On Saturday, we spent the day in San Francisco and visited the Fairmont Hotel to see the largest-ever gingerbread house to be built in San Francisco! It’s constructed of 7,500 gingerbread sticks, 1,200 pounds of chocolate icing and 650 pounds of candy! It was beautifully decorated and everything had so much detail. Thank you Megumi for suggesting we check it out! 🙂
Mio looks suspicious of all the candy.
A snowy landscape in the window of the gingerbread house... made of frosting, littered with cinnamon sticks.
A toy train runs on the track.
We had a great time seeing it with friends!
Beside the huge Christmas tree!
Our little family by a smaller tree.
This will be Mio's first Christmas!
The excitement is palpable.
A family picture by the Christmas tree.
Mio's beautiful dress was a gift from Megumi back in the summer. She's big enough to wear it now!
Before we went to the Fairmont, we had lunch at The Stinking Rose, a garlic restaurant in San Francisco. I love garlic, so everything we had there was amazing!
Megumi caught this perfect moment of Mio in a "banzai!" pose.
Lunch with dear friends!
Mio loves Uncle Graig
Hadn't seen Megumi and Sam in so long! I love these two!
Megumi brought thoughtful, generous Christmas gifts for everyone… so sweet of her!
Even Mio got some presents!
Opening Mio's present for her.
"Come to Auntie Sam!"
Megumi brought her signature sugar cookies… they’re always so adorable, and get better and better every time (if that’s possible!).
The cutest reindeer and Santas!
It was so great seeing some of our San Francisco friends before we fly back East for Christmas! We had just all recovered from being sick the past couple weeks, so it was nice to be enjoy some holiday cheer! 😀
This past weekend was our last weekend of the year on this side of the country, as we’ll be leaving to go back East in a couple days. We spent it celebrating Christmas early with friends and family here in California.
On Saturday, we went to Megumi’s in San Francisco for a holiday party for the Nakayoshi core members. Megumi was a great hostess, preparing so many treats and goodies for everyone, and her apartment was sparkling with holiday decor.
Megumi's homemade cookies - too cute to eat!
The party was potluck-style, so everyone brought a dish and everything tasted amazing. It seems like everyone in Nakayoshi (especially the ladies) has such awesome cooking and baking skills! They put me to shame… haha* After eating, we had a white elephant gift exchange (accompanied by the characteristic silly gifts and lots of laughs), gingerbread house building, and board games! 🙂
cozy dinner conversations in Megumi's living room
more people crammed into the kitchen.
With my (almost) birthday twin, Emily! Her birthday is Christmas Eve, mine is Christmas Day.
Megumi starting the white elephant gift exchange.
Me with the lovely Miss Aileen!
Dan won some Jack Daniels... but it quickly got stolen away.
Dan and Aaron were really serious and intense about the building of the gingerbread house. Very exact and diligent...
Cyril, Megumi and I. Thanks for the great party, Megumi!
For more fun photos from the party, see the Flickr set.
On Sunday, Dan and I went to San Lorenzo to his parents’ house to celebrate and early Christmas and gift exchange with the Allens. We’re really grateful that they were flexible and moved Christmas up a little so that we could celebrate with them before we fly over to my family’s to spend actual Christmas Day with them.
Miwa with Choco
Dan's parents opening gifts
Dan and I at his parents' house
We’re leaving for Virginia early morning of the 24th, so we’re currently in a packing frenzy. Hopefully the weather will be kind and we will be able to get there safely and on time, with no complications. To our friends and family on the West Coast, thank you for a wonderful time, and to those on the East Coast… here we come!
