down memory lane...

i never really appreciated san luis obispo until after i graduated and moved back to the bay area. maybe it's the food or "slower" pace or just the familiarity of a place where i had such wonderful memories. it is where i met some of my closest girlfriends and my wonderful husband! so s and i do try to go back once a year or so and i learned that some of the other girls were also going down to slo for the weekend. since some of us had been going at different times, we thought it would actually be nice to try to be there the same weekend and maybe meet up w/ some of the girls from southern california. to show support as alums, we also decided to be in slo the weekend of lantern festival. this first year has been successful so hopefully everyone can make it every year! with 6 families and 8 kids, there were moments of craziness and multiple crying kids but we had such a great time!

oh the food was amazing as usual...clam chowder at splash. steak cobb salad w/ seasoned fries at firestone and of course, caramellos from uptown (now known as black horse). the bonus...coffee bean is in pismo beach!! of course, i went there both days and even twice on saturday! yummie

all the chi delts w/ our kiddies (missing 2 kids)

l and j w/ their matching hoodies

at the remodeled uu plaza

playing at the beach

isn't he just so darn cute?

w/the j's

i love this picture of s and l walking towards the water together!

viva las vegas...

my big sis and i try to meet up once a year to have some quality bonding time...no husbands or kids. just the 2 of us and we can indulge in our shopping, eating and just spending time together to catch up. i think the last time i was in vegas was my four years ago! i know, that's a long time for someone like me. =)
we landed thursday morning and went straight to check in at the palazzo. once we settled in , we grabbed a quick bite and then started gambling. =) we played pai gow for a couple of hours and did a little shopping. it's so convenient (or damaging to my wallet) that barney's is located right downstairs from our hotel! then we got ready for dinner. we made reservations to fleur de lys. we took a cab to mandalay bay and enjoyed a relaxing and wonderful meal!

AHI TUNA TARTARE
Shaved Fennel, Ginger Ponzu, Fennel Seed Tuile
j got this most amazing truffle onion soup (and i don't even like onion soup)!

CHORIZO WRAPPED SUZUKI SEA BASS
Piperade, Barley Risotto, Caramelized Chorizo Sauce
not my favorite - a bit too salty and the sea bass was slightly dry

PRIME FILET MIGNON

Baby Spinach, Wild Mushrooms, Baby Carrots, Red Wine Reduction
omg...so delicous

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE
too cute...the sugar outline had a fleur de lys but it was crushed when the server poured in the choclate =)

after dinner, we walked down the strip and then played craps for the rest of the night. we slept in friday morning...which is obviously a treat for both of us. after getting a cup of tea from my favorite coffee bean and tea leaf (which was so conveniently located by the hotel elevators). we sat down at a pai gow table and just gambled. ummm...we gambled from 10am until 6pm. seriously, i was not even hungry for lunch. poor j had to put up w/ my sickness. j finally felt a little light headed at 6pm. we grabbed a quick bite and then went out walking to see the new city center. the shopping center is amazing. it's very spacious and airy but just full of super expensive designer stores. while we were in the louis vuitton store, i had my celebrity sighting! j and i saw timbaland! he was just slummin it in some sweat pants and white t-shirt. no one even approached him! we then gampled for several more hours until we both got tired.

sunday morning, after my weekend routine of coffee bean, we spent the last couple of hours at the pai gow table. i had a great run and ended up winning after the entire weekend was said and done!

i was sad to leave vegas and of course to say goodbye to j. however, i missed my 2 boys and it was nice to see them when they picked me up at the airport!

the 2 boys...

i love these shots...s cut our nephew's hair and he just happened to be wearing a polo shirt that aj had as well. so of course, we said, hey, put the shirt on and take a picture! they'll probably see these pictures when they are older and wonder why my sister and i had matching clothes. trust me, it's not the only matching shirts they have... =)

my dear grandpapa...

for me to say the last couple of days have been rough would be an understatement.

my grandfather went to the hospital last monday due to significant blood loss. on thursday, my mom was told that he would only have a couple of days to live. the diagnosis was either lung or colon cancer. they ruled out lung cancer w/ some tests; however, because my grandfather was in so much pain, he couldn't get a colonoscopy. in any case, my grandfather had been weak for days before arriving to the hospital and hadn't really eaten anything. he was so exhausted and frail, he weighed less than 70 pounds. he was still somewhat alert the 1st couple of days in the hospital. by thursday, he became incoherent and wasn't really able to speak. on friday, to make him more comfortable, he was given doses of morphin. so, with the morphin, he was just peacefully sleeping. he never woke up again. so then we just waited...

when we were at the hospital, we couldn't cry. we had to be strong for our grandmother and mom. however, once they started, it's game over for the rest of us. my poor grandmother had not left his side. my once jovial and "young" grandmother had been left sullen and devastated. my uncle stayed w/ my grandfather every night as well and he looked like he's lost 10 pounds. during the day, he refused to go home for fear of not being near to say his final goodbye. instead, he sacrificed by sleeping in the car for a couple of hours during the day. every day, my family took turns rotating to and from the hospital since we had to take care of our three boys. every night, we said good bye to our grandfather not knowing if it was the last time.

i said what was now the final goodbye on sunday night. early this morning, i found out that my grandfather had past right before midnight. thankfully, his wife, kids and several grandkids were able to say their final goodbyes. so, now, he looks down on us.

i've been lucky...i've grown up with all 3 of my grandparents (my paternal grandfather died when my father was an infant so i never knew him). i've never had to experience such loss and sadness. we console each other knowing my grandfather lived an absolutely full life... he had a loving wife, 3 devoted children, 9 amazing grandchildren and 11 beautiful great grandchildren. his memories live on in all of us.

his services are this sunday and i know i'm just going to be a mess...

leftovers...

this is a historical day - i actually brought my lunch to work! i think this might be perhaps the 2nd time in my 4 years at Gymboree that i brought my lunch. there's a couple of reason that i don't bring my lunch:
1 - my husband is a human garbage disposal. there really isn't a lot of food leftover after dinner.
2 - we rarely cook. we normally have take out and we don't order that much more to have leftovers
3 - i don't like leftovers
4 - i'm not planful enough to actually buy lunch food at the grocery store and prepare the night before
5 - heck, we barely make it to the grocery store every week
however, last weekend, we went to my favorite korean market and got a bunch of marinated meat. this was some delicious boneless ribs w/ chard and rice. yummie!

s' handywork...

s had a couple of weeks off and decided to take on a few house projects. one that i was very excited about was updating our fireplace! what s did:
- stripped off the white paint on the brick and put in some neutral glass tiles
- removed all the white ceramic tiles and replaced w/ grey stone tiles
- took away all the detailed molding / we wanted something w/ clean lines and felt more appropriate w/ the tiles

before

after

c house of prime rib

every year during football season, there are always side bets w/ some of our friends. this year, my sister and her husband lost and they had to make us dinner! they were kind enough to make us some delicous prime rib and the famous house of prime rib salad. =)

health care...

i never realized how important and valuable health benefits are until recently (which also seems very appropriate w/ the health care bill that's been such a hot topic)! s' company completely covered our health care 100% - we had no deductions out of his paycheck. it was great; we only had to pay for the copays for my entire pregnancy, delivery and the 1st year of aaron's appointments. we definitely saved thousands of dollars in health bills. however, w/ s' recent company issues (that involves another blog entry), we had to switch back to my company's coverage. we had family coverage with blue shield hmo and that same coverage under my work would be almost $300 a pay period!! health benefits were never a big deal when i was younger and s and i had our individual coverages w/ our companies. however, w/ a family and having so many more appointments and expenses, i never appreciated how much a company covers their employee's health coverage. ummm...as my boss says, "i guess no more new sweaters for you!"

lions, tigers, bears...oh my!

i took friday off and s and i decided to take aj to the zoo. the weather forecast called for rain but luckily there wasn't any! s took him to the zoo a couple of months ago but now that he's a bit older, he definitely appreciates seeing the animals more. one new experience that didn't go over so well was his ride on the carousel. first, he wouldn't even get on the horse. he finally agreed when i sat down first. we picked a horse that moved up and down and he was not a happy camper. after a couple of rotations, he started yelling, so we sat him on the bench instead. oops. i certainly hope he isn't like mommy and doesn't like roller coasters either! but i do have to admit, that carousel was going fast!! aj really enjoyed the zoo and after 3 hours there, he was knocked out on the drive home!

we had to take him off the horse and seat him on the bench

aj was NOT a fan of the carousel

seriously, once s walked toward the feeding machine, all the sheep crowded around him

aj enjoying the farm

s feeding the goats...

it took a couple of minutes for aj to warm up to the goats

15 months old...

this past thursday, aj had his 15 month appt. he is now:
height: 32.75 inches (90th percentile)
weight: 26.4 lbs (75th percentile)
head circumference: 19 inches (75th percentile)

i was a bit concerned as he only gained 1.4 pound since his 12 month appt. however, the doctor said it's completely normal; he's more active now and is just getting leaner. lately, s and i have been a bit stressed about his eating habits. he's so consumed w/ trying to feed himself w/ his fork and spoon or w/ his fingers that he hasn't been eating as much. meals are hit and miss w/ him recently so we just try our best but we aren't too concerned since he's at a healthy weight. the pediatrician says it's fairly common and just gave us a list of things to do to encourage aj to eat.

this stage is one that most of my friends mention as one of their favorite as this is when you really see their development progress incredibly fast. things he didn't quite get a week or so ago, he understands now. things we ask him to do or attempt to say or even how he plays w/ his toys, you can just see how things are starting to click in that little brain of his. this is also when you really do see how toddlers can manipulate gullible parents (that would be me)!

a couple of things that he does that i'm just so amazed by. i'm sure these things are part of this stage in any child's growth but you know, when it's your own child, it's just so cute haahaa.

- he knows to grab my iphone, press the button and slide to unlock my screen.
- he loves to go outside. if you ask him for his shoes, he'll look for them and bring them to you to help him put them on. sometimes, he tries really hard to slip his feet into his shoes.
- when you ask him to smile in chinese, he gives you the cutest scrunchy face
- if you ask him to give something to someone, he will. however, it's only to these people and in cantonese (because he sees them at least once a week):
- s and i (of course)
- my parents
- my brother
- my sister, her hubby and her 2 boys
i do want to get a photo album so we can start to have him remember s' side of the family, our extended family and friends
- when he's ready for bed, he'll grab one of our hands and leads us to the bed
- when anyone touches me, he gets very defensive and starts screaming. for example, if s hugs me, he starts yelling at s. when my cousin was pulling out my white hairs, he started yelling at her. it's quite comical.
- he loves my baby nephew (4 months old). whenever he sees him, he starts smiling and waves hi to him. he always just wants to be near him.

for the most part, everything he understands is in cantonese. my parent's speak to him in cantonese and many words are just easier to say in cantonese than english (or it just sounds cuter)!

this pic isn't that recent but i love the boys holding my sister's hand!