The New Normal...For Now

Who ever thought that one day our country would be in the state as it is now? Social distancing is becoming our new "normal," and I think all it's doing is making me lazy! Seriously, sleeping in, baking, and eating all hours of the day is becoming a habit that is going to be hard to break! I need to get a grip...for real!

My kids just got back into a "new" school routine where all their classes are done online, and now they have the option to do the work or not (depending on their current grades before the shelter in place). They have Zoom meetings with their teachers/classes, and yet are pretty much left on their own. Thank goodness my kids are on top of their schoolwork because my homeshcooling days are long gone lol!

With all that said, my husband is home, but technically still working. We are so thankful for that. It's funny because I'm used to him being home early anyway (well earlier than most people), so him being home with us feels NORMAL.

Most days, we talk about how much we miss our grandbabies. Yes, that's right. We are officially grandparents now to a toddler and an almost one year old. Naturally, we think they're the cutest things that ever graced this earth! But, they truly are! We only wish they lived closer to us, but I can't complain because it's not like they live in another state.

Overall, I have nothing to complain about, and everything to be thankful for. My family is healthy, we are together, and I will embrace our new "normal."

Going Away Dinner

Before we moved, my sister in-law wanted to take us out to dinner. So, here we all are, at one of our favorite restaurants, Macaroni Grill. This is actually one of my favorite pictures. I have this framed, and have it sitting on top of my fireplace mantle.

It's Been A Year Since My Last Entry

I'm sure I'm not the only person who stopped blogging once Photobucket wanted a ridiculous $400 a year to use their site for third party hosting! I figured this was my end to blogging, but I was more disappointed that I couldn't go back to my blog to see the pictures I had up with my posts. I so happened to look up my blog the other day, and low and behold, I saw that my pictures were all back up! What????? I guess there were tons of complaints to Photobucket and now they have a new subscription plan that is more budget friendly! Yay!!

So, with that said, I don't even know where to begin. I'll just start with the biggest news first, and then just start from the oldest to the more recent happenings!

Last August, our family moved from the place we called home for 16 years! This is where our kids grew up, made friends, went to school, etc. Not only them, but my husband and I had our closest friends there too. Plus, we would be moving away (an hour distance) from our eldest daughter.

It was a big transition, but we can see how God had our best interest at heart. We not only moved to our dream home, but our kids have been excelling above and beyond. They have made new friends, been active in school, and have participated in many things! I'm still a stay at home mom, and my husband is pretty much home the same time as he was before. So, it all worked out, and we are all happy!

Here's a little glimpse of our home. We had little things done to it, but it was pretty much turnkey. The biggest update was the landscaping. We had new grass put in the front and the side yard. It looks so green and lush out there!!!

I've also been on a decorating high, so I'll show more pictures later, and share where I get all my inspiration from.

But, it feels good to "be back" and share what our family has been up to!!

Walker Stalker Con

Once again, Walker Stalker Con was in town, so being that we are Walking Dead fans, we knew we were going to see them again!

Naturally, we all have our favorite characters (past & present), but for this season (call me crazy), I totally cannot dislike Jeffrey D. Morgan's character, "Negan." I think I liked him too much on Grey's Anatomy and The Good Wife to see him as this evil bad guy!

When I saw he was on the lineup at Walker Stalker Con, I knew that if I was going to pay for any picture with a celebrity, it would be HIM!

Unfortunately, that didn't happen. My sis in-law actually surprised me by buying me a voucher to take a picture with him, but we waited in the wrong area and missed him!!! I was bummed inside, but they said we could take a picture with the cast from Boondock Saints. And you know who is a part of that? Norman Reedus who plays "Daryl!"

So here we all are! I literally rushed to stand by him in the pic! My daughter was thrilled because he hugged her!! You can say I was a little star struck!

And here's a little grid of some of the other actors we were able to talk to! They are all so down to earth!!

Fantastic Voyage

One of our favorite concert venues is Yoshi's in Oakland. When I saw that Lakeside was performing, I knew I had to get tickets!!

The House Of Prime Rib

My brother in-law and his buddy were in town for the Giants game, and by a very rare chance, they were able to make last minute reservations at The House of Prime Rib! My brother in-law has never been there, so we were all excited to see his reaction!! We love this place!!

 

 

Last Day of Spring Break

On the last day of our kids spring break, we decided to take the kids to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant in the city, and then to Mount Davidson for a little sightseeing! 

My husband and I went there a few months ago, and it's just gorgeous! The trail is easy, it's green everywhere, and on a clear day, you can see the bay bridge! 

There was a scene from Dirty Harry filmed at this cross.

 

Of course, we had to take a picture in front of it! 

So green!!

 

That view!

 

My boys ready to shoot more footage!

More selies!

 

Another one...

And one more!

Old Friends Getting Together In Memory of A Friend!

A few weeks ago, we got the heartbreaking news that a friend from back in the day had passed away. We all lost touch with this person many years ago, and we all wish we knew he was sick because I know we would have found a way to get in touch with him. So, we all decided to get together in memory of him. It was amazing to catch up with all these people I haven't seen in years. Of course, we see each other on Facebook, but not the same as interacting in "real life." The blessing was that his sister was there to meet all of us, and hear all these great stories we had with her brother!! 

The token group picture!!!

We went back to our friends house for dessert, coffee, & karaoke!

I was super stoked to see my long time friend!!!!!!!!!!!

My sis, Lisa (her house) and me!
 

Weren't We Just Here?

 Here we go/went again!

Back at the city this past weekend, and it was a really great getaway! This time we were celebrating my husbands birthday in advance!

Since we go so often, we try to change it up. I look on Yelp and try to find restaurants that we've never been to before, and we like to add in a new activity. This time, we decided to see a comedy act, and I'm so glad we did. The guy was hilarious!! Totally worth it!

For our early dinner, we ate a E Tutto Qua. It won an award for the best pasta in San Francisco! Everything was delicious and homemade, from the bread to the dessert! My husband said this is now our "go to" place! Not only that, the service was amazing!!!

 

We started off with their Roman style pizza! This was their Pizza Classica. Prosciutto, arugula, fresh mozzarella, and tomoato sauce.

 

My husband had their signature dish, Paccheri Golosi. Large tube past with prosciutto, porcini mushrooms, and truffle oil in a cream sauce.

 

I had their Fettucine al Salmone. Flat house-made noodles with asparagus and smoked salmon in a cream sauce. Sooo good!

 

For dessert, I had to try the Souffle al Cioccolato. 

My husband had the Panna Cotta

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel with minutes to spare before our walk to the comedy club. It felt good to walk after that meal!!

 

For breakfast, we headed over to Little Skillet. Love.That.Place!!!

And, lastly, another token picture!

Sis Back In Town

Whenever my sister and her family are visiting, time just goes too fast. They have to split their time with our family here, and with her in-laws in SoCal. So, the time we do have with them is even more sentimental.

Bay With Bae

My husband and I just can't have enough "baycations." I'm thankful and blessed that we still do enjoy each others company, and purposely plan these times together.

Again, our "go to" place seems to be San Francisco. Considering he's there everyday, he never gets tired of it. Either do I, honestly. I used to go there a lot with our parents when we were kids, so that probably has something to do with it, too.

We normally don't do the touristy thing, but once in a while I like to check out some of the more popular places to visit.

Since the weather was gorgeous, I wanted to go to the Ferry Building. It's right on the Embarcadero and they have shops and little restaurants you can eat at. You can't beat the view, either. You have the Bay Bridge right there, and also a Farmers Market if you get there early enough.

Since we were going to have a big dinner, we decided to have a light lunch and share a sandwich from Boudin. So good!! The turkey cranberry is the best!

 

After we were done eating, we walked across the street to the Ferry Building. 

The Bay Bridge

I had to try the empandas from here! They were so delicious!

The view from our room. 

We freshened up and headed out to an Italian Restaurant that we were trying out for the first time.

Risotto ai Frutti di Mare

Tagliatelle alla Bolognese

Never skip dessert!

Cannoli


Lemon Sorbet

Another Date Night

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I were on our way to the city (again) for an awards ceremony. We were so late! The traffic that night was crazy, and of course, there was no parking close to the hotel. So, what did we do? We decided to just skip it and head to dinner somewhere else. My husband has his favorite Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco, so that's where we went! I'm glad we did because what I ordered was delicious!!

All dressed up and ready to go!

This was the bomb! Shaken beef (filet mignon) served with garlic noodle.

Korean style short ribs. Yum!

Lunch With Mama

My mom loves it when she gets to spend time with her grandkids. She especially loves going out to eat with them! Since my other kids had plans already, I took her to lunch with the two youngest. She wanted Red Lobster, so that's where we took her. Back in the day (years ago), my husband and I used to eat here all the time when we were dating. And after all these years, I still order the same thing. Crab Alfredo!

Mom and I!

I'm not sure when they started adding fried veggies with the fried calamari?

Mom shrimp platter. Shrimp alfredo, garlic shrimp, and friend shrimp. My son ordered the same thing.  

My daughter ordered the same thing as me. She didn't care for it though.

The "babies" of the family.