Thanksgiving Week: SF and ICHI Sushi (Part 3)

Last year Michael and I went to SF and stumbled upon an amazing Sushi restaurant called ICHI. It was so amazing and memorable that we decided to venture out there again for it (it may just become a tradition of ours!).

Our reservation was in the evening, but we decided to head into the city early before the traffic hit. We caught lunch at Samovar and then walked around the city.

When it started to get dark, we headed into Press Club for drinks. It's a pretty neat wine bar, a bit on the posh side with the leather seats and underground vibe, but the wine list was great. I ended up doing a flight of bubbles!

Then the time finally came! We headed to ICHI. This year we went to their new location. It was more hip and trendy compared to their previous hidden gem location, which made us slightly apprehensive. Once we got the food, however, our fears quickly fell away. ICHI did not lose their inventive touch. Their balance of flavors really brought out the fish, but also made it a unique and surprising dining experience.

Golden Eye Snapper, one of my faves.

With an attentive staff, and high quality fresh food, the drive was so worth it. I think my face shows it all.

Sushi heaven face.

ICHI continues to be the best place I've ever had sushi. If you are ever fortunate to be in SF, make a trip there. You won't regret it.

Thanksgiving Week: Family Portraits (Part 2)

Nowadays, you can take digital pictures instantly and document your entire life with a click of a button. In the early nineties, my family used those plastic disposable cameras where you go into a drug store and get the photos printed. Remember those? Well I do. My mom took as many pictures of my sisters and I when she could. We have albums full of them. Because they are tangible copies and not digital, they have a certain timeless quality in them that make them special compared to the abundance of digital photos stored on my hard drive or backed up in a cloud. They are instaneous, unfiltered, and literally a snapsot of life.

One of those tangible portraits I loved were our old one hour photo studio family portraits that you can see in this post from last year. Since then, I think it's become a thing to take a family portrait when we are all together. During Thanksgiving we set out to do it again.

The matriarch, sisters, husbands and signifanct other, aunt, uncle, and cousins.



We have a silly side too!

I still find it hard to believe my mom had five daughters! The thought of parenting and being responsible for even one human life freaks me out. I still have a hard time being responsible for my cat! But I am so glad my mom did. Having four older sisters is amazing. They are my very best friends and know me better than I know myself. We are all so different and unique, but the same at heart, and it's all because of my mother.

Thanksgiving Week: Napa Wine Country (Part 1)

Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday. Moving away from home, you really start to treasure every little minute with family (and not to mention, every morsel of a home cooked meal by mom). I like to keep my memories alive by putting them to words, so like last year I am going to do a Thanksgiving series of posts this week. To check out last year's click on the links below:

Back to Sac (Part 1: The Drive)

Back to Sac (Part 2: Thanksgiving)

Back to Sac (Part 3: A week of thanks)

Back to Sac (Part 4: Onto SF)

November 19, 2014. I couldn't wait to fly back home. I could hardly focus at work and I was just a bundle of nerves! I made sure Michael and I left early to the airport in case rush hour traffic got us. We ended up eating dinner at the airport since our flight was delayed and got to Sacramento around 11p.m.; the same time my sister from New York flew in. We were then picked up by my oldest sister Emily and her husband. I remember thinking in the car, Finally! Home at last!

After waking my mother from her slumber and giving her many hugs, we all got some shut-eye.

The next morning my family and I headed to Napa! Napa is a special place. It was where I celebrated my 21st Birthday. I hadn't been there since and Michael hadn't ever visited, so it was a must!

My sisters and I.

We started at V. Sattui Winery. A favorite of ours where you can picnic outside for lunch. 

The wine tasters.

Our next stop was Mondavi. The place was sprawling and beautiful. It was so fun to walk around the grounds and enjoy the sun.

Me goofing about the naked sculpture.

Tasting outdoors.

California girl. Love me some sun!

vines

 
By that point, we had quite a bit to drink, so it was just one more stop before heading home: Silver Oak Cellars. This was one Michael was looking forward to so he isn't pictured below (he was inside tasting :)).

Normally we would make 4-5 stops in Napa, but with a late start and many glasses. We were wiped. After taking a few more fun sisterly photos, we headed back to Sacramento.

ISWG: Losing Time

I guess it is only fitting to return to my blog with an ISWG post!

Pardon my hiatus from my blog. I was in warm, sunny, California, with my beautiful family. This year I only visited home twice. It is so hard being away that everytime I come home I am acutely aware of time. How much time has passed. How much time I have left with them. How much time until we are reunited.

I fear growing older, not because I don't want to be old, but because it means those around me are aging just as quickly. Time is enemy. Everytime I see my mother, she looks a little bit older, which makes me wonder how much time there is left to spend with her. What if, heaven forbid, something happened to my one of my sisters? Time with them would be snatched away in a blink of an eye.

My heart races just thinking about time, because it also relates to my writing. Work and life has kept me busy that I have fallen behind in my writing endeavors. Sometimes I find myself stopping and thinking, has two months has passed already? I could have been finished with a draft of a manuscript if I had only dedicated myself to it. Oh gosh, I need more time.

The urgency of time is always an undercurrent of my thoughts and cause of anxiety. How do you handle the race against time?

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group at Alex J. Cavanaugh's site  and connect with your fellow writers!

Big thanks to the December 3rd co-hosts: Heather Gardner, T. Drecker from Kidbits, Eva E. Solar at Lilicasplace, and Patsy Collins!

Thanksgiving in California!

November has been extremely busy! I haven't been posting much on my blog about my recent endeavors,  but it involved wine, food, and an early thanksgiving with Michael's family. All fun stuff that I wish I had chronicled on my blog! Maybe once I get new phone with a better camera quality I'll be back to my usually blogging self. But don't count on that beginning next week because I am leaving to warm California tonight to spend the holiday with my family!

So I am taking this post to write how much I appreciate YOU. Tis the season for 'thanks,' so thank you so much for reading my blog. It's been great finding friends in the blogging community and getting to know you and your blogs too.

I will resume my posts when I return in December! Til then, may there be an abundant amount of pumpkin pies in your future!

It's cold outside.

We've hit low 40s and 30s in Seattle. And man is it cold! So cold, I ended up getting a cold. Haha. Did you get it?

Poor Michael, he's had to deal with me in a crummy mood as well as being sick. Yesterday I stayed home and ate, slept, and hydrated while watching Netflix. I get cold super easy so I buried myself under my heat blanket (if you don't have one, get one! They are so warm and cozy!). Blaire loves beeing warm so he ended up cuddling and sleeping with me.

When Michael came home after work, he presented me with a space heater, but I think Blaire loves it more than I do.

How are you keeping warm this winter?

7 Deadly Literary Sins Blog Hop!

Thanks to Krystal for tagging me on this post! If you're reading this I tag you to write your answers on your blog!

Greed - What is your most inexpensive book?
 A romance book I got for free from a Kindle newsletter that I will probably never read called The Forever Year.

Wrath - Who's the author with whom you have a love/hate relationship with?
Sarah Dessen. I love a few of her books so much, but some just fall a bit too flat for me.

Gluttony - What book have you devoured over and over again with no shame?
 Flipped, Pride & Prejudice, Twilight. Please don't judge me.

Sloth - What book have you neglected reading due to laziness?
I have so many books that I've quit just because they just didn't do it for me: Panic, A Great and Terrible Beauty, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, Very Bad Things, Angelfall, Shadow of Night, and The Selection.

Pride - What books do you talk about most in order to sound like an intellectual reader?
Any Literary Classic. I'll name drop the author and a few fascinating facts I remember about them from my college days.

Lust - What attributes do you find attractive in a male or female character?
A female must be able to form her own opinion. She needs to be selfless, hopeful, and able to stand on her own. I like female characters who come into their own during the book. It's okay for them to be frail, afraid, or lost, but as long as they come out owning who they are, then that's when I stand and applaud them.

The male? Humble, passionate, and internally complex. Intelligent with a dash of humor. I have like a zero tolerance for arrogance unless it changes by the end. Some of my favorites are Mr. Darcy, Mr. Knightley, Ian O'Shea from The Host, and Bryce from Flipped.

Envy - What book would you like to receive most as a gift?
Since moving, I had to donate and give away a lot of my old books. I kind of miss having hard copies of the HP series, Pride & Prejudice, Emma, my old French Textbook, and a million others. However, I try to console myself by believing the gift is in the experience of reading the book and not owning it physically.