Happy Almost Easter!!!

Wow, it’s April already?! I know it has been a while since I’ve been on here – but we have somehow consumed our lives with events every single day… in fact, we only had 5 free days in the month of March (yes, Will counted them!). That is why after hosting Easter ‘linner’ (lunch + dinner) this Sunday… we will be going into hibernation mode for the month of April. Hopefully by doing this we will be able to catch up on our sleep, save some money and actually get some more things done around our house (we still haven’t finished our Kitchen ceiling or painted our Master bathroom cabinets)! Also, I’d love to go into my super crafty mode and start making some personalized gifts and sew some new curtains for our house. With my new sewing machine, there is no reason not to get crafty! :)

With that said, here is a rundown of events that have occurred in the last few months…

Super Bowl Sunday – 02/07/10

Up bright and early, I started making all of the tailgate type foods… homemade chili, 7-layer dip, avocado-mango salsa and a German chocolate cake. The Pacheco’s, Kevin, Jon, Maribel and Aldo joined us in watching the game. I love having company over – it’s so wonderful to be in a room filled with great friends! There was plenty of food for everyone to enjoy… plus we had a good set of rivalries for the game! Thanks again for coming! Here are a few pictures from the game:

7-layer dip

Avocado-mango salsa (this recipe is awesome – you can find it here)

Kevin & Will

Will, Jon & I

Maribel & Aldo

Macy & Will – she gave him a star sticker!

Erica’s Birthday Party – 02/12/10

In honor of Erica’s birthday and the opening ceremonies for the Olympics, Jon and Erica had a little get together to celebrate. We were asked to all bring an appetizer. I decided to make these homemade mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce. We had seen them on the Giada de Laurentiis show on The Food Network. They were amazing and so easy to make! Check out the recipe here. Happy Birthday, Erica! Congrats on getting into your #1 choice for Doctorate school! :)

Valentine’s Day – 02/15/10

We decided to pass up the busy ‘reservations only’ day and celebrated the day after. We had dinner at Flemings, one of our favorite fancy restaurants to eat at. The atmosphere is perfect, and the food is always wonderful! It was a perfect evening out. I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

Chris’s Birthday – 02/20/10

We started out the evening meeting Jon and Erica for dinner at Tomatina. It’s always a joy going out to dinner with them. This is another restaurant that never fails us! It’s a great place to grab a quick bite to eat. Later on that evening we met Chris and his friends at Pyramid Brewery in downtown Walnut Creek. We got to see and re-meet his friends again since his last birthday party last year. They are all great people and mostly UC Davis graduates (Chris, I can forgive you though since your girlfriend went to Cal Poly! :P ). We called it a night after a few drinks (root beer for me!). We hope you had a wonderful birthday, Chris! Thanks again for inviting us out!

Elk Grove & Sheldon High School Baseball BBQ Fundraiser – 02/26/10 thru 02/27/10

After work on Friday we drove out to Elk Grove to have some dinner at our favorite cheese steak place in Sacramento. We met my Aunt and Uncle there. They originally showed us the place - it's so yummy! The french fries are even made ready to order!

Here is a picture of our sandwiches! YUM! :)

On Saturday morning we went to visit my Grandma and Grandpa in their assisted living home. They are always so excited when they see us walk through the door.

Later on that evening we went to a BBQ fundraiser for Sheldon High School’s baseball team. My Uncle knows one of kids who are playing – so we decided to go and support them. The food was amazing! We even entered a few raffle prizes and my Uncle won an iShuffle (Will and I didn’t have any luck). The funniest part was that he didn’t even know what that was! hahaha :) Thanks again for treating us and letting us spend the night again! :)

Natalie & Roy’s Baby Shower – 03/07/10

Many weeks in anticipation for Natalie & Roy’s baby shower, Will and I filled tons of trash bins full of yard waste (like 15 trash bins full!). We both worked many weekends in the yard to try to clean it up as much as possible before the big party.

Two co-workers of mine: Meris and Reina helped me host the baby shower (thanks again so much for all of your help!). It was tons of fun. We decided to go with a “green theme” since they are both very eco-friendly. Salads were the main entree and were made by Meris and Reina. I was in charge of appetizers and dessert. All three of us decided on three baby shower games: baby bottle drinking contest filled with sparkling apple cider, baby Pictionary and ‘who can hang the most baby clothes with clothespins on a clothesline, one handed of course’. All gifts were asked by the couple to be handmade. It’s too bad my camera died halfway through the event… I wish I had more pictures to show you.

Fresh fruit platter by me

Cheese and cracker platter by me

Pesto pasta salad with peas and parmesan cheese by Reina

Spinach salad with mushrooms, bacon and pork (on the side) by Meris

Romaine salad with fresh croutons, tomatoes, chicken, red onions and mushrooms by Reina

Vanilla butter cream cupcakes by me

Baby bottle drinking contest

The diaper cake and stuffed Ponyo that I made

Us with the parents to be

Dinner with the Tsui’s and Neilson’s – 03/12/10

We finally nailed a date down to have dinner with some of Will’s co-workers (Kerwin & Jaime) and wives (Lilia & Vera)! We really got to know each other over dinner at their company’s Christmas party last year and have been trying to plan another date to get together since then! Kerwin and Lilia offered to host dinner at their new home in Dublin. They picked up take-out from Frankie Johnnie Luigi Too in Dublin. The food was great! “We” were in charge of dessert – I ended up making an assortment of cookies (oatmeal raisin, white chocolate coconut cranberry and chocolate chip) and lemon bars. After dinner we played poker… it was tons of fun since we had unlimited funds!!! :) I agree with Vera, that’s the best way to play poker! I can’t wait for our next get together!

Avery’s 1^st Birthday Party – 03/13/10

I can’t believe that Avery is already one! She’s such a sweetheart and is already so smart! We celebrated her birthday at the Kearns’ house in Suisun city. It was a beautiful day filled with great friends, family and food. Avery was surrounded by tons of loved ones! They even got a bounce house for her – too bad I was wearing a dress that day… otherwise I would have been in there playing! Thank you to Aileen for preparing all of the great Filipino food! It’s a good thing I don’t live closer… otherwise I might be eating at your house every night! Happy birthday, Avery! Thanks for inviting us to share this special day with you! I hope you love your new toys and clothes!

Avery & I – she immediately let me hold her as soon as I got there! :D

Even though Will says he looks scary in this picture… I love how Avery looks at him – what a sweetheart!

Remember this toy when you were little? Will built one for her! ;) Check out her cute outfit from her Auntie Vanessa!

Opening presents with Grandma Shelli

Will & JT

Jen & I

And this is what happens once everyone has almost left the party – she was pooped!

Joanne’s Birthday Dinner – 03/14/10

Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon by Miss Gwendolyn. Need I say more? She spent 9 hours preparing this dish all for my mother-in-law’s birthday dinner. And it was… (drum roll please) … FABULOUS! This has got to be one of my new favorite dishes!!! Who doesn’t love beef stew?! Thank you again for preparing such a wonderful meal for the family. Everything came out excellent! I on the other hand was only asked to bring some bread and salad. Check it out:

Starting from the top working clockwise: my honey walnut apple gorgonzola salad, beef bourguignon, roasted carrots, and roasted potatoes all by Miss Gwendolyn.

Joanne blowing out her candles on her homemade German chocolate cake by Miss Gwendolyn. She used trick candles, too funny!!! :)

Trip to OC – 03/18/10 thru 03/21/10

Here is a quick glimpse of our weekend in OC:

Thursday

5:05pm – plane arrives in Long Beach (they definitely fill those flights full!)

6:00pm – frozen yogurt at Golden Spoon with the Mistofsky’s in Orange

7:30pm – dinner at BJ’s with the Tarbell’s in Brea (great to see you guy's again - next time we hope to see Caleb, too!)

Friday

8:00am – dentist appointment (thanks Mom for the 8am appointment!)

11:00am – Ann Taylor shopping with my Mom (lasts till 3pm)

3:00pm – Baked a lemon poppy seed cake for my Dad (yum!)

5:00pm – Dad’s birthday dinner at Tokyo Lobby

Saturday

11:00am – movies with my parents (saw Alice in Wonderland - great movie!)

6:00pm – Krissy & Paige arrive (friends from Hawaii)

7:00pm – dinner with family + friends from Hawaii

9:00pm – shopping with friends from Hawaii

Sunday

11:00am – lunch at Rutabegorz with my Mom

1:35pm – flight back to Oakland

Here are a few pictures from this past weekend:

Courtney, Cambria & I – thanks again for meeting up with us for frozen yogurt! It was great to finally see you again (after 10 years) and to meet your husband and daughter! Hopefully the next time we are in town we can get together again!

Lemon poppy seed cake that I made for my Dad for his birthday

Will and I

Some of our Hawaii friends + us at dinner (starting from the top working clockwise: me, Will, Paige, Krissy, Craig and Anjeli)

Visitors in Town – 03/26/10 thru 03/28/10

After a long weekend in OC, my Mom flew into town on Friday night for the weekend to celebrate my Grandpa’s 92^nd birthday. Yes, 92^nd… hopefully we can all live that long!

Saturday morning we headed out to Elk Grove to have lunch at my Grandpa’s favorite Chinese food restaurant, Nathan’s Chinese Cuisine. It was excellent! Thanks again to Kenny & Terry for treating all of us! We had a great time – and it was nice to have everyone at lunch together. Hopefully we will see you soon! Here are some pictures from the birthday lunch:

My Grandpa... doesn't he look happy for being 92 years old? (btw, he's wearing headphones because he is deaf and they help him hear.)

My Grandma and Terry

Marie Calendar’s Banana Cream Pie – it’s his favorite dessert!

On our drive back home we decided to try a new frozen yogurt place in Antioch called Uphoria Yogurt. We sat outside to enjoy the beautiful weather and then headed home. Later that evening we headed to Bart to pick up our family friends, Krissy and Paige. We went out to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes (one of Krissy’s favorite places to eat) and then to get frozen yogurt at Coco Swirl. Yes, we ate frozen yogurt twice in one day – I tell you, I’m addicted!!!

On Sunday afternoon, I headed back to Bart again to pick up my lil sis (from the sorority), Christine and her husband, Noriel. They flew into town for a friend’s wedding. We immediately all went out to lunch at the BJ’s. It’s our favorite restaurant! After lunch, Will dropped my Mom off at the airport, and we headed back to our house. Krissy ended up taking nap, and Christine and Noriel headed out to Sacramento for their wedding. It was great to have our house full of guests. It makes it feels so comfy and cozy. Thanks again for all coming into town! We really had a nice time with you… even though we may have only spent a few hours together!

Well that’s about it!!! I think that was the longest post in a while! I hope you all have a wonderful Easter – we will be hosting it at our house this year and using our China from our wedding registry for the first time! Will and I can’t wait – I’ll be sure to blog this week so you can see all the pictures! Hope you all get to spend it with your family and loved ones. Thanks again for keeping up with our blog! :)