U.S. Road Trip Day 16: Destination Arizona & New Mexico

We left “Lily’s” condo at 6 AM today instead of the planned 3 AM. I went to sleep around midnight last night and didn’t want to get up at 3. So the fiancé left me to sleep another 2 hours before he got restless and pulled me off the bed. According to Google Maps, it should take us 5 hours to get to Arizona and another 5 to get to the border of Texas.

 
 


 We arrived in Phoenix in 4 hours. The temperature was about 80 degrees. We thought we would be able to grab an early lunch, but realized that the whole town was still asleep. I wanted to stop into Alice Coopertown for lunch but it was too early. Sorry, but downtown Arizona is not that good looking. There was no charm, no history and no place to stop into especially at 10 AM. We decided to move onto Tuscan which was less than 1 hour away.  I was in the mood for Mexican food so we stopped into Guadalahara Original Grill.

I ordered a lunch portion of chimi (aka chimichanga) and the fiancé ordered shredded beef quesidillas. The décor of the restaurant is reminiscent of the ones in the tourist spots in Mexico. I thought it was cute. Before our orders were taken an employee came by with a cart of salsa ingredients and made our complimentary dips for us. I wanted mild and the fiance wanted extra spicy. The employee smiled and laughed at the fiance's request and did as he asked. And to make him happier, she put his salsa in a large bowl and mine in a regular bowl.

Sign on McDonalds says its 105 degrees at 3 PM

We hit the road again as the temperature started to rise. One thing about road trips and me  – if I haven’t told you yet – if I am not driving, I fall asleep. One more thing to take note of, I grew up with 3 snoring males. Dad and my two brothers all snore very, VERY loud. So now, when I sleep near someone who snores, it will instantly put me to sleep. Snoring lullyby is what I hear. So imagine what happens when I take the wheel while my snoring fiancé naps. I got sleepy after 1 hour of driving. I felt bad, that the fiancé had to wake up to take over, but I couldn’t keep my eyes opened. Good thing because 30 minutes into the drive we hit several dust storms. Have you watched Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocal? If yes, do you remember the sand storm scene? What we drove through was exactly like that. You could barely see beyond 5 feet of you and my tires had no traction on the sand covered asphalt. I was scared and terrified. The storm continued into New Mexico and ended right before Texas. 

  

U.S. Road Trip Day 15: Farewell Party

The fiancé had an hour delay in Chicago today. It is suppose to hit 100 degrees in Brea. Tomorrow is going to be 115 degrees in Arizona and New Mexico. We decided we wanted to leave at 3 AM Sunday to beat the heat.

After picking the fiancé up at LAX we headed back to “Lily’s” condo for the farewell party. It is supposed to be a meet and greet open house since a lot of people had already made plans prior to my email. Everyone in Southern California has not met the fiancé yet, so this will be pretty overwhelming for him; but he is up for it.

I want to take the time and thank my friends and family in California who took the time to visit with me. Thanks to SCVBC for throwing me a Staff farewell luncheon and the clients for surprising me on my final Wednesday. Your words of encouragement, love and respect meant more to me than you know. Thank you to my sister Lucy, the new family event coordinator, for putting together the farewell party in Northern California and thank you to my cousins and in-laws who assisted Lucy. Thanks to “Lily” for hosting the final farewell party in Southern California and allowing me to stay at your condo for the week so that I can visit with friends and family who were unable to attend the party. Thanks to Veronica for making those cute flamingo cupcakes and delicious key lime bars! I am extremely grateful for all you and will miss everyone dearly.

U.S. Road Trip Day 8 - 14: Destination Orange County

This whole week was all about visiting friends and family in the OC area. Not much of a traveling blog here so you can ignore this entry if you’d like. First, I met up with my college roommate, Brian, in West Covina. Brian and I lived together my second year in undergrad; I actually lived with 3 boys. We each had our own private bathroom in our bedrooms. The only thing we shared was the living room, kitchen and laundry room. The good times we had in that apartment. The flood was the best memory.

The following day I meet up with Susie, my favorite roommate! I am sorry Brian, James and Jerry, but Susie cleaned up after herself and she was my gossip buddy. Susie and I lived together our last 2 years in undergrad. She and I caught up with each other in Clairemont. We grabbed brunch and headed over to a boutique where Susie ended up cursing at me for taking her in there; she bought a dress and told me it was all my fault. I love Susie.

The next day, I went to visit my niece Amy. Amy lives in Irvine, but she works near her parent’s in Westminister. In the Vietnamese culture we don’t use the phrase “second cousins” to address the offspring of our first cousin. In my family we use the term niece/nephew.  SO, Amy is the offspring of my first cousin, therefore she is my niece. She is as old as I am and her father is as almost as old as my dad. My cousin’s dad is almost 18 years older than my dad. And my dad is second to youngest in his family.

Amy just had a baby 5 months ago and I haven’t seen the new addition to the family. I drove up to my cousin’s house and met my cousin’s wife out in the yard. I greeted her and told her I was moving to Florida. She was surprised, like everyone, that I was engaged and, like everyone, happy for me. She told me Amy was inside with Penelope (her newborn) and she warned me that Penelope does not like strangers. I am used to this, Elisa and Penny were the same way when they were babies. I entered the house and found Amy on the floor with Penelope in her lap. I walked over to them and said hi to the newborn. She is a pretty baby with bright wondering eyes and a very cute smile. I reached out to Penelope and she went straight into my arms; such a cute baby. Amy was just as surprised as I was. Maybe Penelope thought I was Amy’s sister?

Friday evening I met up with cousin Steven for frozen yogurt, my favorite dessert. It was in the high 90s that evening and I thought grabbing dessert would be more beneficial than grabbing lunch or dinner. Steven suggested a few things for me to focus on during my transition in Florida. One of those is to wait for at least 1 year before visiting California again. He is right because I need to get used to Florida and not feel homesick.

Saturday is the final farewell party so nothing will be blogged for this week. The fiancé is flying in on Saturday and we will be driving out the following morning.

U.S. Road Trip Day 7: Destination Orange County

So, my sister and her family are leaving for Hawaii today. They are flying out of LAX so I decided to tag along with them. I am going to Matt and Mic’s Baby Shower today. The baby shower is in Brea and I am looking forward to seeing my southern California friends for the next week.

My sister wanted to stop in for lunch at a sandwich place in Carlsbad on the way up to LA. While we waited for our food, I looked up my route to Brea and saw the traffic report on my phone. I told my brother-in-law about the delays and advised him to leave early or they might miss their flight. After lunch I hugged the girls goodbye, I will see them one last time next Saturday at the final farewell party in Brea.

U.S. Road Trip Day 5 & 6: Destination San Diego

The next two days will be low key; just me, Elisa and Penny spending time at home and possibly at the park. My sister will be home tomorrow but needs me to occupy the time with the girls so she can finish packing for Hawaii. The Yambaos are going to Hawaii for a week and I will be spending the next two days teaching Elisa and Penny to say “Aloha.” Two more days with the girls.

U.S. Road Trip Day 4: Destination San Diego

San Diego is known for it's fair weather and many tourist attractions. Today, I dared to visit San Diego Zoo Safari Park, formally known as San Diego Wild Animal Park. The park is known for it's conservation efforts (all 120 of them), world's largest veterinary hospital, free range enclosures which patrons can experience during the many tours they offer. When you purchase a general admission, it includes a free African Tram Safari which last for about 30 minutes. More on that later. Since we arrived at noon, most of the closer parking was taken. I had the great task of pushing two toddlers up a hill to get to the entrance of the park. Yes, I broke a sweat and stopped once to gulp half of my water bottle.

Once in, I gave a map to both Elisa and Penny. I had Elisa pick out a few of the exhibits she wanted to check out while I hunted down a cool area where we can have lunch. I packed the same lunch for the girls as yesterday and plenty of snacks. We were going to be here until 5 PM. 

After lunch we headed towards the water area, Savanna Cool Zone, where kids can run through sprinklers and large plastic animals with water squirting from their heads. I changed Elisa and Penny into their swimsuits and set them off running through the water area. Elisa ran through the sprinklers like a pro, Penny on the other hand barely had a few sprinkles on her before she turned around and ran back over to me and hid behind my legs. She did not like the sprinklers, but she did enjoy the small water hole.

The girls played for almost 1 hour before they grew tired of the bigger kids taking over. I brought them over to a private bench and changed them back into their normal clothes. Penny giggled as I changed her up. She thought it was funny that I was struggling to take off her swimmer's diaper - they are like Pull-Ups, but for water. I finally realized that these are diapers and I can toss them like any diapers so I did. Sorry, I am not a parent, just an Aunt. I laid their bathing suits on top of the shade of the stroller and put the sun's rays to good use. We went over to the African Tram Safari so Elisa and Penny can get a quick lesson on African wildlife. As I mentioned, the African Tram is free with general admission. The tram sits about 80 people and is accessible for everyone including those in wheelchairs. I had Penny sit in my lap and gave Elisa the side seat so she can get a closer look at the animals. Our tour guide, Kaitlin, was a great tour guide. She made sure everyone was able to see all the animals including rare ones like the White Rhino, which is 1 out of 9 in the world. She had the driver stop if possible, and slow down if we are in an area where we can't stop. There are some areas when Kaitlin would give us conservation information. Did you know the park sits on 1,800 acres and about 800 acres is dedicated to California's wildlife? Penny became restless halfway into the tour so I occupied her by pointing to things. Penny only cared for monkeys and there were not on this tour. As soon as the tour ended Penny clapped her hands and said, "YAY!" Everyone around us laughed and patted my shoulders saying how cute the girls were.

Elisa heard Kaitlin talk about the Lions so we went over to the Lions. We actually caught a male lion climb over a lioness and had a little quickie before he jumped off and walked over to the glass window. Elisa and Penny watched for a few minutes and said they had enough so we decided to grab some ice cream and sit by the Cheetah Run. The Cheetah Run is a show that started at 3:30 PM showcasing a cheetah sprinting through 330 foot long track. I chose to sit closer to the finish line and parked us under a tree. The run was going to start in 1 hour and I had 1 hour to entertain the girls. Elisa and I practiced her spelling her name in Sign Language. Penny attacked her ice cream and giggled after each brain freeze - remember, she is only 2 years old. After 30 minutes the area I was sitting with the girls was completely covered by people. I then changed over to reading cheetah facts to Elisa and Penny. I had to describe what a cheetah was to Penny. I said big cat with dots. She said, "Yesh." But really, I don't think she is going to remember anything I taught or showed her today. Right before the run, a zookeeper got onto a mic and announced a few things for safety, such as don't hang arms or legs over the fence to prevent the cheetah from jumping up at you. They gave a brief few minutes of how they prep for the event and said it will be over in just a few seconds. But first they sent Yeti, a Shepherd dog, down the track first to show the cheetah that it is okay to run. Then they released the cheetah and they were right, it finished in a few seconds. I just remember seeing the cheetah at the finished line.

Next were the Gorillas, which Penny was obsessed with that day. All she can ask is "Monkey's?" So we stopped into the Gorillas enclosure and played with a few interactive exhibits. We then walked over to a Jungle Gym nearby and the girls started to climb and explore. I chased them a bit before I took a seat on a bench. Elisa expressed how tired she was and we decided to visit the gift shop near the entrance of the park. Along the way, we stopped into a few nooks with birds and flamingos. At the gift shop, Penny and Elisa looked at the books while I browsed the t-shirts. Penny chose a monkey t-shirt and Elisa chose a giraffe t-shirt. We got out of the park at 5 PM and headed home for dinner. Oh, one more thing, did I mention the park is not actually in San Diego? Yeah, it is in a city called Escondido so the weather there is a bit warmer.

We got home at 6 PM and grabbed dinner. I am tired from a long day with the girls. I had a great workout climbing hills and pushing a double stroller, but man is my body aching. Again, I am not a parent, just an aunt.

U.S. Road Trip Day 3: Destination San Diego

Behind San Diego's beaches and large theme parks are hidden parks untouched by tourists. Today, I took Elisa and Penny to a park we found the last time I was in town. We actually found it during a detour from the beach ... okay, I got lost and found the park after 1 hour. It is located on East Mission Bay Drive, right off of Interstate 5. The park had several, let me repeat, several playgrounds. The main playground sat in fine sand, while the surrounding playgrounds sat on soft-fall rubber. My sister bought a new double stroller for her trip to Hawaii. We took it with us to try out. Once we arrived at the park we laid out a blanket and had our lunch. Elisa had a peanut butter sandwich and Penny had a ham sandwich. I had packed them sliced nectarines which they slowly enjoyed as they looked on at the kids playing on slides. 

After the girls finished their lunches, they ran off, disappearing in the jungle gyms and swing sets. I folded up the blanket, packed away empty sandwich bags, and pushed the stroller closer to the girls. I placed the breaks on the stroller and ran after Penny who wanted to try out the swings. After she tired of the swings, she decided to climb the tall poles that held the structure of the jungle gym. I watched on as the 2 year old daredevil maneuvered around the bigger kids who stopped what they were doing to watched. 

 

After 3 hours at the park, Elisa and Penny climbed into their stroller and I walked them around the park which was 2 miles (there are 1/2 mile markers on the sidewalk). We headed home thereafter. Tomorrow we will be heading to the San Diego Animal Park. My sister found a great deal on LivingSocial. It is about 40 minutes away from my sister's house. I will pack the girls' lunches. The last time I took Elisa and Penny to the San Diego Zoo we spent the whole day observing the animals while I gave them facts. I think we will be spending the same amount of time at the Wild Animal Park. 

U.S. Road Trip Day 2: Destination San Diego

It is about 2:30 PM and I am sitting in the patio. San Diego is currently 70 degrees with slight cool breeze. Penny and Elisa is playing with their cousins back here. I am supervising their activities. We just finished learning the hokie pokie song. Elisa really likes the song and Penny likes the dance. Kids are hilarious and easy to entertain.

Earlier this morning my sister, the girls and I went to a Korean market called Zion Market. Zion is new to the Convoy neighborhood, I have never heard of it, but apparently my sister says it is very popular in in Korea. I actually thought Zion Market was like any large Asian markets, but boy was I wrong. They had a trendy bakery called Paris Baguette that sat in the corner of the market right before the cashier stands. The bakery had all sorts of croissants and tarts. Elisa and Penny each had a flaky pastries with chocolate bits. I had a flaky pastry with cream cheese. We also picked up a loaf of round bread that is both light in color and in taste. All the pastries were light and flavorful. I will be coming back to pickup treats for the road trip. Next to the bakery is the food court. There are about 2 restaurants opened, the others are currently getting put together. Across from the bakery are small gift shops. The grocery market is behind the cashier stands. It takes up a majority of the building. The market had wide aisles and clearly marked signs. No clutter, but most of the food they had were in Korean with no English translations. We grabbed a few ingredients for tonight's dinner. Elisa and Penny each grabbed a treat.

After the market Penny had an accident in the dress she was wearing so I stripped her and wiped her down with wet wipes. Her mother didn't pack her a pair of changing clothes so I left her in her diaper. We got home, fed the girls lunch and my sister headed out to work. And here I am now watching the kids play with water guns. Sometimes I look at the kids and think of how much I am going to miss hanging out with them. My nieces are the sweetest girls and I am going to miss being around them. I know Elisa will remember me because she is older, but Penny might not remember me.

Tomorrow we will be heading to the park where Elisa will show me her biking skills. Penny will probably try to climb on everything that is not a part of the playground. And I will be enjoying every moment with them. Below are pictures of my nieces.

Elisa learning how to drive. She is only 12 years too early.

Penny prior to her accident. She was eating Yan Yan so the smears on her face are from the chocolate.

Penny after her accident. Her dress is drying in the back.

U.S. Road Trip Day 1: Destination San Diego

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there!

After bidding family and friends adieu, I headed out to San Diego - the first leg of the U.S. road trip. I armed my car with a few trinkets: a wooden necklace with tiny horses carved into it given to me by a dear friend Shirley and an origami butterfly from my beloved friend Thao. My belongings have been shipped to Florida and the trunk of my car currently has a few shoes, bag of clothes and things that didn't fit in the boxes.

So far my plan is to stay in San Diego for a week to hang out with my nieces, Elisa and Penny, then head to Brea on Saturday for Matt and Mic's Baby Shower. My fiance will fly in the following Saturday into LAX and we will have the final farewell party at "Lily's". Then, my fiancé and I will be driving out the following morning.

I expect to arrive in San Diego by 8 PM so I will update my whereabouts tomorrow.