April brought April showers, Easter and flowers bursting at the seams. There were flowers poking out in every crevice, corner, nook and crannies. What a beautiful spring we are having and what a delightfully colorful world we live in because of these gifts from nature!
EASTER SUNDAY
Let me start with the very obvious this April — Easter. I have to admit this — I ate enough Hot Cross Buns this month to fill me up until next Easter! Our neighborhood bakery only sells this during the season of Lent and I gotta have my fill! Few times a week, I have been buying a bun every morning that I enjoyed with my coffee at work. I also spread the joy and gave some away to friends and BFF.
Mr Sweetie and I ended up staying home on Easter Sunday. SIL’s family member became suddenly ill and my baby nephew still had a fever. We thought that all Easter plans were canceled including picnic at the park and that no one would make it to church. Mr Sweetie and I decided to stay in but it turned out that my siblings decided to go to church anyway where my nephews and niece got to hunt for Easter egg and get an Easter basket each. Oh, well, it was nice for Mr Sweetie and I to get to spend Sunday together just relaxing which we hardly get to do. We spend our Sundays with our families which is my favorite thing to do but can be pretty tiring.
DATE NIGHTS
COMFORT FOOD DATE NIGHT
Fat Apple’s | April 6 – I wrote about how we satisfied Mr Sweetie’s pie cravings at Fat Apple’s. (This was how we ended up at this restaurant that has been serving American comfort food since the 1960’s). I wrote about our evening here.
Korean Date Night
Ohgane | April 13 – Another satisfied cravings. We walked to this restaurant from our house on a beautiful spring evening. We were relieved that we could walk to this place as we watched people struggle to find parking. Ohgane is well-recommended by Korean friends. The wait is long but it is worth it. The food is always solid and that evening the atmosphere was fun. Lots of families and group of college kids celebrating and being loud which I did not mind as they were having lots of fun. Then Mr Sweetie and I just roll ourselves back home while clutching our tummy for eating too much delicious Korean food!
Burger Date Night
Nation’s Giant Burger | April 20 – We went here to pick up pies for Easter and grabbed burgers. Mr Sweetie was also tired from working late all day. This was all he could manage for date night! Poor thing but since I only eat burgers about twice a year, my burger and onion rings were a treat! And Nation’s burgers always hit the spot for me.
HAPPY HOUR
FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR WITH BFF
Whole Foods | April 12 Another fun Happy Hour meet up with BFF before Easter. It is always such a treat to catch up with her and to be able to vent about very rare work-related stress issues. (I love my job and my co-workers but a new manager who does not understand my work yet had been driving me up the wall!) After the venting part, we moved on to life, books and food as always while sharing a bottle of bubbly, strawberries and a cheese plate. (I allow myself a little bit of cheese once in a while.) Happy Hour at Whole Foods is very nice along with my lovely company.
HAPPY HOUR WORK BUDDIES
Emperor Norton’s Boozeland | April 19 – This is the first time when I had gone out with co-workers for Happy Hour. I tend to keep to myself and do not really socialize with work friends after work. Going out with these two strong and intelligent women was actually refreshing. We provided each other with support and had a great talk over a glass of wine. We plan on going out again for another and I do not mind having these women as my happy hour work buddies. We ended up at Emperor Norton’s Boozeland which was really a delightful surprise. Located at the edge of the Tenderloin which is not for the faint-hearted, this art deco bar is very nice inside. It was warm and cozy with a nice fire going which was perfect for the chilly day. I do not mind going for another round at this place with the same ladies.
GIRLS DINNER GET TOGETHER
A delicious evening with my best girls over strong and yummy drinks and lovely Mexican cuisine in San Francisco. I wrote about our dinner at Tropisueno here.
FAMILY SUNDAYS
San Jose, CA | April 14 – Delicious lunch at my brother and SIL’s house after church. My sister in law made a delicious sinigang (fish in sour guava broth). We ate while lecturing my 15 year old nephew about life. LOL! It reminds me when I used to be in his seat when my parents used to do the same thing. I appreciate all those wisdom now. I hope that my nephews and niece will be as wise and listen to our guidance.
My sister’s family went to Universal Studios in LA. She always brings us a box of the famous potato balls from Porto’s every time they go. And I devoured the entire box in 3 seatings all by myself. (Mr Sweetie did not want any! More for me!)
BABY BAPTISM
A lovely Saturday morning to celebrate Mr Sweetie’s nephew’s baby baptism. Here are the cutest Pinterestable photos from the party.
BAKING & COOKING “ME TIME”
Tuesday | April 30 – I took a day off from work while Mr Sweetie was on a business trip from Sunday to Saturday. It was such a much needed personal break as much I really missed him. I could not believe that I did so much in one day! I spent my morning shopping at World Plus Market and Bed Bath And Beyond at Jack London Square. The stores were almost empty on a Tuesday. World Plus was Zen with the relaxing scents of bath stuff and beautiful furniture. I bought little indulgent things such as a chocolate bar, a small candle and ingredients to make ramen. I also bought a bed sheet set from Bed, Bath and Beyond, as well as little squeezy balls for my nephews and niece. When I got home I got to play in my kitchen and baked Cheddar Coin Cookies. It was such a success! I also got to indulge my artistic side which was to also take photos of those cookies. I have been wanting to bake, cook, write and shoot pictures for the longest time but I just have no time. I also cooked ramen using the miso base, sesame oil and ramen noodles that I got from World Plus. It was delicious. I am glad that I got these out of my system. While he was on a business trip I got to have quiet moments to myself reading and resting. I am not really into watching TV so I did not even turn the TV on while he was away except to watch one episode of Gilmore Girls and “Sierra Burgess Is A Loser” on Netflix. I enjoyed my “me time” but nothing beats being with him and hanging out when he finally got back home. What a difference a day of self-care makes, though!
YUMMY EATS
My yummy eats this month include a Vietnamese beef and spring roll vermicelli bowl during a rare solo lunch in San Francisco away from my desk, tofu banh mi from the popular mom and pop Saigon Sandwich in SF and combo banh from Hello also in SF. (I cannot believe that I ate these sandwiches 4 times this month when I hardly get them! They are filling and so satisfying! ) I also had a nice vegan plate of bean burger (my first time trying and it was good!), green and potato salad provided by work. Mr Sweetie got me another bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cake that I enjoyed with coffee at work.
What I Am Grateful For…..
I am grateful for the beauty and solitude that April has brought. I am very grateful for the blessings and hope that Easter brings which is the greatest love of all. I am grateful for my friends for life and pray that our friendships continue to grow with us as we get older. I thankful for the abundance of food at home and at every gathering with friends and family. And I am very thankful for the opportunity to spend time alone to recharge, rest and sleep, eat well and indulge my need to express myself through writing, cooking and capturing moments. And grateful that although I enjoy my aloneness, that I am not lonely as I get to spend my days with Mr Sweetie.
Thank you, April flowers. Welcome, May!
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
-John 15:13
Leah's Cozy Notebook 