Happy New Year!!! In 2011, I became a mother to the sweetest darling of a baby girl. Thanks to her and Dan, I wake up every morning with a huge smile and a heart full of love. ♥ It’ll be hard to top this past year, but we’re looking forward to all the unforgettable moments and exciting adventures that 2012 will bring.
Whether circumstances allow us to see each other every day or once every ten years, we are truly blessed to have you all in our lives. We wish for all of you a new year full of love, laughter, and happiness.
I have been really behind on uploading photos and videos of our trip, as I’m trying to enjoy our short time here with our family in friends in Virginia as much as we can before we have to return to California… but I just had to share this video clip. We were hanging out in my younger sister Miwa’s room (It’s Mio’s favorite room at my parents’ house because of all the cool, colorful things she can touch and play with there), and I had just gotten out of the shower and was playing a variation of Peekaboo. She likes Peekaboo, but she rarely giggles this much so we made sure to capture it on video!
This year was our first Christmas with Mio, and although she is still too young to appreciate the holiday, we had a lot of fun spending the day at home with my family. Yesterday also marked my 29th birthday! Here are some pictures from the special day….
Mio with her grandparents My parents Ted with the Kindle Touch that Dan, Miwa and I got for him. Mio with wooden blocks from her grandparents. Hyo came down from New York to spend Christmas with us! A present for Mio from Hyo! An adorable cupcake playsuit! Mio among all the presents. Miwa and I showing off some of our presents. I got the ZOKU Quick Pop Maker that I'd had my eye on! Mio with Uncle Ted A blissful Mio in Elisa's arms. Mio peacefully sleeping...with her puckered lips and cheeks so kissable! Christmas dinner with the family. My tiramisu birthday cake, decorated by my sister Miwa. Thank you to Miwa and Hyo for the cakes! I loved that I could celebrate my birthday with Mio this year!
I turned 29 this birthday, and although it saddens me a little that 30 is right around the corner, I’m determined to make the best of this last year of my twenties! I’ve resolved to make changes for the better and to take steps to be more positive, rather than complain about circumstances and not do anything about them. I’ve been stuck in a bit of a funk lately, and I’m hoping to start anew in a lot of respects in the coming new year. Facing drastic changes can be daunting and uncertain, but ultimately it’s up to me to pave the road to continued happiness for both myself and for my family. Here’s to a fresh start in 2012!
On Christmas Eve, we went to lunch with a bunch of my girlfriends from college — we went to Bon Chon Chicken in Centreville. I’d heard of how great Bon Chon was from all my friends in Virginia and had to try it! True to its reputation, the chicken wings were some of the best I ever had! Great flavor but not too greasy! (I ate mostly the soy garlic flavor ones because the hot ones were too spicy for me… although Dan was all about the spicy ones!) It was great catching up with familiar friends… felt like I got transported back to the good old college days! 🙂
Delicious ddukbokki! (The chicken was so good, I forgot to take a picture of it...)
Mio is all smiles!
The girls surprised me with a birthday cake! Red velvet… so delicious!
Mio is dying to dig her hands into the cake...
It was great seeing everyone and catching up! Thank you everyone for the delicious birthday cake!
Later in the afternoon, Miyoung and Mike came by to visit us at my parents’ house. Miyoung and I had a great time having a couple hours of girl talk while our hubbies played video games together and Mio napped.
Miyoung brought by these lovely macarons… they were almost too pretty to eat!
Look at all the colors!
I love macarons!
They were so delicious... between me, Dan, and my sister, we killed them all before the day was over.
Some more random pre-Christmas photos…
Mio playing with a magnifying glass. This just might be my favorite picture of the year.
Huge box of chocolates from a family friend to our family. The box is bigger than Mio.
Mio gets to spend her first Christmas in Virginia! What will Santa bring...?
We just got back Sunday from an enjoyable three-day, two-night stay with our family at Pembroke Springs Retreat in the Northwestern part of Shenandoah Valley. This bed & breakfast inn is beautiful and set in the tranquil countryside with a beautiful view of the green mountain landscape, but it has a very Japanese style flavor! They have two large Japanese-style indoor baths which are fed by natural spring water (like an onsen), guests enjoy delicious homecooked Japanese meals, and walk around in yukata and slippers after soaking in the baths. There are five guestrooms available, the largest of which is the Sunrise Room which is decorated and furnished to look very Japanese. Our family had the pleasure of staying in two of the guest rooms this past weekend — the Sunrise Room and the Oak Room (since we had seven people including the baby). My parents and sister had been there before, but this was my first time going!
We left early Friday afternoon, and the retreat was only an hour-and-half drive away from our home in Northern Virginia.
Arriving at Pembroke Springs Retreat
The view of tranquil Shenandoah Valley
the porch of the Retreat Guest House
The front steps of the inn. The house has a rustic country feel on the outside.
Bed in the Sunrise Room
Shoji screens open to show the view outside.
Table with chairs on the tatami floor. The floor underneath the table is deep so you can dangle your feet while you sit.
The bed in the Oak Room
Yukata robes laid out for guests.
Snuggling with obaachan upon arriving.
Mio is so excited to be here!
The doors to the two baths.
We soaked in the bath after dinner. It was so relaxing!
I didn't bring my camera into the bath (for fear of getting it wet), but here is a photo of the bath from their site!
Mio with her ojiichan, both in yukata.
Playing board games with the siblings at night.
A delicious Japanese-style breakfast with salmon the following morning.
Some of the family at the breakfast table.
Fresh fruits for dessert!
After breakfast, we took a walk around the retreat property.
Mio needed ample protection from the sun!
There were lots of chickens in the coop.
...and a peacock on the roof!
Miwa and Mio outside the barn.
Afterwards, we drove around the surrounding area and picked up lunch. Mio slept the entire time in her car seat and didn’t wake up until we got back to the inn.
Mio waking up with bed hair... lol.
Dinner was kicked off with a delectable tempura appetizer.
For the main course, we had ginger chicken buffet-style. It was so good, I went back for seconds!
Flan cake with ice cream and berries in Cointreau sauce for dessert!
In the evening, Mio practiced standing up with her auntie. She firmly plants her feet on the ground and attempts to stand up on her feet! We have a feeling she might start standing up on her own before she even learns to crawl.
Fish for breakfast the second morning. All the meals were so colorful!
The ladies of the Yokoyama family
Before leaving the retreat.
We had a really lovely time at Pembroke Springs Retreat, and will definitely be back again! I am hoping that we can go again as a family — this time, with Dan too — perhaps when we are back for the winter holidays. It really was such a perfectly peaceful getaway!
