Lunching with the Ladies

IMG_8289Since I was off this week, Ranee off was today, and Stephanie is still on maternity leave, we all met up in Walnut Creek after I took Kumquat to the dentist.  We had lunch at Tender Greens in preparation for our tasty treat at CREAM, which just opened last month.

IMG_8291Vivian was a good little baby and slept long enough for Stephanie to have lunch.

IMG_4879Unfortunately, she woke up as soon as she got her ice cream sammich.  Here’s a photo of mine.  Just like last time at the Berkeley store, I got double chocolate chip cookies with coffee ice cream.

IMG_4881Sophie wanted a taste of Ranee’s sammich.  I don’t blame her.  They’re delicious.

IMG_8298I wish I had more days off like this.

IMG_4875Oh and I didn’t realize this until Dr. Chang pointed it out at the dental visit but Kumquat and I were matching today.

Cooling off

IMG_4792 It’s been so hot in Southern California this week – especially in Cerritos.  To escape the heat, we went to Brother and Joy’s (in Gardena) for the day.  As soon as we dropped off some of our stuff, we drove over to Manhattan Beach for lunch and then a little visit to the surf and sand.  I had my ice cream in a cup so that Kumquat had something to use in the sand.  IMG_4797Afterward, we hung out with the apartment.  I got this funny photo of Kumquat comparing her tummy to her uncle’s.  I think Kumquat wins this contest.  Thanks for letting us crash at your house today!  It was AT LEAST 10 degrees cooler there.

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!