California June 2026 - All Things Emi!

 

The Cactus Garden at Stanford

Thursday June 4.

I keep thinking about how things were with my leg the last time we went to CA. It was about 3 days after my leg started hurting. I was in such pain, took a wheelchair through the airport and could barely walk. Today it has been a little over a month since the cortisone shot in my L3 and L4 vertebra. I seem to still be improving which is a very good sign! I was going to get a 2nd shot in my L5 vertebra on the 16th but if things stay like this I will cancel it. This morning I had NO pain in my leg at all!

I’ve got to believe that the key at this point is to continue to faithfully do my PT Exercises and get my core as strong as possible. The more I can use my abs instead of my back the better off I’ll be. Biking, walking, water aerobics and even yoga, they all help, but those exercises are key.

We’re on our way, in the air, about an hour left before we land. Can’t wait to see Emi, and Dan and Kelsey too, of course. Just think, the next time we come there will be another little girl in our family!

Dropping Sophie off at the boarding place made me a little sad. I know they will take good care of her, but it will be more institutional and she won’t get nearly the attention she gets at home. I just wish there was some way to tell dogs “don’t worry, we’ll be back!”

Friday June 5

In the afternoon yesterday we went to pick up Emi at preschool. I haven’t seen the school before (because last time I couldn’t walk!). The playground is very cool, like the playground at the CDL, where my kids went when they were little. Lots of opportunities for creative play, a tricycle path, water play, etc.

Emi was delighted to see us, but especially me. She is kind of fixated on me right now. It’s a little unnerving; I’m not at all used to being the favored grandparent! Lee has always been the boy’s favorite. It’s fun, but it also feels like a big responsibility to not screw it up!!!!

From there we went to the farmer’s market in downtown Los Altos. Fabulous strawberries, and other fruit too. I bought some very fresh cheese curds and besides strawberries we bought corn. Emi wanted to try most of the samples, but especially those strawberries! And they weren’t even the most popular ones, because that line was a block long!

Then we found a table and everyone chose what they wanted for dinner. I got a burrito bowl that was pretty good, but huge; I could only eat about half. We split a strawberry-banana-Nutella crepe at the end. Emi picked off the strawberries and dipped them in the cream. “I like cream!” She said brightly. Me too Emi!

We stopped at a grocery store on the way home. Emi and I stayed in the car. She demanded that I sing. This is becoming a thing. “Sing ducks!” “Again!” Until grandma goes, “I don’t want to!!” I told her I’m easily bored but she looked at me skeptically.

When we got home it was time for Emi’s bath and bed. She was melting down and wailing, “I want grandma!!” So weird!!!

Saturday June 6

Yesterday evening we babysat for Emi while Dan and Kelsey went out. We were given many warnings about how she might misbehave but she was great. We had pizza for dinner and she ate 2 pieces plus extra pieces of Italian sausage. She ate raw mushrooms out of the salad. She had ice cream for dessert and then she went on a bike ride and we walked along with her. She has gotten really really good on her strider. If she was big enough for the next size up I’d say she’s almost ready for pedals. By next year for sure!

In the afternoon I made a plum crumble using some of the plums from the tree in their backyard. They needed more sugar, a lot more. They were very tart. I actually put some honey on the piece I had this morning and it was better!

This morning Dan took Emi to go potty and she put her own underpants back on. Later while sitting next to me in a chair she pulled up her dress and said, “I’m not wearing underpants!” She was not. We looked everywhere for them, assuming that she had taken them off somewhere, but finally gave up and got another pair.

Emi had swimming this morning so we went early and looked at the ducks and turtles in the nearby pond. Then Kelsey started to change her into her swimsuit and discovered something. The missing underpants were hiding around Emi’s waist! Apparently when she put them on she put both legs in one hole, pulled them up, and forgot about them. Mystery solved!

She’s doing great in the water, floating on her back almost without assistance, pushing off from the side, going under, flipping from back to front and front to back. But she had a meltdown at the end because she didn’t want to share the purple octopus pool toy. 

She sobbed uncontrollably until we got back to the car and she could have some snacks. Poor thing was hungry! I definitely could sympathize.

Sunday June 7

We went to Borrone for lunch yesterday. Afterwards Emi fell asleep in the car and took a good long nap, an hour and a half easy. We had a relaxing afternoon and made dinner at home, a joint effort. Lee made a plum and goat cheese salad, Kelsey made a pasta, corn and cheese dish and Daniel grilled chicken. I cleaned up, at least partially. I think I’ve eaten too many of those plums! I had an upset stomach last night. I need to swear off them!

This morning I slept later than Lee for a change. I only had Cheerios for breakfast because we planned to go to Din Tai Fung for brunch. We got out the door by 8:30 and we were in line by 9. They opened at 9:30 but if you don’t get there early the wait can be hours. As it was we got right in.

It was delicious as always but as a waiter was bringing us our dumplings he accidentally knocked an entire carafe of water onto the floor, where it shattered with a resounding crash, sending water and shards of glass cascading under our table and the one next to us as well. Fortunately no one was injured, or even got wet, and our food was untouched, but we spent several uncomfortable minutes while they cleaned up the mess. Emi was very unnerved by it all. We think the loud noise scared her and she spent a good 15 minutes asking questions and refusing to eat until things calmed down. 

At the end they comped part of our meal, as well they might. It reminded Lee and I of the hot tea sushi incident in New York many years ago. This one was less painful, and not nearly as profitable, and that’s just fine with me!

We spent the next hour or so walking around the San Jose fake downtown, including a stop for some excellent gelato.

By the time we got back to the car Emi was very tired and so were we. She napped in the car on the way home. 

Later we went to look at the cactus garden on the Stanford campus and let Emi ride her bike through the surrounding eucalyptus trees. It had warmed up quite a lot and Emi was pretty tired too. I ended up with over 10k in steps which is by far the most steps I’ve had since the pinched nerve in my back.

Tuesday June 9.

We fly home this afternoon but let’s talk about yesterday first. We watched Emi. We took her to her art class in the morning. It was actually a makeup class for one she had missed. There were no other toddlers there; instead an art camp for older kids (I’d guess 4-6 yo) was in progress. There was plenty for Emi to enjoy age appropriately however. There were 3 activity tables set up.  One had various buttons, beads and small pieces of pasta in various shapes and colors that could be scooped and sorted. There was a kinetic sand table that was very cool. The sand was soft and cool without being damp, and stuck together easily. We spent a lot of time scooping and shaping the sand. It was fun. The third table had some slime. At first Emi wanted nothing to do with it; it was grey and creepy looking, even though it had sequins sprinkled in it.

So after that the teacher set up an easel and Emi made a painting. Then the campers were having snack time so Emi had to go sit with them and have snack time too!

Emi Art

The campers were making rocket ships using boxes and tape. The teacher set Emi up to do another painting at an table. There were watercolors, crayons and acrylic paint. But Emi wanted to cut tape with a scissors just like the big kids so she added some tape to her picture.

Emi Mixed Media Art!

Finally we went back to the slime. I started poking it and Emi liked that. Then I stretched it and Emi liked that too. Lee made it into a ball and it bounced a little. Then it was time to go.

The plan was to stop for lunch on our way to our next adventure, but Emi promptly fell asleep in the car. When we got to the noodle place she was still asleep, so we let her sleep for 45 minutes b4 waking her up. We got noodle mapa tofu, gyozo, and fried rice. The mapa sauce was too spicy for Emi but some of the noodles hadn’t been mixed in yet so she ate those. She ate a little of the fried rice and rejected the gyozo which she usually likes. She would have eaten more noodles, but alas. Really she ate mostly snacks yesterday until dinner.

Next we drove to Happy Hollow, an old fashioned amusement park and small zoo in San Jose. It especially catered to little kids, which was why we chose it. Emi had been there before but it had been a while. The first thing we did was ride the carousel. She chose the ostrich and she was fine until it started going up and down. Then she had a death grip on my arm (I was standing right next to her). Her lower lip was quivering but she didn’t cry. Brave girl!

We walked through the play area and tried a few different slides. She does love slides! We had to drag her away. Then we found the little cars. Oh boy. They were a total hit. She rode them 3 times and would have ridden them more if we hadn’t enticed her away with seeing animals.

She really liked the small zoo, especially the furry pig like animals that were walking around being active. She informed us that pigs say “oink oink”. Yep. We didn’t make it to the petting zoo, it was getting late. As we were leaving she asked if we could go on the cars again! Maybe next time Emi!

She promptly fell asleep in the car again and slept for a good hour. Grandparents are exhausting!

We went to Yayoi for dinner, Lee’s favorite and Emi’s too. You could tell Emi hadn’t eaten much that day; she just ate and ate and ate. Agadashi tofu, rice, and the leftovers from everyone’s miso soup, including the seaweed!

We stopped for gelato on the way home but it was suddenly rainy and chilly which made it hard to enjoy.

We had such a good time visiting this time. Emi is so much fun right now, and although she is challenging her parent’s authority like a typical two year old, she was very good for us. I knew it would be different being grandparents from afar, as opposed to everyday grandparents, but I didn’t take into account how scarcity made us special and exciting. It’s very fun!

Meeting Emi - La Jolla California February 2024 Part III

Thursday February 22nd

 Yesterday that cinnamon roll mid-morning meant that I wasn’t hungry for lunch. Finally around 1 we walked down to the ocean and sat down in a Thai restaurant. We got spring rolls and a stir fry, so not too much. I still couldn’t eat a lot. Then we walked around, looked at some shops, admired the ocean. It was a beautiful day. We walked back up the hill, stopped at CVS so Lee could pick up a prescription he had transferred here and I could get some acetone, kleenex, and purel. Then we chilled again until it was time for dinner. We got mediterranean from a place right down the street. baba ghanoush, falafel, a salad. Very good and we have leftovers that I’m going to have for lunch today!

This morning I went for a run along the Coastal Walk again, this time going the other direction, down the hill to the beach where we rented kayaks the last time we were here. Might rent cruiser bikes from them this time around.

We’ve got reservations at a Japanese restaurant for tonight, and a French place for tomorrow. I really want to get a cream puff from Beard Papa at some point as well, as long as I can do it without completely destroying my appetite like I did yesterday!

Friday February 23rd

So we ate the leftovers from Wednesday’s dinner for lunch yesterday, and then walked down to Beard Papa for a cream puff snack. Lee got a chocolate one with vanilla filling and I got a regular one withchocolate filling. Much fewer odd flavors in California, although they did have green tea! They are really good, but I also had them built up in my mind, and they are not spectacular, just normal delicious, haha.

Later in the afternoon I went for a little walk. I went up the hill instead of down toward the ocean this time and explored the neighborhood above us. 

The Japanese restaurant, Himitsu, was great. They had some very special nigiri and appetizer choices. We tried a lot of the chef recommendations and everything was good. My favorite was something I’ve never heard of before, gruntfish! It had several different flavors and textures. It was creamy and crunchy too. Just very fun to eat!

This morning we took our laundry to a wash and fold service at a nearby dry cleaners. If it really only costs $60 (her estimate, its by the pound) we will do it once more before we leave. That’s a bargain!

Then we walked over to Harry’s diner for breakfast. An old fashioned diner that’s been in the same location in La Jolla since 1960! Lee got chicken fried steak with two eggs over easy, hash browns and tortilla’s. I got the oatmeal blueberry pancakes with maple syrup, pecans and whipped cream. No need for lunch today!

Then we went for a walk down the coastal walk to La Jolla Cove. We strolled along the shore admiring the views and all the sea lions. The mama’s with their babies were especially charming. 

Saturday February 24th

Last night we went to a very nice french restaurant, Bistro du Marche, about a 10 minute walk. I got a glass of pinot noir that was so good I actually had a second glass, a rarity for me nowadays. We split everything and it was still a lot of food. A salad, mushroom ravioli, scallops, and profiteroles for dessert.

This morning was cloudy, which made it seem cooler, but actually it’s not. It was 60 when I ran at 7 and its in the mid-60’s now, just kind of hazy and cloudy. I ran along the shore, of course. It was high tide and the surf was up and there were a fair number of surfer out. And some ppl snorkeling without wetsuits which seemed crazy to me, but what do I know?

Barb Lais came to visit us today. We sat around and talked and caught up on things and then went out to lunch at a place called Beeside Balcony. I got avocado toast with scrambled eggs so kind of brunch/lunch. Barb got a gyro and Lee got a chicken sandwich. They got beers and I got a grapefruit mimosa. Of course now I’m sleepy, but we’ll get coffee soon.

After lunch we did a little shopping. Barb showed me a shoe place she likes Charleston Shoes. Their shoes look very comfortable, but I think I might try them online. They say they’re machine washable, haha.

Then I went into Lululemon and bought some lightweight cargo pants with cuffed ankles. I liked the ones that Kelsey had. Barb went into Talbot but no luck there. Then we said goodbye but she might come back Wednesday. It was great to see her.

Sunday February 25th. 

Lee cooked us dinner last night. he grilled some halibut we bought at the Fish Market. Also asparagus and rice. The fish was so great; fresh and delicious. You just can’t get fish like that in Minnesota. We should stop trying. It’s generally a waste of money.

I watched the last episode of Expats last night. It’s a Nicole Kidman mini-series set in Hong Kong. I enjoyed seeing Hong Kong, and some episodes (in and of themselves) were good, but the storyline? Meh. I guessed the ending long before the last episode; probably by the 3rd one. The one exception to this is episode 5 (there are only 6). The story that episode is told from the point of view of the helpers and some local characters, and goes into the umbrella revolution and those poor idealistic kids. So very sad. 

If you haven’t seen it and think you might want to, the next two paragraphs warrant a spoiler alert, so here goes.

The main expat family asked their long-suffering helper to come back to the US with them. Doesn’t happen. I knew a few people that would have dearly loved to have brought their helpers to the US when they left. They can’t get Visas for them, period. And even if they could, most expats in Hong Kong arereally middle to upper middle class people, even though in Hong Kong they appear very wealthy. That’s because (usually) their companies are paying a lot of their living expenses. So once they get back to the US they could never in a million years afford to have a live-in helper, or pay that helper a living wage. So that was ridiculous.

Second thing. The whole premise of the story is that their youngest child is kidnapped in a crowded market. No one notices that he is gone until it is too late. First of all, yes, this does happen on the mainland, especially to little boys. But not in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is extremely safe. But Hong Kong is really really crowded. No one, and I mean NO ONE would let go of a 3 yo’s hand in a crowded market. You’d have to be out of your mind. And to think no one saw it or said anything? Nope.

Ok enough of that! Now I need something else to watch!

This morning I ran toward La Jolla Beach again. It was in the mid-50’s but very humid so it felt warmer. I wore short sleeves and I’m glad! The waves were much quieter today and there were lots of beginner paddle boarders and surfers out.

We went to a Mexican place for lunch, Puesto La Jolla. They are known for their tacos. We got 4 different ones to share, chicken, fish, rib eye and short rib. The best one was the fish taco imo. Lee liked the rib eye the best.  I think we need to go back there again with Dan and Kelsey this week.

We needed to walk off that lunch so after a little while we went on a hike to La Jolla Natural Scenic Park. 545 ft of elevation gain! Very steep and rocky on the way up, with a nice view at the top. It was much easier going back down because we took the road.

Monday February 26

Dan and Kelsey and Emi come today! Lee has gone to the airport to pick them up. I can’t wait to see them!

Last night we went to happy hour at Eddie V’s for dinner. We sat at the bar, with a beautiful view of the coastline. I had an Old Fashioned, Lee had a martini. We ate sliders, little lamb chops, and a beet and burrata salad. It was all very good and we had fun. And since it was happy hour it didn’t cost a lot either! Win-win, lol.

We met Dan, Kelsey and Emi at the Parakeet Cafe for lunch. I had breakfast again, this time eggs benedict on sour dough bread, and lemon ginger turmeric tea. The tea was good, but VERY yellow, ha. Emi seems to have grown in just a week. She is very into trying to stand; it’s hard to get her to bend to sit! She’s holding her head up better, and smiling more. And talking and cooing! She’s really great. 

Afterwards we strolled around a little, stopped at a bakery for rugelach and then went to check out their hotel. The Colonial is very old, overlooking the ocean, nice in a lost grandeur sort of way. It’s sprawling, consisting of several separate buildings with courtyards and a pool. Their room is nice; a suite with a kitchenette and a bathroom bigger than ours, ha. We sat around and visited for a while until it was time to leave. They are going to have dinner with friends tonight, and we are going to continue to chill. We’ll see them again tomorrow.

Wednesday February 28

I went swimming yesterday morning. Finally back to being able to do a full workout, first time since surgery. Now I need to start working on gradually increasing the amount of time I can swim continuously. 

We went to Din Tai Fung again last night. We went to the Westwood Mall early so we could do some shopping first. I marched right into Marine Layer. I’ve never been in one of their retail stores before so I was psyched. The sales guy said it was one of the first retail stores so it was very small. But I bought a shirt and a hoodie. No more shopping in California! Maybe. I still need some little presents for Lula and Willa to include in Oscar’s present so we’ll see.

We sat down at an outdoor wine bar and had some drinks while waiting for our table. When it was time we discovered that because we had a stroller we had to wait for a table that would accommodate us. The hostess said it would be another 15 minutes but it really was only around 3!

We again got lots of chou long bai and hot and sour soup, but this time we got pork buns (just ok) and fried rice (fabulous). I had hoped the pork buns would be bbq’d but no. Next time I’ll get gyoza instead.

Today has been beautiful. I ran this morning, then Barb Lais came over again and we met Dan and Kelsey at Duke’s for lunch. The view was beautiful, Emi was very chill, and my food and cocktail were very nice. I liked the macaroni salad and the rice, a nice sort of change.

Thursday February 29th. Happy Leap Day!

Yesterday I took a little nap in the afternoon because of that lunchtime cocktail! Then I walked down to the grocery store and bought some fruit and some Lara Bars for breakfast and snacks.

We met them again at dinner, at a pasta and pizza place called Isola. No wine for me! Lee and I split a mushroom pasta dish and an arugula salad. Then we got dessert; panda cotta and tiramisu, yum. Also split 2 glasses of moscato between 3 of us. 

Today is our last day in La Jolla; we’re driving back to Palo Alto tomorrow. It’s overcast and cooler today. We are using the laundry service again, just enough to get us through the weekend, until we are home.

After dropping off our clothes we walked over to The Cottage for breakfast. Lee got a turkey club, because why not? I got brioche french toast with blueberries. They gave me an immense amount of toast, at least 6 pieces. I could barely eat three, but I did my best.  Then we walked to CVS to get a bandaid for the cut on my thumb. I don’t know when it happened but at lunch yesterday I suddenly noticed I was bleeding and later I discovered I had bled on my new Marine Layer shirt. I scrubbed it with soap and water but I also put it in the laundry today just to be safe.  I got Paw Patrol bandaids so when we take them home the boys willbe happy if they need one while they’re at our house. I don’t mind having a picture of a puppy in a hard hat on my thumb either! At least it will keep me from banging it and causing it to bleed again before it can form a good scab.

Then we walked over to the Parisian Bakery and bought some more of their multigrain bread so we have some for breakfast. We’ll take it back to Palo Alto with us tomorrow.