09.15.02

We all slept in this morning. I don't know what time Auntie Justina and Uncle Dean got up, but they were both gone by the time we got up. They're so cute...they went off to explore Irvine. "Explore" isn't quite the word to describe what you can do in Irvine, but they came back around noon...and giddy to have found not one, but TWO Ranch 99's in Irvine. HAHAHAHA!

Auntie Justina and Uncle Dean treated us to lunch at New Shanghai Restaurant in Irvine. We had dumplings, soy bean milk (sweet and salted), Chinese fried donuts, stinky tofu, spicy beef stew, sticky rice, etc... Lunch was yummy! I fed a piece of stinky tofu to Ashlyn and poor girl gagged on it and started crying. I guess it was just that foul! Whoops! hehehe
After lunch we walked over to Tapioca Express for drinks. WOO-HOO! After a year of filling out many suggestion cards, Tapioca Express has FINALLY decided to grant me my wish of giving out frequent buyer cards! So now all I need to do is buy 30 drinks to be able to redeem a free drink. hehehe I'm exaggerating. Actually, if I'm reading the card correctly, I get a free drink for every 10 drinks I buy....and if I purchase up to 30 drinks, then I'm entitled to a free drink AND a bag of spicy fried chicken bits. COOL! =D
We hung out at Tapioca Express for a bit...relaxed on the sofa and enjoyed the A/C. Paul and Uncle Dean indulged in a game of Chinese chess. I watched and I watched but I couldn't understand it. Paul tried to explain by saying that it's similar to regular chess. Um, that's no help...I don't even know how regular chess is played. =P I should learn.

In the parking lot, we said goodbye to Auntie Justina and Uncle Dean before they left for San Diego. Aric, Oli, Paul, Ivy, Ashlyn, and I headed home. Ivy, Oli, and Paul packed up and hung out for a while before making the long trek home. I was bummed to see Ivy go...but I was consoled by the fact that she'll be back in 5 days. YAY! =)

Aric and I were going to hit up Costco, but Ashlyn went down for a nap...and by the time she got up, we were too lazy to go out. We spent the rest of the day lounging around the house. I dropped in a couple of loads of laundry, clipped coupons, vacuumed the stairs and living room, and dusted. Aric and I fixed a simple dinner and ate in front of the tube. This might sound strange, but life doesn't get any better than this. Some things bring me comfort...this is one of them: chores done...relaxing evenings with the family...watching a movie.
Tonight was a "7th Heaven" Marathon on Fox Family Channel. After Aric had enough of the Camden Girls (who he thinks are slutty, but I beg to differ), we watched "Forensic Files", then popped in "Orange County"- unexpected all-star cast, adorable main character (Colin Hanks), cute story, laughs, happy ending. After that, we watched "Law and Order SVU".

What a great weekend! Hope your weekend was just as pleasant! G'Nite!

Pictures from today:

Ashlyn making her way up the stairs as Oli watches

Ashlyn proud of herself

Auntie Justina and Uncle Dean at lunch

Oli and Ivy

Aric and Paul

Ivy, Ashlyn, and me

kickin' it at Tapioca Express

Ivy walking with Ashlyn

Aric and Ashlyn

Aric, Ashlyn, and me