I am taking a break from writing and posting photos of my trip to Washington DC last June. I still have quite a bit to talk about that thought-provoking trip to the capital of the United States. I would like to instead dedicate some time to remembering August. (I cannot believe that we are now in the ber months!)
August was beautiful! I really do not want to speak too soon but aside from some hot days that were more gorgeous than debilitating, summer of 2019 was just lovely! Let us look back, shall we?
Gorgeous August Days
Instead of highlights, I would like to feature gorgeous days in August. There were many and here are some of them:
♥ Crab And Bloody Mary Morning … We celebrated Mr Sweetie’s dad’s birthday at The Dead Fish. I wrote about this fun surprise brunch for him, not to mention it was a yummy crab galore! It was a lovely summer day to get down and dirty tearing down those crabs! 08.03.19
♥ Fabulous Birthday Bash At A Historical Museum….I really enjoyed our afternoon at the Benicia Historical Museum aka Camel Barn. It was one of those unexpected wanderlust finds. It was Mr Sweetie’s cousin’s 50th birthday bash. It was a perfect summer evening of lively music, eating, drinking and celebrating. It was sweet when she danced with both of her parents then her husband. The birthday girl honored her guests with a big spread of delicious Mexican and American dishes buffet-style. The drinks were also overflowing non-stop including very fine tequilas. 08.10.19
Date Nights
♥ A + Burger… A delicious meal of burger, salad and fries al fresco style that we enjoyed at restaurant’s patio on a lovely Saturday. Then we headed home and watched “The Mule”. Not a fan of Clint Eastwood with his political views but cannot deny that he is an icon! To this day, I am still obsessed with this casual eatery. I could not stop gushing about our meal! It was a lovely Saturdate. This is my ideal of perfect date night which is a satisfying delicious casual dining and a movie at home. 08.17.19
♥ Smokin Woods BBQ …Not so impressed but it was an enjoyable Saturdate with Mr Sweetie enjoying outdoor dining. Here is my write up about this date night.
A Lovely Afternoon
♥ Beautiful Afternoon In San Francisco… I will fondly remember this gorgeous afternoon in Excelsior which is a neighborhood in San Francisco that I hardly ever to venture to. Excelsior is far from downtown and a couple of my co-workers and I had to figure out to get to the place by public transportation. We had to ride the train, then bus then had a bit of a walk. It was beautiful warm day . We got to the place early and decided to stop for coffee and sandwiches at little hole in a wall. They both ordered fried egg sandwiches and coffee while I did not get anything. Those egg sandwiches though, while so simple looked so good that got me started making and eating egg sandwiches at home to this day! It was a special summer day that was bittersweet as one of my co-workers is no longer with our organization. I will pleasantly remember this walk with this beautiful and lively gal whose enthusiasm was so contagious on a gorgeous afternoon in San Francisco.
Work Life
♥ Maternity leave, birthday and farewell…I am very grateful to work for an organization where there is plenty of camaraderie. Our work place celebrates pretty much every occasion through eating. A co-worker made us pancakes on her last Friday at work before she went on maternity leave. We celebrated Lisa’s birthday with an ice cream party. I even made myself a baby scoop and enjoyed every bite praying that I will not get sick. (I did not, thank God!). Our friend and co-worker, Cary, moved on to bigger and better things. I got him a special fruit tart that everyone enjoyed while he got us little presents each.
Friends
♥ Birthday at Hazel Southern Kitchen…In our almost 20 years of friendship, I have been celebrating my GBF’s birthday. We celebrated in Boston when we were both there for work over 10 years ago, and I also got to meet his entire family another year when they flew to San Francisco for his birthday. Seeing how much he appreciates it makes me equally happy to do this year after year. This year it was with Alexis and Michael while BFF missed it. I am happy that our friendship remains strong even if we do not work together anymore.
♥ Chai Tea and Friendship …It has been a while since Amiga and I have seen each other. We had a short but sweet lunch at an Indian restaurant in San Francisco because she is craving Indian food. She just got back from Mexico and gave me a beautiful necklace from her trip and I love it!
Yummy Food Find
♥ Seafood Salad Sandwich at Rossi’s Deli (SF)…I had a meeting in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco and I happened upon this deli/liquor store! It was mind-boggling to find this old-school Italian deli with ginormous sandwiches for less than $10. It is a steal in San Francisco. I had the seafood salad sandwich with fake seafood but it was delicious nonetheless! I will have to be back. I just forget how close Castro is to where I work. I need to visit more and enjoy this vibrant neighborhood.
Karma Repair
Karma Repair (self-care)…. We reap what we sow. Taking care of our bodies translate to better health, peace and joy.
♥ Library and Dim Sum Day Off… On 8.13.2019, Tuesday, I took the day off, and managed to finally go to the Oakland Public Library for the first time which I have been planning to do forever! I got to do all these fun stuff this hot August day and it turned out to be a perfect “me time” day as well while Mr Sweetie was on a business trip to LA.
- I got my first Oakland Library card! Yay! (Can now check off my list!)
- Borrowed the very first book in the Cackleberry Mystery Club series that is not available at the San Francisco Public Library. (Have been wanting to read Laura Child’s Eggs in Purgatory which is first book and I got it today!)
- Drove to Oakland Chinatown and bought $29 worth of dim sum and Chinese Food! Yes, lots of food! I am happy! (I bought an elderly woman a noodle dish when she asked me to. Being able to share made my meal more delicious!)
- Went back home at 1:30 pm and chatted a little bit with my sister.
- Devoured both the dim sum and cozy mystery! (My eyes are bigger than my stomach. I only ate 2 dumplings, one bread and a prawn but I love leftovers!)
♥ Aug 18 — I did not go to church which is so rare. I needed self-care and to re-group. I fed my body by eating what I wanted. I made a fried egg sandwich for brunch. Then I had tea with lavender almond milk in the afternoon and even allowed myself to eat a little bit of cheese (gouda) and cracker. For dinner, I finished Mr Sweetie’s mom’s chile verde. It was home cooked authentic Mexican food and it was so good! As always, I was happiest doing quiet things like reading and blogging which I did. Then my sister and I talked on the phone and made plans to meet up for sushi lunch at Aniki in October with her and my 3 year old nephew Jacob then in December with my 16 year old nephew Gabriel. I needed this day!
♥ Solo Sunday Lunch…My family has been so busy lately on Sundays after church. No Sunday family lunches so I treated myself to this yummy fried noodles at TK Noodles in San Jose. It is always so nice to eat something that I want when I want it!
What I Am Grateful For
I am grateful for the mild and gorgeous summer days. I am grateful for the opportunity to know people who have spent a season or two in my life, and the lessons that I have learned from them. Always full of gratitude for the abundance of delicious meals shared among friends and family. Happy to celebrate another year of my friend’s life who is always there to support me and have known me all these years. Grateful for Mr Sweetie, our family and friends who are family as well, and for the little trinkets that my friends often spoil me with. I am grateful for adventures in finding new delicious eats and beautiful off the beaten paths. I am thankful for all of the Lord’s blessings gifted to me and everyone I love this month. All of these brings simple joys to my life.
Leah's Cozy Notebook 