Home for the Holidays!

We flew home to San Francisco to hang with the Pham-ily and friends for the holidays!!  This was the best Christmas everrrr!!!

My fellow gluttons--my ma, cousins, and sister at House of Shabu Shabu!

So so so soooo happy =D

  FREE Gree Tea and Red Bean ice cream! My two favorites!

Happy Belated Birthday and early Christmas, GOAT!

Merry Xmas to the little one and "Booger."  Hope you enjoy your mugs and Shemergency kits =D

 Thanks for my clutch Goat =D I love it!!

 

HEAVEN is here!!!!  We visited my little cousin at work!!!

I love free stufffff!  FREE ODWALLAS!

Ewwwww the Google Snuggie

Soft cuddly Android!

No photo booth fun b/c it was broken =(

Riding the Google bike around campus!  If only I knew how to ride a bike...

WHAT! FREE on site haircuts AND food trucks?!!! AND there was a bowling alley, a slide, a rock climbing wall, and there was even fake snow!!!!

EVELYN you're my HERO!!! (Van, are you jealous that I get to hug Evelyn!!?)

FREE TEA!!! =D

Stuffing our faces at 1 of the 26 cafeterias on campus!  AND you can take food to go!!!

ME--SUPER EXCITED!
OH and the workers get to carry around Mac books! 

Organic, free range everything!!

Udon with Fried Calamari!!

TOO MUCH GOOD STUFF for FREEEEEE!

My childhood favorite!!

One of the coolest things in the bathrooms besides the self warming toilet seat!!

A wonderful dinner with the girls at Kokkari-Medittereanean.  We brought the house down with our ruckus and I lost my voice!

Bartender's choice--ended up being my favorite that I had TWO--AND did not fall asleep or fall to the floor! 

Lamb meatballs!

Fried cheese!!!!!

Garlic Shrimp!

Grilled Octopus!! I apologize for the blurriness..the buzz was slowly sinking in =)

This was my first ever lamb chop!! It was not game-y tasting, and was cooked to a perfect medium rare and had a delicious dry rub!

1/2 of a Peking Duck!!!

 

This is what the whole Peking duck looked like---mmmm..crispy skinnnn

Steamed fish!!

I highly recommend this restaurant (and the company) as it's both Lillian's and Erica's favorite!  Great Food, Great Service, Great Friends, and awesome drinks (as evident by the asian glows)!!!  We were so cray cray!!

Not 1, Not 2, but THREE FREE desserts on the house =D

And even a tour of the kitchen!!! YAY!

 

Miss you gals already!

 

 Family Time

At Kome Buffet for George's newphew's one month Red Egg & Ginger Party.

Way to show 'em how it's done Evelyn!

Jacky and his chopsticks!

Hanging out with my beloved 95 year old grammy!  We spent 3 hours talking food recipes!

It isn't the holidays without an 8 course FEAST!  This Christmas was especially awesome because I got to take out my family and they let me pay!!

and a pretend birthday so we can get free dessert!!!

Kristin took one for the team and blew out her "b-day" candles!

And this..isn't even all of my family =)

Our present to the little runts

I love asian holidays!!! RED ENVELOPE lotteries!  I scored the 2nd to highest red envelope!

And this is how I permanently lost my voice for the weekend--belting out old 90's karaoke songs!!!

Cheers to the wonderful and important things in life--family, friends and great food! =D

Happy Holidays: Work Parties!

I love love love love the holidays for many reasons...but one thing that makes my heart skip a beat, my stomach growl, my mouth salivate in anticipation, my fingers drumming all day long--> holiday work parties!!! FREE catered food!  (and the break from work!) And there always seems to be an excuse to have more parties--a party for the building, one for the practice group, one for the firm.....weeeeee!

The award for the bestest coolest party so far has to be the one George's boss invited us to: Suite seats at the Verizon Center in D.C for a hockey game.  I could barely contain my excitement.  I've never even been in box seats.  The idea that I could eat and drink to my heart's content..and the mother of all sinful delights--> pick whatever I wanted from the dessert cart blew my mind.  My only regret was not having a portable stomach that I could just whip out of my purse once my own lame stomach filled up.

 Toronto Maple Leaves..(?)..vs...D.C..@$#?!  Not sure..too busy stuffing my face.

Plate: 3 different kinds of yummy wings, beef tri-tip (my favorite!) and 1 asparagus..(not a fan of the veggie spread)

There was also fancy shmancy organic..grass fed hot dog weiners, chicken tenders, brushcetta, potato salad, macaroni bacon salad, and chips, pretzels, nuts, and open bar!!

I was trying real hard to play it "koo" and not snap pictures of the food.

And presents! oOooh!

Super excited to use this!

  

 

The A-W-E-S-O-M-E dessert guy!!!!

Yes I'm the only one in line with all the kids.  1 person did say " I heard you squealing louder than all the other kids when that cart came."

I'm not ashamed.

My dessert! S'mores cake and 3 scoops of ice cream and chocolate sauce!!

In between mouthfuls, I even witnessed what they call in hockey to be a "hat trick"--when 1 player made 3 of the team's goals that night, the audience throws in their hats/caps as a congratulatory gesture.  Apparently it's a rare accomplishment!

We saw 2 fights and a hat trick at our first hockey game and our team won! woohoo!

The kiddies still working on their ginormous candied apple after the game ended..lol

Happy Holidays: National Christmas Tree Lighting!

On December 1 we attended the lighting of the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse lawn, south of the White House.  A beloved tradition for the past 88 years, each year only 3,000 tickets are given out through a lottery and George and I managed to get our hands on some standing room tickets!  We had to skip out of work a bit early and stand in the freezing cold miles away from the stage, but definitely worth it!

Last year's tree (not my photo--below), stood at over 42 feet, but due to a high gust of wind,....fell down =(

A new fat midget 26 1/2 foot high Colorado spruce tree was planted after the previous tree fell.  Although definitely not as impressive, hopefully this little baby will grow up tall and strong for years to come.

Performers that performed that night: One Republic, Will.i.am.. teeny bopper boy band group Big Time Rush, Rodney Atkins, Allie Goulding, Marsha Ambrosius, and Kermit the Frog (Kermyyyyyy!!!)

Hosted by Carson Daly

AND of course, President Barack Obama and the First family! (yeee!)

We heard from other go-ers that last year made this year's weather feel like Palm Springs.  Hopefully we brought some warm CA sun to hold off the winter cold for longer!!!

The growing crowd and carolers filling up the stand room lawn

gorgeous sunset

The presidential caravan!!! Obama's hereeeee!!!

Brrrrrr...almost...time!

A teensy weensie President Obama on the screen getting ready to light the tree!

LIT! The National Christmas Tree and 56 smaller Christmas trees--one for each state, five territories, and the District of Columbia.  Seeing all these trees lit up was definitely worth the 2 hour wait in the freezing cold!

These trees are re-lit ever night throughout December to January--must come back for better photos!

A 2nd annual tradition--Michelle reads "The Night Before Christmas" and this year with the help of Kermy!

Blurry President Obama =(

 

 So happy it's the holidays! =)