I am writing about April in June. Regardless, I always believe in better late than never. April was full of lovely family memories worth re-visiting for years to come. We did get more than our April showers. It was pretty stormy and cold. Here are the highlights of April:
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| My mom picking loquat fruits for me from my family's backyard. My first time ever trying this fruit but I am afraid that the huge seed might choke me! |
EASTER
April is Easter and Easter is April. I got everything on my Easter wish list -- Hot Cross Buns during lent, Easter basket from BFF, Easter service with my family, picnic at the park including egg hunt with the babies and bbq with my family and friends. My parents really enjoyed the picnic as it has been years since they have gone to a picnic at a park.
FAMILY MOMENTS
Easter Lunch
Before going to our Easter picnic after church, I took my parents to eat first so they would not be starving before the bbq but not too full as well where they could not eat. My dad and I shared fish and rice at Gardena's because that was what he wanted while my mom wanted to wait until the picnic.
JAPANESE FOOD WITH SISTER AND NEPHEWS
April 22 -- Eating at a Japanese restaurant after church has become a default every Sunday. It is usually just me and my parents until my 14 year old, Matthew started hanging out with us. This particular Sunday, though, was special since my sister was able to join us with my 14 year old nephew, Gabriel. I also ordered a tempura udon which is a treat for me as I am very sensitive to sodium and really avoid it. And speaking of "treat" Okayama Sushi was a random find by my sister. She also reated us to lunch which was nice!
HOFBRAU LUNCH WITH MOM, DAD AND NEPHEW
April 24 -- My dad has been feeling nostalgic and craving a hefty hofbrau meal. When we first came to the US, our uncle took us to a hofbrau in San Leandro, CA. I found Harry's Hofbrau in San Jose which belongs to the same ownership as the one in San Leandro. I took the day off to get my hair done, picked up my mom and dad for lunch. My nephew Gabriel just got out of school so we picked him up, too! My mom and dad shared a roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, potato salad and bread roll. Definitely food coma! (I had a turkey wing which I pretty much gave to my parents while my nephew had prime rib.)
SUNDAY FAMILY HOME COOKED LUNCH
April 8 -- I call our family lunches "delicious chaos". My sister who was off again that weekend from her work at the hospital wanted for all of us to eat together at my brother and sis-in-law's house after church. My sister picked up 3 dozen fried fish and dim sum from the market, my brother-in-law made salsa, my sis-in-law made fettucine while I picked up Mexican salsa and chips. It was totally random. My mom wanted to go shopping first at Ross that when we arrived, everyone was so hungry and just attacked everything on the table. It was a simple but memorable family moment.
SUNDAY LUNCH AT TK NOODLES
We indulged our cravings for Vietnamese food. My nephew and I had wonton noodle soup while my mom had chicken pho. We all drooled at my dad's order of crispy noodles. I had a taste and it was so good!
CELEBRATIONS
NEPHEW'S 2ND BIRTHDAY
A super-fun birthday party at Pump It Up to celebrate Jacob's 2nd birthday. Everyone had fun -- kids and adult alike. It was a new experience for us as for 2 hours we went from room to room -- 3 different rooms total. Each room had different games and structures. My sister bought all the extras including a bubble machine, photos, games, extra food, etc. My sister-in-law had fun dancing on the video screen while Mr Sweetie recorded us on his phone. Ha! Ha!
BFF Post-Birthday Celeb
A generous celebration for me by my BFF. I wrote extensively about our delicious afternoon out in San Francisco about it on this post.
DATE NIGHTS
HAWAIIAN FOOD DATE NIGHT
A quick takeout Hawaiian food for date night. I had the fried fish with rice and macaroni. As always, Mr Sweetie sneaked in an order of musubi because I love it!
TRUE BURGER DATE NIGHT
A quick walk to this neighborhood burger place because I was craving a burger! It is not as good as I remembered it to be but it hit the spot. The walk was nice as well.
SOLO MOMENTS
HAIR AND NAILS
Took a day off from work to get my hair and nails done. Then a lovely hof brau lunch with my mom, dad and nephew, Gabriel, before I braved the traffic back home.
LOVELY DAY AT GOOGLE COMMUNITY SPACE
A work day where we used Google Community Room. I got to the venue pretty early that I got to walk by Embarcadero and enjoyed the view of the Bay Bridge. A delicious buffet of sandwiches, salads and desserts was catered by work. I chose a salmon sandwich, eggplant wrap and quinoa salad. Delicious and healthy!
FILIPINO FOOD
I have been including a Filipino dish that my mom or sister in law send me home with. There are many each week but this is what I am featuring this month -- Filipino-style chicken soup. It pretty much like an American chicken soup but with milk and fish sauce that gives it an Asian flavor. My sister in law even included beef balls.
Oh, April. Looking back -- you were fine. So much love from family and friends. Thank you, Lord, for all these blessings that I tend to take for granted. But you are faithful and it shows in how You much you care for me and all the people that I love each and everyday.
THANK YOU, APRIL. HELLO, MAY!