cha quyen’s 40th

well that time had come, it was father quyen’s 40th year as an ordained priest!  we celebrated at the altar villa banquet hall out in addison.  it was quite a fete!  i could be exaggerating but i think it was close to 600 folks at the event.

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[mingling]

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[coaster favors]

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[me + hc]

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[honoring cha quyen]

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[with tricia!]

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[vietnamese entertainment]

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[with chu thong!]

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[with the man of the hour]

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[dad, mom, old friend, + dan]

i, as usual, cruised there straight from work.  i waited in the parking lot for my hubby charming to meet up with me, he was driving in from the city.  once we were together, we walked in and ran straight into my mom and dad.  yay!  we were immediately pinned with a rose flower {identifying us as family of cha quyen’s} and shuffled to our table.  although, we were amongst only a few who had tables reserved for us, i still have to fight off a bunch of vietnamese peeps from stealing the table!  they don’t care it says reserved, they will steal it from under this pregger lady!  so there i sat, waiting for the rest of my family to arrive.

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in the mean time, i was so excited to see my grandma [in from l.a.} and my parent’s old friends, di thu and chu thong {in from texas!}!  it was a total reunion that night!  we saw so many people we haven’t seen in awhile, it was so good to catch up!  it was a great evening except for the singing {oy…it was so loud, it was uncomfortable!}, it’s not a vietnamese event without some loud music and loud singing.  my brother dan said all vietnamese music/songs sound like a james bond theme song {funny statement of the night!}.

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[love!]

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[family]

via tandeminlove.com[grandma!  as huy calls her, ‘lil shorty]

anyhoo, after much socializing, eating, and picture taking, it was time to go home!  we said our goodbyes and jetted out!  it truly was a good night!

xoxo

homemade cake

happy beurffday kim!

it was that milestone!  happy birthday to my dear sister, kim!  we celebrated at acadia.  terry surprised kim with a small, intimate dinner at the lovely restaurant.

i rushed over there after work {thank goodness there wasn’t any traffic!  and i found parking in a snap!}.  once i was settled in, they starting the whole process, and when i say process, it was.  it’s quite fascinating to watch.  all the servers that support during the whole dining experience.  how attentive and in tune they all are.  i just love places like that!  the service was impeccable, the food was beyond delish, and the company was fantastic!

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[personalized menu]

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[kim + lan]

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[my bro in law + moi]

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[present time!]

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[oxfords]

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[my non-alcoholic beverage concocted by the bartender]

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[my tasty halibut]

we wined {well everyone else} and dined, enjoyed our eclectic conversations, laughed a lot, ate a lot, and drank a lot.  after almost 4 hours of noshing and imbibing, we were dunzo.

but of course, it’s not a birthday without a cake!  it only completes the celebration!  so, there is was…thuy’s homemade cake.  it was such a sight.  you truly, truly had to be there.  from my pov, i saw it coming.  it was a glorious, blazing ball of fire heading our way.  our server walked from the kitchen, across the whole dining area, all the the way to our table in the corner with the fire hazard.  every diner’s head turned, cranked, and gawked at the well lit cake.  it was so hilarious.  kim didn’t know what was coming her way!  oh em gee, we could not stop laughing!  it was, seriously, the best part of the evening…it was splendid to see such a fancy restaurant serve this beauty of a cake {made with love from thuy}.  despite it’s wilting nature…it was damn good!  so yummy!

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[the blazing cake!]

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[happy birthday kim! // i love how the two dudes in the background are mesmerized!]

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[make a wish!]

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[birthday partiers]

thank you to terry and thuy for coordinating such a fabulous fete for our lovely sister kim.  happy birthday ma seour!

xoxo

perfect combo

it was such a perfect night!  so beautiful out!

i was able to meet up with andrea and leyla for a lovely al fresco dining experience.  we met up at folklore…so delish!!  hc and i ate there when we first moved into the area {it’s right down the street from us} and hadn’t been back since, so going there again made me realize how good it is!  we had forgotten about all the deliciousness there!

ah, it was such a fabulous evening to sit outside.  i haven’t seen leyla in awhile and it was so good to catch up!  it was great to hear her funny stories and to know that life is good for her!  our company was made up of two mommies and a soon to be mommy, so that made it good for some mommy talk!  no worries, we had plenty of convos around purses {chanel or celine?}. and shoes. and clothes. and shopping.  hehe.  our other loves!

we put in our entree order, oh i forget how much food they give you!  i ordered so much!  oops.  my eyes were bigger than my stomach.  oh well, it made for good leftovers!

we hung out for awhile to enjoy the perfect evening temperature.  that is when i crave a yummy glass of wine!  a warm, summer evening and a glass of wine is the perfect combo!  boo.

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[leyla, moi, and andrea]

cheers to this wonderful duo!  such great friends!

xoxo

ladies night

i haven’t seen these girls in awhile…well, it’s been a few months and it was def time to catch up!

we all met at D.O.C. wine bar.  i love seeing them!  they are such sweet ladies!  marina and i go way back to junior high {eekkk!}.  pam and i go waaaaayyyyyy back!  we have known each other since early elementary school {double eekkk}!  we didn’t go to the same one, our mutual connection is our bestie carol.  we befriended each other through her and have remained friends since!  ditto for rina!

we chit chatted the night away.  catching up on life stories.  i really enjoy spending time with them.  it just ebbs and flows.  ya know, when it’s just relaxing and fun; the time just flies by when you’re totally engaged with your friends.  well, hours passed by and it was actually getting late {late for me at least!} and i know pam and i had the longer drives back.

we hung out a bit outside the restaurant to finish up our fascinating conversations!  we finally had our hugs goodbye and went on our merry way!  love these ladies!  it was a very good night.

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[moi, marina, and pammy]

xoxo

happiness is

happiness is when hubby charming is home.

when hubby charming comes home and i am happy as a clam.

happiness is a home cooked meal by hc.

happiness is snuggling with hc and a good movie is on t.v.

happiness is spending a lazy day with hc before this bebe comes.

happiness is when hc cooks me a a delcious breakfast in the morning.

happiness is going shopping with hc and getting his opinion on things.

happiness is waking up next to hc in the mornings.

happiness is attending mass together.

happiness is when hc and i can go on walks and hold hands.

i am most happy when i get to spend time with my hubby charming.

i love you to bits.

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[a delicious home cooked meal by hc]

xoxo

haircut day

a beautiful day for a sassy a haircut.  typically, we like scheduling three haircuts in a row…me, kim, & thuy but this time kim couldn’t make it!  so, it was just thuy and me.  it was a lovely sunny day for us!

i trekked in first due to thuy coming straight from work.  hubby charming and moi got there early and misako was able to take me right away.  i just love her!  she has been cutting my hair for 12 years!  she actually didn’t know i was pregnant!  last time i saw her, i was at the 3 month mark and i couldn’t tell her because i hadn’t told the family yet!

anyhoo, we chit chatted, caught up, talked about baby stuff, and just really enjoyed each other’s company.  she trimmed my hair up all fresh and clean…holy long hair!  once i was done, i settled onto the couch and waited for thuy to get there for her haircut.

after both our sessions, we traipsed our way to an eatery we all haven’t been to, farmhouse.  it was sooo good!  delicious.  we were very satisfied and happy!

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[thuy’s new do]

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[farmhouse]

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[farmhouse’s cool interior]

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[haircuttery]

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[menu perusing]

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[my tasty meal // forest mushroom and poblano pepper old world grains burger]

after lunch, thuy had commitments to go to and so did we!  it was fab haircut day and delicious feasting.  a great way to spend our afternoon together!

xoxo

great evening

dinners galore!  i’ve been lucky enough to be able to spend a lot of quality time with my girls!

i met up with kt, & karen at the reel club for some good grub.  it’s a nice place.  a good go to restaurant.  i love the little cheese popovers…they are addicting {watch out, you could ruin your appetite with these little suckers}!  it was a shame almost all that yummy stuff on the menu was off limits for me {boo!}.

it was so good to be able to get together.  we recently saw each other at kt’s birthday but that was a party and we couldn’t really sit down and chit chat like we usually do!

kar met up wtih me at the mall and we walked our way to the restaurant.  kt met up with us there!  once we were together, the conversation just flowed.  i love catching up with them and hearing all our stories.  life’s ups and downs…it’s what we thrive on, right?!  what’s new, what’s old, what’s annoying, gossip, new loves, old loves, current status, & all the juicy stuff.

my stomach capacity has been limited…surprisingly to me.  i think it’s too early in the game to have little room in the tummy but it’s a happening!  so, i ordered soup and salad.  it was tasty!  i was a bit skeptical of the soup {it was the soup of the day and i can’t remember what it was!}, it had an odd main ingredient that i wasn’t sure about but it ended up super yum!  in the end, of course we had to order dessert!  we shared and sampled all the delicious decadence.

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[kt, kar, + moi]

after several hours of chilling, we were dunzo.  with our bellies full and our heads a spinning with all the talk, we parted ways.  it was a great evening with my girls!

xoxo

somewhere over the rainbow

yay!!  another rainbow!  i just wanted to share with everyone the pretty rainbow i saw the other week!  i, unfortunately, could not capture the whole beauty of it.  it was actually a full, complete, end to earth’s end rainbow!  by then i was moving and i couldn’t photograph the pretty prism.  i was so happy!  it was so cool to see.  i rarely see rainbows but i haven’t seen a full scale rainbow in ages.  isn’t it fantastic how rainbows can just make you smile from ear to ear?  lovely.

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xoxo

kt’s partay

kt’s big 3-0 was here!!!  we celebrated her birthday and her two year anniversary since her surgery!

the party was down the street from where i was at.  i had dinner with my sisters and lan first, then skedaddled to the party afterwards.

we dined at nellcote.  a beautiful restaurant with delicious entrees.  small plates to share, who doesn’t love eating that way?  it’s so fun to try different flavors.  we ordered spaghetti {tomato, calabrian chilies, toasted breadcrumbs, & mojama}, robuchon potatoes {local yukon gold potatoes, sauce périgueux}, sunny side up organic egg pizza, venison tartare {smoked egg yolk, preserved lemon, quinoa, mustard}!  so amazingly good!  we ended our meal with the most decadent desserts!  pot de creme, lemon semifreddo, and the chocolate parfait!  soooo stuffed!

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[nellcote]

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[salut]

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[delicious dishes]

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[a trio of heaven]

after dinner, i waddled my way to my sister’s car and she dropped me off down the street to kt’s party.  i headed upstairs to the rooftop and found a bunch of screaming ladies!  we were all so excited to see each other!  i was happy to see kt, karen, colleen, bridget, mary, and annie!  it was nice to chat with annie…who is pregnant and four weeks ahead of me!  after visiting with everyone, it was time for this pregger lady to go!  i was so tired!

via tandeminlove.com[my dirty 30 gift to kt…granny panties!]

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[birthday girl]

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[my girls!]

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[7 and 6 month bumps!]

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[you can’t beat this beautiful skyline…love]

it was a long day…a very fun and satisfying day with friends and family!

xoxo

b’s beurffday!

we celebrated b’s 4th birthday!

it was hosted by my ever loving sister, kim, and bro in law, terry!  it was at brunswick bowling and it was a blast.  we geared up our tootsies with some snazzy bowling shoes…hello!  of course i brought socks!

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[ready to get started]

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[bowling shoes…check!}

so, the bowling began, and off to a rocky start.  wow…you could tell it’s been awhile since most of us bowled {hee}!!!  i tried my best to balance my pregger belly with that somewhat heavy bowling ball but my awesome swing/throw was off kilter!  gutter balls, fouls, and no pins down later {um, that is a sum up of the group., minus pete & dan…show offs!}, we then started munching on some yummy snacks ordered {classic bowling grub…pizza, cheese sticks, nachos, onion rings…}!

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[candy balls]

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[kim’s amaze gutter ball throws]

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[dan’s professional bowling league]

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[ladies who lunch]

near the end of our bowling run, we finally gave in to b’s relentless requests for cake and presents!  we proceeded to sing happy birthday {yes…his decor represented his like for the boston bruins…don’t ask} and he happily proceeded with his gifts!  he was so cute!  he insisted on opening the cards first and then politely opened each gift.  cars, hockey stick, clothes, skate board, and more toys later, b was a happy birthday boy!

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[present time!]

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[happy birthday!]

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[yummy!]

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[look at that smile!]

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[cute little favor bags by kim]

we finished up our bowling games and went on our merry ways!  all in all, it was a wonderful time celebrating b’s birthday!  he was a happy little guy!

xoxo