beach

Pacific Grove and the worst thing ever!!

August 13, 2018







This weekend, we went on our first family trip and it was such a fun experience. We were worried because we started sleep training Kota literally the day before, but he was such a fun baby all weekend! Even when we dunked him in the swimming pool, he just gasped for a minute or so.. but then he was fine! We are slowly getting used to this three person family life.

SO. We went to Pacific Grove, right? And I was LOVING IT. For example, we visited our favorite sandwich shop in the area and explored this beautiful secluded beach called Lover's Point. The water was crystal blue and there were chunky squirrels among the rocks! And as we walked along the shore, almost as a welcome sign, there were Chinese lanterns everywhere! We asked a shop keeper what they were about and she explained that it was a celebration of the original Chinese settlers in the area. WOW WHAT A WOKE TOWN.

NO!

No!

Because THIS. IS. THE. FEAST. OF. LANTERNS:


Yessssssss..... this is what it is. I don't even want to tell you how Jon and I spent our evening after Kota went to sleep (eating deep dish pizza while watching 30 minutes of the Feast of Lanterns play that features an evil Mandarin, belly dancers, and Japanese kimonos?) But I will tell you that it is crazy and it is so completely racist, and Jon read op-eds for 2 hours, mostly summarized by a Pacific Grove-ian who stated "it's not racist, and also we will never change."

You almost won me over with your fat squirrels, Pacific Grove! But then you busted out these gwai-lows with oriental headdresses. You are the worst and we will only come back if we get another good deal at the Hyatt Regency.

baby

Pleasure Point beach in my Cal Day hat

July 11, 2018







I am so surprised to be saying this, but having a baby has made me start to fall in love with Santa Cruz. I had an incredible experience at the Sutter Health birthing center, have LOVED the new moms support group, and I am especially tickled that the Santa Cruz marketplace is chock full of cloth diapers. (Though there was this one time that an old white lady ran up to me and told me that Kota was the fourth Asian baby she had ever seen. And then we bumped into her a week later and she said the same thing. That is why we all look alike. Because we are the same person.) 

Anyway, visiting Pleasure Point was absolutely another moment that made me so grateful that Kota is growing up here. These pictures are to commemorate the first time Kota stepped into the Pacific Ocean aka when I underestimated how short his legs were and accidentally got him super wet. 




brunch

Our 4 year wedding anniversary

July 07, 2018





Four years ago, I woke up after a night of Nerts with my best friends and walked down the hotel hallway to eat a complimentary continental breakfast with my beloved betrothed, Jon. WHAT DID WE EVEN KNOW ABOUT OURSELVES AND OUR LIFE AT THAT POINT?! I was thinking about bathroom signage! 

Jon and I celebrated our four year wedding anniversary and it was the best because every July 5th since that day at the hotel, I have been in Madison for work. So on this very special Sabbatical-Sarah occasion, I made plans for us to celebrate in the most Jon and Sarah way: breakfast burritos and bowling. We picked up our 'tos from Los Pericos- one with chorizo and one with bacon and headed to Neary Lagoon Park. What they don't tell ya is that it is NEARY A FREAKING WATER PLANT. Why would they put tennis courts and a playground literally along the fence of a nasty place like that?! Happy anniversary, Jon.

Next, we went to Boardwalk Bowl because they have half off games from 2-5 on weekdays! Despite the emptiness of the pictures, (and the emptiness of the rest of the bowling alley, really) our lane was squished between two other parties who got on our nerves and kept trying to use my bowling ball. We had so much fun though, and while we totally miss our Monday night bowling crew, it was amazing that we could take Kota with us for these $2 games.

The thing I treasure the most about being Jon's wife is the proximity. He can be a bearded mystery that skulks in the shadows sometimes (literally), so I treasure the daily opportunities I get to truly know him and understand the big things (Lebron signing with the Lakers) and small things ("that Lego Disney castle looks dope") that delight him. I am again convinced of what a wonderful decision it was to spend my life with this man. It isn't always easy, but it is the greatest gift. 

date night

Zameen at the Point and other fast meals for when parents watch your baby

July 06, 2018





Despite the powerful poop explosions that have stained half my clothes and sent laundry extraordinaire Jon into the most frenzied state I have ever witnessed (lol), I absolutely love every moment with my baby. Coincidentally, my parents do too and look for every possible holiday (Father's Day?! Wedding anniversary?! Fourth of July?!) to steal him away from us. Just kidding, it is amazing that Kota can spend so much time with grandparents that love him so much.

Most of my blog posts will likely be places like this one: fast and delicious eateries that Jon and I escape to for approximately 1.5 hours while my parents lavish Kota with non stop cuddles, songs, and one time, 8 ounces of milk (PACE FEEDING, MOM!)

Zameen at the point was Jon's idea. It's located on 41st across from Penny's (the site we don't visit because they scoop less generously than the one downtown). The menu was like a Mediterranean Chipotle, offering falafel, lamb, chicken, and gyro (beef and lamb) in either a wrap, salad, or saffron rice bowl. We shared an order of feta fries and spent the evening catching up about ourselves which is so crazy because we spend way more time together than we did before.

Here is our go-to list of where we go / what we eat in about an hour when we get the chance:

  • Oreo milk shake at Santa Cruz Diner.
  • Mediocre boba at Tea Zone (Biggest pet peeve: crushed ice. It is the same size as boba. I get both in the straw and it kills me every time).
  • Ice cream sandwich at Marianne's.
  • Walk around Whole Foods in a leisurely way.
  • Sit in our car in the driveway and argue that we didn't plan the time well.
It is a short list, but hopefully that is because we are getting better at bringing the baby with us as we explore this city!

baby

Moran Lake Beach and now I'm a mom

June 28, 2018






The Bears on Barson have added a baby bear! It has been eleven weeks and we are quite pleased with our tiny offspring- he is adorable and he fits into our family in such sweet and unexpected ways. Living in Santa Cruz as a mom has been a new thing- I have scoped out the best places on Pacific Avenue to nurse and change a diaper as well as which stores have narrow aisles with a terrible turning radius for our Uppababy Cruz.

Anyway, Jon and I decided that it was lame that we live 3 blocks from the Pacific Ocean but we never ever go to the beach. SO! My fair skinned partner and myself have decided that we will visit every beach in the county in the next year. Our first stop was Moran Lake Beach on a super windy Monday. Honestly, we mostly hid inside our beach tent staring at our baby, but I can see why this beach is such a nice spot away from the busy chaos of the Boardwalk. There is free parking across the street, and the waves aren't crazy. You know what is crazy? Setting up and packing up a beach tent with two adults, one of whom has a 13 pound baby on her chest. In between bickering about tent protocol muttering things like "push the pole, don't pull it" and "fold it in thirds not halves," we only lost one stake in the sand.

Here's to new traditions, new tent skills, and new babies!