On Saturday afternoon, Kristen and Scott hosted a BBQ at their house in La Jolla, and by BBQ, I mean they brought in some authentic Kansas City ribs, chicken and brisket. They overestimated how much Steve and Chris would put away. We had the whole gang there, including Joanne, Andy and their two boys (their daughter had a sleepover), who came down from Irvine. This was the first time this whole group was together since our wedding.
Kristen and Scott's backyard is full of fun activities for the kids. We took advantage of the cooler weather and their new fire pit to make some smores. Before we left, the girls broke into the costumes, which made it difficult to pry "Princess Olivia" from the action. Princess - uh oh...
Thanks to Kristen and Scott for hosting all of us.
The purpose of our trip to Southern California was to meet up with our friends from West Bloomfield. On Thursday night after the zoo, all the families got together for dinner at Sammy's Woodfired Pizza in La Jolla. Chris arranged a private room for our group.
We all started Doherty Elementary Kindergarten together in 1975 - 35 years of friendship! I know Chris and Nick were in AM Kindergarten with me and I'm pretty sure Steve and Scott were in PM Kindergarten. How far we've all come. To prove the point, Chris gave a beautiful toast, in contrast to the infamous 6th grade "Lincoln speech" we all recalled.
Steve and Vickie capped off the occasion with Alan Trammell autographed baseballs for all of us. Very cool.
We ended the evening by taking over a local yogurt shop down the street. All of the kids and adults had a wonderful evening together.
Grace was working again on Tuesday. I felt guilty leaving Lucas at home all day on Monday, so I decided I would try to entertain both kids all day. First, I needed to get some coffee and snacks for them. I thought I would try to find something civilized on or around Montana in Santa Monica. By the time I rolled up to Caffe Luxxe, Lucas had fallen asleep. I parked in front and Olivia and I scouted it out. It didn't really look stroller-friendly, so we left. I drove a round a bit, contemplating Starbucks when I realized the only practical option was drive-thru. I searched for the nearest McDonald's, feeling defeated.
I headed over to the only park to which I've been in LA, which is near where Mallika and Sumant (used to) live. On the way over I gave her a call and found out they had moved a month prior. We still went to the park for a bit and afterwards, we went over to Mallika and Sumant's new home in Santa Monica. It's stunning. Sumant's parents had just arrived from India, so the whole family was home and Mallika was kind enough to invite us for lunch. Lucas made fast friends with Yoda, their new dog, and both Olivia and Lucas had a great time playing with Tara and Leela. It was great to catch up with my old friends.
Afterwards, I went back to the same park to meet up with a friend from home, Joanne, and her beautiful daughter, Evy. We determined that we were in 2nd grade together, so we go way back. It was amazing to catch up on the 20+ years since high school. We're determined to get both families together next time!
Oh, I forgot to mention that I needed more snacks for the kids, so of course I went back to the same McDonald's drive-thru. Am I out of the running for parent-of-the-year?
December 2009
Burlingame, CA & West Bloomfield, MI
Sunday, December 27, 2009 - Saturday, January 2, 2010
West Bloomfield, MI & Burlingame, CA
Sunday, December 20, 2009 - Saturday, December 26, 2009
Burlingame, CA & West Bloomfield, MI
I'll have to figure out how to capitalize on this inclination. We're not afraid of winter...
Despite pleading for no gifts, everyone pretty much ignored us and got Olivia something lovely for her birthday. She was so excited by her wonderful presents, I think she forgot that Christmas had just passed. Thanks to everyone for their thoughtfulness.
Grace's parents came to Michigan from LA on Tuesday so mom had them and Grace's Ann Arbor Hur aunts and uncles over for dinner. Olivia had three helpings - all of them dessert. Lucas was his cheerful self - guess we know who he might be taking after...
Happy Birthday, Dad!
On Monday, December 28th, we celebrated my dad's birthday at lunch at J. Alexander. Post-quadruple-bypass, all he wants on his b-day is a bacon cheeseburger. All the food was great and dad seemed to enjoy his gifts, which at this age are generally subtle hints by us to improve his wardrobe.
Mom's hosting a dinner party with Grace's family today.
We tried to get all of the Nam families and Paul's family together over the holidays, but sadly failed. Growing up, they were all our family during the holidays and all the kids (except David) were in Michigan. On Sunday, December 27th, Olivia and I met Grace, Jim and their daughter, Esul, at the West Bloomfield Public Library. The library I remember was "new" as I remembered it from 15 years ago, but the new new library that stands in its place is pretty amazing.
Coincidentally, I ran into Jen Haber Fishkind, which was nice as we've reconnected on FB.
Initially, Olivia did request some books to be read to her, but Esul discovered a kitchen. There's nothing Olivia loves more than keeping busy in the kitchen, real or play. They occupied themselves in there for almost 2 hours while Grace, Jim and I were able to catch up.
Olivia and I stopped for a treat before heading home. I still love home.
The cool kids from West Bloomfield High School Class of 1988 met up at Dick O'Dow's in Birmingham on Saturday night. I saw Jen and Jodi recently in SF - they came out with their husbands. Randy, Jeff, Ross and Marty showed up to meet me and Nick. Jerry was in town from Florida and came out, too. Excellent to see everyone. Thanks to Randy for organizing.
We flew to Detroit on December 22nd. Northwest graced us with their new pleather seating, which came in handy when Olivia spilled her drink on her seat. We had to change underwear and pants before we pushed back. Lucas was a little ornery, but managed to nap for a bit. Olivia on the other hand did not sleep a wink. I was excited to learn that Northwest also added Fresca to their beverage assortment. I was only able to enjoy my Fresca over crushed ice for a few moments when Olivia spilled most of it on my lap. I, however, did not have a change of clothing on me.
Santa went a little overboard with the kids this year. Thanks to all of our generous family for the thoughtful gifts. We're going to have to leave a lot of all these fun toys here at Grandma and Grandpa's house.
Merry Christmas!
February, 2009. Still catching up...
We visited Michigan to celebrate Lucas' baek-il back in February. I forgot to post the rest of the pictures.
West Bloomfield, MI & Burlingame, CA
Burlingame, CA & West Bloomfield, MI
Melanie & Nick's House, Birmingham, MI
West Bloomfield, Birmingham & Troy, MI
The Lee's House, West Bloomfield, MI
Whistler and Vancouver, BC
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