OH, Caaaanadaaaa!
Hello! We just spent 5 days in Vancouver and got back on Tuesday afternoon. I’ve been in catch-up mode these past two days and finally gotten to posting something about our trip. We arrived on Friday (6/10) around lunchtime and were picked up by Amy’s brother, Eric, and Jes’ parents. That photo above is what we saw as we walked from the plane to customs.
We stopped for a Shanghainese lunch in Richmond and got some tasty dumplings before taking a long drive (in traffic) into Vancouver.
Thousands of people were flocking into the city center to watch the Canucks play the Bruins in Game 5. We happened to be staying in the Westin Grand, which happened to be the center of all the activity. After checking in, Jes took a nap while I explored the closed streets and the crowds. It’s amazing how hockey-crazy this town is. Everyone was wearing a jersey…even our bellboy and concierge! They set up jumbotrons in the middle of 3 streets and fans sat in the street watching the game for free. I braved the crowds and found some interesting characters along the way.
We had dinner at Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar and had a wonderful meal. We had kusshi oysters for the first time and they are now my favorite raw oyster of all time. They are local to Vancouver and so buttery and sweet. Meanwhile, the Canucks had won Game 5 and our service at the restaurant was still surprisingly good even with all the distraction. Our walk home was filled with noise from cars honking and everyone cheering as they walked down the street. The partying went on all night and we could hear it from our room on the 27th floor. Crazy Canucks.
Later that night, we met up with some friends that Jes has been playing WoW with for the past few years. They expected him to be 300 pounds since they had never seen even a photo of him and Jes had described himself to be a really obese guy that sat around eating and playing WoW all day. They were pretty shocked to see that he was a rather slim-trim guy.
On Sunday, we met up for a special brunch at Mission Beach Cafe. We happen to know the Executive Pastry Chef who happens to live just upstairs from the restaurant. While the restaurant was filled and there were lots of people waiting outside for a table, Ryan escorted us upstairs to the apartment and we got to hang out in Alan’s kitchen where lots of the desserts are created. We ordered pretty much everything on the menu and they delivered the tasty dishes upstairs for us to enjoy family style.
This place is famous for their brunch and desserts and boy did we stuff ourselves silly with pancakes and bourbon syrup, short rib hash and eggs, and crab eggs benedict to name just a few. It was quite a treat and we had a fun time hanging out.
Last night, I made plans with Patti to meet up with her this morning to watch Howard swim, bike, and run the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. To get to the Marina Green by 7:15 for the 7:30 start, I left the house by 6:30 am and ran 4.5 miles from my house. I got there in time to watch the swimmers jump into the bay and then the swim to bike transition.
Luckily, I had a good spot at the shore to catch Howard on his way out of the water. Afterward, I ran over to watch him hop on his bike. Patti and I got to hang out for a bit and got a free samples of Chobani greek yogurt and Zico coconut water. Sweet. Congrats to Howard on completing his second Escape from Alcatraz and it was so much fun to see you today, Patti!!!
On Saturday morning, I did a brief Engagement Photo Session for Dayantha and Krissy. I offered to meet them at the beach but they opted for the Cerritos Towne Center. Dayantha hates taking photos and didn’t want to do it in the first place but it was urged by his mother that they should have photos taken.
I got some more formal/posed photos, some cute candids, and finally a more natural one of the two of them smiling.
Saturday was filled with family time. In the morning, I gave the dog a bath in the backyard and he was NOT happy. It was sunnier on the driveway out front so we tied him up there to dry off and I busted out my picnic blanket from the trunk to join him. I took the sunshine for granted when I lived in SoCal but now it’s like a luxury to me. So sad. I laid out while reading my Kindle and later my mom joined me with a lawnchair. Yes, it’s pretty ghetto to be hanging out on the driveway (not even the lawn) but it was awesome and I got my Vitamin D for the weekend.
Later, we all went to the Cerritos Mall and watched Kung Fu Panda 2. It was fun sneaking in my Frozen Yogurt and hanging out with my family. The movie was pretty entertaining too!
For dinner, we drove down to OC to meet up with Marie and the boys. Cole is so big now and was super grumpy from being out in the sun all day. Brandon was his usual crazy self. The sushi was awesome and it was so nice to catch up with Marie.
When I hang out with her and the boys, it makes me miss living in Irvine.
Afterward, we dropped off my mom at home and then headed over to Ti and Thilan’s condo down the street. We were supposed to go singing in Garden Grove but this was just as good.
They were having an after-party for Titus’ 1st Bday and I got to meet Dominic, Krishani’s newborn. Melanie’s little girl Makenzie was also there and took a liking to Jes.
Surprisingly, she was pretty much attached to him the whole night and used him as a chair while we were singing. We were all confused and he actually didn’t mind the company.
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