Wednesday, May 20 was the last day of our vacation within a vacation, and we packed up at the beach house in the morning and spent the earlier part of the day at nearby Moss Landing before starting the drive back to the East Bay.
Mirei eating grapes at the beach house while everyone packed and cleaned.
Phil’s Fish Market & Eatery at Moss Landing
Pretty cool place!
We had lunch there and the food was pretty good!
Mirei was imitating the sea lions she saw earlier in the morning by barking like them:
Mirei is loving the attention from Ted & Jackie
Getting lifted in the air by Jackie & Ted
One last family photo in front of Phil’s Fish Market on the last day of our getaway!
We’re so glad that we could spend this time with Dan’s side of the family, seeing the beauty of the Monterey Bay and Big Sur and enjoying each other’s company. They will be memories we’ll cherish for years to come!
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.
I love going out to eat and exploring new delicious dishes and then seeing if I can make them myself at home. It’s usually pretty hit or miss — a long time ago, when I was obsessed with P.F. Changs chicken lettuce wraps, I tried to recreate the appetizer at my college apartment and failed miserably — all we could taste were the crunchy water chestnuts. (I’m hoping to redeem myself by trying again someday.)
One of my absolute favorite dishes is linguine frutti di mare, which is essentially mixed seafood pasta. Linguine tossed with “fruits of the ocean” and loose red sauce — just thinking about it makes my mouth water. I have a hobby of trying the seafood pasta every time Dan and I go to a new Italian restaurant for the first time, and going around comparing. So far, some of my personal favorites have been Luciano’s in Oakton, The Cellar in Blacksburg, Buca di Beppo (various locations in California), and The Milanese Caffe in Berkeley. There were many other good ones, but we try to support unique, non-chain restaurants, so we don’t often dine at the likes of places like Olive Garden (although theirs is not bad, either).
