I’m finally wrapping up on posting on our trip to California from earlier this month! Besides getting to spend a lot of time exploring San Jose, Monterey, and the San Francisco Zoo with Dan’s parents and visiting our dear friends in El Cerrito, we got to also spend some time seeing some of our favorite familiar faces in the area and eating at our favorite spots! There were some delicious eats that I had seriously been missing and craving, so I’m so glad we could get a fix while catching up with some of our dearest friends!
Catching up with Uncle Ted in Alameda over lunch.
The samosa salad at Burma Superstar. Never disappoints!
Another favorite from Burma Superstar: garlic noodles with BBQ pork.
Checking out the toys at Tot Tank in Alameda.
Bay Area newcomer Junko trying pho for the first time!
I’m so glad we could see Junko in Sunnyvale! We hadn’t seen each other in almost five years, since our wedding back in 2008!
A trip to the Bay is not complete without a visit to our favorite taco truck in Oakland!
It was great visiting the Kims so we could catch up with Sung Kook and Kayo…
…and see their adorable sons JinWoo and SunWoo again!
Sung Kook loves Mio, and she can tell… she was stuck to him the whole time we were there!
I really missed their pomegranate chicken, among their other delectable bites…
And since we were on College Avenue in Berkeley, we had to stop by Ici for their amazing frozen desserts!
So happy to be reunited with Tarrin in one of our favorite spots in Berkeley… 🙂
Lovely foil stamped labels for my baked goodies, cherry blossom pen, and macaron-shaped trinket case, all wrapped in matryoshka doll wrapping paper to boot! Thank you Tarrin for somehow gathering all of my favorite things. â¤
We also got to try the awesome yÅshoku restaurant Usagi in San Mateo and see some of our favorite faces from Nakayoshi! Special thanks to Sam for organizing the dinner and making the reservation.
ボンゴレ（ã‚ã•ã‚Šã®ãƒ‘スタ）~ Some of the best vongole pasta I’ve ever had!
We missed this beautiful couple!
Mio with Uncle Graig. Probably one of her most favorite people in the entire world… 🙂 She’s always giggling and smiling ear to ear when she’s with him!
Loved seeing everyone again!
It always feels like our time with friends is too short (especially taking into consideration toddler bedtime), and we wish we could have stayed longer with each of our friends, but we were so happy that we could see them again even for a short time! We are truly sorry for all of those who we were unable to see because of our limited schedule, but rest assured that we will be back soon enough to visit again! :) Thank you also to all of our friends who showered Mio with such thoughtful and generous early birthday gifts… it was totally unexpected and so sweet of everyone. ♥ Our family is so blessed just to have the pleasure of knowing all of you!
The weather was gorgeous last weekend, so on Saturday we went on an impromptu picnic in Tilden Park over in Berkeley. We just laid a blanket out on the grass, sprawled out and snacked on fruits and veggies, and simply relaxed. It’s moments like these when I feel like life couldn’t be more perfect… and I’m certain they are the memories I’ll look back on and cherish decades later, when our sweet little girl is grown and gone.
Mio taking away my phone, as if to say, "Get off of that for once and enjoy the moment!"
Smiles in the sun.
Mio way up high! She's getting heavy...
Daddy can give her more air! It looks like it's raining babies and Dan's catching them.
"I put my hands up in the air sometimes..."
A happy Mio.
I picked some flowers in the field to make a flower crown for Mio.
Clover flowers adorning her head...
I used to make these all the time as a little girl. I love how life brings us full circle, back to childhood memories...
Cutiepie
Can never get enough of those smiles!
After the picnic, we strolled over to the Tilden Merry-Go-Round. I love this antique carousel with hand-carved and beautifully painted wooden animals — it looks like something from a movie, a gorgeous reminder of another era. We’d come to the merry-go-round a couple times in the past, but this was Mio’s first time riding it!
Mio and I on the merry-go-round.
Mio is securely strapped onto her ride!
Round and round we go!
Daddy wanted to ride with Mio, too, so she went for a second round.
Hooray for weekend relaxation and fun! We can’t wait to do it again. 😀
We enjoyed some gorgeous weather this past weekend, with temperatures reaching the 80s on Saturday! We had planned to go the Cherry Blossom Festival in the city, but at the last minute decided against it, since navigating the crowds in the hot weather with a toddler didn’t seem so relaxing. Instead, we stayed in the local area and spent our Saturday on more Mio-centric activities.
Our first stop was the pet store! We stopped by while taking a walk to the farmer’s market, because Mio loves to go to the pet store to see all the animals. Weekends are especially fun to go, because there are often kitties there for adoption, as well as all the dogs that customers bring in to be groomed.
Mio looking at the birds.
Amazed at all the birds.
Watching a snake.
Look at all the fishies!
Also got to see a guinea pig...
...and some mice.
Dan bought Mio and I these lovely tulips at the farmer’s market… so beautiful! 🙂
Thanks hubby!
Back at the house, ready to go out again.
In the afternoon, we drove over to North Berkeley to visit Totland for the first time! I’d heard that it’s a popular for local mommies and kids to play, so we decided to check it out!
Scrunchy-faced smiles on the swing.
Mio and I in the sandlot.
Sipping away! Gotta stay hydrated!
Mio made a friend on the playground. Her mom happened to be Japanese, too!
Scooting around...
...with some help from Mama.
Mio is distracted by the older kids around the playground.
Taking a break for snack time!
Mio with a mouthful of fresh fruit.
Back on the swing.
Stylin' in shades! Thank you Matt for the baby sunglasses!
Dan and I couldn't stop laughing at how silly she looked in them!
After a couple hours of playground fun at Totland, we worked up quite an appetite! I’d been wanting some Filipino food, so we drove all the way up to Vallejo to try Max’s of Manila.
Ready to eat!
Filipino-style fried chicken. So amazing.
My first time trying pancit canton... and I am hooked!
They gave us a ton of garlic rice, which was also very tasty!
We also had some lumpia ubod, but Dan and I devoured it before we could take a picture…Â it was yummy, too!
Mio was really happy with a lemon she snagged from my plate.
Her reaction upon having a taste, however, was priceless. She's had it before, but she always forgets how sour it is.
Mio was in such a good mood that day, especially during dinner, which is rare because she usually gets cranky in the evening.
Sweet girl brings so much joy to our hearts.
We hope this awesome weather keeps up! 🙂 It’s starting to feel like summer!
It finally felt like summer here in the East Bay this weekend, so we decided to get out and enjoy the nice weather with an impromptu family picnic over in Tilden Park in Berkeley. We set a blanket down on the field and ate the sandwiches and fruit we brought, and just soaked up the sun for a couple hours….
I created a makeshift canopy to shade Mio from the sun, with a blanket and some help from the wind… 😉
Hopefully the warm weather will continue for a few more weeks so we can get some more outings in… I’m not ready to say goodbye to summer yet!
Yesterday was our three year wedding anniversary, and Dan’s parents offered to watch Mio while Dan and I went out to dinner after work to celebrate! We chose to go to Skates on the Bay in Berkeley, a waterfront restaurant that specializes in seafood. It boasts views of the bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge and San Francisco, and offers up an innovative menu of platters made from fresh market ingredients.
Skates on the Bay in Berkeley
Arriving at the restaurant
We ordered the Skate's Tasting Sampler for the appetizer. In my opinion, it was the best part of the meal!
chili-smoked tiger prawns
teriyaki beef tenderloin
crispy ahi roll
truffle chips
Ready for the main course!
Dan enjoying his beer
We had a view overlooking the water.
...and got to watch the sun set on the waters.
The waitress sucked at taking photos; hence the blurry picture.
Dan ready to dig into his seared ahi.
I love seafood! Excited to dig in.
The seafood linguini. It wasn't my top choice - I had wanted the mixed grilled seafood platter but they were out of the ingredients so I had this instead. It was a little underwhelming....
But it ended on an unexpectedly positive note. There was a group of ladies at the table next to us who were chattering away, and I noticed that they kept looking over at us but I just dismissed it, thinking that they were just admiring the view outside the window (which they probably were, most of the time). But as we were getting ready to leave, their table was also standing up to go and one of the young ladies came over to us and said, “I just wanted to say that you two are a very cute couple.” The stranger’s sweet comment took us by surprise, and it was a good reminder that although not everything will always go so smoothly, it doesn’t matter as long as we are happy together and can bring smiles to those around us.
After the women left, Dan added, “Little do they know that this very cute couple has a very cute baby!” and with that, we hurried home to see our little munchkin.
Mio just woke up when we got home.
"Did you miss me, Mio?"
This anniversary was all the more special with you in our lives, Mio!
People would tell us that once you have a child, everything changes. And they were right; it does. But while I expected the sort of change in which we would become so consumed by the responsibilities and challenges of parenthood that we wouldn’t have time to even really look at each other, I find myself pleasantly surprised. Beholding the little miracle before our eyes, who is half one of you and half the other, it brings you closer in a way you never would have imagined. And watching your partner transform from a husband to a father and seeing the way he pours out his love and affection for this baby is a truly eye-opening experience. You see a whole new side to the person you thought you knew so well, and you find yourself falling in love all over again. Becoming a parent opens up a completely new dimension and depth of love in yourself, and it has been amazing to watch not only ourselves but our relationship as a couple grow because of it. We thought that we had come so far in our journey together, but now we’re realizing that it has only just begun…. Happy anniversary, and here’s to all the years of continued laughter and joy to come.
