The House Poet

Well, the last day of 2009 has been outrageous. Too many things happened at once today, which seems fitting. I don't want to go into all the craziness, but let's just say it was stressful and too busy for my liking. I can't wait for this weekend though! ;) 2009 has been the year of many changes and intense things happening in my life. I really feel like I have grown and matured as a woman. I received my camera for my 19th birthday in January, and then in April I started this blog. I met Andrew in January and we fell in love in Febuary. :) Best thing that ever happened to me! (Apart from going to college in the first place lol ) I am excited to see what this year holds in store for us! Hopefully a trip to Japan! :D There have been many hard times and obstacles this year. Yet, the wonderful things outnumber all the difficult ones. I've proved to myself that I am strong and can get through a lot! :) I am grateful for all that I have in my life and all that I have been give...

When I was in elementary school, I had a special group of friends. We stayed friends all through middle school, all through high school, and now we are separated and navigating the choppy seas of adulthood and college. Two of those friends are still very important to me, and on Tuesday I was able to see both, albeit for a short while. Over the summer, we were all dealing with separate things and I was worried about them. Luckily, seeing them on Tuesday and hearing about their experiences this past semester has assuaged my worries. We are all growing and learning. :) I was having serious Vietnamese food cravings because my sister refuses to go out and eat it with me. Thus, my friend Andi and I went for Vietnamese food at Le Cheval. This restaurant is the third of three, owned and run by friends of my grandmother! The food is a bit pricey, but it's good Vietnamese food. I went over the summer with my grandmother, so I was excited to follow up on it. We got there a little before noon,...

I know Christmas is done, but here is how I spent my Christmas eve! My father had to go to San Jose to say hello to a dear client of his, and so my sister and I tagged along. I was dying to check out the Kinokuniya Bookstore and Mitsuwa Marketplace there, so I was looking forward to it! :) After shopping at Kinokuniya for a bit, my sister and I went over to a cute little bakery called Clover Cake Shop. It was very Japanese in style and food, so it was fun to check out! All the pastries and breads were cheap, and I was so tempted to buy a lot, but I didn't. This was an almond danish. I ate it on Christmas morning, and it was pretty good. It seemed more bready than I would have thought a danish to be, but the almond flavor was strong and tasty. :) This doughnut was a hit! It was lightly coated in sugar and inside it there was smooth azuki red bean paste....yummm! This was still warm and really hit the spot! :) The flavors of the bean paste and the sugary doughnut outside complemente...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Here is what I ate in between the celebrating! Christmas Eve dinner was just about comfort food--breakfast for dinner! :) I had a cheese omelette with sausage, challah bread and butter, and peas! It was yummy and rich! Christmas came and we had a nice morning opening gifts. Then, we had to get ready to go to French mass in San Francisco, which was very cool! I loved hearing it in French and I understood it, which was special. The church was lovely as well. It was called Notre Dame de Victoires, which means Our Lady of Victory. There was a funny tiny old French man talking to everyone in his gravelly French voice. :D It was quite the experience! The last time I had gone to church was with Andrew over the summer, and being in a church again made me miss him so miuch. I was nostalgic for the summer days he spent at my place with me~ Our tradition is going to Gourmet Carousel, a cheap Chinese place in SF, for Christmas lunch. The food is good, qu...

I adore Christmas lights. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas or other holiday you celebrate! :) Lots of love, Momofraise

Yep, it's December now! :) It's been quite a while since I last posted, but I was busy with finals, essays, and just life in general. I am at home for winter break but I miss Andrew and Stockton tremendously. Andrew will hopefully be coming over next weekend to see me and I am so excited! I will bake lots of goodies for him~! The above picture was taken a few days after he returned from the trip to the Philippines. I was ecstatic to see him again! It's been so wonderful having him back! The night after he arrived from the Philippines three weeks ago, he took me out to dinner. We couldn't stop talking and there was so much to say! We went to Dave Wong's Restaurant, a lovely Chinese place in Stockton. It is a gorgeous restaurant, oozing comfy yet upscale ambiance. The lighting is dim and golden, which makes for a romantic setting. They also have curtained booths for privacy; Andrew had put our names down for us to get one. After a while, one of the nice men working t...