best friends

Ahoy,

Perhaps I'm being forward. It seems like every time I get to hang out with O & H I like them more and more, even though I thought that that wasn't possible because I liked them so much initially. They are friends I very gladly would spend every new year's with. And I'm so happy that I got to hang out with them this year to celebrate. I think I will never ever get enough time with these folks. They will get sick of me.

We scooped them up from the airport and picked up sandwiches at our corner deli to enjoy at an art museum. It was still holiday break so the tram up was super duper crowded and we opted to walk up. H says "if you've got 2 working legs and a heartbeat." Go figure that walking up is an option! We picnicked and wandered around for a little bit before driving out towards Arcadia to meet her family. We had to stop at the grocery and pick a case of mangoes and 9 coconuts, of course. When in Rome. Also, boba.

We learned that the Rose Parade is a multi-day endeavor. H's family had started setting out their spot at 7am! We joined in the evening with dinner to hang out and wait some more for the parade the following day. This is quite the extravaganza. Families were sleeping and playing out there. As a child, my parents never really let us out for parades. And they never bothered with parades. The only one that I ever knew of was Chinese New Year Parade, which was always in the dead of winter. So I had no chance of standing outside idly anywhere for any reason. It was an interesting experience to be a part of this family tradition. H's family was incredibly kind and welcoming despite my sorry state of health. It was so nice of them to invite us to join on their family tradition. It's always fun to see what other families are like, because there are just so many varieties.

There are some staples that we try to hit with these VIPs, Muji and omusubis and of course tons and tons of coffee. And we got double scoops of ice cream for $1. What a steal! The last full day with O & H had the pretense of an easy and "chill" day. I think everyone was ready for that, probably me most of all. We started with a late brunch across the street, went on a short hike, and ate some more at lemonade. We finally made it into sushi for dinner. The previous evening there was a 3 hour long wait and we tried our luck again and got a 1 hour wait. Yahtzee!

I can't wait to see O & H again. They are great friends to have.

lovingly delectable,
jt