We're Back...again

I know our trip to Dominican Republic was only a month ago, but we just returned from Hawaii for a friend's wedding. Occasions always seem to happen around the same time rather than spread out, so off we went on a flight to Honolulu 3 weeks after unpacking from Santo Domingo. Luckily, it was a hop, skip, jump from Vancouver and we did not have to endure an 11 hour flight from New York. We returned on a red-eye this morning and are already almost done with the laundry. Success!

We packed a lot (beach gear and toys takes up a lot of space) and as we get on the plane, I realize we forgot our suiter!! This was problematic, considering it held Melvin's suit AND 4 dresses (rehearsal lunch, wedding + 2 casual dresses) of mine. AHHH!! My mind was racing. Upon landing, I called our good 'ole friends, Robyn & Reggie (the ones that visited us in Aug) who were coincidentally in HI for ANOTHER wedding. Long story short, we wear the same sizes as them and we rocked their outfits at the wedding. PHEW. Crisis averted. It was also a good conversation starter at the wedding, according to Melvin: Hi, nice to meet you. We forgot our clothes at home and this is our friends' outfits. 

Our friends, Roland & Maeann (the ones that helped us find our apartment in Vancouver) are now newlyweds and had a fabulous wedding at Kathy Ireland's estate on the island of Oahu. It was literally picture perfect. 

VIEW FROM OUR TABLE

Aside from the wedding, we were able to meet up with friends from University, which was a great reunion. We went to a traditional luau at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and it was a really fun night, which the kids enjoyed so much. I feel like we went on a food tour of Oahu, which was no joke. Wailana Coffee House, Side Street Inn, Giovanni's Shrimp Truck, Leonard's Bakery, Papa Ole's...Sinfully delicious! My sister and her fiancé also met up with us there and we shared a condo together. It was beautiful watching them spend time with the kids and they took care of them during the wedding, which was perfect. We had plenty of beach and pool time, as well as visited the North Shore to see its amazing waves.

Banzai Pipeline during a surfing tournament

Living further has made us take more of a conscious effort to spend "quality" time with people when we see them. It has been so fun spending time with people in other states/countries. It is a great revelation.

The American Cheesesteak Co.

We've been waiting for months and months for this new place to open called The American Cheesesteak Co.  It will be opening a handful of blocks up the road from us on Davie Street. Melvin and I both went to university in Philadelphia, home of the cheesesteak, so we're both curious and skeptical about whether this place will live up to Philly's iconic, greasy, savoury and satisfying cheesesteak. 

There is no official website yet, however, I found this link chronicling the months prior to opening. While it was due to open this past summer, it seems like they've gotten their act together and we saw the staff-in-training today. 

The owner actually went to Philly to see "how a real cheesesteak is made." This was one of the spots he visited. I actually emailed the owner to see if they need us to taste test their product before they open!

Hmm, we'll see what the outcome is! Stay tuned!!

Special Day

Today was a special day. While I realize that I will be one of those women that lie about their age, I didn't feel so bad about "aging" today. Perhaps it was the body wrap and deep tissue massage Melvin treated me to on Sunday? Who knows...Melvin worked from home and I spent the morning with Amélie. We all had lunch together and everyone sang that dreaded song and had cake pops from Starbucks (so good, by the way). 

Once Amélie was down for her nap, Julian and I went on a bike ride. The weather is glorious today - perfect Autumn weather with the sun shining, crisp air and various colored leaves on the ground. otally my favorite season - reminds me of my soccer days. As we were riding, I couldn't believe my eyes that 1) I have a 3 year old. 2) He is able to zip around on a bike without training wheels already. 3) We live in Vancouver, like, another country. 

We rode all the way to English Bay (his distance is getting greater and it's so fun) and I was so happy to be home and enjoy the moment. Moments like these, which I would not have enjoyed had I been stuck in an office or traveling for work. It's really nice to come to that realization over and over again, especially when there are times that I question whether it was the right decision. 

Well, enough of that...I'm very excited for dinner at our favorite French Bistro in the city - 

Café Salade de Fruits. Frog's Legs here I come!

Never Forget

As my son and husband are biking the seawall in Vancouver, B.C. on this warm summer evening, I sit in our living room quietly (Amélie is asleep) reflecting on how things have changed from 10 years ago. Ten years from today, I was fresh out of Drexel, had started my first "real" job 2 months prior, returned from a company trip to St. Lucia the night prior, and experienced one of the most, if not the greatest, catastrophic event in U.S. and NYC history -- 9/11.

I'll never forget waking up that glorious sunny morning, after a wonderful long weekend in St. Lucia with co-workers (we often called it "the trip that never happened", as we never had a chance to exchange pictures, laugh about it, or even speak about it after returning to work on 9/11). I remember getting to work around 9:05am, or so, after a long wait for the most expensive omelet I've ever had at Fresco. I came in to work grumbling about how omelets should not cost $10, as if it were the biggest problem I ever encountered. Man, do I miss that place.

At the time, I sat in our company's "air department", since I was a newbie and there was no room for me in any of the offices. My ex-colleague goes, 'some guy accidentally crashed his plane into one of the towers' (I assumed it was a puddle-jumper, what the heck did I know, I was only 21). My retort: What an idiot. Can you believe this omelet cost me $10??

In hindsight, I reacted that way because the events of that day were just unfathomable. Long story short, I was relieved my dad had not made it to work just yet (he was on his way walking to the South Tower, where he worked and saw the first plane crash and then brought this woman to the hospital as she started having a heart attack) and Melvin was on a project in NJ (he worked in Two World Financial Center-the one with the dome). We quickly evacuated (1/2 to a colleague's apartment and the other half to our CEOs apartment on Park Ave). I joined the crew at the CEOs apartment, soon felt awkward, and started walking with the only other coworker that lived in NJ (I lived in Jersey City at the time). We walked and walked and walked...thank goodness, I was never one to be embarrassed to wear sneakers to work and change into heels there. It took me 7 hours to get home that day, 5 hours of it on line for the ferry to get to Jersey. I witnessed the collapse of Building 7 from that line on the West Side Highway. I also clearly remembered all these people giving blood in Hoboken, NJ....blood that was never used, as there were no survivors to give it to. I took a cab from there to my apartment and remember being so rude and angry at the Arab who was driving. Melvin was working with Canadians on his project and wasn't able to leave work immediately (I continue to believe people far from NYC just didn't get it), but came straight over as he wasn't able to cross any bridges or tunnels. He was stuck in NJ, which was fine with me...and yes, they made him come to work the next day. I remember my friend, Dianne and I sitting in a diner the next morning practically crying into our breakfast as the news on TV showed the towers over and over again....we spent the next week sleeping at each other's places, scared to be alone. 

The weirdest memory I have is Melvin and I had made plans to go to the top of the WTC that following Saturday, because I recently told him that I have never been up there. 

The events of 9/11, and following days, are so vivid in my mind, so I thought I'd just jot them down in this post. It took awhile, but I try not to relive those moments by way of emotion (anger, sadness, hate), regretful thoughts (what if I did this, what if that person were there, what if we were still in St. Lucia) or action (explode at Canadians that say it could have been avoided, mistreat Muslims, assume all Arabs are horrible, etc). Instead, I've found peace in recognizing that 9/11 happened and it's okay to remember it, but not let it consume me as it did the weeks following. 

And today, we were able to explain this part of history to our eldest child (Melvin was watching today's events in NYC and our inquisitive Julian had many questions), as matter-of-factly as possible. This is what happened and it is just that. 


After that conversation, we continued with our day and met another family on The Drive (Commercial Drive) for brunch at Little Nest. We spent most of the day in that neighborhood's new park/playground, explored the shops and had great sandwiches for lunch from La Grotta del Formaggio. It is amazing how things can change so drastically in 10 years. 

Chocolat

Melvin and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary this weekend. We typically go on a trip, but we have so many trips we've committed to that we decided to keep it low-key this year. In addition, his company had so many events the day of our anniversary, so it was good to be around for that.


Anyway, we decided to indulge in Fleuri's Chocolate Buffet. It is held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, with 2 seatings - 6:30pm and 8:30pm. We went on Friday at 8:30pm after having a picnic dinner with the kids by the seawall. I made some stuffed peppers and pan-fried some wild rockfish. The buffet was pretty insane and we felt pretty bad about ourselves afterward, but whatever. You really can't beat chocolate bread pudding as a dessert.


Yesterday, we had HSBC's annual Latin Diversity BBQ and the spread was pretty impressive. Tomato Salsa, Chickpea Salad, Guacamole, Salad with Homemade Dressing, Grilled Ribs, Steak, Sausages, Corn, Yuca and Watermelon. It was super organized and the weather was spectacular. After the picnic, we got ready to host one of the manager's from the U.K. and another coworker, plus their wives. We had beer/wine at our place and walked over to Hapa Izakaya for a great dinner of Japanese Tapas.


I think me and the kids will hit the beach today, while Melvin's out for a bike ride with his friends. It's so hard to believe that Hurricane Irene is hitting the east coast right now!

Under the Weather

It's been a long-ish week, which is why I haven't really blogged.  The kids (and now Melvin and I) are fighting a bit of a cold. We also got an insane amount of rain this week, talk about April showers in May. Also, my family's highly anticipated visit is coming up on Friday (my sis, her fiance, cousin, her husband & baby, aunt & uncle). What does that mean?

8 adults + 3 kids in one apartment

Needless to say, it should be interesting...but FUN! I'm trying to stock up the freezer and fridge, as always, and we've been dreading the cleaning that needs to happen before they arrive. Time to whip out the Aerobeds! I also got called to substitute for a 90-minute Yin Yoga class this afternoon. I've only ever just taught a 60 minute class, so I'm really nervous. Luckily, postures are held for 3-7 minutes and will be making sure I put a cheat sheet under my mat!

We checked out an amazing veggie restaurant last night called The Naam.  It's a Vancouver institution and it was awesome...even Melvin (veggie hater until he met me) really liked it. The line was out the door, surprisingly, and we quickly learned why it was open 24/7.  Good stuff.

Random + Glowbal Grill Review

Throughout the day, I always find myself thinking "I need to blog about this"; however, when I get to the computer, I forget what I needed to blog about.  Annoying!

Here is what I remember at the moment...wanted to mention this stuff before I forget:

- There are stores here that are so similar to what we have back home.  The fonts and signs are so similar that I wonder if they are under the same companies. 

Home Goods = Home Sense; Magic Cuts = Super Cuts

- I'm very excited to discover a fellow mom of two that is taking the yoga program with me.  She is from Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada) and is leaving her 3-year and 3-month old for five weeks!!  I no longer feel so (or as) guilty about leaving the kids full-time again. Maybe I'll have company while I pump during my breaks?

- We booked our 5-year anniversary trip to Victoria, B.C.  Taking the ferry over and will take a seaplane back to Vancouver....Will blog about it after we go!

Glowbal Grill Review:

I want to continue reviewing my dining experiences at the more notable restaurants in the city. Glowbal Grill was pretty damn good.  It's a pretty trendy, loungey place and it was Friday night, but I was determined for some upscale dining and the mushroom risotto.

We took the kids and braved the after-work, happy hour, yuppy crowd that Yaletown (our neighborhood) is known for. I was extremely prepared and brought a coloring book for Julian, carried Amélie in the Bjorn and had the car seat on the other arm "just in case" and looked at the menu online and ordered before Melvin even met us there.  They sat us in the back next to an older couple from Louisiana and the hostess & waiter were extremely accommodating.

We had the following satays: short rib, sablefish, kobe meatball, tiger prawn - all of which were to die for, with the exception of the short ribs, which were mediocre. We also got a calamari appetizer, which melted in our mouths (similar to Sanafir's calamari) and got creamed spinach and mushroom risotto as sides.  Delectable.  I look forward to returning.