SUP

I bought a Groupon for stand up paddleboarding a while back and we finally used it last Saturday. It took a little getting used to for me (I only fell in once, but we both had to get on our knees or sit on the board when we were heading back against the wind!)

The weather was great. We packed a lunch and stayed out most of the day. Afterwards, we watched some kite surfers and then went out for fish tacos. It was a lovely So Cal kind of day.

Saturday Fun

Last weekend, we had Dennis and Julia over for brunch. I made stuffed French toast. After taking this picture, I soaked it in the custard and put it in the oven to save time (instead of cooking it in butter on the stovetop). Sadly, it didn't turn out as yummy in the oven.

Julia brought Blue Bottle coffee from San Francisco. Mmmmmm. And Colin was in charge of eggs and bacon.

We got a great deal on a one year membership to the Huntington Library and Gardens through Groupon. It expires at the end of the month and we are trying to get some good use out of it in this last month, so we took Dennis and Julia along with us for another visit.

Hummingbirds were loving these flowers.

Colin, "exploring" the cloud forest.

Venus fly traps! But, they weren't fooled by our poking and prodding.

Colin resting in the hobbit house.

After the Huntington, we went to pihop for their Saturday evening prayer and prophetic time, which was really great. Then we went to the best gelato place I know. I want to live in Pasadena.

The OC Fair

We went to the Orange County Fair on Saturday. The last time I went to the fair was when I was staying with my Grandma in West Texas, not getting much socialization or time outside of the house, and my Aunt Marla and Uncle John took me out one night to the South Plains Fair. I was really thankful for that night out!

We ate a corndog, a huge turkey leg, and a Mexican funnel cake (a churro funnel cake).

We chased down these cool creatures on stilts for a photo.

We decided against anything from this food booth.


We saw the Peking acrobats, which was truly amazing. Neither of us had seen Chinese acrobats in China, but we finally got our chance! Most everything they did left us saying "wow!" Colin made a point to speak to them in Chinese afterwards.

I admit, if this teeth whitening were free, I probably would have done it too, even though these people look like they are being abducted by aliens.

I had seen kids get inside inflatable balls in China, but didn't know it had made it to America! The one we saw in China though looked like more fun because they had a lot more room to play on the water.

There was so much more: elephant rides, the extreme pogo championships, pig races, a hilarious hypnotist, a vermicomposting workshop... I had no idea the OC fair would be so huge! We had a lot of fun. We took the bus for $1.50 each way which got us a $9 discount ticket to get in to the fair! If you're going to the OC fair, check it out!

Saturday: eat, hike, eat, eat

Saturday I met up with three friends in Pasadena. Pasadena is wonderful for many reasons, two of which are nearby hiking and yummy food. After eating a delicious breakfast at Aunty Em's (savory bread pudding made with focaccia bread, three cheeses, and roasted tomatoes!), we went on a hike up to a waterfall from Chantry Flat.

Rebecca started out the hike with a challenge to put her sunscreen on and take her shirt off at the same time.


After hiking, we went to Euro Pane, where we had their famous egg salad sandwich, goat cheese and roasted pepper sandwich, and amazing desserts. I just recently discovered macarons and I'm in love. The sea salt caramel macaron at Euro Pane is amazing!

As if we hadn't eaten enough, we then went to get gelato at Bulgarini. I had determined that I was already full and was not going to get any gelato, but after walking in and trying a sample of the intriguing yogurt gelato with fruity olive oil poured on top, I sure did buy some. It was delicious, as was the pistachio and goats milk with cocoa nibs. (A small consists of three tiny scoops, so I got three flavors.)

I tease my Korean American friends that they plan vacations/dates/whatever around food. When Colin and I went to San Diego, I asked for recommendations for things to do. All my Korean American friends suggested were places to eat. They plan things to do around where to eat. This means they know the best places! I lived in Pasadena for more than a month and never went to any of these places, but I'm glad to know them now. And glad we were able to work off some of the food through hiking!