fairyland:

On special occasions, we do surprise field trips.  This one surprised even me.  The night before, a friend sent me a message saying her daughter wanted to invite Naomi along on their trip to a fairy-tale themed park.  Her daughter will be entering kindergarten in the fall, so I want to get together while we can.  She had a deal through M.amapedia for two free tickets for us as well!  We went in my friend's car, which worked out, because I don't drive long distances well.  It was quite a drive in heavy traffic, but the kids did great.  Lucas didn't say anything on the drive, and Naomi talked so much her friend had to ask for a break.

Lucas is usually just along for the ride and food, but within a couple minutes, he realized this place suited him.  I ended up pushing around an empty stroller for the rest of the day.  :)  It wasn't crowded, and there was plenty for him to do.  Unfortunately, Naomi always wants to move on to the next thing while Lucas wants to do the same thing again and again.  We split up a couple times, but otherwise they were fine.  It was a very pleasant day, no mishaps, and Lucas used a public restroom for the first time (he'd always been too scared of the loud flushing before).  Aside from the train, adults cannot accompany children on rides here, which makes it a fun for them.  At first Lucas wanted others to be with him, but then he realized he's a big boy, and was walking tall after that.  He went on the carousel five times, and refused to leave the park at first so he could keep riding it.  Naomi finally got him to come, and he said he needed apple juice at our friend's house to help him feel better.  After we arrived at her house, we stayed to play a little while longer, and Lucas got his apple juice.  

The Old Woman in the Shoe entrance.

On the little Ferris wheel.

My friend posted this photo, and someone said Lucas had a sportswear model vibe happenin'.

He was this happy pretty much the entire day.

Naomi and friends on the train.

He really liked the clock-tower slide.

The slide is inside the tower.

He wanted to go down this huge dragon slide at the Chinese tea house, but kids under 4 were not allowed.

Chasing bubbles.

Again!

 

Hi!

planetarium and learning despite boredom:

From elementary school through high school, my favorite educational field trips were the ones to the planetariums.  I loved astronomy and still do.  Even early in our relationship, Manny took me on a short hike to go stargazing. So I was excited to share this with Naomi and Lucas.  Unfortunately, I did not pass on my love for stars to them.  Naomi liked the movie about the story of Orion the Hunter, but was bored to tears during the lecture, literally.  After 45 minutes of the movie, Lucas asked to go during the closing credits.  He was brave, as the movie had some loud and scary parts.  After I left, another parent said Naomi started crying for me and she brought her out.  Well, it turns out she was bored to tears, literally.  I hadn't prepared her all that well.  When the professor said, "nebula," one could hear a little voice say, "what?!" and again when he named any other celestial body of which she never heard.  She also assumed it would be a like a science museum with interactive exhibits, but it was just the show and lecture.  So there was our slightly disappointing trip, but to be quite honest, I really enjoyed the star show, or what I got to see of it, so all was not lost.  I took the kids to a Carl's playground afterward.  We seldom eat fast food, and Naomi doesn't even like McDonald's, but I like that playground because Lucas is big enough to climb the structures.

It was also an opportunity to deal with things that "bore" Naomi, such as math, piano, and certain branches of science.  She is so unlike me when it comes to interests at her age, but I'm sure the challenges of doing what we don't feel like doing is universal.  It's common nowadays for me to hear that kids need more fun, more creative ideas, more catering to their individual needs.  There's a place for showing kids how fun learning can be, but I think kids also need to learn more self-discipline and self-motivation.  Our children have to learn to choose to do hard things sometimes, things they don't feel like doing, or they might have to learn the hard way through their poor choices.  I'm not saying never to choose fun, but to understand there's a time and place for everything.  I'm not going to force her to like math, but I need to guide her to do her best, even though she may not fully understand how useful and practical math can be.  

The planetarium before the lights went down.  No photos allowed during the show.

Lucas said he was "too tired" to hold up the Earth.  

Lucas joining Naomi on the second floor.

chinese new year = big cooking week:

Made a decent abondigas (Mexican meatball) soup last week, and headed into the lunar new year with some Chinese food.  I made shrimp and snow peas, noodle salad, and black bean chicken the night of Naomi's dental work, skipping the dumplings because they'd take too long.  So nothing really traditional in terms of New Year cooking.  Usually one cooks foods that sound like the words for longevity, abundance, etc.  I think we're fine with being a little Americanized.  Tuesday I took a break from Chinese and made homemade guacamole for Naomi, who likes guacamole now, and also homemade chicken noodle soup which turned out nicely despite omitting the onions.  I didn't feel like braving the Chinese supermarket traffic just to get dumpling wrappers, so I went for the gyoza wrappers at the local supermarket and made turkey potstickers instead.  I thought they were great, similar to my mom's, but I forgot Naomi doesn't like ginger, so she didn't eat too many of them.  I'll remember next time.  It takes me 2-3 hours to make and cook dumplings, so they're usually reserved for special occasions.

Shrimp and snow peas turned out well.

Ready to eat black bean chicken with broccoli and shrimp and snow peas!

My usual soba salad, but made with thin spaghetti.

Homemade chicken noodle.  I'm going to make homemade pasta for it one of these days, but that day was particularly busy.

Potstickers!  No ginger next time!

dentist appointment:

Naomi had to go in Monday for dental work.  Manny came home to watch Lucas while I took her.  She did pretty well, and the nitrous oxide didn't seem to affect her too much.  I tried to avoid it, but it was work that had to be done in three different areas of her mouth.  She went from having no cavities five months ago to two new cavities this last appointment plus a filling that fell out at Grandma's.  I guess Halloween + 2 holidays with the grandparents = lots of treats.  She also had to have a primary tooth extracted, because the new one is almost fully in, but the root of the primary one wasn't dissolving at all.  It took some effort to get it out.  She was a trooper and did fine.  Lucas had no cavities, but I was more diligent about brushing his teeth than Naomi's.

mother-daughter date:

Naomi and I got to spend some long-overdue one-on-one time on Saturday.  We went to see the morning showing of Beauty and the Beast in 3D with the entertaining Tangled Ever After short before it.  It is one of my favorite films, and I wanted to see it for the nostalgia and to share it with Naomi.  The 3D didn't make much difference to me except the higher cost of the movie.  Naomi had to hide her eyes during a few scary parts, but I made sure to warn her.  She's seen it before on DVD, but the small screen is different.  I still wanted to cry at the same parts I did when I first saw it at 16.  The film stands the test of time, except perhaps for the computer-animated chandeliers.  Back then, they didn't have as much CGI in animation, so it was exciting to see, but now it doesn't look so fluid.  We saw a friend from church out on a movie date with her kids.  It was funny because we were going down the escalator as they were going up, so we were trying to talk to each other while we were moving.

Afterward, Naomi wanted to do a little shopping.  She was okay if we came away empty-handed, which I thought we would.  It was a good opportunity to teach her about reading prices, finding a good value, and having restraint.  She did a great job in the end, finding an outfit originally priced at $30 for $10.  We also bought her a t-shirt and some socks.  Then we went to lunch.  Naomi wanted to have a place with sushi since she thinks of finger and dainty foods as being more feminine.  We don't live by a tea room or place with tapas.  Lunch was sort of a splurge, but it's been three years since our last lunch alone, and Manny encouraged me to take her, so we went.

We were talking about the homeless having to deal with the cold and rainy weather, and we agreed to do some charity work for one of our future dates.  When we were going up an escalator, Naomi turned around and said, "Mommy, I hope I can remember today always."  I said, "Me, too."

After the movie.  My friend made her beanie, and sells them if you're interested.

Japanese lunch.  We saved the edamame for Lucas.

Here's the outfit she found for $10.  Growing up so quickly!

lucas, 3 1/2 years old:

Not interested in looking at the camera.

After several months of trying, Lucas finally went number 2 in the potty this past week!  We're still not fully there, but it's a huge step.  It's funny how he only asks for a treat after going number 1 because I never offered a bribe for number 2.  I did sincerely dance for joy, and he got a kick out of that.

Also this last week, he actually drank a little bit of milk and ate all his macaroni and cheese.  He still won't eat butter, and maybe I don't even want him to, but at least I don't see any kind of milk allergy.  

Lucas had no cavities at his dental check-up last week.  I won't take him in to see the doctor until he's four, so I don't have a height and weight off-hand, but I'm happy that he's grown into most of his size 3T clothes now.  He is still smaller for his age than many of his peers, but I'm just happy he's growing.

His speech is improving, but he is still hard to understand.  His "yep" sounds a lot like his "nope" and his "yeah" sounds like "nah."  So I keep reminding him to say, "yes" or "no."  He can't really say "l" or "s" clearly (great idea to name him Lucas, right?).  He says "Woo-cat" when referring to himself.  He always says "me" instead of "I."  So if I say, "I love you," he replies, "Me wub you, too!"  He used to say "I," and then one day it just disappeared.

He still likes cars, music, books, puzzles, and balls, and is now also getting into building.  Mostly typical, but he doesn't have much desire to sing the alphabet song or color pictures.  He likes to play cooking and puzzle games on the computer and watch vehicle simulation videos.

He is doing better in Sunday School.  There were a couple days when his silliness got out of control.  He often deals with unfavorable circumstances by acting silly and running in circles.  I guess it's better than a tantrum, but I think it's coming from the same feelings.

He loves Naomi, and they hug a lot, but sometimes he gets sensitive if she doesn't want to play with him and unleashes his anger.  It's tough because he doesn't have any friends aside from her.  Other kids try to play with him, but he'll only play with them if he has to, and usually only if Naomi's around as well.  I'm not going to force him to break out of his shell at this age, but I do hope he'll show some of his kind and loving heart toward kids his age.  He does better with adults.  We are planning to look into the community preschool for him, similar to Naomi's co-op preschool classes, but I'm not sure what they will say about me bringing Naomi along on days I have to work.

perm:

I've been used to $12 haircuts most of my adult life, sometimes even cutting my own hair.  I didn't have much time before having kids, let alone after, and my looks haven't been a priority.  But with age, my hair got to a point where it just changed in texture and started falling out more.  So it was time to get my hair done, first to look a little nicer for Manny, and second, to make it at least semi-manageable for me.  

So for four hours while Manny watched the kids, I went and got my hair done.  I got a digital perm, which just means they put heated rods in your hair which are regulated by a machine with a digital display.  Then you can't wash your hair for a couple days after, and you can't comb your hair either except in the shower.  I was hoping they'd be able to leave my hair long, but it was in such bad shape and thinning so much that they had to chop off several inches.  At first I was disappointed about it, but now I'm happy with it.  Shorter hair is easier, no doubt about it, but I'll probably grow it out again.  :)  

The kids were a little horrified.  Lucas didn't want me to come anywhere near him, and Naomi said I looked scary, but as the perm softened over time, they became accustomed to my new look.  I think the perm is supposed to last about five or six months, and a year for coarse hair (mine is not).  We shall see!

Before:  Balding on top, fried on the bottom.  My hair, like my mom's, is a little wavy, but it looks nappy if I don't straighten it.

After:  This was right after the perm.  The curls have loosened and softened since then.

dinner and a show:

Manny planned a surprise double date for us to see Cirque du Soleil's I.mmortal last night.  We had a fancy dinner at the restaurant inside the venue before the show.  I had the prime rib and Manny had the chicken.  I'm a true red-meat eater, but I've cut back on it for my health.  However, it was a special occasion, so...  Boy, was I stuffed.

We then met up with Chris and Orlie for the show, which was fun and amazing.  If we had to give it a review, Manny liked the second half more than the first half, and I felt it to be somewhat uneven overall but truly spectacular at the good parts.  The show included some popping, locking, and breaking scattered throughout, which I enjoyed watching, as well as elaborate costumes, some of which were rigged with light displays.  There are a few dancers in the show whom I've seen in dance videos, and it was interesting to see them side by side with some of the world's best acrobats.  I could have done without the person in the Bubbles suit or the giant glove, but the performers who played those parts did a very good job.  You truly have to contort your body to make a peace sign inside a glove.  A fun night overall, and I'm so thankful for a romantic husband and for friends like B & O, who were willing to watch our energetic kids into the late night.  I wouldn't mind checking out a different Cirque show sometime--I hear they're all unique.

Menu.

The venue.

Us.

Chris and Orlie.

like arrows, like a warrior:

"Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth" -- Psalm 127:4

On Saturday, a friend invited me to her homeschool group's breakfast and seminar with a seasoned mother/grandmother (that sounds funny after watching a cooking show).  Her talk revolved around the verse above, and the notes are on our school blog.  It's a great image of how our children are like arrows going toward the target, and we are like the warriors, who need calmness, stillness, and confidence (laying aside fear!) to aim and shoot the arrows.  We have slightly different convictions when it comes to certain educational topics, but I've learned from Manny over the years not to dwell on the differences or take them as a personal barrier, but to just be challenged and know better where we stand on various topics.  I appreciate everything I've learned from her over the years.

I then shopped for food, cleaned, and watched the exciting end of the 49ers-Saints game before preparing for our biggest date night ever (next post). My friend, a former teacher, sent me this humorous take on the misconceptions and realities of homeschooling:

chore planning:

I downloaded this Motivated Moms Chore Planner for $7.  After going through several different charts or methods for cleaning over the years, this turned out to be "the one" for me.  This one has upstairs and downstairs in the plan and addresses many chores pretty much the way I do them.  So no major learning curve or new habits.  It also gets down to the nitty gritty, has a bible reading plan, and schedules in time for pampering myself, something I never really did until I didn't have time to do it anymore.  Manny asks for a hard stop on my cleaning at 10 pm, but I'm still getting so much more done now than before.  I have a better plan of attack, and checking off a list afterward gives me a great sense of accomplishment.  I used to look around and spend a long time figuring out where to start and where to finish, and now I have it right in front of me.  It's only been a couple weeks since I began using the planner, and I see a tremendous difference already, even in my attitude (which is the most important thing).  Also, the timing is right, as the kids are a bit older now.  They can even help a little bit.  While raising them still takes up most of my time, I am able to get a little more done than before.  Last year was about simplifying our lives, and this year, I want to get more focused on the right things.

Try to give people with small kids/babies a break if their houses aren't up to par.  Remember we have to spend most of the day carrying, feeding, nursing, diapering, calming, lulling, dressing, washing, etc.--all things that require us to sit or use our time or hands, and for many of us, it's pretty much around the clock.  There isn't much left for household chores.  And we still do what we can.  Even though I felt like I was judged unfairly at times, I realize there isn't any way you can explain to someone what it's like to not sleep more than a couple of hours a night almost every night for over a year (and then inconsistently for many more years) with constant pain from medical complications.  Or what it's like to have an infant or toddler like Naomi.  :)  Now that things are different, I can reflect on what I've learned from my/our trials, and I always come out of with greater appreciation for God, the life He gives me, and the people He puts in it.  God alone knows what's in your heart and whether or not you've been faithful and done a good job.

sweet potato minestrone recipe:

Good and good for you.  My friend Frieda gave me this recipe years ago, and it's a great soup.  We omit the onions and double the carrots and celery.  Our local supermarket now carries organic versions of all the ingredients except the sausage, even the northern beans.  Half this recipe is enough for the four of us.  If you're concerned about the BPA in the diced tomato cans, you could probably use four cups of diced fresh tomatoes and a little tomato juice.

7 links Aidell's turkey or chicken sausage (she uses turkey with sun-dried tomato, and I use chicken and apple)
4 cups sweet potato, diced
2 cups diced carrots (we double this)
2 cups diced onion (we omit this)
1 1/2 cups diced celery (we double this)
4 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans northern beans
1 Tbs oregano
1 tsp black pepper
6 cups water
4 cups chopped fresh spinach or kale (we use kale; the kids don't like spinach as much)

Slice sausage 1/4 inch thick and saute in large stock pot.  Add onions, carrots, celery, and cook to soften.  Add water, tomatoes, oregano, pepper and cook about 20 minutes over medium-high heat (I bring it to a boil first, because our electric range switches on and off to maintain a temperature).  Add sweet potato, and cook 20 minutes more.  Add beans and cook 5-10 more minutes.  They're already cooked, so they don't need that much time.  Add spinach before serving.  (I add kale about 5 minutes after the beans).

sad bowl of fiesta:

Well, the Fiesta Bowl came and went.  It had all the makings of an exciting game--all the touchdowns answered, Luck completing many difficult passes, and a chance to close it in the final minutes in the Cardinal's favor...but it wasn't to be.  That poor guy (Williamson).  He missed both kicks that would've won the game for the team.  He was a freshman who was injured during the season.  Too little experience for that amount of pressure, perhaps?  I think the coach should've given the ball to Luck at the end rather than do the conservative or even wise thing.  What did he have to lose?  That would've been Luck's last great college play.  And I thought it was OSU that called the timeout when he was about to kick, but it was Stanford!  That just added to it.  Oh well, like Manny says, it's just a game, but you can't help wanting things to turn out different for the team for which you've been rooting.

Chris came over to watch the game, and I made tri-tip, a spinach salad with golden raisins and candied walnuts, asparagus in oyster sauce, rice pilaf, and an apple strudel with vanilla-caramel ice cream.  I was inspired by my in-laws, who are fantastic cooks.  We had leftover chicken meatballs with rotini pasta as well--why not, Chris doesn't mind.  :)

Apple strudel from scratch (and Pepperidge Farms puff pastry).  Naomi brushed on the egg wash.

Dinner!  I still do not have matching serving dishes/bowls, but I'm still okay with that.

In the other photo, Lucas and Chris have weird faces, but in this one it's Manny and Naomi with the grimaces.  Sorry, Manny, had to go with this one.

Naomi playing Scrabble with Uncle Chris.

new year's:

Our church small group got together for New Year's Eve, and we were there till about 11pm, but didn't make it to the countdown.  All the kids played and ate peacefully almost the entire time (of course, this happened when we weren't actually doing a study).  After we got home, Naomi and Lucas were about to fall asleep when the fireworks went off, so they were up later than anticipated.  Lucas was up till 2:30 a.m.  Our church service wasn't till 11 a.m., though, so we still made it.

Our pastor talked about the Magi, known to many as the three kings of orient or three wise men.  As a matter of fact, today is El Día de los Tres Reyes Magos.  The fact is, they were astrologists (perhaps not in the modern sense), not of the chosen people.  They were not necessarily three in number (there were three gifts, but not necessarily one bearer corresponding to each; in later tradition, they were cited as three known kings, but this is not explicitly stated in Scripture).  They were not at the manger as depicted in many nativity scenes, but came a while later to the house where Jesus was. The latter part isn't the major issue, but more the magi's response to finding out that a king was born.  God used the faith and expectation of these unexpected individuals.  How much more should our response be in faith and expectation toward Christ?  And he can use any one of us, whatever type of person we are.  It's interesting because Manny was just mentioning some of these things about the magi while we were on the road.

This New Year's Day felt different than any I could recall.  I already feel like 2012 is so different, and there's much more to come.  In terms of the Chinese calendar, this "Year of the Dragon" (my sign) is considered an unlucky year for me unless I wear red underwear all year long (no kidding).  I'll take my chances.  So far, I'm loving 2012 and loving all the positive changes even in the first five days of the year.  I do have resolutions, or goals, which I don't usually post on the blog, but I was 7 for 7 last year, and hope to accomplish the same this year.  Overall, I think we simplified our life more last year, and I'm ready to focus more this year while still broadening my horizons.  Vague, but I'll record it as it unfolds as always (for posterity; apologize for boring the reader at times).  I want to be more "available" for my calling, His leading.  I am looking forward to seeing things with a new attitude, because circumstances will always be full of ups and downs, but our outlook is what gives it its final color.

Best wishes to y'all for 2012!

Kids at New Year's Eve.

last days and social graces:

Closing out our trip and the last few days of 2011, we mostly relaxed at Grandma's house.  Naomi recovered from her stomach bug while we watched a couple rented movies at home on one day, and then we went out to eat and bought a fish for the pond.  Naomi wanted the super expensive one, but that wasn't going to happen.  She named the fish they bought, "Ugly Fish," but when we got back, she got to see how pretty it looked in the sunlight and admitted she was wrong.  I told her how it was like the ugly duckling--sometimes we just judge by our standards and miss someone's real beauty.

We saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Colombiana.  One common theme between the two is that abandonment and loneliness can drive one to turn toward harming others to carry out what he/she believes is just.  It's bitterness masked as justice.  Really struck a chord with me.  I seem to go between extremes when watching films, either forgetting just about everything or thinking about it too much, so it probably works out that I can't watch them often.  I remember how much I annoyed my roommate in college trying to analyze every detail of 12 Monkeys.  I'm so glad she told me how irritated she was, because I didn't even know how I sounded.  Sometimes people have to do me that favor, because I'm still maturing socially.  I spent most of my childhood without any friends and being distant from my family, so even if it's not an excuse, it's a reason for my social challenges.  In my heart I have so much love for people, but I guess I have a funny way of showing it.  It's usually when I try to please everyone that I fail at pleasing anyone, as the adage goes.  And when I'm hurt by others, I tend toward fight instead of flight, as that's how I protected myself through a childhood plagued with bullying.  Manny tells me I can seem intimidating to others.  It's funny how the most intimidating people are probably the most fragile inside.

As an example, I didn't realize at first that it was rude for me to just take off with Lucas to see my parents.  I admit I was bothered that we weren't able to see them again after Christmas, but I didn't decide to go out of vengeance or anything close.  When everyone else seemed occupied, Lucas said he wanted to play catch with my dad again, and my mom really needed my help with more tech issues, so I just went.  My mom also wanted to speak with me privately.  I thought, "Hey, everyone's doing something that makes them happy, so I will, too, and everybody wins!  I'll be back before dinner and no one will miss me.  I'm so proud for finding a great solution rather than continuing to be part of the problem!"  But Manny reminded me that people will perceive it as me leaving in a huff.  Growing up, I often just came and went as I pleased, and my parents didn't mind that at all, so I guess I had a lesson to learn there.  That's why it's so amazing to me how much some of my friends have continued to love me and be there for me.  Same with Manny.  He has the most to deal with, I'm sure.  

Sometimes I want others not to be so quick to judge me on one thing, to know that I'm not one-dimensional.  And I have to remember that with my own children.  I don't ever want to label them, stifle them, or cause them to stumble.  I already have made those mistakes as a parent, but I pray that they see God working in my heart, and that my love, God's love, will cover a multitude of sins.  God keeps me going, because He knows everything about me and still wants to use my life to bless others.  He isn't cruel or critical about my shortcomings, but He shows me how weaknesses can be turned to strengths, how every single thing that has happened in my life, no matter how awful, has been for good.  He's always faithful even when I'm not.  It's hard when people think they have you all figured out based on how you look and their interpretation of something you said, but I know it's the way life is.  I know I've done it, too.  But God looks at the heart, and I'm thankful for that.  I've nothing to hide from Him and everything to learn from Him.

Naomi feeding Lucas some jello.

Lucas checking out all the fish.

Grandfather-grandson pillow fight.  :)  My father wasn't like this when I was a kid, and I just love seeing these moments now.

catching up with friends and each other:

The day after Christmas, Manny and I went to meet up with a couple friends.  Naomi had a stomach bug for a couple days, but the grandparents took very good care of her.  I am so very thankful for them.  It worked out that we hadn't planned on bringing the kids along, or it might have been quite a rough day on the road.

We saw R for the first time in several years at a pho place.  We used to get together each Thanksgiving before we had kids.  Then he started traveling during Christmas so we wouldn't see him then either.  He's getting married in a few days to a lady with the same name as his sister-in-law, so that's going to be interesting for the family.

We then went to the Huntington Library by ourselves to tour the botanical gardens.  It was beautiful there.  The only time I was ever close to seeing it was when my dad drove us up my freshman year in college.  Unfortunately, we happened to go on the day it was closed (Tuesday, I think).  Too bad!  I guess back then it wasn't so easy to get on the internet and check these things.

Most photos I've ever seen have been of the Japanese garden, which was closed for renovation.  There were also many piles of debris due to recent windstorms.  The place still looked amazing, plus I liked my company.  :)  While we were out alone, there wasn't any tension, distraction, or stress between us.  It's definitely harder to communicate with active children in tow, so we took advantage of both the peace and quiet and focused conversations.  We sat down on one of the benches with the sunlight peeking through an opening in the leaves, and I knew that moment would be ingrained in my memory, just as when we'd sat down on a bench together in college, on our honeymoon, in Paris...  I think for me I need these dates as a reminder of things I know about my husband, about our marriage, things that get lost in the daily shuffle of work and family.  This year, I really want to argue less and have more peace.  I guess in some ways it starts with me, but it has to be a team effort.

Afterwards, we went to a happy hour at Roy's with two other couples, who know me but not each other (or at least two of them knew of each other, but never really had a chance to talk much when we were in school).  It turns out they have a lot of unique things in common.  We took advantage of the $5 appetizer plates at the Hawaiian fusion restaurant, and everything was good.

I miss my old friends so much sometimes.  They are like family to me, maybe because they accept me as I am, and I feel most comfortable around them.  I wish we could have squeezed more visits in, but it's hard to coordinate and see everyone.  It gets even harder as all of us start moving away or having family obligations and whatnot, but I'm glad we're able to see each other even every once in a long while.

At Pho Superbowl with R.

Chinese tea gardens.

Would love to return in the spring, but winter has its own charm.

In the conservatory.

Walking through the desert gardens.

Relaxing on a bench.  Just me and Manny.  I'm sometimes surprised by how much I've aged, but I'm glad to be growing old with Manny.

Rose garden temple of love, sparse but mysterious in the winter.

With M, T, Larissa and Baldwin at Roy's.  Six-foot tall Asians--it happens.