Last Week's Highlights

The last couple of days have been somewhat busy. Of course there’s the usual – work, running the house, doctor visits, Jellybean updates, etc. – but aside from that we also had some guests over. My high school friend, Joann and her family (including her adorable 3-year old daughter, Andie) stayed with us for a week. It’s always nice catching up with long-time friends and making new ones. This time around we got to hang out with Joann’s sister and brother-in-law as well. My other high school friend, Pam, stayed with us for one night too. And it was nice finally meeting her husband, Michael.

Living in Torrance (which is 15 miles from LA) and about 8 miles from the airport, we get a steady stream of visitors year round. This could be a hassle for many people, but I actually kinda enjoy it. It helps that we live in a home with 3 extra bedrooms and 2 extra bathrooms – and so having people over isn’t too much trouble. Of course that’s going to change next year since we are converting one of the rooms into Jellybean’s nursery and my sister, Joy, might come live with us taking another room. That leaves 1 extra bedroom (which may become Jojo’s and my office). I guess guests will just have to bunk on the sofa then =)

Anyway, back to having guests … it isn’t really that much of a hassle since most of my guests are pretty self-sufficient. They usually rent their own cars and can get to the typical LA tourist spots on their own (Disneyland, Universal Studios, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, etc., etc.). Jojo and I usually just see them over breakfast, dinner and the weekend. Which is pretty cool since it works out for everyone involved.

While Joann and Pam were here, we had home-cooked spaghetti the first night, take-out Chinese food on the second, and margherita pizzas for the third. On Friday night we had dinner at Maggianos at the Grove, went to Santa Barbara and Camarillo on Saturday, relaxed on Sunday and had dinner at Ocean Star restaurant in Monterey Park. It was busy but in a non-hectic, non-tiring way. It helps that both Joann and I are expecting (she is on her 5th month while I am on my 4th month) so the pace was very relaxed. Being preggy with a friend is also another cool thing to be experiencing together.

Oh we did have a minor mishap on Saturday morning, though. We were convoying on our way to Santa Barbara when our car (Jojo was driving and I was on the passenger seat), rear-ended a Buick minivan. The minivan did a full stop right in the middle of the 110 freeway – Jojo hit the brakes, but even with all his driving skill, our car could not stop in time since we were going about 60 miles an hour and had about 40-50 feet between our car and the van. It was a bit surreal watching the minivan come closer and finally hitting it (like it was happening in slow motion – I actually had time to brace myself and put my hands over my belly to protect Jellybean - although of course in real time, it all happened in a matter of seconds). Luckily we were all ok. No one was hurt – except the minivan which had a very dented rear bumper. Our Venza, has proven to be a really safe family car since we escaped with very minor scratches. Jojo and I were extra concerned about Jellybean – but thank god, there was nothing to worry about. It seems Jellybean is one tough little baby! The accident was unfortunate but in the grand scheme of things – we were very lucky and are thankful that all is well.

Yesterday (Monday) my friends left for San Francisco and the house has become quiet again. I’m always a little sad when people leave … but I think that’s a good sign. That just means guests have not overstayed their welcome =) So that in a nutshell was the week that was. Here’s looking forward to other weeks just like it.