Happy Birthday/Anniversary to ...

I go back to work tomorrow. So I thought I should write about our trip before everyday life sets in.

Cristina and I had a wonderful vacation that began on Saturday (8/15) in Baldwin Park with Maria, David, Jeanette, Bill, Diane, Colin, Caity and Hans. We celebrated her Grandma Maria's 80th birthday with homemade burritos, Diane's experimental guacamole (she put peas in it ro make it healthier!) some of Cristina's delicious cake (not healthy at all) and a game of Mexican train.

After that, we headed to Colton to meet up with my family for dessert after dinner for my brother's 30th birthday. Cristina watched Coraline with our niece. But I'm not sure that movie could even be understood by anyone under 12.

Sunday morning we got up and went to the Mission Inn for brunch with Jeff, Penny, Colin, Caity, Hans, Paschal and Courtni for Penny's birthday. It was also Paschal and Courtni's one-year anniversary. They, as well as Jeff and Penny, had stayed in the hotel there the night before had a beautiful rooms. We arrived at 11am and were seated in the courtyard under the shade of a canopy (well, most of us). The theme of the buffet that day was Asian. As for me, I first did a breakfast plate, complete with waffle, omlette and sausage. Then, I tackled the Asian fare (like curry ribs). Finally, I went for an assortment of fruit, cheese and crackers. Cristina was hoping for breakfast potatoes, but she could not find any in the buffet, so she asked an attendant who confirmed there were none that day. But almost as soon as she had gotten back to the table and sat down again to eat, the manager personally came to our table with a bottle of ketshup and a plate of freshly cooked hash browns. He also assured her that he put some out in the buffet for others. So I am happy to report that not only is the food good and the atmosphere beautifully unique, but the service is top-notch too.

After brunch, we met Bill, Diane and Caity in Ontario to see District 9. Once in the theater, I was getting hesitant as every preview was of some horror flick. I closed my eyes through most of them, and I can honestly say that just the sound of most horror movie previews these days is almost as intense as actually riding a roller coaster! I was worried it might be an indication of the tenor of the movie we were there to see. It turned out that there were elements of sci-fi horror and gore, but there was a real story, and a unique one at that. It was not about aliens from outer space trying to take over or destroy earth. (Btw, my theory is that the reason our sci-fi stories are so saturated with that theme is because we assume other species would do the same thing we would, and if we were to land on another planet you can most certainly count on us trying to take control and inevitably acting maliciously toward any inhabitants. The corruption of sin is in us and not even such advanced science that might transport us to distant planets could redeem us along the way.)

That night we went to church, but I did not have to play bass. I sat in the chairs like a regular ol' churchgoer. Our youth pastor spoke about not wasting your life. By dinner time I was tuckered out. We had four family get-togethers in two days and now I was hanging out with some church family. I was on empty and fading fast. I love our families, but one get-together a day is plenty for this introverted soul to absorb.

On Monday we slept in, thankfully. Then I cleaned up around the house while Cristina ran some last minute errands. That evening we met up with my parents, Ryan and Michelle and went to see the Dodger game. It was my brother's actual birth date, and our 2-year anniversary. I loved spending time with them, but I did not love the stadium. The traffic from the freeway to the parking lot was long and slow (unlike Angel's stadium). If you do not have ground level seating you have climb untold numbers of steps to get to your level (unlike Angel's Stadium). Half our car had to use the bathroom really bad and climbing step was not helping. Once we found our seats, Cristina and I proceeded to look for some food. We would have liked to go down a level or two and see what they had (like at Angel's Stadium), but, due to our seat assignment, we were only allowed to visit our deck or those above. Cristina has become a "discerning" eater in pregnancy and we had to find something just right for her. We ended up finding Panda Express on an upper level, and I settled for a Dodger Dog in the shortest line I could find. I think that by the time we got our food and went back to our seats it was at least the fifth inning! We ate and were not satisfied: her orange chicken tasted off and my hot dog was MUCH smaller than the pictures led me to believe. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the game and the company. We got home and were both tired. We decided not to pack that night, but to waith until morning.

Coming soon: Road Trip to Tahoe...