Mio’s been going to a lot of birthday parties lately! A lot of her friends seem to have birthdays in late August and early September. We went to a birthday party for 3 year old Kosei and 5 year old Dojoon a couple weeks ago in Hyattsville, and then last Sunday we drove over to Gaithersburg (also in Maryland) to celebrate Maya’s 3rd birthday! We have yet another birthday party to go to this coming weekend, too! So many occasions to celebrate. 🙂 Mio has no problems with that, as she loves birthday parties as they involve cake, good food, and getting to see a lot of her little buddies! She can’t say “birthday” quite yet, but she’s been repeating “Happy Kosei~” “Happy Dojoon~” “Happy Maya~” the past couple weeks, coupled with “It’s so fun!!!” The parties are definitely a lot of fun for her!
Here are some pictures from Maya’s birthday on Sunday.
The kids anxiously waiting to eat the cupcakes.
Maya turned three! Maya-chan is a quarter Japanese, and I’ve known her mama Erika since we were kids ourselves!
Mio patiently waiting to have some cake…
Sharing a cupcake with mama… though it was mostly Mio, who just ate the top off.
Mio was very suspicious of baby Charlotte possibly stealing her cupcake. No need to be so worried, Mio!
The mamas hanging out on the deck while the kids played in the sun outside.
Sweet 11 month old Charlotte!
Some of the kids playing with the hose. Mio got soaked!
She dried off pretty quickly in the sun, though, and had fun kicking the ball around with Daddy and Maya’s dad.
Is she a future Mia Hamm? (Or shall we say, Mio Hamm? lol)
Maya opening her presents. Happy birthday sweetheart!
Thank you to the Ichijo’s and Maya’s whole family for having us over at their lovely home. We had a great time chatting with our fellow parent friends and letting the kids play together.
Last Saturday, some of my closest high school girlfriends and I got together to celebrate two happy occasions — our dear friend Jen being back in town from Indonesia, and Debbie’s 30th birthday! We started off the afternoon with mani pedis, and then ended the evening with a potluck joined by our guys. I hadn’t seen Jen in five years (!), so it was so nice to see her again after all this time and hear about her overseas adventures, and of course I was thrilled to be there to celebrate my best friend turning 30!
The two guests of honor! Welcome home Jen, and happy birthday Debbie!
We got fish-y cure (pedicures with fish that nibble off your dead skin). It was my first time, and a neat experience!
Fresh pedicures!
Back at Juli and Brandr’s home, celebrating Debbie’s birthday and Jen’s homecoming with a delicious fruit tart.
Mio got to meet Jen for the first time… and of course, loved her!
Mio was very focused on getting a slice of the tart.
Happy birthday, bestest!
I loved seeing everyone again. Thank you Juli and Brandr for hosting!
Since making the move to Virginia, I’ve been looking forward to going on trips and vacations together again with my family. When my siblings and I were kids, our parents would always take us to the Shenandoah Valley a few times a year, so much that we grew sick of going in our teenage years. But after spending a decade away from home, I actually came to miss going there with my parents and that time that we could spend together as a family. As I’ve grown older, I have a new appreciation for family trips (especially now that I have my own child), and it’s also probably due to the realization that such opportunities will become more and more rare as we all get older, have our own families, get busy with more of our own obligations, and our parents eventually won’t be as able-bodied anymore. It’s important to take these opportunities while we can, as well as appreciate and treasure these moments that we’ll eventually look back on as fond memories.
That’s why Dan and I were totally on board when my father suggested we take a family trip to West Virginia during the week of July 4th. We booked rooms at Breath of Heaven Bed & Breakfast in Petersburg, nestled along the Monongahela National Forest and Appalachian Mountains. My brother Ted and Elisa couldn’t come because they were on their honeymoon trip, but it was nice that most of our family could join in this peaceful getaway up in the mountains.
We spent a lot of Wednesday, July 3 traveling to our destination, and upon arriving were greeted by incredibly warm and sweet hosts Geri and Ed, and the quiet, beautiful landscape of mountains and valleys rich with trees. The bed & breakfast was lovely, and there were always homemade cookies and tea on hand and available for guests to eat.
Breath of Heaven Bed & Breakfast, the main lodge area where my parents and siblings stayed.
Here’s a video of the view of the countryside from the balcony of the main building.
Mio spent much of the evening on the porch swing and exploring the premises.
Dan, Mio, and I got our own little cabin/cottage (the owners called it a”cabbage” as a combination of the two) away from the main house. It was so cozy and nice!
Breakfast crepes with sausage made by owner Geri the following morning. I usually don’t like crepes because of how egg-y they taste, but these were delicious!!!
We spent a lot of July 4th hiking in nearby Dolly Sods. My family did a total of three hikes. I had to sit out on the longest one and rest in the car because I’m still pretty queasy and don’t have a lot of energy due to pregnancy.
Dan carried Mio for a lot of the hikes. Thank you Daddy!
Lush green forests and mountains at Dolly Sods.
Mio about to give Daddy a peck.
My dad was in heaven! He loves hiking in the great outdoors.
Mio and I taking a rest together.
Perched on a rock.
Giant rock formations at Dolly Sods.
“On top of the world!”
At the bog at Dolly Sods.
Seneca Rock
In the afternoon, we headed back to the bed & breakfast to rest and freshen up a little bit, and then in the evening went out for dinner and to watch the fireworks show in Petersburg. It was actually a pretty impressive 30-minute long show of fireworks! I think this is Mio’s first time seeing such large fireworks, but she wasn’t scared at all and kept saying “pika pika” (the Japanese word for “sparkly” or “shiny”) and “Wow!” Here’s an Instagram video I took!
The following morning, we were treated to another delicious breakfast by Geri. I think the breakfasts at Breath of Heaven are definitely one of the biggest highlights of the place. Geri is such a great cook!
Mio chowing down at breakfast.
French toast casserole, cheesy potatoes with bacon and onions, and orange slices. The best part is that we can always ask for seconds!
The family enjoying breakfast on the patio.
Mio and I spent a lot of our stay on this porch swing overlooking the countryside. So relaxing!
A family picture before leaving Breath of Heaven.
The Allens with the wonderful owners Geri and Ed. They made our stay so comfortable and enjoyable!
Before heading home, we stopped by a couple more scenic spots in West Virginia. The first was Blackwater Falls, which I’d been to before back in the summer of 2007, right before I moved to California.
Who knew that the next time I’d be back here, I’d have my own family?
The Yokoyama ladies at the falls.
Allen family picture ♥
Yokoyama family picture!
The Blackwater Falls
There were so many beautiful wildflowers everywhere we went, and Dan got some nice photos of them.
Mio getting pretty tired…
…but she perked up again when she got to share a popsicle with Auntie.
Our final stop was Lindy Point, which was a bit of a tiring trek for my pregnant self, but presented some beautiful views.
The view from Lindy Point.
I think we all felt refreshed from spending a few days in the tranquil countryside of West Virginia, getting away from the busy-ness of Northern Virginia and cutting off from technology — we didn’t have phone reception nor WiFi for most of our trip, so it forced us to power down and enjoy our surroundings, which was a good thing. While the scenery there is different from the grandiose spectacles of Yosemite and Big Sur back on the West Coast, it definitely has its own beauty. (No wonder John Denver goes on and on about it in “Country Roads,” his ode to the state!) West Virginia tends to get a bad rap, and while I confess to on occasion having poked fun at the neighbor state myself, I think there’s much to be appreciated in this wonderland of mountains, rivers and trees. We’ll definitely be back!
Yesterday was a very special day for our family, as my younger brother Ted got married to his girlfriend of four years, Elisa! Their wedding was at beautiful Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna. I had the honor of being a bridesmaid in the wedding, and it was great being a part of the lovely celebration of the happy couple’s love!
Mio and I before the wedding.
It rained a little in the afternoon, but the sun came out just in time for the ceremony!
Mio sharing a moment with her favorite uncle before the wedding.
Oh the excitement!
The ceremony begins with the mothers lighting the unity candle.
The groom Ted enters with his groomsmen.
Processional of the bridesmaids led by myself.
Here comes the bride!
Ted and Elisa at the altar
Reading their vows together… they had each other in tears. (A rarity since I haven’t seen Ted cry since he was a child!)
Exchange of rings
Officially husband and wife!
Happy groom!
Happy bride!
Cupcake tower at the wedding!
Loved their cake topper!
Mio got to sneak a mini cupcake before the reception began!
Entrance of the bride and groom at the reception
Mr. & Mrs. Ted & Elisa Yokoyama
The couple sharing their first dance.
…which then turned into the Harlem Shake!
The couple coming around to our table. Mio gets some love from Uncle Ted!
Congratulations Ted & Elisa!
Love this picture!
The bride & groom with our parents.
“Bottoms up!” This picture of Mio cracks me up.
Another gem of Mio… take note of her expression.
They even had goodie bags prepared for the kids at the wedding!
The cake-cutting!
Mio had so much fun on the dance floor!
Glowsticks in hand.
…and in her hair.
Mio and Mama dancing.
“Congratulations Uncle Ted!” Mio loves her uncle. 🙂
The whole wedding was a beautiful celebration that reflected Ted and Elisa very well. We wish them the best in their new life together as husband and wife. Welcome to the family, Elisa! Congratulations to the couple on this wonderful start to their happily ever after. ♥
My best friend Debbie moved up to Philadelphia earlier this year for her postdoc, and I’ve been wanting to visit her for a while now. Dan assured me that he could watch Mio for a weekend while I took the bus up from DC to go hang out with her, so I was able to finally make the trip this past weekend! As much as I missed Mio and Dan while I was away, it was so nice and relaxing to take a break from motherhood for a couple days and enjoy some girlfriend time. I’ve known Debbie since we were freshmen in high school, and my fondest memories are of us hanging out in college together, being roommates and watching movies and just chatting and pigging out on delicious eats. Last weekend felt almost like those good old college days all over again!
I woke up at dark o’clock to go into DC and take the bus from Union Station up to Philly, and got there in the late morning. We promptly headed over to Chinatown to get some dim sum!
Dim sum at Ocean Harbor. We ordered a lot more on top of this, but the dumplings are always my favorites!
After brunch, we got us some bubble teas and walked around some of the parks in Philadelphia and UPenn’s campus.
Domino sculptures in Philly
Giant gamepieces
In the city of brotherly love!
Cool structure in the middle of UPenn’s campus
Later in the afternoon, we went to the movie theater and watched Sofia Coppola’s latest film The Bling Ring. It was really interesting, especially because it’s based on true events and how accurate its portrayal is.
Stopping by Magpie for some delicious pie!
The menu at Magpie. So hard to choose!
We settled on Berry Lavender Crumb.
Digging in!
For dinner, we had gourmet banh mi with slow-cooked chicken and duck confit. So amazing!
We stayed up late chatting and watching criminal documentary shows like 48 Hours, and reminiscing about high school and college days! It felt like we were in our old dorm room 251 Slusher all over again (except Debbie’s apartment is much much nicer!). We got to sleep in until almost 11am the following morning (unheard of these days as Mio is usually sure to wake me by at latest 8am), and then we went out to get some lunch before I had to catch the bus to go back down to DC.
Eating shabazzi fried chicken from Federal Donuts at Rittenhouse Square.
Goodbye Philly, it’s been a fun (and delicious) weekend!
Many thanks to Debbie for her awesome hospitality and taking me around to eat so many delicious things and see such cool sights in Philadelphia! I felt like we ate so much in a short weekend — my tummy, heart and soul returned to DC full and happy. ♥ Thank you so much bestest!
