Wow, it’s end of October already! I’m loving the cool weather, although I don’t like the rain.  Mid-October,  I had a quarterly  at my house,  where teams drew categories (appetizer, main dish, dessert) and were given a Safeway gift card and time limit to prepare a dish. I think I’m trying to relive the days when I had cable and watched Top Chef on Bravo. The food came out pretty good, although one guy tried to convince everyone that banana slices on a saltine was an appetizer.  Afterwards, we played card games for gift certificates. 

That evening, I went out to a champagne and caviar bar with my girlfriends.  It was nice to sit outside and talk with such fun and interesting ladies!

Saturday was very busy. I made an  8am dentist appointments for the kids. It was Calie’s first dentist appointment, and she was very cooperative.  No cavities for either kids – whew.  Afterwards, we took Calie to her gymnastics class … and guess what we did after that? Soccer game! (Or as Calie calls it, “soccer bang!”)

Because the team had won 4 out of 5 games, they were moved up a league, from 3 to 2.  The game was much more exciting to watch … Warriors lost, but it would have been a tie had they not scored on themselves (which kind of tells me they should have stayed in league 3, but oh well) J  

At 4pm, James took Zachary to youth basketball orientation. And in the evening … our annual Halloween party!

I made 3 types of pasta and apple cake with cream cheese frosting. I also put out some fruits, vegetables, and snacks. I could not have asked for better weather, and the kids had fun playing soccer or on the play structure.

When it got dark, the kids came in for a craft … little kids used foam stickers to make a card (same foam stickers we’ve used for 3 years … they last forever!) and the older kids made wooden haunted houses with some assistance from parents.

The winners of this year’s costume contest, by popular vote, were Mario (Dylan) and the royal court (Sam, Melissa, Alex, Nicole.) 

Sunday, after my morning jog, the kids went to their swim lessons. Then we went to the Aquatic Center for kayaking and a potluck picnic. The weather was great … grey, overcast, and cool. It almost reminded me of kayaking in Alaska … minus the iceberg, sea otters, pine trees, and bald eagle that is. Zach was happiest when Vaibhav and Gaurav came with a volleyball. It was the first time he played volleyball (we’re not a very athletic family) and he really enjoyed it.  Thanks to Dana for setting it up!

Last week, I went to Guadalajara for work with some coworkers.  I flew out Wednesday morning, and landed in Mexico early evening. The first night, we took a tour of downtown. The city was very lively, especially for a Wednesday night, with a Mariachi band playing and lots of people bustling about. We visited the Plaza de Armas, Palacio de Gobierno (Govenor’s Palace), Plaza Guadalajara, Plaza de la Rotonda, Tapatia Plaza, Cabanas Cultural Institute, Teatro Degollado (theatre), and Guadalajara Cathedral. As I’m sure you guessed, I took pictures and then matched them up with internet images to recall the landmark names.   For dinner, we went to a nice outdoor restaurant, where they made salsa to-taste at your table. It was really good and I’ve realized that when I say I’m not a huge fan of Mexican food, what I really mean is I’m not a fan of Americanized Mexican food.

The next day, I went to the Guadalajara site to tour the lab and learn about the capabilities of the teams down there. After work, our group went to a Cuban restaurant, where we could write on the walls (and ceiling and lamps.) On our third day in Mexico, my coworkers and I attended a 10th anniversary celebration of Intel Guadalajara site.

We had a sit down dinner with good tequila, followed by a Cirque style acrobatics show, and dancing. I opted to go home at midnight, but a few of my travel companions stayed out until 6am!

On Saturday, my flight didn’t leave until the afternoon. Since I had the time, I hit the spa for the best ever (2 hour) mani-pedi followed by a leisurely buffet brunch. I also had some time to pick up a few souvenirs for the kids. The lowlight would have to be the trip home … on my first leg (~3 hrs), I sat next to someone with horrible body odor. I had to rush to catch my connecting flight and missed lunch. I sat next to a woman eating bologna. She actually offered me some (I must have looked hungry), but I knew she flew in from New York, and I wasn’t comfortable with eating meat that’s been in someone’s purse for that long. On the positive side, the smell of warm bologna curbed my appetite. When I got back to Sacramento, it was raining like crazy. I had to make a pit stop for gas and ended up driving in the wrong direction for almost 25 miles – ACK! I did get back before the kids were in bed though, which was my goal.

While I was traveling, James had managed the kids, including a soccer game (another loss) and a school Halloween event. I’m grateful to have a capable husband! Since he had the kids for 4 days, I took the kids to swim lessons Sunday morning. In the afternoon, I went to Melissa and Sandy’s dance showcase. Melissa danced the cha-cha and American waltz, and Sandy danced the tango. I knew how much effort and practice went into the performances, and it paid off … they put on a terrific showcase - I have some very impressive friends! We ended the past weekend with a playdate … Zachary had his classmate/friend Chinmay over for dinner, soccer, and board games.

Two very busy weeks have gone by! I kicked off the first Friday in October with Mahjong night at Melissa’s house. We started the night playing Mahjong, but then Melissa showed us dress candidates for her upcoming showcase. The rest of the night shall be named “underwear intervention.” It provided good laughs, mostly at Melissa’s expense (note: I only jest because I can totally relate), and I didn’t get home until past 2am! Good times with great friends. The next day, we had our usually activities … Calie’s gymnastics class, followed by building a fireboat at Home Depot, and then cheering at Zach’s soccer game. Another win! Post game, a few teammates and their families went to Red Robin for lunch. It was Tryston’s birthday, so his mom brought cupcakes. Happy 7th Birthday Tryston!

After lunch, we drove to Sebastapol for James’ 20th High School reunion.The kids had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa G. Since Calie cried the last few times we got a babysitter, we were apprehensive about how she’d react. We had nothing to worry about – both kids waved goodbye and had so much fun, they didn’t even miss us. Thank you to Mom and Dad G for watching the kids and entertaining them with so many fun activities! The reunion was at a hotel ballroom. I didn’t know anyone (and I don’t like small talk), so I was glad when Rad and Danielle showed up for real conversation. It was great to get to know them even better.

Sunday, we went to Six Flags … it was on the way back home and our workplace sold $10 admission tickets, which included free parking. How could I resist? What a great day to go! It was pretty empty, which surprised me since it was a weekend. We might have had to wait for a turn on a few rides, but most times, we could walk right on. The weather was excellent too – not too hot, almost a bit too chilly in the evening.

Since it was Halloween season, there were characters handing out candy throughout the park. The only downside for the day was the height restrictions. The cutoff for riding alone on a kiddie ride was 36″, which meant Calie couldn’t get on some rides. And the cutoff for the thrill rides was 48″, which meant Zachary was limited to the kiddie rides. After Space Mountain and Tower of Terror, I’m pretty sure Bertie the Bus was a letdown. I don’t think it makes sense to go back until our kids hit those height milestones.

Thursday, my manager treated my team to lunch at Tahoe Joe’s to celebrate the release of a major work project. My team worked evenings and weekends to make the launch happen, so it was nice to be acknowledged for our efforts. I had a salad (okay, with fried shrimp) because I had evenings plans with my girlfriends. Sandy, Melissa, Karen, Rachel and I met up in midtown for dinner at Crepeville followed by a Broadway show. We saw ‘Burn the Floor’, and I was very impressed by the choreography and execution.

Friday night, I played (and lost) Mahjong again. My strategy is to play fast and make as few mistakes as possible. As my dad advised me, it’s better to make quick decisions and lose … and get invited back so that I can practice and eventually win, than to fall into analysis paralysis and not get invited back. Of course, I think there is a fine balance, because if I continue to be a horrible player, I’m not fun to compete with either!

Saturday was extremely busy. I started the day with a short morning jog, and James took both kids to Calie’s gymnastics class (Zach waited and played iPhone games) while I had an eye exam. Then it was off to Zach’s soccer game – where they won, but I was not impressed by Zachary’s sportsmanship. He broke down in tears because he was knocked over by the other team, while unsuccessfully blocking a goal. He kept arguing that the goal should not count. Sigh … a life lesson on flexibility and not taking things too personally.  After soccer, we drove to Alameda for a coworker’s wedding.

Congratulations Xin and May! They had a nice church wedding followed by a Chinese banquet dinner for over 250 people. Their church groups put together a slide show and sang fun, personalized songs. Since two couples from our table did not show, we ended up with a lot of extra food to package up and take home. Hurrah for not having to cook – and bonus that it’s authentic Chinese food.

The next morning, we went to Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm. Since we had a birthday party to go to later that day (didn’t have much time to stand in the long lines), we opted to skip the ticketed activities. Zachary bounced on the hay a few times to let me try out a feature on my new(ish)camera. Calie didn’t want to jump on the hay after falling twice, and mostly liked watching animals from a distance. Then it was off to a playstructure, followed by pig races, and a hayride out to the pumpkin patch. We did meet up with Melissa, but had to leave before spending time with Sandy and Ivette.

After Zachary observed the cost structure of the pumpkins at checkout, he told me that,”Next year I’m going to get a tall thin one because it’s by how wide it is.” Hmmm. Is cheapness nature or nurture? Of course, after 2 weeks of no accidents, Calie fails to make it to the port-a-potties in the parking lot. Hence it was off to the party, in mismatched clothes.

We had a fun time celebrating Zayan’s first birthday at Little Gym. I was impressed by how many people came - it spoke volumes to Reshma’s ability to build friendships for both herself and her little ones. Happy 1st Birthday Zayan!