Category Archives: travel

2011 Winter Holiday Recap

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We enjoyed 12 wonderful days in So Cal for the holidays.  We spent a lot of time with family and friends, and Baby E had a fabulous first Christmas.

Here’s a quick rundown of the events:

Wednesday, 12/14 – arrived into LAX
Friday, 12/16 – lunch at Chick-fil-A (Cerritos), shopping, dinner at Islands (West LA) with Hubby’s old co-workers
Saturday, 12/17 – dim sum with my grandma at King Hua (Alhambra), shopping in Old Town Pasadena, dinner at my boss’ house
Sunday, 12/18 – dim sum with Hubby’s friends at 888 Seafood Restaurant (Rosemead), dinner with my family at Stonehill Tavern (Dana Point), stayed the night at the St. Regis Monarch Beach
Monday, 12/19 – dinner at El Pollo Inka (Torrance) for Hubby’s birthday, visited Hubby’s grandma and cousins
Tuesday, 12/20 – lunch with the SAGs
Wednesday, 12/21 – dinner at Din Tai Fung (Arcadia) with my grandma and Arizona relatives and then Elfster exchange with them
Thursday, 12/22 – dinner with the family friends at my parents’ house
Friday, 12/23 – hung out with my in-laws and stayed at their place
Saturday, 12/24 – Christmas Eve with my in-laws
Sunday, 12/25 – Christmas Day with my family
Monday, 12/26 – lunch with the SAGs at BJ’s (Downey), headed back to SJC

For events that I have pictures, they will get their own posts.  So stay tuned for the fun.

So Cal Visit

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Sorry for the poor picture quality of this post, but all photos were taken with the camera on my phone.

Hubby had to travel for work, so I decided to take baby E down to So Cal.  It worked out well because it gave baby E a few more days to be around my mom, who would be babysitting her soon.

We flew down on Tuesday, November 29, 2011.  I snapped a couple pictures of Baby E in a seat before takeoff.  I sat next to the window and placed her in the middle seat.  The gentleman who later took the aisle seat was really happy that I left her in the middle during the boarding process because no one ended up sitting between us.

Grandpa W and Grandma A were happy to spend the time with Baby E.

My Uncle T and Auntie H happened to be in town as well, so we were able to have dinner together at King Hua Restaurant (Alhambra) on Thursday, December 1.  Baby E wore one of the many outfits they generously gifted her.

On the morning of Friday, December 2, Baby E, my mom and I all flew back to Nor Cal.  My mom came to babysit, so that Hubby and I could go to his holiday Christmas Party over the weekend.  We are so thankful that she was able to do this for us.

Weekend Getaway: Monterey

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While Hubby’s family was in town for the Thanksgiving holiday, we decided it would be the perfect opportunity to visit Monterey.  I really wanted to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium again and figured it would be a kid-friendly activity.

Day 1: To avoid holiday traffic, we drove down on Friday morning and arrived in Monterey around lunch time.  First stop, Kocomo’s at Fisherman’s Wharf for clam chowder.  It was so creamy and tasty.  Mmmmmm…just thinking about it makes me want a bowl right now.  We ordered the bowl and asked for a side of bread instead of ordering the bread bowl. The reviews I read said that they served the same clam chowder as Old Fisherman’s Grotto, but at a cheaper price.  We saw a sign later that said that there are four restaurants in the area that serve the same award winning clam chowder. We also ordered a shrimp cocktail, but was disappointed that it was not big shrimp.

The place is really small, but we were lucky enough to get the table in the far back that overlooks the water.  Pelicans were hanging out on the ledge right outside the window.

With full bellies, we made our way over to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.


at the entrance


penguins, fish, crabs, sea anemone


jellies

After the aquarium, we walked over to Cannery Row to find some dinner. There was a huge crowd for the lighting of the Christmas tree.  We enjoyed a lovely dinner at The Fish Hopper.  Hubby ordered the Crab Ravioli with Prawns and Scallops (served in a Lobster Cream Sauce with Baby Spinach and Garlic Bread) and I had the Crab Cakes (served with Mango Chili Sauce and Red Pepper Aioli) and a small Caesar Salad.

It was a long day, and we were all tired. So, we checked-in at the Courtyard Salinas Monterey.  We hung out in their room for a bit taking some photos.


cousins

Day 2: After a good night’s rest, we walked across the street for breakfast at IHOP. On the way home, we stopped at the GIlroy Premium Outlets for a couple of hours.  We picked up a new suitcase for all of baby E’s stuff when we travel.

It was a wonderful getaway full of memories.

Highlights: Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, Gilroy Premium Outlets
Food: Kocomo’s, The Fish Hopper, IHOP
Lodging: Courtyard Salinas Monterey