Basil Kit

Basil in an Egg

It’s a new year so it’s time to plant some new seeds.  I found the coolest little seedling kit and couldn’t resist getting one.  It’s a ceramic egg complete with soil and seeds inside.  With a tap of a spoon, it cracked on top and I carefully opened it up to reveal its contents.  Isn’t it cute?!  I even found the perfect little medicine cup for watering it.  It says that the soil should last about 5 months before I have to break the whole thing open to transplant it to a real pot.  I hope it lasts that long.

Happy 2009!

Happy New Year!

I actually got the day off today so I decided to update my theme for the new year.  Last night we went out to Jillian’s for some drinks and dancing.  They were raffling off diamond necklaces but I didn’t win.  This morning I watched the Rose Parade on TV while I tidied up the house.  It’s great to have a random day off in the middle of a work week.

As I contemplate the events of 2008, I must say that I’ve been pretty lucky.  The economy really took a nose dive but I wasn’t directly affected.  In fact, my job is steady as ever and I got an unexpected albeit small bonus check when I got back from Christmas break.  I’m still trying to shake this cough and squeaky voice but the health of me and my entire family is stable.  Mommy retired earlier this past year and Johnny got engaged.  I got to ski in Utah for the first time and sailed in the Caribbean Sea too.

Here are the Best, Worst, Faves, and Not-So-Favorites of 2008:

Best Summer Festival: Fillmore St. Jazz Festival

Worst Summer Festival: Festival of Sail (or Festival of Fail)

Biggest Accomplishment: Learning to sail without getting seasick

Biggest Disappointment: American Airlines

Most Surprising Meal: Luce

Most Disappointing Meal: Michael Mina

Favorite Outing: Nike Women’s Half Marathon with Joy and Brother

Least Favorite Outing: Trying to get back to the hotel from Snowbird…2 buses, a light rail, and shuttle.

Coolest Moment: When a sea turtle popped his head up out the water just 2 feet in front of me in Hawaii

Yuckiest Moment: Catching Fifth’s Disease back in February

Worst Moment: When I realized that I had double-booked myself for two weddings on the same day.  Oops.

snoopysnowcone

Favorite Christmas Gift: Snoopy Snow Cone Machine from Joy and Brother

Worst Christmas Gift: None.  They were all appreciated.  Thanks!!!

Christmas Roundup

With only 2 full days left of my vacation in Southern CA, it was pretty crazy trying to squeeze in some quality time with my loved ones.  It was fun but felt more like a buffet where I got a taste of everything but nothing was totally satisfying and made me want to have more of the real deal.  In other words, I’m already trying to figure out how and when I’ll be able to make another trip down to LA to hang out with the locals and make a trip to the east coast to visit the out-of-towners for some REAL quality time.

Here’s what went down…

**FRIDAY**

I felt ill that morning and had a really hard time getting up.  The body aches and chills were so bad that I ended up canceling Koa’s vet appointment that morning.  Dog totally lucked out.  For lunch, we had Jes’ favorite ramen at Mitsuwa in Costa Mesa.  Afterward, we headed over to the BMW dealership and purchased a little somethin’ for the ride back to SF.  More details about the car later.

In the afternoon, I met up with my old PTN Pals at the Starbucks next to our Irvine house.

For dinner, we had Chinese food with the old gang.  Aw…I love group photos.

After dinner, the Agustins met up with us for drinks and a truly unique Cerritos experience.

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**SATURDAY**

I woke up feeling a little better and headed up to Beverly Hills to meet up with my UCLA girls for brunch at Campanile. Catching up is so much fun but makes me miss them even more when it’s over.

In the afternoon, I went to hang out with the parents and it’s always nice to be home. It’s just too bad that it only lasted a couple hours. I had to head back to BP to get the CR-V tidied up and deliver it to it’s final destination.

For dinner, I met up with my Whitney girls at Cafe Hiro.  It’s a cute Japanese/Italian place in the middle of suburbia.  We got to chat over tuna tataki and risotto.  I had so much fun, girls! I miss our monthly dinners!

The final stop for the night was my auntie and uncle’s house in Cerritos where Marie and the gang were waiting for me.  The boys are getting so big and I miss them so much.  Unfortunately, by the end of the night, I had lost my voice and went straight to bed.

On Sunday morning, we went to church, said our goodbyes to Jes’ parents, aunt, uncle, and family friends.  We swung by my parents’ house to pick up Koa and said our goodbyes to them too.  In what felt like a flash, we were back on the road for another 7-hour car ride.  Phew.

Here are photos of my entire Christmas season.  Enjoy!

May take a while…

…to post photos.  I took quite a few and I’m trying to get over this crazy sickness that started on Christmas Day.  I’ve had chills, a low fever, and body aches and have been on ibuprofen and acetaminophen for the past four days around the clock.  I’m hoping that I’ll feel well enough to get to work tomorrow.  Going back to work sucks but I suppose I should feel grateful to have a steady job in such a crappy economy.

7 hours later…

…we arrived in Southern California.  There were rumors of possible snow along the Grapevine so we decided to take it easy and drive down Hwy 101.  It’s such a beautiful drive but takes a tad longer than I-5.  Koa also came along and got to ride in the back seat and then in Jes’ lap in the front seat.  We stopped several times along the way for some shopping, pee breaks, and food.  The drive went smoothly with no traffic and just a little bit of rain here and there.  Now it’s time to go to bed.  I’ve got a whole line-up of appointments, meet-ups, lunches, and dinners for the weekend.  Let the holidays begin!!