My family and I stopped at a rest stop on our way to Nikko; and we were amazed with how NICE it is compared to any rest stop in the States. When you are arrive, there are parking attendants directing you to your parking spot (Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of them because it happened all too quickly. Perhaps on our next rest stop adventure.).

*Originally published on Maricel like Carousel.

I haven't been to Showa Kinen Park since the cherry blossoms in April, and I am amazed with how beautiful and different it looks every season. June was my first time that I was able to enjoy the beautiful park in serenity.



I was walking along, and this structure of bondage caught my eye. It seems ironic to have it located in a place where people act carefree and open.

*Originally published on Maricel like Carousel
Showa Kinen Park
Address: 3173 Midori-cho Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan 190-8530
Phone: 042-528-1751
Website: www.showakinenpark.go.jp

I was hanging out at Redondo Beach Pier last May when this pelican decided to plop down and rest for a bit on this stand. It was too funny that I had to take a photo!


Redondo Beach Pier
Address: 415 Diamond St, Redondo Beach, CA, USA 90277
Website: www.redondopier.com

I was reading Oh, the Places You'll Go! to my son the other night, and it suddenly hit me. I'm in "The Waiting Place." Waiting for what exactly? Who knows, but I knew I didn't want to be in it anymore.

Because of my husband's career, we've moved 5 times in 3 years in the US and Japan. During our downtime, we like to travel and visit cities and places we've never been to before. In the morning, we'll quickly pack a bag, jump in the car, and drive. While we're on the highway, I'll use either the GPS or a travel review website to pick a spot. They've always been great trips, but there were many times where we ended up at a closed business or private residential home (the best part was when we would find ourselves at a parking lot in a-not-so-great-part-of-town). Those times can be frustrating. Another frustrating moment is when you're trying to find something unique to a city, and research results include Starbucks and IHOP. Don't get me wrong, they are great businesses, and we would want to be there if we didn't already have them at home. Like I mentioned earlier, we enjoy visiting new places.

During a conversation with a friend one day, we came up with a great website idea. In a nutshell, it's a travel review site; and the idea has been lingering around for the past two years. What happened in those two years? Well, I quit my full-time job to take care of our son and prepared for another baby on the way—yes, we've been quite busy in our household—whom are now 2 years and 7 months, respectively.

To be quite honest, the mere thought of creating a (community) website overwhelms me as does anything with the words web, html code, or web design. Okay, I'm exaggerating a little bit, but some parts are intimidating. We're bootstrapping, though, so I'll try to create it myself. Hey, I'll never know if I can do it if I don't try. In the meantime, I'll (hopefully) blog about the process and share some places we've been and other tips I've learned along the way.

I'd love to hear your feedback, so please comment. Thanks!

This year, we were able to celebrate my oldest son's birthday with family and friends while we were visiting them in California. TJ loves animals and being outside, so I thought that a jungle theme party at the park would be perfect. I've attended lots of parties at parks, but it was my first time hosting a party at the park. The picnic areas by the play area were first-come, first-served; so we arrived as early as we could to grab an area, 5:45am (6 am is when the park "officially" opens) and the party didn't start until 11!

Because I didn't have the comfort of my own home, printer, and supplies, I decided to grab practically every thing from Party City. They had a Jungle Animals theme, and the animals were so cute I went with it! I wanted to keep the decorations simple, so I just bought the letter banner and festive green tablecovers. My aunt kept pressuring me to buy balloons, but my husband and I deprive our children of them ever since TJ's well baby checkup at 6 months when the pediatrician told us to not let him play with balloons because if an inflated/broken balloon is ingested there is NO ONE who could save him. You may think we may be overprotective parents, but our children's lives come first.
If you've ever been to a Filipino-hosted party, then you know there's A LOT of food. If you only have 10 guests, they have enough food for 50. I know it sounds like I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. I'm actually low-balling it. Near the end of the party, you realize that there's still a lot left, so guests are made to leave with food (actually they love it--this was my experience with TJ's baptism reception). Living in Japan, though, I've learned to not be wasteful, so I didn't want to have a large amount of food present. The menu was fruit (strawberries, grapes, pineapple, and cantaloupe), chips & salsa, lumpia (fried spring roll), chinese chicken salad, pancit (noodles), bulgogi BBQ, lechon kawali (crispy pan-fried roasted pork), and rice.


I love Filipino dessert, and because I don't know where to find good Filipino dessert other than Southern California (yes, I know, the Philippines, too, but who knows when we'll visit), I made sure it was on the table, too! On the left is sapin-sapin (a rice and coconut dessert), and on the right is puto (steamed rice cake). These are just two of my favorites! I'm craving them again as I speak, er, type.


I wish I had a better shot of the favors, which is on the right of the picture. I filled the Jungle Animals loot bags with sunglasses, bubbles, a ball, and candy for the kids. I found this cute round bin at Target for only $2.50 to hold them (you can kind of see it behind the cake a 3 photos below).

Probably wondering what the bat is doing on the gifts table? It's for the pinata, of course! It was between the Jungle Animals lion or Curious George, and I chose Curious George because I thought a monkey hanging from the tree made better than the lion (plus, it was bigger).
I must say, this is the cutest birthday cake ever! It reminded me of "Ace of Cakes." My family friend, Roselle, does this as a hobby, and I'm so glad she was able to bake this delicious strawberry cake for TJ. It was more than I could ever ask for! Thank you, Roselle!
Here's the birthday boy! I think the sweat dripping off his skin is an indication of how much fun he had. Happy 2nd Birthday, TJ!
Thank you to all our wonderful family and friends that celebrated his special day with us. And a special thanks to all my "event photographers," especially Uri, for freezing memories for us!