Happy Halloween!

Isn't this terrifying?!!?!?!  Why are Chris' lips so red?! My parents met an artist (as they often do) who offered to draw a portrait of Chris and I after my mom told the artist that I had just gotten married.

This is the result! My mom and I couldn't stop laughing when we saw this....and I thought it only appropriate to share on Halloween night, because it is so incredibly terrifying!!!

Hillary!

This weekend a few friends and I drove to Las Vegas, Nevada to canvass for Hillary. I have never canvassed before so it was a really new experience and I'm glad I made a contribution to this election.

We did three sessions--mainly just getting the vote out and asking people to vote early. They asked us not to engage or escalate any situations, and just talk to people who are registered Democrat voters about voting early and the congress and senate races.  Here we are after a full day of canvassing!

Some observations:

1. Nevada and Florida have the largest number of volunteer canvassers from outside of the state. Everyone at the Hillary campaign volunteering to canvass was from California! Maybe the transient nature of Vegas explains this?

2. People were really reluctant to open the door and/or surprised that a stranger knocked at their door. I would feel the same way...we aren't used to having people knock on our door unless we know who they are.  In a way, that makes me think as a society we are isolating ourselves and fear each other.

3. We take exercising our right to vote  for granted.  People are annoyed that we tell them about early voting polling areas or that we even bother to talk about voting. We didn't engage in convincing people, just telling them to remember to vote.

4. I met an undecided voter...I am confused as to how anyone can still be undecided.

5. This election cycle is really taking a toll on everyone's psyche--I can't wait til it is over.  And I fear the politicking that may commence after the election if Hillary wins. I fear what will happen to this country if she doesn't win.

6.  Young people own huge houses in Vegas---property is so cheap! We stayed with friends from ND, and they had TWO guest bedrooms!

7. Vegas at night is inspiring and exciting with all the lights! The Bellagio fountains are majestic and make you feel hopeful :) But, Vegas in the day is not so exciting.

8. I saw trees that had green branches!

Happy Marriage Anniversary!

This Wednesday, Chris and I celebrated our 2 year marriage anniversary, based on our official paper wedding.  The official date was Monday, Oct 24, but I had to go see Maria Semple talk about her new book...so we did a mid-week celebration!  

We went to Gjelina. It's one of those LA restaurants everyone raves about on Abbot Kinney and it was very yummmy!! How can mushroom toast be so delicious? 

Chris' new pose...always massaging the left shoulder to ease that herniated disc pain. We got a nice window seat. I feared the restaurant would be pretentious and over-rated, but it was neither of those things and pleasantly comfortable and rustic.

A new favorite store selling household fixtures and books. It's so pretty!

Finished the night with a fall special flavor...called the Great Candycopia (vanilla ice cream with chunks of Halloween candy)  at Salt and Straw!

After two years of marriage- we are still happy as clams :) not much has changed since our dating days and I think that's a good sign.

Pick me ups

Things that bring me joy these days,  in no particular order. 

Being seaside and eating by candle light at Moonshadows, Malibu. Tip: make sure to ask for outdoor seating

Ten Don - tempura bowls! Why did it take me so long to find you? Also, it makes me happy that a whole cuisine acknowledges a bowl of fried things on rice as a delicious and acceptable meal.

Cards at Paper Source...okay, the whole store of Paper Source. hehe.  I look forward to meandering around Paper Source, it just brings a smile.

Getting messages from old friends---I miss you D.C. and Abt grad friends! 

Pie!!! from Sugar Pie, Honey Buns...cannot get over their pies and adorable name.

Random acts of kindness from a stranger and a huge not so random act of generosity from our amazing landlord, who is letting Chris and I stay in our apartment one more year (Thank you!).

Portobello Mushroom Fries...and people watching at Bouttega Louie.  (also being really good at hovering over people, and grabbing tables! oh the joy :)! and eating pretty desserts.

Best friend meet ups!  Dhaval and Chris ...almost turn into different people when they are together. It's so funny to watch and I'm so happy we got to meet up.

City views from a top, and eavesdropping on how people use outdoor space! 

October thoughts I can't let go of

1. Health
In the past week and a half, Chris has seen a doctor 3 times, I have seen my doctor/dentist 3 times. Chris has a severe herniated disc in his neck (his C6-C7 is protruding out 3/4 of his spine, pretty scary stuff), and is getting PT and steroid injections, on top of intense ice pack sessions on his neck at home and lying down on the floor while at work (LOL).  The doctor thinks it happened during weight lifting.  Hopefully, he will be able to play hockey again one day, and hopefully, we can solve this problem without him having to get surgery. Everyone--- please be careful.

My problems are less severe, but maybe only because I caught them now instead of later. I have many discs-in my jaw (extreme teeth grinding), in my lumbar spine (no idea why, but I've always had random lower back pain) , and I don't think I can call this a disc, but I sometimes feel a weakness and discomfort around my right wrist (bad posture at work).  I also discovered a small thingamajig on the bottom of my tongue- and my dentist thinks they have to surgically remove it- but not cancerous!

My problems are being solved with - a new mouth guard, PT and strengthening of lower back muscles, and an ergonomic assessment, and ultimately a changing of habits in posture, exercise, diet, and stress management.

Health is one of those things that you don't really pay attention to until you have to, and sometimes until it is too late. It's like money, when you have enough you don't think about it too much, when you don't have enough, or you are pain, it is a major and constant source of stress and unhappiness. My mom said it right- its the most important thing, but its the least urgent.

So needless to say, health is on our minds this month and its been a rather somber month for us.

2. Eating healthy
Related to health is food of course. Last month I considered taking on new eating habits--I chose the temple diet, and it lasted about a week, before we found ourselves eating KBBQ with friends from out of town and BBQ sandwiches in SLO. But during that week, I discovered the magic of mushrooms! (not the drug, but real mushrooms!) This is one of my favorite new recipes. We also learned that we feel better, lighter, and to some degree, happier when we don't eat meat.

Given our health problems- we are now being more conscious of our weight and diet. Weight- because we want to lessen the burden of our spine and all it needs to carry, and diet--cause we are feeling the age!! So, our new diet change (for life) is to eat as much vegetarian as possible, if we do have meat, eat primarily chicken, turkey and fish, and limit red meat to no more than once a week, better if once month.  Low sugar, low carbs.  I don't think we have a particularly bad diet now, but we do like to eat out a lot.

3. 2016 Presidential Elections
If you don't know already- I'm with her! and well, I've always been with her! But this election cycle has been troubling and demoralizing, and I feel it has really brought our nation to a new low. In the midst of that...there is so much good humor.

This made me LOL.
This also made me LOL.

I plan to go to Nevada to campaign for Hillary at the end of the month, stay tuned- it will be a new experience for me, but I suspect it will feel good to put action behind thoughts.

4. Voting on CA laws
This is more than the presidential election. There are so many different ballots to vote on and so much research to do. It is the first time I really feel invested in voting for someone I believe reflects my values at the state legislation level. The CA voting book and the ballots...its like the size of a mini dictionary, 200+ pages!  I am a little surprise to learn that LA Times endorsements are not always what I agree with.

5. Bougainvillea & Lotus flowers
I really love Bougainvilleas. They are so beautiful, and luckily they grow all over Southern California. Whenever I see overgrown bougainvilleas, I have to take a picture. I also love lotus flowers. After years of trying to grow lotus flowers in our pond at home in Korea, my dad FINALLY succeeded! One of the seven seeds he planted made it to flower status. It is breathtakingly awesome.

I have been thinking about this a lot, but I think I love these flowers so much because they remind me of my grandmother, my mom's mom. She passed away last December, and of course being away, I never got to say goodbye. I love my grandmother very very much, she helped raise me and my siblings when we were little and I was always so interested in her life story.  One day, I will write more about her and her passing.

What I remember most about my grandma's house in Korea- is her bougainvilleas. She had an amazing green thumb, and even though it was Seoul, South Korea, she was able to grow bushels of bougainvilleas on her veranda. She was also a devout Buddhist, and for most of her life, she practiced the Buddhist lifestyle, never trying to do any harm to anyone even at her discomfort. Lotus flowers feature prominently in Buddhist culture. I think that's why I love these flowers so much, and I'm lucky that here in California- I am able to see them almost at every turn, and as a result, am reminded of my grandma and her life as I go through my own life. If I had had more time, I would've somehow incorporated them into our wedding, but for another occasion.

In front of a restaurant in Northern Hollywood, before my podcast!

In Beverly Hills--- not looking too happy about posing with flowers.

I am seriously, so impressed with my dad! This is 10 cm in diameter. I always grew up with those beautiful orange flowers-- but the huge lotus leaves and lotus flowers are something else. I wish I could see it in person.  Is this not amazing?

6. Instagram
I have never used instagram because I thought it was like facebook but only pictures, and I never really got the appeal of it. But these days...whoa. I've taken facebook off my phone and instead spend time on instagram! I love following strangers.

This podcast about Instagram on NPR's How I built this was- insightful
I love National Geographic instagrams! - this one in particular gave me pause.
She is so thoughtful- this is my favorite one.

7. Living life meaningfully but also living my life.
How do I explain this? It's like the conflict of taking time to do things that are meaningful and important, like spending as much time with my grandma before she got sick, but also living my life. I didn't have words for this, until I heard Jonathan Safran Foer describe the premise of his new book, Here I Am, on Fresh Air.  I cannot wait to pick this book up.

8. How fast this year has gone by...
Okay, it is only mid-October. But I already know what I'm doing most of the weekends and weeks until Dec 31.  That to me, means its January. I have this crazy habit of going through my calendar incessantly- thinking about financial goals, family goals, and career goals and ideal, and realistic, achievement timelines, and before I know it, I'm already in 2020!! I am trying to embrace the day to day and stop this madness of goal achievements!

San Luis Obispo

This past weekend Chris and I drove to San Luis Obispo for Kathy and Scott's wedding.

San Luis Obispo or SLO as locals call it is a city right smack in the middle of L.A. and San Francisco. It is a small college town surrounded by vineyards and wineries and not far from Pismo Beach. We drove up early Saturday morning with one of Kathy's friends and had lunch at Firestone Grill - a delicious, casual, BBQ sandwich place that is clearly a local and tourist favorite. The tri-tip beef sandwich is to die for, and it is less than $10. It was amazing, just be sure to ask for extra BBQ sauce. 

We took a stroll around SLO downtown taking in the boutique stores and coffee shops and came across...Bubble Gum Alley!  I don't really understand why this is here, but I had to take pictures and contribute my gum to the wall.  It is literally a wall of chewed gum. Strange and disgusting, right? 

 Main street is very artistic, and I was intrigued by this bench and how you could grow plants on the sides of the seat!

Afterwards we got ready for the wedding and headed to Madonna Inn. Madonna Inn is a huge SLO tourist attraction and a place to stop by if driving through the city for a drink or dinner. It is such a unique place! Let's just say, lots of hot pink, very colorful, and one-of-a-kind experience.

In many ways, I feel it was the perfect place for Kathy and Scott's wedding- it was classy, yet quirky and thoughtful, new and at the same time familiar, and so unique and truly different. Kathy came down that golden stair case, instead of walking down the aisle, which I thought was a great twist.  It's the first wedding we went to after our own, and I'm not going to lie, it was great! being a guest and I definitely felt a deep sense of appreciation for all the thought and detail that goes into hosting a party.

I also got to wear the skirt my mom bought me from Thailand, so double yay!

Congrats to the new couple :)

Sunday morning, we woke up early and headed to Scout Coffee Co. for some delicious tea and a pumpkin muffin. This coffee shop was so adorable and you could tell the owners really cared about the product and people's experience. They control every process of their coffee/tea from growing beans to serving the drinks. We took some early morning photos-- 

 Huge bowls of honey tea with homemade almond milk!

Good morning! There were NO cars on the street, this is what I imagine living in a small city is like. It's nice and quiet, no hustle and bustle.  

 Love the high ceiling and clean look of the coffee shop!

After a quick breakfast we headed to Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort for a dip in their outdoor private hot spring and Swedish Massage therapy! I don't have any pictures of the outdoor private hot springs but it was so much fun being naked outside surrounded by nature in a hot tub. Neither of us had had a Swedish massage before and were both in desperate need for some R&R.  I think it was a great close to a relaxing weekend in SLO! 

As we drove back to LA, we stopped by a very very small town (literally one street with stores/restaurants and two gas stations) for some delicious flatbread pizza at Full of Life Flatbread. We found this restaurant in a NYtimes article and reviews were outstanding. It did not disappoint. 

Before we went to SLO for the weekend, I read many blogs and travel articles about the city and how to make for a good weekend getaway. I wish we had had a chance to ride ATVs on Pismo beach sand dunes- but with Chris' neck condition, we thought massages would be smarter. It was a very relaxing weekend and nice to getaway from LA traffic and noise, and to really see the landscape of Central California. I never get sick of driving along the PCH and looking out into the ocean and I'm thankful for happy excuse to spend time in SLO. 

Summer bucket list check off

In August, I wrote up my LA summer bucket list. My list wasn't for THIS summer only...but just a general summer list. Some of these things happened last summer, and I'm sneaking them in here now. It's time to see how I did! 

1. Cinespia - so much fun! Definitely putting this into the summer rotation, maybe next time with friends - read more here. 

2. Host a bonfire - lots of work...but worth it! And ...I am totally willing to do it again. Ashley, Erika and I decided to host a bonfire at Huntington Beach. Though we had initially planned it to be a smaller gathering, I went a little overboard and started inviting all the people I wanted to see! Ashley followed suite, and before we knew it, we had 20+ people that were coming! We did all our preparing and shopping the night before, and Saturday morning at 5:30am, I wake up to Ashley cutting and washing lettuce and tomatoes for our burgers. I am ashamed to say, I went back to sleep for a few minutes.  We leave my apartment at 6:00am and at 7:00am we pull up to Huntington Beach, and most of the firepits are already taken!! People in LA don't play around. They are serious about bonfires. It was relaxing, chill, and a lot of fun! I loved Huntington Beach, and I loved spending 12+ hours at the beach! I left saying I wouldn't host another bonfire, but looking back now---I think it was worth it! I could not have done it by myself, Ashley and Erika---beach bonfire veterans, showed me the ropes. 

The hostesses! 

Yes...we had a YETI, a flag, a tent, a table (thank you Ashley!), flowers, tons and tons of water, and food.

3. Hollywood Bowl --- yes! Yes! YES!! I love the Hollywood Bowl, everyone should see a concert here whenever possible. So far we've managed to go at least once a year and I plan to keep that up, and add more visits! I wrote about this year's Hollywood Bowl event here. 

4. Camping - failed at this one. Maybe next year! 

5. See a outdoor movie at park - Did this last year with Emma before she left for Spain. We saw Clueless while munching on food from food trucks nearby. It was very LA. I loved it, and I would do it again! There is something about picnicking outdoors in the evening, and snuggling into a blanket of nostalgia watching an old movie. 

6. Santa Monica's Thursday night concerts --despite how close we are to Santa Monica Pier, I didn't make it there this year. 

7. Hike the Bridge to Nowhere --also didn't happen, but maybe this is a fall activity.  

8. Surf as much as possible - still working on this! 

9. Spend a day at Laguna Beach - so far we've spent three full days at Laguna Beach since we've been here. Once for Chris and I to explore, another time with Chris' cousins who rented a beautiful house overseeing the beach, and most recently to meet Chloe and Chris to celebrate Chloe's birthday. This is a gem of a beach and I shall be back. 

Zandie and Julian!

10. Picnic at Malibu Wines - would definitely do this again! And with a group of girl friends, like I did here. But this time not to celebrate me, just to bask in the sun, music, flowers, and happiness! 

11. Visit Escondido Beach - I have been attempting this for over a year...somehow we haven't made it there yet. 

12. Have dinner at Perch - nope, not yet. 

13. Harry Potter World! - waiting to find another HP fan to join me!

14. LA County Fair -  went last weekend, and would not go again. I've never been to a state fair or county fair before and though it was fun to frolic with friends and try new things, eat state fair food, and walk around...as Chloe summed up best, did we just pay to come see infomercials?! It was also extremely hot, Chris had shoulder pain, and I was weirdly exhausted. 

15. LA Night Market - we went to the night market last year with some fellow brave souls (think long lines, heat, crazy parking, outside LA) There were lots of interesting and delicious Asian eats. The 626 Night Market is fashioned after Taiwan's expansive night markets and it is a great idea! But there were also SOOOO many people and the lines are very long. I had fun and I think it's worth a visit, but I don't think it needs to be repeated. 

So...my favorite summer activities seem to be picnicking outside with music, the beach, wine, fire, and movies, and not waiting in line :)