The Melting Pot on New Year's Eve Eve

D and I decided to celebrate New Year's Eve a little early and went out to the Melting Pot in Irvine last night. Our leisurely meal took about two hours and a quarter hours! It was the first time having fondue in a restaurant for both of us, and it was fun. I didn't think D would enjoy cooking his own entree, but he got into it. His stopwatch actually came in handy to keep track of the recommended two minute cooking time. It was a good thing that we were able to leave k with my parents, because bubbling pots of chocolate, broth, and cheese and a two year old would not have been a good combination.
We ordered the Wisconsin Trio cheese fondue, California salad/House salad (comes with the entrees), French Quarter/Shrimp & Sirloin entrees, and Flaming Turtle chocolate fondue. We were able to pace ourselves, making sure to save room for dessert! The cheese fondue came with bread chunks, granny smith apples slices and carrots/cauliflower. Although the busboy wanted to take everything away when we were done with the cheese, I asked if we could keep the bread and apples. That was nice, because we were able to have a little more bread with our entrees (it's hard for me to eat meat without some carbos!) and finish the apples with the chocolate.
Even though we used our Entertainment Card (1 free entree), it was a bit spendy, but it was a meal we'll remember for a long time. We were able to discuss our goals for 2009 and reflect a little...it was nice having a nice private booth towards the back. It was also funny overhearing the couple next to us swearing at their bubbling pot of oil (one of the entree cooking options). I thought they were going to start a grease fire!

Reflecting on 2008

I am thankful for the week and a half that I have off from work to relax with my family. Recently I have been feeling burnt out from working long hours at my new job, training for a marathon, attending BSF, being a dad, and being a part of the ETV and Endowment committees at WPC.

Earlier this month, I have been thinking that I need to cut back on some activities, especially when kid #2 comes along. I am not terribly good at multi-tasking and I know I am not giving my all; at least on the last 4 items. However, during this time I have had time to reflect on what God is doing in my life during this past year. And scripture such as Isaiah 40: 29-31 lets me know God's promise.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

I am reminded that if I stay close to God in scripture and prayer, then He will provide strength. I was reminded of that when I was feeling really tired one Friday night and had a meeting at WPC. I had a bad attitude going into the meeting, however after the meeting I felt energized after feeling like I contributed to the meeting and worked together for a common vision.
I believe in 2009, God will provide me the strength to continute to do all the things that I believe God is calling me to do.

Solid

The Golden Bears have been in bowl games the past 6 years and they have won 5 of them. They have had two 10 win Holiday Bowl seasons in that 6 year span and this year they finished 9-4 and beat Miami in the Emerald Bowl. Not great, but Solid.



Tedford has won 5 bowl games which matches the total bowl game wins Cal has had from 1916-2001. Of course there are more bowl games now than there where before however; it is a pretty crazy stat.

Next year Riley (QB), Best (RB), & Tucker (WR) will be back. Hopefully we will be bowling again next year.

Sea World

Didn't you guys just go to the San Diego Zoo? Yes, but since we were recently offered free tickets that expired in January 2009, we decided to do a quick day trip. It took about an hour and a half to get there. The traffic was not bad since we went the day after Christmas. We arrived before the 9 a.m. opening time.

The Christmas decorations were still up.
As soon as the chains came down, we headed for the Sesame Street play area. There were three rides that k could go on with D. (According to the signs, I wasn't supposed to go on them since I'm pregnant).

This was taken before the ride attendant told D that k should ride on the inside.


k didn't have much of a reaction to the first two rides. I think she was still tired from the car ride. She did smile, however, on this last one. It was nice not to have to wait in any lines. We were done with these three rides in about twenty minutes!


Afterward, we went to Penguin Encounter and Shark Encounter.

We also went to the new Elmo 4-D movie. k wasn't scared, but she didn't want to wear her 3-D glasses.

Our first show of the day was Shamu's "Believe". D got really excited about this one...he's still doing the Shamu "chant" at home!


For lunch we ate at the Calypso barbecue. We shared a sampler plate and a pint of milk between the three of us. It came with 2 ribs, 2 pieces of brisket, a sizeable piece of chicken, corn on the cob, biscuit, and fries. The food was surprisingly good, and not too bad at around $15, since we all ended up full.

After lunch we watched the Pets Rule! show ("Who let the dogs out?"), and the dolphin show. We also walked around a couple more aquarium exhibits. By this time, k was asleep in her stroller. On our way out we stopped at the ice cream place and ordered what was supposed to be two scoops in a waffle cone. We chose chocolate chip and chocolate, but it turned out to be more like two gigantic scoops of each kind! Again, not too bad for $4.


We left around 2:30 and felt like we had seen everything we wanted to see. The park is much easier to navigate than the zoo (smaller, stroller-friendly, relatively flat). All in all, a nice family outing, but I wouldn't have wanted to pay full price!

Too Much to Blog, Too Little Time

We're having a difficult time keeping up with our blog since so much is going on. We'll have to come back to k's birthday party later next week.


Christmas Eve we had my parents over for dinner. Nothing too fancy...the main dish was Corn Maiden tamales from Trader Joe's. Afterward we went to Christmas Eve service. k stayed quiet the entire time! (Probably because she was too tired to talk).

Look at the felt cupcake I made for my sister (who is a big cupcake fan) for Christmas:

I used the pattern from Fantastic Toys. D thought it was an ice cream cone.

Christmas morning we opened stocking stuffers first. Then we had breakfast: wake-up casserole, fruit salad and cranberry orange sticky buns. Afterward we opened some presents. k gets more excited about presents now, so it is fun to watch her reaction.

Cute puffer vest from her cousin.

Then we headed over to my parents house, where, yes, there were more presents for k. Considering her birthday was just four days prior, k had present overload. Here's k's Christmas present from my parents:

How cute is that? There's even a Mazda parked in the garage. There is a Caucasian family and an Asian American family co-habitating. :)

k gave us a good laugh by squatting on the miniature toilet. Here, she is turning on the the t.v.

Happy 2nd Birthday, k!

k turned two today and we had a birthday party for her at my parents' house. A LOT of preparation went on for the past couple of days. k didn't take a nap at all today since her party was in the afternoon. We left my parents' house at around 5 p.m., and by the time we arrived home, k was fast asleep!



She did wake up when D tried to put her in bed, though. Now, after taking a bath, playing with a few of her new toys, eating dinner, and brushing her teeth, she is fast asleep. D and I are pretty exhausted, too. Although, not as exhausted as the day she was born. :) Ironic that December 21st is the shortest day of the year.

Christmas Season in Full Swing

Friday: k and I went to a Junko concert for my moms' group and their children. I think k was tired because she was acting antsy. When Junko called the kids up on stage at the end, k just wanted to crawl. Hmm...



Saturday: We went to Cerritos mall and accomplished the vast majority of our Christmas shopping. I discovered a place in the food court called Dumpling Express that serves dim sum (and it tastes good!) There is also a Yogurtland. At night we went to our church's Christmas dinner/program.

Sunday: After church we went to a park near my parents' house where they brought in snow. We took a picture with Santa and k had her first taste of a candy cane.

(D put her shoes on the wrong feet).

JEMS Christmas Concert

As a general rule, D and I do not go out on Sunday nights. There is something comforting about staying in, and preparing mentally and physically for the upcoming week. However, we made an exception last night, in order to attend the 25th annual JEMS Christmas Concert in Little Tokyo.

It started at 6 p.m., so I wanted to go early to have dinner beforehand. First, we made a stop at Fugetsu-Do. Fortunately I was able to snag the last package of chocolate mochi, which I had never tried before. Highly recommended. Even D liked it, and he is not a particularly big fan of mochi. Very impressive that the store has been around for over 100 years!

We walked a few doors down First Street to Suehiro Cafe. According to Yelpers, it is like a Japanese Denny's, but we didn't think so. D had oyako don and CA roll and I had the house special, stir-fried eggplant with miso sauce and tofu. (You can also choose chicken or beef). The sauce was very tasty, but the vegetables were a bit too charred for my taste. The house special also came with a scoop of ice cream, so I chose the plum wine flavor--very fruity. We were there early, around 4:15, and had no problem getting a seat. Less than an hour later, the line was practically out the door! So, get there early if you don't want to wait.


We enjoyed the concert, and it was a nice way to kickoff the Christmas season. There were plenty of reminders that "Jesus is the reason for the Season". There were some very talented musicians/singers. It has been a while since we have seen a live performance (yes, we left k at the grandparents' house). The baby seemed to enjoy one of the louder performances in the beginning. He was kicking away! We ended up leaving early, though, around 8:20, at D's request. I thought that was reasonable since he was the one who had to wake up early the next day and spend all day at work.

Snow in Huntington Beach

On Saturday night we went to Bella Terra to see the "snowfall" at 7 p.m. There was a concert beforehand that we caught the tail end of. The announcer promised that the snow would be "more magical than Disneyland ever was". Now, I've never been to Disneyland during the holidays (that is one of things on my to-do list), but I'm pretty sure they could out-do Bella Terra's "snow". It turned out to be tiny bubbles that were shot out of a machine on top of a couple of buildings. It was fun to experience once, though, and k thought it was funny how the bubbles landed in everyone's hair.

Carmel

Saturday was our shopping day. First we went to Macy's so D could pick out some work clothes as a belated birthday present from his parents. For some reason, k kept on insisting that she was a baby and crawling on the floor. Hopefully this is a short phase, and not a sign of what is to come once the baby is here. The mall was completely empty. Then we ate lunch at Bahama Billy's at the Barnyard shopping center. That place was pretty empty too. Where was everyone? Turns out they were all in the "downtown" area of Carmel, where we went afterward. There were tons of babies and dogs being strolled/walked by all of the chic shops.


This dog was attracting a lot attention. It was huge, although this picture does not convey its size. k could have sat on it like a horse.

That night we had leftovers and stayed in, mostly so D could watch the Oregon football game. Oh, I also wanted to mention that D went running every morning we were there at 6:30 a.m., as soon as the sun came up, when it was still freezing outside. I call him crazy, but I guess you could also say he is dedicated.

We left early the next morning. k was so good in the car both ways. Seems like she's getting used to these trips up and down California. Of course it helps now that she can be appeased by snacks!

Cannery Row & Pebble Beach

After our trip to the aquarium we had lunch at Amarin, a Thai restaurant right across the street. (We had eaten there once before). Then we walked around Cannery Row. I barely remembered the area. There is a new hotel that looked quite nice:



We also passed by Bubba Gump's. I know it's touristy, but I feel like I have to try it at least once. Maybe next time, when my non-pregnant self will be free to eat all of the seafood I want.


k was intrigued by the Bubba Gump mascot, but didn't want to get too close. I don't blame her.


The Monterey location is right on the water.

After indulging in Ghiradelli sundaes (D liked the mint one he chose here better than the one we had in San Diego), we went home to rest. Later in the afternoon we went to the Lodge at Pebble Beach and the Resort at Spanish Bay to walk around and take in the atmosphere.


The Lodge: Old School Money




Sunset @ Spanish Bay. There was quite a marked difference between PB and SB. Spanish Bay, for some reason, was teeming with kids that day. They were playing in the sand trap of the 18th hole like it was a sandbox. At Pebble Beach, the green was roped off with a sign telling non-players to stay off. When we were waiting in the lobby at Spanish Bay, a waitress came by and asked if we had ordered eight kids' hot chocolates. Um, no, that would not be us. Spanish Bay also has a fully decked-out bag-pipist that walks along the ocean playing music during sunset. Nice touch.

We ate dinner at Roy's at Spanish Bay. D decided to go "light" and only ordered a sushi roll, the Sunrise at Haleakala, but it actually turned out to be quite substantial. Plus, D had generous samples of all of our dishes as well, so he ended up being full. k enjoyed the free edamame and my short ribs. I wish I could have had the fish, but no complaints here.

Monterey Aquarium

Friday morning we went to the Monterey Aquarium with D's parents. It has been a while since we were last there, and it seemed even bigger than I remembered. k enjoyed it in the beginning, but she tired out pretty quickly. I think these types of places will be a lot of fun once k grows a little older. It was pretty crowded...I guess it was the place to go if you were in the area for Thanksgiving.

The Thanksgiving Feast

This year Grandpa Lim made the turkey (a 14 pounder from Trader Joe's). It was nice and moist, but way too big for the 5 of us (k just had a few small pieces with gravy). We also had rolls, rice (for k), asparagus, green beans, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and a stuffing made of taro and Chinese roast pork. There was also pumpkin pie and vanilla ice cream for dessert. After dinner, k entertained all of us with her dancing and antics. k seemed comfortable right away on this trip, especially compared to her clinginess during our July 4th visit.

Thanksgiving in Pebble Beach

This year we spent Thanksgiving with D's family (we alternate every year). We visited D's parents in Pebble Beach and D's sister also made the drive down. Our drive went smoothly, thanks in large part to the CX-9 that our BIL hooked us up with. There was plenty of space for all of our cargo, plus it had navigation, Sirius, built-in DVD player and Bose surround sound. All of those features really made a difference in our 6+ hour car ride.


We watched the Jonah Veggie Tales movie, My Best Friend's Wedding and Elf. I guess we need to buy more DVDs for k. We also listened to a lot of 90's hits and ESPN on Sirius.

On our way up the I-5 we saw this rainbow. D said it was the brightest he has ever seen. I'm pretty sure I've seen brighter, but it was pretty nonetheless.



We burned some calories in preparation for out Thanksgiving feast by taking a walk along Pebble Beach. The scenery was beautiful, of course.

Babble

k likes to tell stories in her own language.

Date Night

D had a three day weekend because his company had Friday off for Veteran's Day. D went to Goodwill to drop off some donations, we all went to Costco and then we went to Seal Beach. At night we dropped off k at my parents' house and went to eat at Kaju Tofu in Garden Grove. We ordered one combo (seafood and beef soon tofu and spicy chicken) plus one extra bowl of rice. People seem to like this place better than BCD, but I think they're comparable. They need more staff...there were only two waitresses, and they were literally running around the restaurant.

Can you see why we didn't want to bring k along? On the way out there is a free slushie machine, but you only get a dixie-size cup. It was a nice palate cleanser, though.

Since it was only 5:45 by the time we finished, we went crazy and went to the Block afterwards. It was nice to relive our pre-k years and go to Borders to read magazines. Plus, they had free samples of a gingerbread latte with the cutest mini gingerbread man.

Good thing I took a picture, because when I returned to the table with my magazine selections, the gingerbread man was gone! He had sunk into the latte and dissolved. :()

We also did a little shopping. D was happy with his purchase at Steve & Barry's. They're having a liquidation sale, but there was a sign that they are not closing that location. There were so many teenagers out and about! Also, it was warm and windy, which reminded me of the nights on the Big Island when we visited last October.

Hot Hot Hot!

I have been training for my full marathon on Super Bowl Sunday, and I have 11 weeks of training left. My training called for 16 miles today (PCH/Warner to PCH/Brookhurst (Santa Ana River)). Unfortunately it was really hot today. I started a little after 6:00 a.m., and it was already warm. The good news was that I ran the 16 miles; however it took me 3 hours. It got really warm so I drank lots of water and tried to run slower. But I got cramps in my quads and the sun was wearing me down. I really dislike running in warm weather. I like 50 degree weather when I run. I was thinking in my mind how can it be 80 degrees on a mid-November morning?! I really hope the weather on Feb 1st is around 50 degrees.

The air was really smoky after I got home, but I don't think it was that bad when I was running. Let's pray the weather gets cooler and the wind dies down for the homes in SoCal.

Our Little Red Riding Hood

On Halloween we attended the WPC Harvest Festival. This time k was able to actually play some of the games. She dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood, with a cape knitted by my mom. It turned out really cute, complete with a wooden toggle. In the beginning, k was timid about picking out candy for her basket. However, by the end of the night, she was trying to scoop it up by the handful!






k was also able to wear it to the library story time earlier in the week. Now we have start to thinking of a costume for next year...or maybe she'll want to have a say in it by then.

Ocean Beach

On our way home from San Diego we took a slight detour to go to Ocean Beach. And why, you may ask, did we stop there? To go to Hodad's for lunch. We first heard about this place on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives (one of my favorite shows on the Food Network). We arrived before they opened so we took a walk down to the beach which was just down the street. It was pretty cold and overcast. The main drag reminded us of Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley (the people and shops).






It's a funky joint, with license plates adorning the walls and loud rock music. I was wondering whether they noticed any significant change in their clientele once the "Triple D" episode aired. Anyway, we each ordered a single hamburger (D ordered his with cheese) and we shared a side of frings and a strawberry shake. The single hamburgers were plenty big, and the frings (1/2 fries, 1/2 onion rings) were way too huge. D actually asked for a to-go bag and we finally finished them yesterday. k liked the fries the best (she loves dipping things in ketchup, and ranch, we found out). The shake was also really big and was a nice contrast to the saltiness of everything else.


After lunch we continued up the I-5 and stopped in at the Rainbow Sandal outlet in San Clemente. D bought a pair, despite his affinity for Tevas. I guess he is turning O.C.!