We spent a Sunday afternoon at Lake Accotink Park with my girlfriends that I used to attend Japanese Saturday school with, and all of our kids! We’ve known each other since we were first grade and attended nine years of HoshÅ«kÅ together, and now we’re all moms with children. It was great catching up, although it was a little difficult at times with five little ones running around!
Mirei and Lilly going down the slide together.
Mio REALLY wanted to ride the carousel, and she finally got to after we played at the playground for a while.
Mirei got to ride the carousel, too!
Can’t believe we’re all mommies now! This is the “messy” photo of us trying to get the kids to pose before taking a group photo.
Group photo with Marie and Erri and all of our babies! The kids look so enthused…
Mio was exhausted and fell asleep on the way home…
Mirei playing in the backyard later that afternoon…
Patriotic Mio waving the American flag, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance
Here are some unrelated but cute videos we took of Mirei recently, too!
Mirei waving from the window when I came back from work
Mirei giggling hysterically over grapes. I love how she finds humor on the simplest of things sometimes. 🙂
Our friends Angel and Brandon got married on June 6, and Mio was asked to be a flower girl at their beautiful wedding at Zion Springs Bed & Breakfast in Hamilton, Virginia! It was a laid-back but gorgeous wedding full of lovely DIY details, and was full of fun, just like the couple! Thank you Angel and Brandon for letting us be a part of your big day!
The wedding festivities started with the rehearsal dinner on Friday night. It was Mio’s second time being a flower girl in the span of two weeks!
Angel and I have been friends since middle school, so we’ve known each other for two decades! I couldn’t wait to see her walk down the aisle as a gorgeous bride.
Saturday was the wedding day, and it was a beautifully sunny day, perfect for an outdoor ceremony and reception at the tranquil bed & breakfast venue.Â
Photos from Angel’s and Brandon’s childhoods Flower girl reporting for duty! Flower girl and ringbearer Dan & I waiting for the ceremony to begin Mio running down as the flower girl. She stopped for a few seconds, dismayed that some flowers fell out of her flower ball, but eventually came down. Angel being walked down by her father. It was a gorgeous wedding ceremony! Mirei the lush. (No worries, bottle was empty.)
There were so many lovely details at the wedding, as you’ll see from the photos…
Menu written on the window
Angel’s sister Virginia made this adorable Totoro cake topper out of fondant!
Dessert table!
There were some lawn games that Angel had created herself, which kept the guests busy and entertained throughout the night. 16 month old Mirei on the steps of the bed & breakfast, taking in the scene.
The happy couple listening to the toasts The cake-cutting Guests dancing the night away
Mio wasn’t afraid to kick off her heels and join in the dancing!
Enjoying the food, dancing, and libations.
As it got dark, the pathway down the lawn to leave the wedding was lit with candles on either side. It was breathtaking!
Thank you Angel & Brandon for letting us be a part of one of the most memorable days of your lives! It was such a fun and classy celebration, and we were thrilled to be there. 🙂
After spending a week in Northern California, we drove down on Friday, May 22nd for the much-anticipated wedding of our dear friends Megumi & Daniel! The rehearsal dinner was on Friday evening, and the wedding was on Sunday, and we were honored that Megumi and Daniel had asked Mio and I to part of their bridal party — I was so touched that Megumi had asked me to a bridesmaid, and Mio a flower girl in what was to us the wedding of the year! We were all so excited to see them and our mutual friends again since it’s been so long since we were last together, but it was truly extra special to be there by their side as they tied the knot.
We drove down on Friday and got to Glendale in the afternoon, in time for the rehearsal at Vertigo, where the ceremony and reception would be on Sunday. The rehearsal went well, full of heartwarming moments and hugs with friends we had missed so much!
After the wedding rehearsal on Friday
After the ceremony rehearsal, everyone was invited to Daniel’s parents’ beautiful home in Alhambra, where a taco truck catered a delicious rehearsal dinner, along with lots of amazing sides and desserts cooked up by Megumi and her family and friends.
We got to meet Ali and Tim’s adorable son Kanoa for the first time! He’s only a few months older than Mirei, so it was cute watching them play together.
Cuties at the rehearsal dinner in Alhambra.
I loved meeting Megumi’s adorable niece and nephew! Here’s sweet Leila-chan. The Kaminaga kids! Leila and Julian. 🙂
They loved taking selfies with my camera, so I took a bunch of videos of the adorable kiddos.
On Saturday evening, we had dinner at Granville in downtown Glendale with some of the other bridesmaids and friends from San Francisco/Nakayoshi who were in town for the wedding. So glad we got to spend some extra time with them. 🙂
Dinner at Granville with friends
Mirei cried when Uncle Graig held her, but was pacified when he fed her his fries. lol “Mama, take a picture of panda!” Mio feeding a sprig of rosemary to the panda doll that accompanied our travels.
Sunday started bright & early for the bridesmaids, as we got breakfast together at the hotel and gathered in Megumi’s suite for makeup and hair.
Getting my hair done as a bridesmaid on the wedding day.
Megumi getting ready! Sam enjoying some In-N-Out during prep! The bridal party’s got to eat, and these were some pretty satisfying provisions! 😀
The gorgeous bride in her wedding dress. Isn’t she just breathtaking? *sigh* Megumi was truly stunning!
Selfie with the bride! I don’t recognize myself with all the heavy makeup. lol With the lovely Maid of Honor, Sam!
Room for the ceremony. Those hanging white flowers were made out of coffee filters and pipe cleaners, and many hours of hard work by the bride and the other bridesmaids (I only helped a little at the end when I came into town). They turned out gorgeous! The venue Megumi & Daniel chose was so glamorous. Even the bathrooms were gorgeous, with these huge, ceiling-high leaning mirrors!
First look between the bride and groom. ♥
Of course, I had to get it on video, too.
Mio getting ready as the flower girl!
Can’t believe Megumi sewed the flower girl dresses! The inspiration was Carrie Bradshaw. Shy Mio with beautiful Sam.
The happy couple with the kids in the bridal party. The cutest flower girls and ringbearers 🙂
The bride & groom enjoying some pre-ceremony libations The wedding cake was gorgeous, with gold ombre and beautiful details. Everything was perfection — not a surprise, considering that it was Megumi’s wedding!
Mio being silly with the photobooth props Dan arriving with Mirei. He was on babysitting duty during the ceremony, since Mio and I were in the bridal party.
Because I was in the ceremony, and Dan was busy wrangling a cranky Mirei, we unfortunately don’t have any photos from the actual ceremony, but it was beautiful and tearjerking, and so fitting for Megumi & Daniel!
Afterwards, we had fun mingling with friends, and Mio had a ball playing with the photobooth props.
Mustached Mio
Mio showing Megumi’s mom her mustache. lol
Megumi changed into a gorgeous purple kimono for the reception. It went perfectly with her wedding color scheme, and she looked absolutely beautiful in it!
The bride & groom looking amazing in their kimonos
Megumi surprised her parents with the kimono! So sweet ♥
The kimono was gorgeous, even from the back. Look at that obi!
With the stunning bride in her kimono.
Dan made the table numbers for the wedding. The centerpieces came out gorgeous!
During the reception, Megumi surprised Daniel by serenading him with John Legend’s “All of Me” during the slideshow. It was so romantic, and Megumi has such a beautiful voice. 🙂
Cakecutting time! Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Xavier!
Megumi’s bouquet toss! Mio caught a small part of the bouquet… a single rose head. 🙂 Garter toss!
Daniel kept hilariously pulling out random items (like this rolling pin!) out of Megumi’s dress.
Alas, we couldn’t stay too late into the wedding, as we had to catch a plane very early Monday morning, so we had to say our goodbyes and return to our hotel to pack and get a couple hours of sleep before we had to depart the following morning.
Saying goodbye to aunties Ali and Sam
One last photo with fellow bridesmaids Ali and Sam
One last photo with the happy, beautiful couple before we had to say goodbye.
Congratulations Daniel & Megumi! We were so happy we could be there for your big day. Thank you for letting us be a part of it! ♥
Although our time staying in the East Bay was short, we were glad we could see some of the faces we have so missed since moving away! There were new babies to be held and kissed, delicious restaurants to be visited (both old and new!), and a lot of catching up to do with dear friends.
Lunch in San Leandro with the Kims! Our two girls + their two boys was a crazy mix! It was great seeing them and how much Jinwoo and Sunwoo have grown!
Can’t contain our excitement over Burma Superstar! Mio and I while waiting for our table and for Uncle Ted & Auntie Jackie to meet us
We so missed their samosa salad! Just seeing this photo of it makes me salivate… Garlic noodles and shrimp
After our dinner at Burma Superstar, we drove over to Castro Valley to have some ice cream with Aileen and David!
Mirei behind the wheel at Knudsen’s Creamery in Castro Valley
With Aileen at Knudsen’s Creamery. It was so great seeing her again, and we have to also thank her for bringing us to this delicious ice cream parlor! We finally got to meet Aileen’s boyfriend, David! He’s the first other Yokoyama I’ve met (beyond my own family and relatives). Yokoyamas are all awesome, naturally.
This wasn’t exactly meeting up with a familiar face, but we have definitely missed our favorite taco truck! We had to make a stop in Oakland to get our fix of those amazing al pastor, chicken, and carne asada tacos (plus lengua for Dan).
Revisiting our favorite taco truck! While we were shocked to see how much their prices have gone up in the past two years, the tacos definitely hit the spot!
Up there among our top most-anticipated moments of our visit was seeing a couple of our dearest friends, Tarrin and Jason, and their newborn son Theo! He was only two months old when we got to see him, and I was euphoric holding that teeny baby and sniffing his head. That newborn smell is so intoxicating! (Before you write me off as a complete nutcase, I urge you to try sniffing a newborn head sometime — I’m pretty sure you will agree with me.)
Meeting baby Theo for the first time. Tarrin and Jason make a pretty cute baby! After eating dinner at Mintleaf, they took us to a new (to us, at least) dessert place in Alameda called Cookiebar! Vietnamese coffee ice cream at Cookiebar. Amazing. Mirei was loving the ice cream! Going in for another bite! We miss you guys so much! You can bet I had a hard time letting that baby go… I almost carried him off with me to our car. Selfie with Mirei when she refused to go to bed that night.
On our last day, we spent the evening with Dan’s family after we came back from Fairyland in the afternoon. Mio had fun helping Grandma prepare dinner for everyone!
Mirei at the San Lorenzo house, after we came back from Fairyland on our last full day in NorCal. Mirei thoroughly enjoying her yogurt. Yogurt-mouthed little lady.
Helping Grandma making California rolls for dinner
Mio and Grandma in the kitchen Family dinner on our last night. Dan’s mom prepared quite a feast!
Mio saying goodbye to Grandma. She misses her so much! …as she does Grandpa, too. Mio messing with Mirei. I think she wanted Grandpa all to herself! Saying goodbye to the grandparents Saying goodbye to Uncle Ted the morning we left for Los Angeles. Thank you Ted & Jackie for being such great hosts for us during our stay!
We grabbed an “It’s It” at a rest stop on our drive down. We couldn’t leave Northern California without eating one!
