Dan turned 27 this past weekend! The hubby’s birthday was on Sunday (December 13), but we celebrated early on Friday night with friends at our apartment. Thank you to everyone who came out to the party and crammed into our little Berkeley apartment to revel with us!
On Sunday,Dan’s family invited us over for lunch to have a joint celebration of Dan’s birthday and my birthday (which is on Christmas Day, later this month). Dan’s mother whipped up a feast of sashimi, galbi, and homemade chocolate cake topped with buttercream and cherries. It was the proverbial “cherry on top” for a memorable birthday weekend for Dan. 🙂
One of my good friends from college came to visit this past weekend. Mimi is a couple years older than me and has always been like the older sister I never had — when I kept getting sick freshman year, she always brought over soup or jello to help me feel better, and she would frequently invite me over for yummy home-cooked Korean meals. After she graduated, I hadn’t had many chances to see her, and it’s even harder to meet up now that we’re on opposite coasts. The last time I’d seen her was over a year ago, at my wedding. This time, Mimi and her friend Cindy decided to take a trip out here for a little over a week to go hiking and camping around Yosemite and Tahoe, making stops at Santa Cruz and Monterey along the way. They arrived on Friday night and spent Saturday with us before embarking on the rest of their Northern California adventure Sunday morning.
I’m always uncertain about where to take friends when they visit the area, since for having lived out here for two years, I still don’t know the area too well, especially San Francisco. But Mimi made things super easy for me because she did a whole bunch of research and talking to Bay Area natives back in Richmond, Virginia before she flew out. When she got here, she had a whole list of places to go and things to eat before I even had to come up with suggestions. She’s been to the city before, so she knew the streets of San Francisco much better than I did!
We spent a good amount of time in both Berkeley and San Francisco on Saturday, making it a full day. It was fun being a tourist in our own city! Here are some photos…
Breakfast at Bette's Oceanview Diner in Berkeley
corned beef hash and cream scone... a satisfying start to the day.
pie in the sky: a giant pie hanging from the ceiling
reunited with Meems!
Indian Rock in Berkeley... never heard of it until Mimi told me about it.
Enjoying breathtaking views of the bay from Indian Rock.
The ladies on Indian Rock! (It was rough scaling that rock in a dress.)
Big thanks to Mimi for telling us about this place!
Cindy and Mimi meet Diesel for the first time.
Ice cream stop at Ici.
Enjoying refreshing treats from Ici... my current favorite is the raspberry lemon ice cream sandwich, flanked by gingersnaps.
Driving in the Russian Hills in San Francisco.
The zigzagging roads of Lombard Street. This was actually my first time there! I've always wanted to see it.
Visiting friends always want to stop by the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.
obligatory Japanese bridge photo.
Dry-fried chicken wings from San Tung on Irving Street.
They were seriously the best chicken wings I've had in my entire life.
Shrimp and leek dumplings... delicious.
Spicy seafood noodle soup (Cham Pong) - pretty hot but soooo good.
Back in Berkeley, finishing off the day with bubble tea from Tapioca Express in downtown.
(See more photos of our Berkeley/San Francisco excursions on Flickr.)
Dan and I had a great time with the girls (although Dan only accompanied us for the Berkeley portion of our adventures), and we wish them a safe and memorable trip around NorCal before they return to the East Coast.
With our own first wedding anniversary coming up in a couple days, we wanted to take a moment to congratulate all our dear friends who have tied the knot this summer. The brides all looked stunning, the grooms looked handsome, and whether or not we were able to attend their weddings, our warmest wishes go out to them as they embark on the journey of life together.
June 20, 2009: Pat and Theo. Pat is one of my closest friends and her wedding reception was well-worth the cross-country trip. They had their Thai and Vietnamese ceremonies earlier in the day, and held a huge reception in the evening.
June 27, 2009: Taka and Luke. I had the honor of being one of the bridesmaids at their wedding in Jacksonville, Florida. They were engaged even before Dan and I, but the wait made their wedding all the more sweet. I love this photo of them in Japanese kimono.
May 30, 2009: My graphic design classmate Alli had the Hokie bird at her wedding! How awesome is that? I am insanely jealous. And of course, Alli herself looks gorgeous.
July 11, 2009: YonMi and Jae Yoon. A 7-11 couple! I love this photo of them standing in front of their wedding date. I've known YonMi since high school and we attended Virginia Tech together as well. We've both come a long way.
July 11, 2009: Jay and Kourtney. Another 7-11 couple! Although I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Kourtney, I remember the way Jay's eyes lit up when he told me about her and their upcoming wedding at a Christmas party last year. He told me they were planning on taking a photo in front of a 7-11 on their wedding day (much like YonMi did) - can't wait to see the picture!
July 18, 2009: Legare and Chris. They just tied the knot last weekend! Legare (also known as Robbie) and I were JCA officers together while at Virginia Tech, and I remember the excitement with which she told me about her engagement last year, and was more than happy to help her with wedding advice when she needed it. We regret that we couldn't make it to the wedding, but we wish them nothing but the best.
Cheers to each couple’s happily ever after! We hope that all of them are basking in newlywed bliss.
I will leave you with this video of a hilariously funny, creative wedding entrance that I saw the other day on YouTube. It’ll be sure to put a smile on your face.
