happiness is...

someone once asked me what my perfect day would consist of. my answer was "time with friends and family, delicious eats, something active that i enjoy, and lots of laughter." it was a pretty simple, genuine answer i think. there isn't anything more that i need to keep me happy. this week i was graced with all of those things over and over again to a point of almost maximum capacity. most weeks are pretty great but this one was particularly stellar! 

here are just some pieces of the week! 

-----you guys already know that we had a bachelorette party for Muri in Vegas with a bunch of friends but my coworkers weren't able to attend that so we decided to have a second, more relaxing bachelorette party for her in Napa. Ruby, Natasha, Lindsay and i planned a day of good eats, soothing spa treatments and champagne tastings to celebrate the bride before her big day arrives. 

Ruby, Jenna, Natasha, Lindsay, Muri.

we're missing Lorraine who couldn't make it but was definitely there with us in our minds and in spirit. missed you, chick!

delicious brunch and boozy mimosas (tomatoey vodka for Lindsay...) at Mustards 

warm chocolate hazelnut truffle tart with espresso ice cream, caramel sauce and praline.

get this!!! so...damn...good! 

on our way to get rubbed down! ;)

we got our relaxing massages, scrubs and facials at Mais Oui in downtown Napa. this place is a small house that was converted into a "spa." they were able to do all five of us at the same time, which was super convenient. unfortunately (or fortunately?? haha) some of us shared rooms and got to know each other a little more than anticipated. 

next stop was champagne tasting at Mumm! Jenna, a friend of ours, was able to set us up at a table with a great view of the vineyard. as a result of her awesomeness we also got some special treatment as far as extra courtesy and bonus tastings that were very much appreciated and also provided us with a nice buzz for the evening. the people at Mumm are so nice and welcoming, i definitely recommend it as a tasting stop while in the Napa Valley area!...not to mention the delicious bubblies!

nice view, right? if it weren't gloomy out we would've had the doors opened or better yet, been sat outside. but no complaints, i'm pretty sure this was the best seat in the house.

just the beginning

everybody minus Lindsay, who was busy pumping milk in the car for her brand new baby who was patiently waiting at home for mom. maybe that was TMI but what's done is done. also, this will explain the next picture a little better.

probably more TMI...long story short, Lindsay's milk got on my hand and this is my 'what the what' just friggin' happened expression. never in my life did i expect to have something that was just moments before in my friend all of a sudden on me. 

note to self: stay away from things that have recently detached from your friend's nipples. 

dinner and drinks at Morimoto. we splurged and stuffed ourselves with delicious things like bone marrow, sashimi, pork ribs, toro tartare, duck confit fried rice, hamachi tacos and the morimoto sashimi. but i think the winners were definitely the uni carbonara and the marinated dumplings with crispy pig ears. what a rich, delicious meal!

Morimoto sashimi

marinated dumplings with crispy pig ears

uni carbonara

sad that Lorraine couldn't join us, we tried to include her in a photo.

we finished the night off with fresh made-to-order donuts at Boon Fly Cafe and called it a night.

------earlier in the week my friend Meiche announced via group text that she was engaged and getting married on Friday to her boyfriend fiance, Victor. she's in Hawaii so she live streamed their very intimate wedding for friends and family who are elsewhere in the world to, in a sense, partake in their big day. to make it even more eventful, i gathered some friends over for a pizza viewing party. we had a very relaxed and hilarious (because my friends are funny/entertaining) "reception" before the actual viewing. we facetimed a couple of our other friends who are out of town to join us in the wedding festivities. it's sort of fascinating how technology can bring people together for things like this nowadays. quite amazing actually. 

congrats Meiche and Victor and the family you've built together!

we celebrated by cheersing with apple cider and also took the opportunity to celebrate Kris' 30th birthday with cake! happy 30th Special Friend!! love you endlessly!

-----late night shenanigans with my favorite Metro "Italian" Vietnamese! 

him: what are you doing tonight?

me: i'm out with some guy but what's up? i'll leave soon and meet you after! 

this meant drinks, gross food at Lori's and a memorable encounter between his friend and some woman who i vividly remember hearing say "no, i have no desire to speak with you at this moment!" damn, i wonder what he said/did to her in the past to make her so sternly object to any slight communication with him.

-----hopped on my bike for the first time in a verrrrrry long time (over a year) and it felt just as awesome as i remember it. i can't wait to get back on my Dolce regularly and frequent rides in Marin. there's something about the wind sifting through your hair, the accomplishment of a climb, the rush of a descend and being able to visibly see the distance you've covered that makes cycling one of my favorite past, present and future activities. i mean, i could do without the gnats flying in my face but otherwise it's an awesome way to spend time. 

my Specialized Dolce sport

-----you guys, i think i've found my new favorite comedian next to Louis CK!! a friend, Jon, invited me to Cobb's with an extra ticket to see Chris D'Elia this past thursday and i shit you not, i did not stop laughing for the duration of his full set. if you know me well you know that it takes some serious wit to make me truly laugh. there wasn't one thing he said that didn't have me stretching my mouth from ear to ear and convulsing like a person during seizure in a never ending bout of laughter. okay that might be a slight exaggeration but not by much. i saw him at the Oddball Tour last year and thought he was pretty damn great but the set he did at Cobb's was by far one of the best comedy shows i've ever been to. aahhh to laugh is to live!

watch his bit on church here! SO funny! but wait...if you're sensitive on that subject then maybe don't watch it. or do, but don't blame me! i gave you fair enough warning. 

such a fulfilling week! =)

i had THE most satisfying weekend

someone once asked me what my perfect day would look like. i said something along the lines of "hang out with friends and/or family while eating something delicious and laughing a lot. oh, and it would be sunny." then he asked me how i thought i would feel after my perfect day and my response to that was "accomplished." that seems like sort of an odd answer, right? i think a lot of people would reply with something more similar to "it was fun," or "happy." for me, i want to feel like i succeeded in something. and accomplishment doesn't have to mean anything other than fulfillment. full of life, full of experience, full of laughter.

this weekend was pretty damn glorious! it was two perfect days lined up to form the most spectacular weekend. so many activities were partaken (wasn't sure that was actually a word. turns out 'tis.) in with various people i love and care about. i'm just going to take a moment and document this because weekends like this really are rare.

saturday began with the sun shining through my window, waking me up naturally and void of an irritating alarm clock. on sunny days i like to seize the opportunity to run outdoors, so i went to a trail that i love and ran a few miles.

immediately following, i met up with some of my favorite friends (Kris, Kim, Trina and Meiche), whom i've known since elementary school, middle school or high school. all of these women are integral pieces of my life and have helped shape me to be who i am today. we had planned to engage in more fitness activities together lately. the activity for this day was indoor rock climbing. it's something that most of us have tried before but none of us have done in years. it was challenging and a shit ton of fun. we got silly up in there, which potentially could have irritated the more serious climbers, but i don't think we really gave much of a damn, as we were having a blast! after climbing for a couple of hours we went back to Meiche's place for a bbq. always a good time.

Ciara came to meet me at the bbq and then she and i headed to San Jose for the Coldplay concert. Coldplay has never been my favorite band, but i find myself liking lots of their music. i pretty much sang along to every song they played, regardless of tone deafness. it was one of the better concerts i've been to and i've been to a lot. 

somehow i have the energy of a four year old kid and dragged Ciara with me to a new friend's birthday in SF. Caroline was celebrating at 5a5 and as a new friend, i couldn't not show up. a lot of the people that i knew there are new to my life, but they all seem to be good people. Ciara and i found ourselves in an open space where we could dance to the beat of our own drums. that's Caroline, lookin' all gorgeous on her day!....and myself and Ciara lookin' all mediocre next to her. haha.

sunday i woke up, again to the sun shining. i got a call from my mom to have dim sum with herself, my dad and my grandma. it was my grandma's 80th birthday! Ciara had spent the night at my place after having come back at 4am, so i brought her along with me to dim sum. i always like playing a part in people tasting new foods. Ciara was a good sport and tried various things that she's never had before.

then we headed to my friend Jo's house. Jo is leaving for New York for a couple of months. as a send-off she had a "bread and cheese on the roof top" day. bread? cheese? sun shininess? i'm all for it. sometimes people think that Jo and i look alike. i mean...we both have short legs and long torsos, sooo...there's that. and i guess people think that both of us are half white...sooo there's also that. and we're both pretty awesome...sooo...

dinner time came and i went to spend it feasting with my family for my grandma's birthday. we had simple chinese, just as she requested. she was happy that we all came to celebrate her. pictures were taken. laughter exchanged. to this day and probably for the rest of my life, my grandma's laughter will be the greatest sound i know.

this weekend was a whirlwind of nonstop fun. forever friends. brand spankin new friends. the core of my life (the family). the energy of an arena. deliciousness. hilariousness. silliness. footwork. endless smiles and sunshine! i couldn't have asked for a more fulfilling weekend.