Grandpa's 90th Birthday!

Back in August, I organized a family event to celebrate my Grandpa's 90th birthday! Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins flew from various states across America in honor of my Grandpa's celebration. It was so satisfying to see the huge smile on his face when he realized that this party was for him and to see all this children (He has a total of 8!) together again under one roof! He was constantly smiling and laughing all day, which definitely meant the world to my mom, who primarily takes care of him daily. It is a tough job, but my mom is a very strong woman (cancer survivor!) and she seems to be the only one that can truly care for my Grandpa. He's the kind of man to sneak in a mini bottle or two of Johnny Walker to any event and will readily share his party favors with you! I am so lucky to have this man in my life, at a time when my own father disappeared from my life. Happiest of birthdays to my amazing Grandpa and hope you have a happy, healthy year with many more to come!

Newburyport, MA.

Newburyport, MA wins hands-down for the award for cutest town around. The entire downtown was decorated with pumpkins, flowers, scarecrows, bales of hay, and banners in preparation for October 31st festivities. I felt like I was in the middle of the 1998 Disney Channel movie, "Halloweentown". We stayed at the Essex Inn, a charming, historic Inn nestled on a tree-lined street in the heart of downtown where we could walk to various little shops and restaurants along High Street. Unfortunately due to all the wedding activities planned for us, we went from event to event with little free time in-between. Z and I had a couple hours or so to explore the town before a cocktail event and we managed to find a little shop with the tastiest bagels ever! Zane got a breakfast sandwich and I ordered a Lox bagel. We are definitely missing out on good bagels here in San Francisco. After breakfast, we wandered down over to the Merrimack River and took in the sights. (I kept humming the Dawson's creek theme...Sorry Z!) I'd love to come back and visit again and make time to visit the near-by Plum Island--known for its wild beach-plum shrubs growing on its dunes. Here's to that great New England charm!

Free Beer For All!

Last week, Z and I took the red-eye flight out to Boston, Massachusetts for his cousin's wedding. Most of Z's family lives on the East Coast, so it was lovely to see everyone since the last time I saw them all was a couple of years ago.  We arrived at around 7:45am and then we headed towards Jamaica Plain--a historic neighborhood in Boston founded by Puritans seeking farmland to the South. This area is rich in history (like all parts of Massachusetts, of course) and I fell in love with a myriad of old brick buildings and trees dripping in fall foliage.  After not getting much sleep earlier in the week due to midterm season at school, we thought that we might as well stay up as to adjust to the time difference sooner. We decided to check out the Samuel Adams Brewery. We are not huge fans of the beer and will not usually order the beer in a bar setting, but hey! The brewery was down the street, walkable, offered free brewery tours, and beers at the end. You can't really complain about that!

I am completely fascinated with the brewing process--one of my favorite experiments in Organic Chemistry during my undergrad was brewing beer that we were able to taste test at home. I learned some good facts to use in case of Trivia Pursuit/Jeopardy need regarding the differences between manufacturing different beer types, and then was able to sample the different seasonal beers on tap.  Now for the touristy photos of Z being awkward in front of various beer-tour props and signage that serve as evidence of our adventure:

After drinking beers in the early morning/afternoon, we then drove down to the little town of Newburyport to get ready for the wedding rehearsal dinner and cocktail hour. This vacation was definitely a whirlwind of non-stop activities. Stay tuned for more!

Summer Fun!

 

I know that summer is already over, but here are some highlights of the past couple of months. I went down to SoCal to visit my dear old friend from high school that is currently pregnant and awaiting the arrival of her first baby. It was lovely to see old friends and reminisce about high school/college years.  Z and I stopped by San Diego and revisited some of our old regular spots and of course--enjoyed one too many burritos. The Mexican food in San Diego is definitely superior to that found in San Francisco. I have searched for taquerias that are similar to the flavors of salsas and meats in San Diego, but my search has been fruitless. If any of you know of delicious places here in the Bay Area, let me know! 

At the beginning of August, my Grandpa celebrated his 88th birthday! All of my aunts and uncles (there are so many of them--total of 8 kids!), came to California and I was lucky to spend time with everyone. We went to Santa Barbara and Solvang (a cute tourist Danish village located on the central coast that my family used to live near and visit quite frequently when I was growing up).

August also was a month of change for me. I chopped off a couple of inches of my hair and joined the long bob club and got fitted for glasses so that I can drive at night. Overall, it was a busy summer and I'm ready for fall to begin even though right  now it decided to become summer in the Bay Area with our warm temperatures. I am sitting here writing this post wearing a dress (with no tights), a light cardigan, and sandals. What the heck! That almost never happens. Gotta get back to letting my pasty legs see some form of sun while it lasts. Toodles!