#31 Sushi makin'

Made all sorts of sushi a few days ago. Delicious and easy to make. Maybe one day he'll get to munch on some!

#27 & #9 Macarons and Spa day with mom

#27. Finally found a place in SD that sells these French sweets called macarons. I've always wanted to try macarons ever since I saw pictures of these colorful pastries. I love the variety of the flavors from key west lime to cappuccino.

#9. Went to Hidden Spa in OB for Mother's Day. My sister, mom and I had massages for the first time. I got the prenatal massage. It was a nice day of relaxation!

#87 Raise the Red Lantern

First time I saw the movie was in 2003 in a film class. Didn't get to see the last ten minutes of it, but I remember being enthralled with this film. I finally got to see the movie again a few days ago and loved it. Stunning cinematography and engrossing plot makes this a must-see international flick.

#72 Seattle Trip

Visited the Space needle the first day in Seattle. While it rained earlier, the weather that day was nice and breezy. Atop the space needle we saw spectacular views of the city with both day and night views.

Stayed at the exquisite Pan Pacific hotel, which was walking distance to the Space Needle.

The second day we did a food tour of Pike Place Market through Savor Seattle Food Tours. It was a perfect day, nice and sunny without a trace of the typical rainy Seattle weather. Tasted savory piroshky pastries and award winning clam chowder. My favorite tastings on the food tour were the smoked salmon and cherry-inspired treats.

After the food tour, we drove to Vancouver and walked around the city and had delicious Korean food for dinner. We tasted kimchee for the first time. The following day we went to the spacious Stanley park and even stopped by the Aquarium before heading back to Seattle.

On the last night in Seattle we watched a ballgame at Safeco Field. Munched on kettle corn and ice cold lemonade as we watched the Mariners defeat the Orioles.

Overall Seattle was a great trip! I'd love to visit the city again...next time with baby on board!

70. Spend a day at the Cold Spring Tavern in Santa Barbara

On President's day we took a mini trip to Santa Barbara. Our first stop was the Cold Spring Tavern, which was located 20 minutes away from the city. It's a rustic restaurant serving American food and has been deemed the Best place for a romantic getaway in California (a perfect stop considering we went the day after Valentines day). But perhaps I missed the 'romantic getaway' part because we went during lunch rather then dinner, to which the tavern calls dinner time "pure MAGIC!" (all caps with the exclamation point!) with its fireplaces stirring "the romantic soul." Yeah, nope didn't feel it the day I went. Must be the deer heads hanging on the walls that spoiled the moment.

While waiting for a table, we decided to walk around the tavern, which was smaller then I thought. Got to peek in the old-fashioned rooms and even smelled what I imagined a 1860's room would be like...a mixture of wet newspapers and aging wood.

Although it was daytime, the restuarant was quite dim with ancient pictures and massive animal heads plastered on the walls. I refused to look above me since I was eating a charbroiled burger and did not want the sight of a Moose head tainting my appetite. Though the tavern was a bit off the beaten path, it was worth the visit.

The following day we drove to LA to watch the Lakers game. Fun times!