Browse Category: holidays

Pool Party

Last Sunday it was Mother’s Day but many of us at work didn’t have their mom’s nearby.  However, our dear friend Mai was in town and she wanted to have a picnic.  So, the girls at work and I planned a pool party at my place.  We all gathered outside by the BBQ and Jes fired up the grill for the skirt steak, kabobs, corn, and chicken wings.  It had rained that morning but the sun came out just in time for the guests to arrive.  Unfortunately, the sun was in and out all day and no one actually went into the pool that day.

Instead, we hung out on the patio chairs while the food cooked and then took a short break inside to eat, and then all came back outside for more sun.  We had a fun time chatting, laughing, and making fun of each other, as usual.

Mai also got to meet Koa and they spent some quality time together.  I knew they would hit it off and Koa was like butter in Mai’s hands.  Here are the rest of the photos.

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

That was the theme for Jimmy’s 35th Birthday Party last Saturday and it was at their house.

When I first arrived, I asked Jimmy if the Lakers were going to win and he said “Of course. They always win on my birthday!” Well, it was a close one but they did win after all.  Thank goodness because I was afraid the party would turn sour if they didn’t.

Eleen ordered a full spread of J’s Filipino favorites and we stuffed ourselves silly.

Olivia and Kevin also brought a chocolate cake that said “We Love J and the Lakers”.

We all had a good time and I think the birthday boy did too…especially because he didn’t have to do any push-ups this year.  Here are the rest of the photos.

Look who’s 6 today!!

8 weeks old

6 years old

It’s the same dog on the same couch 6 years later.  He’s much bigger now but it’s funny that his expression hasn’t changed over the years.  Maka Koa is officially 6 (that’s 42 in dog years) today.

This afternoon we walked to the store to pick out a treat and a new toy. He got to carry his treat home in his mouth and got busy chewing away at it once he stepped paw in the door.

He also got to play with his new friend Moo. According to the tag, he’s a cow but I think he looks more like a yak. Regardless, they were pals from the start and the honking from the squeaker went on for a good 20 minutes.

Happy Birthday, Koa. You’re a good dog.

First Weekend of Spring

Daylight Saving Time is, as usual, messing with my sleep schedule and everyone is crowding me on the sidewalk with their sudden ambition to go outside and run.  It’s funny that as soon as I got back from Tahoe, the sun decided to come out and the rain stopped.  Hmph.

Anyhoo, I spent a good part of this first weekend of spring outside and in a sports bar. It’s the beginning of March Madness so I was at Pete’s on Friday night.  With the warm weather and the buzz of college basketball, the bar was PACKED.  Luckily Victor got a table upstairs and we could see three different games at the same time.  By the end of the night, Cal had won and a drunk guy standing next to us stole one of my cookies!  I SO wanted to punch his lights out but he was too sweaty and gross to deal with.

On Saturday, Jesse was rail meat again for a race that went out past the Golden Gate Bridge and into the Pacific Ocean. They came in 5th out of the 7 teams competing and he had an awesome time.  I guess racing in the ocean is different than in the bay since he had to go out and buy a knife, harness, tether, beacon, and whistle.  Crazy!

Meanwhile, I took at walk to the Ferry Plaza and got a taste of the Kimchi Fried Rice at one of the newer stands.  It was pretty good but way too much for one person.

In the evening, I met up with the girls to celebrate Patty’s birthday.  She’s the one standing next to me in the photo.  We had to jump from bar to bar until we found the right one but we had a great time wandering the streets in heels.  I even got to stop for a late-night bowl of ramen before catching a cab home.

On Sunday, Jes went out for a leisurely sail with a different captain so I walked to Downtown to use my Gap coupon but ended up just picking up a pair of earrings.  At the end of the day, I met up with the boys at Pete’s again to watch Cal lose.  Better luck next year, Bears.  By the way, with all the upsets this year, my tournament picks have gone down the tubes.

Hot Pot Sunday

We had Sunday Supper at the Bangs’ for Chinese New Year and it was super tasty.  Vyl (as usual) went all out with the thinly sliced beef and pork, fish and beef balls, tons of different mushrooms, and everything else you can think of. I made almond jello and boxed brownies for dessert.

Jack had his Superman outfit on and boy has he started talking!  At one point in the car on the ride over, Jes said “When did you get so noisy?”  Jack can identify the different people in the room now and he has an Uncle Bang AND and Uncle Bong (Phuong).  Hilarious.  Thanks again for all the prep you did, Vyl!

Happy Everything!

This weekend was ridiculous. It’s Valentine’s Day, the beginning of the Lunar New Year, AND President’s weekend! Whoa. Yesterday Jes and I took a walk to the Ferry Plaza for some spicy noodle soup after a lazy morning in our jammies.  I guess you could say that this was our Lunar New Year’s Eve meal.

Early this morning, I took the dog for a run in the fog. It was so thick that you couldn’t see the bridge and the fog horns from the container ships were going off every few seconds. For breakfast, I made some mini pancakes and Jes made some breakfast sausage.

The dog joined us at the coffee table and got a taste of sausage and a pancake for himself. Lucky dog.

The rest of the day was spent watching the Olympics and getting the house cleaned up for the new lunar year. In the evening, we took a walk and I got a shot of this really pretty sunset. Jes made me one of the best rib eyes I’ve ever had. Seriously. There was something extra tasty about it…savory but a little sweet. Yep, sweet. It was an organic piece of beef that we bought from the deli at the Ferry Plaza and it was magical.

For dessert, I made a skillet apple pie and I think I’ve found the perfect crust recipe. Surprisingly it was really easy too!  Perhaps with a little more practice, I’ll have a winning pie by November.  Heh heh.

Tomorrow I’m going to work while most of you have the day off.  Thankfully I’ll get paid time and half.  Gotta makes me the moneys!