It is always a whirlwind when I come stateside. I try to see my family and friends in a short amount of time. It is always a lot to squeeze in.
My stateside visit started in Los Angeles with my sister Kimberly. We really enjoyed some beautiful walks including this one in Palos Verdes. We had a clear, beautiful day and then stopped at the Yellow Vase for some hot drinks.
Celebrating the end of the week with Kimberly and her husband Troy at Rockefeller.
My beautiful friend Kathryn at Descanso Gardens. There was one cherry blossom tree in bloom, lots of beautiful trails, and several ducks frolicking in the river and small falls. Kathryn and I met while we both worked at Advocate, MD 16+ years ago.
We celebrated Deborah’s birthday at Palmilla Restaurant on the Hermosa Beach Pier. I met Deborah in Austin, TX around 25 years ago.
San Francisco
I took a whirl wind trip to San Carlos for a day to visit one of my sweetest friends. I met and lived Jeannie back in the very the late 80’s in Hermosa Beach. It was a super quick, but truly amazing visit. Her husband Srinivas and son Sanjay were home to make it a truly wonderful celebration. Jeannie and I met in the early 1990’s, lived together for many years and have remained close friends ever since!
Family Time
Kimberly organized a big brunch for the family. My Aunt Donna drove over 2hours (one way) from San Diego (top left). My Aunt Diana and Uncle Mark drove an hour (top right). M funny and sweet uncle Matthew drove an hour. And from my dad’s side of the family we had Kelly (his wife), my Uncle Joe and my two cousins Mark and Adam.
Kimberly made delicious chili and salad and I made homemade cheesecake bites.
Cameron’s Volleyball Team Sweeps the Tournament
Cameron, Kimberly’s youngest son, plays Men’s Club Volleyball at Colorado University. They had a tournament in Irvine which is about an hour away.
After two full days of playing, the ended up winning the entire tournament!
Super proud of these young men, especially, Cameron!
Kalani (Cole’s girlfriend) came to visit us while we were in Irvine (what a sweetheart)!
We also took Cameron out for a celebratory dinner at a great Mexican restaurant.
Two friends from junior high reached out to us and came to meet us for breakfast!
Kimberly took me to a great coffee place called Gitana and I fell in love with this artwork.
We also completed an old school lunch box puzzle during my visit.
Kimberly’s fur babies. Felix the cat, Luke the new shepherd/husky puppy and Critter. Views from their bedroom across to the Atlantic.
Only in Los Angeles will you see these crazy billboards.
Our blog posts run 6 weeks behind actual live events. I was stateside, LA and SFO during the first two weeks of March.
Come visit Descanso Gardens with me in our last blog post.