As I mentioned previously, I recently passed my qualifying exam for my Ph.D. I found myself in catch-up mode for several days after the exam. While I had hoped to relax for a day, or even an hour, I discovered this wouldn’t be possible. I had to play catch-up with both work and school. While I had done a pretty good job at balancing it all before the exam, I think, there were still several things I had to push back until after the exam was over. So with the exception of the post-exam celebratory dinner, I had no time to enjoy the relief–instead, I was busier than usual.
Thankfully, I now feel caught up, and have been relaxing and doing lots of fun things. This past weekend, Nik and I headed down to LA, where I was able to do some of my favorite things and see some of my favorite people. What I really, really wanted to do after my exam was eat at Disneyland. I told my mom, and she arranged for us to go! Mandi met us there, and we spent the day exploring (it was already mostly decorated for Christmas), riding all the rides (some twice), and eating, eating, eating, and drinking. On the menu for me was the following: vanilla coffee, Bengal BBQ beef skewers and bacon-wrapped asparagus, a cream cheese pretzel, clam chower, cheesecake, and a mint julep. It was a great day. There has always been something spectacular about Disneyland for me, and I have so many memories there. It was the perfect thing to do.
In addition to my Disneyland day, I got celebrate my dad’s birthday with breakfast at Eat at Joe’s with Nik, Mandi, Justine, Martha, and my dad. This is a favorite neighborhood spot in Redondo Beach that we’ve been going to for decades. I also got a bit of shopping in (began my Lululemon obsession and had Ikea adventures with Mandi) and spent several hours with my favorite little family, Kimberly, Grady, and baby Siena. Grady very carefully decorated the house and worked hard on creating a cozy atmosphere for us. I walked into a house full of flowers, candlelight, and a congratulations cake for me! They are so thoughtful. I love every minute I spend with this family. Siena is incredibly precious, and she has developed so much since the last time I saw her. She is rolling over now, and she is starting to do some back-and-forth cooing with people, although she looks adorably confused when the sounds come out of her mouth. Kimberly and Grady are amazing parents and so natural with and dedicated to her. Grady picked dinner up for us (Zena joined us!) and we chatted for hours. Such a lovely household.
I spent this week doing more work catch-up and schoolwork, and am now caught up. Last night, Nik and I headed to Berkeley to visit our friends April and Seth. Gracious hosts that they are, they welcomed us with champagne, and we managed to consume two bottles before dinner. We walked through their neighborhood to a new restaurant, Origen, which was incredible. I had buttermilk fried calamari, handrolled gnocci with pork ragu and mascarpone, chocolate-studded bread pudding, and a mulberry mojito. Delicious. We had such a great time chatting with April and Seth and got home well after midnight.
I am continuing my relaxation today with a weekend edition of a do-whatever-I-want day (which used to be typical of weekend days, but has been nonexistant for weeks [with the exception of last weekend, of course]). I’m still in my pajamas, and I have been reading a fantastic new book, online Christmas shopping, cleaning the house, and playing with Jo. We’ll soon head off for an evening run through the fall leaves…
Recent Comments