In the years after moving, I've avoided traveling during the holidays... until now... and now I remember why!! Flying home was kind of horrible. The Alaska counter lines to check bags were backed up so much that you couldn't walk through the crowd. Yes, lineS, because after waiting for the kiosks there was another line to give tagged bags to an employee. What! I ended up waiting in a shorter line outside of the airport to have the skycab take my bag. Ugh. Getting through security was expedited so I didn't miss my flight, but I really barely made it. A few hours, a couple crying babies, and lots of turbulence later, I landed at the airport with my ride bailing on me and my checked bag "lost". Wtdh!
Fast forward a few hours, and I'm at the Secret Santa party after a nice long nap, surrounded by wonderful friends and eating delicious food. Oh how things can change in a day! The gift exchange was pretty fun, and David and I were each other's secret santas!! We must be some kind of soul mates! I got the neck pillow that I wanted, and know that I'll make great use of it on the way to Tahoe next week. Alex also gave me a sharks power bank which will also be super helpful for the road trip! Everyone seemed to like their gifts, and I'm so glad I was able to join the party in person this year. Alex's prime rib was good, and Ryan's garlic noodles were super tasty! Nan's deviled eggs with truffle oil and black salt were DIVINE. Too many great dishes to list. Tiana makes the best party favors, she gave us all jars of body scrubs and moonshine... AWESOME!! Canoodling with Bear and Butter made me wish I had brought Forrest. =(
On Sunday, I attended Anna's wedding and it was perfect. I loved that the party was intimate - not too many people but also not too few. The banquet center at Crystal Springs golf course was a great venue and the space worked perfectly. The ceremony was funny and lighthearted because the priest had jokes. And Anna looked so beautiful in her white dress!! I'm so glad that I got to sit next to Anita and chat with her. I feel like neither of us has really changed! The cocktail hour had some delicious fruity punch, which Amy, Regina, and I mixed with vodka LOL. It was such a good idea! The food at dinner was just okay but catching up with people that I haven't seen since college.. was the best. I sat with Amy, Anna, Regina, Kevin, Charles, Isabelle, and Daisy (and their dates). I also got to see Christine, Jane, Lauren, and Kanomi (and her adorbs babies) and it was great to see everyone happy and well. After dinner, I mingled with Andrew and Drew, and we drank some more. It was like a time warp!
On Monday, I worked from home and had lots of time to catch up with my mom. The tow truck that was scheduled for 6 AM never came, and four tow companies later the car finally left at 7 PM. CRAZY! Tuesday was a short work day so I got to have lunch with Dillon, Alex, and Saori. We then decided to play corn hole, and I was "all time qb" LOL ... such a bad idea. I got wasted! Came home for dinner and a nap, then went out to meet Charles, Jon, and Huey's other friends at Vesuvio Cafe for Huey's birthday. We had some drinks and then decided to go to Town Studio karaoke. Memories! Charles and I had lots of fun singing out hearts out and I realized just how much I have been missing karaoke in SF. I LOVE IT!!!! Huey had a rough night, and he stayed over at my mom's and now he is banned. Too much birthday fun.
On Wednesday, Alom joined Saori and myself for lunch at Ramen Yamadaya. I liked it! The broth was really good. After lunch, we picked up the car from the repair shop and it was great to finally have a way to get around again! I had mini dinner at home and then celebrated Christmas Eve with the Huangs for dinner. They are totally like my second family, considering that I spend most holidays with them!! As always, lots of good food, and welcoming Huangs. =) After dinner and gift exchanges, some of us headed over to Gary's to watch The Interview. It was pretty silly, as expected, but there were also a few really funny lines (from Franco of course).
On Christmas day I got a late start, but had a nice breakfast with my mom before meeting the Huangs + Gary at Family Billiards. More memories! They went to a bar after so I walked to Alex's and ate cheesecake. Andy, Alom, and Ryan came back from crabbing and we hung out for a bit before I went home for dinner. Christmas dinner was salmon, green beans, zucchini garlic pasta, and my favorite boiled chicken! So good, and so healthy. My mom's boiled chicken is the best. After dinner we had a talk with my mom about grown up things like the future and her getting older. It was pretty sad and serious but I'm sure she'll live a long time. I headed over to Andy's and hung out with him for the rest of the night. Gabe dropped off the most delicious tamales and stew! And we had already had coffee cake with frothy nespresso (LOL).
Andy gave me a gorgeous jewelry box for Christmas! Then we watched Bridesmaids and freaked out about mold with Alex. Andy is not joining us for SG so I won't see him again until after 2015! Secretly hoping he somehow decides to surprise us in Tahoe...
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