Sunday, we took it easy in the morning.  Brother came over around 10 while I was getting ready to leave for a baby shower and Alice was in a really good mood.

IMG_0299We also sang “Happy Birthday” to Joy and had a candle in a pork bun for her.  Funny.

IMG_0325While I was away, Kumquat took a nap and the family went shopping.  I got home just in time to swing by the hotel to pick up the family from the hotel and head back home to meet up with Jason and Jia.

IMG_5086For brunch, we took a walk down to Mission Rock Resort.

IMG_0334They were really busy so we ended up having an hour-long wait.  IMG_0344Luckily, they had a deck in the sun and we had drinks outside in the sunshine.  IMG_0331Here is their bacon bloody mary complete with olives, a slice of bacon, and shrimp.

IMG_0347Once seated, we had a seafood feast including this tower of raw goodness.

IMG_0353Kumquat sat at the head of the table and took some photos for me while we ate.  She actually took this picture with my phone.  I’m so proud.

IMG_0361Back at the house, it was time for Brother and Joy to head out for a dinner date they made with a friend.  So we said our goodbyes.  It’s always so fun having them in town.  See you in March!!

Family Weekend – Part 1

Brother, Joy, Alice, and my mom came up this weekend to visit.  It’s to celebrate Joy’s birthday and as a last-hurrah trip before she goes back to work full-time.  IMG_0198My mom arrived on Thursday night and Brother arrived with the gang on Friday around noon.

IMG_0207 I was lucky enough to get the afternoon off so when I got home, we headed out to Downtown to meet up with them for a bit.

IMG_4981For dinner, we went to Hillstone per my mother’s request.  IMG_4986IMG_4985It was a beefalicious meal and we took advantage of the free corkage there.

IMG_4990Both Alice and Kumquat did pretty well that evening. IMG_0214On Saturday morning, we got up early and met up at the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market.

IMG_0259First meal of the day was a Belgian waffle the size of my hand and a cup of Blue Bottle Coffee – I felt like such a hipster.

IMG_2882 IMG_2886Then after shopping for produce, we headed over to Pier 39 to see what else we could do, see, and eat.  IMG_5013We stopped at the mini-playground to let Kumquat burn some energy and Alice got to ride on Joy’s lap on the slide.  IMG_0264As Joy and I were in the restroom doing diaper changes, my mom picked up a bag of these scrumptious mini donuts from Trish’s.

IMG_0255Then we went over to pay the sealions a visit.  There didn’t seem to be as many of them today.

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While we were there, my mom and I reminisced about the first time we brought Kumquat to this same spot.  It was right around Alice’s age so that made it even more special for us.

IMG_0258By 11, both kids were pooped out so we stopped for some clam chowder.

IMG_5021The grown-ups grubbed while the kids napped.  IMG_0261Aaaah…it was nice to have a little peace and quiet.

IMG_2919Next stop was the Aquarium of the Bay.  The kids were rested and I got 50% off everyone’s admission with my SF Zoo membership.  Awesome!!!

IMG_0276 DSC_4634It was Alice’s first time at an aquarium and she couldn’t keep her eyes off all the activity.

IMG_2932For dinner, my mom was on babysitting duty with BOTH Kumquat and Alice.  Jes, Brother, Joy, and I went to Bouche, which is a little French bistro in the space that Bar Crudo used to occupy.  IMG_2933IMG_0291I had a tasty sole with risotto balls and lobster sauce.

IMG_0292Their crab mashed potatoes were also pretty tasty.

After dinner, we went next door to Tunnel Top Bar for one more drink before heading home.  It was nice to go without Kumquat for a change.  This place was definitely not kid-friendly so it was the perfect choice for the evening.  Thanks for babysitting, Mommy!!

Half Moon Bay

DSC_4575Jes and I had President’s Day off and Mirian was scheduled to work so we took a day trip to Half Moon Bay.  Surprisingly, it’s only a 25-min drive to the coast and I was reminded of how close I live to the ocean still.

IMG_9402We lucked out on a gorgeous sunny day and stopped at Montara State Beach.  The steps down were really steep and then there was a giant collection of water from the rain last week that made our entrance to the shore a little interesting.

DSC_4579The waves were really rough that day but it was fun to watch.  I can’t wait to get to Hawaii again.

IMG_0116For lunch, we drove down the coast a bit more and found Sam’s Chowder House.  It’s the same Sam from Sam’s Chowdermobile, which we’ve had before at various food truck events.

IMG_0109We didn’t have a reservation but got there early enough to get prime seats in the adirondack chairs out front.  We ordered from the bar and ate from the chairs.  It was sunny and warm and a little weird not having to keep my brain on at all times.

IMG_0099I was able to just take my time sipping my wine and eating poke one cube at a time without worrying about what the kid would be up to next.  I zoned out a few times and had this funny anxiety from having to force myself to relax.  It’s hard to describe but that’s what I was feeling that afternoon.

IMG_0114By the way, the chowder is yummy and they brought out a huge bowl even though we ordered a cup.  I guess someone felt bad for making us wait longer than usual for our order.

The drive back up was easy (no traffic) and we stopped at Costco to pick up a few things.  It was crazy busy and nice to not have to worry about Kumquat totally losing it while we waited in line to pay.  It’s ridiculous how the simplest things can make me so happy nowadays.

 

Playdate!

IMG_0011We had plans to go to the Oakland Zoo today and Ranee and Ishya had the same plans!  What a nice coincidence!  The kids had a great time and it was very interesting trying to get a photo of all four kids together.

DSC_4556This is the best I could do with getting the cousins together in one photo.  At least the twins looked happy.

DSC_4530 It was so nice to spend time with friends and family.  It’s too bad we don’t all live closer to each other.  Kumquat always gave Ishya a funny look whenever she heard her speaking Thai to the twins.  It’s as if she’s thinking, “hey, you talk like grandma”.DSC_4531Here’s an action shot of Kumquat and Jes walking to the next exhibit.  I’m posting it just because I like it. 🙂

DSC_4550I loved watching Kumquat with the goats today.  She really does love animals.

IMG_0032After the zoo, we stopped for lunch before heading to Trader Joe’s.  Funny that Kumquat loves noodles as much as I do.

 

I love the Olympics.

I’ve been watching the Winter Olympics online and the same 3-4 commercials come on all the time.  One of them is this one about a woman who is a full-time mom and full-time Olympic athlete training for the skeleton event at the Sochi Games.

I looked her up and her story is pretty crazy.  She missed the 2006 Torino Games because of a freak accident involving a bobsled that crashed into her at practice and broke her leg in multiple places.  Then she got back to training in time for 2010 in Vancouver and lost the bronze medal by 0.10 seconds.   She then retired to be a mom and had a second child.  She later became pregnant with #3 but then miscarried at 18 weeks.  Whoa.  After that happened, she and her husband had a long talk and decided they’d get her back in training.  Her husband even designed and made her skeleton sled (works for a steel manufacturing company).  She trained early in the morning, took care of the kids during the day, and then trained more after they went to bed.  That’s some dedication and stamina!  Sliding down a icy course head first and on your stomach on a tiny sled is not something you can do when you’re exhausted from a full day!

Anyway, after all that, she went to the 2014 games and won silver yesterday.  Here’s a link to the article. I’m officially inspired.

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