Lesson Learned from Denver

I was in Denver last week for 3 days for a work meeting; it was mostly business with some soft skill development sprinkled in. The last session on our last day featured two patient ambassadors; patients who have participated in our clinical trials and speak about their experiences. One woman had rheumatoid arthritis while the other had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer.

I was so moved by what they shared and I find myself reflecting on their experiences. Both women at some point in their disease progression, were debilitated and could not do the simplest tasks including getting dressed, filling out paperwork or lifting an arm to an armrest for a blood draw. The woman who had breast cancer lost her hair, eyelashes, eyebrows, fingernails and toenails. I think about these women and what they had to go through, and I tell myself, "you see, things could be so much worse". As human beings we become mired in the "small stuff" and forget to see the big picture of our lives. Hearing these women speak reminded me that life is short and unpredictable. We have to be grateful every single day for the positive things in our lives because there are people in this world who are suffering far more than we are. And more importantly, we cannot take for granted the things we have. Maybe we don't have the newest car, the biggest house or the most fashionable clothes, but at least we can wake up each morning, stand on our own two feet, and go to our jobs. Anything else is just gravy!

Left our Hearts in Maui

We've been home from Maui for almost a month and we still miss it every day. From the beautiful sun-kissed beaches to the laid back lifestyle, it has been hard to come back to our crazy commutes, strict schedules and the race against time.

They say a picture says a thousand words, so here are some of our favorite pictures to tell the story of our wonderful vacation...

We're baaacckkk

In Maui that is! Randy is on his official vacation block (4 weeks, once a year, taken as a "lump sum") here we are in beautiful Maui. It is our 4th trip to the island and it feels like home away from home.

We were fortunate to get a direct flight from Oakland to Kahului; we arrived yesterday afternoon at about 2:30pm. After collecting our baggage and a rental car we headed to our "pit stop" - the little town of Makawao in the Maui upcountry. We previously decided to spend a couple of nights in Hana, but didn't want to make the precarious drive immediately upon arrival, so we planned to stay somewhere close to Hana Highway then make the drive in the morning.

I found a charming B&B in Makawao called the Banyan Tree House, high up in the hills and set in a garden-like setting. We stayed in the Gardenia Cottage which is a large, spacious suite complete with 2 queen beds, a kitchenette and lanai. With all the foliage and provincial feel to Makawao, it reminded me very much of the Philippines. There are lots of fruit trees on the grounds and guests are encouraged to pick and take as much as they like. Unfortunately it showered almost the whole evening, but as a result we were rewarded with a beautiful arching rainbow right over our heads.

This morning we packed up early and had breakfast at a great little coffee shop in the neighboring town of Paia, Anthony's. They have an awesome assortment of coffee and tea varieties, plus hot breakfast and pastries. Randy's first Maui breakfast was - of course - loco moco! Once our bellies were filled and our coffee in to-go cups, we hit the windy road to take us to Hana. After an hour and a half we pulled up to the lovely Hotel Hana Maui.

Ordinarily we wouldn't be able to afford a hotel of this caliber (AAA - 4 diamonds), but perhaps because we are here in the off season we scored an awesome deal and decided to treat ourselves. The service has been impeccable from our first few minutes on the property. As we waited in the lobby for an available registration receptionist, the bellhop appears with ice cold glasses of POG juice (passionfruit, orange, guava), cold towels to freshen up and complimentary kukui nut necklaces. Once we check in, Eddie the friendly bellhop, loads our luggage onto his golf cart and proceeds to take us on a complete tour of the grounds. Finally he escorts us to our room which is amazing! It's a large, airy suite with a separate bedroom, living room, bathroom and lanai. I have no idea whether we were upgraded because the hotel is not at maximum occupancy, but the room is not what I thought I booked!

Randy, Cruz and I spent the next couple of hours swimming and lounging in the infinity pool which overlooks the Pacific Ocean...I could not be more grateful for the countless blessings the Lord gives to us. We have only been on the island for one full day, but I can feel myself beginning to switch gears, to a slower, more relaxed pace. I feel myself taking longer looks at my surroundings, taking in deeper breaths and having no idea what time of day it is. I'm looking forward to the week ahead!

First pony ride

August was here and gone so quickly that I'm behind in posting - in any case, mid-August we joined Hilarie's Helpful Hints (a mom's group that I'm a member of ) at Play Cafe in Oakland. It's another fun indoor play space for kids. On this day there was a special event being featured - pony rides and a petting zoo, so we knew we couldn't miss it.

This was Cruz's very first time riding a pony and he was pretty stoic the whole time. As we waited our turn in line he started to get cold feet and said he didn't want to ride, but when our turn came I asked him if he wanted to go for a ride and he nodded his head, silently yes. His pony's name was Pixie and it was a short round trip ride the length of the parking lot, and Cruz looked concerned the whole time! Part way through I asked him if he was having fun, and he said "yeah" but still had a furrowed brow. He never once cracked a smile.

Now looking back, I'll have to tell Cruz that his very first pony ride was in a parking lot in Oakland...not exactly the great outdoors!

Ice cream truck!

One of my fondest childhood memories is each summer, hearing the strains of "Pop Goes the Weasel" float through the open windows, alerting me to the ice cream truck making its rounds. I would drop whatever I was doing, run out of the house barefoot, screaming for someone, anyone, to throw me a dollar on my way out! I would barrel down the driveway and jump up and down on the sidewalk like a lunatic, waving my arms to flag down the ice cream truck.

Once the truck pulled over I'd take my time perusing the colorful, yet sun-faded ice cream labels that plastered one side of the truck, reading each one carefully...Rocket Pop...Chocolate Taco...Big Boy...the exercise was simply for pleasure because I chose the same thing every single time! I always got a Strawberry Shortcake because I loved the strawberry-flavored cream filling and crunchy puffed rice bits on the outside.

This evening I had the pleasure of taking Cruz through this rite of passage for the first time:


This is one of those times when being a parent completely takes you back to your own childhood and the joy that comes from the simplest things.

4th of July

We celebrated America's birthday with a good ol' family 4th of July barbecue. Tito Bing, Auntie Paula, Jude and Justin drove up from Union City to spend the day with us, and Randy's mom and Josie popped by too. We had a feast of grilled carne asada, pork ribs, grilled chicken, baked AND smoked salmon, mac and cheese, ceasar salad and Auntie Paula's fresh and delicious salsa. For dessert we noshed on cassava, rice krispy treats and leche flan. As always there was an {over}abundance of food!

It was a blazing 98 degrees that day so luckily Ate brought over her kiddie pool so Gabs, Jessie and Cruz could cool off. It looked so inviting I wanted to jump in myself! Uncle Jude decided to challenge Gabby to an underwater-breath-holding contest - hilarious!

He lost, by the way.

Everyone went their separate ways in the evening, and at the last minute Randy and I decided to wake Cruz up from his late nap and take him to see fireworks for the very first time. We found a spot in downtown Vacaville and hopped in the trunk of our Pilot to watch the show. Vacaville fireworks are launched from Andrews Park and I've been told there's music to accompany the show; we couldn't hear it from where we were but we were just happy to find a parking spot. Sadly the fireworks were underwhelming, but nevertheless it was a good experience for Cruz. He would call out the colors of the lights and even "ooohh-ed" and "aahh-ed" a few times, before eventually losing interest!

Maybe next year we'll brave the crowds and seek out a better fireworks display, but it was a fun day with the family nonetheless!

Santa Cruz Mini Vacay

Randy was fortunate enough to get a week off between his first and second years of residency so we took the opportunity to get out of town! We rented a condo in Aptos, a small town in Santa Cruz County. Our good friends, Josh and Christine Kroll joined us with their kids Kyler and Gavin, and Christine's cousin Cassandra. Josie came along for the ride too since she is on summer vacation.

Our first full day was a chilly, overcast day so we headed to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for some indoor fun. The gang posed for a quick pick as we walked down Cannery Row to the aquarium.

Cruz and the other kids had a great time, and loved seeing the sharks, the huge tuna fishes and the sea turtles. He told me the turtle was "Tuck", one of the characters on one of his favorite cartoons the Wonder Pets. Here he is coming nose to nose with one of the sea turtles.

The sun emerged in the late afternoon so we snapped a few quick picks of the beautiful Monterey Bay (and each other)

The next day we took advantage of the sunnier skies and warmer temps and spent the day at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. I haven't been there in over 10 years so it was a lot of fun to indulge in the games, rides and of course, boardwalk food! This was also Cruz's first time riding a kiddie ride all by himself - I was the proud, yet anxious mommy =)

Gavin and Cruz hopped in the "S.S. Cotton Candy" for another ride - how adorable are they?

To our dismay, the Krolls headed out one day early - we were sad to see them go! We spent our last full day relaxing at SeaCliff Beach in Aptos. It's an expansive stretch of beach, with pristine waters and lots and lots of beachgoers.

Cruz marvels at some seaweed that he finds

Cruz and Randy get busy building a sand castle, digging holes and making shapes in the sand

On our last day, we visited the nearby town of Capitola before heading back home. It was a quiet, foggy day but we still enjoyed the seaside town's charm.

It's amazing what even a "mini vacation" can do for our bodies and minds. Being away from the ever present "to do" lists, work, errands and even our computers - forces us to rest, sleep in, enjoy each other's company and slow life down a little. It was a great break for our family!

Memorial Day Weekend

We stuck close to home base this Memorial Day weekend since Randy was working all but one day. I actually made it a 4-day weekend and kicked things off with a trip to the Little Animal Farm at Tilden Park in Berkeley, along with Marinel and her two kids Samantha and Doren.

Cruz had a great time seeing the farm animals up close and even fed celery to a few of them.

The next day Randy, Cruz and I spent the morning at Kid Fest in Concord. It was a great little event with rides, a small petting zoo, carnival games, bouncy houses and free arts and crafts for the kiddies.

Despite all that fun stuff, the highlight for Cruz was seeing a real fire truck!

He even got to hop in the driver's seat and "give it a spin". We had to pry him out of the seat so other kids could get a turn, and boy was he unhappy about it!

After Kid Fest we headed over to Walnut Creek for lunch and some shopping. We ate a new Japanese restaurant - Sasa - it was absolutely delicious! First of all, the space is beautiful, with lots of natural wood and a cool water feature. We ordered classic menu items but Sasa puts their own twist on them. I had grilled chicken miso ceasar salad and a spicy tuna roll:

Randy had chicken teriyaki, shrimp & vegetable tempura and sashimi:

On Sunday I had a "girl's day out" with my girlfriends Diana, Ariela and April. We had lunch at Straits in downtown San Francisco, shopped and watched Sex and The City 2. It's always so nice to spend time with good friends, and for that I'm thankful.

Overall it was a low-key holiday weekend, and as I posted on my Facebook status, "Mentally thanking those who fight on faraway shores away from their families so I may sit here safely with my own family, and remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice".