Living An Intentional Life
k has been getting up on all fours, trying to crawl. She’s probably wondering why we cheer for her when she does this. I have a feeling that once she does start crawling everywhere, we’ll long for the days where we could just plop her down and she would stay in one place.
Also, her first tooth is just barely coming in!
For the last 4 months, I have been training for my 2nd Half-Marathon which will be held on September 2nd. I plan to run the Disneyland Half-Marathon in Anaheim in 2 Hours and 5 Minutes, which is over 14 minutes faster than I ran it last year. I should be helped by a number of factors. First I hope I will be in the 2nd grouping instead of the 4th grouping which will allow me to run with faster runners, i.e. less people walking in full costume. I will find out soon, but my time from last year should get me there. Second I have lost about 7 pounds since last year’s race. Since I have been running, 15 months ago, I have lost 12 pounds. Thirdly, I plan on stopping (walking for a minute) every other water stop instead of every water stop. There is a stop every 1.5 miles. I have run 4 10.5 mile runs so far compared with 3 10.5 mile runs last year. And I have been stopping every 3 miles or so. Fourthly, I plan on eating a banana or piece of toast w/ jam before my race along with a gel shot instead of just the gel shot. Last year I was jittery due to the caffeine in the gel shot and was hungry. Finally, I will make sure to use the porta-potty 30 minutes before the race instead of 45 mintues before so I am not uncomfortable after drinking a lot of water.
My long training runs are run at a little after 6 a.m. to around 8 a.m. I am surprised at how hot it can get this early in the morning. Even though it is only about 70 degrees at the end on my runs, it slows you down a lot compared with running in 50 degree weather. I am running and biking now, and stopped the swimming, so I can cooncentrate on my lower body. I enjoy running in Huntington Beach with the breeze and the beauty of the beach to look at. Also my running shoes, Asics 2110, are a good fit for me. I read that the Asics 2120 now has Solyte, which is lighter midsole material. I also have new shorts and a shirt, so I will look different in my race. My shorts are shorter in the front, so my legs don’t have to move much material, and my shirt is a little lighter, however it does have wider shoulder straps. But the white color should reflect more sunlight. Stay tuned for more updates.
For some reason, Blogger is not letting me put titles on my posts. Anyway, on Sunday we acted like lemmings and met my sister and her husband at Yogurtland. When we arrived at 3 p.m. the line was out the door.
For those who haven’t followed the frozen yogurt craze, this place is different because it is self-serve (yogurt and toppings) and you pay 30 cents an ounce. It ends up being cheaper than Pinkberry if you exercise some restraint.
Here is my creation. Those marshmallow-looking things are actually mochi bits–yum! Kev and I liked the “tart” flavors while D and my sister liked the regular sweet ones better.
We also noticed these people waiting next store for Taiko to open at 4:30. That must be some seriously good Japanese food if people are willing to bring stadium chairs and wait a couple of hours for the place to open! D has been there for lunch and it made his “list”.
Afterward we went to Debbie’s 29th birthday party at a park in Irvine. I was thankful to have k as an excuse not to play kickball!
Here’s D testing out a jogging stroller that one of our friends brought to the park…now he wants one.
We had a busy day today, most of which we will blog about later. For now, we will leave you with pictures of k “driving” our CX-7.
We celebrated the 4th of July by hanging at Seal Beach in the morning and having a barbecue at my parents’ in the afternoon. At night it sounded like everyone and their mother was shooting off fireworks in our neighborhood. Amazingly, k slept through it all.
We like to use the carrier when we go to the beach since strollers and sand don’t work too well. It was amazing how much bigger k looked in the carrier this time.
A tisket, a tasket, a baby with a green and yellow onesie in a basket.
It’s getting hot in here…
…so take off all your clothes (except for your diaper)!
On Sunday k was making a lot of noise during service. Good thing we were in the “cry room”. D took her outside to calm her down a bit.
After church we met up with one of D’s old friends from high school/college and his girlfriend. They flew in from Hong Kong for a wedding the day before. We ate lunch at Wahoo’s at Fashion Island. After chatting over some gelato we drove down PCH to Laguna. We strolled the boardwalk and then found a shady patch of grass and chilled.
Here’s Eug taking a nap. He must’ve been really tired because it was fairly noisy/crowded.
Last night D and I went to Taste of Anaheim. The tickets weren’t cheap at $30 a pop so of course I was determined to get my money’s worth, as it was all-inclusive. (At least parking was free.) We left k at home with my parents and sister so we could do some serious eating. After reading this post, you’ll understand why D and I were so full we had a hard time falling asleep last night. D declared that he “didn’t like food anymore”.
We started out at the Ruth’s Chris booth. It had a long line, but it moved fairly quickly.
Kobe Slider with Sweet Potato Casserole. Nice flavor, good quality (brioche?) bun.
Next we went to another booth with a long line, figuring it must be long for a reason: Orange Hill Restaurant
Guess what? Another Mini Kobe Beef Slider, along with Smoked Salmon and Trout on Pecan Raisin Crostini. It too was good (nice grilled onions), but maybe there should have been some coordination to add some diversity. It was also a pretty filling way to start off the evening.
I don’t remember the order of everything else we ate, so the rest will be random. I would also note that you had to pay for drinks, including $2.75 for a bottle of water! However, we found the Aramark booth (caterer for Anaheim Angels Stadium) and they had free water and lemonade. There were also samples of Kelly’s Coffee, smoothies from Juice it Up and Starbucks.
Yamabuki
California Roll and Rice Krispy Roll. I thought the Rice Krispy Roll was cute and different.
JT Schmids
Pork Rib and Sweet Potato Fries. The rib was meaty and good, but the fries could have been warmer.
Shenhnai Cuisine of India
Naan, Chicken Korma, and Vegetable Curry. D also had something with lamb. It was OK, again it could have been warmer. I liked the naan, but I probably like 99% of naan!
House of Blues
Pan Seared Voodoo Shrimp with Rosemary Cornbread, Creole, Seafood Jambalaya with Shrimp, Chicken and Andouille Sausage. I enjoyed the shrimp and cornbread; the jambalaya was a bit mushy.
El Torito Grill
Guacamole and Tamarind Barbeque Shrimp (not pictured). This wins the award for best presentation. The mini plastic martini glasses were so cute! The guac was delicious, but a lot went to waste since it only came with two chips. The shrimp was quite tasty too.
Rainforest Cafe
Coconut Shrimp Skewer with Orange Wasabi Sauce. This was my favorite taste-wise. It was nice and hot (not sure how they managed that) and the “perfect bite” (or two), in “Top Chef” parlance.
Steakhouse 55
Ribeye (bite) and Chocolate Bonita Bar. This was my favorite dessert, sort of a chocolate mousse–and so pretty!
I didn’t take pictures of everything we ate, mostly because I was too embarrassed.
Here is what else we consumed. (I took home most of the dessert items in the bag provided by La Brea Bakery).
Amazing Cakes–Bite Size Brownies
Anaheim White House–Assorted Desserts (Apple Pastry, Lemon Tart)
Buca Di Beppo–Lasagne, Chocolate Cake
Catering by Aramark @ Angel Stadium–Cupcake
Cinnamon Works & More–Cinnamon Rolls
Dave & Busters–Philly Cheesesteaks (I had a couple of bites; D was too full).
Dream Cakes
ESPN Zone–BBQ Ribs | Carrot Cake
Hilton Anaheim Pavia–Fruit Tart (D’s fave dessert)
Golden Vine Winery–Ginger and Lemongrass Infused Watermelon Soup (interesting, but the ginger flavor was pretty strong, even for me!)
Kelly’s Coffee & Fudge Factory #54–sliver of Fudge
K’ya at the Hotel Ménage Casa Resort–Strawberries with Crème Fraiche and Brown Sugar
La Brea Bakery–Cheese Panini, Mini Muffins and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pepperoni’s Pizza–What else, pizza? I just had a bite; D was too full.
Sandi Bell Pies–Pecan Pie
The Catch Restaurant–Seafood Ceviche (nice and light)
Tortilla Jo’s–some sort of shrimp? I think too many places offered shrimp (as much as I like shrimp, it just seemed a bit redundant).
Up in Smoke–Pulled Pork
There were more booths, but it just wasn’t physically possible to try them all. We also wondered why National Sports Bar even bothered–flavorless chicken nuggets and chicken sandwiches. We probably should’ve skipped that one.
Here is D contemplating whether he should eat a chocolate covered strawberry despite wanting to throw up.
After a diet of milk, rice cereal, barley cereal, and oatmeal, k tried carrots for the first time on Tuesday. Looks like it is an acquired taste.
I don’t want to jinx things, but I think k is a very well-behaved baby. As you probably know, D and I enjoy eating out. I thought this would be pretty difficult to continue once k came along, but actually it has worked fine. Today we plopped her in a restaurant high chair for the first time and she didn’t complain at all.
If you’re curious, we were at Wing Stop. We had a coupon (of course!) and tried the Original Hot, Cajun, Lemon Pepper and Hawaiian. D liked Cajun the best and I enjoyed the Lemon Pepper. D wanted to go there because he felt the “chicken wing” category on his “List” was somewhat weak. Well, this restaurant made his list!
Not only is today the longest day of the year, it is also k’s six month birthday. So, it is time for a little reflection. k has been such a blessing to D and I this past half year. Sure, it’s been rough at times (especially in the beginning). However, watching her personality develop and physical progress makes it all worth it. For example, it is so cute to watch her when D comes home from work. She kicks her legs, flaps her arms and starts hyper-ventilating with a huge grin.
I made pineapple-banana cupcakes with pineapple buttercream frosting to celebrate. Of course, k couldn’t have any, but she seems pleased nonetheless.
This afternoon, k was “helping” me fold the laundry, including D’s boxers–haha. Recently she has been sticking out her tongue when she’s happy, as shown here.
