Browse Author: beakatude

Slowest. 5K. EVER.

IMG_8126But it was so fun!!!!  On Saturday morning, I got up at 3:45 am and Brother and Joy picked me up at 4:30 to get to the start line. We wore our race tees, which were 1) not very flattering and 2) not very breathable in the heat.  At 5:00 am, it was already 72 degrees and humid.

IMG_4735The beginning of the race took us backstage where we were running in darkness.

IMG_8134Then the race course entered from Carsland at Disney’s California Adventure.IMG_8139Here we are at the boardwalk and they even turned on the World of Color fountains for us!

IMG_8143Next was across the courtyard to Disneyland!  IMG_8147There were Cast Members ready to snap photos for us at each photo op location.  What fun!IMG_8151Sleeping Beauty’s Castle is so pretty at dawn.

IMG_8154The Dumbo ride was running as we passed through Fantasyland.  Kumquat would love this ride!

IMG_8157In Frontierland, we found the chipmunks!!!

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The last part of the park route was through Critter Country.

IMG_8169Here we are with our medals at the finish line.  IMG_8170It’s a rubber medal with the Alice in Wonderland and the White Rabbit on it.

IMG_4750As a special treat after the run, we picked up some coffee and freshly fried beignets.  Yum.

IMG_4753We also had some time to kill before the Diaper Dash so we hung out inside the Grand California Hotel to watch some cartoons.

IMG_4749The course was super fun and I’m kinda glad that Joy couldn’t run.  It gave us an excuse to just take it easy and enjoy the unique experience of wandering the parks at dawn.  IMG_8167I also bumped into Michelle, my good friend from high school and college.  I think she might be running the half on Sunday.

IMG_6616Kumquat also ran in her first fun run – a 100 meter dash!  For a recap of that part of the morning, click here.

Race Prep and Expo

IMG_4673On Friday morning, I went to the park with Koa and my dad.  I wanted to give running a week after my surgery.  I tried running a bit and was still sore at the surgical site.  So, I didn’t go very far and ended up walking around the park instead.

IMG_4680When I got home, Brother was there “working from home”.  Cool!

IMG_4682He got to hang out with Kumquat and Koa and we also convinced our mom to make some kanom krok for us.  Score!

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When it was time for him to take his lunch hour, we drove to the local Chick-fil-A and brought home a feast including a buffet of dipping sauces.  Yum. Gotta love suburbia!

IMG_4708In the afternoon, we went to Downtown Disney to pick up our race packets and to explore the expo for a bit.  IMG_4714They were very well-organized and if anyone can handle crowds, it’s Disneyland.

IMG_4716At the expo, Jes bought ANOTHER pair of headphones.  *sigh*  He’s not even running the race!

IMG_4724For dinner, we met up with my cousin Marie and the boys.  It was still at least 85 degrees outside but everyone managed to endure the heat while we sipped sangrias and ate pizza under the umbrellas.  IMG_8117It was also helpful to have such fun stores to go inside to cool off.  Thanks for coming out, Suminos!

 

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!

 

hello again

IMG_4613These past few days have been weird since I haven’t been able to lift anything heavier than a few pounds.  On Tuesday, I thought I’d try picking Kumquat up again and it felt so good to hold her again.  I had avoided even holding her on my lap too since the soreness in my abdomen hadn’t yet subsided.  But on Tuesday, it was feeling a little better and holding Kumquat felt so nice and she couldn’t get enough too.  So, I’ve been holding her on my lap more often now and even picking her up now for quick tasks such as putting her back in bed or helping her down from the couch.

By the way, I passed my written DMV test this morning.  Woot!  Here’s to 5 more years of driving!

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.