My Pre-Niece-in-Law's Baby Shower

Approximately 7 months ago, BSILF personally announced to BF and me that she and her hubby will have a baby this month. Ever since we received the news, I have been living vicariously through BSILF and all her detailed accounts and e-mails regarding Baby Girl's pre-developmental milestones.

Today, we threw Baby Girl R. a pre-birthday party! I had the honor of participating in the planning of the baby shower with BSILF's relatives. Everything went so perfectly. I arrived at noon to help set-up...and to get acquainted with the biggest surprises of the baby shower. When I first met w/ BSILF's relatives to plan, her Cousin-in-Law shared with me that BSILF's mom and mother-in-law would be flying all the way over from New York as a surprise! I was beyond excited for everyone!

When I arrived to Cousin-in-Law's house, I was re-introduced to Mother and Mother-in-Law. I was also introduced to MIL's sister, whom I hugged and briefly commented, "So you're the mystery guest!" (Since I was in charge of the RSVPs, I knew that there was one more relative coming from NY as a surprise but I didn't know who.) We chatted a bit and helped set up for about an hour. CIL's daughter and I decorated the patio tables by tying pink ribbons and pinning them to the brown table cloths (it was really a great color combination). About 40 minutes before start-time, the three ladies went into the bedroom to hide. Knowing BSILF, we anticipated her either arriving early or on time at the latest. Although there were a few logistical kinks (i.e., Costco messed the cake up so CIL's husband ended up having to go pick it up), everyone was back in time before BSILF arrived.

(Picture taken before pretty pink ribbons were attached.)

CHK brought BSILF and as soon as she was comfortably settled down in the plush sofa, CIL said, "We have a surprised, but we don't want you to get too excited [lest BSILF go into labor]. I'll go get it."

BSILF's reaction was Hallmark classic. Since I was the designated videocamera-woman, I got to see it all. First, her mother walked out and BSILF was absolutely stunned! She didn't even realize that MIL was right behind so I got continuous footage of a second genuinely pleasant surprised reaction. And then one more for Aunty-in-Law! It was really so wonderful to witness all of it.

As more guests arrived, we began with cheese & crackers and M & Ms for appetizers and then quickly rolled into our delicious lunch of chicken, salmon, mac & cheese, and Caesar salad. We all sat outside and enjoyed each other's company. As lunch winded down, we started our first game of guessing flavors of baby food in unlabelled jars. There were 12 of them...and I only got 2! (Who knew there was butternut squash? I sure didn't.)
We moved inside to have delicious carrot cake, and then we played a game of "Who knows Mommy Best?" BSILF really put the pressure on me since I often declare to her that she is one of my best friends. Sadly, I proved not to be!

The few things I knew about BSILF:

• Full name
• baby's due date
• night person (vs. day)
• half-credit for favorite dessert (I would have bet all my money that it's anything with pumpkin, but I wrote pumpkin pie...but it was really brownies with pumpkin pie being a very close runner-up)
• Birth location
  

A few things that I didn't know about BSILF:

• First band/singer infatuation -- I had absolutely no clue so I blindly (and jokingly) guessed Queen. She did NOT like that answer. LOL (I am still laughing about the way she responded to my answer!)
• Favorite toy as a child -- no clue either so I put bubbles. She quickly reprimanded, "Apparently you think that I am one of your speech students!" LOLOL (Turned out to be Matchbox cars.)
• Married for 14 years -- I put 15 years b/c I quickly did the math but failed to take into consideration that her wedding date was earlier than her birthday for that year. I always knew that Math wasn't my forget, but that also tested my overall problem-solving skills.
  

So, sadly, I only scored 5 out of 12! (I was so bummed that I had to bring her husband down with me when he later took the test. Including both mothers, he scored the highest out of everyone with a 9 out of 12! But I had to be a brat and point out that his score was only a 75% which equates to a "C" for average.)

Our last activity was to decorate a onesie. Honestly, I had been thinking about this and trying to plot out a cool design ever since we planned this activity back in March! (Only b/c I am soooo uncreative and unartistic but didn't want to make something ugly for our cutie-pie baby girl.) Still, I arrived with no design in mind. BSILF quietly said, "why don't you draw a turtle?" (or something like, "I was sure you'd draw a turtle.") I almost drew a turtle's shell on the back...so that when Baby Girl wore it, she would look like a turtle (this inspiration came from BF. I often tell him that I want a tattoo of a turtle or sea turtle and he teases that I should get my back tatted w/ a turtle's shell. Scary and ugly!). Since I didn't like that idea for myself, I didn't think that would look so cute on Baby Girl. So I ended up just drawing a turtle.

Clumsy me smeared one of the "scute" outlines so I ended up filling up the entire shell at the suggestion of my supportive GFs. :) I was quite proud of it since I am soOOOOOoOOOOoooo not artistic. (Dude, my middle school kids often laugh at my drawings.)

(When I showed artistic BF the pictures above and below, he totally clowned on me,

"Did one of your elementary school students draw that?" -- knowing that I don't work with such young ones!)
Shortly after, BSILF opened up all the adorable gifts for baby girl. OMG, Baby Girl is going to be dressed to the nines in the most adorable outfits!
In retrospect, BF and I unintentionally got gifts from their registry to the theme of "cleanliness." We got this cool bath tub with a self-cleaning system and thermometer, a catch-all-mess floor mat, and booties to keep Baby Girl's feet clean. ;)

After the last guest left, I felt the need to leave, but BSILF said, "no, stay! Just b/c everyone left doesn't mean you have to leave!" So I stayed and got extra BSILF time in. :)

I ended up leaving around 8:30 PM! I was exhausted, but so happy to have spent the day with friends and "family"! :)

I am EAGERLY counting down the days until Baby Girl arrives!!!

Bro's 31st Birthday

Yesterday, my bro celebrated his birthday with several close friends. Funny because I recall my brother saying last year that he wanted FBIL to plan a huge event, like a mini-trip with a bunch of people. But as his day drew nearer, what he wanted most was a chill evening with his closest friends.

We started off with Korean BBQ at Cham Sut Gol (a.k.a. The Cave). It was kind of a mini-China-Trip reunion, since most of us haven't seen each other since August. (My, how time flies) BSILF and Hubby came, too, which we were all excited about! :) After several platters of meat (Mommy would be so disappointed in us!), we had delicious birthday cake from JJ's bakery. Afterwards, we promptly left for our karaoke reservation at Rosen.

We got to Rosen around 7:30 and got right down to business. BSILF asked if I was going to sing and I told her honestly, "Only if my bro makes me...which I'm sure he will." Sure enough, he did...but it was fun and nice. The first song we sang together was Mr. Big's "To Be With You." I was thrilled! I haven't heard nor thought of that song in at least a decade! We didn't score 100, but we sure sang our hearts out. ;) We were definitely not leaving until somebody scored 100...and the dynamic dual that won it all was none other than BSILF and FBIL with Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach."
The funny thing is that we were all home pretty much by 10 or 10:30, yet I know I felt like I had a full night out! Man, I just can't hang like I used to. Heck, I haven't been able to hang like when I was 21, since I was 21!

It was really a fun night and most importantly, my brother had a blast.

Cousins Day II

I can't remember when our first Cousins Day happened, but I think we went to an Auto Zone or Mini Golfing place. I don't think we actually mini-golfed...or did anything except eat.

So I guess we were intent on making our second Cousins Day a success. And it really was! All cousins, sans Lawyer Cousin who was busy signing house ownership documents (woo-hoo!), first met up at Lucky Strikes at The Block in Orange. Even future-cousins-in-laws BF and FBIL were present. :) It was their first time meeting half of our cousins. We waited almost an hour and a half for two lanes and then almost all of us bowled one game. I had the 2nd or 3rd lowest score despite having full gear and all...Boo! I haven't bowled in so long (not that I'm using that as an excuse, although I sort of am) so my form was completely messy and inconsistent. I didn't even break 80. :(

Afterwards, we headed to Captain Cousin's house. It was my first time seeing their new house and it is fabulous! I love the model home look and feel and that was exactly what it looked and felt like, even complete with fabulous Christmas decorations. We all just hung out, ate, and chatted. Most of the boys watched the football game and talked shop for half of the time and then half went upstairs to play video games. The rest of us just chilled, ate more, and caught up. Cousin-in-Law (who lives two doors down) joined us for a bit, too.

We all left around 10:00 PM and wouldn't you know it, I still ended up getting us lost despite having a GPS. I blame it on Elsa; her compass has mysteriously disappeared, which has sent me into a state of panic whenever I drive.

Nonetheless, BF and I were in extremely good spirits so we had a leisure drive home despite taking a slight detour. All in all, Cousins Day II was a success!

Infield Par-Tay at Oak Tree

Today, we went to Oak Tree at Santa Anita Race Track! Since Bro's company was a sponsor for California Cup XVIII at Oak Tree, we got to be his exclusive $80 guests (and scored Illuminated Glass California Cups).

I started the morning pretty anxious. Yesterday afternoon, Gramma asked if I could pick her up (up until that point, I didn't know they were going). When I got home, I told BF that my family would be at the event...but he better still go b/c my bro invited him and each ticket costs $80 (Total Classic Liang Guilt Trip laid on the poor guy). He didn't seem phased, which was a good thing; instead, he said, 'of course I'll still go.'

Then this morning, my Bro dropped another bomb -- FBIL wasn't going any more. So Bro said, give BF a heads up b/c if he doesn't want to go any more, then Lynnburger will need a ride from someone else. I said with a Total Bro Liang Directive, "FBIL isn't going any more, so can you pick Lynn up from her house?" "Oh, okay."

20 minutes later, BF asked, "You couldn't tell me earlier that your family was going too?" "I just found out yesterday afternoon." "Okay." I couldn't believe how well he was taking everything. :)

Shortly after, I met Genius Aunty down the street to pick up Gramma, and we headed to Oak Tree. There, we met up with Daddy, his roomie, Cousin Yees, Bro, Janet, Parker, and Nancinator. I was giddy seeing how big the gala was. Bro said there would be a seafood buffet, but it was more than that! There were jumbo shrimps and grilled veggies (my fave!), sushi, the most delicious corn beef that any of us had ever tasted, other carved meats, ice-cream bars galore, a loooooong glamorous dessert table (Bro and I picked chocolate sea shells off of coral candied art), and many other ethnic foods. Not to mention, open bar! (Although I had about 3 oz. of lite beer and then just drank soda and water.) We felt like celebrities!

We got there during the 2nd race and sat with Tita Dina and her best friend and husband. Tita Dina, her best friend, and BF bet on a couple horses throughout the day. BF won a whopping $2 while Tita Dina won $4! :) BF and I also tried the Pick 6 million dollar win. I found him under a screen, and I asked if he had picked his 6. He looked all bummed and said, "I only have a dollar left." So I grabbed his picks, sprinted to find my bro to borrow a dollar, bro glanced up and said, "Mei, hurry! We only have a minute left!" Ran to the windows (lady said, "you better hurry and give me your picks! There's less than a minute left!") and then I got our Pick 6. Dude, we were out of the win by the first race (our pick for the 1st race out of the 6 didn't come in first). Still, it was fun. :) (Lamely, I later remembered that I had $16 in my cosmetic bag.)

Shortly after, people started leaving. Gramma and Dad were about to take off so I grabbed BF and said, you need to say hello now! So he said hello to Gramma and my Aunt's family. (Yay BF for having the courage!)

After most of our group left, Bro and I left with Tita Dina and Co. On our way back, Bro and I took a detour to Downtown for happy hour. My bro missed out on "Santa Anita's widely acclaimed buffet" b/c he was busy hosting.

We ended up at the Daily Grill (amongst a bunch of USC kids). We ate, chatted, and relaxed. He philosophized about nature and life while I spoke about my crazy kiddos. It was really nice to end the day chillaxing with my bro. We talk almost everyday, yet it's still nice, rare, and different to go out with him for a meal.

Then we went home to our BFs. :) The end.

Cousin Gnat and I...or as the "John Travolta" impersonator called us, "Lucy Liu and her partner."

FNF with Big Bro

Today was one of those rare days where both my bro and my significant others are away. FBIL left yesterday for a 6-week internship in Ghana, as part of his MSW program. BF left yesterday for Vegas to visit his folks, meet a client, and g2 a bachelor's party. =X So today was a big bro/lil sis day. :)

Today, I did some more late spring-cleaning and finished my reset diet! I also anxiously waited all day to go on a walk at the beach with my bro. Around 6:30, he picked me up and we did his typical Venice to Santa Monica walk, but the fun part is that we stopped by the rings! (I may be mistaken, but I told Bro that these are the rings that Mark swings on every lunch). My bro encouraged me to try them. With much cajoling, I ended up beginning with the "easier" rings (a few inches closer to the ground and closer-spaced together). I was able to go all the way to the end and back (sans fancy 360 at the last ring to bring myself back around). Then, I climbed 4/5 of the nearby rope!! I was so close to the top!! (I think if I hadn't stopped and hung on for dear life every few seconds to laugh, I would've been even closer to the top.) That was first time ever climbing a rope; not too bad for these wimpy arms who can barely lift her own bowling ball any more. I didn't even think I could get up halfway! The last challenge was the "tougher" rings. I almost didn't make it but when I landed, a bystander (who rudely cut in front of me) commented, "Good job! I didn't think you'd make it!" Um, thanks, I think.

Anywho, I managed to catch some shots of my bro in action. :) (I am doing my best to get used to the fact that I have a camera. The last camera I had was from my HS graduation, 10 years ago! Also from my bro!)

We spent a while longer at the rings and rope, than we expected, so we saw an unusual sight -- the sun set beyond the Malibu mountains, rather than the Pacific Ocean. It was beautiful. I haven't watched the sun set since probably last summer.

Afterwards, we rushed back to my place while I changed and then we picked Lynnielove up and headed to Hollywood Park. I was very excited because it was my first time at the horse races, and for some unknown reason, I've wanted to go ever since college. Not only that, but I had passed Hollywood Park at least 3 times a week when I was interning in the hood. But to actually be there for its purpose was awesome!

It was really exciting to watch a few races, hear the crowd cheer, and see the upsets at the last millisecond. Dude, what I would've given to actually touch one of the horses...! My bro says they are beautiful up close. At the bigger championship races, he has gotten to take pictures with the horse owners. (That is as close as he will get to a horse; ironically, he is severely allergic to horses!)

Immediately after the last race, Berlin performed on a stage in the lower area so we moshed in the pit for a little bit (well, not really moshed, but we were in the pit!). I love any live concert so even though I only knew 1.5 songs, it was still awesome, fun, and beautiful.



I didn't get any great shots of the lead singer, but I think my bro did. It was really neat b/c she sang while she sat atop some dude's shoulders, and she wandered amongst the crowd for 1.5 songs. Unfortunately, we were like 3 people too far back for her to reach out and touch my hand. Boo!

All in all, quite an eventful evening and night! It just makes me appreciate -- once again -- being done with school (for now).