April 6th (Saturday) was Zachary’s birthday! For lunch, we went to his favorite restaurant, Red Robin. Then in the evening, he had 5 of his classmates come over to celebrate. First ever sleepover at our house!

  

The boys played basketball and on the play structure until it got dark. Then they came in for fruit and pizza, before games. Game #1: A 3-part individual paper airplane contest on flying the furthest, accuracy (flying through a basketball hoop), and getting stuck highest on a tree!

 

Game #2: The boys paired up to compete in building the tallest structure using only mini marshmallows, toothpicks, coffee stirrers, and a pipe cleaner. James also made a structure and won. The “prize” for our games was bragging rights, so James can brag about beating 3rd graders. (Zach and Drew came close in 2nd place, only half an inch shorter!)

 

Zachary had an ocean themed ice cream birthday cake. Only a third was eaten; I think the boys may have overloaded on marshmallows. Zachary was so happy when his best friends sang him a personalized version of happy birthday, highlighting his interest in marine animals. I am really loving these smaller parties with closer friends – so much more meaningful! 

 

At around 10pm, I put on ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’ movie, thinking they would quickly fall asleep. The kids were still whispering past midnight after the movie ended! Once again, kids outlast parents.

 

That next morning, I went on a slow 2.7 mile jog with Sam. My first attempt at running since the half marathon. I felt okay, but not 100%. James fed the boys pancakes and by 9am, all the guests were picked up. We survived! All of the boys Zach invited were well-behaved, smart, polite, and fun kids. Like the rest of the family, he knows how to pick quality friends! HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY ZACHARY!

In the afternoon, I took Calista to a Laser Tag party (she was very afraid and sat out  … but she did like the Wikki Sticks party favors!) while James took Zachary to a Mad Science party at a pizza restaurant. Happy 5th Birthday Anna! Happy 7th birthday Erik!

  

This weekend, James and I went out for a movie (Oz the Great and Powerful) and late dinner (Bistro 33.) I really enjoyed the movie, although Mila Kunis still reminds me of ‘The 70s Show’, so it was a stretch to think of her as a wicked witch!

Saturday, after Calie’s dance class, I took her to Annika’s birthday party. They threw a carnival themed party with games, a clown who twisted balloons and held a magic show, and Robot dance party. I went in thinking I would skip dessert, but couldn’t help myself when I found out it was Tres Leches cake. Happy 5th Birthday Annika!

  

 

In the late afternoon, I went to a painting class with Rachel, Kathy, Melissa, Sandy, Hui-Ling, Nancy, and Tom. We painted Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night.’ I initially thought there was no way it would take all 4 hours, but the time flew by. It was nice to exercise the artistic side of my brain, although I admit Tom and I did talk shop for a few minutes. Afterwards, a few of us (joined by Dana) celebrated Rachel’s birthday at Sutter Street Steakhouse. What a great excuse to indulge in steak and cake with good company – Happy Birthday Rachel!

  

 

Progression of my painting:

  

On Sunday, Melissa, Karen, and my family went to see ‘It’s Magic’ at Three Stages. It was a live 2 hour show featuring 5 different magicians. Very entertaining – and one of the VPs from work got called up on stage! Afterwards, we all headed back to my place for a barbecue dinner playdate. First barbecue of the season  … we kept it simple with salad, cheeseburgers, hotdogs, and grilled pesto chicken. Dessert was watermelon and leftover ice cream cake. You know you’re good friends when you can serve leftovers, right? The kids had lots of fun playing badminton and Sam’s crazy ‘capture the ball’ game. Both Zach and Calie were so exhausted, they were asleep before 8pm. Way to go – we should have Sam over more often!

 

  

I ran 2.7 miles both Saturday and Sunday, so I am slowly getting back into the game. I’ve been feeling a bit lethargic since my vacation without my regular exercise. My plantar fasciitis still isn’t 100% healed, so I’m trying to take it slowly, but it’s been a 4 week rest and I’m getting antsy. I’ve taken 2 barre classes, which are great for core and my arms (vs running) but it’s not quite the same. It’s also a bit frustrating because it seems the difference between my speed and Zachary’s is increasing. He waits for me at before crossing the road or runs backwards, which is demotivating.

Random pictures of stuff we’ve been doing the past few weeks … lots of games, geo caching, trips to parks and the library.

   

  

 

Saturday morning, we went to El Dorado Hills for an Easter Egg hunt before our 2pm flight to Orlando. It was super crowded, with 2 fields. One for 0-6 year olds and one for 7-12 year olds. I took Zach to the older kids’ field which had much fewer people (I guess somewhere in that age group, they grow out of egg gathering?) and ran back to meet up with James/Calie afterwards. It was then time to head to DISNEYWORLD! The flight was downright painless compared to my trip to Bangalore.

  

We stayed at The Animal Kingdom Lodge (2 bedroom villa in Jambo House) with our friend JP and his girlfriend Stephanie, who flew in from Australia. It was a nice deluxe resort hotel, and reminded me a bit of Aulani in Oahu. Our villa overlooked a “savannah” with animals … Calie was super excited to see a “Zebra for the first time!” (I guess we don’t go to zoos as often as we did when Zach was little)

  

 

Day 1: Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom

Got there at 10:30am, which is usually considered late for us, but we were battling a 3 hour time difference. Kicked off the vacation with a Kilimanjaro Safari!

 

 

  

It started pouring mid-afternoon, basically flooding according to my dry California standards. We did one ride in the rain and decided it was way too miserable and headed back to the hotel to rest and change. Once the rain cleared, we went back to the park for rides and dinner at Tuskar House (buffet).  After dinner, we saw a really good Lion King musical followed by a scary Dinosaur ride and Expedition Everest roller coaster, which was quite disorienting at night and probably not the best choice after dinner.

 

We stayed until the park closed and then headed to Magic Kingdom, which was open to resort guests (Magic Hours) until 3am. Since we’re crazy and on Pacific time, we stayed until 3am. It was awesome! There were no lines at all. We went to the new Fantasyland and basically walked on to the new Little Mermaid ride (normally 90+ minute wait mid-day!) There was also a circus themed area where we were the only ones meeting/greeting characters.

  

  

 

  

Ride/Show tally: Kilimanjaro Safari, Pangani Forest Trail, Triceratops Spin (x2), Festival of the Lion King, Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, Pirates of the Caribbean, Under the Sea (Little Mermaid), Dumbo, Goofy’s Barnstormer, Tomorrowland Speedway, Astro Orbiter, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (x3), Carousel (x4), It’s a Small World (x2), Peter Pan’s Flight (x4), Character Greeting (Minnie, Daisy, Goofy, Donald), Wishes Night Time Spectacular, Main Street Electrical Parade.

Day 2: Magic Kingdom

Due to an epic first day, we all slept in and didn’t get to Magic Kingdom until around noon on day 2. We still got in quite a few rides, although lines were long, so we limited ourselves to Fast Pass rides and ones with shorter waits. We also prioritized shows and rides unique to Disneyworld. 

 

Lunch as a quick bite at Pinocchio Village Haus (we go there all the time in Disneyland, so not very exciting) followed by drinks at the new Gaston’s Tavern (LeFou’s Brew = frozen apple juice with hints of toasted marshmallow and a passion fruit-mango foam.)

  

Calista dressed up in a Minnie Mouse costume and was very excited to get personalized Mouse Ears! I wanted to get Zach one too, but he thought they were “silly.”

  

We got really lucky with a cancelled reservation and got into the new ‘Be our Guest’ restaurant. It was themed as Beast’s castle … napkins were folded like red roses, huge chandeliers hung above us, and windows made it look like it was snowing outside. I highly recommend eating here if you can get reservations; They get booked up months in advance and for good reason! We were all pretty beat when we went home at 11pm.

 

 

Ride/Show tally: Buzz Lightyear (x2), Space Mountain, Carousel of Progress, Stitch’s Great Escape, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Under the Sea, Enchanted Tales with Belle, and Tiki Room (this show always brings back childhood memories!)

Day 3: Hollywood Studios

We got up early and got to Hollywood Studios when it opened (8am). Started the day with Toy Story Mania since we knew it was a popular ride. It was a hit with all of us. Zach also really enjoyed the new Aerosmith Rock’n Roller coaster! He said it rivaled Space Mountain as his top favorite ride of all time.

  

That said, this park was the kid’s least favorite … there were “too many shows”, which tested their patience, especially since our kids don’t watch many movies. We loved the cute ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Kids’ play area though – so many neat photos ops too!

 

  

We had a late dinner at Sci-Fi Café, a drive-in theater themed restaurant, where you ate in cars. They were booked for weeks (we couldn’t snag reservations), but we were able to walk in at 10:30pm. Score! We were quite literally one of the last families to leave Hollywood Studios after 11pm … it was eerie how empty the park was!

 

Ride/Show tally: Toy Story Mania (x2), The Legend of Cpt. Jack Sparrow, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (x3), Tower of Terror, The Great Movie Ride, Lights Motors Action Stunt show, ‘Honey I Shrunk the Kids’ playground

Day 4: Epcot

Slept in on day 4 and got to Epcot around noon. It just so happened that they had a ‘Flower & Garden Festival’, and the whole park was decorated with fun topiaries. So while it was busier due to Spring Break, there were some advantages to visiting last week.

  

Epcot had a good mix of documentary-type shows, rides, and hands-on experiences (similar to being at a children’s museum.) I really liked the World Showcase, although we didn’t have time to go through many countries on our first day there. I thought Disney did a very good job, and there were numerous restaurants I wanted to try. We ended up having lunch at San Angel (Mexico) and a cafeteria style dinner at Sunshine Seasons.

 

  

 

When Epcot closed at 9pm, we went to Magic Kingdom. John knew the differences between MK and Disneyland, and was able to direct us to the new-to-us experiences. We didn’t leave until 12:30am in the morning!

 

Ride/Show tally: the Seas with Nemo & Friends, Turtle Talk w/Crush, Aquarium, Mission Space, The Sum of All Thrills, Spaceship Earth, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, Innovations, Living with Land, Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, Haunted Mansion, Country Bear Jamboree, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Peter Pan’s Flight

Day 5: Epcot and Magic Kingdom

Got up early so that we could get to Epcot as soon as it opened (9am). We went around to all the countries in the World Showcase. Lunch was buffet at the German Biergarten … really good blaukraut (red cabbage) and cheddar beer soup. We ate and watched a music/dancing show. For dinner, we had French cuisine (Chefs de France.) It was quite good as well. The prices weren’t even that outrageous, especially since JP is a Disney Club member, which translated to 20% off our bill!

 

 

  

Zach’s favorite shows are documentaries, so Epcot was his favorite of all Disneyworld parks. He spent a lot of time in the museums reading about the displays; often we were the only family in there. He was very interested in the terracotta warriors and the various Chinese dynasties. It was also ‘Spring Fling’ week, so the kids participated in an Easter egg hunt and mini carnival games.

  

  

 

In the evening, we moved from Animal Kingdom to Port Orleans Riverside. While still a Disney resort, it’s a moderate (vs deluxe) hotel …and that was pretty obvious. There was such a big difference that I was really glad I didn’t go economy! The bathroom and bedroom were separated by a curtain, and there were no ramps or elevators so managing a stroller and luggage was a bit cumbersome. It was nice enough though, as all we needed was a place to sleep. I actually originally chose this place since it has a park and a jogging trail. How naïve of me to think we would have downtime!

 

Ride/Show tally: Mexico, Norway, China, American Adventure, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Test Track (x2), Soar’n, Journey into Imagination with Figment

Day 6: Epcot, Magic Kingdom, and Universal Studios

James, JP, and Stephanie got up at the crack of dawn (maybe earlier … 5am) to catch a taxi to Universal Studios. In addition to park admission, they paid $109/each for ‘front of the line’ passes. This is definitely needed for peak times such as spring break, and saved them hours of wait time. They got to go on the Harry Potter ride twice! In the meantime, I am back at Disney with 2 kids. They were on their best behavior ever, as both kids reminded each other that there was only 1 parent “Remember, mom is the little red hen!” I had the kids bathed and out the door by 10am, with no stroller. I didn’t want to juggle a stroller, and decided that if Calista got tired, we’d call it an early day (ha!)

  

  

We went on the Nemo ride 3x and spend an exorbitant amount of time in the aquarium area. We had lunch at Via Napoli in Italy (overpriced unless you share a large pizza), dessert (school bread and a Viking mousse cake) at Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe in Norway, and then saw a 360 movie and acrobats at the China pavilion. Their favorite countries to visit were Italy and China, which is terrific since those are both on the 2-year plan for family vacations.

 

  

The kids played at the Wizard of Oz and Radiator Springs parks, and spent quite some time in the Innovation Center. We played a Piggy Savings game 5x and never won! There was a technology section that was poorly attended (but my kids liked) and a practice fire drill lesson.

 

  

At around 8pm, the kids decided they wanted to go back to Magic Kingdom. Calie had to say good-bye to Minnie and Daisy. We had dinner at Starlight Café, picked up Mickey bars for dessert from a cart, and did more rides. Zach and I were trying to predict what would happen next on the Jungle Cruise, and were pleasantly surprised that it was different than the one from Disneyland! Left the park at midnight. It finally happened. After years of pushing around zonked out kids in a stroller, they are now outlasting me. Holding her new Minnie Mouse toy, Calista said to herself (but out loud) “I am SO lucky!” Yes, we are.  THANK YOU JP for planning an awesome trip!!!

 

  

Some pictures from James at Universal:

  

 

Ride/Show tally (Disney only): The Seas with Nemo & Friends (x3), Innovations (x5), Oz playground, Radiator Springs playground, Italy, China, Peter Pan, Small World (x2), Jungle Cruise, Characters (Duffy, Minnie & Daisy)

Disneyworld travel tips:

• It is REALLY crowded during spring break (and I assume other major holidays and summer) so if you can help it, avoid those time
• If you have to travel during that peak time, try to offset your hours. For us, travelling across 3 time zones meant we could stay up really late and eat at unconventional times
• Hit the big rides in the morning and the kiddie rides end of the day. Teenagers tend to sleep in and little kids usually go to bed early
• Obviously, make use of their Fast Pass and Baby Swap passes (yes, they do stack). The baby swap passes allows you to bring 3 additional people … so Calista helped us get on a few key rides an extra time!
•  Buy the park hopper only if your kids are older. It was worth it for us since we’d hop to Magic Kingdom (open until 1am or 3am!) for a few hour after the other parks closed. For families with younger kids who plan on shorter days, it wouldn’t make sense since you lose time shuttling between parks
• Bring ponchos and wear water shoes on forecasted rain days
• Set expectations with the kids in terms of how long you’re willing to stand in line … ours was “no line over 35 minutes”
• Stay onsite. Disneyworld is huge compared to Disneyland. The bus system is pretty good, but if your kids are younger, staying at a hotel on the monorail is probably more convenient
• Plan at least 1 table service meal per day, maybe 2 if you’re doing super long days like we did. It’s a good time to give the feet a break and just reset from go-go-go! At Disney, the restaurants are themed and hence an experience on their own – in case you need to justify the increased cost vs getting a burger/pizza/turkey leg from a stand
• Plan a few ‘down’ days to hang out at the hotel, especially if you stay at themed Disney resorts (I wish we did that!)
• And really cheap-o tips … burger bars have free fixings including lettuce, tomato, grilled onions and mushrooms, nacho cheese sauce. You can make a super-duper burger with cheesy fries, heck even a salad for minimal cost. And if you crave a cold carbonated drink at Epcot, instead of spending ~$3, you can hit the Coca-Cola building for (big! unlimited!) samples of drinks from different countries. Just skip Italy

We got back late Saturday. On Easter Sunday, we had Tabitha’s family over for an impromptu egg hunt and lunch. They actually invited us to a park, but the weather forecast was rain (wrong) so we moved it to our backyard. James taught Chigme how to geo-cache (including a practice run to a nearby cache) … we are sucking more people in to our nerdy adventures! Happy Easter everyone!

 

  

This week, at Calista’s school, they made leprechaun traps. Why they need to trap leprechauns, I don’t know. On Friday, she came back from school saying there were small green footprints everywhere, and the bait (gold) was gone, but the leprechauns escaped. She was totally beside herself with fear. James had to pretend to look around the house to ensure they didn’t find refuge at our place. The following Monday, the footprints were gone, as the teachers must have cleaned them up … or at least most of them. Walking to her classroom, Calie saw a missed green footprint and just crumbled “They’re back!!!”. Oh why, oh why must teachers do this to us!  They’re not the ones dealing with a skittish 4-year-old who is now afraid to be in any room by herself. They must be paying us back for all the times we sent her to school on sugary cereal. (Only joking – Calistia has the best teachers ever, and I’m thankful they do creative stuff like this with their class that I would never even think of! )

On Saturday, after Calista’s dance class, we went to Melissa’s house for brunch and Easter egg dyeing. My confidence in science was shaken by Sam’s amazing hashbrowns … could we have rebutted a founding principal of physics, the conservation of matter? (I am such an ungrateful guest!)

  

 

Afterwards, I took the kids to the library and nearby park while James finished up taxes. (Why does it seem our rasies aren’t keeping up with the new tax laws? )

 

  

Sunday, I got up at 5:45am and completed my first half marathon ever. I was very concerned, as the week prior to race day, I had heel pain that seemed to get worse. I researched online and determined I had plantar fasciitis on my left heel. Something very common for runners who are “weekend warriors”, have a heavy heel strike, and increase mileage too quickly (more than 10%/week). Check! Check! Check! With 10 weeks of training completed, I really didn’t want to drop out last minute … so I did all the stretches recommended (I trust online diagnosis and treatments, don’t you?) and bought a pair of Superfeet shoe inserts. Based on advice from a marathoner, I opted to run sans Superfeet … “never do anything different on race day.”

  

Good advice. I felt great! No heel pain at all, the entire 13.1 miles. My original goal was to keep it under a 12 min/mile, but with plantar fasciitis, I decided to change my goal to just finish the run. I ended up finishing at 2 hr 18 minutes, which translates to a 10:33 min/mile. I think the increase in speed was due to the fact that I trained on hilly terrain and the actual course was very flat. Also, there were pacers, bands, and cheering spectators. But most of all, thanks to my running group (Bev, Er-jia, Cooper, Shilpa, and Jaybal) for the training support and encouragement. Plus my family and 2 coworker/friends who cheered for me at the finish line.

 

 

Excellent run! When we got home, Calie said,”I want to make a poster that says GO! for you next run” Um… riiight. My quads were so sore the next day, I almost fell off the toilet at work. I’ll think about it in a few months.

After the run, we met up with Melissa and Karen’s family for ‘Shrek the Musical.’ It was a great show … not a huge New York or San Francisco Broadway production by any means, but we got great seats and the theatre was only a few miles from our home. I love being able to share live theatre experiences with my kids for such little effort and expense. Maybe I have low expectations, but I was impressed Calie (at 4-years-old) sat through all 2.5 hours, announced it was “fun”, and understood most of the storyline. She might have done better than Zach … who complained “Musicals are for grownups.” Do I sense a surly pre-teen in the making?

 

This weekend, we went to the Bay Area for Sophia and Eddie’s baby shower. We drove down to Alice and Rob’s place Saturday, after lunch at Mylapore (South Indian cuisine – similar to the kind of food I had in Bangalore.) James and Rob took the kids to the park and did some geo caching, while Alice and I hit Costco for food.

  

 

For dinner, we met up with Sophie and Eddie who treated us all to Little Sheep Mongolian hot pot. A lot more variety than the restaurants near me, but there was a problem with “disappearing meat.” For dessert, we went to a Dessert Republic for Hong Kong style desserts. Bay Area is pretty awesome.

  

 

The next day, Alice took me to her gym for a yoga class. It was slow (no sweating), but had some really good stretches targeted towards people who use computers. I also realized (after about 2 years of doing yoga) that I wasn’t using my hands correctly in my downward dogs. I was using my wrists to support myself, when by using the front of my palm, I would get a much better stretch. This totally changes my practice! As a bonus, right after class, there were complimentary chair massages. Ahhh.  All while the kids played at home.

 

There were ~50 guests for the baby shower. Fortunately it was great weather and Alice has a good sized backyard (for California.) I was in charge of food: pulled pork sandwiches, slaw salad, pigs-in-a-blanket, pita chips and hummus, marinara pasta, fruit platter, butter cookies, cheese puffs, and lemonade. Alice provided the backyard, décor, and games. Elaine bought the super yummy awesome cake.

 

 

 

  

I’m bummed I didn’t get a photo of just Sophia and Eddie (photographer fail  … hopefully someone else took a few and can send them to me/her?), but I did get some good shots of her with her best friends!

  

Congratulations Sophia and Eddie! I can’t wait to hold a newborn in my arms again … with Calie almost 5-years-old, I totally miss babies. Huzzah for a new nephew!

Now back home, back to work. Big frown for the 7am meeting the Monday after changing to Daylight Savings Time. Boo-hiss-z-z-z-z

Kicked off the weekend with dinner at Sergio’s. Really good service, but they burned Calie’s spaghetti. So we got it taken off our bill plus free dessert. They also didn’t charge me for the extra side salad. Ironically, the Groupon I had was for $50 so they had to tack the dessert back on to hit $50. Got in a 12-mile jog Saturday morning … I’m not convinced these distances are good for me. 2 to 6 miles seems like a nice distance … when I run the 8+ routes, it’s not just muscle soreness (good pain) but my foot hurts. As I side note, my feet seem bigger. I’m not fitting into my work shoes. I did some quick Internet searching, and all I could come up with was discouraging news … your feet get bigger when you gain weight and age. Sigh!

 After her dance lesson, I took Calie to Nicole’s birthday party. The kids played games, decorated masks, and had lunch. Dessert was a ‘necklace’ made with cupcakes. Very clever!

  

If high-pitched loudness is a measure of fun, I’d say the party was a success. Happy 6^th Birthday Nicole!

 

In the afternoon, I took Zachary to Chinmay’s birthday party at a monster themed mini golf place. Happy 9^th Birthday Chinmay!

 

  

We got home in time for dinner at Bev’s house … homemade salt/pepper crab, slow cooked beef, fried rice, and store-bought orange chicken. For dessert, I brought a fruit basket cake from Nugget … I was happily surprised that they carried Ettore’s cakes! Yum. I got to meet Bev’s younger sister Kathy from San Francisco – super pretty and put together, while I looked especially disheveled from the back-to-back birthday parties. Not to mention the limp from my morning run. You can always count on me to make a good first impression!

 

 

Sunday. After geocaching a few times now, we decided the take the next step. Make a geocache of our own! We took empty containers and wrapped them in brown duct tape. Then some kids pasted on bark that James peeled off our stash of camping firewood. Later, we need to find good hiding locations and register our caches online.

 

Until then … we walked around town and found more 5 geocaches. The weather was great, and we were out for a few hours … got back home just as it was getting dark. For dinner we had steamed dim sum and Udon noodles.

 

As a side note, my kids have an uncanny ability to outgrow clothes mid-season. Calie’s 4T tops are looking cropped, and Zach’s wearing flood pants. I did some productive shopping … new clothes, water sandals, hiking boots. In addition to replacing outgrown outfits, we’re getting ready for spring break, summer vacation, and all the activities that come with sunny (okay, HOT) weather!

So what happened in the 2^nd half of February…

Three playdates with lots of time at home in between. A backyard picnic playdate with Aubrey and Courtney …

 

 

A dinner playdate with Cassie:

 

  

 

And a geo caching + dinner playdate with Alex and Nicole. We’re loving the slower weekends where we enjoy quality time with family and friends!

  

(Yummy, piping hot homemade cinnimon rolls … better tasting and fewer calories than Cinnabon!)

 

President’s Day, we went to Crocker Art Museum. We were worried that it might be crowded given it was a free admission day. And it did get crowded, but we got there before they even opened, and the museum was sparse for the first few hours. We did the ‘Story Trail to Tot Land’ activity, which is a cute story that challenges kids to look for art (paintings, ceramics, statues) in the museum. At each stop, there was a short summary of the artwork, followed by a few questions. I’d estimate the target age at 3-5 years old.

 

At the end of the story, the kids reach ‘Tot Land’ which is a neat play area focused on art. If your kids are good with open ended play, they can last hours there (like mine did, including my 8-year-old), but I can see how some older kids would get bored quickly.

  

 

Last weekend, we went to Napa Valley. The kids really enjoyed playing with their grandparents, and everyone liked Grandpa’s taco dinner. With the kids occupied, I went out for a much needed pedicure and also splurged on gel nails. The following morning, James and I went on a 2 hour historic downtown Napa Segway tour. It was lots of fun, and I totally want to do the 4 hour ‘extreme’ tour to Mt. St. Helena next time. We got very lucky with the mild, sunny weather, as it can be hit or miss in Februrary. I have a coworker who treated himself to a Tesla. Maybe next promotion, I’ll buy myself a Segway.

 

  

 

James and I had lunch at Oxbow Public Market (appetizer and pizza at Ca’Momi, dessert at Kara’s Cupcake, and iced jasmine tea from Tillerman Tea) followed by wine tasting at Uncorked across the street. There are so many restaurants I want to try in/near Napa. If I lived in wine country, I’d probably have to exercise full time to support my indulgences.

  

 

Speaking of food, James and I also fit in two workday lunch dates  … Thai for Valentine’s Day ($6.95 lunch special!) and Steakhouse yesterday using a Groupon. Big spenders.

I’ve been doing great on my runs, getting in between 2.7 to 10 miles on every non-work day. Only a few weekends left until my first half marathon! ~deep breath~ And I’ve mentioned how there’s never a calorie deficit I can’t eat my way out of, right? Last week, I had 2 full days of meetings which included catered breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Determined to fit in a midweek workout, I convinced 2 of my coworkers to join me for yoga at 5:45am. The crazy early hour was no problem for them since they are from Bangalore and Shanghai, but pretty rough for me!

So what did we do in February? A Moroccan food and belly dancing experience to celebrate Dana’s birthday – what a great reason for a girl’s night out! It was a bonus go with a bigger group, as we got to try more dishes

 

Two weeks ago, my sister Sophia and her husband Eddie came to visit. They treated us to Heat Shabu for dinner. And helped empty our storage of baby stuff. Double win!

 

The following day, Eddie, Sophie, and I went on a West Coast Falconry “Hawk Walk” with Melissa. Eddie and Melissa are big ‘birds of prey’ fans, but to be honest I’m more of a parrot person. So my expectations were low … I went mostly for social reasons. Plus TravelZoo had the experience on sale for 50% off.  It totally exceeded my expectations. The staff was very knowledgeable and entertained us with facts and the history of these birds. Then we all got to call the hawk, using pieces of raw quail smeared on a leather glove. (Our batch had “a lot of lung”, and Melissa tossed a quail head for the hawk to catch mid-air … ~shudder~)

  

Alice once called me her ‘favorite wildlife photographer’, so I made sure I took some bird pictures. Afterall, I can’t let her down! (And yes, you did read correctly that Sophie took baby stuff. She’s in her 3rd trimester. Clearly we don’t share all the same genes, as I ballooned up Jessica Simpson style)

  

It was crazy how close we could get to these birds! REALLY neat experience, highly recommended.

 

To complete our bird themed day, we went to a Superbowl party at Melissa’s. I was the only one rooting for the Ravens. Mostly because I used to live near Baltimore, and I tend to cheer for the underdogs. It was an exciting game (Raven’s won!), although I have to admit the most exciting part was … no, not the commericlas or the power outage or the halftime show … Sam’s homemade guacamole. I think I ate the whole (super) bowl! ha-ha-ha. I crack myself up.

 

 

Last Friday, Calie went to Thrivik’s birthday party at Busy Kidz. She always has a great time there, as she is pretty much the queen of pretend-play. Happy 5th Birthday Thrivik!

  

  

Saturday, Calie met up with her friends Abigail, Khloe, and Maylin at ‘Castle Park’. It was so close to where we live, yet I had no idea it existed. What a fun play area … I feel like I missed out the past few years!

 

That evening, for Chinese New Year’s eve, we had Melissa’s family and JP over for hot pot. An annual tradition dreaded by both James and Zachary.

 

This kids made dragons for good luck and strung bracelet/necklaces using wooden beads (with Chinese characters on them – no idea what they say, so probably something inappropriate) We also played games until past the kids’ bedtime. Gong Xi Fa Cai!

 

On New Year’s day, we went to Adventure Mountain in Tahoe for sledding and playing in the snow. It was lots of fun, and for only $20/car entrance fee, a great deal too. Zach loved sledding, but Calie was afraid, so we spent the majority of the time building forts and snowball fighting with Bev’s kids. There was no traffic (1.5 hr drive each way) and the weather was awesome! Afterwards, we went to Bev’s place for dinner (take-out from China Pearl restaurant.)

  

 

  

The past few weeks, I’ve added a mid week jog (4 miles) to my weekend runs. I was actually down a few pounds until this weekend … sometimes I think the holidays (which all seem to revolve around food) conspire against me! Zach has been running with me, so essentially he’s training for a half marathon too.  And Calie continues with dance and swim. She’s finally getting used to taking swim lessons by herself. We had both kids in lessons together, but Zachary is good enough for our standards (they were starting to work with him on improving his butterfly stroke and diving head first), so we pulled him out. Calie cried and regressed the last few lessons without her big brother. With 30 minutes lessons running $320/8 classes, I admitted to Bev that I’m bribing her with M&Ms and new socks (which she needs) in exchange for trying her best. Bev’s response? “That’s not a bribe, that’s just an effective reward system.” Gotta love friends that make you feel like a less crappy parent.

  

Ending this post, Zach made it into 2 local newspaper articles this month. One for a charity 5k race, and the other for a reading challenge:

 

This Friday was the Intel Masquerade Ball! There aren’t too many places I go, where I have to get dressed up, and I look forward to the annual winter party every year. The event planning team truly outdid themselves this year, and I think it was the best party to-date. They took feedback from last year, increased the space (including dance floor), and had huge screens so that everyone, even those seated way in back, could see the performers dance.

 

  

 

There was a raffle, where the grand prize was a $5k trip to Hawaii. No one in our immediate group won anything, but one of the new hires on my team won an ultrabook! It was great to party with so many of my friends, and the only feedback for next year would be to make the event last longer … 10:30pm was too early to end; We were still having fun!

6.5 hours on 4″ heels, and my feet were killing me. Ouch. But I was committed to follow my running group’s half-marathon training plan which meant a 10-miler Saturday morning. The furthest I’ve EVER run in my life was ~8 miles, and I think I’ve only done that twice. But what I lack in raw intelligence, I make up with in tenacity and determination. I did it. And since Calie was at dance class, I took Zach with me. It was his furthest run ever too. His feet are fine, but I think I might lose a small toe nail … it looks very bruised.

After running, we had Alex and Brock over for a geocaching picnic playdate. Jame’s Facebook posts on geocaching generated a lot of interest, so we decided to invite 2 of his friends to join us.

 

It was pretty successful - we ended up locating 7 caches (is that what they are called?) and the kids got better over time. It was drizzly during part of my morning run, so I was concerned, but the weather could not have been more ideal. A bit cool if you’re just standing around, but perfect if you’re moving. We did a 5 mile loop from our house to the American river, with a quick picnic stop at a park. You’d think Zach would be exhausted from the 10 miler that morning, but he raced Brock uphill at the end, and then played soccer with him in the backyard. In the meantime, I’m pretty much limping.

 

 

Tonight, it was shots at our house followed by dinner at Lucille’s barbecue and billards/darts/more drinking for James’ 41st birthday tomorrow! Not that I was there. I stayed home with the kids. They watched Lilo & Stitch and a Shapes/Sizes cartoon while I sorted photos and blogged - Parenting at it’s best  After 6+ hours of activity outside today, we all just needed some downtime.

 

And Sunday (James’ actual birthday) was ALL downtime! Zach and I went for a short 2.7 mile run while James took Calie to swim lessons. We pretty much stayed home the rest of the day. The kids played board games and made a chalk zoo on the patio. For birthday dinner, Zach and Calie assembled James’ favorite food, pizza. (Note: If you buy sprouted wheat dough, it hides the crumbs/specks that get picked up from the table and kids’ hands) “Cake” was a big cookie I bought that morning from Walmart. And ending our upscale celebration, we’ll be watching Ted after the kids go to bed tonight. HAPPY 41st BIRTHDAY James!

 

(See anything different about the candles? We didn’t have a 4, so Calie made one of out of paper and taped a regular stick candle behind it. All her idea – although James had to shift the candle up so that it wouldn’t catch on fire. Pretty resourceful, no?  I think this whole birthday ran us ~$12, especially since no one bought any gifts)

Ah, so what has happened since my return to this country? Soccer try-outs on 3 weekend mornings. (Zach didn’t make the team, but congratulations to his friend Alex!)

  

We had a dinner playdate at Melissa’s, where we got to try out their new Panini maker … and the kids played with Furbys. (Calista really wants a Furby of her own and has the Christmas money, but we can’t seem to find them in stock anywhere) We’ve also been cooking a lot more on the weekends and packing lunches for work, trying not to eat out as much. Since I’m training for a half marathon, every pound gained is a pound I have to lug 13.1 miles!

  

 

Zachary is finally into Lego Mindstorms. It’s been sitting in our closet for a few years due to lack of interest, and all of sudden, he wants to start programming!

 

Two girl’s night outs (almost 3!) in the past 2 weeks. The first was a ‘Taste of Singapore’ dinner at Karen’s house. Kathy and Karen went to Singapore in 2011, fell in love with the food, and decided to recreate their favorite dishes. They served Oyster Omelet, Curry Laksa, Miso Ramen, and Watermelon Smoothie. All so good – Melissa, Sandy, Rachel, Dana, and I were the lucky guests!

 

For our 2nd Girl’s Night Out, I partook in ‘Dine Downtown’ ($30 for 3-courses) with Melissa, Karen, and Kathy at The Firehouse Restaurant. On a previous year, I had a bad experience with the Dine Downtown event, where the restaurant (Spataro) exchanged 2 out of 3 of the menu items. Since they ran out of sea bass, we got cod … and the only dessert left on the $30 menu had hazelnut (I’m allergic) but they wouldn’t let me chose something from their normal menu. Huge difference in experience this time. Not only were all 3 courses delicious, but the waiter was very friendly, we had an amuse bouche (butternut soup), pallette cleanser (cucumber lime sorbet), and mini macaroons as extra dessert. Combined with the carpaccio and pork belly appetizers we ordered, it was technically a 7-course dinner.

  

 

Calie and her friend Khloe went to Artbeast on a Saturday, where they played almost all day. They really did it all, from art to shows to playing out in the courtyard. People always say how great it is having “one of each”, but in some ways, I wish I had a sister for Calista. I think it’s because I grew up with sisters. Having great girlfriends are the next best thing though!

 

  

We had a double date night (with Melissa and Sam) at Chez Daniels, my favorite local restaurant. Romantic boutique setting, French food, all at a reasonable price: Soup, salad, entrée, and dessert for under $30. The best part was that since there were four of us, we got to try all of the dessert options that night. The kids all stayed at our house with their favorite babysitter, Miss Alyssa. Happy parents, happy kids, what’d not to love?

  

 

The weather lately has been great. I’m back on track with my weekend runs (although to really train, I know I have to add some weekdays). Zachary went geocaching a few times, once when Calie and I walked over to play at our neighborhood park.

  

  

Last Sunday night, we went to Dana and Dave’s new house for dinner. What a beautiful Tuscan style home, complete with lots of wrought iron work, a huge backyard overlooking a nature preserve, a professional kitchen, and so much space! They have a play room with an adjacent computer room for the kids and an art/music room. They seriously have more toys than all my other friends and myself combined – lucky Jason and Maya! Thanks for the birthday-celebration-house-warming-dinner-playdate.

  

I’ve been slammed at work recently, often logging in after the kids are in bed and working until close to midnight. I even missed a movie night with my girlfriends. (Les Mis was a terrible movie right? Please just tell me that.) You know the quote “Why do I keep hitting myself with a hammer? Because it feels so good when I stop.” The more it hurts now, the better sabbatical this summer is going to feel.

Quick photo upload since I have insomnia. Last week, my team bid farewell (from a work standpoint! ) to Bart. Bart joined the team almost the same time I did ~6 years ago, and has been a valuable and integral member ever since. I’m very happy for him … it’s all about phases in your life, and he deserves to enjoy retirement! Congratulations Bart!

 

Over the weekend, we went to see “How to Train Your Dragon LIVE” It was a really good show, and quite the deal (only $28/pp through Groupon) A lot of kids had on flashing viking hats. Zachary said,”What a waste of money. What are they going to do with it when they get home? It’ll just clutter their house.” So either it’s a case of sour grapes or he’s the practical son of cheap engineers. I’m thinking it’s the latter, and I’m secretly a little proud. Sunday, James took the kids to Dave & Busters for games, and Barnes and Noble to use Zach’s Christmas giftcard (He bought a puzzle and the game Forbidden Island, that Alex introduced him to)

  

 

Sunday morning it was off to Bangalore, India! Six days away from home for only 3 full working days. Travel was pretty brutal, taking 1.5 days to get there plus a 13.5 hour time difference. Damon and I had meetings pretty much back to back … 21 meetings in all. They were very productive though; you really can’t beat the rapport and dialog you get face to face. I’m optimistic that we’re taking back ideas and suggestions that will improve collaboration and improve agility. (How’s that for being vague … sorry, work stuff is all confidential )

 

 

Travel tips:

• If you can swing it, go business/first class. I’m no travel snob, and I’ve always travelled coach without problems. But flying half way around the world made me think twice about cost vs comfort!
• Consider paying a little extra for ‘premier’ rooms with concierge access. We had free drinks, breakfast, and appetizers … which was enough for dinner since our internal schedule was off. As we stayed at a nice business hotel, we knew the food was ‘safe’ for our weak American stomachs.
• There is a reason Indian women wear flat sandals. It’s really hard to dodge cars, motorcycles, buses, and cows on dirt roads in 4″ heels. You pretty much feel like an idiot tourist! In case the camera on my wrist didn’t tip them off.
• 8kg. That’s the Lufthansa limit for carry-ons … so even though my admin booked through United (no weight restrictions), we had to check in luggage.
• Don’t forget to sign up for frequent flyer miles … you get ~20k round trip, which is almost a free domestic flight!

  

In my (very limited!) experience, the Bangalore people are extremely friendly, and the food is terrific. I think the dust and humidity even helped my throat … my cough has improved! Next time, I’ll have to tack on a few extra vacation days to do some sightseeing. Maybe bring the kids and head to Goa.

Of course, the best part of going home is seeing how excited the kids are (although a shower was a close 2nd after a 32+ hour door-to-door trip). They were jumping up and down from excitement when my driver dropped me off at the front door. Calie gave me a big kiss and said, “I have been saving it for days and days!”